cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An improved method for determination of urinary 17-ketosteroids.

IN THE determination of urinary 17-ketosteroids, it has been recognized that interfering chromogens may cause significant errors. Three methods have been introduced to eliminate or reduce these errors. Talbot et al. (1) have shown that these chromogenic materials are largely in the nonketonic fraction of crude urinary extract. The use of Girard's reagent T results in a chemical separation which eliminates this fraction, but it is a time-consuming procedure. The use of a correction equation in methods involving aqueous alkali has been shown by Engstrom and Mason (2) to introduce some serious errors. Since there appears to be no constant relationship between the amounts of 17-keto steroids and of nonketonic chromogenic substances, there may also be qualitative differences which may not be evident in the absorption maxima at the wavelengths used in various correction equations, indicating that such a rigid formula may not be applicable in every case. Cahen and Salter (3) used a relatively simple method of extracting the final pink Zimmermann color with chloroform, the undesirable pigments then remaining in the aqueous layer. The chloroform was objectionable because of the turbidity encountered. Zimmermann et al. (4) have recently reported a method utilizing ether or chloroform extraction of the Zimmermann color. Using identical samples, their extraction values were in close agreement with those obtained on the ketonic fraction separated with the aid of Girard's reagent. Their results also emphasized the unreliability of the various color correction formulae. This paper describes a method for estimation of total neutral 17-ketosteroids, which utilizes amyl acetate as a solvent for the final Zimmermann color.
Past, Present, and Personal: The Family and the Life Course in American History

A major contribution to the rapidly growing literature on family history, this book ranges over the whole of American history to cover subjects from the changing nature of fatherhood to the relevance of the past for present-day policy-making. It raises important, and often controversial questions. Students of American social history, particularly family history; sociologists and social anthropologists.
Viral Infection and Acute Encephalopathy

An unselected series of 22 children (13 males; age range 1 mo to 13yr, median 2yr 4mo) with acute encephalopathy were studied prospectively at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, UK.
The Age Structure of Female Suicide Rates: Measurement and Analysis of 20 Developed Countries, 1955–1994:

Although age-specific female suicide rates have been available for over a century, sociologists have focused on comparing the levels of the rates across age groups, and in studying change overtime. Girard's (1993) article is the first systematic effort to compare the age structure of female suicide rates among national populations. From his study of 1976–1980 suicide rates in 49 less developed and more developed populations, Girard concluded that the age structure of female suicide rates was a function of the level of economic development. Our partial test of this theory found that the age structure of female suicide in mid-19th-century European populations was not at all like the structures of less developed countries in 1976–80. We also replaced Girard's qualitative typology with the index of dissimilarity, allowing quantitative assessment of differences between the age structure of suicide in the United States and the other 19 countries in this study. Age structures in 14 countries were significantly d...
EXPLORING THE INTERSEXUAL NATURE OF VIOLENT CRIMES

Data on criminal homicides (from the Uniform Crime Reports) and aggravated assaults and simple assaults (from the National Crime Surveys) are analyzed to determine the extent to which violent crimes occur within or between sexes. The routine activities approach is used to develop hypotheses, and those hypotheses are tested using models that estimate the proportion of ingroup and outgroup crimes “expected.” With the exception of homicides, in which women murder men more often than expected, each of these violent crimes occurs within sexes more often than expected. There is a strong relationship between the type of violence (simple assault, aggravated assault, and homicide) and the extent to which the target of female aggression is a male.
Hope's Edge. The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Hope's Edge. The Next Diet for. Small Planet. Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe. Penguin Putnam Inc., 2002.
Density Phenomena in the Transformation Range of a Borosilicate Crown Glass

The effect of heat-treatment in the transformation range on the density of a borosilicate crown glass was studied by the method of quenched samples. An empirical equation is presented which satisfactorily represents the approach of the density to its equilibrium value at three temperatures. The density-temperature relation in the special case of cooling at a constant rate is discussed theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that if the initial temperature is sufficiently high, the density-temperature relations for different cooling rates are identical except for a displacement along the equilibrium density-temperature line by an amount proportional to the logarithm of the cooling rate. The final density reached after cooling through the entire transformation range is also shown to depend linearly on the logarithm of the rate. The implications of these results are discussed.
Intentional Topiramate Ingestion in an Adolescent Female

OBJECTIVE:To describe an intentional topiramate ingestion by an adolescent and warn of the potential for topiramate abuse.CASE SUMMARY:A 17-year-old female intentionally ingested approximately eight 100-mg topiramate tablets for the purpose of “getting high.” Soon after ingestion, she was found at school obtunded and nonresponsive. Upon transfer to the emergency department, she became combative and aggressive with evolving neurologic abnormalities including incoherence, confusion, disorientation, and significant speech impairments including echolalia. Approximately 24 hours after ingestion, the patient had completely recovered without requiring specific treatment or experiencing sequelae.DISCUSSION:The clinical effects following acute topiramate intoxication appear consistent with the drug's known pharmacologic properties. There are few other reports of topiramate ingestions and most cases have had mild outcomes.CONCLUSIONS:Due to the multifactorial effects topiramate may have upon the central nervous sys...
Counseling Psychology and School Counseling Partnership Overlooked? Underutilized? but Needed!

