cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Augmenting antidepressant medication with modular CBT for geriatric generalized anxiety disorder: a pilot study

Objective Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition in older adults with deleterious effects on health and cognition. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications have some efficacy as acute treatments for geriatric GAD, incomplete response is the most common outcome of monotherapy. We therefore developed a novel sequential treatment strategy, using personalized, modular cognitive-behavioral therapy (mCBT) to augment SSRI medication. Method In an open label pilot study (N = 10), subjects received a sequenced trial of 12 weeks of escitalopram followed by 16 weeks of escitalopram augmented with mCBT. We also examined the maintenance effects of mCBT over a 28-week follow-up period following drug discontinuation and termination of psychotherapy. Results Results suggest that (1) adding mCBT to escitalopram significantly reduced anxiety symptoms and pathological worry, resulting in full remission for most patients and (2) some patients maintained response after all treatments were withdrawn. Conclusion Findings suggest that mCBT may be an effective augmentation strategy when added to SSRI medication and provide limited support for the long-term benefit of mCBT after discontinuation of pharmacotherapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Essay on the diagnosis and nature of paraphilia

Increasing clinical experience has allowed the formulation of three psychodynamic viewpoints about the nature of the paraphilic disorder. Paraphilia is a disorder of sexual identity development, often solely of the intention component, that has three characteristics: a long-standing, highly arousing, unusual erotic preoccupation; a pressure to act upon the erotic fantasy; sexual dysfunction with a partner during conventional sexual behavior. Paraphilia is also a disorder of self-regulation characterized by a considerable gap between personal aspirations and behaviors. Finally, paraphilia is a dramatic impairment in the capacity to love. Two rarely recognized issues complicate the nosology of paraphilia: Many related sexual problems are often confused with paraphilia, and some paraphilias manifest themselves as variations in gender identity and object choice. The defensive functions of paraphilia are discussed and common terms used in conjunction with paraphilia are redefined.
Optimal process design under uncertainty

A rigorous mathematical formulation is presented for the problem of optimal design under uncertainty. This formulation involves a nonlinear infinite programming problem in which an optimization is performed on the set of design and control variables, such that the inequality constraints of the chemical plant are satisfied for every parameter value that belongs to a specified polyhedral region. To circumvent the problem of infinite dimensionality in the constraints, an equivalence for the feasibility condition is established which leads to a max-min-max constraint. It is shown that if the inequalities are convex, only the vertices in the polyhedron need to be considered to satisfy this constraint. Based on this feature, an algorithm is proposed which uses only a small subset of the vertices in an iterative multiperiod design formulation. Examples are presented to illustrate the application to flexible design problems.
Endocardial laser myocardial revascularization

Management of myocardial ischemia by direct myocardial revascularization with lasers has been attempted in the past. Although this procedure has met with considerable controversy, its original hypothesis was based on the assumption that miniscule laser channels could provide a means by which left ventricular blood could nourish ischemic myocardium. However, although numerous experimental studies have demonstrated a decrease in size, its application in a clinical setting has experienced limited success. In this present study, the issue of regional myocardial contractility was assessed in an acute ischemic canine model. In addition, the H- Yag laser was evaluated for its potential in revascularizing the myocardium and its capability of maintaining regional contractility.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Meetings that changed the world: Bellagio 1969: The green revolution

Agriculture in developing countries was transformed when scientists met aid officials and convinced them to invest in research. Lowell S. Hardin was there, and believes today's food crisis demands a similar vision.
Analysis of FMS-generated trajectory prediction accuracy and sensitivity

The effectiveness and reliability of air traffic Conflict Detection and Resolution (CD&R) is greatly affected by the uncertainty in the future position of the aircraft. On the Eurocontrol-led ERASMUS1 program, we have conducted a study of the accuracy and sensitivity to disturbances of airborne Trajectory Predictions (TP). As future ATM concepts are typically based on information sharing between the air and ground, our analysis is focused on the factors that can be potentially improved by air-ground communication. For instance, ground systems may have access to the most up to date weather forecasts from the NOAA/NWS, yet have little information about the aircraft state and intent or local atmospheric conditions. Aircraft have accurate measurements of the local wind and temperature during the flight but have limited access to the latest weather forecasts. This paper analyzes the sources of errors that impact the TP performance, and the accuracy of the FMS predicted trajectory when compared against the flown trajectory. We also discuss the suitable metrics for this analysis and the potential use of shared intent data as a way to improve the ground based TP.
Heterogeneity in Macular Corneal Dystrophy

