cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family communication of genetic test results among women with inherited breast cancer genes

Identification of inherited breast cancer may guide care. These benefits can be amplified through communication of genetic test results with at-risk family members and subsequent family testing (FT). Females with a pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant in BRCA1/2, PALB2, CHEK2, and/or ATM were surveyed about family communication (FC) of genetic test results and FT. Comparisons were made across genes. The 235 participants with P/LP variants (186 BRCA1/2, 28 PALB2, 15 CHEK2, and 6 ATM) had a median age of 54 and most were non-Hispanic whites (89%) with a prior breast cancer diagnosis (61%). When controlling for other variables, FC was higher among younger participants (p<.0001), those with high FC self-efficacy (p=.019), and those with P/LP variants in BRCA1/2 compared to PALB2 (p =.040) and ATM/CHEK2 (p =.032). Higher rates of FC and FT were also observed among female relatives and relatives of closer kinship. Overall 94% of participants would find one or more resources helpful with FC and 70% reported using FC resources when telling family members about their genetic test result. The three most commonly used resources included the following: (a) a family sharing letter (38%); (b) printed materials (30%); and (c) web-based information (23%). Among the 86% who spoke with a genetic counselor (GC), 93% were given at least one FC resource and the three most common resources GCs provided to participants overlapped with the resources participants would find helpful and those that were used. Our results suggest lower FC and FT rates among women with P/LP variants in genes other than BRCA1/2, the reasons for which should be evaluated in future studies. As more data to refine cancer risks and management are generated across these other inherited breast cancer genes, strategies to improve FC and FT are needed to amplify the benefits of genetic testing.
Women’s reproductive health and economic activity: A narrative review

Abstract This paper provides a narrative review of the literature that addresses the connection between women’s reproductive health and women’s economic activity. Women’s reproductive health, gender equality and decent work, are all part of the Sustainable Development Goals and this review highlights how these Goals are interconnected. The review focuses on the relationship between fertility and women’s work and provides a detailed discussion of the academic literature that identifies the causal effect of fertility on changes in female labor force participation. Fertility is captured by timing, spacing and number of children, and career advancement, job quality, and hours worked are addressed on the work side. The review contrasts the fertility-work nexus for low-, middle- and high-income countries separately, recognizing national income per capita as a moderator of the effect of fertility on female labor force participation. In low-income countries, where labor force participation is for the most part in the informal sector, women must adopt their own strategies for balancing child rearing and labor force participation, such as selection of job type, relying on other women in the household for childcare, and birth spacing to limit infants in their care. In middle-income countries, women juggle child rearing and labor force participation with the overarching issue of income inequality, and early childbearing and lone motherhood perpetuate poverty. For women in high-income countries, social protection policies can assist women in managing the balance of childrearing and work, but these policies do not address underlying issues of gender inequality. Despite these policies, career advancement is interrupted by childbearing. As the relationship between fertility and women’s work varies by income per capita across countries, polices that support women in achieving balance in their desired family size and accessing decent work varies across countries.
Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review:

State and federal policies regarding substance use in pregnancy, specifically whether a notification to child protective services is required, continue to evolve. To inform practice, policy, and fu...
Older adults demonstrate biomarker evidence of the persistent inflammation, immunosuppression and catabolism syndrome (PICS) after sepsis.

Background Hospital deaths after sepsis have decreased substantially and most young adult survivors rapidly recover (RAP). However, many older survivors develop chronic critical illness (CCI) with poor long-term outcomes. The etiology of CCI is multifactorial and the relative importance remains unclear. Sepsis is caused by a dysregulated immune response and biomarkers reflecting a persistent inflammation, immunosuppression and catabolism syndrome (PICS) have been observed in CCI after sepsis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare serial PICS biomarkers in a) older (versus young) adults and b) older CCI (versus older RAP) patients to gain insight into underlying pathobiology of CCI in older adults. Methods Prospective longitudinal study with young (≤ 45 years) and older (≥ 65 years) septic adults who were characterized by a) baseline predisposition, b) hospital outcomes, c) serial SOFA organ dysfunction scores over 14 days, d) Zubrod Performance status at three, six and 12-month follow-up and e) mortality over 12 months. Serial blood samples over 14 days were analyzed for selected biomarkers reflecting PICS. Results Compared to the young, more older adults developed CCI (20% vs 42%) and had markedly worse serial SOFA scores, performance status and mortality over 12 months. Additionally, older (versus young) and older CCI (versus older RAP) patients had more persistent aberrations in biomarkers reflecting inflammation, immunosuppression, stress metabolism, lack of anabolism and anti-angiogenesis over 14 days after sepsis. Conclusion Older (versus young) and older CCI (versus older RAP) patient subgroups demonstrate early biomarker evidence of the underlying pathobiology of PICS.
Blends of Polyisoprene with Model Styrene–Olefin Copolymers: Mixing Energetics in Blends versus Block Copolymers

