cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AttriInfer: Inferring User Attributes in Online Social Networks Using Markov Random Fields

In the attribute inference problem, we aim to infer users' private attributes (e.g., locations, sexual orientation, and interests) using their public data in online social networks. State-of-the-art methods leverage a user's both public friends and public behaviors (e.g., page likes on Facebook, apps that the user reviewed on Google Play) to infer the user's private attributes. However, these methods suffer from two key limitations: 1) suppose we aim to infer a certain attribute for a target user using a training dataset, they only leverage the labeled users who have the attribute, while ignoring the label information of users who do not have the attribute; 2) they are inefficient because they infer attributes for target users one by one. As a result, they have limited accuracies and applicability in real-world social networks. In this work, we propose AttriInfer, a new method to infer user attributes in online social networks. AttriInfer can leverage both friends and behaviors, as well as the label information of training users who have an attribute and who do not have the attribute. Specifically, we model a social network as a pairwise Markov Random Field (pMRF). Given a training dataset, which consists of some users who have a certain attribute and some users who do not have a certain attribute, we compute the posterior probability that a target user has the attribute and use the posterior probability to infer attributes. In the basic version of AttriInfer, we use Loopy Belief Propagation (LBP) to compute the posterior probability. However, LBP is not scalable to very large-scale real-world social networks and not guaranteed to converge. Therefore, we further optimize LBP to be scalable and guaranteed to converge. We evaluated our method and compare it with state-of-the-art methods using a real-world Google+ dataset with 5.7M users. Our results demonstrate that our method substantially outperforms state-of-the-art methods in terms of both accuracy and efficiency.
Mapping in Humboldt’s Shadow: Aaron Arrowsmith and the Cartography of Mexico, 1803–1825

Although Aaron Arrowsmith is recognized as one of the leading cartographers of the early nineteenth century, his mapping of Mexico has been overshadowed by the work of Alexander von Humboldt. Arrowsmith produced a number of maps of Mexico. One published in 1803 and another in 1810, in particular, attracted Humboldt’s criticism. Both of Arrowsmith’s maps were influential and rank among the best maps of Mexico available in the early nineteenth century. An examination of them and of their relationship to Humboldt’s map reveals much about the standards and methods used by early nineteenth-century cartographers in compiling their works.
Free Energy Coupling between DNA Bending and Base Flipping

Free energy simulations are presented to probe the energetic coupling between DNA bending and the flipping of a central thymine in double stranded DNA 13mers. The energetics are shown to depend on the neighboring base pairs, and upstream C or T or downstream C tended to make flipping more costly. Flipping to the major groove side was generally preferred. Bending aids flipping, by pushing the system up in free energy, but for small and intermediate bending angles the two were uncorrelated. At higher bending angles, bending and flipping became correlated, and bending primed the system for base flipping toward the major groove. Flipping of the 6-4 pyrimidine-pyrimidone and pyrimidine dimer photoproducts is shown to be more facile than for undamaged DNA. For the damages, major groove flipping was preferred, and DNA bending was much facilitated in the 6-4 pyrimidine-pyrimidone damaged system. Aspects of the calculations were verified by structural analyses of protein–DNA complexes with flipped bases.
Factors that Influence Parents’ Meta-Emotion Approaches: Implications for Families

This quantitative study investigated the concept of meta-emotion by examining factors that were associated with specific types of meta-emotion approaches parents used. The main variables included parental stress, outside support, education levels. Other variables considered were number of children in the family, age of children, and children’s gender. The concept of meta-emotion as well as the inclusion of these variables were important to investigate to further understand the factors that influenced parents’ thoughts and reactions to their children’s emotions and emotional responses. It was determined that 143 participants were needed. These participants were gathered by emails sent to students and faculty at Texas Woman’s University. Participants were also gathered by dispersing flyers advertising the study in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas metroplex. Individuals who agreed to participate gave consent and then completed the anonymous online questionnaires through PsychData. Results yielded that parental stress was the only significant predictor of meta-emotion approaches.
Understanding recurrent land use processes and long-term transitions in the dynamic south-central United States, c. 1800 to 2006

Forests have historically been under significant land use pressures that cause periods of degradation, clearance, and recovery. To understand these changes, studies are needed that place trends in a historical landscape context and also examine recent dynamics. Here, we use historical investigation (c. 1800) and an examination of land use and land cover change between 1973 and 2006 to establish a baseline trajectory of the forested system of the south-central United States (US) plains. The study culminates in a highly detailed accounting of the processes and causes of land change between 2001 and 2006. In the study region, the forest transitioned from early low-intensity use, to clearance for farming and timber, to widespread recovery from degradation beginning in the 1930s. By 1970, the region was transitioning from recovered woodlands to an intensive regime of recurrent timber harvest and replanting. The recurring cycle inherent in intensive silviculture has been the main cause of land change for the past several decades, accounting for more than 95% of the total extent of change between 2001 and 2006. The transition to forest recovery in the south-central US was an important historical occurrence. However, the dynamic post-transition landscape needs to be better understood.
Preemption Choice: The Theory, Law, and Reality of Federalism's Core Question: Delegated Federalism Versus Devolution: Some Insights from the History of Water Pollution Control

