cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peroxidase-catalyzed bromination of tyrosine, thyroglobulin, and bovine serum albumin: Comparison of thyroid peroxidase and lactoperoxidase☆

A recent paper (Buchberger, W., 1988, J. Chromatogr. 432, 57) on lactoperoxidase-catalyzed bromination of tyrosine and thyroglobulin stated, without evidence, that thyroid peroxidase (TPO) is able to use bromide as a substrate. This was in disagreement with unpublished experiments previously performed in this laboratory, and we undertook, therefore, to examine this subject further. Highly purified porcine TPO was compared with lactoperoxidase (LPO) and chloroperoxidase (CPO) for ability to catalyze bromination of tyrosine, thyroglobulin, and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The incubation mixture contained 50-100 nM peroxidase, 10-500 microM 82Br-, tyrosine (150 microM), thyroglobulin (0.3 or 1 microM), or BSA (7.5 microM), and a source of H2O2. The latter was either generated by glucose (1 mg/ml)-glucose oxidase (0.5 or 1 micrograms/ml), or added initially as a bolus (100 microM). With TPO, formation of organically bound 82Br was undetectable under all conditions in the pH range 5.4-7.0. Lactoperoxidase and CPO, on the other hand, displayed considerable brominating activity. Lactoperoxidase was much more active at pH 5.4 than at pH 7.0 and was more active with BSA as acceptor than with tyrosine or thyroglobulin. The distribution of 82Br among the various amino acids in LPO-brominated thyroglobulin and BSA was determined by HPLC. As expected, monobromotyrosine and dibromotyrosine together comprised the greatest part of the bound 82Br. However, a surprisingly high percentage (20-25%) was present as monobromohistidine. Evidence was also obtained for the presence of a small percentage of the bound 82Br as tetrabromothyronine. Peroxidase-catalyzed bromination probably depends on the oxidation of Br- to Br+ by the Compound I form of the enzyme. Since oxidation of Br- to Br+ requires a stronger oxidant than oxidation of I- to I+, our results suggest that Compound I of LPO and of CPO has a higher oxidation potential than Compound I of TPO. In vivo experiments with rats on a low iodine diet injected with 82Br- showed that even under conditions of high stimulation by thyrotropic hormone, there is negligible formation of organic bromine in the thyroid. Measurements of thyroid:serum concentration ratios for 82Br- in similar rats provided no evidence that Br- is a substrate for the iodide transport system of the thyroid.
Structural Basis for PI(4)P-Specific Membrane Recruitment of the Legionella pneumophila Effector DrrA/SidM.

Summary Recruitment of the Legionella pneumophila effector DrrA to the Legionella -containing vacuole, where it activates and AMPylates Rab1, is mediated by a P4M domain that binds phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate [PI(4)P] with high affinity and specificity. Despite the importance of PI(4)P in Golgi trafficking and its manipulation by pathogens, the structural bases for PI(4)P-dependent membrane recruitment remain poorly defined. Here, we determined the crystal structure of a DrrA fragment including the P4M domain in complex with dibutyl PI(4)P and investigated the determinants of phosphoinositide recognition and membrane targeting. Headgroup recognition involves an elaborate network of direct and water-mediated interactions with basic and polar residues in the context of a deep, constrictive binding pocket. An adjacent hydrophobic helical element packs against the acyl chains and inserts robustly into PI(4)P-containing monolayers. The structural, biochemical, and biophysical data reported here support a detailed structural mechanism for PI(4)P-dependent membrane targeting by DrrA.
Solid-state bonding technique for template-stripped ultraflat gold substrates.

A simple procedure using gold diffusion bonding for the preparation of template-stripped gold (TSG) surfaces is described. TSG surfaces are useful for surface studies because a very consistent flat gold surface with few defects can be easily prepared. We have developed a method of producing TSG surfaces that relies only on gold diffusion bonding rather than epoxies. The resulting substrates are free from concerns of solvent compatibility, heat stability, and impurities. Bonding of centimeter-sized substrates is performed at 300 °C for 2 h using a vise and aluminum foil.
Coulomb gaps in a strong magnetic field

We report on a study of interaction effects in the tunneling density of states of a disordered two-dimensional electron gas in the strong magnetic field limit where only the lowest Landau level is occupied. Interactions in the presence of disorder are accounted for by performing finite-size self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations. We find evidence for the formation of a pseudogap with a tunneling density of states which vanishes at the Fermi energy.
Hepatitis in pregnancy

The study of viral hepatitis was expanded over the past decade with the emergence of new viruses, therapies, and vaccination guidelines as well as new data on the risks of perinatal transmission. There are now at least six hepatitis viruses. Hepatitis A and E are causes of epidemic, enteric infection and do not carry a significant risk of chronic infection. Hepatitis B, C, D, and G are hematogenously spread and are significant causes of chronic hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cirrhosis. The following report reviews the types of hepatitis as well as the consequences of infection to the mother and fetus.
Expression, Characterization, and Purification of C-terminally Hexahistidine-tagged Thromboxane A2 Receptors

