cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resting state connectivity differences in eyes open versus eyes closed conditions

Functional magnetic resonance imaging data are commonly collected during the resting state. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is very practical and applicable for a wide range of study populations. Rs-fMRI is usually collected in at least one of three different conditions/tasks, eyes closed (EC), eyes open (EO), or eyes fixated on an object (EO-F). Several studies have shown that there are significant condition-related differences in the acquired data. In this study, we compared the functional network connectivity (FNC) differences assessed via group independent component analysis on a large rs-fMRI dataset collected in both EC and EO-F conditions, and also investigated the effect of covariates (e.g., age, gender, and social status score). Our results indicated that task condition significantly affected a wide range of networks; connectivity of visual networks to themselves and other networks was increased during EO-F, while EC was associated with increased connectivity of auditory and sensorimotor networks to other networks. In addition, the association of FNC with age, gender, and social status was observed to be significant only in the EO-F condition (though limited as well). However, statistical analysis did not reveal any significant effect of interaction between eyes status and covariates. These results indicate that resting-state condition is an important variable that may limit the generalizability of clinical findings using rs-fMRI.
Batten Disease: A Typical Neuronal Storage Disease or a Genetic Neurodegenerative Disorder Characterized by Excitotoxicity?

Batten disease (neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis) is an inherited neurological disorder of humans and a variety of animal species including dogs, mice, and sheep. Affected individuals appear normal at birth but later exhibit progressive neurological deterioration and death. The spectrum of clinical disease includes retarded mental development and/or dementia, blindness, motor system dysfunction, and seizures, and in late disease the latter can be intractable. The age at which clinical symptoms appear varies and infantile, late infantile, juvenile and adult-onset disease subtypes are recognized. Disease course in individuals with early-onset disease generally is rapid, whereas late-onset disorders exhibit a more protracted course. On postmortem exam, atrophy of cerebral cortex and ballooning of surviving neurons are characteristic features. The latter finding has led to classification of Batten disease as a neuronal storage disorder along with Tay-Sachs, Hurler, and related lysosomal diseases. Although the primary metabolic defect(s) in Batten disease remain unknown, recent research has established that, with the exception of infantile disease variants, a substantial portion of the intracellular storage material is a single protein, subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase.1 Current findings suggest that this subunit, which is encoded by nuclear DNA, is synthesized correctly and undergoes normal trafficking to mitochondria; however, its subsequent removal from mitochondria and degradation appear to be delayed.2 Why this particular mitochondrial component accumulates in cells, and whether its accumulation signals the primary metabolic defect in Batten disease, are unknown.
Steeled for the challenges: a critical discourse analysis of gendered news frames of Hillary Clinton in battleground coverage of the 2016 Democratic National Convention

This project employs framing theory to analyze the gender ideologies present in local coverage of the Democratic Party’s official nomination of Hillary Clinton in battleground counties. By applying...
Inclusive Access Impact on Student Engagement, Success, Retention, and Costs in a Department-Wide Implementation

This chapter provides an analysis of the impact of Inclusive Access on grades, retention, and student engagement at Chattanooga State Community College. The data indicates that Inclusive Access is associated with improved student grades, retention, and engagement in course materials and assignments.
Alter macrophage adhesion and modulate their response on hydrophobically modified hydrogels

Abstract Adhesion of macrophages to material substrates plays an essential role in many biological behaviors and biomedical procedures, including wound healing, cancer treatment and biomaterial implantation. Therefore, altering the adhesion of macrophages using biomaterial design may help control their biological function. In this work, we developed a straightforward method to render the hydrogel surface more hydrophobic and demonstrated that the adhesion of macrophages on hydrogels was enhanced on these more hydrophobic surfaces. Compared to the unmodified methacrylated gellan gum (MGG) hydrogel, the water contact angle increased and the swelling ratio decreased for modified MGG hydrogels. The degree of hydrophobicity was controlled by attaching hydrophobic branches of different lengths to the MGG, while the modification did not change the hydrogel compressive modulus. This ensured that the observed different cell responses were mainly due to hydrophobicity change and not the mechanical property difference among the hydrogels. Cell (RAW 264.7 macrophages) proliferation and spreading increased with increasing surface hydrophobicity. Protein adsorption on hydrogel surfaces showed the same trend. Quantification of adhesion to hydrogel surfaces using a hydrophobic probe showed that adhesion was enhanced as substrate hydrophobicity increased. This suggests that cell adhesion may be promoted due to the increase in hydrophobic adhesion that could enhance protein adsorption. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activated M1 and interleukin-4 (IL-4) activated M2 macrophages was also altered by substrate hydrophobicity. TNF-α production, a marker of pro-inflammatory macrophages, decreased with substrate hydrophobicity. These results suggest that substrate hydrophobic can be used to modulate macrophage responses.
A New Reduction of the Blanco Cosmology Survey: An Optically Selected Galaxy Cluster Catalog and a Public Release of Optical Data Products

