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Objective: To evaluate the effects on racial disparities in health insurance coverage from the changes in the Premium Tax Credit (PTC) implemented in March 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Data Sources and Study Setting: We use nationally representative individual‐level data from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS), which provides demographic, economic, and health insurance information for United States residents during the period April 2020–August 2022. Study Design: While the PTC changes applied to all states, the 14 states that did not expand Medicaid received substantially more benefits than the expansion states since they had more uninsured individuals eligible for the PTC than the expansion states. In our analysis, the treatment (control) group includes all Medicaid nonexpansion (expansion) states. We use a difference‐in‐difference regression analysis to estimate the increase in the probability of insurance coverage after the expansion of the PTC. Furthermore, we conduct sensitivity and heterogeneity analyses. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: We focus on survey respondents ages 18–64. Principal Findings: The expanded PTC increased the probability of an individual having coverage through the Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) in a nonexpansion state by 0.95 (95% CI: 0.6136, 1.2900), 1.75 (95% CI: 1.1795, 2.3291), and 1.75 (95% CI: 1.1815, 2.3269) percentage points among White, Black, and Hispanic respondents, respectively. It also increased overall health insurance coverage among all groups. Conclusions: The expanded PTC boosted HIX and overall health insurance coverage and reduced racial disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Antibiotic stewardship should be an essential component of neonatology training as neonatal intensive care units (NICU) have unique stewardship needs. Our aim was to assess neonatology fellowship trainees' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about antibiotic stewardship to inform sustainable curriculum development. Study Design We distributed an electronic survey to neonatology fellows in the United States over 4 months (January–April 2018) via Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education program directors. Results Of 99 programs in the United States with an estimated 700 fellows, 159 (23%) fellows from 52 training programs (53%) responded to the survey and 139 (87%) provided analyzed responses. Majority of respondents were training in southern (59; 42%) and northeastern (43; 31%) regions and were equally spread across all 3 years of training. One hundred (72%) respondents reported an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) in their institution. While 86% (120/139) were able to identify the components of an ASP, 59% (82/139) either did not or were unsure if they had received antibiotic stewardship training during fellowship. Furthermore, while answering case studies, 124 (89%) respondents identified the optimal antibiotic for methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infection and 69 (50%) respondents chose appropriate empiric antibiotics for neonatal meningitis. Notably, fellowship training year was not significantly related to the proportion of incorrect knowledge responses (p = 0.40). Most survey respondents (81; 59%) identified small group sessions as the most useful teaching format, while others chose audit and feedback of individual prescribing behavior (52; 38%) and didactic lectures (52; 38%). Finally, ninety-five (69%) respondents preferred trainee-led ASP interventions targeting focal areas such as antifungal and surgical prophylaxis. Conclusion Antibiotic stewardship is a critical part of neonatology training. Neonatology fellows report variation in access to ASP during their training. Fellows prefer dedicated trainee-led interventions and stewardship curriculum taught within small group settings to promote targeted NICU ASP. Key Points Most neonatology programs expose trainees to internal or external antibiotic stewardship programs. Over half of fellow trainees are unsure about receiving targeted antibiotic stewardship training. Most neonatology fellows prefer a trainee-led antibiotic stewardship intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates of any cancer in the United States. Our previous work has shown that autophagy can promote PDAC progression. We recently established the importance of autophagy in regulating bioavailable iron to control mitochondrial metabolism in PDAC. We found that inhibition of autophagy in PDAC leads to mitochondrial dysfunction due to abrogation of succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B (SDHB) expression. Additionally, we observed that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can provide iron to autophagy-inhibited PDAC tumor cells, thereby increasing their resistance to autophagy inhibition. To impede such metabolic compensation, we used a low iron diet together with autophagy inhibition and demonstrated a significant improvement of tumor response in syngeneic PDAC models. Abbreviations: PDAC: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; CAFs: cancer-associated fibroblasts; SDHB: succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B; ISCA1: iron sulfur cluster assembly protein 1; FPN: ferroportin; LIP: labile iron pool; FAC: ferric ammonium chloride; OCR: oxygen consumption rate; OXPHOS: oxidative phosphorylation, IL6: interleukin 6; Fe-S: iron sulfur; ATP: adenosine triphosphate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migraine is characterized by severe, intermittent headache attacks with associated symptoms including nausea, vomiting, phonophobia, and photophobia. Still Triptans (selective 5-HT1B/D agonists) are considered as the first-line therapy in acute attack of migraine. Recently two new drugs Lasmiditan and Ubrogepant were approved by United States Food and Drug Administration in acute attack of migraine with or without aura in adults. Lasmiditan is a highly selective 5-HT1F receptor agonist which demonstrated superiority to placebo in the acute treatment of migraine in adults with moderate/severe migraine disability in two similarly designed phase-3 trials, SAMURAI and SPARTAN. Ubrogepant is a novel small molecule oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist. The approval was supported by two pivotal phase-3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (ACHIEVE I and ACHIEVE II) that evaluated the efficacy, safety, tolerability. Hopefully, these two drugs may soon be a new addition to the mounting armory of drugs against migraine and may fulfill a substantial unmet need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia with global burden projected to triple by 2050. It incurs significant biopsychosocial burden worldwide with limited treatment options. Aducanumab is the first monoclonal antibody recently approved by the US-FDA for mild AD through the accelerated approval pathway. It is the first molecule to be approved for AD since 2003 and carries with it a therapeutic promise for the future. As the definition of AD has evolved from a pathological entity to a Clinico-biological construct over the years, the amyloid-β (Aβ) pathway has been increasingly implicated in its pathogenesis. The approval of Aducanumab is based on reduction of the Aβ load in the brain, which forms a surrogate marker for this pathway. The research populace has, however, been globally divided by skepticism and hope regarding this approval. Failure to meet clinical endpoints in the trials, alleged transparency issues, cost-effectiveness, potential adverse effects, need for regular monitoring, and critique of 'amyloid cascade hypothesis' itself are the main caveats concerning the antibody. With this controversy in background, this paper critically looks at antibody research in AD therapeutics, evidence, and evolution of Aducanumab as a drug and the potential clinical implications of its use in future. While the efficacy of this monoclonal antibody in AD stands as a test of time, based on the growing evidence it is vital to rethink and explore alternate pathways of pathogenesis (oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, cholesterol metabolism, vascular factors, etc.) as possible therapeutic targets that may help elucidate the enigma of this complex yet progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plexiform neurofibroma (PN) is one of the most striking clinical features of neurofibromatosis 1. Growth of PN can occur at any stage of life but mostly in childhood and during hormonal changes. They arise from multiple nerve fascicles and may transform into malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. There was previously no approved medical therapy for tumor shrinkage or regression. Surgery is not always possible due to inaccessible location, involvement of vital tissue, optimal timing, and incomplete removal. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved selumetinib for pediatric patients, 2 years of age and older, with neurofibromatosis type 1 who have symptomatic, inoperable tumor. Neurofibromin, a 2818 amino acid long cytoplasmic protein, is the product of the NF1 gene. It inhibits the activity of Ras GTPase proteins. Lack of functional neurofibromin in patients with NF1 leads to dysregulated Ras and tumorigenesis. RAS MAPK pathway is hyper activated in NF1. Selumetinib is an inhibitor of MEK1 and MEK2 proteins, which play an important role in the MAPK signaling pathway related to tumor growth. Approval was based on one pivotal, single-arm, phase II trial. 70% of participants experienced confirmed partial response of tumor shrinkage, and 68% also had improvement of related complications, and other studies have also shown beneficial responses. The major limitation of this molecule regarding its mechanism of action is the dose-dependent effect of MEK inhibition in growth of neurofibroma. Long-term safety and efficacy studies are to be done in the future to establish selumetininb as a useful medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on major international stock markets namely the USA, China, Japan, Germany, and India, the five nations hit severely by Covid-19 which are also the five largest economies in the world during March 11, 2020, to July 10, 2020, at daily level data. This study demonstrates that as COVID-19 is perhaps a unique outcome in terms of its global scope as a pandemic, in terms of its intensity and severity will create a widespread change in the investors' mood about the future economy. This paper examines the 'spillover effects" of the Covid-19 pandemic on the major financial markets by structural break analysis using Bai-Perron multiple break tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal paralytic disease caused by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). In April 2017, 4 California residents from 2 adjacent counties were hospitalized with suspected foodborne botulism, precipitating an investigation by state and local public health departments in California. Methods We interviewed suspected botulism patients and their families, inspected the suspect establishment, and collected suspect food. We tested patient sera, stool, and gastric aspirates using mouse bioassay for BoNT and/or culture for Clostridium botulinum. We tested suspect food and environmental samples for BoNT and confirmed presumptive positives using direct mouse bioassay and culture. We performed whole-genome sequencing on food and clinical isolates. Results From April 2017 through May 2017, 10 patients in the Sacramento area were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed botulism; 7 required mechanical ventilation, and 1 died. Of 9 patients with information, all had visited Gas Station X before illness onset, where 8 reported consuming a commercial cheese sauce. BoNT/A and/or BoNT/A-producing C. botulinum were detected from each patient and from leftover cheese sauce. Clostridium botulinum isolates from 4 patients were closely related to cheese sauce isolates by whole-genome high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis. No other botulism cases associated with this cheese sauce were reported elsewhere in the United States. Conclusions This large foodborne botulism outbreak in California was caused by consumption of commercial cheese sauce dispensed at a gas station market. The epidemiologic and laboratory evidence confirmed the cheese sauce as the outbreak source. The cheese sauce was likely locally contaminated, although the mechanism is unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the relationship between the cultural values and the