cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
City Leadership, City Constraints:

Despite the significant contributions of cities to our nation’s economy and the everyday life of most Americans, local government leaders are faced with significant constraints on their ability to lead and govern. This article presents a novel framework of constraints facing city leadership focused on legal (what they are allowed to do), fiscal (what they have resources to do), and political constraints (what they want to do). A model is constructed to analyze the impact of these constraints on local action regarding minimum wage and hypothesize that greater constraints will result in less policy action within cities. Using multivariate regression, the authors find that political constraints and economic factors are the most significant determinants of whether a city pursues policy leadership.
Injecting Semantic Diversity in Top-N Recommender Systems Using Determinantal Point Processes and Curated Lists

Top-N Recommender Systems usually suffer from intra-list diversity as they are tailored for relevance and predicted rating accuracy. This problem is magnified in the case of cold start setting - resulting in users being restricted to popular set of items and can result in a "rich getting richer eco-system". As a result, in recent years, more attention is being paid to improving the diversity of recommender system results. List creation has become a popular way for users to express preferences over items on online platforms such as imdb.com and goodreads.com. These user curated lists tend to contain a coherent semantic representation of the domain the list of items belong to. List curation can be seen as a way to capture fine grained topic-specific item-lists by users. Understanding and modeling user preferences expressed in these curated lists can help with diverse set of applications such as recommendations, user modeling, session understanding etc. In this paper, we propose an approach to improve the diversity of results generated by Top-N recommender systems, by using Determinantal Point Processes (DPPs) over user curated lists in the movie domain and incorporating them to rerank the Top-N recommender systems. For this work, we use the user curated lists in the imdb.com domain. We evaluate our approach over the Movielens 1-Million dataset and compare the results with other baseline approaches. Our early results show that incorporating semantic similarity expressed in user lists as a diversity proxy results in a more diverse set of recommendations.
The Fight to Safeguard American Drug Safety in the Twenty-First Century

In the autumn of 2004, the United States faced a public health crisis when Merck & Co., Inc. announced a voluntary withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (“NSAID”) that had first been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in May 1999. Over 100 million prescriptions for Vioxx had been written for 20 million consumers, and the FDA subsequently estimated that as many as 55,000 of those consumers suffered fatal heart attacks or strokes from their ingestion of Vioxx. In earlier decades, incidents similar to the Vioxx revelation served as the impetus for great reform to our consumer protection standards. The modern FDA was born out of such experience, first after the dispersal of Elixir Sulfanilamide across our country in September and October 1937, and then after Europe’s thalidomide tragedy in the early 1960s. Through such crises, the FDA evolved over the twentieth century into an agency meant to carry out two distinct but related healthcare goals on behalf of the American people: to approve new drugs, biologics and medical devices, and then to oversee the safe use of these products within the marketplace. The Vioxx crisis, the resulting investigations, and the ensuing lawsuits—14,000 of which remain outstanding in state and federal courts—strongly underscored a number of deficiencies within the
SEIZURES | Seizure Termination and the Postseizure Refractory Period

Why seizures stop is an important but largely unanswered question in epilepsy research. The fact that most seizures are self-limiting suggests the operation of some cellular mechanism or mechanisms to terminate ictal activity. The purpose of this review is to summarize some of what is known about why seizures, once started, stop. The roles of potassium homeostasis, GABA, adenosine, neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, and endocannabinoids in this process are considered. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that contribute to the termination of the ongoing seizure activity is important, because such information could not only provide new insights into the mechanisms of seizures (and the patterning of seizures over time), but also identify new therapeutic targets for seizure control.
Development and Evaluation of Experimental Chlorine Technology Pre and Post Milking Teat Dips on Teat End and Teat Skin Condition and Health

Objectives were to evaluate pre and post teat dip formulations using a novel chlorine disinfectant technology (ECAlogix™ System) and their effect on teat health and integrity. There were 2 trials with 2 pens (10 and 11) in both trials. Trial 1 (2 wk) was designed to evaluate maximal chlorine concentrations; trial 2 (3 wk) assessed emollient levels. Pen 11 (48 cows) was pre-dipped in a half udder design and all teats post dipped with herd commercial product (lactic acid barrier post- dip). Trial 1 compared 500 and 1000 ppm chlorine pre-dips. Trial 2 compared 1000 ppm predips with different emollient levels. In trials 1 and 2, Pen 10 (24 cows) was pre-dipped with commercial herd product (hydrogen peroxide predip) and post dipped in a half udder design. Trial one compared 1000 and 2000 ppm chlorine post dips. Trial 2 compared 2000 ppm post dips with different emollient levels. Teat skin (1=normal, 2=slightly dry; 3 = chapped) and teat end (1-1.5 = normal; 2-3= smooth ring; 3.5-4 = rough ring; 4.5-5 very rough ring) scoring was performed twice per week. Mixed procedure of SAS with repeated measured (mixed model with quarter within cow as a repeated measure) were used to analyze average teat skin score (TSS), average teat end scores (TES), and % rough teats, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Prior to trial initiation, all pens had similar TSS (1.08; 3 - 16% scoring 2), with pen 10 having slightly lower TES and % rough teats (2; 50%) compared to pen 11 (2.5; 60%). Trial 1 showed no overall change in TSS, TES, and % rough teat ends for pen 11 (prototype pre dips) with no differences between 500 and 1000 ppm chlorine pre-dips in Pen 11. Pen 10 (prototype post dips) showed significant improvements in TSS (1.01, < 1% score 2), TES (1.7), and % rough teat ends (30%), with no differences between 1000 and 2000 ppm chlorine post dips. Trial 2 showed similar results to trial 1 (improved teat integrity with prototype chlorine post dips) with no additional benefits seen to extra emollient addition to either pre or post chlorine dips. No adverse effects were seen at any chlorine concentration. Chlorine technology afforded very good pre and post dips but must be tested against commercial products before commercialization.
The Effect of Mutations Within a Cluster of Homologous Amino Acids Present in the M5, M6 and M8 Transmembrane Regions of the H,K-ATPase

