cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safflower Seed as an Amino Acid Source for Chicks

Abstract THE seed of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is frequently available for feeding livestock and poultry. According to Woodman (1945) undecorticated safflower cake contains 20.2 percent protein, 9.7 percent oil, 25.1 percent soluble carbohydrate, 33.0 percent fiber and 3.4 percent ash, while decorticated safflower cake contains 47.9 percent protein, 7.7 percent oil, 19.7 percent soluble carbohydrate, 6.2 percent fiber and 6.9 percent ash. Since the decorticated safflower cake compares favorably with other vegetable protein concentrates in amount of protein, it is of interest to determine the adequacy of safflower protein in meeting the amino acid requirements of the chick. EXPERIMENTAL Two experiments were conducted and separate lots of safflower seed meal were prepared for each experiment. Whole safflower seed was coarsely ground in a burr mill before being extracted for approximately 10 hours with acetone in a continuous extractor. The extracted meal was then finely ground in a burr mill and again . . .
Noninvasive Assessment of Target Organ Injury in Children With the Metabolic Syndrome

The prevalence of overweight has increased sharply since the 1980s, with morbid obesity rising at an even higher rate. Comorbidities related to adiposity now consume almost 10% of all US health care dollars. Unfortunately, overweight children already demonstrate elevations in cardiovascular risk factors. These children are extremely likely to remain obese in adulthood and are likely to progress to diabetes and heart and kidney diseases. It is not surprising, therefore, that the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome is being made with increasing frequency in American adolescents. The authors show that noninvasive methods are now available to measure target organ damage related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in children. They explore the data linking the cardiovascular risk factors that cluster as the metabolic syndrome to early subclinical atherosclerotic change such as left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid intima—media thickness, vascular function abnormalities, and microalbuminuria. Evidence for the benefits of treatment and guidelines for the assessment for target organ damage in children are provided.
Chronic nicotine working and reference memory effects in the 16-arm radial maze: interactions with D1 agonist and antagonist drugs

Chronic nicotine infusion has been found in a series of studies in our laboratory to significantly improve choice accuracy of rats in the eight-arm radial maze. The current study was designed to compare the effects of chronic nicotine infusion on working and reference memory in a 16-arm radial maze. Nicotine was administered to female Sprague-Dawley rats at approximately 5 mg/kg per day SC via osmotic minipumps. Controls received saline infusions. Chronic nicotine infusion significantly lowered the number of working memory errors compared to controls, whereas the number of reference memory erros was not significantly affected. The modest nicotine-induced reduction in working memory errors was seen as a main effect over the 4 weeks of infusion, but the clearest effect was seen in weeks 3–4 of nicotine administration. For the 2 weeks after withdrawal, the nicotine effect was no longer evident. Acute D1 challenges were given with the D1 agonist dihydrexidine (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) and the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0, 0.005, 0.015 and 0.05 μg/kg) during weeks 3–4 of chronic nicotine administration and weeks 1–2 after withdrawal from nicotine. Dihydrexidine caused a modest dose-related increase in reference memory errors but not working memory errors in the nicotine-treated, but not the control rats. The D1 antagonist SCH 23390 caused a modest though significant decrease in reference memory errors but not working memory errors in the control, but not the nicotine-treated rats. The behavioral specificity of chronic nicotine infusion was demonstrated with selective improvement in working memory function. Pharmacological interactions were seen with chronic nicotine treatment increasing responsivity to D1 agonist and decreasing responsivity to a D1 antagonist with regard to reference memory. The mechanisms of this interaction are still undiscovered.
Structural characterization of triacylglycerols as lithiated adducts by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using low-energy collisionally activated dissociation on a triple stage quadrupole instrument

We describe features of tandem mass spectra of lithiated adducts of triacylglycerol (TAG) species obtained by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ms) with low-energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) on a triple stage quadrupole instrument. The spectra distinguish isomeric triacylglycerol species and permit assignment of the mass of each fatty acid substituent and positions on the glycerol backbone to which substituents are esterified. Source CAD-MS2 experiments permit assignment of double bond locations in polyunsaturated fatty acid substituents. The ESI/MS/MS spectra contain [M+Li−(R n CO2H)]+, [M+Li−(R n CO2Li)]+, and R n CO+ ions, among others, that permit assignment of the masses of fatty acid substituents. Relative abundances of these ions reflect positions on the glycerol backbone to which substituents are esterified. The tandem spectra also contain ions reflecting combined elimination of two adjacent fatty acid residues, one of which is eliminated as a free fatty acid and the other as an α,β-unsaturated fatty acid. Such combined losses always involve the sn-2 substituent, and this feature provides a robust means to identify that substituent. Fragment ions reflecting combined losses of both sn-1 and sn-3 substituents without loss of the sn-2 substituent are not observed. Schemes are proposed to rationalize formation of major fragment ions in tandem mass spectra of lithiated TAG that are supported by studies with deuterium-labeled TAG and by source CAD-MS2 experiments. These schemes involve initial elimination of a free fatty acid in concert with a hydrogen atom abstracted from the α-methylene group of an adjacent fatty acid, followed by formation of a cyclic intermediate that decomposes to yield other characteristic fragment ions. Determination of double bond location in polyunsaturated fatty acid substituents of TAG is achieved by source CAD experiments in which dilithiated adducts of fatty acid substituents are produced in the ion source and subjected to CAD in the collision cell. Product ions are analyzed in the final quadrupole to yield information on double bond location.
L-carnitine delays the killing of cultured hepatocytes by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine.