The Blanco Cosmology Survey is a four-band (griz) optical-imaging survey of ∼80 deg{sup 2} of the southern sky. The survey consists of two fields centered approximately at (R.A., decl.) = (23{sup h}, –55°) and (5{sup h}30{sup m}, –53°) with imaging sufficient for the detection of L {sub *} galaxies at redshift z ≤ 1. In this paper, we present our reduction of the survey data and describe a new technique for the separation of stars and galaxies. We search the calibrated source catalogs for galaxy clusters at z ≤ 0.75 by identifying spatial over-densities of red-sequence galaxies and report the coordinates, redshifts, and optical richnesses, λ, for 764 galaxy clusters at z ≤ 0.75. This sample, >85% of which are new discoveries, has a median redshift of z = 0.52 and median richness λ(0.4 L {sub *}) = 16.4. Accompanying this paper we also release full survey data products including reduced images and calibrated source catalogs. These products are available at http://data.rcc.uchicago.edu/dataset/blanco-cosmology-survey.
Association between sperm mitochondarial DNA copy number and nuclear DNA methylation

Aim: Accumulating evidence associates sperm mitochondria DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) with male infertility and reproductive success. However, the mechanism underlying mtDNAcn variation is largely unknown. Patients & methods: Sperm mtDNAcn and genome-wide DNA methylation were assessed using triplex probe-based quantitative PCR and Illumina's 450K array, respectively. Multivariable models assessed the association between sperm mtDNAcn and DNA methylation profiles of 47 men seeking infertility treatment. Results: A priori candidate-gene approach showed sperm mtDNAcn was associated with 16 CpGs located at/near POLG and TWNK genes. Unbiased genome-wide analysis revealed that sperm mtDNAcn was associated with 218 sperm differentially methylated regions (q <0.05), which displayed predominantly (94%) increases in methylation. Conclusion: Findings suggest that DNA methylation may play a role in regulating sperm mtDNAcn.
Just Out of Reach? Unrestrained Supply, Constrained Demand, and Access to Effective Schools in and Around Detroit:

Research concerning family preferences for schooling indicates that they value proximity to home as much as academic quality when choosing schools. However, preferences for proximity likely represe...
Recognizing Environmental Duties and Applying Our “Fair and Reasoned” Criteria

This chapter further examines the necessary and useful distinctions between perfect and imperfect duties. In this context, it introduces and examines propositions of (i) mutual dependence, (ii) the necessity of obtaining and applying knowledge of our environmental impacts, and (iii) the global environmental community. The chapter then examines the duty-based discourse criteria of O’Neill, and also Habermas, but in the context of environmental considerations. This material is shown to be the basis of our environmental advocacy organizations (EAOs), their coalitions, and their involvement in our “reasoned social discourse” and resulting resolutions. This chapter also introduces environmental applications of the Rawlsian criteria for “competent moral judges” and “considered moral judgments.” The duty implications of these sets of criteria establish what is meant by “fair and reasoned discourse and decisions” in environmental matters.
Wind project performance with age: Policy, technology, markets, and the maturing wind power industry

Abstract U.S. wind generation capacity has grown by a factor of nearly 50 times in the past 20 years; now nearly a third of wind capacity is 10 years old or older. This ageing of this fleet affects the productivity of existing investments and raises the stakes for replacing these assets through repowering. Focusing on the Texas wind power fleet to examine declining productivity over time, and how those changes factor into replacement and retirement decisions, we corroborate earlier decline findings but observe a slower rate of repowering than in other settings. We then explore repowering decisions and find evidence that technological change has favored relatively unproductive sites, in contrast to the previous literature on this topic. We explore the policy implications of our findings, in particular the desirability and feasibility of using policy tools to promote more repowering.
Less imprisonment is no doubt a good thing: more policing is not