marketing ethics in two diverse countries: India and the United States. The results show that these countries are indeed culturally different, though the gaps have narrowed considerably since Hofstede's (1991) study. Furthermore, the results indicate significant differences in the interpretation of the marketing ethical norms between these two countries. The study concludes with an analysis of how different dimensions of culture influence the different facets of marketing ethical norms for both countries. Such a framework should provide valuable insights that international marketers can use to identify differences in the perception of ethical norms across nationalities and, thus, to design more effective and efficient international marketing and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete pavement recycling has become a common practice for many states in the U.S. While material properties and structural performance of pavements with virgin concrete aggregates replaced by recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) have been extensively characterized, very little effort has been made to assess potential sustainability benefits of this application. A life cycle assessment to compare an RCA based portland cement concrete (RCA-PCC) pavement and a plain PCC pavement (i.e., without RCA) from all three aspects of sustainability (i.e., economic impact, social impact, and environmental impact) was carried out using an economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) approach. An inventory of stressors during materials production and construction, use, and end-of-life phases of pavement life cycle was obtained, followed by a life cycle impact analysis using the Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and other Environmental Impacts (TRACI). Based on the results, the benefits of using RCA during the materials production and construction phase are invariably achieved for all the sustainability categories, but the RCA-PCC pavement would pose higher negative impacts during the use phase of pavement life. Still, the pavement made with RCA-PCC was found to be generally more environmentally and socially friendly compared to the pavement made with virgin aggregates, especially for the TRACI categories of ecotoxicity, human health cancer, and human health non-cancer. The sustainability benefits of using RCA for concrete pavement application will only be magnified with a growing level of environmental awareness, further diminishment of local virgin aggregate sources, and a rapid increase of landfill tipping costs for construction demolition debris in the future. • Compare RCA-PCC pavement with plain PCC pavement from all three aspects of sustainability. • Conduct an economic input-output life cycle assessment case study for concrete pavements with and without RCA. • Assess the environmental and social benefits of using RCA in PCC pavement via the TRACI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the hydrological characteristics of a river is an important aspect in order to study the spatial variations and flow dynamicity of the river. The geomorphic signatures of the river can be indirectly assessed with the help of its hydrological character at a specific river stretch. The Subarnarekha river eastern India, traverses over varied geomorphology and this variation can be related to the hydrological signals, it leaves behind, at different reaches. A detailed statistical analysis throws light on the flooding character of the river which was done through flow histograms, yearly variations of water levels, river regime, recession curve analysis and rating curves. The study reports two specific findings. Firstly, the flow regimes are experiencing a change and there is a decline in the quantity of water flowing in the river in the present compared to the past. Secondly, there is a spatial variation in the flow patterns that are experienced by the different hydrological stations located in the different reaches of the river. The plateau region stations are experiencing high magnitude low frequency floods whereas the alluvial floodplains are experiencing low magnitude high frequency events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the Medicare dialysis payment reform on potential disparities in the selection of peritoneal dialysis (PD) for the treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).Data Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ESRD Medical Evidence Form, Medicare claims, and other CMS data for 2008-2013.Study Design: We examined the association of patient age, race/ethnicity, urban/rural location, pre-ESRD care, comorbidities, insurance, and other factors with the selection of PD as initial dialysis modality across prereform (2008-2009), interim (2010), and postreform (2011-2013) time periods.Principal Findings: Selection of PD increased among diverse patient subgroups following the payment reform. However, the lower PD selection observed with older age, black race, Hispanic ethnicity, less pre-ESRD care, and Medicaid insurance before the reform largely remained in the initial postreform years.Conclusions: Despite recent growth in PD, there may be ongoing disparities in access to PD that have largely not been mitigated by the payment reform. There is potential for modifying provider financial incentives to achieve policy goals related to cost and quality of care. However, even with a substantial shift in financial incentives, separate initiatives to reduce existing disparities in care may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as originally announced in October 2015 was undoubtedly the largest regional trade accord in history and, if approved, could have set new terms for the nearly US $28 trillion in trade and business investment between the parties to the deal. But the deal hit a roadblock when the USA decided to withdraw from the agreement in January 2017. While some of the countries are interested in taking the TPP forward without the USA, there are others which are still looking at convincing the USA to reconsider its position on the deal. Thus, while all the debate and deliberation around the prospect of TPP continues, an important point to note is that the TPP deal does not include China, world's largest merchandise trader, which had combined exports and imports worth US $3963.5 billion in 2015. Against this