Abstract The role of fatty acid metabolism in chemical-dependent cell injury is poorly understood. Addition of l -carnitine to the incubation medium of cultured hepatocytes delayed cell killing initiated by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Protection by l -carnitine was stereospecific and observed as late as 1 h following addition of MPTP. d -Carnitine, but not iodoacetate, reversed the l -carnitine effect. Monoamine oxidase A and B activities, MPTP/ N -methyl-4-phenylpyridinium levels, and MPTP-dependent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential measured by release of [ 3 H]triphenylmethylphosphonium were not altered by addition of l -carnitine. Significant changes in MPTP-induced depletion of total cellular ATP did not occur with excess l -carnitine. Although the mechanism of cytoprotection exerted by l -carnitine remains unresolved, the data suggest that l -carnitine does not significantly alter: (i) mitochondrial-dependent bioactivation of MPTP; (ii) MPTP-dependent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; or (iii) MPTP-mediated depletion of total cellular ATP content. We conclude that alterations of fatty acid metabolism may contribute to the toxic consequences of exposure to MPTP. Moreover, the lack of l -carnitine-mediated cytoprotection of monolayers incubated with 4-phenylpyridine or potassium cyanide suggests: (i) a link between fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial membrane-mediated, bioactivation-dependent cell killing; and (ii) that inhibition of NADH dehydrogenase may not totally explain the mechanism of MPTP cytotoxicity.
Erosion of portal vein catheter into the biliary system

Transcatheter intraportal infusion of chemotherapy in a patient with metastatic liver disease resulted in erosion of the tip of the catheter into the biliary system within six months of its placement. This unusual complication adds to the disadvantages of direct portal administration of chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of hepatic tumors.
THE LOGIT MODAL SPLIT MODEL: SOME THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract This paper discusses a theoretical basis for the logit function and demonstrates its theoretical connection with the discriminant function. Some consequences of the relationship between the discriminant function and the logit model, especially applications to fitting logit models are also presented.
Individual Differences and Learning Challenges

In this article, we review selected papers published over the past 50 years of Theory Into Practice on the topic of special education and the study of individual differences. Although the field has witnessed substantial development over this period of time, several issues continue to be revisited, including overidentification of students from different racial, cultural, linguistic, or economic groups; and the degree to which students with disabilities should be included in general education classrooms. After describing how knowledge and practice has evolved over the past 5 decades, we discuss what the future is likely to bring to the field of individual differences and learning challenges.
Nickel(III) oxidation of its glycylglycylhistamine complex

The doubly-deprotonated Ni(III) complex of Gly2Ha (where Ha is histamine) undergoes base-assisted oxidative self-decomposition of the peptide. At ≤ p[H+] 7.0, a major pathway is a two-electron oxidation at the α-carbon of the N-terminal glycyl residue. Major products (up to 73%) of this two-electron oxidation are glyoxylglycylhistamine and ammonia. Glyoxylglycylhistamine will decay to give isocyanatoacetylhistamine and formaldehyde. Two-electron oxidations of the second glycyl and histamine residues occur as minor pathways (12% of the total possible reaction). Above p[H+] 8.5, two Ni(III)–peptide complexes form an oxo bridge in the axial positions to give a reactive dimer species. This proximity allows the resulting Ni(II)–peptide radical intermediates to undergo peptide–peptide cross-linking at the N-terminal glycyl residues. The products found below p[H+] 7.0 are observed above p[H+] 8.5 as well, although in lower yields. In contrast to this work, NiIII(H−2Gly2HisGly) undergoes a four-electron oxidation at the N-terminal glycyl residue. Oxidation at the internal glycyl and histidyl residues are not observed. The reactivity of NiIII(H−2Gly2Ha)+ is also different than CuIII(H−2Gly2Ha)+, which undergoes a two-electron oxidation at the histamine group with no peptide–peptide cross-linking in basic solution.
Asteroid bodies in lymph node cytology: infrequently seen and still mysterious.