If policy makers were to take account of evidence, as Steven N. Durlauf and Daniel S. Nagin (2011, this issue) argue, then American crime-control policies would look very different. Here is how and why. Prison sentences have few general deterrent effects, if any. The effects of imprisonment on individual deterrence are most likely perverse; people sent to prison tend to come out worse and more likely to reoffend than if they had received a lesser punishment. Some things police do, however, can reduce crime rates. American jurisdictions should reduce their use of imprisonment and increase their investment in policing, thereby lowering crime, victimization, and imprisonment rates as well as saving money simultaneously. Everybody—offenders, prospective victims, and taxpayers—wins. Yes, probably, concerning imprisonment and possibly concerning policing, but serious problems of unwanted unintended consequences would need to be overcome. The conclusions and proposals are based on in part on Nagin’s recently completed comprehensive reviews of the literatures on general deterrence (Apel and Nagin, 2011) and on the effects of imprisonment on released inmates’ subsequent offending (Nagin, Cullen, and Jonson, 2009). Durlauf and Nagin (2010) again surveyed the deterrence literature as well as the literatures on the effects of variations in police numbers, per capita spending, and crackdowns on crime. Durlauf and Nagin (2011) pull all that work together and add to it. The deterrence surveys conclude that credible evidence indicates that changes in sentencing laws sometimes produce deterrent effects but that the effects are highly contingent, depending on threat communication and patterns of implementation; are not easily replicable; and provide an insufficient basis on which to build sentencing policies. The prison effects survey concludes that no credible evidence suggests that imprisonment reduces reoffending by released offenders. To the contrary, tentative but not yet conclusive
Adult sexual assault: The role of racial/ethnic composition in prosecution and sentencing

Abstract Utilizing a sample of 365 cases, this study analyses the impact of the racial/ethnic composition of the victim/offender dyad on prosecution and sentencing of adult sexual assault offenders. Major decision points examined include the prosecutors’decision to reject/dismiss or fully prosecute, whether the case went to trial or was resolved by plea negotiation, whether convicted offenders were sentenced to jail or prison, and the length of term imposed. Unlike all other studies that have addressed this issue, no significant effect of racial/ethnic composition was found at any decision point in case processing. Hypotheses to explain this difference in findings are discussed.
D-dimer and inflammatory markers as predictors of functional decline in men and women with and without peripheral arterial disease.

Objectives: To determine whether higher circulating levels of inflammatory and thrombotic markers are associated with greater decline in lower extremity performance. Design: Prospective cohort. Setting: Academic medical center. Participants: Three hundred thirty-seven men and women with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and 215 without PAD. Measurements: Objective measures of leg function, including the 6-minute walk and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), were obtained at baseline and annually for 3 years. D-dimer, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and fibrinogen levels were measured at baseline. Participants were categorized into one of three groups, ranging from low to high levels of inflammation, depending on the number of individual blood factors in the lowest and highest tertiles for each corresponding blood factor. Results: Adjusting for age, sex, race, ankle brachial index, comorbidities, and other confounders, greater inflammation was associated with greater decline in the SPPB (P=.008). Results were similar when repeated in participants with and without PAD separately (P for trend=.04 for participants with PAD and .07 for participants without PAD). In fully adjusted analyses, there were no significant associations between inflammation group and decline in 6-minute walk performance. Conclusion: Higher baseline levels of inflammatory markers and D-dimer were associated with greater decline in the SPPB at 3-year follow-up in persons with and without PAD.
A small differentiable liquid scintillator neutron spectrometer

Liquid scintillator neutron spectrometer using pulse shape discrimination and two parameter analyzer
Klinefelter Syndrome: Early Treatment of the Adolescent Is Warranted

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is associated with a classical phenotypic triad of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, learning disabilities, and a tall, eunuchoid stature. Patients begin puberty with proper timing and normal hormonal levels but experience progressive testicular atrophy due to hyalinization of the seminiferous tubules and loss of germ cells. Hypogonadism causes poor pubertal progression, and boys are left with variable compromise of secondary sexual characteristic development, as well as an impacted neurocognitive phenotype. Early initiation of a multidisciplinary treatment protocol during childhood and adolescents involving physical, speech, and occupational therapy as well as medical therapy including hormonal manipulation can help to minimize the physical and psychosocial impact of the disorder and maximize quality of life for KS patients. Additionally, an early testicular sperm extraction and cryopreservation may represent the best chance at securing fertility potential.
Health care utilization patterns for young children in rural counties of the I-95 corridor of South Carolina.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess health care utilization patterns for young children with Medicaid insurance in the rural counties of the I-95 corridor in South Carolina relative to other regions of the state. We hypothesize that young children received less well care and higher levels of tertiary care in the rural counties along the I-95 corridor (I-95) of South Carolina. Design/Methods: A Medicaid cohort of children less than 3 years of age was used to compare Early, Periodic, Diagnosis, Screening and Treatment (EPSDT) visits; preventable emergency department (ED) visits; and inpatient visits between I-95, other rural and urban county groupings. Results: The adjusted odds of a child having had 80% of the recommended EPSDT visits were reduced for I-95 compared to other rural counties. The odds of a preventable inpatient or ED visit were increased for all rural counties, with the highest rates in the other rural counties. Conclusions: Children accessed well care less in the I-95 corridor compared to other rural areas of South Carolina. Rural children accessed tertiary care more often than urban children, a finding most prominent outside the I-95 corridor, likely attributable to more available access of tertiary care in rural counties outside the I-95 corridor.
The immune system and the remodeling infarcted heart: Cell biological insights and therapeutic opportunities