backdrop, the present paper seeks to analyze the impact of the TPP agreement on various trade and other economic variables of China both if the USA continues to be a part of TPP and if the USA withdraws from TPP using the Global Trade Analysis Project. The unique contribution of the present study lies in analyzing the trade integration scenarios among the TPP member countries involving all of tariff and non-tariff liberalization and improved market access between the countries, without the USA. The results indicate that China's trade with TPP region, both exports and imports, will suffer post-TPP implementation. Exports which are likely to be hit are leather and leather products, motor vehicles, meat products, processed food, iron and steel. Imports of oilseeds, paper and paper products, nonmetallic minerals and machinery are also expected to suffer. More than the loss in trade, China will experience substantial welfare loss due to all of allocative inefficiency, worsening terms of trade and endowment effect. Of these, worsening terms of trade explain the largest part of welfare loss to the country. With the withdrawal of the USA from the deal, China's trade with the region and its welfare is likely to suffer less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The extent to which clinicians use currently available guidelines for early-onset sepsis (EOS) screening has not been described. The Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns network represents 97 nurseries in 34 states across the United States. The objective of this study was to describe EOS risk management strategies across a national sample of newborn nurseries. METHODS: A Web-based survey was sent to each Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns network nursery site representative. Nineteen questions addressed specific practices for assessing and managing well-appearing term newborns identified at risk for EOS. RESULTS: Responses were received from 81 (83%) of 97 nurseries located in 33 states. Obstetric diagnosis of chorioamnionitis was the most common factor used to identify risk for EOS (79 of 81). Among well-appearing term infants with concern for maternal chorioamnionitis, 51 of 79 sites used American Academy of Pediatrics or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to inform clinical care; 11 used a published sepsis risk calculator; and 2 used clinical observation alone. Complete blood cell count (94.8%) and C-reactive protein (36.4%) were the most common laboratory tests obtained and influenced duration of empirical antibiotics at 13% of the sites. Some degree of mother-infant separation was required for EOS evaluation at 95% of centers, and separation for the entire duration of antibiotic therapy was required in 40% of the sites. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variation exists in newborn EOS risk assessment, affecting the definition of risk, the level of medical intervention, and ultimately mother-infant separation. Identification of the optimal approach to EOS risk assessment and standardized implementation of such an approach could affect care of a large proportion of newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The need for a readily available, inexpensive, non-invasive method for improved risk stratification of heart failure (HF) patients is paramount. Prior studies have proposed that distinct fluctuation patterns underlying the variability of physiological signals have unique prognostic value. We tested this hypothesis in an extensively phenotyped cohort of HF patients using EntropyXQT, a novel non-linear measure of cardiac repolarization dynamics.Methods and Results: In a prospective, multicentre, observational study of 852 patients in sinus rhythm undergoing clinically indicated primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation (2003-10), exposures included demographics, history, physical examination, medications, laboratory results, serum biomarkers, ejection fraction, conventional electrocardiographic (ECG) analyses of heart rate and QT variability, and EntropyXQT. The primary outcome was first 'appropriate' ICD shock for ventricular arrhythmias. The secondary outcome was composite events (appropriate ICD shock and all-cause mortality). After exclusions, the cohort (n = 816) had a mean age of 60 ± 13 years, 28% women, 36% African Americans, 56% ischaemic cardiomyopathy, and 29 ± 16% Seattle HF risk score (SHFS) 5-year predicted mortality. Over 45 ± 24 months, there were 134 appropriate shocks and 166 deaths. After adjusting for 30 exposures, the hazard ratios (comparing the 5th to 1st quintile of EntropyXQT) for primary and secondary outcomes were 3.29 (95% CI 1.74-6.21) and 2.28 (1.53-3.41), respectively. Addition of EntropyXQT to a model comprised of the exposures or SHFS significantly increased net reclassification and the ROC curve area.Conclusions: EntropyXQT measured during ICD implantation strongly and independently predicts appropriate shock and all-cause mortality over follow-up. EntropyXQT complements conventional risk predictors and has the potential for broad clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To quantify differences in early-onset sepsis (EOS) evaluations, evaluation-associated resource utilization, and EOS cases detected, when comparing time periods before and after the implementation of an EOS algorithm based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2010 guidelines for prevention of perinatal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of infants born at ≥36 weeks' gestation from 2009 to 2012 in a single tertiary care center. One 12-month period during which EOS evaluations were based on the CDC 2002 guideline was compared with a second 12-month period during which EOS evaluations were based on the CDC 2010 guideline. A cost minimization analysis was performed to determine the EOS evaluation-associated costs and resources during each time period. RESULTS: During the study periods, among well-appearing infants ≥36 weeks' gestation, EOS evaluations for inadequate GBS prophylaxis decreased from 32/1000 to <1/1000 live births; EOS evaluation- associated costs decreased by $6994 per 1000 live births; and EOS evaluation-associated work hours decreased by 29 per 1000 live births. We found no increase in EOS evaluations for other indications, total NICU admissions, frequency of infants evaluated for symptoms before hospital discharge, or incidence of EOS during the 2 study periods. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an EOS algorithm based on CDC 2010 GBS guidelines resulted in a 25% decrease in EOS evaluations performed among well-appearing infants ≥36 weeks' gestation, attributable to decreased evaluation of infants born in the setting of inadequate indicated GBS prophylaxis. This resulted in significant changes in EOS evaluation-associated resource expenditures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) accounts for about 38% of primary brain tumors in the United States. GBM is characterized by extensive angiogenesis induced by vascular growth factors and cytokines. The transcription of these growth factors and cytokines is regulated by the Hypoxia-Inducible-Factor-1(HIF-1), which is a key regulator mediating the cellular response to hypoxia. It is known that Factor Inhibiting HIF-1, or FIH-1, is also involved in the cellular response to hypoxia and has the capability to physically interact with HIF-1 and block its transcriptional activity under normoxic conditions. Delineation of the regulatory role of FIH-1 will help us to better understand the molecular mechanism responsible for tumor growth and progression and may lead to the design of new therapies targeting cellular pathways in response to hypoxia. Previous studies have shown that the chromosomal region of 10q24 containing the FIH-1 gene is often deleted in GBM, suggesting a role for the FIH-1 in GBM tumorigenesis and progression. In the current study, we found that FIH-1 is able to inhibit HIF-mediated transcription of GLUT1 and VEGF-A, even under hypoxic conditions in human glioblastoma cells. FIH-1 has been found to be more potent in inhibiting HIF function than PTEN. This observation points to the possibility that deletion of 10q23-24 and loss or decreased expression of FIH-1 gene may lead to a constitutive activation of HIF-1 activity, an alteration of HIF-1 targets such as GLUT-1 and VEGF-A, and may contribute to the survival of cancer cells in hypoxia and the development of hypervascularization observed in GBM. Therefore FIH-1 can be potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM patients with poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the effects of the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) on the labor force participation rates of married women by estimating a dynamic model of labor force participation. Results show that the PDA increased the labor force participation rate of pregnant women by 8.2 percentage points, of women with a child less than one year old by 3.4 percentage points, and of women with older children by 1.5 percentage points. Counterfactual policy simulations show that the provision of unpaid leave will increase the labor force participation rate of women with older children by an additional 3.7 percentage points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for and role of highly skilled immigrant workers in the U.S. economy is fiercely debated. Proponents and opponents agree that temporary foreign workers are paid a lower wage than are natives. This lower wage partly originates from the restricted mobility of workers while on a temporary visa. In this article, we estimate the wage gain to employment-based immigrants from acquiring permanent U.S. residency. We use data from the New Immigrant Survey (2003) and implement a difference-in-difference propensity score matching estimator. We find that for employer-sponsored immigrants, the acquisition of a green card leads to an annual wage gain of about $11,860. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quantifies the association between religions, religiosity and educational attainment of new lawful immigrants to the US. This paper considers a broad set of religions that includes most of the major religions of the world. Using data from the New Immigrant Survey (2003), we show that affiliation with religion is not necessarily associated with an increase in educational attainment. Muslim and 'Other religion' immigrants have less education compared to the immigrants who are not affiliated with any religion. However, affiliation with the Jewish religion is associated with higher educational attainment for males. With regard to religiosity, our results show that high religiosity is associated with lower educational attainment, especially for females. We also outline alternative frameworks that provide insight about the mechanisms that link religion and religiosity with educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Surgeon General's Consumer Guide lists weight-gain as an important relapse trigger, the 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Women and Smoking concludes, paradoxically, that actual weight-gain during cessation does not appear to predict relapse. This dichotomous view reflects longstanding scientific uncertainty about the role of weight-gain in triggering relapse. This scientific uncertainty, which stems from mixed clinical trial results, is problematic for insurance coverage decisions such as state Medicaid programme decisions to cover or exclude smoking-cessation and weight-control pharmaceuticals. Analysts hypothesize that selection bias may explain the inconsistency between the negative clinical results and the persistent view that weight-gain triggers relapse, if weight-concern is both a key determinant of the transition from ‘smoker’ to ‘ex-smoker,’ and a key moderating variable in the relationship between weight-gain and relapse. We therefore use the nationally representative 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to test the relapse-trigger hypothesis, and conclude that post-smoking-cessation weight-gain triggers relapse among weight-concerned white women, but it is associated with quitting success among Hispanic women. In addition, our results do not support the hypothesis that the mixed clinical trial results reflect selection bias based on weight-concern. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a study which investigates the relevance of technological opportunity on profitability and growth of business enterprises. It involves 191 research & development intensive (RD) and non-RD intensive (NRD) firms in the U.S. It mentions that RD firms include aerospace, chemicals and medical equipment industries.

