cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cyberbullying among Emerging Adults: Exploring Prevalence, Impact, and Coping Methods

Cyberbullying has been a concern among adolescents, parents and educators for years for its seemingly boundless reach and potential harm it can cause. Aggressors are often masked with anonymity and targeted individuals may feel powerless over what others do online. While such issues and concerns are prevalent among adolescent ages, college students are not invulnerable from parallel experiences. In the US, Macdonald and Roberts-Pittman (2010) found less than ten percent of college students were cyberbullies but over one-fifth reported as cybervictims. This study explored prevalence of cyber victimization and perpetration as well as evidence of damaging effects and impact. Among the college student sample of 1,921, participants were 18-25 years (mean age 20.1), just over half Caucasian (55.5%) and female (67.9%). Results indicated victimization most often occurred through phones (19.9%) and social networks (20.4%). For perpetration, prevalence was low across all platforms, however phone use was the preferred means of attacking others (6.5%). Low self-esteem was a significant predictor for victimization and perpetration. For males only, social capital was a significant predictor of victimization. Future directions and recommendations for follow-up studies are discussed as well as the importance of this study in relation to college student activities and behaviors.
The Multiphase Absorption Systems toward PG 1206+459

A high-resolution (R = 30,000) ultraviolet spectrum is presented, which covers Lyα and many low-, intermediate-, and high-ionization transitions in the three Mg II-selected absorption systems toward the quasar PG 1206+459. Three systems (A, B, and C), which are clustered within 1500 km s-1 at z ~ 0.93, were originally identified in a spectrum obtained with the High Resolution Spectrograph (HIRES) on the Keck I Telescope. A WIYN (Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO) Gunn i-band image of the quasar field and spectroscopy of two galaxy candidates are presented. A multiphase medium is seen in all three systems, consistent with smaller, denser clouds producing low-ionization transitions (Mg II, Fe II, and Si II) and larger, diffuse, photoionized clouds giving rise to higher ionization transitions (C IV, N V, and/or O VI). (1) System A, a multicloud, weak Mg II absorber at z = 0.9254, requires a supersolar metallicity in both low- and high-ionization phases, unless an α-group enhancement is included. The low-ionization absorption is produced in clouds with sizes of 10-70 pc, which are surrounded in velocity space by broader, high-ionization components. With the unusually complex velocity structure resolved in the N V profiles, this system is unlikely to represent a traditional galaxy disk/corona. The most likely candidate host galaxy is a ~2L*, apparently warped, spiral at an impact parameter of 43 h-1 kpc. (2) System B, at z = 0.9276, has the strongest Mg II absorption and has an approximately solar metallicity in the low-ionization phase. The smooth, broad high-ionization profiles may indicate a coronal structure similar to that of the Milky Way. The redshift of an L* galaxy (z = 0.9289), at an impact parameter of 38 h-1 kpc, is consistent with the redshift of this system. (3) System C, at z = 0.9342, has a single component in Mg II, separated from the other two systems by ~+1000 km s-1. The Lyα profile is not aligned with the Mg II, requiring an additional velocity component offset by -40 km s-1. System C lacks the small, low-ionization cloud characteristic of an isolated single-cloud, weak Mg II absorber. Its absorption properties are similar to the satellite clouds of classic strong Mg II absorbers, so this could be a high-velocity cloud in the galaxy group responsible for the systems, possibly related to a 0.2L* galaxy at an impact parameter of 43 h-1 kpc.
Optogenetic activation of mouse airway parasympathetic neurons to provoke bronchoconstriction

Background: Studies of airway parasympathetic nerves have been limited by inability to stimulate specific populations of neurons. We undertook these studies to develop an optogenetic approach to stimulate airway parasympathetic neurons in vivo. Methods: Transgenic mice with light-activated channelrhodopsin 2 expressed under a choline acetyltransferase promoter were used to stimulate cholinergic neurons. Mice were treated acutely with intranasal house dust mite antigen or vehicle. Mice were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated, tracheas were surgically exposed, and pulses of light were delivered using a LED 460nm light source ventral to the trachea. Mice were given physostigmine to inhibit acetylcholine breakdown and atropine to block acetylcholine muscarinic receptors. Results: Light stimulation of transgenic mice caused bronchoconstriction. Physostigmine enhanced the airway response to light, while bronchoconstriction was blocked by atropine, confirming that acetylcholine release was responsible. Maximal bronchoconstriction was obtained with pulses delivered at 20Hz for 30 seconds. Mice treated with house dust mite had similar bronchoconstriction responses to untreated mice. Conclusions: Airway parasympathetic neurons can be activated optogenetically. This method will help us determine which nerves are affected in animal models of asthma. This method can also be used to investigate other neuron phenotypes in the airways, including peptidergic and nitrergic, by expressing the channelrhodopsin under different promoters in specific neurons. Grant funding: HL121254, HL058723, HL124165, HL113023, AR061567
Assessment of hospital emergency medication kit use at a large academic medical center with automated dispensing machine technology.