Granulomatous inflammation is a relatively common finding in routine aspiration cytology of lymph nodes. However, asteroid bodies are very rarely encountered in cytologic preparations, and most morphologic descriptions result from observations made in histologic tissue sections. This brief report describes the cytologic findings in paratracheal aspirate smears from a 74-year-old Caucasian woman with the history of squamous-cell carcinoma of the right ankle metastasic to a right groin lymph node. At the time of removal of the metastatic tumor, the patient was noted to have multiple small, mildly FDG-avid lymph nodes in the supraclavicular, paratracheal, precarinal, pulmonic hilar, and axillary regions. A transbronchial fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of a paratracheal lymph node showed granulomatous inflammation and numerous multinucleated giant cells containing asteroid bodies. No evidence of malignancy was present in any of the smears. Additional patient history elicited at thetime of FNAB revealed a diagnosis 6 years previously of disseminated histoplasmosis infection. A concomitant workup for sarcoidosis was negative. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011;39:35–36. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A mechanism-based kinetic analysis of succinimide-mediated deamidation, racemization, and covalent adduct formation in a model peptide in amorphous lyophiles.

ABSTRACT: The succinimide intermediate generated during deamidation of asparagine-containing peptides and proteins has been implicated as having a role in the formation of multiple types of degradants in addition to hydrolysis products, including racemization products and, more recently, amide-linked, nonreducible protein and peptide aggregates. The formation of alternative degradants may be particularly important in solid-state formulations. This study quantitatively examines the role of the succinimide intermediate in hydrolysis, racemization, and covalent, amide-linked adduct formation in amorphous lyophiles. The degradation of a model peptide, Gly–Phe– l -Asn–Gly, and its l - or d -succinimide intermediates were examined in lyophiles containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and varying amounts of excess Gly–Val. Disappearance of the starting reactants and formation of up to 10 degradants were monitored when lyophiles were exposed to either 27°C/40% relative humidity (RH) or 40°C/75 RH using a stability indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method. Terminal degradant profiles were the same when the starting reactant was either Gly–Phe– l -Asn–Gly or its succinimide intermediate. Nucleophilic attack occurred preferentially at the α-carbonyl of the succinimide intermediate at ratios of approximately 2:1 for both water and the N-terminus of Gly–Val as the attacking nucleophiles. A mechanism-based kinetic model analysis indicates that hydrolysis, racemization, and covalent, amide-linked adduct formation all proceed via the succinimide intermediate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 101:3096–3109, 2012
Interactions between two spheres falling along their line of centers in a viscoelastic fluid

Abstract An experimental investigation is presented in which the distance between two identical spheres falling along their line of centers in a viscoelastic fluid is determined as a function of time. It is found, for all five experimental fluids, that for small initial separations of the spheres, the two spheres eventually converge. However, for large initial separations, the two spheres eventually diverge. This leads to the definition of a critical initial separation distance. From this quantity a characteristic time can be derived for the two sphere fluid system which depends solely upon fluid properties. The implications of this study for suspension rheology are discussed.
Amplification of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase suppresses the conditionally lethal growth and virulence phenotype of Leishmania donovani mutants lacking both hypoxanthine-guanine and xanthine phosphoribosyltransferases.

Leishmania donovani cannot synthesize purines de novo and obligatorily scavenge purines from the host. Previously, we described a conditional lethal Δhgprt/Δxprt mutant of L. donovani (Boitz, J. M., and Ullman, B. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281, 16084–16089) that establishes that L. donovani salvages purines primarily through hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (XPRT). Unlike wild type L. donovani, the Δhgprt/Δxprt knock-out cannot grow on 6-oxypurines and displays an absolute requirement for adenine or adenosine and 2′-deoxycoformycin, an inhibitor of parasite adenine aminohydrolase activity. Here, we demonstrate that the ability of Δhgprt/Δxprt parasites to infect mice was profoundly compromised. Surprisingly, mutant parasites that survived the initial passage through mice partially regained their virulence properties, exhibiting a >10-fold increase in parasite burden in a subsequent mouse infection. To dissect the mechanism by which Δhgprt/Δxprt parasites persisted in vivo, suppressor strains that had regained their capacity to grow under restrictive conditions were cloned from cultured Δhgprt/Δxprt parasites. The ability of these suppressor clones to grow in and metabolize 6-oxypurines could be ascribed to a marked amplification and overexpression of the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) gene. Moreover, transfection of Δhgprt/Δxprt cells with an APRT episome recapitulated the suppressor phenotype in vitro and enabled growth on 6-oxypurines. Biochemical studies further showed that hypoxanthine, unexpectedly, was an inefficient substrate for APRT, evidence that could account for the ability of the suppressors to metabolize hypoxanthine. Subsequent analysis implied that APRT amplification was also a potential contributory mechanism by which Δhgprt/Δxprt parasites displayed persistence and increased virulence in mice.
Hydrogen on Pd(100)-S: the effect of sulfur on precursor mediated adsorption and desorption

