cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parent as Teacher: What do We Know?

The concept of parents as teachers represents a large and rapidly expanding volume of literature. The proliferation of research studies, reanalyses, and evaluations require extensive organization and integration to discover what is said. The problem is not a lack of information, but rather the ability to use the information we have. In addition, as Leichter (1974) has noted, “The family is a different subject for inquiry because it is so much a part of everyone’s experience that it becomes hard to avoid projecting one’s own values, beliefs and attitudes onto the experience of others” (p. 215). All of this nothwithstanding, the considerable face validity engendered by the concept of parents as teachers has been supported by powerful empirical evidence (Bronf enbrenner, 1974; Lazar, 1981) supporting the position that parent involvement in the education of the child improves the effectiveness of that education. What follows is not a comprehensive state-of-the-art paper nor a comprehensive review of the parent as teacher literature. It is, however, an attempt to respond to the literature, particularly integrative summaries, and further, to place these in a context that we interpret to be important to their synthesis. We hope by so doing to place them in proper introductory perspective to provide the foundation for what follows in other chapters of the volume.
Characteristics of Ti/Pt/Au Ohmic Contacts on p-type GaN/AlxGa1−xN Superlattices

Ti/Pt/Au metallization on p-type GaN/AlxGa1−xN (x=0.10 and 0.20) superlattices (SL) were investigated as ohmic contacts. Current-voltage and specific contact resistance measurements indicate enhanced p-type doping in the superlattice structures compared to that in GaN. Ti/Pt/Au is shown to be an effective ohmic metallization scheme on p-type GaN/AlxGa1−xN superlattices. A specific contact resistance of Rc = 4.6×10−4 Ω-cm2 is achieved for unalloyed Ti/Pt/Au on GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N SL. This is reduced to 1.3×10−4 Ω-cm2 after annealing for 5 minutes at 300 °C.
Effect of Radiation on Male Stress Urinary Incontinence and the Role of Urodynamic Assessment.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of radiation on male stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and to assess the relative value of preoperative urodynamic (UDS) testing in radiated vs nonradiated men with SUI. Methods A retrospective chart review of all male patients with SUI who underwent UDS testing from 2010 to 2016 was performed. The impact of UDS findings on treatment decision making was assessed. UDS parameters and treatment patterns of radiated vs nonradiated patients were compared as well as the fates of storage symptoms in each group. Results Two hundred seven men were identified that underwent UDS with a clinical diagnosis of SUI. Sixty-five out of 207 (31.4%) were exposed to radiation as a treatment modality for prostate cancer. All patients that underwent UDS testing moved on to surgical correction of SUI, and the UDS findings did not alter plan to treat SUI in any patients. Men who were radiated prior to surgical correction of SUI were more likely to have detrusor overactivity (70% vs 38%, P Conclusion Radiation therapy appears to increase the likelihood of bladder dysfunction in male patients with SUI. The UDS findings did not alter the plan to treat SUI in any patients in our series, and its role before SUI surgery in male patients, including those receiving radiation, may be limited.
Associations Between Anxiety and Adherence to Antiretroviral Medications in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Untreated mental health disorders among people living with HIV (PLHIV) may prevent low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. Anxiety disorders may be associated with decreased adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sought to review and meta-analyze studies estimating associations between anxiety and ART adherence in LMICs. We searched PubMed, PsychINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE for relevant studies published before July 18, 2018. We defined anxiety as reported anxiety scores from screening questionnaires or having a clinical diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, and poor ART adherence as missed doses, poor visit attendance, or scores from structured adherence questionnaires. We used a random effects model to conduct a meta-analysis for calculating a pooled odds ratio, and conducted sensitivity analyses by time on ART, anxiety evaluation method, and study region. From 472 screened manuscripts, thirteen studies met our inclusion criteria. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. PLHIV who reported anxiety had 59% higher odds of poor ART adherence compared with those who did not report anxiety disorder (pooled odds ratio [pOR]: 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–1.96, p < 0.001). When excluding PLHIV who initiated ART within 6 months, reported anxiety remained strongly associated with poor ART adherence (pOR: 1.61, 95% CI 1.18–2.20, p = 0.003). Among PLHIV in LMICs, reported anxiety was associated with poor ART adherence. This association persisted after the ART initiation period. Increased resources for mental health may be important for achieving virologic suppression in LMICs.
Hanging by a Thread: Toward a Jurisprudence of Jewish Law - Introduction and Chapter Four

