cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Islam and Muslims in the Southern Territories of the Philippine Islands During the American Colonial Period (1898 to 1946)

The United States gained authority over the Philippine Islands as a result of the Spanish American War (1898) and the Treaty of Paris (1899), which recognized American wartime territorial gains. Prior to that time the Spanish had general authority over the northern region of the Islands down to the Visayas, which they had ruled from their capital at Manila on Luzon for nearly three hundred years. The population in that Spanish zone was Christianized as a product of deliberate Spanish policy during that time frame. The area to the south, encompassing much of the island of Mindanao and all of the Sulu Archipelago, was under Spanish military control at the time of the Spanish American War (1898), having been taken over in the previous fifteen years by a protracted military campaign. This southern territory was held by the presence of Spanish military units in a series of strong forts located throughout the settled areas, but clear control over the society was quite weak and, in fact, collapsed after the American naval victory at Manila Bay. The United States did not establish its own presence in much of the southern region until 1902. It based its claim over the region on the treaty with the Spanish, and other colonial powers recognized that claim as legitimate.1 The southern region was inhabited by related ethnic groups, of the same Malay stock as those in the northern region, but they had escaped the direct political control and Christianization policies of the Spanish. They exhibited a culture that was generally common to their region, which was heavily Malay in societal characteristics and language affinity and Islamic in religion. The Spanish referred to all these peoples who were Muslim as "Moros" after the Moors, that is, the Arab and Berber Muslims who were driven out of Spain and Portugal in the late fifteenth century after a stay of some eight centuries. The term connoted cultural, political and religious competition and enmity. Americans quickly adopted the term Moros without all the meaning the Spanish gave the term, although there soon arose some similar understandings as Americans came to deal with the resistance Muslims put forward to thwart American attempts to exercise control over the populations and territory of Mindanao and Sulu. Local peoples in the region
Spinoza as an Expounder, Critic, and ‘Reformer’ of Descartes

In the standard Spinoza literature, accounts of why he wrote his first book – the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy (1663) – and of its intellectual impact tend to be fairly brief and straightforw...
Favorable Outcome From A Locked-In State Despite Extensive Pontine Infarction By MRI

Introduction Outcome prediction of patients who are in a locked-in state is challenging. Extensive pontine infarction on diffusion weighted imaging MRI (DWI) has been proposed as a poor prognosticator. We report on three patients with a locked-in state with unexpected favorable recoveries despite DWI evidence of widespread pontine ischemia.
Mucin-producing cholangiocarcinoma: Clinical experience of 24 cases in 16 years

Objective Mucin-producing cholangiocarcinoma (MPCC) is an uncommon biliary tract malignancy. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the clinical presentations, associated diseases, the value of tumor markers, and treatment and prognosis of MPCC. Material and methods The study included 24 MPCC cases (7 M, 17 F) from 132 histopathology-proven cholangiocarcinoma patients seen between 1988 and 2003. MPCC and non-mucin-producing cholangiocarcinoma (non-MPCC) were compared. Results Common clinical symptoms and signs included epigastric or right upper quadrant pain, fever and chills, jaundice, and anemia. Seventeen patients had mucobilia in surgical, cholangiographic, or CT findings. Biliary stones were found in 71% of MPCC patients. In detecting MPCC, a serum CA-19-9 level >120 U/ml had 73% sensitivity, 41% specificity, 25% positive predictive value, 85% negative predictive value, and 48% accuracy in the 132 cholangiocarcinoma patients. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates were 44.3%, 33....
Collaborative Peer Writing Groups.

Recently educators have recognized the value of teaching writing by using collaborative peer writing groups. This article describes a variety of collaborative writing strategies teachers can employ within the four subprocesses of writing: prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing. Guidelines for teaching peers to work collaboratively also are presented.
Causal relationship between exports and economic growth: some empirical evidence in Taiwan, Japan and the US

Causal relationships between exports and economic growth are tested for Taiwan, the US and Japan. The variables are stationarized. The method of Hsiao (1979) is employed in finding the direction of causation. Wald and likelihood ratio tests confirm that exports growth in the US, and a feedback causal relationship exists in Japan. only terms of trade causes economic growth in Japan.
Target detection based on multiresolution fractal analysis

SAR imaging has been extensively used in several applications including automatic target detection and recognition. In this paper, a wavelet/fractal (WF)-based target detection technique is presented. The technique computes a fractal-based feature on an edge image, as opposed to existing fractal methods that compute the fractal dimension on the original image. The edge image is produced through the use of wavelets. The technique is evaluated for target detection in SAR images, and compared with a previous fractal-based approach, namely the extended fractal (EF) model. Experimental results illustrate that WF provides lower false alarm rates for the same probability of detection compared to EF. Furthermore, it is shown that WF provides higher spatial resolution capabilities for the detection of closely located targets.
Squamous cell carcinoma arising in mature cystic teratoma of the ovary: a case series and review of the literature.

