International print and digital repositories initiatives in the United States: CRL, Portico, LOCKSS, Internet Archive : 6th scientific symposium Frankfurt - 6. wissenschaftliches Symposium Frankfurt ; October 5 - 7, 2006

This panel will explore the broad horizon of print and digital repository efforts underway in the United States

An investigation of the antiplatelet effects of succinobucol (AGI-1067)

Succinobucol is a phenolic antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and antiplatelet effects. Given the importance of oxidant stress in modulating platelet–platelet and platelet–vessel wall interactions, the aim of this study was to establish if antioxidant activity was responsible for the antiplatelet activity of succinobucol. Platelet aggregation in response to collagen and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was studied in rabbit whole blood and platelet-rich plasma using impedance aggregometry. The effect of oxidant stress on aggregation, platelet lipid peroxides, and vascular tone was studied by incubating platelets, washed platelets or preconstricted rabbit iliac artery rings respectively with a combination of xanthine and xanthine oxidase (X/XO). To study the effect of succinobucol in vivo, anaesthetized rats were injected with up to 150 mg/kg succinobucol and aggregation measured in blood removed 15 mins later. Succinobucol (10−5–10−4 M) significantly attenuated platelet aggregation to collagen and ADP in whole blood and platelet-rich plasma. X/XO significantly increased aggregation to collagen and platelet lipid peroxides and this was reversed by succinobucol. Addition of X/XO to denuded rabbit iliac arteries caused a dose-dependent relaxation which was significantly inhibited by succinobucol. In vivo administration up to 150 mg/kg had no effect on heart rate or mean arterial blood pressure but significantly inhibited platelet aggregation to collagen ex vivo. In conclusion, succinobucol displays anti-platelet activity in rabbit and rat blood and reverses the increase in platelet aggregation in response to oxidant stress

Gender Bias in Power Relationships: Evidence from Police Traffic Stops

[Excerpt] We test for the existence of gender bias in power relationships. Specifically, we examine whether police officers are less likely to issue traffic tickets to men or to women during traffic stops. Whereas the conventional wisdom, which we document with surveys, is that women are less likely to receive tickets, our analysis shows otherwise. Examination of a pooled sample of traffic stops from five locations reveals no gender bias, but does show significant regional variation in the likelihood of citations. Analysis by location shows that women are more likely to receive citations in three of the five locations. Men are more likely to receive citations in the other two locations. To our knowledge, this study is the first to test for gender bias in traffic stops, and clearly refutes the conventional wisdom that police are more lenient towards women

The evolution of binary star clusters and the nature of NGC2136/NGC2137

We study the evolution of bound pairs of star clusters by means of direct N-body simulations. Our simulations include mass loss by stellar evolution. The initial conditions are selected to mimic the observed binary star cluster NGC 2136 and NGC 2137 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Based on the rather old ages ($\sim 100$ Myr), masses, sizes of the two clusters and their projected separation, we conclude that the cluster pair must have been born with an initial separation of 15--20 pc. Clusters with a smaller initial separation tend to merge in \aplt 60 Myr due to loss of angular momentum from escaping stars. Clusters with a larger initial separation tend to become even more widely separated due to mass loss from the evolving stellar populations. The early orbital evolution of a binary cluster is governed by mass loss from the evolving stellar population and by loss of angular momentum from escaping stars. Mass loss by stellar winds and supernovae explosions in the first $\sim 30$ Myr causes the binary to expand and the orbit to become eccentric. The initially less massive cluster expands more quickly than the binary separation increases, and is therefore bound to initiate mass transfer to the more massive cluster. This process is quite contrary to stellar binaries in which the more massive star tends to initiate mass transfer. Since mass transfer proceeds on a thermal timescale from the less massive to the more massive cluster, this semi-detached phase is quite stable, even in an eccentric orbit until the orbital separation reaches the gyration radius of the two clusters, at which point both clusters merge to one.Comment: submitted to MNRA

Flagellin induces β-defensin 2 in human colonic ex vivo infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is an important foodborne pathogen in the developed world and can cause life-threatening disease particularly in children. EHEC persists in the human gut by adhering intimately to colonic epithelium and forming characteristic attaching/effacing lesions. In this study, we investigated the innate immune response to EHEC infection with particular focus on antimicrobial peptide and protein expression by colonic epithelium. Using a novel human colonic biopsy model and polarized T84 colon carcinoma cells, we found that EHEC infection induced expression of human β-defensin 2 (hBD2), whereas hBD1, hBD3, LL-37 and lysozyme remained unchanged. Infection with specific EHEC deletion mutants demonstrated that this was dependent on flagellin, and apical exposure to purified flagellin was sufficient to stimulate hBD2 and also interleukin (IL)-8 expression ex vivo and in vitro. Flagellin-mediated hBD2 induction was significantly reduced by inhibitors of NF-κB, MAP kinase p38 and JNK but not ERK1/2. Interestingly, IL-8 secretion by polarized T84 cells was vectorial depending on the side of stimulation, and apical exposure to EHEC or flagellin resulted in apical IL-8 release. Our results demonstrate that EHEC only induces a modest immune response in human colonic epithelium characterized by flagellin-dependent induction of hBD2 and low levels of IL-8

Smarter Task Assignment or Greater Effort: the impact of incentives on team performance

We use an experiment to study the impact of team-based incentives, exploiting rich data from personnel records and management information systems. Using a triple difference design, we show that the incentive scheme had an impact on team performance, even with quite large teams. We examine whether this effect was due to increased effort from workers or strategic task reallocation. We find that the provision of financial incentives did raise individual performance but that managers also disproportionately reallocated efficient workers to the incentivised tasks. We show that this reallocation was the more important contributor to the overall outcome.Incentives, Public Sector, Teams, Performance

Factors Associated with Food Insecurity and Food Assistance Program Participation among University Students

Background and Significance: Food insecurity is an emerging issue among college students. It impacts the lives of many university students due to financial reasons. There is limited information about factors that affect food insecurity in that population. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine factors associated with food insecurity and food assistance program participation among college students. Methods: Food security status was determined using the short form of the USDA’s Food Security Survey Module. Results: Out of 116 students, 50 students (43.1%) were food insecure. Food insecurity was inversely associated with self-reported cumulative grade point averages. Only 24% of food insecure students participated in food assistance programs. Students who were involved in campus activities were significantly more likely to participate in food assistance programs. University-level policies and programs that help students combat food insecurity need to be considered. Conclusion: The inverse association between food insecurity and academic success indicates the importance of addressing food insecurity issues to foster their academic and professional success among university students. More research on strategies for promoting food assistance programs to college students is warranted. © 2018 Californian Journal of Health Promotion. All rights reserved