Most theoretical treatments of polymer mixing thermodynamics assume that the phase behavior of both polymer blends and block copolymers is controlled by the same Flory segmental interaction parameter, χ—a quantity which is proportional to the interaction energy density, X. However, there are few comparative experimental studies on this point. This work presents a systematic experimental comparison between the interaction energy densities measured on model polydiene–polyolefin blends (Xᵇˡᵉⁿᵈ) and analogous block copolymers (XᴮC). Experimental cloud point temperature (Tcₗ) curves for blends of polyisoprene (PI) with selectively saturated poly(butadiene-r-styrene) (hSBR) random copolymers are fit to the Flory–Huggins theory, and the resultant values of Xᵇˡᵉⁿᵈ are corrected for critical fluctuations and for end-group contributions, wherever significant. The temperature-dependent PI/hSBR Xᵇˡᵉⁿᵈ(T) and previously reported PI–hSBR XᴮC values show satisfactory agreement at all levels of styrene incorporation, reinforcing the conclusion that random incorporation of styrene units into the saturated polybutadiene chain significantly enhances its compatibility with PI.
Predictors of Receiving Keratoplasty for Keratoconus.

Purpose To identify sociodemographic factors and comorbid conditions associated with receiving keratoplasty for keratoconus (KCN). Design Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Methods Health records of KCN patients Results Of 42,086 total patients with KCN identified, 1282 (3.0%) patients had keratoplasty to treat KCN. In the fully adjusted analysis, female sex (odds ratio [OR] 0.87 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.78-0.98]) and living in metropolitan areas (OR 0.75 [95% CI 0.63-0.90]) were associated with lower odds of receiving keratoplasty. Compared with individuals 10 to 19 years of age, those 20 to 29 years of age (OR 1.77 [95% CI 1.31-2.41]) and 30 to 39 years of age (OR 1.61 [95% CI 1.19-2.17]) were more likely to have keratoplasty, while individuals in the older age groups (50-64 years of age) did not show statistically significant associations. Conditions associated with higher odds of receiving keratoplasty were corneal hydrops (OR 4.87 [95% CI 4.07-5.82]), Leber congenital amaurosis (OR 2.41 [95% CI 1.02-5.71]), sleep apnea (OR 1.46 [95% CI 1.25-1.71]), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.32 [95% CI 1.13-1.54]), and depression (OR 1.22 [95% CI 1.03-1.44]). Conditions associated with lower odds were previous contact lens usage (OR 0.61 [95% CI 0.50-0.74]) and a history of glaucoma (OR 0.60 [95% CI 0.49-0.73]). Conclusions This analysis of a large sample of patients with KCN reveals previously unidentified risk factors associated with receiving keratoplasty including Leber congenital amaurosis, depression, and diabetes. Future research should examine if young patients with these conditions may benefit from more frequent follow-up and/or early crosslinking to reduce the need for subsequent keratoplasty.
Systematic review of clinician-directed nudges in healthcare contexts.

Objective Nudges are interventions that alter the way options are presented, enabling individuals to more easily select the best option. Health systems and researchers have tested nudges to shape clinician decision-making with the aim of improving healthcare service delivery. We aimed to systematically study the use and effectiveness of nudges designed to improve clinicians’ decisions in healthcare settings. Design A systematic review was conducted to collect and consolidate results from studies testing nudges and to determine whether nudges directed at improving clinical decisions in healthcare settings across clinician types were effective. We systematically searched seven databases (EBSCO MegaFILE, EconLit, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) and used a snowball sampling technique to identify peer-reviewed published studies available between 1 January 1984 and 22 April 2020. Eligible studies were critically appraised and narratively synthesised. We categorised nudges according to a taxonomy derived from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. Included studies were appraised using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Results We screened 3608 studies and 39 studies met our criteria. The majority of the studies (90%) were conducted in the USA and 36% were randomised controlled trials. The most commonly studied nudge intervention (46%) framed information for clinicians, often through peer comparison feedback. Nudges that guided clinical decisions through default options or by enabling choice were also frequently studied (31%). Information framing, default and enabling choice nudges showed promise, whereas the effectiveness of other nudge types was mixed. Given the inclusion of non-experimental designs, only a small portion of studies were at minimal risk of bias (33%) across all Cochrane criteria. Conclusions Nudges that frame information, change default options or enable choice are frequently studied and show promise in improving clinical decision-making. Future work should examine how nudges compare to non-nudge interventions (eg, policy interventions) in improving healthcare.
Cadillacs, Gold Watches, and the Tax Reform Act of 1986: The Continuing Evolution of the Tax Treatment of Gifts to Employees

