cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth hormone, insulin, and somatostatin therapy of cancer cachexia

Background. Cancer cachexia is associated with a decreased insulin:glucagon ratio. The authors hypothesized that the decrease in this anabolic hormone index is largely responsible for the progressive catabolism characteristic of cancer cachexia. Previous studies of insulin therapy alone in treating cancer cachexia have yielded limited success due to insulin-induced hypoglycemia and subsequent glucagon secretion. The current study was performed to determine the effect of combined hormone therapy (growth hormone, insulin, and somatostatin) on tumor growth, metastasis, and host metabolism. Methods. Twenty-four female Lewis/Wistar rats (175–200 g) were subcutaneously inoculated on the flank with the MAC-33 tumor, a spontaneously metastasizing mammary adenocarcinoma. Thirty days after tumor implantation, animals were randomized to receive combined hormone therapy or saline (control) injections. Hormone therapy consisted of recombinant growth hormone (1000 U/kg/day intraperitoneally [IP]), somatostatin analogue (SMS 201–995; 150 μg/kg twice daily IP) and NPH humulin insulin (5 U/kg twice daily subcutaneously). Results. Triple hormone therapy with growth hormone, insulin, and somatostatin significantly increased host carcass weight (211 ± 4 g versus 179 ± 6 g; P < 0.01) and decreased tumor:carcass ratio (0.25 ± 0.03 versus 0.35 ± 0.05; P < 0.01). Hamstring muscle weight and protein content were significantly increased and tumor cellular protein content was decreased in animals receiving triple hormone therapy. A significant decrease in S-phase tumor cell cycle kinetics occurred in hormone-treated versus control animals. Conclusions. Thus, combined therapy of growth hormone, insulin, and somatostatin selectively supports host anabolism and inhibits tumor growth kinetics. Combined hormone therapy specifically improves skeletal muscle protein content and reduces tumor protein incorporation. This innovative metabolic therapy for cancer cachexia may be useful in the future to prevent the progressive catabolism present in the tumor-bearing host. Cancer 1994; 73:1499–504.
Peripheral vision screening for driving in retinitis pigmentosa patients

Abstract The authors evaluated the test protocols used most frequently to screen the peripheral visual field of driving applicants to determine whether they are suitable for detecting peripheral field loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The peripheral vision tests available on the Keystone View Tester and the Titmus Vision Tester were administered to 23 subjects with RP, 3 subjects with Type 2 Usher's syndrome, and 1 subject who was a partially affected carrier of X-linked recessive RP. The subjects had varying degrees and types of visual field loss. Tests were administered using the standard protocol of the State of Illinois, which is a standard procedure used by state licensing bureaus nationwide. Results demonstrate that the screening protocols use stimulus conditions that are primarily sensitive only to appreciable field losses and examine locations that typically lie within an RP patients remaining visual field rather than at locations that characteristically are scotomatous. The authors suggest that the current test protocols could determine peripheral field impairment more accurately by assessing additional locations in the visual field, and by introducing a background field and/or by reducing the luminance of the test targets.
Precise Measurement of the Metal Nanocluster Size in a Supported Catalyst: Ta/SiO2

S. Mehraeen,* J. Sun,* B. W. Reed,** N. L. Okamoto,* A. Kulkarni,* B. C. Gates,* and N. D. Browning*,** * Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of California-Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis CA 95616. ** Chemistry, Materials Science, Earth and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA 94550. Heterogeneous catalysis is involved in the manufacture of products comprising 20-25% of the gross national product in the US. These catalysts are typically high-surface-area solids such as oxides, onto which an active component (i.e., metals) is dispersed in the form of nanoclusters [1, 2]. So far, the metal clusters on supports that have been investigated in depth have been restricted almost entirely to later transition metals, but recently fabrication of supported early transition metal catalysts (i.e., Ta/SiO
Metamorphosis in the marine snail Ilyanassa obsoleta, yes or NO?

Metamorphosis is a crucial life-history event that can change an organism's form, function, behavior, and ecological interactions. In the Mollusca, several neurotransmitters and neuromodulators play inductive or inhibitory roles in the pathways that govern larval metamorphosis. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in developmental processes in vertebrates and arthropods, but not previously in molluscs. We determined that NO donors block pharmacologically induced metamorphosis in the mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta, whereas injections of inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) allow competent larvae to become juveniles. We describe a new developmental role for NO, as an endogenous inhibitor of molluscan metamorphosis.
Make Love, Now Law: Perceptions of the Marriage Equality Struggle Among Polyamorous Activists

