cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amelioration of Mucositis in Proton Therapy of Fanconi Anemia Fanca-/- Mice by JP4-039.

Background/aim We tested JP4-039, a GS-nitroxide radiation damage mitigator in proton therapy of Fanconi anemia (FA) mice. Materials and methods Fanca-/- and Fanca+/+ bone marrow stromal cells were pre-treated with JP4-039 and irradiated with either protons or photons (0-10 GyRBE) followed by clonogenic survival and β-Galactosidase senescence analysis. Fanca-/- and Fanca+/+ mice were pretreated with JP4-039 for 10 min prior to oropharyngeal irradiation with either protons or photons (0 or 30 GyRBE) followed by sacrifice and measurement of oral cavity ulceration, distant hematopoietic suppression, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Results JP4-039 reduced oral cavity ulceration in Fanca-/- mice, transcripts Nfkb, Ap1, Sp1, and Nrf2, and proton therapy induced distant marrow suppression. Conclusion JP4-039 protected Fanca-/- and Fanca+/+ cells and mouse oral cavity from both proton and photon radiation.
P3HT loaded piezoelectric electrospun fibers for tunable molecular adsorption

Abstract Electrospinning is strongly attractive for the fabrication of fibrous platforms for a wide range of applications like electronic devices, electroactive wearables and wound healing scaffolds. Recently, this versatile, reliable and low-cost technique has been investigated with a wide selection of active materials to fabricate nonwoven meshes to be used as smart filters to control the adsorption/delivery of small molecules. In this work, electrospinning is proposed for the fabrication of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based fibers able to control the adsorption of negatively charged molecules such as Methylene Blue (MB). It is demonstrated that PVDF fibers with pronounced surface roughness – from 126 nm to 1983 nm – are able to adsorb a higher amount of MB than smooth fibers made of PCL, used as a control. Moreover, the integration of a p-type conjugated polymer such as Poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), concurs influencing the adsorption mechanism of MB, mediated by the microscopic interactions among dipolar β phases in PVDF. In addition, an increase of MB absorption was measured in the presence of an externally applied voltage (10 kV), ascribable to the P3HT oxidation change that influences microscopic dipole interactions. Hence, we suggest the use of P3HT/Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) fibers to design new filtering systems able to tune the absorption of negatively charged molecules for environmental and biomedical applications.
Numerical Simulations of the Two-Dimensional Inviscid Hydrostatic Primitive Equations with Humidity and Saturation

The two-dimensional inviscid hydrostatic primitive equations of the atmosphere with humidity and saturation are considered in the presence of topography. The model studied here describes the dynamics of the air or water in order to approximate global atmospheric flows. The heart of the paper is to derive a new set of transformed inviscid primitive equations using a version of the terrain-following coordinate systems and to develop an accurate numerical scheme to the equations. In this regard, a fully discrete numerical algorithm based on a Godunov-type finite volume method is proposed and its convergence tested. We then use this algorithm to simulate the flows above a mountain using the terrain-following coordinate system with a dynamic bottom pressure.
Results of Obturator Foramen Bypass in Patients with Groin Infection and Arterial Involvement.

Background Arterial bypass tunneling via the obturator foramen (OFB) can be performed to circumvent groin infections during lower extremity revascularization. The objective of this study is to report safety and efficacy outcomes of OFB in the setting of infected femoral pseudoaneurysms and infected prosthetic femoral bypass grafts. Methods A multihospital, single-entity healthcare system retrospective review was conducted for all patients who underwent OFB between January 2014 through June 2020. Any patient >18 years of age who underwent OFB in the setting of groin infection with a minimum of 30 days follow-up was included in the trial. Demographic, operative, and clinical characteristics of patients were gathered during chart review. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and R studio. Results Seventeen patients underwent OFB during the defined time-period. Demographic data are presented in the first table (Demographic Characteristics). Mean American Society of Anesthesiologists score was 3.25. Mean estimated blood loss was 500 mL. Mean operative time was 307 min. Mean follow-up time was 8.5 months (range 0–35 months). In total, 41.2% patients underwent fluoroscopic-guided tunneling, and, when compared to blind tunneling, showed no difference in intraoperative complications or operative time (P value 0.3). In total, 52.9% of patients required ICU admission resulting in a mean number of 0.8 ICU days. The overall mean length of stay was 16.8 days. Two major amputations were reported during follow-up. Patient mortality within 30 days was 0%. Primary patency within 30 days was 100%. Intravenous drug use was not associated with an increased number of subsequent groin wound procedures (P value 0.3). Intravenous drug use was not associated with concomitant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection (P value 0.3). Conclusion OFB is a safe and effective surgical option in patients who are unable to undergo anatomic tunneling during lower extremity bypass. OFB is associated with favorable rates of primary patency and amputation-free survival at midterm follow-up.
THE SECOND ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE TRANSIENT IN M31: CHANDRA, HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, AND XMM OBSERVATIONS, AND EVIDENCE FOR AN EXTENDED CORONA

