cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase is activated through a sulfenic acid intermediate at a copper-ion entry site

Metallochaperones are a diverse family of trafficking molecules that provide metal ions to protein targets for use as cofactors. The copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (Ccs1) activates immature copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Sod1) by delivering copper and facilitating the oxidation of the Sod1 intramolecular disulfide bond. Here, we present structural, spectroscopic, and cell-based data supporting a novel copper-induced mechanism for Sod1 activation. Ccs1 binding exposes an electropositive cavity and proposed "entry site" for copper ion delivery on immature Sod1. Copper-mediated sulfenylation leads to a sulfenic acid intermediate that eventually resolves to form the Sod1 disulfide bond with concomitant release of copper into the Sod1 active site. Sod1 is the predominant disulfide bond-requiring enzyme in the cytoplasm, and this copper-induced mechanism of disulfide bond formation obviates the need for a thiol/disulfide oxidoreductase in that compartment.
Punks, racailles, et contestation : une réflexion sur les cultures trash des zones périurbaines françaises dans Le Grand Soir:

Sorti en 2012, Le Grand Soir de Benoit Delepine et Gustave Kerven, plante le decor dans un centre commercial de la region de Bordeaux ou deux protagonistes punks tentent d’organiser une insurrectio...
Can fluorescence based sensing detect nitrogen variability at early growth stages of maize

Early detection of nitrogen (N) variability is essential to site-specific N management for practical and physiological reasons. Current proximal sensing techniques based on reflectance do not reliably detect N variability prior to V8 growth stage of maize. Another technique based on fluorescence also offers the possibility to detect N variability. This study assessed the possibility to detect N variability in maize before V8 growth stage. An experiment was conducted in a greenhouse environment using four nitrogen rates from 0 to 225 kg/ha N equivalent. The Multiplex3® sensor was used to measure the nitrogen balance index (far-red fluorescence induced by UV divided by red fluorescence induced by either red or green light) from V4 to V8 growth stages of maize. The results obtained indicate that fluorescence sensing provides an indication of maize N variability from V5 growth stage of maize when using red excitation index.
“The Death of Liberal Internationalism?: Donald Trump, Walmart, and the Two Koreas”

The election of Donald J. Trump unsettled many areas of U.S . foreign policy, but few more than the nation’s relationship with Korea. This article argues that the Trump administration’s vision for the world represents a stark break from the tradition of liberal internationalism and instead seeks to take the United States down a path that reflects the modern business practices of giant American corporations. A suitable label for this vision, as the following pages will show, is “Walmart unilateralism.” This framework abandons the traditional American policies of nation building and alliances based on shared ideological values. Instead, it embraces a more short-term approach rooted in financial bottom lines, flexible alliances and rivalries, and the ruthless exploitation of power hierarchies. This new approach, this article concludes, may dramatically transform the American relationship with Korea. Walmart unilateralism in Korea almost certainly will have some short-time positive ramifications for the United States, but its larger failure to consider the history and values of the people living on the Korean Peninsula may generate serious long-term problems for the future experience of the United States in the region.
Access to the peritoneal cavity

Inherent in all minimally invasive surgery is acquiring safe, efficient, and cost-effective access to the cavity of interest. Bariatric surgery presents some challenges for achieving peritoneal access because of the patient’s body habitus, limitations of the current equipment, and comorbidities. The goals of access include excellent abdominal exposure, ingress for instruments, egress of specimens, and minimization of complications.
Pushkin’s Tazit and Mickiewicz’s Konrad Wallenrod

However often I come in contact with the works of Jozef Tretiak on Pushkin, I am invariably struck by the special acuteness and the frequently remarkable intuition of the celebrated Polish scholar. Not always, however, do I find myself in agreement with the final results of his investigations and the inferences he draws from the subject-matter of his researches. Most often, a true instinct has led Tretiak in a just and proper direction, but not always to the goal. It has seemed as though he did not reach the end of the road, but at a certain point suddenly stopped or swerved aside and deviated from his proper destination.
Impacts of an Integrated Medicaid Managed Care Program for Adults with Behavioral Health Conditions: The Experience of Illinois