SUMMARY The paper examines marriage equality through the eyes of the polyamorous community. “Polyamory” is the practice of romantic relationships with more than one person, simultaneously, with the knowledge and consent of all parties. The Bay Area polyamorous community, albeit closely sympathetic to GLBT politics and particularly to bisexual activism, has not, so far, mobilized in a struggle for group marriage or other public status. Based on in-depth interviews with 35 community activists, the paper analyzes the main issues which make them reluctant to mobilize: their alternatives to material marriage rights, their concerns regarding political alliances and strategies, and–most importantly–their mistrust of law as a tool for shaping identities and designing interpersonal relationships.
Asian and female in the white God's world: a qualitative exploration of discrimination in Christian academia

This study is a phenomenological exploration of discrimination experiences among 11 Asian/Asian-American female faculty at various Christian universities, with a specific focus on the characteristics of the Christian academic environment which contribute to those experiences. Participants completed a 90-minute semi-structured interview. Ten of the 11 women described experiences where they perceived being treated differently due to race and/or gender. Qualitative analyses of interview data resulted in the emergence of three themes related to the discrimination context (lack of diversity, naivete and denial and “missionary mentality”). Resulting themes are discussed in light of existing research. Future research implications include the continued need for research on factors that contribute to discrimination in religious contexts.
Behavioral stereotypy in old and young rhesus monkeys

Four old (25 years) and six young (3 years) female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were observed individually in a laboratory cage with either an old or a young monkey present as a social partner. The behavioral repertoire was coded into ten mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. An information analysis of the individual behavior records is presented along with subject and partner age effects on the frequency of bouts and the amount of time spent in each category of behavior. Knowledge of the relative frequencies of the behaviors tells more about the behavior of young than old monkeys; and knowledge of the preceding behavior tells more about the behavior of old than young monkeys. Further, knowledge of the relative frequencies tells more about the behavior of both old and young monkeys with junior or elder partners than with age peers; whereas knowledge of the preceding behavior is more informative for old monkeys than for young ones regardless of the partner's age. Both old and young engaged in more affiliative behaviors with age peers than with junior or elder partners. An hypothesis is proposed which relates this social homophyly to the age difference in behavioral stereotypy.
Some Factors Affecting Leadless Chip Carrier Solder Joint Fatigue Life II

This paper reviews some continuing IBM study efforts conducted on surface mounted Leadless Chip Carrier (LCC) packaging for use in high density, high thermal stress military environments. The paper presents some designs, materials and solder joint processing considerations that can affect solder joint fatigue life. Also discussed are some thermal cycling test limitations, important properties of solder failure mechanisms and finally some technical concerns with both WS 6536E and DoD 2000 specifications as to their limitations with future surface mounted technologies.
Driving Abilities in Frontotemporal Dementia Patients

Objective: To evaluate driving competency and the relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms and driving behavior in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients. Methods:&lt
Mental models and transformative learning: The key to leadership development?

What separates successful leaders from unsuccessful ones is their mental models or meaning structures, not their knowledge, information, training, or experience per se. Thus the development of leaders should focus on acquisition of new mental models, models that offer more valid and useful ways for effectively dealing with the complex challenges of leadership. This article describes a process, based on transformative learning, that seems to be the key to assisting leaders in acquiring more useful mental models and in turn becoming more effective leaders.
Spectroscopic investigation of effect of Lewis basicity on the valent-state stability of an uranium(V) chloride complex in ambient temperature melts

Abstract The visible and NIR absorption spectrum of uranium(V) chloride in room temperature acidic melts has been measured. This spectrum was obtained by the direct dissolution of an uranium(V) chloride compound into a room temperature melt. Changing the acidic melt to a basic melt by adding EMIC caused the gradual disappearance of the U(V) spectrum and the concomitant appearance of a new set of bands. The absorption spectrum recorded in the basic melt of composition AlCl 3 :EMIC=45:55 is identical to that from the uranium(IV) hexachloride complex in the same melt. This conversion of U(V) to U(IV) establishes that the uranium(V) chloride complex underwent a reduction reaction to form the uranium(IV) hexachloride complex. The stoichiometric ratio of U(total):U(IV) in this redox process was experimentally determined to be 1.00:1.00. The standard deviation for this ratio is 0.02. This suggests that the formation of uranium(IV) hexachloride in the basic melt is not via the disproportionation reaction of U(V).
MICRITIC ENVELOPES OF CARBONATE GRAINS ARE NOT EXCLUSIVELY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ALGAL ORIGIN

