cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of newborn hearing screening by transient otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response using ALGO-2®

The aim of this study is to compare pass rates for two different hearing screening methods in well newborns as a function of age. A previous study by this group compared click evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) using the ALGO-1 infant hearing screener (Natus Medical, Foster City, CA). Since that study, a new generation automated ABR screener, the ALGO-2, has been developed. In this study, 232 ears in 116 healthy newborn infants aged 5-48 h were tested using the ALGO-2 screener and EOAE. Overall, 92% of ears passed the ABR, while 57% passed the EOAE screen. The ABR pass rate was higher than in the previous study, where 88.5% of ears passed the ABR screen using ALGO-1. The EOAE pass rate in the present study was lower than in the previous study, in which 79% passed the EOAE screen. Pass rates for both EOAE and ABR improved significantly with increasing infant age. There was no significant difference in the test time required for ALGO-2 (5.7 min) compared with EOAE (5.2 min). The results are compared with earlier studies and implications for universal hearing screening are discussed.
Developing an effective approach to strategic planning for native American Indian reservations

This article proposes an approach to Native American Indian reservation planning that aligns a tribe's community development objectives with its historical experiences and its political self‐determination aims. The approach incorporates consideration of jurisdictional obstacles that operate in tribal affairs and reflects the planning experiences of the Swinomish Indian Tribe of Washington State. The strategic and adaptive approach evaluates the conditions of past and present events as planning strategies are selected to overcome conflicts in the tribe's future‐planning environment. The approach provides a systematic process for policy development to consider the political variables that simultaneously compete on Native American Indian reservations.
Continental Margin Off Western Africa: Angola to Sierra Leone

About 30,750 line-km of geophysical traverses (seismic reflection and refraction, magnetics, and gravity) were made in the Gulf of Guinea and vicinity aboard R/V Atlantis II during 1972 and 1973 as part of the International Decade of Ocean Exploration program. These traverses, supplemented by about 50,000 line-km of previous ones by other ships, provide a basis for mapping and understanding the geologic structure, history, and origin of the region. The deep indentation of the outline of western Africa is paralleled by a similar bend of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and by the prominent bulge of northeastern Brazil. These sharp bends are the result of left-lateral offsets by many transform faults in a belt of equatorial fracture zones. Some of the fracture zones continue eastward and intersect the entire length of the east-west coast of the Gulf of Guinea and penetrate the continent at the Benue trough or graben. The valleys of the fracture zones have been sites of sediment deposition, whereas the ridges have served as dams that force the sediment to move westward. Where enormous quantities of sediment have been delivered to the ocean by the Niger-Benue Rivers, a large delta has deeply buried the irregular topography of the fracture zones. In this entire belt of fractured ocean floor the structure, physiography, and stratigraphy have been controlled by lateral movement, or translation, of the ocean floor with respect to the continent. In contrast, the regions southeast and northwest of the belt of equatorial fractures have fewer large fracture zones, smoother topography, and simpler sediment wedges. These two regions owe their origin to simple divergence during sea-floor spreading, when new oceanic basement added at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge increased the distances between the African continent, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the American continents. Deposition of sediments along the margins of the originally narrow Atlantic Ocean was dominated early by coarse-grained and largely nonmarine sediments. South of the Gulf of Guinea these deposits were followed by evaporites as products of restricted water circulation in a long narrow arm of the ocean. There was little flow of water across the equator because of the sliding-v lve nature of the region of translation between the two regions of divergence. As spreading continued, the ocean widened, and thick prisms of marine sediments were deposited on the continental margins. Large deltas in western Africa first began at the south, with the now submerged deltas of the Orange and the Congo Rivers being chiefly Mesozoic in age and having no present coastal projection. The Niger delta farther north is mostly Cenozoic in age. Petroleum prospects appear to be far greater in the Niger delta and the region of divergence south of it than in the entire region west of the delta. The favorable continental margin contains thicker sediments, large ancient and modern deltas, and salt and mud diapirs. End_Page 2209------------------------------
Effect of 5α Reduced Androgens on Sex Accessory Organs. Initiation and Maintenance of Spermatogenesis in the Rat

The effect of several androgens on initiation and maintenance of spermatogeneSis was studied in newborn estrogen-blocked and in adult hypophysectomized rats. The steroid treatment inhibited testicular and body weight in all animals. Treatment of estrogen-blocked animals with androgens resulted in a stimulation of the growth of sex accessory organs, except in the case of androsterone. Initiation of spermatogenesis and its progression to mid pachytene stage (first wave) was observed in all steroid treated rats. In estrogen-blocked animals the first wave of spermatogenesis proceeded only to pachytene spermatocytes. Administration of testosterone propionate. dihydrotestosterone or 5a-androstanediol to these animals resulted in completion of meiosis and formation of spermatids up to Step 8 of spermiogenesis. Completion of meiosis was not observed in androsterone treated rats. In hypophysectomized animals all 5a-reduced androgens maintained spermatogenesis similar to testosterone.
Influence of protein hydrolysate baits on oviposition in the apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella

Ovipositional responses of apple maggot (AM), Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), females were studied in the laboratory on apples (var: Golden Delicious) treated with different rates of four protein hydrolysate baits in choice and no-choice tests. Protein hydrolysate baits at rates of 0.5 and 1% had no significant effect, but oviposition was greatly reduced at higher rates of 5 and 10%. Apple maggot females exposed to apples treated with protein hydrolysate baits at a rate of 10% made 41–71% fewer punctures and laid 41–73% fewer eggs than in untreated control. No oviposition activity was shown on apples treated with 25 and 100% Nulure®. In no-choice tests the AM females laid 75–96% fewer eggs in apples treated with 10 and 25% Nulure compared to controls and no oviposition occurred in apples treated with 100%, Nulure. Apple maggot females arrived in similar numbers on apples treated with 10% Nulure and untreated apples, but only 5% of those arriving on Nulure-treated apples showed ovipositor boring with no egg deposition while 60% of females arriving on untreated apples showed ovipositor boring activity and laid an average of 2.5 eggs per apple. In another experiment, individual AM females displayed similar behavioral responses to 10% Nulure-treated apples; none of the 56 females tested on treated apples displayed ovipositor boring activity, but 59% of the females (N = 56) tested on untreated apples displayed ovipositor boring within 5 min of their arrival. Ninetyeight percent of AM females stayed and fed on fruit surfaces for 5 min on Nulure-treated apples without ovipositor boring compared to only 2% on untreated apples. Of the females that arrived on untreated apples, 39% flew away within 5 min without ovipositor boring compared to only 2% of those that arrived on Nulure-treated apples. Results of these two behavioral experiments suggest that upon arrival on a protein bait-treated apple, an apparent change of behavior occurs in AM females and instead of attempting to oviposit, they attempt to feed on fruit surfaces resulting in reduced oviposition activity. These results indicate that the feeding and oviposition-related activities of AM females are probably mutually exclusive and that the feeding behavior preempts oviposition activities on host fruits treated with higher rates of protein hydrolysate baits.
Secure information sharing using role-based delegation

As computing becomes more pervasive, information sharing occurs in broad, highly dynamic network-based environments. Such pervasive computing environments pose a difficult challenge informally accessing the resources. The digital information generally represents sensitive and confidential information that organizations must protect and allow only authorized personnel to access and manipulate them. As organizations implement information strategies that call for sharing access to resources in the networked environment, mechanisms must be provided to protect the resources from adversaries. We seek to address the issue of how to advocate selective information sharing while minimizing the risks of unauthorized access. We integrate a role-based delegation framework to propose system architecture. We also demonstrate the feasibility of our framework through a proof-of-concept implementation.
Optimal detection, classification, and superposition resolution in neural waveform recordings

The effects of noise autocorrelation on neural waveform recognition (detection, classification, and superposition resolution) are investigated, using microelectrode recordings from the cortex of a monkey. Optimal waveform recognition is accomplished by passing the data through a whitening filter before matched filtering for detection or template matching for classification and superposition resolution. Template matching without whitening requires about 40% higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than template matching with whitening for comparable classification and superposition resolution. The comparable difference for detection is 15%. >
Democracy and Multilateralism: The Case of Vote Buying in the UN General Assembly

Democracies are more supportive of US positions on important votes in the UN General Assembly than of nondemocracies. Is this because democracies share common perspectives, or does this pattern reflect coercion? Since 1985, US law has stipulated that the US State Department identify important votes and that aid disbursements reflect voting decisions. To unravel these alternative explanations, we introduce a strategic statistical model that allows us to estimate voting preferences, vulnerability to influence, and credibility of linkage, which are theoretical quantities of interest that are not directly observable. The results reject the hypothesis of shared democratic values: poor democracies have voting preferences that are more oppositional to US positions than autocracies, and they are more willing than autocracies to take symbolic stands that may cost them foreign aid. Democracies support US positions, however, because US aid linkages are more credible when directed toward democratic countries. Splitting the sample into Cold War and post�Cold War segments, we find that the end of the Cold War changed the way US linkage strategies treated allies and left- and right-leaning governments, but the effects of democracy remained constant.
Death and organ donation: back to the future

The practice of transplantation of vital organs from "brain-dead" donors is in a state of theoretical disarray. Although the law and prevailing medical ethics treat patients diagnosed as having irreversible total brain failure as dead, scholars have increasingly challenged the established rationale for regarding these patients as dead. To understand the ethical situation that we now face, it is helpful to revisit the writings of the philosopher Hans Jonas, who forcefully challenged the emerging effort to redefine death in the late 1960s.
Genetic testing for hereditary colorectal cancer in children: Long‐term psychological effects