XMMU J004243.6+412519 is a transient X-ray source in M31, first discovered 2012 January 15. Different approaches to fitting the brightest follow-up observation gave luminosities 1.3-2.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 39} erg s{sup -1}, making it the second ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in M31, with a probable black hole accretor. These different models represent different scenarios for the corona: optically thick and compact, or optically thin and extended. We obtained Chandra ACIS and Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys observations of this object as part of our transient monitoring program, and also observed it serendipitously in a 120 ks XMM-Newton observation. We identify an optical counterpart at J2000 position 00:42:43.70 +41:25:18.54; its F435W ({approx}B band) magnitude was 25.97 {+-} 0.03 in the 2012 March 7 observation, and >28.4 at the 4{sigma} level during the 2012 September 7 observation, indicating a low-mass donor. We created two alternative light curves, using the different corona scenarios, finding linear decay for the compact corona and exponential decay for the extended corona; linear decay implies a disk that is >5 mag brighter than we observed. We therefore favor the extended corona scenario, but caution that there is no statistical preference for this model in the X-ray spectramore » alone. Using two empirical relations between the X-ray to optical ratio and the orbital period, we estimate a period of {approx}9-30 hr; this period is consistent with that of the first ULX in M31 (18{sup +5}{sub -6} hr)« less
Puestow’s procedure performed during gastric conduit harvesting

Abstract Esophageal cancer survival has improved owing to improvements in surgical techniques and preoperative chemoradiation. Excessive alcohol consumption is a shared risk factor for esophageal cancer and chronic alcoholic pancreatitis. Puestow’s procedure is a treatment choice for pain relief and pancreatic duct decompression. It is logical to perform Puestow’s procedure on patients undergoing esophagectomy with underlying chronic pancreatitis to preserve pancreatic function and restore quality of life in the setting of improved esophageal cancer overall survival. Herein, we report our preliminary experience with two patients who underwent both of these procedures during the same operation and achieved acceptable outcomes.
Anthropogenic climate change has altered lake state in the Sierra Nevada (California, USA)

Climatic changes threaten freshwater resources and aquatic ecosystem health in the Sierra Nevada (California, USA), which has important consequences for millions of people and the world's fifth largest economy. However, the timing and magnitude of ecological changes driven by hydroclimate oscillations remain poorly understood in California's headwater region. Here, we develop a precisely dated, annually to decadally resolved lake sediment record of ecological change from the eastern Sierra Nevada that spans the last three millennia. Diatom paleoecology reveals a detailed history of abrupt limnologic transitions, best explained by modifications in water column stratification, mixing, and nutrient status in response to changing seasonality. Seasonally stratified conditions were registered during the Late Holocene Dry Period and the Medieval Climate Anomaly, illustrating the sensitivity of fossil diatoms to well-known periods of drought. Yet the most striking feature of the record is the uniqueness of ~1840-2016 CE: a period of singularly strong water column stratification, increased algal diversity, and reduced diatom productivity consistent with unprecedented "hot droughts." The data demonstrate that hot-dry conditions of the Industrial Era altered lake state to conditions unseen in the past ~3180 years, and suggest that regional trends identified by historical monitoring began far earlier than previously recognized. Our record illustrates the profound influence of anthropogenic climate warming on high-elevation lakes and the ecosystem services they provide in the Sierra Nevada, which hold implications for water quality and availability in California.
Pancreas CT Segmentation by Predictive Phenotyping

Pancreas CT segmentation offers promise at understanding the structural manifestation of metabolic conditions. To date, the medical primary record of conditions that impact the pancreas is in the electronic health record (EHR) in terms of diagnostic phenotype data (e.g., ICD-10 codes). We posit that similar structural phenotypes could be revealed by studying subjects with similar medical outcomes. Segmentation is mainly driven by imaging data, but this direct approach may not consider differing canonical appearances with different underlying conditions (e.g., pancreatic atrophy versus pancreatic cysts). To this end, we exploit clinical features from EHR data to complement image features for enhancing the pancreas segmentation, especially in high-risk outcomes. Specifically, we propose, to the best of our knowledge, the first phenotype embedding model for pancreas segmentation by predicting representatives that share similar comorbidities. Such an embedding strategy can adaptively refine the segmentation outcome based on the discriminative contexts distilled from clinical features. Experiments with 2000 patients’ EHR data and 300 CT images with the healthy pancreas, type II diabetes, and pancreatitis subjects show that segmentation by predictive phenotyping significantly improves performance over state-of-the-arts (Dice score 0.775 to 0.791, \(p < 0.05\), Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The proposed method additionally achieves superior performance on two public testing datasets, BTCV MICCAI Challenge 2015 and TCIA pancreas CT. Our approach provides a promising direction of advancing segmentation with phenotype features while without requiring EHR data as input during testing.
Radiomics outperforms clinical factors in characterizing human papilloma virus (HPV) for patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