This article focuses on why possible partnerships between counseling psychology and school counseling may be overlooked or underutilized. One reason may be a lack of awareness. Then,attention is given to some challenges faced by school counselors as they carry out their work in the schools. Finally, suggestions are offered that can lead to forging strong partnerships that could assist school counselors to respond to the challenges they face and be more effective in their work.
Oral supplements to improve lactose digestion and tolerance / Aportes orales para mejorar la digestión y la tolerancia de la lactosa

There are two principal microbial sources of β-galactosidase (lactase): (i) yeast (Kluyveromyces lactis) and (ii) fungi (Aspergillus niger and A. oryzae). From these sources, several over-the-counter lactase supplements have been prepared and introduced into the US market. Controlled clinical trials have shown that these lactose digestive aids are effective. However, the results have been vari able. A consistent observation in many of these is that there may be a subpopulation with very low levels of endogenous residual lactase. These people might need much higher levels of oral supplements than currently recommended. Generally, the products are expensive and research should be directed toward reducing the cost of these oral supplements.
Burden of Infection on Growth Failure

The high prevalence of infections among children living in poor areas of developing countries impairs linear growth in these populations. Acute, invasive infections, which provoke a systemic response (e.g., dysentery and pneumonia), and chronic infections, which affect the host over a sustained period (e.g., gut helminth infections), have a substantial effect on linear growth. Such infections can diminish linear growth by affecting nutritional status. This occurs because infections may decrease food intake, impair nutrient absorption, cause direct nutrient losses, increase metabolic requirements or catabolic losses of nutrients and, possibly, impair transport of nutrients to target tissues. In addition, induction of the acute phase response and production of proinflammatory cytokines may directly affect the process of bone remodeling that is required for long bone growth. Infection of cells directly involved in bone remodeling (osteoclasts or osteoblasts) by specific viruses may also directly affect linear growth. Many interventions are possible to diminish the effect of infection on growth. Prevention of disease through sanitation, vector control, promotion of breast-feeding and vaccination is crucial. Appropriate treatment of infections (e.g., antibiotics for pneumonia) as well as supportive nutritional therapy (again including breast-feeding) during and after recovery, is also important. Targeted therapeutic interventions to decrease the prevalence of gut helminth infections may also be appropriate in areas in which such infections are widespread. Such interventions are of public health benefit not only because they reduce the incidence or severity of infections, but also because they decrease the long-term detrimental effect of malnutrition on populations.
A New Framework for Conceptualism

A satisfactory theory of perception must meet a variety of metaphysical and epistemological demands. What is wanted is a view that simultaneously accounts for, among other things, the epistemic significance of experience, the nature and status of illusion and hallucination, the possibility of unmediated perceptual contact with the world, the “richness” of experience, and the source of perceptual concepts. It has been argued that experience must be conceptual in order to secure the justificatory role of perceptual states; at the same time, it has been thought that such states cannot be conceptual given their phenomenological and explanatory features. Our aim is to introduce and defend a new framework for conceptualism that, by marking ontological and epistemic differences between sensory awareness and perceptual experience, promises to resolve this dispute while accounting for all of the above phenomena. In §1, we clarify the conceptualist thesis at issue. In §2, we present and motivate the framework—a collection of theses about awareness and experience—and defend it against possible objections. In §3, we show how the framework can be used to block what we take to be the most serious threat to conceptualism: the argument from nonveridical experience. In §4, we show how the framework bears upon various further issues that arise in the debates between conceptualists and nonconceptualists, including the
Optimizing Cascaded Chains of Unmanned Aircraft Acting as Communication Relays

This work presents a decentralized mobility control algorithm for an optimal end-to-end communication chain using a team of unmanned aircraft acting solely as communication relays. The chaining controller drives the location of a virtual control point, using estimates of the communication objective function gradient calculated using stochastic approximation techniques, to locations of improved relaying for unmanned aircraft. The gradient estimate is derived from observation data of the communication objective function taken along a path generated by the aircraft orbiting about the control point. Flight experiments show that an unmanned aircraft can measure the signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio fields from IEEE 802.11b/g (WiFi) communication links; generate estimates of the field gradients using the least-squares gradient estimation method; and use the gradient estimates to drive a control point to a location that improves communication capacity.
Anaerobic Digestion and Related Best Management Practices: Utilizing Life Cycle Assessment

