cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The physiology of lipid storage and use in reptiles

Lipid metabolism is central to understanding whole-animal energetics. Reptiles store most excess energy in lipid form, mobilise those lipids when needed to meet energetic demands, and invest lipids in eggs to provide the primary source of energy to developing embryos. Here, I review the mechanisms by which non-avian reptiles store, transport, and use lipids. Many aspects of lipid absorption, transport, and storage appear to be similar to birds, including the hepatic synthesis of lipids from glucose substrates, the transport of triglycerides in lipoproteins, and the storage of lipids in adipose tissue, although adipose tissue in non-avian reptiles is usually concentrated in abdominal fat bodies or the tail. Seasonal changes in fat stores suggest that lipid storage is primarily for reproduction in most species, rather than for maintenance during aphagic periods. The effects of fasting on plasma lipid metabolites can differ from mammals and birds due to the ability of non-avian reptiles to reduce their metabolism drastically during extended fasts. The effect of fasting on levels of plasma ketones is species specific: β-hydroxybutyrate concentration may rise or fall during fasting. I also describe the process by which the bulk of lipids are deposited into oocytes during vitellogenesis. Although this process is sometimes ascribed to vitellogenin-based transport in reptiles, the majority of lipid deposition occurs via triglycerides packaged in very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs), based on physiological, histological, biochemical, comparative, and genomic evidence. I also discuss the evidence for non-avian reptiles using ‘yolk-targeted’ VLDLs during vitellogenesis. The major physiological states – feeding, fasting, and vitellogenesis – have different effects on plasma lipid metabolites, and I discuss the possibilities and potential problems of using plasma metabolites to diagnose feeding condition in non-avian reptiles.
Migration, Remittances, and Economic Development: A Literature Review

Between 1965 and 2000, individuals living outside their countries of birth increased from 2.2 percent to 2.9 percent of world population (United Nations 2002), reaching a total of 175 million people in the latter year (US Census Bureau 2002). The remittances that these migrants send to their countries of origin are an important but relatively poorly understood type of international financial flow.
Piecewise Linear Approximation

This chapter discusses the piecewise linear approximation method. Polishchuk developed a method for approximating the non-inferior set in convex programming problems with two objective functions. In this a posteriori method, preference information comes into play only after a piecewise approximation has been made of the problem's non-inferior set. The method bears striking similarities to the non-inferior set estimation (NISE) method developed by American researchers Cohon, Church, and Sheer at about the same time. Like the NISE method, Polishchuk's procedure not only attempts to give a piecewise linear approximation of the non-inferior set in problems with two objective functions but also includes a metric that is used to gauge the maximum possible error in the approximation at each step in the iteration process. Whereas the NISE method was developed specifically for linear programming problems, Polishchuk's method is applicable to the broader class of convex programming problems.
Reconceiving the New World Order: Genes, Reproduction, and the Politics of Regenerative Medicine.

Franklin, Sarah. 2013. Biological Relatives: IVF, Stem Cells, and the Future of Kinship. Series: Experimental Futures. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 376 pp. Hardcover $94.95; Paper $26.95. 30 ...
Incremental Relabeling for Active Learning with Noisy Crowdsourced Annotations

Crowd sourcing has become an popular approach for annotating the large quantities of data required to train machine learning algorithms. However, obtaining labels in this manner poses two important challenges. First, naively labeling all of the data can be prohibitively expensive. Second, a significant fraction of the annotations can be incorrect due to carelessness or limited domain expertise of crowd sourced workers. Active learning provides a natural formulation to address the former issue by affordably selecting an appropriate subset of instances to label. Unfortunately, most active learning strategies are myopic and sensitive to label noise, which leads to poorly trained classifiers. We propose an active learning method that is specifically designed to be robust to such noise. We present an application of our technique in the domain of activity recognition for eldercare and validate the proposed approach using both simulated and real-world experiments using Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Localization of Image-Detected Breast Abnormalities: Radioactive Seed Localization—An Alternative to Wire Localization

Abstract Since most breast cancers are nonpalpable and detected by imaging, radiologic localization is necessary for surgeons to identify their targets. Wire localization has been the standard procedure for decades and has disadvantages including the need for patients to have wire localization on the same day as surgery and the potential for displacement of the wire. Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is a safe and effective alternative procedure and considered the new standard in some institutions. Advantages include more efficient workflow (due to the uncoupling of the dates of localization and surgery), improved surgeon and patient satisfaction, greater options for surgical entry site (not limited by the path of a wire), and decreased risk of displacement. We describe the two localization methods, advantages and disadvantages, the RSL program, radiation safety, and challenges. Sufficient knowledge of the RSL program and radiation safety is critical for all staff providing patient education and advocacy.
Preparing Globally Competent Teacher Candidates Through Cross-Cultural Experiential Learning

This manuscript presents findings and implications from a larger case study of one global educator's attempt to develop globally competent teacher candidates in an elective teacher training course. Global Citizenship Education served as the framing paradigm for the course and human experiences of immigrants and refugees served as the milieu for teacher candidates to learn critical inquiry. Teacher candidates also participated in several cross-cultural experiential learning opportunities designed to facilitate the development of global competencies in teacher candidates. Students' reflective journals were analyzed determine the personal significance of different learning experiences and the extent to which teacher candidates perceptions of immigrants and refugees changed as a result of the course content and activities and demonstrate the potential of critical inquiry and cross-cultural experiential learning as transformative teaching practices.
The Ethical Dilemmas and Social Scientific Trade-Offs of Masking in Ethnography.