Purpose:To utilize radiomic features extracted from CT images to characterize Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) for patients with oropharyngeal cancer squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).Methods:One hundred twenty-eight OPSCC patients with known HPV-status (60-HPV+ and 68-HPV-, confirmed by immunohistochemistry-P16-protein testing) were retrospectively studied. Radiomic features (11 feature-categories) were extracted in 3D from contrast-enhanced (CE)-CT images of gross-tumor-volumes using 'in-house' software ('ROdiomiX') developed and validated following the image-biomarker-standardization-initiative (IBSI) guidelines. Six clinical factors were investigated: Age-at-Diagnosis, Gender, Total-Charlson, Alcohol-Use, Smoking-History, and T-Stage. A Least-Absolute-Shrinkage-and-Selection-Operation (Lasso) technique combined with a Generalized-Linear-Model (Lasso-GLM) were applied to perform regularization in the radiomic and clinical feature spaces to identify the ranking of optimal feature subsets with most representative information for prediction of HPV. Lasso-GLM models/classifiers based on clinical factors only, radiomics only, and combined clinical and radiomics (ensemble/integrated) were constructed using random-permutation-sampling. Tests of significance (One-way ANOVA), average Area-Under-Receiver-Operating-Characteristic (AUC), and Positive and Negative Predictive values (PPV and NPV) were computed to estimate the generalization-error and prediction performance of the classifiers.Results:Five clinical factors, including T-stage, smoking status, and age, and 14 radiomic features, including tumor morphology, and intensity contrast were found to be statistically significant discriminators between HPV positive and negative cohorts. Performances for prediction of HPV for the 3 classifiers were: Radiomics-Lasso-GLM: AUC/PPV/NPV=0.789/0.755/0.805; Clinical-Lasso-GLM: 0.676/0.747/0.672, and Integrated/Ensemble-Lasso-GLM: 0.895/0.874/0.844. Results imply that the radiomics-based classifier enabled better characterization and performance prediction of HPV relative to clinical factors, and that the combination of both radiomics and clinical factors yields even higher accuracy characterization and predictive performance.Conclusion:Albeit subject to confirmation in a larger cohort, this pilot study presents encouraging results in support of the role of radiomic features towards characterization of HPV in patients with OPSCC.
Mechanical properties of high strength concrete with scrap tire rubber

Abstract Green construction has been a very important aspect in the concrete production field in the last decade. One of the most problematic waste materials is scrap tires. The use of scrap tires in civil engineering is increasing. This article investigates the effect of using scrap tires in high strength concrete on both the mechanical and dynamic properties. Two different rubberized concrete mixtures were designed. The first set; variable slump (VS) was intended to study the effect of rubber replacement of sand on the workability of concrete. The other set; constant slump (CS) was designed to keep the workability the same. The compressive strength of the concrete was reduced by the use of rubber with more severe loss of strength for VS compared to CS. The viscous damping ratio was investigated using free vibration tests with impact hammer on simply supported beams. The replacement of up to 30% of sand with rubber resulted in an increase in damping with the increase being more in the CS beams as well. The hysteresis damping for cylinders under cyclic loading was also investigated and the average hysteresis damping was found to increase. The results of this article give an insight on the properties of high strength concrete with scrap tire rubber.
CRC Desk Reference on Sports Nutrition

Alphabetical by topic. Sample topics include, Acetylcholine, Aerobic Exercice, Alanine Cycle, Amylose, Anorexia, Anaerobic Threshold, Basal Metabolic Rate, Body Mass Index, Bulimia Nervosa, Caffeine, Carbohydrate, Cholesterol, Chromium, Coenzyme Q. Creatinine, Dehydration, Diabetes Mellitus, Dietary Supplements, Eating Disorders, Fiber, Glucose Polymer, Glycolysis, Heat Exhaustion, Incomplete Protein, Hypertension, Immune System, Iron Deficiency Anemia, Lysine, Macronutrient, Metabolic Rate, Obesity, Ovovegetarian, Pesticides, Retinol, Saturated Fatty Acids, Sport Nutrition, Trace Minerals, Vegetarian, Water Soluble Vitamins, and Zinc, to name just a few.
A Criminal Defendant’s First Bite at the Constitutional Apple: The Eleventh Circuit’s Excessively Deferential Conception of “Adjudication on the Merits” in Childers v. Floyd

On November 13, 2013, in Childers v. Floyd, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit found that Wyon Childers had failed to rebut the presumption that his Confrontation Clause claim was adjudicated on the merits. In this case, and a previous decision that led to it, the court conducted its habeas corpus review using a highly-deferential and vague conception of the threshold “adjudicated on the merits” inquiry. This Comment argues that the Eleventh Circuit and other circuits should reexamine their standards for determining whether federal claims have been adjudicated on the merits by state courts in order to align themselves with U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence and to provide a more accurate and just standard to the federal district courts.
Intercalation of Tetrathiafulvalene and Related Molecules into FeCl

Intercalation of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), tetramethyltetrathiafulvalene (TMTTF), tetrathiatetracene (ITT), and tetrathianaphthalene into FeOCl increases the electrical conductivity (pressed powder) by ~103 over that of pristine FeOCl (~10-6 (Ω-cm)-1). Standard four-probe single crystal conductivity measurements on the FeOCl.TTF1/9 intercalate show that conductivity in the plane of the FeOCl layers ~103 times greater than that perpendicular to the plane. These novel low-dimensional materials are semiconductors with band gaps of 0.30 – 0.45 eV. EXAFS spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction studies of the TTF, TTT and TTN intercalates provide a consistent picture of the orientation of the intercalated radical cations within the FeOCl layers. The intercalants are tilted at an angle 0 from the perpendicular to the FeOCl layers (θ = 25 ± 5° for TTF, 30 ± 5° for TTT, TTN). For the TTT and TTN intercalates, the radical cations are tilted at an additional angle θ (θ = 31 ± 5°) from the plane of the FeOCl layers. The synthesis, physical properties, and structures of these and other FeOCl intercalates will be discussed and compared to those of known organic metals.
Transaction Management in Engineering Databases

The assumptions and procedures of engineering design are fundamentally different from those of business applications and result in quite different needs with regard to database system requirements. One important difference is in the assumptions regarding integrity. In business, it is assumed that a database has complete integrity during all quiescent periods. In engineering design, in contrast, integrity does not exist for a database until design is almost complete. In a previous paper, we developed a revised definition of transaction that explicitly allows partial integrity. A management scheme, called entity state transaction management, was proposed that deals with both the partial ordering of transactions and the contention for shared information resources. The extension of this technique for application to large engineering problems is explored in this paper, with the development of a significant example.
Transnational Surrogacy and International Human Rights

Transnational surrogacy is becoming increasingly commercial, drawing on a wide range of domestic laws, including some notably lax domestic laws, and dramatically disparate economic circumstances, to create new families. Part I of this Article introduces the subject and explains why the domestic family laws of the participating states are inadequate to address it. Part II explains how international human rights law, especially three major human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (“ICESCR” or the “Economic Covenant”), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW” or the “Women’s Convention”) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (“CRC”) provides some useful guidelines. While none of these treaties explicitly address surrogacy, they each address rights crucial in this context, including the right to health, the right to support, the right to know one’s origins, and the right to a family. The argument here is that, at the very least, where surrogacy is allowed, the protections of well-established human rights norms should be assured. In some cases, this may be accomplished through regulation or contractual provisions, such as the assurance for the gestational mother of free pre-natal care. In other cases, this may be more difficult, such as treatment for as yet unknown conditions that may result from the hormonal treatments necessary for surrogacy. If, for any reason, such assurances are impossible, surrogacy should be barred as a violation of human rights.
Biosynthesis of 3'-deoxyadenosine by Cordyceps militaris. Mechanism of reduction.

Abstract The biosynthesis of 3′-deoxyadenosine (cordycepin) by Cordyceps militaris has been investigated using [U- 14 C] adenosine and [3- 3 H] ribose. Crystallization of the resulting radioactive 3′-deoxyadenosine to a constant specific activity showed incorporation of both labeled compounds. A control showed that the 3 H : 14 C ratio of the AMP isolated from the RNA was the same as the 3 H : 14 C ratio in the 3′-deoxyadenosine. The 14 C ratio in the adenine : ribose of the [U- 14 C] adenosine added to the 3′-deoxyadenosine producing cultures of C. militaris and of the isolated 3′-deoxyadenosine was the same, e.g. 50 : 50. These data provide strong evidence that adenosine in converted to 3′-deoxyadenosine without hydrolysis of the N-riboside bond. Degradation of the 3-deoxyribose from 3′-deoxyadenosine showed that the 3 H was retained on carbon-3. These results suggest that the formation of 3′-deoxyadenosine may proceed by a reductive mechanism similar to that for the formation of 2′-deoxynucleotides.
An Interview with Sherman Alexie

On a rare sunny Seattle day, Sherman Alexie's manager offered me my choice of soda or bottled water and gave me a tour of Alexie's three-room office, a good-looking rooftop space with a deck that overlooks the tony community of Bellevue. Some worlds may contrast more starkly with Alexie's boyhood home on the Coeur d'Ale?e Indian Reservation, but not many. Alexie arrived late, comfortable in cotton, hair pulled back in a loose pony tail. As we introduced ourselves his smile hid a sense of weary obligation? this poet, fiction writer and filmmaker has many projects to promote. Though he became quite friendly after a few questions, at first his manner seemed to suggest, "Let's get to it."
Positioning and photo-mosaicking with long image sequences; comparison of selected methods

