cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women’s Empowerment and Child Nutrition in Polygynous Households of Northern Ghana

Weather shocks and other shocks affecting the economy of farm households often trigger a cascade of coping mechanisms, from reducing food consumption to selling assets, with potentially lasting consequences on child development. In polygynous households (in which a man is married to several women), the factors that may aggravate or mitigate the impacts of such adverse events are still poorly understood. In particular, little is known about the complex mechanisms through which women’s empowerment may affect the allocation of household resources in the presence of more than one female decision-maker. Where polygyny is associated with discriminatory social norms, co-wives may have limited bargaining power, which may translate into poorer outcomes for their children. While competition between co-wives may generate inefficiencies in the allocation of household resources, cooperation in the domains of agricultural production or domestic labor may lead to economies of scale and facilitate informal risk sharing. The rank of each co-wife may also have a strong influence on the welfare of her own children, relative to other children. Using the Feed the Future Ghana Population Survey data, I investigate the relationship between polygyny and children’s nutrition, and how it may be mediated through women’s bargaining power. Using the age of each co-wife as a proxy for rank, I also study how the senior-wife status of a mother may influence her children’s nutrition outcomes.
45. Undiagnosed OHVIRA Presenting as Tubo-ovarian Abscess Managed With Interval Vaginal and Abdominal Drainage

Background Obstructed hemi-vagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA) typically presents with pelvic pain after menarche due to outflow obstruction. We present a case of a 17-year-old girl with history of renal anomaly who developed fever and pain and was found to have a tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) and OHVIRA, treated with antibiotics and vaginal and intra-abdominal drainage. Case A 17-year-old female presented with fevers, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. She had menarche at age 11, and history of obesity, hearing loss, and right nephrectomy for unilateral congenital kidney disease. She denied prior sexual activity. At an outside hospital, she was diagnosed with rhinovirus and had a white blood cell count (WBC) of 27 × 10(3)/mcL. On exam, she had abdominal tenderness and a suspected oblique vaginal septum. MRI imaging confirmed the diagnosis of OHVIRA with 12 × 7 × 5 cm tubo-ovarian abscess and she was transferred to our tertiary care pediatric hospital. She was started on doxycycline, metronidazole, and piperacillin-tazobactam, but had persistent pain and was taken to the operating room for exam under anesthesia and drainage. We noted purulent vaginal discharge and a palpable right vaginal wall bulge which was incised, revealing purulent fluid. A 24 French Malecot drain was placed through the vaginal septum incision. She continued to have pain and WBC of 20 × 10(3)/mcL. Interventional radiology performed ultrasound-guided drainage and placed two transabdominal pigtail catheters into the TOA. Both vaginal and abdominal catheters drained purulent fluid, with gram negative and positive rods on gram stain, no growth on culture. Due to persistent pain and high WBC, she then underwent diagnostic laparoscopy/washout which showed uterine didelphys, normal left fallopian tube and ovary, and persistent right tubo-ovarian abscess, which was copiously irrigated and suctioned. Postoperatively, pain resolved and WBC normalized. Abdominal drains were removed and she was discharged home with norethindrone for menstrual suppression and oral doxycycline and metronidazole, followed by prophylactic doxycycline until definitive vaginal septum resection. Comments Obstructed hemi-vagina and ipsilateral renal anomaly (OHVIRA) is a Mullerian anomaly typically presenting with worsening dysmenorrhea +/- a pelvic mass. This patient had never been sexually active, had negative STI testing, and had menstruated for six years. We suspect she may have had microperforation in her septum allowing for both a path for ascending infection and delayed presentation of OHVIRA due to menstrual outflow. While patients with OHIVRA often undergo vaginoplasty at time of diagnosis, she required staged intervention due to elevated risk of infectious complications.
Omics Data and Their Integrative Analysis to Support Stratified Medicine in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Molecular and clinical heterogeneity is increasingly recognized as a common characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This heterogeneity makes difficult the development of early diagnosis and effective treatment approaches, as well as the design and testing of new drugs. As such, the stratification of patients into meaningful disease subgroups, with clinical and biological relevance, may improve disease management and the development of effective treatments. To this end, omics technologies—such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics—are contributing to offer a more comprehensive view of molecular pathways underlying the development of NDs, helping to differentiate subtypes of patients based on their specific molecular signatures. In this article, we discuss how omics technologies and their integration have provided new insights into the molecular heterogeneity underlying the most prevalent NDs, aiding to define early diagnosis and progression markers as well as therapeutic targets that can translate into stratified treatment approaches, bringing us closer to the goal of personalized medicine in neurology.
PORT: Pooled Ordered Rectangular Testing for Improved Public Health Screening