Extensive necrosis of ischemic cardiomyocytes in the infarcted myocardium activates the innate immune response triggering an intense inflammatory reaction. Release of danger signals from dying cells and damaged matrix activates the complement cascade and stimulates Toll-like receptor/interleukin-1 signaling, resulting in the activation of the nuclear factor-κB system and induction of chemokines, cytokines, and adhesion molecules. Subsequent infiltration of the infarct with neutrophils and mononuclear cells serves to clear the wound from dead cells and matrix debris, while stimulating reparative pathways. In addition to its role in repair of the infarcted heart and formation of a scar, the immune system is also involved in adverse remodeling of the infarcted ventricle. Overactive immune responses and defects in suppression, containment, and resolution of the postinfarction inflammatory reaction accentuate dilative remodeling in experimental models and may be associated with chamber dilation, systolic dysfunction, and heart failure in patients surviving a myocardial infarction. Interventions targeting the inflammatory response to attenuate adverse remodeling may hold promise in patients with myocardial infarction that exhibit accentuated, prolonged, or dysregulated immune responses to the acute injury.
The postnatal development of the submandibular gland of the mouse

The postnatal development of the submandibular gland was investigated in male mice of the Swiss-Webster strain, which were killed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 weeks of age, while the older mice had been weaned at 3 weeks of age. The mean weight of the submandibular gland increases from 9.5 mg at 1 week to 232.9 mg at 20 weeks of age, and the rate of increase is rapid between 3 and 10 weeks of age. The gland's contents of DNA, RNA and protein increase in a similar manner.
Exploring user perception of wireless campus

The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of a university's wireless student users. The research first identified key factors and indicators that are the determinants of a successful wireless campus and further employed a survey to measure the users' levels of perception. The findings and results support user satisfaction, network reliability, and wireless accessibility although user perception of wireless trust and legality were neutral. In addition to benefit the studied university in maintaining a more reliable, stable, and expansive wireless infrastructures and environment, it is hoped that this study will contribute to other educational institutions when assessing their wireless computing networks and initiatives.
Some Consequences of Early Harsh Discipline: Child Aggression and a Maladaptive Social Information Processing Style

Although a number of studies have reported a relation between abusive parental behavior and later aggressive behavior in the victim, many of these investigations have had methodological limitations that make precise interpretation of their results problematic. In the present study, we attempted to determine whether harsh parental discipline occurring early in life was associated with later aggression and internalizing behavior in children, using a prospective design with randomly selected samples to avoid some of these methodological difficulties. Structural equation modeling indicated a consistent relation between harsh discipline and aggression in 2 separate cohorts of children. This relation did not appear to be due to possible confounding factors such as child temperament, SES, and marital violence, although there was some indication in our data that the latter variables were related to child aggression. In addition, our analyses suggested that the effect of harsh discipline on child aggression may be mediated at least in part by maladaptive social information processing patterns that develop in response to the harsh discipline.
Magnetoelastic transducers for monitoring coagulation, clot inhibition, and fibrinolysis

Magnetoelastic transduction has been used to detect and monitor the viscosity changes that occur during the biological reactions of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Magnetoelastic sensors can be used, because the characteristic resonance frequency of the magnetoelastic strip shifts in response to the changes in fluid viscosity. At a set frequency, the output signal can be obtained over time to develop a coagulation and/or dissolution profile, which display the change in viscosity of a plasma sample that has undergone either coagulation or fibrinolysis. For coagulation screening, an exogenous tissue factor is added to an anticoagulated plasma sample to initiate coagulation. Further studies were performed to investigate fibrinolysis through the addition of plasmin. Plasmin is used in two different ways-as a competitive inhibitor before the initiation of clotting and also as a protease to dissolve the previously formed clot. This method is a viable option for the monitoring of processes that are paramount to maintaining hemostasis.
Developing an identity model for transgender and intersex inclusion in lesbian communities.

SUMMARY The article briefly highlights past ideologies of Essential-ism and Constructionist thought, identifying their weaknesses as arguments of exclusion. By combining corporeality and mentality, the article posits an identity model, the spherical characterization model that argues for transgender inclusion in lesbian space by deconstructing the ideology behind identity group construction. Next the article applies the spherical characterization model to the characters in Virginia Woolf's Orlando and Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex to delineate how the model argues for transgender inclusion within lesbian space.
Planetary flybys resulting in heliocentric orbits normal to the ecliptic with fixed perihelia.

