cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of carbohydrate incorporation in transformed cells by a cancer‐associated galactosyltransferase acceptor (CAGA)

The effect of cancer-associated galactosyltransferase acceptor (CAGA) on incorporation of a variety of macromolecular precursors has been studied in transformed and nontransformed cells. Incorporation of [3H]-mannose, [3H]-galactose, and [3H]-glucosamine into acid precipitable material after one-hour pulse was inhibited more than 70% within four hours after exposure to CAGA in polyoma-transformed BHK cells and within eight hours after exposure in chick embryo fibroblasts infected with a temperature-sensitive RSV mutant (Ts68) grown at the permissive temperature (CEF-RSV 37 degrees C). Initial short-term rate of uptake (less than one minute) and total long-term uptake (one hour) of the labelled carbohydrates (acid-soluble and acid-insoluble material) was inhibited less than 15% over this period. Incorporation of 14C-leucine, 3H-serine, 3H-uridine, and 3H-thymidine into acid-precipitable material was also inhibited greater than 85% in transformed cells, but more than 12-hour exposure to CAGA was required before maximal inhibition was detected. Uptake of these labelled precursors was inhibited less than 20% up to eight hours after exposure to CAGA. In nontransformed cells (BHK and CEF) incorporation of labelled monosaccharides as well as protein and nucleic acid precursors into acid-precipitable material was reduced less than 25% up to 12 hours following exposure to CAGA. Infected CEF grown at the nonpermissive temperature (CEF-RSV 41 degrees C) were affected to an extent similar to other nontransformed cells. These data suggest that the specific action of CAGA on transformed cells may be due to inhibition of glycoconjugate synthesis.
Coast guard VOSS/NOFI/FIOCS/sea slug at-sea evaluation.

ABSTRACT At-sea evaluations of the Coast Guard Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (CGVOSS), the Norwegian NOFIVEE Sweep and the Fully Integrated Oil Collection System (FIOCS) oil-recovery systems were conducted to determine their seaworthiness and handling and towing characteristics. Tests were conducted off the coast of Groton, Connecticut. Dynamic data were collected for information on the stability and performance of each system. The Canflex Sea Slug storage device was also tested to determine the performance of an expandable containment vessel under tow. The data shows that the CGVOSS performed well in low sea states and low speeds, the NOFI and FIOCS systems perform well in low and high sea states, and the Sea Slug is stable at low towing speeds.
Effect of fucoidan during activation of human plasminogen

Fucoidan [sulfated poly (L-fucopyranose)] was compared with 6-aminohexanoic acid (6-AH) or CNBr-cleaved fibrinogen (CNBr-Fbg) alone or in combination in enhancing the activation of glutamic plasminogen (Glu-Plg) or lysine plasminogen (Lys-Plg) by two-chain tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) or LMwt-urokinase or by streptokinase. Fucoidan enhanced the t-PA activation of Glu-Plg or Lys-Plg at Plg concentrations greater than 75nM, while stimulation by CNBr-Fbg of t-PA activation followed saturation kinetics of Michaelis-Menton. During t-PA activation of Glu-Plg, a high degree of synergism was observed between 6-AH and fucoidan while the enhancement by CNBr-Fbg was not influenced by fucoidan and was reversed by 6-AH. Fucoidan alone at higher concentrations was effective in enhancing the activation of Glu-Plg by urokinase while the combination of fucoidan and 6-AH showed additive effect in enhancing the activation of Lys-Plg. The activation of Glu-Plg by streptokinase was reversed by fucoidan in a manner similar to that reported for 6-AH. The results are interpreted to suggest that CNBr-Fbg and 6-AH compete with each other for the same lysine binding sites (LBS) on the Plg molecule while fucoidan acted synergistically with 6-AH in enhancing the t-PA activation of Glu-Plg by a different mechanism. The double reciprocal plot for the interaction of Glu-Plg and urokinase also showed a significantly higher affinity between the two in presence of fucoidan.
Gas Chromatography-Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry of Cocaine and Its Metabolites in Biological Fluids

A gas chromatographic-chemical ionization mass spectrometric (GC-CIMS) method is described for the determination of cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and norcocaine. The procedure uses stable isotopes as internal standards and a mixture of methane-ammonia as chemical ionization reagent gas. Run-to-run and within-run coefficients of variation (%) are less than 10% and the method has a sensitivity of less than 5 ng/mL from 1 mL or 1 gram of sample. The procedure has been applied to a number of cases involving cocaine intoxication and analytical data from these are described.
Does Tax Deferral Enhance Firm Value