Abstract Thromboxane A2(TxA2) receptors belong to the class of G-protein-coupled receptors. Knowledge of the relationship of structure to function for TxA2 receptors is limited because of their low levels of expression, lengthy purification procedures and poor recoveries. A C-terminal hexahistidine-tag (C-His) was ligated to the α-isoform of TxA2 receptors and expressed in COS-7 and Chinese hamster ovary cells. The C-His-TxA2 receptors bound the radioligands125I-7-[(1R,2S,3S,5R)-6,6-dimethyl-3-(4-benzenesulfonylamino)bicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-yl]-5(Z)-heptenoic acid, an antagonist, and125I-[1S-1α,2β(5Z),3α(1E,3S*),4α]-7-[3[(3-hydroxy-4-(4′-phenoxy)-1butenyl)-7-oxabicyclo-[2.2.1]heptan-2-yl]-5-heptanoic acid, an agonist, with affinities not significantly different from those of the wild type (wt)-TxA2 receptors. LipofectAMINE transfection of the cDNAs resulted in high levels of expression (B max = 95 ± 6 pmol/mg) of the C-His-TxA2 receptors. In competition binding studies the IC50 values of five different ligands were not significantly different between C-His-TxA2 and wt-TxA2 receptors. Agonist-induced stimulation of cAMP and total inositol phosphate formation were not significantly different between the two receptors. Purification on a Ni2+-NTA column resulted in a rapid (within 4 h) purification with a 36 ± 2% recovery and a 30 ± 6-fold purification (n = 5). The partially purified receptors were resolved on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane, dissolved in acetone/trifluoroacetic acid/hexafluoroisopropanol/sinapinic acid, and successfully subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry analysis. The results suggest that the combination of a high level of expression of C-His-TxA2 receptors and a rapid purification procedure followed by SDS- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis may provide a useful approach for mass-spectrometry based structure-function and other studies of TxA2receptors.
School-to-Community Written Communications: A Content Analysis.

The objective of this study was to analyze the quality and content of written messages sent from selected schools and district offices to residents of their respective communities. These school-to-community messages are critical because they help shape community perspectives about what schools are doing and how well they are doing it. Over a 6-month period, 594 communities from nine schools and three central offices were collected and items analyzed through the use of a rating instrument similar to that used in marketing research. The analysis concludes that the communication items tend to be quite functional, in the sense that their purposes are clear and the amount of information transmitted is sufficient to ensure understanding. However, the items were rated as typically dull, devoid of interesting style and creative language, written almost exclusively in English, and as far as the newsletters were concerned, targeted toward a generic, upwardly mobile, White, middle-class parent. The study concludes w...
AN ALGORITHM FOR THE ESTIMATION OF GESTATIONAL AGE AT THE TIME OF FETAL DEATH

Investigation of the factors leading to stillbirth, defined as fetal death ≥ 20 weeks of gestation, should employ the best possible assessment of gestational age (GA) at the time of fetal death. Precise estimation of GA at fetal death requires accuracy of two key pieces of information: the timing of fetal death and the estimated due date (EDD). Unfortunately, precise data are often lacking, particularly regarding timing of fetal death. Some investigators have equated timing of fetal death with the time of delivery1 or have estimated timing of death from pathologic findings in the fetus or placenta2–4. Because there may be a prolonged period between fetal death and delivery, the estimated GA at time of fetal death may be overestimated, particularly when the date of delivery is used as the basis to determine the date of death. The accuracy of vital statistics data and clinicopathologic correlations are impacted when gestational age information is unreliable5,6. We describe a set of rules (the “algorithm”) developed by the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network (SCRN) to estimate gestational age at fetal death in cases of singleton stillbirth, incorporating clinical and pathologic data. We report the results obtained by applying the algorithm and evaluate the performance of a key component using a well-dated subset of cases in which both estimated due date and timing of death were known with precision.
Comparison of a wipe method with and without a rinse to recover wall losses in closed face 37-mm cassettes used for sampling lead dust particulates

Closed-face 37-mm polystyrene cassettes are often used for exposure monitoring of metal particulates. Several methods have been proposed to account for the wall loss in air sampling cassettes, including rinsing, wiping, within-cassette dissolution, and an internal capsule fused to the filter that could be digested with the filter. Until internal capsules replace filters, other methods for assessing wall losses may be considered. To determine if rinsing and wiping or wiping alone is adequate to determine wall losses on cassettes, we collected 54 full-shift area air samples at a battery recycling facility. We collected six replicate samples at three locations within the facility for three consecutive days. The wall losses of three replicate cassettes from each day-location were analyzed following a rinse and two consecutive wipes. The wall losses of the other three replicates from each day-location were analyzed following two consecutive wipes only. Mixed-cellulose ester membrane filter, rinse, and wipes we...
Competition and cooperation among huddling infant rats

