cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Board Attributes and Processes, Board Effectiveness, and Innovation in Nonprofit Organizations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between boards of directors and innovation in nonprofit organizations. The results showed that not only board attributes and processes are ...
Interobserver reliability of computed tomographic contouring of canine tonsils in radiation therapy treatment planning.

In radiation therapy (RT) treatment planning for canine head and neck cancer, the tonsils may be included as part of the treated volume. Delineation of tonsils on computed tomography (CT) scans is difficult. Error or uncertainty in the volume and location of contoured structures may result in treatment failure. The purpose of this prospective, observer agreement study was to assess the interobserver agreement of tonsillar contouring by two groups of trained observers. Thirty dogs undergoing pre- and post-contrast CT studies of the head were included. After the pre- and postcontrast CT scans, the tonsils were identified via direct visualization, barium paste was applied bilaterally to the visible tonsils, and a third CT scan was acquired. Data from each of the three CT scans were registered in an RT treatment planning system. Two groups of observers (one veterinary radiologist and one veterinary radiation oncologist in each group) contoured bilateral tonsils by consensus, obtaining three sets of contours. Tonsil volume and location data were obtained from both groups. The contour volumes and locations were compared between groups using mixed (fixed and random effect) linear models. There was no significant difference between each group's contours in terms of three-dimensional coordinates. However there was a significant difference between each group's contours in terms of the tonsillar volume (P < 0.0001). Pre- and postcontrast CT can be used to identify the location of canine tonsils with reasonable agreement between trained observers. Discrepancy in tonsillar volume between groups of trained observers may affect RT treatment outcome.
Adherence and Quality of Life

Individuals with lymphedema navigate a particularly complex treatment and self-management regimen, making adherence difficult. It is essential that these individuals conduct lifelong self-care activities to control the progression of swelling, manage lymphedema-associated symptom burden, and minimize long-term negative outcomes (e.g., elephantiasis). Situational, physiological, and psychological factors have the potential to impact adherence to lymphedema management behaviors. It is important for healthcare providers to understand the factors that might influence adherence, as many studies of chronic conditions have shown that adherence improves health-related quality of life. Empirical evidence, however, is lacking for specific behaviors that improve the health-related quality of life of individuals with lymphedema. We postulate that adherence to lymphedema management behaviors decreases symptom burden (i.e., progressive increases in swelling, infection, etc.) and thus facilitates an increase in health-related quality of life. Given the importance of lymphedema self-care, healthcare professionals need to assess and address situational, physiological, and psychological factors that influence adherence.
Stress Associated with Transportation: A Survey of Persons with Visual Impairments:

IntroductionThis study evaluated transportation-related stress and factors predicting stress among persons with visual impairments.MethodsParticipants with visual impairments completed electronic s...
Chromosome, DNA and Plant Evolution*

The past ten years have seen a remarkable rejuvenation in chromosome cytology. Cytologists are justified in distinguishing between the Old Karyology, which was concerned chiefly with chromosomes as taxonomic markers and with chromosome changes that influence genetic systems through their effects on linkage and recombination, and the New Karyology, which has a much broader base. Chromosomes are now recognized to be not only the carriers of genes in a linear sequence, but simultaneously they are highly complex organelles that contain many diverse mechanisms for controlling cellular proliferation, cell enlargement, and the differential action of genes during development. Some of these mechanisms are based upon the diverse nature of DNA with respect to both structure and function, while others, perhaps the majority of them, reside in the diverse proteins that are complexed with DNA to form the chromatin of chromosomes. These include both the histones, which are associated with the condensation of chromatin and nonspecific repression of DNA transcription (Arbuzova et al., 1968), and a much larger and more diverse assemblage of acidic proteins that perform a variety of functions, including specific activation of transcription (Cameron and Jeter, 1974; Stein et al., 1975ab). Consequently, a new concept that is highly relevant to evolutionists as well as to biologists in general is that of the nucleotype (Bennett, 1972, 1974). This includes not only the genic DNA, but in addition the entire battery of control systems that are built into the nucleus of eukaryote cells. The objective of the present paper is to review current knowledge of the nucleotype in plants, to point out its significance for understanding plant evolution, and to suggest the most promising lines of research for increasing our understanding of the role of the nucleotype in evolution.
Etiology of Failure Predicts Heart-Lung Transplant Candidate's Waitlist Survival