Recent research provides evidence that corporate tax departments and tax directors have incentives to reduce financial statement effective tax rates, but little or no incentive to reduce cash taxes paid. The lack of managerial incentives to reduce cash taxes paid provides a stark contrast to the benefits of tax deferral espoused by tax professionals and academics, raising the question: Does tax deferral actually enhance firm value? We examine whether the difference between financial statement tax expense and current taxes paid (i.e., current year tax deferral) is associated with a firm’s change in future profitability and market returns. We find positive associations between current year tax deferral and both the change in next period profitability and stock returns in months around the Form 10-K release date. We also find that these associations increase for firms with greater investment opportunities, financial constraints, and, to a lesser extent, strong corporate governance. These results suggest both profitability and market return benefits associated with tax deferral, consistent with tax deferral enhancing firm value.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome Patients Is Similar to Other Cancer Patients

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in CTCL patients and whether supplementation corrects vitamin D deficiency or treatment outcome. Patients and Methods Three hundred eleven CTCL patients including 27/311 (8.7%) with Sezary syndrome (SS), 169 cancer controls, and 69 normal controls from the M.D. Anderson clinics had 25(OH)D3 levels determined and categorized as deficient ( Results Low 25(OH)D3 ( P = .05, .07) and in 30% to 39% of historical normal controls. Correction of deficiency was successful in 35% or 55 of 156 patients who were given dealer's choice of either vitamin D2 at 50,000 IU orally (p.o.) biweekly or D3 1000 IU p.o. daily. Correction of vitamin D levels was noted in 27 of 100 (27%) patients given D3 and 28 of 56 (50%) given D2. Responses to standard CTCL therapy was similar among patients with corrected and persistently low levels ( P = .51). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study of vitamin D status in CTCL patients. Vitamin D deficiency was present in CTCL and other cancer patients compared with normal and historical controls. Correction of vitamin D deficiency and type of vitamin D supplementation used did not affect the overall clinical disease response.
Quality control of age data at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center operates a 14-person Age and Growth Program that specialises in the ageing of various groundfish species using otoliths. In 1983, a quality control programme was established whereby a random subsample of 20% of the total of aged samples is re-aged by a second age reader. The purpose of this programme is to assure, to the greatest extent possible, that ages used in stock assessment are based on consistent ageing criteria. This age data is entered into our AGEDATA Microsoft ACCESS™ database where it can be easily updated, corrected and analysed. VISUAL BASIC computer programmes AGREE (a precision estimating programme) and RANGES (an outlier searching programme) were written to routinely analyse age data before data are released to end-users. The statistical relationship between average percentage error and coefficient of variation is described, as well as an interpretation of Bowker's test for symmetry. Discrepancies between the reader and tester are reconciled while viewing the problematic otoliths using a dual-headed microscope, and reconciled ages are assigned. When necessary, all questionable otoliths in a troublesome sample may be re-aged.
Values in Health Care Professional Socialization: Implications for Geriatric Education in Interdisciplinary Teamwork

Collaboration among different health professions will take on greater importance as geriatric care moves increasingly into the realm of quality of life and not simply life extension (Clark, 1995). Of necessity, quality of life deals with the qualitative dimensions of care, including values, meaning, attitudes, and preferences — all of which are created and shaped by life experience, professional training, and interaction between the individual and his or her broader social environment. In particular, the education and training of health care professionals shape their identities, values, and norms of practice in certain ways that may either enhance or inhibit effective communication and collaboration in clinical practice settings, where these skills are crucial to the effective care of elderly persons. This article proposes that the process of acquiring a professional identity and norms of practice is an ongoing dialectic of professional socialization that is both reflective and dynamic, in that it involves interaction between the self and others in the environment. The development of personal and professional values as they relate to patient care is an essential element of this identity and the hallmark of the artistry of professional practice (Schon, 1987). The implications of this interpretation of professional socialization are important to an understanding of communication between providers, as well as between providers and consumers of care. Such
Generative encoding for multiagent learning

This paper argues that multiagent learning is a potential "killer application" for generative and developmental systems (GDS) because key challenges in learning to coordinate a team of agents are naturally addressed through indirect encodings and information reuse. For example, a significant problem for multiagent learning is that policies learned separately for different agent roles may nevertheless need to share a basic skill set, forcing the learning algorithm to reinvent the wheel for each agent. GDS is a good match for this kind of problem because it specializes in ways to encode patterns of related yet varying motifs. In this paper, to establish the promise of this capability, the Hypercube-based NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (HyperNEAT) generative approach to evolving neurocontrollers learns a set of coordinated policies encoded by a single genome representing a team of predator agents that work together to capture prey. Experimental results show that it is not only possible, but beneficial to encode a heterogeneous team of agents with an indirect encoding. The main contribution is thus to open up a significant new application domain for GDS.
Genetic analysis of h-2 linked gene(s) affecting early mouse embryo development.