Despite limited range, high resolution and data rate are among factors motivating the investigation of vision-based technologies in support of unmanned submersible platform operations. Among many, automatic vision-guided station keeping, localization and navigation, photo-mosaicking and 3D mapping comprise application areas of special interest. The core issue in realizing these capabilities is to know with high accuracy the motion and (or) position of the vehicle. Over the last decade, a small, but growing, group of research centers have committed an extensive effort in underwater vision activities. Methods based on various approaches in motion vision- e.g., correlation-based, feature-based, optical flow-based, or direct are being developed and implemented in support of different applications on specialized platforms that may simultaneously utilize other sensors for positioning. This makes it somewhat difficult, for user groups unfamiliar with the methodologies or technologies, to evaluate the capabilities of these vision systems. The main motivation for this work was to carry out and report the results of experiments with various techniques for positioning and mosaicking, on the same data set.
Creating a mixed-signal simulation capability for concurrent IC design and test program development

The ability to link mixed-signal IC design and test databases can shorten product development cycles in multiple ways. By allowing designers to simulate device tests and by giving test engineers access to the results, such a link promotes testability from the earliest stages of design, and generates data usable in test program development. Moreover, by enabling test program development to take place in simulation, design/test integration frees test engineers to both work in parallel with designers rather than having to wait for a fabricated device, and to debug test programs and hardware off-line at a workstation rather than waiting for time on a busy test system. This paper describes the development of both the test instrument models required for a design simulator to generate device test data, and of software links to let the design simulator share data with the test programming environment. The resulting integration supports concurrent design and test engineering efforts in developing new mixed-signal IC products. >
A Review of “Cheap Meat: Flap Food Nations in the Pacific Islands”

In Cheap Meat: Flap Food Nations in the Pacific Islands, Deborah Gewertz and Frederick Errington explore the transformative processes of food trade systems. Eating, as so many anthropologists, jour...
Mexican Rural Development and the Plumed Serpent: Technology and Maya Cosmology in the Tropical Forest of Campeche, Mexico

Mexican Rural Development and the Plumed Serpent: Technology and Maya Cosmology in the Tropical Forest of Campeche, Mexico. Betty Bernice Faust. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey, 1998. 190 pp.
Error resilient video transmission over wireless networks

An error resilient architecture for video transmission over mobile wireless networks is presented. Radio link layer, transport layer, and application layer are combined to deal with high error rate in wireless environments. The algorithms for both sender and receiver are given. An adaptive algorithm is presented to automatically adjust parity data length in error control. The performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed through experimental studies.
Changes in soil properties under intermittent water application

A simple laboratory method was developed to measure changes in saturated hydraulic conductivity and bulk density as affected by intermittent saturating and draining of soil columns. Significant changes in soil properties were measured after intermittent wetting and draining. Laboratory experiments showed significant changes in bulk density and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil samples during drainage period following saturation of initially dried samples. The rate of changes in soil properties during the drainage period was a function of soil type and degree of desaturation. The effect of intermittent application of water in reducing the soil hydraulic conductivity and subsequently the infiltration rate was verified in the field by measuring the changes in soil intake rate during intermittent (Surge-flow) irrigation.
Matching regions adjacent to the core of a phase-slip center

Abstract Numerical computations reveal matching regions with non-exponential electric-field penetration adjacent to the core of a phase-slip center in a homogeneous superconducting-filament driven by a constant current. They become significant once the coherence length is smaller than the quasiparticle-diffusion length. Processes inside the core and voltage oscillations are then only weakly influenced by charge imbalance.
An asymptotic anaylsis of a transient p-n -junction model

In this paper we carry out an asymptotic analysis of the system of differential equations describing the transient behavior of a p-n-junction device (i.e., a diode). We determine the different time scales present in the equations and investigate which of them actually occur in physical situations. We derive asymptotic expansions of the solution and perform some numerical experiments.
A positron accumulator

Abstract A design for a two-stage positron accumulator is presented. The first stage employs remoderation cooling of positrons while the second stage utilizes electron cooling. The device is designed to produce intense pulses of positrons at low repetition rates (1–100 Hz). Preliminary results from tests on the first stage are presented.
Vertical single-?and double-walled carbon nanotubes grown from modified porous anodic alumina templates

Vertical single-walled and double-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT and DWNT) arrays have been grown using a catalyst embedded within the pore walls of a porous anodic alumina (PAA) template. The initial film structure consisted of a SiOx adhesion layer, a Ti layer, a bottom Al layer, a Fe layer, and a top Al layer deposited on a Si wafer. The Al and Fe layers were subsequently anodized to create a vertically oriented pore structure through the film stack. CNTs were synthesized from the catalyst layer by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The resulting structure is expected to form the basis for development of vertically oriented CNT-based electronics and sensors.
Vocal communication in a neotropical treefrog, Hyla ebraccata: responses of females to advertisement and aggressive calls

