cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The historical but missed role of Chinese sociology

This article suggests a theory of how restrictions imposed on Chinese sociology in the second half of the 20th century impeded thinking about, and ultimately deprived this country of, alternatives ...
Colloidal 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid Capped Lead Sulfide Quantum Dots in a Low Boiling Point Solvent

Colloidal 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA) capped lead sulfide quantum dots were prepared in a variety of organic solvents stabilized with a quaternary ammonium halide salt. The stabilized colloids’ optical properties were studied through optical absorption and emission spectroscopy and found to be dependent on both the concentration of a new ligand and stabilizer, and sample age. Nanocrystal ligand chemistry was studied through a combination of 1H NMR and two-dimensional Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy (NOESY) which revealed full displacement of the original oleate ligand to form a dynamically exchanging ligand shell. The colloids were studied optically and via NMR as they aged and revealed a quantitative conversion of monomeric 3-mercaptopropionic acid to its dimer, dithiodipropionic acid (dTdPA).
Elements of Market Structure for On-Line Commerce

Computers and communication networks have demonstrated economic benefits in processing business transactions and streamlining buyer-seller relationships in a range of industries. Research has shown that EDI links between manufacturers and suppliers, for instance, make purchasing and inventory management more efficient. More recently, however, information technology has led to several MAJOR changes in the structure of markets. Structural changes include redefining the roles of intermediaries, altering the need for physical proximity among transactors, and fundamental redesigns of the price setting process. On-line auctions conducted successfully over the Internet by several large airlines demonstrated that viable alternatives exist to the current market structure with travel agents and “posted-price” product offerings. In computerized market institutions, products can be sold through new channels (e.g., world-wide web browsers) using alternative trading institutions (e.g., interactive on-line auctions). This paper details the principal factors constituting a market structure, and describes how information technology (I.T.) can support alternative market organizations. As new institutions are introduced to alter price-setting mechanisms and purchasing practices, profound impacts will be felt in firms and industries. To highlight the consequences of new market structures, examples are drawn from financial markets, which have witnessed upheavals from the introduction of I.T. Market structure principles and market quality metrics are well-developed for financial markets, and studies of several controversies hold important implications for participants in other markets.
Wbp2nl has a Developmental Role in Establishing Neural and Non-Neural Ectodermal Fates.

In many animals, maternally synthesized mRNAs are critical for primary germ layer formation. In Xenopus, several maternal mRNAs are enriched in the animal blastomere progenitors of the embryonic ectoderm. We previously identified one of these, WW-domain binding protein 2 N-terminal like (wbp2nl), that others previously characterized as a sperm protein (PAWP) that promotes meiotic resumption. Herein we demonstrate that it has an additional developmental role in regionalizing the embryonic ectoderm. Knock-down of Wbp2nl in the dorsal ectoderm reduced cranial placode and neural crest gene expression domains and expanded neural plate domains; knock-down in ventral ectoderm reduced epidermal gene expression. Conversely, increasing levels of Wbp2nl in the neural plate induced ectopic epidermal and neural crest gene expression and repressed many neural plate and cranial placode genes. The effects in the neural plate appear to be mediated, at least in part, by down-regulating chd, a BMP antagonist. Because the cellular function of Wbp2nl is not known, we mutated several predicted motifs. Expressing mutated proteins in embryos showed that a putative phosphorylation site at Thr45 and an α-helix in the PH-G domain are required to ectopically induce epidermal and neural crest genes in the neural plate. An intact YAP-binding motif also is required for ectopic epidermal gene expression as well as for down-regulating chd. This work reveals novel developmental roles for a cytoplasmic protein that promotes epidermal and neural crest formation at the expense of neural ectoderm.
The realities of race

Over the past two decades, science has demonstrated that implicit social cogni­tions exist, are pervasive, are predictably biased, and alter judgments that produce discriminatory decisions. Not surprisingly, this research threatens many on the right because it provides an ev­idence-based challenge to the myth of color blindness. What is surprising is the anxiety this has provoked on the left, as exemplified by Jonathan Kahn’s Race on the Brain .
A longitudinal assessment of change in marijuana use with other substance use problems

ABSTRACTBackground: Despite increasing marijuana use rates over the past decade, the longitudinal association between marijuana use and other substance use problems among adults is unclear. Objectives: To examine associations of self-reported changes in marijuana use and marijuana use frequency with self-reported other substance use problems over a 12-month period. Methods: Two waves (W1 and W2) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study provided data. The study sample (N = 26,204, female = 13,261; male = 12,943, aged 18+) included W1-W2 never marijuana users, W1-W2 ex-users (used prior to 12 months of W1), and those who either quit, initiated, resumed, or continued marijuana use between W1 and W2. We used multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses. Results: The past-year marijuana use rate was 12.4% at W2. A quarter of W1 users quit using marijuana in the 12 months preceding their W2 interview, and one-third of all the W2 users were new/resumed users since W1. Compared to W1-W2 ex-...
Introduction to the Special Issue: A Case for School Counseling Leadership

