cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive function impacts gait, functional mobility and falls in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome.

Abstract Background Executive function and information processing speed deficits occur in fragile X premutation carriers (PMC) with and without fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Gait is negatively impacted by cognitive deficits in many patient populations resulting in increased morbidity and falls but these relationships have not been studied in FXTAS. Research question We sought to investigate the associations between executive function and information processing speed and gait, turning and falls in PMC with and without FXTAS compared to healthy controls. Methods Global cognition and the cognitive domains of information processing speed, attention, response inhibition, working memory and verbal fluency were tested with a neuropsychological test battery in 18 PMC with FXTAS, 15 PMC without FXTAS, and 27 controls. An inertial sensor based instrumented Timed Up and Go was employed to test gait, turns and functional mobility. Results Lower information processing speed was significantly associated with shorter stride length, reflecting slower gait speed, in PMC with FXTAS (p = 0.0006) but not PMC without FXTAS or controls. Lower response inhibition was also significantly associated with slower turn-to-sit times in PMC with FXTAS (p = 0.034) but not in those without FXTAS or controls. Lower information processing speed (p = 0.012) and working memory (p = 0.004), were significantly correlated with a greater number of self-reported falls in the past year in FXTAS participants. Significance This is the first study demonstrating that worse executive function and slower information processing speed is associated with reduced gait speed and functional mobility, as well as with a higher retrospective fall history in participants with FXTAS. This information may be important in the design of cognitive and motor interventions for this neurodegenerative disorder.
Resistance and Its Potential

Resistance—political, physical, or philosophical—emerges in thresholds of contact where the “sides” engage, and sometimes one side gives way to the other. This study works in the thresholds of poli...
Addressing the Opioid Crisis One Surgical Patient at a Time: Outcomes of a Novel Perioperative Pain Program

Opioid prescriptions in the surgical setting have been implicated as contributors to the opioid epidemic. The authors hypothesized that a multidisciplinary approach to perioperative pain management for patients on chronic opioid therapy could decrease postoperative opioid requirements while reducing postoperative pain scores and improving functional outcomes. Therefore, a Perioperative Pain Program (PPP) for chronic opioid users was implemented. This study presents outcomes from the first 9 months of the PPP. Sixty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. Opioid consumption in morphine milligram equivalent (MME) was calculated and physical and health status of patients was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Short Form-12. Preliminary results showed significant reduction in MME, improved pain scores, and improved function for surgical patients on chronic opioids. PPP effectively reduced opioid usage without negatively influencing patient-reported outcomes, such as physical pain score assessment and health-related quality of life.
Sex-Dependent Mechanisms of Glucocorticoid Regulation of the Mouse Hypothalamic Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Gene.

To limit excessive glucocorticoid secretion following hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stimulation, circulating glucocorticoids inhibit corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurons. As HPA function differs between sexes and depends on circulating estradiol (E2) levels in females, we investigated sex/estrous stage-dependent glucocorticoid regulation of PVN Crh. Using NanoString nCounter technology, we first demonstrated that adrenalectomized (ADX'd) diestrous female (low E2), but not male or proestrous female (high E2), mice exhibited a robust decrease in PVN CRH mRNA following 2-day treatment with the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonist RU28362. Immunohistochemical analysis of PVN CRH neurons in Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai14 mice, where TdTomato fluorescence permanently tags CRH-expressing neurons, showed similarly abundant co-expression of GR-immunoreactivity in males, diestrous females, and proestrous females. However, we identified sex/estrous stage-related glucocorticoid regulation or expression of GR transcriptional coregulators. Out of 17 coregulator genes examined using nCounter multiplex analysis, mRNAs that were decreased by RU28362 in ADX'd mice in a sex/estrous stage-dependent fashion included: GR (males = diestrous females > proestrous females), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) (males proestrous). Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3), nuclear corepressor 1 (NCoR1), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnrnpu), CREB binding protein (CBP) and CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 2 (CRTC2) mRNAs were lower in ADX'd diestrous and proestrous females versus males. Additionally, most PVN CRH neurons co-expressed methylated CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2)-immunoreactivity in diestrous female and male Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai14 mice. Our findings collectively suggest that GR's sex-dependent regulation of PVN Crh may depend upon differences in the GR transcriptional machinery and an underlying influence of E2 levels in females.
Deep Learning in 5G Wireless Networks - Anomaly Detections

The year of 2020 is critical for global implementation of 5G wireless networks. While enjoying a whole new level of user experience in 5G networks, such as high data rate, low latency and virtually everything to everything connections, the ever growing diversity, complexity of network and data traffics impose a set of new challenges for effectively operating and managing 5G networks. As our daily lives are more dependent on mobile devices and apps, so does the cyber security risk and venerability increase. Many of the algorithms, protocols and practices used to safeguard 4G networks fall short for 5G networks without degrading the performance expected for 5G networks. In this paper we report our early research results of using deep learning algorithms for anomaly detection in 5G network while minimizing the impacts to network latency. We developed a prototype model using U-Net and conducted a simulation experiment with a well known botnet dataset to evaluate the suitability and performance.
Risk Factors for Failure of Nonoperative Treatment of Posterior Shoulder Labral Tears on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