SUMMARY The number of cells in preimplantation mouse embryos of different H-2 haplotypes was analysed. It was found that embryos of the H-2k haplotype have fewer cells per embryo than those of the H-2b haplotype. By analysing reciprocal congenic pairs of mice it was demonstrated unequivocally that slow development is linked to the H-2k haplotype and fast development to the H-2b haplotype. The gene(s) in the H-2 complex which influence early mouse embryo development have been named Ped: preimplantation embryo development. Analysis of F1 hybrid embryos showed that fast development is dominant. Reciprocal F1 crosses yielded identical results, which indicated there was no apparent effect of the maternal egg cytoplasm on Ped gene expression. Analysis of F2 and back-cross embryos was consistent with the interpretation that there is a major gene located in the H-2 complex (Ped), which is modified by environment and genetic background, that influences early mouse embryo development.
Infrainguinal revascularizations in octogenarians and septuagenarians

Abstract Objective: Severe atherosclerosis is a major contributor for death in octogenarians and a cause of multiple vascular-related ailments, including claudication and limb loss. Advanced age and health may limit the success of limb-salvaging procedures. Mortality, morbidity, and outcome of infrainguinal grafts have been examined in octogenarians and septuagenarians. Methods: After 128 femoropopliteal and 99 femorotibial bypass grafts in 209 octogenarians and 242 femoropopliteal and 166 femorotibial bypass grafts in 383 septuagenarians, survival, primary patency, limb salvage, myocardial infarction and stroke rates were determined. The survival, myocardial infarction, and stroke rates of controls, 1514 octogenarians and 2011 septuagenarians, were compared. Results: After a bypass graft, 5-year survival of octogenarians (54%) and septuagenarians (64%) was similar ( P >.2) and was 89% and 89% for controls. The 5-year primary patency rates were 74% for octogenarians and 68% for septuagenarians ( P >.2). Five-year limb salvage rates were 86% for octogenarians and 86% for septuagenarians. After a bypass graft, the respective rates of myocardial infarction were 4.1% and 3.9% per year and of a stroke 3.2% and 3.2% per year for octogenarians and septuagenarians, which occurred more frequently ( P Conclusions: Death and cardiovascular events are higher after revascularization in octogenarians and septuagenarians, compared with controls, and are related to the severity of atherosclerosis and not age. Patency rates are excellent and similar. Limb salvage procedures should be considered for most octogenarians. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:133-8.)
H2S—The Newest Gaseous Messenger on the Block

The ability of send and receive signals in vertebrate organisms is a highly dynamic process that maximizes all available substrates to deal with a diverse range of homeo-static perturbations. Typically, one thinks of signals as interactions between and among relatively solid-phase components, such as proteins and lipids within an aqueous (water) milieu. However, an underappreciated signaling class is that of the gaseous transmitters. There are 3 gaseous transmitters: nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the newest member of this group. It is thought that although these gases are no longer abundant in the atmosphere, they were major contributors to the evolution of life on Earth, and the ability to generate these gases intracellularly may have evolved over time because of their importance to intracellular processes.1 The best characterized are NO and CO. NO has been extensively researched and acts primarily as a cardioprotective signaling molecule, induces vasorelaxation and reduces oxidative stress.2–4 CO has a more complicated mechanism of action that is highly dose dependent–at physiological doses, CO induces vasorelaxation, but at higher concentrations promotes cardiac toxicity.5,6 Traditionally H2S has been thought of a noxious gas with many toxic effects, but a growing body of evidence indicates that physiologic concentrations of H2S activate distinct signaling pathways in a variety of cell types that ultimately are protective in the setting of cardiac injury.7,8 Some have determined that H2S is a major constituent of the endothelium-dependent relaxation factor.9 In the previous issue of this journal, Kovaci et al had extended these mechanistic studies into the clinical arena, and they demonstrated that low plasma H2S levels predict clinical deterioration in patients with systolic dysfunction, suggesting that H2S may be emerging as a novel and clinically relevant cardioprotective mediator.
Design optimization study of a shape memory alloy active needle for biomedical applications

Abstract Majority of cancer interventions today are performed percutaneously using needle-based procedures, i.e. through the skin and soft tissue. The difficulty in most of these procedures is to attain a precise navigation through tissue reaching target locations. To overcome this challenge, active needles have been proposed recently where actuation forces from shape memory alloys (SMAs) are utilized to assist the maneuverability and accuracy of surgical needles. In the first part of this study, actuation capability of SMA wires was studied. The complex response of SMAs was investigated via a MATLAB implementation of the Brinson model and verified via experimental tests. The isothermal stress–strain curves of SMAs were simulated and defined as a material model in finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA was validated experimentally with developed prototypes. In the second part of this study, the active needle design was optimized using genetic algorithm aiming its maximum flexibility. Design parameters influencing the steerability include the needle's diameter, wire diameter, pre-strain and its offset from the needle. A simplified model was presented to decrease the computation time in iterative analyses. Integration of the SMA characteristics with the automated optimization schemes described in this study led to an improved design of the active needle.
The alignment of information systems with organizational objectives and strategies in health care