Purpose Hospital emergency medication kits (HEMKs) are used to provide certain critical medications in emergent situations, despite many technological advancements for patient safety and medication distribution. We sought to evaluate HEMK usage and analyze associated costs to identify and recommend process improvements. Methods Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, is a large multisite academic medical center with 2 hospital campuses and many ambulatory clinics. All documentation of the approximately 250 HEMKs in circulation was analyzed from January to November 2017. The primary outcome was HEMK use. Secondary outcomes included individual medication usage and associated costs. These data were then used to recommend process improvements. Results Of 880 HEMKs evaluated, 675 (76.7%) were used, resulting in expiration 23.3% of the time. A total of 1,024 emergency medications were used, most commonly for hypoglycemia. Many of these medications are also available in automated dispensing machines for patient care use. Cost analysis revealed an average annual cost of nearly $200,000 associated with HEMKs. The results of our analysis indicated little added benefit of HEMKs in the setting of automated dispensing machine optimization. Steps for HEMK retirement are described. Conclusion HEMKs offered little added benefit considering technological advancements that have been made in patient safety and medication distribution since their inception. Retirement of HEMKs is anticipated to increase pharmacy operational efficiency by using automated dispensing machine technology and appropriate emergency response protocols to ensure optimal patient care.
Lung biopsy in children's interstitial and diffuse lung disease: Does it alter management?

INTRODUCTION Pediatric patients with acute life-threatening consequences of interstitial and diffuse lung disease are often treated with empiric systemic corticosteroids, immune modulators, and/or broad antibiotic therapy. Histological evaluation of lung tissue represents the final necessary step in diagnosis-however, a definitive diagnosis may still remain elusive and medical therapies may not be changed following biopsy. We hypothesized that lung biopsy from pediatric patients with children's interstitial and diffuse lung disease (chILD) without a defined lesion on computed tomography (CT) imaging would guide diagnosis, but not substantially alter clinical management. METHODS After IRB approval, patients who underwent a lung biopsy at a single large children's hospital between 2013 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients without a defined lesion were included. Demographics, length of stay, oxygen-requirements, steroid, unique number of immune modulators, and antibiotics prebiopsy and postbiopsy were reviewed. Nonparametric data were compared by the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallace tests and expressed as median with interquartile range. Decision tree alterations were analyzed by t test. P < .05 was significant. RESULTS Sixty-four patients underwent lung biopsy during the period. Nineteen (30%) did not have a defined lesion on CT scan, and were included. A significant difference was seen between prebiopsy, 2 weeks, and 2 months postbiopsy prednisone dosing (P = .03), while the number of unique immune modulators, antibiotics, type of oxygen support and FiO2 were not significantly different before or after obtaining biopsy results. Pathology results provided additional information in 12 of 19 (63%) patients which resulted in management changes. CONCLUSIONS Lung biopsy in chILD may guide clinical management, especially influencing the management of steroid dosing. Although on aggregate the number of antibiotics, immune modulators, mode of oxygen support and FiO2 did not differ significantly before and after biopsy, the pathologic evaluation provided diagnostic information that led to a variety of changes in therapeutic management in greater than half of the population.
The Loss of Sociality Is Accompanied by Reduced Neural Investment in Mushroom Body Volume in the Sweat Bee Augochlora Pura (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Social behavior has been predicted to select for increased neural investment (the social brain hypothesis) and also to select for decreased neural investment (the distributed cognition hypothesis). Here, we use two related bees, the social Augochlorella aurata (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) and the related Augochlora pura (Say), which has lost social behavior, to test the contrasting predictions of these two hypotheses in these taxa. We measured the volumes of the mushroom body (MB) calyces, a brain area shown to be important for cognition in previous studies, as well as the optic lobes and antennal lobes. We compared females at the nest foundress stage when both species are solitary so that brain development would not be influenced by social interactions. We show that the loss of sociality was accompanied by a loss in relative neural investment in the MB calyces. This is consistent with the predictions of the social brain hypothesis. Ovary size did not correlate with MB calyx volume. This is the first study to demonstrate changes in mosaic brain evolution in response to the loss of sociality.
Unraveling the Persistent Legacy of Structural Racism against Poor Persons of Color in the U.S

This paper uses the concept “code-switching” to analyze the ways in which policymakers have discriminated against poor persons of color in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Solutions presented to break ...
Towards Cavity-Assisted Fast Rubidium-Tuned Quantum Light Sources

We report the implementation of a Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller (DLCZ) protocol heralded single-photon source using an ensemble of cold rubidium simultaneously coupled to two optical cavities, enabling substantial enhancements in photon generation rates.
Security Analysis of Quantum Lightning.

