cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a religious brand: Exploring the foundations of the Church of Scientology through public relations

ABSTRACTAlthough L. Ron Hubbard is known for founding the Church of Scientology, he is not generally considered a public relations practitioner. However, his efforts to practice the discipline to advance Scientology are documented in Church publications. Unlike examinations of older religions, which require reinterpretations of activities through a public relations lens, existing Church documents allow for an evaluation of the role public relations played in building a religious movement. This article explores how Hubbard used public relations to establish Scientology, finding he embraced practices such as celebrity endorsement and image management but eschewed common media relations and crisis communication practices.
Autologous Fascial Slings

The autologous pubovaginal continues to represent an efficacious anti-incontinence procedure to address both complex and uncomplicated stress urinary incontinence. Adverse events from this surgical procedure have been well described over the past nearly four decades and severe complications are rare. The scope of this chapter was to describe the complications from autologous pubovaginal and their management. These adverse events are the result of inadvertent injury to adjacent pelvic structures which are ideally addressed and repaired during surgery when recognized. Clinically significant unrecognized complications usually present within the first postoperative day when there is a vascular or nerve injury or can take up to a week to unveil when associated with a bowel injury or wound complication. Immediate postoperative lower urinary symptoms are very common during the first days or weeks after surgery, and these usually resolve with time. However, evaluation and management of persistent or delayed presentation of urinary symptoms is recommended to address urinary obstruction, if present.
Asymmetric synthesis of vinylogous β-amino acids and their incorporation into mixed backbone oligomers.

Chiral vinylogous β-amino acids (VBAA) were synthesized using enantioselective Mannich reactions of aldehydes with in situ generated N-carbamoyl imines followed by a Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction. The efficiency with which these units could be incorporated into oligomers with different moieties on the C- and N-terminal sides was established, as was the feasibility of sequencing oligomers containing VBAAs by tandem mass spectrometry. The data show that VBAAs will be useful building blocks for the construction of combinatorial libraries of peptidomimetic compounds.
Unusual finding of a megakaryocyte in a peripheral blood smear

![Figure][1] A 70-year-old woman presented with a past medical history of essential thrombocythemia (ET) that progressed to post-ET myelofibrosis (MF). Complete blood count showed normocytic anemia (8.2 g/dL), leukopenia (2.2 × 109/L), and normal platelet count (345 × 109/L). The blood
Stroke/Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries

Stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and spinal cord injury (SCI) represent three of the most devastating occurrences that a human being can encounter. However, much of the injury that occurs in the nervous system and the resulting disability following these acute neurological insults is not due to the primary ischemic, hemorrhagic of mechanical insult, but rather is caused by a secondary cascade of biochemical, physiological, and neurodegenerative events that takes place within the neural tissue during the first minutes, hours, and days. Over the past 25 years significant progress has been made in understanding the secondary injury process(es), revealing several molecular targets for pharmacological neuroprotection. Three of the key targets are glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity; intracellular calcium overload, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative damage. Agents effective against these three mechanisms have been examined in clinical trials for the treatment stroke, TBI, and SCI with largely negative results and only a few indications of a significant effect in certain subsets of stroke, TBI, and SCI patients. However, this first generation of neuroprotective drug discovery and associated clinical trials has provided a valuable learning experience that has identified several deficiencies that should be avoidable in future efforts. The present chapter reviews: the understanding of secondary CNS injury; a brief history of past clinical trials; the principal animal models of stroke, TBI, and SCI; issues relevant to future neuroprotective drug evaluation in animal and human trials; and several relatively new pharmacologic neuroprotective approaches that may allow the development of clinically effective drugs in the future, to mitigate the effects of acute neurological disorders in many patients. Furthermore, the potential for neurorestorative drug discovery based upon evolving knowledge of the potential of the nervous system for structural and functional plasticity and regeneration, and some of the molecular mechanisms that might be pharmacologically targeted, are also briefly considered.
Pediatric Salivary Disorders

Pediatric sialadenitis accounts for up to 10% of all salivary gland pathology and is most commonly in the parotid gland. Many factors contribute to salivary gland disease in children such as viral parotitis and juvenile recurrent parotitis being the two most common. Other etiologies include bacterial infections, congenital or traumatic duct obstruction, autoimmune disease, and genetic defects. Viral sialadenitis is most commonly due to paramyxovirus. However, clinicians must distinguish this from a mumps infection in order to monitor for systemic complications. Juvenile recurrent parotitis is typically biphasic in age distribution, occurring between ages 2–6 and at the start of puberty. This is a clinical diagnosis aided with the use of ultrasonography, and patients must have a minimum of two episodes to be diagnosed. The specific etiology is not completely understood, although may be linked to immune deficiency, genetics, or allergy. Bacterial sialadenitis primarily occurs in children younger than 2 months and is distinguished from other diseases of the salivary gland by the presence of pus. The most common bacterial etiology is Staphylococcus areas. Progression to abscess formation, although rare, should be evaluated with ultrasound as this can lead to respiratory compromise. If an abscess is nonresponsive to antimicrobials and remains chronic, mycobacterial infection should be ruled out. Finally, salivary stones occur most frequently in the submandibular gland, are diagnosed via ultrasound, and can be successfully removed with sialendoscopy in pediatric patients.
CHAPTER 11 – Hormonal Influences on the Establishment of Peak Bone Mass