This study assessed the impact of the Integrated Care Program (ICP), a new Medicaid managed care model in Illinois, on health services utilization and costs for adults with behavioral health conditions. Data sources included Medicaid claims, encounter records, and state payment data for 28,127 persons with a behavioral health diagnosis. Difference-in-differences models, in conjunction with propensity score weighting, were used to compare utilization and costs between ICP enrollees and a fee-for-service (FFS) comparison group. The model considered the impact of the SMART Act, which restricted access to care for the comparison group. Before the SMART Act, ICP was associated with 2.8 fewer all-cause primary care visits, 34.6 fewer behavioral health-specific outpatient visits, and 2.5 fewer all-cause inpatient admissions per 100 persons per month, and $228 lower total costs per member per month relative to the FFS group. After the SMART Act, ICP enrollees had increased outpatient and dental services utilization without significantly higher costs. The relative increase in utilization was due primarily to decreased utilization in the restricted FFS group after the SMART Act. By the end of the study period, the ICP group had 13.3 more all-cause primary care visits, 1.5 more emergency department visits, and 1.4 more dental visits per 100 persons per month relative to the FFS program. A fully-capitated, integrated managed care program has the potential to reduce overall Medicaid costs for people with behavioral health conditions without negative effects on service utilization.
Quantitative single-cell splicing analysis reveals an 'economy of scale' filter for gene expression

In eukaryotic cells, splicing affects the fate of each pre-mRNA transcript, helping to determine whether it is ultimately processed into an mRNA, or degraded. The efficiency of splicing plays a key role in gene expression. However, because it depends on the levels of multiple isoforms at the same transcriptional active site (TAS) in the same cell, splicing efficiency has been challenging to measure. Here, we introduce a quantitative single-molecule FISH-based method that enables determination of the absolute abundances of distinct RNA isoforms at individual TASs. Using this method, we discovered that splicing efficiency behaves in an unexpected "economy of scale" manner, increasing, rather than decreasing, with gene expression levels, opposite to a standard enzymatic process. This behavior could result from an observed correlation between splicing efficiency and spatial proximity to nuclear speckles. Economy of scale splicing represents a non-linear filter that amplifies the expression of genes when they are more strongly transcribed. This method will help to reveal the roles of splicing in the quantitative control of gene expression.
A geostatistical model for estimating edge effects and cumulative human disturbance in wetlands and coastal waters

The modification of landscapes for agriculture, residential housing, and other human uses has the potential to alter ecosystem function, reduce native biodiversity, and to diminish the capacity of ...
Race vs. Class: Is the Market Colorblind?

For over forty years, sociologists and social scientists have debated the nature of inequality. Indeed, going back to Karl Marx and his contemporaries, the debates on the significance of race and class have been perpetual. Marxists often contended that class superseded race, gender, and other divisions in importance, but instead, those divisions were utilized by capitalists to preserve economic advantage and better exploit the proletariats. Race theorists like Michael Omi and Howard Winant attempted to shift focus back on race, noting that race was still a fundamental aspect of our social organization and had significance on its own, beyond class.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy-related Pneumonitis: Patterns and Management

In recent years, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has rapidly grown, with increasing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of a variety of agents used as first- and second-line treatments of various malignancies. ICIs act through a unique mechanism of action when compared with those of conventional chemotherapeutic agents. ICIs target the cell surface receptors cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death protein 1, or programmed cell death ligand 1, which result in immune system-mediated destruction of tumor cells. Immune-related adverse events are an increasingly recognized set of complications of ICI therapy that may affect any organ system. ICI therapy-related pneumonitis is an uncommon but important complication of ICI therapy, with potential for significant morbidity and mortality. As the clinical manifestation is often nonspecific, CT plays an important role in diagnosis and triage. Several distinct radiographic patterns of pneumonitis have been observed: (a) organizing pneumonia, (b) nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, (c) hypersensitivity pneumonitis, (d) acute interstitial pneumonia-acute respiratory distress syndrome, (e) bronchiolitis, and (f) radiation recall pneumonitis. Published guidelines outline the treatment of ICI therapy-related pneumonitis based on the severity of symptoms. Treatment is often effective, although recurrence is possible. This article reviews the mechanism of ICIs and ICI therapy complications, with subsequent management techniques and illustrations of the various radiologic patterns of ICI-therapy related pneumonitis.©RSNA, 2019.
The cancer care network clinical trials program: Rising from the camp fire ashes.

168Background: The UC Davis Health Cancer Care Network (CCN) in Sacramento improves quality through partnerships with community cancer centers and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCDCCC)....
Czochralski growth and scintillation properties of Li+, Na+, and K+ codoped (Lu0.75, Y0.25)3Al5O12: Pr3+ single crystals

Abstract In this paper, we explore codoping with monovalent ions: Li+, Na+, and K+, as a method of altering the scintillation properties of praseodymium-doped (Lu0.75Y0.25)3Al5O12 (LuYAG: Pr3+) single crystals. Substantial effort was given to optimizing the growth process to mitigate cracking which occurred in the LuYAG crystals beginning around the shoulder region and continuing throughout the boule. Growth parameters such as the translation and rotation rate, cool down duration, and boule geometry were altered to successfully address this challenge. Scintillation light yield, energy resolution, and scintillation decay time were measured for each of these crystals. It was discovered that monovalent codoping significantly improved scintillation light yield by at least 50%; accelerated and increased the weight of the fast component of scintillation decay; and enhanced energy resolution to values of as low as 3.8%, the best energy resolution reported for an oxide scintillator to date. The enhancements in scintillation performance are related to the effect of monovalent codoping on the formation of defects, in particular oxygen vacancies, within the LuYAG matrix and is proven via thermoluminescence and afterglow measurements.
Early ICD lead failure in defibrillator systems with multiple leads via cephalic access.