This paper examines the claim that state and local governments were beginning, prior to the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, to make significant progress in the fight against water pollution. Based on this premise, some have argued that there is good reason to be skeptical about the necessity for continued federal involvement in water pollution control. At their broadest, such scholars use this revisionist history to question other federal environmental statutes’ structures as well. The implication of this argument is that the devolution of regulatory authority to the states would not produce lower levels of environmental protection. Thus our present approach to water pollution control — delegated program federalism, a form of cooperative federalism with federal regulatory floors preempting any more lax state regulation, and federal oversight of state delegated programs — is really not necessary from a practical point of view and can be discarded without producing substantial environmental harm. After setting forth the Clean Water Act’s approach to delegated federalism, the paper discusses the flawed nature of the data upon which this claim is made. The experience of the 1960s simply does not support the argument in favor of devolution. This does not mean that every state was retrograde in its protection of water quality. The paper, therefore, will also look at the progressive approach taken by some states, while also focusing upon the action of the federal government during the 1960s to improve water quality. Nevertheless, the best evidence we have indicates that water quality was not improving nationwide before the enactment of the Clean Water Act. In contrast to that level of performance, the Clean Water Act has produced considerable progress, progress, however, which would surely be jeopardized should the nation revert to the regulatory paradigm of the 1960s. The story reveals substantial benefits from federal regulation within a structure that preserves room for state participation, creativity, and even greater stringency.
Prevention of Knee and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries Through the Use of Neuromuscular and Proprioceptive Training: An Evidence-Based Review

Reference/Citation: Donnell-Fink LA, Klara K, Collins JE, et al. Effectiveness of knee injury and anterior cruciate ligament tear prevention programs: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(12)e0144063. Clinical Question: Is neuromuscular and proprioceptive training effective in preventing knee and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries? Data Sources: The authors searched CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE/EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases from 1996 through December 2014 and limited the results to peer-reviewed manuscripts published in English. Search terms for all databases were knee injury OR knee injuries; OR anterior cruciate ligament injury OR anterior cruciate ligament injuries; OR ACL injury OR ACL injuries; OR lower limb injury OR lower limb injuries AND prevention. Study Selection: Inclusion criteria were (1) English language, (2) published from 1996 through 2014, (3) the intervention used neuromuscular or proprioceptive training to prevent knee or ACL i...
Natural and Designed Enzymes for Cellulose Degradation

Biofuels hold significant promise as an environmentally friendly means to displace a significant amount of fossil fuel from the global liquid transportation fuel mix. Compared with current corn and sugarcane-based feedstocks, which are agriculturally intensive, lignocellulosic feedstocks are abundant, can be produced cheaply, and have a much smaller carbon footprint per unit energy output. However, conversion of cellulosic materials into simple sugars (an intermediate step in biofuel production) is a significant challenge, owing to the rigidity and high resistance of cellulose to degradation. Recent efforts to improve enzymatic breakdown of cellulose have taken advantage of expanding genome sequence databases, advances in structural biology of cellulose degradation enzymes (cellulases), biochemical studies of enzymatic breakdown of cellulose, and protein engineering studies. In this chapter, the structural features of cellulose and cellulose-degrading enzymes will be reviewed, along with methods used to determine cellulase activity. We will focus on models for synergistic effects among enzymes, strategies used by bacteria and fungi to increase reactivity through synergistic enhancement, and approaches by which synergistic enhancement can be engineered into artificial enzymes to be used for large-scale cellulose-based biofuels production.
Modulation of the Electrochemical Reactivity of Solubilized Redox Active Polymers via Polyelectrolyte Dynamics.