COVID19 has challenged the current day’s medical testing capability. Pooled testing is an effective approach that can increase scale with limited resources and reduce the overall costs considerably. Current pooled testing techniques usually make the assumption that the entire population has a uniform probability of infection. However, symptomatic and asymptomatic patients have vastly different probabilities of testing positive, and positivity rates vary widely based on geographic regions. In this paper, we introduce a novel pooled testing technique that improves efficiency when handling the non-uniform likelihood of infection. We derive the expected cost for any rectangular pooling, using different pool sizes that suit different sub-populations. We develop a software system that takes in samples with varying probabilities and outputs optimized designs. Experiments with our software show that our approach is significantly more efficient than the “optimal” double-pooled design and classic Dorfman-style single-pooled testing, with the efficiency gain depending on the positivity rates of the sub-populations mixtures. A simple restructuring using an estimated probability of infection can significantly reduce the costs of COVID19 or another testing. We provide open-source code and web-based services.
On Some Contributions of Existential Phenomenology to Sociology of Law: Formalism and Historicism

Phenomenology, though traditionally not a dominant school of thought in Anglo-American jurisprudence, has become in the past two decades in the United States an important element in studies of human relations. Hispanic legal studies represent an excellent point of departure for an investigation of the contributions of phenomenology to jurisprudence and philosophy of law. The central role given to phenomenology by Hispanic legal philosophers allows an assessment of the strengths and limitations of the phenomenological tradition when that tradition is applied in legal studies. The following discussion analyzes the Hispanic phenomenological-legal tradition as it is exemplified in some of the works of Carlos Cossio and Luis Recasens Siches.
Alopecia in IL-10-deficient mouse pups is c-kit-dependent and can be triggered by iron deficiency

Hair loss (alopecia) can result from a variety of metabolic, endocrine, immunologic, and environmental causes. This investigation was undertaken to determine the mechanisms underlying the sporadic development of alopecia in litters from C57BL/6 interleukin-10-deficient (Il10(-/-)) mice. All pups in affected litters demonstrated alopecia by postnatal days 17-19, with hair loss from their trunks but not from their head, base of tail, or feet. Histopathology revealed distorted hair follicles containing broken hair shafts and prominent dermal infiltrates containing increased numbers of activated mast cells. Hair re-growth began soon after weaning, suggesting that the alopecia was triggered by factors transmitted during lactation. Milk from Il10(-/-) dams induced macrophage secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro regardless of whether or not their pups developed alopecia. Feeding dams a diet containing 3-6 ppm iron increased the percentage of litters with alopecia to 100% for pups with mast cells, with 0% alopecia in mast cell-deficient pups. When dams were fed a diet containing 131 ppm iron, significantly lower haemoglobin and hematocrit values were observed in pups from litters with alopecia (71%; 5 of 7 litters) compared to litters without alopecia. Genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of c-kit that resulted in depletion of mast cells in pups prevented hair loss in at-risk litters. These studies demonstrate that maternal iron-restricted diets enhance the incidence of alopecia in IL-10-deficient mouse pups and suggest mast cells as potential effector cells. Further studies are indicated to further explore the mechanisms involved and to determine how mast cells may contribute to alopecia in humans.
VLSI focal-plane array processor for morphological image processing

A full-custom mixed-signal VLSI design for high-speed morphological image processing is developed by combining a two-dimensional fine-grain parallel array architecture with on-chip focal-plane photodetectors and transmitters. An 8*8 array processor prototype chip is designed in a 1.2-mm*1.2-mm silicon area using the MOSIS 2- mu m CMOS process. >
Kognitive Verarbeitungstherapie für Opfer sexuellen Missbrauchs und anderer Traumata

Sexueller Missbrauch ist mit grosem individuellem Leid verbunden und stellt ein ernstes Problem fur die Gesellschaft und das Gesundheitswesen dar (▶ Kap. 19 u. ▶ Kap. 20). Erfreulicherweise haben sich viele Arbeitsgruppen mit den psychologischen Folgen sexuellen Missbrauchs befasst und wirksame Behandlungsformen fur die Opfer entwickelt (Uberblick bei Iverson et al. 2011b). Dieses Kapitel stellt die kognitive Verarbeitungstherapie vor (engl.: Cognitive Processing Therapy; die Abkurzung CPT wird auch im vorliegenden Kapitel verwendet [Anm. des Herausgebers]), die fur erwachsene Opfer sexuellen Missbrauchs und anderer Traumata entwickelt wurde. Diese ist auf Englisch in mehreren Publikationen beschrieben worden (Konig et al. 2012; Resick u. Schnicke 1992, 1993; Resick et al. 2010)
Pion-Proton Scattering below 150 Mev. I

Positive-pion proton differential cross sections have been measured at 41.5 Mev for six angles. The angles in the center-of-mass system are 53\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 69.1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 100.4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 128\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 141.7\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, and 163.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and the corresponding cross sections in mb/sterad in the center-of-mass system are 0.252\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.020, 0.354\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.025, 0.777\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.038, 1.145\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.067, 1.495\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.084, and 1.750\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.110. Negative pion elastic cross sections have been measured for the first five of the above angles and are, respectively, in mb/sterad in the c.m. system: 0.338\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.047, 0.281\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.038, 0.148\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.029, 0.112\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.042, and 0.085\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.25. Phase-shift analyses of these data and those of other authors lead to the following expressions for the low-energy behavior of the $T=\frac{3}{2}$ phases: ${{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{31}}^{N}=\ensuremath{-}(0.0418\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.004){\ensuremath{\eta}}^{3}$, ${{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{3}}^{N}=\ensuremath{-}(0.1145\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0026)\ensuremath{\eta}$, and $cot{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{33}}^{N}=\frac{\frac{4}{3}{\ensuremath{\eta}}^{3}(0.0877\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0014)}{[{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{*}(1\ensuremath{-}\frac{{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{*}}{2.17})]}$.
A comparison of oral benzathine penicillin G and sulfonamides for the prevention of streptococcal infections and recurrences of rheumatic fever.