Abstract The influence of adsorbed sulfur on the adsorption and desorption of H2 on Pd(100) was studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) for sulfur coverages (θS) from 0.00 to 0.35 ML. The saturation coverage (θH,sat) drops linearly with sulfur coverage, and above 0.28 ML of sulfur no hydrogen adsorbs. Direct site blocking is implied by the linear fall of θH,sat with θS, with each sulfur atom effectively blocking 3.7 ± 0.5 sites for hydrogen adsorption. The adsorption of H2 on the sulfur free Pd(100) surface is best described by a second-order precursor model. When sulfur is added to the surface, however, the effect of the precursor state is diminished, and for θS ⩾ 0.15 hydrogen uptake is adequately modeled by secondrder direct adsorption. For low hydrogen coverages values for the activation energy and the preexponential factor for hydrogen adatom recombination drop in compensatory fashion from 85 kJ mol and 10 −2.5 cm 2 s on the sulfur free surface to 49 kJ mol and 10 −6.8 cm 2 s at θS = 0.15, respectively. The effect of sulfur on the desorption kinetics of hydrogen suggests that the influence of adsorbed sulfur is more complex than simple site blocking. The compensation effect between the preexponential factor and the activation energy from surfaces with sulfur adlayers may arise from a more constrained transition state for desorption on sulfur covered surfaces or from a distribution of activation energies for desorption.
Prevention and Control in Diverse Hispanic Populations A National Initiative for Research and Action

The National Hispanic Leadership Initiative: En Accion is a multisite program of research and action for prevention and control among diverse U.S. Hispanic populations. The work includes surveys that display wide differences in screening and smoking rates in different regions and cultures. Education and advocacy is carried out within six communities through mass media and community organization. Our common approach to research and action has proven itself to be adaptable among diverse Hispanic populations.
Stimulus selection and memory strategies in concept problems

Ss were allowed to use zero, one, two, four, or eight markers to signify the category (positive or negative) of previously selected stimuli in an attribute identification problem. The more markers available and used, the fewer trials were required for problem solution. Ss were indifferent to marker valence (positive or negative) in disjunctive problems but showed a definite preference for (the more informative) negative markers in conditionals. Performance of Ss was correlated with their tendency to move markers from lesser to more informative instances. An interpretation of results based on individual differences in information processing activities is suggested.
Operation of a Radiopharmacy for a Clinical Trial

Clinical investigations of radiopharmaceuticals are undertaken to advance promising compounds toward approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as "legend drugs." This FDA approval requires that the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug (ID) be demonstrated through clinical trials. The investigational radiopharmaceutical drug service (IRDS) is a pharmacy service that plays a critical role in the acquisition, preparation, accountability, and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals used in clinical research. Due to their radioactive and other unique properties, and their potential role as biomarkers or tools in clinical trials of other therapeutic drugs, radiopharmaceutical drugs must be managed by a qualified IRDS rather than by a typical pharmacy-based investigational drug service (IDS). The IRDS is responsible for establishing study-specific procedures for appropriate radiopharmaceutical drug accountability, billing, procurement, storage, preparation, dispensing and destruction of investigational drugs within the hospital. All drugs, and particularly parenteral drug products, must be safe for administration to human subjects enrolled in clinical trials regardless of their FDA regulatory status as approved or investigational new drug products. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) sterile compounding requirements provides enforceable minimum practice and quality standards for compounded sterile preparations of drug products based on current scientific information and best sterile compounding practices. Consequently, they apply equally to facilities dedicated to IDS and IRDS operations. The FDA also regulates drug manufacturing through current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). This rule (21CFR Part 212) establishes cGMP regulations specific to positron emission tomography radiopharmaceuticals, separate from the regular drug cGMP rule (Parts 210 and 211). Compliance with regulatory, statutory, and sponsor requirements is a major consideration in the operation of a radiopharmacy for clinical trials. Sponsors conduct audits as part of the quality assurance of clinical trials. Audits of clinical trial sites by the sponsor, sponsor's clinical research organization, institutional review board, or FDA always include a detailed review of drug accountability records. Audits for radiopharmaceutical drug products typically begin by confirming the clinical site is appropriately licensed and authorized to receive, possess, store, handle, prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals. All procedures for radiopharmaceutical drug accountability must comply with applicable federal regulations and the specific requirements specified by the study sponsor.
Effect of gamma irradiation on total phenolic content yield and antioxidant capacity of Almond skin extracts

