cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rehabilitation After Stroke: Current State of the Science

Stroke rehabilitation is evolving into a clinical field based on the neuroscience of recovery and restoration. There has been substantial growth in the number and quality of clinical trials performed. Much effort now is directed toward motor restoration and is being led by trials of constraint-induced movement therapy. Although the results do not necessarily support that constraint-induced movement therapy is superior to other training methods, this treatment has become an important vehicle for developing clinical trial methods and studying the physiology underlying activity-based rehabilitation strategies. Other promising interventions include robotic therapy delivery, magnetic and electrical cortical stimulation, visualization, and constraint-driven aphasia therapies. Amphetamine has not been demonstrated to be effective, and studies of other pharmacologic agents are still preliminary. Future studies will incorporate refinements in clinical trial methods and improved activity- and technology-based interventions.
Delay in the diagnosis of paediatric brain tumours.

The pre-diagnostic period of 252 children (median age 6.3 years, range 0–16.9 years) with primary brain tumours was assessed to analyse their clinical presentation and reasons for any delay in diagnosis. The median pre-diagnostic symptomatic interval (PSI) was 60 days (range 0–3010 days) with a parental delay of 14 days (range 0–2310 days) and a doctor's delay of 30 days (range 0–3010 days). Only 33% of brain tumours were diagnosed within the 1st month after the onset of signs/symptoms. PSI correlated significantly with patients' age and tumour histology, but not with gender, year of diagnosis or tumour location (supratentorial hemispheric, supratentorial midline, infratentorial). In children older than 2 years, most common initial signs/symptoms were headache, nausea/vomiting, seizures, squint/diplopia, ataxia and behavioural changes. In children younger than 2 years, most common initial signs/symptoms were seizures, vomiting, head tilt and behavioural changes. These signs/symptoms are by no means pathognomonic features of brain tumours, making the diagnosis in the early course often difficult. Conclusion: given the fact that the vast majority of patients (88% in the present study) develop further signs/symptoms, a high level of awareness, a detailed medical history and repeated correctly interpreted neurological examinations should lead to an earlier diagnosis and to a higher probability of total tumour resection.
Renormalization group reduction of pulse dynamics in thermally loaded optical parametric oscillators

We derive a perturbed parametrically forced nonlinear Schrodinger equation to model pulse evolution in an optical parametric oscillator with absorption-induced heating. We apply both a rigorous renormalization group (RG) technique and the formal Wilsonian renormalization group to obtain a low-dimensional system of equations which captures the mutual interaction of pulses as well as their response to the thermally induced potential. We compare the methodologies of the two approaches and find that the two reduced systems agree to leading order, and compare well to simulations of the full equation, predicting the formation of stably bound pulse pairs.
Effects of suspected foodstuff challenging agents in the etiology of recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Two hundred eighteen professional students were surveyed to uncover any association of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) with a history of allergic diathesis. No significant relationship was uncovered. From this population approximately equal numbers of RAS-positive and RAS-negative subjects were challenged with suspected foodstuff agents thought to have a potential causative role in occurrence of the disease. The results failed to document any causative effect with regard to tomatoes, strawberries, or walnuts.
Determination of Tether Threshold Forces, Interlayer Viscosity, and Thermal Area Expansivity using a Magnetic Force Transducer

Membrane tether experiments, which involve applying point forces to membranes to form thin tubes of the membrane, provide a powerful method to drastically alter membrane curvature and study membrane mechanics. To study the formation of membrane tethers, we have designed and built a magnetic force transducer (MFT) using microfabrication techniques. Our initial results indicate our ability to control the amplitude of the applied force up to 20 pN over a distance of 50 microns. We have used this device to precisely measure the tether formation force under dynamic loading conditions. Tether formation forces from microaspirated POPC giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) containing 0.5-5 mol% biotinylated lipid were found to range from 2 pN up to 19 pN, depending on the concentration of biotin. During the tether retraction phase the applied force is zero and a mechanical model can be applied to calculate the coefficient of interlayer viscosity that opposes relative motion between the inner and outer leaflets of the GUVs. Our results confirm earlier measurements that a significant portion of energy involved in dynamic tether formation and retraction goes into viscous loss. Finally, we noticed that activation of the MFT induced areal strain in the vesicles and studied this at different levels of current. By comparing these measurements to a thermal conduction model of the system, we determined the thermal area expansivity of SOPC GUVs to be 1.7x10-3/°C in the temperature range of 22 to 50°C.
Theological Trends of Postmodern Fiction

enough frequency and clarity to make it a familiar focus for discussion among theologically aware persons. I shall identify a theological trend in fiction as the transference of such a matrix into the peculiar structures of created (i.e., not documentary) narratives that form the novel and short story. I shall
Evidence for Inhibitory Allelopathic Interactions Involving Phenolic Acids in Field Soils: Concepts vs. an Experimental Model