Children who carry a gene mutation for familial adenomatous polyposis are virtually certain to develop colorectal cancer without annual endoscopic screening and a colectomy when polyps appear. Predictive genetic testing can identify children who need regular surveillance. While the medical benefits of genetic testing are clear, the psychological effects have not been well studied. We evaluated the long-term psychological effects of genetic testing in 48 children and their parents. In each family, one parent was a known APC gene mutation carrier. Before genetic testing, and three times afterward, participants completed measures of psychological functioning, which, for children, included depression and anxiety symptoms, and behavior problems and competencies. Parents completed a measure of depression symptoms. Data were collected at 3-, 12-, and 23-55 months after disclosure. Twenty-two children tested positive; 26 children tested negative. Mean length of follow-up was 38 months. There were no clinically significant changes in mean psychological test scores in children or parents, regardless of the children's test results or the sex of the affected parent. However, the group of children who tested positive and had a mutation-positive sibling showed significant, but subclinical, increases in depression symptoms. Furthermore, several individual mutation-negative children with a positive sibling had clinical elevations in anxiety symptoms at one or more follow-up. Behavior problems declined for all groups, and behavior competence scores remained unchanged. We conclude that most children do not suffer clinically significant psychological distress after testing. However, because some children showed clinically significant anxiety symptoms, long-term psychological support should be available to those families with both mutation-positive and mutation-negative children, and with multiple mutation-positive children. Our findings should call for a multidisciplinary approach to genetic testing for children.
Transmission electron microscopy of ultramicrotomed barrier anodic films on aluminium

Ultramicrotomy was utilized to produce thin section specimens of anodized aluminium to permit a measurement of the film thickness in cross section by transmission electron microscopy. This direct approach to film thickness measurement has an inherent precision of ±0.5 nm, and may be utilized to measure films as thin as 5.0 nm. Two types of film growth procedures were studied using this technique: one utilizing an aqueous ammonium tartrate solution as the electrolyte, and a second using a nonaqueous electrolyte of ammonium pentaborate in ethylene glycol. While both electrolytes yielded barrier values of approximately 1.5 nm V−1, in agreement with literature values, the aqueous electrolyte tended to show a zero-potential offset of nearly 10 nm greater than the nonaqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, films grown in aqueous solutions tended to have a less dense surface morphology, which was distinguishable in transmission electron microscopy.
Daily Spiritual Experiences Before and After Near-Death Experiences

People who have near-death experiences (NDEs) often report a subsequently increased sense of spirituality and a connection with their inner self and the world around them. In this study, we examined daily spiritual experiences, using Underwood and Teresi’s (2002) Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, among 229 persons who had come close to death. Frequency of daily spiritual experiences before the close brush with death did not differentiate participants who had NDEs (n 204) from those who did not (n 25). However, participants who described having had NDEs reported more daily spiritual experiences after their brush with death than those who did not, and frequency of daily spiritual experiences after the brush with death was positively correlated with depth of NDE. We discussed the implications of these findings in light of other reported aftereffects of NDEs and of daily spiritual experiences among other populations.
The Family as a Site for Gendered Ethnic Identity Work Among Asian Indian Immigrants

Research on immigrants often points to the family as a source of support and a location for oppression. Using in-depth interviews with 38 first-generation immigrant Indians, this study adds to this literature by exploring families as sites of identity work where first-generation immigrants manage their gendered ethnic identities. Relocation into a new culture makes ethnic identity salient for the migrants, and they perform identity work to maintain this identity. However, because these identities are simultaneously gendered, enacting these reinforces gender hierarchies within families. Even though migration alters family structures, and especially family roles and responsibilities, individuals retain altered aspects of their roles that reinforce gender and ethnic identity. This identity work thus reinforces the observation that immigrant families can be both a source of strength and oppression. It provides a source of support from the Indian immigrant community while it also reshapes the gender inequaliti...
Combination chemotherapy with 13-cis-retinoic acid and celecoxib in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

In a phase II clinical trial, we sought to determine if combining celecoxib with 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cRA, Accutane™) was efficacious in the treatment of recurrent (progressive) glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In parallel, we also sought to determine to what extent the outcomes from this clinical trial correlated with the findings from studies utilizing two murine intracerebral GBM models, U87MG and U251HF, to determine the predictive value of these murine models. In the clinical trial, 25 patients were studied at recurrence. Stable disease, which occurred in 44% of the patients, was the best response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8 weeks, with a PFS at 6 months of only 19%. For the patients with stable disease, the median PFS was 24 weeks. The toxicity profile was unremarkable. The modest effect on PFS seen in this study agreed with the recent findings of another study, which showed a 19% PFS at 6 months in patients treated with 13-cRA alone. Thus, the combination of 13-cRA with celecoxib is not more effective than 13-cRA in the treatment of progressive GBM. In the murine model study, we found that long-term dosing with 13-cRA or celecoxib alone or in combination did not increase survival in animals with U87MG tumors but modestly increased survival in animals with U251HF tumors. There was no evidence of synergism between the two drugs. From this, we concluded that the animal studies generally predicted that the two agents would have only a modest effect alone and no additive effect when given in combination to patients.
Tetrapropylammonium perruthenate as a mild and efficient oxidant for sensitive steroidal alcohols