• Macular corneal dystrophy is an autosomal recessive disorder in which abnormal deposits in the corneal stroma have been identified. We examined the corneal buttons of 12 patients, who had clinical features of macular dystrophy, by histochemical staining, transmission electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical techniques. All corneas exhibited positive staining with Muller Mowry's colloidal iron. Using monoclonal antibodies 1/20/ 5-D-4, J-10, J-19, and J-36 that recognize specific sites on the sulfated keratan sulfate molecule, we stained corneal sections by an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method and identified two groups of macular corneal dystrophy. One group consisting of four corneas reacted positively with all four antibodies, and the other group consisting of eight corneas did not react with any of the antibodies used. These results confirmed those recently presented by Yang et al that there may be subgroups of macular dystrophy that can be identified by immunohistochemical methods. Also, serum levels of sulfated keratan sulfate were determined in seven patients. One patient who displayed a normal level of serum keratan sulfate had positive corneal immunoreactivity. Of the six patients who lacked serum keratan sulfate, four showed negative and two had positive corneal immunostaining, suggesting at least three sub-groups in the disease. An attempt was made to correlate the clinical features, histochemical-staining characteristics, and ultrastructural morphology with the immunoreactivity to keratan sulfate antibodies, but no correlations could be made.
Effects of local variations of the gas diffusion layer properties on PEMFC performance using a segmented cell system

Abstract For the application of fuel cells in the market place, fuel cell components such as membranes, electrodes, and gas diffusion layers (GDLs) must be mass-produced to significantly reduce their cost. Variations of the physical properties of these components may affect the performance, durability, and reliability of the fuel cell operation and may result in the premature failure of the fuel cell. A segmented cell system was used to investigate the effects of variations of the GDL properties on the cell performance. A GDL containing an artificial defect was created by exchanging a standard cathode GDL at one of the inlet segments with a substitute GDL that was thinner and lacked a microporous layer (MPL). A significant local performance decrease was observed at the defective area. This performance decrease was attributed to lower GDL compression, which resulted in a reduced electrical contact at the defective segment and an increased ohmic overpotential. Spatial electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis showed that the defective GDL changed water management at high current density operation. The lack of the MPL and the lower compression improved the water transport at the defective area; however, it also caused simultaneous mass-transfer limitations at the downstream segments. The combination of spatial polarization (VI) curves and EIS allowed the GDL defects to be detected and localized.
Influence of mastitis on properties of milk. XI. Fat globule membrane.

Abstract The effect of mastitis on the milk fat globule membrane of milk samples from individual quarters was investigated. Wisconsin Mastitis Test positive (>20mm) milk contained approximately 10% less milk fat globule membrane material than negative (
Distribution of total mercury and methyl mercury in water, sediment, and fish from south Florida estuaries.

Concentrations of total mercury and methyl mercury were determined in sediment and fish collected from estuarine waters of Florida to understand their distribution and partitioning. Total mercury concentrations in sediments ranged from 1 to 219 ng/g dry wt. Methyl mercury accounted for, on average, 0.77% of total mercury in sediment. Methyl mercury concentrations were not correlated with total mercury or organic carbon content in sediments. The concentrations of total mercury in fish muscle were between 0.03 and 2.22 (mean: 0.31) μg/g, wet wt, with methyl mercury contributing 83% of total mercury. Methyl mercury concentrations in fish muscle were directly proportional to total mercury concentrations. The relationship of total and methyl mercury concentrations in fish to those of sediments from corresponding locations was fish-species dependent, in addition to several abiotic factors. Among fish species analyzed, hardhead catfish, gafftopsail catfish, and sand seatrout contained the highest concentrations of mercury. Filtered water samples from canals and creeks that discharge into the Florida Bay showed mercury concentrations of 3–7.4 ng/L, with methyl mercury accounting for <0.03–52% of the total mercury. Consumption of fish containing 0.31 μg mercury/g wet wt, the mean concentration found in this study, at rates greater than 70 g/day, was estimated to be hazardous to human health.
Community-directed interventions strategy enhances efficient and effective integration of health care delivery and development activities in rural disadvantaged communities of Uganda.

Summary The community-directed interventions (CDI) strategy achieved a desired coverage of the ultimate treatment goal (UTG) of at least 90% with ivermectin distribution for onchocerciasis control, and filled the gap between the health care services and the communities. However, it was not clear how its primary actors ‐ the community-directed health workers (CDHW) and community-directed health supervisors (CDHS) ‐ would perform if they were given more responsibilities for other health and development activities within their communities. A total of 429 of 636 (67.5%) of the CDHWs who were involved in other health and development activities performed better than those who were involved only in ivermectin distribution, with a drop-out rate of 2.3%. A total of 467 of 864 (54.1%) of CDHSs who were involved in other health and development activities also maintained the desired level of performance. They facilitated updating of household registers (P < 0.05), trained and supervised CDHWs, and educated community members about onchocerciasis control (P < 0.001). Their drop-out rate was 2.6%. The study showed that the majority of those who dropped out had not been selected by their community members. Therefore, CDI strategy promoted integration of health and development activities with a high potential for sustainability.
Novel division level bacterial diversity in a Yellowstone hot spring.