Bone accretion has a unique sensitivity to metabolic, hormonal, environmental, and genetic factors. This chapter focuses on the hormonal factors that are important in the establishment of peak bone mass. The relationship between bone density and pubertal development has been emphasized in several studies because the acceleration of bone mineral density (BMD) increases at this time. Not all studies, however, suggest that pubertal development is the major determinant in both sexes. In one study, the major determinant for girls was pubertal development, but for boys, it was weight. Biochemical markers of bone formation and bone resorption increase with the growth spurt. When biochemical markers of bone formation were examined and correlated with the pubertal stage, all formation markers were maximal in Tanner stages II and III, and decreased in stages IV and V. All markers were lower after menarche. Thus, markers of bone resorption varied significantly with pubertal stage. This study also demonstrated a negative correlation between estradiol levels and markers of bone turnover in pubertal subjects. There was no evidence for a positive relationship between bone turnover and, plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3).
Development of the human anterior urethra

To further our understanding of the development of the anterior urethra a series of 38 normal human fetuses ranging from the end of the embryonic period proper to the third trimester of gestation were studied. Tissues prepared as serial histological sections were examined and appropriate specimens were reconstructed. The formation of the bulbar and spongy urethra occurred by proliferation of mesenchyme underlying the epithelium of the urethral folds, causing the creation of a tubular urethra by epithelial fusion in the ventral midline. The tubular urethra becomes invested by mesenchyme, the future corpus spongiosum. This process of fusion of the urethral folds extends to the glans penis. At this period of development the glans contains the urethral plate, a lamina of epithelium lacking a lumen. The mechanism of the subsequent connection of the spongy urethra to the canalized urethral plate has been the point of controversy. Our observations support the idea that 3 processes must act in synchrony to produce successful completion of the anterior urethra: 1) the prepuce forms by overgrowing the glans due to proliferation of the penile skin and subcutaneous tissues, and in so doing it continues the progression of closure of the urethral folds into the glans and forms the frenulum by its fusion on the ventral aspect, 2) the mesenchyme surrounding the prolongation of the urethra fuses with the mesenchyme of the glans, which before this time had existed as a mesenchymal structure distinct from the corpus spongiosum or corpus cavernosum and 3) the epithelium of the urethral plate within the glans, which underlies the epithelial tag, becomes canalized and develops continuity with the lumen of the spongy urethra.
Integral Geometry of the Monge-Ampere Operator

In 1971 W. Stoll proved an average Bezout estimate for complete intersections of analytic varieties. In simplified terms, the results may be described as follows. Suppose X⊂ℂn is an analytic variety of pure dimension p and q ≥ n-p. Let G(q,n) denote the Grassmannian of q-dimensional linear subspaces of ℂn. We measure the “growth” of a variety Y of dimension p by computing vol2p(Y⋂Bn(r)) where vol2p denotes the 2p-Hausdorff measure. Stoll’s result roughly says that one can compute the growth of X from the average of the growth of X•l, l∈G(q,n) if we average over all of G(q,n).
Evidence for novel binding sites on the platelet glycoprotein IIb and IIIa subunits and immobilized fibrinogen

The present study was designed to examine the interaction of the purified platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex (GP IIb-IIIa or integrin alpha IIb beta 3) and the individual subunits of the complex with immobilized fibrinogen. Although 125I-GP IIb-IIIa binding to fibrinogen immobilized on Sepharose was specific, this interaction exhibited properties distinct from those of reversible fibrinogen binding to platelets: 125I-GP IIb-IIIa binding appeared irreversible, but non-covalent, Ca(2+)-independent, and was inhibited only weakly, or not at all, by the anti-(GP IIb-IIIa) monoclonal antibodies 10E5 and 7E3 and synthetic peptides from known platelet-binding domains of fibrinogen. Reversibly dissociated GP IIb or GP IIIa subunits inhibited 125I-GP IIb-IIIa binding to immobilized fibrinogen and bound directly to the fibrinogen. However, these subunits did not bind to peptides derived from known platelet-binding domains within the fibrinogen alpha- and gamma-chains, although the GP IIb-IIIa complex did. These results show that the complexed form of full-length GP IIb and GP IIIa is required for binding to these synthetic peptides, but not necessarily for binding to immobilized fibrinogen. Thus GP IIb-IIIa can bind to immobilized fibrinogen by a distinct mechanism that appears to involve novel binding sites on each subunit of the GP IIb-IIIa complex and on fibrinogen.
Successors of Singular Cardinals