1. The incidence of recurrences of rheumatic fever and streptococcal infections in 82 rheumatic subjects receiving a 200,000 unit tablet of benzathine penicillin G daily was compared with that in 64 rheumatic patients on a standard daily dose of a triple sulfonamide preparation, while both groups were followed for an average period of 13 months. 2. A total of 9 recurrences of rheumatic fever was noted, 4 in the group treated with penicillin and 5 among patients on sulfonamides. 3. The incidence of streptococcal infections as determined by a significant rise in the antistreptolysin O titer was essentially the same in both groups. Group A streptococci were found in the throat in about the same number of patients in each group. 4. Toxic reactions of a mild nature were noted in 7 patients (11 per cent) receiving sulfonamides as compared to 2 patients (2.5 per cent) on oral penicillin. 5. A single daily dose of 200,000 units of benzathine penicillin G is as effective a prophylactic agent as the sulfonamides for the prevention of rheumatic fever. Its chief advantage is the lower incidence of toxic reactions.
KOOKY OBJECTS REVISITED: ARISTOTLE'S ONTOLOGY

: This is an investigation of Aristotle's conception of accidental compounds (or “kooky objects,” as Gareth Matthews has called them)—entities such as the pale man and the musical man. I begin with Matthews's pioneering work into kooky objects, and argue that they are not so far removed from our ordinary thinking as is commonly supposed. I go on to assess their utility in solving some familiar puzzles involving substitutivity in epistemic contexts, and compare the kooky object approach to more modern approaches involving the notion of referential opacity. I conclude by proposing that Aristotle provides an implicit role for kooky objects in such metaphysical contexts as the Categories and Metaphysics.
Docosahexaenoic acid utilization during rod photoreceptor cell renewal

The supply of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) to the frog retina, and its subsequent use by retinal cells, was studied by autoradiography and biochemical methods. Different delivery routes of 3H-22:6 were evaluated. Predominant uptake by the neural retina, mainly in ganglion cell axons, outer synaptic layer, and Muller cells, was observed when the radiolabeled fatty acid was given intravitreally or by short-term incubations of eyecups. In short-term eyecup incubations, Muller cells preferentially labeled, suggesting their involvement as a transient storage site. After intravenous or dorsal lymph sac injections of 3H- 22:6, most of the retinal label was seen in rod photoreceptor cells. Two different labeling patterns were found in rod outer segments (ROS) as a function of postinjection time: an overall diffuse labeling pattern, as well as a dense-label region at the ROS base. This dense- label region expanded until it reached the apex of the ROS after about 30 d. HPLC analysis of fatty acid methyl esters from retinal lipid extracts showed that 3H-22:6 comprised essentially all of the label until after day 46, indicating lack of metabolic recycling of this molecule. Lipid-extracted retinal residue was devoid of radioactivity, demonstrating that protein did not contain significant covalently bound label. 3H-22:6 acylated to phospholipids in photoreceptor membranes moved apically, as evidenced by the expanding labeled region from the base of the ROS. Oil droplets in both the pigment epithelium and the cone photoreceptors labeled heavily, suggesting that 22:6 may be transiently stored. ROS tips that were phagocytosed by the pigment epithelium contained label similar in density to that of the outer segments, demonstrating that 22:6-phospholipids, at least in part, cycle through the pigment epithelial cells during visual cell renewal. In parallel experiments in frogs injected with 3H-leucine and maintained under the same experimental conditions, well-define, narrow protein bands were observed. Since the leading edge of the 3H-leucine- labeled band (rhodopsin), and that of the dense-label region of 3H-22:6 migrated at the same rate, reaching the rod tips at the same time, we suggest that the 3H-22:6-labeled phospholipids giving this profile are a unique molecular species noncovalently associated with rhodopsin.
Evidence That CXCL16 Is a Potent Mediator of Angiogenesis and Is Involved in Endothelial Progenitor Cell Chemotaxis: Studies in Mice With K/BxN Serum–Induced Arthritis

Background We examined the possibility that CXCL16 recruits endothelial cells (ECs) to developing neovasculature in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium.
The power of paired genomes