Purpose Predictors of waitlist (WL) mortality for heart-lung transplant (HLT) has not previously been analyzed. We hypothesized that etiology of failure would be a predictor of mortality prior to receiving a HLT. Methods Pediatric ( multivariate analysis . Results There were 604 HLT candidates identified, 34% (n=206) of whom were transplanted. Only 26% of patients received a transplant by 1 year on the WL with 30% dying. Median time to transplant was 131 days. Diagnoses were Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (IPAH) (n=142), Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) without Eisenmenger Syndrome (ES) (n=67), CHD with ES (n=74), and Other(n=321). Waitlist survival by diagnosis is displayed by Figure 1. There was no significant difference in wait time among the groups (p>0.05) and time on waitlist did not impact post-transplant survival for any diagnosis. On multivariate analysis (Table 1), risk factors for mortality at 6-months included a diagnosis other than CHD with ES (OR: 6.35, 95% CI: 1.9-21.2, p=0.003), IV inotropes (OR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.58-5.18, p=0.001), and being an infant (OR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.42-4.18, p=0.001). Conclusion Diagnosis is the most important predictor of WL mortality in heart-lung transplantation . Despite similar waiting times to other diagnoses, patients with CHD with ES are the most likely to survive to HLT.
Part 4: Clinical management of an undiagnosed systemic condition

Creating an efficacious management plan for a patient with an undiagnosed disorder requires vigilance to presenting symptoms while attempting to predict future complications. This requires apt attention by both the clinician and the patient, which is often challenging to achieve. In this final segment of our case report, we present a theoretical treatment approach for our 26-year-old patient with an undiagnosed systemic disorder. Under the premise that, he is afflicted with some sort of connective tissue disease, we formulate a management plan targeting the best prophylactic measures for each of his symptoms. Only with a definitive diagnosis, however, will we be able to best focus our efforts to offsetting his disease progression. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Patient care, Medical knowledge.
Patterns of alternative tobacco product use among youth experiencing homelessness.

Abstract Introduction Identifying distinct patterns of tobacco product use can inform efforts to reduce poly-tobacco use among young people, but little is known regarding patterns of use among youth experiencing homelessness. This study identified patterns of using tobacco/nicotine products among youth experiencing homelessness, and assessed whether certain subgroups of youth were more likely than others to engage in specific patterns of use. Methods Data were collected from a probability sample of 469 homeless youth who used tobacco in the past month, recruited from 25 service and street sites in Los Angeles County. Participants reported on lifetime and past month use of natural cigarettes, cigars, little cigars/cigarillos, electronic nicotine delivery systems, hookah, and chewing tobacco. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of tobacco product use. Results We identified four main classes of use: traditional cigarettes smokers (34.7% of the sample), poly-tobacco experimenters (24.9%), current users of combustible products (natural cigarettes, cigars, little cigars/cigarillos; 27.1%), and current poly-tobacco users (13.1%). Youth who were male, slept outdoors, and screened positive for substance abuse disorder were more than twice as likely as their counterparts to be current poly-tobacco users relative to traditional cigarettes smokers. Conclusions Rates of poly-tobacco experimentation and current use among youth experiencing homelessness are high. This suggests that efforts to reduce the use of tobacco products in this population should focus on the combined use of these products, and further, that users with the greatest poly-use may have competing unmet needs such as substance use disorders and more severe homelessness.
Selective laser melting of pure molybdenum: Evolution of defect and crystallographic texture with process parameters

Abstract Pure Mo bulk samples were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) with various process parameters. Two microstructural characteristics, namely, defect and the crystallographic texture, were investigated in detail. The laser power, scan speed, and layer thickness were widely varied, and the effects of each parameter on the microstructure were evaluated individually. Lack of fusion pore and spherical keyhole pore were found. The porosity decreased with an increase in the volumetric energy density (VED). The crystallographic texture characteristics along the build direction were investigated using electron backscatter diffraction analysis. It was confirmed that, similar to other materials, pure Mo tends to form a crystallographic texture. A strong fiber texture was observed at a high laser power (350 W) and low scan speed (400 mm/s). However, this fiber texture changed completely to a fiber texture when the scan speed was increased to 800 mm/s. Scan speed had a significant effect on the resulting texture characteristics directly. Other process parameters, laser power, layer thickness and hatch distance had an effect indirectly by changing the VED value on the texture.
Cooperative Pursuit by Multiple Pursuers of a Single Evader

This paper considers pursuit-evasion differential games in the Euclidean plane where an evader is engaged by multiple pursuers and point capture is required. The players have simple motion (i.e., h...
Solar Lentigo Evolving into Fatal Metastatic Melanoma in a Patient Who Initially Refused Surgery

Lentigo maligna may not progress to invasive disease for many decades. We present the unusual case of a woman who underwent well documented periodic evaluations and occasional biopsies of a nasal lesion that gradually progressed from lentigo, to melanoma in situ of lentigo maligna type, to invasive disease, and finally to fatal metastatic melanoma. She had declined curative resection of her tumor for cosmetic reasons. Her clinical course is unusual in that photographs and biopsies document the progression from solar lentigo to fatal disease. [N A J Med Sci. 2020;1(1):028-031. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2020.1301028] Key Words : melanoma; lentigo maligna; metastasis; squamous cell carcinoma; solar lentigo; unstable lentigo *Corresponding Author: Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Department of Dermatology HU14, 500 University Drive, Suite 100, Hershey, PA 17033. Tel: 717-531-6820, Fax: 717-531-4702. (Email: mhelm2@pennstatehealth.psu.edu)
Collecting Data During an Epidemic: A Novel Mobile Phone Research Method