Successors of singular cardinals are a peculiar—although they are successor cardinals, they can still exhibit some of the behaviors typically associated with large cardinals. In this chapter, we examine the combinatorics of successors of singular cardinals in detail. We use stationary reflection as our point of entry into the subject, and we sketch Magidor’s proof that it is consistent that all stationary subsets of such a cardinal reflect. Further consideration of Magidor’s proof brings us to Shelah’s ideal I[λ] and the related Approachability Property (AP); we give a fairly comprehensive treatment of these topics. Building on this, we then turn to squares, scales, and the influence these objects exert on questions of pertaining to reflection phenomena. The chapter concludes with a brief look at square-brackets partition relations and their relation to club-guessing principles.
Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Metabolism of the Cannabinoids

The psychotomimetic activity of the variety of hemp known as Cannabis sativa has been known since antiquity. Various preparations of this plant under the names of marijuana, hashish, charas, dagga, and bhang are smoked or chewed by possibly two to three hundred million people. Accordingly, these materials undoubtedly constitute the most widely used group of illicit drugs. The chemistry of these Cannabis constituents studied extensively during the 1940’s by Todd and his colleagues and the late Roger Adams and his students has been reviewed1-2-3-4. However, real progress in the isolation, structural elucidation and synthesis of the various cannabinoids has come only in the last decade, aided by the numerous modern separation methods, analytical techniques, and, most notably, by the development of NMR and mass spectrometry.
Unravelling the components that underlie insect reproductive traits using a simple molecular approach

Applications of RAPD technology to questions of paternity and maternity in studies of insect reproductive traits are discussed. We present three case studies where RAPD fingerprinting reveals levels of complexity in insect systems that help us to understand the causal mechanisms underlying observed behaviour. Finally, we consider ways in which RAPD data can be analysed to generate information about kinship.
Let It Flow: The Monopolization of Academic Content Providers and How It Threatens the Democratization of Information

The monopolization of academic journal publishers concentrates power and valuable information into the hands of a few players in the marketplace. It has detrimental effects on how information flows...
Unraveling low abundance intimate mixtures with deep learning

The high-confidence detection and identification of very low abundance, subpixel quantities of solid materials in nonlinear/intimate mixtures are still significant challenges for hyperspectral imagery (HSI) data analysis. We compare the ability of a traditional, shallow neural network (NN), deep learning with a convolutional neural network (DL/CNN), and a support vector machine (SVM) to analyze spectral signatures of nonlinear mixtures. Traditional mainstay algorithms (e.g., spectral unmixing, the matched filter) are also applied. Using a benchtop shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imager, we acquired several microscenes of intimate mixtures of sand and neodymium oxide (Nd2O3). A microscene is a hyperspectral image measured in a laboratory. Several hundred thousand labeled spectra are easily and rapidly generated in one HSI cube of a microscene. Individual Petri dishes of 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weight-percent (wt. %) Nd2O3 with a silicate sand comprise a suite of microscenes furnishing labeled spectra for analysis. The NN and the DL/CNN both have average validation accuracies of ≥ 98 % (for the low wt. % classes); the SVM yields similar performance. As wt. % Nd2O3 increases, accuracies decrease slightly—perhaps due to the dominance of the Nd2O3 signature in the mixtures, which causes an increasing difficulty in separation. For example, this could affect the 4 and 5 wt. % classes in which the Nd2O3 would be easily detected and identified with traditional, mainstay HSI algorithms. The fact that neural network methods can separate such low quantity classes (e.g., 0, 0.5, and 1 wt. %), though not unexpected, is encouraging and demonstrates the potential of NNs and DL/CNNs for such detailed HSI analysis.
Towards a nanoparticle-based prophylactic for maternal autoantibody-related autism.

Abstract Recently, the causative agents of Maternal Autoantibody-Related (MAR) autism, pathological autoantibodies and their epitopic targets (e.g. lactate dehydrogenase B [LDH B] peptide), have been identified. Herein, we report on the development of S ystems for N anoparticle-based A utoantibody R eception and E ntrapment (SNAREs), which we hypothesized could scavenge disease-propagating MAR autoantibodies from the maternal blood. To demonstrate this functionality, we synthesized 15 nm dextran iron oxide nanoparticles surface-modified with citric acid, methoxy PEG(10 kDa) amine, and LDH B peptide (33.8 μg peptide/cm2). In vitro, we demonstrated significantly lower macrophage uptake for SNAREs compared to control NPs. The hallmark result of this study was the efficacy of the SNAREs to remove 90% of LDH B autoantibody from patient-derived serum. Further, in vitro cytotoxicity testing and a maximal tolerated dose study in mice demonstrated the safety of the SNARE formulation. This work establishes the feasibility of SNAREs as the first-ever prophylactic against MAR autism.
Making agro-export entrepreneurs out of Campesinos: the role of water policy reform, agricultural development initiatives, and the specter of climate change in reshaping agricultural systems in Piura, Peru