INTRODUCTION There are no reports in the literature describing risk factors for failure of nonoperative treatment of patients with posterior labral tears on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for failure of nonoperative treatment in patients with an isolated posterior glenoid labral tear identified on MRI only. Patients with posterior labral tears on MRI who fail to improve with nonoperative treatment likely share a constellation of clinical history, physical exam, and radiographic findings. METHODS One hundred and fifty-nine active duty military service members under the age of 40 with a posterior labral tear seen on MRI and who were clinically evaluated by a musculoskeletal trained physician were identified. We retrospectively evaluated their records ensuring a minimum of 2 years follow-up after MRI to identify surgical intervention for the posterior labral tear during this time period. Patients were stratified into two groups, those treated with any combination of nonoperative modalities and those treated with posterior labral repair surgery during the 2 years after the MRI. The electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical presentation and physical exam results. We measured multiple radiographic parameters, including glenoid version, size of the tear, and bone loss on MRI. Qualitative and quantitative data were compared between groups using Fisher's exact test and Student's t-test, respectively. This study was conducted under institutional review board approval. RESULTS Of the 157 patients' shoulders in our study, 52% (n = 82) of patients with posterior labral tears underwent nonoperative treatment while 48% (n = 75) underwent surgery. The significant risk factors associated with surgery were a history of a specific injury, primary presenting complaint of instability, patient reported history of subluxation, inability to trust their shoulder with overhead activity, decreased strength with weight lifting, positive posterior load/shift exam, positive anterior apprehension, increased osseous glenoid retroversion, increased humeral head subluxation ratio, and anterior labral height (P < 0.05). Patients with a chief complaint of pain were much more likely to succeed with nonoperative treatment while those with instability underwent surgery more often. Ten (12.5%) of the surgical procedures included an anterior and posterior labral repair/stabilization procedure. CONCLUSION Patients with an MRI confirmed posterior labral tear, which present with subjective complaints and physical exam maneuvers consistent with instability, appear less likely to be treated nonoperatively. Increased glenoid retroversion and posterior humeral head subluxation may also predispose patients toward surgical treatment. Additionally, posterior labral tears may extend into the anterior labrum more frequently than is recognized on MRI.
On lattices of convex sets in R^n

Properties of several sorts of lattices of convex subsets of R^n are examined. The lattice of convex sets containing the origin turns out, for n>1, to satisfy a set of identities strictly between those of the lattice of all convex subsets of R^n and the lattice of all convex subsets of R^{n-1}. The lattices of arbitrary, of open bounded, and of compact convex sets in R^n all satisfy the same identities, but the last of these is join-semidistributive, while for n>1 the first two are not. The lattice of relatively convex subsets of a fixed set S \subseteq R^n satisfies some, but in general not all of the identities of the lattice of ``genuine'' convex subsets of R^n.
P4.004 Child restraint use in Shanghai: A multi-round cross-sectional observational study

Background Few studies have assessed the child restraint use in Shanghai. We aim to investigate the prevalence of child restraint use and the potential risk factors affecting child restraint practice in Shanghai. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted near the pediatric hospitals, kindergartens, entertainment places, and shopping malls between 2015 and 2019 in Shanghai. Trained field workers observed and recoded the child restraint use in all passing motorized vehicles with children passengers at each site. A logistic regression model was used to examine risk factors on non-restraint use among children, adjusting for potential confounders. Results Eight rounds of data were collected with a total sample size of 12,061 children. The total child restraint use rate was 6.42%. Child restraint use rate rose with fluctuation during the last 5 years, from 5.12% in round 1 to 8.55% in round 8 (p value Conclusion Child restraint use rate was low in Shanghai. Our finding may inform intervention programs among children with those risk factors to promote child restraint use.
Mapping Datafication in Construction-Worker Safety Research to Minimize Injury-Related Disputes

AbstractConstruction workers are susceptible to work-related injury, which increases the probability of a workers’ compensation claim. But the workers’ compensation claim can cause dispute for seve...
On the Link Between Policy Uncertainty and Domestic Production in G7 Countries: An Asymmetry Analysis

Previous studies have assessed the impact of policy uncertainty on consumption and investment in G7 countries. In this study, we assess its impact on domestic output in the same countries. Furtherm...
The Impact of Earnings Expectations on Corporate Downsizing