We investigated the functions of different elements of the complex vocal repertoire of the Panamanian treefrog Hyla ebraccata by testing the responses of females to synthetic advertisement and aggressive calls in two-choice playback experiments. In tests of single-note advertisement calls presented at different rates, females preferred faster calling rates, regardless of the absolute rate of the stimuli. In tests of single-note advertisement and aggressive calls, females preferred advertisement calls. Addition of secondary click notes to aggressive calls made the calls more attractive to females, but multi-note advertisement calls were preferred over multi-note aggressive calls. When females were given a choice of multi-note advertisement calls and single-note calls of the same total duration, they showed no preference. This suggests that multi-note calls are preferred over normal single-note calls because of their longer total duration. When the same experiment was performed with aggressive calls, females showed a strong preference for multi-note calls. This indicates that long aggressive calls, such as those given by males in close-range encounters, may entail some cost to the male in reduced attractiveness to females. Males apparently reduce the costs of aggressive calling by adding click notes to aggressive calls, by giving aggressive calls only when nearby males do so, and by establishing spatial relationships in the chorus before females begin to choose mates.
A Peek Under the Engine Hood: The Methodology of Subnational Economic Governance Indices

In recent years, The Asia Foundation (The Foundation) has conducted a series of Economic Governance Indexes (EGIs) in countries throughout South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. EGIs are country-specific diagnostic tools used to assess and rank sub-national units (provinces, states, districts, etc.) on various aspects of their regulatory environments.This article reviews the basic theoretical and programmatic rationale for the EGI. The overall rationale for this tool stems from the idea that economic governance impacts private sector development – independent of structural endowments such as location, infrastructure, and human capital. Therefore, good economic governance practices explain why some sub-national units out-perform others in spite of having similar initial endowments. EGIs have become an important tool to provide relevant economic governance information to policy makers, business leaders and citizens. Examining the methodological principles underlying the index approach, this article also describes how the three primary EGI methodological elements anticipate potential pitfalls and how they have been addressed within the methodology
Diffraction Effects in Stimulated Raman Scattering.

The reconciliation of theoretical predictions with experimental results suggests that a more accurate description of the phenomenon is made by progressively adding what could at first be considered terms of secondary importance into the theoretical exposition of the problem. One such "secondary" physical effect which has enjoyed much renewed interest within the last decade, in the field of non—linear optics, is diffraction. Its study is important because diffraction is a natural consequence of wave propagation. Although the initiating mechanisms are well known (i.e., finite beam width to wavelength ratio), the consequences are often not as well understood. In order to simplify the analysis diffraction effects are often neglected
The use of different measurements and definitions of periodontal disease in the study of the association between periodontal disease and risk of myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of periodontal disease as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been under debate because of the inconsistency of findings across studies. One of the major issues is the method used to assess or define periodontal disease. The present study assesses if the observed association between periodontal disease and incident myocardial infarction (MI) depends on the measurements and/or criteria used to define periodontal disease. Methods: A population-based case-control study to evaluate the association between PD and risk of MI was conducted between 1997 and 2001 in Western New York with 537 cases and 800 controls, aged 35 to 69 years. Cases were survivors of incident MI from local hospitals in Erie and Niagara counties. Controls were randomly selected from residents of the same counties. Periodontal disease was assessed using interproximal clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), alveolar crest height (ACH), and number of missing teeth. From these measurements, four different case definitions of periodontal disease were created. Results: Using the continuous forms of periodontal measurements, the odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval) of the association with incident MI were 1.46 (1.26 to 1.69), 2.19 (1.66 to 2.89), 1.30 (1.14 to 1.49), and 1.04 (1.02 to 1.07) for mean CAL, PD, ACH, and number of missing teeth, respectively. Regardless of the case definition of periodontal disease, the estimates of the association with incident MI were statistically significant. Conclusions: The observed association between periodontal disease and incident MI was consistent across different measurements and/or case definitions of periodontal disease used. The magnitude of the association varies depending on the measurements or the criteria used to define periodontal disease.
A collocation-finite difference procedure for an elliptic partial differential equation

Abstract A numerical technique to solve a second order, linear, elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) is presented. Collocation is used in one coordinate direction to reduce the PDE to a set of coupled ODE. A second order finite-difference procedure is used to solve this system of ODE. Collocation is useful in emphasizing selected areas of the field and in obtaining accurate integrations over the field. Extensions of the procedure to non-linear problems, coupled PDE, and solutions with analytically identifiable singularities are discussed.
The reconstruction of objects from shadowgraphs with high contrasts

Abstract It is demonstrated that the presence of regions with high contrast in the projections can seriously alter the performance of algorithms designed for the reconstruction of objects from their shadowgraphs. The demonstration uses two test patterns: one based on a cross section of the thorax, the other based on a cross section of the head. An algebraic reconstruction technique is proposed, which is capable of reconstructing such cross sections with reasonable accuracy from a limited number of projections. The method is compared with an earlier algebraic technique, the iterative least squares method and two versions of the convolution method.
An introductory review of cell mechanobiology.