In this introduction article to the special issue of Professional School Counseling on “School Counseling Leadership in Practice,” the guest editors advance the next evolution of school counseling ...
A Reliable Multi-User EMG Interface Based on A Generic-Musculoskeletal Model against Loading Weight Changes *

The reliability of myoelectric control is important to ensure the performance of prostheses during daily use. Recently, we proposed a multi-user neural-machine interface based on a generic musculoskeletal model to simultaneously and continuously estimate flexion/extension movements at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist joints from surface electromyography (EMG) signals. Our previous results demonstrated that the multi-user EMG interface was reliable against upper limb posture changes. However, the reliability of the interface against different loading weights, which is an important factor that would decrease the performance of myoelectric control and be tested during the occupational therapy for myoelectric prosthesis users, is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the reliability of the generic model over different loading weights. Four able-bodied subjects were tested in this study. Subjects performed a virtual hand/wrist posture matching task with three different loading weights (no weight, 1.25 Lbs, and 2.5 Lbs). All subjects accomplished all the assigned virtual tasks. The on-line experimental results showed that performance with different loading weights was very close. The results demonstrated that the multi-user EMG interface was reliable against the different loading weights, indicating it has potential to promote the myoelectric control into clinical applications.
DrivAid: Augmenting Driving Analytics with Multi-Modal Information

The way people drive vehicles has a great impact on traffic safety, fuel consumption, and passenger experience. Many research and commercial efforts today have primarily leveraged the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to characterize, profile, and understand how well people drive their vehicles. In this paper, we observe that such IMU data alone cannot always reveal a driver’s context and therefore does not provide a comprehensive understanding of a driver’s actions. We believe that an audio-visual infrastructure, with cameras and microphones, can be well leveraged to augment IMU data to reveal driver context and improve analytics. For instance, such an audio-visual system can easily discern whether a hard braking incident, as detected by an accelerometer, is the result of inattentive driving (e.g., a distracted driver) or evidence of alertness (e.g., a driver avoids a deer).The focus of this work has been to design a relatively low-cost audio-visual infrastructure through which it is practical to gather such context information from various sensors and to develop a comprehensive understanding of why a particular driver may have taken different actions. In particular, we build a system called DrivAid, that collects and analyzes visual and audio signals in real time with computer vision techniques on a vehicle-based edge computing platform, to complement the signals from traditional motion sensors. Driver privacy is preserved since the audio-visual data is mainly processed locally. We implement DrivAid on a low-cost embedded computer with GPU and high-performance deep learning inference support. In total, we have collected more than 1550 miles of driving data from multiple vehicles to build and test our system. The evaluation results show that DrivAid is able to process video streams from 4 cameras at a rate of 10 frames per second. DrivAid can achieve an average of 90% event detection accuracy and provide reasonable evaluation feedbacks to users in real time. With the efficient design, for a single trip, only around 36% of audio-visual data needs to be analyzed on average.
Evaluating the Safety and Behavioral Impacts of Green Bike Lanes in Suburban Communities

A study of the effects on bicyclist and driver behavior when painting a bike lane green was conducted using video footage along East Thach Avenue in Auburn, Alabama. Whereas most previous studies o...
Behavioral Response of the Mammalian Community to River Otter Latrine Activity

Mammals commonly use latrines to communicate with each other via behaviors, such as scent marking and defecation. Olfactory cues resulting from these behaviors may influence the behavior of other species in and around latrines. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is well known for its conspicuous use of latrines. We investigated whether latrine behavior of otters affected the behavior of other mammalian species. We used remote cameras to record activity patterns, visitation rates, and species richness at nine otter latrines located at five study sites across northern Indiana. We predicted the use of latrines by otters would result in the avoidance of latrines by other mammals in these riparian systems. Monthly mean species richness was lower at control sites than at latrine sites. Coyotes visited latrine sites more often than control sites, but all other species visited latrines and controls equally. Analysis of activity patterns revealed only white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiana) changed activity from primarily nocturnal at latrines to primarily diurnal activity at control sites. Our findings suggest otter latrine activity has minimal effect on the behavior of most other mammals. Therefore, surveying otter latrines with remote cameras may simultaneously provide unbiased estimates about the diversity of the riparian mammal community given mammals tended to visit latrine and control sites equally.
Statistical Analysis in Employment Discrimination: Trends and Implications