To increase agricultural exports across the Global South, countries are seeking to transform agrarian landscapes and the nature of campesino or smallholder agriculture. These agricultural reforms, however, do not exist in isolation. They work in conjunction with water policy reform to reshape agricultural systems and the people who manage these landscapes. While there has been significant research on agrarian change under neoliberal reform, few scholars have conducted empirical studies that examine how agricultural policy leverages water policy reform to generate changes across agricultural landscapes. Drawing on the case study of the Piura River basin in Northern Peru, this paper first explores how the IWRM inspired 2009 Water Resources Law furthers the state's agricultural development priorities by shifting water toward agro-export production. Secondly, this study demonstrates how climate change is being discursively mobilized as an emerging driver of water scarcity to legitimize these water reallocations. Thirdly, this case highlights how these water reallocations work in concert with the reinstatement of targeted agricultural support programs that seek to transform smallholder farmers into “agro-export entrepreneurs” but with meaningful exclusions. This study contributes to the limited scholarship on the 2009 Water Resources Law in Peru and also raises broader questions regarding how IWRM water management, climate change adaptation discourse, and agricultural development policy collectively promote the globalization of smallholder agriculture.
Teaching language to a boy born deaf: the Popham notebook and associated texts

David Cram and Jaap Maat’s Teaching Language to a Boy Born Deaf: The Popham Notebook and Associated Texts is an incisive and thoroughly researched book on the education of Alexander Popham, born de...
Alternative methods of viability determination in single cell mass cytometry

The identification and discrimination of viable cells is important to understand how experimental variables may influence biochemical processes such as cell metabolism, cell cycle, and signaling pathways. Cisplatin is commonly used as a viability stain in mass cytometry studies, however, recent work by Mei et al. has demonstrated that cisplatin can also be used to label antibodies, complicating the simultaneous use of the platinum measurement channels for both antibody and viability staining. This study demonstrates that other metal salts (hafnium chloride, niobium chloride, and zirconium chloride) can serve as substitutes for cisplatin in viability staining. These stains yield similar fractions of live and dead cells and stain the same dead cells in parallel high parameter analyses. In addition, this study demonstrates how a variety of protein antigen viability markers (pRb, Ki-67, Histone H1, cleaved PARP, and GAPDH) can be used to discriminate live and dead cell populations, without the need for a separate viability staining step. As few as two of these protein antigen viability markers can help identify live and dead cell populations in fixed samples and can identify the same viable cells in high dimensional analyses with or without use of viability stain information. This study demonstrates several alternative approaches to mass cytometry viability assessment that can facilitate use of platinum isotopes for antibody staining and enables identification of live and dead cell populations in samples for which a separate viability stain is not practical.
Rotational Thromboelastometry Derivative Fibrinogen-Platelet Ratio Predicts Thrombosis in Microsurgery.

Background Early detection of thrombotic events is of paramount importance for microsurgical procedures. Here, we present findings that underscore the value of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) to aid in decision-making for pre- and postoperative anticoagulation, as well for patients with suspected hypercoagulability. Methods We prospectively collected pre- and postoperative ROTEM values on all free flap cases at the University of California, San Francisco, from 2015 to 2016. Patient age, body mass index, comorbidities, operative reports, risk factors, thrombotic complications, and outcomes were collected from electronic medical records. Two-sample t-tests were used to compare ROTEM values between cohorts. Modeling for sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy was done for threshold fibrinogen-to-platelet ratio (FPR). Results Of 52 patients who underwent free-tissue transfer, 15 had a thrombotic event either intraoperatively or postoperatively that required revision of the vascular anastomosis. Eight patients were clinically hypercoagulable preoperatively, seven of which had a thrombotic event. Several pre- and postoperative ROTEM values differed significantly between thrombotic and nonthrombotic cases. Preoperative (p = 0.027) and postoperative (p = 0.013) FPR were statistically significant when comparing the thrombotic to the nonthrombotic cohort. Threshold FPR ≥ 30 was the most sensitive and FPR ≥ 40 was the most specific. Conclusion Our study affirms other studies that established ROTEM as an effective predictive tool for thrombotic events during free-tissue transfer. However, a lower threshold for FPR improves catchment of thrombotic events and flap failure with acceptable sensitivity. Our results support the routine use of ROTEM for detecting hypercoagulability in patients who would potentially benefit from intervention to prevent thrombotic complications.
“Okay Twitter… Trend this, Sucka! #Supernatural”: A Content Analysis of the Supernatural Fandom’s Use of Live-tweeting