Redox active polymers (RAPs) are electrochemically versatile materials that find key applications in energy storage, sensing, and surface modification. In spite of the ubiquity of RAP-modified electrodes, a critical knowledge gap exists in the understanding of the electrochemistry of soluble RAPs and their relation to polyelectrolyte dynamics. Here, we explore for the first time the intersection between polyelectrolyte behavior and the electrochemical response that highly soluble and highly substituted RAPs with viologen, ferrocene, and nitrostyrene moieties elicit at electrodes. This comprehensive study of RAP electrolytes over several orders of magnitude in concentration and ionic strength reveals distinct signatures consistent with surface confined, colloidal, and bulk-like electrochemical behavior. These differences emerge across polyelectrolyte packing regimes and are strongly modulated by changes in RAP coil size and electrostatic interactions with the electrode. We found that, unlike monomer motifs...
Gastrointestinal disease in the hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Gastroenteritis is recognized as a precursor of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). but colitis as a major feature of this syndrome is less well established. The records of 12 consecutive patients. aged 1–40 yr. in which a secure diagnosis of the HUS could be made on the basis of acute azotemic renal failure with hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. were reviewed with respect to GI disease. GI complaints initiated the disease in all patients; 12 had bloody diarrhea. 8 vomited. and 7 had cramping abdominal pain. These symptoms persisted 2 days to 6 wk before the diagnosis of the HUS was made. Prominent abdominal tenderness was elicited in 8 subjects: 2 had classical findings of peritonitis, and 5 had hepatomegaly. Proctoscopy, performed in 4 patients, revealed friable mucosa, 4; lax anal sphincter tone, 2; a rectol ulceration; and a dirty gray pseudomembrane. Transaminases were elevated in all patients studied; SGOT and SGPT ranged from 58 to 468 and 89 to 149 IU/liter, respectively. Plain abdominal x-ray demonstrated ascites, 3; massive colonic dilatation, 1; and thumb printing of the sigmoid colon, 1, while barium enema. performed in 2 patients, showed evidence of diffuse colitis, 2, and a 2×2 cm filling defect in the cecum. The illness was mistakenly diagnosed as appendicitis, ulcerative colitis, cecal polyp, pseudomembraneous colitis, or intussusception. Eleven patients recovered normal GI function with support for renal failure, but 1 died as a consequence of his intestinal disease. We consider intestinal and liver disease to be regular features of the HUS.
Evolutionarily diverse mechanisms of germline specification among mammals: what about us?

Most of our knowledge on the temporospatial aspects of primordial germ cell (PGC) development in mammalian embryos was obtained through studying laboratory mice (1,2). PGCs are the common precursors of sperm and eggs, and they can be distinguished from their precursors based on their morphological characteristics, migrating activities, and expression of marker molecules.
Simulation model of the relationship between cesarean section rates and labor duration

Cesarean delivery is the most common major abdominal surgery in many parts of the world, and it accounts for nearly one-third of births in the United States. For a patient who requires a C-section, allowing prolonged labor is not recommended because of the increased risk of infection. However, for a patient who is capable of a successful vaginal delivery, performing an unnecessary C-section can have a substantial adverse impact on the patient's future health. We develop two stochastic simulation models of the delivery process for women in labor; and our objectives are (i) to represent the natural progression of labor and thereby gain insights concerning the duration of labor as it depends on the dilation state for induced, augmented, and spontaneous labors; and (ii) to evaluate the Friedman curve and other labor-progression rules, including their impact on the C-section rate and on the rates of maternal and fetal complications. To use a shifted lognormal distribution for modeling the duration of labor in each dilation state and for each type of labor, we formulate a percentile-matching procedure that requires three estimated quantiles of each distribution as reported in the literature. Based on results generated by both simulation models, we concluded that for singleton births by nulliparous women with no prior complications, labor duration longer than two hours (i.e., the time limit for labor arrest based on the Friedman curve) should be allowed in each dilation state; furthermore, the allowed labor duration should be a function of dilation state.
Iraqcomm: a next generation translation system.

Abstract This paper describes the IraqComm translation system developed by SRI International, with components from Language Weaver, Inc., and Cepstral, LLC. IraqComm, supported by the DARPA Translation Systems for Tactical Use (TRANSTAC) program, mediates and translates spontaneous conversations between an English speaker and a speaker of colloquial Iraqi Arabic. It is trained to handle topics of tactical importance, including force protection, checkpoint operations, civil affairs, basic medical interviews, and training. Major components of the system include SRI's DynaSpeak speech recognizer, Gemini, SRInterp, and Language Weaver translation engines, Cepstral's Swift speech synthesis engine, and the user interface. The system runs on standard Windows computers and can be used in a variety of modes, including an eyes-free, nearly hands-free mode. Index Terms : speech translation, spoken language translation system, user interface 1. Introduction This paper describes the IraqComm translation system developed under the DARPA Translation Systems for Tactical Use (TRANSTAC) program. IraqComm mediates and translates spontaneous, real-time conversations between an English speaker and a speaker of colloquial Iraqi Arabic. It is trained to handle topics of tactical importance, including force protection, checkpoint operations, civil affairs, basic medical interviews, and training. The major components of the system are described below and include the speech recognizer, translation engines, speech synthesis engine, and user interface. An excerpt of a sample dialog using the system during a NIST evaluation in February 2007 is shown and discussed.
HIV-1 Infection and Type 1 Interferon: Navigating Through Uncertain Waters.