Abstract Almond ( Prunus amygdalus ) skins are agricultural by-products that are a source of phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds from gamma-irradiated almond skins were extracted with 40% ethanol. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu (F–C) method. Almond skin extracts (ASE): soybean oil (1:4 v/v) mixtures containing 0.08% FeCl 3 were prepared. Antioxidant activity was determined by conjugated dienes and trienes (CD and CT, respectively) measurements, peroxide value (PV), Trolox ® equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and Photochemiluminescence (PCL). Phenolic content yield ( p
An Application of Baroclinic Stability Theory to the Dynamics of the Jovian Atmosphere

Abstract The hypothesis that the zonal motions in the Jovian atmosphere are thermal winds and that the latitudinal cloud bands are caused by baroclinic instabilities under nongeostrophic conditions is investigated. The stability theory is modified to take into account deep atmosphere effects. Comparison with observations indicates that the hypothesis is feasible, although very speculative in view of our present ignorance of Jovian conditions. In order to cheek the hypothesis, “dishpan” experiments at small values of the Richardson number and a better knowledge of the temperature distribution in the cloud layer and of the widths of the cloud bands at high resolutions would he particularly useful.
Chemotherapy-refractory cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis treated with radiotherapy

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a clonal, neoplastic proliferation of dendritic cells exhibiting morphologic and immunophenotypic features of Langerhans cells. Nezelof et al were the first to correctly recognize that the Langerhans cell, a member of bone-marrow derived dendritic cells and an important antigen-presenting cell, was, in fact, the cell of origin for LCH.1,2 LCH has a variety of presentations, ranging from isolated or multifocal bone disease to systemic involvement. Prognosis is variable and is influenced by multiorgan involvement. Cutaneous involvement is also common in LCH and may occasionally be unresponsive to standard treatments, including steroids, chemotherapy, and psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy. When unchecked, however, disease progression in the skin can lead to serious morbidity, including pain, infection, and disfigurement. Given the relative radiosensitivity of lymphoid malignancies, radiation has been utilized to help with symptoms and tominimize the burden of disease.3-5 Nonetheless, there are very little data on the use of radiation for skin-limited LCH and most of it is based on widely disparate irradiation methods from, primarily, the palliative setting. Here, we
Sulfur isotope evidence for widespread euxinia and a fluctuating oxycline in Early to Middle Ordovician greenhouse oceans

article i nfo Despite marine geochemical records indicating widespread oxygenation of the biosphere in the terminal Neoproterozoic Era, Late Cambrian records point to the persistence of deep-water anoxia and potential for development of euxinic conditions. The Late Cambrian SPICE (Steptoean Positive Carbon-Isotope Excursion) event, however, is a globally recognized chemostratigraphic marker that likely represents significant organic carbon burial and subsequent liberation of oxygen to the biosphere. Here, we present high-resolution carbon and sulfur isotope profiles from Early to Middle Ordovician carbonate rocks from the Argentine Precordillera and Western Newfoundland to constrain oceanic redox conditions in the post-SPICE world. Marine C-isotope profiles record relatively stable behavior (excursions b3‰) that is characteristic of greenhouse climates. Ma- rine S-isotope profiles record short-term (b10 6 yr), rhythmic variation superimposed over a longer term
A Rat Brain cDNA Encodes Enzymatically Active GABA Transaminase and Provides a Molecular Probe for GABA‐Catabolizing Cells

cDNAs encoding gamma-aminobutyric acid aminotransferase (GABA-T) were isolated from a lambda ZAP rat hippocampal cDNA expression library by two independent cloning methods, immunological screening with an antimouse GABA-T antibody and plaque hybridization with a GABA-T cDNA probe derived by polymerase chain reaction. We have produced enzymatically active GABA-T from a rat brain cDNA containing the full-length GABA-T coding region. Our rat brain GABA-T cDNAs hybridize to mRNAs in brain and peripheral tissues, including liver, kidney, and testis. We have also detected GABA-T mRNA in GABAergic cells of rat cerebellar cortex by in situ hybridization. Our rat brain GABA-T probe hybridizes to Purkinje, basket, stellate, and Golgi II cells, the same GABAergic neurons previously shown to contain glutamate decarboxylase GAD65 and GAD67.
An Experimental Comparison of Transfer Pricing Methods Under High and Low Private Information