This document includes the Introduction and Chapter Four of a projected book on the jurisprudence of Jewish law. In the face of the whirlwind of modernity, many (not all) religious Jews of various stripes have sought comfort in various foundational commitments. Some, for example, have tried to ground their sense of halakhic obligation on a belief in a literal revelation at Sinai. Others have tried to ground their rejection or re-imagining of halakhic obligation on disbelief in a literal revelation at Sinai. Some have embraced the desirability or inevitability of legal change to meet the demands of modern life. Others have tried to ward off those demands by insisting on halakhah’s essential changelessness. Some have posited the halakhah’s self-sufficiency even in the face of moral critique. Others have assumed the subordination of Halakhah to morality. This project questions all those foundational claims. It argues that they are unhelpful, or distracting, or partial, or wrong. They are also, as often as not, deeply ironic. On closer inspection, purported bulwarks against modernity tend to be thoroughly modern in their assumptions and strategies, and purported defenses of modernity come off as stale and tired, or inattentive to the deeper texture of modernity itself. More important, the Halakhah, reasoning in Halakhah, and reasoning about Halakhah, are all at their best and truest without these crutches. Modernity cannot be avoided. Nor, however, should it be taken as merely given. In its creative encounter with modernity, the Halakhah can bring to bear resources of its own, including great wells of radical possibility. The Halakhah lives in, and with, and through, tension and contradiction. Its greatest potential, as a legal system and as a religious practice, lies in directly confronting – indeed, embracing – uncertainty. The chapter on Jewish legal change explores these general themes by comparing various contemporary forms of argument and rhetorical tropes that try to justify changes in the interpretation or application of halakhic rules or applications. I argue that certain approaches common in the discourse of the Conservative movement turn are profoundly flawed – naive or incoherent or destructive. The movement has sought to speak to modernity, but has missed the mark. I also discuss certain themes found in contemporary Orthodox discussions of Jewish legal change, arguing that they are more satisfactory in principle than those to their ostensible “left,” but are also actually much more radical in their implications than their own authors would be willing to admit. The irony here is clear, though I also try to explain how it flows directly from the ironies built into both halakhic understanding and modernity itself.
Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of fetal echocardiography for high-risk pregnancies in a tertiary center in Egypt.

Abstract Background Advances in fetal echocardiography training among pediatric cardiologists have led to substantial improvements in prenatal detection of congenital heart diseases (CHDs). Nevertheless, diagnostic accuracy varies among centers. Moreover, this subspecialty continues to evolve in developing countries, with limited studies assessing fetal echocardiography sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in developing countries such as Egypt. Subject and methods High-risk pregnancies referred for fetal echocardiography from January 2011 to January 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. All of the cases included had one of the high-risk indications for fetal echocardiography. Maternal age and gestational age at the prenatal diagnosis were determined, and detailed fetal and neonatal echocardiograms were documented. The results of fetal and postnatal echocardiography were compared to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of fetal echocardiography. A minor lesion was defined when no postnatal intervention was needed and a major anomaly when postnatal cardiac therapy, surgery, or intervention was required. Results Out of 615 pregnant patients referred, comparisons between fetal and neonatal echocardiography were possible in 458 fetuses, with 157 patients excluded from the study. The mean maternal age in the study was 26.97 ± 5.871 years and the mean gestational age at referral was 27.24 ± 5.407 weeks. The most common indication for prenatal echocardiography in this cohort was a family history of CHD (142; 31%) followed by nonimmune hydrops (97; 21.18%) and abnormal obstetrical ultrasound screening (64; 13.97%). We had three false-positive minor diagnoses and four false-negative cases with only one requiring intervention. Prenatal diagnosis in this study was accurate in 98.47% of cases. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of fetal echocardiography in the current work were 97.03%, 99.07%, and 98.47, respectively. Conclusion Fetal echocardiography is considered a highly sensitive specific tool for prenatal detection of congenital heart diseases in high-risk pregnancies even in developing countries. However, minor fetal cardiac disorders are challenging to diagnose and family counseling should emphasize the difficulty of excluding or confirming such lesions.
Health Disparities Among People Infected With Influenza, Rhode Island, 2013-2018.

ObjectivesHealth disparities are associated with poor outcomes related to public health. The objective of this study was to assess health disparities associated with influenza infection based on me...
Satisfaction and Functional Outcomes in Unicompartmental Compared with Total Knee Arthroplasty: Radiographically Matched Cohort Analysis.

Unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty (UKA and TKA) have demonstrated excellent mid- and long-term outcomes and have been compared in clinical series for decades; however, to our knowledge, no study has sufficiently matched UKA and TKA cohorts on preoperative osteoarthritis severity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient-reported outcomes of radiographically and demographically matched UKA and TKA cohorts. Methods One hundred and thirty-five UKAs and 135 TKAs were matched by patient age, sex, body mass index, and American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) classification as well as preoperative osteoarthritis severity in medial and lateral tibiofemoral and patellofemoral compartments (Kellgren-Lawrence grading system). Patient-reported outcome measures for pain, function, activity level, and satisfaction were evaluated at minimum 1-year follow-up via components of the modern Knee Society Score, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity-level score, and a Likert satisfaction scale. Results The patients in the UKA group reported significantly less pain, a higher activity level, and greater satisfaction while performing several functional activities and could walk for a longer amount of time before stopping due to knee discomfort compared with those in the TKA group (p ≤ 0.038). In addition, a greater proportion of patients in the UKA than in the TKA group were "satisfied or very satisfied" with their knee replacement surgery at minimum 1-year follow-up (90% versus 81%; p = 0.043). Conclusions With minimum 1-year follow-up, patients who underwent UKA reported significantly higher function, less pain, and a greater level of patient satisfaction than a radiographically and demographically matched TKA cohort. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Compress-and-Forward Via Multilevel Coding and Trellis Coded Quantization