An iterative procedure is applied to a patched conic trajectory sequence in which a spacecraft is launched from the earth, flys by the planet Jupiter, and leaves Jupiter along a heliocentric trajectory whose plane is normal to the ecliptic, and whose perihelion is fixed at 0.1 AU. Six launch opportunities, spaced apart in time at approximately the mean synodic period of earth and Jupiter (roughly 400 days), are examined.
Early Adolescents’ Psychosocial Adjustment and Weight Status Change: The Moderating Roles of Gender, Ethnicity, and Acculturation

According to many public health experts, obesity is the most serious health threat facing today’s early adolescents. This study examined the relationship between psychosocial adjustment (i.e., internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, interpersonal skills) and weight status change during early adolescence and possible moderating roles of gender, ethnicity, and acculturation. Data came from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), a US nationally representative sample of children who entered kindergarten during 1998–1999 and were followed through eighth grade. The current study was initiated in the fifth grade (n = 6,860; 51 % female). At fifth grade, parents reported on household routines; children and teachers reported on indicators of psychosocial adjustment. At fifth and eighth grade, children’s weight was measured. Girls’ weight status stability and change was more likely than boys’ to be associated with psychosocial adjustment, after accounting for household/child routines and demographic variables. Compared to non-Hispanic White, Hispanic girls who exhibited higher levels of externalizing behaviors at fifth grade were more likely to become or stay obese at eighth grade. Hispanic girls who exhibited higher levels of internalizing behaviors at fifth grade were more likely to become or stay at a healthy weight at eighth grade, especially if they reported lower levels of acculturation. Lastly, African American girls with better interpersonal skills at fifth grade were more likely to stay obese at eighth grade. Implications for obesity prevention programs with early adolescents are discussed in the contexts of gender, ethnicity and acculturation.
Aorto-right atrial fistula: a rare complication of trans-septal puncture and catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

A 43-year-old woman was referred to our medical centre in the setting of persistent tachyarrhythmias. She had undergone multiple catheter ablation procedures at her local medical institution, one of which resulted in an iatrogenic injury of her ascending aorta during a trans-septal puncture. Her procedural records suggested that the catheter was inadvertently advanced …
Isolation of T-cell tropic HTLV-III-like retrovirus from macaques

The isolation of a T-cell tropic retrovirus from three immunodeficient macaques and one macaque with lymphoma is described. The morphology, growth characteristics, and antigenic properties of this virus indicate that it is related to the causative agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in humans (HTLV-III or LAV). This virus is referred to as simian T-lymphotropic virus type III (STLV-III) of macaques. The existence of a cytopathic, T-cell tropic virus resembling HTLV-III in monkeys may facilitate study of disease induction and vaccine development in an animal model.
RACK1 associates with muscarinic receptors and regulates M2 receptor trafficking

Receptor internalization from the cell surface occurs through several mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms, such as clathrin coated pits, are well understood. The M(2) muscarinic acetylcholine receptor undergoes internalization via a poorly-defined clathrin-independent mechanism. We used isotope coded affinity tagging and mass spectrometry to identify the scaffolding protein, receptor for activated C kinase (RACK1) as a protein enriched in M(2)-immunoprecipitates from M(2)-expressing cells over those of non-M(2) expressing cells. Treatment of cells with the agonist carbachol disrupted the interaction of RACK1 with M(2). We further found that RACK1 overexpression inhibits the internalization and subsequent down regulation of the M(2) receptor in a receptor subtype-specific manner. Decreased RACK1 expression increases the rate of agonist internalization of the M(2) receptor, but decreases the extent of subsequent down-regulation. These results suggest that RACK1 may both interfere with agonist-induced sequestration and be required for subsequent targeting of internalized M(2) receptors to the degradative pathway.
Toward a narrative conceptualization of stereotypes : Contextualizing perceptions of public housing residents

Expansion of policies aimed at empowering disenfranchised groups, for example, resident/tenant participation in public housing, have been greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm. However, negative beliefs about the intelligence, ability, and morality of these groups, may interfere with the implementation of these policies. A greater understanding of social perceptions may lead to interventions that diminish interference. Traditional stereotyping research methods rely on trait conceptualizations that have been criticized as inadequate to fully describe social perceptions. This study examines the utility of a narrative approach to studying stereotypes about public housing residents. A group of college students (authors) wrote stories about a public housing resident and described the resident using trait objectives. Two readers, one given the story and the other the trait list, predicted how the author responded on various public housing belief and attitude instruments. Results indicate that stories and traits convey unique information not expressed by the other and offer preliminary support for the added usefulness, especially contextual information, of a narrative framework for studying stereotypes. The relevance of a narrative approach for understanding how stereotypes may undermine empowerment-based policies, in this case tenant participation in public housing, will also be explored. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Morphogenesis: multitalented GTPases seeking new jobs.