This study developed a data collection method, combining (i) random‐digit dialling and interactive voice response to sample and screen respondents and (ii) computer‐assisted telephone interviewing, to survey 2265 respondents during the 2014 Ebola epidemic. The response, cooperation, refusal and contact rates computed according to the American Association for Public Opinion Research were 51.97, 52.62, 41.85 and 98.77 per cent, for interactive voice response and 91.10, 91.65, 8.30 and 99.40 per cent for computer‐assisted telephone interviewing. A comparison with Demographic and Health Surveys confirmed that the sample is not nationally representative. However, this method offers promise for data collection at a low cost ($24) and without any in‐person interaction. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Legged locomotion in resistive terrains.

The utility, efficiency, and reliability of legged robots has increased dramatically in recent years. Limbed robots are now capable of locomotion across a variety of terrains, however, achieving both rapid and efficient operation when ground conditions are complex or deformable is still challenging. Resistive terrains such as streams, snow, mud, littoral regions, and tall grass are an important class or set of complex and difficult terrain which are commonly found in the desired operating environments of legged robots. This work presents a reduced-order, dynamic model designed to capture the effect of these environments on the legs of a robot while running. This model, and an experimental platform, are used to evaluate the efficacy of a pair of strategies for adapting running to the inevitable slowing that occurs in resistive terrains. Simulation and experimental results show that intelligent retraction of the foot during flight has a more beneficial effect on the maximum achievable velocity and cost of transport of the runner than a ``punting gait" for a range of fluid depths. However, this performance gap became much smaller in deep fluids suggesting that fluid depth may drive transition from a foot retraction gait to a punting gait.
Estrogenic Modulation of Retinal Sensitivity in Reproductive Female Túngara Frogs

Although mate searching behavior in female tungara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) is nocturnal and largely mediated by acoustic cues, male signaling includes visual cues produced by the vocal sac. To compensate for these low light conditions, visual sensitivity in females is modulated when they are in a reproductive state, as retinal thresholds are decreased. This study tested whether estradiol (E2) plays a role in this modulation. Female tungara frogs were injected with either human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or a combination of hCG and fadrozole. hCG induces a reproductive state and increases retinal sensitivity, while fadrozole is an aromatase inhibitor that blocks hCG-induced E2 synthesis. In an analysis of scotopic electroretinograms (ERGs), hCG treatment lowered the threshold for eliciting a b-wave response, whereas the addition of fadrozole abolished this effect, matching thresholds in non-reproductive saline-injected controls. This suggests that blocking E2 synthesis blocked the hCG-mediated reproductive modulation of retinal sensitivity. By implicating E2 in control of retinal sensitivity, our data add to growing evidence that the targets of gonadal steroid feedback loops include sensory receptor organs, where stimulus sensitivity may be modulated, rather than more central brain nuclei, where modulation may affect mechanisms involved in motivation.
Assumptions not often assessed or satisfied in published mediation analyses in psychology and psychiatry

Mediation analysis aims to investigate the "mechanisms of action" behind the effects of interventions or treatments. Originally developed in psychology, a robust set of mediation methods are now used across a range of fields. Given the history and common use of mediation in mental health research, this review aimed to understand how mediation analysis is implemented in psychology and psychiatry and whether analyses adhere to, address, or justify the key underlying assumptions of their approaches. All articles (N=206) came from top academic psychiatry or psychology journals in the PsycInfo database, published in the English language from 2013-2018. Information extracted from each article related to: study design, covariates adjusted for in the analysis, temporal ordering of variables, and the specific method used to perform the mediation analysis. Most papers did not adhere to their underlying assumptions. Only approximately 20% of papers had full temporal ordering of exposure, mediator, and outcome. Fewer than half of the papers controlled for confounding of the exposure-mediator and/or mediator-outcome relationships. Almost none discussed the underlying assumptions of their approaches or used causal mediation methods. These results provide insights for how methodologists should aim to communicate methods, and motivation for more outreach to the research community on best practices for mediation analysis. Mediation analysis is an appealing method in many areas within epidemiology. However, mediation analysis is complex, and it is unclear how well the underlying assumptions and alternative analytic approaches have been disseminated and understood.
Cross Sections and Rate Constants: Results