This paper describes an archival analysis of utilization trends and affirmation rates of three statistical tools for documenting workplace discrimination: The EEOC’s 4/5ths rule (which requires that success rates for minorities on screening tests be at least 80% of success rates for non-minorities), Fisher’s Exact Test, and multiple regression. The database for this analysis was compiled by pulling citations for these three tests from all available court decisions mentioning “Discrimination” (but not “price discrimination”) and at least one of these three tests in Bloomberg Law between 1964 (when the Civil Rights Act was passed) and 2017. The resulting corpus contained 306,895 discrimination decisions during the last 53 years -- a corpus which revealed that the prevalence of statistical tests has increased significantly during the last five decades. A heterogeneity of slopes analysis revealed the following: 1) The frequency of the 4/5ths test has diminished during the last 53 years, although its rates of affirmation have remained unchanged; 2) The frequency of Fisher's Exact Test has remained stable during this period, although its rates of affirmation have dropped to a statistically significant extent, and; 3) The frequency of multiple regression has remained unchanged during this period, but its affirmation rate has increased significantly. Following Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, the results suggest that discrimination litigation in coming years will bring: 1) lower affirmation rates for the 4/5ths test and similar univariate descriptive tests; 2) lower frequencies of the FET and similar univariate tests, and; 3) a higher frequency of statistical evidence relying on multiple regression.
Review of the Literature on the Costs Associated With Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) develops in 8% to 16% of hospital admissions. These patients exhibit a 4- to 10-fold increase in mortality and prolonged hospital stays. There is a dearth of information on the economics of AKI, especially in critically ill patients whose health-care costs are already high. It is important that pharmacists understand the economic impact of AKI to optimally prevent and treat AKI occurrence, thus reducing total hospital costs. Authors used MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar searches up to April 2019. Inpatient AKI affects an estimated 498 000 patients in the United States with its annual cost from $4.7 to $24.0 billion. Average patient costs of AKI in the intensive care unit are generally double than those of non-AKI patients. High AKI severity portends a higher cost. Total hospital costs in patients with AKI ranged from $29 700 in cardiac surgery patients to $80 400 in cardiogenic shock. Incremental increases of cost range from $9400 in major surgery patients and up to $81 000 in nonsurviving dialysis patients. The enormity of the clinical and economic impact of AKI should be a call to action by pharmacists to expeditiously select patient-specific therapies to prevent and treat AKI, and thus reduce its economic burden on an already fragile health-care system.
Consent, Coercion, and Employment Law

The Roberts Court has recently handed several high-profile wins in labor and employment law cases to anti-labor and pro-employer forces. This paper argues that those decisions replicate crucial moves made by some infamous Lochner-era cases — and that those same moves continue to underlie key elements of labor and employment doctrine more generally. In particular, these decisions rest on a contestable understanding of free worker choice. This paper begins by examining the key recent Roberts Court decisions and demonstrates that they appear to invoke at least two distinct and conflicting understandings of employee and employer choice. It then turns to the critique of free choice developed by Legal Realist figures during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The Realists deployed their critique to challenge many then-existing areas of doctrine, notably including the Lochner-era freedom-of-contract cases. This paper demonstrates that the recent Roberts Court decisions implicate that critique just as the Lochner-era cases did. Just as in the Lochner era, the Roberts Court has persistently undervalued the importance of regulation and collective organization in rectifying imbalances in bargaining power and guaranteeing workers meaningful freedom of choice. The paper then explores the implications of the Realist analysis for several fundamental questions of labor and employment law doctrine. The paper argues that the doctrine in this area has never really shed the premises of Lochner.
Top management team diversity, individualism–collectivism, and MNE performance

Existing theories of diversity typically focus on a limited range of usually American research settings and on a relatively narrow range of types of diversity. Here, we examine a less commonly used...
Diabetes Mellitus Is an Independent Predictor for the Development of Heart Failure: A Population Study.

Abstract Objectives To delineate the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the development of cardiovascular diseases in a community population. Patients & Methods Cross-sectional survey of residents randomly selected through the Rochester Epidemiology Project, 45 years or older, of Olmsted County as of June 1, 1997, through September 30, 2000. Responders (2042) underwent assessment of systolic and diastolic function using echocardiography. The current analyses included all participants with DM and were compared with a group of participants without DM matched 1:2 for age, sex, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Baseline characteristics and laboratory and echocardiography findings between groups were compared along with rates of mortality due to various cardiovascular conditions. Results We identified 116 participants with DM and 232 matched participants without DM. Those with DM had a higher body mass index and plasma insulin and serum glucose levels. Although left ventricular ejection fractions were similar, E/e' ratio (9.7 vs 8.5; P=.001) was higher in DM vs non-DM. During a follow-up of 10.8 (interquartile range, 7.8-11.7) years, participants with DM had a higher incidence of heart failure (HF); hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence limits, 1.2-3.6; P=.01) and 10-year Kaplan-Meier rate of 21% (22 of 116) vs 12% (24 of 232) compared with those without DM. We also examined the subgroup of participants without diastolic dysfunction. In this subgroup, those with DM had an increased risk for HF; hazard ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence limits, 1.0-6.3; P=.04). Conclusion In this cohort, participants with DM have an increased incidence of HF over a 10-year follow-up period even in the absence of underlying diastolic dysfunction. These findings suggest that DM is an independent risk factor for the development of HF and supports the concept of DM cardiomyopathy.
Text Comprehension and Discourse Processing