Masking, the practice of hiding or distorting identifying information about people, places, and organizations, is usually considered a requisite feature of ethnographic research and writing. This is justified both as an ethical obligation to one’s subjects and as a scientifically neutral position (as readers are enjoined to treat a case’s idiosyncrasies as sociologically insignificant). We question both justifications, highlighting potential ethical dilemmas and obstacles to constructing cumulative social science that can arise through masking. Regarding ethics, we show, on the one hand, how masking may give subjects a false sense of security because it implies a promise of confidentiality that it often cannot guarantee and, on the other hand, how naming may sometimes be what subjects want and expect. Regarding scientific tradeoffs, we argue that masking can reify ethnographic authority, exaggerate the universality of the case (e.g., “Middletown”), and inhibit replicability (or “revisits”) and sociologica...
Demopolis: Democracy before Liberalism in Theory and Practice

What did democracy mean before liberalism? What are the consequences for our lives today? Combining history with political theory, this book restores the core meaning of democracy as collective and limited self-government by citizens. That, rather than majority tyranny, is what democracy meant in ancient Athens, before liberalism. Participatory self-government is the basis of political practice in 'Demopolis', a hypothetical modern state powerfully imagined by award-winning historian and political scientist Josiah Ober. Demopolis' residents aim to establish a secure, prosperous, and non-tyrannical community, where citizens govern as a collective, both directly and through representatives, and willingly assume the costs of self-government because doing so benefits them, both as a group and individually. Basic democracy, as exemplified in real Athens and imagined Demopolis, can provide a stable foundation for a liberal state. It also offers a possible way forward for religious societies seeking a realistic alternative to autocracy.
Flowthrough Reductive Catalytic Fractionation of Biomass

Summary Reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) has emerged as a leading biomass fractionation and lignin valorization strategy. Here, flowthrough reactors were used to investigate RCF of poplar. Most RCF studies to date have been conducted in batch, but a flow-based process enables the acquisition of intrinsic kinetic and mechanistic data essential to accelerate the design, optimization, and scale-up of RCF processes. Time-resolved product distributions and yields obtained from experiments with different catalyst loadings were used to identify and deconvolute events during solvolysis and hydrogenolysis. Multi-bed RCF experiments provided unique insights into catalyst deactivation, showing that leaching, sintering, and surface poisoning are causes for decreased catalyst performance. The onset of catalyst deactivation resulted in higher concentrations of unsaturated lignin intermediates and increased occurrence of repolymerization reactions, producing high-molecular-weight species. Overall, this study demonstrates the concept of flowthrough RCF, which will be vital for realistic scale-up of this promising approach.
Exploring the livelihood transitions of female former sugarcane farmers in St. Kitts and Nevis: a multiple case study

The termination of operations in the sugarcane industry of St. Kitts and Nevis in 2005 was a shock and economic setback for all employees. A review of the mainstream literature indicates that the nation's female former sugarcane farmers had a difficult time adjusting to the industry's closure, and continue to have high unemployment and difficulty in livelihood transitions ten years later. A qualitative, multiple case study was conducted to explore how these female farmers perceive their livelihood transitions from the closure of the sugarcane industry ten years ago to today's job market. The study's most significant findings rival the mainstream literature and challenge generalised conclusions regarding these female farmers' livelihood transitions after the closure of the local sugarcane plantations. This paper includes recommendations for practical applications and future research to address the needs of female former sugarcane farmers and other workers affected by the closure of agricultural and other industries.
Intrathecal Injection of miR-133b-3p or miR-143-3p Prevents the Development of Persistent Cold and Mechanical Allodynia Following a Peripheral Nerve Injury in Rats.