A culture-independent molecular phylogenetic survey was carried out for the bacterial community in Obsidian Pool (OP), a Yellowstone National Park hot spring previously shown to contain remarkable archaeal diversity (S. M. Barns, R. E. Fundyga, M. W. Jeffries, and N. R. Page, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:1609–1613, 1994). Small-subunit rRNA genes (rDNA) were amplified directly from OP sediment DNA by PCR with universally conserved or Bacteria-specific rDNA primers and cloned. Unique rDNA types among >300 clones were identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism, and 122 representative rDNA sequences were determined. These were found to represent 54 distinct bacterial sequence types or clusters (≥98% identity) of sequences. A majority (70%) of the sequence types were affiliated with 14 previously recognized bacterial divisions (main phyla; kingdoms); 30% were unaffiliated with recognized bacterial divisions. The unaffiliated sequence types (represented by 38 sequences) nominally comprise 12 novel, division level lineages termed candidate divisions. Several OP sequences were nearly identical to those of cultivated chemolithotrophic thermophiles, including the hydrogen-oxidizing Calderobacterium and the sulfate reducers Thermodesulfovibrio and Thermodesulfobacterium, or belonged to monophyletic assemblages recognized for a particular type of metabolism, such as the hydrogen-oxidizing Aquificales and the sulfate-reducing δ-Proteobacteria. The occurrence of such organisms is consistent with the chemical composition of OP (high in reduced iron and sulfur) and suggests a lithotrophic base for primary productivity in this hot spring, through hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction. Unexpectedly, no archaeal sequences were encountered in OP clone libraries made with universal primers. Hybridization analysis of amplified OP DNA with domain-specific probes confirmed that the analyzed community rDNA from OP sediment was predominantly bacterial. These results expand substantially our knowledge of the extent of bacterial diversity and call into question the commonly held notion that Archaea dominate hydrothermal environments. Finally, the currently known extent of division level bacterial phylogenetic diversity is collated and summarized.
Factors that influence the receipt of well baby care in the first 2 weeks of life.

Purpose: To determine the percentage of babies born at a community hospital who received follow-up visits at home or clinic by 2 weeks of age. Also to describe the characteristics of the mothers whose newborns received visits within 2 weeks of birth. Methods: A convenience sample of 335 mothers giving birth at a 430-bed community hospital in St. Paul, MN from September 2003 to September 2004 were surveyed by telephone when their infants were approximately 3- to 4-weeks old. Results: 84% of the infants had a home or clinic visit within 2 weeks of birth. In bivariate analyses, the likelihood of having a visit within 2 weeks was significantly lower for mothers having more children (P = .002), lower maternal education level (P = .002), lower income (P = .02), mothers’ lack of knowledge of baby’s insurance (P = .02), mothers of nonwhite race (P = .03), and mothers’ having no medical insurance (P = .04). The likelihood of a visit was not significantly related to whether English was spoken in the home or marital status. In logistic regression analyses, lower maternal education, and more children were significant predictors of the lack of visits. Conclusions: Infants whose mothers had little education and had other children were a high-risk group that was less likely to receive care. When discharging newborns belonging to this group, extra effort should be made to ensure that appropriate postdischarge follow-up occurs.
Proper Processing of Avian Sarcoma/Leukosis Virus Capsid Proteins Is Required for Infectivity

The formation of the mature carboxyl terminus of CA in avian sarcoma/leukemia virus is the result of a sequence of cleavage events at three PR sites that lie between CA and NC in the Gag polyprotein. The initial cleavage forms the amino terminus of the NC protein and releases an immature CA, named CA1, with a spacer peptide at its carboxyl terminus. Cleavage of either 9 or 12 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus creates two mature CA species, named CA2 and CA3, that can be detected in avian sarcoma/leukemia virus (R. B. Pepinsky, I. A. Papayannopoulos, E. P. Chow, N. K. Krishna, R. C. Craven, and V. M. Vogt, J. Virol. 69:6430–6438, 1995). To study the importance of each of the three CA proteins, we introduced amino acid substitutions into each CA cleavage junction and studied their effects on CA processing as well as virus assembly and infectivity. Preventing cleavage at any of the three sites produced noninfectious virus. In contrast, a mutant in which cleavage at site 1 was enhanced so that particles contained CA2 and CA3 but little detectable CA1 was infectious. These results support the idea that infectivity of the virus is closely linked to proper processing of the carboxyl terminus to form two mature CA proteins.
Career Success in Training & Development: Is It What You Know or Who You Know?.