How do you comprehend language? What factors will influence your immediate understanding of what you hear or read? Will you remember the information in two weeks? Will you be able to use the information for another purpose? This chapter concerns all of these questions—more specifically it reviews what we know about comprehension, what we hope to know in the future, how we can improve or support comprehension, and how psychologists have attempted to model comprehension processes. Research has partially unraveled the complexity of comprehension processes; comprehension performance ultimately is determined by multiple factors internal and external to the individual. Internal variables range from the well-studied influence of memory (especially short- and long-term working memory) on comprehension to the more uncertain impact of a comprehender's goals and emotions. External variables also are diverse, ranging from the format or content of a printed text to contributions of other participants in conversation. Research on these factors has uncovered a variety of ways to support and improve comprehension; some aspects of comprehension even have been modeled with success. Although this chapter discusses the considerable knowledge that comprehension research has generated, it also discusses future challenges to developing a complete model of comprehension. Keywords: conversation; learning; models; reading comprehension; text memory; verbal comprehension
Corruption and Trust in Police: Investigating the Moderating Effect of Procedural Justice.

This article examines the role of citizens’ contact with police and their assessments of officers’ corruption in police in India. More importantly, we examine whether police procedural justice mode...
Modeling target species selection behavior among diverse freshwater anglers in Florida, USA

Abstract Effectively managing freshwater recreational fisheries and sustaining participation requires understanding the demographic characteristics of anglers and the relationships between angler motivations and stated behaviors. We surveyed freshwater anglers in Florida, USA to assess demographic characteristics, stated fishing behaviors, choice of target species, motivations, and communication modes. Generalized ordinal logistic regression analyses of these factors revealed several significant differences among demographic groups, such as targeted species, travel distance and mode of fishing. There were also broad similarities. Anglers of differing races/ethnicities were characterized by a similar suite of motivations for fishing, and most demographic groups used similar communication channels. This challenges ideas that non-white anglers are well-characterized by singular motivations for fishing (like food or socialization), or that agencies lack tools to communicate with these anglers. Results suggest that management agencies may best serve and diverse anglers by ensuring varied angling opportunities are accessible and that information is communicated directly between agents and anglers.
Therapeutic plasma exchange as adjunct therapy in 3 dogs with myasthenia gravis and myasthenia-like syndrome.

OBJECTIVE To describe the use of therapeutic membrane-based plasma exchange (TPE) for treatment of clinical signs associated with suspected acquired myasthenia gravis (MG) in 3 dogs. CASE SERIES SUMMARY Three dogs presented with clinical signs consistent with acquired MG. All 3 dogs were medically managed prior to being treated with TPE. Two of the 3 dogs had increased acetylcholine receptor antibody titers that decreased after TPE. One dog diagnosed with primary MG became clinically normal after 2 sessions of TPE and continued to do well with medical management several months later. The second dog was diagnosed with a suspect thymoma, and TPE was performed as a bridge to surgery, with marked improvement of clinical signs after TPE. The dog was ultimately diagnosed with a thymic carcinoma. The third dog had a positive acetylcholine antibody titer and was ultimately diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma (spleen and liver) and invasive mediastinal thymoma. This dog developed severe pneumonia, was ventilator dependent, and died of multiple organ dysfunction. No immediate complications were observed secondary to TPE. All 3 dogs were concurrently treated with either immunosuppressive agents, anticholinesterase drugs, or both. NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED The use of TPE in dogs with MG appears to be well tolerated and safe. It may be a reasonable adjunct therapy to acetylcholinesterase drugs in cases that are not responding to medical management alone. Therapeutic plasma exchange might also be considered preoperatively to prevent postoperative complications in dogs with severe MG, although further studies should be performed.
Exposure to domoic acid is an ecological driver of cardiac disease in southern sea otters