Micritic envelopes are commonly believed to develop from the lime-mud infillings of circumferential perforations made in skeletal particles by algae. Because “algae” are usually taken to mean photosynthetic algae, the corollary has been proposed that micritic envelopes would not appear on carbonate skeletal particles originating in waters too deep for active growth of photosynthetic algae. Extensions of this “photosynthetic-algae-only” origin of micritic envelopes implies that: (1) the disappearance of envelopes with depth could mark a useful paleobathymetric datum; and (2) preservation of outlines of skeletal particles should be much better in “shallow”-water carbonates than in “deep”-water carbonates. We doubt the validity of the depth-limiting concept of the origin of micritic envelopes for two reasons: (1) petrographic study of a large number of thin sections thought to be representative of various paleo-depth levels does not indicate any systematic variations in the preservation of the outlines of skeletal particles; and (2) molluscan skeletal debris displaying micritic envelopes and effects of borings identical with those generally ascribed to the activities of photosynthetic algae have been found in an aragonite-cemented sandstone from the Atlantic shelf where geologic evidence indicates that the water at time of boring was too deep for active growth of photosynthetic algae. Accordingly, we re-emphasize the fact that organisms other than photosynthetic algae can bore into calcareous materials. In particular, fungi, bacteria, and heterotrophic algae (whose distribution does not depend on the penetration of light into seawater) are known to be active borers. Bacteria can be eliminated as producers of bores having diameters greater than approximately 10 μ. Fungi create boring structures with radiating or branching patterns or bores with nonuniform size. Some fungal bores appear to be indistinguishable from excavations known to have been bored by photosynthetic blue-green algae. At present we do not know how to distinguish the results of boring activity of photosynthetic algae from those of algae living het-erotrophically.
Comparison of Mechanical and Nonmechanical Failure Rates Associated With Rotating Hinged Total Knee Arthroplasty in Nontumor Patients

Rotating hinge total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has had acceptable to poor results in terms of clinical outcomes and survivorship, leading to skepticism with regard to its use. A total of 271 hinged TKAs performed between 1998 and 2008 were studied to determine survivorship and factors affecting survivorship. A median survivorship of 6.9 years was found for the best-case cohort (n = 111), and 4.1 years, for the worst-case group (n = 174). Of the 111 patients, 51 (45.9%) experienced a failure that required reoperation, with more than half of these (29/51, or 56.9%) due to nonmechanical modes of failure. Comparison of the kinematic hinge implants with the distal femoral replacements showed that the Kaplan-Meier survivorship was slightly higher for the patients with distal femoral replacements, although this was not significant (P = .962). Our study suggests that the hinge TKA is well designed and provides acceptable survivorship in healthy patients who do not have nonmechanical complications.
NolX of Sinorhizobium fredii USDA257, a Type III-Secreted Protein Involved in Host Range Determination, Is Localized in the Infection Threads of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp) and Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) Nodules

Sinorhizobium fredii USDA257 forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) in a cultivar-specific manner. This strain forms nodules on primitive soybean cultivars but fails to nodulate agronomically improved North American cultivars. Soybean cultivar specificity is regulated by the nolXWBTUV locus, which encodes part of a type III secretion system (TTSS). NolX, a soybean cultivar specificity protein, is secreted by TTSS and shows homology to HrpF of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. It is not known whether NolX functions at the bacterium-plant interface or acts inside the host cell. Antibodies raised against S. fredii USDA257 NolX were used in immunocytochemical studies to investigate the subcellular localization of this protein. Immunostaining of paraffin-embedded sections of developing soybean and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp) nodules revealed localization of NolX in the infection threads. Protein A-gold immunocytochemical localization studies utilizing affinity-purified NolX antibodies revealed specific deposition of gold particles in the fibrillar material inside infection threads. Similar immunogold localization studies failed to detect NolX in thin sections of mature soybean and cowpea nodules. The results from this study indicate that NolX is expressed in planta only during the early stages of nodule development.
A projected Newton method for minimization problems with nonlinear inequality constraints

Recently developed projected Newton methods for minimization problems in polyhedrons and Cartesian products of Euclidean balls are extended here to general convex feasible sets defined by finitely many smooth nonlinear inequalities. Iterate sequences generated by this scheme are shown to be locally superlinearly convergent to nonsingular extremals $$\bar u$$ , and more specifically, to local minimizers $$\bar u$$ satisfying the standard second order Kuhn-Tucker sufficient conditions; moreover, all such convergent iterate sequences eventually enter and remain within the smooth manifold defined by the active constraints at $$\bar u$$ . Implementation issues are considered for large scale specially structured nonlinear programs, and in particular, for multistage discrete-time optimal control problems; in the latter case, overall per iteration computational costs will typically increase only linearly with the number of stages. Sample calculations are presented for nonlinear programs in a right circular cylinder in ?3.
Measured and Simulated Flow near a Submerged Spur Dike

To improve knowledge of the flow and scour processes associated with spur dikes, three-dimensional flow velocities were measured at 2,592 points using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter over a fixed flat bed with a trapezoidal shaped submerged spur dike in a laboratory flume. General velocity distribution and detailed near field flow structures were revealed by the measurements and numerical simulations performed using a free surface turbulent flow model with a k–e closure scheme. The three-dimensional flow separation characterized in this study was found to yield forces on the bed that were significantly different from nonsubmerged vertical obstructions that have been measured in other studies. Values of bed shear stress derived from both measured and simulated values were similar but indicated that local scour would be initiated in one rather than in the two locations of initial local scour measured in previous experiments with a similar flow.
RADIOAUTOGRAPHY OF MYO‐INOSITOL IN CULTURED FRAXINUS CALLUS