Abstract Objectives. Malignant transformation of mature cystic teratomas is rare, with squamous cell carcinoma being the most common type. The prognosis is generally poor when disease has spread beyond the ovary. We conducted this study to review our experience with this disease and describe our current treatment modality. Methods. During a 22-year period (1983–2005), we identified 17 women treated for squamous cell carcinoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary. All pathologic diagnoses were confirmed at our institution. A retrospective chart review and comprehensive review of the literature were conducted. Results. The median age was 55 (mean, 54.8; range, 37–75). Eight cases were stage I, 5 were stage II, and 4 were stage III. Mean tumor size was 14.2 cm. All patients underwent surgery, with positive lymph nodes noted in 0 of 10 cases that included lymph node dissection. Ten patients received adjuvant treatment—6 with chemotherapy and 4 with chemoradiation. Six patients had recurrent disease in the pelvis after adjuvant treatment. Four patients died of disease. The overall 1-year survival rate was 60%. The 4 patients with stages IA–IIB disease treated with adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation survived at 12–56 months' follow-up. Conclusions. Squamous carcinomas arising in mature cystic teratomas are commonly large ovarian tumors that occur in perimenopausal women and often present as an incidental pathologic finding. While the prognosis seems highly dependent on surgical stage, there is a lack of consensus in the literature regarding adjuvant treatment. Platinum-based chemotherapy with pelvic radiation may be a reasonable adjuvant therapy for early-stage disease.
Differential effects of ageing on cytokine and chemokine responses during type-1 (Mycobacterial) and type-2 (Schistosomal) pulmonary granulomatous inflammation in mice

Cytokine and chemokine responses during anamnestic type-1 and type-2 lung granuloma formation were evaluated in mice at 6,12,18 and 24-months of age. Lesions were induced by embolizing Sepharose beads coupled to Mycobacterium bovis purified protein derivative or soluble Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens. Type-1 inflammation was reduced by 18 months, whereas type-2 granulomas not until 24 months of age. In type-1 draining lymph nodes cultures, interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) declined to a nadir by 18, and then partly recovered at 24 months. In contrast, IL-4 was not significantly impaired in type-2 cultures until 24 months. Type-1 and 2 node cultures also displayed decreased IL-13, but paradoxically enhanced IL-5 production at 24 months. Chemokine transcripts in granulomatous lungs displayed age-related alterations. In the type-1 response, CXCL9 (monokine-induced by IFNgamma) declined with age then partly recovered at 24 months parallelling lymph node IFNgamma levels. Transcripts for MIP-2/CXCL2, IP-10/CXCL10, MCP-1/CCL2, and MCP-5/CCL12 increased at 24 months. In the type-2 response MCP-1/CCL2, MCP-3/CCL7, MCP-5/CCL12 and TARC/CCL17 collapsed at 24 months paralleling local IL-4 transcript levels, yet some chemokine transcripts such as KC/CXCL1 and eotaxin/CCL11 were unaffected. These findings suggest that cytokine and chemokine responses degrade differentially with age shifting Th1/Th2 crossregulatory pressures and local expression of chemokines.
Seismic risk analysis and decisions for nuclear power plants

Abstract Seismic risk analysis and associated sensitivity studies constitute a part of the Seismic Safety Margins Research Program being conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although seismic risks are an important contributor to the total nuclear risk, the occurrence of earthquake-related seismic phenomena is low. Safety decisions involving seismic hazards must be made, however. This paper briefly described several categories of decisions that can be made using seismic risk analysis. While risk analysis does not provide all the information required for these decisions, it is a useful tool in that it provides additional information for the decision-making process. We anticipate a growing interest in the use of seismic risk analysis in nuclear safety evaluations.
Reachability, persistence, and constructive chemical reaction networks (part III): a mathematical formalism for binary enzymatic networks and application to persistence

Chemical Reaction Network Theory is concerned with understanding the properties of systems of reactions from their structure. Enzymatic networks receive significant attention in the field because they are crucial in biochemistry and often illustrate the network features that are studied. In this paper we propose a formalism for binary enzymatic networks which can be used to research their mathematical properties. The networks are binary in that every enzyme-substrate complex consists of one enzyme and one substrate. Many connected concepts, e.g. futile enzymatic cycles and enzymatic cascades, are defined rigorously and so as to reflect the corresponding biochemical phenomena. We prove that binary enzymatic networks that are futile and cascaded are vacuously persistent: no species will tend to extinction if all species are implicitly present at initial time. This result extends prior work of Angeli, De Leenheer and Sontag in which a theorem was applied to show that certain particular enzymatic networks are persistent. This paper completes a series of three articles. It applies both the first paper which studies vacuous persistence and the second paper which describes a formalism for species composition.
Substrate temperatures of liquid nitrogen cooled multichip modules utilizing wirebonded die