Abstract HIV-1 remains a chronic viral infection of global health importance. Although HIV-1 replication can be controlled by antiretroviral therapy (ART), there is no cure due to persistence of a ...
Letters: Concerning, Spinoza: A Jewish Philosopher

This study explores several contemporary letters about the Jewish scholar Baruch Spinoza. It will ask and answer several underlying questions in order to illuminate a more lucid portrait of Spinoza and his philosophy. Specifically, this analysis will highlight the explicit points, underlying assumptions, target audience, and historical reliability evident in these correspondences.
Increasing Access to High Value Care: Preventing Complications in Common Disorders.

Abstract Most infantile hemangiomas (IHs), the most common vascular tumors of childhood, evolve without complications; however 10% to 12% require specialty referral for treatment. To emphasize the ...
Longitudinal Changes in Metabolic Network Activity Associated with the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (P3.187)

Objective: To examine longitudinal changes of expression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related metabolic pattern in AD patients and the relationship with APOE ɛ4 genotype. Background: Utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with [ 18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and spatial covariance analysis, we have recently identified an abnormal brain metabolic pattern specifically related to AD (ADRP) that can separate AD patients and healthy controls obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (Mattis et al., Neurology, 2016). Nonetheless, whether ADRP expression changes significantly over time with disease progression in AD remains unknown. Design/Methods: We studied 62 AD patients (36M/26F; age=75.2±6.8 years; disease duration=4.2±2.5 years) and 40 age-matched healthy controls (23M/17F, age=76.0± 4.6 years) scanned with FDG-PET at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months in the ADNI. ADRP expression values were computed in scans of each subject at all time points. Longitudinal changes in ADRP expression were examined over disease duration across time points in the AD patients relative to the healthy controls. Changes in ADRP expression was then compared between the subgroups of AD patients categorized by their APOE ɛ4 allele status (37 APOE ɛ4 carriers vs. 25 non-carriers). Moreover, longitudinal changes in ADRP expression were correlated with those of neuropsychological test performance on memory, executive function, and language in AD patients. Results: ADRP expression increased significantly (p Conclusions: ADRP expression may be a sensitive imaging measure of disease progression in AD, especially for APOE ɛ4 carriers. Study Supported by: NINDS (R01 NS072514 to D.E.). Disclosure: Dr. Tang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Small has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mattis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nazem has nothing to disclose. Dr. Spetsieris has nothing to disclose. Dr. Eidelberg has nothing to disclose.
Innovating with AI

Google has created 8 products with over a billion users each. These products are powered by AI (artificial intelligence) at every level - from the core infrastructure and software platform to the application logic and the user interface. I'll share a behind-the-scenes look at how Google AI works and how we use it to create innovative UX (user experience) at a planetary scale. I'll end with our vision to democratize AI and how you can use Google AI in your own work.
An Exploration into the Role of Retail Characteristics on Small Retailers’ Perceived Control, Conflict, and Satisfaction within an Emerging Channel of Distribution: The Case of Regional Buying Marts

Channel dynamics for a sample of small retailers were examined with respect to these retailers' perceived control, conflict and satisfaction within the channel of distribution. The respondents were customers of a regional buying mart that is emerging as a new channel of distribution to retailers of apparel, furniture and giftware. These results revealed that small retailers experience greater control and satisfaction within this type of channel. In addition, conflict levels tended to be minimal and did not vary across retailer characteristics.
Data Assimilation Using Spatial Partition-Based Particle Filtering For Freeway Traffic Simulation

Assimilating real time sensor data into road traffic simulation is an important technique to achieve more accurate traffic simulation and prediction. A major challenge of traffic data assimilation is the high dimensional system states due to a large number of road segments whose states need to be estimated. To address this challenge, this paper adapts a spatial partition-based particle filtering method developed in earlier work and applies it to data assimilation for freeway traffic simulation. The spatial partition-based particle filtering method employs a divide and conquer strategy to reduce spatial complexity in state estimation. The developed method is applied to a discrete event freeway traffic simulation model based on Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS). Experiment results show the spatial partition-based particle filtering can effectively improve data assimilation results for freeway traffic simulations.
Composite scaffolds for skin repair and regeneration

Abstract Advancements in the field of skin tissue engineering have been quite visible with the development of composite biomaterials. While natural polymers help increase the biocompatibility of the composite, synthetic polymers help optimize physical properties such as mechanical strength, degradation, controlled release, swelling capacity, and water retention. So far, a wide array of composite scaffolds has been fabricated matching the mechanical strength and stratified structure of skin and with an ability to deliver bioactive agents and stem cells. This book chapter reviews the use of various combinations of natural and synthetic polymers in engineering different kinds of composite matrices. Furthermore, we discuss their use in the delivery of a variety of bioactive agents and stem cells for skin tissue engineering applications.
Dissident Mourners: Victims’ Political Participation in Human Rights Activism

Discussing Erinn Gilson’s ethics of vulnerability as an attitude of openness and response to others, I demonstrate how in Carlos Martin Beristain and Diana del Angel’s non-fiction writings, the empathy of “broader communities of mourning” and the accompaniment provided to victims by psychosocial, legal, and forensic independent experts counteract bureaucratic violence and empower victims to participate in human rights investigations. I also observe that the mourning relatives of victims of the War on Drugs, as portrayed in a post-Ayotzinapa documentary series by Periodistas de a Pie, have become what I call experts without credentials. These experts have confronted the paralyzing effects of forced disappearances in society by assuming the role of the state and accredited experts in the search for justice and their missing loved ones.
Disparities in E-Cigarette and Tobacco Use Among Adolescents With Disabilities.