SUMMARY Radioautographs by light and electron microscopy of callus cells of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) that had been fed low levels of the growth factor 3H myo-inositol indicated an almost exclusive incorporation of the label into the cytoplasmic constituents. These results contrast with those from most other studies of incorporation in higher plants. The incorporation here of myo-inositol suggests that its prime function is the synthesis of cytoplasmic membrane systems of the cell rather than in the polysaccharide component of the primary wall.
Transient Response Of Metals To Ultrashort Pulse Excitation

An ultrashort light pulse illuminating a metal surface interacts primarily with the electrons. During a transient phase the electrons can be much hotter than the lattice. A two-temperature model predicts that the optical damage threshold of metals will be independent of the optical pulse duration for short pulses. Experiments performed with picosecond 10 um pulses confirm this prediction. The model also predicts, and we experimentally observe, electron emission during the transient phase even for illumination intensities below the damage threshold.
A comparison of commercially available adjuvants for use in research

We evaluated an adjuvant, TiterMax, as an alternative to complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) for producing antisera in animals. TiterMax, consists of a microparticulate stabilized water-in-oil emulsion of a metabolizable oil, squalene, with the adjuvant block copolymer CRL89-41. This paper reports two evaluations of TiterMax versus CFA and other commercially available adjuvants. In the first study, mice were immunized with a hapten, trinitrophenol, conjugated to hen egg albumin (TNP-HEA) in one of several adjuvants: TiterMax, CFA, Adjuvax, Ribi adjuvant system (RAS), Alhydrogel or Lipovant. TiterMax induced higher longer lasting titers with fewer injections than any of the other adjuvants. The magnitude of the response to TNP varied with species and route of immunization. In the second study, CFA, TiterMax, Adjuvax and RAS were compared in rabbits, mice and goats. Animals were immunized with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) conjugated to BSA in each adjuvant using comparable protocols. TiterMax induced titers against the peptide equivalent to CFA in all three species. The inflammatory responses induced by TiterMax were mild and transient compared with those induced by CFA. These data suggest that TiterMax is an effective alternative to CFA in many situations.
Differential Citation Rates of Major Cardiovascular Clinical Trials According to Source of Funding A Survey From 2000 to 2005

Background— Prior work indicates that therapeutic trials funded by for-profit organizations are more likely to report positive findings than trials funded by not-for-profit organizations. What impact, if any, funding source has on subsequent dissemination of trial data is uncertain. To address this issue, we used the number of citations per publication per year to assess differences in trial dissemination according to funding source. Methods and Results— We assessed 303 consecutive superiority trials of cardiovascular medicine published between January 1, 2000, and July 30, 2005, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine. The primary outcome measure was the number of citations per publication per year up to December 31, 2006. Overall, the median number of citations per publication per year was 46 for trials funded exclusively by for-profit organizations, 37 for trials jointly funded, and 29 for trials funded by not-for-profit organizations (P=0...
Phase behavior of pseudo-IPN's of polycarbonate-urethane and polystyrene

The pseudo-IPN's of PCU/PS with different Mn and narrow MWD of the linear PS have been synthesized and characterized. The effect of Mn and composition on the phase morphology of the pseudo-IPN's of PCU/PS has been studied by DSC and SEM. The pseudo-IPN's with ultra-high Mn of the linear PS appeared to possess a single Tg and no SEM-resolvable domains at 35 wt % PS and below. This metastable state may reflect the result of a high extent of entanglement of the linear PS chains with the PCU network and the limited molecular mobility of the linear PS chains with high Mn. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Novel glitch reduction techniques for ultra-low power digital design

This paper presents some proposed and new techniques in comparison to a traditional one for register-transfer level (RTL) circuits. The traditional technique focuses on killing glitches in both the control and data path parts of the circuit to reduce power consumption. By analyzing and simulating the generation and propagation of glitches in some benchmark circuits, we found out some issues when killing glitches in both control and data paths using traditional approach. In some cases, the traditional approach minimizing glitches, at the same time, still consume a huge amount of power though glitches are killed because a great many extra transistors are brought as a trade-off. And much more extra transistors have a deep impact on area and delay, which is neglected in the traditional technique. Besides, it could not kill glitches in control path when two selected data are not correlated. Therefore, our key point of this paper is to solve these issues that the traditional technique leaves, and propose more techniques to kill glitches in other cases.
A loglinear analysis of abused wives' decisions to call the pilice in domestic-violence disputes

Data were collected from 426 battered women who sought help from a spouse-abuse shelter located in central Florida. This article examined the relationship between the victims' demographic, economic, and situational characteristics and their decisions to call the police by using the multivariate modeling technique of log-linear analysis. The results indicate that the victims' decision to call the police are not dependent upon their demographic, economic, and situational characteristics.
Unusual effects of SCN and lyotropic anions on contractility of vascular smooth muscle from female rats.