Quantum lightning is a new cryptographic object that gives a strong form of quantum money. Zhandry recently defined quantum lightning and proposed a construction of it based on superpositions of low-rank matrices. The scheme is unusual, so it is difficult to base the scheme’s security on any widespread computational assumptions. Instead, Zhandry proposed a new hardness assumption that, if true, could be used to prove security.
Abstract 1560: Targeting RNA-binding protein HuR to improve anti-PD-1 immunotherapy response in breast cancer

Breast cancer has been considered as a less immune-sensitive disease. Patients with metastatic breast cancer have a particularly low objective response rate (ORR) to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy (3%~24%). It will be valuable to improve the treatment efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in breast cancer. Recent studies reported that exosomal PD-L1 derived from tumor cells mediated immune surveillance evasion by interacting with the PD-1 receptor on T cells and contributed to the low ORR in anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.The RNA-binding protein Hu antigen R (HuR) is a member of the embryonic lethal abnormal vision (ELAV) family that is overexpressed in a variety of cancers and promotes tumorigenesis by interacting with a subset of oncogenic mRNAs, including PD-L1 mRNA. HuR also plays an important role in the exosome secretion process by regulating RAB27B mRNA. In this study, we aim to identify HuR biological functions in the cancer-immune system and evaluate the combination strategy using a HuR inhibitor with an anti-PD-1 antibody in breast cancer. We show here the direct binding of HuR protein to PD-L1 mRNA in human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 by Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RNP-IP). We also show that PD-L1 protein expression level is decreased in HuR knockout clones and in exosomes derived from HuR knockout clones. HuR knockout downregulates exosome secretion with decreased size in MDA-MB-231 cells. KH-3 is a small molecule identified from several chemical libraries that disrupts the binding of HuR and its target mRNAs.To test the combination strategy using a HuR inhibitor and anti-PD-1 antibody in vivo, we established the EMT6 orthotopic mouse breast cancer model. A combination treatment with HuR inhibitor KH-3 and anti-PD-1 antibody inhibits tumor growth and prolongs survival in this breast cancer model. In conclusion, we preliminarily explored the role of HuR in the cancer-immune system, we showed that HuR may be a promising therapeutic target to overcome immune evasion and improve immunotherapy response in breast cancer. Citation Format: Qi Zhang, Xiaoqing Wu, Lan Lan, Lanjing Wei, Liang Xu. Targeting RNA-binding protein HuR to improve anti-PD-1 immunotherapy response in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1560.
Ethics as Therapy: Philosophical Counseling and Psychological Health

From the inception of philosophical counseling an attempt was made to distinguish it from (psychological) therapy by insisting that therapy could not be more misleading. It is true that philosophical counselors should not pretend to be able to heal major mental illness; nevertheless they do contribute to positive health—health understood as something more than the absence of mental disease. This thesis is developed by critiquing Lou Marinoff’s book, Plato not Prozac!, but also by ranging more widely in the literature on philosophical counseling. I also interpret philosophical counseling as a form of philosophical ethics. Philosophical counseling is the application of ethics, critical thinking, and other philosophical resources in helping individuals cope with problems and pursue meaningful lives. Still a fledgling movement, it began officially in 1981 when Gerd B. Achenbach opened a private practice in Germany, although it has clear precursors in the Hellenistic philosophies of the Stoics and Epicureans. Unlike these precursors, however, philosophical counselors generally insist they are not doing therapy; instead, they claim to be dealing with moral matters, understood broadly as questions about meaningful life. In doing so, they assume a morality-therapy dichotomy: human problems are either about morality or about mental health, but not both, at least not in the same respect. I seek to dissolve this dichotomy, thereby paving the way to explore the therapeutic dimensions of philosophical counseling, in addition to highlighting the
Genesis of a Totalizing Ideology: Bioethics’ Inner Hippie

The 1960s was a formative period for contemporary bioethics. Many of today’s most established and influential bioethicists matured academically during this time, developing patterns of thought that persist in their contemporary work. This essay examines the manner in which values that attained prominence during the 1960s countercultural movement have manifested in dogmas, inadequacies and contradictions that plague contemporary bioethics. It suggests that bioethics’ project of establishing an authoritative moral consensus and enforcing it politically is to some extent grounded in 1960s values, and is untenable as a comprehensive vision for many of the same reasons that predecessor movements in the 1960s also proved untenable.
Systemic Mass Loss

The decrease of total mass by ejection past the outer Lagrangian points is a distinct possibility, probably a necessity, in the explanation of late phases of evolution, and some instances have been mentioned earlier. One indication noted by van den Heuvel (1969) may apply to a large fraction of the binary population, namely that much fewer semi-detached pairs are observed among early-type spectroscopic binaries than would be expected to exist as normal and long-lived remnants of case B mass transfer, even if the decrease of the formation rate of young stars were considered to be insignificant. The transfer moves the erstwhile secondary up the main sequence as an unevolved star of increased mass. Systemic loss mass may account for the discrepancy of occurrence as it removes the descendant objects off the domain of easily discovered, luminous spectroscopic pairs.
Managing Technology Selection and Development Risk in Competitive Environments