Background. Type of health insurance is an important mediator of medical outcomes in the United States. Medicaid, a jointly sponsored Federal/State programme, is designed to serve medically needy individuals. How these patients differ from non-Medicaid-enrolled incident dialysis patients and how these differences have changed over time have not been systematically examined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An essay is presented on the values in most U.S. mathematics classrooms in terms of competitive democracy. It discusses research in mathematics education through interdisciplinary fields like anthropology and sociology. It also stresses on the need to build values of participatory democracy in teaching mathematics and integrate values of dialogue of democracy.

This paper looks into the impact of obesity and other factors on first entry into a marital or cohabiting union, using 1997 cohort data from the national longitudinal survey. Results show obese women are less likely to be accepted into either cohabitation or marriage, while obese men are less likely to be accepted in a cohabitating relation but are not less likely to enter into marriage. Income affects all union and all genders symmetrically, increasing the likelihood of a union. These results suggest that marriage is a special form of union for women, so they are willing to marry obese men because they value other factors related to the marriage choice, such as commitment or the prospect of having children. Men do not appear to value these factors as much, so obese women are less likely to be accepted into either cohabitation or marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the efforts of the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in convincing physicians and researchers to consider saliva as a diagnostic fluid, much like blood or urine, since the advancement in the sensitivity of miniaturized analytical techniques in detecting trace amounts of analytes in saliva. The institute has funded multidisciplinary approaches to develop saliva-based devices to diagnose illness like oral cancer, diabetes, and pancreatic cancer. The easy collection of saliva is one of the contributing factors that appeal to clinics that deal with STDs, substance abuse, and family planning. Another advantage of using saliva as a diagnostic fluid is the absence of privacy concerns from patients.

The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of the international trips on EMBA student learning. We have measured participants' cognitive, affective and behavioral elements towards international business before and after the trip for two EMBA classes. We find that although learning has taken place in alt these areas because of the trip, it has been significant mostly for cognitive and affective learning. In addition, we have tested the extent of such experiential learning as a function of the perceived difference between the USA and the destination country. Our results indicate that both People's Republic of China (PRC) and Vietnam have been perceived very differently from the USA, compared to the differential perception of Hong Kong (a specially administered region of the PRC) vis-à-vis the USA. However, there has not been much evidence of different levels of learning based on the destination -- the impact of all destinations has been very positive on learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that a rainstorm that caused a severe flash flood on the piedmont plain at the toe positions of two alluvial fans located to the west of the Organ Mountains in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA, is analysed. Space?time distributions of rainfall that are evaluated from and overland flow that is modelled as kinematic wave; Spatial distribution of rainfall that shows a topographic control; Greatest rainfall depth, duration, and intensity that occurred at the higher elevation mountain slopes and decreased with decreasing elevation from the alluvial fans to the piedmont plain; Alluvial fan?piedmont plain system that is modelled; Explicit finite difference approximations, hybridized with the analytical method of characteristics, that are made to the kinematic wave equations to account for the spatial and temporal distribution of the rainfall and variable boundary conditions; Simulation results; Case study that demonstrates that flood hazards on piedmont plains can exceed those on alluvial fans; Models presented that suggest that the flood hazard zones on coupled alluvial fan?piedmont plain landforms should be delineated transverse to the flow directions, as opposed to the flood hazard zones with boundaries in the longitudinal direction of the axis of an alluvial fan.

The investment in information technologies (IT) in the financial services sector has proliferated in the last decade. Yet there is very little research examining the impact of IT in the financial services sector. In this article, we focus on the trade services application in global wholesale banking. We use the production function approach to estimate the impact of IT in this application. Our estimate of the output elasticity of IT is positive and statistically significant. In addition, we find that the return on investment of IT (increase in dollar revenue per dollar spent in IT) is about 100% per year, holding labor input constant. Our study provides one instance of direct evidence that IT has a favorable impact on productivity in the financial services sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The section of "Automotive Textiles" focuses on the use of textile fibres in the manufacturing of carpets meant for automobiles. Carpet used to furnish the modern car is a complicated medium that has been engineered to fit the demands of the automobile industry over the past thirty years. Cars made in the U.S. are furnished with about 3.3 square meter of carpet, while Western European cars are fitted with 3.5 square million of carpets. Carpets are made by two techniques, either tufting or needlefelting. Carpets that are conceived by the two variations are employed to a greater or lesser extent depending on the car-producing region.