The accepted criteria for identifying allelopathic interactions in the field that have been proposed in the literature offer heuristic function, but to date have failed as a framework for research and diagnostics. If the present criteria are to be modified to make them useful empirically, their shortcomings must be identified. For this review, data from the literature and from defined model systems consisting of plants, soil, and/or microbes are used to evaluate the applicability of the accepted criteria to defined systems in which plants are responding to known allelochemicals. Based on this evaluation, modified criteria are proposed. In many respects, however, the modified criteria are as difficult to satisfy in the field as those proposed previously. The new criteria have value as a research framework because they clearly suggest that a shift in research focus to the soil environment, specifically the barrier of the rhizosphere through which allelochemicals must pass, is essential if the role of allelo...
A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship in Food Preferences between Parents and Children

Abstract Acknowledging the interaction of culture, genetics, and socialization among family members, one would expect to find a strong resemblance in food preferences between parents and children. The present investigation employed the technique of meta-analysis to determine the existence and strength of a correlation in parent-child food preferences. A search of the literature identified seven studies meeting the criteria for inclusion; of these, five studies had sufficient data to be included in the analysis. The weighted effect size was calculated at 0.19 for mother-child pairs and 0.14 for father-child pairs. The overall average weighted effect size was 0.17, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.094 to 0.240. This demonstrated a significant correlation, of small magnitude, in the resemblance in food preferences between parents and children. The strength of correlation is similar when maternal and paternal influence is examined separately. The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that the similarity in food preferences between children and their parents would appear to be of small significance as a factor in predicting children's food preferences.
Efficient Production of Fah-null Heterozygote Pigs by Chimeric Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Gene Knockout and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HT1) results in hepatic failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) early in childhood and is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH). In a novel approach we used the chimeric adeno-associated virus DJ serotype (AAV-DJ) and homologous recombination to target and disrupt the porcine Fah gene. AAV-DJ is an artificial chimeric AAV vector containing hybrid capsid sequences from three naturally occurring serotypes (AAV2, 8, and 9). The AAV-DJ vector was used to deliver the knockout construct to fetal pig fibroblasts with an average knockout targeting frequency of 5.4%. Targeted Fah-null heterozygote fibroblasts were used as nuclear donors for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) to porcine oocytes and multiple viable Fah-null heterozygote pigs were generated. Fah-null heterozygotes were phenotypically normal, but had decreased Fah transcriptional and enzymatic activity compared to wildtype animals. Conclusion: This study is the first to use a recombinant chimeric AAV vector to knockout a gene in porcine fibroblasts for the purpose of SCNT. In using the AAV-DJ vector we observed targeting frequencies that were higher than previously reported with other naturally occurring serotypes. We expect that the subsequent generation of FAH-null homozygote pigs will serve as a significant advancement for translational research in the areas of metabolic liver disease, cirrhosis, and HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2011;)
Play and power: a ludic design proposal for ICTD

This paper puts forth a notion of ludic design, drawing from work in HCI by Phoebe Sengers and Bill Gaver, as an avenue through which ICTD can begin to contend with the historical discourse of the developmental enterprise. This discourse, which we term the "developmental optic," is one that envisions the subjects upon which it acts---the primary user audience of ICTD projects and services---as perpetually "backward," perpetually in need of improvements decided upon by a (usually Western) other. Ludic design proposes that "non-productive" activities and desires---the need to have fun, the need for entertainment in one's life---be taken up as central to ICTD projects, as they provide a means by which the developmental optic may be countered. We look at the approaches taken towards "fun" and the desire for entertainment by three ICTD projects---the community radio project Namma Dhwani, the agriculture extension project Digital Green, and the educational project MILLEE. We then discuss how approaches to affect and "fun" in the field of HCI may be of use to ICTD researchers in trying to reimagine the discursive frame in which their projects function.
Gender and Grammar in Chinese: With Implications for Language Universals

The significance of the encoding of sex and gender for questions about the relationship between language and culture, and between language and thought, is just beginning to be explored systematically.' Language and gender research, arising within the tradition of Western feminist theory, has overrelied on examples from IndoEuropean languages and cultures and has, moreover, not integrated this research very well with the current discourse on the nature and meaning of language in culture and society.2 In much of the literature on language and gender there is an assumed but not well documented relation between the extent of patriarchal bias in a culture and what has become known as sexism
A clarification on data availability.