Abstract Purpose The alignment of information systems with organizational objectives and strategies is a key, contemporary challenge to organizations in general and the health care industry in particular. Researchers and managers alike believe that the selection of new information systems to support objectives and strategies focuses the organization on accomplishing its objectives and realizing the value of the investments in the systems. The purpose of this study was to help understand alignment in health care so that health care information systems planners can better achieve it. Methods Structured interviews with 15 top information systems managers in health care organizations of various sizes and types inquired about organizational objectives and strategies, the process for choosing new information systems to support those objectives and strategies, and the concomitant facilitating and hindering managerial actions and organizational characteristics. Results In addition to identifying and elucidating specific objectives, strategies, processes for choosing new systems, and facilitating and hindering actions and characteristics, the study used the data to characterize a generalized process of alignment in health care organizations. Conclusions The study contributes by confirming that alignment is a significant issue in health care organizations, and that such organizations make deliberate efforts to achieve it. The study further contributes by providing tables of actions and characteristics that managers might use as checklists in current and future alignment efforts as well as in generally cultivating broad support for alignment. Finally, it contributes by suggesting future study of alignment's predictors and effects in health care organizations.
Using the Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal to assess the rigor gap

In a line of research employing a survey instrument, the Critical Thinking Belief Appraisal, teachers supported critical-thinking (CT) activities more for high- than low-advantage learners, likely exacerbating a “rigor gap” implicated in persistent achievement gaps. Such beliefs were less likely to be espoused by expert teachers than randomly selected ones, and teacher-education programs mitigated these beliefs but did not expunge them, suggesting a need for interventions that foster belief change. Six issues were found to be associated with support for low-CT activities with low-advantage populations—learners’ prior knowledge, time constraints, influence of parents, influence of colleagues, learners’ level of motivation, and learners’ level of ability. The rigor gap may be ameliorated through teacher-education practices that encourage teachers to (a) reflect on their existing beliefs, their experiences as students, their field experiences, classroom scenarios, and models of best practice, and (b) create instructional plans featuring high-CT activities for low-advantage learners.
Some practical implications of a social‐constructivist view of the psychoanalytic situation

How one thinks about the nature of what analysts know about themselves and their patients is said to have practical implications for the way analysts work. A social‐constructivist view of the process is contrasted with both the objectivist perspective and what is termed the “limited constructivist”; view. The latter, exemplified by Schafer, focuses only on the way theory affects interpretation. At the heart of the more thoroughgoing social‐constructivist viewpoint is the notion that analysts cannot know the full meaning of their own behavior, both retrospectively (in the context of interpretation) and prospectively (in the context of deciding what to do from moment to moment). The model requires that analysts embrace the uncertainty that derives from knowing that their subjectivity can never be fully transcended. Nevertheless, this very uncertainty frees analysts to “be themselves”; within the constraints of the purposes of the analysis. Analysts can now “speak their minds,”; including expressing convicti...
Response to Comment on optimal treatment for resistant hypertension: the missing data on pulse wave velocity.

“Comment on optimal treatment for resistant hypertension: the missing data on pulse wave velocity” by Drs Elias and Sullivan1 raises 3 points that merit attention regarding uncontrolled apparent treatment- resistant hypertension (aTRH). aTRH is applied to data sets in which information is unavailable to distinguish between true and ≥1 contributors to pseudoresistance including home and ambulatory blood pressure (BP), patient adherence, and adequacy of antihypertensive pharmacotherapy.2,3 First, BP values among patients with and without aTRH in the 2 reports suggest that uncontrolled systolic hypertension predominates (Table). Systolic hypertension is more often associated with TRH.3 View this table: Table. Comparison of Patients Without and With aTRH in Our Report and MSLS Second, among subjects in the seventh wave of …
South Africa: How long without TV?

