cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
'High' Standards: The Wave of Marijuana Legalization Sweeping America Conveniently Ignores the Hidden Risks

As a tide of marijuana legalization sweeps across the United States, there is a surprising lack of scrutiny as to whether the benefits of recreational marijuana outweigh the risks. Notably, marijuana edibles present special risks to the population that are not present in smoked marijuana. States that have legalized recreational marijuana are seeing an increase in edible-related calls to poison control centers and visits to emergency rooms. These negative reactions are especially prevalent in vulnerable populations such as children, persons with underlying preexisting conditions, and out-of-state marijuana novices. Unfortunately, research on edible marijuana is scant and state regulatory regimes are not adequately accounting for the special risks that edibles pose. Edibles are metabolized differently than smoked marijuana, resulting in late-onset, longer-lasting, and unpredictable intoxication. Novices are particularly vulnerable because of inaccurate dosing and delayed highs. Children are also at risk because edibles are often packaged as chocolate and other forms of candy to which unsuspecting kids are attracted. To minimize these risks and maximize the social utility received from marijuana edibles, further study of their effects is required and tighter regulations are necessary. Conducting research studies and enforcing new regulations takes time, and in the interim a state-implemented ban on marijuana edibles may be necessary to halt the increase of edible-related harms and hospitalizations.
Covariant spectator theory of n p scattering: Deuteron form factors

This paper uses the covariant spectator theory to calculate the deuteron electromagnetic form factors, yielding impressive quantitative results for deuteron observables. Special attention is given to a consistent treatment of currents generated by the nuclear force models obtained from the 2008 high-precision fits to the $N\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}N$ scattering data. Noteworthy results are (1) the neutron charge form factor prediction and (2) determination of two off-shell nucleon form factors that contribute to electron-deuteron scattering.
Evolution and Regulation of Limb Regeneration in Arthropods

Regeneration has fascinated both scientists and non-scientists for centuries. Many organisms can regenerate, and arthropod limbs are no exception although their ability to regenerate is a product shaped by natural and sexual selection. Recent studies have begun to uncover cellular and molecular processes underlying limb regeneration in several arthropod species. Here we argue that an evo-devo approach to the study of arthropod limb regeneration is needed to understand aspects of limb regeneration that are conserved and divergent. In particular, we argue that limbs of different species are comprised of cells at distinct stages of differentiation at the time of limb loss and therefore provide insights into regeneration involving both stem cell-like cells/precursor cells and differentiated cells. In addition, we review recent studies that demonstrate how limb regeneration impacts the development of the whole organism and argue that studies on the link between local tissue damage and the rest of the body should provide insights into the integrative nature of development. Molecular studies on limb regeneration are only beginning to take off, but comparative studies on the mechanisms of limb regeneration across various taxa should not only yield interesting insights into development but also answer how this remarkable ability evolved across arthropods and beyond.
Beyond Inclusion: Survivor-Leader Voice in Anti-Human Trafficking Organizations

Anti-human trafficking efforts have increased recently but have been largely ineffective at eradicating the crime. Scholars identify collaborative approaches and increased inclusion of survivor voi...
Adult Palatopharyngoplasty: Trends in Morbidity and Mortality from the NSQIP Database.

Objectives:Describe the postop morbidity of adults undergoing palatopharyngoplasty (PPP).Method:Adults who underwent PPP were studied using ACS-NSQIP (American College of Surgeons National Surgical...
Market-Centered Mania and Network Charter Schools

Market-centered education reformers claim that doing school the right way—namely accepting “no excuses” for mediocrity—guarantees quality education for all. This chapter details the rise of an education marketplace, reviewing literature on education reform with particular attention to network charter schools. Despite arguments that marketization improves teacher performance and thereby student outcomes (Hoxby & Murarka, 2009), few studies examine the extent to which charters’ marketized approach facilitates high-quality teaching (Bancroft in Education and Urban Society 41:248–279, 2008; Diamond, in Sociology of Education 80:285–313, 2007; Golann in Sociology of Education 88:103–119, 2015). Charter networks provide ideal, yet understudied, settings for examining how market-centered work practices unfold on the ground. This book adds to a growing literature on the unintended consequences of market-centered policies, which are utilized by many contemporary governments (Hays in Flat Broke with Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2003; Hursh, American Educational Research Journal 44:493–534, 2007; Ravitch in The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education. Basic Books, New York City, 2010; Reich, Fixing Families: Parents, Power, and the Child Welfare System. Routledge, New York, NY, 2005; Spence, Souls 14:139–159, 2012) and employers (Crowley & Hodson in Social Currents 1:91–108, 2014; Kalleberg, 2012).
Associations between Food Insecurity and Depression among Diverse Asian Americans