Five conserved amino acids, asn-794, glu-797, thr-825, asp-826 and glu-938, in transmembrane regions M5, M6 and M8 of the P2 family of ATPases have been identified as a putative cation binding site. To test if these conserved amino acids influence the K+ -stimulated ATPase activity of the H, K -ATPase, site mutations were introduced into the alpha-subunit of the rabbit gastric H, K -ATPase and co-expressed with the rabbit gastric beta-subunit in HEK 293T cells. In transmembrane domain M5, mutations of asn-794 (leu, ala, asp), but not glu-797 (gin) significantly attenuated or inactivated the H,K-ATPase. Several mutations of lys-793 (ser, glu, arg, ala, leu) also partially inactivated the H,K-ATPase and is consistent with a role for this residue in H,K-ATPase function. Substitution of aliphatic (ala, leu) but not charged residues (ser, asp, lys) was tolerated in M6 at thr-825 but all substitutions of asp-826 (leu, ala, asn, thr) inactivated the H,K-ATPase. Aliphatic substitutions of glu-938 (gin, ala) in transmembrane region M8 were tolerated. The data utilizing single aliphatic substitutions present clear evidence of the importance of asn-794 and asp-826 in cation dependent function. H,K-ATPase inactivation dependent upon charge substitutions at thr-825 implicates thr-825, but evidence for the involvement of the carboxyl side chain at glu-797 and glu-938 in cation dependent function is lacking. To test whether the co-ordination of shared sidechain oxygens from multiple residues might mask the potential contribution of a single residue, double mutations were introduced into residues of M5/ M6, M5/ M8 and M6/ M8. The H,K-ATPase containing double substitutions in M5/ M6 at glu-797 (gin)/thr-825 (ala, leu) and glu-797 (gin)/glu-93 8 (gin, ala) was fully functional while the H,K-ATPase containing double substitutions in M5/ M8 at glu-797 (gin)/glu-938 (gin, ala) and in M6/ M8 at thr-825 (ala, leu)/glu-939 (gin, ala) was partially inhibited. These data are consistent with a role for glu-938, but not glu-797 in cation dependent ATPase activity. Finally, the double mutation thr-825 (asp)/ asp-826-(thr) failed to restore function lost with single substitutions (thr-825 (asp) and asp-826 (thr)) at this position. This is consistent with a strict requirement for the charged side chain geometry at this position rather than a requirement simply for the conservation of charge between the charged pair. Overall, these data are consistent with a model utilizing 4 residues, asn-794, thr-825, asp-826 and glu-938 in the cation binding site located in M5/ M6 and M8 and suggests that this cation binding site is mostly conserved within the P2 family.
Predictors of Depressive Relapse in Women Undergoing Infertility Treatment.

Abstract Background: Despite high prevalence rates among women of mood disorders and of infertility, there is a paucity of systematic data to inform the treatment of women at risk for psychiatric m...
Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression and Timing and Types of Treatment Received Differ for Women with Private and Medicaid Coverage.

Abstract Background Postpartum depression is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and timing of depression diagnoses and treatment use in the year after childbirth among women with private and Medicaid health insurance coverage. Methods Using two large claims databases (private employer-sponsored and multistate Medicaid), we identified women with a live birth in 2014. We calculated the percentage of women with a depression diagnosis in the year after giving birth and identified their mental health treatment use (antidepressant medication filled and/or psychotherapy). We calculated days to diagnosis, days to treatment initiation, and number of therapy sessions. Percentages were compared using Cohen's h measure of effect size between two independent proportions (h ≥ 0.20 are meaningful). Results After childbirth, 7% of privately insured women and 13% with Medicaid were newly diagnosed with depression (h = 0.22). Those with Medicaid were diagnosed earlier (median 43 days vs. 78 days for private), but treatment initiation occurred later (h = 0.38) and at a lower rate (54% with Medicaid received some treatment vs. 71% with private insurance, h = 0.35). Many women received medication without therapy (44% with Medicaid vs. 51% with private insurance). Therapy was used more commonly by private enrollees (20% vs. 10% of Medicaid; h = 0.28). Among those who received therapy, the median was three sessions. Conclusions Postpartum depression diagnosis was more prevalent among women with Medicaid coverage, yet the treatment gap was greater and initiation was later. These findings suggest that there is room for improvement when it comes to early intervention and treatment engagement.
Abstract WP268: Association of Serum Troponin Obtained During Stroke Codes With Cardioembolic Stroke