Summary Since their discovery twenty years ago the GTPases Rac, Rho, and Cdc42 have become cellular superstars, with diverse roles in regulating actin, cell polarity and other functions. Several recent papers highlight their roles in morphogenesis, revealing surprising complexity.
Nudging physician prescription decisions by partitioning the order set: results of a vignette-based study.

Healthcare professionals are rapidly adopting electronic health records (EHRs). Within EHRs, seemingly innocuous menu design configurations can influence provider decisions for better or worse. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the grouping of menu items systematically affects prescribing practices among primary care providers. We surveyed 166 primary care providers in a research network of practices in the greater Chicago area, of whom 84 responded (51 % response rate). Respondents and non-respondents were similar on all observable dimensions except that respondents were more likely to work in an academic setting. The questionnaire consisted of seven clinical vignettes. Each vignette described typical signs and symptoms for acute respiratory infections, and providers chose treatments from a menu of options. For each vignette, providers were randomly assigned to one of two menu partitions. For antibiotic-inappropriate vignettes, the treatment menu either listed over-the-counter (OTC) medications individually while grouping prescriptions together, or displayed the reverse partition. For antibiotic-appropriate vignettes, the treatment menu either listed narrow-spectrum antibiotics individually while grouping broad-spectrum antibiotics, or displayed the reverse partition. The main outcome was provider treatment choice. For antibiotic-inappropriate vignettes, we categorized responses as prescription drugs or OTC-only options. For antibiotic-appropriate vignettes, we categorized responses as broad- or narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Across vignettes, there was an 11.5 percentage point reduction in choosing aggressive treatment options (e.g., broad-spectrum antibiotics) when aggressive options were grouped compared to when those same options were listed individually (95 % CI: 2.9 to 20.1 %; p = .008). Provider treatment choice appears to be influenced by the grouping of menu options, suggesting that the layout of EHR order sets is not an arbitrary exercise. The careful crafting of EHR order sets can serve as an important opportunity to improve patient care without constraining physicians’ ability to prescribe what they believe is best for their patients.
What Psychology as a Science Owes Neal Miller: The Example of His Biofeedback Research

Abstract Neal Miller did more to make psychology a science than any other investigator. His importance does not lie with any specific discoveries that he made, but rather with his way of doing scientific research, which involved pursuing a line of logic systematically through sequences of experiments, and paying attention to several alternate hypotheses that could answer each of the experimental questions addressed. His approach was a model of what has been called “Strong Inference” and that is characteristically used in the hard sciences. His biofeedback research is used as a case history of his method of approach.
Postscarlatinal gangrene with prolonged prothrombin time.

Summary 1. A review of the literature of postscarlatinal gangrene reveals twenty cases. 2. A new case of postscarlatinal gangrene with thrombocytopenia and prolonged prothrombin time is presented with the laboratory findings.
Successful fast track implementation of a new library system

Abstract Over a six-month period beginning in the fall of 1998, Oregon State University's libraries migrated all bibliographic, patron, circulation, and acquisitions data from a GEAC automated system to one designed by Innovative Interfaces Inc. (III).The most important factor in achieving this success was the active involvement of staff of all levels in planning, implementation, and testing. This paper provides an overview of the process developed by OSU to train staff from all units of the library to assist in the migration, plan the technical details for transferring all data, test the new system, and correct problems that arose as a result of the migration.
Signals of Reconciliation: Institution-Building and the Resolution of Civil Wars

Recent studies of civil war have tended to apply concepts associated with neorealist analyses of international conflict to understand the dynamics of disputes among collectivities within a state. The intention of the present essay is to demonstrate that this reliance on neorealist theory has resulted in the neglect of viable solutions to these conflicts that are inconsistent with the dominant paradigm. We suggest that an alternative international relations perspective, neoliberal institutionalism, can also serve as a prescription for post-civil war stability. Consistent with this perspective, we identify a process in which negotiating and establishing power-sharing institutions serves two important functions in the resolution of civil wars. First, the institutions created through this process serve as the basis for establishing a new political order. Second, the act of developing postwar institutions provides a means by which former adversaries can generate the often costly signals of conciliatory intent necessary for fostering new norms of peaceful cooperation. We demonstrate the value of this framework through a case study of conflict resolution in the Philippines.
Analysis of oligonucleotide DNA binding and sedimentation properties of montmorillonite clay using ultraviolet light spectroscopy.

Smectite clays such as montmorillonite form complexes with a variety of biomolecules, including the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. Most previous studies of DNA adsorption onto clay have relied on spect...
Wilhelm Ludwig and his contributions to population genetics.