Live-tweeting a TV show has become an important publicity practice for the TV industry, even though it is the fans doing the live-tweeting (not the show’s strategic communication team). The fans behind the TV show Supernatural is one example of how fandoms actively use Twitter to promote their favorite show. This study presents a quantitative content analysis of live-tweets posted by fans during the last season premiere of Supernatural . Results indicated emotional and pure information messages were the most frequently used message type. Message type did not affect how many retweets messages received, but visual components in the tweet increased the number of retweets. Results provide insight into how TV shows’ strategic communicators might contribute to fandoms’ live-tweeting and indicate that the gratifications obtained through live-tweeting science-fiction TV may differ from live-tweeting other TV genres.
Comprehensive characterization of COVID-19 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests using a large US electronic health record database

Abstract Background In the absence of genome sequencing, two positive molecular SARS-CoV-2 tests separated by negative tests, prolonged time, and symptom resolution remain the best surrogate measure of possible re-infection. Methods Using a large electronic health record database, we characterized clinical and testing data for 23 patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results ≥60 days apart, separated by ≥2 consecutive negative test results. Prevalence of chronic medical conditions, symptoms and severe outcomes related to COVID-19 illness were ascertained. Results Median age was 64.5 years, 40% were Black, and 39% were female. 83% smoked within the prior year, 61% were overweight/obese, 83% had immune compromising conditions, and 96% had ≥2 comorbidities. Median interval between the two positive tests was 77 days. Among the 19 patients with 60-89 days between positive tests, 17 (89%) exhibited symptoms or clinical manifestations indicative of COVID-19 at the time of the second positive test and 14 (74%) were hospitalized at the second positive test. Of the four patients with ≥90 days between two positive tests, two had mild or no symptoms at the second positive test and one, an immune compromised patient, had a brief hospitalization at the first diagnosis, followed by ICU admission at the second diagnosis three months later. Conclusions Our study demonstrated a high prevalence of immune compromise, comorbidities, obesity and smoking among patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests. Despite limitations, including lack of semi-quantitative estimates of viral load, these data may help prioritize suspected cases of reinfection for investigation and continued surveillance. Importance Comprehensive characterization of clinical and SARS-CoV-2 testing data for patients with repeatedly positive SARS-CoV-2 tests can help prioritize suspected cases of reinfection for investigation in the absence of sequencing data and for continued surveillance for potential long-term health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Uricosuric drugs, with special reference to probenecid and sulfinpyrazone.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the uricosuric drugs, with special reference to probenecid and sulfinpyrazone. Uricosuric drugs increase urinary uric acid excretion by inhibiting renal tubular reabsorption of uric acid, and thereby reduce the plasma urate concentration and enhance the renal clearance of uric acid. The compounds possessing authentic uricosuric properties are of diverse structure, with no apparent coninion coniponent, but virtually all are organic acids; a striking and inexplicable exception is zoxazolamine, a weak base yet one of the most potent of the uricosuric drugs. The uricosuria produced by these various agents really represents a net renal response, since the acidic uricosuric drugs are all secreted by the same “organic acid system” of renal tubular transport, in common with uric acid, and in the process may also competitively inhibit, to greater or lesser degree, the tubular secretion of uric acid. When there is a dual action on tubular reabsorption and secretion of uric acid, the net effect, whether it is to augment or to diminish urinary elimination of uric acid, varies with the nature of the drug, the dosage employed, and the species treated.
Infertility in female guinea pigs induced by injection of homologous sperm

Abstract Female guinea pigs of proved fertility were injected with homologous and heterologous sperm with or without adjuvant. A significant reduction in fertility was observed in those guinea pigs injected with guinea pig sperm in adjuvant.
Neonatal liver failure and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis caused by a new perforin mutation.

UNLABELLED Acute liver failure is a rare heterogeneous syndrome in neonates. We report of a newborn with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis presenting as acute liver failure. Pancytopenia and multi-organ failure occurred later in the course. He carried two mutations of the perforin gene (PRF-1), one of which not previously described, causing a complete loss of perforin expression and natural killer cell function. CONCLUSION Perforin expression and function should be promptly assessed in neonatal/infantile acute liver failure, as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis requires specific treatment and represents a contra-indication to liver transplant.
Cleavage of a smooth muscle myosin heavy chain near its C terminus by alpha-chymotrypsin. Effect on the properties of myosin.

Limited proteolysis of gizzard myosin by alpha-chymotrypsin converted the heavy chain doublet pattern, seen by gel electrophoresis, to a single band. Light chain degradation was not observed and only minor cleavage occurred at other heavy chain sites. Using a polyclonal antibody raised against a unique sequence from the slower-migrating heavy chain (SM1) it was shown that this conversion was due to the loss of a peptide approximately 4000 daltons from the C terminus of SM1. The peptide was isolated and sequenced, and the cleavage site was identified between phenylalanine 1943 and alanine 1944. Addition of antibody before protease protected SM1 from cleavage. The following changes were observed (a) the Mg2(+)-dependence of actin-activated ATPase of digested phosphorylated myosin was altered and activity was relatively high at low Mg2+ levels, i.e. similar to phosphorylated heavy meromyosin; (b) the KCl dependence of Mg2(+)-ATPase of the digested myosin, particularly the phosphorylated form, showed an altered pattern consistent with the stabilization of the 6 S conformation; (c) the tendency for aggregation was increased by proteolysis of phosphorylated myosin. These results show that the C-terminal region of a gizzard myosin heavy chain can modify some of the properties of myosin. It is suggested that the observed modifications reflect an enhanced tendency of the digested myosin to aggregate.
Effects of levosimendan on myocardial contractility and oxygen consumption.