Abstract Harmful algal blooms produce toxins that bioaccumulate in the food web and adversely affect humans, animals, and entire marine ecosystems. Blooms of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia can produce domoic acid (DA), a toxin that most commonly causes neurological disease in endothermic animals, with cardiovascular effects that were first recognized in southern sea otters. Over the last 20 years, DA toxicosis has caused significant morbidity and mortality in marine mammals and seabirds along the west coast of the USA. Identifying DA exposure has been limited to toxin detection in biological fluids using biochemical assays, yet measurement of systemic toxin levels is an unreliable indicator of exposure dose or timing. Furthermore, there is little information regarding repeated DA exposure in marine wildlife. Here, the association between long-term environmental DA exposure and fatal cardiac disease was investigated in a longitudinal study of 186 free-ranging sea otters in California from 2001 – 2017, highlighting the chronic health effects of a marine toxin. A novel Bayesian spatiotemporal approach was used to characterize environmental DA exposure by combining several DA surveillance datasets and integrating this with life history data from radio-tagged otters in a time-dependent survival model. In this study, a sea otter with high DA exposure had a 1.7-fold increased hazard of fatal cardiomyopathy compared to an otter with low exposure. Otters that consumed a high proportion of crab and clam had a 2.5- and 1.2-times greater hazard of death due to cardiomyopathy than otters that consumed low proportions. Increasing age is a well-established predictor of cardiac disease, but this study is the first to identify that DA exposure affects the risk of cardiomyopathy more substantially in prime-age adults than aged adults. A 4-year-old otter with high DA exposure had 2.3 times greater risk of fatal cardiomyopathy than an otter with low exposure, while a 10-year old otter with high DA exposure had just 1.2 times greater risk. High Toxoplasma gondii titers also increased the hazard of death due to heart disease 2.4-fold. Domoic acid exposure was most detrimental for prime-age adults, whose survival and reproduction are vital for population growth, suggesting that persistent DA exposure will likely impact long-term viability of this threatened species. These results offer insight into the pervasiveness of DA in the food web and raise awareness of under-recognized chronic health effects of DA for wildlife at a time when toxic blooms are on the rise.
Dual Measures of Mathematical Modeling for Engineering and Other STEM Undergraduates

This paper addresses two aspects of integrating mathematics education with engineering education that may address persistence of engineering majors (and STEM majors more broadly): an emphasis on modeling as a vehicle for more authentic learning activity (Niss et al. 2007), and the need for measures that can support academic units’ efforts to collect local data about student attainment of program goals. In this paper, we contribute: (1) a measure for modeling self-efficacy and its corresponding design process; (2) a measure for modeling competency and its corresponding design process; (3) a preliminary analysis of the relationship between modeling competency and self-efficacy. We argue that such instruments address a genuine need of engineering departments (as well as STEM education researchers) to have a means for collecting local data on students’ modeling self-efficacy and competency.
"Voices from the South: Bolivian, Brazilian, and Cuban Sources for Scholars and the Public"

Thomson, Sinclair, Rossana Barragan, Xavier Albo, Seemin Qayum, and Mark Goodale, eds. The Bolivia Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Durham, NC: DukeUniversity Press, 2018. Green, James N., Victoria Langland, and Lilia Mortiz Schwarcz, The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Second Edition. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019. Chomsky, Aviva et al. The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Second Edition. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019.
Social comparisons for following health recommendations and their relation to worry and intentions during COVID-19

Abstract. Background: During uncertain threatening situations, people make social comparisons that influence self-evaluations, inform decisions, and guide behavior. In 2019, an emerging infectious ...
Activation of the default network during a theory of mind task predicts individual differences in agreeableness and social cognitive ability

Social cognitive processes, such as emotion perception and empathy, allow humans to navigate complex social landscapes and are associated with specific neural systems. In particular, theory of mind (ToM), which refers to our ability to decipher the mental states of others, is related to the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction, which include portions of the default network. Both social cognition and the default network have been linked to the personality trait Agreeableness. We hypothesized that default network activity during a ToM task would positively predict social cognitive abilities and Agreeableness. In a 3T fMRI scanner, participants (N = 1050) completed a ToM task in which they observed triangles displaying random or social (i.e., human-like) movement. Participants also completed self-report measures of Agreeableness and tests of intelligence and social cognitive ability. In each participant, average blood oxygen level dependent responses were calculated for default network regions associated with social cognition, and structural equation modeling was used to test associations of personality and task performance with activation in those brain regions. Default network activation in the dorsal medial subsystem was greater for social versus random animations. Default network activation in response to social animations predicted better performance on social cognition tasks and, to a lesser degree, higher Agreeableness. Neural response to social stimuli in the default network may be associated with effective social processing and could have downstream effects on social interactions. We discuss theoretical and methodological implications of this work for social and personality neuroscience.
Trauma Exposure Response: How Secondary Trauma Affects Personal and Professional Life

Introduction Well-being, both psychological and emotional, is crucial to the development of the competent, caring physician. The ACGME calls on sponsoring institutions to educate learners about top...
Why Match? Matched Case-Control Studies

Individually matched case-control study designs are common in public health and medicine, and conditional logistic regression in a parametric statistical model is the tool most commonly used to analyze these studies. In an individually matched case-control study, the population of interest is identified, and cases are randomly sampled. Each of these cases is then matched to one or more controls based on a variable (or variables) believed to be a confounder. The main potential benefit of matching in case-control studies is a gain in efficiency, not the elimination of confounding. Therefore, when are these study designs truly beneficial?
Disqualification of Counsel: The Westinghouse Litigation

The motion to disqualify counsel is becoming increasingly important in pre-trial strategy. Discusses one case arising out of Westinghouse Electric Corporation's alleged breach of long­term uranium supply contracts, in which a disqualification motion was sustained against Westinghouse's counsel, Kirkland & Ellis.
Mutual Information as a Bayesian Measure of Independence