Introduction In 2019, nearly 30% of US high-school students reported current (past 30 day) e-cigarette use. Adolescents with disabilities are consistently more likely to smoke cigarettes compared with their nondisabled peers, yet little is known about their use of other forms of tobacco, including e-cigarettes. We compared the prevalence of tobacco use (e-cigarettes, cigarettes, little cigars, large cigars, hookahs, and smokeless tobacco) among high school students with at least 1 disability to those without disability. Methods Data were from the 2015 and 2017 Oregon Healthy Teens survey, a statewide representative sample of 11th-grade students. We estimated the prevalence of current (past 30 day) tobacco use by product type and disability status (yes or no). We used multivariable Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios measuring the association between disability status and current tobacco use, by product: 1) combustible products only, 2) e-cigarettes only, and 3) dual use of combustibles and e-cigarettes. Results Students with disabilities were more likely to use a variety of tobacco products compared with their nondisabled peers, including cigarettes (12.3% vs 5.4%), little cigars (7.0% vs 5.4%), hookahs (6.2% vs 3.8%), and e-cigarettes (18.3% vs 12.3%). In adjusted models, students with a disability were more likely to report using combustibles only (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.31-1.84), e-cigarettes only (aPR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16-1.59), or dual use (aPR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.29-1.80) compared with nondisabled students. Conclusion Effective tobacco control programs should target populations with the greatest burden of tobacco use. Results suggest that tobacco prevention and reduction efforts should explicitly include adolescents with disabilities and employ accommodations that support their participation in program activities.
Institutional Ownership Stability and BHC Performance

In this study, the association between performance of BHCs and institutional ownership stability is investigated and contrasted to those found for the less regulated utility and industrial firms in order to determine whether regulation displaces owner monitoring. We employ a simultaneous equations model treating firm performance and institutional ownership stability as endogenous variables. Several results are obtained. First, BHC performance is positively associated with institutional ownership stability. Second, this association is weaker for BHCs than for comparable utility and industrial firms, possibly because of the substitution of regulation for owner monitoring in banking. Third, this association is stronger in the recent deregulated years and for BHCs with lower likelihood of regulatory intervention.
Predictions from algorithmic modeling result in better decisions than from data modeling for soybean iron deficiency chlorosis.

In soybean variety development and genetic improvement projects, iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is visually assessed as an ordinal response variable. Linear Mixed Models for Genomic Prediction (GP) have been developed, compared, and used to select continuous plant traits such as yield, height, and maturity, but can be inappropriate for ordinal traits. Generalized Linear Mixed Models have been developed for GP of ordinal response variables. However, neither approach addresses the most important questions for cultivar development and genetic improvement: How frequently are the ‘wrong’ genotypes retained, and how often are the ‘correct’ genotypes discarded? The research objective reported herein was to compare outcomes from four data modeling and six algorithmic modeling GP methods applied to IDC using decision metrics appropriate for variety development and genetic improvement projects. Appropriate metrics for decision making consist of specificity, sensitivity, precision, decision accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Data modeling methods for GP included ridge regression, logistic regression, penalized logistic regression, and Bayesian generalized linear regression. Algorithmic modeling methods include Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Machine, Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors, Naive Bayes, and Artificial Neural Network. We found that a Support Vector Machine model provided the most specific decisions of correctly discarding IDC susceptible genotypes, while a Random Forest model resulted in the best decisions of retaining IDC tolerant genotypes, as well as the best outcomes when considering all decision metrics. Overall, the predictions from algorithmic modeling result in better decisions than from data modeling methods applied to soybean IDC.
The Utility of Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy Scans in the Tokyo Guidelines Era for Acute Cholecystitis.