Manure management practices are regulated or promoted in the interest of preventing environmental pollution. Even when there are clear benefits, some management practices can result in unintended consequences. In this paper, a life cycle assessment approach was used to assess the role of manure storage and/or anaerobic digestion in changing the potential environmental impacts on a medium sized dairy farm in northern New York State. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is effective for reducing fossil fuel consumption, but reductions in GHG emissions are small compared to the large range of uncertainty. Nitrous oxide emissions were found to make up >50% of the climate change impact, and fugitive emissions of methane from the digester system counteracted benefits obtained by limiting lagoon emissions of methane and reducing fossil CO2 emissions. Long term manure storage was found to reduce the potential for water quality impacts while simultaneously increasing the potential for impacts related to air pollution. Results show clear benefits of AD in terms of reduced fossil fuel use, but more research and development of carbon-credit calculations is required before GHG benefits of AD can be accurately accounted.
Resistance to set breaking as a function of frustrative error making

As part of a research project concerned with the involvement of error-produced frustration in the performance of complex tasks, the present studies investigated the possibility that errors preceding the acquisition of a correct response can increase the probability of occurrence of that response. Such an effect would presumably be due either to the reinforcement produced by the reduction in error-produced frustration which accompanies the performance of the correct response or to the frustration-produced suppression of all alternative responses. The number of errors preceding the acquisition of a “set” solution to a task was manipulated by initially confronting the S with unsolvable items. It was found that a “set response” which was preceded by numerous unsolvable items was more resistant to “set breaking” than one preceded by no unsolvable items.
Gender Disparities in Scholarly Productivity within Academic Otolaryngology Departments

ObjectiveTo examine whether there are gender disparities in scholarly productivity within academic otolaryngology departments, as measured by academic rank and the h-index, a published, objective m...
Diagnostic accuracy and reliability of ultrasonography for the detection of fatty liver: A meta‐analysis

Fatty liver is the accumulation of fat (i.e., macro-vesicular steatosis) within the hepatic parenchyma. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the presence of fat infiltration in the liver in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption and other causes of liver disease, is the most common cause of fatty liver, with a prevalence as high as 30% in many populations.1 NAFLD may lead to fibrosis,2 cirrhosis,3 liver cancer,4,5 liver failure requiring liver transplant,6 and mortality7, and it is associated with type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other cardiovascular risk factors.8,9 Although NAFLD represents a major public health challenge, its natural history and determinants are incompletely understood because of limitations in diagnostic technologies and because this condition is often asymptomatic until very late, severe complications occur. In addition, because of the risk of progression to more advanced stages, early noninvasive detection of fatty liver disease is clinically important. Conventional B-mode ultrasonography is the most common technique used to assess the presence of fatty liver in clinical settings and population studies. However, several limitations of ultrasonography, including operator dependency, subjective evaluation, and limited ability to quantify the amount of fatty infiltration, have raised concerns. Indeed, some qualitative reviews10,11 have questioned the ability of ultrasound to reliably identify fatty liver, although no systematic review has performed a quantitative summary of available data on the diagnostic ability and reliability of ultrasound to identify fatty liver, compared to histology, the gold-standard. The main aim of this meta-analysis was thus to systematically review and summarize the available literature on the diagnostic accuracy (i.e., sensitivity and specificity) and reliability of ultrasound to distinguish patients with and without fatty liver, defined as the presence of moderate to severe steatosis on liver biopsy (gold standard). As secondary aims, we sought to systematically review and summarize the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of different ultrasonographic parameters or criteria used to diagnose fatty liver (e.g., presence of liver-to-kidney contrast or scores summing a variety of parameters). And, finally, we planned to analyze the available literature on the diagnostic accuracy (i.e., sensitivity and specificity) of ultrasound to detect fatty liver, compared to other imaging techniques (i.e., magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and computed tomography [CT]).
Message relay in disconnected ad-hoc networks

An ad-hoc network is formed by a group of mobile hosts upon a wireless network interface. Previous research in communication in ad-hoc networks has concentrated on routing algorithms which are designed for fully connected networks. The traditional approach to communication in a disconnected ad-hoc network is to let the mobile computer wait for network reconnection passively. This method may lead to unacceptable transmission delays. We propose an approach that guarantees message transmission in minimal time. In this approach, mobile hosts actively modify, their trajectories to transmit messages. We develop algorithms that minimize the trajectory modifications under two different assumptions: (a) the movements of all the nodes in the system are known and (b) the movements of the hosts in the system are not known.
Diffraction from a circular aperture: on-axis field strength

A useful, analytical result for the on-axis field strength from a uniformly illuminated circular aperture is derived. Also, new calculations for circular apertures with tapered illuminations are presented.
Climate change and economic growth in Brazil

ABSTRACTBrazil has felt the effects of climate change through significant variability in precipitation resulting in droughts and floods (Grimm, Pal, and Giorgi 2007; Verner and Tebaldi, forthcoming). This article contributes to the literature by examining the impact of rainfall variations on GDP growth rates of Brazilian states. The estimates suggest that spring droughts as well as spring droughts combined with summer floods impact Northeastern Brazil most severely. Because the Northeast has historically been the most economically deprived region in the country, the results suggest that climate events could aggravate inequality throughout the nation.
Early Indications of the Impact of Fin 48

This article provides an examination of initial Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation 48 disclosures for calendar-year-end public companies, which were required to disclose the anticipated effects of the new standard in their December 31, 2006, Forms 10-K.
Sexually transmitted diseases associated with women who have sex with women.