Huddling is expressed by infant rats and continues to be an important behavior throughout adulthood. As a form of behavioral thermoregulation, huddling is thought to play an essential role in compensating for inadequate physiological thermoregulation early in development. Infant rats, however, are capable of heat production shortly after birth using brown adipose tissue (BAT) and exhibit thermogenesis in the huddle, suggesting that huddling does not obviate the need for endothermy during cold exposure. In the present experiment, 4-pup huddles of infant rats (2- or 8-day-olds) were exposed to two subthermoneutral temperatures, and BAT thermogenesis was inhibited in 0, 2, or 4 of the rats in each huddle. Inhibition of BAT thermogenesis compromised the pups' ability to maintain huddle temperature, but surprisingly did not result in enhanced huddling at either age. These results suggest that effective huddling during cold exposure requires the thermal resources provided by endothermy. Furthermore, the heat provided by BAT appears to shape behavioral interactions in the huddle during development.
From Disambiguation Failures to Common-Sense Knowledge Acquisition: A Day in the Life of an Ontological Semantic System

The paper describes a semi-automatic method of identifying common-sense knowledge by running an ontological semantic system and focusing on its failures to interpret sentences that a human is not challenged by. Without common-sense knowledge, "He put a banana in his trunk" produces 6 representations, corresponding to 6 senses of "trunk" recorded in the lexicon and anchored in different ontological concepts -- roughly, car-part, elephant-part, tree-part, torso, luggage, software-term. A human language user reduces them to 3, using several pieces of common-sense knowledge that should therefore be added to the system resources to improve its performance. The significant result is that by running the system not only experimentally but also in real-life applications, we ensure an ongoing test against the lack of common-sense knowledge, at least some of which is known to be captured by the system, if it interprets the text correctly and not captured when the interpretation is inadequate.
Nonsense but not missense mutations can decrease the abundance of nuclear mRNA for the mouse major urinary protein, while both types of mutations can facilitate exon skipping.

Abstract In an effort to understand the mechanisms by which nonsense codons affect RNA metabolism in mammalian cells, nonsense mutations were generated within the gene for the secretory major urinary protein (MUP) of mice. The translation of MUP mRNA normally begins within exon 1 and terminates within exon 6, the penultimate exon. Through the use of Northern (RNA) blot hybridization and assays that couple reverse transcription and PCR, a nonsense mutation within codon 50 of exon 2 or codon 143 of exon 5 was found to reduce the abundance of fully spliced, nuclear MUP mRNA to 10 to 20% of normal without an additional reduction in the abundance of cytoplasmic mRNA. In contrast, a nonsense mutation within codon 172 of exon 5 was found to have no effects on the abundance of MUP mRNA. These findings suggest that a boundary between nonsense mutations that do and do not reduce the abundance of nuclear mRNA exists within the exon preceding the exon that harbors the normal site of translation termination. In this way, the boundary is analogous to the boundary that exists within the penultimate exon of the human gene for the cytosolic enzyme triosephosphate isomerase. Assays for exon skipping, i.e., the removal of an exon as a part of the flanking introns during the process of splicing, reveal that 0.1, 2.0, and 0.1% of MUP mRNA normally lack exon 5, exon 6, and exons 5 plus 6, respectively. Relative to normal, the two nonsense mutations within exon 5 increase the abundance of RNA lacking exon 5 on average 20-fold and increase the abundance of RNA lacking exons 5 plus 6 on average 5-fold. Since only one of these nonsense mutations also reduces the abundance of fully spliced nuclear mRNA to 10 to 20% of normal, the two mechanisms by which a nonsense mutation can alter nuclear RNA metabolism must be distinct. The analysis of missense mutations within codons 143 and 172, some of which retain the nonsense mutation, indicates that the reduction in the abundance of fully spliced nuclear mRNA is dependent upon the premature termination of MUP mRNA translation, whereas skipping is attributable to nonsense mutation-mediated changes in exon 5 structure rather than to the premature termination of translation. The increase in exon 5 skipping by either the nonsense or missense mutations within codon 172 correlates with a decrease in the complementarity of exon 5 to U1 snRNA. This suggests that a 5' splice site may extend as far as 12 nucleotides into the upstream exon, which is, to our knowledge, the largest extension.
Following the Leader: Using Opinion Leaders in Environmental Strategic Communication

This study explores potential factors that lead to environmental opinion leadership behaviors such as informing the public about environmental issues and encouraging preventative behaviors among various social groups. Building on the theoretical framework of the diffusion of innovations model, these analyses explore the effects that mass media may have on perceptions of self-efficacy among opinion leaders and how self-efficacy may, in turn, encourage leaders to communicate about aquatic invasive species (AIS) to others in their social networks. Results indicate that mass media and governmental media can have both a positive and negative influence on levels of self-efficacy, and that opinion leaders with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to participate in behaviors that could potentially influence their social network(s). These findings not only highlight factors that influence opinion leadership regarding advocacy of environmental behaviors, but also offer insights as to how future campaigns ...
Reply to Comments on “Sarah Palin, a Nation Object(ifie)s”