Tetrapropylammonium perruthenate N-methylmorpholine N-oxide oxidation of steroidal alcohols is described. The reagent combination is mild and gave good yields of the corresponding ketones. Although the oxidation can generate ketones from 3-, 11-, 15-, 17-, and 20-hydroxy steroids, the oxidation of homoallylic alcohols proceeds in low yields. Finally, we observed that the oxidation reagents will convert 17 alpha-hydroxy-20-keto steroids to 17-keto systems in excellent yield.
Predictors of Job Stress Among Staff in Juvenile Correctional Facilities

There have been relatively few studies of job stress among staff of juvenile correctional facilities. The Job Stress subscale of the Prison Social Climate Survey, which has been used extensively in...
Face flies (Musca autumnalis De Geer) and the behavior of grazing beef cattle

Abstract Ectoparasites, at or above certain levels, usually reduce productivity of infested livestock, however the causative processes are often poorly defined. Irritation from non-biting flies may, for example, interfere with grazing behavior and reduce herbage intake while increasing the energy diverted to support fly-induced behavior. Zero, 400 or 800 laboratory-reared adult face flies ( Musca autumnalis De Geer), which had been deprived of nutrients and water for 12 h, were released in large (5 m×5 m×2 m) screened enclosures each containing one tethered adult Angus beef cow ( Bos taurus ) grazing tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb. cultivar ‘Johnstone’). At the start of grazing, the herbage dry matter (DM) mass of the vegetative sward was 3861 kg ha −1 , sward surface was at 21 cm and the pseudostem surface plane was at 6 cm. The herbage DM allowance was 1.4 kg (100 kg) −1 h −1 . Surfaces of the heads of grazing cows supported about 30 alighted face flies. In addition, 20 and 30 flies alighted on the backs of cows grazing in the presence of 400 and 800 face flies per enclosure, respectively. Few face flies were present on other body surfaces. Heads of cows moved 0.0, 1.0 and 0.7 min −1 in response to the activity of 0, 400 and 800 face flies per cow, respectively. Ear movements were initiated 0.1, 22.2 and 14.3 min −1 per cow exposed to 0, 400 and 800 face flies, respectively. Panniculus reflexes (on one side of the cow's body) were triggered 0.3, 3.5 and 4.1 min −1 per cow when exposed to 0, 400 and 800 face flies, respectively. Face flies (0, 400 and 800 per cow) activated cow tail movements 0.4, 3.2 and 10.1 min −1 , but did not induce movements of the front or hind legs. Rates of herbage DM intake increased linearly from 1.69 to 2.91 kg per cow h −1 (0.37–0.59 kg (100 kg) −1 h −1 ) as the numbers of face flies increased up to 800 per cow, largely because herbage DM intakes per bite increased from 0.74 to 1.36 g. Rates of biting in grazing cows (37 bites min −1 ) and the time spent at feeding stations (19 s per station) were not significantly affected by face flies. It appears that cows grazed deeper into the sward in an attempt to dislodge face flies from the muzzle and this resulted in heavier bites and, consequently, higher rates of herbage intake.
Conscious sedation for dentistry: risk management and patient selection.

There are many safe and effective medications available to the dental practitioner for producing conscious sedation. Given the many sedatives available, all possessing slightly different clinical characteristics and various degrees of risk, careful consideration needs to be given to the objectives of the sedation when deciding which pharmacologic agents to use. Before making plans to sedate dental patients, however, one needs to make sure that several "layers" of risk management are in place to ensure the sedation procedure is as safe as possible. Included in this risk management plan is a complete understanding of the regulations that define conscious sedation and the training that is required to deliver this state of depressed consciousness. Careful attention also needs to be given to selecting appropriate dental patients for sedation. A thorough understanding of the patient's physical and psychologic status is necessary when making decisions about sedation. Because most dental disease is not life threatening, dental treatment needs tend to be primarily elective in nature. Considering the training requirements for delivering inhalational or enteral conscious sedation with a single agent, it is prudent to limit this type of sedation to the patient population that is healthy (e.g., ASA I and II) and psychologically stable as a way of minimizing risk. The amount of additional risk one encounters when sedating more medically compromised patients (ASA III and greater) should suggest that deferring elective dental treatments until the health status improves is prudent. In situations in which an improvement in the patient's health status is not likely, referral to someone with more experience sedating medically compromised patients is strongly recommended. Equally important to the conscious sedation risk management plan is an assurance that the patient understands what is meant by conscious sedation and that their treatment expectations are realistic. Finally, even though conscious sedation is safe when all precautions are followed, being prepared to manage unexpected sedation-related emergencies is necessary. The principles of risk management covered in this article are applicable to other articles in this issue, in which N2O/O2 inhalational sedation and enteral sedation in adults and children are discussed. The remaining article in this section that reviews the prevention of medical emergencies and the pharmacologic agents necessary to treat emergency events that are likely to occur in dental settings further enhances the level of preparedness necessary when administering conscious sedation to adults and children.
Interference timing and acknowledgement response with voice and datalink ATC commands