Aims: The aim of this work is to present the findings of various studies relevant to the incidence of sexually transmitted disease (STD) among women who have sex with women (WSW). This being an important issue when considering the numerous and diverse types of infections possible. Results : The various types of STD, vaginal infections, and abnormalities that are known among WSW includes: herpes simplex virus type 2, Chlamydia trachomatis , Neisseria gonorrhoeae , trichomoniasis, syphilis, hepatitis A, HIV, genital and oral human papillomavirus, pelvic inflammatory disease, allergic vaginitis, genital herpes and genital warts, squamous intraepithelial lesions, and bacterial vaginosis. Risk factors among WSW are the number of sexual partners, minimal use of protected sexual behaviors, and very low levels of knowledge of STD prevention among WSW. Drug-resistant pathogens have been observed in lesbian patients. Conclusion : The threat of infection among WSW is significant, with the types and number of viral and bacterial potential pathogens being diverse and numerous. Recognition of risks will assist in correctly identifying the STD and aid in choosing the appropriate clinical care. Further research into the occurrence of STDs among WSW will benefit and contribute to public health. Mini-review Article
The Mechanisms of Relaxation in Strained Layer GeSi/Si Superlattices: Diffusion Vs. Dislocation Formation

SixGe1−x strained layer superlattices are known to be metastable in that they can be grown fully commensurate with layer thickness higher than the equilibrium, calculated Tc at which dislocation formation becomes energetically favorable. In this paper, we describe the mechanism of relaxation in such multilayers. Both plane-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the formation of dislocation at the different interfaces. RBS was used to follow interdiffusion. We found two competing mechanisms for relaxation: The preferred mode for relaxation is the creation of dislocation networks at each of the interfaces. This process can be stopped or considerably inhibited by the difficulty of forming new dislocations in samples which are perfectly commensurate after growth; Some dislocations appear necessary in order to generate more dislocations during annealing. When this is not the case, the only possible way to attain relaxation is through diffusion. In such a case, stress-enhanced diffusion is observed, with a diffusion coefficient 200 times higher than expected.
The Acute Management of Facial Fractures

Facial fractures lead to functional and esthetical deficits if not treated properly. Appropriate acute management of facial fractures must be based on prompt and thorough evaluation. Some fractures are best treated in a delayed fashion; others represent real emergencies and need to be treated within 24 h of trauma. Different types of reduction and fixation exist depending on the age of the patient, the location and type of fracture, and on the surgeon’s preference.
Plasmid Vectors for Xylella fastidiosa Utilizing a Toxin-Antitoxin System for Stability in the Absence of Antibiotic Selection

The phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa causes disease in a variety of important crop and landscape plants. Functional genetic studies have led to a broader understanding of virulence mechanisms used by this pathogen in the grapevine host. Plasmid shuttle vectors are important tools in studies of bacterial genetics but there are only a limited number of plasmid vectors available that replicate in X. fastidiosa, and even fewer that are retained without antibiotic selection. Two plasmids are described here that show stable replication in X. fastidiosa and are effective for gene complementation both in vitro and in planta. Plasmid maintenance is facilitated by incorporation of the PemI/PemK plasmid addiction system, consisting of PemK, an endoribonuclease toxin, and its cognate antitoxin, PemI. Vector pXf20pemIK utilizes a native X. fastidiosa replication origin as well as a high-copy-number pUC origin for propagation in Escherichia coli cloning strains. Broad-host-range vector pBBR5pemIK is a medium- to low-copy-number plasmid based on the pBBR1 backbone. Both plasmids are maintained for extended periods of time in the absence of antibiotic selection, as well as up to 14 weeks in grapevine, without affecting bacterial fitness. These plasmids present an alternative to traditional complementation and expression vectors which rely on antibiotic selection for plasmid retention.
Detecting and correcting logically inconsistent crop rotations and other land-use sequences