The continued refusal of the South African government to permit the introduction of television into the African continent's most developed country provides interesting insights not only into the political climate of South Africa, but, more importantly, into the way in which television is perceived as a vehicle for sociopolitical change. This article is drawn from the author's doctoral dissertation, “The South African Broadcasting Corporation: An Historical Survey and Contemporary Analysis,” completed in 1968 at Wayne State University, but updated to early 1970. Peter Orlik presently is assistant professor in the broadcast and cinematic arts area of the Department of Speech of Central Michigan University.
A Statistical Tree Annotator and Its Applications

In many natural language applications, there is a need to enrich syntactical parse trees. We present a statistical tree annotator augmenting nodes with additional information. The annotator is generic and can be applied to a variety of applications. We report 3 such applications in this paper: predicting function tags; predicting null elements; and predicting whether a tree constituent is projectable in machine translation. Our function tag prediction system outperforms significantly published results.
Recurrent Chest Wall Anomalies

Chest wall anomalies are a heterogeneous group of malformations requiring repair. Recurrence and the need for secondary repair may occur. Congenital anomalies, including bifid sternum, pentalogy of Cantrell, Jeunes's syndrome and Poland's anomaly, rarely recur. Pectus carinatum may recur in the original surgical area or an adjacent area and most often recurs in patients who undergo repair before completion of teenage growth. Pectus excavatum may recur in approximately 5% of patients. Simple recurrence, floating sternum, or Acquired Jeune's syndrome may result. All of these would require reoperation. Each chest wall anomaly recurrence requires an individualized approach to timing and type of repair. Overall excellent results should be obtained for operative repair of recurrences.
The initial fertility consultation: recommendations concerning cigarette smoking, body mass index, and alcohol and caffeine consumption.

Abstract Obstetrician-gynecologists are frequently consulted by couples who are concerned about their fertility potential. During the initial fertility consultation, questions may arise concerning the potential impact of lifestyle choices on fertility. For the female partner, common exposures associated with a decrease in fertility are cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption of >4 drinks per week, and caffeine intake of >250 mg daily. For the female partner, a body mass index of >27 kg/m 2 or 2 is associated with decreased fertility. On the basis of the evidence from epidemiologic studies, couples who are concerned about their fertility potential should stop the use of tobacco products. In addition, the female partner should limit alcohol consumption to no more than 4 drinks per week, decrease caffeine intake to no more than 250 mg daily, and adjust calorie intake and exercise levels to achieve a body mass index between 20 and 27 kg/m 2 . (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185:1168–73.)
East African earthquakes below 20 km depth and their implications for crustal structure

SUMMARY We report source parameters for eight earthquakes in East Africa obtained using a number of techniques, including (1) inversion of long-pcriod P and SH waves for momcnt tcnsors and source-time functions, (2) forward modelling of first-motion polarities and P and pP amplitudes on short-period seismograms, and (3) determination of pP-P and sP-P differential traveltimes from short-period records. The foci of these earthquakes lie between depths of 24 and 34km in Archean and Proterozoic lithosphere, and all but one fault-plane solution indicates normal faulting (primarily E-W extension), consistent with the regional stress regime in East Africa. Because many of these earthquakes occurred in areas where the crust may have been thinned by rifting, it is difficult to ascertain whether or not their foci lie within the lower crust or upper mantle. Some of them, however, occurred away from rift structures in Proterozoic crust that is possibly 35-40 km thick or thicker. and thus they probably nucleated within the lower crust. Strength profile calculations suggest that in order to account for seismogenic (i.e. brittle) behaviour at sufficient depths to explain lower crustal earthquakes in East Africa, the lower crust must not only be composed of mafic lithologies, as suggested by previous investigators, but also that significantly more heat (-100 per cent) must come from the upper crust than predicted by the crustal heat source distribution obtained from a 1-D interpretation of the linear relationship between heat flow and heat production observed in Proterozoic terrains within eastern and southern Africa. Precambrian mafic dike swarms throughout East Africa provide evidence for magmatic events which could have dclivered large amounts of mafic material to the lower crust over a very broad area, thus explaining why the lower crust in East Africa might be mafic away from the volcanogenic rift valleys.
Rectal hemorrhage in the puerperium

Abstract Severe rectal hemorrhage in the puerperium due to a bleeding point in the anterior rectal wall has been reported. This complication results from rectal trauma during labor and parturition, and may occur without suture penetration of the rectum. Treatment consists of adequate blood replacement and transfixing the bleeding point in the rectal wall.
The rupture mechanism of the Coyote Lake earthquake of 6 August 1979 inferred from near-field data