Background: Proper nutrition is an essential component to both physical and emotional health. Food insecurity (FI) is a potentially critical public health problem. The link between FI and elevated risk for depression has been well documented. Yet, it is largely unknown how diverse older adult populations experience FI differently. Therefore, the aims of this study were to examine how gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity may impact the magnitude of the association between FI and depression. Methods: We used a nationally representative sample of the Asian American population from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). We built logistic regression models with major depression in the past 12 months as the dependent variable, and FI as the independent variable. Several demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were added to the models to control for potential biases. All statistical estimates were weighted, using the recommended NLAAS sampling weight, to ensure representativeness of the US population. Results: About 35% (weighted adjusted 95% CI: 29.49-39.00) of Asian Americans experienced some level of FI at the time of survey. Experiencing FI over the past 12 months increased the likelihood of having clinical depression (weighted adjusted odds ratio: 1.44, weight adjusted confidence interval: 0.79-2.10). The magnitude of associations between FI and depression varied by race/ethnicity (F (7, 47) = 6.53, p (3, 41) = 10.56, p (3, 41) = 9.85). Conclusions: Food insecurity significantly increases the likelihood of clinical depression among Asian Americans. Greater attention is needed towards food-insecure Asian Americans and their mental health.
Smart homes: domestic futurity as Infrastructure

This essay analyzes the way that the Brookfield Residential (BR) Smart Home constructs domestic futurity, or a set of cultural practices and meanings pertaining to a mediated, technologically-advan...
Functional Decline as an Indicator of Ill-Health: A Retrospective Case Study of the Process Leading to Lung Cancer

Purpose Lung cancer claims more lives than any cancer in the world and remains difficult to diagnosis at early stages. Detecting lung cancer is challenging due to nonspecific symptom presentation. Literature was reviewed to consider functional decline as an indicator for ill-health. This study explored the process experienced from recognition in a change of health to receiving a lung cancer diagnosis from a patient's perspective in order to examine this phase through a biopsychosocial lens. Patients and methods A single-case design methodology was used for this study. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with people diagnosed with lung cancer utilizing criterion sampling. The case study was bound by diagnostic and geographical factors to frame the single-case: participants were limited to those living in Alaska diagnosed with stage III or stage IV lung cancer. Results One (n = 1) person participated in this study. Themes consistent with lung cancer detection process from a patient's perspective include symptom denial, symptom reductionism, and gradual impact on function. Conclusion Although the number of participants was extremely limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of recruitment, this case study suggests a decline in function present prior to being diagnosed with lung cancer. Opportunities exist within the provider and patient interface to promote earlier detection include educating medical providers to ask specific, closed-ended, non-disease related functional questions to ascertain more details and a holistic representation of patients' health. Raising public awareness of lung cancer symptoms, such as fatigue and dyspnea, is also warranted.
Architecture-Dependent Mechano-Adaptation in Single Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

Arteries grow and remodel following mechanical perturbation. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) within the artery undergo hyperplasia, hypertrophy, or change their contractility following sustained changes in loading. Experimental evidence in vivo and in vitro suggests that VSMCs grow and remodel to maintain a constant transmural stress, or "target" stress. This behavior is often described using a stress-dependent finite growth framework. Typically, computational models of arterial growth and remodeling account for VSMC behavior in a constrained mixture formulation that incorporates behavior of each component of the artery. However, these models do not account for differential VSMC architecture observed in situ, which may significantly influence growth and remodeling behavior. Here, we used cellular microbiaxial stretching (CμBS) to characterize how VSMCs with different cytoskeletal architectures respond to a sustained step change in strain. We find that VSMC F-actin architecture becomes more aligned following stretch and retains this alignment after 24 h. Further, we find that VSMC stress magnitude depends on cellular architecture. Qualitatively, however, stress behavior following stretch is consistent across cell architectures-stress increases following stretch and returns to prestretch magnitudes after 24 h. Finally, we formulated an architecture-dependent targeted growth law that accounts for experimentally measured cytoskeletal alignment and attributes stress evolution to individual fiber growth and find that this model robustly captures long-term stress evolution in single VSMCs. These results suggest that VSMC mechano-adaptation depends on cellular architecture, which has implications for growth and remodeling in regions of arteries with differential architecture, such as at bifurcations.
Iodoacetic Acid, a Water Disinfection Byproduct, Disrupts Hypothalamic, and Pituitary Reproductive Regulatory Factors and Induces Toxicity in the Female Pituitary.