Replacement of extracellular chloride ions by thiocyanate anions (SCN−) followed by washout in normal chloride-containing solution produced contractions in isolated rat aortas and portal veins of female rats followed by slow relaxation; these contractions consisted of fast and slow phases. These SCN−-induced biphasic contractions were also noted in rat aortas precontracted by 80 mM KCl and 100 μM noradrenaline. No differences were noted between isolated aortic strips versus intact ring preparations. The SCN−-induced contractions in both the aorta and portal vein were inhibited markedly by denervation with 6-hydroxydopamine. Use of prazosin, rauwolscine, propranolol, atropine, methysergide, diphenhydramine, indomethacin or procaine (10−3M) failed to alter the SCN−-induced responses. However, use of phentolamine at 10−5 M, but not at lower concentrations of the drug, resulted in complete inhibition of SCN−-induced contractions. Treatment of the vascular tissues with EGTA (5 mM) or incubation in Ca2+ -free media abolished the SCN−-induced contractile responses. Treatment with verapamil (10−6 M) or washing in Ca2+-free Krebs Ringer solution after incubation with SCN−-Krebs Ringer selectively inhibited the slow phases of the aortic contractions. Replacement of SCN− anions with other foreign monovalent anions or with sucrose modified the amplitude of the SCN−-induced contractions. These foreign anions seemed to follow a relative order of potency similar to that for a lyotropic series of anions, where acetate > isethionate > chloride > bromide > nitrate > iodide ions. These results suggest that foreign anion-induced contractions in vascular smooth muscle may result primarily from release of catecholamines, probably noradrenaline, from autonomic nerve terminals which is facilitated by anion efflux from sypathetic nerve endings.
Facing and Transforming Hauntings of Race through the Arts.

This article examines the pedagogical processes through which dance choreography and performance embody issues of social injustices. The author draws on ethnographic data of prominent black choreographers/dancers/educators, Katherine Dunham and Ronald K. Brown, to consider the behind the scene complex, interdependent practices of embodiment and to explore the ways in which concealed, yet present, social phenomena are transformed into provocative in-motion stories for the concert stage. Drawing on social justice education principles and Gordon's (1997) conception of ghostly phenomena, the data show that disavowing race and structural racism leave lingering and weighted traces of racialized experiences, making embodiment a complex and necessary condition for performing artists who aim to convey the meaning of these traces through dancing social justice.
Reflections on and alternatives to WHO's fairness of financial contribution index.

In its 2000 World Health Report (WHR), the World Health Organization argues that a key dimension of a health system's performance is the fairness of its financing system. This paper provides a critical assessment of the index of fairness of financial contribution (FFC) proposed in the WHR. It shows that the index cannot discriminate between health financing systems that are regressive and those that are progressive, and cannot discriminate between horizontal inequity on the one hand, and progressivity and regressivity on the other. The paper compares the WHO index to an alternative and more illuminating approach developed in the income redistribution literature in the early 1990s and used in the late 1990s to study the fairness of various OECD countries' health financing systems. It ends with an illustrative empirical comparison of the two approaches using data on out-of-pocket payments for health services in Vietnam for two years - 1993 and 1998. This analysis is of some interest in its own right, given the large share of health spending from out-of-pocket payments in Vietnam, and the changes in fees and drug prices over the 1990s.
Effect of footwear and orthotic devices on stress reduction and soft tissue strain of the neuropathic foot

Background Ground reaction forces from walking result in stress (pressure) and soft tissue strain at the plantar aspect of the foot. Excessive plantar pressure and tissue strain on the insensate foot may lead to ulceration. Our study investigated the effect of therapeutic footwear and custom-made orthotic inserts on pressure and tissue strain along the second ray of the plantar foot, and how these two variables are associated.
Long-term anorectal function in imperforate anus treated by a posterior sagittal anorectoplasty: manometric investigation.