Datalink is a text system used to send messages between ATC and pilots. There are concerns related to changes in information processing demands and responses associated with executing speech and text ATC commands. The timing of interference and the acknowledgement response on command execution performance were examined during the processing of simulated ATC commands. Verbal and central executive (CE) interference tasks were presented before or after the acknowledgement. Participants received both speech and text commands, responded by a verbal or manual acknowledgement, and set the controls in a flight simulator. Results demonstrated an advantage for a manual acknowledgement with longer messages. CE as opposed to verbal interference prior to an acknowledgement had a greater negative effect that was exacerbated in the text condition. The findings are interpreted within the context of a working memory and multiple-resource perspective and implications are discussed with regard to communication processes in ...
A STUDY OF THE NEUROTROPIC TENDENCY IN STRAINS OF THE VIRUS OF EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA.

The demonstration by Stuart-Harris that the W.S. strain of epidemic influenza virus can induce a fatal nervous disease in mice has been confirmed. In contrast, however, no previous period of adaptation to chick embryonic brain was required. By serial brain to brain passages in mice originally inoculated with the virus cultivated in the usual chick embryo culture medium a fatal disease, essentially meningeal in character, is produced. The Melbourne strain has been similarly enhanced while other strains have failed to reveal any neurotropic tendencies. The evidence indicates that the neurotropic characteristic is present in the two strains as an inherent quality which is quantitatively heightened and does not represent the acquisition of a property not previously present.
Progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

Abstract Background & Aims: Fibrosis is the hallmark of hepatic cirrhosis, worsening of which is probably the best surrogate marker for progression of chronic liver disease. We evaluated a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) using liver histology to assess the rate and predictors of progression of fibrosis. Methods: The cohort consisted of 123 patients with CHC who underwent 2 liver biopsies 4–212 months (mean, 44 months) apart without intervening treatment. Liver histology was graded using the histology activity index (score, 0–18) and fibrosis staged using a scoring system of 0 (no fibrosis) to 6 (cirrhosis). Results: Among 123 patients, 48 (39%) showed progression in fibrosis scores, 46 (37%) showed no change, and 29 (24%) showed improvement. Of those with worsening fibrosis, 75% had a 1-point increase and 25% a 2-point or greater increase in scores, and 9% showed progression to cirrhosis. The overall rate of progression was 0.12 fibrosis units per year, a rate that predicts progression to cirrhosis in 50 years if progression was linear. The rate of fibrosis progression was variable, and it was higher among older patients, those with higher serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels, and those with the most extensive periportal necrosis on initial liver biopsy. Conclusions: The best predictors of fibrosis progression in CHC are the extent of serum aminotransferase elevations and the degree of hepatocellular necrosis and inflammation on liver biopsy. These findings support the recommendation that patients with normal aminotransferase levels and mild liver histology can safely defer treatment. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2003;124:97-104
Understanding comorbidity: A twin study of reading disability and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder

A community sample of twins in which at least one member of each pair exhibited significant reading difficulties (99 monozygotic and 80 dizygotic pairs) or symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 83 monozygotic and 78 dizygotic pairs) was used to test the etiology of comorbidity between reading disability (RD) and ADHD. Univariate analyses revealed moderate to high heritability for all measures of reading difficulty and ADHD. Subsequent bivariate analyses indicated that the relation between reading difficulties and inattention symptoms is primarily attributable to common genetic influences, whereas bivariate heritability estimates were not significant for hyperactivity-impulsivity and any of the reading measures. Reading difficulties and ADHD symptoms were more highly heritable if the proband met criteria for both disorders versus RD or ADHD alone, suggesting that future molecular genetic analyses of comorbid RD + ADHD may facilitate the identification of susceptibility genes for RD, ADHD, and their comorbidity.
Evidence of Systemic Dissemination of Chlamydia pneumoniae via Macrophages in the Mouse