Iodoacetic acid (IAA) is a water disinfection byproduct (DBP) formed by reactions between oxidizing disinfectants and iodide. In vitro studies have indicated that IAA is one of the most cyto- and genotoxic DBPs. In humans, DBPs have been epidemiologically associated with reproductive dysfunction. In mouse ovarian culture, IAA exposure significantly inhibits antral follicle growth and reduces estradiol production. Despite this evidence, little is known about the effects of IAA on the other components of the reproductive axis: the hypothalamus and pituitary. We tested the hypothesis that IAA disrupts expression of key neuroendocrine factors and directly induces cell damage in the mouse pituitary. We exposed adult female mice to IAA in drinking water in vivo and found 0.5 and 10 mg/l IAA concentrations lead to significantly increased mRNA levels of kisspeptin (Kiss1) in the arcuate nucleus although not affecting Kiss1 in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus. Both 10 mg/l IAA exposure in vivo and 20 μM IAA in vitro reduced follicle stimulating hormone (FSHβ)-positive cell number and Fshb mRNA expression. IAA did not alter luteinizing hormone (LHβ) expression in vivo although exposure to 20 μM IAA decreased expression of Lhb and glycoprotein hormones, alpha subunit (Cga) mRNA in vitro. IAA also had toxic effects in the pituitary, inducing DNA damage and P21/Cdkn1a expression in vitro (20 μM IAA) and DNA damage and Cdkn1a expression in vivo (500 mg/l). These data implicate IAA as a hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis toxicant and suggest the pituitary is directly affected by IAA exposure.
On a result of nilpotent subgroups of solvable groups

‎Heineken [‎H‎. ‎Heineken‎, ‎Nilpotent subgroups of finite soluble groups‎, Arch‎. ‎Math.(Basel)‎, ‎ 56 no‎. ‎5 (1991) 417--423‎.] studied the order of the nilpotent subgroups of the largest order of a solvable group‎. ‎We point out an error‎, ‎and thus refute the proof of the main result of [‎H‎. ‎Heineken‎, ‎Nilpotent subgroups of finite soluble groups‎, Arch‎. ‎Math.(Basel)}‎, 56 no‎. ‎5 (1991) 417--423‎.].
de Finetti Priors using Markov chain Monte Carlo computations

Recent advances in Monte Carlo methods allow us to revisit work by de Finetti who suggested the use of approximate exchangeability in the analyses of contingency tables. This paper gives examples of computational implementations using Metropolis Hastings, Langevin, and Hamiltonian Monte Carlo to compute posterior distributions for test statistics relevant for testing independence, reversible or three-way models for discrete exponential families using polynomial priors and Grobner bases.
Chapter 40: Astrocytic gliosis in the amygdala in Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease

Publisher Summary Astrocytic gliosis is an important neuropathologic change in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is unclear whether reactive gliosis is an early or a late change in AD. It is also not known if reactive astrocytosis is related to the appearance of deposits of the β-amyloid peptide (βAP). This is important because βAP deposition is thought to be one of the earliest pathologic changes in AD brain and might induce gliosis, since βAP is thought to have trophic properties. An important approach to identifying early pathologic changes in AD was to examine young cases with Down's syndrome (DS), since persons with DS invariably developed the neuropathologic changes of AD, prematurely. It seemed that numerous astrocytes could be detected in DS brains from the second and third decade, but they did not show the hypertrophy seen in older DS and in AD brain. Further, astrocytes and βAP deposits showed no consistent spatial relationship, although occasional colocalization occurs. Even when colocalized with βAP deposits, astrocytes in young DS cases showed no evidence of morphologic change. These findings suggested that astrocytosis is a late change in DS and possibly in AD.
Evidence for the nature of the link between the arabinogalactan and peptidoglycan of mycobacterial cell walls.

The long-posed question of the nature of the link between the mycolylarabinogalactan and the underlying peptidoglycan of the cell walls of Mycobacterium sp. has been addressed. The insoluble cell wall matrix of Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Mycobacterium bovis was partially hydrolyzed with acid either before or after per-O-methylation and the resulting oligosaccharides further derivatized and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The structures of fragments arising from the reducing end of arabinogalactan demonstrated the existence of the terminal sequence—-5)-D-Galf-(1—-4)-L-Rhap-(1—3)-D-GlcNAc. Other analyses confirmed the presence of muramyl-6-P within the peptidoglycan of these mycobacteria. Based on the acid lability of the 3-linked GlcNAc unit, the presence of about equimolar amounts of Rhap-(1—-3)-D-GlcNAc and muramyl-6-P in an isolated cell wall fragment, and 31P NMR analysis, it was concluded that the GlcNAc residue of the terminal triglycosyl unit of arabinogalactan is joined by 1-O-phosphoryl linkage to the 6-position of some muramyl residues within the peptidoglycan. Thus, it is reasoned that the massive mycolylarabinogalactan of mycobacteria, responsible for aspects of disease pathogenesis and much of the antibody response in infections, is attached to the peptidoglycan framework by the actinomycete-specific diglycosylphosphoryl bridge, L-Rhap-(1—-3)-D-GlcNAc-(1—-P, perhaps thereby providing a unique target for site-directed chemotherapy of mycobacterial infections.
Practical data-centric storage