To eliminate uncertainty for taxpayers and inconsistency from the courts, Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which is applicable to “gifts” from employers to employees. Congress added three Internal Revenue Code provisions applicable to such gifts. First, Section 102 sets forth a general rule that property transferred by an employer to an employee shall not be excluded from the employee’s gross income as a gift. Second, Section 74 potentially excludes certain retirement awards. Third, Section 274 limits an employer’s deductions for such retirement awards. These three provisions should mark the end of many years of uncertainty for taxpayers and inconsistency on the part of the courts, Congress, and the Commissioner. At the same time, the new provisions, like any new legislation, give rise to new uncertainties. Historically, uncertainty and inconsistency have characterized the tax treatment of gifts to employees. Courts, Congress, and the Internal Revenue Service have all contributed to the confusion over whether an employee may exclude from gross income the value of a gift from his employer, and whether the employer may deduct the cost of such a gift as a business expense. Even with the guidance provided in Commissioner v. Duberstein, holding that an excludible gift must proceed from “detached and disinterested generosity,” courts continued to reach widely varying results in seemingly similar fact patterns. Shortly after Duberstein was decided, Congress enacted a dollar limitation on the deductibility of gifts as a business expense. This implied that a gift might be both deductible by the donor and excludable by the doneee. Next, Congress adopted a blanket rule that transfers to employees are not excludable from the employee’s gross income as gifts, which finalized the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and resolved much of the uncertainty that previously existed.
Transliberalism: An Alternative to John Milbank and Adrian Pabst

Martin Schlag analyses the book The Politics of Virtue by John Milbank and Adrian Pabst. For Schlag, liberalism is not in a meta-crisis, even though it is in a deep crisis. For this reason, unlike Milbank and Pabst, Schlag denies that the only possible future is post-liberalism, because he believes that a purification from within the American tradition of liberal constitutionalism is possible, together with a transition to “transliberalism.” The question is, therefore, whether liberalism will have the strength to cure itself. The analysis in The Politics of Virtue is considered excessively negative, since it does not highlight the real progress that capitalism made possible historically compared to an exclusively agricultural economy. In a propositional key, Schlag points to the inherent limits of the Old Whig liberalism of the Enlightenment: the lack of heroic charity and the exclusion of the poor. As way forward, Schlag stresses the role of lay Christians in the middle of the world and the possibility that laypeople have to bring out from within the political-economic life itself the dimension of gift that founds our society even now. Unfortunately, secularism has overshadowed this element, but the negativity highlighted by Milbank and Pabst is not intrinsic to the American founding tradition of liberalism itself.
Side chain engineering control of mixed conduction in oligoethylene glycol-substituted polythiophenes

A major limitation for polymeric mixed ionic/electronic conductors (MIECs) is the trade-off between ionic and electronic conductivity; changes made that improve one typically hinder the other. In order to address this fundamental problem, this work provides insight into ways that we could improve one type of conduction without hindering the other. We investigated a common oligoethylene glycol side chain polymer by adjusting the oxygen atom content and position, providing structural insights for materials that better balanced the two conduction pathways. The investigated polymer series showed the prototypical conflict between ionic and electronic conduction for oxygen atom content, with increasing oxygen atom content increasing ionic conductivity, but decreasing electronic conductivity; however, by increasing the oxygen atom distance from the polymer backbone, both ionic and electronic conductivity could be improved. Following these rules, we show that poly(3-(methoxyethoxybutyl)thiophene), when blended with lithium bistrifluoromethanesulfonimide (LiTFSI), matches the ionic conductivity of a comparable MIEC [poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxymethyl)thiophene)], while simultaneously showing higher electronic conductivity, highlighting the potential of this design strategy. We also provide strategies for tuning the MIEC performance to fit a desired application, depending on if electronic, ionic, or balanced conduction is most important. These results have implications beyond just polythiophene-based MIECs, as these strategies for balancing backbone crystallization and coordinating group interconnectivity apply for all semicrystalline conjugated polymers.
Flexible Transmission in the Smart Grid: Optimal Transmission Switching

There is currently a national push to create a smarter, more flexible electrical grid. Traditionally, network branches (transmission lines and transformers) in the electrical grid have been modeled as fixed assets in the short run, except during times of forced outages or maintenance. This traditional view does not permit reconfiguration of the network by system operators to improve system performance and economic efficiency. However, it is well known that the redundancy built into the transmission network in order to handle a multitude of contingencies (meet required reliability standards, i.e., prevent blackouts) over a long planning horizon can, in the short run, increase operating costs. Furthermore, past research has demonstrated that short-term network topology reconfiguration can be used to relieve line overloading and voltage violations, improve system reliability, and reduce system losses. This chapter discusses the ways that the modeling of flexible transmission assets can benefit the multi-trillion dollar electric energy industry. Optimal transmission switching is a straightforward way to leverage grid controllability; it treats the state of the transmission assets, i.e., in service or out of service, as a decision variable in the optimal power flow problem instead of treating the assets as static assets, which is the current practice today. Instead of merely dispatching generators (suppliers) to meet the fixed demand throughout the network, the new problem co-optimizes the network topology along with generation. By harnessing the choice to temporarily take transmission assets out of service, this creates a superset of feasible solutions for this network flow problem; as a result, there is the potential for substantial benefits for society even while maintaining stringent reliability standards. On the contrary, the benefits to individual market participants are uncertain; some will benefit and other will not. Consequently, this research also analyzes the impacts that optimal transmission switching may have on market participants.
Diagnosis, Risk Stratification and Management of Ischemic Heart Disease with Nuclear Cardiology