Species interactions are fundamental to ecology. Classic studies of competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism between macroscopic organisms have provided a foundation for the discipline, but many of the most important and intimate ecological interactions are microscopic in scale. These microscopic interactions include those occurring between eukaryotic hosts and their microbial symbionts. Such symbioses, ubiquitous in nature, provide experimental challenges because the partners often cannot live outside the symbiosis. With respect to the symbionts, this precludes utilizing classical microbiological and genetic techniques that require in vitro cultivation. Genomics, however, has rapidly changed the study of symbioses. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, MacDonald et al. (2011), coupling symbiont whole-genome sequencing, experimental studies and metabolic modelling, provide novel insights into one of the best-studied symbioses, that between aphids and their obligate, nutrient-provisioning, intracellular bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola (Fig. 1). MacDonald and colleagues assessed variation in the ability of aphid–Buchnera pairs to thrive on artificial diets missing different amino acids. As shown previously (e.g. Wilkinson & Douglas 2003), aphid–Buchnera pairs can differ in their requirements for external sources of essential amino acids. Such phenotypic variation could result from differences in Buchnera’s amino acid biosynthetic capabilities or in the ability of aphids to interact with their symbionts. Whole-genome sequencing of the Buchnera genomes from four aphid lines with alternate nutritional phenotypes revealed that the environmental nutrients required by the aphid–Buchnera pairs could not be explained by sequence variation in the symbionts. Instead, a novel metabolic modelling approach suggested that much of the variation in nutritional phenotype could be explained by host variation in the capacity to provide necessary nutrient precursors to their symbionts. MacDonald et al.’s work complements a recent study by Vogel & Moran (2011), who through crossing experiments investigating the inheritance of a nutritional phenotype associated with a frameshift mutation in a Buchnera amino acid biosynthesis gene powerfully demonstrated that different host genotypes paired with the same symbiont genome could exhibit substantially different nutritional requirements.† Thus, while there is little doubt that Buchnera are evolutionarily central to the nutritional ecology of aphids, the current work by MacDonald et al. (2011) together with that of Vogel & Moran (2011) surprisingly demonstrates host dominance in defining and controlling the ecological niche of this particular symbiosis.
Warm and Saline Events Embedded in the Meridional Circulation of the Northern North Atlantic

Ocean state estimates from 1958 to 2005 from the Simple Ocean Assimilation System (SODA) system are analyzed to understand circulation between subtropical and subpolar Atlantic and their connection with atmospheric forcing. This analysis shows three periods (1960s, around 1980, and 2000s) with enhanced warm, saline waters reaching high latitudes, alternating with freshwater events originating at high latitudes. It complements surface drifter and altimetry data showing the subtropical -subpolar exchange leading to a significant temperature and salinity increase in the northeast Atlantic after 2001. The warm water limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning cell represented by SODA expanded in density/salinity space during these warm events. Tracer simulations using SODA velocities also show decadal variation of the Gulf Stream waters reaching the subpolar gyre and Nordic seas. The negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation index, usually invoked in such variability, fails to predict the warming and salinization in the early 2000s, with salinities not seen since the 1960s. Wind stress curl variability provided a linkage to this subtropical/subpolar gyre exchange as illustrated using an idealized two ]layer circulation model. The ocean response to the modulation of the climatological wind stress curl pattern was found to be such that the northward penetration of subtropical tracers is enhanced when amplitude of the wind stress curl is weaker than normal. In this case both the subtropical and subpolar gyres weaken and the subpolar density surfaces relax; hence, the polar front moves westward, opening an enhanced northward access of the subtropical waters in the eastern boundary current.
Efficiency in water quality control for the Wilamette River

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, P.L. 92-500, requires tertiary treatment of all effluent by 1983; Oregon State policy focuses on maintaining future effluent discharges at a level no greater than current levels. The Federal and State policies are combined in planning for the future management of the quality of the Willamette River. As a consequence, the Willamette will be clean-too clean- and the economic inefficiency inherent in the water quality control plan will cause misallocation of public resources. This misallocation could be avoided by incorporating economic principles, especially cost comparisons and the consideration of alternative procedures, into the water quality plan.
Biosynthesis of proinsulin in islets of Langerhans of the carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Abstract Islets of Langerhans from carp were incubated with [U- 14 C]leucine at 15 °C for 2 h. About 3–4% of the newly synthesized protein was proinsulin. The identity of the newly synthesized protein was proved by: (1) its high specific radioactivity, (2) a molecular weight of 10 000, (3) co-chromatography with porcine insulin after tryptic digestion, (4) cleavage of the tryptic digest into two chains which co-chromatograph with the A- and B-chains of porcine insulin and (5) by the failure of cleavage of the original, non-trypsinated protein into two chains. A conversion of proinsulin into insulin was not observed.
Lower Prevalence of Varicoceles in Obese Patients Found on Routine Scrotal Ultrasound

Purpose: Research shows that obese patients have a lower incidence of varicoceles. Increased adipose tissue, which makes physical examination difficult, was hypothesized to be the cause. We evaluated the varicocele incidence on routine scrotal ultrasound to see whether difficult physical examination was causative.Materials and Methods: We reviewed all scrotal ultrasounds from the last 2 years for men 18 to 40 years old who had a recorded body mass index. Physical examination findings and the indication for ultrasound were included. We used standard criteria for ultrasound detected varicoceles. National Institutes of Health criteria was used to classify patients as normal—body mass index less than 25 kg/m2, overweight—25 to 30 or obese—greater than 30.Results: Of the 1,079 patients 330 (30.6%) had an ultrasound detected varicocele. Mean ± SD body mass index in those with vs without a varicocele was 26.7 ± 3.8 vs 26.0 ± 3.7 kg/m2 (p = 0.04). On physical examination 171 patients (16.0%) had a varicocele. Mea...
Can Rating Pre-K Programs Predict Children's Learning?

