cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporate social responsibility Japanese style

Executive Overview The Japanese management of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a matter of increasing importance as Japanese investment in the U.S. rapidly expands. Lack of understanding of the meaning and management of CSR in Japanese firms represents a missing link in the understanding of Japanese management. This limits the ability of U.S. firms to adapt Japanese management techniques. It is also likely to be the source of increasing controversy as the Japanese corporate presence in the U.S. becomes more substantial. Japanese management of CSR, a product of the relatively stable and predictable Japanese environment, has developed much differently than CSR management in the U.S. On some dimensions Japanese approaches to CSR management are far superior to those in the U.S., representing opportunities for learning by U.S. firms. On other dimensions, however. Japanese practices are very much at variance with established social norms in the U.S. Japanese management of CSR is explored in this article...
Electron transfer. 127 Intermediate oxidation states in the reduction of chromium(VI) with formate

When HCrO4 − is reduced by formate in solutions buffered by 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutanoic acid and its anion, chelated complexes of both Cr(IV) and Cr(V), both of them stabilized in the medium used, are formed. It appears that Cr(V) is not generated directly from the Cr(VI)-formate reaction but arises instead from oxidation of Cr(IV) by Cr(VI). When the Cr(VI)-formate reaction is allowed to go to completion in the presence of [Cl(NH3)5Co]2+, a scavenger for Cr(II), 84–86% of the Cr(VI) taken is found to be converted to Cr(II), indicating that nearly all of the reacting system proceeds through Cr(IV) and bypasses the more usual state Cr(III). Initial rates for formation of Cr(IV) lead to a rate law pointing to a transition state containing the two redox partners, two ligating carboxyl groups, and two units of H+. Substitution of DCO2 − for HCO2 − retards formation of Cr(IV) by a factor of 3.3, whereas the solvent isotope affect, rateD 2O/rateH 2O, favors the deuterated system by a factor of 1.4. Our observations are in accord with a sequence initiated by the ligation of HCrO4 − to a chelate derived from the buffering carboxylate anion. Conversions of Cr(VI) to Cr(IV), and Cr(IV) to Cr(II) appear to entail hydride shifts from formate to the Cr(=O) function.
Scope-based carbon footprint analysis of U.S. residential and commercial buildings: An input–output hybrid life cycle assessment approach

Abstract Analyzing building related carbon emissions remains as one of the most increasing interests in sustainability research. While majority of carbon footprint studies addressing buildings differ in system boundaries, scopes, GHGs and methodology selected, the increasing number of carbon footprint reporting in response to legal and business demand paved the way for worldwide acceptance and adoption of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) set by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Current research is an important attempt to quantify the carbon footprint of the U.S. residential and commercial buildings in accordance with carbon accounting standards and Scopes set by WRI, in which all possible indirect emissions are also considered. Emissions through the construction, use, and disposal phases were calculated for the benchmark year 2002 by using a comprehensive hybrid economic input–output life cycle analysis. The results indicate that emissions from direct purchases of electricity (Scope 2) with 48% have the highest carbon footprint in the U.S. buildings. Indirect emissions (Scope 3) with 32% are greater than direct emissions (Scope 1) with 20.4%. Commuting is the most influential activity among the Scope 3 emissions with more than 10% of the carbon footprint of the U.S. buildings overall. Construction supply chain is another important contributor to the U.S. building's carbon footprint with 6% share. Use phase emissions are found to be the highest with 91% of the total emissions through all of the life cycle phases of the U.S. buildings.
Adhesion of Fibers to Natural Rubber Elastomer using Ring‐Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization is used to investigate adhesion of multifilament fibers (polyester, nylon, Kevlar®) to a natural rubber elastomer through the creation of ROMP polymer coatings on the fiber surfaces followed by encapsulation in pre-cured elastomer. Polymer coated fibers are prepared by 1) physisorption of polynorbornenes which are prepared by solution-phase ROMP and 2) contact metathesis polymerization (CMP) whereby Grubbs' 1st generation catalyst 1 is applied directly to the fiber surface followed by passage of the “activated” fiber through a norbornene monomer bath. Both methods improve adhesion to the elastomer when compared to uncoated control specimens. Catalyst and polymer loading are briefly examined. Although inconclusive, our findings suggest that polymer loading and substrate specificity may affect overall adhesion. ROMP is enabling chemistry for creating an interface to improve fiber adhesion to natural rubber elastomers. Formulated commercial adhesive systems are also included in this study.
Prenatal exposure of rats to nicotine causes persistent alterations of nicotinic cholinergic receptors