Abstract In DRG an increase in miR-133b-3p, miR-143-3p, and miR-1-3p correlates with the lack of development of neuropathic pain following a peripheral nerve injury. Using lentiviral (LV) vectors we found that a single injection of LV-miR-133b-3p or LV-miR-143-3p immediately after a peripheral nerve injury prevented the development of sustained mechanical and cold allodynia. Injection of LV-miR-133b-3p or LV-miR-143-3p by themselves or in combination, on day 3 post-injury produced a partial and transient reduction in mechanical allodynia and a sustained decrease in cold allodynia. Injection of LV-miR-1-3p has no effect. Co-injection of LV-miR-1a with miR-133b-3p or miR-143-3p on day 3 post-injury produced a sustained decrease in mechanical and cold allodynia. In DRG cultures, miR-133b-3p and miR-143-3p but not miR-1-3p, enhanced the depolarization-evoked cytoplasmic calcium increase. Using 3′UTR target clones containing a Gaussian luciferase reporter gene we found that with the 3′UTR-Scn2b, miR-133-3p and miR-143-3p reduced the expression while miR-1-3p enhanced the expression of the reporter gene. With the 3′UTR-TRPM8, miR-133-3p and miR-143-3p reduced the expression and miR-1-3p had no effect. With the 3′UTR-Piezo2, miR-133-3p increased the expression while miR-143-3p and miR-1-3p had no effect. LV-miR133b-3p, LV-miR-143-3p and LV-miR1a-3p reduced Scn2b-mRNA and Piezo2-mRNA. LV-miR133b-3p and LV-miR-143-3p reduced TRPM8-mRNA. LV-miR-133b-3p and LV-miR-143-3p prevent the development of chronic pain when injected immediately after the injury, but are only partially effective when injected at later times. LV-miR-1a-3p had no effect on pain, but complemented the actions of LV-miR-133b-3p or LV-miR-143-3p resulting in a sustained reversal of pain when co-injected 3 days following nerve injury.
Software as Crime: Japan, the United States and Contributory Copyright Infringement

This article sets forth two main points. First, it tries to explain why peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have led Japan and may lead the United States to choose criminal enforcement against contributory copyright infringement. While criminal enforcement existed in both societies prior to the popularization of P2P networks, it was rare and largely directed at direct infringers. Second, the article predicts that, while Japan and the United States may similarly bring to bear criminal law resources and norms to face the same challenge - contributory copyright infringement using P2P and related technologies - the results will likely to be significantly different. The social and legal contexts suggest that in the U.S. criminalization may buttress and perhaps complement and encourage more civil enforcement. But in Japan, administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions have diminished the usefulness of civil enforcement to rightsholders. As a result, Japanese criminalization may substitute for the development of an effective system of civil remedies to protect intellectual property.
The Accuracy and Representativeness of the 10,000-Foot Pibal Report

In the normal use of pilot-balloon reports as an aid to drawing upper-air charts, these reports are usually assumed to represent the mean air flow undisturbed by turbulence. This assumption needs t...
Herangehensweisen an das Unterrichten von Mathematik durch Modellierung

Dieses Kapitel legt den Schwerpunkt auf Lehreraktivitaten, die aus einer Modellierungsperspektive stammen. Hierauf aufbauend legen wir dar, inwiefern sich Modellieren auf zwei Aspekte bezieht: zum einen dass Mathematik mittels Modellieren gelernt wird und zum anderen dass der schrittweise Prozess des Designs von Produkten und Prozessen ein Zugang zum Modellieren ist, der besonders fruchtbar fur das Lernen der Schulerinnen und Schuler sein kann. Wir stellen empirische Ergebnisse aus zwei Fallstudien dar, eine aus dem Mathematikunterricht der Mittelstufe und eine aus der universitaren Ingenieurausbildung, die illustrieren, wie sechs Prinzipien fur mathematische Modellierungsaktivitaten notwendig sind fur gute Modellierungsaufgaben, und wir stellen vier effektive Lehrpraktiken fur diesen Zugang zum Modellieren dar.
Peak nasal inspiratory flow is a useful measure of nasal airflow in functional septorhinoplasty

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the utility of peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) as a measure of nasal airflow and functional septorhinoplasty (FSRP) outcomes. METHODS Patients with nasal obstruction were administered Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire and PNIF testing between January 2015 and 2018. Surgical patients repeated these tests at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Patient demographics and operative techniques were recorded. RESULTS A total of 610 patients were evaluated for nasal obstruction with mean (standard deviation [SD]) NOSE score of 61.5 (23.2) and PNIF of 74.1 (35.4) liters per minute (L/min); correlation -0.16 (P < 0.001). Predictors of lower PNIF were female gender (β = -13.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.7 to 18.2, P < .001) and higher NOSE scores (β = -0.43, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.68, P < 0.001). A total of 281 patients underwent FSRP with statistically and clinically significant improvements in both mean NOSE and PNIF scores that were stable out to 2 years. NOSE scores changed -41.0 (25.5) points, and PNIF improved 20.7 (35.5) L/min at last follow-up. Grafting material did not affect outcomes, whereas spreader grafts improved PNIF values (β = 25.46, 95% CI 5.5 to 45.4, P = 0.013). Clinically significant changes between NOSE and PNIF were concordant, although the correlation was weak (r = -0.26, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION Peak nasal inspiratory flow is a rapid, cheap, and easily performed test that detects nasal obstruction and clinically significant improvements in airflow following FSRP. Although PNIF does not correlate well enough with the patient experience of nasal obstruction to be used as a diagnostic tool, it does provide unique and complementary information useful for evaluating, understanding, and improving the effects of surgical techniques. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2C Laryngoscope, 129:594-601, 2019.
A new invariant of 4-manifolds