A model illustrating the relationship between mentoring and job competency was developed and tested in a sample of 82 members of a local chapter of a national association for training and development professionals. Human capital was conceptualized in terms of job competency attainment and social capital in terms of mentoring and protege relationships. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were run to test the path model. Although a positive relationship was found between acting as a protege and job satisfaction, acting as a mentor had a negative relationship with income. The results showed a strong relationship between career competence and income, promotion, job satisfaction and career choice satisfaction. For training and development professionals, job competency is the key factor in their career success.
Revised predictions of long‐period ocean tidal effects on Earth's rotation rate

The rotational response of Earth to long-period tidal forces, embodied in a 'zonal response function,' can be expected to vary with frequency because of variable contributions by the oceans, mantle, and core. The zonal response function has been estimated from 9 years of International Radio Interferometric Surveying (IRIS) universal time (UT1) data and compared with theoretical predictions, using a spherical harmonic tide model to compute the oceans' dynamic response, at semiannual, monthly, fortnightly, and 9-day lunisolar tidal frequencies. Different amounts of mantle anelasticity have been considered for both the oceanic and soild earth responses; predictions have been made assuming axial core-mantle coupling which is either complete or absent. Additionally, an extensive recalibration of the ocean model's frictional parameters was performed using constraints derived in part from Space92 polar motion data; zonal response function predictions have also been made employing this recalibrated ocean tide model. Our results indicate that any amount of core coupling can be ruled out at a fortnightly period and probably at a 9-day period, but not at a monthly period. Our results also suggest that the mantle responds purely elastically at a 9-day period but may behave increasingly anelastically at longer periods. A simple dispersive rule is postulated for periods ranging up to the 14-month Chandler wobble period.
Performance evaluation of DWT, DCT, and WHT for compression of ultrasonic signals

Ultrasonic imaging for industrial and medical applications requires a large amount of data collection. Consequently, it is desirable to use data compression techniques to reduce data while maintaining the signal integrity, and to facilitate the analysis and remote access of ultrasonic information. Hence, the locally obtained ultrasonic signals can be transferred efficiently through wireless or wired communication channels or computer networks to the remotely located experts for analysis. In this study the data compression performance of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), the discrete cosine transform (DCT), and the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT) is examined using simulated and experimental ultrasonic signals. Furthermore, we present results that show the relationship between the bandwidth of the ultrasonic echoes and the data compression performance. The results reveal that the DCT is best for compressing narrowband echoes while the DWT is best for compressing broadband echoes. Moreover, high fidelity signal reconstruction can be achieved with a 90% compression ratio.
Stability analysis of nonlinear differential sequences generated numerically

Abstract A local stability analysis is given for both the analytic and numerical solutions of the initial value problem for a system of ordinary differential equations. The standard linear stability analysis is reviewed, then it is shown that, using a proper choice of Liapunov function, a connected region of stable initial values of both the analytic and one leg k -step numerical solution can be approximated computationally. Correspondence between the one leg k -step solution and its associated linear k -step solution is stated. Constructive proofs are given for the existence of the stability regions for both the analytic and one leg k -step numerical solutions for a class of functions. An example is discussed.
Freedom to, Freedom from, Freedom of: Urban Life and Political Participation in Early Modern England

This paper focuses on the English experience of urban and national citizenship in the early modern period, arguing for the centrality of the economic rights and privileges of citizenship to the development of political participation in the early modern period. In doing so it also emphasizes that a degree of freedom from the state was critical to early modern citizenship. It ends by considering citizenship within the context of the English colonial ventures in America.
Intracoronary epinephrine attenuates baroreflex control of heart rate in the conscious dog

In the present study, the reflex effects of low-dose (12.5-50 ng X kg-1 X min-1) intracoronary epinephrine infusion on the arterial baroreflex control of heart rate were studied. Mean arterial blood pressure-heart rate curves were constructed by changing mean arterial blood pressure with graded occlusions of the descending aorta and inferior vena cava. Intracoronary epinephrine increased left ventricular dP/dtmax by an average of 309 +/- 67.0 mmHg/s but did not alter resting mean arterial blood pressure or heart rate. Peak sensitivity, the maximum absolute slope along the mean arterial blood pressure-heart rate curve, and heart rate range were 32.7 +/- 3.2 and 26.7 +/- 2.5% less during intracoronary epinephrine compared with control, respectively. Intracoronary epinephrine did not alter the median, threshold, or saturation pressure of the mean arterial blood pressure-heart rate curve. Lidocaine block of the pericoronary nerves, which blocked the ventricular afferent pathway, eliminated the effects of intracoronary epinephrine on the arterial baroreflex. Atropine abolished the effects of intracoronary epinephrine on arterial baroreflex control of heart rate. We conclude that intracoronary epinephrine reflexly attenuates the arterial baroreflex control of heart rate in the conscious dog through activation of ventricular receptors. This response is mediated by cardiac parasympathetic efferents common to both reflex arcs.
Classification and performance evaluation of instruction buffering techniques