INTRODUCTION Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are proven to prevent sudden death in patients at elevated risk for sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Complications related to ICD failure can stem from lead dysfunction, manufacturing defects, patient characteristics, or implantation technique. We conducted a review of all ICD leads implanted at our center from 2011 to 2017 to determine risk factors for premature lead failure. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of patients of all ICD leads implanted from December 2011 to June 2017 at our institution. A total of 660 patients (Biotronik Linox S/SD, n = 281; Sprint Quatro, n = 207; Durata, n = 121; Endotak, n = 51) underwent ICD implantations. Patient and lead characteristics, procedural outcomes and complications were recorded. Lead failure was defined per Heart Rhythm Society lead-management consensus as a lack of procedural or clinical success, thus requiring an extraction of the lead. Patient and lead outcomes were recorded and variables associated with lead failure were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS Overall failure rate was similar for all leads: Linox S/SD-0.29%/year; Sprint Quattro-0.21%/year, Durata-0.39%/year and Endotak Reliance-0.0% (P = .769). No difference was found in overall survival when comparing all ICD manufacturers during the study period. Subgroup analysis revealed the risk of premature lead failure was particularly pronounced in multi-lead ICD systems implanted via cephalic access (P < .001). The estimated failure rate of Linox leads implanted via cephalic access in multi-lead systems was 19%/year. The estimated failure rate of non-Linox leads implanted via cephalic access in multi-lead systems was 11%/year. Neither age, nor gender were risk factors for lead failure in the Linox, or non-Linox cohorts. CONCLUSION All analyzed ICD leads were found to have a similar overall risk of premature failure. ICD lead implantation via cephalic access in multilead ICD systems may be a previously unidentified risk factor for premature ICD lead failure, although these findings require further validation.
Mediation of the Associations of Physical Activity With Cardiovascular Events and Mortality by Diabetes in Older Mexican Americans.

Low physical activity (PA) among older adults increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality through metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes. We aimed to elucidate the extent to which diabetes mediates the effect of non-occupational PA levels on CVD and mortality among older Mexican Americans. This study included 1,676 adults from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-2007). We employed Cox proportional hazards regression models to investigate associations of PA levels with all-cause mortality, fatal CVD, and nonfatal CVD events. Utilizing causal mediation analysis within counterfactual framework, we decomposed the total effect of PA into natural indirect and direct effects. Over follow-up (median 8 years), low PA (<25th percentile) was associated with the increased risk for all-cause mortality (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.06-1.75), fatal CVD (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.42-2.97) and nonfatal CVD (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.18-2.37), compared to high PA (≥75th percentile). Diabetes mediated 11.0%, 7.4%, and 5.2% of the total effect of PA on all-cause mortality, fatal CVD, and nonfatal CVD events, respectively. Our findings indicate that public health interventions targeting diabetes prevention and management would be a worthwhile strategy to prevent cardiovascular disease and mortality among older Mexican Americans with insufficient PA levels.
WLCSP Solder Ball Interconnection Enhancement for High Temperature Stress Reliability

WLCSP package has been demonstrated as one of most adequate packaging solution in both high electrical performance products, such as RF device, and high voltage application products, such as PMIC device, by its characteristics of short interconnection path and low package cost. As electronic components are aggressively adopted for automotive application to realize the autonomous driving capability in coming future, this makes WLCSP a very suitable package by its merits mentioned above besides its very thin small form-factor. To fulfill automotive application requirement (i.e. 1500C HTS 2000 hours or 1750C HTS 1000 hours for Grade 0), high temperature stress performance of package becomes extremely critical and essential. In WLCSP package structure, the most vulnerable interconnection interface to high temperature stress is UBM/solder ball interface due to Cu/Sn intermetallic compound (IMC) formation with kirkendall voiding issue. Therefore, it becomes the objective of this study to investigate different UBM Cu layer condition and solder ball composition impact on high temperature stress reliability performance of UBM/solder ball interface, also to evaluate accelerated stress conditions to shorten the investigation cycle.
Broadening the purpose of the corporation requires purposeful implementation