Transfer pricing is an important managerial decision in a decentralized firm. When there is no competitive market for an internally traded good or service, a fair transfer price must be established for the buying and selling divisions in the firm. Analytical research has proposed different transfer pricing methods for different information circumstances in a firm. For example, when information asymmetry is high, the information advantage of the negotiated method generates higher firm profits that the cost-based method. But, when information asymmetry is low, the cost-based method provides more firm profits because there is no information advantage through negotiation. Yet so far little empirical evidence exists that identifies when a particular scheme performs better than others in practice. The main challenge remains that it is difficult to apply analytical prescriptions without proper considerations of managerial behavior issues. Behavioral studies on transfer pricing indicate that perceptions of fairness influences manager's decisions, willingness to trade and thus the firm's performance. This study conducts a laboratory experiment based on the results of analytical and behavioral research to compare three transfer-pricing methods (cost-based equal profit distribution, cost-based equitable cost distribution, negotiated). We experimentally investigate which method provides higher perceived fairness, more truthful cost reporting, willingness to trade and thus higher firm profits under conditions of high/low private information asymmetry. We first test the analytical prescriptions regarding whether high/low information asymmetry is a key factor in determining the preferred transfer pricing methods. We then further test our hypotheses with considerations of behavioral factors such as perceived fairness, truthful reporting, and willingness to trade in transfer pricing decisions. Overall, we find that when information asymmetry is high, firm profit is similar across transfer pricing methods, inconsistent with prior analytical studies. Conversely, when information asymmetry was low, both cost-based methods provided more firm profit than the negotiated transfer pricing method, consistent with prior analytical studies. In addition, firm profits were higher overall when information asymmetry was high than when it was low. Further, we found that perceptions of fairness significantly influenced participant's truthful reporting, willingness to trade, and firm profit. Finally, perceptions of fairness was a significant variable when perceptions of fairness, truthful reporting, willingness to trade and transfer pricing method was regressed on firm profit, indicating that perceptions of fairness had the most significant influence on firm profit in this study.
Sequential decisions under uncertainty in the R&D project selection problem

In most cases, the R&D project selection problem is concerned with how to evaluate and identify the best subset of projects under some resource constraints. In this paper, we consider the sequential decision problem of optimally sequencing a set of projects which must be undertaken sequentially over time. We derive the optimal ordering strategy for two special cases, (1) a series system of tasks in which the selection process is terminated as soon as one of the tasks is failed, and (2) a parallel system of alternatives in which the selection process continues until any of the alternatives is completed successfully. We further consider the precedence restriction in a series system of tasks which specifies that, for some technological or budgetary constraints, a certain task must be undertaken before another. In a parallel system of alternatives, we also investigate the availability condition under which a certain alternative will not be available if not selected within a certain period of time. >
The Virtue of Practical Rationality

Practical rationality is best regarded as a virtue: an excellence in the exercise of one’s cognitive capacities in one’s practical endeavors. The author develops this idea so as to yield a Humean conception of practical rationality. Nevertheless, one of the crucial features of the approach is not distinctively Humean and sets it apart from the most familiar neo-Humean approaches: an agent’s practical rationality has to do with the presence and form of his cognitive activity, as well as with how it engages his emotional and motivational states, rather than with the impact that his actions have on his utility or with how his actions relate to his expected utility. The approach also contrasts with full-information accounts of rationality. The paper ends with a discussion of our interest in operating with the conception of practical rationality that emerges from this approach, even if it is so demanding that it would be humanly impossible to be perfectly practically rational.
Ethics for the Pediatrician: Genetic Testing and Newborn Screening

1. Janis L. Gonzales, MD, MPH, FAAP* 1. *Medical Director, Children's Medical Services, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe, NM. Recent technological advances have made genetic testing possible for an unprecedented number of disorders. However, this technology brings with it complicated ethical questions in which individual and societal rights frequently are in conflict. The practitioner caring for children cannot help but be affected by these issues because more than 98% of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States every year participate in newborn screening (NBS). Of these, approximately 5,000 infants annually are found to have one of the heritable conditions identified by the screening process. (1) Primary care clinicians are called on to counsel the families of these infants and to assist them through the process of diagnosis and treatment. NBS is a public health success story that began with testing for phenylketonuria in the 1960s. Recently, testing has expanded due to the availability of multiplex and DNA technologies. In 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services' Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children (SACHDNC) endorsed a report from the American College of Medical Genetics recommending that all states screen newborns for 29 core conditions (with an additional 25 conditions as second-tier recommendations). The purpose of NBS is to identify, as early as possible, those babies who are at a higher-than-normal risk for a condition to promote health and prevent disease and disability. For newborns who have potentially fatal conditions and are asymptomatic at birth, such early identification can be lifesaving. Ideally, an NBS program involves much more than just the screening itself; an integrated program should include testing, short- and long-term follow-up, diagnosis, consultation, quality assurance, …
Sexual orientation and risk of suicide attempts among a representative sample of youth.