Chlamydia pneumoniae has been postulated to cause systemic disease by infection of monocytes/macrophages and spread via the blood or lymphatics. To investigate how C. pneumoniae disseminates, the ability of the organism to infect murine macrophages in vivo and whether infection can be transferred via macrophages were determined. C. pneumoniae was detected by direct plating, isolation, and polymerase chain reaction in alveolar macrophages from intranasally inoculated mice and peritoneal macrophages from intraperitoneally inoculated mice. C. pneumoniae were also detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but not plasma, of intranasally and intraperitoneally inoculated mice. When alveolar or peritoneal macrophages were adoptively transferred by intraperitoneal injection from infected to uninfected mice, C. pneumoniae DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in lung, thymus, spleen, and/or abdominal lymph nodes. These results demonstrate the ability of C. pneumoniae to infect macrophages in vivo and to disseminate systemically via infected macrophages by hematogenous and lymphatic routes.
Vibrations of Shells Composed of Composite Materials

This Chapter is in no way a comprehensive portrayal of the voluminous literature on the vibration of composite shells. Subsequent to studying the vibrations of isotropic shells in Chapter 12, the intent here is to provide some insight into the vibration behavior, some techniques available for solution, and some awareness of the peculiarities associated with composite shells.
Sociodemographic Predictors of Vaccination Exemptions on the Basis of Personal Belief in California.

Objectives. We examined the variability in the percentage of students with personal belief exemptions (PBEs) from mandatory vaccinations in California schools and communities according to income, education, race, and school characteristics.Methods. We used spatial lag models to analyze 2007–2013 PBE data from the California Department of Public Health. The analyses included school- and regional-level models, and separately examined the percentage of students with exemptions in 2013 and the change in percentages over time.Results. The percentage of students with PBEs doubled from 2007 to 2013, from 1.54% to 3.06%. Across all models, higher median household income and higher percentage of White race in the population, but not educational attainment, significantly predicted higher percentages of students with PBEs in 2013. Higher income, White population, and private school type significantly predicted greater increases in exemptions from 2007 to 2013, whereas higher educational attainment was associated wit...
Are Your Click-Wrap Agreements Valid?—Internet Contracting in the Global Electronic Age: Comparative Perspectives for Taiwan

Addresses the issue of standard terms in click-wrap and shrink-wrap licenses generally and in some detail how the laws of Taiwan, Germany, the European Union, the United States and Japan.
Measurement of Consumers’ Prior Brand Information:

This study attempted to determine the feasibility of quantitatively measuring consumers’ prior brand information. A measurement procedure based on the Bayesian concept of a prior distribution is pr...
Photoconductivity of Photorefractive Polymers

The photorefractive effect has been recently observed by holographic grating formation in optically non-linear polymers molecularly doped with charge transport agents. Grating formation can be understood as a four-step process, the first three of which dictate the photoconductive response: charge generation, mobility and trapping. The fourth step is modulation of the refractive index by the resulting space-charge field, via the electro-optic effect. We present the results of photoconductivity experiments to determine charge generation efficiency, carrier mobility and the kinetics of recombination and trapping, focussing primarily on the epoxy polymer bisphenol-A-diglycidylether 4-nitro-1, 2-phenylenediaminc (bisA-NPDA) doped with the hole transport agent, diethylaminobenzaldehyde-diphenylhydrazone (DEH). The electric field dependence of the generation efficiency and mobility differ in detail from results on other molecularly doped polymers.
Quantitative Characterization of Intracellular Compartment-Specific Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Dynamics in a Heart Failure Model of Arrhythmic Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)

Introduction: Little is known about ROS generation and scavenging in normal physiological conditions and in heart disease. Further, quantitative ROS measurements have been complicated by distinct sources of ROS in specific intracellular compartments and by potential crosstalk between compartments. We hypothesized that heart failure differentially alters ROS dynamics in specific intracellular compartments.Methods: We performed ratiometric ROS measurements in the mitochondria, cytosol and caveolae of left ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from normal and failing guinea pig hearts using novel targeted viral gene transfer vectors expressing redox-sensitive GFP fused to specific sensor domains. The cardiomyocytes were continuously field-stimulated at 1 Hz at 37°C in the presence or absence of compartment-specific blockers/antioxidants (apocynin, mitotempo, tempol) and angiotensin-II receptor blocker (losartan).Results: Baseline redox states were similar in the mitochondria (0.18±0.020), cytoplasm (0.20±0.028) and caveolae (0.29±0.040) of normal hearts. In comparison, failing hearts had a 2-fold higher mitochondrial and cytoplasmic, but similar caveolar ROS levels. In normal and failing hearts, 1 mM peroxide increased (2.5-1.5-fold) ROS levels in all intracellular compartments. In normal hearts, angiotensin-II increased mitochondrial (2.4-fold), cytoplasmic (2.8-fold) and caveolar (1.6-fold) ROS levels. In failing hearts, angiotensin-II increased (1.7-1.8-fold) ROS levels in all compartments. Reversal of effect by losartan indicated the angiotensin-II-induced increases in ROS were mediated by the angiotensin-II receptor.Conclusions: Heart failure increases oxidative stress by reducing baseline ROS scavenging capacity primarily in the mitochondria and cytoplasm. Elevated levels of angiotensin-II associated with heart failure increases oxidative stress in all intracellular compartments. These results have important implications for the development and progression of heart failure and for the design of compartment-specific antioxidant therapies.
Epidermal Growth Factor, Transforming Growth Factor-α, and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Localization in the Baboon (Papio anubis) Oviduct During Steroid Treatment and the Menstrual Cycle