In the previous three chapters basic methods for describing atomic and molecular collisions were developed. Although results and calculations were occasionally shown, the emphasis was to obtain the tools needed to understand which processes occur with what probabilities when atoms and molecules collide. In this chapter some experimental results and computations are presented and described in terms of the ideas already developed. The selection of results shown is not at all intended to be comprehensive. It is also somewhat arbitrary, as many excellent experiments have been performed on large numbers of systems and those chosen are not necessarily the “best” results or even the most recent. Those presented are ones with which I was familiar, which elucidate certain ideas already considered and/or will be used in Chapter 6 to discuss macroscopic phenomena. Again I refer the reader to not only the many excellent texts, but also reference tables of atomic and molecular collision results.
Measuring Ideological Proportions in Political Speeches

We seek to measure political candidates’ ideological positioning from their speeches. To accomplish this, we infer ideological cues from a corpus of political writings annotated with known ideologies. We then represent the speeches of U.S. Presidential candidates as sequences of cues and lags (filler distinguished only by its length in words). We apply a domain-informed Bayesian HMM to infer the proportions of ideologies each candidate uses in each campaign. The results are validated against a set of preregistered, domain expertauthored hypotheses.
Inhibition by Methylphenidate of Transport Across the Yeast Cell Membrane

The influence of methylphenidate on glycolysis in yeast cells was studied to describe more fully the nature of the reactions in which this drug participates. CO(2) production and O(2) uptake of yeast cells was inhibited 75% by a 10 mm concentration of the compound. This effect, with glucose as a substrate, occurred at pH 7.0, but not at pH 4.5. Kinetic data indicated that the reaction was noncompetitive and complex; the methylphenidate effect on CO(2) production could not readily be reversed. Glycolysis by cell-free extracts was not inhibited at the 10-mm concentration, but was affected at 100 mm. Utilization of O(2) with maltose and ethyl alcohol as substrates also was reduced. Entry into the cells of a number of different carbohydrates and of glycine was inhibited to different degrees. The loss from suspended cells of materials absorbing at 280 nm was reduced, and the efflux of sorbose, arabinose, and lactose was decreased. Thus, transport into and out of the cells was inhibited and leakage, or permeability, was reduced. It is hypothesized that methylphenidate reacts with a cell membrane constituent, or constituents, and inhibits glycolysis by blocking sugar passage.
Principal-feature classification

The concept of classification using principal features is presented. The principal features defined in this paper are analogous to principal components in statistics and linear algebra. Neural network training can be done by sequential identification of principal features and corresponding pruning of the training data. Two neural network simplification algorithms, lossless and lossy simplifications, make the the classifier design more efficient. The design procedure is compared with other classifier design algorithms.
Laboratory Measurements of the Generation of Langmuir Circulations and Surface Waves

We present the results of laboratory experiments on the stability of a wind-driven water surface to surface waves and Langmuir circulations. The laboratory measurements, which are made possible by a variety of modern quantitative flow visualization techniques, show that this classical wave-generation problem presents a variety of interesting phenomena that occur over comparable space and time scales. Of particular interest is the clear influence of the Langmuir circulations on the structure of the wave field. Following recent work by Melville, Shear & Veron (1998) and Veron & Melville (1999), we show that the waves that are initially generated by the wind are then strongly modulated by the Langmuir circulations that follow. Direct measurements of the modulated wave variables are qualitatively consistent with geometrical optics and wave action conservation, but quantitative comparison is elusive. Within the context of the Craik-Leibovich theory of Langmuir circulations, the scaling is clearly O(1), with the surface currents being comparable to the phase speed of the waves. We discuss the results in the context of the available theoretical models. It is a pleasure to dedicate this paper to Professor Leibovich on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
From Savage to Negro: Anthropology and the Construction of Race, 1896–1954.

From Savage to Negro: Anthropology and the Construction of Race, 1896-1954. Lee D. Baker. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. 325 pp.
Chapter 15 Nonprofit Firms in the Performing Arts

Abstract The nonprofit performing arts have received substantial attention in the cultural economics literature, and represent an interesting application for many areas of economic inquiry. This chapter surveys the relevant theory and the most prominent empirical studies on performing arts nonprofits. The chapter begins with a description of the nonprofit sector – and the role of the performing arts in this sector – around the world. I then ask why performing arts nonprofits exist, taking into account the objectives of both consumers and suppliers of performing arts services. Next, I study the production and cost conditions that these firms face, paying particular attention to issues such as product quality, product cross-subsidization, and the so-called “cost disease”. The issue of revenue sources and their generation follows, with a special emphasis on earned revenues, donations, and government subsidies. This discussion includes topics such as ticket pricing strategies, fundraising innovations, and the relationship between private giving and public funding. The chapter closes with suggestions for future research on the nonprofit performing arts.
Presentation and effectiveness of early treatment of type 2 diabetes in youth: lessons from the TODAY study