Managing development decisions for new products based on dynamically evolving technologies is a complex task, especially in highly competitive industries. Product managers often have to choose between introducing an incrementally better, safe new product early and a superior, yet highly risky, product later. Recommendations for managing such performance vs. time-to-market trade-offs often ignore competitive reactions to development decisions. In this paper, we study how a firm could incorporate the presence of a strategic competitor in making technology selection and investment decisions regarding new products. We consider a model in which an innovating firm and its rival can introduce a new product immediately or pursue a more advanced product for later launch. Further, the firm can reduce the uncertainty surrounding product development by dedicating more resources; the effectiveness of this investment depends on the firm's innovative capacity. Our model generates two sets of insights. First, in highly competitive industries, firms can adopt different technologies and effectively use introduction timing to mitigate the effects of price competition. More importantly, the firm could strategically invest in the advanced product to influence its rival's technology choice. We characterize equilibrium development and investment decisions of the firms, and derive innovative capacity hurdles that govern a firm's choice between the risky and safe alternatives. The effects of development flexibility—where firms might have the option to revert to the safe product if the advanced product fails—are also considered.
Hodges–Lehman Estimator

The Hodges–Lehmann one-sample procedure provides an efficient alternative to the sample median as an estimator of the location of a population, while the two-sample procedure estimates the location shift parameter linking two populations. Keywords: median; Walsh averages; location estimator; asymptotic relative efficiency; location shift parameter; signed-ranks test; rank-sum test
UM MODELO ANIMAL DE COMUNICAÇÃO INTERPESSOAL DE ESTADOS INTEROCEPTIVOS (PRIVADOS)

Pigeons were taught to interact communicatively (i.e., exchange discriminative stimuli) based on 1 pigeon’s internal state, which varied as a function of cocaine, pentobarbital, and saline administration. These performances generalized to untrained pharmacological agents (d-amphetamine and chlordiazepoxide) and were observed in the absence of aversive stimulation, deprivation, and unconditioned reinforcement. The training procedure used in this study appears similar to that by which humans learn to report on (tact) their internal environments and may be construed as a rudimentary animalmodel of the interpersonal communication of private events. Keywords: private events, tacts, interanimal communication, emotion, pigeons.
Minicultures of mammalian cells in a new plastic plate.

A new disposable micro tissue culture plate was developed and tested for use in virological procedures. Miniature mammalian cell cultures (minicultures) were grown in these plates. Each plate contained 96 circular cultures in flat wells (7 mm in diameter). Replicate titrations of a number of viruses were performed in various tissues. Excellent reproducibility was demonstrated. Mean infectivity titers determined by miniculture methods were generally within 0.6 log10/ml of macro tube titrations. Standard tissue culture assay techniques such as hemadsorption, interference titration, and microneutralization were easily carried out with this method and were very reproducible. Development of this noncytotoxic disposable micro tissue culture plate now permits the routine performance of rapid, reliable, and reproducible tissue culture tests at a very significant reduction in cost and labor.
Person-centered Medicine in the United States VA Health System: A Literature Review

Person Centered Medicine (PCM) has been described across healthcare fields nationally and internationally over the past decades. There have been, however, no attempts to appraise systematically the relevant literature from the US VA health care system, important because it is the largest integrated in the country with over 200 hospitals and health facilities. The present study was aimed at conducting such literature review using “person-centered medicine”, “patient-centered medicine”, “individualized care”, and “people-centered care” as key words, and engaging PubMed and MeSH electronic data bases from 1997 to 2011, inclusively. The review yielded 31 articles emerging from across the United States, particularly from the East Coast. They covered a wide range of clinical settings, with a greater presence in primary care, rehabilitation and mental health. The numbers of published papers strikingly increased over the 15 years covered. All key features of PCM were identified across the articles, with a predominance of people-centered development of services, ethical commitment, relationship focus, individualization of care, and person-centered education and research. These findings are seen to be in line with recent trends in the health field and enunciated aspirations within the VA health system. The large size and features of the VA health system may offer special opportunities to conceptualize, pilot, implement and evaluate PCM developments in a manner that may enhance this health system and stimulate health care model innovation across the country and beyond its borders.
Construction and processing of transfer RNA precursor models.

Abstract Several "dimeric" tRNA molecules were constructed as potential substrates for ribonuclease P (RNase P) and for M1 RNA, the catalytic subunit of RNase P. Construction was affected by the T4 RNA ligase-mediated coupling of a mature Escherichia coli tRNA (acceptor substrate) and nucleotides 1-36 of yeast tRNAPhe (donor substrate), followed by annealing of the 3'-half of yeast tRNAPhe (nucleotides 38-76). E. coli RNase P and M1 RNA were both found to cleave the dimeric tRNA precursor model constructed from E. coli tRNAPhe (5'-tRNA) and yeast tRNAPhe (3'-tRNA) in a reaction that was dependent on the presence of the annealed 3'-half molecule derived from yeast tRNAPhe, or on some conformation imposed by the presence of this species; the product had the same mobility as authentic E. coli tRNAPhe on a polyacrylamide gel. By utilizing tRNA precursor models radiolabeled at phosphodiesters immediately preceding or following the putative site of processing, cleavage of the substrate by both M1 RNA and the holoenzyme was demonstrated to occur at the expected phosphate ester linkage. The results obtained here suggest that the endonucleolytic separation of two tRNAs by RNase P is dependent on one or more structural features in the 3'-half of the 3'-tRNA, and thus are consistent with the report of McClain et al. (McClain, W. H., Guerrier-Takada, C., and Altman, S. (1987) Science 238, 527-530) that identifies the T stem and loop as a possible recognition site.
THRESHOLD PROBABILITY FUNCTIONS AND THERMAL INHOMOGENEITIES IN THE Lyα FOREST