QRISs. Development of each state s QRIS ically based on local professionals judg- ment and involves (i) selecting measures of quality that form the individual indi- cators; (ii) categorizing indicator into different levels of quality, and (iii) creat- ing into composite ratings. Differing from many accountability policies, QRISs typically do not measure child outcomes to assess school they process-
A Top-Down Clustering and Cluster-Tree-Based Routing Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

Cluster-based organization of large sensor networks is the basis for many techniques aimed at enhancing power conservation and network management. A backbone network in the form of a cluster tree further enhances routing, broadcasting, and in-network processing. We propose a configurable top-down cluster and cluster-tree formation algorithm, a cluster-tree self-optimization phase, a hierarchical cluster addressing scheme, and a routing scheme. Such self-organization makes it possible to effectively deliver messages to a sink as well as within the network. For example, a circular sensor field with a sink in the center can establish cross-links and circular-paths within the cluster tree to deliver messages through shorter routes while reducing hotspots and consequently increasing network lifetime. Cluster and cluster-tree formation algorithm is independent of physical topology, and does not require a priori neighborhood information, location awareness, or time synchronization. Algorithm parameters allow for formation of cluster trees with desirable properties such as controlled breadth/depth, uniform cluster size, and circular clusters. Characteristics of clusters, cluster tree, and routing are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the schemes over existing techniques.
Rates of personal violence (suicide and homicide), traffic fatalities, and alcohol consumption.

Sivak (1983) collected data on 16 variables for the states of America in 1977 and found in a multiple regression analysis that the homicide rate was a predictor of the traffic fatality rate, along with the proportion of young drivers and the general accident rate. The present study sought to explore the correlates of state suicide rates using his data set. The correlation matrix from Sivak was analyzed by the SPSSX Factor program, PC extraction, with varimax rotation. As reported by Sivak, the homicide rate loaded heavily on the same factor as the traffic fatality rate (loadings 0.72 and 0.79, respectively). In contrast, the suicide rate loaded heavily (0.60) on the factor with high per capita consumption of beer, distilled spirits and wine (0.78, 0.86, 0.85) and also weakly (0.43) on another factor with high proportions of young drivers and low proportions of old drivers (0.63 and -0.76, respectively). It can be seen that correlates of suicide rates were quite different from those of homicide rates. Secondly, while homicide rates were most strongly associated with traffic fatality rates, suicide rates were most strongly associated with alcohol consumption. These results agree with those reported by Lester (1980).
A Standard Approach for Measuring Adhesion Energies in Stiction-Failed Microdevices

We present results from a new procedure developed to quantify the pull-off force and strain energy release rates associated with stiction-failure in microdevices. The method is analogous to a standard, macro-scale peel test, but carried out using micro-scale devices. Adhesion is initiated by lowering an array of microcantilevers that protrude from a substrate into contact with a separate substrate. Displacement is controlled by a piezo-actuator with sub-nm resolution while alignment is controlled using linear and tilt stages. An interferometric microscope is used to align the array and the substrate and to record deflection profiles and adhesion lengths during peel-off. This geometry is accurately modeled using linear elastic fracture mechanics, creating a robust, reliable, standard method for measuring adhesion energies in stiction-failed microdevices.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Editorial on "Surgical treatment of epilepsy in children".

The diagnosis and the treatment of epilepsy represent one of the most rapidly evolving fields of neurosciences. Electroencephalographic video monitoring, more sophisticated neurophysiological investigations, more accurate neurocognitive tests, and advances in structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging have changed the way how epilepsy is approached over the last decade. New antiepileptic drugs have increased the number of subjects whose seizure disorder is controlled in comparison with the success rates recorded with the classical pharmacological agents. However, in spite of this broader availability of effective antiepileptic drugs, the surgical treatment of epilepsy is progressively more utilized in difficult cases. The phenomenon depends on a variety of factors: more reliable indications for the surgical candidacy better planned operative approaches, advanced surgical technology, improved intraand postoperative anesthesiological care, and gathering evidence that early surgical intervention may lessen the associated cognitive, behavioral, and psychological problems while favoring social integration. All these factors have contributed to deeply modify the previous attitude to consider the surgical treatment as the last therapeutic resort after having exhausted all available pharmacological agents. Nowadays, the surgical treatment of epilepsy is well established based on several surgical options with an obvious trend from the older to the younger ages and from resective to disconnective procedures. Vagus nerve stimulator, which was approved nearly 10 years age, is currently regarded as an effective option for some children with intractable epilepsy. Radiosurgical management is a further option, the utilization of which is going to increase as far as well-documented reports on large clinical series, with sufficiently long follow-up observation, appear in the literature and more clinical centers delivering such a treatment become available. This annual issue of Child’s Nervous System, which the Executive Committee of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery decided to devote to the surgical treatment of epilepsy, is a further expression of the hope the neurosurgical community gives to the surgical therapy for improving the quality of life for a wide number of children with a variety of drug-resistant epilepsies. The Editors would like to thank all the contributors whose cooperation has allowed the publication of the issue, the Publisher and Mrs. G. Schroeder for their kind acceptation to increment the number of pages allotted, and Mrs. H. Haala for the great and continuous assistance in processing the manuscripts. Childs Nerv Syst (2006) 22:743 DOI 10.1007/s00381-006-0152-1
The ‘Mystery’ of Rom 11.25–6 Once More*