Compress-forward (CF) relays can improve communication rates even when the relay cannot decode the source signal. Efficient implementation of CF is a topic of contemporary interest, in part because of its potential impact on wireless technologies such as cloud-RAN. There exists a gap between the performance of CF implementations in the high spectral efficiency regime and the corresponding information theoretic achievable rates. We begin by re-framing a dilemma causing this gap, and propose an approach for its mitigation. We utilize trellis coded quantization (TCQ) at the relay together with multi-level coding at the source and relay, in a manner that facilitates the calculation of bit LLRs at the destination for joint decoding. The contributions of this work include designing TCQ for end-to-end relay performance, since a distortion-minimizing TCQ is suboptimum. The reported improvements include a 1dB gain over prior results for PSK modulation.
Mechanosignaling pathways alter muscle structure and function by post-translational modification of existing sarcomeric proteins to optimize energy usage

A transduced mechanical signal arriving at its destination in muscle alters sarcomeric structure and function. A major question addressed is how muscle mass and tension generation are optimized to match actual performance demands so that little energy is wasted. Three cases for improved energy efficiency are examined: the troponin complex for tuning force production, control of the myosin heads in a resting state, and the Z-disc proteins for sarcomere assembly. On arrival, the regulation of protein complexes is often controlled by post-translational modification (PTM), of which the most common are phosphorylation by kinases, deacetylation by histone deacetylases and ubiquitination by E3 ligases. Another branch of signals acts not through peptide covalent bonding but via ligand interactions (e.g. Ca2+ and phosphoinositide binding). The myosin head and the regulation of its binding to actin by the troponin complex is the best and earliest example of signal destinations that modify myofibrillar contractility. PTMs in the troponin complex regulate both the efficiency of the contractile function to match physiologic demand for work, and muscle mass via protein degradation. The regulation of sarcomere assembly by integration of incoming signaling pathways causing the same PTMs or ligand binding are discussed in response to mechanical loading and unloading by the Z-disc proteins CapZ, α-actinin, telethonin, titin N-termini, and others. Many human mutations that lead to cardiomyopathy and heart disease occur in the proteins discussed above, which often occur at their PTM or ligand binding sites.
Plasma biomarker factors associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with perinatal HIV infection and controlled viremia.

OBJECTIVE We examined relationships between plasma biomarkers and neurodevelopment in children from sub-Saharan Africa with perinatal HIV (PHIV) with controlled viremia on antiretroviral therapy (ART). DESIGN Longitudinal retrospective cohort study of children with controlled blood HIV replication. METHODS Children (N = 213; 57% girls) started ART at less than 3 years of age, had neurodevelopmental assessments (cognition, attention/impulsivity, motor proficiency, global executive functions) at 5-11 years, and achieved controlled viremia (HIV-1 RNA <400 copies/ml for ≥9 months before initial assessment). Twenty-three plasma biomarkers were measured at onset of controlled viremia, week 0 (first neurodevelopmental assessment), and week 48 (second neurodevelopmental assessment). Factor analysis was conducted at each time point. Multivariable linear regressions assessed associations between factors and neurodevelopmental scores. RESULTS Median age at week 0 was 7.0 years. Eighteen biomarkers loaded on six factors: a (L-10, IFNγ, IFNα2, IL-1β, IL-6, IP-10, TNFα); B (sCD163, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, CRP); C (sE-selectin, sP-selectin); D [MIP-1β, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A]; E (sCD14, CRP); and F (CX3CL1, MCP-1). Higher factor B scores were consistently associated with worse cognition and attention/impulsivity, and higher factor D scores with better attention/impulsivity. CONCLUSION These results suggest a detrimental effect of increased endothelial cell activation (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1) and monocyte/macrophage scavenger function (sCD163) and a beneficial effect of increased CCR5 ligand and HIV entry blocker MIP-1β and angiogenesis stimulant-VEGF concentrations on the neurodevelopment of children with PHIV. The model that emerges is of vascular inflammation leading to neurodevelopmental deficits. The role of persistent HIV replication in the central nervous system also needs to be further explored.
Mixed-Mode Signal Processing for Implementing MCMC MIMO Detector.

A hybrid analog/digital signal processor has been proposed to implement energy-efficient multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) detectors. A sub-optimum MIMO detector based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm for a 4 \(\times \) 4 MIMO system is presented. A careful partitioning between analog and digital domains has been made to reduce system power consumption. The outputs of the proposed analog signal processing unit are being converted to digital using a low-resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC), to deliver the signals to the digital portion of the detector system. The proposed 4 \(\times \) 4 MCMC MIMO detector is designed in a standard 45 nm CMOS technology, that consumes 29.3 mW from 1.0 V supply. A throughput of 235.3 Mbps is achieved, while operating at 1.0 GHz clock frequency. The design occupies a 0.11 mm\(^2\) silicon area.
Quantifying Model Predictive Uncertainty with Perturbation Theory

We propose a framework for predictive uncertainty quantification of a neural network that replaces the conventional Bayesian notion of weight probability density function (PDF) with a physics based potential field representation of the model weights in a Gaussian reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) embedding. This allows us to use perturbation theory from quantum physics to formulate a moment decomposition problem over the model weight-output relationship. The extracted moments reveal successive degrees of regularization of the weight potential field around the local neighborhood of the model output. Such localized moments represent well the PDF tails and provide significantly greater accuracy of the model's predictive uncertainty than the central moments characterized by Bayesian and ensemble methods or their variants. We show that this consequently leads to a better ability to detect false model predictions of test data that has undergone a covariate shift away from the training PDF learned by the model. We evaluate our approach against baseline uncertainty quantification methods on several benchmark datasets that are corrupted using common distortion techniques. Our approach provides fast model predictive uncertainty estimates with much greater precision and calibration.
Criterion validation and interpretability of the Single Assessment Numerical Evaluation (SANE) of self-reported recovery in patients with neck pain.

BACKGROUND The SANE is a PROM of recovery, which may assist clinicians in clinical decision-making and discharge planning. The psychometric measurement properties of the SANE have yet to be determined for neck pain. OBJECTIVES Threefold objectives included: 1)determine the numerical threshold for the SANE at which patients with neck pain determine their symptoms are acceptable; 2)determine the association between scores for the NDI and VAS, with the SANE; 3)determine the average number of visits, costs and value associated with the management of neck pain. DESIGN Longitudinal repeated measures cohort design. METHODS Threshold measures for self-reported recovery with the SANE anchored to the PASS were examined using ROC. PCC determined the relationship between the VAS/pain and NDI raw/percentage change scores and the SANE at discharge. Descriptive statistics were used for number of visits and cost. Value was calculated as the proportion of change on the NDI and VAS/$100 US dollars spent. RESULTS 57 subjects completed full observation. ROC analysis indicates a threshold value of 82.5%(Sn = 56.0, Sp = 85.7,+LR = 1.68,-LR = 0.29) on the SANE with an AUC of 0.820(95%CI = 0.638, 1.00). A weak correlation was found between raw NDI(r = 0.39 p < 0.05)/Pain(r = 0.45 p < 0.05) scores and the SANE with a moderate correlation between percent change scores of NDI(r = 0.52 p < 0.05)/PAIN(r = 0.54 p < 0.05) and the SANE. The value proposition indicated cost of care amounted to a 10.5% and 12.9%; improvement in the NDI and pain scores/$100 spent. CONCLUSIONS Patients reporting greater than 82.5% on the SANE are likely to find their present status acceptable and potentially stop seeking care.
Estimates of the mechanical properties of lunar surface using tracks and secondary impact craters produced by blocks and boulders

Photographic analysis of track and secondary impact craters from blocks and boulders to determine lunar surface mechanical properties
Comparison of Motor Creativity with Figural and Verbal Creativity, and Selected Motor Skills

Abstract This study was undertaken to investigate relationships between various forms of creativity, and to determine whether the expression of motor creativity is related to selected motor skills. The tests administered to the 65 fourth grade subjects consisted of creative thinking tests, a motor creativity battery, and motor skill tests. The following conclusions were drawn: (a) the expression of motor creativity through movement is not related to performance on the selected motor skill items; (b) creativity does not appear to be a generalized trait in as much as significant relationships were not found between the various aspects of creativity; (c) a tendency toward generalization of creativity was found for girls but not for boys; (d) a combination of weight, figural fluency and figural originality accounts for a significant amount of the variability in motor creativity for boys, while a combination of figural and verbal creativity factors does the same for girls; (e) boys of this age perform signific...
A general composition theorem for secure reactive systems

We consider compositional properties of reactive systems that are secure in a cryptographic sense. We follow the well-known simulatability approach of modern cryptography, i.e., the specification is an ideal system and a real system should in some sense simulate this ideal one. We show that if a system consists of a polynomial number of arbitrary ideal subsystems such that each of them has a secure implementation in the sense of blackbox simulatability, then one can securely replace all ideal subsystems with their respective secure counterparts without destroying the blackbox simulatability relation. We further prove our theorem for universal simulatability by showing that blackbox simulatability implies universal simulatability under reasonable assumptions. We show all our results with concrete security.
DNA-peptide complexes: Regulation of interferon production.