Levosimendan is hypothesized to be primarily a calcium sensitizer in vitro. Therefore, its inotropic action may be similar in both the normal and the congestive heart failure (CHF) state, and it may be associated with a decreased energetic cost of inotropism in vivo. To test these hypotheses, we gave levosimendan to cross-circulated isolated hearts from normal (n = 11) and CHF (n = 7, 4-week rapid pacing) dogs. Peak isovolumic left ventricular pressure at an end-diastolic pressure of 5 mm Hg (Pmax,5) measured by an intraventricular balloon was 120 +/- 15 mm Hg in normal dogs, and it was increased by approximately 40% in response to approximately 0.63 microM levosimendan. In CHF dogs, base-line Pmax,5 was only 60 +/- 12 mm Hg (P < .01 compared to normals), and approximately 8.4 microM levosimendan (P < .05) was required to increase Pmax,5 by approximately 40%. The inotropic actions were associated with increases in unloaded myocardial oxygen consumption by comparable amounts in normal and falling hearts. The blunted inotropic response in CHF and the energetic cost of inotropism were also comparable to those obtained with isoproterenol. In other studies, there was no significant inotropic action of levosimendan in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts (n = 5), and intracellular calcium concentration, estimated by macroinjected aequorin, in ferret hearts (n = 2) increased dose-dependently. These findings suggest that inotropic actions of levosimendan in vivo may be mediated in part by factors other than calcium sensitization.
The Impact of Deceased Donor Kidney Risk Significantly Varies by Recipient Characteristics

As of May 2012, over 92 000 patients were awaiting a solitary kidney transplant in the United States and new waitlist registrations have been rising for over a decade. The decreasing availability of donor organs makes it imperative that organ allocation be as efficient and effective as possible. We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult recipients in the United States (n=109 392) using Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data. The primary aim was to evaluate the interaction of donor risk with recipient characteristics on posttransplant outcomes. Donor quality (based on kidney donor risk index [KDRI]) had significant interactions by race, primary diagnosis and age. The hazard of KDRI on overall graft loss in non-African Americans was 2.16 (95%CI 2.08-2.25) versus 1.85 (95%CI 1.75-1.95) in African Americans (p<0.0001), 2.16 (95%CI 2.08-2.24) in nondiabetics versus 1.84 (95%CI 1.74-1.94) in diabetics (p<0.0001), and 2.22 (95%CI 2.13-2.32) in recipients<60 years versus 1.83 (95%CI 1.74-1.92) in recipients≥60 (p<0.0001). The relative hazard for diabetics at KDRI=0.5 was 1.49 but at KDRI=2.0 the hazard was significantly attenuated to 1.17; among African Americans the respective risks were 1.50 and 1.17 and among recipients 60 and over, it was between 1.64 and 1.22. These findings are critical considerations for informed decision-making for transplant candidates.
Comparison of Coding Schemas for Rural-Urban Designations with New York State Counties and Birth Outcomes as Exemplars

Purpose The purposes of this article are to provide background information on the agencies responsible for the development of rural coding schemas at the county level, to explain the types of codes and the definitions of terms included in the codes, and to provide a concise table that presents the assigned codes for each county in New York State. Findings Roles of U.S. Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget, and Economic Research Service were described. At the county level, Urban Influence Codes, Rural Urban Continuum Codes, and NCHS Codes were outlined and compared. RUCA and Frontier Community Codes were discussed as non-county based rural classification schemas. Conclusions Nursing is integral to the attainment of better health outcomes through advocacy and policy recommendation at federal, state, and local levels. Accurate measures of rurality should be applied at the decision making level for the allocation of scarce resources that support projects and programs most effective for vulnerable rural populations. Maintaining policies that benefit vulnerable populations requires funding; but needs analyses using inappropriate coding schemas can result in lack of funding or the implementation of policies that are ineffective for the targeted population. This study attempted to elucidate nuances among the three rural coding schemas and demonstrated that using the appropriate rural coding schema may highlight rural/urban health disparities more clearly. Key Words Classification schemas, County, Rural Definitions, Rural-Urban Codes, New York State
Journey from Mobile Ad Hoc Networks to Wireless Mesh Networks