Objective To examine whether sexual orientation is an independent risk factor for reported suicide attempts. Design Data were from the Massachusetts 1995 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included a question on sexual orientation. Ten drug use, 5 sexual behavior, and 5 violence/victimization variables chosen a priori were assessed as possible mediating variables. Hierarchical logistic regression models determined independent predictors of suicide attempts. Setting Public high schools in Massachusetts. Participants Representative, population-based sample of high school students. Three thousand three hundred sixty-five (81%) of 4167 responded to both the suicide attempt and sexual orientation questions. Main Outcome Measure Self-reported suicide attempt in the past year. Results One hundred twenty-nine students (3.8%) self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure of their sexual orientation (GLBN). Gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and all 20 health-risk behaviors were associated with suicide attempt (P Conclusions Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure youth report a significantly increased frequency of suicide attempts. Sexual orientation has an independent association with suicide attempts for males, while for females the association of sexual orientation with suicidality may be mediated by drug use and violence/victimization behaviors.
Incidence and Characteristics of Vancomycin Nonsusceptible Strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus at Hershey Medical Center

All 982 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains collected from August 2006 to December 2007 were tested for vancomycin susceptibility by using 3-μg/ml vancomycin brain heart infusion screening plates, a vancomycin Etest, and a vancomycin/teicoplanin macro Etest. Three vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) (0.3%) and two heterogeneous VISA (0.2%) isolates were identified. The screening method yielded 895 cases of ≤1 colony and 87 positive results (with growth of >1 colony after 48 h); further Etests showed 82/87 isolates with growth on screening plates to be false positive. Repeat testing showed a false-positivity rate of only 15 of the original 87 isolates by plate screening.
Biobanking Human Biological Materials

The practice of collecting and storing human biological materials for use in future biomedical research protocols engenders a wide variety of complex legal, ethical and social concerns. In recent years these concerns have received an enormous amount of attention, both in the US and internationally, in public and professional discourse and literature. This article reviews, on a broadly inclusive but inevitably selective basis, the most significant professional literature published in this arena during the last several years.
On the Classical Ruin Problems

Abstract In the early years of the eighteenth century A. De Moivre, N. Bernoulli, and P. R. Montmort found three solutions for the following problem of games of chance: Two players, A and B, play a series of games. In each game, independently of the others, either A wins a counter from B with probability p or B wins a counter from A with probability q (p + q = 1). The series ends if either A wins a total number of a counters from B or B wins a total number of b counters from A. What is the probability that A wins the series in at most n games? Denote this probability by Pn (a,b). In this paper simple and elementary proofs are given for the various formulas for Pn (a,b). Furthermore, it is shown how these formulas can be applied in the theories of order statistics, random walks, storage, queues, Brownian motion, and dams.
Volatile Anesthetics and AKI: Risks, Mechanisms, and a Potential Therapeutic Window

AKI is a major clinical problem with extremely high mortality and morbidity. Kidney hypoxia or ischemia-reperfusion injury inevitably occurs during surgery involving renal or aortic vascular occlusion and is one of the leading causes of perioperative AKI. Despite the growing incidence and tremendous clinical and financial burden of AKI, there is currently no effective therapy for this condition. The pathophysiology of AKI is orchestrated by renal tubular and endothelial cell necrosis and apoptosis, leukocyte infiltration, and the production and release of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. Effective management strategies require multimodal inhibition of these injury processes. Despite the past theoretical concerns about the nephrotoxic effects of several clinically utilized volatile anesthetics, recent studies suggest that modern halogenated volatile anesthetics induce potent anti-inflammatory, antinecrotic, and antiapoptotic effects that protect against ischemic AKI. Therefore, the renal protective properties of volatile anesthetics may provide clinically useful therapeutic intervention to treat and/or prevent perioperative AKI. In this review, we outline the history of volatile anesthetics and their effect on kidney function, briefly review the studies on volatile anesthetic-induced renal protection, and summarize the basic cellular mechanisms of volatile anesthetic-mediated protection against ischemic AKI.
Ecosystem response to soil biogeochemical behavior during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene within the western interior of North America

Paleosol properties are routinely characterized by whole-rock geochemistry, compromising the interpretation of important biogeochemical information in deep time. As a consequence, we employ a new pedotransfer function approach to the characterization of paleosols and apply this methodology to Late Cretaceous (Campanian and Maastrichtian) and early Paleocene (Danian) landscapes from the Dawson Creek study area of the western interior to: (1) reconstruct collodially based physical and chemical soil properties, and (2) assess climate and soil biogeochemical controls on evolving terrestrial ecosystems. Nine paleoseries (i.e., pedotypes) characterize the range of soil properties within the fluvial stratigraphic succession, which includes Entisols, Inceptisols, and Vertisols. All soils had optimal water-holding potential as inferred from low bulk densities, whereas poorly drained and colonizing landscapes likely suffered from poor aeration during seasonal water logging. Even with high water-holding capacity, Maastrichtian soils experienced seasonal moisture stress because of lower rainfall than Campanian and Danian soils. Fertility levels were sufficient for the growth of most plants judging from high cation exchange capacity and base saturation, negligible aluminum toxicities because of nonacid pH, and limited salinity and sodicity from relatively low exchangeable sodium and soluble salts in solution. Unlike warm-temperate and forested paleosols with neutral pH from the Campanian and Danian, subtropical and alkaline paleosols from the Maastrichtian apparently supported a woodland plant formation adapted to low availability of iron and manganese, which were fixed with calcium in carbonate, and low availability of phosphorous because it formed insoluble compounds with iron and manganese. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur cycling through microbially mediated mineralization of soil organic matter was limited from low litter inputs in both early and midsuccessional ecosystems, particularly in woodland soils. Results do not reveal demonstrable changes in soil characteristics through the K-T transition.
Adaptive Tracking Control of Linear Uncertain Mechanical Systems Subjected to Unknown Sinusoidal Disturbances