Introduction: Troponin is a marker of cardiac ischemia and is elevated in about 30 % of stroke patients. We investigated if the elevation of troponin during an acute stroke code is associated with ...
Using Digital Mapping Tool in Ill-structured Problem Solving

Scaffolding students’ problem solving and helping them to improve problem solving skills are critical in instructional design courses. This study investigated the effects of students’ uses of a digital mapping tool on their problem solving performance in a design case study. It was found that the students who used the digital mapping tool performed better than those who did not use the tool in providing arguments when defining the problem and justifying the solutions. The results indicated that digital concept mapping could facilitate students’ illstructured problem solving. In this study, guide map was used. Future research may examine the use of free style map in problem solving.
Bounds for preperiodic points for maps with good reduction

Abstract Let K be a number field and let ϕ in K ( z ) be a rational function of degree d ≥ 2 . Let S be the set of places of bad reduction for ϕ (including the archimedean places). Let Per ( ϕ , K ) , PrePer ( ϕ , K ) , and Tail ( ϕ , K ) be the set of K-rational periodic, preperiodic, and purely preperiodic points of ϕ, respectively. The present paper presents two main results. The first result is a bound for | PrePer ( ϕ , K ) | in terms of the number of places of bad reduction | S | and the degree d of the rational function ϕ. This bound significantly improves a previous bound given by J. Canci and L. Paladino. For the second result, assuming that | Per ( ϕ , K ) | ≥ 4 (resp. | Tail ( ϕ , K ) | ≥ 3 ), we prove bounds for | Tail ( ϕ , K ) | (resp. | Per ( ϕ , K ) | ) that depend only on the number of places of bad reduction | S | (and not on the degree d). We show that the hypotheses of this result are sharp, giving counterexamples to any possible result of this form when | Per ( ϕ , K ) | 4 (resp. | Tail ( ϕ , K ) | 3 ).
On the Feasibility of Wi-Fi Based Material Sensing

Wireless sensing has demonstrated the potential of using Wi-Fi signals to track people and objects, even behind walls.Yet, prior work in this space aims to merely detect the presence of objects around corners, rather than their type. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of the following re-search question: ?Can commodity Wi-Fi radios detect both the location and type of moving objects around them?". We present IntuWition, a complementary sensing system that can sense the location and type of material of objects in the environment, including those out of line-of-sight. It achieves this by sensing wireless signals reflected off surrounding objects using commodity Wi-Fi radios, whose signals penetrate walls and occlusions. At the core of IntuWition is the idea that different materials reflect and scatter polarized waves in different ways. We build upon ideas from RADAR Polarimetry to detect the material of objects across spatial locations, despite mobility of the sensing device and the hardware non-idealities of commodity Wi-Fi radios. A detailed feasibility study reveals an average accuracy of 95% in line-of-sight and 92% in non-line-of-sight in classifying five types of materials:copper, aluminum, plywood, birch, and human. Finally, we present a proof-of-concept application of our system on an autonomous UAV that uses its onboard Wi-Fi radios to sense whether an occlusion is a person versus another UAV.
A Novel Mouse Model of Autoimmune Thyroiditis Induced by Immunization with Adenovirus Containing Full-Length Thyroglobulin cDNA: Implications to Genetic Studies of Thyroid Autoimmunity.

Background: Thyroglobulin (TG) is a key autoantigen in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TG locus were shown to be strongly associated with disease susceptibility in both humans and mice, and autoimmune response to TG is the earliest event in the development of thyroid autoimmunity in mice. The classical model of experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) is induced by immunizing mice with TG protein together with an adjuvant to break down immune tolerance. The classical EAT model has limited utility in genetic studies of TG since it does not allow testing the effects of TG sequence variants on the development of autoimmune thyroiditis. In this study, we have immunized CBA-J mice, an EAT-susceptible strain, with an adenovirus vector encoding the full-length human TG (hTG) to generate a model of EAT in which the TG sequence can be manipulated to test AITD-associated TG SNPs. Methods: We immunized CBA-J mice with hTG-expressing adenovirus following the well-recognized experimental autoimmune Graves' disease protocol that also uses an adenovirus vector to deliver the immunogen. Results: After hTG adenovirus immunizations, mice developed higher T cell proliferative and cytokine responses to hTG and TG2098 (a major T cell epitope in AITD) and higher titers of TG and thyroperoxidase autoantibodies compared with mice immunized with control LacZ-expressing adenovirus. The mice, however, did not develop thyroidal lymphocytic infiltration and hypothyroidism. Conclusions: Our data describe a novel murine model of autoimmune thyroiditis that does not require the use of adjuvants to break down tolerance and that will allow investigators to test the effects of hTG variants in the pathoetiology of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
The Essence of Faith: Prayer as Ritual and Struggle

“The Essence of Faith: Prayer as Ritual and Struggle” is an account of how prayer is enacted in a regular gathering at a Homeless Shelter in Durham, North Carolina, led by a white woman minister. The essay explores the ways prayer concerns are shared in the group of mostly homeless and African American folks, finding its significance through the lenses of ritual, community, and the revelation of needs, fears, and gratefulness.
Clinical Outcomes and Lens Constant Optimization of the Zeiss CT Lucia 602 Lens Using a Modified Yamane Technique.

Purpose To report the clinical and refractive outcomes of a modified Yamane technique for scleral fixation of the CT Lucia 602 lens. Design Retrospective case series. Patients One hundred twenty-one eyes with dislocated posterior chamber lens implants, surgical aphakia, subluxed crystalline lenses, capsular tear, anterior chamber, or iris sutured posterior chamber lens intolerance were included. Methods Secondary implantation of the Zeiss CT Lucia 602 lens was performed by a single surgeon using a modified Yamane technique employing a single needle, rather than the double-needle approach. One hundred twelve eyes underwent simultaneous 3 port pars plana vitrectomy and 9 eyes had previously undergone posterior vitrectomy surgery. Exclusion criteria were age <18, simultaneous glaucoma or corneal procedures, staged corneal transplantation, and follow-up <30 days. Main Outcome Measures A paired t-test was used to compare pre- and post-operative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), the mean predictive error, and the mean absolute predictive error between the manufacturer's and optimized constants for Hoffer Q, Holladay I, and SRK/T. Complication rates were reported. Results One hundred twenty-one consecutive eyes with a mean follow-up of 237 days were included. The pre-operative CDVA was 0.871 ± 0.785 logMAR (mean ± standard deviation, Snellen equivalent 20/149), which improved to 0.401 ± 0.608 (Snellen equivalent 20/50) post-operatively. In 109 eyes with reliable postoperative refractions, the mean predictive refractive error (D) ± std was +0.74 ± 1.37 for Hoffer Q, +0.66 ± 1.41 for Holladay 1, and +0.47 ± 1.49 for SRK/T (p<0.05). Refractive outcome analysis yielded a mean optimized personalized anterior chamber depth (pACD) of 5.69, Surgeon Factor of 1.79, and A constant of 118.56. Vision-limiting complications occurred in 11 eyes (9.1%). Conclusion Scleral fixation of the CT Lucia 602 lens using a single-needle modification of the Yamane technique resulted in very good visual acuity, predictable postoperative refractive errors, but some vision-limiting complications in this heterogeneous group of eyes with significant comorbidities.
Creating Hybrid Spaces for Talk: Humor as a Resource Learners Bring to Informal Learning Contexts

This chapter focuses on recognizing humor as a powerful resource for visitors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are new to learning contexts, such as museums and aquariums....
Characterization of Plasma-Derived Exosomes from Patient with Primary Graft Dysfunction after Lung Transplantation

Purpose Recipient responses to primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation (LTx) have important implications for the fate of the allograft. Exosomes, small circulating vesicles, are considered critical mediators of intercellular information and play a role in injury-induced tissue repair processes in multiple physiological systems. Identifying the potential molecular components that contribute to patient-specific responses may lead to new strategies for LTx. Therefore, we seek to elucidate differences in plasma-derived exosomes gene expression in subjects who develop PGD after LTx. Methods Plasma-derived exosomes RNA expression was measured before and 72h after LTx in 6 consented age, sex, commodities, and primary diagnosis matched subjects (PGD n=3; Non-PGD n=3). RNA seq was normalized with the TMM normalization algorithm, and differential expression was performed by edgeR. Differential expressed genes with a p-value 1.5 were considered significant. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied by g: Profiler and genome.jp. PGD was defined as PGD3 at 48-72 hours after reperfusion. Results Compared to the baseline, the PGD group at 72h presented 251 genes with increased relative expression and 27 with decreased relative expression. The same comparison showed 86/16 genes with increased/decreased relative expression respectively in the non-PGD group (Table 1). GSEA in the PGD group identified 327 gene ontology (GO) terms associated with the upregulated gene set, some of these GO associations, such as morphogenesis of epithelium, epithelium development, TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, leukocyte transendothelial migration were exclusively found in the PGD group. In the non-PGD group, 237 GO terms were significantly associated with the upregulated gene set, such as HIF-1, tight junction, GO was not observed in the PGD. Conclusion We demonstrated that the RNA content from plasma-derived exosomes and preliminary investigation using GSEA associated with the differentially expressed genes in PGD patients is different from non-PGD patients. Our findings suggest a potential role of exosome-carried RNA in the pathogenesis of PGD. Future investigations are needed to confirm the findings.
Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor authentication (MFA) is a secure process of authentication which requires more than one authentication technique chosen from independent categories of credentials. Like single factor, multi-factor is increasingly used to verify the users’ identities in accessing the cyber system and information. MFA combines two or more types of authentication to provide better and secure way of authenticating users.
Autonomous Quadrotor Landing on Inclined Surfaces Using Perception-Guided Active Asymmetric Skids

We present an autonomous quadrotor capable of safely landing on sloped surfaces up to 40 $^{\circ }$ , intended for emergency scenarios where the only terrain available for landing may be sloped. This system uses a downward-facing depth perception system to determine the direction, angle, and smoothness of the slope. Two robotic landing skids of different lengths actively conform to the slope in order to maintain level body attitude upon landing. We developed an analytical model to design leg lengths, conform to the slope surface angle, and ensure both zero tilt angle of the quadrotor body and clearance of the propellers from the surface. The selection of skid angles is framed as an optimization to match the slope angle while maximizing the buffer between the propellers and the surface. An eigenvalue decomposition of the point cloud covariance matrix provides a surface normal vector, which is used to determine the proper skid angle and yaw angle of the quadrotor. The ratio of the eigenvalues is used to determine whether the surface is sufficiently smooth for safe landing. The proposed system and method were validated in a motion capture environment by conducting five autonomous takeoff and land missions over different sloped surfaces ranging from 0 $^{\circ }$ to 40 $^{\circ }$ . The detected slope angle and direction of all trials were within 1 $^{\circ }$ and 3.3 $^{\circ }$ , respectively, of ground truth. No failures or crashes occurred during testing, which demonstrates the viability and robustness of this system for use in real-world scenarios.
Groups in Negotiations

Groups interact in settings that shape both the group and the negotiations. Further, the internal structure of a group affects its relations with the external world and its ability to negotiate. This chapter examines the effects of bargaining environment, group structure, and group leadership on negotiation and mediation. An analysis of the highly structured setting and groups of industrial relations, the formal setting of international affairs, and the less structured settings and groups of environmental-development disputes shows how society, custom, and law can shape an organization and its ability to bargain effectively. The disputants in these settings include a diverse range of groups. They include labor unions, management associations, national governments, and advocacy groups that differ in their objectives, leadership structure, and membership rules.
Von der ICS Compliance zum gelebten Mehrwert – Business Process Management bei Bayer HealthCare

Das Business Process Management des Teilkonzerns Bayer HealthCare (BHC) wird durch die Teilkonzernfunktion „Internal Control System“ (ICS) unterstutzt und gepragt. Sie hat die Aufgabe, prozessuales und organisatorisches Risikomanagement zu betreiben und fur die Compliance des ICS Sorge zu tragen. Ferner obliegt ihr, das lokale und globale Business Process Management (BPM) sowohl bei der Optimierung des ICS zu beraten als auch Vorschlage zur Verbesserung der Aufbauorganisation und der Prozessablaufe zu formulieren. Vor allem im Hinblick auf die Forderung der funktionsubergreifenden und IT-systemubergreifenden Transparenz erbringt die Funktion einen Mehrwert fur die Organisation. Dieser konkretisiert sich vor allem auf das Betreiben eines Prozessmodells und die Zuordnung klarer Verantwortungsstrukturen fur das BPM sowie die Umsetzung einer Dokumentationsmethodik, die Optimierungspotenziale beim Prozessablauf und der Aufbauorganisation transparent macht. Bayer HealthCare steht vor einer grundlegenden Starkung der Process Governance des BPM, die durch die sich verandernde IT-Strategie des Teilkonzerns bedingt wird. Der gelebte Mehrwert der ICS-Funktion wird in die neuen Strukturen einfliesen.
Manager Networks and Coordination of Effort: Evidence from Venture Capital Syndication

I explore whether educational connections between managers of venture capital (VC) firms can alleviate coordination costs, and thereby enhance collaboration, when engaging in economic ties with other organizations. Two given VC firms are three times as likely to syndicate an investment together if their managers overlapped at an educational institution, and their subsequent investments are associated with better investment outcomes, as measured by IPO exit. The effects are stronger in early-stage investments, in larger syndicates and for those VC firm-pairs syndicating with each other for the first time, and do not appear to be driven by manager latent talent. The mechanism for increased performance in the network is through a reduction in coordination costs, enhancing collaboration between the two parties.
Regulation of folate and one-carbon metabolism in mammalian cells. II. Effect of folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase substrate specificity and level on folate metabolism and folylpoly-gamma-glutamate specificity of metabolic cycles of one-carbon metabolism

The effect of folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase (FPGS) levels on folate accumulation was investigated in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing various levels of human and Escherichia coli FPGS activity. At low medium folate concentrations, folate accumulation was limited by influx and was independent of FPGS activity except in cells expressing extremely low levels of FPGS. Essentially all transported folate was metabolized to retained polyglutamate derivatives, the chain length of which varied with the level of FPGS activity. As medium folate concentration increased through the physiological to the pharmacological range, cellular folate accumulation became proportional to FPGS activity and the chain length of intracellular folates decreased. At high folate concentrations, competition between substrates for FPGS limited the extent of polyglutamylation and less than 5% of transported folate was retained by the cell. Pteroyltriglutamates functioned as effectively as the longer chain length polyglutamates normally found in mammalian cells in the metabolic cycles of de novo purine and thymidylate biosynthesis but were unable to support glycine and methionine synthesis. Transfectants expressing human FPGS and containing folates of glutamate chain length ranging from four to eight were equally effective at supporting glycine synthesis, and transfectants expressing higher levels of FPGS were able to grow in the absence of methionine. Growth in the absence of methionine required high (nonphysiological) intracellular folate levels and longer chain length polyglutamates.
Reduction of Pathological and Behavioral Deficits Following Spinal Cord Contusion Injury with the Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitor NS-398

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in loss of locomotor function and development of abnormal chronic pain syndromes (mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia). Following injury, secondary mechanisms including release of excitatory amino acids, inflammation and lipid peroxidation damage neural cells through release of cytotoxic free radicals. We hypothesized that selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible inflammatory mediator, would decrease tissue damage and subsequently reduce locomotor deficits and development of chronic central pain syndromes after injury. Fifteen minutes prior to receiving T13 spinal segment spinal cord contusion injury, 200-225-g male Sprague-Dawley rats received either vehicle (0.5 ml 1:1 v/v DMSO/saline, i.p., n = 20) or the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 (5 mg/kg in DMSO/saline v/v, i.p., n = 20). Locomotor function via the BBB scale, and nociceptive behaviors measured by paw withdrawals to von Frey filaments and radiant heat stimuli were tested for 4 weeks postinjury. Histological examination and volumetric analysis of spinal cord tissue were performed concomitantly. Spinally contused animals receiving NS-398 demonstrated significantly (p < 0.05) reduced locomotor alteration and reductions in both fore- and hindlimb mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia when compared to vehicle controls. Histological examination of spinal segments at the lesion segment demonstrated reduced lesion extent and increased viable tissue when compared to vehicle controls. Prostaglandin E2 levels were significantly lowered in NS-398-treated but not vehicle-treated animals 12 h after injury. These results support the role of COX-2 in reducing pathological and behavioral deficits after spinal cord injury.
Novel dipeptide aldehydes are proteasome inhibitors and block the MHC-I antigen-processing pathway.

Class I MHC (MHC-I) molecules present peptides derived from Ag that are processed in the cytosol. The proteasome is a multicatalytic protease complex that is present in the cytosol and has been implicated in cytosolic Ag processing. Novel dipeptide aldehydes were designed, synthesized, and demonstrated to specifically inhibit the chymotrypsin-like protease activity of isolated proteasomes, but produced relatively little inhibition of cathepsin B, a vacuolar cysteine protease. The inhibitors were membrane permeable and inhibited intracellular cleavage of a membrane-permeable fluorogenic substrate of the chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity. When a model Ag, OVA, was introduced into the cytoplasm of M12.B6 murine B cells by electroporation, the proteasome inhibitors blocked its processing for subsequent presentation by MHC-I molecules. The inhibitors had little effect on class II MHC processing of exogenous Ag. The potencies of different inhibitors for blockade of MHC-I Ag processing correlated directly with their potencies for inhibition of the chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity. In contrast, conventional inhibitors of vacuolar cysteine proteases (e.g., leupeptin and benzyloxycarbonyl-Phe-Ala-CHN2) had little effect on MHC-I processing or the chymotryspin-like activity of isolated proteasomes. These results directly demonstrate that inhibition of proteasome activity blocks MHC-I Ag processing, confirming a role for proteasomes in this pathway. Moreover, they suggest that the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome may be of major importance to the cytosolic processing of at least some Ag.
Prevalence and impact of admission hyperfibrinolysis in severely injured pediatric trauma patients

Introduction Hyperfibrinolysis (HF) on admission is associated with increased mortality in adult patients with trauma. Several studies have demonstrated that 9% of severely injured adults present to the emergency department (ED) with HF. Our aim was to (1) define HF in pediatric patients and develop a relevant cut-point for therapeutic intervention (if any); (2) identify the prevalence of HF in severely injured pediatric patients; and (3) determine whether HF on admission is as lethal a phenomenon as it is in adults. Methods After approval from the institutional review board (Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects), we identified all pediatric trauma admissions (patients ≤17 years old) who met highest-level trauma activation criteria between January 2010 and December 2013. Fibrinolysis rates were determined with LY-30 by rapid thrombelastography, which represents the percent decrease of the maximal clot amplitude (fibrinolysis) 30 minutes after such amplitude is achieved. HF was defined a priori as an initial LY-30 inflection point that translated to a doubling of mortality. Two previous studies in adults demonstrated an inflection point of ≥3% where mortality doubled from 9 to 20%. We began by identifying a relevant inflection point to define HF and its prevalence, followed by univariate analysis to compare HF and non-HF patients. Finally, a purposeful logistic regression model was developed to evaluate clinically relevant predictors of mortality in severely injured pediatric patients. Results A total of 819 patients met study criteria. LY-30 values were plotted against mortality. A distinct inflection point was noted at ≥3%, where mortality doubled from 6 to 14%. Of note, mortality continued to increase as the amount of lysis increased, with a 100% mortality demonstrated at a LY-30 ≥30% (compared with 77% in adults). Using LY-30 ≥3%, we stratified patients into HF (n = 197) and non-HF (n = 622) groups, with prevalence on admission of 24%. With the exception of HF patients being younger (median age 11 vs 15 years; P Conclusion Similar to adults, admission HF appears to reach a critical threshold at a LY30 ≥3% in pediatric patients. Admission HF in pediatric patients occurs more frequently than in adults (24 vs 9%) but is associated similarly with a substantial increase in mortality (6–14%). When controlling for additional factors, we found that admission LY-30 ≥3% has an odds ratio of 6.2 (P
Bullying and Evolutionary Psychology: The Dominance Hierarchy Among Students and Implications for School Personnel

Abstract The phenomenon of childhood bullyingisconceptualized from an evolutionary psychological perspective. In this manuscript, the research literature is examined regarding the role of the relationship between aggression, testosterone, and social status in the development and maintenance of dominance hierarchies, which involve a reciprocal relationship between physical, social, and psychological variables. The evolutionary advantage of the dominance hierarchy is explored, and it is contrasted with eminence, an alternative form of establishing social status. Childhood bullying is suggested to be one of the central mechanisms in the establishment of dominance hierarchies in school systems. Implications for prevention of and intervention in bullying for school personnel are discussed.
Combination of null alleles with 7 + 9 allelic pair at Glu-B1 locus on the long arm of group 1 chromosome improves wheat dough functionality for tortillas

Abstract Deletion of one or more high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) alleles alters gluten functionality in ways that can be exploited to design wheat for specialty products. In this work, we investigated whether combining 7 + 9 allelic pair at Glu-B1 locus with deletion of other HMW-GS alleles at Glu-A1or Glu-D1 locus would produce ideal gluten functionality for tortillas. Flours from 17 wheat lines were evaluated for insoluble polymeric protein (IPP) content and gluten properties. Tortillas were produced by hot-press method and evaluated during 16 days storage. Compared to non-deletion lines, deletion line generally had lower IPP (362 vs 414 mg/g); produced more extensible dough (44.9 vs 33.4 mm), which required lower equilibrium force to compress (4.12 vs 7.55 N); and produced larger diameter tortillas (180 vs 165 mm). In general, deletion lines produced tortillas with poor flexibility (score
Racial and ethnic disparities in the control of cardiovascular disease risk factors in Southwest American veterans with type 2 diabetes: the Diabetes Outcomes in Veterans Study.

Racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease complications have been observed in diabetic patients. We examined the association between race/ethnicity and cardiovascular disease risk factor control in a large cohort of insulin-treated veterans with type 2 diabetes. We conducted a cross-sectional observational study at 3 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the American Southwest. Using electronic pharmacy databases, we randomly selected 338 veterans with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. We collected medical record and patient survey data on diabetes control and management, cardiovascular disease risk factors, comorbidity, demographics, socioeconomic factors, psychological status, and health behaviors. We used analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression to determine the effect of race/ethnicity on glycemic control, insulin treatment intensity, lipid levels, and blood pressure control. The study cohort was comprised of 72 (21.3%) Hispanic subjects (H), 35 (10.4%) African Americans (AA), and 226 (67%) non-Hispanic whites (NHW). The mean (SD) hemoglobin A1c differed significantly by race/ethnicity: NHW 7.86 (1.4)%, H 8.16 (1.6)%, AA 8.84 (2.9)%, p = 0.05. The multivariate-adjusted A1c was significantly higher for AA (+0.93%, p = 0.002) compared to NHW. Insulin doses (unit/day) also differed significantly: NHW 70.6 (48.8), H 58.4 (32.6), and AA 53.1 (36.2), p < 0.01. Multivariate-adjusted insulin doses were significantly lower for AA (-17.8 units/day, p = 0.01) and H (-10.5 units/day, p = 0.04) compared to NHW. Decrements in insulin doses were even greater among minority patients with poorly controlled diabetes (A1c ≥ 8%). The disparities in glycemic control and insulin treatment intensity could not be explained by differences in age, body mass index, oral hypoglycemic medications, socioeconomic barriers, attitudes about diabetes care, diabetes knowledge, depression, cognitive dysfunction, or social support. We found no significant racial/ethnic differences in lipid or blood pressure control. In our cohort, insulin-treated minority veterans, particularly AA, had poorer glycemic control and received lower doses of insulin than NHW. However, we found no differences for control of other cardiovascular disease risk factors. The diabetes treatment disparity could be due to provider behaviors and/or patient behaviors or preferences. Further research with larger sample sizes and more geographically diverse populations are needed to confirm our findings.
DNA content of mucinous tumors of the ovary.

Abstract The DNA content of epithelial cell nuclei of 9 cases of intermediate papillary mucinous cystomas of the ovary was determined by microspectrophotometric measurements of Feulgen-stained sections. Two cases of histologically benign and 3 cases of malignant mucinous cystomas were also measured. A diploid to tetraploid DNA distribution was found in each case of mucinous cystadenoma (MCA). The 3 cases of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma had an aneuploid DNA distribution. Three of 9 intermediate papillary mucinous cystomas had an aneuploid DNA pattern whereas in the remainder of that group the distribution was within the diploid to tetraploid range.
Case Report: HTLV-I-Associated T-Cell Leukemia in Hawaii

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is a disease found endemic in Southern Japan and the Caribbean basin. The human T-cell leukemia virus I (HTLV-I) has been implicated epidemiologically as the causative agent in this disease. This paper describes the identification of this disease in Hawaii in a second generation immigrant from Southern Japan. The disease was initially indolent, then clinically explosive, characterized by cutaneous lesions, leukemic lymphocytes with convoluted nuclei of T-cell phenotype, hypercalcemia, and a terminal infection.
Economics of a solar‐assisted heating/cooling system for an aquatic centre in a tropical environment

The paper reports on a feasibility study of a solar-powered heating/cooling system for a swimming pool/space combination in a tropical environment. The system employs an absorption chiller and a cooling tower to meet the locker-room load. The heating is accomplished by employing hot water generated by heat exchange with the solar collector working fluid. Two thermal storage tanks are employed for the collector and domestic use. The absorption chiller utilizes hot water to regenerate the LiBr solution. The proposed system will enable the swimming season to be extended from 16 weeks to 52 weeks. The economic analysis is performed based on the life-cycle-cost method. The effects of discount rate, fuel prices, and the fuel inflation rate are discussed. The analysis shows, with the present level of fuel prices, that the solarassisted system is not economical enough over a life cycle of 10 years. The study presents different scenarios for which the solar-assisted system is, however, economical.
Deep magmatic structures of Hawaiian volcanoes, imaged by three-dimensional gravity models

A simplified three-dimensional model for the island of Hawai9i, based on 3300 gravity measurements, provides new insights on magma pathways within the basaltic volcanoes. Gravity anomalies define dense cumulates and intrusions beneath the summits and known rift zones of every volcano. Linear gravity anomalies project southeast from Kohala and Mauna Kea summits and south from Hualālai and Mauna Loa; these presumably express dense cores of previously unrecognized rift zones lacking surface expression. The gravity-modeled dense cores probably define tholeiitic shield–stage structures of the older volcanoes that are now veneered by late alkalic lavas. The three-dimensional gravity method is valuable for characterizing the magmatic systems of basaltic oceanic volcanoes and for defining structures related to landslide and seismic hazards.
Imaging features of focal breast fibrosis: mammographic-pathologic correlation of noncalcified breast lesions.

Our objective was to describe the spectrum of imaging and histologic findings of focal breast fibrosis with an emphasis on noncalcified lesions, thereby offering a means of confirming mammographic-pathologic concordance on core biopsy of this increasingly encountered diagnosis.Retrospective review of 610 core needle biopsies revealed the histologic diagnosis of focal fibrosis in 89 (15%). Thirty-nine cases were excluded: 17 in which focal fibrosis was not the primary diagnosis and 22 in which calcifications were the main imaging findings. The 50 remaining patients with noncalcified lesions that proved on histology to be focal fibrosis constituted the basis of the study.Mammographically, focal fibrosis presented as a mass in 68% of patients (n = 34), architectural distortion in 12% (n = 6), and asymmetric density in 10% (n = 5); focal fibrosis was mammographically occult in 10% (n = 5). Sonographically, 72% (n = 36) of cases of focal fibrosis presented as masses with three echo texture patterns: hypoechoic...
Cigarette Taxes and Cross-border Revenue Effects: Evidence Using Retail Data

Episodes of large tax differentials between neighboring states create an incentive for cigarette tax avoidance by border crossing. We use unique quarterly panel data at the county level for the state of Kansas on cigarette retailers’ sales tax remittances by distance to a state border to gauge the extent of smuggling activity and revenue effects of increases in cigarette excise tax rates. For quantities sold near an urban, low-tax border, we find sizable effects of higher excise tax rates on sales and cigarette excise tax revenues. Implications for cross-border state revenue leakages are discussed.
Maximizing the use of CI consultants: A corporate practitioner's perspective

Glaxo Wellcome Inc.'s strategic information/competitor intelligence department has developed a systematic approach for integrating external consultants into the competitive intelligence process. Contracting the services of consultants takes place only after exhausting all internal sources of information and achieving “buy-in” from internal stakeholders. Criteria such as industry experience, size, and fees are weighed. A project agreement that outlines fees, deliverables, and key issues is drafted, along with a confidential disclosure agreement (CDA) for each consultant candidate to sign. Once the relationship is established, ongoing briefings are maintained with those working directly on the project, rather than with the project manager. Search strategies are discussed and reassessed, while stakeholder expectations are managed. During debriefings, transcripts of interviews conducted by the consultants are reviewed, rather than interview summaries. Constructive feedback to the consultants is the final, necessary step. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.