DNA spacing within hexagonal bundles of DNA and polycationic peptides correlates with interferon production in dendritic cells.
Predictors of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Among Patients with Atrial Fibrillation After Initiating Dabigatran Therapy

More than 460,000 individuals in the United States are newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) annually.1 Thought to affect 3 million Americans, AF is only increasing in prevalence and incidence as the population ages.1,2 Moreover, the average rate of ischemic stroke among patients with nonvalvular AF is approximately 5% per year, which is thought to be 2–7 times that of the general United States population.3 Use of anticoagulation in patients with AF is recommended to prevent thromboembolic stroke and systemic embolism.4 However, use of anticoagulants can lead to an increased risk of bleeding, and, in particular, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.5,6 GI bleeding alone is significantly associated with morbidity and mortality; mortality from GI bleeding has ranged from 1–13%, depending on the location in the GI tract.7–9 Until recently, warfarin was the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anticoagulant for the prevention of stroke in patients with AF; in October 2010, approval of dabigatran for this indication provided an additional option.4,10–12 Despite demonstrated advantages over warfarin regarding risk of stroke, systemic embolism, and intracranial bleeding events, dabigatran has been shown to lead to an increased risk of GI bleeding in the major clinical trial used for FDA approval and recent observational studies in clinical practice, with overall rates of GI bleeding ranging from 1–6%.13–17 Although knowledge about the increased risk of GI bleeding in patients receiving anticoagulants has expanded, the literature on the risk factors associated with GI bleeding in these patients has been restricted to therapy settings where alternatives to warfarin were not available.5 Little is known regarding demographic and clinical characteristics that lead to higher risks of GI bleeding among patients receiving dabigatran, especially among patients in real-world practice. The ability to better understand patients who are at increased risk of GI bleeding could help clinicians to better identify appropriate patients for dabigatran use, especially given its increased risk of GI bleeding above and beyond warfarin. In addition, among patients who do experience a GI bleed, restarting anticoagulation may still be necessary to prevent stroke after recovering from the bleed, particularly among patients at high stroke risk.5,18 However, little is known regarding anticoagulant treatment patterns after a GI bleed in dabigatran users in clinical practice, and particularly whether these patients persist on any anticoagulation therapy. Therefore, the goal of this study was to identify demographic and clinical risk factors associated with GI bleeding among a large cohort of patients with AF who initiated dabigatran therapy for stroke prevention, and to describe patterns of subsequent anticoagulant use after the occurrence of the GI bleeding event.
Measurement of serum iohexol by determination of iodine with inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy

We used inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy to measure serum iodine to determine plasma clearance of iohexol, an iodinated radiographic contrast agent. We determined I at 178.276 nm on the phosphorus 178.287 nm channel of the polychromator by utilization of spectrum shifter offset software, while correcting for P with the sequential P 214.914 nm emission line. Determination of I on the polychromator provided excellent precision in the measurement of serum I, even though the interelement correction of P was done with a sequential P line. Total imprecision (CV) (n = 13) was 16% (at 13.7 mg/L I), 8.6% (28.7 mg/L), 3.6% (59.0 mg/L), 2.6% (120.5 mg/L), 1.7% (237.8 mg/L), 1.2% (478.7 mg/L), and 1.8% (597 mg/L). The linear range was 15 to 600 mg/L. Iohexol added to serum (mg/L I) and recoveries (%) were 15 (91.3%), 30 (95.7%), 60 (98.3%), 120 (100.4%), 240 (99.1%), 480 (99.7%), and 600 (99.5%). Studies on dogs and cats administered a single intravenous injection of iohexol indicated that a dose of 300 mg I/kg body weight was sufficient for measurement of glomerular filtration rate by using a single compartment model for plasma clearance with three samples drawn 3 to 7 h after treatment. With this protocol, correlation coefficients were >0.99 on the β phase of the plasma disappearance curve.
What the Wild Things Are

Active galactic nuclei are extremely compact and highly energetic objects, and the mechanisms that produce their radiative emissions at short wavelengths are the subject of debate. In his research commentary, Buckley discusses results presented in the same issue by [Mannheim][1] in which the acceleration of protons is suggested as the source. Buckley puts the work in context with the alternative scenario involving an electron mechanism. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/279/5351/684
Round Ligament Technique and Use of a Vessel-sealing Device to Facilitate Complete Salpingectomy at the Time of Vaginal Hysterectomy

Prophylactic salpingectomy at the time of hysterectomy has been recommended for women at average risk for ovarian cancer. Vaginal hysterectomy is considered the preferred approach to a benign hysterectomy, and adnexectomy should not be considered a contraindication to this approach. This paper with accompanying video describes and demonstrates the round ligament technique and use of a vessel-sealing device to facilitate removal of the entire fallopian tube at the time of vaginal hysterectomy.
GM-CSF Regulates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis Via a Prostaglandin-Dependent Mechanism