ABSTRACTConverting multi-year land-use data into crop rotation history is relatively simple in the absence of classification errors, but severely compromised in their presence. Several classification errors can in theory be detected with a matrix of logically forbidden (or extremely unlikely) year-to-year land-use transitions. We categorized 730 of 3249 potential year-to-year transitions among 57 land-use classes in western Oregon as being logically permissible, with the remaining 77.5% forbidden. Applying these restrictions to eight consecutive years of land-use data revealed that an average of 26.7% of apparent year-to-year transitions among agricultural classes were illogical, in contrast to only 2.5% and 0.6% of urban development and forest transitions. The most useful correction applied to the data involved replacement of original majority-rule values (generated during prior pixel- to object-based data conversion) with second-place classification categories for fields with inconsistent land-uses iden...
Atypisches EKG – Technische Fallstricke

Mit grosem Interesse habe ich das Medi-Quiz in Heft 3 gelesen. Bei einem Patienten wurde nach einem Kreislaufstillstand ein pathologisches EKG mit ausgepragten ST-Strecken-Veranderungen aufgenommen. Die Autoren fuhrten dieses EKG-Bild auf die falsche Positionierung der EKG-Elektroden zuruck 1 .
Cardiorespiratory Orienting Responses as Predictors of Individuals at Risk for Psychovisceral Disorders

Utilizing a combination of idiographic and nomothetic research designs with repeated measures in several breeds of dogs, we discovered stable constitutional differences in psychophysiologic reactions to repeated exposure to psychologically stressful situations. Some dogs showed high psychophysiologic adaptation (HA dogs). Other dogs developed persistent psychophysiologic reactions to the psychologically aversive environment: tachycardia, polypnea, profuse salivation, high energy metabolism and muscle tension, and high urinary vasopressin and catecholamines (low adaptation or LA dogs). Retrospective analysis of the development and extinction of cardiac and respiratory orienting reflexes (OR) in these two types of dogs revealed that the LA dogs exhibit higher frequency and more intense, persistent, and highly fluctuating (poorly modulated) cardiac and respiratory OR than the HA dogs, which show rapid OR habituation and good modulation. Insofar as one may extrapolate these data to human subjects, recording dynamics of development and habituation and degree of modulation of visceral OR may facilitate early detection of individuals at risk for cardiorespiratory and other psychovisceral disorders.
The Metaphysics of Everyday Life: Three-dimensionalism defended

So far, I have simply assumed that we live in a three-dimensional world that endures over time. But three-dimensionalism is not uncontested. Indeed, the greatest challenge to the Constitution View is four-dimensionalism. In this chapter, I first want to show that the challenges from four-dimensionalism do not unseat the intuitively satisfactory three-dimensionalism of ordinary life. I shall argue that three-dimensionalism is not ruled out by Theodore Sider's technical argument from vagueness for four-dimensionalism. Then, I shall show that, despite the fact that constitution is a vague relation, the Constitution View does not imply that the number of objects in ontology is indeterminate. Next, I shall argue that the so-called “paradoxes of coincidence” are no reason to favor four-dimensionalism over three-dimensionalism. I'll conclude with reasons to prefer three-dimensionalism over four-dimensionalism. THREE – DIMENSIONALISM VS. FOUR – DIMENSIONALISM Three–and four–dimensionalism differ with respect to whether or not objects have temporal parts in addition to their spatial parts. Four-dimensionalism is the view that “every object, x, has a temporal part at every moment, t, at which it exists.” A temporal part may be thought of as a temporal slice or a temporal segment of a physical object. Four-dimensionalism implies that if a baseball, say, exists from, say, t1 to t2, the baseball has a temporal part at every time in the interval between t1 and t2, and – here's the kicker – at each time t of its existence, it has a temporal part that exists at t and at no other time.
Isolated Fetal Ascites, Neonatal Outcome in 51 Cases Observed in a Tertiary Referral Center

Introduction Prenatal detection of isolated ascites is a rare finding on ultrasound, usually suggestive of an underlying pathology that may negatively impact on the pregnancy and neonatal outcome. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the outcome of primary isolated ascites in relation to gestational age (GA) at diagnosis. Materials and Methods Data were prospectively collected for fetuses with ascites that have been followed in our center of prenatal diagnosis and therapy from 2004 to 2014. Patients have been divided in group I when ascites was detected before the 24th week of GA and group II if it was noticed later. Prenatal workup included detailed ultrasound, maternal blood group and presence of antibodies, maternal infection screening, fetal karyotyping, and if needed fetal paracentesis. Postnatal data included GA at birth, mode of delivery, weight at birth, neonatal and surgical outcome. Results During the study period, 51 fetuses were included. Among them, 28 in group I and 23 in group II. An associated anomaly was prenatally identified in 84% of the fetuses. Prenatal demise occurred only in patients belonging to group I for an overall incidence of 10%. An associated disease was confirmed after birth in 61% of cases in group I and in 74% in group II (p = ns). There was a higher incidence of gastrointestinal pathology in group II than in group I (47 vs. 10%, p = 0.004); with a significant prevalence of meconium peritonitis (32 vs. 4%, p = 0.016). Nine patients (17.6%) died after birth, all in group I, because of major systemic malformations. Overall, the postnatal outcome was good in 63% (n = 32) of the cases, and more than half of them belonged to group II (p = 0.003). Conclusion A wide range of etiologies have been found to be associated with isolated fetal ascites. A systematic diagnostic workup and multidisciplinary prenatal counseling can improve the accuracy of prenatal identification of associated pathologies. The early detection of fetal ascites, before the 24th week of GA, is associated with a significant risk of perinatal death; otherwise, a late diagnosis of fetal ascites is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal diseases, especially with meconium peritonitis.
Concentrated Ownership and Long-Term Shareholder Value