John R. Lott Jr. recently responded (“Research fraud, public policy, and gun control,” Letters, 6 June, p. [1505][1]) to an earlier Editorial (“Research fraud and public policy,” D. Kennedy, 18 Apr., p. 393) that stressed the need for integrity in research and alluded to serious allegations of academic misconduct by Lott in his efforts to advance the thesis that more guns will lead to less crime. In the course of his reply, Lott seems to deflect attention from the charges that have been leveled against him by making an untrue allegation that Ian Ayres and I have failed to give him the data related to our work showing that adoptions of concealed carry laws are not associated with drops in crime. As I assume Lott knows (since he responded to our paper), we state in footnote 33 of our paper “Shooting down the more guns, less crime hypothesis” ([1][2]) that the data set and computer programs we used are available on the Web, and indeed they are. In fact, I have always made my data available to any researcher for this work and every other research project I have worked on (and Lott has asked for and received from me data on other research projects of mine). 1. 1.[↵][3]1. I. Ayres, 2. J. J. Donohue , Stanford Law Rev. 55, 1193 (2003). [OpenUrl][4][Web of Science][5] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.300.5625.1505a [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text" [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DStanford%2BLaw%2BRev.%26rft.volume%253D55%26rft.spage%253D1193%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [5]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000182946200003&link_type=ISI
Loss of p53 and Acquisition of Angiogenic MicroRNA Profile Are Insufficient to Facilitate Progression of Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma in Situ to Invasive Carcinoma

Activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressors in urothelium is considered critical for development of urothelial cancer. Here we report cloning of the urothelium-specific promoter uroplakin-II (UPK II) and generation of transgenic mice in which expression of SV40 large T antigen is driven by UPK II promoter. Inactivation of tumor suppressor p53 and pRb in urothelium by SV40 T antigen resulted in urothelial carcinoma, resembling human high-grade carcinoma in situ. Specific deletion of p53 in urothelial cells using the newly generated UPK II-Cre mice results in normal bladders without any evidence of cancer. The high-grade carcinoma in situ in the UPK II-SV40 mice is associated with significant activation of angiogenic signals consisting of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and VEGF and a down-regulation of thrombospondin-1. Interestingly, such pro-angiogenic activity was not associated with progression to invasive cancer. Analysis of bladder-associated microRNAs in carcinoma in situ lesions reveals a pro-angiogenic profile, with specific overexpression of miR-18a and miR-19a and down-regulation of miR-107. A group of microRNAs (miRs) identified as associated with invasive human urothelial cancer remained unchanged in this mouse model. Collectively, our results support the notion that activation of angiogenesis and loss of p53 are not sufficient for progression to invasive cancer. Our studies identify a new mouse model for bladder cancer that can be used to study factors that determine progression to an invasive phenotype of bladder cancer.
Why Americans don’t study foreign languages and what we can do about that

Foreign language training in U.S. higher education is not structured to produce students who are fluent and proficient, but blueprints exist that, if used to build foreign language programs, would enable students to be fluent and proficient in a foreign language.
Evaluation of immunohistochemistry in identifying Bartonella henselae in cat-scratch disease

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is largely due to infection with Bartonella henselae. Microbiologic detection is difficult, and molecular testing is not readily available. A monoclonal antibody (mAB) to B henselae has become commercially available. We evaluated the usefulness of immunohistochemical analysis (IHC) for diagnosing CSD on surgical specimens and compared these results with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection and serologic testing for B henselae. We studied 24 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cases of lymphadenitis with histologic and/or clinical suspicion of CSD. Control cases included 14 cases of lymphadenopathy other than CSD. FFPE tissue sections were evaluated with an mAB to B henselae, Steiner silver stain (SSS), and PCR that targeted B henselae and Bartonella quintana. Positive cases were as follows: SSS, 11 (46%); PCR, 9 (38%); and IHC, 6 (25%). Only 2 cases (8%) were positive for all 3 studies. All control cases were negative for IHC and PCR. The diagnostic sensitivity of these 3 tests is low for CSD. SSS seems to be the most sensitive test but is the least specific. PCR is more sensitive than IHC and may, therefore, serve as a helpful second-line test on all IHC- cases.
Role of gal repressor depletion in λdg transduction escape synthesis

Transduction escape synthesis of galactokinase in Escherichia coli has been studied with the following results. (1) Escape synthesis of host-directed galactokinase is observed upon infection of a λ-sensitive E. coli with phage λdgA-J, containing a deletion of the galactokinase region. (2) When a λ-lysogen of a galactokinase-negative E. coli is infected with purified λdg, escape synthesis of galactokinase is observed. The differential rate of enzyme synthesis is shown to be dependent upon the multiplicity of infecting λdg. The data describe a hyperbolic curve without added inducer and a strictly linear relationship is found with inducer added. (3) Simultaneous infection of the λ-lysogen with both λdg and λdgA-J reveals an enhanced escape synthesis of λdg-directed galactokinase, while infection with λ together with λdg did not enhance escape synthesis. (4) gal repressor concentration and an apparent repressor-operon binding constant are estimated from these data by applying a simple model relating the rate of enzyme synthesis to the numbers of operons and repressors per cell. Approximate values of 17 gal repressors per cell and a dissociation constant, KG = 6 × 10−9m, for the gal repressor-operon system are obtained. The data support the hypothesis that the event of prime importance in transduction escape synthesis is depletion of cellular repressor.
Gender Differences in High Risk Sexual Behaviors and Injection Practices Associated With Perceived HIV Risk among Injection Drug Users