The design and implementation of an adaptive disturbance rejection approach is presented for single-input-single-output linear-time-invariant uncertain mechanical systems subject to sinusoidal disturbances with unknown amplitudes and frequencies. The proposed technique suggests construction of a set of stabilizing tuning functions via a state estimate observer in a backStepping fashion to achieve asymptotic disturbance rejection. The tuning functions design is based on a single Lyapunov function incorporating both the error states and update law, and hence, global stability and improved transient performance are readily achieved. Utilizing only the system output, a virtual control input is used in place of non-measurable and unknown signals. The performance of the adaptation algorithm is demonstrated through both simulations and experiments for a single-degree-of-freedom system with unknown parameters and subject to an unknown sinusoidal disturbance. Significant matching between the simulation and experimental results is observed.
Novel plant activation-tagging vectors designed to minimize 35S enhancer-mediated gene silencing

Activation tagging is a powerful method of insertional mutagenesis for generat- ing gain-of-function mutations in plants. Current activation-tagging cassettes, based on the 35S enhancer of the cauliflower mosaic virus, have limited utility in genetic backgrounds containing 35S promoter sequences because they may cause homology-dependent gene si- lencing. We constructed series of novel activation-tagging vectors that do not contain the CaMV 35S enhancer but instead contain multiple tandem copies of an alternative enhancer from cassava vein mosaic virus. For selection, the T-DNAs confer Basta herbicide resis- tance. Resulting activation-tagging cassettes were introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana to demonstrate stable integration of the T-DNA. Vectors described here may be suitable for, but not limited to, activation-tagging projects in genetic backgrounds harboring transgenes driven by the CaMV 35S promoter.
Optimizing Cancer Care Delivery through Implementation Science.

The 2013 Institute of Medicine report investigating cancer care concluded that the cancer care delivery system is in crisis due to an increased demand for care, increasing complexity of treatment, decreasing work force and rising costs. Engaging patients and incorporating evidence-based care into routine clinical practice are essential components of a high quality cancer delivery system. However, a gap currently exists between the identification of beneficial research findings and application in clinical practice. Implementation research strives to address this gap. In this review, we discuss key components of high quality implementation research. We then apply these concepts to a current cancer care delivery challenge in women’s health, specifically the implementation of a surgery decision aid for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
Self-tracking mindfulness incorporating a personal genome

This paper introduces the ongoing MyFinder project, which was launched in October 2010. The goals of this project are: (1) to propose an intimate personal genome information environment, MyFinder, which supports the search for our inborn talents and maximizes our potential for a meaningful life; and (2) to contribute to scientific discoveries in the biomedical or psychological research domains through intelligent community computing, or in other words, citizen science. This paper describes our research framework and the ongoing challenges to achieving these two goals. We also discuss the technical and social issues related to possible personal genome applications in non-medical domains.
Activation of Naive and Memory T Cells by Interleukin-15

Interleukin-15 (IL-15), a product of monocytes and other cells, has biological activities similar to those of IL-2, including growth stimulation of activated T cells, induction of cytolytic effector cells, and B-cell costimulation for proliferation and lg production. We report that IL-15 at optimal concentrations rapidly induced memory (CD45RO+) CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and naive (CD45RO-) CD8+ T cells to express the CD69 activation marker followed by proliferation. By contrast, IL-15 failed to induce naive (CD45RO-) CD4+ T cells to express CD69 or to proliferate. Similar findings were obtained with IL- 2. Unlike the other T-cell subsets, CD4+ T cells with a naive phenotype expressed little or no IL-2R beta chain, a shared component of the IL-2 and IL-15 receptors required for receptor function. A monoclonal antibody to the IL-2R beta chain, Mik beta 1, reduced CD69 expression and proliferation in CD4+ memory, CD8+ memory, and CD8+ naive T cells activated by IL-15. These results confirm the biological similarities of IL-2 and IL-15. They further document that the pool of naive CD4+ cells, unlike the pool of memory CD4+, memory CD8+, and naive CD8+ cells, is not regulated directly by the T-cell growth factors IL-2 or IL-15.