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) myocardial perfusion imaging have high degrees of diagnostic accuracy. The sensitivity and specificity of each technique is in the range of 80–95%, with recent studies demonstrating higher accuracy with PET. Advances in technology including new tracers, ECG gating and attenuation correction have further improved nuclear cardiology methods for assessment of suspected coronary artery disease.
The History and Evolution of Corporate Criminality

This article traces the evolution of corporate wrongdoing in the United States, focusing on the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. A study of courts' and scholars' approach to the problem of promoting economic interests while ensuring that corporate power was not abused is instructive in analyzing current proposals to regulate or punish public corporations. Historically, courts faced doctrinal and practical issues in addressing corporate wrongdoers: in addition to the doctrinal difficulties attached to punishing what is essentially a legal fiction, the needs and wishes of American society (which alternately embraces and attacks corporations) pushed courts to approach the problem in creative ways.
Dairy intake after prostate cancer diagnosis in relation to disease‐specific and total mortality

Information regarding postdiagnostic dairy intake and prostate cancer survival is limited. We evaluated intake of total, high-fat and low-fat dairy after prostate cancer diagnosis in relation to disease-specific and total mortality. We included 926 men from the Physicians' Health Study diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer between 1982 and 2000 who completed a diet questionnaire a median of 5 years after diagnosis and were followed thereafter for a median of 10 years to assess mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate associations between dairy intake and prostate cancer specific and all-cause mortality. During 8,903 person-years of follow-up, 333 men died, 56 due to prostate cancer. Men consuming ≥3 servings/day of total dairy products had a 76% higher risk of total mortality and a 141% higher risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality compared to men who consumed less than 1 dairy product/day (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21, 2.55, ptrend < 0.001 for total mortality; HR = 2.41, 95% CI: 0.96, 6.02, ptrend = 0.04 for prostate cancer-specific mortality). The association between high-fat dairy and mortality risk appeared to be stronger than that of low-fat dairy, but the difference between them was not statistically significant (p for difference = 0.57 for prostate cancer-specific mortality and 0.56 for total mortality). Among men without metastases when diagnosed, higher intake of dairy foods after prostate cancer diagnosis may be associated with increased prostate cancer-specific and all-cause mortality.
In the Aftermath and the M & M Meeting

Let us hope that your patient survives his emergency abdominal operation and his postoperative course is uneventful. Unfortunately, the overall mortality of such procedures is still far from negligible and the morbidly rate is generally high. Now, after the storm has waned, it is the time to sit down and reflect on what went wrong.
cDNA cloning and systemic expression of acidic peroxidases associated with systemic acquired resistance to disease in cucumber

Abstract A 33 kDa peroxidase was purified from intercellular wash fluids of cucumber leaves expressing systemic acquired resistance. Partial amino acid sequence data of the peroxidase were used to obtain a full length 1218 base pair (bp) cDNA clone (pCS1) which encoded the peroxidase. Deduced amino acid sequences from pCS1 matched observed amino acid sequences of the purified protein and also indicated that pCS1 was typical of known plant peroxidases. Three other cDNAs (pCS2, pCS3 and pCS4) were also isolated and found to be closely related to pCS1. RNA gel blots, using a 153 bp fragment of pCS1 as a probe, demonstrated accumulation of peroxidase mRNA in the second leaf of cucumber seedlings at 18 h after inoculation of the first leaf with the hypersensitive response-inducing bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae . Detaching the inoculated leaf at intervals after inoculation demonstrated that this leaf only needed to be on the plant for 4 h to result in systemic induction of the peroxidase mRNA. This indicated that the systemic signal that leads to the expression of peroxidase was mobilized out of the inoculated leaf by 4 h. Exogenous application of salicylic acid, a putative endogenous signal for resistance, also induced accumulation of peroxidase mRNA.
Heterodimerization of c-erbB2 with different epidermal growth factor receptor mutants elicits stimulatory or inhibitory responses