We propose that due to financial market pressures, managers are forward-looking in their search and decision processes and focus on meeting performance targets set by the financial community. Using panel data on S&P 100 companies, we find that pressure felt by management to meet the analyst consensus earnings estimate influences the extent of corporate downsizing. Moreover, our results show that high levels of institutional investor stock ownership and CEO power attenuate managers’ sensitivity to financial market pressures, while high levels of analyst coverage increase their sensitivity. Our paper provides greater insight into the influence that investment analysts have on companies by investigating the impact of earnings pressure on corporate downsizing, a major strategic decision that can occur across industries. By providing evidence that downsizing is undertaken in order to meet analysts’ earnings estimates our study also contributes to our knowledge on the factors that motivate corporate downsizing. By finding that regardless of financial performance, firms utilize downsizing in order to meet analysts’ earnings estimates, we expand our understanding of the role of the financial markets, and specifically earnings pressure, on corporate downsizing decisions.
Short-horizon incentives and stock price inflation

Abstract Do managerial incentive horizons have capital market consequences? We find that they do when short-sale constraints are more binding. Firms experience significant stock price inflation when their CEOs have short horizon incentives. The short-horizon CEOs sell more shares at inflated prices and generate greater abnormal trading profits. The stock price inflation is partly explained by greater earnings surprises and more positive investor reaction to the surprises. To inflate stock prices, short-horizon firms are more likely to employ income-increasing discretionary accruals. Consistent with theoretical predictions, all these effects are attenuated or statistically insignificant when short-sale constraints are less binding.
Public policy and parent-child aggression: Considerations for reducing and preventing physical punishment and abuse

Abstract Parent-child physical aggression, including both physical punishment and abuse, remains a prevalent problem in the United States. In this paper, we briefly review the prevalence and harms of parent-child aggression and discuss changes in social norms and policies over the past several decades. Then, we discuss broad social policies influencing risk for parent-child physical aggression, policies relevant to reducing and preventing physical abuse, and policies relevant to reducing and preventing physical punishment. We close by considering future directions to strengthen research and evaluation and accelerate progress toward ending parent-child physical aggression.
Assemblies of the genomes of parasitic wasps using meta-assembly and scaffolding with genetic linkage.

Safe, effective biological-control introductions against invasive pests depend on narrowly host-specific natural enemies with the ability to adapt to a changing environment. As part of a project on the genetic architectures of these traits, we assembled and annotated the genomes of two aphid parasitoids, Aphelinus atriplicis and Aphelinus certus. We report here several assemblies of A. atriplicis made with Illumina and PacBio data, which we combined into a meta-assembly. We scaffolded the meta-assembly with markers from a genetic map of hybrids between A. atriplicis and A. certus. We used this genetic-linkage scaffolded (GLS) assembly of A. atriplicis to scaffold a de novo assembly of A. certus. The de novo assemblies of A. atriplicis differed in contiguity, and the meta-assembly of these assemblies was more contiguous than the best de novo assembly. Scaffolding with genetic-linkage data allowed chromosomal-level assembly of the A. atriplicis genome and scaffolding a de novo assembly of A. certus with this GLS assembly, greatly increased the contiguity of the A. certus assembly to the point where it was also at the chromosomal-level. However, completeness of the A. atriplicis assembly, as measured by % complete, single-copy BUSCO hymenopteran genes, varied little among de novo assemblies and was not increased by meta-assembly or genetic scaffolding. Furthermore, the greater contiguity of the meta-assembly and GLS assembly had little or no effect on the numbers of genes identified, the proportion with homologs or functional annotations. Increased contiguity of the A. certus assembly provided modest improvement in assembly completeness, as measured by % complete, single-copy BUSCO hymenopteran genes. The total genic sequence increased, and while the number of genes declined, gene length increased, which together suggest greater accuracy of gene models. More contiguous assemblies provide uses other than gene annotation, for example, identifying the genes associated with quantitative trait loci and understanding of chromosomal rearrangements associated with speciation.
The heat-shock-regulated grpE gene of Escherichia coli is required for bacterial growth at all temperatures but is dispensable in certain mutant backgrounds

Previous work has established that the grpE+ gene product is a heat shock protein that is essential for bacteriophage lambda growth at all temperatures and for Escherichia coli growth at temperatures above 43 degrees C. Here it is shown that the grpE+ gene product is essential for bacterial viability at all temperatures. The strategy required constructing a grpE deletion derivative carrying a selectable chloramphenicol drug resistance marker provided by an omega insertion and showing that this deletion construct can be crossed into the bacterial chromosome if and only if a functional grpE+ gene is present elsewhere in the same cell. As a control, the same omega insertion could be placed immediately downstream of the grpE+ coding sequence without any observable effects on host growth. This result demonstrates that the inability to construct a grpE-deleted E. coli strain is not simply due to a lethal polar effect on neighboring gene expression. Unexpectedly, it was found that the grpE deletion derivative could be crossed into the bacterial chromosome in a strain that was defective in DnaK function. Further analysis showed that it was not the lack of DnaK function per se that allowed E. coli to tolerate a deletion in the grpE+ gene. Rather, it was the presence of unknown extragenic suppressors of a dnaK mutation that somehow compensated for the deficiency in both DnaK and GrpE function.
Electric commuter bicycle