The problem of hypothesis testing is examined from both the historical and Bayesian points of view in the case that sampling is from an underlying joint probability distribution and the hypotheses tested for are those of independence and dependence of the underlying distribution. Exact results for the Bayesian method are provided. Asymptotic Bayesian results and historical method test quantities are compared, and historical method quantities are interpreted in terms of clearly defined Bayesian quantities. The asymptotic Bayesian test relies upon a statistic that is primarily mutual information.
Lectin-targeted dendritic cell immunotherapies against experimental autoimmune encephalitis/multiple sclerosis (CAM5P.242)

The molecular mechanisms of how circulating dendritic cells (DCs) access the CNS across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains to be investigated. During neuroinflammation, DCs transmigrate across the BBB in the presence of chemoattractants, particularly CCL2, and initiate immune response. We showed through near-infrared imaging that DC accumulation into lesions within the CNS correlated with severity of inflammation during experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). Actin polymerization on DCs upon CCL2 exposure indicated a migratory phenotype. Transmigration of DCs was paracellular and more efficient than T cells in vitro. To selectively attenuate DC transmigration, we sought to study expression of DC specific C type lectin receptors- CD205 & CD206 (Type I), CD207, -209, -303, CLEC4A, -9A, -10A & -12A (Type II). Different DC subsets- myeloid (mDC), plasmacytoid (pDC) and monocyte-derived (MDDC) had a unique enrichment of lectin receptors and each subset utilized a different receptor to adhere and transmigrate in the presence of CCL2. Phosphoproteomics revealed that these receptors when triggered, activate molecular events known to be involved in actin dynamics, thus substantiating their role in DC transmigration. Importantly, in EAE mice these lectins were validated targets for inhibiting DC transmigration. Thus, the prospect of selectively regulating DC entry into the CNS will open up new treatments against disease pathogenesis and propagation in multiple sclerosis.
Interferon Regulatory Factor 5, a Novel Mediator of Cell Cycle Arrest and Cell Death

We have previously shown a critical role for IFN regulatory factor 5 (IRF-5) in the innate immune response to virus infection. For the first time, we now show that although IRF-5 is a direct target of p53, its cell cycle regulatory and proapoptotic effects are p53 independent. IRF-5 inhibits both in vitro and in vivo B-cell lymphoma tumor growth in the absence of wild-type p53. The molecular mechanism(s) of IRF-5-mediated growth inhibition is associated with a G 2 -M cell cycle arrest and modulation of growth regulatory and proapoptotic genes, including p21 , Bak , DAP kinase 2 , and Bax . Taken together, these data indicate that although IRF-5 is a downstream target of p53, its growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects are independent of p53.
Strand separation required for initiation of replication at the chromosomal origin of E.coli is facilitated by a distant RNA-DNA hybrid

The Escherichia coli initiator protein, dnaA complexed with ATP, binds to the replication origin (oriC) and melts the duplex in the AT-rich part of oriC. Opening of the duplex requires a minimum temperature and superhelix density. A low level of HU protein (5 molecules/oriC) is stimulatory, probably by facilitating DNA bending. High levels of HU protein (136 molecules/oriC) restrain the free superhelicity. Under adverse conditions for oriC melting (i.e. absence of HU, high levels of HU, low temperature or low superhelicity), transcription can activate initiation of replication by generating an R-loop located even a large distance from oriC. The strand-separation stage at oriC prior to the entry of the dnaB helicase was specifically stimulated. Activation by the R-loop was blocked when a stretch of 14 GC base pairs was inserted between the loop and oriC. Thus, activation of oriC by the distantly located R-loop appears to require propagation of DNA melting through the intervening sequence.
Proyecto Mamá: a lifestyle intervention in overweight and obese Hispanic women: a randomised controlled trial – study protocol

Background: The proportion of women entering pregnancy overweight or obese has been rising and, in turn, is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Gestational weight gain (GWG) exceeding Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines further increases health risks and has been independently associated with postpartum weight retention. Hispanic women are disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity, but have had limited access to interventions that promote healthy lifestyles due to cultural, socioeconomic, and language barriers. Therefore, the overall goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test the efficacy of a culturally and linguistically modified, individually-tailored lifestyle intervention to reduce excess GWG, increase postpartum weight loss, and improve maternal metabolic status among overweight/obese Hispanic women. Methods/Design: Overweight/obese Hispanic women are recruited in early pregnancy and randomly assigned to a Lifestyle Intervention (n=150) or a Comparison Health and Wellness (control) intervention (n=150). Multimodal contacts (i.e., in-person, telephone counseling, and mailed print-based materials) are used to deliver the intervention from early pregnancy (12 weeks gestation) to 6 months postpartum, with follow-up to 1 year postpartum. Targets of the intervention are to achieve IOM Guidelines for GWG and postpartum weight loss; American Congress of Obstetrician and Gynecologist guidelines for physical activity; and American Diabetes Association guidelines for diet. The intervention draws from Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical Model and includes strategies to address the specific social, cultural, and economic challenges faced by low-income Hispanic women. Assessments are conducted at baseline (~10 weeks gestation), mid pregnancy (24–28 weeks gestation), late pregnancy (32–34 weeks gestation) and postpartum at 6-weeks, 6-months, and 12-months by bicultural and bilingual personnel blinded to the intervention arm. Efficacy is assessed via GWG, postpartum weight loss, and biomarkers of glycemic control, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Changes in physical activity and diet are measured via 7-day accelerometer data and 24-h dietary recalls at each assessment time period. Discussion: Hispanic women are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and are disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity. This randomised trial uses a high-reach, low-cost strategy that can readily be translated into clinical practice in underserved and minority populations.
Mechanism of the salutary effects of estrogen on kupffer cell phagocytic capacity following trauma-hemorrhage: pivotal role of Akt activation.