We define an integer invariant L X of a smooth, compact, closed 4-manifold X by minimizing a certain complexity of a trisection of X over all trisections. The good feature of L X is that when L X = 0 and X is a homology 4-sphere, then X is diffeomorphic to the 4-sphere. Naturally, L is hard to compute.
The Effectiveness of Mobile Phone-Based Text Messaging to Intervene with Problem Drinking in Youth and Younger Adult Population: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Mobile phone-based text messages have been used to address alcohol use disorder in younger populations by promoting abstinence, decreased alcohol intake, and moderation. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the effectiveness of mobile phone text messaging to address problem drinking by youth and younger adults. Results: Authors systematically searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, APA PsycNET, and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials for literature published in the past 8 years (2010-2018). Randomized control trials and pre-post studies of younger people that used the problem drinking criteria of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) were included in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: The meta-analysis suggests that text message-based interventions might not be effective in decreasing alcohol intake in the younger populations.
Design and synthesis of two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks with four-arm cores: prediction of remarkable ambipolar charge-transport properties

We have considered three two-dimensional (2D) π-conjugated polymer network (i.e., covalent organic frameworks, COFs) materials based on pyrene, porphyrin, and zinc-porphyrin cores connected via diacetylenic linkers. Their electronic structures, investigated at the density functional theory global-hybrid level, are indicative of valence and conduction bands that have large widths, ranging between 1 and 2 eV. Using a molecular approach to derive the electronic couplings between adjacent core units and the electron-vibration couplings, the three π-conjugated 2D COFs are predicted to have ambipolar charge-transport characteristics with electron and hole mobilities in the range of 65–95 cm2 V−1 s−1. Such predicted values rank these 2D COFs among the highest-mobility organic semiconductors. In addition, we have synthesized the zinc-porphyrin based 2D COF and carried out structural characterization via powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and surface area analysis, which demonstrates the feasibility of these electroactive networks. Steady-state and flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements on the zinc-porphyrin COF point to appreciable, broadband photoconductivity while transmission spectral measurements are indicative of extended π-conjugation.
Abstract 4956: Oral antibiotics act as potent immunotherapeutic agents against pancreatic cancer

Background: Recent reports have elaborated on how the gut microbiota shape vertebrate immune system during ontogeny. Additionally, tumor-promoting inflammation and gut dysbiosis are often associated with multiple cancers including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We sought to investigate the gut microbiota-immune relationship in mouse models of cancer. Methods: To investigate if cancer-associated dysbiosis modulates cancer per se, neonatal mice with unstable, dynamic gut microbiota (guests) were cohoused with either adult cancer-naive mice or adult pancreatic cancer-bearing KPC (KrasG12D/+;Trp53R172H/+;Pdx-1-Cre) mice. After 4 weeks of co-housing, guest mice were subcutaneously implanted with KPC PDAC and monitored for cancer progression. In a parallel series of experiments, tumor progression was compared between control mice and mice given oral antibiotics and also, between germ free mice and conventionalized mice. Later, oral antibiotics were combined with checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical trials of efficacy. Monoclonal antibodies and knockout strains of mice were used to elucidate mechanism. Pancreatic tumors were probed for bacteria. Results: Co-housing with KPC mice significantly increased cancer progression in guest mice compared to that in guest mice co-housed with non-cancer-bearing cagemates. Bowel sterilization dramatically reduced cancer burden in subcutaneous, metastatic, and orthotopic models of pancreatic cancer as well as in subcutaneous and metastatic models of melanoma. Similarly, germ free mice had decreased subcutaneous PDAC burden compared to littermate conventionalized mice. Surprisingly and in findings contradictory to previously published reports, oral antibiotics also potentiated the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in shrinking tumors. The tumor decreasing effect of antibiotics disappeared in immunodeficient Rag1-/- mice, wild type mice depleted of IL-17a but not in Tlr4-/- mice. Immunophenotyping further confirmed microbiota-mediated infiltration of immunosuppressive cells inside tumor and antibiotics-mediated activation of intratumoral Th1/Tc1 immunity. Interestingly, pancreatic cancer liver metastases revealed a significant presence of 16S rDNA resembling the gut flora and subcutaneous pancreatic cancer tissue grew viable bacteria on culture medium and this was prevented by oral antibiotics, thereby suggesting a gut-to-tumor translocation of bacteria. Conclusion: Our data suggest that gut microbiota-cancer cross talk is mediated by the immune system and that oral antibiotics may be repurposed as potent anti-cancer immunotherapeutic agents. Citation Format: Vrishketan Sethi, Saba Kurtom, Irina Fernandez, Maria Abreu, Sabita Roy, Sundaram Ramakrishnan, Ashok Saluja, Vikas Dudeja. Oral antibiotics act as potent immunotherapeutic agents against pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4956.
The quest for workload equity in nurse faculty teaching.