Abstract Background Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy (HIDA) aids the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis (AC) but has limitations. We sought to design a model based on the Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18) to predict HIDA results. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent a HIDA scan during the evaluation of AC was performed. Using logistic regression techniques incorporating the TG18 criterion and additional readily available patient characteristics, a prediction model was created to identify patients likely to test negative for acute cholecystitis by HIDA scan. Results In 235 patients with suspected AC, a HIDA scan was performed. Variables associated with positive HIDA results were male gender (RR 2.0 (CI 1.33-2.99), age (OR 1.02 (CI 1.01-1.04), right upper quadrant tenderness (RR 1.7 (CI 1.1-2.8)), clinical Murphy's sign (RR 2.2 (CI 1.5-3.4)), ultrasound findings suggestive of AC by any of its components (RR 3.2 (CI 1.6-6.5)), gallbladder wall thickening (RR 2.0 (CI 1.3-3.1)), and gallbladder distention (RR 1.9 (CI 1.3-2.9)). These variables allowed for creation of a model to predict HIDA results. The model predicted HIDA results in 36.9% of patients with an area under the curve of 0.81. Conclusions In the era of TG18, HIDA is probably over utilized. We developed an accurate, simple model based on TG18 that identifies a group of patients for whom a HIDA scan is unnecessary to establish the diagnosis of AC.
Information at the Margin: Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws, Ballot Issues, and Voter Knowledge

Abstract All 24 states that permit voters to cast ballots directly on policy matters also require that contributions and expenditures on ballot issue campaigns be disclosed publicly. Scholars assert that information about the financial involvement of interest groups in ballot issue campaigns provides voters with valuable cues about how to vote on potentially complex and confusing issues. In this article, I argue that the proper way to assess the informational benefits of disclosure is to assess whether the information gleaned from disclosure reports is beneficial to voters at the margin, once other available information is taken into account. Using a survey experiment, I show that disclosure information provides few marginal benefits for voters, calling into question the informational rationale for disclosure laws.
In situ Quantification of the Impact of Episodic Enhanced Turbulent Events in Large Phytoplankton

Abstract : Our long-term goal is to understand how physical-biological, biological-biological and chemical-biological interactions control the patch structure and ecology of phytoplankton inhabiting coastal shelves, upwelling areas, fjords and banks. We are especially interested in ways in which species-specific properties, including colony size and shape (diatoms) and motility (flagellates and photosynthetic ciliates) interact with physical processes to regulate phytoplankton dynamics and spatial-temporal distribution patterns. We wish to understand these processes in sufficient detail to be able to predict bloom dynamics, biodiversity, size structure, and the impact of species-specific characteristics of the phytoplankton on ocean optics. Our objective is to evaluate and refine the techniques needed to test the hypothesis that brief exposure to high turbulence levels (such as those occurring during episodic wind events) will break long chains of fragile diatom species and damage or even kill individual cells of sensitive species thus altering the particle characteristics, size structure, and composition of the phytoplankton community and the resulting bulk optical properties of the water column. We are particularly interested in testing and refining the ability of our CytoSense submersible scanning flow cytometer to quantify in situ not only the abundance, length and bio-optical characteristics of large non-spheroid phytoplankton, but also the occurrence of broken chains and damaged or dead cells. We are also interested in testing our lab-based models that predict that growth, chain length and morphology of large chain forming diatoms are affected by sustained exposure to low and moderate levels of turbulence during bloom development.
Effects of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine, on ethanol intake: Impact of age and sex

The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI), was used to investigate the role of the KOR system in mediating ethanol intake. On P25 (adolescent) or P67 (adult) male and female rats were individually housed and given ad libitum access to food and water. The experimental procedure was initiated on P28 or P70: animals were given 30 min/day access to a 10% ethanol/supersaccharin solution every other day (3 baseline exposures). On the day after the final baseline test, rats were injected with nor-BNI (0, 2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg), with testing initiated 24 hr later (30-min access every other day, 3 test exposures). Nor-BNI (10 mg/kg) increased ethanol intake in adult males, whereas the same dose decreased intake in adult females, suggesting pronounced sex differences in KOR-associated mediation of ethanol intake in adulthood. There was no impact of nor-BNI in adolescent animals of either sex, suggesting that the KOR may play less of a role in modulating ethanol intake during adolescence.
Neurogenesis and Neuroprotection in the Adult Brain

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are two enzymes that are critical for the synthesis of eicosanoids, the inflammatory metabolites of arachidonic acid. Both 5-LOX and COX-2 are expressed in the brain, including in CNS neurons. The physiologic role of these proteins in neuronal functioning is not clear. In non-neuronal tissues these two enzymes often assume similar roles: in addition to their function in inflammation, 5-LOX and COX-2 appear to be associated with cell proliferation, that is, with tumor growth. High 5-LOX expression has been noticed in the proliferating brain or pancreatic tumor cells; reduction in tumor cell proliferation and/or destruction of tumor cells was achieved with 5-LOX inhibitors. Proliferation of immature neurons/neuroblasts is an important component of mitotic neurogenesis. We investigated the role of 5-LOX in proliferation using cultures of human neuronal precursor cells, NT2. We found that these cells express 5-LOX mRNA and we used 3H-thymidine incorporation as a measure of cell proliferation; this was reduced by treating the cultures with 5-LOX inhibitor AA-861. We propose that the 5-LOX pathway plays a crucial role in mitotic neurogenesis. Additional studies should explore whether 5-LOX may participate in neurogenesis related pathologies and whether it should be considered a target for procedures aimed at altering neurogenesis for therapeutic purposes.
Ebola virus disease in pregnancy and anesthetic considerations