Ligand-induced dimerization of growth factor receptors is crucial for stimulation of their intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase activity promoting receptor autophosphorylation by an intermolecular mechanism. Moreover, the suppressive and negative dominant action of defective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was shown to be caused by formation of inactive heterodimers with normal EGFR leading to diminished biological signaling. In this report we explore the structural requirements and functional significance of heterodimerization between EGFR and HER2. HER2 (also called c-erbB-2 or neu) is a member of the EGFR family whose natural ligand is still unknown. We show that in response to EGF, wild type EGFR and various EGFR mutants were able to undergo heterodimerization with HER2. Addition of EGF to transfected cells co-expressing HER2 with a kinase negative point mutant of EGFR (K721A) stimulated heterodimer formation, tyrosine phosphorylation of K721A and HER2, and tyrosine phosphorylation of one of their known substrates, phospholipase C gamma. However, the binding of EGF to transfected cells co-expressing HER2 together with another EGFR mutant CD533 (a deletion mutant lacking most of the cytoplasmic domain of EGFR) caused heterodimerization and inhibition of tyrosine kinase activity. It appears therefore that EGF-induced heterodimerization of EGFR and HER2 can promote either stimulatory or inhibitory influences on kinase activity. We propose that the nature of receptor interactions on the cell surface can either activate or inhibit the initiation of growth factor-controlled cellular signaling.
Shaped Laser Pulses as Reagents

Tailored laser pulses can be used to guide chemical reactions, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In his Perspective, Rabitz highlights the report by Daniel et al ., who have used a four-step procedure to achieve laser control of a chemical transformation and reveal the underlying mechanism. Such mechanistic insights should lay the foundations for systematic laser-driven manipulations of molecules.
A comparison of parotid imaging characteristics and sialendoscopic findings in obstructive salivary disorders.

Objectives/Hypothesis To examine how preoperative imaging characteristics correlate with sialendoscopic findings and operative outcomes in patients with obstructive parotid symptoms. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods We identified 112 consecutive patients who underwent 134 unilateral or bilateral parotid gland sialendoscopies between December 2005 and August 2013. We reviewed clinical history, radiographic imaging and reports, operative reports, and clinical outcomes. Available preoperative computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed for parotid stone size and location relative to the masseter muscle. Results For patients with parotid stone on preoperative imaging, at least one stone was found on sialendoscopy in 63% of cases. In contrast, for all cases with preoperative imaging negative for stone, no stone was found on sialendoscopy suggesting that parotid stones are not radiolucent on CT imaging. Furthermore, stones located anterior to the masseter were more successfully visualized on sialendoscopy compared to stones located posterior to the masseter. Anteriorly located stones were also more accessible for endoscopic management, whereas posterior stones required combined approaches for management. Conclusions Preoperative imaging characteristics such as stone presence, size, and location provide essential information that can guide surgical planning and clinical outcome expectations for obstructive parotid disease management. All parotid CT scans that failed to demonstrate stones on imaging had no stone found on sialendoscopy. Stones posterior to the masseter muscle are the most difficult to access with sialendoscopy, and in these cases, patients should be counseled about the potential need for a transfacial approach to remove symptomatic stones. Level of Evidence 2b Laryngoscope, 124:2696–2701, 2014
Le commerce du vêtement usagé à la frontière du Mexique et des États-Unis : un chapitre sensoriel de la biographie des objets (Note de recherche)

L’etude du vetement de seconde main suscite depuis peu un interet grandissant en anthropologie et dans plusieurs autres disciplines. Ce travail porte sur le commerce transfrontalier du vetement usage entre El Paso (Etats-Unis) et Ciudad Juarez (Mexique). Il decrit comment les commercants mexicains trient les ballots de vetements usages dans les entrepots americains, de meme que les differentes operations de remise a neuf auxquelles ils soumettent ces vetements avant de les exposer dans les marches. Ce texte met en evidence l’importance de la materialite et de la sensorialite des vetements usages dans les processus de « re-enchantement » ou de « remise en marche » a travers lesquels ils sont amenes a faire leur entree dans de nouveaux cycles de consommation.
Solution Spinning from a Mixed Polymer System; A Multivariable Study1:

Variations in properties of fibers produced under varying levels of composition, of spinning variables, and of drawing variables have been studied. The fibers were a mixture of polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate, spun from dimethylformamide. Responses measured were primarily tensile properties but fragmentary results from x-ray diffraction measurements are also available.The five mechanical properties are described as empirical functions of fiber composition, spinning solution concentration, spinneret hole size, coagulating bath medium and temperature, depth of coagulating bath, drawing medium and temperature, rate of draw, and draw ratio. A statistical design of experiments assured independence of the estimates of the various coefficients in these functions. The five mechanical responses are denier, modulus, tenacity, ultimate elongation, and energy to break.The effect of interactions between certain pairs of the variables are shown to be important and, in many instances, more enlightening than the ...
Earnings Management and Convertible Bond Arbitrage

We bring together two streams of research: one on earnings management and the other on convertible bond arbitrage. In doing so, we bring new insights on why convertible bond hedge funds benefit from convertible bond arbitrage. Specifically, we find that firms managing their earnings prior to their convertible bond issuance have: (1) poorer stock market and earnings performance after their issuance of convertible debt, (2) higher idiosyncratic volatility prior to issuance, (3) more equity like convertible bonds, and (4) an abnormal increase in the short selling of their stocks after issuance of convertible bond. Consequently, we provide evidence consistent with the notion that earnings management prior to the issuance of convertible bonds is a source of profits for convertible bond hedge funds that pursue convertible bond arbitrage.
A Catalog of Genetic Syndromes in Childhood Cancer