Kupffer cells are macrophages in the liver whose major role is to clear circulating pathogens. Decreased phagocytic capacity of Kupffer cells may result in severe systemic infection. We tested the hypothesis that the depressed Kupffer cell phagocytic capacity following trauma-hemorrhage is enhanced by estrogen administration and this occurs due to maintenance of Fc receptor expression and cellular ATP content via the activation of Akt. Male C3H/HeN mice were subjected to sham operation or trauma-hemorrhage and sacrificed 2 h thereafter. Estrogen, with or without an estrogen receptor antagonist (ICI 182,780), a PI3K inhibitor (Wortmannin), or vehicle, was injected during resuscitation. Kupffer cell phagocytic capacity was tested in vivo. The expression of Fc receptors, of Akt phosphorylation, of p38 MAPK phosphorylation, of DNA binding activity of NF-κB and ATP content of Kupffer cells were also determined. Trauma-hemorrhage suppressed Kupffer cell phagocytosis by decreasing Fc receptor expression and Akt activation; however, it induced p38 MAPK activation and increased NF-κB activity. Cellular ATP levels were also decreased following trauma-hemorrhage. Administration of estrogen following trauma-hemorrhage increased phospho-Akt levels and normalized all the parameters described as well as plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. Coadministration of ICI 182,780 or Wortmannin abolished the beneficial effects of estrogen in improving the phagocytic capacity of Kupffer cells following trauma-hemorrhage. Thus, activation of Akt plays a crucial role in mediating the salutary effect of estrogen in restoring trauma-hemorrhage-induced suppression of Kupffer cell phagocytosis.
15N and 1H NMR spectroscopy of the catalytic histidine in chloromethyl ketone-inhibited complexes of serine proteases.

The hemiketal hydroxyl groups in chloromethyl ketone (cmk) complexes of trypsin and chymotrypsin have been reported to ionize to the oxyanion with pKa values 2−4 pKa units below expectations for such a functional group on the basis of the behavior of the hemiketal carbon atom in 13C NMR spectra [Finucane, M. D., & Malthouse, J. P. G. (1992) Biochem. J. 286, 889−900]. The low pKa indicates the enzymes selectively stabilize the oxyanion form of the bound inhibitor, and therefore that cmk complexes may be good models of enzyme-mediated transition-state stabilization. However, the 13C NMR studies could not rule out His57 as the titrating group. Here we report the behavior of the ring 15N atoms of His57 in the Ala-Ala-Pro-Val−cmk complex of α-lytic protease. Both Nδ1 and Ne2 of His57 respond to an ionization with a pKa of ∼7.5, but His57 itself does not titrate as Ne2 remains alkylated and Nδ1 remains bonded to a proton over the entire pH range. The species titrating with a pKa of ∼7.5 must therefore be the he...
Alternatively spliced products of the maize P gene encode proteins with homology to the DNA-binding domain of myb-like transcription factors

The Zea mays P gene has been postulated to regulate the biosynthetic pathway of a flavonoid-derived pigment in certain floral tissues [Styles, E. D. & Ceska, O. (1977) Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 19, 289-302]. We have characterized two P transcripts that are alternatively spliced at their 3' ends. One message of 1802 nucleotides encodes a 43.7-kDa protein with an N-terminal region showing approximately 40% homology to the DNA-binding domain of several members of the myb family of protooncogene proteins. A second message of 945 nucleotides encodes a 17.3-kDa protein that contains most of the myb-homologous domain but differs from the first protein at the C terminus. The deduced P-encoded proteins show an even higher homology (70%) in the myb-homologous domain to the maize regulatory gene C1. Additionally, the P and C1 genes are structurally similar in the sizes and positions of the first and second exons and first intron. We show that P is required for accumulation in the pericarp of transcripts of two genes (A1 and C2) encoding enzymes for flavonoid biosynthesis--genes also regulated by C1 in the aleurone.
Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Signaling Mediates β-Catenin Activation in Intestinal Epithelial Stem and Progenitor Cells in Colitis