Abstract This article reviews the life and work of the German biologist Wilhelm Ludwig (1901–1959), whose contributions to population genetics have been largely ignored. Ludwig's work was a rich tapestry of population biology, spanning investigations into population growth, biological asymmetries, sex ratio, and paternity analysis. He was ahead of his time in explicitly combining the theory of population ecology and population genetics. His classic paper on annidation showed the possibility of population differentiation in the face of gene flow, and his early studies demonstrated the importance of selection in evolutionary change. Much of his work spanned the period of the Second World War in Germany, and interesting questions remain about his life during this turbulent period.
Investigation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fly Ash from Fluidized Bed Combustion Systems

A laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor and a bench scale 0.1 MWth fluidized bed combustor were used to study the effect of operating conditions on the formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon...
Detecting the Active Conformation of Calpain with Calpastatin-Based Reagents

The specific, calcium-dependent, high affinity interaction between calpain and its endogenous inhibitor calpastatin was exploited to selectively detect the calcium-bound, catalytically competent, conformation of calpain in vitro. Modification of calpastatin domain-1 (Val(114)-Ser(270)) or its N-terminal fragment (Val(114)-Pro(202)), at selected unique cysteine residues with maleimide-AlexaFluor546 did not compromise calpastatin function (inhibition of calpain) or its binding with calpain. Ca(2+)-dependent binding between catalytically dead calpain-2 (Cys(105)Ala) fused with eGFP and these fluorigenic calpastatin peptides generates fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET). The FRET signal documents proximity of calpain-2, C-terminally linked fluorophore to specific sites within calpastatin when the proteins form a complex. These results provide important insights into the calcium-dependent interaction between calpain and calpastatin and for holo-calpain-2 in solution experimentally validate some key features of their predicted interactions. These data also provide proof of concept that the calpastatin-based reagents may be useful to selectively detect the active conformation of calpain.
ANABOLIC-ANDROGENIC STEROIDS: IN CELL CULTURE

Testosterone and related steroids at physiological concentrations positively stimulate in cell culture a number of reactions in a variety of tissues from different species of animals. Cells maintained in cell culture provide a means to study toxic effects in target organs and also the mechanism of action of these steroids.
TNFA-308G>A polymorphism influences the TNF-α response to altered vaginal flora ☆

Abstract Objective To investigate the association between a tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene polymorphism, vaginal TNF-α level, and microbial flora in pregnant women. Methods Vaginal samples from 203 women at 18–22 weeks’ gestation were analyzed for microflora. TNFA-308G>A polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction endonuclease analysis and TNF-α concentration was determined by ELISA. Outcome data were subsequently obtained. Results The vaginal TNF-α concentration was elevated in TNFA-308A carriers only in the presence of abnormal vaginal flora. A median TNF-α level of 10.94 pg/ml in TNFA-308A carriers with bacterial vaginosis (BV) was significantly higher than that of 1.77 pg/ml in TNFA-308A carriers without BV (P = .02), and 1.72 pg/ml in TNF-308G homozygotes with BV (P = .01). Conclusion The TNFA-308G>A polymorphism influences the local TNF-α response to altered vaginal microflora. This suggests that the nature of the host response to microbial invasion in the lower female genital is genetically determined.
Sentinel lymph node mapping with pathologic ultrastaging: a valuable tool for assessing nodal metastasis in low-grade endometrial cancer with superficial myoinvasion.

Objective To report the incidence of nodal metastases in patients presenting with presumed low-grade endometrioid adenocarcinomas using a sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping protocol including pathologic ultrastaging.
Racial disparities in survival for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer adjusted for treatment effects

Abstract Objective To examine whether racial disparities in survival exist among black, Hispanic, and Asian patients compared with white patients with clinically localized prostate cancer (CLPC) after adjustment for the effects of treatment. Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with CLPC diagnosed from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2003, as documented in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Treatment-stratified, risk-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were constructed. Results During the study period, CLPC was diagnosed in 294,160 patients. Of these patients, 123,850 (42.1%) underwent surgery and 101,627 (34.5%) underwent radiotherapy, whereas 68,683 (23.3%) received no treatment. Overall 5-year and 10-year survival rates for Asians (85.6% and 67.6%, respectively), Hispanics (85.9% and 69.0%, respectively), and whites (83.9% and 65.7%, respectively) were higher than for blacks (81.5% and 61.7%, respectively) ( P P P P P =.10). Conclusion Blacks with CLPC have poorer survival than whites, whereas Asians have better survival, even after risk adjustment and stratification by treatment. These data may be relevant to US regions with large underserved populations that have limited access to health care.
Tetrahedral bond length variations in sulfates