Our work represents one of the first attempts to assess the impact of IT (information technology) on both process output and quality. We examine the optical character recognition and barcode sorting technologies in the mail sorting process at the United States Postal Service. Our analysis is at the application level, and thus does not involve the aggregation of IT impact over multiple processes. We use data from 46 mail processing centers over 3 years to study the IT impact. We also use a set of factors in our model to account for differences in input characteristics. Our results show that mail sorting output significantly increases with higher use of IT. In addition, IT improves quality which in turn enhances output. We also find that input characteristics exert considerable influence in determining the output and quality of the mail sorting operation. For example, while absenteeism tends to decrease output and quality due to its disruptive consequences, a higher fraction of barcoded mail seems to enhance both performance measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development is accompanied with changes in the intersectoral flows of intermediate goods. This structural change assumes certain patterns depending on the stage and nature of development of the economy. This paper examines such possible patterns and their implications on the basis of input-output analysis for the USA, Japan and India and suggests that the form of interaction between sectors is unilateral -- the matrix is either lower or upper triangular signifying the structure of the economy. It also measures the extent of structural change of the three countries and considers the employment implications of such change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important management question today is whether the anticipated economic benefits of information Technology (IT) are being realized. In this paper, we consider this problem to be measurement related, and propose and test a new process-oriented methodology for ex post measurement to audit IT impacts on a strategic business unit (SBU) or profit center's performance. The IT impacts on a given SBU are measured relative to a group of SBUs in the industry. The methodology involves a two-stage analysis of intermediate and higher level output variables that also accounts for industry and economy wide exogenous variables for tracing and measuring IT contributions. The data for testing the proposed model were obtained from SBUs in the manufacturing sector. Our results show significant positive impacts of IT at the intermediate level. The theoretical contribution of the study is a methodology that attempts to circumvent some of the measurement problems in this domain. It also provides a practical management tool to address the question of why (or why not) certain IT impacts occur. Additionally, through its process orientation, the suggested approach highlights key variables that may require managerial attention and subsequent action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical criteria/Family history-based BRCA testing misses a large proportion of BRCA carriers who can benefit from screening/prevention. We estimate the cost-effectiveness of population-based BRCA testing in general population women across different countries/health systems. A Markov model comparing the lifetime costs and effects of BRCA1/BRCA2 testing all general population women ≥30 years compared with clinical criteria/FH-based testing. Separate analyses are undertaken for the UK/USA/Netherlands (high-income countries/HIC), China/Brazil (upper–middle income countries/UMIC) and India (low–middle income countries/LMIC) using both health system/payer and societal perspectives. BRCA carriers undergo appropriate screening/prevention interventions to reduce breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Outcomes include OC, BC, and additional heart disease deaths and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)/quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Probabilistic/one-way sensitivity analyses evaluate model uncertainty. For the base case, from a societal perspective, we found that population-based BRCA testing is cost-saving in HIC (UK-ICER = $−5639/QALY; USA-ICER = $−4018/QALY; Netherlands-ICER = $−11,433/QALY), and it appears cost-effective in UMIC (China-ICER = $18,066/QALY; Brazil-ICER = $13,579/QALY), but it is not cost-effective in LMIC (India-ICER = $23,031/QALY). From a payer perspective, population-based BRCA testing is highly cost-effective in HIC (UK-ICER = $21,191/QALY, USA-ICER = $16,552/QALY, Netherlands-ICER = $25,215/QALY), and it is cost-effective in UMIC (China-ICER = $23,485/QALY, Brazil−ICER = $20,995/QALY), but it is not cost-effective in LMIC (India-ICER = $32,217/QALY). BRCA testing costs below $172/test (ICER = $19,685/QALY), which makes it cost-effective (from a societal perspective) for LMIC/India. Population-based BRCA testing can prevent an additional 2319 to 2666 BC and 327 to 449 OC cases per million women than the current clinical strategy. Findings suggest that population-based BRCA testing for countries evaluated is extremely cost-effective across HIC/UMIC health systems, is cost-saving for HIC health systems from a societal perspective, and can prevent tens of thousands more BC/OC cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common malignant disease in women in the U.S. Nearly 20% of patients with advanced BCa are eventually diagnosed with brain lesions, which is a devastating complication in patients with BCa over-expressing EGF receptor family members including Her2 positive and triple negative breast cancer. It is the most feared complication of BCa in part because are not capable of significantly treating the BCa-induced brain metastases due to the inability of the available