We introduce to astrophysics the threshold probability functions S{sub 2}, C{sub 2}, and D{sub 2} first derived by Torquato et al., which effectively samples the flux probability distribution function (PDF) of the Ly{alpha} forest at different spatial scales. These statistics are tested on mock Ly{alpha} forest spectra based on various toy models for He II reionization, with homogeneous models with various temperature-density relations as well as models with temperature inhomogeneities. These mock samples have systematics and noise added to simulate the latest Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7 (SDSS DR7) data. We find that the flux PDF from SDSS DR7 can be used to constrain the temperature-density relation {gamma} (where T{proportional_to}(1 + {Delta}){sup {gamma}-1}) of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z = 2.5 to a precision of {Delta}{gamma} = 0.2 at {approx}4{sigma} confidence. The flux PDF is degenerate to temperature inhomogeneities in the IGM arising from He II reionization, but we find S{sub 2} can detect these inhomogeneities at {approx}3{sigma}, with the assumption that the flux continuum of the Ly{alpha} forest can be determined to 9% accuracy, approximately the error from current fitting methods. If the flux continuum can be determined to 3% accuracy, then S{sub 2} is capablemore » of constraining the characteristic scale of temperature inhomogeneities, with {approx}4{sigma} differentiation between toy models with hot bubble radii of 50 h{sup -1} Mpc and 25 h{sup -1} Mpc.« less
The SP1 high-performance switch

The IBM scalable POWERparallel systems 9076 SP1 connects RISC System/6000 processors via a communication network called the high-performance switch. This switch-based upon the Vulcan parallel processor incorporates a number of unusual features to enhance reliability, diagnose faults, and simplify cabling. This paper examines the SP1 switch architecture and implementation and overviews the switch support software. The switch is a bidirectional MIN, and provides at least 4 usable redundant paths for most pairs of communicating nodes. >
Bone anchored hearing aid in children--prevention of complications.

Summary To report results with the bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA) in children. Retrospective medical record review. Tertiary care children's hospital. Fourteen children with microtia/aural atresia underwent BAHA surgery. Mean age was 5.8 years. Data were collected concerning age, diagnoses, surgery, success of implantation, hearing, complications use of BAHA, speech reception thresholds (SRT), complications BAHA surgeries and revisions. Fifteen implants were placed by the author in 13 children. Eleven of 13 (84.6%) children are successfully using BAHAs (one bilateral) with a mean post operative SRT of 18.5 dB (range 14–25 dB). Mean interval between first and second stages was 7.3 months ( n = 12). Three unilateral implants were placed by a different surgeon in a child with severe hemifacial microsomia who developed complications treated by the author. Complications included poor healing requiring removal of three implants in one child, recurrent cellulitis of flap requiring revision ( n = 4), loss of implant ( n = 2), tearing of flap with dermatome due to tenting by healing screw ( n = 1), thin skull necessitating multiple drilling sites ( n = 1). BAHA surgery has a high success rate in children. The following recommendations may decrease complications: (1) 6-month period between stages in children with thin skulls, (2) thin flap with scalpel when it is tented by healing screw or infiltrate flap with local anesthetic to balloon it prior to using the dermatome for second stage cases, and (3) create extremely thin flap to prevent cellulitis.
Spider: improving mobile networking with concurrent wi-fi connections

We investigate attempting concurrent connections to multiple Wi-Fi access points (APs) from highly mobile clients. Previous multi-AP solutions are limited to stationary wireless clients and do not take into account a myriad of mobile factors. We show that connection duration, AP response times, channel scheduling, available and offered bandwidth, node speed, and dhcp joins all affect performance. Building on these results, we present a system, Spider, that establishes and maintains concurrent connections to 802.11 APs in a mobile environment. While Spider can manage multiple channels, we demonstrate that it achieves maximum throughput when using multiple APs on a single channel.
Tissue-specific expression of the human receptor for glucagon-like peptide-I: brain, heart and pancreatic forms have the same deduced amino acid sequences