In our original article, Sarah Palin, A Nation Object(ifie)s: The Role of Appearance Focus in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, we suggested that a focus on Sarah Palin’s appearance may have harmed the Republican ticket in the 2008 presidential election by leading others to objectify her(creating perception of her as less competent, warm, trustworthy, and generally less human) and potentially undermining her performance by inducing her own self-objectification. In this paper, we address several issues raised by Budesheim (2011) and Heldman and Wade (2011) in response to our article. Specifically, we fine-tune our definition of objectification, provide better evidence that Palin’s appearance was highly focused on, and address some alternative accounts (e.g., overcorrection) raised to account for our experimental findings. We conclude by reiterating the relevance of our research to this real-world situation, but heed the warning to keep our claims grounded with solid empirical and theoretical roots.
Survival Rates of Northern Spotted Owls in Post-fire Landscapes of Southwest Oregon

Abstract We estimated annual survival rates (S) of 23 radio-marked Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) at the Quartz and Timbered Rock burns and adjacent areas in southwest Oregon. We used known-fate models in program MARK to test for differences in survival among three groups (owls dwelling inside of burned areas, owls displaced by wildfire, and owls dwelling outside of burned areas) and to investigate the potential effects of fire severity and cover type on survival. We found that annual survival rates of Spotted Owls that maintained a territory within the burn perimeter (Ŝ = 0.69 ± 0.12) or that had been displaced by the burn (Ŝ = 0.66 ± 0.14) were lower than those of owls that had territories outside but adjacent to the burn perimeter (Ŝ = 0.85 ± 0.06). This result indicated that wildfire had a negative impact on Spotted Owl survival, at least in the short-term (i.e., 3–5 yr postburn). We were unable to identify a significant effect of fire severity or quantity of habitat on Spotted Owl...
Reduced Palatability in Drug-Induced Taste Aversion: II. Aversive and Rewarding Unconditioned Stimuli

Drugs of abuse are known to reduce intake of a taste conditioned stimulus (conditional stimulus, CS), a behavioral response sometimes seen as paradoxical because the same drugs also serve as rewards in other behavioral procedures. In the present study we compared patterns of intake and palatability (assessed using microstructural analysis of licking) for a standard saccharin CS paired with the following: lithium chloride, morphine, amphetamine, or sucrose. We found that morphine and amphetamine, like lithium-induced illness, each suppressed CS intake and caused a reduction in saccharin palatability. Sucrose, a rewarding stimulus, did not reduce the palatability of the saccharin CS. We interpret these finds as evidence that drugs of abuse induce conditioned taste aversions.
Parameter equivalence for the Gardner and van Genuchten soil hydraulic conductivity functions for steady vertical flow with inclusions

Abstract The analytic element method is well suited for the Gardner hydraulic conductivity function, but is limited in describing real soils. Therefore, parameter equivalence between the van Genuchten and Gardner hydraulic conductivity functions is explored for the case of steady vertical flow through a homogeneous medium with a single inclusion, i.e., a binary soil. The inclusion has different hydraulic parameters than the background medium. Equivalence is established using three methods: (1) effective capillary drive; (2) capillary length; (3) and a least-squares optimization method that aims to fit a Gardner function to a corresponding van Genuchten function by minimizing the difference in log conductivity over a specified pressure range. Comparisons between hydraulic models are made based on scatterplots of pressure head and the vertical Darcian flux obtained using a finite-element numerical solution with both constitutive relations. For applicability of an equivalent Gardner function over a broad range of pressure heads, the crossover pressure must be maintained between the two parametric functions. The crossover pressure is defined as the pressure in which the hydraulic conductivity of the inclusion is equal to the background. It can be shown that a hybrid methodology of preserving the crossover pressure exactly and using the effective capillary drive will result in hydraulic parameters that are easily obtained and provide good agreement between the conductivity functions of the GR model to the VG model.
Ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography followed by thoracic duct embolization for treatment of postoperative bilateral chylothorax

Background Percutaneous thoracic duct embolization (TDE) is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive option for treating chylothorax. A recent report demonstrated the feasibility of ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography as an alternative to pedal lymphangiography for visualization of the thoracic duct, promising relative technical ease and decreased procedure time for TDE. Methods We report a case of postoperative bilateral chylothorax treated with ultrasound-guided intranodal lymphangiography followed by TDE. Results Intranodal lymphangiography resulted in rapid opacification of the abdominal lymphatics, permitting technically successful primary and secondary embolization procedures. Deployment of metallic coils and liquid embolic agents within the thoracic duct produced rapid clinical and radiographic improvement. Conclusion Intranodal lymphangiography is a reliable, reproducible, and less technically challenging alternative to pedal lymphangiography. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: E21–E24, 2014
The Nyquist Stability Criterion For A Class Of Spatially Periodic Systems