Abstract Background While nurse faculty may believe that they teach more than faculty in other academic departments, their perceptions are difficult to corroborate when workload policies are not transparent at institutions. Purpose This descriptive study was designed to examine inequities in teaching workloads between nurse faculty and their academic colleagues from the perspectives of Deans and Directors of Nursing Programs. Methods A web-based, investigator-developed survey was emailed to Nurse Unit Leaders in spring, 2019. The final sample included 224 respondents. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Findings Nurse Unit Leaders perceived that nurse faculty teach larger classes and more courses than their academic peers. Survey respondents attributed these and other variations at their institutions to the complexity of teaching responsibilities in nursing units and the limited understanding of these responsibilities by university administrators. Discussion Ensuring equitable teaching workloads requires transparent policies and an organizational culture committed to faculty governance.
Estrogen, brain structure, and cognition in postmenopausal women.

Declining estrogen levels before, during, and after menopause can affect memory and risk for Alzheimer's disease. Undesirable side effects of hormone variations emphasize a role for hormone therapy (HT) where possible benefits include a delay in the onset of dementia-yet findings are inconsistent. Effects of HT may be mediated by estrogen receptors found throughout the brain. Effects may also depend on lifestyle factors, timing of use, and genetic risk. We studied the impact of self-reported HT use on brain volume in 562 elderly women (71-94 years) with mixed cognitive status while adjusting for aforementioned factors. Covariate-adjusted voxelwise linear regression analyses using a model with 16 predictors showed HT use as positively associated with regional brain volumes, regardless of cognitive status. Examinations of other factors related to menopause, oophorectomy and hysterectomy status independently yielded positive effects on brain volume when added to our model. One interaction term, HTxBMI, out of several examined, revealed significant negative association with overall brain volume, suggesting a greater reduction in brain volume than BMI alone. Our main findings relating HT to regional brain volume were as hypothesized, but some exploratory analyses were not in line with existing hypotheses. Studies suggest lower levels of estrogen resulting from oophorectomy and hysterectomy affect brain volume negatively, and the addition of HT modifies the relation between BMI and brain volume positively. Effects of HT may depend on the age range assessed, motivating studies with a wider age range as well as a randomized design.
Loose ends in cancer genome structure

Summary Recent pan-cancer studies have delineated patterns of structural genomic variation across thousands of tumor whole genome sequences. It is not known to what extent the shortcomings of short read (≤ 150 bp) whole genome sequencing (WGS) used for structural variant analysis has limited our understanding of cancer genome structure. To formally address this, we introduce the concept of “loose ends” - copy number alterations that cannot be mapped to a rearrangement by WGS but can be indirectly detected through the analysis of junction-balanced genome graphs. Analyzing 2,319 pan-cancer WGS cases across 31 tumor types, we found loose ends were enriched in reference repeats and fusions of the mappable genome to repetitive or foreign sequences. Among these we found genomic footprints of neotelomeres, which were surprisingly enriched in cancers with low telomerase expression and alternate lengthening of telomeres phenotype. Our results also provide a rigorous upper bound on the role of non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR) in large-scale cancer structural variation, while nominating INO80, FANCA, and ARID1A as positive modulators of somatic NAHR. Taken together, we estimate that short read WGS maps >97% of all large-scale (>10 kbp) cancer structural variation; the rest represent loose ends that require long molecule profiling to unambiguously resolve. Our results have broad relevance for future research and clinical applications of short read WGS and delineate precise directions where long molecule studies might provide transformative insight into cancer genome structure.
Geologic Repositories: Specific Sites

Several potential sites for radioactive waste repositories are under investigation in the contiguous United States. The rocks under study include bedded and dome salts, basalts, tuffaceous rocks, and granitic rocks. Bedded evaporites of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in southeastern New Mexico are being considered for disposal of defense TRU wastes; all other sites are being considered for HLW disposal. In this chapter, specific sites to be considered are the WIPP site, the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP), the tuffs and granite of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), and the bedded salts of the Paradox Basin and dome salts of coastal Louisiana and Texas. No shales are under consideration for HLW radwaste disposal; the reader is referred to the discussion of generic shale given in the last chapter.
Paired pointset traversal

In the Paired Pointset Traversal problem we ask if, given two sets A = {a1, ..., an} and B = {b1, ..., bn} in the plane, there is an ordering π of the points such that both aπ(1), ..., aπ(n) and bπ(1), ..., bπ(n) are self-avoiding polygonal arcs? We show that Paired Pointset Traversal is NP-complete This has consequences for the complexity of computing the Frechet distance of two-dimensional surfaces We also show that the problem can be solved in polynomial time if the points in A and B are in convex position, and derive some combinatorial estimates on lct(A,B), the length of a longest common traversal of A and B.
A different perspective on health and health services utilization.