Abstract Thirty imperforate anus patients were investigated by anorectal manometry 5 to 10 years after a posterior sagittal anorectoplasty. Anal resting tone (ART) and anal squeezing pressure (ASP) were subnormal in most patients. Rectal volume (RV) and sensation to balloon distension were within the normal range. Rectoanal reflex inhibition was demonstrated in 9 of 30 patients. Soiling was more common in patients with a very low ART ( 2 O) and a low ASP ( 2 O). Constipation was more common in patients with a large RV (>150 mL). Still, the correlation to clinical results was incomplete. As regards to the correlation to type of malformation the rectal atresia patients showed near normal results. The vestibular fistula patients were next in results showing rectoanal reflex inhibition in 56 patients. There was no difference in the results between bulbar and prostatic fistula patients.
Sporting with gender: Examining sport and belonging at home and in the diaspora through Patiala House & Chak De! India

My essay explores how globalization has reconfigured the links between sport, nationalism, and gender in the production and dissemination of identity and belonging at home and in the Indian diaspora. I suggest that, sports, especially cricket and hockey have become critically cosmopolitan in being rooted to local histories and their global echoes. Gender, in this matrix of sport and culture, interestingly reconfigures sports, as it helps reinforce institutionalized and hegemonic discourses instead of displacing them. In this essay, cricket and hockey unfold as performative spaces within cultures where gender acts as a catalyst undermining the cosmic solidarity that the forces of globalization may promise. I study two contemporary Bollywood films, Patiala House (2011) which explores the conflicts in sporting allegiances due to ethnic belonging, and Chak De! India (2007) which centers on a dwindling women's field-hockey team that later wins the national championships. While both films force us to question h...
Interrater Reliability and Diagnostic Accuracy of Pelvic Girdle Pain Classification

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to measure the reliability of a classification system for pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and diagnostic accuracy of selected examination and clinical special findings for diagnosis of PGP. Methods The design involved a prospective epidemiological study of pregnancy-related PGP. Consecutive subjects were recruited and classified using criteria defined by previous studies. Two clinicians examined the subjects and classified each patient into 1 of 5 classification groups. Clinical examination and clinical special tests were performed on the patients with PGP. Statistical analysis involved interobserver agreement using a κ statistic and sensitivity and specificity values for the examination and clinical special testing. Results Twenty-one subjects were included in the analyses. Aggregated percentage of agreement for the classification system was 84.6%. The Cohen κ was 0.78 (CI, 0.64-0.92; P Conclusion Selected tests and measures are moderately discriminatory in diagnosing PGP. A classification system for diagnosing PGP demonstrates strong agreement and may be useful for clinicians.
Hilbert's objectivity

Abstract Detlefsen (1986) reads Hilbert's program as a sophisticated defense of instrumentalism, but Feferman (1998) has it that Hilbert's program leaves significant ontological questions unanswered. One such question is of the reference of individual number terms. Hilbert's use of admittedly “meaningless” signs for numbers and formulae appears to impair his ability to establish the reference of mathematical terms and the content of mathematical propositions (Weyl, 2009/1949 and Kitcher, 1976). The paper traces the history and context of Hilbert's reasoning about signs, which illuminates Hilbert's account of mathematical objectivity, axiomatics, idealization, and consistency. Resumi Detlefsen (1986) legge il programma di Hilbert come una sofisticata difesa dello strumentalismo, ma Feferman (1998) sostiene che il programma di Hilbert lascia senza risposta alcune significative questioni ontologiche. Una fra queste e il riferimento dei termini individuali numerici. L'impiego da parte di Hilbert di simboli per i numeri e formule per la matematica finistista esplicitamente “privi di senso,” sembra impedire la possibilita di stabilire un riferimento per i termini matematici e un contenuto per le proposizioni (Weyl, 2009/1949 and Kitcher, 1976). Questo articolo ripercorre la storia e il contesto del pensiero di Hilbert concernente i simboli; tale contesto getta luce sulla concezione Hilbertiana dell'oggettivita matematica.
Non-ischemic Severe Mitral Regurgitation: When and How to Operate? The Role of Echocardiography

Mitral regurgitation is a common but complex valvular heart disease. In severe mitral regurgitation, the regurgitant volume increases by about 7.5 mL per year and the effective regurgitant orifice increases by about 5.9 mm 2 per year. Severe mitral regurgitation can produce left ventricular remodeling and finally irreversible left ventricular dysfunction. Ninety percent of patients with severe mitral regurgitation caused by flail mitral valve undergo surgery or die. The optimal timing of mitral valve surgery in patients with severe mitral regurgitation is crucial. In recent years, mitral valve repair has been shown to be better than mitral valve replacement for both short- and long-term outcome. Important issues such as reducing operative mortality, improving long-term survival and improving the rate of mitral valve repair are crucial when considering mitral valve surgery. Echocardiography allows the reliable identification of the presence, severity, etiology and mechanisms as well as the pathologic lesions of mitral regurgitation. The following questions relating to echocar-diography should be asked before patients undergo surgery: (1) Is the mitral regurgitation organic or functional? (2) When is the optimal time for surgery? (3) What is the etiology of mitral regurgitation? (4) Where is the lesion(s)? (5) Can the mitral valve be repaired? (6) Which surgical technique is most appropriate? Quantitative assessment of the severity of mitral regurgitation is essential for the optimal timing of surgery. Transesophageal echocar-diography as well as three-dimensional echocardiography can help to identify the etiology, mechanisms and pathologic lesions prior to possible mitral valve repair.
Role of electron-phonon interactions and external strain on the electronic properties of semiconducting carbon nanotubes