The Coyote Lake earthquake ( ML = 5.7) occurred within the dense network of seismic instruments of central California and was recorded by numerous accelerograph stations. Two of these stations, located within the fault zone itself, provide particularly remarkable records of the rupture process. We use these data obtained in the immediate vicinity of the fault and the broadband seismograms recorded at Berkeley, about 100 km away from the epicenter, to infer the velocity of propagation of the rupture, the extent of the fractured area, the rupture front geometry, and other characteristics of the fracture mechanism. In order to extract this information from the data, we model the earthquake as a propagating dislocation starting at the hypocenter and spreading radially. We compute the resulting ground motion at the receiver sites using the discrete wavenumber representation of Green's functions (Bouchon, 1981). The results yield a rupture velocity of 2.6 km/sec, a fault length of about 14 km and a fault slip of 15 to 20 cm. They also show that the fault extends to shallower depth than indicated by the aftershocks. The most important result is the finding that slip, at any given location on the fault, takes place in a very short time span and that simple uniform dislocation models give a good description of the rupture process.
Diagnostic Applications of Recombinant Nucleic Acid Technology: Infectious Diseases

This article describes the applications of diagnostic molecular pathology to neoplastic disease. The various approaches, using DNA-based diagnostics, of cancer diagnosis and prognosis will be discussed.
Morphometric Variation in Kangaroo Rats (Genus Dipodomys) and Its Relationship to Selected Abiotic Variables

Geographic patterns of morphometric variation, as represented by projections of samples on the first principal component, were obtained for 14 species of kangaroo rats (genus Dipodomys ) by using principal components analysis. The amount of variation accounted for by the first principal component ranged in males from 37.5 ( D. nelsoni ) to 87.1% ( D. californicns ) with a mean of 61.2%. These values for females were from 51.1 ( D. phillipsii ) to 83.9% ( D. californicus ) with a mean of 65.3%. Characters that consistently accounted for the most variation for this component were total length of skull, basal length, greatest width of skull, and width of mastoid bullae. Values for the projections of the samples on principal component I (frequently considered a body-size index) were compared to values of latitude, and annual values and seasonal ranges of temperature, precipitation, and actual evapotranspiration by using Pearson's product-moment correlation analyses. Of these abiotic variables, annual temperature was considered a slightly more-appropriate predictor of size variation. Beyond a tendency for size to increase with decreasing annual temperature (in accordance with Bergmann's Rule), there was little general pattern of correlation between morphometric variation and these abiotic features. Had fewer species of kangaroo rats been examined, conclusions would have depended on the taxa analyzed. It appears that abiotic parameters may effect morphometric variation in some portions of the distribution of a species, but may be superseded by different factors in other parts of that taxon's range.
Age and Sex Composition of Live-Captured and Hunter-Killed Samples of Black Bears

We compared age-class distribution and sex ratios of captured and hunter-killed samples of black bears ( Ursus americanus ) to examine the relative agreement between methods used to monitor regional populations of this species. Mean ages of captured bears were greater than hunter-killed bears, and females were less abundant in the captured sample. Temporal differences between sampling methods (live capture = diurnal + nocturnal versus hunters = diurnal) may explain age-class differences. Variation in mobility (live capture = mainly stationary versus hunters = stationary + mobile) may explain sex ratio differences. Although we could not determine which sample was more representative of the population, our results suggest that biologists apply several indices as a more reliable approach to monitor the response of a population of bears to environmental change.
Life History and Habits of the Elm Spanworm, Ennomos subsignarius, in the Southern Appalachian Mountains (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

The elm spanworm, Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner), is a hardwood defoliator, currently epidemic in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Observations on the life history and habits were obtained during 1961 and 1962 to facilitate proper timing of aerial spray programs in Western North Carolina. Eggs are laid in early July and the winter is passed in the egg stage. Hatching occurs in late April or early May, and the larvae feed for approximately 1½ months. Pupation occurs in a loose cocoon between leaves in mid-June, and adults emerge in early July. There is 1 generation a year. Descriptions of the immature stages and short notes on natural enemies are also presented.
Anthocyanin-Rich Blackcurrant Extract Attenuates Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss in Mice

Abstract Although several animal and cell studies have indicated that blackcurrant anthocyanins exert antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which could potentially improve bone mass, the effect of blackcurrant on bone health has not been reported yet. Thus, this study was aimed to evaluate the effect of blackcurrant anthocyanins on bone mass in an estrogen deficiency mouse model. Fourteen-week-old C57BL/6J mice (n = 54) were ovariectomized or sham operated. The ovariectomized mice were divided into two groups, basal diet (OVX) or basal diet containing 1% anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract (OVX+BC), and sacrificed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Femoral bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone volume by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computed tomography, respectively, and serum bone markers were measured. Ovariectomy significantly reduced BMD and trabecular bone volume at all time points (P < .05). Blackcurrant supplementation attenuated ovariectomy-induced bone loss measured by BMD a...
A prospective study of advance directives for life-sustaining care.

Abstract Background The use of advance directives is recommended so that people can determine the medical care they will receive when they are no longer competent, but the effectiveness of such directives is not clear. Methods. In a prospective study conducted over a two-year period, 126 competent residents of a nursing home and 49 family members of incompetent patients were interviewed to determine their preferences with respect to hospitalization, intensive care, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, artificial ventilation, surgery, and tube feeding in the event of critical illness, terminal illness, or permanent unconsciousness. Advance directives, consisting of signed statements of treatment preferences, were placed in the medical record to assist in care in the nursing home and to be forwarded to the hospital if necessary. Results. In an analysis of 96 outcome events (hospitalization or death in the nursing home), care was con
Probabilistic bug-masking analysis for post-silicon tests in microprocessor verification

Post-silicon validation has become essential in catching hard-to-detect, rarely-occurring bugs that have slipped through pre-silicon verification. Post-silicon validation flows, however, are challenged by limited signal observability, which impacts their ability of diagnosing and detecting bugs. Indeed, bug manifestations during the execution of constrained-random tests may be masked and be unobservable from the test's outputs. The ability to evaluate the bug-masking rate of a test provides great value in generating and/or selecting effective tests for high coverage regressions. To this end, we propose an efficient, static bug-masking analysis solution, called BugMAPI. BugMAPI tracks the information flow in a test program, and it estimates the probability that bugs go undetected by the checking mechanisms in place in the post-silicon platform. To achieve this goal, we leverage static code analysis and a novel, lightweight, probability estimation algorithm. We evaluated BugMAPI on a range of industrial constrained-random tests and a range of bug injection models, and we found that it can estimate bug-masking rates with an accuracy of 77% in 3 orders-of-magnitude less time, compared to an ideal dynamic analysis solution.
Climate and bark beetle effects on forest productivity -- linking dendroecology with forest landscape modeling

In forested systems throughout the world, climate influences tree growth and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). The effects of extreme climate events (i.e., drought) on ANPP can be compounded by biotic factors (e.g., insect outbreaks). Understanding the contribution of each of these influences on growth requires information at multiple spatial scales and is essential for understanding regional forest response to changing climate. The mixed conifer forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada, provide an opportunity to analyze biotic and abiotic influences on ANPP. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of moisture stress (climatic water deficit, CWD) and bark beetles on basin-wide ANPP from 1987 to 2006, estimated through tree core increments and a landscape simulation model (LANDIS-II). Tree ring data revealed that ANPP increased throughout this period and had a nonlinear relationship to water demand. Simulation model results showed that despite increased complexity, simulations ...
Optimized Computerized Order Entry can Reduce Errors in Electronic Prescriptions and Associated Pharmacy Calls to Clarify (CTC).

After implementation of a system-wide EMR within our university system, e-prescribing is now commonplace. The authors conducted a study to assess whether optimization of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) can reduce errors in these electronically transmitted prescriptions and would require less frequent interventions from pharmacists, in particular the need for them to “call to clarify” (CTC) details of particular prescriptions. Secondary analysis based on cost assumptions was preformed to presume cost differences before and after optimization changes. In order to generate complete, error-free prescriptions, optimization changes were implemented in the form of in line validation messages. These messages were generated if (1) an order did not specify a provider or pharmacy; (2) the DEA requirements were not met; (3) character limits were exceeded in patient sig or demographics or (4) administration instructions had breaks or had both discrete and free text elements. Retrospectively, prescriptions were randomly selected from a nine month period before and after implementing changes. These prescriptions were analyzed by a pharmacist and a nurse to identify types of errors that would require a CTC to a prescribing provider. Errors were compared statistically to determine effectiveness of changes pre and post optimization. A total of 602 prescriptions were analyzed; 301 before changes and 301 after changes. Of these prescriptions, 20.27% had errors before changes and 12.96% had errors after changes. The decline in the error rate was considered statistically significant for p Implementing optimization changes to the CPOE resulted in a reduction in error rate requiring pharmacist CTC. This study identifies effective optimization changes for electronic prescribing that can reduce prescribing errors and may result in cost saving.
Dangerous lessons Rebel learning and mobilization in the international system

Contemporary research on the international diffusion of civil conflict privileges physical, proximity-based variables like conflict spillover and refugee flows. I argue that the international diffu...
Orientation Control of Block Copolymers Using Surface Active, Phase-Preferential Additives

Orientation control of thin film nanostructures derived from block copolymers (BCPs) are of great interest for various emerging technologies like separation membranes, nanopatterning, and energy storage. While many BCP compositions have been developed for these applications, perpendicular orientation of these BCP domains is still very challenging to achieve. Herein we report on a new, integration-friendly approach in which small amounts of a phase-preferential, surface active polymer (SAP) was used as an additive to a polycarbonate-containing BCP formulation to obtain perpendicularly oriented domains with 19 nm natural periodicity upon thermal annealing. In this work, the vertically oriented BCP domains were used to demonstrate next generation patterning applications for advanced semiconductor nodes. Furthermore, these domains were used to demonstrate pattern transfer into a hardmask layer via commonly used etch techniques and graphoepitaxy-based directed self-assembly using existing lithographic integrat...
So much data, so little time: Using sequential data analysis to monitor behavioral changes.

Abstract Twenty-three infants (M = 13.7 months, SD = 3.73) and their primary caregivers were observed and video-taped in three 20-min play sessions. Over the course of a month, changes in infant behaviors and caregiver responsiveness to those behaviors were monitored. Repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated that caregiver responsiveness to infant object-related and dyadic behaviors significantly increased over the course of the sessions. However, the ANOVAs did not specify exactly which caregiver behaviors changed. Sequential data analysis revealed that caregivers specifically increased their use of dyadic vocal behaviors in response to all infant behaviors. This study reveals that although ANOVAs are useful for providing information about macro, overall changes in caregiver behavior, sequential data analysis is a useful tool for evaluating micro, moment-to-moment changes in behavior. With sequential analysis, specific behavioral patterns can be examined and, if necessary, steps can be taken to modify and monitor those behaviors over time. • Sequential data analysis was used to monitor changes in caregiver behavior. • Non-culture-specific behavioral codes and techniques were used to quantify caregiver responsiveness to infant object-related and dyadic behaviors. • When compared to ANOVA, sequential data analysis is more useful for assessing micro-level behavioral changes in infant-caregiver interactions.
Why Do Price and Volatility Information from the Options Market Predict Stock Returns

A recent literature suggests that uncertainty about future stock lending fees is an impediment to short-selling and this risk explains part of the returns to shorting. However, an investor can use the option market to establish a synthetic short position that embeds a fixed lending fee and avoids exposure to lending fee risk. This option-implied lending fee can be computed from a pair of option prices. For each set of options, the difference between the option-implied fee and the average realized lending fee during the life of the option is an estimate of the risk premium for bearing lending fee risk. We find that the average of these estimates is approximately zero, and therefore, the equity lending market does not exhibit a substantial risk premium. In addition, the option implied lending fee predicts future realized lending fees and stock returns better than actual lending fees. When we include both the option-implied lending fee and the implied volatility spread and skew in predictive regressions the option-implied lending fee predicts stock returns, but implied volatility spread and skew do not.
The Blood-Brain Barriers

The blood-brain barriers (BBBs) are mainly located at the levels of the vasculature, choroid plexus, and the circumventricular organs and play multiple roles in neuroimmunology. The ability of the BBBs to separate the blood and its contents from the central nervous system (CNS) is largely responsible for the CNS being an immune-privileged region. However, the BBB then revises this separation in a regulated way by a variety of mechanisms, including the ability to transport cytokines, regulate the entry of immune cells into the brain, and to itself secrete into the blood and into the CNS immunoactive substances. The BBB thereby participates in a number of neuroimmune axes that allow communication between the CNS and the peripheral immune cells. Failure of the highly regulated activities of the BBBs can be both a cause and consequence of immune diseases.
Correlating pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of benzodiazepines: problems and assumptions.

The development of reliable and specific methods for quantitation of benzodiazepine derivatives in body fluids has led to the accumulation of considerable knowledge of their pharmacokinetic properties in humans and in other species (Klotz et al. 1980; Guentert 1984; Greenblatt et al. 1983a,b; Greenblatt and Shader 1985 a). These data include the kinetic properties in healthy individuals, the influence of physiologic states and disease processes on benzodiazepine disposition, and alterations in kinetics due to drug interactions. The study of benzodiazepine pharmacokinetics has elucidated much about the general mechanisms controlling the biotransformation of foreign chemicals, and factors influencing drug disposition.
HIV and Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing Behavior Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males: Analysis of Pooled Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data, 2005–2013

Abstract Purpose: Adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM) comprise a high-risk group that may benefit from expanded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention services. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HIV and STD testing among ASMM from pooled high school Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBSs). Methods: Data came from 26 YRBSs from 2005 to 2013, which included questions on sexual identity and/or sex of sexual contacts and questions on ever being tested for HIV and/or STDs. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with lifetime HIV testing among sexually experienced ASMM. Results: Overall, 3027 of 43,037 (6.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.8%–6.8%) males were categorized as ASMM. Among 1229 sexually experienced ASMM, 413 (26.6%, 95% CI: 21.8%–31.4%) reported ever being tested for HIV, and among 571 ASMM who reported not using a condom during last intercourse, 192 (29.4%, 95% CI: 21.3%–37.6%)...