The speed disparity between processor and memory subsystenis has been bridged in many existing large- scale scientific computers and microproc.essors with the help of instruction burners or instruction caches. In this pa.per we 'classify t.hese bulrers into traditional in- struction buffers, conventional inst,ruct.ion caches and prefetch queues, det.ail their prominent. features, and evaluat.e.the percormanre of buffers in srveral cxisting -systems, using trace driven siinulat,ion. We compare ihse srhemes wit,ti a recentl) pro1iose"d queue-based in- sihction cache nieniory. An implementation indrprn- dent. perforrnaiice metric is proposed for thi. various or- ganizations and used for the evaluat.ions. M'r analyze the simulation results and discuss the eIfec.1 of various paralneters RIIC~ as prefetch threshold, bus width and buffer size on performance.
Aging, muscle activity, and balance control: physiologic changes associated with balance impairment

Older adults demonstrate increased amounts of postural sway, which may ultimately lead to falls. The mechanisms contributing to age-related increases in postural sway and falls in the elderly remain unclear. In an effort to understand age-related changes in posture control, we assessed foot center-of-pressure (COP) displacements and electromyographic data from the tibialis anterior, soleus, vastus lateralis, and biceps femoris collected simultaneously during quiet-standing trials from elderly fallers, elderly non-fallers, and healthy young subjects. Both traditional measures of COP displacements and stabilogram-diffusion analysis were used to characterize the postural sway of each group. Regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between the COP measures and muscle activity. Elderly fallers demonstrated significantly greater amounts of sway in the anteroposterior (AP) direction and greater muscle activity during quiet standing compared with the young subjects, while elderly non-fallers demonstrated significantly greater muscle activation and co-activation compared with the young subjects. No significant differences were found between elderly fallers and elderly non-fallers in measures of postural sway or muscle activity. However, greater postural sway in both the AP and mediolateral (ML) directions and trends of greater muscle activity were found in those older adults who demonstrated lower scores on clinical measures of balance. In addition, short-term postural sway was found to be significantly correlated with muscle activity in each of these groups. This work suggests that high levels of muscle activity are a characteristic of age-related declines in postural stability and that such activity is correlated with short-term postural sway. It is unclear whether increases in muscle activity preclude greater postural instability or if increased muscle activity is a compensatory response to increases in postural sway.
Retroperitoneal hematoma following hysteroscopic removal of levonorgestrel intrauterine system: a case report

Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) devices such as the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) have increased in use. Care should be taken with insertion and removal of the device as, although rare, serious complications can occur. We present a case of retroperitoneal hematoma following hysteroscopic removal of LNG-IUS.
An electroplated nickel selective absorber

Abstract A nickel selective absorber for the conversion of solar radiation into heat in a solar thermal collector has been studied for the purpose of determining the conditions which yield highest solar absorptance while maintaining a low thermal emittance. This selective absorber is formed by electroplating a nickel absorbing layer on a glass substrate coated with silver. A dilute nickel chloride solution at temperatures between about 25 and 30°C is used for the plating. An air-mass-two normal solar absorptance near 0.90 can be obtained while maintaining a hemispherical emittance at 100°C near 0.05. This selective absorber appears to be unstable in vacuum or in air at temperatures above about 250°C. Under the plating conditions used to form this selective absorber, except at the highest plating solution concentrations, the absorbing surface is dendritic in nature.
Top-down and bottom-up definitions of human failure events in human reliability analysis

In the probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) used in the nuclear industry, human failure events (HFEs) are determined as a subset of hardware failures, namely those hardware failures that could be triggered by human action or inaction. This approach is top-down, starting with hardware faults and deducing human contributions to those faults. Elsewhere, more traditionally human factors driven approaches would tend to look at opportunities for human errors first in a task analysis and then identify which of those errors is risk significant. The intersection of top-down and bottom-up approaches to defining HFEs has not been carefully studied. Ideally, both approaches should arrive at the same set of HFEs. This question is crucial, however, as human reliability analysis (HRA) methods are generalized to new domains like oil and gas. The HFEs used in nuclear PRAs tend to be top-down—defined as a subset of the PRA—whereas the HFEs used in petroleum quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) often tend to be bottom-up—derived from a task analysis conducted by human factors experts. The marriage of these approaches is necessary in order to ensure that HRA methods developed for top-down HFEs are also sufficient for bottom-up applications.
What's in a Statute Name?

LLJ abstract: Thoughts about the CAN-SPAM Act over the breakfast table lead Ms. Whisner to explore various practices associated with naming statutes, with a side trip to locate the origins of a standard research tool, the popular name table.A few more notes: Essay traces when the Sherman Act got that name, describes different ways that statutes have people's names attached, and discusses statute names that form clever acronyms.
Rebuilding local foods in Appalachia: Variables affecting distribution methods of West Virginia farms