The notion that the purpose of the corporation is to maximize profits to be distributed to its shareholders has been the guiding light of management for many decades. Nevertheless, in the last few decades many corporations, on their own, and in response to pressures from society, have realized that their operations, and hence profits, impact and are impacted by a broader set of entities: employees, clients, community, suppliers of goods and services and the environment, among others, besides the providers of capital. Corporations are recognizing that they have a responsibility towards society, that their purpose is broader that maximization of profits. This realization has been intensified with recent crises, where corporations have realized that they can and must also contribute to alleviate some societal needs. But the discussion has been so concentrated on the redefinition of this purpose and on the actions on the ground, beginning and end of a process, but the difficult task in the middle, the implementation of a broader purpose, has been neglected or underestimated, relying on the status quo or on small changes to the business as usual. But the redefinition of purpose, to be effective, to have impact, requires not only changes in strategy but also changes in culture, structure, governance and management processes among others, whose analysis is the purpose of this paper.
DDX3X coordinates host defense against influenza virus by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome and type I interferon response

Viruses and hosts have coevolved for millions of years, leading to the development of complex host-pathogen interactions. Influenza A virus (IAV) causes severe pulmonary pathology and is a recurrent threat to human health. Innate immune sensing of IAV triggers a complex chain of host responses. IAV has adapted to evade host defense mechanisms, and the host has coevolved to counteract these evasion strategies. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the balance between host defense and viral immune evasion is poorly understood. Here, we show that the host protein DEAD-box helicase 3 X-linked (DDX3X) is critical to orchestrate a multifaceted antiviral innate response during IAV infection, coordinating the activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor with a pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, assembly of stress granules, and type I interferon (IFN) responses. DDX3X activated the NLRP3 inflammasome in response to WT IAV, which carries the immune evasive nonstructural protein 1 (NS1). However, in the absence of NS1, DDX3X promoted the formation of stress granules that facilitated efficient activation of type I IFN signaling. Moreover, induction of DDX3X-containing stress granules by external stimuli after IAV infection led to increased type I IFN signaling, suggesting that NS1 actively inhibits stress granule-mediated host responses and DDX3X-mediated NLRP3 activation counteracts this action. Furthermore, the loss of DDX3X expression in myeloid cells caused severe pulmonary pathogenesis and morbidity in IAV-infected mice. Together, our findings show that DDX3X orchestrates alternate modes of innate host defense which are critical to fight against NS1-mediated immune evasion strategies during IAV infection.
Interpreting agreement: Evidence from Japanese object honorifics

Agree is commonly considered to have no semantic effects (Chomsky 2000, 2001 a.o.). However, based on the behaviors of the Japanese object honorific (OH) construction, this work claims that Agree can affect interpretation in such a way that its result feeds a semantic predicate. This claim is based on two observations regarding OH. First, I examine a theoretically overlooked observation that OH is felicitous only when the object referent is honored by the subject referent as well as the speaker. I show that this observation suggests that the head responsible for the OH marking induces the interpretation that the subject and the speaker honor the object. Second, I examine the distribution of the honoree in OH and argue that the head responsible for OH marking accesses the object via Agree, in line with previous theoretical studies (Niinuma 2003; Boeckx & Niinuma 2004). I account for both observations by proposing that the honorific head serves as a semantic predicate honor , which finds its arguments via Agree.
Anemia at Altitude: Iron Deficiency and Other Acquired Anemias.

DeLoughery, Thomas G. Clinician's corner: Anemia at altitude—Iron deficiency and other acquired anemias. High Alt Med Biol. 22:000–000, 2021.—Acquired anemias are common throughout the world. This ...
The geographic disparity of historical greenhouse emissions and projected climate change.

One challenge in climate change communication is that the causes and impacts of global warming are unrelated at local spatial scales. Using high-resolution datasets of historical anthropogenic greenhouse emissions and an ensemble of 21st century surface temperature projections, we developed a spatially explicit index of local climate disparity. This index identifies positive (low emissions, large temperature shifts) and negative disparity regions (high emissions, small temperature shifts), with global coverage. Across all climate change projections we analyzed, 99% of the earth’s surface area has a positive index value. This result underscores that while emissions are geographically concentrated, warming is globally widespread. From our index, the regions of the greatest positive disparity appear concentrated in the polar arctic, Central Asia, and Africa with negative disparity regions in western Europe, Southeast Asia, and eastern North America. Straightforward illustrations of this complex relationship may inform on equity, enhance public understanding, and increase collective global action.
Do higher temperatures influence how yields respond to increasing planting density

This study explores how higher temperatures influence corn yield response to planting density. Using 1990–2010 field trial data from Wisconsin and econometric models with a variety of specifications, we find that higher temperatures reduce the yield benefits of increasing planting density. However, these adverse high-temperature effects are smaller for genetically modified corn varieties, especially those with rootworm-resistant traits. Consistent with previous studies, these results support the notion that varietal improvements through genetic modification may have paved the way for higher planting densities in US corn production. Moreover, our results imply that expected in-season temperatures are important considerations when making planting density decisions.
Enabling Elasticity on the Edge using Heterogeneous Gateways