Substrate temperatures for liquid nitrogen cooled MCM assemblies utilizing wire-bonded chips were investigated to determine the thermal limits for using superconducting chip-to-chip interconnects. A boiling curve was obtained for this configuration from Sandia's ATC-03 assembly test chips using integral surface resistance heaters and diode thermometers which indicated that 23 W/cm/sup 2/ could be dissipated by nucleate boiling before the onset of film boiling at 90 K, 13/spl deg/C above nitrogen's 77 K boiling point at atmospheric pressure. This measured boiling curve was incorporated into a finite-element model of an array of face-up 1 cm/sup 2/ silicon chips on an MgO substrate and used to predict the temperature on the surface of the interconnecting substrate as a function of chip power dissipation, distribution of the powered area on the chip, and chip separation. ICs on such an MCM should not be operated in the film boiling regime because temperature fluctuations peaking as high as 118 K could propagate from the upper surface of the chips, through the silicon and die attach material and down to the superconducting interconnects. Therefore the onset of film boiling anywhere on the assembly represents an upper limit of power dissipation for the system. 1 cm/sup 2/ chips separated by 2 mm could dissipate 30 W each before film boiling began in the middle of the top of the chips resulting in a maximum substrate temperature of 89.8 K directly under that spot. Since film boiling in this closest-packed configuration begins at a temperature in the vicinity of Tc for YBCO systems, decreasing critical current density may limit the operating temperature of these interconnects before the onset of film boiling on the chips. Superconductors based on thallium or mercury have sufficient headroom to avoid this further limitation.
Effects of Hcm-Linked Mutations in Myosin Essential Light Chain and the Role of Serine-195 Pseudo-Phosphorylation

In this study we investigated whether phosphorylation of myosin ELC at Serine 195, identified by proteomic analysis as a novel phosphorylation site, and shown to affect contractility in zebrafish cardiomyocytes, can play a role in cardiac muscle contraction. We also investigated whether S195D pseudo phosphorylation of ELC could rescue an ELC induced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) phenotype. To test this, we exchanged human recombinant WT-ELC, WT-S195D and ELC-A57G, E143K and M173V mutants in skinned porcine papillary muscle fibers and porcine cardiac myosin, both expressing the β-myosin heavy chain (MHC). In myosin exchange experiments, we observed a stronger binding of WT-S195D to MHC (lower Kd), but the degree of ELC exchange vs. WT was significantly lower (∼48% vs. ∼69%). However, no changes in %-reconstitution were observed among all recombinant ELC mutants when compared to WT. In the ELC-reconstituted fibers, WT-S195D was seen to exchange with a significantly lower efficiency compared with WT (∼33% vs 47%), but it also caused a small increase in maximal force (by ∼3 kN/m2). An increase in maximal tension upon pseudo-phosphorylation of ELC was in accord with the MLCK-induced or pseudo (with S15D mutation)-phosphorylation observed for the myosin RLC. However, a WT-S195D-mediated increase in force was not accompanied by any increase in myofilament calcium sensitivity, as observed in RLC studies. Maximal force generation was not changed in any of ELC-reconstituted fibers when compared to WT-ELC. Two ELC mutants (A57G and E143K) slightly (but significantly) increased Ca2+-sensitivity of force while M173V produced no change. Further studies are needed to reveal whether these subtle changes seen in A57G and E143K-exchanged porcine cardiac preparations could be “rescued” by respective S195D pseudo-phosphorylation mimics. Supported by AHA-12PRE12030412 (WH) and NIH-HL108343 (DSC).
Ab initio and molecular mechanics studies of thianthrene and similar molecules

Abstract The structures of six molecules (dibenzodioxine, phenoxathiin, thianthrene, 1-azathianthrene, 1,4-diazathianthrene and 1,4,6,9-tetraazathianthrene) previously studied by X-ray and electron diffraction have been calculated using MM3 and ab initio (3-21G∗ basis set) methods. These computational methods reproduce correctly the experimental bond lengths, bond angles and conformations. Calculations helped to classify all the molecules into two families, where the thianthrene is a common member of both. The calculated barriers to planarity are found to correlate with both the calculated and the observed puckering angles of the molecules.
Combined phentermine/fenfluramine administration enhances depletion of serotonin from central terminal fields.