A wireless mesh network (WMN) is a particular type of mobile ad hoc network (MANET), which aims to provide ubiquitous high bandwidth access for a large number of users. A pure MANET is dynamically formed by mobile devices without the requirement of any existing infrastructure or prior network configuration. Similar to MANETs, a WMN also has the ability of self-organization, self-discovering, self-healing, and self-configuration. However, a WMN is typically a collection of stationary mesh routers (MRs) with each employing multiple radios. Some MRs have wired connections and act as the Internet gateways (IGWs) to provide Internet connectivity for other MRs. These new features of WMNs over MANETs enable them to be a promising alternative for high broadband Internet access. In this chapter, we elaborate on the evolution from MANETs to WMNs and provide a comprehensive understanding of WMNs from theoretical aspects to practical protocols, while comparing it with MANETs. In particular, we focus on the following critical issues with respect to WMN deployment: Network Capacity, Positioning Technique, Fairness Transmission and Multiradio Routing Protocols. We end this chapter with some open problems and future directions in WMNs.
Acyclic Database Schemes (of Various Degrees): A Painless Introduction

Database schemes (which, intuitively, are collections of table skeletons) can be viewed as hypergraphs. (A hypergraph is a generalization of an ordinary undirected graph, such that an edge need not contain exactly two nodes, but can instead contain an arbitrary nonzero number of nodes.) Unlike the situation for ordinary undirected graphs, there are several natural, nonequivalent notions of acyclicity for hypergraphs (and hence for database schemes). A large number of desirable properties of database schemes fall into a small number of equivalence classes, each completely characterized by the degree of acyclicity of the scheme. This paper is intended to be an informal introduction, in which the focus is mainly on the originally studied (and least restrictive) degree of acyclicity.
Modeling Conflict and Coordination in Multi-Channel Distribution Systems: A Review

For any company with a product to sell, how to make that product available to the intended customers can be as crucial a strategic issue as developing the product itself1. While distribution channel choice is a very traditional concern, for many companies it has recently come under intense scrutiny due to a number of major developments. The expanding role of the Internet in consumer and business procurement activity has created new opportunities for access to customers. Information and materials handling technologies have broadened the feasible set of sales and distribution activities that a producer might reasonably perform. The economics of materials delivery has been transformed by the pervasive logistical networks deployed by third-party shipping powerhouses such as Federal Express and United Parcel Services. As a result, many manufacturers are reconsidering their approaches to distribution, with particular attention to the role of intermediaries2.
Adaptive and acclimative responses of cyanobacteria to far-red light

Cyanobacteria use three major photosynthetic complexes, photosystem (PS) I, PS II and phycobilisomes, to harvest and convert sunlight into chemical energy. Until recently, it was generally thought that cyanobacteria only used light between 400 nm and 700 nm to perform photosynthesis. However, the discovery of chlorophyll (Chl) d in Acaryochloris marina and Chl f in Halomicronema hongdechloris showed that some cyanobacteria could utilize far-red light. The synthesis of Chl f (and Chl d) is part of an extensive acclimation process, far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP), which occurs in many cyanobacteria. Organisms performing FaRLiP contain a conserved set of 17 genes encoding paralogous subunits of the three major photosynthetic complexes. Far-red light photoacclimation leads to substantial remodelling of the photosynthetic apparatus and other changes in cellular metabolism through extensive changes in transcription. Far-red light photoacclimation appears to be controlled by a red/far-red photoreceptor, RfpA, as well as two response regulators (RfpB and RfpC), one of which is a DNA-binding protein. The remodelled photosynthetic complexes, including novel phycobiliproteins, absorb light above 700 nm and enable cells to grow in far-red light. A much simpler acclimation response, low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP), occurs in some cyanobacteria that contain the apcD4-apcB3-isiX cluster, which allows cells to grow under low light conditions.
Orchestration Processes in Network-Centric Innovation: Evidence From the Field

Executive Overview Companies have increasingly shifted from innovation initiatives that are centered on internal resources to those that are centered on external networks (said another way, a shift from firm-centric innovation to network-centric innovation). In this paper, we combine insights from product development and network theory with evidence from an extensive field study to describe the nature of a hub firm's orchestration processes in network-centric innovation. Our analysis indicates that network orchestration processes reflect the interplay between elements of innovation design and network design. Promising directions for future research related to network-centric innovation are discussed.
Mapping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG Promoters and Their Differential Expression in Infected Macrophages