Corporate ownership structure with a controlling shareholder is widespread around the world. Conventional accounts of concentrated ownership warn against controlling shareholders’ abusive exercise of control and extraction of “private benefits” at the expense of minority shareholders. These accounts, however, are in sharp contrast with the success achieved by many firms with concentrated ownership and the resurgent popularity of dual class structure (which separates voting rights from rights to profits) with uncontested control, as evidenced by Google, Facebook, and many others. This paper attempts to reconcile the empirical evidence with the existing theory by demonstrating how a moderate amount of private benefits of control can actually enhance long-term value by inducing commitment and investment by the controlling shareholder. On the downside, because private benefits of control are less sensitive to firm performance, they can undermine the controlling shareholder’s incentive to maximize firm value. On the upside, because private benefits of control are non-transferrable (they are “private” and illiquid), they create a lock-in effect, making the controlling shareholder more likely to stay with the firm for the long-term and care about the firm’s long-term reputation and performance. The analysis renders a number of implications. For instance, the paper shows that achieving the optimal balance may require a formal separation of voting rights from rights to profits, as is done in a dual class structure. This can explain why certain founders are taking their companies public with a dual class structure even though such structure is considered to be inefficient. It also leads to a normative argument that, instead of a categorical ban, a more nuanced approach towards such mechanisms, such as heightened judicial scrutiny, could be superior.
Bayesian sparse reduced rank multivariate regression

Many modern statistical problems can be cast in the framework of multivariate regression, where the main task is to make statistical inference for a possibly sparse and low-rank coefficient matrix. The low-rank structure in the coefficient matrix is of intrinsic multivariate nature, which, when combined with sparsity, can further lift dimension reduction, conduct variable selection, and facilitate model interpretation. Using a Bayesian approach, we develop a unified sparse and low-rank multivariate regression method to both estimate the coefficient matrix and obtain its credible region for making inference. The newly developed sparse and low-rank prior for the coefficient matrix enables rank reduction, predictor selection and response selection simultaneously. We utilize the marginal likelihood to determine the regularization hyperparameter, so our method maximizes its posterior probability given the data. For theoretical aspect, the posterior consistency is established to discuss an asymptotic behavior of the proposed method. The efficacy of the proposed approach is demonstrated via simulation studies and a real application on yeast cell cycle data.
Why Legal Positivism (Again)

This was a keynote address at the annual meeting of the Australasian Society of Legal Philosophy at the University of Sydney in 2013. (It is a much expanded version of some brief remarks presented in 2010.) Why is legal positivism the dominant view among legal philosophers? The address begins with a somewhat lengthy methodological preamble, offering reasons to resist the extravagant metaphysical inflation of the purported theoretical virtues of positivism in some recent jurisprudential writing by Dickson and Shapiro, among others. Artifacts do not have essential attributes, not even functional ones. (Leslie Green's partial resistance to my metaphysical deflation in his recent "The Morality in Law" is shown to depend on some confusions about the status of the claim that law is an artifact.) I then suggest that legal positivism has three theoretical virtues counting in its favor. First, if we take seriously the benchmark for theoretical adequacy that Hart gave for his theory - namely, that it capture what the ordinary educated person familiar with a modern municipal legal system understands by the concept of law - that positivism does the best job of accounting for this ordinary understanding. (Particular attention is drawn to Raz's original arguments for legal positivism of this form, as opposed to his perhaps better-known, if more controversial, argument from the nature of authority.) Second, the positivist account of law is the one deployed fruitfully in all the empirical social sciences. Third, the positivist theory does not involve incredible or controversial metaphysical assumptions. The last two theoretical considerations are acknowledged to presuppose naturalism, but I suggest that doing so is unavoidable. Are there any competitors to the positivist theory so understood? The most sophisticated version of natural law theory, that of John Finnis, has conceded the main points in dispute to the legal positivists, and fails to articulate a successful argument against descriptive jurisprudence. A plausible theoretical reconstruction of the jurisprudence of American Legal Realism shows it to presuppose the positivist view. Scandinavian Legal Realism is shown to reject Hart's benchmark of theoretical adequacy (the first point, above), and so to be undertaking a wholly different project, one in no competition with Hart's. Dworkin's theory, by contrast, fails along the the three dimensions of theoretical adequacy along which legal positivism succeeds. The paper concludes that the appeal of Dworkin's theory to constitutional lawyers in the Anglophone world and elsewhere is due entirely to the (correct) perception that his theory makes moral considerations relevant to the resolution of momentous constitutional questions; unfortunately, nothing in the positivist theories of Hart and Raz denies the relevance of moral considerations to such questions. I end with some sociological reflections on jurisprudence that may partly explain the continued resistance to legal positivism, contrasting my own sociological speculations with Dworkin's final and embarrassing ad hominem arguments against legal positivism.
Role of clusterin in the brain vascular clearance of amyloid-β