In the past decade there has been a substantial growth in numbers of commuters who are bicycling to and from work. Despite this fact, the most popular method of transportation in present-day society is the use of automobiles. One possible explanation for the fact that most commuters prefer automobiles to bicycles is that automobiles provide a level of comfort and protection from weather that is not typical of current bicycle technologies. With a growing market of commuter bicycles, however, there is an opportunity to improve existing technologies in order to attract potential automobile users to adopt this alternate means of transportation. This project aimed to develop a humanpowered, electric-assisted commuter vehicle for an interested client that will meet the collective needs of automobile and bicycle commuters. Six engineering students were tasked with designing, constructing, and testing an Electric Commuter Bicycle (ECB). This report will discuss the design and analytical methods used to develop the ECB including: information gathering and benchmarking, conceptual development, prototype modeling and fabrication, sub-system and full-scale testing, and analysis of testing.
Concentration of proteins and removal of solutes.

Abstract The dramatic advances in recombinant DNA and proteomics technology over the past decade have supported a tremendous growth in biologics applied to diagnostics, biomarkers, and commercial therapeutic markets. In particular, antibodies and fusion proteins have now become a main focus for a broad number of clinical indications, including neurology, oncology, and infectious diseases with projected increase in novel first-class molecules and biosimilar entities over the next several years. In line with these advances are the improved analytical, development, and small-scale preparative methods employed to elucidate biologic structure, function, and interaction. A number of established methods are used for solvent removal, including lyophilization, reverse extraction, solute precipitation, and dialysis (solvent exchange), ultrafiltration, and chromatographic techniques. Notably, advances in the miniaturization and throughput of protein analysis have been supported by the development of a plethora of microscale extraction procedures and devices that exploit a wide array of modes for small-scale sample preparation, including the concentration and desalting of protein samples prior to further analysis. Furthermore, advances in process handling and data monitoring at microscale have dramatically improved complex control and product recovery of small quantities of biologics using techniques such as lyophilization and precipitation. In contrast, the efficient concentration of feed streams during preparative chromatography has been enhanced by improvements to protein binding capacity achieved through advanced bead and ligand design. The objective of solvent removal may be to prepare or concentrate solutes for analysis, or to facilitate their production or modification. Here, we describe the most recent advances in these techniques, particularly focusing on improved capabilities for bench-scale preparative methods.
Gastrocnemius tendon strain in a dog treated with autologous mesenchymal stem cells and a custom orthosis.

Objective To report clinical findings and outcome in a dog with gastrocnemius tendon strain treated with autologous mesenchymal stem cells and a custom orthosis. Study Design Clinical report. Animal A 4-year-old spayed female Border Collie. Methods Bone-marrow derived, autologous mesenchymal stem cells were transplanted into the tendon core lesion. A custom, progressive, dynamic orthosis was fit to the tarsus. Serial orthopedic examinations and ultrasonography as well as long-term force-plate gait analysis were utilized for follow up. Results Lameness subjectively resolved and peak vertical force increased from 43% to 92% of the contralateral pelvic limb. Serial ultrasonographic examinations revealed improved but incomplete restoration of normal linear fiber pattern of the gastrocnemius tendon. Conclusions Findings suggest that autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplantation with custom, progressive, dynamic orthosis may be a viable, minimally invasive technique for treatment of calcaneal tendon injuries in dogs.
Heat transfer and flow characteristics of jets impinging on a concave hemispherical plate

The present study is concerned with an experimental investigation of the flow characteristics and heat transfer from turbulent air jets impinging normally on a concave hemispherical plate (CHP). It is found that the incompressible, turbulent jets impinging on a CHP are in many respects similar to the jets impinging on a flat plate. The observed differences are due to effects of curvature and to a slightly higher turbulence level inside of the CHP. Attention is given to the experimental apparatus, aspects of inner boundary layer development, the maximum velocity decay in a wall jet, the derivation of a maximum velocity decay formula, the influence of curvature on stagnation point heat transfer, and heat transfer calculations for a concave hemispherical plate.
What Is Exercise

Physical exercise has proven to be an extremely useful tool in health enhancement, health maintenance, and rehabilitation in addition to its role in conditioning for competitive sports. Exercise is defined as activity that involves the generation of force by the activated muscles. While various sport activities and events involve a wide range of metabolic power production, exercise for fitness and health occupies two discrete areas of the power scale: relatively low intensity that promotes cardiovascular or aerobic fitness and very high intensity that develops strength and maximal power. In both cases, exercise intensity can be quantified and prescribed in highly definitive terms.
Muscle pump function during locomotion: mechanical coupling of stride frequency and muscle blood flow