Glucagon-like peptide-I(GLP-I), encoded by the glucagon gene and released from the gut in response to nutrients, is a potent stimulator of glucose-induced insulin secretion. In human subjects GLP-I exerts its physiological effect as an incretin. The incretin effect of GLP-I is preserved in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), suggesting that GLP-I receptor agonist can be used therapeutically in this group of patients. In these studies we addressed the question of whether GLP-I has broader actions in human physiology. To investigate this issue we examined the tissue distribution of GLP-I receptor using RNAse protection assay in order to avoid the cross-reactivities with structurally related receptors and to increase the sensitivity of detection. The riboprobe was synthetized from the human pancreatic GLP-I receptor cDNA and used in hybridization experiments with total RNA isolated from different human tissues. In addition to the pancreas, we found expression of GLP-I receptor mRNA in lung, brain, kidney, stomach and heart. Peripheral tissues which are the major sites of glucose turnover, such as liver, skeletal muscle and adipose did not express the pancreatic form of the GLP-I receptor. We also cloned and sequenced GLP-I receptor cDNA from human brain and heart. The deduced amino acid sequences are the same as the sequence found in the pancreas. These results indicate that GLP-I might have effects beyond the pancreas, including the cardiovascular and central nervous systems where a receptor with the same ligand binding specificity is found.
Demonstration of 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity in varius rat tissues Some properties of the enzyme from rat lung

Abstract An enzyme (5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase) that catalyzes the phosphorolytic cleavage of 5′-methylthioadenosine to 5-methylthioribose-1-phosphate and adenine was found in various rat tissues. Liver and lung had the highest enzyme activities and heart the lowest, most of the activity (> 90%) was recovered in soluble tissue fractions. The enzyme from rat lung was purified about 30-fold by pH treatment (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and gel filtration. The enzyme did not require an added metal-ion for activity, and was not inhibited by EDTA. Many compounds were tested for their inhibitory effects; of these, ribose 1-phosphate, 2-deoxyribose 1-phosphate, fructose 1-phosphate, adenine and guanine were shown to inhibit. Kinetic patterns on reciprocal plots were linear as a function of the concentration of either 5′-methylthioadenosine of phosphate. More detailed kinetic studies suggested that the rat lung 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase catalyzes an equilibrium-ordered reaction, and that 5′-methylthioadenosine is the first substrate to bind and 5-methylthioribose-1-phosphate is the first product to be released.
Precaution, compensation, and threats of sanction: the case of alcohol servers

Abstract This study used data from a national sample of bar owners or managers and employees at these establishments to look at the following issues. To what extent does the imposition of liability affect employees’ incentive to take care? Do various liability rules affect employees’ serving practices? And does how the employees were paid make a difference? Employees received higher pay when they engaged in serving practices that may lead to driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), but pay did not increase when they engaged in behavior that may decrease DUI. Employees were less likely to engage in irresponsible behaviors when the perceived threat of a lawsuit by the owner/manager was relatively high. However, tort liability only affected some forms of precautionary behaviors. Based on our analysis, administrative and criminal law overall appears to be ineffective deterrents. The deterrent effects of lawsuits may also diminish when alcohol servers are mostly paid through tips.
President's page: too much of a good thing.

![Figure][1] Information overload is the subject of intense investigation and concern. In testimony before a Congressional subcommittee on health, Dr. Edward Shortliffe defined the problem this way: “Clinicians have embraced new technologies rather quickly. But information technology
Intercalary leg regeneration in the large milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus.

Abstract Grafting operations were performed on the metathoracic legs of fourth instar Oncopeltus fasciatus within 24 hr after ecdysis. Different levels along the tibia were combined so that a lengthened tibia, approximately 1.5 times the normal length, or a shortened tibia, about half the normal length, were created. Intercalary regeneration occurred between the graft and stump in both combinations and the extra tissue was visible on the adult leg. The intercalary regenerate produced by the lengthened tibia showed reversed bristle polarity, while that produced in the shortened segment showed normal polarity. It is suggested that a regenerate with reversed polarity represents a mirror image duplication of the graft and might originate from the graft, whereas a regenerate with normal polarity may originate, as in normal regeneration, from the stump. It appears that each level in the appendage has the developmental capacity to produce only more distal structures. This conclusion is supported by the results of a grafting operation in which a portion of the tibia was grafted back on to the stump with its proximo-distal axis reversed. Regeneration of appropriate distal structures proceeded from the free proximal surface of the grafted tibia.
Two-tier target tracking framework in distributed sensor networks

A distributive two-tier tracking framework is developed to track mobile targets in sensor networks. The algorithm utilises the efficiency of binary sensor reading to ensure fast isolation of the target, and then it uses a small cluster of sensors around the target to compute accurate target location. The framework has two tiers, in tier-one, binary sensor reading and Viterbi algorithm are used, it is a fast and distributed way of roughly locate the target. In tier-two, a detailed localisation using maximum likelihood estimation is done within a small cluster of sensors to compute the accurate location of the target. By dividing the framework into two tiers, scaling the size of the network only affects the computation cost in tier one, where binary data are used. The computation cost in tier 2 remains unchanged. The framework is first implemented in a chained-form network with sensors deployed in a regular pattern, it is then extended to other regularly deployed network in full 2D space. The two-tier tracking framework is implemented using ultrasonic sensor network in a real-world hallway-room environment in our lab.
O-021 Induced Hyper-Response to Clopidogrel after Elective Endovascular Intracranial Aneurysm Treatment