Most data retrieval mechanisms in wireless sensor networks adopt a data-centric approach, in which data is identified directly by name rather than through the location of the node on which it is stored. Initial data-centric methods, such as directed diffusion and TinyDB/TAG, focused on the conveyance of data. One of the advantages of these algorithms is that they do not require point-to-point routing, which has proved to be difficult and costly to implement in wireless sensor networks, and instead require only the simpler and more robust tree-construction primitives. Some recent data retrieval proposals have extended the data-centric paradigm to storage. Data-centric storage uses in-network placement of data to increase the efficiency of data retrieval in certain circumstances. Unfortunately, all such proposals have been based on point-to-point routing, and therefore have faced a significant deployment barrier. In this paper we hope to make data-centric storage more practical by removing the need for point-to-point routing. To that end, we propose pathDCS, an approach to data-centric storage that requires only standard tree construction algorithms, a primitive already available in many real-world deployments. We describe the design and implementation of pathDCS and evaluate its performance through both high-level and packet-level simulations, as well as through experiments on a sensor testbed.
An Analysis of Long-run Environmental Impacts and Multi-criteria-based Prioritisation of the Natural Dyes in the Indian Textile Industry

Natural dyes, a class of colorants extracted from vegetative matter and animal residues, are claimed to be eco-friendly, causing lower level of emissions than the synthetic dyes in the textile industry. However, no comparative analysis of overall emissions scenarios with different degrees of adaptation to natural dyes has been done so far. To justify the claim, a multi-scenario-analysis with a well-defined structure and reasonable assumptions is required. This paper is an attempt towards this direction. In this paper, a scenario-analysis of adaptation of natural dyes has been done to analyse the emission reductions in terms of TDS under different rates of adaptation to natural dyes in cotton, wool, silk, polyester and nylon sectors till the year 2020. To rank the dyes for each sector, an AHP analysis has been carried out, using cost, emission levels and fastness of the dyes based on the weights assigned to ach of these criteria through filled up questionaires from experts. The overall results confirm that natural dyes do cause significant reductions in TDS (20-50%) by the year 2020. A comparison of the TDS levels with the Indian standards reveals that cotton, wool and silk sectors can limit their emissions within the standards by adapting vto the natural dyes, while for synthetic dyes, despite a significant fall in emissions (around 50%), they would be still above the standards. This is because of the fact that natural dyes are not very much applicable to the synthetic fibres, given the current technology. This would imply that the better the compatibility between synthetic fibres and natural dyes, the higher are the chances of synthetic fibre-sector to conform to the standards. Based on AHP, natural dyes were found to be better than other dyes in many cases, though there were quite a few cases in which synthetic dyes were better. The policy implications of this analysis are in terms of encouragement of research in the application of natural dyes, especially on synthetic fibres, implementation of better emission standards, planning for adaptation of natural dyes at an optimal pace and facilitation of further techno-economic studies in this area.
Death and Dying, Cross‐National Perspectives

We provide a brief summary of the demography and epidemiology of death throughout the world in the early twenty-first century. We then provide a brief overview of cross-national variations in how death is perceived and how decedents are mourned. Finally, we conclude with an overview and cross-national comparison of public policies and practices surrounding death, especially the use of palliative care at the end of life. Keywords: cross-cultural; culture; death; decision-making
A New Activation Function in the Hopfield Network for Solving Optimization Problems

This paper shows that the performance of the Hopfield network for solving optimization problems can be improved by using a new activation (output) function. The effects of the activation function on the performance of the Hopfield network are analyzed. It is shown that the sigmoid activation function in the Hopfield network is sensitive to noise of neurons. The reason is that the sigmoid function is most sensitive in the range where noise is most predominant. A new activation function that is more robust against noise is proposed. The new activation function has the capability of amplifying the signals between neurons while suppressing noise. The performance of the new activation function is evaluated through simulation. Compared with the sigmoid function, the new activation function reduces the error rate of tour length by 30.6% and increases the percentage of valid tours by 38.6% during simulation on 200 randomly generated city distributions of the 10-city traveling salesman problem.
RNA expression analysis using a 30 base pair resolution Escherichia coli genome array.

We have developed a high-resolution “genome array” for the study of gene expression and regulation in Escherichia coli. This array contains on average one 25-mer oligonucleotide probe per 30 base pairs over the entire genome, with one every 6 bases for the intergenic regions and every 60 bases for the 4,290 open reading frames (ORFs). Twofold concentration differences can be detected at levels as low as 0.2 messenger RNA (mRNA) copies per cell, and differences can be seen over a dynamic range of three orders of magnitude. In rich medium we detected transcripts for 97% and 87% of the ORFs in stationary and log phases, respectively. We found that 1,529 transcripts were differentially expressed under these conditions. As expected, genes involved in translation were expressed at higher levels in log phase, whereas many genes known to be involved in the starvation response were expressed at higher levels in stationary phase. Many previously unrecognized growth phase-regulated genes were identified, such as a putative receptor (b0836) and a 30S ribosomal protein subunit (S22), both of which are highly upregulated in stationary phase. Transcription of between 3,000 and 4,000 predicted ORFs was observed from the antisense strand, indicating that most of the genome is transcribed at a detectable level. Examples are also presented for high-resolution array analysis of transcript start and stop sites and RNA secondary structure.
God and the Problem of Order: The Role of Perfect Information and Absolute Power in Economics, Religion and Law