Mechanical loads induce changes in the structure, composition, and function of living tissues. Cells in tissues are responsible for these changes, which cause physiological or pathological alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM). This article provides an introductory review of the mechanobiology of load-sensitive cells in vivo, which include fibroblasts, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells. Many studies have shown that mechanical loads affect diverse cellular functions, such as cell proliferation, ECM gene and protein expression, and the production of soluble factors. Major cellular components involved in the mechanotransduction mechanisms include the cytoskeleton, integrins, G proteins, receptor tyrosine kinases, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and stretch-activated ion channels. Future research in the area of cell mechanobiology will require novel experimental and theoretical methodologies to determine the type and magnitude of the forces experienced at the cellular and sub-cellular levels and to identify the force sensors/receptors that initiate the cascade of cellular and molecular events
To the editor [on the proposed index of G-AP Symposium papers]

I would like to see the proposed index of G-AP Symposium papers published and would be wiWng to pay three dollors for it. In my opinion, a list of PhD dissertations and authors is of relatively lower value to a majority of G-AP members in comparison to an orderly sequence of clear tutorial' and/or expository papers, which would provide the background necessary to derive full value from the papers now being published.
FTIR analysis of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor secondary structure in reconstituted membranes

Using Fourier-transform infrared resonance spectroscopy, we examined the structure of the purified Torpedo californica nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in reconstituted dioleoylphosphatidylcholine membranes in H2O and D2O. Using the amide-I band, we calculated the secondary structure of nAChR in H2O to be approx. 19% α-helix, 42% β-structure, 24% turns and 15% unordered. The secondary structure content in D2O was estimated to be 14% α-helix, 37% β-structure, 29% turns and 20% unordered. In the presence of phosphatidic acid the β-structure content in D2O increased significantly from 37% to 42%. This suggests that an ionic interaction between negatively-charged lipid head groups and positively-charged peptide side chains may stabilize a β-structure conformation that is necessary for receptor function. The inclusion of cholesterol in the reconstituted membranes significantly increased the α-helix content from 14% to 17%. These results support the hypothesis that cholesterol may induce a transmembrane region to undergo a unordered-to-helix transition which is necessary to maintain the integrity of the ion channel. Additionally, we found that nAChR did not undergo major secondary structure changes when subjected to conditions that induce desensitization. This is consistent with the view that the mechanism of desensitization consists of small quaternary rearrangements of the subunits rather than large changes in receptor secondary structure.
Moment closure by Monte Carlo simulation and moment sensitivity factors

Abstract A new closure method is developed to calculate moments of the state vector X of a non-linear system subjected to Gaussian white noise. The method can be applied to a broad class of non-linear random vibration problems and uses two sources of information: (1) samples of X generated by Monte Carlo simulation to estimate lower order moments of this process and (2) moment equations corresponding to a specified closure level to find higher order moments of X . No heuristic arguments are used to close the moment equations. Error bounds, second moment properties of the estimated moments of X , and confidence intervals on these moments are developed to measure the performance of the proposed method. Two examples are presented to illustrate the use of the proposed method and evaluate its performance relative to Monte Carlo simulation and classical closure solution.
Alternating Magnetic Field Controlled, Multifunctional Nano-Reservoirs: Intracellular Uptake and Improved Biocompatibility

Biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles hold great therapeutic potential, but conventional particles can be toxic. Here, we report the synthesis and alternating magnetic field dependent actuation of a remotely controllable, multifunctional nano-scale system and its marked biocompatibility with mammalian cells. Monodisperse, magnetic nanospheres based on thermo-sensitive polymer network poly(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate were synthesized using free radical polymerization. Synthesized nanospheres have oscillating magnetic field induced thermo-reversible behavior; exhibiting desirable characteristics comparable to the widely used poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-based systems in shrinkage plus a broader volumetric transition range. Remote heating and model drug release were characterized for different field strengths. Nanospheres containing nanoparticles up to an iron concentration of 6 mM were readily taken up by neuron-like PC12 pheochromocytoma cells and had reduced toxicity compared to other surface modified magnetic nanocarriers. Furthermore, nanosphere exposure did not inhibit the extension of cellular processes (neurite outgrowth) even at high iron concentrations (6 mM), indicating minimal negative effects in cellular systems. Excellent intracellular uptake and enhanced biocompatibility coupled with the lack of deleterious effects on neurite outgrowth and prior Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of PEG-based carriers suggest increased therapeutic potential of this system for manipulating axon regeneration following nervous system injury.
Induction of adenylate cyclase sensitive dopamine D2-receptors in retinoic acid induced differentiated human neuroblastoma SHSY-5Y cells