This study compared male and female injection drug users (IDUs) on perceived risk of contracting HIV and examined the associations between risk perceptions and sharing injection drugs or equipment, engaging in casual sex, and engaging in commercial sex. We used baseline data from 271 IDUs recruited between 2000 and 2005 from the Baltimore, Maryland site of the International Neurobehavioral HIV Study. We found that although there was no significant difference in levels of perceived risk between males and females, males reported significantly more casual sex, whereas females reported more commercial sex. Logistic regression analyses with the entire sample indicated that sharing of injection drugs or equipment was consistently associated with greater perceived risk. We also found a significant interaction between gender and having had casual sex, such that females who had engaged in casual sex were significantly more likely to perceive that they were at greater risk for contracting HIV. Our results suggest that male IDUs should be targeted for HIV risk-reduction programs focusing on casual and commercial sex.
Reading Machines for the Blind

Methods of reading for the blind are discussed, mindful of the human-factors and systems-engineering concepts involved. Machines to allow independent reading of ink-print by the blind are classified in terms of cost, complexity, auditory or tactile output, usefulness, ease of operation, and learning problems. Current experiments in character recognition are briefly mentioned, and in conclusion reference is made to using the technical advances on related problems to speed developments in this field. Also mentioned are the widespread application of the benefits of current research to both civilian and veteran populations and the probable need for prescription teams when devices become available for routine use.
Particles containing DNA associated with the oocyte of an insect parasitoid

Abstract Viruslike DNA-containing particles are generated in the nucleus of cells located in the calyx region of the reproductive tract of the Hymenopterous parasitoid, Cardiochiles nigriceps. These particles are ca. 130 nm in diameter with a central core of DNA surrounded by an amorphous material enclosed by a unit membrane. These particles are secreted into the calyx lumen and compose the calyx fluid which is injected into hosts along with the eggs. The calyx fluid has been implicated in host regulation and in protection of the parasitoid from the immune response.
Qué sabemos del Cantar de Fernán González

The Poem or Book of Fernan Gonzalez was probably written c. 1250 by a monk of San Pedro de Arlanza (Burgos, Castile) to strengthen the legendary foundation of his monastery by the tenth-century Castilian Count, Fernan Gonzalez, and to promote his tomb cult there. The Arlanza poet was competing with the benefits that Santiago and San Millan de la Cogolla were trying to get on legendary accounts of the champion of the independence of the County of Castile from the Kingdom of Leon. It is clear that this is a work of monastic propaganda, designed to attract pilgrims and donations; therefore perhaps a better title for it would be Poem of the Foundation of San Pedro de Arlanza. The Arlanza poet was fond of the popular and orally transmitted Romance epics (Hispanic and Carolingian songs). He knew Siete infantes de Salas, the tradition of the Youthful Deeds of Rodrigo (Gesta de las Mocedades de Rodrigo), the anti-Carolingian song(s) of Bernardo del Carpio, and the Roncesvals Matiere. We also suspect that the poet...
Peripheral vascular and abdominal applications of MR flow imaging techniques.

Many MR flow imaging techniques that have been successfully applied in the carotid arteries and intracranial circulation have been tested in the peripheral and abdominal vasculature. The results have been variable. The lack of success can be attributed to different imaging requirements as well as different patterns of blood flow. These requirements include a large field of view, sensitivity to a wide range of blood flow velocities and complex flow directions, and suppression of overlapping vascular structures and stationary tissue. We have designed strategies using phase contrast MR angiography (MRA) for imaging the arteries and veins of the lower extremity and the abdominal vasculature in normal subjects. This strategy takes advantage of the pulsatile flow pattern present in normal arteries. Overlapping blood flow and stationary tissue were suppressed by a combination of spatial presaturation, optimization of the amplitude and duration of the velocity sensitive gradients, and postprocessing techniques. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.
Kiss the Scan Goodbye: A Non-scan Architecture for High Coverage, Low Test Data Volume and Low Test Application Time

Scan-based DFT is the de-facto industrial practice for testing integrated circuits (ICs). Variations in the scan architecture to improve test metrics have been the primary focus in recent years. In this paper, we propose a new nonscan DFT in which a subset of the circuit flip-flops are made directly loadable from the primary inputs and another subset of flip-flops are made observable at the output via a state compactor. In this architecture, multiple flip-flops may share the same primary input in the loading mode. A load-enable pin is added to distinguish the direct-loading mode from the functional mode. With a modest area overhead, this architecture offers several attractive features, including (1) at-speed testing, which eliminates the need for scan-shifting and would thus capture delay-related defects, (2) low test data volume and test application time, as we no longer need to store all the scan and response data, (3) high coverages, since the low-testability flipflops are made to be loadable and/or observable, and (4) low test power. Experimental results on large ISCAS’89 circuits validate the aforementioned metrics with 10× to 100× reduction in test application time with respect to Illinois Scan.
Sensitivity analysis of the stimulus-response function of a static nonlinear accommodation model