To characterize the role of GM-CSF in pulmonary fibrosis, we have studied bleomycin-induced fibrosis in wild-type mice vs mice with a targeted deletion of the GM-CSF gene (GM-CSF-/- mice). Without GM-CSF, pulmonary fibrosis was worse both histologically and quantitatively. These changes were not related to enhanced recruitment of inflammatory cells because wild-type and GM-CSF-/- mice recruited equivalent numbers of cells to the lung following bleomycin. Interestingly, recruitment of eosinophils was absent in GM-CSF-/- mice. We investigated whether the enhanced fibrotic response in GM-CSF-/- animals was due to a deficiency in an endogenous down-regulator of fibrogenesis. Analysis of whole lung homogenates from saline- or bleomycin-treated mice revealed that GM-CSF-/- animals had reduced levels of PGE2. Additionally, alveolar macrophages were harvested from wild-type and GM-CSF-/- mice that had been exposed to bleomycin. Although bleomycin treatment impaired the ability of alveolar macrophages from wild-type mice to synthesize PGE2, alveolar macrophages from GM-CSF-/- mice exhibited a significantly greater defect in PGE2 synthesis than did wild-type cells. Exogenous addition of GM-CSF to alveolar macrophages reversed the PGE2 synthesis defect in vitro. Administration of the PG synthesis inhibitor, indomethacin, to wild-type mice during the fibrogenic phase postbleomycin worsened the severity of fibrosis, implying a causal role for PGE2 deficiency in the evolution of the fibrotic lesion. These data demonstrate that GM-CSF deficiency results in enhanced fibrogenesis in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and indicate that one mechanism for this effect is impaired production of the potent antifibrotic eicosanoid, PGE2.
Navajo transition to higher education: knowledge systems, cultural values, and educational policies

Abstract The purpose of this chapter is to explore the problems in school-to-college transitions for Native Americans, particularly the Navajo. Two possible explanations are given. First, the transition is affected primarily by characteristics of the community that are unrelated to minority or ethnic status, such as socioeconomic status, bilingual status, and rural location. Second, the transition is affected primarily by characteristics that are unique to the Navajo, reflected in their theology, cosmology, traditions, and culture. Literature on the Native American transition to higher education is summarized and contemporary educational practices are examined.
Magnetization differences at the A-B transition of superfluid3He

Abstract We report results from a new SQUID-based measurement of the total magnetization change of superfluid 3 He at the A-B phase transition, ΔM AB total . We used a simple first-principles calibration technique. At low fields ∼0.03 T, our data agree with past measurements, verifying the long-standing discrepancy between ΔM AB total and ΔM AB nuclear , the magnetization change which is measured by NMR. Use of a self-shielded solenoid allowed the first measurement of ΔM AB total over the full range of magnetic field. We found the magnetization discrepancy to persist through the whole phase diagram.
The use of vocabulary files for on-line information retrieval

Abstract Online information retrieval systems continued to reach wider audiences. The authors discuss a particular text retrieval system and its techniques for helping the common unsophisticated user through both the search for and understanding of information based on the vocabular file concept. In addition methods for easy construction and maintenance of a suuitable data base organization are described.
Spitzer: the first 30 months

In his George Darwin Lecture, Michael Werner celebrates the achievements of the Spitzer Space Telescope, an observatory that owes much of its success to the fact that it is cool by design.
Aerobic fitness relates to learning on a virtual morris water task and hippocampal volume in adolescents

In rodents, exercise increases hippocampal neurogenesis and allows for better learning and memory performance on water maze tasks. While exercise has also been shown to be beneficial for the brain and behavior in humans, no study has examined how exercise impacts spatial learning using a directly translational water maze task, or if these relationships exist during adolescence--a developmental period which the animal literature has shown to be especially vulnerable to exercise effects. In this study, we investigated the influence of aerobic fitness on hippocampal size and subsequent learning and memory, including visuospatial memory using a human analogue of the Morris Water Task, in 34 adolescents. Results showed that higher aerobic fitness predicted better learning on the virtual Morris Water Task and larger hippocampal volumes. No relationship between virtual Morris Water Task memory recall and aerobic fitness was detected. Aerobic fitness, however, did not relate to global brain volume or verbal learning, which might suggest some specificity of the influence of aerobic fitness on the adolescent brain. This study provides a direct translational approach to the existing animal literature on exercise, as well as adds to the sparse research that exists on how aerobic exercise impacts the developing human brain and memory.
Ocular silicone oil in the lateral cerebral ventricle

Silicone oil used for endotamponade of retinal detachment may migrate into the subarachnoid space of the brain, including the cerebral ventricles, presumably by extension through silicone oil-filled spaces in the optic nerve. Silicone oil has characteristic appearances on CT scans and MRI, which can be utilized to distinguish it from more ominous entities. We describe a case of intraventricular silicone in a patient who presented with seizures.
Toward Enediyne Mimics: Methanolysis of Azoesters and a Bisazoester.