Across the United States, farms are consolidating and fewer individuals earn their sole income from agriculture. At the same time, the number of very small farms—many of which engage in direct-to-consumer sales strategies—is on the rise. While much research has explored issues of size and scale for farms transitioning to organic certification, this study aims to elucidate the variables that predict whether farmers sell directly to consumers or through indirect methods such as food hubs, wholesalers, schools, and other institutions. Using a mailed survey to West Virginian farmers, this research attempted to better understand the similarities and differences between farms that produce specialty crops and animal products geared for local distribution via direct- and non-direct-to-consumer method of distribution. The goal of this research was to highlight variables that may affect the scaling of operations to include distribution methods beyond direct-to-consumer. To this end, a postal survey was sent to a list of West Virginia farmers focused on local distribution: specialty crop and animal producers were the focus of our list development. A total of 219 participants responded to the survey (29.2% response rate). After cleaning the dataset for the current analysis, 190 surveys were deemed useable. Regression analysis of survey data found that farmers selling through only direct-to-consumer strategies were more concerned about how their farming practices affected the environment, the production of high quality foods, and health risks associated with chemical usage; they were also more willing to try new methods than their non-direct counterparts. Additionally, higher levels of economic dependence on items such as costs of credit, loan availability, etc. was also a significant variable in predicting distribution type. Finally, our results indicate that farmers who are distributing food through non-direct means are demographically distinct from their local-only counterparts on a number of measures, including, most critically: educational attainment (−), acres farmed (+), and length of family ownership (+). Taken together, these variables point to access to land and capital as determinants of scale and marketing strategy.
Achieving the Humanitarian Development Paradigm in Africa: Building a Senegalese Paradise.

Migration is an important topic in international development, as billions in the developing world had, are, and will continue to search for better lives and opportunities in the industrialized North. Unfortunately, the frantic search for greener pastures has led many to lose their lives. Images of desperate African migrants drowning on the shores of Italy’s Lampedusa Islands have raised the question of whether migration to affluent nations will truly resolve the pandemic problems of high unemployment rates and poor living conditions experienced by many throughout Africa.Although migration is a symptom of economic underdevelopment and political strife; on the flip side, its positive externalities of knowledge transfers and capital investments are also valuable opportunities for the African continent to maximize its various development potentials. This powerful potential is reflected in the case of Senegal, as it is one of Africa’s major migrant sending nations to the West.As part of the humanitarian development paradigm panel, I will present key findings on dissertation fieldwork conducted in this country during summer 2011. The findings will not only examine the concept of development; at the same time, it will also highlight the creativity and vibrancy of the Senegalese grassroots at work. The examples of how Senegalese within and outside of their home country are working together to combat clandestine migration demonstrate that the definition of humanitarian development paradigm in the African context is building a paradise on the continent rather than seeking greener pastures across the Mediterranean.
Anaphylactic Shock Prevented by Ketenizing Serum.

ConclusionThe treatment of anti-Brucella horse serum with ketene for 35 minutes or more prevents anaphylactic shock in animals sensitized to the original antiserum. Such a serum still retains the major part of its agglutinating antibody.
Inhibition of dietary cholesterol ester absorption by 3-BCP, a suicide inhibitor of cholesterol-esterase

Cholesterol esters, which can comprise over 75% of total cholesterol in diets rich in organ meats, must first be hydrolyzed by pancreatic cholesterol esterase (EC 3.1.1.13) before being absorbed (1). In its hydrolytic mode, catalysis by the enzyme involves a classical serine esterase mechanism in which the seroxide anion displaces the sterol moiety to give an acyl-enzyme intermediate, followed by nucleophilic displacement. In the absence of bile salt co-factor, the enzyme behaves like a simple esterase and readily hydrolyzes p-nitrophenyl acetate (2). 3-benzyl-6-chloropyrone(3-BCP) and 5-benzyl-6-chloropyrone (5-BCP) were synthesized as potential suicide inhibitors of the enzyme, according to the precedents of Katzenellenbogen (3,4). ABSORPTION BY 3-BCP, A SUICIDE INHIBITOR OF Inhibition was selective, and pancreatic lipase was unaffected at concentrations up to 2 mM.
Vegetable Consumptions Condition and Trend Prediction of Urban Households in Beijing

With the living standards improving,carrying out the study of vegetable consumption characteristics,consumption demand effects and consumption prediction is of significance under the new pattern urbanization.This paper firstly analyzed the vegetables consumption condition of Beijing urban residents,and then summarized the consumption characteristics.After that,ELES model and time series model were used in this paper to predict the trend of vegetable consumption in Beijing.And finally some conclusions were drawn from the empirical study.
The Study of International Relations in the United StatesPerspectives of Half a Century

The study of international relations is becoming more truly international and is developing new dimensions and new approaches. It is not “an American social science,” although it has been more extensively pursued in the United States than in any other country. There is no distinctive American approach, but a multitude of approaches. The gulf between the scholar and the practitioner is still wide, but there are many “intermediaries.” Dominant trends over half a century and significant contemporary themes, concerns, and contributions are briefly analyzed. The beginning of the 1980s is an appropriate time for an overall review of “the state of the art.” This should be done on a transnational basis. The need for a continuing transnational dialogue on basic methods, approaches, interpretations, and research opportunities and needs is pressing.
Electromyographic responses at the neuromuscular fatigue threshold.