We imposed opposing oscillations in treadmill speed and grade on nine rats to test for direct mechanical coupling between stride frequency and hindlimb blood flow. Resting hindlimb blood flow was 1...
An overview of management compensation

Abstract Accounting curricula should change to meet the evolving needs of business, including needs of the accounting profession. One increasingly complex element of the business environment is the appropriate design of management compensation systems. Concerns regarding the level of executive pay, the debate over stock options, the emphasis by the International Accounting Standards Board on determining appropriate accounting for share-based compensation, and the lack of current accounting standards regarding share-based compensation in most countries challenge our thinking regarding the accounting for and the design and evaluation of compensation alternatives. As future accountants, consultants, and financial managers designing and accounting for compensation plans, students must understand both the broader business issues surrounding the use of these contracts and the accounting, tax, and managerial issues associated with compensation alternatives. We provide a general discussion of different compensation mechanisms, their benefits and limitations, and their related financial, tax, and managerial accounting implications. In addition, we provide technical references to enable students to conduct a detailed investigation of each type of compensation to facilitate a rich, rigorous discussion in the classroom. We recommend using this paper in financial, tax, and managerial accounting courses to broaden students' understanding of all these issues beyond the more focused discussions typical in these courses.
A new perspective on teaching computer literacy

The first step in designing a college level computer literacy course is to define what is meant by computer literacy. Unfortunately no consensus exists as to what the label “computer literate” should imply. The difficulty in both defining computer literacy and designing a satisfactory computer literacy course is evident by both the frequency of change and experimentation occurring at many institutions and by the forests of textbooks that exist for such a course. In this paper we present a definition of computer literacy that is independent of any specific application or application genre and introduce the notion of application literacy as distinct from that of computer literacy. Finally we describe a course implementation strategy commensurate with our philosophy.
Simultaneous imaging of neural activity in 3D (Presentation Video)

Many people suffering from diseases such as epilepsy, autism, or are diagnosed with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's disease that cannot be helped because we do not understand how the brain works, notes Rafael Yuste in this BiOS Hot Topic talk. So scientists are working on methodologies to study the brain, visualize neurons, and map the connections, in order to comprehend neural circuitry in its entirety and develop treatments. Neuroscientists are currently able to visualize neuron activity using calcium imaging, based on changes in fluorescence intensity or spectral properties of a dye that is sensitive to fluctuations in intracellular calcium concentrations, which is directly related with neuron activity. This method works in live animals, using a window in their skull. Nonlinear microscopy provides the ability to image deeper inside the brain. The Yuste group is now working on expanding this technique to fast 3D imaging in the brains of living animals. Until not long ago, 3D visualization was only achievable by sequentially scanning different focal planes, which is very time-consuming. The implementation of holographic methods in their microscope can bring a solution. Rafael Yuste is Professor of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience at Columbia University. He obtained his MD at the Universidad Autonoma in the Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Hospital (Spain). After a brief research period in Sydney Brenner's group at the LMB in Cambridge, UK, he performed PhD studies with Larry Katz in Torsten Wiesel's laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York. He then moved to Bell Labs, where he was a postdoctoral student of David Tank and Winfried Denk. In 2005 he became HHMI Investigator and Co-Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia. He has been a visiting researcher in Javier DeFelipe's laboratory at the Cajal Institute/UPM in Madrid since 1997, and since 2012 at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.
Evaluation of forestry programs: A case study of the forestry incentives program in Massachusetts

Abstract A general methodology is proposed to evaluate forestry programs which are aimed at increasing timber supply from non-industrial private forest lands. A financial analysis of the forestry activities included in the program or a questionnaire submitted to the landowners should serve to establish what would have been done in the absence of the program. An economic analysis aggregating the marginal benefits and costs for each program participant can be related in different benefit—cost ratios. The methodology is applied to the evaluation of the Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) in Massachusetts. The study shows that the efficiency benefit—cost ratio is > 1 at 4% and 6.625% and that the landowner's management decisions are crucial to the performance of the program.
Research Rankings of Behavior Analytic Graduate Training Programs and Their Faculty.

We evaluated research productivity of several graduate programs that provide Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)-approved course sequences in behavior analysis. Considering the faculty of BACB training programs as a unit, in only about 50 %, programs have faculty combined to publish ten or more total articles in our field’s primary empirical journals. Among individual faculty members, a sizeable number have not published an article in any of the field’s top journals. To recognize major scholarly contributors, we provide top 10 lists of training programs and individual faculty members. We conclude by discussing the importance of research in an increasingly practice-driven marketplace.
Learning, communication, and the bullwhip effect

Abstract We investigate the effect of learning and communication on the bullwhip effect in supply chains. Using the beer distribution game in a controlled laboratory setting, we test four behavioral hypotheses – bounded rationality, experiential learning, systems learning, and organizational learning – by systematically manipulating training and communication protocols. We find that order variability decreases significantly in a setting in which participants start with hands-on experience, and are then allowed to formulate team strategies collaboratively. This result indicates that while training may improve individuals’ knowledge and understanding of the system, it does not improve supply chain performance unless supply chain partners are allowed to communicate and share this knowledge. Our results indicate that the bullwhip effect is, at least in part, caused by insufficient coordination between supply chain partners.
Intercellular transfer by phage receptor site lipopolysaccharide.