OBJECTIVES Polypeptide growth factors may modulate the actions of estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P) in reproductive tissues in an autocrine/paracrine manner. The objective of this study was to determine whether the baboon oviduct contains epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF alpha), and EGF receptor (EGF-R) and whether changes in their expression are correlated with various hormonal states. METHODS Oviductal tissue was obtained from adult female baboons (Papio anubis) after oophorectomy and steroid treatment, and during the menstrual cycle. Ampullary regions were fixed in Bouin's fixative and embedded in paraffin for immunocytochemistry using rabbit polyclonal antibodies against EGF and EGF-R, and mouse monoclonal antibody against TGF alpha. RESULTS Both EGF and EGF-R were present in all tissue compartments (most strongly in the epithelium, followed by smooth muscle and stroma) at all reproductive stages and showed similar staining patterns. However, the most intense immunoreactive product was found in the tissue obtained from the E2-treated and late follicular phase animals. At this time, intense staining was present in the apical regions of the mature ciliated cells, whereas the stain was dispersed uniformly over the cytoplasm of all other cell types. Immunoreactive TGF alpha was limited primarily to the nonciliated epithelial cells, and staining was most intense in the E2-treated and late follicular phase tissues. Transforming growth factor-alpha formed intense perinuclear deposits in the mature secretory cells, an area that corresponds to the Golgi region. No immunoreactive product was observed for any of these proteins when preimmune serum was substituted for the primary antibody or when the primary antibody was preabsorbed with antigen. CONCLUSION In summary, EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF-R are present in the ampulla of the baboon oviduct. Moreover, the localization and intensity of immunoreactive product are dependent on cell type and hormonal state. These data are consistent with the concept that EGF, TGF alpha, and EGF-R may be regulated by E2 and P and thus may play a role in cell differentiation and function. In addition, the specific localization of TGF alpha suggests that this growth factor may be synthesized for release from the secretory cells and thus may also function as a modulator of gamete/embryo viability and development.
IP management of the electric power information network

IP multicast technique realizes efficient data transmission from one point to multiple points in IP network,and rem edies the defects of unicast and broadcast communication.In recent years,IP multicast technique is broadly applied in electric power enterprises.Combining with the project example of the information system construction for Ningxia EHV Grid Operation Company and 750kV Substation,introduces the design of IP multicast network based on H3C 7503E,and puts forward some measures about avoiding network broadcast storm.
The Control Mode and Operating Performance of Nanhui VSC-HVDC Demonstration Project

According to the direct current control(DCC) method,the converter controller and valve controller are designed for Nanhui VSC-HVDC demonstration project in this paper.Based on the objectives of demonstration project,the paper analyzes the system connection mode of the wind farm,the operation type and control strategies of demonstration project,discussing the commissioning of the project.The operating performance of the system in different operation modes is tested,and the results show that the performance is so excellent with good controllability and reliability that the project meets its design objectives.
Coupling Admissions and Curricular Data to Predict Medical Student Outcomes

The relative impact of admissions factors and curricular measures on the first medical licensing exam (United States Medical Licensing Exam [USMLE] Step 1) scores is examined. The inclusion of first-year and second-year curricular measures nearly doubled the variance explained in Step 1 scores from the amount explained by the combination of preadmission demographic characteristics and admissions factors. In addition, the relationship between the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and Step 1 scores becomes counterintuitive in models that include curricular measures, where students with the lowest combined admissions metrics (MCAT, grade-point average) score higher, on average, than those with some of the highest admissions metrics. Overreliance on traditional metrics in admissions decisions can exclude students from medical school who have the ability to succeed.
Race, Religion, and Redistribution

Previous work has revealed that Christian belief and practice influences individuals’ political attitudes and behavior. However, these studies have typically relied on samples that were predominantly of white Americans, implying that the effects of religiosity were universal across racial and ethnic groups. More recently, evidence has begun to emerge indicating that the religious beliefs and practices of blacks and Latinos lead them to distinct forms of political behavior from their devout white counterparts. Using a survey with an embedded experiment, this study explores these findings further by examining why the effects of religiosity differ between each group. Our expectations are that each group prioritizes different aspects of their religious belief over others. These differences in religious interpretation, which are rooted in differences in the groups’ shared social experiences, encourage distinct policy preferences. In particular, we expect white evangelicals to emphasize the individualistic attitudes underlying Protestantism, which we expect will drive greater opposition to redistributive policies. On the other hand, social justice, a key component of African American religious belief and Catholicism among Latinos, stands to make both groups more supportive of such policies. This study highlights how the meaning underlying religious belief can drive distinctly different policy preferences.
Apoptosis Inducing Factor Acts as a Survival Factor in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia through Mitochondrial Complex 1.