Objective The objectives were to (i) describe the characteristics of a large ethnically/racially and geographically diverse population of adolescents with recent-onset type 2 diabetes (T2D), and (ii) assess the effects of short-term diabetes education and treatment with metformin on clinical and biochemical parameters in this cohort. Research design and methods Descriptive characteristics were determined for subjects screened for Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) who met criteria for diagnosis of T2D (n = 1092). Changes in clinical and biochemical parameters were determined for those who completed at least 8 wk of the run-in phase of the trial, which included standardized diabetes education and treatment with metformin. Further analysis determined whether these changes differed according to the treatment at screening. Main outcome measures Demographic, biochemical measurements, and anthropometrics at screening and changes over 8 wk of run-in were the outcome measures. Results Subjects screened for TODAY had a median age of 14 yr and median hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 6.9% (52 mM/M), 2/3 were female, and ethnic/racial minorities were overrepresented. Dyslipidemia and hypertension were common comorbidities. During run-in, HbA1c, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure significantly improved. Nearly all participants on insulin therapy at screening were able to attain target HbA1c following insulin discontinuation. Conclusions Treatment with metformin and diabetes education provided short-term improvements in glycemic control and cardiometabolic risk factors in a large adolescent T2D cohort. Nearly all insulin-treated youth could be successfully weaned off insulin with continued improvement in glycemic control.
A Toolbox for Proving and Maintaining Hybrid Specifications

Formal verification in computer science often takes a worst case view towards performance and uses induction to prove specification invariants. In control theory, robust control takes a worst-case view towards performance; nominal performance proofs often use derivative information to prove invariance of specification sets. In this note, we explore a toolbox for proving (positive) invariance of state-space sets with respect to the actions of dynamical systems. The focus is on dynamical systems given.by differential equations, building up to hybrid systems.
Cocoa in the Gold Coast: A Study in the Relations between African Farmers and Agricultural Experts

“The peasant” is consistently cited as an obstacle to economic development in Africa. He is unwilling, it is said, to alter traditional practices and behavior, and is thus unable to take advantage of economic opportunities. As Stephen Enke puts it, “The resource in shortest supply, in most backward but developing countries, is officials who can argue ordinary people into forsaking tradition and risking new ways.” And E. S. Mason has stressed the complexity of “the process by which a group of tribally organized and self-sufficient peasants, sowing and reaping in accordance with age old traditions and possessing limited and easily satisfied wants, become a collection of risk-taking individuals, responsive to price and income incentives, and interested in conserving their land and improving its productivity.” In numerous instances, however, African farmers have rapidly accepted new crops and new techniques and have shown a high propensity to innovate, to accept risk, and to invest well in advance of returns. The sharp increases in the production of export crops show this to be true. Between 1919 and 1959, exports of Ghana (Gold Coast) rose 838 per cent, those of Nigeria 955 per cent, and those of (former) French West Africa 1,031 per cent. In all three cases, radical shifts in crop pattern and new practices in cultivation, planting, and harvesting were involved.
Sub-Bandgap Laser Probing of GaAs Devices and Circuits

Standard methods for measuring solid-state device and circuit performance are inadequate at GHz speeds because they introduce parasitic inductances and capacitances that change circuit operation and characteristics. One promising noninvasive procedure that avoids these problems uses electro-optic probing to yield information on device packaging techniques; and on device and circuit performance characteristics such as voltage waveforms, timing, and propagation delays in both analog and digital circuits.
Radiographic Findings in HIV-Positive Patients With Sensitive and Resistant Tuberculosis

To facilitate early recognition of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) disease in HIV-positive patients we evaluated the chest x-ray films of 72 patients in a tertiary care center in New York City. Thirty-three patients had sensitive MTB, 3 had single-drug resistant (SDR) MTB, and 36 patients had multidrug resistant (MDR) MTB. All chest x-ray films were reviewed and correlated with drug sensitivities, additional diagnostic results, and clinical courses. There were no significant radiographic differences among the 3 groups on initial presentation (p>0.05). Cavities were found in 12 patients, upper lobe disease in 23, lower lobe disease in 15, possible intrathoracic lymphadenopathy in 30, diffuse infiltrates in 12, pleural effusion in 13, and a miliary pattern in 3 patients. Normal chest x-ray films were found in ten patients. After 2 weeks of therapy, 20 out of 35 MDR-MTB patients developed new effusions, possible intrathoracic lymphadenopathy, or worsening infiltrates. With deterioration, the probability of MDR MTB was 95 percent in our case control study. Thus, it would be reasonable to adjust antituberculosis therapy in HIV-positive patients with deteriorating conditions shown on chest x-ray films after 2 weeks of therapy.
Hosea 1—3 in Twentieth-Century Scholarship