One of the theses submitted in my book, The Origin of Paul's Gospel, was that Paul obtained the ‘mystery’ of Rom 11.25–6 from an interpretation of his Damascus revelation chiefly in the light of Isa 6 and 49. Some critics have objected to it by pointing to 1 Thess 2.14–16 or Rom 9.2–3; 10.1, and others have attempted to explain the origin of the ‘mystery’ solely in terms of Paul's scriptural exegesis in the light of his actual missionary situation. However, I find neither these attempts adequate nor the objections to my thesis substantial. Hence this new attempt to strengthen my thesis and develop it further.
Labor Demonstrations: Aleksei Gan's Island of the Young Pioneers, Dziga Vertov's Kino-Eye, and the Rationalization of Artistic Labor*

Of Russian Constructivism's manifold demonstration pieces, the model workers' club that Aleksandr Rodchenko exhibited in Paris in 1925 is one of the best. It s economy of mater ials and transparent structural logic exemplify Constructivism's rationalist bid for a socialist aesthetics, while its function as a club models the ideal of enlightened recreation as the partner to unalienated labor. Visible in the well-known photograph of the club are posters for the two films that are the subject of this essay. Both were conceived as demonstration pieces in their own right. The poster in the center, also designed by Rodchenko, is for Dziga Vertov's first feature-length film, Kino-Eye. The one to the right, with the pared-down typographic layout, advertises Aleksei Gan's Island of the Young Pioneers. Both films were made in 1924 and featured the Young Pioneers, the Soviet youth organization for children ages ten to fifteen founded in 1922 on the model of the Boy Scouts. Both were produced as examples of a new app...
TRAN: a program for the transient analysis of circuits

The application of computers to circuit design is discussed, with particular emphasis on the analysis of nonlinear circuits in the time domain. Circuit modelling and numerical integration are considered in detail. It is concluded that it is better to use only basic elements and to build up more complicated devices (e.g. transistors) from these. The most suitable integration formula is the trapezoidal rule, provided that a suitable method of time-step adjustment is used. The choice of time step may be based on the estimation of the local truncation error, or on a comparison of the results computed with different step lengths. For nonlinear circuits, the latter method has been found to be superior. A computer program, TRAN, based on these conclusions, has been written in ASA FORTRAN. It is suitable for use on a time-sharing system or a minicomputer, and has been used on a wide range of problems. Several examples of its use are given.
Dual-mode coaxial feed with low crosspolarisation

Design data for optimized TE(11)-TM(11) dual-mode coaxial prime focus feeds is presented. The optimized feeds have a crosspolarization below -30 dB, an input reflection coefficient below 0.1 and very little phase error in their radiation patterns, over a 5 percent bandwidth. Experimental patterns are also given that show that the theoretically derived design data can be relied upon. The optimized feeds are useful for paraboloidal reflectors with focal-length/diameter ratios in the range 0.3 to 0.5, and will give overall efficiencies as high as 70 percent or more with sidelobes below -30 dB.
Hydromorphone transfer into breast milk after intranasal administration.

Study Objectives. To determine the distribution of hydromorphone into breast milk and the potential exposure of the suckling infant, and whether the distribution of hydromorphone into milk can be predicted accurately by a passive diffusion model. Design. Single-dose, pharmacokinetic study. Setting. University clinical research unit. Patients. Eight lactating, nonsmoking, healthy women aged 24–32 years. Intervention. Hydromorphone HCl 2 mg was given intranasally to the women to characterize its pharmacokinetics and extent of its transfer into breast milk. Measurements and Main Results. Plasma and milk samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The milk:plasma ratio (M:P) was calculated as the total area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of the milk divided by the total AUC of the plasma. Predicted in vitro M:P ratios were calculated using a diffusion model. Protein binding in milk and plasma, partitioning into milk fat (whole milk:skim milk ratios), as well as pH partitioning between plasma and milk were incorporated in the model. Protein binding was determined by equilibrium dialysis. Protein binding was minimal in both milk and plasma, with unbound fractions of 1 and 0.84, respectively. There was little partitioning into milk fat, as demonstrated by the whole milk:skim milk ratio of 0.98. The observed and predicted M:P ratios ± SD for hydromorphone were 2.57 ± 0.47 and 1.11 ± 0.28, respectively. The 95% confidence interval for the observed M:P ratio overlapped the confidence interval of the predicted M:P ratio, a finding that supports a role for both passive diffusion and active transport as mechanisms of hydromorphone transfer into milk. Conclusion. Hydromorphone distributes rapidly from plasma into breast milk; however, the drug does not partition into fat. The suckling infant would receive approximately 0.67% of the maternal dose of hydromorphone (adjusted for body weight). As this is a limited exposure, further studies are needed to determine any potential impact to an infant who is fed breast milk from a mother treated with hydromorphone.
Homocysteine induces cardiomyocyte dysfunction and apoptosis through p38 MAPK-mediated increase in oxidant stress