Edge computing for the Internet of Things prescribes executing applications on server machines closer to devices rather than depending on the cloud. However, server machines are expensive, are not flexible to adapt to varying application requirements, require gateways to interact with IoT devices, and follow a centralized model which increases traffic and application latency. Special-purpose hardware for the edge is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with support for machine learning, secure enclaves etc., and this work is an attempt to leverage such hardware to cooperatively execute edge applications, rather than relying on expensive edge servers. To do so, our design relies on a distributed middleware which can seamlessly scale up with new hardware, and a task scheduler which best matches application requirements with the hardware capabilities available. We have built a prototype middleware that operates on multiple gateways in our testbed of 250 IoT devices, and we plan to further improve our platform to support more varying use cases.
Chapter 21 Random and changing coefficient models

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that the standard linear regression model has been an attractive model to use in econometrics. If econometricians can uncover stable economic relations that satisfy at least approximately the assumptions of this model, they deserve the credit and the convenience of using it. Sometimes, however, econometricians are not lucky or ingenious enough to specify a stable regression relationship, and the relationship being studied gradually changes. Under such circumstances, an option is to specify a linear regression model with stochastically evolving coefficients. The chapter also reviews that for the purpose of parameter estimation, this model takes into account the possibility that the coefficients may be time dependent and provides estimates of these coefficients at different points of time. For the purpose of forecasting, this model has an advantage over the standard regression model in utilizing the estimates of the most up-to-date coefficients. From the viewpoint of hypothesis testing, this model serves as a viable alternative to the standard regression model for the purpose of checking the constancy of the coefficients of the latter model.
Effects of Search Timing on Product Innovation: The Value of Not Being in Sync

This paper investigates how firms search for new products. While prior work takes a firm-centric view, we study how the firm’s search depends on that of its competitors. Drawing on organizational learning theory, we argue and find that search timing relative to competitors matters. Two seemingly contradictory views are tested: that competitors take away the exclusivity of search and therefore suppress innovation, or, in contrast, sharpen and validate the focal firm’s search and thus promote innovation. Our analysis of 15 years of longitudinal data on 124 Japanese, European, and U.S. industrial automation organizations reconciles these views. In particular, firms introduce more new products if they search after their competitors, and they introduce innovative new products if they search ahead of competitors. Interestingly, the most innovative firms combine these two out-of-sync approaches, but avoid searching in sync.
The Neue Frau and the Significance of Beetle Imagery in the Photomontages of Hannah Höch

Hannah Hoch obscurely incorporated the image of a beetle into several of her photomontages. By analyzing three of her works, Untitled (c. 1920), From Above (c. 1922), and The Coquette (1923-25), I propose Hoch’s beetle to be a response to the archeological understanding of the Egyptian scarab’s meaning of rebirth, which directly relates to the contemporary social phenomenon of the neue Frau, or New Woman. Thus, by removing the beetle from the focal points of these works, Hoch represents the society’s rejection of the neue Frau as well as the Berlin Dadaists’ denial of her. To evaluate the significance of these beetles, this paper examines the social constructs produced by the Weimar Republic, specifically the idea of the New Woman. The New Woman was epitomized by a financially independent woman who had no legal ties to a man. While this idea was glorified within the media, the average New Woman was generally ostracized and disdained. By deconstructing the photomontages, this paper emphasizes the importance of the beetle and its correlation to the scarab based on visual comparisons to the dung beetle and Hoch’s ties to non-western art, including the ethnographic museums she was known to frequent. Reviewing Egyptian archeological records from the era reveals that the scarab was already associated with ideas of rebirth. By including the beetle within these compositions, Hoch consciously makes the connection to the scarab’s meaning of rebirth. Simultaneously, the female gender role is reborn within German society. Therefore, the beetle is directly correlated to the New Woman. It is important to note the obscure fashion in which Hoch incorporates the beetle. While the beetle is never directly hidden, it generally exists outside of the central arrangement. This subordination of the beetle to the often male imagery reflects the unrealized ideal of the New Woman. Hoch fit the mold for the New Woman, yet nonetheless was scorned by her male counterparts within the Dadaist group. Therefore, the beetle not only represents the idea of the New Woman, but also stands as a self-representation of Hoch.
Efficient policies for the problem of optimal node visitation in acyclic stochastic digraphs

Given a stochastic, acyclic, connected digraph with a single source node and a control agent that repetitively traverses this graph, each time starting from the source node, we want to define a control policy that will enable this agent to visit each of the graph terminal nodes a prespecified number of times, while minimizing the expected number of the graph traversals. In previous work, we formulated this problem as a specially structured Discrete Time Markov Decision Process, and we developed an asymptotically optimal randomized policy. In this work, we develop improved policies by exploiting the special structure of the problem and the relevant theory of suboptimal control.
Monensin and dichloroacetamide influences on methane and volatile Fatty Acid production by rumen bacteria in vitro.