Genetic syndromes and pediatric cancers are rare, so instances of co-occurrence raise the question of whether the two conditions may be etiologically linked. Clear examples of causal association can be found in the cancer predisposition syndromes. This report contains the results of a systematic literature search using Ovid Medline for co-occurrence of genetic syndromes with 23 types of pediatric cancer. The results reflect known associations as well as many reports of infrequently observed co-occurrences. This compilation may suggest previously overlooked patterns, and the information could be used to identify gene pathways critical in the development of childhood cancers.
Drosophila Exercise-Training Requires Octopaminergic Neuron Activity

Endurance exercise is a promising therapeutic intervention with substantial protective effects on multiple indices of healthspan, including muscle and cardiac function. Male Drosophila respond to a ramped daily program of exercise by inducing conserved physiological responses similar to those seen in mice and humans. Female flies induce negative geotaxis but fail to sustain strong behavioral response during the training period. As a result, females do not experience the adaptive training response seen in males. Here, we demonstrate that poor female exercise response is mediated by differences in neuronal activity, not by differences in muscle. We also show that the sex-specific exercise-training response is reversible even in adults, after development has been completed. Using tissue-autonomous expression of sex determination constructs, we have identified octopaminergic neurons as sufficient to govern adult exercise behavior. Importantly, manipulating octopaminergic neurons is also sufficient to induce c...
Power and empowerment: the role of top management support and team empowerment in new product development

Although recent empirical research shows the value of empowerment and top management support (TMS) for new product development (NPD) efforts, it remains an open question as to whether empowerment and TMS are always beneficial for NPD performance. In a study of a large number of NPD projects we examined this question by (1) assessing the direct contributions of empowerment and TMS to speed and success in NPD, and (2) examining the potential moderating influence of uncertainty on the effects of empowerment and TMS. Our results indicated that empowerment is positively associated with NPD speed under all conditions of uncertainty, but is more highly correlated with overall project success when uncertainty is high than when it is low. TMS is positively associated with both NPD speed and success regardless of uncertainty, but we found some suggestions that sponsorship is less important for speed-to-market in more certain environments, particularly when NPD projects are routine incremental innovations. Our study also indicates technological uncertainty and market uncertainty have a different moderating impact on the relationship between team empowerment and NPD success. The implications of these findings for a contingency-oriented view of NPD practices are discussed.
Pluralism, Indeterminacy and the Social Sciences: Reply to Ingram and Meehan

This article defends methodological and theoretical pluralism in the social sciences. While pluralistic, such a philosophy of social science is both pragmatic and normative. Only by facing the problems of such pluralism, including how to resolve the potential conflicts between various methods and theories, is it possible to discover appropriate criteria of adequacy for social scientific explanations and interpretations. So conceived, the social sciences do not give us fixed and universal features of the social world, but rather contribute to the task of improving upon our practical knowledge of on-going social life. After arguing for such a thorough-going pluralism based on the indeterminacy of social action, I defend it from the post-modern and hermeneutic objections by suggesting the possibility of an epistemology of interpretive social science as a form of practical knowledge.
Bioavailability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans from contaminated Wisconsin River sediment to carp

Abstract The bioavailability of 2,3,7,8-TCDD from sediment to freshwater fish was studied in laboratory exposures. Carp (10g) exposed to Wisconsin River sediment (39 pg/g) for 55 days accumulated 7.5 pg/g. Maintaining exposured fish in clean water for an additional 205 days resulted in depuration of 32–34% TCDD. These values compare to field data where sediments ranged from 30–200 pg/g and 1.5 kg carp (70 pg/g) depurated 55% in 325 days. Analysis of sediment, laboratory exposed fish, and Wisconsin River fish for other PCDDs and PCDFs showed residues of 2,3,7 and 8 substituted congeners selectively enriched.
Family Environment and Childhood Sexual Victimization A Test of the Buffering Hypothesis

The potential of family cohesion and organization to act as buffers against the long-term, negative impact of childhood sexual abuse was examined. College women (N = 266), including 141 who had experienced childhood sexual abuse, completed self-report measures of current depressive symptomatology, self-esteem, and social adjustment. Family cohesion and organization were measured by the Family Environment Scale. Although no evidence for a buffering effect was indicated, multiple regression analyses revealed that both family characteristics were significantly related to participants' current social and psychological adjustment.
Strategies to reduce obesity in the U.S. and Latin America: lessons that cross international borders.