For more than a decade gerontologists interested in health and health behavior have called for the recognition of the marked heterogeneity that exists in these areas (e.g., Bloom & Soper, 1980; Butler, 1975; Evashwick, Rowe, Diehr, & Branch, 1984; Haug, 1981; Kovar, 1977, 1986; Shanas & Maddox, 1985; Soldo & Manton, 1985; Wan & Arling, 1983; Wolinsky & Coe, 1984), and a thoughtful examination of the most recent federal government publication on the subject supports their call (Havlik et al., 1987). These observations about heterogeneity (1) are consistent with both theory and research, (2) suggest a number of methodological problems, and (3) have important implications for public policy. We will illustrate all three points, devoting a separate section of this chapter to each.
Effects of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation on Markers of Colonic Permeability

Impaired gut barrier function contributes to inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal carcinogenesis. Recent evidence from experimental models indicates that calcium and vitamin D may beneficiall...
Chemical Exchange on Solid Metal Surfaces

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Theory of Magnetization Exchange 3 Advanced NMR Techniques to Monitor Exchange 4 Chemical Exchange of Adsorbed Species on Metal Surfaces: Examples 5 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Negative Body Image and Disordered Eating Behavior in Children and Adolescents: What Places Youth at Risk and How Can These Problems be Prevented?

In this review, we examine the prevalence of negative body image and disordered eating behaviors (i.e., excessive dieting, binge eating, inappropriate weight loss techniques) in children and adolescents. We also explore correlates and predictors of the development of these problems, including individual, familial, and social factors, as well as discuss factors that may serve a protective function. In addition, we critically evaluate the psychoeducational programs that have been developed to prevent the onset of these problems and reduce the severity of symptoms in children and adolescents. Moreover, we suggest several possible strategies for how such prevention programs can be modified to enhance their efficacy. Finally, likely moderator and mediator variables of the effectiveness of such programs are proposed.
Women and Gender in the Discourse Records of Seventeenth-Century Sichuanese Chan Masters Poshan Haiming and Tiebi Huiji

AbstractThis article explores the textual presence of nuns and laywomen in the official discourse records of two of the most well-known and influential seventeenth-century Chan Buddhist masters active in mid-seventeenth-century Sichuan: Tiebi Huiji (1603–68) and Poshan Haiming (1597–1666). Close readings of the poems, sermons, and occasional letters composed to or about their female monastic disciples and lay followers shed light on the range of attitudes — from condescension and ambivalence to apparently genuine concern and admiration — held by these masters regarding women's spiritual practice and aspirations. These readings also demonstrate the extent to which these masters shaped their words, within the limits of literary and religious convention, to suit the particular life circumstances and religious aspirations of each of the women to whom their texts are addressed. In other words, they appear to have taken these women's aspirations seriously and, in one case at least, even go so far as to formally...
Observations on the morphology of submaxillary gland cells isolated in a density gradient, and the demonstration of interacinar bridges.

Methods are presented for the recovery of separate fractions of rabbit submaxillary acinar and striated duct cells from acini and duct segments, by means of density gradient centrifugation in glycerol-sucrose mixtures.
A late presentation of isolated lymph node tuberculosis postintravesical BCG therapy for superficial bladder cancer: a novel case

Intravesical BCG immunotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer. We recount the case of an 82-year-old British man who completed a course of BCG immunotherapy in 2011 for superficial bladder cancer, and presented in January 2013 with a loss of appetite, loss of weight and severe back pain. CT scanning, followed by MRI displayed a 5.7cm×5 cm conglomerated necrotic, haemorrhagic mass of lymph nodes in the para-aortic region. A CT-guided biopsy revealed granulomatous inflammation, focal fibrosis and acid-fast bacilli consistent with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). The patient was treated with combination antituberculous medication, and is recovering. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of lymph node TB secondary to intravesical BCG immunotherapy. We suggest that in patients treated with postintravesical BCG with enlarged lymph nodes, a diagnosis of secondary TB should be considered.
True paternal care in a multi-male primate society

Although male parental care is rare among mammals1, adult males of many cercopithecine primate species provide care for infants and juveniles. This care is often in the form of grooming, carrying, support in agonistic interactions, and protection against infanticide2,3. For these behaviours to be interpreted as true parental care, males must selectively direct care towards their own offspring and this care must result in fitness benefits4. With the exception of males defending probable offspring from infanticide5, male primates living in multi-male, multi-female social groups have not been shown to selectively direct care towards their own offspring6,7. We determined paternity for 75 juveniles in a population of wild savannah baboons (Papio cynocephalus) and collected data on interventions in agonistic disputes by adult males on behalf of juveniles as a form of male care. Here we show that adult males differentiate their offspring from unrelated juveniles and selectively support their offspring in agonistic disputes. As support in agonistic disputes is likely to contribute to rank acquisition and protect juveniles from injury and stress2,3,5, this can be considered true parental care.
Breakdown voltages of base−collector junctions of medium- and low-voltage graded collector transistors