The electron-phonon interactions determine the temperature dependent photoluminescence of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Both effects, the energy shifts and spectral narrowing of the transitions, can be attributed to the electron-phonon interaction. In this paper, we present an accurate measurement of the temperature induced broadening of the photoluminescence transitions of carbon nanotubes, and model this broadening in terms of the theory, previously used to model the thermal broadening of critical points in conventional semiconductors. Through this fitting procedure, parameters could be estimated which provide important insight into the strength of the electron-phonon interactions. Moreover, careful studies of the energy shifts induced by the external strain had revealed a $n\ensuremath{-}m$ family behavior. We further conclude that using a mathematical expression that combines the theory of semiconducting carbon nanotubes under hydrostatic pressure and strain, this family behavior observed experimentally could be theoretically reproduced, providing tools to model and predict the effect of strain on the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes.
Successful treatment of refractory immune hemolysis following unrelated cord blood transplant with Campath-1H

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia is a well-recognized complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We report on a 6-year-old boy with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy who developed severe delayed alloimmune hemolytic anemia associated with immune-mediated neutropenia and thrombocytopenia following major ABO incompatible unrelated cord blood transplantation. The patient's cytopenias were refractory to treatment with corticosteroids, cyclosporine, intravenous immune globulin, rituximab, and pentostatin. After one course of Campath-1H his hematologic parameters normalized, suggesting that the compound may be an effective therapy for complex immunohematologic disorders complicating hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The case also emphasizes the importance of T-cells in transplant associated immune cytopenias.
Optoelectronic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid systems for sensing applications

Novel optoelectronic systems based on ensembles of semiconductor are described. We will present here the optical and electronic properties of organic-inorganic hybrid structures that enable integration of useful organic and inorganic characteristics for novel sensing applications. Several semiconductor nanostructures with both direct band gap and indirect band gap will be discussed in a few different polymer and biological matrices. A number of these colloidal semiconductor quantum dots and related quantum-wire structures have been characterized using absorption, photoluminescence, and Raman measurements; these Raman measurements include those made on self-assembled monolayers of DNA molecules terminated on one end with a common substrate and on the other end with TiO 2 quantum dots. The electronic properties of these structures are modeled and compared with experiment. Devices fabricated with these materials as well as their potential for sensing will be discussed.
Bamboozled again! Inadvertent isolation of fungal rDNA sequences from bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae).

Abstract Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S regions of rDNA from woody bamboos (Bambuseae) led to the recovery of fungal instead of bamboo sequences under a variety of PCR conditions and irrespective of whether the plant DNA was extracted from fresh leaves or silica gel-dried material. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 5.8S sequences indicated that the fungi were most likely basidiomycetes and that none was an ascomycete. A diverse assemblage of nonascomycetous fungi was isolated from different bamboos, and various fungi coexisted in the same host plant. There was no evidence that closely related fungi consistently associate with closely related host bamboos. Phylogenetic analysis based on 5.8S sequences showed that some fungi were in lineages near Volvariella, Lentinula, Peniophora, and Rhizoctonia, but the insufficiency of basidiomycete and zygomycete ITS sequences in sequence data bases precluded more precise fungal identifications. Bamboo ITS regions were amplified only when fresh leaves were surface sterilized before DNA extraction, suggesting that the fungal associates are epiphyllous rather than endophytic. This study highlights the possibility of inadvertent PCR amplification of contaminating DNAs in molecular phylogenetic studies, particularly when using “universal” amplification primers.
On a systematic approximation to the partition method for analysis of a class of nonlinear systems

THE DYNAMIC behavior of a broad class of physical systems can be described by ordinary nonlinear integro-differential equations of the type
The cultural determinants of strategic bias: a study of conflict resolution in an interactive computer game

We examine the impact of individuals' religious and political affiliations on the conflict resolution strategies they employ. Participants in the U.S., Israel, and Qatar played the interactive computer game, PeaceMaker [15], with the objective of satisfying constituents on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the role of the Palestinian President, we find that participants tended to take actions favoring those constituents with whom they shared cultural affiliation. Oppositely, when playing the role of the Israeli Prime Minister, participants exhibited comparatively greater bias toward constituents with whom they did not share cultural affiliation. We interpret this difference in light of minority-majority group membership, and the assertion of in-group interests versus perspective-taking of out-group interests. Finally, we discuss the potential of interactive computer games to study cross-cultural interaction in other dynamic environments characterized by uncertainty and complex interdependencies.
Evaluation of Automatically Identified Index Terms for Browsing Electronic Documents