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While Hcy has been shown to promote endothelial dysfunction by decreasing the bioavailability of nitric oxide and increasing oxidative stress in the vasculature, the effects of Hcy on cardiomyocytes remain less understood. In this study we explored the effects of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) on myocardial function ex vivo and examined the direct effects of Hcy on cardiomyocyte function and survival in vitro. Studies with isolated hearts from wild type and HHcy mice (heterozygous cystathionine-beta synthase deficient mice) demonstrated that HHcy mouse hearts had more severely impaired cardiac relaxation and contractile function and increased cell death following ischemia reperfusion (I/R). In isolated cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes, exposure to Hcy for 24 h impaired cardiomyocyte contractility in a concentration-dependent manner, and promoted apoptosis as revealed by terminal dUTP nick-end labeling and cleaved caspase-3 immunoblotting. These effects were associated with activation of p38 MAPK, decreased expression of thioredoxin (TRX) protein, and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of p38 MAPK by the selective inhibitor SB203580 (5 μM) prevented all of these Hcy-induced changes. Furthermore, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of TRX in cardiomyocytes significantly attenuated Hcy-induced ROS generation, apoptosis, and impairment of myocyte contractility. Thus, Hcy may increase the risk for CVD not only by causing endothelial dysfunction, but also by directly exerting detrimental effects on cardiomyocytes.
Synergistic enhancement of T cell responses and interleukin-1 receptor expression by interleukin-1 and heparin or dextran sulfate

Abstract Heparin markedly enhances generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes against allogeneic cells and histocompatible tumors. In this study, we demonstrated a marked synergism between heparin and low concentrations of recombinant IL-1-α and IL-1-β in enhancement of cytotoxic T cell responses in mice. Low molecular weight (8000 Da) dextran sulfate also enhanced the T cell responses and synergized with IL-1, whereas, de- N -sulfated heparin was devoid of both of these activities. The synergistic effect was selective for IL-1, because there was no synergism between heparin or dextran sulfate and other cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-4, and, as shown previously, IL-2). Heparin did not increase the production of IL-1 (and IL-2, as shown before). Heparin did not bind to IL-1, despite significant amino acid homology between IL-1 and heparin-binding endothelial cell growth factors. Heparin enhanced the growth-promoting effect of IL-1 on the IL-1-dependent helper T cell clone, D10.G4.1, and enhanced IL-1 receptor expression on these cells. These data indicate that heparin acts directly on the T cells and enhances their responsiveness to IL-1 by up-regulating IL-1 receptor expression.
CRYPTIC TROPHIC CASCADE ALONG A GRADIENT OF LAKE SIZE

Lake size and depth mediate the strength of interaction between fish and zooplankton. We test whether this variation in zooplanktivory indirectly affects the phy- toplankton by comparing 19 lakes that represent two food webs resulting from the absence of piscivores in small, partial-winterkill lakes. Lakes with piscivorous fish are further distinguished by thermal stratification, which provides a refuge for zooplankton to avoid fish predation. We contrasted phytoplankton abundance in these three categories of lakes over six years, using both direct measures of concentration and a growth bioassay that measures phytoplankton from the perspective of a standard grazer (Daphnia). Contrary to expectations, phytoplankton abundance was largely unaffected by trophic structure or the presence of a deep-water refuge. However, grazer growth differed dramatically among the three categories of lakes. Consistent with trophic cascade, increased fish planktivory resulted in more phytoplankton food as measured from the grazer's perspective. This effect was independent of lake productivity or total abundance and size of phytoplankton. Instead, variation in food quality for grazers was associated with compositional differences in phytoplankton. These results indicate that persistent trophic cascades are more dramatic in the plankton than previously realized but primarily influence composition, rather than bio- mass. Although cryptic, such top-down effects create functional variation in grazer-resource coupling.
Spatial and temporal dynamics of in vitro photodynamic cell killing: extracellular hydrogen peroxide mediates neighbouring cell death