Recent works on current mode second breakdown show that a substantial measure of protection against failure by avalanche injection can be built into a transistor by grading the impurity concentration of the collector. The breakdown voltage of the base-collector junction is an important parameter in designing the transistor. In this paper, the open emitter breakdown voltages of medium- and low-voltage epitaxial bipolar transistors with graded collectors are computed numerically. A general expression for the open emitter breakdown voltage as a function of initial collector doping (doping at the collector side of the base-collector interface) and collector impurity gradient has been obtained. Empirical expressions for collector parameters as a function of open base bulk breakdown voltage and common emitter current gain are also derived.
Trypanosoma cruzi: The Effect of Nitric Oxide Synthesis Inhibition on the CD4 T Cell Response to the trans-Sialidase Superfamily

Millar, A. E., and Kahn, S. J. 2000. Trypanosoma cruzi: The effect of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition on the CD4 T cell response to the trans-sialidase superfamily. Experimental Parasitology94, 84–91. During Trypanosoma cruzi infection the trans-sialidase superfamily stimulates the development of a large population of CD4 T lymphocytes that produces IFN;ZG. These CD4 T cells fail to proliferate when stimulated in vitro. Why they fail to proliferate remains unclear. Nitric oxide is a critical component of the host immune response against T. cruzi, and to determine if NO inhibits trans-sialidase superfamily-specific proliferative responses, mice were fed either N;xG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), or N;xG-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (D-NAME), an inactive analog of L-NAME. The L-NAME-fed mice had increased parasitemia and mortality compared to the D-NAME-fed mice. Following stimulation with a T. cruzi trans-sialidase superfamily protein, splenocytes from both groups of mice failed to proliferate but continued to make similar amounts of IFN;ZG, suggesting that the development of the trans-sialidase superfamily-specific CD4 response was not affected by iNOS inhibition. In addition, IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression was increased on T cells isolated from L-NAME-fed mice. These data suggest that during T. cruzi infection NO causes downregulation of IL-2R expression, but does not cause inhibition of trans-sialidase superfamily-specific CD4 T cell proliferation. Rather, the trans-sialidase superfamily proliferation may be inhibited by epitope variation.
Listener's Preference for Music of Other Cultures: Comparing Response Modes

This study was designed to investigate listeners' preferences for music of other cultures, as determined by 10-point Likert-type scales and by continuous ratings taken throughout the duration of each excerpt with a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI). Music major (n = 75), nonmusic major (n = 75), and junior high school (n = 75) musicians participated. One-third of each groups subjects rated the selections with a Likert-type rating-scale, representing a summative, static response. One-third of each group used a single CRDI dial to continuously show preference throughout the music. The remaining third continuously manipulated two CRDI dials, one to indicate preference and the other complexity. Selections representing the following cultures were included: the Caribbean, Africa, India, and Oceania. Listeners using the continuous measurement responses rated selections significantly higher than did listeners using paper-and-pencil rating scales (p < .05). There was no significant difference in prefere...
Corporate Financial Theory Under Uncertainty

I. Debt versus equity financing, 452: Investor portfolio choice, 454; Fundamental leverage theorem, 456; Leverage as an externality 456; Effect of no default risk: the "homemade leverage theorem," 457; Corporate management and the capital markets, 458; Corporate capital budgets as a "public good," 460. — II. The corporate investor: long-, margin-, and short-risk positions, 462. — Appendix: option financing, 467.
Parallel implementation of field solution algorithms

The application of a parallel computer for the solution of field problems is described. The initial implementation includes a parallel solver as well as parallelization of all other stages of finite-element codes for 2-D and 3-D magnetostatic and eddy-current problems. The equation solver is described in detail, as it is the part that benefits most from parallelization. A massively parallel processor (MPP) was used, and solution times almost three orders of magnitude faster than for sequential computers were obtained for dense matrices, with little explicit parallelization. >
Sex-related differences in auditory processing in adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A magnetoencephalographic study

Children exposed to substantial amounts of alcohol in utero display a broad range of morphological and behavioral outcomes, which are collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Common to all children on the spectrum are cognitive and behavioral problems that reflect central nervous system dysfunction. Little is known, however, about the potential effects of variables such as sex on alcohol-induced brain damage. The goal of the current research was to utilize magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the effect of sex on brain dynamics in adolescents and young adults with FASD during the performance of an auditory oddball task. The stimuli were short trains of 1 kHz “standard” tone bursts (80%) randomly interleaved with 1.5 kHz “target” tone bursts (10%) and “novel” digital sounds (10%). Participants made motor responses to the target tones. Results are reported for 44 individuals (18 males and 26 females) ages 12 through 22 years. Nine males and 13 females had a diagnosis of FASD and the remainder were typically-developing age- and sex-matched controls. The main finding was widespread sex-specific differential activation of the frontal, medial and temporal cortex in adolescents with FASD compared to typically developing controls. Significant differences in evoked-response and time–frequency measures of brain dynamics were observed for all stimulus types in the auditory cortex, inferior frontal sulcus and hippocampus. These results underscore the importance of considering the influence of sex when analyzing neurophysiological data in children with FASD.
A colorful interpretation of the ζ(8,3)

Abstract We present a rather novel interpretation of the ζ(8.3 GeV) as a bound state of a color octet scalar or pseudoscalar of mass ≈7.5 GeV, in a hadronic bag. The model makes plausible a large suppression of BR (υ(2 S )→ζγ) BR (υ(1 S )→ζγ) . The main prediction is the production of similar bound states in the decays υ(1S)→π+X.
Get ready for the flood of fetal gene screening.