The “problem of order” is resolved idyllically in Arrow-Debreu general-equilibrium models through the assumption of perfect information, where each actor is god-like, omniscient, and where this omniscience results in the veracity of the first theorem of welfare economics, where an equilibrium is Pareto efficient, where no actor, given her original endowments of alienable and inalienable capital, can improve her position. Analogously, in many religions, God is understood to be omniscient; order emerges through God’s ability to sanction malfeasance costlessly. Ideally, a comparable order would likewise be the consequence of the assumption in both economics and religion of an omnipotent principal. In both economics and religion, equilibria serve as idealized, transcendent, critical standards. In the real, immanent, world, where information is imperfect and no power is absolute, the institutionalization of law is necessary to maintain order. Religion has bequeathed to the legal order moral principles that may legitimate the law and make it binding, while economics, as a theory of incentives in the immanent world, models the imposition of legal sanctions, which penalize actors who approach and violate the law strategically. The law is an institutional order, where both constitutive norms and legal rules are legitimated through “religious” values and supported by “economic,” situational sanctions.
How can a Believer Doubt that God Exists

How can someone confidently believe that God exists, but also have moments of serious doubt about whether the belief is true? A religiously significant belief that God exists is a by-product of adopting a perceptual framing narrative which presupposes God's existence. Using such a narrative is a type of skilled performance that results in an awareness of theistic significance which may at times be disrupted. At such times, doubts may arise about theistic meanings, which can exist in tension with confidence derived from using the theistic narrative as a practical guide. The relevant reflective question for believers with serious doubts is whether some alternative framing narrative is more believable and also capable of engaging them in a way of life.
Temporal information extraction from legal documents

The aim of this paper is to analyze what kinds of temporal information can be found in different types of legal documents. In particular, it provides a comparison of different legal document types (case law, statute or transactional document) andit discusses how one can do further reasoning with the extracted temporal information.
Modularizing crosscutting concerns with ptolemy

In this demonstration we show our language Ptolemy, which allows for separation of crosscutting concerns while maintaining modular reasoning. We demonstrate the benefits of Ptolemy over existing aspect-oriented languages and implicit invocation designs. Ptolemy's quantified, typed events provide a flexible quantification mechanism that acts as a declarative interface between object-oriented code and crosscutting code. Events are announced explicitly and declaratively.Event types allow for compile-time errors and avoid the fragile pointcut problem of aspect-oriented languages. The interface provided by event types also allows for modular reasoning, without considering all aspects in the system. The declarative event announcement allows avoiding writing tedious and error-prone boiler-plate code that implicit invocation designs require.We demonstrate several realistic examples that showcase the features of the Ptolemy language and show use of Ptolemy's compiler. The demonstrated compiler is built on top of the OpenJDK Java compiler (javac), providing full backwards compatibility with existing Java sources as well as ease of integration into the existing tool chains. We show how to integrate the compiler into both existing Ant and Eclipse builds.
Immunologic studies of pertussis: Development of precipitins†

With the use of Ouchterlony's technique of double diffusion, precipitins developed in 86.2 per cent of paired sera of bacteriologically confirmed cases of pertussis, compared to 36.7 per cent in vaccinees and 27.6 per cent in adults. Compared to the standard agglutination test, this method is more sensitive for detecting pertussis antibody in sera of infants and children after pertussis infection. The method is inexpensive and could be adapted to routine laboratory use.
Fuzzy matroid structures

Abstract This paper is a continuation of our study of fuzzy matroids. We examine the fuzzy counterparts of matroid sums, dual, and products.
Seeing syncretism as visual blasphemy: critical eyes on caodai religious architecture

The exuberant, eclectic architecture of the Caodai Holy See in French Indochina was described as a “grotesque combination” of European and Asian elements by several famous writers and this sense of...
A generalized model of grain boundary diffusion

Abstract A model of grain boundary diffusion is considered in which the diffusivity in the boundary region is anisotropic and coordinate-dependent. For the usual experimental conditions, approximate analytical solutions of the model appear to coincide in form with those of Fisher's uniform isotropic slab model, but the role of the boundary diffusion coefficient and the boundary width is played by respective effective quantities related to the local diffusion behaviour. The accuracy of the analytical solutions obtained is estimated by comparing with the results of finite-difference calculations on the basis of exact diffusion equations. The model may be used for relating experimentally measured grain boundary diffusion characteristics to the results of modelling atomic jumps along grain boundaries.
Tradition and narrative form in Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony

Summary The story of her male protagonist's transformation into a heroic figure drives Leslie Marmon Siiko's novel Ceremony (1977). His struggle exists within the context of the feminine principle and in a world created by “Thought‐Woman”, an American Indian mythic figure. Ts'eh Montano, the woman who becomes Tayo's lover, represents the feminine principle; in loving Tayo she leads him to a recognition of female power or the power‐to‐transform. This feminist reading of Ceremony intersects with Siiko's use of the traditional stories of her tribe ‐ the Laguna/Keres of New Mexico, in particular the Yellow Woman stories of the Pueblo oral tradition. Siiko's own story, “Yellow Woman”, provides a useful template in understanding the lineaments of Ceremony. In creating her novel, Silko's impulse is, therefore, both feminist and tribal and she maintains a strong belief in the tribal stories. Like other American Indian writers, Silko roots her aesthetics in the oral tradition. She engages her readers in an act of ...
Computed tomographic angiography coming of age.