Throughout the twentieth century, critical scholarship on the book of Hosea has focused overwhelmingly on the marriage metaphor in Hosea 1—3. Scholars often saw these chapters as establishing the primary interpretive issues for the message of the prophet and the book as a whole, although a lack of consensus concerning even the most basic exegetical issues remains. Newer studies have rightly pushed beyond this isolation of Hosea 1—3. This article surveys the major trends of the modern interpretation of these chapters, with particular attention to the second half of the twentieth century. From the early 1900s to the 1980s, critical works focused primarily on the biographical reconstruction of the prophet and his family life, as well as related historical and form-critical concerns. From the 1930s forward, such study was particularly concerned to read Hosea 1—3 against the background of a purported sexualized Baal cult in eighth-century Israel. Beginning in the 1980s, feminist-critical readings of Hosea 1—3 ...
Alloxan diabetes alters the rabbit transarterial wall oxygen gradient

Abstract Purpose: Atherosclerotic vascular occlusive disease is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus and accounts for 75% of deaths in diabetic patients. Determining the initiator and continuing stimulus for the cellular events in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions in diabetic patients could lead to the prevention of this common and deadly complication. Diabetes-induced arterial wall hypoxia is proposed as an initiator and continuing stimulus for atherosclerotic vascular occlusive disease. Methods: Transarterial wall oxygen gradient measurements were performed on the infrarenal aorta with an oxygen microelectrode 14 to 16 weeks after the induction of alloxan diabetes in rabbits. Results: Both insulin-treated and untreated alloxan diabetic rabbits revealed significantly decreased oxygen tensions throughout the arterial wall compared with control rabbits. There was no significant difference in the transarterial wall oxygen gradient between the two groups of diabetic rabbits. This effect was noted despite no difference in the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood or visual evidence of atherosclerotic lesion formation in the three groups. Conclusions: These findings suggest that diabetes induces arterial wall hypoxia independent of insulin therapy and before the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Diabetes-induced arterial wall hypoxia may contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. (J VASC SURG 1993;18:227-33.)
Professional relationships and power dynamics between urban community-based nurses and social work case managers: advocacy in action.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore how community-based case managers interface with their clients' healthcare providers and other community organizations as a function within their advocacy efforts. Case managers previously defined advocacy as occurring at individual, organizational, and community levels. The relationships they attempt to develop and maintain are consistent with case management ideology, yet this is a complex process to ensure care for vulnerable populations with many medical and socioeconomic needs. Primary practice settings Community-based case management settings. Methodology and sample In-depth qualitative interviews with a total of 20 nurse and social work case managers working in public housing, university-affiliated community nursing centers, local parishes, and community ministry. Results The case managers in this study reflected on how they interface with their clients, other healthcare providers, and community organizations on behalf of their clients. They reflect on the importance of trust and communication to facilitate this process. The advocacy work of case managers is influenced by the setting, others' perceptions of their knowledge and expertise, and power dynamics. Their ability to effectively advocate is greatly influenced by the strength of the relationships they forge. Implications for case management practice Advocacy for vulnerable clients is influenced by the existing relationship between case managers and their clients' healthcare providers. Case managers need to be persistent in their interactions with other providers to ensure that their clients have access to valuable community resources. Clear lines of communication should be established between case managers so that there is clarity around roles and expectations in service provision. Case managers should also participate in the mentoring of future health professions students so they may learn the application of advocacy work in community settings.
Proinflammatory cytokine expression of IL-1β and TNF-α by human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells upon exposure to silicon nitride in vitro

This study was designed to determine the effect of Si(3)N(4) disks and particulates on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells in vitro. The MG-63 (10(5)/mL) cells were plated onto 24-well polystyrene plates fitted with either sintered reaction-bonded (SRBSN) or reaction-bonded (RBSN) 15-mm disks. Controls consisted of wells without Si(3)N(4) disks. Cells propagated at 37 degrees C, 5% CO(2) for 48 h on Si(3)N(4) disks and control polystyrene surfaces exhibited similar proliferative capacities (7000 and 4000 cpm/10(5) cells, respectively, p > 0.05). Cells incubated with 1, 10, or 100 microgram/ml of Si(3)N(4) particles (<1.00 to 5.00 micrometer) for 24 h did not exhibit a decrease in DNA synthetic activity: 12 +/- 1.3 x 10(4), 10.5 +/- 1.5 x 10(4), and 11.0 +/- 1.7 x 10(4) cpm, respectively, compared to 11.6 +/- 2.6 x 10(4) cpm/10(5) for the control cells, as indicated by (3)H-thymidine uptake. Cells propagated on RBSN displayed increased expression of cytokines IL-1beta and TNF-alpha compared to the control cells, as shown by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In contrast, cells propagated on SRBSN surfaces expressed the same level of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha as that of control cells. Incubation of MG-63 cells with 1-10 microgram/mL of particles did not increase IL-1beta expression. However, at 100 microgram/mL, TNF-alpha expression was greater than that of the control cells. Silicon nitride, evaluated here as disks or as particulates (1-10 microgram/mL), is biocompatible and does not hinder the proliferation or induce proinflammatory cytokine expression of human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells in vitro.
The Interface between Hepatitis B Virus Capsid Proteins Affects Self-Assembly, Pregenomic RNA Packaging, and Reverse Transcription