treatment regimens to effectively penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB) and also due to our limited knowledge on cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the homing to and growth in the brain of BCa cells. Therefore, there is a need of efficient model system that can significantly contribute towards our understanding of different factors from both host and tumor leading to brain metastasis. We have recently isolated a novel BCa cell line B6TC that was generated through fusion between human BCa, MDA-MB-231 and ZR-75-1 cells in mouse bone marrow. This B6TC cell line showed higher propensity to metastasize to brain than its parental cells when inoculated through intracardiac injection in female athymic nude mice. In order to generate a highly brain metastatic breast cancer model for mechanistic research, we subjected the B6TC cells through four rounds of selection for cells that were capable of trans-endothelial cell invasion to obtain cells that could invade through BBB. This in vitro selected cell line was further subjected through three rounds of in vivo selection for cells that were capable of metastasizing to the brain and the cells after third round selection was named N3LR, which has the highest potential to cause brain metastasis. In searching for genes and pathways that may contribute to the increased brain metastasis of N3-LR cell with microarray analysis, we found that the transforming growth factor -beta (TGFβ) signaling pathway is upregulated in N3-LR cell in comparison with B6TC cell, in addition to the EGF and prostaglandin signaling pathways that have been reported to be associated with brain metastatic breast cancer cells. Functional comparison also showed that N3-LR cell was more migratory than B6TC cell and more responsive to TGFβ-induced phosphorylation of Smad3 as well as migration, suggesting that TGFβ signaling may contribute to the increased brain metastatic potential. We next investigated whether metastatic tumor growth in the brain microenvironment can be inhibited by systemic administration of a potent pan-TGFβ inhibitor, BGERII- a recombinant fusion protein containing the endoglin domain of betaglycan (BGE) and the extracellular domain of RII. The animals were inoculated intracardically with N3LR, the most potent subline of highly metastatic B6TC cells, and were then treated with vehicle or BGERII systemically via i.p. injection right after the inoculation. After three weeks, the BGERII treated group showed lower brain metastasis incidence and tumor burden as detected by whole mouse bioluminescence and GFP imaging. Further analyses to understand the underlying molecular and regulatory mechanism of brain metastasis and its intervention in our mouse model is underway for the discovery of novel molecularly targeted drugs to prevent and eradicate BCa metastasis initiation, progression and recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the result of the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (MS) (IRMS) test on cyclist Floyd Landis in a lawsuit involving doping in the U.S. It states that Laboratoire National de Dépistage du Dopage (LNDD) performed the IRMS test on Landis' urine sample A, which showed > three percent difference in 13C/12C ratio for two of the four testosterone metabolites versus controls. It says that the laboratory concluded that AAF should be reported according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) protocol. It adds that it followed up with an IRMS test on the B sample and obtained the same results.

The article focuses on the hearing of the case between cyclist Floyd Landis and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The focus of the trial is the analytical techniques and procedures used to determine whether he cheated by doping. It states that the Landis camp accused Laboratoire National de Dépistage du Dopage (LNDD), the French laboratory that tested Landis' urine samples during the 2006 Tour de France, of scientific incompetence and not following the established procedures for the two analytical tests used to detect synthetic testosterone. In its verdict on September 20, 2007, the three-member arbitration panel upheld a positive doping test for Landis in a 2:1 decision.

The article presents information on scientist Emily Overholser. During her second year of graduate school at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Overholser knew that handling Eppendorf tubes wasn't her calling. She wanted more interaction with people than she experienced by working at the bench. So, after obtaining her Ph.D. in 2004, Overholser accepted a position at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). At IDA, Overholser works with the various branches of the U.S. military in the Department of Defense as well as the Department of Homeland Security to assess their analytical instruments and procedures. And she knows she's made the right decision in making the move. IDA, a nonprofit corporation, was established in 1958 to administer three federally funded research and development centers that help the U.S. government address national security issues. In particular, IDA focuses on the security issues that require scientific and technical expertise. As a research staff member of IDA's Operational Evaluation Division, Overholser works on three projects.

The article reports on the description of a method to quantitatively extract tattoo pigments and cleavage products from human skin in the U.S. The method was developed by researcher Wolfgang Bäumler and colleagues at the University of Regensburg. In the late 1990s, Bäumler and colleagues discovered that pigments in tattoos were identical pigments used as paints on cars, in printer inks, and in colors on consumer goods. The procedure uses a energy laser beam to focused into the pigment in the skin.