The purposes of this investigation were to: (a) examine the electromyographic (EMG) responses from the vastus lateralis during a continuous ride to exhaustion at the neuromuscular fatigue threshold (EMGFT) and (b) determine what percentage of the power output at VO2max the EMGFT represents. Fifteen adult males (mean +/- SD = 22 +/- 2 years) volunteered to perform an EMGFT test and a continuous ride to exhaustion at the EMGFT on separate days. A subsample of ten subjects completed an incremental cycle ergometer test for the determination of VO2max. The mean (+/- SD) EMGFT for the total sample (n = 15) was 286 +/- 40W and the mean time to exhaustion at the EMGFT was 250 +/- 85 sec. For each subject, the slope of the iEMG versus time relationship during the continuous ride to exhaustion at the EMGFT was significantly (p 0.05) different from the power output at VO2max (282 +/- 47W). These findings did not support the contention that the EMGFT can be sustained without electromyographic evidence of neuromuscular fatigue and indicated that the EMGFT was comparable to the power output at VO2max.
Genomic characterization of plant cell wall degrading enzymes and in silico analysis of xylanses and polygalacturonases of Fusarium virguliforme

Background Plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are a subset of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) produced by plant pathogens to degrade plant cell walls. To counteract PCWDEs, plants release PCWDEs inhibitor proteins (PIPs) to reduce their impact. Several transgenic plants expressing exogenous PIPs that interact with fungal glycoside hydrolase (GH)11-type xylanases or GH28-type polygalacturonase (PG) have been shown to enhance disease resistance. However, many plant pathogenic Fusarium species were reported to escape PIPs inhibition. Fusarium virguliforme is a soilborne pathogen that causes soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS). Although the genome of F. virguliforme was sequenced, there were limited studies focused on the PCWDEs of F. virguliforme. Our goal was to understand the genomic CAZy structure of F. viguliforme, and determine if exogenous PIPs could be theoretically used in soybean to enhance resistance against F. virguliforme.
Activation and complexation of protein C and cleavage and decrease of protein S in plasma of patients with intravascular coagulation.

Activated protein C (APC) is inhibited by two major plasma inhibitors (PCIs). To find evidence for in vivo complexation of APC, immunoblotting studies were performed on plasmas of 85 patients with suspected disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Samples from 62 of these patients contained 5% to 35% of protein C antigen in APC:inhibitor complexes, indicating that protein C activation and inhibition had occurred. In 24 normal plasmas, no detectable APC:PCI complexes were observed (less than 5%). Patients with higher levels of complexes had more abnormal coagulation test data for DIC. The major band of APC complexes detected by anti-protein C antibodies did not react with antibodies to the heparin-dependent protein C inhibitor (PCI- 1) previously described. Rather, APC was complexed with another recently described plasma protein C inhibitor, PCI-2. Immunoblotting studies for protein S, the cofactor for APC, revealed that the majority of the DIC patient plasmas contained a higher than normal proportion of protein S in cleaved form, suggesting that protein S may have been proteolytically inactivated. Protein S total antigen levels were also found to be low in DIC patients, excluding those with malignancy. These studies support the hypothesis that the protein C pathway is activated during DIC.
Stadiengerechte operative Therapie des Pankreaskarzinoms in 383 Fällen

Es wurden 383 Patienten mit Pankreaskarzinom operiert. In 164 Fallen (43%) war eine Pankreasresektion moglich. In Tumorstadien p T1, N0 M0 und p T2 N0 M0 fuhrten die Autoren die kephale Duodenopankreatektomie durch. Des weiteren auch als palliative Masnahme in Fallen von T1-2 N1 M0. Im Stadium II (p T3 N0 M0) erfolgte eine totale Duodenopankreatektomie. Die 2-Jahres-Uberlebensraten im Stadium I (n = 14) betrug 86%, im Stadium II (n = 11) 31% und im Stadium III (n = 73) nur 10%. Diese Resultate unterstreichen die Bedeutung von Lymphknotenmetastasen fur die Prognose des Pankreaskarzinoms.
Organization, Opportunity, and the Shifting Politics of Employment Discrimination:

Despite the major breakthrough for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists on marriage equality, the fight against employment discrimination remains elusive. Whether one is protect...
List-mode source injection algorithm for detectors with arbitrary pose and trajectory