Regulators, doctors and patients need to prepare for the ethical, legal and practical effects of sequencing fetal genomes from mothers' blood, says Henry T. Greely.
Demonstration of estrogen and vitamin D receptors in bone marrow-derived stromal cells: up-regulation of the estrogen receptor by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D3

We have shown earlier that 17 beta-estradiol inhibits cytokine-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) production by bone marrow-derived stromal cells as well as osteoblasts, two types of cells with a critical influence on osteoclast development, and that ovariectomy causes an IL-6-mediated up-regulation of osteoclastogenesis in mice. Prompted by this, we have searched here for the presence of estrogen receptors (ERs) in two murine bone marrow-derived stromal cell lines, +/+ LDA11 and MBA 13.2, and the osteoblast-like cell line MC3T3-E1. All three cell lines exhibited high affinity saturable binding for [125I]17 beta-estradiol with a dissociation constant of approximately 10(-10) M and concentration of binding sites of 260 +/- 30, 170 +/- 10, and 90 +/- 10 sites per cell, respectively. In addition, we amplified complementary DNA from the stromal cell lines by polymerase chain reaction using oligonucleotide primers flanking the DNA binding domain of the murine uterine ER. The amplified product showed an identical nuc...
Squaraine rotaxane shuttle as a ratiometric deep-red optical chloride sensor

A new squaraine rotaxane molecular shuttle exhibits high chemical stability and acts as a deep-red, fluorescent and colorimetric sensor for Cl− anion with reversible, ratiometric response. The molecular design encapsulates a dihydroxyl substituted squaraine dye inside an anthracene-containing tetralactam macrocycle and a “clicked capping” reaction was used to convert an appropriate pseudorotaxane precursor into a permanently interlocked rotaxane in high yield. Reversible binding of Cl− to the rotaxane in solution, or on the surface of prototype dipsticks, causes lateral displacement of the surrounding macrocycle away from the central squaraine station and a substantial 30–40 nm shift in the squaraine absorption/fluorescence maxima that can be easily detected by the naked eye. The collective attributes of intense absorption/emission and ratiometric response at deep-red wavelengths is a significant advance in optical Cl− sensor performance by an organic molecule.
The immune system and opiate withdrawal

Whole body exposure to 500 rad ionizing irradiation suppresses the immune system in rats. Moreover, when administered prior to chronic morphine treatment, irradiation exposure also dramatically reduces the severity of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal in morphine dependent animals. The reinstillment of 2-6 x 10(8) normal lymphoid immunocompetent cells to irradiated rats by adoptive transfer prior to chronic morphine treatment restores all withdrawal signs precipitated by naloxone injection. The data suggest that specific cellular activities or factors derived from lymphoid cells are required for the expression of opiate withdrawal, indicating that the immune system participates in the manifestation of opiate dependence.
"Top-Down" Trees of Educational Values

The connection between highest purpose and lowest objective may be visualized as a multi-level hierarchy or tree. Most measurement work emphasizes the actual test item or behavioral objective, but such a "bottom-up" approach is here criticized as uncontrollable. A more feasible "top-down" approach begins with the definition of highest value, here called bentee (for benefit T-score). This measure is a normalized and weighted sum of a profile of test scores. The weighting may be done at each node of the tree for the branches below, by judges selected for authority or expertise. It may be done for a total society, or for specific groups, occupations, or individuals. Such a tree has mathematical properties similar to those for a tree of independent probabilities.
Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the crosshairs of hormones and ethanol

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main chemical inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. In the central nervous system (CNS) it acts on two distinct types of receptor: an ion channel, i.e., an “ionotropic” receptor permeable to Cl− and HCO3− (GABAA receptors) and a G-protein coupled “metabotropic” receptor that is linked to various effector mechanisms (GABAB receptors). This review will summarize novel developments in the physiology and pharmacology of GABAA receptors (GABAARs), specifically those found outside synapses. The focus will be on a particular combination of GABAAR subunits sensitive to ovarian and adrenal cortical steroid hormone metabolites that are synthesized in the brain (neurosteroids) and to sobriety impairing concentrations of ethanol. These receptors may be the final common pathway for interactions between ethanol and ovarian and stress-related neurosteroids.