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized by neurovascular dysfunction, elevated brain parenchymal and vascular amyloid-β (Aβ) levels, tau pathology, and neuronal loss (1, 2). Faulty transvascular clearance of brain Aβ across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in Aβ accumulation in the brain, both in human AD and animal models (1⇓⇓–4). Normally, transvascular brain-to-blood transport across the BBB clears most of Aβ from brain (∼85%), whereas the interstitial fluid (ISF) bulk flow along perivascular spaces removes the remaining smaller fraction of ∼15% of Aβ (5). The two major apolipoproteins in brain, apolipoprotein E (APOE) and apolipoprotein J (APOJ), also known as clusterin (CLU), interact with Aβ and regulate its clearance from brain (1, 2) (Fig. 1). Specifically, Aβ is cleared across the BBB as a free peptide and/or bound to apolipoproteins E2 and E3, but not E4, via endothelial low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1), whereas CLU binds Aβ and mediates its clearance across the BBB via low-density lipoprotein-related protein 2 (LRP2; also known as megalin and gp330) (2, 4). Peripheral Aβ reenters the brain by the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) (6). In PNAS, Wojtas et al. (7) explore the effect of endogenous murine Clu deficiency on Aβ pathology. Fig. 1. The neurovascular unit includes neurons, astrocytes, mural cells, and endothelial cells. The type of mural cell varies along the vascular tree, with smooth muscle cells circumventing arteries and arterioles, … [↵][1]2To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: zlokovic{at}usc.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Mobile IT in health – the case of short messaging service in an HIV awareness program

ABSTRACTThis study aims to augment our understanding of user intention to use mobile IT in health. Experiential dispositions and technology perceptions around a mobile service that is currently in use to access other value-seeking services are integrated to present an enriched characterization of intention to use m-health. Primary data from a pressing health context in a developing economy are collected to validate the model. The results demonstrate that previous experience from value services received on a mobile service enhances user attention, which in turn positively impacts the perceived usefulness of an incoming m-health program, which then influences user intention to adopt m-health services delivered on that mobile service. Overall, the findings provide a comprehensive understanding of user intention to accept m-health. Additionally, our results provide insights toward the choice of mobile technology and indicate aspects of message framing that may ensure practicable deployment and successful impl...
Choline Supplementation Normalizes Fetal Adiposity and Reduces Lipogenic Gene Expression in a Mouse Model of Maternal Obesity

Maternal obesity increases fetal adiposity which may adversely affect metabolic health of the offspring. Choline regulates lipid metabolism and thus may influence adiposity. This study investigates the effect of maternal choline supplementation on fetal adiposity in a mouse model of maternal obesity. C57BL/6J mice were fed either a high-fat (HF) diet or a control (NF) diet and received either 25 mM choline supplemented (CS) or control untreated (CO) drinking water for 6 weeks before timed-mating and throughout gestation. At embryonic day 17.5, HF feeding led to higher (p < 0.05) percent total body fat in fetuses from the HFCO group, while the choline supplemented HFCS group did not show significant difference versus the NFCO group. Similarly, HF feeding led to higher (p < 0.05) hepatic triglyceride accumulation in the HFCO but not the HFCS fetuses. mRNA levels of lipogenic genes such as Acc1, Fads1, and Elovl5, as well as the transcription factor Srebp1c that favors lipogenesis were downregulated (p < 0.05) by maternal choline supplementation in the HFCS group, which may serve as a mechanism to reduce fat accumulation in the fetal liver during maternal HF feeding. In summary, maternal choline supplementation improves indices of fetal adiposity in obese dams at late gestation.
Surgery in the patient with liver disease and postoperative jaundice