The Nyquist stability criterion is extended to a class of spatially periodic systems with spatially distributed inputs and outputs. It is demonstrated that the exponential stability of this class of systems can be guaranteed by checking the Nyquist stability criterion for a family of finite-dimensional systems. In order to show this result, a new version of the argument principle is derived that is applicable to systems with infinite-dimensional input/output spaces and unbounded system operators.
Dislocation dynamics of web type silicon ribbon

Silicon ribbon grown by the dendritic web process passes through a rapidly changing thermal profile in the growth direction. This rapidly changing profile induces stresses which produce changes in the dislocation density in the ribbon. A viscoplastic material response function (Haasen-Sumino model) is used herein to calculate the stresses and the dislocation density at each point in the silicon ribbon. The residual stresses are also calculated.
Association of Ethnicity with Involuntary Childlessness and Perceived Reasons for Infertility: Baseline Data from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Objective To evaluate whether ethnicity is associated with involuntary childlessness and perceived reasons for difficulties in becoming pregnant. Design Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a longitudinal cohort. Setting Multiethnic, community-based observational study of US women. Patient(s) Women in midlife (3,149), aged 42–52 years. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Involuntary childlessness and perceived etiology of infertility. Result(s) One hundred thirty-three subjects (4.2%) were involuntarily childless, defined by a reported history of infertility and nulliparity. Ethnicity was significantly associated with self-reported involuntary childlessness. After controlling for economic and other risk factors, African American (odds ratio [OR] 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.59) and Chinese women (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.14–0.90) were less likely to suffer from involuntary childlessness compared with non-Hispanic white women. In addition, 302 subjects reported a perceived etiology of infertility. An unexpectedly large proportion of these women (24.5%, 74 of 302) reported etiologies not known to cause infertility (i.e., tipped uterus, ligaments for tubes were stretched), with African American women having been most likely to report these etiologies (OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.26–6.28) as the reason for not becoming pregnant. Conclusion(s) Ethnicity is significantly associated with involuntary childlessness and perceived etiology of infertility. Misattribution of causes of infertility is common and merits further consideration with respect to language or cultural barriers, as well as possible physician misattribution.
Fast Animation of Lightning Using an Adaptive Mesh

We present a fast method for simulating, animating, and rendering lightning using adaptive grids. The "dielectric breakdown model" is an elegant algorithm for electrical pattern formation that we extend to enable animation of lightning. The simulation can be slow, particularly in 3D, because it involves solving a large Poisson problem. Losasso et al. recently proposed an octree data structure for simulating water and smoke, and we show that this discretization can be applied to the problem of lightning simulation as well. However, implementing the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient (ICCG) solver for this problem can be daunting, so we provide an extensive discussion of implementation issues. ICCG solvers can usually be accelerated using "Eisenstat's trick," but the trick cannot be directly applied to the adaptive case. Fortunately, we show that an "almost incomplete Cholesky" factorization can be computed so that Eisenstat's trick can still be used. We then present a fast rendering method based on convolution that is competitive with Monte Carlo ray tracing but orders of magnitude faster, and we also show how to further improve the visual results using jittering
Diffuse, non-polar electropermeabilization and reduced propidium uptake distinguish the effect of nanosecond electric pulses.

Abstract Ca2 + activation and membrane electroporation by 10-ns and 4-ms electric pulses (nsEP and msEP) were compared in rat embryonic cardiomyocytes. The lowest electric field which triggered Ca2 + transients was expectedly higher for nsEP (36 kV/cm) than for msEP (0.09 kV/cm) but the respective doses were similar (190 and 460 mJ/g). At higher intensities, both stimuli triggered prolonged firing in quiescent cells. An increase of basal Ca2 + level by > 10 nM in cells with blocked voltage-gated Ca2 + channels and depleted Ca2 + depot occurred at 63 kV/cm (nsEP) or 0.14 kV/cm (msEP) and was regarded as electroporation threshold. These electric field values were at 150–230% of stimulation thresholds for both msEP and nsEP, notwithstanding a 400,000-fold difference in pulse duration. For comparable levels of electroporative Ca2 + uptake, msEP caused at least 10-fold greater uptake of propidium than nsEP, suggesting increased yield of larger pores. Electroporation by msEP started Ca2 + entry abruptly and locally at the electrode-facing poles of cell, followed by a slow diffusion to the center. In a stark contrast, nsEP evoked a “supra-electroporation” pattern of slower but spatially uniform Ca2 + entry. Thus nsEP and msEP had comparable dose efficiency, but differed profoundly in the size and localization of electropores.
Relapsed acute megakaryoblastic leukemia in Down syndrome (AMKL-DS) may be cured with chemotherapy alone, without stem cell transplantation (HSCT)

17543 Background: Children with recurrent AMKL -DS have an extremely poor prognosis without HSCT. Methods: We report a case of a relapsed AMKL-DS cured with intensive chemotherapy alone, without HS...
Louisiana 16th JDC Study on Race, Homicides, and Death-Eligible Prosecutions, 1976-2011