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid proteins (Cps) assemble around the pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) and viral reverse transcriptase (P). pgRNA is then reverse transcribed to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) within the capsid. The Cp assembly domain, which forms the shell of the capsid, regulates assembly kinetics and capsid stability. The Cp, via its nucleic acid-binding C-terminal domain, also affects nucleic acid organization. We hypothesize that the structure of the capsid may also have a direct effect on nucleic acid processing. Using structure-guided design, we made a series of mutations at the interface between Cp subunits that change capsid assembly kinetics and thermodynamics in a predictable manner. Assembly in cell culture mirrored in vitro activity. However, all of these mutations led to defects in pgRNA packaging. The amount of first-strand DNA synthesized was roughly proportional to the amount of RNA packaged. However, the synthesis of second-strand DNA, which requires two template switches, was not supported by any of the substitutions. These data demonstrate that the HBV capsid is far more than an inert container, as mutations in the assembly domain, distant from packaged nucleic acid, affect reverse transcription. We suggest that capsid molecular motion plays a role in regulating genome replication. IMPORTANCE The hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid plays a central role in the virus life cycle and has been studied as a potential antiviral target. The capsid protein (Cp) packages the viral pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) and polymerase to form the HBV core. The role of the capsid in subsequent nucleic acid metabolism is unknown. Here, guided by the structure of the capsid with bound antiviral molecules, we designed Cp mutants that enhanced or attenuated the assembly of purified Cp in vitro. In cell culture, assembly of mutants was consistent with their in vitro biophysical properties. However, all of these mutations inhibited HBV replication. Specifically, changing the biophysical chemistry of Cp caused defects in pgRNA packaging and synthesis of the second strand of DNA. These results suggest that the HBV Cp assembly domain potentially regulates reverse transcription, extending the activities of the capsid protein beyond its presumed role as an inert compartment.
Urban Continuities, Urban Challenges: Comparing the Ajumma and African-Americans

The ajumma and African-Americans may appear at first glance to inhabit different worlds, but these two urban groups have a lot in common. A comparison of their life conditions indicates similar contexts of unequal opportunity and unequal outcomes that are rooted in the structural social conditions of Korea and the United States. In this paper, I argue that majoritarian understandings of family, work, and politics are reflected in the institutions and policies of both countries in ways that perpetuate contexts of hardship for the ajumma and for African-Americans. Through a process of scapegoating, forms of inequality by race, gender, and class are manifested in social norms and policies. Though intended to remedy the situation, these norms and policies may resituate and even deepen the antecedent problems. The paper first develops a picture of social life for the ajumma and African-Americans, noting important continuities. It then offers an explanation for their similarity with the theory of scapegoating a...
Microscale technologies for tissue engineering

Microscale technologies are emerging as enabling tools for tissue engineering and biology. Here, we present our experience in developing microscale technologies to regulate cell-microenvironment interactions and generate engineered tissues. Specifically, we will describe the use of microengineered shape-controlled hydrogels to generate biomimetic 3D tissue architectures, the utility of surface patterning approaches for controlling cell-cell interactions and engineered microchannels for controlling cell-soluble factor interactions.
Understanding Procrastination from a Self-Regulated Learning Perspective.

Academic procrastination includes failing to perform an activity within the desired time frame or postponing until the last minute activities one ultimately intends to complete. As such, high levels of procrastination appear inconsistent with the behaviors typically attributed to self-regulated learners, However, research exploring the relation between these 2 constructs is lacking. Two studies (N = 168 and N = 152) examining procrastination and its relation to several key components of self-regulated learning using self-report surveys are reported here. Results indicate that procrastination was related to college students' self-efficacy and work-avoidant goal orientation and, to a lesser extent, their use of metacognitive strategies. Findings are discussed with regard to prior research on self-regulated learning and procrastination and to future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Mantle cell lymphoma.