Administration of phentermine (Phen) together with (±) fenfluramine (Fen) enhances the weight reduction that is observed with either drug alone; consequently, these anorectic agents are commonly prescribed together for weight reduction. Repeated administration of Fen is known to cause long-term depletion of axonal serotonin (5-HT) and loss of 5-HT transporters, and is therefore considered neurotoxic. We now report that combined administration of Phen/Fen (5 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg, and 20 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg) can enhance the neurotoxic effect of Fen (3.125 mg/kg) and Phen (5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) on central 5-HT systems. Rats were repeatedly treated once each hour for a total of four injections with saline, Phen (5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg), Fen (3.125 mg/kg and 12.5 mg/kg), or combined Phen/Fen (5 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg), and sacrificed either 7 or 28 days after cessation of treatment. Combined administration of Phen/Fen (5 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg) caused significantly greater reductions of 5-HT levels in the striatum, nucleus accumbens/olfactory tubercle, hypothalamus, amygdala, frontal parietal cortex, and hippocampus than either drug alone. Combined Phen/Fen at the higher drug-dose combination (20 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg) was observed to reduce the density of 5-HT transporters in rat striatum at both 7 and 28 days after cessation of treatment. In addition, combined administration of Phen/Fen (5 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg/3.125 mg/kg) caused greater weight loss than that observed with either compound alone. Collectively, the present data demonstrate that combined Phen/Fen administration enhances the neurotoxicity of Phen or Fen on 5-HT neurons. Synapse 26:36–45, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
IMPACT OF PROSTATE SIZE AND BODY MASS INDEX ON PERIOPERATIVE MORBIDITY AFTER LAPAROSCOPIC RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

ABSTRACTPurpose: We prospectively evaluated the impact of body mass index (BMI) and prostate gland size on operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL) and hospital stay (LOS) in patients undergoing ...
Visibility of road markings as a function of age, retroreflectivity under low-beam and high-beam illumination at night

A study was conducted to obtain visibility data for old and young subjects performing a pavement marking end detection task on a fully marked road under headlamp illumination conditions. A total of 20 healthy subjects (10 old and 10 young) were used. It was found that observer age had a highly significant effect on pavement marking visibility. The effect of headlamp illumination (high-beam versus lowbeam) was found to be rather weak, probably because of the low-beam headlamp pattern, which favors the right-edge line. Pavement marking retroreflectivity was found to be significant at the levels investigated in the experiment. The new yellow dashed centerlines (tape) with a gapto-stripe ratio of 9.1/3 had a retroreflectivity of RL = 222 mcd/m2/lx and RL = 399 mcd/m2/lx under the medium and high conditions, respectively. The new white edge lines (tape) had a retroreflectivity of RL = 268 mcd/m2/lx and RL = 706 mcd/m2/lx under the medium and high conditions, respectively. The average end detection distances ra...
A Graphical Approach for Quality Control of Oligonucleotide Array Data

In studies of quality control of oligonucleotide array data, one objective is to screen out ineligible arrays. Incomparable arrays (one type of ineligible arrays) arise as the experimental factors are poorly controlled. Due to the high volume of data in gene arrays, examination of array comparability requires special treatments to reduce data dimension without distortion. This paper proposes a graphical approach to address these issues. The proposed approach uses percentile methods to group data, and applies the 2D image plot to display the grouped data. Moreover, an invariant band is employed to quantify degrees of array comparability. We use two publicly available oligonucleotide array datasets from Affymetrix GeneChip System for evaluation. The results demonstrate the utility of our approach to examine data quality and also as an exploratory tool to verify differentially expressed genes selected by vigorous statistical methods.
Histochemical measurements of rat kidney hexokinase.

SummaryHK has been measured in substructures of the developing rat nephron. Reactions were carried on samples dissected from freeze dried kidney and assayed in 1 μl reaction volume utilizing the “oil-well” technique. Samples from 4 days prenatal to 44-day adult were analyzed. Activity during development decreased in G, PCT, and it increased in ALH. There was little change in PRT, DCT and CT. Activity in small arteries decreased.
Transport model for a high temperature, mixed conducting CO2 separation membrane

Abstract High temperature membranes for CO2 separation could lead to more efficient energy conversion systems and more effective means of CO2 capture in power plants. One concept for a membrane that can separate CO2 at high temperatures from a gas mixture is described here. A theoretical model is presented to describe the steady state flux of CO2 through a mixed conducting, dual-phase membrane consisting of solid oxide and molten carbonate phases. An analytical flux solution is derived for the case in which only ionic conduction is present. The limiting factor dominating the flux of CO2 is the oxide ion conductivity. To take advantage of solid oxide materials with higher ionic conductivities, the additional presence of n-type electronic conductivity under low oxygen atmospheres is also investigated. Using numerical and perturbation techniques we show that the presence of electronic conduction will never be great enough to overwhelm the CO2 separation mechanism.
Characterization of the peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) from the venom ducts of neogastropods, Conus bullatus and Conus geographus

Cone snails, genus Conus, are predatory marine snails that use venom to capture their prey. This venom contains a diverse array of peptide toxins, known as conotoxins, which undergo a diverse set of posttranslational modifications. Amidating enzymes modify peptides and proteins containing a C-terminal glycine residue, resulting in loss of the glycine residue and amidation of the preceding residue. A significant fraction of peptides present in the venom of cone snails contain C-terminal amidated residues, which are important for optimizing biological activity. This study describes the characterization of the amidating enzyme, peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), present in the venom duct of cone snails, Conus bullatus and Conus geographus. PAM is known to carry out two functions, peptidyl α-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM) and peptidylamido-glycolate lyase (PAL). In some animals, such as Drosophila melanogaster, these two functions are present in separate polypeptides, working as individual enzymes. In other animals, such as mammals and in Aplysia californica, PAM activity resides in a single, bifunctional polypeptide. Using specific oligonucleotide primers and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction we have identified and cloned from the venom duct cDNA library, a cDNA with 49% homology to PAM from A. californica. We have determined that both the PHM and PAL activities are encoded in one mRNA polynucleotide in both C. bullatus and C. geographus. We have directly demonstrated enzymatic activity catalyzing the conversion of dansyl-YVG-COOH to dansyl-YV-NH2 in cloned cDNA expressed in Drosophila S2 cells.
Improving the mechanical properties of clay/polymer aerogels by a simple dip‐coating procedure

Clay aerogels have many advantages as one of the lowest density family of materials current technology can provide; they possess very low thermal conductivities, high porosities, and high surface areas. Although the mechanical properties of native clay aerogels are rather low, incorporating water-dispersible polymers into the clay gel before they are processed into aerogel forms can easily produce more robust, low-density composites. Various processing modifications and additives can be employed to strengthen the aerogel material, but currently, the materials have some notable weaknesses in abrasion resistance, water absorption, and flexural properties. In this study, we employed a low-cost rubber coating material to quickly and efficiently address all three of these problems. After coating, the aerogels gained significant mechanical reinforcement, a 20-fold increase in flexural modulus and a 15-fold increase in yield stress, while exhibiting an increase of only 8% in the thermal conductivity. Improvements such as these can improve the commercial applicability of clay/polymer aerogels as thermal insulation materials. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Fully Federalizing the Federal Arbitration Act

There is a widely-shared belief that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Federal Arbitration Act has resulted in a doctrine that is far too solicitous of arbitration and not sufficiently solicitous of state lawmaking power. That may be so, but there is one provision of the FAA, the savings clause, that the Court has interpreted to permit the application of state law to invalidate agreements that would otherwise be enforceable under the FAA. This Article examines the savings clause. The Court’s interpretation of the savings clause is dicta, and a better reading is that the savings clause authorizes federal courts to create federal common law to govern the enforcement of covered arbitration agreements. That alternative interpretation is consistent with the Court’s treatment of the rest of the statute, it is consistent with an analogous regulatory scheme, – federal common law regulation of the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements – and it reflects a division of lawmaking authority that would have been familiar to the Congress that passed the FAA in 1925. Moreover, while there are no doubt legitimate state interests in regulating arbitration agreements and guaranteeing parties a judicial forum for the assertion of certain rights, that alone is not a sufficient justification for requiring the application of state law to FAA-covered arbitration agreements. Like it or not, Congress has the authority to regulate the enforcement of arbitration agreements in interstate commerce, and a necessary consequence is the displacement of some overlapping state law. A federalized savings clause would result in the creation of a uniform body of arbitration law, and that body of law could prove to be at least as effective, and perhaps even more effective, in addressing the major arbitration issue of our time – the imposition on relatively weak parties, like consumers and employees, of agreements that effectively deprive those parties of the right to assert their federal or state law rights. This existing but undeveloped body of federal law helps shed light on the Supreme Court’s recent decision in AT& T v. Concepcion and helps chart a post-Concepcion approach to the issue of “lopsided” arbitration agreements.
Methodology for Assessing Bodily Expression of Emotion

The purpose of this study was to develop methods for assessing bodily expression and to provide a preliminary description of movement characteristics associated with positive and negative emotions during a single movement task—knocking. We used an autobiographical memories paradigm for elicitation, observer rating of emotion intensities for recognition, and Effort-Shape and kinematic analyses for movement description. Actors felt the target emotions in nearly all the trials but observers recognized them in relatively few movement trials, especially for the positive emotions. Differences in movement characteristics were identified for the target emotions with both the qualitative and quantitative movement analyses.
Intestinal Microbial Dysbiosis and Colonic Epithelial Cell Hyperproliferation by Dietary α-Mangostin is Independent of Mouse Strain

Beverages and supplements prepared from mangosteen fruit are claimed to support gut health and immunity, despite the absence of supporting evidence from clinical trials. We recently reported that α-mangostin (α-MG), the most abundant xanthone in mangosteen fruit, altered the intestinal microbiome, promoted dysbiosis, and exacerbated colitis in C57BL/6J mice. The objective of this study was to determine whether induction of dysbiosis by dietary α-MG is limited to the C57BL/6J strain or represents a more generic response to chronic intake of the xanthone on the gut microbiota of mice. C3H, Balb/c, Nude FoxN1nu, and C57BL/6J mice, each demonstrating unique microbiomes, were fed standard diet or diet containing 0.1% α-MG for four weeks. Dietary α-MG significantly altered the cecal and colonic microbiota in all four strains of mice, promoting a reduction in generally assumed beneficial bacterial groups while increasing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria. Consumption of α-MG was associated with reduced abundance of Firmicutes and increased abundance of Proteobacteria. The abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lactobacillaceae was reduced in α-MG-fed mice, while that of Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcaceae was increased. Dietary α-MG also was associated with increased proliferation of colonic epithelial cells, infiltration of immune cells, infiltration of immune cells and increased fluid content in stool. These results suggest that ingestion of pharmacologic doses of xanthones in mangosteen-containing supplements may adversely alter the gut microbiota and should be used with caution.
The Myth of Postfeminism

Accordingto the mass media, a postfeminist era emerged in the 1990s. The first objective is to develop a definition of the postfeminist perspective. Based on an informal content analysis of popular articles, the authors identify four postfeminist claims: (1) overall support for the women’s movement has dramatically eroded because some women (2) are increasingly antifeminist, (3) believe the movement is irrelevant, and (4) have adopted a “no, but..”.version of feminism. The second objective is to determine the extent of empirical support for these claims. Usingexistingpublic opinion data, the authors find little support for the four postfeminist claims. Implications of the unsubstantiated post-feminist argument are discussed.
Liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer screening

In multiple studies during the last decade, liquid-based cytology for cervical cancer screening has been shown to increase the detection rate for preneoplastic squamous intraepithelial lesions equal to or greater than the conventional Papanicolaou (Pap) smear method. Liquid-based collection and processing provide more representative cervical sampling than conventional smearing of the specimen on a glass slide. Currently, there are two test methodologies that are widely marketed and available to clinical laboratories, health systems and clinicians that undertake cervical cytology. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the methodology and performance of SurePath™ Liquid-Based Pap Test in cervical cytology screening. The SurePath liquid-based Pap test significantly reduces the unsatisfactory rate of Pap test slides, and detects a significantly higher number of low- and high-grade squamous lesions when compared with the conventional Pap smear technique. Biopsy confirmation shows that this i...
A modified technique for RF-LCF interstitial hyperthermia

To provide uniform heating of a tumour, it is necessary to establish sufficient volumetric control of power deposition. The interstitial Radio-Frequency Localized Current Field (RF-LCF) technique may provide such control when segmented electrodes are used. The length of segments is equal to 1-1.5cm. Each segment is connected to a separate power source. However, this technique requires an additional implant for interstitial radiotherapy, because the lumen of segmented electrodes is filled with wires necessary to connect each segment to a separate power source. In this work, a modified method of implant that allows delivery of sequential and concomitant controlled thermoradiotherapy was investigated. In this method, each segmented electrode is surrounded by four continuous electrodes. Continuous electrodes pass through vertices of 1.5x1.5cm square and a segmented electrode passes through the centre of the square. The distance between segmented and continuous electrodes is 1.06cm. The electric field induced ...
Plasma β-Endorphin in Neonates: Effect of Prematurity, Gender, and Respiratory Status

A consecutive cohort of 87 infants (46 infants <37 weeks gestational age and 41 term infants ≥37 weeks gestation) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and a convenience cohort of 27 term well babies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, NE) were evaluated for plasma β-endorphin (βE) levels during the first 4 h after birth. Demographic data, maternal history, and respiratory status at the time of sampling as well as development of documented apneic episodes during the initial hospitalization were analyzed for all infants. All NICU infants had higher plasma βE levels than the control infants. Premature infants had significantly higher neonatal plasma βE levels than term infants in either the control or NICU groups, but the response was gender specific; premature males had higher plasma βE than premature females (P = 0.008). Perinatal stress, including respiratory problems, was associated with the increase in plasma βE, but prematurity and being male were significantly predictor...
Trends Of Accounting Restatements During The Period 2000-2007 And Big Four/Five Auditors

The objective of this study is to provide further analysis on the trends of accounting restatements during the period 2000-07 and the role of Big four/five auditors. Given the changes in regulatory environment after the enforcement of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we find that there is a significant increase in restatements in recent years. We also find that restatements being disclosed in recent years are more serious, however, they are disclosed on a more timely basis. Consistent with the general belief that Big four/five auditors are better quality auditors, we find that they are associated with shorter restatement disclosure lags. In addition, restatements with positive financial statement effects are more likely to be disclosed sooner than those with negative effects.
Quantizing Horava-Lifshitz Gravity via Causal Dynamical Triangulations

We extend the discrete Regge action of causal dynamical triangulations to include discrete versions of the curvature squared terms appearing in the continuum action of (2+1)-dimensional projectable Horava-Lifshitz gravity. Focusing on an ensemble of spacetimes whose spacelike hypersurfaces are 2-spheres, we employ Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations to study the path integral defined by this extended discrete action. We demonstrate the existence of known and novel macroscopic phases of spacetime geometry, and we present preliminary evidence for the consistency of these phases with solutions to the equations of motion of classical Horava-Lifshitz gravity. Apparently, the phase diagram contains a phase transition between a time-dependent de Sitter-like phase and a time-independent phase. We speculate that this phase transition may be understood in terms of deconfinement of the global gravitational Hamiltonian integrated over a spatial 2-sphere.
The 21 “Turncoat GIs”: Nonrepatriations and the political Culture of the Korean War

(1997). The 21 “Turncoat GIs”: Nonrepatriations and the political Culture of the Korean War. The Historian: Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 345-362.
Recent advances in the development of human rhinovirus 3C protease inhibitors

The human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the most significant cause of the common cold. Important advances in the development of novel, broad spectrum antirhinoviral agents have recently been made by inhibiting the function of virally encoded enzymes essential for viral replication. This article summarises the most recent developments in the design of HRV 3C protease inhibitors which are intended for use as broad spectrum antirhinoviral therapeutic agents.
Control of receptor-mediated cell behavior using synthetic polymers

Summary form only received as follows: Virtually every aspect of cell behavior is governed at some level by interactions of receptor molecules on the cell surface with ligands in the extracellular environment. Molecular components involved in activation of receptor-mediated signaling pathways which culminate in cell migration, differentiation, and growth are being identified at a rapid rate. Much overlap exists in signaling pathways activated by distinct classes of receptors; for example, ligand activation of growth factor receptors influences integrin-mediated process of migration while integrin ligation is required for growth factor-induced proliferation of many cell types. Several common intracellular signaling molecules are activated by both integrins and growth factors. How does the cell take information from such overlapping stimuli and process it to achieve different responses? In addition to the specific identity of molecules involved, the overall context of ligand presentation-relative concentrations, spatial organization, and kinetics-must be considered to understand how a cell integrates stimuli to achieve a precise response. In order to parse how these factors contribute to the overall integrated cell response, the author is developing approaches in which key variables can be systematically controlled by a combination of biochemical and physical means. This paper focuses on the physical aspects of this approach-designing new polymeric materials which can be applied to both tissue engineering and to fundamental studies of receptor-mediated phenomena. A specific interest is controlling signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). For example, the author has shown that mEGF stimulates both DNA synthesis and cytoskeletal changes in primary hepatocytes when tethered covalently to the culture substrate so that internalization is inhibited, and that EGF can serve as either a stimulatory or inhibitory regulator of cell migration speed depending on the cell-substrate adhesion characteristics. The author is adapting these basic findings to the design of 3D scaffold materials for tissue engineering, including surface modification of degradable polymers as well as a new enzymatically crosslinked hydrogels for cell encapsulation.
Annotating Large Genomes With Exact Word Matches

We have developed a tool for rapidly determining the number of exact matches of any word within large, internally repetitive genomes or sets of genomes. Thus we can readily annotate any sequence, including the entire human genome, with the counts of its constituent words. We create a Burrows-Wheeler transform of the genome, which together with auxiliary data structures facilitating counting, can reside in about one gigabyte of RAM. Our original interest was motivated by oligonucleotide probe design, and we describe a general protocol for defining unique hybridization probes. But our method also has applications for the analysis of genome structure and assembly. We demonstrate the identification of chromosome-specific repeats, and outline a general procedure for finding undiscovered repeats. We also illustrate the changing contents of the human genome assemblies by comparing the annotations built from different genome freezes.
Dewey or Foucault?: Organization and Administration as Edification and as Violence

This article takes up two clashing traditions of how to view organizations and their possibilities. One tradition, exemplified by John Dewey, sees organizations as edifying forums, while the other, indicated by Michel Foucault, views organizations as controlled violence. Both views are indispensable to understanding organizational behavior, and they come together in questioning the power of theory as a tool of social transformation. Approaches to organizational and administrative structure have all been relatively sanguine about the possibility that theory can identify proper solutions for organizational failings. Whatever organizations are, whether we think of them as incubating new cultures or defined by the background society in which they exist or as machines needing highly formalized structural definition and control, they are artificial and contained and are therefore vulnerable to being made over completely in accordance with theory. Neither Dewey nor Foucault placed much faith in the transfigurati...
Rust Control in Glyphosate Tolerant Wheat Following Application of the Herbicide Glyphosate

Anderson, J. A., and Kolmer, J. A. 2005. Rust control in glyphosate tolerant wheat following application of the herbicide glyphosate. Plant Dis. 89:1136-1142. In greenhouse and field trials, transgenically modified wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes with tolerance to glyphosate had extremely low infection types to leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina when treated with a labeled rate of the herbicide glyphosate prior to inoculation with leaf rust. A surfactant solution and a nonglyphosate herbicide had no effect on leaf rust development on the glyphosate tolerant wheat. Glyphosate had a systemic effect in reducing leaf rust development. The leaf rust control by glyphosate decreased with reduced application rates and longer periods of time between glyphosate application and leaf rust infections. The field and greenhouse tests indicated that control of leaf rust in wheat conditioned by glyphosate is transitory and is effective for at least 21, but not more than 35, days after application. Application of glyphosate also reduced infection types on wheat caused by the stem rust fungus, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici. Given these results and evidence from the literature that glyphosate can have adverse effects on other pathogens, including other rust fungi, additional investigation of the fungicidal properties of glyphosate are warranted, with particular attention to the timing of glyphosate application relative to fungal infection. The effects of glyphosate on the soybean rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, an emerging pathogen in North America, merit immediate investigation.
High-sensitivity coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy with two tightly synchronized picosecond lasers.

We demonstrate a significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio in coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy/microscopy, using two highly synchronized picosecond Ti:sapphire lasers. A temporal jitter between the pulse trains from the two independent commercial lasers is reduced from a few picoseconds to ∼21 fs, maintained over several hours. The tight synchronization brings the fluctuation of the CARS signal down to the shot-noise limit, leading to enhanced CARS vibrational images of living cells and polymer beads.
Models of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and the role of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) in pulmonary vasorelaxation

At birth, a marked decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance allows the lung to establish gas exchange. Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) occurs when this normal adaptation of gas exchange does not occur. We review animal models used to study the pathogenesis and treatment of PPHN. Both acute models, such as acute hypoxia and infusion of vasoconstrictors, and chronic models of PPHN created both before and immediately after birth are described. Inhaled nitric oxide is an important emerging therapy for PPHN. We review nitric oxide receptor mechanisms, including soluble guanylate cyclase, which produces cGMP when stimulated by nitric oxide, and phosphodiesterases, which control the intensity and duration of cGMP signal transduction. A better understanding of these mechanisms of regulation of vascular tone may lead to safer use of nitric oxide and improved clinical outcomes.
A contraction mapping preserving balanced reduction scheme and its infinity norm error bounds

A balanced reduction scheme for linear systems, based on the simultaneous diagonalization of the solutions of the dual algebraic Riccatti equations of the bounded real lemma, is introduced. This procedure reduces a bounded stable transfer matrix S(s) (//S///sub infinity / >
Observation of multihump multimode self-trapped beams

We believe we have presented the first observation of multihump multimode self-trapped beams in nature. The multimode soliton is made by two populated modes of its self-induced waveguide. Double- and triple-humped beam profiles are observed corresponding to combinations of the first+second modes and second+third modes, respectively. The observation of multihumped solitons is a result of the fact that the higher modes are sufficiently populated to see the structural features of the higher modes. We observed one-dimensional self-trapped multimode beams in biased photorefractive media for which the explicit form of nonlinearity is well established.
Thermodynamic properties of liquid water: an application of a nonparametric approach to computing the entropy of a neat fluid.

Because of its fundamental importance to molecular biology, great interest has continued to persist in developing novel techniques to efficiently characterize the thermodynamic and structural features of liquid water. A particularly fruitful approach, first applied to liquid water by Lazaridis and Karplus, is to use molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations to collect the required statistics to integrate the inhomogeneous solvation theory equations for the solvation enthalpy and entropy. We here suggest several technical improvements to this approach, which may facilitate faster convergence and greater accuracy. In particular, we devise a nonparametric kth nearest-neighbors (NN)-based approach to estimate the water−water correlation entropy, and we suggest an alternative factorization of the water−water correlation function that appears to more robustly describe the correlation entropy of the neat fluid. It appears that the NN method offers several advantages over the more common histogram-based appro...
A Review on Technical and Clinical Impact of Microsoft Kinect on Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

This paper reviews technical and clinical impact of the Microsoft Kinect in physical therapy and rehabilitation. It covers the studies on patients with neurological disorders including stroke, Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, and MS as well as the elderly patients. Search results in Pubmed and Google scholar reveal increasing interest in using Kinect in medical application. Relevant papers are reviewed and divided into three groups: (1) papers which evaluated Kinect’s accuracy and reliability, (2) papers which used Kinect for a rehabilitation system and provided clinical evaluation involving patients, and (3) papers which proposed a Kinect-based system for rehabilitation but fell short of providing clinical validation. At last, to serve as technical comparison to help future rehabilitation design other sensors similar to Kinect are reviewed.
Measuring Organizational Control: The Reliability and Validity of the Control Graph Approach

The reliability and validity of the control graph approach to measuring organizational control structure and individual perceptions of control are examined through a review of previous studies and new data from managers, supervisors, and employees in six offices of a government agency. The results suggest that the approach has significant problems with reliability when used to measure organizational structure and problems with validity as a measure of individual perceptions of control structure. A theoretical account of the diversity of control mechanisms operating in organizations is developed to help explain why these problems exist.