TREATMENT of Escherichia coli cells with lysozyme and EDTA partially removes the outer layer of the cell wall containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS), leaving osmotically unstable spheroplasts1. These can be infected with phage nucleic acid2 and can produce viable phage particles. Removal of LPS-containing phage receptor sites3–5, however, leaves spheroplasts resistant to infection by intact phages1. We now show that LPS, obtained from phage-sensitive cells by aqueous phenol extraction, can provide functional phage receptor sites to spheroplasts prepared from cells lacking receptor sites.
Coulomb-interacting Dirac fermions in disordered graphene

We study such experimentally relevant characteristics of the Coulomb-interacting Dirac quasiparticles in disordered graphene as the quasiparticle width and density of states that can be probed by photoemission, magnetization, and tunneling measurements. We find that an interplay between the unscreened Coulomb interactions and pseudorelativistic quasiparticle kinematics can be best revealed in the ballistic regime, whereas in the diffusive limit the behavior is qualitatively similar to that of the ordinary two\penalty1000-\hskip0ptdimensional electron gas with parabolic dispersion.
Breast Cancer Biomarkers: Utility in Clinical Practice.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. For the past decades, new technical tools have been developed for biomarkers at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels to better understand the biology of breast cancer. This progress is essential to classify the disease into clinically relevant subtypes, which may lead to new therapeutic opportunities. Novel biomarker development is paramount to deliver personalized cancer therapies. Further, tumor evolution, being natural or under treatment pressure, should be monitored and “liquid biopsies” by detecting circulating tumor cells or circulating free tumor DNA in blood samples will become an important option. This article reviews the new generation of biomarkers and the current evidence to demonstrate their analytical validity, clinical validity and clinical utility.
Cyclic nucleotide metabolism in inherited retinopathy in collies: A biochemical and histochemical study

Cyclic nucleotide metabolism in collies afflicted with early onset inherited retinal dysplasia was investigated with biochemical and histochemical methods. 3′,5′-Guanosine monophosphate (cyclic GMP) levels in the affected retinas were 10 times higher than those in the control retinas during postnatal development of the normal photoreceptor outer segments (2–8 weeks). Cyclic AMP levels were similar in both affected and control retinas. During this period, cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity was 25% lower in retinal homogenates of the affected animals than in those of the normals. The PDE activity in both normal and affected retinas was found to be calmodulin-independent. Electron microscopically, some of the outer segments of the photoreceptors in affected retinas appeared normal; most showed lamellar breakdown. By ultrastructural histochemistry, little cyclic GMP PDE activity was localized in the abnormal outer segments, while normal-appearing outer segments contained abundant reaction product in both control and affected retinas. The high levels of cyclic GMP in this collie disease are similar to those found in other models of inherited retinal dystrophy and further confirm cyclic nucleotide involvement in photoreceptor degeneration.
Aiming at Half of the Target: An Argument to Replace Poverty Thresholds With Self-Sufficiency, or “Living Wage” Standards

The federal poverty “line,” established in the 1960s, has long been criticized as severely inadequate. Efforts to adjust it have ensued. As poverty is measured by income, it is logically linked to inadequate wages. Movements to establish a “living wage,” intended to ensure self-sufficiency, have also been pursued. The histories of these efforts are briefly examined, with attention to the working poor. The authors argue that using a living wage benchmark for measuring income inadequacy should replace poverty measures to better describe a continuum from the poorest households to those who have achieved at least minimal self-sufficiency.
Nature, causes, and prevention of labyrinth air seal failures

This paper is devoted to the problems of labyrinth air seals where radially extending teeth are carried by rotating components. In view of the possibility of resonance, determination of the natural nodal frequencies of seal components and supporting structure by analysis, tests, or both is of vital importance in the design and development procedure. Construction of Campbell frequency diagrams is a basic requirement to assure adequate frequency mistuning margin against vibration and fatigue failures caused by rubs. Aerodynamic disturbing forces have also excited flexural vibration and fatigue failure of seals. A w/R stability criterion has proven effective in evaluating the hazard of aeroelastic vibration due to pressure drop across multi-tooth seals. Acoustic oscillations in the annular chamber into which the seal discharges have coupled with the corresponding natural nodal flexural vibration of seal components, which increases nodal flexural vibration of seal components, and increases the hazard of vibration and fatigue failure. Transient thermal instability may occur if the heat generated during rub causes the inner component to grow at a faster rate than outer. Seals must have compatible thermal expansions to maintain close clearances even when engine operating transients are rapid. The design and application of severed damper sleeves and ring to rotor components are effective in protecting air seals and the cylindrical walls of annular chambers aft of seals against flexural vibration and fatigue failures excited by aerodynamic disturbing forces. Since acoustically coupled oscillations persist over relatively long distances and thus involve additional components, severed damper sleeves have proven effective in protecting these thin-walled components excited by aerodynamic disturbing forces.
The Social Life of Metadata: Arguments from Utility for Shared Database Management (A Response to Banush and LeBlanc)