Intracellular pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis , frequently have multitiered defense mechanisms ensuring their survival in host phagocytic cells. One such defense determinant in M. tuberculosis is the katG gene, which encodes an enzyme with catalase, peroxidase, and peroxynitritase activities. KatG is considered to be important for protection against reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates produced by phagocytic cells. However, KatG also activates the front-line antituberculosis drug isoniazid, hence rendering M. tuberculosis exquisitely sensitive to this compound. In this context, katG expression represents a double-edged sword, as it is an important virulence determinant but at the same time its activity levels determine sensitivity to INH. Thus, it is important to delineate the regulation and expression of katG , as this not only can aid understanding of how M. tuberculosis survives and persists in the host but also may provide information of relevance for better management of INH therapy. Here, we report the first extensive analysis of the katG promoter activity examined both in vitro and in vivo. Using S1 nuclease protection analysis, we mapped the katG mRNA 5′ ends and demonstrated that two promoters, P 1 furA and P 1 katG , control transcription of katG . The furA and katG genes are cotranscribed from P 1 furA . Both P 1 furA and P 1 katG promoters show induction upon challenge with hydrogen peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide. Studies carried out using the transcriptional fusions P 1 furA - gfp , P 1 katG - gfp , and P 1 furA -P 1 katG - gfp confirmed the existence of two katG promoters. In addition, we showed that both promoters are expressed in vivo during intracellular growth of virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv. P 1 furA is induced early upon infection, and P 1 katG becomes active only upon extended growth in macrophages. These studies delineate the transcriptional organization of the furA - katG region and indicate differential regulation in vivo of the two katG promoters. These phenomena most likely reflect the differing demands at sequential stages of the infection cycle and may provide information for improved understanding of host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis and for further optimization of INH chemotherapy.
Board of Directors and Innovation in Nonprofit Organizations Model: Preliminary Evidence from Nonprofit Organizations in Developing Countries

Innovation is critical for nonprofit organizations’ effective response to changing environmental conditions. While the board of directors, which has the ultimately responsibility for leadership and governance of nonprofit organizations, is in a position to facilitate the development of such capacity, theoretical and empirical literature on this link is very limited and originates primarily in developed world countries, limiting its generalizability and usefulness to other national contexts. The author of this article sought to contribute to the growing literature on boards and innovation by (1) discussing potential usefulness of a Western conceptual model—Board of directors and innovation in nonprofit organizations (Jaskyte, Human services as complex organizations, 2012)—to other contexts, more specifically those of developing countries and (2) providing preliminary empirical evidence for the links presented in the model from nonprofit organizations in developing countries. Five representatives of four social service nonprofit organizations in developing countries known for their continuous innovation were interviewed in order to gain some insights into the board’s role in facilitating innovation. While limited, preliminary data provide support for the importance of board attribute and process variables for organization’s capacity for continuous innovation, and suggest that considering cultural contexts when assessing usefulness of established models might be paramount.
On the redox kinetics and chemical diffusivity of wüstite in CO-CO2 mixtures

Intraphase redox kinetics were monitored across the wustite, Fe1−xO, phase of the iron-oxygen system in CO2-CO and CO2-CO-Ar mixtures at 1062 and 1106° C. Kinetic data expressed in terms of the chemical diffusion coefficient and the equilibration time as a function of composition strongly indicated the importance of a reaction at the gas-oxide interface in the overall reequilibration of a specimen. Both the chemical diffusion coefficient and the equilibration time were found to be inversely proportional to the deviation from stoichiometry. Surface rate constants calculated from initial linear oxidation data were found to decrease as the deviation from stoichiometry increased.
Body mass index, physical activity, and dietary behaviors among members of an urban community fitness center: a questionnaire survey.

Development of effective behavioral interventions to promote weight control and physical activity among diverse, underserved populations is a public health priority. Community focused wellness organizations, such as YMCAs, could provide a unique channel with which to reach such populations. This study assessed health behaviors and related characteristics of members of an urban YMCA facility. We surveyed 135 randomly selected members of an urban YMCA facility in Massachusetts to examine self-reported (1) physical activity, (2) dietary behaviors, (3) body mass index, and (4) correlates of behavior change among short-term (i.e., one year or less) and long-term (i.e., more than one year) members. Chi-square tests were used to assess bivariate associations between variables, and multivariate linear regression models were fit to examine correlates of health behaviors and weight status. Eighty-nine percent of short-term and 94% of long-term members reported meeting current physical activity recommendations. Only 24% of short-term and 19% of long-term members met fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations, however, and more than half were overweight or obese. Length of membership was not significantly related to weight status, dietary behaviors, or physical activity. Most respondents were interested in changing health behaviors, in the preparation stage of change, and had high levels of self-efficacy to change behaviors. Short-term members had less education (p = 0.02), lower household incomes (p = 0.02), and were less likely to identify as white (p = 0.005) than long-term members. In multivariate models, females had lower BMI than males (p = 0.003) and reported less physical activity (p = 0.008). Physical activity was also inversely associated with age (p = 0.0004) and education (p = 0.02). Rates of overweight/obesity and fruit and vegetable consumption suggested that there is a need for a weight control intervention among members of an urban community YMCA. Membership in such a community wellness facility alone might not be sufficient to help members maintain a healthy weight. The data indicate that YMCA members are interested in making changes in their dietary and physical activity behaviors. Targeting newer YMCA members might be an effective way of reaching underserved populations. These data will help inform the development of a weight control intervention tailored to this setting.