Enediyne anticancer antibiotics have attracted tremendous interest in the past decade. The inherent difficulty in synthesizing these structurally complex natural products with the strained enediyne...
Sustainable cities: Oxymoron, utopia, or inevitability?

Abstract Some people argue that, by definition and common sense, cities can not be sustainable. Others say that the idea is utopian, but that we can learn from literacy examples. Still others assert that cities will, must, and are becoming sustainable. This article explores each point of view, cites examples of steps toward sustainability currently being taken by various types of communities, notes common elements among them, and offers a resolution based on different definitions of sustainability.
Design of Covert Military Networks: A Spectral Outage-based Approach

This paper puts forth the concept of spectral outage probability (SOP), a new characterization of the aggregate electromagnetic emission generated by communicating nodes in a wireless network. The spatial distribution of the emitting nodes is accounted for by resorting to a Poisson point process in the two-dimensional plane. We consider a realistic scenario of slowly-moving, asynchronous nodes in a wireless environment subject to path loss, shadowing, and multipath fading. Under this scenario, we first analyze the power spectral density (PSD) of the aggregate network emission, measured at an arbitrary location in the two-dimensional plane. Then, we define and analyze the corresponding SOP. The proposed model captures all the essential physical parameters that affect the aggregate network emission, yet is simple enough to provide insights that may be of value in the design of covert military networks
Perturbation of alkaloid production by cadaverine in hairy root cultures of Nicotiana rustica

Abstract Cadaverine (1–10 mM) stimulated the production of anabasine by hairy root cultures of Nicotiana rustica transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes . In control cultures, nicotine accounted for at least 70–80% of the total alkaloid produced, whereas in cultures supplemented with 5 mM cadaverine about two-thirds of the alkaloid was anabasine and nicotine production was markedly diminished. Putrescine and agmatine caused some stimulation of alkaloid production, but the ratio of nicotine to anabasine was essentially unaffected. Lysine caused no substantial increase in anabasine formation.
RAT C6 GLIAL CELLS EXPRESS INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR (IGF) RECEPTORS AND SYNTHESIZE AND SECRETE IGF-I

RAT C6 GLIAL CELLS EXPRESS INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR (IGF) RECEPTORS AND SYNTHESIZE AND SECRETE IGF-I
Extent and Direction of Ghrelin Transport Across the Blood-Brain Barrier Is Determined by Its Unique Primary Structure

The novel hormone ghrelin is a potent orexigen that may counterbalance leptin. Ghrelin is the only secreted molecule requiring post-translational acylation with octanoic acid to ensure bioactivity. Ghrelin, predominantly derived from the stomach, may target neuroendocrine networks within the central nervous system (CNS) to regulate energy homeostasis. This would require ghrelin to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In mice, we examined whether ghrelin crosses the BBB and whether its lipophilic side chain is involved in this process. We found that saturable systems transported human ghrelin from brain-to-blood and from blood-to-brain. Mouse ghrelin, differing from human ghrelin by two amino acids, was a substrate for the brain-to-blood but not for the blood-to-brain transporter and so entered the brain to a far lesser degree. des-Octanoyl ghrelin entered the brain by nonsaturable transmembrane diffusion and was sequestered once within the CNS. In summary, we show that ghrelin transport across the BBB is a complex, highly regulated bidirectional process. The direction and extent of passage are determined by the primary structure of ghrelin, defining a new role for the unique post-translational octanoylation.
The potential variances of tailoring in health behavior interventions

The success of tailored print communications depends upon having a sufficiently diverse inventory of both content messages and delivery formats to respond to important differences among individuals. This article discusses means by which this diversity--the variances of tailoring--may be developed. One of the foundations of tailoring is the definition of a "focal point" for intervention. A focal point is characterized by a simultaneous combination of variables which specify a population group of interest, a target health behavior, and a setting in which the behavior occurs. All persons defined by the focal point may receive some intervention in common (i.e. targeted intervention). Tailored content responds to individuals within the focal point, based upon the antecedents of behavior within that focal point. This article elaborates on the focal point concept and then discusses factors that contribute to variations of tailoring. The psychosocial resources required by health behaviors are also reviewed, because tailoring must prepare the individual to make changes specific to the nature of a particular health behavior. This article does not specify what the variations of tailoring should be; the potential diversity of tailored messages is too great. Instead, the article presents basic elements that will go into the development of tailored interventions.
Discourse Processing for Explanatory Essays in Tutorial Applications

The Why-Atlas tutoring system presents students with qualitative physics questions and encourages them to explain their answers via natural language. Although there are inexpensive techniques for analyzing explanations, we claim that better understanding is necessary for use within tutoring systems. In this paper we describe how Why-Atlas creates and utilizes a proof-based representation of student essays. We describe how it creates the proof given the output of sentence-level understanding, how it uses the proofs to give students feedback, some preliminary runtime measures, and the work we are currently doing to derive additional benefits from a proof-based approach for tutoring applications.
Muslim Children's Other School