Abstract In a patient with liver disease, the degree of liver impairment should be evaluated carefully before surgery. The Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, used to prioritize candidates awaiting liver transplantation, can also be used to help predict the risk of postoperative mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Strategies to mitigate the risk of liver-related morbidity in patients with cirrhosis undergoing surgery include avoiding hypotension, minimizing the duration of anesthesia, and limiting exposure to narcotics and sedatives to avoid precipitating hepatic encephalopathy. For treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, minimally invasive surgery with radiofrequency or microwave ablation is increasingly used in patients with cirrhosis, with excellent outcomes. Postoperative patients with ascites who require volume expansion, should receive 25% albumin or blood products rather than crystalloid. In addition, it is crucial to avoid nephrotoxic agents such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs to prevent the development of hepatorenal syndrome. Postoperative jaundice can occur in patients with or without liver disease due to an increase in serum bilirubin levels from blood transfusions or resorption of hematomas or from intrahepatic cholestasis resulting from drug-induced liver injury, sepsis, ischemia, or total parenteral nutrition.
Therapy Dogs on Campus: A Counseling Outreach Activity for College Students Preparing for Final Exams

A university counseling center engaged a therapy dog program for an outreach activity to reduce stress as students prepare for final exams at a large culturally diverse university. This article describes the rationale, planning, and implementation of the activity; presents an evaluation summary; and provides recommendations and implications for counselors interested in using a similar activity. A large and diverse student population attended the activity and gave primarily positive feedback for this low-cost group activity.
Ode to the humble Southern blot in the era of exomes.

Methods to perform the Southern blot, the separation of pieces of DNA by size and then identification with a molecular probe, were first published in 1975,1 before some of us in academic medicine had even entered preschool. It seems astonishing in this post–Human Genome Project era that the technique still has relevance in modern genetic diagnostics. Yet, even with the growing availability of exome sequencing, the Southern blot remains the method of choice to detect expansions in nucleotide repeats in the human genome. In this issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice , Wallace and Bird2 remind us that neurologists forget this at our peril.
Irony, Conflict, and Tragedy in Cultural Analysis: Hip-Hop between Bourdieu and Nietzsche:

Culture has increasingly been analyzed ironically in relation to social conflict, emphasizing themes of ideology, co-optation, and complicity in reproducing inequalities. Arguably the most sophisti...
New approaches for defining sequence specific synthesis of heparan sulfate chains.

Mammalian cells synthesize heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) which consist of core proteins with covalently linked glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) of 50–150 disaccharide units. The GAGs exhibit great structural diversity which arise from differing arrangements of alternate disaccharide units. It has been hypothesized that HSPG may be involved in regulating the most basic aspects of cell biologic systems such as adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. However, considerable doubt exists about the specific nature of the above interactions because of a failure to isolate GAGs of unique monosaccharide sequence with appropriate biologic activities.
Pollutant Degradation by White Rot Fungi

The continually growing worldwide hazardous waste problem must be dealt with by the present as well as future generations. Past production and improper disposal of large quantities of environmentally persistent and toxic chemicals by both the government and the private sector has generated very legitimate public health concerns. Widespread contamination of soils as well as groundwater and surface water has brought this problem to the forefront. Cleanup of environmental pollution also presents a serious economic burden to society. In the United States alone, the cost of environmental decontamination is thought to range between $0.5 and $1.0 trillion (Aust 1993). Considering the magnitude of this financial burden, it becomes apparent that cost-effective yet efficient methods of decontamination are vital to our success in solving the hazardous waste problem. One such method that has become increasingly popular is bioremediation. The use of indigenous or introduced microorganisms to decontaminate waste sites provides a very attractive economic solution to many of our hazardous pollution problems.
BRCA1 and Estrogen Signaling in Breast Cancer

Since the gene encoding BRCA1 was first cloned in 1994, researchers have sought to establish the molecular basis for its linkage to breast and ovarian cancer. As universal functions for this protein have emerged, questions persist concerning how its disruption can elicit cancer in a tissue- and gender-specific manner. Here, we review evidence that a functional interrelationship between BRCA1 and estrogen signaling may be involved in breast tumorigenesis.
Doubly Subscripted Variables and Matrix Multiplication

This chapter explains the use of variables that have two subscripts by using a doubly subscripted variable—also called two-dimensional arrays—in the program. This program enables the programmer to determine whether there is any connection between the result of throwing one die and the result of throwing a second die in a game in which two dice are thrown. The results of throwing the dice for any given time are both punched on a data card. The program accommodates up to 1000 data cards. The array COUNT(F,S) is used as a counter to record the results each time the two dice are thrown. The elements of a doubly subscripted array are stored in sequence in the computer's memory such that the first subscript assumes all of its possible values in sequence for each successive value of the second subscript. Programmers describe this by saying that the first subscript varies more rapidly than the second.
An Automated System for Hollow Fiber Cell Culture

Four hybridoma cell lines were grown and supported, using fully integrated bioreactor systems. Each system, consisting of a sterile, disposable, hollow fiber bioreactor, was maintained by totally automated control instrumentation. Characterization of cell line viability, productivity, and scalability was established by employing hollow fiber cartridges of three different sizes. The efficacy of the system was evaluated in terms of operational requirements, process control, antibody production, and end product purification as compared to alternative cell culture techniques.