This study examines the racial characteristics of homicides occurring in Louisiana's 16th Judicial District Court, comprising Iberia, St Martin, and St Mary parishes along Bayou Teche just west of the Atchafalaya Basin, during the 36 years from 1976 through 2011, and then compares them to the racial characteristics of death-eligible (first degree at some stage) murder cases prosecuted there during the same period. Are these prosecutions a statistically random, race-neutral subset of the homicides that occurred? What we find is that there is a negligible (less than one-in-a-million) chance of obtaining these data if the hypothesis – that prosecuted cases are a racially random sample drawn from the homicide group – were true. The report counts and calculations for this article can be found here: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2298022
Equivocal Reporting: Ethical Communication Issues

Communication is crucial to the fulfillment of organizational members' responsibilities. Bavelas et al. (1990) describe equivocation as nonstraightforward communication. It appears ambiguous, contradictory, obscure or even evasive. In their view, equivocation is a form of information control for the purpose of maintaining social relationships. It is avoidance; a response chosen when all other communication choices in the situation would lead to negative consequences.
An Assessment of the Prevalence, Perceived Significance, and Response to Dowry Solicitation and Domestic Violence in Bangladesh

The current study focuses on the prevalence of two pervasive gender-related crimes in Bangladesh: dowry solicitation and domestic violence. We assess victim perceptions of how these two crimes rank in significance compared with other types of crimes experienced and the actions victim households took in response. Our research builds on prior qualitative studies by making use of nation-wide household survey data, collected by the World Bank, to examine dowry and domestic violence in the context of all legal conflicts experienced by households in every administrative region of the country. The analyses show that both dowry solicitation and domestic violence rank in the top five most common crimes, including violent and non-violent crimes. Women report more experiences of dowry solicitation and domestic violence, with urban females most frequently disclosing both. Among the households that experienced multiple types of violent and non-violent crimes, 55.9% of dowry and 70.8% of domestic violence victims reported another crime ranked higher in significance. Of the households that considered these two crimes the most serious they experienced, 56.1% of dowry and 32.5% of domestic violence households took no action at all in response. Among the households that took action, most eschewed both police and state judicial institutions. Choosing to act alone or with the help of family members was the most frequent response. The findings illustrate the need for governance reforms in Bangladesh and may inform state and non-state improvement initiatives.
A Novel Technique for Repair of Complete Atrioventricular Canal Defect The Central Patch Technique

Background:Two-patch, single-patch, and modified single-patch repairs are accepted techniques for repair of complete atrioventricular (AV) canal defects. We propose a novel, alternative technique: ...
Where Is the Real Reform? African American Students and Their School’s Expectations for Academic Performance

Although education reforms have been designed to improve academic achievement for all students, there may be intervening factors, such as teacher expectations, that interfere with the success of th...
Towards a Generalized Framework for Intelligent Teaching and Learning Systems: The Argument for a Lightweight Multiagent Architecture.

The U.S. Army’s Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) is an important step on the path toward a loosely coupled, serviceoriented system that would promote shareable modules and could underpin multiagent architectures. However, the current version of the system may be “heavier” than it needs to be and not ideal for new or veteran ITS developers. We begin our critique with a discussion of general principles of multiagent architecture and provide a simple example. We then look at the needs of ITS developers and consider features of a general-purpose framework which would encourage message-driven, multiagent designs, sharing of services, and porting of modules across systems. Next, we discuss features of the GIFT framework that we believe might encourage or discourage adoption by the growing ITS community. We end by offering three recommendations for improvement.
Acid peptic disease in the elderly.

This article examines recently noted major epidemiologic trends in peptic ulcer disease and their implications for the elderly. Aspects of the natural history, diagnosis, management, and outcome of peptic ulcer and its complications that are peculiar to the elderly, together with the effects of aging on responses to the commonly used drugs, are reviewed. Diagnostic vigilance by physicians for atypical presentations of serious disease is seen as the factor most likely to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Biosensing: In Vivo Diagnostics and Multimodal Imaging

This perspective presents recent developments in the application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to biosensing, with a focus on in vivo diagnostics. We describe the concepts and methodologies developed to date and the target analytes that can be detected. We also discuss how SERS has evolved from a “point-and-shoot” stand-alone technique in an analytical chemistry laboratory to an integrated quantitative analytical tool for multimodal imaging diagnostics. Finally, we offer a guide to the future of SERS in the context of clinical diagnostics.
Adaptation, Specialization, and the Theory of the Firm: Foundations of the Resource-Based View

This invaluable book provides the foundations for a new theory of the firm, drawing on Birger Wernerfelt's landmark work on economic theory and the resource-based view of the firm. It addresses a vigorous and long-standing academic debate over what exactly a 'firm' is, both in the field of management and economics. Wernerfelt revisits his classic articles, including an extensively revised 'A Resource-Based View of the Firm' (1984), which have been updated and synthesized to provide precise and accessible concepts and predictions. By offering future directions for research and practice, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of management and economics alike.
Dielectric strength of liquid helium impregnated plastic tapes