Dopamine D2 receptor (D2-receptor) expression and its coupling to Gi sensitive adenylate cyclase was investigated in human neuroblastoma SHSY-5Y cells. Incubation of SHSY-5Y cells in the presence of 100 nM retinoic acid (RA) for 24 hours resulted in phenotypic differentiation accompanied by a 47% increase in D2-receptor mRNA and a significant increase in the specific binding of a D2-receptor antagonist, [3H]YM09151-2. Stimulation of D2-receptors in differentiated cells by LY171-555, a D2-agonist, attenuated cellular cAMP levels by 30%. The effect of LY171-555 on cAMP levels was blocked by the D2-antagonist, (-)sulpride. Application of these drugs to control undifferentiated cells or differentiated cells incubated with vehicle only had no effect on cellular cAMP levels. These studies suggest that differentiated SHSY-5Y cells express functional D2-receptors and will provide a useful model for future studies on the regulation of expression and function of D2-receptors in cellular differentiation of neuronal cells.
DO UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS PLAY BY THE RULES?: MERITOCRACY IN THE MEDIA

The way that immigration is talked about in the public sphere has direct bearing on the ways that health, education, legal, and political institutions enact policies to deal with this phenomenon. Looking at the major media output on questions of access to higher education for undocumented immigrant youth in Massachusetts, this study shows the prevalence of a set of frames related to meritocratic ideologies. Meritocracy, as an ideology of inequality, served economically established populations to justify inequalities in society in a Black and White America, and it is now used to justify the segregation of new waves of immigration. Vilifying this population for being ‘illegal’, not having the right ‘moral character’ and integrity, the discourse ultimately brands them as deserving the status of second class citizens. Furthermore, this discourse decontextualizes the global phenomenon of immigration, obscuring its relationship to the conditions of the global capitalist economy, the context of global relations ...
Increased prevalence of val66met BDNF genotype among subjects with cervical dystonia

Abnormalities of cortical representational maps and their plasticity have been described in dystonia. A common polymorphism for BDNF has been associated with abnormal cortical plasticity, and thus might contribute to pathogenesis of dystonia in some subjects. As a first step towards this suggestion, the current study examined the prevalence of this polymorphism. BDNF genotype was examined in 34 subjects with cervical dystonia, 54 age-matched healthy controls, and 53 subjects with a different movement disorder, Parkinson's disease. ApoE genotype, known to influence neurological outcome in some conditions, was also examined as a control. In subjects with cervical dystonia, the val(66)met polymorphism was approximately twice as prevalent when compared to either control group. This was not true of ApoE genotype, which was similarly distributed across subject groups. The current findings suggest that the BDNF val(66)met polymorphism might play a role in the pathogenesis of cervical dystonia in some subjects.
Activation of Ca2+/Calmodulin‐Dependent Protein Kinase II by Extracellular Calcium in Cultured Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons

The ability of various stimuli to convert Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) into a Ca2+-independent (autonomous) form was examined in cultured embryonic rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons. The most effective stimulation by far was observed when cells were equilibrated in buffer containing low extracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]o) (approximately 50 nM) and then shifted to normal [Ca2+]o (approximately 1.26 mM) by addition of CaCl2 (referred to as "Ca2+ stimulation"). Virtually complete (>90%) conversion of the kinase to the autonomous form occurred within 30-50 s, with a return to baseline within 5 min. By contrast, depolarization of cells with high [K+] or treatment with glutamate or a Ca2+ ionophore caused insignificant increases (<10%) in levels of the autonomous form. The Ca2+-stimulated increase in CaMKII autonomy coincided with a two- to threefold increase in kinase subunit phosphorylation. In the first 40 s of Ca2+ stimulation, 32P incorporation into the immunoprecipitated subunits of CaMKII occurred exclusively on threonine residues, including Thr286Thr287 of the alpha/beta subunits. Longer incubation of cells resulted in a decline of phosphothreonine content, whereas levels of phosphoserine-containing peptides showed a significant increase. The activation of CaMKII by Ca2+ stimulation was accompanied by only a small rise in intracellular [Ca2+]. Inhibitor studies showed that Na+-dependent action potentials and Ca2+ influx through glutamate receptors or voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels did not contribute to the activation. Moreover, CaMKII was not activated by extracellular addition of other cations, including Mn2+, Mg2+, Co2+, or Gd3+. Although the mechanism of Ca2+ stimulation is presently unclear, it may involve either activation of extracellular calcium receptors or capacitative calcium entry. The dramatic rise in CaMKII autonomy and the Ca2+ selectivity of the response suggest a direct and specific relationship between [Ca2+]o and the state of activation of the kinase in intact neurons.
Monte Carlo renormalization-group study of the dynamics of an unstable state.

The kinetics of an order-disorder transition is studied by Monte Carlo renormalization-group methods. The block-spin transformation acts to renormalize both the growing domains and the moving interfaces separating them. After several iterations, the growth is found to be self-similar under a simultaneous rescaling of space and time. The growth law for the average size of domains is then determined by a matching condition. Good agreement with the results of previous studies is obtained.