iseases know no borders, a truism that largely has been applied to infectious diseases. The re-emergence of tuberculosis, the spread of dengue and ma- laria, and recent outbreaks of swine and avian influenza remind officials in neighboring countries, as well as throughout shared hemispheres and the world at large, that public health efforts must be concentrated and coor- dinated. The obesity epidemic, like the cigarette smoking epidemic before it, is a chronic disease-related condition that also knows no boundaries. Although risk factor- reduction models can be applied to individuals, coordi- nated international efforts to change the way primary prevention is applied must continue to be developed and shared through efforts across socioecologic levels. The global obesity epidemic continues apace, affecting not only wealthy but also middle-income countries. With a third of its adult population in this category, the U.S. has the highest prevalence of adult obesity internationally. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Mexico now ranks second in adult and fourth in childhood obesity. 1 Obesity and over- weight extend to ever-younger children, and in both the U.S. and Mexico, it especially affects economically disadvan- taged groups. Just as the obesity epidemic's spread in the U.S. is represented dramatically on a series of maps show- ing its high prevalence spreading from states in the Southeast over time (www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-
Surface-embedded-atom model of the potential-induced lifting of the reconstruction of Au(1 0 0)

Abstract We apply a recently developed model for the energetics of the metal–electrolyte interface, based on the surface-embedded-atom model (SEAM), to the lifting of the quasihexagonal reconstruction of Au(1 0 0). We calculate the surface tensions of the 1×1 and reconstructed phases as functions of the electrode surface potential. The SEAM predicts a lifting of the reconstruction with positive surface charge with the transition occurring 0.17 V positive of the PZC of the reconstructed phase. This is consistent with experimental observations of the lifting of the reconstruction 0.2–0.3 V positive of the PZC for electrolytes with the most weakly adsorbed anions. We find that the reduction of the excess surface stress with increasing voltage is an important factor in lifting the reconstruction. These results indicate that surface charge effects alone can bring about the lifting of the reconstruction.
Functional Inhibition of Sugar Transport by a Designed Novel Protein

Designed ankyrin repeat proteins have been shown to be useful for different applications such as structural, mechanistic, clinical studies, as well as drug development. We have constructed a combinatorial DNA library encoding ankyrin repeat proteins by PCR-based assembly. The ankyrin proteins have both N- and C-terminal caps and five internal repeats (called N5C). The estimated diversity of the library is higher than 1020. Applying circular dichroism spectroscopy, four purified proteins exhibit high melting temperature (> 95 °C). We have tested the constructed library for the selection of specific ankyrin proteins targeting the melibiose transport in Escherichia coli. The melibiose permease is one of few overexpressed proteins during bacterial infection for gaining energy. Using cells with plasmid-encoded constructed library and chromosomally-encoded MelA, the alpha-galactosidase, and MelB, the melibiose permease, we have collected a group of N5C candidates that alter the melibiose fermentation with no inhibition of glucose fermentation, indicating no effect on the downstream utilization pathways. Three candidates show significant inhibition of melibiose transport. Further tests, using sugar transport assay on different genetic backgrounds, MelA activity assay, and protein-protein interaction assay, have been applied to identify specific effect. These preliminary studies suggested that one N5C protein possibly inhibits mel operon. These bio-reagents could be potentially applied to study the sugar transport during bacterial infection and also facilitate transporter proteins crystallography.
Protein Kinase C Is Required for Induction of 2′,5′-Oligoadenylate Synthetases☆

Abstract Induction of the p40/46 and p69/71 isoforms of the 2′,5′-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase by interferon-α (IFN-α) is variable among six different Burkitt lymphoma cell lines with Ramos cells expressing among the highest levels of these enzymes. Inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) block induction of mRNAs encoding both isoforms; however, induction of the p69/71 isoform is more sensitive to these inhibitors. Downregulation of PKC by prolonged treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) also blocks induction of 2-5A synthetase mRNAs and decreases both constitutive and IFN-α-induced enzymatic activity. Cotreatment of cells with TPA and IFN-α increases induction of 2-5A synthetase mRNAs above that seen in cells treated with IFN-α alone. IFN-α does not directly activate PKC-α or PKC-δ, the two most abundant PKC isoforms present in Ramos cells, suggesting that PKC activation by another signaling pathway is necessary for maximal induction of 2-5A synthetases by IFN-α.
Artificial classification system of aging period based on insulation status of transformers

The classification system to identify the aging period of insulation status for cast-resin transformer through current impulse method of partial discharge is proposed in this paper. An effectively insulating classification technology plays an important role to enhance the system operating reliability. Since PD is a well know evidence of insulation degrading, a series of high voltage test with acceleration aging process to collect PD signals for classification system are conducted in the lab. Some selected statistical PD features instead of waveform are then extracted from these experimental PD signals as input data of the classification system. Also, an artificial neural network that combined particle swarm optimization is presented as the effectively classification tool. To demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed approach, the artificial classification system is applied on both noisy and noiseless circumstance with promising results.
Effects of antioxidants on Agrobacterium -mediated transformation and accelerated production of transgenic plants of Mexican lime ( Citrus aurantifolia Swingle)