Photodynamic killing of a cell population is generally considered to result from direct effects that occur in each cell. In some scenarios this may be an over-simplification and the potential for cell–cell signaling processes to contribute to the response of a population to photodynamic stress is addressed in this paper. Photodynamic killing of EMT6 cells in culture was studied in time and space using computerized time-lapse microscopy. The rate of cell killing was dependent on the fluence with both rapid and slower processes evident, the proportion of the former increasing with fluence. The spatial distribution of cell death was non-random and for the slow cell killing process was found to occur preferentially in the vicinity of dead or dying cells, suggesting a local signaling process. An inhibitory effect of extracellular catalase indicated the involvement of hydrogen peroxide in the spread of cell death and NADPH oxidase was determined as the principal source of hydrogen peroxide. This cell signaling pathway was observed for membrane-bound and mitochondrial photosensitizers but not for a nuclear photosensitizer. These secondary cell signalling pathways extend the oxidative damage to cells in space and time.
Fixation of whole eyes: the role of fixative osmolarity in the production of tissue artifact

• Background: Whole eyes fixed in 4% buffered formaldehyde (10% neutral buffered formalin) demonstrate a variety of artifacts, including separation of the neurosensory retina from the retinal pigment epithelium. We postulate that the osmolarity of 4% buffered formaldehyde causes contraction of the internal compartments of the eye leading to several artifactual changes commonly observed in routine histologic sections. • Methods: In part I of the study, enucleated animal eyes were examined histologically after immersion in different concentrations of formaldehyde. The variables of fixation and processing were kept constant except for the concentration and osmolarity of formaldehyde. In part II, enucleated animal eyes were used to empirically determine the optimal mixture of formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde for fixation based on subjective assessment of histologic sections. • Results: In the first part of the study, the post-fixed volume of the anterior chamber and vitreous increased as the concentration (and osmolarity) of formaldehyde decreased. In part II of the study, fixation of whole eyes was optimal with a mixture of 1% buffered formaldehyde and 1.25% glutaraldehyde. The neurosensory retina was less likely to detach from the retinal pigment epithelium, and the anterior chamber retained a more normal shape with this fixative. • Conclusions: Volume contraction of whole eyes fixed in 4% buffered formaldehyde is caused by the relatively high osmolarity of the fixative. Immersion fixation of whole eyes for 36 h (or longer) in 1% buffered formaldehyde/1.25% glutaraldehyde reduces tissue distortion without compromising cellular preservation.
Václav Treitz (1819-1872): Czechoslovakian pathoanatomist and patriot.

Vaclav Treitz (1819–1872) qui fut un grand anatomiste et pathologiste d'origine tcheque s'est oppose a la domination autrichienne de son pays et a la germanisation de l'enseignement de l'Universite Charles Ferdinand siege de l'une des plus anciennes des Ecoles de Medecine europeennes. Il a lutte toute sa vie en faveur de la Boheme sa patrie et pour que l'enseignement medical a Prague soit dispense en langue tcheque bien qu'il ait fait ses etudes medicales en pays germanique, a Vienne, capitale du monde medical au milieu du dix-neuvieme siecle.
An application of terror management theory in the design of social and health-related anti-smoking appeals.

Marketers and public policy makers continue to be plagued with the problem of creating effective communications, which can increase the probability of complying with risk avoidance behavior related to smoking. Using Terror Management Theory (TMT) as a theoretical basis, we provide a rationale as to why traditional anti-smoking appeals focusing on negative health consequences are not impactful. We use the implications of the theory to predict and show that an appeal focusing on social exclusion should be more motivating than a health appeal to encourage smokers to quit in the short and long run. Specifically, we conduct an experiment designed to investigate the impact of mortality salience and self-esteem on whether college-age smokers will comply with anti-smoking messages. We observe that social exclusion messages compared to health effect messages are particularly effective in reducing intentions to smoke for college-age smokers who derive their self-esteem in part from smoking. Overall, our results show that mortality salience interacts with self-esteem in terms of influencing the probability of smoking in the short run and that social exclusion appeals have a stronger impact than health-related appeals both in reducing long run smoking intention and emphasizing the salience of health-related consequences of smoking. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Examination of Mechano-Electrical Feedback in the Transplanted Human Heart

Several investigators have demonstrated that changes in atrial or ventricular pressure and size may modulate changes in electrophysiologic properties. The coupling of mechanical and electrical changes in the heart has been termed mechano-electrical feedback and is believed to play a role in arrhythmias observed with mitral valve disease, congestive heart failure, and left ventricular hypertrophy. To avoid confounding influences of the autonomic nervous system on electrophysiologic measurements, we measured right atrial and ventricular pacing thresholds with temporary epicardial pacing wires, right ventricular monophasic action potential duration at 90% repolarization during right ventricular pacing at 600 and 400 ms, donor heart rate, systolic, diastofic, and mean arterial and central venous pressures in 22 patients after orthotopic heart transplantation. Each variable was measured at baseline, in the resting supine stale, and during graded lower body negative pressure of −10, −20, and −30 mm Hg. All levels of lower body negative pressure resulted in a significant decrease in mean right atrial pressure up to 5 ± 6 mm Hg at maximal lower body negative pressure, and a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure occurred only at −20 and −30 mm Hg. Lower body negative pressure did not result in a significant change in any electrophysiologic variable despite significant changes in right atrial pressure. Thus, in the denervat-ed transplanted human heart, unloading of the right heart results in no or small changes in atrial or ventricular pacing thresholds and ventricular monophasic action potential duration.