The ability of CTA to produce high-quality diagnostic arteriograms has dramatically increased (Figure 1) 1 and, with further technical advances, will approach that of invasive procedures. The best use of the catheterization laboratory is for percutaneous coronary intervention; invasive diagnostic procedures that do not result in interventions are increasingly viewed as an inefficient and unrewarding expenditure of physician and laboratory time and add unnecessary expense, morbidity, and even mortality. CTA, in particular future-generation models with the developing capability to accurately quantitate disease in the major vessels, may virtually eliminate invasive angiograms in patients who have normal and insignificantly obstructed coronary arteries by providing diagnostic quality studies as the first step in those who are considered for angiography. Patients who have significant disease on computed tomographic angiograms will then be triaged to the catheterization laboratory, where percutaneous coronary intervention may be performed or a decision may be made for surgical intervention. Correlation of CTA with coronary angiography has been currently limited to the detection of significant (50% stenoses; Table 1) 2‐21 rather than to precise determination of percent stenosis. Paralleling the discrepancies between angiographically determined percent stenosis and percent stenosis by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), 22 similar discrepancies may arise with CTA. The ability of CTA to characterize extraluminal plaque (soft and calcified) may make correlation with IVUS more germane than with coronary angiography. Paradigms for CTA as the gatekeeper for entry into the catheterization laboratory require develop
A single Aplysia neurotrophin mediates synaptic facilitation via differentially processed isoforms.

Summary Neurotrophins control the development and adult plasticity of the vertebrate nervous system. Failure to identify invertebrate neurotrophin orthologs, however, has precluded studies in invertebrate models, limiting our understanding of fundamental aspects of neurotrophin biology and function. We identified a neurotrophin (ApNT) and Trk receptor (ApTrk) in the mollusk Aplysia and found that they play a central role in learning-related synaptic plasticity. Blocking ApTrk signaling impairs long-term facilitation, whereas augmenting ApNT expression enhances it and induces the growth of new synaptic varicosities at the monosynaptic connection between sensory and motor neurons of the gill-withdrawal reflex. Unlike vertebrate neurotrophins, ApNT has multiple coding exons and exerts distinct synaptic effects through differentially processed and secreted splice isoforms. Our findings demonstrate the existence of bona fide neurotrophin signaling in invertebrates and reveal a posttranscriptional mechanism that regulates neurotrophin processing and the release of proneurotrophins and mature neurotrophins that differentially modulate synaptic plasticity. Video Abstract
Osteitis Pubis: A Review

Osteitis pubis is a painful, noninfectious inflammatory condition that involves the pubic bone, symphysis, and surrounding structures. Initially associated with urologic procedures, osteitis pubis has been described as a complication of various obstetrical and gynecological procedures including vaginal deliveries. An incidence of approximately 2 to 3 percent has been observed after the Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz urethropexy. Although the pathogenesis of osteitis pubis is not clear, periosteal trauma seems to be an important initiating event. Pain is the primary symptom associated typically with difficulty in ambulation and the characteristic "waddling gait." A low grade fever, elevated sedimentation rate, and mild leukocytosis may be observed. Radiographic findings which include reactive sclerosis, rarefaction, and osteolytic changes lag behind the symptoms by about 4 weeks. The major differential diagnosis is osteomyelitis; however, the self-limiting nature and its response to nonantibiotic therapy indicates that osteitis pubis is a separate clinical entity. Treatment is directed at the associated inflammation with most minor cases responding to antiinflammatory agents and bedrest. Other more recalcitrant cases require more involved therapy including systemic steroids and rarely surgical resection. The diagnosis of osteitis pubis should be considered when pelvic pain is present in association with potential trauma to the symphysis pubis. Also, with more women participating in sporting activities patients may present to the physician with osteitis pubis related to athletic injury.
Logical reasoning, world knowledge, and mental imagery: Interconnections in cognitive processes