Four antioxidants including glycine betaine, glutathione, lipoic acid, and polyvinylpyrrolidone were evaluated to improve transformation efficiency of Mexican lime, a precocious but recalcitrant citrus cultivar to Agrobacterium mediated transformation. Lipoic acid substantially improved the transformation efficiency of Mexican lime by aiding in callus development and improving shoot growth from cut ends of epicotyl segments co-cultivated with Agrobacterium. Glycine betaine was moderately beneficial while glutathione and polyvinylpyrrolidone did not have the ability to improve the transformation efficiency. A bi-functional gus-egfp fusion gene used in the study enabled visual identification of transformants and quantitative analysis of gene expression. We describe an improved protocol that allows regenerated transgenic plants to flower within 20–22 months after in vitro regeneration. This enabled the rapid evaluation of transgenic flowers and fruits. Gene expression levels could not be correlated to copy number as determined using Southern blot analysis. Our improved transformation method facilitates the rapid production and evaluation of transgenic plants, especially regarding the functional analysis of transgenes in citrus.
Carbonic Acid Formation from Reaction of Carbon Dioxide and Water Coordinated to Al(OH)3: A Quantum Chemical Study

Density functional and ab initio calculations have been performed on CO2−nH2O and Al(OH)3−CO2−nH2O (where n = 1, 2, 3) cluster models to elucidate the catalytic effect of a hydroxylated metal center on the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3). B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)-calculated geometries and RI-SCS-MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)-calculated energies with respect to isolated gas-phase molecules and various H2O, CO2, and H2CO3−Al(OH)3 complexes are presented. It is shown here that H2CO3 formation proceeds via direct CO2 and nH2O reaction with very high activation barriers in the gas phase, 51.40, 29.64, and 19.84 kcal/mol for CO2−H2O, CO2−2H2O, and CO2−3H2O clusters, respectively, decreasing in magnitude with an increase in the number of H2O molecules. The energetics as well as the reaction mechanism and energy landscape change significantly when carbonic acid is formed from CO2 and nH2O in the presence of Al(OH)3, a hydroxylated metal center. Results presented here show important details of the influence o...
Identification of the Cell Cycle Regulator VCP (p97/CDC48) as a Substrate of the Band 4.1-related Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase PTPH1

The human band 4.1-related protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1 was introduced into NIH3T3 cells under the control of a tetracycline-repressible promoter. Ectopic expression of wild type PTPH1 dramatically inhibited cell growth, whereas a catalytically impaired mutant showed no effect. To identify the direct target of PTPH1 in the cell, we generated a substrate-trapping mutant, in which an invariant aspartate residue was changed to alanine (D811A in PTPH1). The PTPH1-D811A mutant trapped primarily a 97-kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein, which was determined to be VCP (also named p97 or yeast CDC48), from various cell lysates in vitro. However, when expressed in mammalian cells, the D811A mutant was observed to contain high levels of phosphotyrosine and did not trap substrates. Mutation of tyrosine 676 to phenylalanine (Y676F) in the PTPH1-D811A mutant led to a marked reduction in phosphotyrosine content. Furthermore, this double mutant specifically trapped VCPin vivo and recognized the C-terminal tyrosines of VCP, whose phosphorylation is important for cell cycle progression in yeast. Like wild type PTPH1, this double mutant also inhibited cell proliferation. Moreover, induction of wild type PTPH1 resulted in specific dephosphorylation of VCP without changing the overall phosphotyrosine profile of the cells. VCP has been implicated in control of a variety of membrane functions, including membrane fusions, and is a regulator of the cell cycle. Our results suggest that PTPH1 may exert its effects on cell growth through dephosphorylation of VCP, thus implicating tyrosine phosphorylation as an important regulator of VCP function.
Nucleon Energy Levels in a Diffuse Potential

The level sequence and shell structure for the bound single-particle states of nucleons moving in the spherically symmetric potential $V(r)=\ensuremath{-}\frac{{V}_{0}}{[1+\mathrm{exp}\ensuremath{\alpha}(r\ensuremath{-}a)]}$ have been examined. For protons, a Coulomb potential was added corresponding to a uniform charge distribution out to the "nuclear radius," $a$, and the potential depth was increased to give sufficient binding energy for the last proton level in the nucleus under consideration. For $\ensuremath{\alpha}=1.45\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{+13}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ (implying a surface layer of approximately 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm, which is constant for all $A$), a spin-orbit coupling 39.5 times the Thomas term and $a=1.3{A}^{\frac{1}{3}}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm, good shell structure is obtained for both neutrons and protons. The level sequences obtained are in close agreement with experiment except in the region of strong distortion from sphericity. For ${V}_{0}=42.8$ Mev the neutron binding energies are in reasonable agreement with experiment. With these parameters the $3s$ and $4s$ giant resonances in the low-energy neutron scattering cross section occur at $A=56 \mathrm{and} 166$ respectively. The neutron and proton distributions in $_{79}\mathrm{Au}^{197}$ are examined. With the values of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, ${r}_{0}$, and $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ given above, the thickness of the surface layer on the proton distribution is 1.92\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm and the radius is 6.77\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm.