cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CorrigendumCorrigendum to “an apolipoprotein e-based therapeutic improves outcome and reduces alzheimer’s disease pathology following closed head injury: Evidence of pharmacogenomic interaction”: [Neuroscience 144 (2007) 1324–1333]☆☆

H. WANG, L. DURHAM, H. DAWSON, P. SONG, D. S. WARNER, P. M. SULLIVAN, M. P. VITEK AND D. T. LASKOWITZ* Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA Department of Medicine (Neurology), Duke University Medical Center, Box 2900, Durham, NC 27710, USA Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA Cognosci Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
Reflexiones sobre el estado actual de la criminología: una breve referencia

La delincuencia y la desviacion son materias importantes de estudio, y se debe tener cuidado de no divorciarlas de los eventos sociales y politicos contemporaneos. Una preocupacion global obvia del crimen y de la justicia en el presente, es el ya muy discutido choque de civilizaciones. La Criminologia juega un rol que tomar en este y otros desafios contemporaneos, y ese es el proposito de esta presentacion, el explorar el impacto potencial de la Criminologia Academica y de la Educacion en justicia en una paz social, justicia y equidad, y proponer un modelo para su futuro crecimiento y desarrollo
Crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.

ABSTRACT This report documents an observational study of a high-moisture washed-rind cheese. Three batches of cheese were sampled on a weekly basis for 6 wk and again at wk 10. Center, under-rind, rind, and smear samples were tested for pH, moisture, and selected mineral elements. Powder x-ray diffractometry and petrographic microscopy were applied to identify and image the crystal phases. The pH of the rind increased by over 2 pH units by wk 10. The pH of the under-rind increased but remained below the rind pH, whereas the center pH decreased for most of aging and only began to rise after wk 5. Diffractograms of smear material revealed the presence of 4 crystal phases: brushite, calcite, ikaite, and struvite. The phases nucleated in succession over the course of aging, with calcite and ikaite appearing around the same time. A very small amount of brushite appeared sporadically in center and under-rind samples, but otherwise no other crystallization was observed beneath the rind. Micrographs revealed that crystals in the smear grew to over 250 μm in length by wk 10, and at least 2 different crystal phases, probably ikaite and struvite, could be differentiated by their different optical properties. The surface crystallization was accompanied by a mineral diffusion phenomenon that resulted, on average, in a 217, 95.7, and 149% increase in calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, respectively, in the rind by wk 10. The diffusion phenomenon caused calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium to decrease, on average, by 55.0, 21.5, and 36.3%, respectively, in the center by wk 10. The present study represents the first observation of crystallization and demineralization phenomena in washed-rind cheese.
Accelerating low rank matrix completion on FPGA

Low Rank Matrix Completion (LRMC) is widely used in the analysis of incomplete datasets. In this paper, we propose a novel FPGA-based accelerator to speedup a matrix-factorization-based LRMC algorithm that uses stochastic gradient descent. The accelerator is a multi-pipelined architecture with parallel pipelines processing distinct data from a shared on-chip buffer. We propose two distinct on-chip buffer architectures based on a design-space exploration of the performance tradeoffs offered by two competing design methodologies: memory-efficiency versus concurrent conflict-free accesses. Our first design (i.e., memory-efficient design) organizes the buffer into banks and maximally utilizes available on-chip memory for matrix chunk processing without requiring complex address translation tables for on-chip addressing; however, it could incur bank conflicts when concurrent accesses to the same bank occur. The second design (i.e., bank-conflict-free design) exploits parallel multiport memory access and completely eliminates bank conflicts by duplicating the stored data; however, it has much higher on-chip RAM consumption. Intuitively, design one enables (slower) acceleration of (larger) chunks of the input matrix whereas design two enables (faster) processing of (smaller) matrix chunks but requires more iterations for processing the complete matrix. We propose a simple but efficient partitioning approach for supporting large input matrices that do not fit in the on-chip memory of FPGA. We also develop algorithmic optimizations based on matching to reduce data dependencies for parallel pipeline execution. We implement our designs on a state-of-the-art UltraScale+ FPGA device. We use real-life datasets for the evaluation and compare these two designs by varying the number of pipelines. The data dependency optimization results in at least 21.6 x data dependency reduction and improves the execution time by up to 66.3 x compared with non-optimized baseline designs. The memory-efficient design is also shown to be more scalable than the bank-conflict-free design. Compared with the state-of-the-art multi-core implementation and GPU implementation, the bank-conflict-free design achieves 5.4 x and 5.2 x speedup, respectively; the memory-efficient design achieves 16.7 x and 16.2 x speedup, respectively.
Language, Immigration and Naturalization: Legal and Linguistic Issues, by Loring, A. & Ramanathan, V. (Eds.).

Language and citizenship is a topic that has an increasingly wide relevance, both within and outside of academia. In the afterword to Language, Immigration and Naturalization: Legal and Linguistic ...
Growth Mindset as a Predictor of Smoking Cessation

This study examines motivations to quit smoking within the theoretical context of selftheories (Dweck, 2000). It investigates whether self-theories play a significant predictive role in motivating adults to quit smoking. A convenience sample of 197 adult current smokers and exsmokers in northeast Ohio completed on line or paper versions of the Smoking Questionnaire, an instrument which included the 6-item Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence, 3items from the Self-Theory of Intelligence Self-Form for Adults, and 23 items constructed by the researcher. Descriptive analyses indicate that the sample was 66% female, 77% white, 83% college educated, and of varied ages and incomes. Stepwise logistic regression analyses reveal 4 predictors of smoking cessation success: self-theory of smoking, the presence of other smokers in the household, annual household income, and strength of intention (motivation) to stop smoking. Logistic regression analyses also indicate that self-theory of smoking and perceived helpfulness of nicotine replacement therapy are statistically significantly predictive of strength of intention (motivation) to stop smoking. Self-theory of intelligence was not a significant predictor of smoking cessation motivation or behavior. Data indicate that self-theory of smoking and selftheory of intelligence are independent and domain specific in this sample. This research indicates that self-theories play a significant role in smoking cessation and that self-theories of smoking are as potent as nicotine replacement therapy in motivating individuals to stop smoking. This research has important implications for cessation program planners and health educators and many implications for additional research on the role of self-theories in health behavior change.
Applications of Polymers in Hair Care

Over the past 5-10 years, the hair fixative industry has undergone somewhat of a metamorphosis due largely to changes in hair styles and a new surge in creativity in both the salon and consumer retail segments. Greater segmentation of the market is a continuing trend. New product forms and for­mulations have emerged. Products such as the “spritz” and “scrunching spray” were unknown until recent years. Super­imposed upon this scenario is the impact of the ever strengthening movement toward “environmentally friendly” products. New polymers have emerged to provide features re­quired of these new systems. Older polymers are also being widely used in a variety of new ways. Rapid market change continues. In this paper we review polymers and formulations in the context of newer product types and market trends.
Intramolecular Excimer Fluorescence of Pyrene Maleimide-Labeled Dithiothreitol (Pyrene-DTT)

The fluorescence properties of pyrene-DTT were studied as a model system for pyrene-tropomyosin for which excimer fluorescence has been reported (Betcher-Lange and Lehrer, 1978). DTT in dimethyl formamide or dimethyl sulfoxide was reacted at its 2 SH-groups with pyrene maleimide to form (S-[N-(l-pyrene)succinimido])2-DTT (pyrene1 -DTT). The product with cleaved succinimido-rings, pyreneII -DTT was also prepared by incubation of pyreneI -DTT in 1 mM NaOH. Pyrene-β-mercaptoethanol (βSH) adducts were similarly prepared. For spectroscopic measurements, 1 µM solutions were studied by dilution into appropriate solvents.
Identifying the limiting electrode in lithium ion batteries for extreme fast charging

Abstract Lithium ion batteries that are capable of extreme fast charging (XFC) are highly desirable to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). To identify the rate limiting factors for XFC, we used both half cells and symmetric cells to investigate the fast charging behavior of the cathode and anode separately. The symmetric cells enabled accurate measurements of charge transfer at each electrode without complications from counter electrodes. The battery materials and electrode design were comparable to the state-of-the-art for EV cells. Under these conditions, the graphite anode is the rate limiting electrode for fast charging in NMC811/Graphite pouch cells. The effective N/P ratio falls below 1.0 at high charging rates, which also causes Li plating. The use of symmetric cells in this study provides new insights to identify the limiting electrode in Li-ion batteries, especially those designated for extreme fast charging applications.
Plasma and brain pharmacokinetics of letrozole and drug interaction studies with temozolomide in NOD-scid gamma mice and sprague dawley rats.

The aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, is being investigated in experimental animal models as a novel treatment for high-grade gliomas (HGGs). To facilitate optimal dosing for such studies, we evaluated the plasma and brain pharmacokinetics (PK) of letrozole in NOD-scid gamma (NSG) mice, which are frequently employed for assessing efficacy against patient-derived tumor cells. Furthermore, we evaluated the potential PK interactions between letrozole and temozolomide (TMZ) in Sprague–Dawley rats. NSG mice were administered letrozole (8 mg/kg; i.p) as a single or multiple dose (b.i.d, 10 days). Brain tissue and blood samples were collected over 24 h. Letrozole and TMZ interaction study employed jugular vein-cannulated rats (three groups; TMZ alone, letrozole alone and TMZ + letrozole). Intracerebral microdialysis was performed for brain extracellular fluid (ECF) collection simultaneously with venous blood sampling. Drug levels were measured employing HPLC and PK analysis was conducted using Phoenix WinNonlin®. In NSG mice, peak plasma and brain tissue letrozole concentrations (Cmax) were 3–4 and 0.8–0.9 µg/ml, respectively. The elimination half-life was 2.6 h with minimal accumulation following multiple dosing. In the drug interaction study, no PK changes were evident when TMZ and letrozole were given in combination. For instance, peak plasma and brain ECF TMZ levels when given alone were 14.7 ± 1.1 and 4.6 ± 0.6 µg/ml, respectively, and 12.6 ± 2.4 and 3.4 ± 0.8 µg/ml, respectively, when given with letrozole. These results will guide the optimization of dosing regimen for further development of letrozole for HGG treatment.
Improving Classroom Management Issues by Asking Questions: Part 1:

Asking questions is a time-honored technique for learning in a variety of contexts dating back to antiquity, but it is also an often-overlooked technique for classroom management. This column, the ...
What's new in urology.

Abstract "What's New in Surgery" evolves from the contributions of leaders in each of the fields of surgery. In every instance the author has been designated by the appropriate Council from the American College of Surgeons' Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties. This feature will be presented in issues of the Journal throughout the year beginning in 2001 (formerly published in one issue, Feburary, of each volume of JACS ).
Multimodality Therapy of Patients with Refractory Meningiomas

Recurrent and refractory meningiomas are a clinical challenge and treatment at the time of recurrence is not well delineated. Treatment with surgery and/or radiation remain the mainstay, but each has their limitations and risks. The search for an adjuvant systemic therapy continues and as many of the initially promising approaches have not had reproducible responses. Bevacizumab has shown some efficacy in controlling recurrent disease and could be useful in disease that is multifocal or in close proximity to critical structures. Other targeted therapies, as well as immunotherapy, are being studied and trials are in development. Though we are hopeful that these novel therapies will benefit patients with refractory meningiomas, we approach them with some trepidation. This is due to prior failures of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in central nervous system disease. In addition, there is known difficulty in developing trials and assessing response with these slow-growing tumors.
The role of heparin in endovascular repair of blunt thoracic aortic injury

Abstract Objective Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve survival of patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI). Often, aortic surgical intervention may be delayed because of increased risk of bleeding with heparin, particularly in polytrauma victims. We believe that surgical delay may be remedied by proceeding without heparinization. This study reviewed the outcome of patients subjected to thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) under full, low-dose, and no intraoperative systemic heparinization. Methods There were 77 cases of confirmed BTAI identified and retrospectively analyzed at a high-volume urban trauma center during a period of 15 years (March 2003-September 2017). Patients were stratified into three groups on the basis of the intraoperative use of heparin during TEVAR, as follows: full heparin (FH), low-dose heparin (LH), and no heparin (NH). Baseline characteristics including the patients' demographics, diagnostic laboratory data and imaging studies, operative reports, postoperative complications, embolic and bleeding outcomes, and mortality data were reviewed. Results Of the 77 total patients who underwent TEVAR for BTAI, 42 patients received full-dose heparinization, 18 received low-dose heparin, and 17 had no use of systemic heparin. There was no significant difference in age, sex, body mass index, or smoking history. The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle collision. Grade 3 (pseudoaneurysm) was the predominant type of BTAI (FH, 69.0%; LH, 61.1%; NH, 76.5%; P = .23). The mean interval between admission and repair was three times longer in the FH group than in the NH group (FH, 2.33 days; NH, 0.76 day; P = .091). The mean time in the intensive care unit was shorter in the NH group vs the FH group (15 days vs 26.21 days; P = .025). Thromboembolic and bleeding outcomes and mortality rates were comparable in all three groups; 57 patients continued follow-up for a mean time of 30.99 months. Conclusions Our study shows no statistically significant difference in outcomes between the heparinized and nonheparinized groups. The primary benefit of the NH group is seen in time to repair. Although not statistically significant, the mean time to repair was three times longer in the FH group. Patients in the NH group also benefited from prompt intervention and treatment. Therefore, intraoperative heparinization in critically ill patients with BTAI undergoing TEVAR remains at the surgeon's discretion, although the lack of heparinization appears to be a safe and potentially faster alternative, particularly in the polytrauma patient.
Concurrent sourcing strategy of multinational firms in China: Drivers and performance implications

Abstract Concurrent sourcing is critical to multinational firms’ operations in emerging economies, such as China. Despite its prominence, research is lacking on the underlying conditions and performance implications of this strategy. We investigate the driving factors of multinational firms’ concurrent sourcing strategy and test whether concurrent sourcing outperforms other types of sourcing strategies. Our empirical findings suggest that multinational firms tend to choose concurrent sourcing under high levels of institutional regulations. Furthermore, the results show that concurrent sourcing generates better performance at high levels of uncertainties and the performance deficiency of concurrent sourcing can be mitigated when institutional regulations are high.
Providing flexible and career-correlated paths through the undergraduate electrical and computer engineering curriculum

This Research Category Work in Progress paper presents the first phase of an assessment of the EE and CmpE undergraduate curriculum in terms of its effectiveness in providing clear paths and expectations for students pursuing an EE or CmpE degree. The overarching goal of this study is to build a framework for the potential redesign of the EE and CmpE curriculum that can accommodate future changes while providing clearly defined pathways that correlate to careers students are passionate about. At Georgia Tech, EE and CmpE disciplines are structurally organized into eleven relatively distinct research categories that are useful for internal structure and management of courses, but are less helpful for students navigating through the EE and CmpE undergraduate curriculum. Data are provided that show the enrollments in the current categories over the last six years. Of particular interest are: (1) the most common paths students are currently following and how/why chosen (2) student/faculty expectations of the educational paths that should exist given the current industry climate and (3) the integration of design through the new Interdisciplinary Commons (IDC) (e.g., a new makerspace). This paper will present the strategy for the continuation of this study as well as outline expected outcomes that could be of use to other programs assessing EE and CmpE undergraduate curricula.
Pulse assessment is important with blood pressure measurement in individuals with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices.

While Doppler and cuff blood pressure techniques are prevalent methods of assessing blood pressure in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices, the impact of pulsatility on mea...
Femoral nerve catheters and limb strength asymmetry at 6 months after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in pediatric patients

Background The postoperative implications of single-injection femoral nerve blockade and femoral nerve catheter placement for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are not well defined among pediatric patients. Femoral nerve blockade may be associated with deficits in quadriceps symmetry at 6 months postoperative. Aims We compared outcomes after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery in pediatric patients who received either a single-injection femoral nerve block or femoral nerve catheter and a single-injection popliteal nerve block. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients 10-19 years of age who underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with quadriceps tendon-patellar bone autograft by a single orthopedic surgeon at two of our locations. Of 88 patients analyzed, 31 received single-injection femoral nerve blockade (52% female, mean age = 15.6 ± 1.8 years) and 57 received femoral nerve catheter (53% female, mean age = 15.6 ± 1.7 years). Time from surgery to return-to-sport clearance and movement symmetry were compared between groups at approximately 6 months postoperatively. Results The single-injection femoral nerve blockade group exhibited significantly greater single-leg squat symmetry than did the femoral nerve catheter group (95.5 ± 6.7% vs 88.3 ± 9.3%; P = 0.02; mean difference = 7.2%, 95% CI = -1.1, 13.3) 6 months postoperatively. There was no difference in time from surgery to return-to-sport clearance between groups (median = 247 [interquartile range = 218-295] days vs 268 [241-331] days; P = 0.22; mean difference = 40 days; 95% CI = -23, 102). Conclusion Though time to return to sport did not differ, patients in the femoral nerve catheter group exhibited greater single-leg squat asymmetry than did those in the femoral nerve blockade group approximately 6 months postoperatively. Persistent functional deficits may be important to consider when treating pediatric patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
A Method of Improving Representation of Endometriosis Ultrasound Data By Using Local Phase Tissue Signatures

Study Objective Endometriosis is a gynecological condition affecting 10-15% of women in their reproductive years. Early and accurate diagnosis requires the development of noninvasive, cost effective and safe imaging technology. Ultrasound could overcome some of the MRI challenges. However, noise, high inter- and intra-variability during ultrasound imaging reduces image quality and reproducible reading. Deep learning has increased its role in imaging analysis and has been applied to automatic ultrasound image analysis. The main objective is the investigation of how new computational methods, can improve the representation of endometriosis tissue in ultrasound data. Design We have developed computational method for processing B-mode ultrasound data. Our algorithms are based on the extraction of local phase tissue signatures, are intensity invariant. These features are not affected by the ultrasound transducer operating frequency, ultrasound machine settings, and the body mass index of the patient. Setting Clinical ultrasound sites. Patients or Participants The proposed computational methods will be validated on 3D ultrasound images obtained from the standard transvaginal ultrasound examinations. Interventions Both RF signals and B-mode data will be normalized to [-1, 1] and then rescaled to size (4096, 256, number of slices) using bilinear interpolation before inputting to our proposed networks. Training of the proposed CNNs will be achieved by investigating various methods based on gradient descent and variants such as adam, adagrad, adelta. Measurements and Main Results 100 B-mode US and RF US scans will be collected from each patient bringing the dataset size to 27,400 (B-mode and RF US). A sample size of 274 (137 healthy,137 diseased) subjects is sufficient to estimate a high Area Under the Curve. Conclusion New tissue signatures provide valuable information and improved representation of the endometriosis. Future work will involve the development of artificial intelligence, specifically methods based on deep learning, methods to derive models that yield individual-level accurate, early diagnosis in the context of endometriosis management.
Thrombocytosis Predicts Surgical Site Infection in Head and Neck Microvascular Surgery- A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS Early and objective prediction of complications in head and neck reconstructive surgery could decrease morbidity and prolonged hospital stays but unfortunately most complications are not identified until their effect is fully realized. There are limited data regarding the association of platelet levels and post-operative complications. Post-operative thrombocytosis (POTCT) is proposed as a possible indicator for complications following free-flap reconstruction. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. METHODS A multisite retrospective chart review of patients undergoing free tissue transfer between 2013 and 2018 was undertaken. POTCT was recorded and data normalized between institutions. Data were compared between groups using t-tests and logistic regression (P < .05). A lag-1 difference was used to compare the rate of change in platelet values. RESULTS A total of 398 patients were included. POTCT and a rate of change of 30 K between POD5 and POD6 was significantly associated with the presence of post-operative complication (P = .007). Additionally, lag-1 difference demonstrated a significant association of change in daily platelet counts and complication rates. CONCLUSIONS Isolated POTCT may be an early predictor of complications in HNC patients undergoing free-flap reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1542-1547, 2021.
Medicalization and Fear: A Midwifery View of the Phenomenon and the Backlash

The phenomenon of medicalization in the United States is something that midwives must deal with on a daily basis, and it has far-reaching consequences for women’s health. This article examines the culture of birth in the U.S. and how medicalization has manifested itself as a social norm from the perspectives of working certified nurse midwives in hospitals and birth centers. It explores the philosophy of the medicalized birth, the impact of technology on the perpetuation of medicalization in United States’ culture, and the fear of this phenomenon that midwives are starting to see in practice, which adversely affects their work. This article argues that advances in and dependence on obstetrical technology have enabled medicalization to continue and created a response of fear from women who worry this phenomenon will negatively affect their birthing experience. My research demonstrates that midwives recognize that the dominance of technology in health care has shaped not only how birth has become medicalized, but also how women are responding to this “technocratic birth” and how navigating women’s fears about hyper-medicalization has become a central part of midwives’ practice. Through Michel Foucault’s theory of biopower and Robbie Davis-Floyd’s idea of the “technocratic birth,” this article explains how medicalization depends on technology and why midwives are seeing an adverse reaction from women who fear these trends.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The carpal tunnel syndrome probably represents the most commonly encountered disturbance of all the entrapment phenomena. It represents those manifestations of compression of the median nerve at the wrist at the site of the transverse carpal ligament. The manifestations are not only related to the hand, but may involve the more proximal regions of the upper extremity as well as the shoulder and occasionally the neck. The theoretical considerations have been reviewed by many, including Sunderlund, particularly concerning the relative effects of pressure deformity and circulatory changes, and the effects these have on the nerve.
A 32Gb MLC NAND-flash memory with V th -endurance-enhancing schemes in 32nm CMOS

As NAND flash memory market grows rapidly in various application such as USB devices, MP3 players, SSD, cellular phone, cameras, there is a strong requirement of high density and low cost devices. Two different approaches studied to meet these requirements are increasing data per cell and scaling down. 3b/cell or 4b/cell NAND flash memories were introduced as an effective way to lower cost [1,2]. However, these devices suffer from significant program performance degradation since tighter Vth distribution is required. On the other hand, scaling down can be a candidate to achieve low cost while maintaining high program performance even though there are several hurdles to overcome such as floating gate (FG) coupling and charge retention [3].
Workforce Issues and Challenges for Michigan's Local Governments

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders on a range of issues regarding their jurisdictions’ workforce, including employee pay and fringe benefit rates, whether the size of the workforce is adequate for providing services, and personnel problems experienced, including recruitment and retention. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders from the Spring 2017 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), and reference MPPS surveys conducted each spring since 2011.
How Low-Carbon Heat Requirements for Direct Air Capture of CO2 Can Enable the Expansion of Firm Low-Carbon Electricity Generation Resources

A rapid build-out of direct air capture (DAC), due to worsening climate-change effects, will require significant amounts of both low-carbon thermal and electrical energy. Firm low-carbon power resources, including nuclear, geothermal, or natural gas with carbon capture, which also will become more highly valued as variable renewable energy penetration increases, would be able to provide both heat and electricity for DAC. In this study, we examined the techno-economic synergy between a hypothetical DAC plant in the year 2030 and a nuclear small modular reactor, and determined two avenues for which this relationship could benefit the nuclear plant. First, we demonstrated that, under certain assumptions, selling a portion of its energy to a DAC facility allows the nuclear plant to take in 27% less revenue from selling electricity to wholesale markets than its projected levelized cost, and still break even. Second, after estimating a potential revenue stream, we showed that an integration with DAC allows for the nuclear plant’s capital costs to be up to 43% higher than what would be required if only selling electricity to wholesale markets. This could enable the nuclear plant to operate economically even in the face of variable and decreasing wholesale electricity prices, and also could offer developers more financial certainty when planning a new project. Ultimately, this study shows that the need for low-carbon energy for DAC plants might incentivize the development of advanced nuclear plants and firm low-carbon resources more broadly.
Semaphorin7A is up-regulated in breast cancer and promotes macrophage production of angiogenic molecules (TUM4P.933)

Semaphorins are a large family of molecules involved in the axonal guidance and development of the nervous system. In addition, they also play important roles in immunomodulation. Semaphorin 7A (SEMA7A) has been reported to be a modulator of monocytes and macrophages via α1β1integrins. SEMA7A promotes chemotaxis of monocytes and induces them to produce proinflammatory mediators. In this study we explored the role of SEMA7A in breast cancer. We first show that SEMA7A is highly expressed by DA-3, EO771 and 4T1 mammary tumor cells in comparison to normal mammary cells (EpH4). Furthermore, peritoneal elicited macrophages from mammary tumor-bearing mice express higher levels of SEMA7A compared to those from normal mice. We also show that murine macrophages treated with recombinant murine SEMA7A significantly increased their expression of angiogenic chemokine CXCL2 via activation of the MAPK pathway. Peritoneal elicited macrophages from mice bearing SEMA7A-silenced tumors produce significantly lower levels of CXCL2, CXCL1 and MMP-9, compared to macrophages from control tumor bearers. Gene silencing of Sema7A in macrophages from tumor-bearers decreased in their angiogenic potential. We postulate that SEMA7A in mammary carcinomas may skew monocytes into a pro-tumorigenic phenotype to support tumor growth.
How to Construct an Underclass, or How the War on Drugs Became a War on Education

While Americans are arguably more committed than ever to the ideal of universal education, the drug war has effectively withdrawn this commitment to many children who are most at risk. It has done so in several related ways that we explore in this article. First, the drug war has combined with public school zero-tolerance policies to remove tens of thousands of adolescents from their public schools. Eighty-eight percent of public schools have zero-tolerance policies for drugs, and according to one recent study approximately eighty percent of students charged with drug or alcohol infractions are suspended or expelled from school. Second, denial of higher education has been adopted as an additional punishment for drug offenders. Under the Drug Free Student Loans Act of 1998, students who have ever been convicted of a drug offense are either temporarily or permanently ineligible for federal college loans and grants. This law has led to the withdrawal from school of thousands of college students who have no alternative means of paying for their education. As to drug offenders in prison, their access to higher education had already effectively been terminated by a 1994 law that excluded all prisoners from Pell Grants, the federal college aid program that had engendered numerous college programs in prison. Finally, the war on drugs has targeted mssive numbers of drug users - addicts, serious abusers, and casual users alike - and siphoned them out of society and into prison. Whether wittingly or not, Americans have fully embraced that tradeoff for many years now: we are more interested in segregating and punishing drug offenders than educating them. The war on drugs has spawned a second front - a war on education. The casualties of this war are all poor or lower-income people who cannot afford to buy a private education. This article details the consequences of this other war, and explores some legislative and litigation strategies for reclaiming educational opportunity for all Americans.
Millimeter and Submillimeter Interferometry

This review discusses the special properties of interferometers at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, the characeristics of existing arrays, future plans for instruments, and a few examples of current scientific results.
Flower developmental stage and organ sensitivity of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to elevated temperature

High temperatures adversely affect crop productivity of several plant species including bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum). The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine whether flower ontogeny is adversely affected by high temperature during different phases of development, including pre- and post-pollination events; (2) to determine the duration of high temperature exposure necessary to cause reduction in fruit set; and (3) to determine whether injury to the pistil or stamen during development is responsible for reduced fruit set during high temperature. We determined that flower buds at <2·5 mm in length, corresponding to microspore mother cell meiosis to tetrad dissolution, and flowers that reached anthesis during the high temperature exposure had reduced fruit set when exposed to 33 °C for 48 or 120 h. Flower buds at <2·5 mm in length also had reduced pollen viability when exposed to 33 °C for 120 h. Morphological examination demonstrated that meiocytes initiated tetrad formation, but after dissolution the microspores remained small and clumped without a thick exine. High temperature exposure at a late-development, pre-anthesis stage did not affect pistil or stamen viability, but high post-pollination temperatures inhibited fruit set, suggesting that fertilization is sensitive to high temperature stress.
Elevated serum CK18 levels in chronic hepatitis C patients are associated with advanced fibrosis but not steatosis

Cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) is a major intermediate filament protein in liver cells. The M30 fragment of CK-18 has been identified as a useful marker of apoptosis associated with fibrosis and steatosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We sought to assess the relationship of this marker and steatosis in a cohort of adult patients with chronic hepatitis C. The study cohort included sera from 267 treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and 100 healthy controls with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Biopsies from CHC patients were assessed for METAVIR fibrosis stage, Histology Activity Index (HAI) inflammation score and steatosis grade by expert histopathologists. The M30 fragment of CK-18 was quantified by ELISA. Wilcoxon Rank Sum, Spearman Correlation and Linear Regression tests were performed for statistical analysis. Median CK-18 levels were higher in CHC patients compared to controls (411 vs 196 U/L, P < 0.0001). Fibrosis stage was associated with increasing serum CK-18 levels (P = 0.015) and CK-18 levels were higher for F2-F4 vs F0-F1 (500 vs 344 U/L; P = 0.001). There was no association between CK-18 and increasing steatosis grade 1, 2 or 3 (460.7 vs 416.8 vs 508.3 U/L; P = 0.35) and presence or absence of steatosis (445.3 vs 365.8 U/L; P = 0.075). Fibrosis stage was independently associated with serum M30 in a multivariable linear regression model (P = 0.03). CK-18 levels were higher in CHC compared to healthy controls and associated with hepatic fibrosis. There was no difference in CK-18 M30 levels between CHC patients with and without steatosis. Although apoptosis may still contribute to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-mediated steatosis, our results suggest that serum CK-18 will not be a clinically useful test for identifying significant steatosis in CHC.
Management of brain herniation and cerebrospinal fluid leak in revision chronic ear surgery.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Brain herniation and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage into the middle ear and mastoid are rare but described complications of chronic ear disease. This paper will discuss the presentation and management of brain herniation and/or CSF leak encountered in revision chronic ear surgery. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: Twelve of 1,130 cases of revision chronic ear surgery in which brain herniation or CSF leak was diagnosed were identified and analyzed. Results: Ten (83%) patients' initial diagnosis was tympanic membrane (TM) perforation with cholesteatoma and two (17%) with TM perforation without cholesteatoma. Initial revision procedures included one (8.3%) tympanoplasty with canal-wall-up mastoidectomy maintaining ossicular continuity, two (17%) tympanoplasties with canal-wall-down (CWD) mastoidectomies with ossicular chain reconstruction (OCR), and nine (75%) tympanoplasties with CWD mastoidectomies without OCR. Three (25%) required a second procedure, two (17%) a third, and one (8.3%) a fourth, finally resulting in four (33%) with an ossicular reconstruction and eight (67%) without. Brain herniation and/or CSF leak were repaired by way of transmastoid and middle fossa approaches. Preoperative and postoperative pure-tone average air-bone gaps were statistically similar (33.1 and 28.1 dbHL, respectively; P = .464). Conclusions: Brain herniation and/or CSF leak appear to be rare complications of surgery for revision chronic ear disease. Their management require adherence to the principles of establishing a safe ear with hearing restoration as a secondary goal.
Evidence for genetically mediated dysfunction of the central dopaminergic system in the stargazer rat

The stargazer rat is an autosomal recessive mutant (homozygousstg/stg) that displays abnormal behavior, characterized by stereotypic head-movement, circling, and a high level of ambulatory activity. Heterozygous (stg/+) littermates display normal spontaneous behaviors. In this study, stargazers and their unaffected littermates were compared in their behavioral responses to both stimulation and inhibition of dopamine D2/D3 receptors, using quinpirole and haloperidol. Stargazers were observed to yawn a significantly fewer number of times than littermates in response to (−)-quinpirole (50 µg/kg, IP). Haloperidol (HAL 0.1 mg/kg and 0.3 mg/kg, SC) caused a decrease in stereotypic head-movement in the mutants that was both time- and dose-dependent. In normal littermates, HAL inhibited locomotor activity and produced catalepsy in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In stargazers, both doses of HAL inhibited locomotor activity to a similar degree as in the littermates. However, no catalepsy was detectable in the mutants using 0.1 mg/kg of HAL. A dose of 0.3 mg/kg HAL was only weakly cataleptogenic. Overall, the spectrum of abnormal behaviors expressed by the stargazers and the present evidence of D2/D3 receptor subsensitivity suggest that stargazers possess a genetically mediated dysfunction of the central dopaminergic system.
Leadership Styles and Member Attitudes in T Groups

***********************,********************************************* * Documents acquire by ERIC include many informal unpublished * * katerialellot availabl from other Aourc 1, ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best cop available. Never Wgless, items of marginal * .* reproducibility are often encountered an this affects, the quality * * of the microfiche and liardcopy reprod4Ctions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service. (BDRS). EDRS Is not * $ responsible for the quality of the oe,ginal document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * ***********w*********************************************************** *
Effects of Muscle Moment Arm Variation on Performance During the Acceleration Phase of Sprinting: A Computer Simulation Study

Elite sprinters are differentiated from merely good sprinters by their performance during the first 20 m of a 100 m race [1]. The impulse of the ground reaction force in the forward direction during the sprint start has been found to correlate negatively with overall race time indicating that the best sprinters are the ones who are able to accelerate rapidly at the start of a race. Many factors have been examined to determine the anatomical and physiological characteristics that contribute to sprinting ability, including muscle fiber type, muscle size, and muscle architecture parameters such as fascicle length and pennation angle. Joint structure has received less attention, although it has the potential to influence sprint performance in complex ways.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
A pneumatic actuated microfluidic beads-trapping device

The development of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic microbeads trapping device is reported in this paper. Besides fluid channels, the proposed device includes a pneumatic control chamber and a beads-trapping chamber with a filter array structure. The pneumatic flow control chamber and the beads-trapping chamber are vertically stacked and separated by a thin membrane. By adjusting the pressure in the pneumatic control chamber, the membrane can either be pushed against the filter array to set the device in "trapping mode" or be released to set the device in "releasing mode". In this paper, a computational fluid dynamics simulation was conducted to optimize the geometry design of the filter array structure; the device fabrication was also carried out. The prototype device was tested and the preliminary experimental results showed that it can be used as a beads-trapping unit for various biochemistry and analytical chemistry applications, especially for flow injection analysis systems.
A NON-INVASIVE VIBRATING CALCIUM-SELECTIVE ELECTRODE MEASURES ACETYLCHOLINE-INDUCED CALCIUM FLUX ACROSS THE SARCOLEMMA OF A SMOOTH MUSCLE

To determine possible sources of Ca2+ during excitation-contraction coupling in smooth muscle, a vibrating Ca2+-selective electrode was used to measure Ca2+ flux during the process of contraction. The smooth muscle model was the longitudinal muscle of the body wall of a sea cucumberSclerodactyla briareus. Because acetylcholine caused slow contractions of the muscle that were inhibited by Ca2+ channel blockers diltiazem and verapamil in earlier mechanical studies, we chose a vibrating Ca2+-selective electrode as our method to test the hypothesis that acetylcholine may be stimulating Ca2+ influx across the sarcolemma, providing a Ca2+ source during excitation-contraction coupling. Acetylcholine treatment stimulated a net Ca2+ efflux that was both dose and time dependent. We then tested two L-type Ca2+ channel blockers, diltiazem and verapamil, and two non-specific Ca2+ blockers, cobalt (Co2+) and lanthanum (La3+) on acetylcholine-induced Ca2+ flux. All four Ca2+ blockers tested potently inhibited Ca2+ efflux induced by physiological doses of acetylcholine. We propose that the acetylcholine-induced Ca2+ efflux was the result of, first, Ca2+ influx through voltage-sensitive L-type Ca2+ channels, then the rapid extrusion of Ca2+ by an outwardly directed carrier such as the Na−Ca exchanger as suggested by Li+ substitution experiments. The vibrating Ca2+ electrode has provided new insights on the active and complex role the sarcolemma plays in Ca2+ homeostasis and regulating Ca2+ redistribution during excitation-contraction coupling.
Sex and Social Justice. By Martha C. Nussbaum. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. 488p. $45.00 cloth, $17.95 paper. Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach. By Martha C. Nussbaum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 334p. $28.00 cloth, $20.00 paper.

These two books by leading U.S. philosopher Martha Nussbaum take up the issue of women's inequality in a U.S. and international context. Both are hard-hitting, in Nussbaum's characteristic take-no-prisoners style, setting out a clear case that women endure ignominious oppression in the name of culture and religion, and that feminists and liberals alike should tolerate it no longer.
Chronic antihypertensive effects of captopril (SQ 14,225), an orally active angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor, in conscious 2-kidney renal hypertensive rats.

Abstract Indirect systolic blood pressure (SBP) was monitored in 9 groups of 15 male conscious 2-kidney renal hypertensive rats (RHR) for over 6 months. Daily oral dosing with captopril (SQ 14,225, D-3-mercapto-2-methyl-propanoyl-L-proline, 30 mg/kg), an orally active angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor, lowered SBP 30–50 mm Hg during this period. Withdrawal of captopril for 5 days at 1,3 and 6 months resulted in gradual return of SBP to control levels without overshoot. Resumption of dosage with captopril again decreased SBP. Daily oral dosing with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, 6 mg/kg/day) alone for 6 months had little or no effect on SBP, but increased the antihypertensive effect of captopril. Daily oral dosing with hydralazine (6 mg/kg) caused an initial marked antihypertensive effect greater than that of captopril but almost complete tolerance developed within 4 weeks of dosing. Highest survival rates occurred in RHR treated with captopril plus HCTZ. In four other similarly treated groups of RHR and normotensive rats (NR), least cardiac hypertrophy and highest plasma renin activity occurred in captopril-treated animals compared with vehicle-treated controls. Plasma renin activity was about 2 to 4 fold higher in the rats dosed with captopril compared with vehicle-treated rats. Heart weight/body weight ratios, initially higher in the two RHR groups compared to NR, decreased only in the captopril treated group to or near those of the NR groups. These results indicate that chronic treatment with captopril decreased SBP and cardiac weights of RHR, and that HCTZ, or possibly other diuretics, can augment the antihypertensive effect of captopril while having little or no effect by themselves.
Validation of the yeastSporidiobolus ruinenii based on its deoxyribonucleic acid relatedness to other species of the genusSporidiobolus

The yeastSporidiobolus ruinenii was described in 1970 but without a Latin diagnosis and is therefore not validly published. It differed from the only other species in the genus,Sporidiobolus johnsonii, by not assimilating melezitose and α-methyl-d-glucoside and by assimilating raffinose and galactitol. We have now shown thatSporidiobolus johnsonii andSporidiobolus ruinenii differ by 1.2 mol% G+C in nuclear DNA base composition and share only about 8.5% of their nuclear DNA base sequences. The new species also differs fromSporidiobolus salmonicolor. Sporidiobolus ruinenii thus represents a separate species and a Latin description is provided. The type strain is UCD (FS&T) 67-67 (CBS 5001).