To better understand the role of problem content in verbal reasoning, the effect of two aspects of problem representation on conditional reasoning was examined. Specifically, this study focused on the effect of availability of knowledge schemata and mental imagery on recognition of indeter­ minacy. Four groups of20 adults solved syllogisms that varied in imagery value and in tendency to access knowledge schemata (assessed by ratings of the relatedness of antecedent and conse­ quent clauses of premises). When problems both were high in imagery value and had related clauses, performance was significantly better on indeterminate syllogisms. Access to schemata may permit elaborative processing and the generation of counterexamples to invalid inferences; imagery may support representation of problems and generation of elaborative information in memory. It has been well documented that meaningful thematic material can influence the reasoning process in deductive reasoning tasks, most notably by improving subjects' differentiation between logically necessary and logically indeterminate inferences (e.g., Kuhn, 1977; Wason & Johnson-Laird, 1972). However, the particular proper­ ties of this material that are effective and the reasons why they are effective have not been characterized in specific terms. Understandingthis phenomenon in more detail re­ quires examining the specific interplay in reasoning tasks between knowledge of logical relations and knowledge related to problem content, and the relationship between the mental representation of a problem and the reasoning process. Given that normal sentence-comprehension processes are likely to be involved in processing meaningful verbal reasoning problems, research in text comprehensionsug­ gests two specific ways in which particular problem con­ tents may affect a problem's mental representation. First, when a problem is formulated with thematic content, elaborative processing of the problem can occur through accessing knowledge schemata in memory. Second, cer­ tain features of meaningful content may elicit an imagi­ nal representation of the problem. The present article ad­ dresses the effect of these two aspects of problem representation on reasoning processes in solving condi­ tional syllogisms, particularly on handling indeterminate problem forms.
Laser photolysis/laser-induced fluorescence study of the reaction of hydroxyl radical with ethylene

Abstract A new, laser-based chemical kinetics technique has been demonstrated in studies of the reaction of OH with C2H4. The reaction mechanism is dominated by electrophilic addition of OH to the double bond at low temperatures, and by increasingly rapid decomposition of the thermalized adduct HOC2H4 back to reactants as the temperature is raised.
A Commentary on Gestational Programming and Functions of HLA-G in Pregnancy

HLA-G is an HLA class Ib gene that is highly expressed in human trophoblast cells. The single HLA-G mRNA is alternatively spliced to generate at least seven transcripts, three of which encode soluble isoforms. Many studies have shown that high levels of soluble antigens are associated with successful implantation and graft acceptance. To study expression, regulation and functions of two of the soluble isoforms, HLA-G5 and HLA-G6, we generated recombinant proteins in eukaryotic cells and developed monoclonal antibodies specific for each of the two proteins. In addition, we investigated the olive baboon Paan-AG gene as a potential functional correlate of HLA-G. Here, we present summaries of the studies that have been conducted in our laboratory using these tools and discuss the results within the context of the research on this topic that is ongoing in ours and other laboratories worldwide. Collectively, the data indicate that soluble HLA-G is a critical contributor to immune privilege in pregnancy and imply that this placenta-derived substance may impact other pathways leading to successful reproduction.
A Response Surface-Based Cost Model for Wind Farm Design

Abstract A Response Surface-Based Wind Farm Cost (RS-WFC) model is developed for the engineering planning of wind farms. The RS-WFC model is developed using Extended Radial Basis Functions (E-RBF) for onshore wind farms in the U.S. This model is then used to explore the influences of different design and economic parameters, including number of turbines, rotor diameter and labor cost, on the cost of a wind farm. The RS-WFC model is composed of three components that estimate the effects of engineering and economic factors on (i) the installation cost, (ii) the annual Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost, and (iii) the total annual cost of a wind farm. The accuracy of the cost model is favorably established through comparison with pertinent commercial data. The final RS-WFC model provided interesting insights into cost variation with respect to critical engineering and economic parameters. In addition, a newly developed analytical wind farm engineering model is used to determine the power generated by the farm, and the subsequent Cost of Energy (COE). This COE is optimized for a unidirectional uniform “incoming wind speed” scenario using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). We found that the COE could be appreciably minimized through layout optimization, thereby yielding significant cost savings.
Early responses of drought-resistant and -susceptible tomato plants subjected to water stress

Three-week-old seedlings of one drought-susceptible tomato cultivar (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. “New Yorker”) and two drought-resistant species of tomato (Solanum pennellii andLycopersicon chilense) were subjected to various degrees of PEG 8000-induced water stress from −0.017 to −1.0 MPa for a duration of 24 h so that their early responses to water stress could be compared. Such a comparison would determine if there was a relationship to root cytokinin levels following sudden induction of water stress in the drought-resistant species. Transpiration rates of leaves were monitored throughout the 24-h period, shoots were evaluated for leaf water potential (LWP), and roots were extracted for levels oft-zeatin riboside (t-ZR) and dihydrozeatin riboside (DHZR) using a monoclonal antibody enzyme immunoassay. Transpiration rates were evaluated gravimetrically by difference every 6 h up to 24 h. Transpiration rate decreased with increasing PEG levels and passage of time in all three species, measured at 6 and 12 h, logarithmically in the case of the twoLycopersicon species and linearly in the case ofSolanum. From 12–18 h (while plants were in darkness), transpiration rate was a function of the level of PEG only and not time in all three species. When light resumed from 18–24 h, only 5.pennellii showed no further decrease in transpiration rate over time with increasing PEG. Drought-susceptibleL. esculentum had a stronger linear decrease in LWP with increasing PEG 8000 concentration than the other two species.L. esculentum also had a higher initial transpiration rate than did either of the drought-resistant species. The two drought-resistant species showed less change in LWP with 5.pennellii having a small decrease andL. chilense having little change. OnlyS. pennellii exhibited a decrease in roott-ZR levels, which may imply a role for root cytokinin within the first 24-h exposure to water stress in this species.L. esculentum exhibited no change in roott-ZR. The levels oft-ZR inL. chilense were less than that ofL. esculentum but showed only a slight decrease with increasing PEG.S. pennellii andL. chilense, although both drought-resistant tomato species, showed different patterns of response with respect to pattern of decline in transpiration rate, LWP, and roott-ZR levels.
Heat capacities of granular aluminum films near the superconducting transition