In Banush and LeBlanc (2007), the utilitarianism of Bentham was resurrected and offered as a “philosophical backdrop for dealing with competing library choices.” This article discusses two serious ...
Assessing and Comparing Anesthesiologists’ Performance on Mandated Metrics Using a Bayesian Approach

BACKGROUND Periodic assessment of performance by anesthesiologists is required by The Joint Commission Ongoing Professional Performance Evaluation program. METHODS The metrics used in this study were the (1) measurement of blood pressure and (2) oxygen saturation (SpO2) either before or less than 5 min after anesthesia induction. Noncompliance was defined as no measurement within this time interval. The authors assessed the frequency of noncompliance using information from 63,913 cases drawn from the anesthesia information management system. To adjust for differences in patient and procedural characteristics, 135 preoperative variables were analyzed with decision trees. The retained covariate for the blood pressure metric was patient's age and, for SpO2 metric, was American Society of Anesthesiologist's physical status, whether the patient was coming from an intensive care unit, and whether induction occurred within 5 min of the start of the scheduled workday. A Bayesian hierarchical model, designed to identify anesthesiologists as "performance outliers," after adjustment for covariates, was developed and was compared with frequentist methods. RESULTS The global incidences of noncompliance (with frequentist 95% CI) were 5.35% (5.17 to 5.53%) for blood pressure and 1.22% (1.14 to 1.30%) for SpO2 metrics. By using unadjusted rates and frequentist statistics, it was found that up to 43% of anesthesiologists would be deemed noncompliant for the blood pressure metric and 70% of anesthesiologists for the SpO2 metric. By using Bayesian analyses with covariate adjustment, only 2.44% (1.28 to 3.60%) and 0.00% of the anesthesiologists would be deemed "noncompliant" for blood pressure and SpO2, respectively. CONCLUSION Bayesian hierarchical multivariate methodology with covariate adjustment is better suited to faculty monitoring than the nonhierarchical frequentist approach.
Effects of Water on the Performance of Sulfated Zirconia Catalysts for Butane Isomerization

The activity, selectivity, and rate of deactivation of sulfated zirconia catalysts for isomerization of n-butane at 423 K depend on the temperature at which the catalyst is dried following initial calcination and exposure to air. The optimum drying temperature for the sample of this study is 548 K. The addition of 75 {mu}mol/g of water to a sample dehydrated at 773 K restores high catalytic activity. Excessive catalyst hydration leads to low catalytic activity by causing extensive hydrogen bonding at the active sites. Changes in catalytic activity with drying temperature are not directly related to a transformation of Bronsted to Lewis acid sites. Rather, the surface sulfate species may participate in butane isomerization via a reduction-oxidation cycle, and water may promote the catalytic activity by altering the oxidation-reduction properties of the surface sulfate species. 58 refs., 9 figs.
Molecule Formation and Infrared Emission in Fast Interstellar Shocks. III. Results for J Shocks in Molecular Clouds

The structure and emission spectrum of J shocks in molecular gas are studied over a broad range of conditions. It is found that at high densities chemistry has a profound effect on the emission spectrum: the density behind the shock is sufficiently high that some of the internal energy of the newly formed H2 molecules is transformed to the gas as heat by collisional deexcitations, producing the H2 formation plateau. In this temperature plateau, endothermal reactions and neutral-neutral chemical reactions with activation energies can proceed efficiently, producing significant quantities of warm H2, CO, OH, and H2O and enhanced columns of warm atoms and ions. The heat generated by the H2 formation is radiated in collisionally excited atomic fine-structure lines.
Synthesis of tritium-labelled 9-deazainosine

The synthesis of labelled 9-deazainosine (1a,b) from the fully blocked 9-deazainosine (2) is achieved in six steps by selective detritylation, oxidation of the C-5′ hydroxyl group, followed by purification via its N,N′-diphenylimidazolidine derivative, deprotection to obtain the 5′-aldehyde, borotritide reduction, and deisopropylidenation to give the labelled nucleoside. The sequence is of general utility in labelling nucleosides at the C-5′ position for biochemical studies.
Agrilus subrobustus Saunders (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): New Southeastern U.S. Records of an Asian Immigrant on Mimosa, Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae)