The effect of monensin (0 or 33 μg/g of diet) upon rumen fermentation in the presence and absence of methanogenesis was determined in vitro by using mixed rumen organisms continuously cultured for 17 days. Methane was inhibited by dichloroacetamide (DCA; 32 mg/day) or by a pH of 5.1. Monensin effected a significant decrease in the ratio of acetic to propionic acid in the presence or absence of methanogenesis. In the absence of methanogenesis, the decrease in the ratio of acetic to propionic acid was entirely the result of increased propionic acid, whereas in the presence of methanogenesis the decrease in the ratio was the result of a combination of decreased acetic acid and increased propionic acid. There was a complementary interaction between monensin and DCA on volatile fatty acid production (expressed as millimoles of carbon per day). Addition of monensin to DCA-treated cultures resulted in the production of more acid; however, monensin and DCA had no beneficial effect on total carbon formed as acid and gases as compared with nonsupplemented control cultures. The monensin and DCA also resulted in greater digestion of neutral detergent fiber and less accumulation of formic acid and hydrogen as end products than did DCA alone. l-Lactic acid was produced in small but significantly greater amounts by the low-pH cultures, which also had less volatile fatty acid carbon formed from the fiber fraction of the forage supplied.
Risk Allocation Across the Enterprise: Evidence from the Insurance Industry

Financial researchers initially regarded hedging activities as a means to reduce total firm risk, which often is defined in terms of cash flow volatility. More recently, researchers have focused on the strategic allocation of risk. Direct tests of risk allocation have been problematic, however, because hedging data are rarely available and, when available, are only specific to a single operation of the firm, such as bank lending. In this study, we exploit unique data from the insurance industry that allows us to observe hedging proxies for both investment and insurance underwriting risks and test the risk allocation hypothesis developed in the finance literature. We also conduct separate examinations of life-health and property-casualty insurers, which reveal differences in the risks and hedging activities of these two types of insurers.
Discrepancies Between Self-Reported Usual Sleep Duration and Objective Measures of Total Sleep Time in Treatment-Seeking Overweight and Obese Individuals

To examine the agreement between actigraphy-estimated and self-reported sleep duration in obese individuals, we had 63 treatment seeking overweight/obese participants complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and report sleep duration for weekends and weekdays, and compared their reports to 7 days of actigraphy. Actigraph total sleep time correlated r = .20-.31 with self-report and the absolute discrepancy averaged 51-54 minutes. Only 20 of the 32 subjects (62.5%) classified as short sleepers (<7 hours/night) by actigraphy were similarly classified by self-report. Poor sleep quality was associated with greater absolute discrepancy between actigraphy and self-report. The weak correlations between self-report and actigraph should be considered in future efforts to increase sleep duration to promote weight loss in obese individuals.
El impacto de los investigadores fieles a la industria farmacéutica en la ética y la calidad de los ensayos clínicos realizados en Latinoamérica

This article explains the difficulties innovative pharmaceutical firms have in repaying shareholders with attractive dividends. The problem is the result of the expiration of the patents of blockbuster drugs and the difficulties that the firms have in bringing new blockbuster drugs to the market. One of the solutions companies have found has been to accelerate the implementation of clinical trials in order to expedite the commercialization of new drugs. Doing so increases the period in which they can sell drugs at monopoly prices. We therefore discuss how innovative pharmaceutical firms shorten the implementation time of clinical trials in Latin America and the consequences such actions have on the quality of the collected data, the protection of human rights of the subjects of experimentation, and compliance with the ethical principles approved in international declarations.
In vitro stimulation of hamster lymphocytes with concanavalin A.

The in vitro response of hamster lymphocytes to concanavalin A (Con A) was investigated by using the 3H-thymidine incorporation assay, and the results obtained were compared to those with phytohemagglutinin (PHA-P). The optimum culture conditions for stimulation were obtained when one million lymph node cells were cultivated for 72 hr in 2 ml of RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum in the presence of either 2 μg of Con A or 0.05 ml of PHA-P. The average ratios of stimulation using lymph node cells with Con A and PHA-P were 227 and 14, respectively. Bone marrow and thymus cells responded very poorly or not at all. Methyl α-d-glucopyranoside, when added to the culture medium at the time of addition of Con A, completely inhibited stimulation. The lymphocyte stimulation could be reversed by addition of the sugar as late as 18 hr after the addition of Con A. The lymphocyte response from hamsters bearing tumors induced by simian virus 40 tumor cells and from hamsters immune to tumor transplants was comparable to the response of lymphocytes from healthy donors.
Fatty Acid Toxicity and Methyl Ketone Production in Aspergillus niger