The dielectric for a flexible superconducting power transmission cable will necessarily be in the form of multi-layered tapes, impregnated by supercritical helium, wound with butt gaps to provide flexibility.1 Major consideration for the choice of an appropriate dielectric are that the dielectric should posses suitable mechanical properties at low temperatures (5–10°K), the material should have very low dielectric loss (< 20 μ radian) and it should possess high enough dielectric strength. Economic considerations dictate that the cable should operate at very high electric stress levels. For example, the Brookhaven National Laboratory superconducting cable design2 specifies an operating stress 10 MV/m, free of any significant partial discharge up to a stress of 20 MV/m. So far no dielectric material simultaneously satisfying all the mechanical and electrical requirements cited above has been found and the search for a suitable dielectric tape is still in progress. In order to arrive at an appropriate material it is necessary to evaluate various materials in terms of their mechanical and electrical characteristics. It is in this connection that we undertook a program of measurement of dielectric strength and partial discharge inception levels of polymeric insulating tapes at cryogenic temperatures.
Discrimination as Focal Point: Markets and Group Identity

This paper presents a theory of discrimination for markets in which there are complementarities between different tasks. It is shown that, in such a setting, even when groups are a priori identical, employers will end up discriminating against certain groups. Group discrimination serves the purpose of creating a focal point in a market game. In this model, the free market, far from curbing discrimination, nurtures it, and thereby creates the need for purposive policy intervention. It is argued that with the rise of technology the problem of discrimination as focal point will get more acute and we will have to think in terms of affirmative action or a system of taxation and subsidy to support groups that get excluded.
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review discusses key issues in the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding including patient preparation, sedation, hemostatic techniques, disposition, and recommended pharmacologic interventions. RECENT FINDINGS Optimal resuscitation before endoscopy and proper pharmacologic interventions after endoscopy seem to be as crucial to the management of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding as meticulous hemostatic techniques during the procedure. In a retrospective evaluation of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, multivariate analysis demonstrated significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in those who underwent aggressive preendoscopic resuscitation. In a prospective, randomized clinical trial, patients who received intravenous proton pump inhibitor therapy after endoscopic intervention had a significantly reduced rebleeding rate compared with their placebo control group. SUMMARY The algorithms described in this review can be applied clinically today and should directly lead to improved outcome. Nevertheless, even with the latest care available, results are not optimal. This review points to two major areas where we can benefit from improvement: primary hemostasis and recurrent bleeding. By pointing to these limitations, it is hoped that this review can help stimulate research in the field by applying new technologies to solve these problems. Endoscopic ultrasound, for example, could be used to help identify feeding vessels that can be treated endoscopically, thus potentially decreasing the incidence of failed primary hemostasis. Endoscopic suturing, when more fully developed, may provide a better hemostatic technique that can reduce the incidence of recurrent bleeding. It is only through these reviews that our state of knowledge in the field can be constantly reevaluated to update today's clinician with the latest knowledge and stimulate tomorrow's researchers with challenging problems.
“Democracies’ guardian genius”1: pragmatism and liberal discourse in public policy

While liberals agree that the best society is one that supports the equal exercise of personal liberty, there is little agreement among them on what policies best achieve this end. Conflicts within liberalism over the place of socially derived goals vis-a-vis personal liberty and autonomy create tension and skew public discourse on policy alternatives. In this article, I characterize the debate among dominant strands of liberal ideology and consider the effort of Charles Taylor to resolve these tensions. Finding his resolution unsatisfying, I explore the alternative conception offered by American pragmatism. I argue that liberal theories fail because they fall prey to the problem of principles-they attempt to justify axiomatic thinking rather than perpetuate society and culture. Pragmatism provides a justification for liberal public discourse as the best mechanism for constructing, evaluating and revising policies that support cultural adaptation to social, economic and technological contingencies.
Machine Vision to Alert Roadside Personnel of Night Traffic Threats

In the United States, every year, several people whose job takes them to the sides of roads, are injured or killed by roadside collisions. This could be avoided if a warning signal could be sent to them. In this paper, we describe a machine-vision based alerting system which detects and tracks headlamps of cars in night traffic. The system automatically computes a “normal traffic” region in the image. Unusual trajectories of cars are detected when the images of their headlamps move out of that region. The system promptly sends a warning signal once a risk has been identified. The system runs on the Android smart phones, which are mounted on cars or on roadside fixtures.
Role of c-kit ligand in the expansion of human hematopoietic progenitor cells