Introduction A variable response to clopidogrel among patients undergoing neurointerventional procedures has been observed. To minimise thromboembolic and haemorrhagic complications, patients premedicated with clopidogrel in anticipation of elective endovascular intracranial aneurysm treatment at our institution are asked to start clopidogrel 75 mg daily, 17 days prior to their procedure date, with pre-procedure P2Y12 inhibition testing using the VerifyNow assay performed at 10 and 17 days, as well as post-procedure testing for patients treated with stents or flow-diverters. The protocol allows for a single dose adjustment after the first test in order to achieve pre-procedure P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) in a target range without rescheduling. The goal of the present study is to determine the efficacy of this protocol in reaching an in-range pre-procedure PRU and to determine the rate of delayed clopidogrel hyper-response post-procedure. Methods All patients who were started on clopidogrel using the above 17 day, 2 test protocol in anticipation of elective endovascular treatment of an intracranial aneurysm at our institution from April 30, 2013 to March 6, 2014 were included. Patient age, sex, procedural variables and PRU values were recorded. Hyper-response to clopidogrel was defined as PRU less than 60; hypo-response was defined as PRU greater than 240. Results Forty patients met the inclusion criteria, mean age 55 (range 35 to 79), 33 women, 7 men. Of these patients, 29 (72.5%) had a PRU value between 60 and 240 at 10 days, and 27 of the 29 (93.1%) stayed within range at 17 days. Of the 11 patients (27.5%) who were initially out of range and had a dose adjustment per the tables below, 10 (90.9%) reached an in-range PRU at day 17, for a total of 37 patients (92.5%) with an in-range pre-procedure PRU. A post-procedure PRU was performed in 28 of the 37 patients (75.7%, mean 14 days post-procedure). Among these, 14 (50%) showed a delayed hyper-response to clopidogrel, and there was 1 delayed hypo-responder (3.6%), leaving 13 patients (46.4%) who remained in-range post-procedure. There were no major peri-procedural thromboembolic or haemorrhagic neurological complications in patients following this protocol. Conclusion The protocol described to reach a pre-procedure PRU within a target range limited the rate of rescheduled procedures to 7.5%. Nevertheless, half of the patients who were in-range pre-procedure exhibited a hyper-response to clopidogrel in post-procedure VerifyNow testing. This apparently induced hyper-response to clopidogrel may be related to a post-procedural change in hepatic clopidogrel metabolism. Disclosures Y. Kadkhodayan: 2; C; Covidien. J. Delgado Almandoz: 2; C; Covidien, MicroVention, Penumbra. J. Scholz: None. J. Fease: None. A. Blem: None. K. Tran: None. B. Crandall: 2; C; Covidien.
Electronic properties of metal clusters (Ni13 to Ni87) and implications for chemisorption

Abstract First principles calculations of the electronic properties of Ni clusters (up to Ni 87 ) are reported. It is found that the ionization potential (IP) converges to bulk values (work function) by Ni 43 , whereas the electron affinity (EA) is off by 2.5 eV, even for Ni 87 . The conduction band of ∼16 eV appears converged by Ni 87 . It is found that the electron density for surface atoms is significantly lower than the bulk value. The significance of these results for chemisorption on small metallic clusters and for modelling of chemisorption on bulk surfaces is discussed.
Prevalence of Verticillium wilt in potatoes in the Red River Valley area of Minnesota

Verticilium spp. were present in over 60% of potato fields in Clay, Marshall, Norman, and Polk Counties in the Red River Valley in Minnesota.
Regulation of Autoreactive T Cell Function by Oral Tolerance to Self-Antigens

The oral administration of neuroantigens can suppress as well as treat autoimmune disease. Using EAE as a model system, we examined the antigen-presenting cell in oral tolerance. Expansion of dendritic cells (DCs) prior to or after disease is established facilitated oral tolerance. Transfer of oral antigen-loaded DCs resulted in protection from EAE by induction of IL-4 and IL-5 in recipient animals. LPS treatment of donors abrogated the ability of DCs to transfer protection from EAE, emphasizing the importance of the DC activation state. T cells exposed to orally administered antigen were monitored in TCR transgenic mice and found to undergo activation followed by deletion. The thymus plays a critical role in oral tolerance since thymectomized mice could not be tolerized. The thymus is postulated to be a site for deletion of autoreactive T cells or a site for generation of regulatory T cells.
Direct Restriction of Virus Release and Incorporation of the Interferon-Induced Protein BST-2 into HIV-1 Particles