Vegetative hyphae of Aspergillus niger rapidly converted caproic acid into 2-pentanone. More caproic acid was required for maximal ketone production at alkaline as compared to acidic pH values. Further increases in caproate concentrations at each pH value tested (4.5, 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, and 8.5) resulted in inhibition of ketone production and O2 uptake. At alkaline pH values (8.5 and 7.5), oxygen uptake above the endogenous level and the production of 2-pentanone were parallel. This relationship did not hold at acidic pH values. At these pH values, ketone production continued (pH 6.5) or attained a maximum (pH 5.5 and 4.5) at caproate concentrations at which oxygen uptake was inhibited below endogenous levels. These data indicate that endogenous oxygen uptake was not inhibited by caproate at alkaline pH values at concentrations which did inhibit caproate oxidation and 2-pentanone production. Conversely, at acidic pH values, endogenous oxygen uptake was vigorously inhibited by caproate at concentrations at which exogenous fatty acid oxidation and 2-pentanone production were less affected. Simon-Beevers plots of these data showed that the undissociated acid was the permeant form of caproic acid. The fatty anion appeared to be the active or inhibitory form of caproate within the cell. Vegetative hyphae of A. niger were poorly buffered. Once the hyphae were washed and resuspended in phosphate buffer, they were well buffered towards inhibitory concentrations of caproic acid. These findings suggest that the primary mechanism(s) by which caproate inhibits oxygen uptake and ketone formation does not involve a change in the intracellular pH.
THE FRENCH ELEMENT IN ENGLISH

THIS paper presents a report of a study' of the French element in English based upon an examination of the derivation of the English words in Thorndike's The Teacher's Word Book.2 This study was made to secure information as to the potential value of French for increased control over the English vocabulary, with the ultimate purpose of paving the way for the utilization of this value by English-speaking students of French. The potential value for the enrichment of English vocabulary inherent in French depends upon the etymological relation between the words of the two languages. The extent of this relationship may be expressed objectively in terms of the number and percentage of English words derived from French. The Thorndike Word Book was chosen as a basis for the etymological study for the two following reasons. First, a list of the English words that are most useful in reading seemed the most appropriate, inasmuch as the development of the ability to read French is generally admitted to be one of the primary objectives for the study of French by American students. Secondly, this list embodies the results of the most extensive word count of reading vocabulary in English that had been made when this study was begun.3 This study differs from other derivative studies that have been made of the same word-list in that it is concerned primarily with the direct rather than with the ultimate sources of the English
Tolerance of rice plants to trace metals

Abstract The tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa L. C.V. Earlirose) to various trace metal excesses was tested to determine if high levels of the trace metals found in some field‐grown plants were at toxicity levels. In one experiment, levels of 2200 μg Zn/g dry weight, 44 μg Cu/g dry weight, 4400 μg Mn/g dry weight, and 32 μg Pb/g dry weight in shoots of young plants had no adverse effects on vegetative yields. A level of 3160μgZn/ g dry weight decreased yields about 40% (P = . 05). In another test 51 μg Cu/g dry weight or 94 μg Pb/g dry weight did not decrease vegetative yields. Boron supplied at 10‐3 MH3BO3 not only caused no toxicity but resulted in only 144 μg B/g dry weight in shoots. Root levels of Zn were about equal to those in shoots; Mn levels were lower in roots than in shoots (1/4 to 1/10); B levels were generally low in both shoots and roots with roots 1/10 that of shoots; Cu levels were higher in roots than in shoots. Rice was tolerant of a high level of Cr. The tolerance of rice to high levels...
Superiority comparisons of heterogeneous linear estimators

In this paper conditions for strong and weak superiority of a heterogeneous linear estimator over another are derived. The general results are applied to some special cases: in particular, two restricted least squares estimators are compared using the superiority conditions obtained. The weak superiority criterion is used as a basis in forming a generalization of an optimal se-quence of tests (Anderson, 1962) for searching for the best estimator when the alternative linear restrictions form a nested se-quence of hypotheses. An application of this is the determination of the correct length of lag and appropriate degree of polynomial in the estimation of polynomial distributed lag models.
A toolkit for knowledge base population

The main goal of knowledge base population (KBP) is to distill entity information (e.g., facts of a person) from multiple unstructured and semi-structured data sources, and incorporate the information into a knowledge base (KB). In this work, we intend to release an open source KBP toolkit that is publicly available for research purposes.
Threshold collision-induced dissociation of hydrogen-bonded dimers of carboxylic acids.