The effect of parameter variation of a nonlinear static feedback control model of the accommodation system was investigated. Simulations of a MATLAB/SIMULINK model showed a nonlinear relationship between stimulus and response in which the response curve was above the 1:1 line in the region to the left of the crossover and below the 1:1 line in the region to the right of the crossover. At the crossover, the response curve exhibited an inflection that was constant and equal to the tonic accommodation value (ABIAS). Sensitivity analysis showed that increasing depth of focus (deadspace range between /spl plusmn/DSP) increased the separation between the boundary lines of the deadspace region, with a larger separation associated with late-onset myopia and congenital nystagmus. Increasing accommodative controller gain (ACG) increased the slope of the function on either side of the deadspace, with lower ACG values corresponding to lower slopes that indicated an amblyopic deficit. Increasing ABIAS increased the accommodative level at the inflection region. In addition, the saturation level of the accommodative response decreased with increasing age, while the slope remained the same, which was consistent with the Hess-Gullstrand theory of presbyopia. The accuracy and relative simplicity of the model indicated that it could serve as a basis for further comprehensive investigation of the basic and clinical aspects of the accommodation system.
The role of parent training groups in the treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

Within the fields of child development and child clinical psychology, recognition is growing of the important role that families, in particular parents, play in the growth and development of children. Compared with a simplistic unidirectional view, researchers and clinicians increasingly have conceptualized parent-child influences from a more realistic transactional pattern or a systems perspective.For example, developmental researchers such as Baumrind, Maccoby and Martin,and Schaefer have consistently found that healthy child development is most likely to occur in the context of high levels of parental warmth and acceptance, consistent behavioral control, and acceptance and encouragement of individuality and psychological autonomy. Consideration of parental influence is, however, important when development is disrupted in some way.
The Village as Cold War Site: Experts, Development, and the History of Rural Reconstruction

This article examines ‘the village’ as a category of development knowledge used by policymakers and experts to remake the ‘Third World’ during the Cold War. The idea of the village as a universal category of underdevelopment, capable of being remade by expert-led social reform, structured efforts to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of people from Asia to Latin America and Africa. Rooted in a transnational interwar movement for rural reconstruction, village projects were transformed in the 1950s and 1960s by a scientization of development that narrowed the range of experts in the field and by Cold War politics that increasingly tied development to anti-communism and counterinsurgency. From India to Central America, strategic efforts to control rural populations won out over concerns for rural welfare.
Mass spectrometry of RNA: linking the genome to the proteome

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are continuing to attract increased attention as they are found to play pivotal roles in biological systems. Just as genomics and proteomics have been enabled by the development of effective analytical techniques and instrumentation, the large-scale analysis of non-protein coding (nc)RNAs will benefit as new analytical methodologies, such as mass spectrometry (MS), are developed for their analysis. Mass spectrometry offers a number of advantages for RNA analysis arising from its ability to provide mass and sequence information starting with limited amounts of sample. This review will highlight recent developments in the field of MS that enable the characterization of RNA modification status, RNA tertiary structures, and ncRNA expression levels. These developments will also be placed in perspective of how MS of RNAs can help elucidate the link between the genome and proteome.
Activity-based management of IT service delivery

Growth, adaptability, innovation, and cost control are leading concerns of businesses, especially with respect to use of information technology (IT). Though standards such as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) offer the potential for cost savings through the use of formal processes and best practices, such top-down approaches tend to be either highlevel - often far removed from the actual work - or low-level - often inflexible given the rapid pace of technology and market change. We conducted field studies to examine work practices in IT service delivery. Our results suggest that unstructured work activities comprise a significant and vital portion of the overall work done by people in IT service delivery. These activities include negotiating work items and schedules, seeking and providing information and expertise, and using and sharing custom tools and practices. Unstructured activities are conducted in parallel to formal, structured IT service processes, but are not well supported by existing integrated tooling. Thus, they are not easily accounted for and rarely result in reusable assets or feedback to improve the formal IT processes. Based on these findings, we propose an administrator workspace aimed specifically at blending structured and unstructured work activities to support effective, reusable, and quantifiable IT service delivery.
Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a Microfabricated Corona Ionizer