Abstract. The Asian buprestid Agrilus subrobustus Saunders was first recorded from North America on the basis of three adults taken in sticky traps at a site in northwestern Georgia in 2006; nine adults since have been trapped at a site in eastern Tennessee. We collected adults of A. subrobustus by beating branches of mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) trees in the Southeast in 2007 (2 specimens) and 2010 (119 specimens). The collections represent the first records from Alabama (11 counties) and South Carolina (3 counties) and add to new records for Georgia (11 counties) and Tennessee (1 county). We map the known U.S. distribution of A. subrobustus and provide a description, diagnosis, photographs of the male genitalia, and color photographs of the adult to facilitate recognition of this adventive buprestid in the North American fauna.
Slope Stability of Loess Revisited

Guidelines to estimate the potential for slope instability and to give new insight into the slope evolution process in regions of deep to moderately deep loess were developed. Laboratory test data indicated a general trend of decreasing cohesion with increasing moisture content for each loess type. Curves for maximum stable slope height to slope angle were produced from the Culmann analysis using average shear strength parameters and unit weight values. Comparison of the theoretical curve for friable loess with empirical data showed good agreement for estimating maximum height at slope angles greater than 50°. Stability of slopes with slope angles ranging from 80° to 20° and corresponding heights calculated from an empirical relationship were assessed using Spencer's method. Slopes with angles between 80° and 40° had safety factors close to 1.0. For gentler slopes, the safety factors range from about 1.4 to about 2.0 as the slope angle decreases. Empirical data may be a more reliable indicator of potentia...
Coherent microwave emission from an electron-hole plasma

Coherent microwave radiation, 6.5 to 44 GHz, is generated by InSb at 77°K with an injected electron current transverse to a magnetic field. The maximum output power is about 10 microwatts for input power levels of one to five watts. Grooves cut into the Suhl surface of the rod-shaped InSb samples impose the coherence and determine the frequency rangoef coherent operation. Wavelength measurements of a surface wave show that the effective groove width is equal to about a half-wavelength. A theory of doublestream interaction in a thin plasma layer with a magnetic field transverse to the current flow predicts instabilities in the observed frequency range. The theory predicts all of the qualitative and several of the quantitative features of the observed emission. Noise emission is predicted and observed at temperatures up to room temperature with appropriate onset magnetic fields. The theoretical analysis and concurrent experimental evidence demonstrate the existencoef an instability in a thin-layer plasma in the absence of a magnetic field at 77°K.
Study of LiBF4 as an electrolyte salt for a Li-ion battery

Using 3:7 (wt) ethylene carbonate/ethylmethyl carbonate mixed solvent, we comparitively studied LiBF 4 and LiPF 6 as solutes for the electrolyte of a Li-ion battery. Results showed that the LiBF 4 -based electrolyte passivates Al (used as a current collector of the cathode) better than the LiPF 6 -based one does, while the latter has higher ionic conductivity. It was found that the graphite electrode and the lithium nickel-based mixed oxide cathode have similar lithiation and delithiation cycling behaviors in these two electrolytes. While the difference in the cycling performance of the Li-ion cells using either the LiBF 4 or LiPF 6 -based electrolyte at ambient temperature is negligible. Compared with the one using LiPF 6 -based electrolyte, the Li-ion cell using LiBF 4 -based electrolyte is less moisture sensitive and shows much better cycling performance at elevated temperatures. Such a cell could perform even if the electrolyte contained up to 620 ppm of water. The cell also could perform at 60°C with the electrolyte containing 80 ppm of water. At higher temperatures such as 80°C, the Li-ion cell suffered from a severe capacity fading, which is believed to he associated with the irreversible reactions between electrolyte and electrodes.
Caffeine inhibition of the repair of ultraviolet-irradiated adenovirus in human cells

Caffeine is shown to block repair of ultraviolet-irradiated adenovirus 2 when the irradiated virus infects normal human fibroblasts from a xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) variant. Such blockage is not observed when the irradiated virus infects XP fibroblasts belonging to XP complementation group A. Thus normal and XP variant cells have a caffeine-sensitive repair process. This may be either excision or an excision dependent repair process because fibroblasts belonging to XP complementation group A are believed to lack the excision repair process.
Sesquiterpene lactones from Liatris acidota, L. Aspera and L. Mucronata

Abstract Examination of Liatris mucronata gave the known 15-hydroxylated heliangolides liscundin, liscunditrin, punctaliatrin and two new closely related heliangolides. Liatris acidota furnished six new similar but 15-deoxygenated heliangolides as well as euparin and 3β-acetoxytaraxaster-20-en-30-aldehyde. Liatris aspera gave a known glycosidic germacradienolide and a new germacradienolide as well as several known flavones and a known benzofuran. Structures were established by spectroscopic methods and chemical transformations.