Abstract Apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) is a mitochondrial flavoprotein that is released into the cytoplasm to form an active DNase and then translocates into the nucleus to induce DNA fragmentation when cells undergo apoptosis. AIF also acts as an essential NADPH oxidase, a function which is distinct from its proapoptotic role. We have shown previously that AIF expression level increased with increasing blast counts in primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patient samples. Here we report that AIF expression levels are increased in primary CD34+ AML cells compared with CD34− cells. To investigate the role of AIF in primary AML, bone marrow or peripheral blood samples from AML patients (n=8) with CD34+ or CD34− cell populations were examined for changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔψM), apoptosis and chemo-sensitivity in the CD34+ and CD34− compartments after treatment with the mitochondrial complex 1 inhibitor rotenone. Similar experiments were performed following knockdown of AIF with lentiviral shRNA directed against AIF in K562 cells. Results demonstrate: 1. significantly increased apoptosis rate (39.2% Annexin V+ cells in CD34+ vs. 14.1% in CD34− cells following 2 uM rotenone, p=0.05), and decreased ΔψM in CD34+ cells (44.5% ΔψM cells in CD34+ vs. 78.2% in CD34− cells, p=0.01). MCL-1 expression levels were significantly decreased in CD34+ but not in CD34− cells (p=0.007). The apoptotic effect of rotenone in CD34+ cells was potentiated by AraC (1uM). 2. Profound inhibition of O2 consumption in AIF knockdown K562 cells (−5.2±0.3) compared with K562-neo (neo transfected K562, −13.1±0.3) cells (p=0.001). Rotenone treated AIF knockdown K562 cells and K562-neo cells revealed that decreased AIF expression led to higher ΔψM and higher superoxide generation (p=0.0002). In contrast, total mitochondrial mass (NAO) decreased slightly in K562KD cells. Data suggested that 1. AIF contributes to leukemia cell survival by modulating mitochondrial metabolism, independent of its proapoptotic activity, which is consistent with recent reports demonstrating its importance in mitochondrial complex 1 activity. 2. Decreased AIF levels are associated with increased generation of superoxide anion, suggesting that AIF critically regulates mitochondrial function in AML cells. 3. Rotenone selectively decreases AIF and induces apoptosis in CD34+ cells in AML. 4. AIF functions as a survival factor in AML strategies targeting AIF expression or function may be beneficial in the treatment of myeloid leukemia.
N-Phenylboronic Acid Derivatives of Arenecarboximdes as Saccharide Probes with Virtual Spacer Design

Because of their multiple stereocenters and ability to form either fiiranose or pyranose ring sizes, carbohydrates continue to present a challenge in both molecular recognition studies and chemosensory detection.1– The importance of even simple monosaccharides in both biomedical and clinical research has promoted the development of improved detection methods. In addition to industrial applications such as monitoring sugar concentrations in beverages, quantitative analysis of saccharides is critically linked to certain disease therapies. For example, monitoring of glucose remains a key concern of diabetes management.4 Currently, biosensors such as glucose oxidase have been applied in saccharide detection and offer a reliable method to detect glucose. However, some disadvantages such as the poor stability of the enzyme and consumption of substrate during the detection process represent some limitations to biosensing applications.5 Although less selective than protein based biosensors, synthetic chemosensors offer advantages such as greater stability and reliability in a variety of conditions.
Greening, Root and Branch: The Forms and Limits of Environmentalism

The purpose of the paper is to examine the roots of our obligation to preserve the land and its resources, to address in some systematic way the “So what?” response to the massive documentation of environmental deterioration and the accompanying environmentalist imperatives. We will begin with an exercise in deconstruction—the parsing of an event, just one event, to extract from its account some of the problems that environmentalism has got itself into, especially in dealing with the multiple faces of American business. From that point we will be in a position to address the central project of the paper, an elaboration of an ethic for the appreciation and protection of the natural environment, ‘the land’, for short, meaning the earth, all its life, all its resources.
Differences in mathematics achievement according to opportunity to learn: A 4pL item response theory examination

Abstract We examine student performance on mathematics items from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. Utilizing a 4 parameter logistic Item Response Theory model, we were particularly interested in estimating the probability of a student who was relatively high achieving incorrectly responding to mathematics items as related to having more or less opportunity to learn as rated by the student. Results indicate that students who were similarly high achieving yet had less opportunity to learn were significantly less likely to correctly respond to an item as compared to those who had more opportunity to learn. When accounting for these item-level differences in OTL in mathematics, socioeconomic status was longer related to academic achievement.