We present an evaluation of domainindependent natural language tools for use in the identification of significant concepts in documents. Using qualitative evaluation, we compare three shallow processing methods for extracting index terms, i.e., terms that can be used to model the content of documents. We focus on two criteria: quality and coverage. In terms of quality alone, our results show that technical term (TT) extraction [Justeson and Katz 1995] receives the highest rating. However, in terms of a combined quality and coverage metric, the Head Sorting (HS) method, described in [Wacholder 1998], outperforms both other methods, keyword (KW) and TT.
HIV, Homelessness, and Public Health: Critical Issues and a Call for Increased Action

Homelessness and housing instability are significant public health issues that increase the risks of HIV acquisition and transmission and adversely affect the health of people living with HIV. This article highlights the contributions of selected papers in this special issue of AIDS and Behavior and considers them within the broader context of prior research on the associations between housing status and HIV risk, use of HIV medical care, adherence to HIV treatment, and the physical health of HIV-seropositive persons. Special recognition is given to the roles of interrelated health problems, such as substance abuse, poor mental health, and physical and sexual abuse, that often co-occur and exacerbate the challenges faced by those who are homeless or unstably housed. Taken as a whole, the findings indicate a critical need for public health programs to develop strategies that address the fundamental causes of HIV risk among homeless and unstably housed persons and, for those living with HIV, contribute to their risk of disease progression. Such strategies should include “mid-stream” and “upstream” approaches that address the underlying causes of these risks. The successful implementation of these strategies will require leadership and the formation of new partnerships on the part of public health agencies. Such efforts, however, may have significant effects on the individuals and communities most affected by HIV/AIDS.
Composing a Research Life

In this article about her early career development and the experiences that shaped her life as a scholar and researcher, the author describes the work lives of university-based teacher educators and what it means to compose a research life in this field. This article draws on the author's 30 years as a university-based teacher educator. In it, she reflects on some of her early (and later) experiences, focusing in particular on those that most shaped her work as a scholar and writer who was also, and always, simultaneously a practitioner. The article features five lessons learned about the author's composing of a research life in teacher education: locating/positioning oneself; nurturing long-term partnerships; holding on to practitioner perspectives; collaborating across multiple fields, methods, paradigms, and cultures; and, working on what one believes in and cares about. The article concludes with some advice addressed directly to emerging scholars in the field of teacher education.
Intragenomic DNA sequence homologies in the chicken and other members of the classAves: DNA re-association under reduced stringency conditions

We have investigated the intragenomic DNA sequence homologies of twelve species of birds representing five orders, and emphasizing Galliformes. This study differs in two important ways from the classical approaches taken in constructing and evaluating phylogenies based on DNA sequence similarities. Comparisons are made on the basis of sequence homologieswithin genomes of related birds, rather than between genomes. DNA is reassociated at 50°C in 0.5M phosphate buffer; these conditions allow formation and detection of duplexes containing more mismatch than would normally be permitted using more stringent conditions, affording an opportunity to observe more ancient sequence homologies. Thermal stability profiles of DNA duplexes formed under these conditions are the basis of comparison; three general patterns were observed. This approach emphasizes differences in sequence composition between genomes while the more traditional method of intergenomic tracer DNA hybridization at higher stringency emphasizes sequence similarities.
The Characterization Of Structural Disorder In Thin Films At Elevated Temperatures By Spectroscopic Methods

Changes in the IR bandshapes and shifts in frequency can provide an insight into the nature of molecular motion occurring prior to structural reorganization which accompanies a phase transition. In the case of Langmuir-Blodgett films of polymerizable molecules, often there is competition between polymerization and the occurence of structural disorder when monomeric films are subjected to elevated temperatures. To distinguish these two mechanisms, a series of melting experiments on L-B films of cadmium arachidate were under-taken using grazing incidence reflection techniques to assess the change in molecular orientation and order as a function of temperature: the spectroscopic observations being correlated with DSC measurements. Similar thermal and spectroscopic studies of octadecyl-fumarate [H(CH2)100C(0)CHCHC00],Cd indicated that although the resulting polymer was structurally similar to that obtained by UV irradiation at ambient temperature, the orientation of the hydrocarbon side chain and the backbone bridging group (-0C(0)CHCH-) was disrupted owing to the thermal disorder introduced prior to or at the time of polymerization.
The point-to-point connection problem—analysis and algorithms

Abstract The point-to-point connection problem is to find a subset of arcs with minimal total cost connecting a fixed number of source-destination pairs. The problem has many variations for different applications. In this paper, we focus on a case where the source-destination pairs are prematched. We examine the structure of the problem with two source-destination pairs and provide an efficient implementation of a Dijkstra-like algorithm with time complexity O (mn + n 2 log n) . We also provide a dynamic programming algorithm with complexity O (n 11 ) for the case with three source-destination pairs. We conjecture that the same approach can be generalized for p source-destination pairs with complexity O (n 3p + 2 ) where p is fixed.