A microfabricated corona ionizer is developed for miniaturized air particle monitoring instruments. Peek's breakdown criterion and Warburg's Law are used to calculate the required electrode geometries. Single mask electroplating is employed as the microfabrication technique. Devices with discharge pin radius of 20 mum and interelectrode spacing of 1.4, 1.8, 2.0, and 2.2 mm are fabricated and tested. The inception voltages in the range from 1.4 to 2 kV are achieved without substrate breakdown. It consumes relatively low power at 150 mW or less. Corona charging currents of more than 50 muA were achieved before streamers break down. The experimental results also demonstrated the nondependency of the inception voltage on the pin's radius of curvature so long as it is significantly smaller than the interelectrode spacing. There is only one value of inception voltage for each given interelectrode spacing (1.4 to 2.2 mm) with the pin's radius of curvature ranging from 10 to 200 mum. This implies that strict dimensional control is not required in the microfabrication process in order to ensure the same inception voltage for each device.
Is there concordance between LV fibrosis and RV fibrosis in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; should there be?

Background CMR has become the leading modality to define the clinical impact of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) providing complete coverage of both ventricles with high spatial resolution. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) accurately identifies regions of myocardial fibrosis. Via CMR, innumerable studies have established that LVH and LGE are the predominant phenotypic expressions of HCM. It is well known that myocardial fibrosis can occur in patients with HCM and is independently linked to a poorer prognosis than those without fibrosis by CMR.
Real and Alleged Problems for Daniels’s Account of Health Justice

Norman Daniels's theory of health justice is the most comprehensive and systematic such theory we have. In one of the few articles published so far on Daniels's new book, Just Health, Benjamin Sachs argues that Daniels's core "principle of equality of opportunity does not do the work Daniels needs it to do." Yet Sachs's objections to Daniels's framework are deeply flawed. Where these arguments do not rely on significant misreadings of Daniels, they ignore sensible strands in Just Health that considerably dull their force. After disarming Sachs's arguments against Daniels's theory, I explain why I agree with Sachs's conclusion: Daniels's equality of opportunity-based account of health justice rests on shaky foundations.
Genetic replacement of surfactant protein-C reduces respiratory syncytial virus induced lung injury

Background: Individuals with deficiencies of pulmonary surfactant protein C (SP-C) develop interstitial lung disease (ILD) that is exacerbated by viral infections including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). SP-C gene targeted mice (Sftpc -/-) lack SP-C, develop an ILD-like disease and are susceptible to infection with RSV. Methods: In order to determine requirements for correction of RSV induced injury we have generated compound transgenic mice where SP-C expression can be induced on the Sftpc -/- background (SP-C/Sftpc -/-) by the administration of doxycycline (dox). The pattern of induced SP-C expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and processing by Western blot analysis. Tissue and cellular inflammation was measured following RSV infection and the RSV-induced cytokine response of isolated Sftpc +/+ and -/- type II cells determined. Results: After 5 days of dox administration transgene SP-C mRNA expression was detected by RT-PCR in the lungs of two independent lines of bitransgenic SP-C/Sftpc -/- mice (lines 55.3 and 54.2). ProSP-C was expressed in the lung, and mature SP-C was detected by Western blot analysis of the lavage fluid from both lines of SP-C/Sftpc -/mice. Induced SP-C expression was localized to alveolar type II cells by immunostaining with an antibody to proSPC. Line 55.3 SP-C/Sftpc -/- mice were maintained on or off dox for 7 days and infected with 2.6x10 7 RSV pfu. On day 3 post RSV infection total inflammatory cell counts were reduced in the lavage of dox treated 55.3 SP-C/Sftpc -/mice (p = 0.004). The percentage of neutrophils was reduced (p = 0.05). The viral titers of lung homogenates from dox treated 55.3 SP-C/Sftpc -/- mice were decreased relative to 55.3 SP-C/Sftpc -/- mice without dox (p = 0.01). The cytokine response of Sftpc -/- type II cells to RSV was increased over that of Sftpc +/+ cells. Conclusions: Transgenic restoration of SP-C reduced inflammation and improved viral clearance in the lungs of SPC deficient mice. The loss of SP-C in alveolar type II cells compromises their response to infection. These findings show that the restoration of SP-C in Sftpc -/- mice in response to RSV infection is a useful model to determine parameters for therapeutic intervention.
Rapid identification of Gram-positive anaerobic coccal species originally classified in the genus Peptostreptococcus by multiplex PCR assays using genus- and species-specific primers