When evaluating detectors and algorithms for nuclear threat detection in populated environments, introducing actual sources is usually neither feasible nor economical. It is more practical to move the detector, (which is either airborne, vehicle-borne, or human portable) through the test environment and then to later artificially superimpose either measured or simulated source signatures on the recorded background data. We present a source injection algorithm that can be used to inject either measured or simulated source data into list-mode background data. It is designed to accommodate cases where measured “injection data” are available only at a limited set of locations. We describe a sampling scheme suitable for obtaining measured source injection data. We then use these data to demonstrate the source injection algorithm applied to list-mode data collected with a helicopter-borne detector system, where arbitrary detector poses and trajectories are possible. Stochastic methods are used both to select source events from a dataset containing both source and background events, and to scale the number of selected events to match the field conditions of detector-source distance, air attenuation, acquisition duration, and the relative strength of the measured and injected sources. This algorithm is planned to be used as part of the Airborne Radiation Enhanced-sensor System (ARES) Advanced Technology Demonstration.
Associations between Disorder-Specific Symptoms of Anxiety and Error-Monitoring Brain Activity in Young Children

Anxiety disorders are among the earliest emerging disorders and most common mental health problem across the lifespan. A common characteristic of individuals with anxiety is poor attentional and cognitive control. Therefore, researchers are interested in how cognitive functioning relates to anxiety in young children. In particular, research has demonstrated associations between anxiety and electrophysiological markers of cognitive control skills such as the error-related negativity (ERN). The nature of the anxiety-ERN relationship is not well understood, however. The purpose of the present study was to examine: 1) the association between the ERN and diagnostically-defined symptoms of different anxiety disorders; and 2) the extent to which disorder-specific symptoms of anxiety moderated the association between ERN and behavioral performance on a Go/No-Go task in a sample of 139 children 5-8 years of age (70 females and 69 males). Results suggest that more separation anxiety disorder (SAD) symptoms are associated with a smaller ΔERN, even after controlling for other anxiety disorder symptoms. Children with more SAD symptoms showed higher error rates and failed to exhibit the expected association between ΔERN and behavioral performance, suggesting ineffective error-monitoring in young children with SAD problems.
Novice and Expert Information Behavior: An Eye Tracking Study from Qatar

This paper presents findings of an exploratory pilot study investigating the information evaluation behavior of 30 researchers, including both novices and experts. Specifically, the participants’ approaches to evaluating the quality, credibility, and accuracy of scholarly materials were observed using Tobii eye tracking device hardware and triangulated with the participants’ qualitative written descriptions of how they evaluated the material. The initial findings include hypotheses about differences between novices and experts, and the utility of different gaze measurements for assessing information evaluation processes.
Developmental nicotine exposure alters potassium currents in hypoglossal motoneurons of neonatal rat

Developmental nicotine exposure is associated with increased cell excitability, which is often accompanied by compensatory changes aimed at normalizing excitability. Here we show that whole cell po...
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: Case presentation to a college student health clinic

The author describes a case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) in a 19-year-old man presenting to a college student health clinic. The author also provides a review on SPM, including clinical manifestations, diagnostic evaluation, and management.
Abstract 036: Pomc Neurons, But Not Agrp Neurons, Are Required For Leptin-induced Sympathetic Activation

Leptin acts in the brain to decrease food intake and promote energy expenditure by increasing sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) to thermogenic brown adipose tissue. Leptin also increases SNA to other beds including kidney with implications for obesity-induced hypertension. We previously demonstrated the importance the arcuate nucleus (Arc) of the hypothalamus in mediating leptin-induced increases in regional SNA, but the specific neuronal population within the Arc that mediates these responses is unknown. We hypothesized that agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and/or proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons of the Arc are critical for the increases in SNA in response to leptin. To test this, we generated mice lacking the leptin receptor specifically in AgRP or POMC neurons by crossing the LepR flox/flox mice with AgRP Cre or POMC Cre mice. Consistent with previous reports, both AgRP Cre/ LepR flox/flox mice and POMC Cre /LepR flox/flox mice have a slightly elevated body weight relative to littermate controls. Next, we used multifiber sympathetic nerve recording to assess the SNA effects of leptin. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of leptin (2 μg) led to a comparable increase in renal SNA in control mice (210±93%) and AgRP Cre /LepR flox/flox mice (191±53%). AgRP Cre/ LepR flox/flox mice also displayed a normal lumbar SNA response to ICV leptin (384±86%) relative to controls (325±46%). In contrast, POMC Cre /LepR flox/flox mice exhibited a significantly reduced renal SNA response to ICV leptin (5±17%) as compared to controls (174±45%). Lumbar SNA response to leptin was also blunted in POMC Cre /LepR flox/flox mice (24±21%) as compared to controls (358±53%). Thus, deletion of the leptin receptor from POMC neurons, but not AgRP neurons, interferes with the ability of leptin to increase sympathetic traffic. These results demonstrate that the sympathetic nerve responses evoked by leptin emanate from leptin action on POMC neurons.
Prospective writing: Randomized controlled trial of an intervention for facilitating growth after adversity

Little is known about how posttraumatic growth (PTG) can be fostered and controversy surrounds how it is best measured. We designed and tested an intervention, prospective writing, to facilitate PT...