Investigation of the Vpu protein of HIV-1 recently uncovered a novel aspect of the mammalian innate response to enveloped viruses: retention of progeny virions on the surface of infected cells by the interferon-induced, transmembrane and GPI-anchored protein BST-2 (CD317; tetherin). BST-2 inhibits diverse families of enveloped viruses, but how it restricts viral release is unclear. Here, immuno-electron microscopic data indicate that BST-2 is positioned to directly retain nascent HIV virions on the plasma membrane of infected cells and is incorporated into virions. Virion-incorporation was confirmed by capture of infectivity using antibody to the ectodomain of BST-2. Consistent with a direct tethering mechanism, we confirmed that proteolysis releases restricted virions and further show that this removed the ectodomain of BST-2 from the cell surface. Unexpectedly, enzymatic cleavage of GPI anchors did not release restricted virions, weighing against models in which individual BST-2 molecules span the virion and host cell membranes. Although the exact molecular topology of restriction remains unsolved, we suggest that the incorporation of BST-2 into viral envelopes underlies its broad restrictive activity, whereas its relative exclusion from virions and sites of viral assembly by proteins such as HIV-1 Vpu may provide viral antagonism of restriction.
Patterns of Microcomputer Use in Teaching Mathematics and Science.

This study describes how teachers nominated as “successful” in their microcomputer-based instruction teach mathematics and science, and how their computer use differs in response to district, school, classroom, and individual characteristics. Research carried out in sixty classrooms, forty-nine schools, and twenty-five districts in California provided data on district and school microcomputer policies; classroom contexts; and teachers' characteristics, instructional decisions, and practices. Teachers' microcomputer-based instruction systematically varied according to their goals; extent of microcomputer use, integration into the curriculum, and coordination with other activities; and the extent to which they varied the modes of computer instruction, ranging from almost exclusive drill and practice to the orchestration of drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, microworlds, and games. This diversity was related to teachers' subject matter and computer knowledge, and the student composition of their cla...
Aortocoronary saphenous vein graft aneurysm

An aortocoronary saphenous vein graft aneurysm was diagnosed with computed tomography and selective arteriography in a 79-year-old woman with a history of multiple coronary bypass graft surgeries. Aneurysms of saphenous vein grafts are rare complications of bypass surgery but need to be considered when evaluating bypass patients who present with a mediastinal or paracardiac mass.
College Students’ Romantic Attraction Toward Peers with Physical Disabilities

This study investigated how romantically attracted college students were toward peers with and without a physical disability and whether romantic attraction was a function of motivational characteristics (Reiss Profile; Reiss, S., and Havercamp, S., 1998. Psychol. Assess. 10: 97–106) and degrees of discomfort in interacting with people with disabilities (Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale [IDP]; Gething, L., 1994). One hundred twenty-three participants (41 males and 82 females) from different racial groups were recruited. Participants received a packet with 16 photographs of individuals each paired with a biographical vignette. They rated each of the 16 portrayed individuals with the Romantic Attraction Scale (Campell, W., 1999. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 77: 1254–1270). The presence of a disability did not influence ratings of romantic attractiveness. In addition, select subscales of the IDP and Reiss Profile's motivational traits predicted ratings of attraction. Furthermore, romantic attraction within racial groups tended to be stronger than across racial groups. Implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research.
Selection on knockdown performance in Drosophila melanogaster impacts thermotolerance and heat-shock response differently in females and males.

SUMMARY We studied adaptive thermotolerance in replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster artificially selected for high and low knockdown temperature ( T KD ), the upper temperature at which flies can no longer remain upright or locomote effectively. Responses to selection have generated High T KD populations capable of maintaining locomotor function at ∼40°C, and Low T KD populations with T KD of∼ 35°C. We examined inducible knockdown thermotolerance, as well as inducible thermal survivorship, following a pretreatment heat-shock (known to induce heat-shock proteins) for males and females from the T KD selected lines. Both selection for knockdown and sex influenced inducible knockdown thermotolerance, whereas inducible thermal survivorship was influenced only by sex, and not by selection. Overall, our findings suggest that the relationships between basal and inducible thermotolerance are contingent upon the methods used to gauge thermotolerance, as well as the sex of the flies. Finally, we compared temporal profiles of the combined expression of two major heat-shock proteins, HSC70 and HSP70, during heat stress among the females and males from the selected T KD lines. The temporal profiles of the proteins differed between High and Low T KD females, suggesting divergence of the heat-shock response. We discuss a possible mechanism that may lead to the heat-shock protein patterns observed in the selected females.
Loss of Temperature Compensation of Circadian Period Length in the frq-9 Mutant of Neurospora crassa

A new circadian clock mutant of Neurospora crassa has been isolated, whose most distinc tive characteristic is the complete loss of temperature compensation of its period length. The Q10 of the period length was found to be equal to about 2 in the temperature range from 18° to 30° C. The period length was also found to be dependent on the composition of the medium, including the nature and concentration of both the carbon source and the nitrogen source. Although the rate of the clock and the growth rate were directly related when affected by varying the temperature, they were inversely related when altered by changing the composition of the medium. Therefore, the mutation has not simply coupled clock rate to growth rate in this strain. The mutation maps to the frq locus, where seven other clock mutations previously studied also map. Therefore, this mutant has been called frq-9. Since several of the other frq mutants show partial loss in temperature compensation, it is suggested that the frq gene or its pr...