Mantle cell lymphoma is an aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that remains incurable with current chemotherapeutic approaches. Despite response rates to many regimens of 50% to 70%, the disease typically progresses after chemotherapy with a median survival time of approximately 3 years. There is no clear standard approach for treating mantle cell lymphoma, making it critical that appropriate patients be enrolled in clinical trials. Off protocol, chemotherapy with chlorambucil, CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone), or CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) can be used in patients who are not candidates for aggressive therapy. Intensive combination chemotherapy regimens have high response rates and may prolong time to progressive disease. High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation may, but does not appear to, provide longer time to progression, although it may improve survival. For young patients with matched donors, allogeneic transplant is promising in the limited numbers of patients treated. Other agents, including rituximab, fludarabine, and cladribine, have demonstrated activity, but these agents do not appear to offer survival advantages over combination chemotherapy.
Accounting as a discipline for study and practice: 1986*

Abstract. The long search for accounting principles has tended historically to be practice-and standards-oriented. It is the author's contention that accountants might do better to think of themselves first and foremost as being involved in an intellectual discipline. Concern should be with subject matter, the nature of theory employed to handle problems dealing with that subject matter, and the methodology to be employed in verifying that theory. What has been put forward as a revolution in accounting thought in recent years may in this context come out as something more evolutionary in nature. We have: (1) useful extensions in subject matter — Information Economics and Agency Theory in particular; and (2) a sometimes healthy emphasis on and sometimes unhealthy obsession with empiricism in both macro (security market) and micro (choice decision) research. In fact, concern with both positive and normative questions, and employment of both logic and empiricism in our thinking, are essential in the study and practice of our discipline. The best of new thinking would seem to be complementary with, rather than a substitute for the best of what has gone on before. Resume. La longue quete de «principes comptables» a ete orientee historiquement vers la pratique et les normes. De l'avis de l'auteur, les comptables feraient mieux de se considerer comme œuvrant tout d'abord au sein d'une discipline intellectuelle. L'interet devrait porter sur le sujet, la nature de la theorie utilisee afin de prendre en charge les problemes relies audit sujet, et la methodologie a etre utilisee dans la verification de cette theorie. Ce qui a ete avance dans les dernieres annees comme une revolution de la pensee comptable pourrait donner lieu dans ce contexte a quelque chose d'une nature plus evolutionniste. Nous possedons (1) des prolongements utiles dans le sujet — particulierement l'economique de l'information et la theorie mandant-mandataire; et (2) parfois une saine importance et a l'occasion une obsession malsaine de l'empirisme, accordees a la fois aux recherches de type macro (marches financiers) et micro (decisions et choix des individus). De fait, le souci pour a la fois des questions positives et normatives, et l'utilisation dans notre reflexion a la fois de logique et d'empirisme, sont essentiels a l'etude et a la pratique de notre discipline. Les meilleurs aspects de la nouvelle pensee devraient etre un complement plutot qu'un substitut aux meilleurs aspects de l'approche anterieure.
The utility of [11C] dihydrotetrabenazine positron emission tomography scanning in assessing β-cell performance after sleeve gastrectomy and duodenal-jejunal bypass

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB) on glucose homeostasis and to evaluate the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning for assessing β-cell mass. Methods Goto-Kakizaki rats were divided into 4 groups: control, sham, SG, or DJB. Oral glucose tolerance, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were measured before and after surgery. Before and 90 days after treatment, [11C] DTBZ micro PET scanning was performed. Results The control and sham animals gained more weight compared with SG and DJB animals (P ≤ .05). Compared with control animals, the glucose area under the curve was lower in DJB animals 30 and 45 days after operations (P ≤ .05). At killing, GLP-1 levels were greater in the DJB group compared with sham and SG (P ≤ .05), whereas insulin levels were greater in both DJB and SG compared with sham (P ≤ .05). With PET scanning, the 90-day posttreatment mean vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 binding index was greatest in the DJB animals (2.45) compared with SG (1.17), both of which were greater than baseline control animals (0.81). Conclusion In type 2 diabetic rodents, DJB leads to improved glucose homeostasis and an increase in VMAT2 density as measured by PET scanning.
Effect of P-glycoprotein on the ocular disposition of a model substrate, quinidine

Purpose. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the multi-drug efflux transport protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), on the ocular distribution of a model substrate, quinidine. Methods. Male New Zealand albino rabbits (2–2.5 kg) were employed in these studies. Animals were kept under anesthesia and a concentric microdialysis probe was implanted in the vitreous humor and a linear probe in the anterior chamber. Isotonic phosphate buffered saline was perfused through the probes, and samples were collected every 20 minutes over a period of 10 hours. Quinidine was administered both systemically (5mg/kg bodyweight) and intravitreally (5.68µg and 0.568µg). Inhibition experiments were performed in vivo in the presence of verapamil, which is a known P-gp inhibitor. Results. Vitreal pharmacokinetic parameters of quinidine in the presence of verapamil, i.e., Area under the curve (AUC) (39.27 ± 6.47 min.µg/ml), maximum concentration achieved (C max) (0.095 ± 0.011µg/ml), vitreal elimination half-life (...