Here, a rapid and reliable two-step multiplex PCR assay for identifying 14 Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC) species originally classified in the genus Peptostreptococcus (Anaerococcus hydrogenalis, Anaerococcus lactolyticus, Anaerococcus octavius, Anaerococcus prevotii, Anaerococcus tetradius, Anaerococcus vaginalis, Finegoldia magna, Micromonas micros, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Peptoniphilus asaccharolyticus, Peptoniphilus harei, Peptoniphilus indolicus, Peptoniphilus ivorii and Peptoniphilus lacrimalis) is reported. Fourteen type strains representing 14 GPAC species were first identified to the genus level by multiplex PCR (multiplex PCR-G). Since three of these genera (Finegoldia, Micromonas and Peptostreptococcus) contain only a single species, F. magna, M. micros and P. anaerobius, respectively, these organisms were identified to the species level directly by using the multiplex PCR-G. Then six species of the genus Anaerococcus (A. hydrogenalis, A. lactolyticus, A. octavius, A. prevotii, A. vaginalis and A. tetradius) were further identified to the species level using multiplex PCR assays (multiplex PCR-Ia and multiplex PCR-Ib). Similarly, five species of the genus Peptoniphilus (Pn. asaccharolyticus, Pn. harei, Pn. indolicus, Pn. ivorii and Pn. lacrimalis) were identified to the species level using multiplex PCR-IIa and multiplex PCR-IIb. The established two-step multiplex PCR identification scheme was applied to the identification of 190 clinical isolates of GPAC species that had been identified previously to the species level by 16S rRNA sequencing and phenotypic tests. The identification obtained from multiplex PCR assays showed 100 % agreement with 16S rDNA sequencing identification, but only 65 % (123/190) agreement with the identification obtained by phenotypic tests. The multiplex PCR scheme established in this study is a simple, rapid and reliable method for the identification of GPAC species. It will permit a more accurate assessment of the role of various GPAC species in infection and of the degree of antimicrobial resistance in each of the group members.
Lewis Henry Morgan and the Prohibition of Cousin Marriage in the United States

In contrast to European countries, individual states in the United States have enacted civil laws prohibiting cousin marriage. Currently, over sixty percent of the states have laws making first cousin marriage illegal. This development in the United States can be best understood by reference to a significant cultural development during the nineteenth century in this country. There was an acceptance of an evolutionary perspective in determining proper marriages that included cousin marriage being categorized as an early type of evolutionary institution: something to be avoided or discarded by so-called civilized peoples.
Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Infection Leads to Arrest in the G1 Phase of the Cell Cycle

Infection by the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is thought to cause dysregulated T-cell proliferation, which in turn leads to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Early cellular changes after HTLV-1 infection have been difficult to study due to the poorly infectious nature of HTLV-1 and the need for cell-to-cell contact for HTLV-1 transmission. Using a series of reporter systems, we show that HeLa cells cease proliferation within one or two division cycles after infection by HTLV-1 or transduction of the HTLV-1 tax gene. HTLV-1-infected HeLa cells, like their tax-transduced counterparts, expressed high levels of p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27KIP1, developed mitotic abnormalities, and became arrested in G1 in senescence. In contrast, cells of a human osteosarcoma lineage (HOS) continued to divide after HTLV-1 infection or Tax expression, albeit at a reduced growth rate and with mitotic aberrations. Unique to HOS cells is the dramatic reduction of p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27KIP1 expression, which is in part associated with the constitutive activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. The loss of p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27KIP1 in HOS cells apparently allows HTLV-1- and Tax-induced G1 arrest to be bypassed. Finally, HTLV-1 infection and Tax expression also cause human SupT1 T cells to arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. These results suggest that productive HTLV-1 infection ordinarily leads to Tax-mediated G1 arrest. However, T cells containing somatic mutations that inactivate p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27KIP1 may continue to proliferate after HTLV-1 infection and Tax expression. These infected cells can expand clonally, accumulate additional chromosomal abnormalities, and progress to cancer.
Hormonal treatment for prostate cancer.

For nearly six decades the preferred primary treatment for advanced prostate cancer has been continuous suppression of testicular androgen production by medical or surgical castration. While androgen deprivation is effective in inducing tumour regression in the large majority of cases, essentially all patients will develop progressive disease. In addition androgen deprivation may be associated with a variety of side effects. Thus, strategies that minimise the use of these agents could potentially lower the morbidity and cost associated with the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In the era of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, hormonal therapy is being used earlier in the course of the disease when the only evidence of recurrent disease is an elevated PSA. These men may survive for many years and thus have the potential for long periods of exposure to hormonal therapy and its side effects. It has been hoped that the development of alternative hormonal interventions might lead to both enhanced an...
Hydraulic permeability of agarose gels

A new technique was developed to measure the hydraulic permeability of reinforced get membranes and allows calculation of the Darcy permeability (κ) of the get. It was applied to agarose with concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 7.3%. To create membranes that would be thin enough to yield easily measured filtration rates at modest applied pressures and yet withstand handling gels were cast on woven polyester meshes. The resulting membranes had thicknesses of 70-100 μm and a fractional open area of 0.32. To correct for the presence of the mesh, finite-element solutions were obtained for the pressure field in the 3-D region occupied by the get. For the meshes used here, the hydraulic permeability of the reinforced membrane was calculated to be 0.47-0.55 times that for a layer of pure get, the exact value depending on the thickness of the composite membrane. The principal determinant of κ was the agarose concentration, but there was a secondary effect of applied pressure. The Darcy permeability extrapolated to zero applied pressure (κ 0 ) varied from 616 nm 2 for 2.0% agarose to 22 nm 2 for 7.3% agarose. At a given get concentration, the value for κ 0 was as much as twice the value for K measured at the maximum pressure difference of 20 kPa. This method can be adapted to a variety of other gel materials.
Liaisons of Life, from Hornworts to Hippos, How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution

Tom Wakeford, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 212 p. (Cloth, $24.95) ISBN: 0-471-39972-8. The title pretty much sums it up; Tom Wakeford's well-written book tells us about the wonders of microbial interactions with metaphytes, metazoans, and protists. The book weaves science and the history of science together to tell an engaging story about these microscopic, often overlooked denizens of, well, everywhere. The protagonists are diverse and include Beatrix Potter, Lynn Margulis, Paul Buchner, Jules Verne, and Carl Woese. Wakeford's message is that intimate, inter-kingdom liaisons between organisms are not only important in life's history and ecology, but are central to the existence of life on this planet. In recent years, symbiotic relationships have enjoyed a more prominent role in biology and even in paleontology than ever before. The intimate symbiotic relationship between tubeworms and chemosynthetic bacteria, described relatively recently, stands as one such example. Symbioses between legumes and N-fixing bacteria are well established and reasonably well understood at the ecological level, if not at the molecular level. In the fossil record, paleontologists hunt for evidence of symbiotic relationships between ancient corals and primary producers, and for associations between mollusks and microbes. Few biologists today would argue that symbioses are unimportant in ecology, and fewer still would claim that they are rare events. However, these liaisons of life do pose some difficulty for taxonomists. What is a lichen? Is it a fungus? A cyanobacterium? An alga? The language of biology assumes that only one organism is being named (usually the macroscopic one). The symbiont, when classified, is classified according to its position in the taxonomy of free-living microbes. Microbiologists presently are coming to grips with the ever more apparent fact that not all microbes are free-living, and many, …
The Girl Effect: A Neoliberal Instrumentalization of Gender Equality

Over the past ten years, 'The Girl Effect'-the discourse and practice of investing in third world girls' education—has ascended to the top of the international development agenda as the 'highest return investment strategy' to end poverty. This paper interrogates the trend by investigating the genealogy of 'The Girl Effect' as The Nike Foundation's flagship corporate social responsibility campaign and the theory of change it is based on. A literature analysis of The Nike Foundation's most recent intervention projects—"The Girl Effect Accelerator" and 'Girl Hub' pilot projects in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda—will elucidate the underlying investment logic and serve as a representative sample of the broader emerging practice. While claiming to advance "gender equality" and "women's empowerment", I argue that The Girl Effect accomplishes the opposite by reinforcing gender inequity on both the micro and macro levels. Feminist grammars are instrumentalized as window dressing to exploit third world females as prospective (1) debtors in the expansion of credit markets, (2) exploits in the expansion of consumer markets, and (3) the 'untapped resource' for cheap labor. An epochal look at second wave feminism will show how 'The Girl Effect Paradigm' is a second wave of neoliberal exploitation—a parallel of its first female-led development era (1980s-1990s). This paper warns that as this phenomenon grows in hegemony it is insidiously displacing feminism as a political project and neutralizing the need for a truly transformational agenda. Without a counterbalance of vigilant public scrutiny and debate, we risk letting it crystallize Western- patriarchal-capitalism even more deeply in an unyielding global glass ceiling.
The Most Important Discovery of Science

Oxygen has often been called the most important discovery of science. I disagree. Over five centuries, reports by six scientists told of something in air we animals all need. Three reported how to generate it. It acquired many names, finally oxygen. After 8 years of studying it, Lavoisier still couldn't understand its nature. No special date and no scientist should get credit for discovering oxygen. Henry Cavendish discovered how to make inflammable air (H2). When burned, it made water. This was called impossible because water was assumed to be an element. When Lavoisier repeated the Cavendish test on June 24, 1783, he realized it demolished two theories, phlogiston and water as an element, a Kuhnian paradigm shift that finally unlocked his great revolution of chemistry.
TSUNAMI INUNDATION PREDICTION

This paper concerns the run-up and inundation characteristics of tsunami surges. The forces and moments produced by the waves are not discussed, however, the proposed technique does provide the necessary information for their determination. The method relies on the knowledge of the wave elevation at the coast (as determined from historical data or other means) and an estimation of the bed roughness. The considerations and calculations involved in determining these parameters are discussed in detail. Twenty-four observed run-ups on the island of Hawaii in the case of the 1946 Aleutian tsunami, and 18 run-ups on the island of Maui for the Chilean 1960 tsunami are used to illustrate the technique. Methods are also presented to predict the shoreline heights and extent of inundation of tsunami surges where historical data is not available.