During my service as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Far North Province of Cameroon, I lived just around the corner from a Qur'anic school. Each afternoon on my way back to work after lunch, I passe...
Toward a Marxist Theory of Labor-Managed Firms: Breaking the Degeneration Thesis:

The idea that worker cooperatives are at best diversions from class struggle or, at worst, destined to turn into capitalist enterprises is common among the Marxist left. Such a position, however, is the product of an undialectical reading of Marx's comments on cooperation. A dialectical analysis finds that labor-managed sectors succeed in preserving their democratic, cooperative character to the extent that they are connected to a history of class struggle. This conclusion is reinforced through a comparative review of labor-managed sector history and performance within mediated and unmediated advanced capitalist economies.
A Study of the Relationship Between Aspirational Levels and Academic Achievement

IN THE PRESENT study, an attempt was made to determine the degree of relationship between some measures of aspiration derived from an adap tation of Casseirs Level of Aspiration Test* and academic achievement. It was speculated that an aspiration test related to academic achievement might be a valuable addition to a test battery in a scholastic situation. The relationship between intelligence and aca demic achievement has been generally recogn i z e d (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12); therefore, intelligence test re sults are often used as predictors of academic suc cess. It seems evident, however, that other vari ables, such as emotional behavior, motivation, and aspiration influence a student's a c a demie achieve ment (4, 6, 8, 12, 14). The subjects used in this study were 101 fresh men and sophomore university students who had completed at least 12 semester hours of course work.
Individual differences predictive of drinking to manage anxiety among non-problem drinkers with panic disorder.

Background: Alcohol problems co-occur with anxiety disorders at a rate that far exceeds chance (co-morbidity). One view suggests that risk for developing a comorbid alcohol use disorder is increased when alcohol is used routinely to cope with anxiety symptoms (self-medication). Indicating that this view is overly broad, however, the literature suggests that only a subgroup of anxiety-disordered individuals tend to drink to manage their symptoms. Therefore, we set out to identify psychological characteristics that might mark those for whom drinking to cope with anxiety is most likely. Our survey of the literature identified several possibilities, including anxiety-related personality traits (anxiety sensitivity, self-consciousness and Trait Anxiety); higher-order personality dimensions (Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, and Novelty Seeking); and, finally, alcohol outcome expectancies (specifically, those related to tension-reducing effects from alcohol). Methods: In a sample of nonproblem drinkers with panic disorder, we regressed predictor variables on several alcohol use measures, including drinking aimed at the control of anxiety symptoms (self-medication). Results: Although each variable related positively to a self-medicating style of drinking, expectancies for tension reduction from alcohol use accounted for about twice as much variance as did the other predictors. With simultaneous entry in a step-wise regression analysis, only tension-reduction alcohol outcome expectancies and the Harm Avoidance personality dimension were retained as significant predictors. Conclusions: Findings suggest that development of a self-medicating style of drinking among individuals with panic disorder is predicated, in part, on specific psychological characteristics of the individual. Alcohol outcome expectancies emerged as the single most important predictor of drinking behavior in this anxiety-disordered sample.
An inhibitory influence of granulosa cells and follicular fluid upon porcine oocyte meiosis in vitro.

Isolated oocytes will resume meiosis spontaneously in vitro whereas follicle-enclosed oocytes will remain in the dictyate stage when cultured unless they have been exposed to gonadotropins in vivo or in vitro. To examine the source of the follicular inhibitory influence, porcine oocytes have been cultured alone, with hemisections of follicle wall, granulosa cells, or with follicular fluid. Oocytes isolated from medium-sized (3–5 mm) follicles resumed meiosis when cultured; 77.5 ± 3.4% matured beyond the dictyate stage. When oocytes were cultured in the presence of follicle wall hemisections of medium and large (6–12 mm) follicles, the percentage of maturing oocytes was significantly reduced. The maturation of oocytes cultured in a medium containing 50% follicular fluid from small or large follicles was significantly inhibited. Resumption of meiosis was completely inhibited by co-culture of isolated oocytes with 107 granulosa cells from small, medium or large follicles. Addition of serially diminishing amo...
Variable occurrence of splenic suppressor macrophages in normal and tumor-inoculated rats☆

Abstract A high degree of variability in the occurrence of splenic suppressor macrophages was noted among individual tumor-inoculated animals. Such cells were detected in the spleens of approximately 60–70% of animals inoculated with Gross virus-induced lymphoma cells. However, there appeared to be no correlation between the occurrence of suppressor macrophages and several variables associated with tumor inoculation (i.e., dose, route, or time after tumor injection). Histocompatibility studies of rats whose spleens did or did not contain inhibitory macrophages indicated that genetic variance among individual rats could be ruled out as a source of the observed variability. The results of randomly testing spleens from non-tumor-inoculated (normal) rats for the presence of suppressor macrophages indicated that the frequency of and variability in the occurrence of these cells were independent of tumor inoculation suggesting, alternatively, that exposure to environmental stimuli may be the source.