The electrical conductivity and heat capacity were studied in the superconducting transition region of 1000-» thick, disordered, granular films that were evaporated onto cleaved mica substrates. The resistive transitions of films were used as thermometers in conjunction with optical heating in an ac calorimetry scheme to measure the temperature dependence of the 5 × 10−9 J/K heat capacity of the films. Results obtained on nine samples indicated a rise in the heat capacity near the low-temperature limit of the transition region where film resistances became zero. This rise peaked in four films at values substantially greater than the estimated Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer jump in heat capacity and at temperatures 20–40 mK below the transition temperatures determined from a fit of the mean field theory to conductivity measurements. Quantitative comparison with theory cannot be made because transitions are broadened by film thickness variations resulting from irregular substrate topography. Results are in qualitative disagreement with the monotonic variation of the excess heat capacity calculated in the Hartree approximation. Observed peaks are also both wider and higher than those predicted by 1/n expansion and screening approximation calculations.
A New Class of Natural Glycopeptides with Sugar Moiety-dependent Antioxidant Activities derived from Ganoderma lucidum Fruiting Bodies

A water-soluble glycopeptide (PGY), fractionated and purified from the aqueous extract of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum via two-step dialysis, anion exchange, and gel permeation chromatography, was constituted of two moieties of carbohydrate and peptide. Carbohydrate characterization with component analysis, methylation analysis, periodate oxidation, Smith degradation, enzymic hydrolysis, and IR and NMR experiments demonstrated that the carbohydrate moiety possessed a backbone of approximately 33 (1-->3)-linked beta-d-glucopyranosyl residues and side chains, at positions 6, of single alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl residues for every three Glcp residues in the main chain. On the basis of the results of amino acid composition and trypsin digestion, the peptide moiety, shown to consist of Arg, Ser, Ala, and Gly in a ratio of 1:1:2:2, exhibited the sequence of Ser-Arg-[(Ala)2(Gly)2] and was O-attached to the carbohydrate moiety via Ser. To contribute toward our understanding of the structure-activity relationship, a series of expected derivatives generated from PGY by trypsin digestion, debranching, and NaIO4 oxidation following reduction experiments, including PTC, DB-PGY, and PPP, were obtained. All of them, as well as PGY and a reference compound (butylated hydroxytoluene, BHT), were evaluated with two conventional antioxidant testing systems of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radical scavenging and found to have their respective antioxidant activities in a concentration-dependent manner. Comparable radical-scavenging activities observed between PTC and PGY demonstrated that the removal of Ala and Gly in a peptide moiety did not result in the variation of biological functions of PGY. However, it was very interesting to note that the scavenging activity of PPP was higher for DPPH radicals, with an SC(50) value of 116.4 +/- 5.1 microg/mL, and lower for superoxide radicals, with an SC(50) value of 205.2 +/- 14.4 microg/mL, than that of PGY with corresponding SC(50) values of 133.5 +/- 5.5 and 140.5 +/- 7.7 microg/mL, and, moreover, DB-PGY displayed the weakest scavenging potency in the tested samples, indicating that the carbohydrate moiety, in particular the side chain of nonreducing end units of Araf residues as the functional region, played a vital role in the structure and antioxidant activity. In addition, compared with the SC(50) value of BHT, PGY showed lower DPPH radical-scavenging activity but possessed higher superoxide radical-quenching potency, suggesting that it could be presented as a possible new source of natural antioxidants.
Design considerations of a database system in a clinical network environment

A database system designed in the context of a clinical network incorporating small computers, automated clinical instruments, and a variety of terminals is described. The database system is used for clinical data acquisition, research support, and clinical decision making support. The database system is based upon the relational approach, with important modifications to meet above design objectives and provide means for dynamic database reconfiguration. Its characteristics include: definition of elementary files as tables, a database skeleton describing the structure and contents of files in the database, a low-level database manipulation language based upon the Relational Algebra, and a frame-oriented user interface for high-level database manipulation.