Energy-resolved competitive collision-induced dissociation is used to investigate the proton-bound heterodimer anions of a series of carboxylic acids (formic, acetic, and benzoic acid) and nitrous acid with their conjugate bases. The dissociation reactions of the complexes [CH3COO·H·OOCH]-, [CH3COO·H·ONO]-, [HCOO·H· ONO]-, [C6H5COO·H·OOCH]-, and [C6H5COO·H·ONO]- are investigated using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Cross sections of the two dissociation channels are measured as a function of the collision energy between the complex ions and xenon target gas. Apparent relative gas-phase acidities are found by modeling the cross sections near the dissociation thresholds using statistical rate theory. Internal inconsistencies are found in the resulting relative acidities. These deviations apparently result from the formation of higher-energy conformers of the acids within the complex ions induced by double hydrogen bonding, which impedes the kinetics of dissociation to ground-state product acid ...
Sulfur exchange studies on a Mo/Al2O3 catalyst

A relatively simple technique was developed to assess catalyst sulfur exchange using nonradioactive hydrogen sulfide-34. Exchange of catalyst sulfur on a Mo/A12O3 catalyst with H234S was carried out at several temperatures. The extent of exchange was determined by a subsequent temperature-programmed oxidation, measuring the amounts of regular and heavy SO2 evolved. Exchange occurred very rapidly at each temperature studied. The extent of exchange increased with temperature up to a limiting value at the highest temperature investigated (530°C). The limiting value was ascribed to exchange of sulfur at edge sites of the MoS2 slabs. Smaller values of exchange at lower temperatures were attributed to different bonding strengths of the edge sulfur atoms.
Post-Mustard Procedure Pulmonary Venous Obstruction: An Opportunity for Anatomic Correction with a One-Stage Arterial Switch

A 14-year-old boy after a Mustard procedure for transposition of the great arteries developed pulmonary hypertension secondary to baffle obstruction. This occurred over several years without apparent significant symptomatology. Systemic-level pressure prevailed in the left (pulmonary) ventricle and provided an opportunity to perform a successful one-stage arterial switch.
On the existence of asymptotically flat initial data sets for space-times containing manifolds with ends

A 3-manifoldM is said to have ends if the complement of a compact set inM is the finite disjoint union of sets diffeomorphic to the exterior of a sphere in ℝ3. This paper gives a necessary and sufficient condition for when an asymptotically flat initial data set (\(\bar g, \bar \pi , \bar v, \bar T\)) onM is determined by a set of freely specifiable York data.
Fabrication of two- and three-dimensional model catalyst systems with monodispersed platinum nanoparticles as active metal building blocks

Abstract Well-defined Pt monodispersed nanoparticles within the catalytically relevant 1–10 nm size regime were synthesized in solution phase by several synthetic methods which differed in the choice of reducing agent, surface stabilizer, reaction temperature and solvent. Three-dimensional model catalysts were fabricated by incorporating the metal nanoparticles into ordered channels of high surface area mesoporous oxides such as SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Ta 2 O 5 through either sonication or direct synthesis of the oxide support around the particles. Deposition of the same nanocrystals onto silica supports by means of the Langmuir–Schaeffer technique produced two-dimensional model catalysts.
The Four Component Model of Morality: Implications for Pharmacy Education

ABSTRACTA major component of the provision of pharmaceutical care revolves around ethical decision making. As pharmacy practice becomes more patient centered, the potential for ethical dilemmas increases. This paper uses Rest's Four Component Model of Morality as a theoretical framework to suggest that the production of moral behavior is complex and entails at least four distinct psychological processes: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character and implementation. Implications of the model for pharmacy education, including potential educational goals, strategies, and assessments of each component, are discussed. The limitations and criticisms of Cognitive Moral Development Theory are also discussed.
Performance structures: A psycholinguistic and linguistic appraisal☆

Abstract Two lines of research—one in psycholinguistics and one in linguistics—are combined to deal with a long-standing problem in both fields: why the “performance structures” of sentences (structures based on experimental data, such as pausing and parsing values) are not fully accountable for by linguistic theories of phrase structure. Two psycholinguistic algorithms that have been used to predict these structures are described and their limitations are examined. A third algorithm, based on the prosodic structures of sentences is then proposed and shown to be a far better predictor of performance structures. It is argued that the experimental data reflect aspects of the linguistic cognitive capacity, and that, in turn, linguistic theory can offer an illuminating account of the data. The prosodic model is shown to have a wider domain of application than temporal organization per se, accounting for parsing judgments as well as pausing performance, and reflecting aspects of syntactic and semantic structure as well as purely prosodic structure. Finally, the algorithm is discussed in light of language processing.
The implementation of a simplified CSG model

Abstract A solid modeling concept that uses a simplified constructive solid geometry technique is presented. The CSG database is converted into other modeling representations for use in removing hidden lines and for displaying the modeled solid. The conversion from CSG to boundary representation involves the determination of all edges of the solid by solving for the intersection curves of quadric halfspaces. The B-rep data is used in hidden line removal by ray casting and for display.