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is often lethal, mortality rates range from 50% to over 90%, depending on the patient population, viral strain, and access to medical care. During pregnancy, the morbidity and mortality from the viral disease has been suggested to be among the highest of any affected patient population. According to the existing literature, which is confined to a few small case series in Africa, the risk of spontaneous fetal loss is high and there have been no known neonatal survivors. The mode of EVD transmission is well understood and evidence from the current and previous epidemics indicates that transmission can be interrupted by infection control measures. The central element of providing care to a patient suspected of Ebola is a three-step triage process: identify/isolate/inform. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, because of the potentially worse outcomes seen in pregnancy, specialized multidisciplinary care may be needed. In addition, especially in the obstetric setting, there is a high likelihood of exposure to a potentially deadly disease by health care workers. Therefore, these patients should be managed by anesthetic and obstetric providers in centers with expertise, protocols and training. Labor pain management, and the decision to proceed with cesarean delivery or other obstetric interventions will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis, weighing the risks and benefits to the mother, the fetus and the caregivers.
The Symbolic Ecology of Suburbia

Where we live is a statement of who we are. In the exploding modern metropolis fewer and fewer people live in central cities, but people continue to live and find meaning for their lives in local communities. As metropolitan areas continue to grow in size and numbers, the communities people increasingly come to live in lie beyond the bounds of the central city in the fissionable fragments of countless surrounding suburban communities. For the most part, these suburban communities are far removed from the small towns and villages, the pastoral settings of a bygone era depicted in nostalgic Norman Rockwell paintings. The shopping mall has replaced Main Street, the regional high school the two-room schoolhouse, and the suburban split-level the frame farmhouse. The melding of urban and rural, for better or worse, that was attempted in the idealized Utopian setting of suburbia has generated a long list of both apologists and critics. Only within the past few decades, however, has the more neutral eye of the analytical social scientist begun to elicit the crystallized pattern of social and spatial order and the patterns of change apparent in this metropolitan puzzle. No longer is it sufficient to denigrate the conformity and complacency of suburbanites who fled the teeming freedom and anonymity of the cultured city left behind nor to wax bucolic about the spacious greenlands of innocent euphoric childhood on the city’s rim to which people migrated. Rather, the questions have more prosaically come to center upon the realities of how it is people go about the routine business of constructing their everyday lives—of getting a living, making a home, raising a family, and finding meaning to lives lived on the fringe of the modern metropolis.
Fragrance material review on linalyl butyrate.

A toxicologic and dermatologic review of linalyl butyrate when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented.
Motor performance, size and the dyadic system.

Summary.-60 pairs of adolescents (N = 120) were drawn from three academic status groups (N = 176); 30 pairs on the basis of mutual attraction ('friends') and 30 pairs on the basis of mucual dislike or dislike/indifference ('non-friends'). The mean differences in 'friends' scores on the motor performance and size variables were compared with the mean differences for 'nonfriends' by analysis of variance. Although a consistent trend of greater similariry on the physical measures was observed for 'friends' as compared with 'nonfriends,' the only significant result was for a variable representing dynamic strength. The influence of academic status on this significant result is pointed out. The dyadic system involves a primary relationship in which the two 'actors' display an identification of ends both with regard to attitudes and mutual welfare (Davis, 1948). Early studies of the dyadic system (Bonney, 1944; Potashin, 1946; Thorpe, 1953) concentrated on the contribution of objective characteristics to this process of mutual identification and such variables as IQ, age, and social status are typical of the characteristics employed in these studies. Later research shifted the emphasis to an action approach in which the dyadic system was seen as a changing process rather than a static situation, the latter being implied by an examination of objective characteristics, and present work has seen further development in areas exemplified by such topics as 'perceived similarity and interpersonal congruency' (Secord & Backman, 1964) and 'interpersonal attraction and attitude similarity' (Byrne, 1961). This research note is concerned with the objective characteristics of strength and size within the dyadic system and consequently is out of step with the recent research viewpoint mentioned previously. The limitations of the following analysis in this respect are thus acknowledged but there is some justification for adopting a 'structural' rather than 'process' view as previous studies have not included in their design motor fitness and strength variables; height and weight being usually the only physical characteristics considered worthy of attention (e.g., Yoshida, 1963). In view of this it seems reasonable to utilize an objective approach before attempting a more fundamental exploratory analysis in that in the latter case one may be attempting 'to explain' factors before their presence has been demonstrated (e.g., Cratty, 1967 ) . METHOD
Calcium absorption and osseous organ-, tissue-, and envelope-specific changes following ovariectomy in rats.