To test the hypothesis that the c-kit ligand plays an important role in the regulation of early events occurring during human hematopoiesis, we determined the effect of a recombinant form of c-kit ligand, termed mast cell growth factor (MGF), on the high-proliferative potential colony-forming cell (HPP-CFC) and the cell responsible for initiating long-term hematopoiesis in vitro (LTBMIC). MGF alone did not promote HPP-CFC colony formation by CD34+ DR- CD15- marrow cells, but synergistically augmented the ability of a combination of granulocyte- monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) interleukin (IL)-3 and a recombinant GM-CSF/IL-3 fusion protein (FP) to promote the formation of HPP-CFC-derived colonies. MGF had a similarly profound effect on in vitro long-term hematopoiesis. Repeated additions of IL-3, GM-CSF, or FP alone to CD34+ DR- CD15- marrow cells in a stromal cell-free culture system increased cell numbers 10(3)-fold by day 56 of long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC), while combinations of MGF with IL-3 or FP yielded 10(4)- and 10(5)-fold expansion of cell numbers. Expansion of the number of assayable colony-forming unit-granulocyte-monocyte (CFU- GM) generated during LTBMC was also markedly enhanced when MGF was added in combination with IL-3 or FP. In addition, MGF, IL-3, and FP individually led to a twofold to threefold increase in HPP-CFC numbers after 14 to 21 days of LTBMC. Furthermore, the effects of these cytokines on HPP-CFC expansion during LTBMC were additive. Throughout the LTBMC, cells receiving MGF possessed a higher cloning efficiency than those receiving IL-3, GM-CSF, or FP alone. These data indicate that the c-kit ligand synergistically interacts with a number of cytokines to directly augment the proliferative capacity of primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN ORGAN PROCUREMENT: A Review for Intensivists

The current state of organ procurement and the ethical issues raised by the procurement process are reviewed in this article. After an examination of the legislative framework governing organ procurement, the intensivist's role in donation is discussed, including (1) donor identification, (2) asking the family to donate, and (3) obtaining consent. Recent proposals for changing the organ procurement system are analyzed, including increasing family donation or increasing the donor pool.
Matrix Theory of Clifford Algebras over Fields

Throughout this chapter F is a field. Nonsingular finite-dimensional quadratic modules over F will be called quadratic spaces. By Theorems (9.8) and (9.7), the Clifford algebra C(M) of an even dimensional quadratic space M over F is isomorphic to a matrix algebra Matk(D) over a finite-dimensional central division algebra D over F. What subalgebra of Matk(D) does C0(M) correspond to under such an isomorphism? If dim M is odd, then it is C0(M) that is isomorphic to some Matk (D). Does the connection between C0(M) and C(M) have a matricial description? What division algebras D can arise in an isomorphism C(M) ≅ Matk (D)? Can one determine the D that corresponds to a given M? This is the circle of questions with which this chapter will concern itself. In the first three sections F is an arbitrary field. Thereafter, it will be specialized to the real numbers ℝ, the complex numbers ℂ, and later to local and global fields.
Cell Signaling and Neurotoxicity

Signal transduction pathways are used to convey messages of ligands into changes of biological activity of target cells. Aberrant signaling through communication pathways may result in diseases, and signal transduction pathways are thus increasingly the target for drug development. Furthermore, interactions with cell signaling pathways may be involved in the toxic effects of exogenous chemicals.
Antihypertensive Treatment in the Immediate Post-Operative Period and One-Year after Pediatric Heart Transplantation

Purpose Hypertension (HTN) is a known complication of pediatric heart transplant (HTx) both immediately post-Tx and long-term. We sought to identify factors associated with antihypertensive medication (anti-HTN) use in pediatric HTx recipients in the ICU post-Tx, and need for oral anti-HTNs at post-Tx discharge (d/c) and 1 year (yr) post-Tx. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients (pts) ≤18 years who underwent initial HTx at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NY between 8/1/09-12/31/17 with ≥1 yr follow-up. Exclusion criteria included re-Tx, multi-organ recipients, pts who survived Results There were 188 pts who met inclusion criteria. Anti-HTN drips were required in the ICU post-Tx in 46 pts (24.5%) for a median of 3 days (1-21 days). Drips were nitroprusside (28/46), calcium channel blocker (8/46), beta-blocker (1/46) and multiple (9/46). Oral anti-HTNs were required in 58 pts (30.9%) at d/c and 1 yr post-Tx. Figure 1 demonstrates significant associations by univariate and multivariate analyses. Anti-HTN drip in the ICU post-Tx was associated with donor-to-recipient weight ratio (wt ratio). Oral anti-HTN use at d/c was associated with wt ratio and pre-Tx VAD, and at 1 yr post-Tx was associated with age at Tx, steroid use at d/c and oral anti-HTN use at d/c. Conclusion HTN is common immediately and at 1 yr post-Tx, with over a quarter of pts requiring anti-HTNs. Wt ratio was the only independent predictor of anti-HTN use in the early post-Tx period, whereas VAD use was also associated with anti-HTN use at d/c. Interestingly, anti-HTN use at 1 yr post-Tx was not associated with those factors, but rather with age at Tx and steroid use.