Observed S—O bond lengths for sulfate tetrahedral oxyanions isolated from crystalline solids correlate with the tetrahedral angles impressed upon these ions by their environments. An algorithm is presented which can account for more than 90 percent of the S—O bond length variations from a consideration only of the average of the three angles common to each bond. Extended Huckel molecular orbital theory serves to rationalize these correlations by relating changes in bond overlap population (i.e., bond strength) to angular distortions of sulfate ions observed in a large number of natural and synthetic compounds.
Review of History of Vaccine Development by Stanley A. Plotkin (Editor)

This book, History of Vaccine Development, edited by Stanley Plotkin, collects the personal perspectives of selected scientists who were instrumental in the development of a number of current vaccines. The editor of this book, Stanley Plotkin, is an emeritus professor of the University of Pennsylvania and at the Wistar Institute. He developed the rubella vaccine and has worked extensively in the development and application of many other vaccines. The book originates from information discussed at a meeting convened by Dr. Plotkin in Paris in 1995 which, unfortunately, has not been widely disseminated until now. Some of the participants have passed away since the meeting was held and, as Dr. Plotkin indicates, that makes their account even more important for future generation of vaccinologists. There are so many lessons to be learned from those individuals who actually developed vaccines. As the Spanish-born philosopher, novelist, and poet George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are conde...
Incarcerated mothers and parenting

This paper describes as a primary prevention strategy, a parent-education program aimed at enhancing the parenting skills and knowledge of incarcerated women (the majority of whom were mothers). Data are presented which describe changes in program participants' self-evaluations, parenting attitudes, and expectations of children. Upon completing of the parenting program, few differences were observed for the various pre- and post-test measures. Specifically, the analysis indicated that participants' self-esteem improved slightly but that participants appeared to regress in such parenting attitudes as beliefs in the use of corporal punishment as a means of discipline. The need for further examination of the area of parenting attitudes and practices of incarcerated mothers is underscored.
Abstract B11: miRNA expression differs between African American and European American patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Patients diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma have a median survival of <6 months, a 5-year survival rate of ~5%, and more than 80% of patients are not candidates for surgical intervention. Pancreatic cancer trends over the last 30 years illustrate a striking racial disparity. It is vital to identify specific patient populations which may benefit from selective targeted therapy as generalized clinical development strategies based on toxicity-based dose selection and “all comers” efficacy oriented testing have been unsuccessful. To seek a specific miRNA expression signature characterizing the phenotype of in both AA and EA pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumor cells, we performed laser capture microdissection (LCM) to specifically collect only the tumor cells from bulk tumor. The capabilities of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTQ) have recently been expanded with the development of OpenArray, which are able to determine the expression of multiple miRNAs. We identified 16 differentially expressed miRNAs (P<0.05) in LCM isolated tumor cells between tissue samples obtained from African American and European American patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma using OpenArray technology. We believe that the miRNAs identified will allow for patient stratification to identify specific patient populations for future targeted therapies. Citation Format: Lacey R. McNally, Elizabeth H. Kerr, Denise Oelschlager, Cecil Stockard, William E. Grizzle. miRNA expression differs between African American and European American patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B11.
The business case for commitment to diversity

Abstract Does an organization's commitment to diversity - as reflected by CEO commitment, human capital, corporate communications (internal and external), and supplier diversity - result in competitive advantage and superior financial performance? Diversity can bring new voices and perspectives into the strategy dialogue, help managers understand and address the needs of a demographically diverse customer base, and stimulate a wider range of creative decision alternatives. However, the anticipated benefits of corporate diversity efforts may also be accompanied by costs that can affect shareholder wealth. In a study comparing the financial performance of the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity to a matched sample, we find evidence that firms with a strong commitment to diversity outperform their peers on average. For commitment to diversity to become ingrained in corporate culture there must be visible and ongoing support from senior management, a clear articulation of the business case for diversity, line manager accountability, and training programs directed at communications, conflict resolution, and team building.
Alcohol precipitation of proteins: The relationship of denaturation and precipitation for catalase

The precipitation of crude beef liver catalase at 4°C by the lower alcohols could be correlated in a manner analogous to that used for salting out precipitations with ammonium sulfate. At high alcohol concentrations, however, the analogy breaks down since denaturation effects must betaken into account Depending upon the concentration of the alcohol and temperature, the denaturation transition may be either thermally induced or solvent induced. When the precipitated enzyme was redissolved in buffer, not all forms could refold spontaneously to a catalytically active conformation. The data on the precipitation yields of catalase correlated well with denaturation diagrams previously developed. Thus, a quantitative basis could be established to relate the sensitive performance of the technique to the experimental conditions. A further correlation between the amino-acid composition of the enzyme and the optimal concentration of alcohol required for precipitation may provide a guide for the extension of this work to other systems.