Abstract Because cancellous bone loss occurs following ovariectomy (OVX) in rats, this has become a popular model to explore therapeutic modalities for postmenopausal bone loss in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine intestinal calcium absorption in situ and organ-, tissue-, envelope-, and site-specific changes in osseous tissues at six weeks after OVX in rats using chemical, biochemical, absorptiometric, microradiographic, and morphometric methods. There were no changes in intestinal absorption of calcium, but duodenal weight per length was significantly increased in the OVX animals compared with age-matched, sham-operated controls. There was an increase in wet bone weight, but decreases in ash/dry bone weight, total bone Ca, and Ca per ash weight in the OVX animals. There were significant decreases in the OVX animals in metaphyseal bone mineral content, as determined by photon absorptiometry and metaphyseal cancellous bone volume. The perimeter to area ratio of the metaphyseal cancellous bone in the OVX animals was increased compared with controls. Endochondral growth rates were increased in the OVX animals, attributable to an increased growth plate hypertrophic cell size and rate of chondrocyte proliferation. In the OVX animals there was an increase in modeling in the formation mode of the periosteal surface at the tibio-fibular junction. Increased periosteal modeling in the formation mode was also observed in the body of the mandible, suggesting that the changes in periosteal bone formation are not strictly coupled with changes in endochondral growth. There was an increase in modeling in the resorption mode of the endocortical surface at the tibio-fibular junction in the OVX animals. There was increased bone turnover in the OVX animals compared with controls on the endosteal surface, as indicated by increases in both formation and resorption indices, including an increase in the osteoclast population. In the long bones, OVX results in larger bones due to increases in endochondral growth and modeling in the formation mode at the periosteal surfaces, with a loss of cancellous bone and total bone calcium due to increased resorption on the endocortical surfaces and turnover (increased formation and resorption) on endosteal surfaces. This study emphasizes that osseous tissue changes following OVX in rats are tissue-specific, envelop-specific, and site-specific.
Serum effects confound the neuroleptic radioreceptor assay.

Abstract The neuroleptic radioreceptor assay (NRRA) is used widely to monitor total neuroleptic-like activity (NLA) in patients taking one or more antipsychotic drugs. The original report of Creese and Snyder (1) stated that serum alone caused a small effect on binding which was negligible compared to normal daily variations in the assay. Conversely, in studies with striata from rat or cow brain, we found that sera from healthy, drug free volunteers, when used at 50 μL/ 1 mL assay volume, caused marked inhibition of binding. although any sample of serum causes reproducible inhibition with a given preparation of bovine or rat striatal membranes, the effects of various serum samples may differ markedly when several striatal membrane preparations are compared. Moreover, samples taken from people at different times may also vary, although less than the interindividual differences. Despite this variance, the slopes of log-logit plots were equal to 1 either in the presence or absence of serum. Because of the differences in the interaction of individual sera with different membrane preparations, it is difficult to compensate accurately for this serum effect by simply including control serum in the standard curve. Thus, the use of the NRRA as a quantitative tool in the clinical pharmacology of neuroleptics may be limited by this non-specific effect of serum, and this finding may offer one explanation for some of the inconsistencies found in comparing the NRRA with direct analytical methods.
Relationship between the coefficient of friction and the wear rate of metals

Abstract A very approximate mathematical analysis is given for the relationship between the coefficient of friction and the wear factor of metals for the case of sliding wear. The analysis is based on the delamination theory of wear, the empirically determined plastic strain field near the surface at the onset of delamination of a wear sheet and a constitutive relation which takes into account the effect of cyclic softening. An energy argument is used. The agreement between experimentally observed values and theoretically predicted values is good.
Teaching Legal and Ethic Issues: Where Does Tip-Reporting Fit?

The authors present the results of their survey of directors of hospitality programs about the teaching of tip-reporting in their programs.
ANOMALOUS OUTCOMES IN PREFERENTIAL VOTING

We consider the preferential voting system and investigate the frequency of non-monotonic allocations of votes, in which by getting more votes, a winning candidate can become a losing candidate.
Molecular mechanisms of copper uptake and distribution

In the past few years, exciting advances have been made toward understanding how copper is transported into and distributed to cupro-proteins within cells. Recent work has identified high-affinity copper transporters at the plasma membrane in a number of organisms. The elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of copper chaperones and target cupro-proteins has shown that highly specific interactions between homologous domains foster copper transfer between conserved copper ligands, and facilitate a detailed understanding of vectorial copper-transfer reactions. Furthermore, the recent generation of mouse-knockout models, deficient in a high-affinity copper transporter, or in copper chaperones, has demonstrated the importance of copper uptake and targeted distribution in both predicted and fascinating unanticipated ways in growth and development.