Background & Aims Mechanisms responsible for crypt architectural distortion in chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) are not well understood. Data indicate that serine/threonine protein kinase Akt (Akt) signaling cooperates with Wingless (Wnt) to activate β-catenin in intestinal stem and progenitor cells through phosphorylation at Ser552 (P-β-catenin 552 ). We investigated whether phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is required for Akt-mediated activation of β-catenin during intestinal inflammation. Methods The class IA subunit of PI3K was conditionally deleted from intestinal epithelial cells in mice named I-pik3r1KO . Acute inflammation was induced in mice and intestines were analyzed by biochemical and histologic methods. The effects of chemically blocking PI3K in colitic interleukin-10 −/− mice were examined. Biopsy samples from patients were examined. Results Compared with wild-type, I-pik3r1KO mice had reduced T-cell–mediated Akt and β-catenin signaling in intestinal stem and progenitor cells and limited crypt epithelial proliferation. Biochemical analyses indicated that PI3K–Akt signaling increased nuclear total β-catenin and P-β-catenin 552 levels and reduced N-terminal β-catenin phosphorylation, which is associated with degradation. PI3K inhibition in interleukin-10 −/− mice impaired colitis-induced epithelial Akt and β-catenin activation, reduced progenitor cell expansion, and prevented dysplasia. Human samples had increased numbers of progenitor cells with P-β-catenin 552 throughout expanded crypts and increased messenger RNA expression of β-catenin target genes in CUC, colitis-associated cancer, tubular adenomas, and sporadic colorectal cancer, compared with control samples. Conclusions PI3K–Akt signaling cooperates with Wnt to increase β-catenin signaling during inflammation. PI3K-induced and Akt-mediated β-catenin signaling are required for progenitor cell activation during the progression from CUC to CAC; these factors might be used as biomarkers of dysplastic transformation in the colon.
Gender, Race, and Intersectionality on the Federal Appellate Bench

While theoretical justifications predict that a judge's gender and race may influence judicial decisions, empirical support for these arguments has been mixed. However, recent increases in judicial...
A Message from Recent Engineering Graduates in the Workplace: Results of a Survey on Technical Communication Skills

Survey results reveal the impact of engineers' communication skills in adjusting to jobs and achieving career goals. A direct correlation emerges between the amount of technical communication (TC) instruction and career advancement. Former students then spell out recommendations for providing relevant TC instruction within the engineering curriculum.
Regulation of Mitochondrial [NADH] by Cytosolic [Ca2+] and Work in Trabeculae From Hypertrophic and Normal Rat Hearts

Pressure overload hypertrophy has previously been shown to reduce contractility but paradoxically to increase O2 consumption rates at a given force. Because O2 consumption rates are related to mitochondrial [NADH] ([NADH]m), we tested the hypothesis that with hypertrophy, control of [NADH]m may be altered. Left ventricular trabeculae were isolated from banded and control rat hearts, and fluorescence spectroscopy was used to monitor [NADH]m and cytosolic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]c). The hearts from banded rats developed hypertrophy (heart-to-body weight ratio increased from 4.1+/-0.1 to 4.9+/-0.1 mg/g) and hypertension (systolic arterial pressure increased from 117+/-4 to 175+/-5 mm Hg). Muscle workload was increased by stepwise increases in pacing frequency (up to 2 Hz). After increased work, [NADH]m fell and then slowly recovered toward control levels. When work was decreased, [NADH]m overshot control values and then slowly returned. The Ca2+-independent initial fall was larger for trabeculae from rats with hypertrophied hearts than from control rats (eg, 17+/-2% versus 11+/-1% when work was increased by increasing the frequency from 0.25 to 1 Hz). At 1 Hz, average [Ca2+]c was approximately 280 nmol/L, and the Ca2+-dependent [NADH]m recovery was larger for trabeculae from rats with hypertrophied hearts (17+/-4% versus 10+/-2%) despite similar average [Ca2+]c. At steady state after Ca2+-dependent recovery, there was no difference in [NADH]m (fall of 1+/-2% versus 1+/-1%). Furthermore, the Ca2+-dependent overshoot was larger for trabeculae from hypertrophied than from control hearts (increase of 14+/-2% versus 9+/-2% when frequency was decreased from 1 to 0.25 Hz). We conclude that (1) there is initially a larger imbalance in NADH production versus consumption rate in hypertrophy (because NADH fell more) and (2) the Ca2+-dependent recovery mechanism is enhanced in hypertrophy (because NADH recovered and overshot more), thus compensating for the larger imbalance.
ScienceDirect Through SciVerse: A New Way To Approach Elsevier

SciVerse is the new combined portal from Elsevier that services their ScienceDirect collection, SciTopics, and their Scopus database. Using SciVerse to access ScienceDirect is the specific focus of this review. Along with advanced keyword searching and citation searching options, SciVerse also incorporates a very useful image search feature. The aim seems to be not only to create an interface that provides broad functionality on par with other database search tools that many searchers use regularly but also to create an open platform that could be changed to respond effectively to the needs of customers.