Abstract We examined for immediate and persistent changes in nAChRs in cerebral cortex, thalamus and striatum of male rats caused by prenatal exposure to nicotine from gestational day 3 to postnatal day 10 (PN10), and how such exposure affected the responses of adolescents to subsequent nicotine challenge. Receptor numbers were assessed by [3H]epibatidine binding and receptor function was measured by acetylcholine-stimulated 86Rb efflux (cerebral cortex and thalamus) and nicotine-stimulated dopamine release (striatum). Immediate effects of prenatal nicotine, assessed in PN10 animals, were not detected for any parameter. A subsequent 14 day nicotine exposure in adolescence revealed persistent changes caused by prenatal nicotine exposure. Nicotine exposure in adolescents caused up-regulation of binding in all three regions; however, this up-regulation was lost in thalamus from animals prenatally exposed to nicotine. Nicotine exposure in adolescents caused decreased nicotine-stimulated dopamine release in striatum; this effect was lost in animals prenatally exposed to nicotine. Comparison of parameters in PN10 and PN42 rats revealed developmental changes in the CNS cholinergic system. In thalamus, binding increased with age, as did the proportion of 86Rb efflux with high sensitivity to acetylcholine. In cortex, binding also increased with age, but there was no change in total 86Rb efflux, and the proportion of high to low sensitivity efflux declined with age. Nicotine-stimulated striatal dopamine release (both total and α-conotoxin MII-resistant release) increased with age in naive animals, but not in those prenatally exposed to nicotine. These findings demonstrate that prenatal exposure to nicotine causes alterations in nAChRs and in their regulation by nicotine that persist into adolescence. These changes may play a role in the increased risk for nicotine addiction observed in adolescent offspring of smoking mothers.
MethylomeDB: a database of DNA methylation profiles of the brain

MethylomeDB (http://epigenomics.columbia.edu/methylomedb/index.html) is a new database containing genome-wide brain DNA methylation profiles. DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark in the mammalian brain. In human studies, aberrant DNA methylation alterations have been associated with various neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, and depression. In this database, we present methylation profiles of carefully selected non-psychiatric control, schizophrenia, and depression samples. We also include data on one mouse forebrain sample specimen to allow for cross-species comparisons. In addition to our DNA methylation data generated in-house, we have and will continue to include published DNA methylation data from other research groups with the focus on brain development and function. Users can view the methylation data at single-CpG resolution with the option of wiggle and microarray formats. They can also download methylation data for individual samples. MethylomeDB offers an important resource for research into brain function and behavior. It provides the first source of comprehensive brain methylome data, encompassing whole-genome DNA methylation profiles of human and mouse brain specimens that facilitate cross-species comparative epigenomic investigations, as well as investigations of schizophrenia and depression methylomes.
Differential effects of nebivolol and metoprolol on arterial stiffness, circulating progenitor cells, and oxidative stress

Abstract Unlike traditional beta receptor antagonists, nebivolol activates nitric oxide. We hypothesized that therapy with nebivolol compared with metoprolol would improve arterial stiffness, increase levels of circulating progenitor cells (PC), and decrease oxidative stress (OS). In a randomized, double–blind, cross–over study, 30 hypertensive subjects received either once daily nebivolol or metoprolol succinate for 3 months each. Pulse wave velocity and augmentation index were measured using tonometry. Flow cytometry was used to measure circulating PC. OS was measured as plasma aminothiols. Measurements were performed at baseline, and repeated at 3 and 6 months. No significant differences were present between the levels of OS, arterial stiffness, and PC numbers during treatment with metoprolol compared with nebivolol. In subgroup analyses of beta–blocker naive subjects (n = 19), nebivolol reduced pulse wave velocity significantly compared with metoprolol (−1.4 ± 1.9 vs. −0.1 ± 2.2; P = .005). Both nebivolol and metoprolol increased circulating levels of CD34+/CD133 + PC similarly ( P = .05), suggesting improved regenerative capacity.
PLASTICITY OF TREE ARCHITECTURE: SPECIFIC AND ECOLOGICAL VARIATIONS FOUND IN AUBREVILLE'S MODEL

The crown form and branching pattern of sapling and adult trees of Terminalia catappa, T. latifolia, and an unidentified species of Manilkara are described. Leaf distribution (leaf positions within the crown) and leaf area index are given for the three species. Although they all exhibit the same architectural model, the two species of Terminalia maintain a tiered canopy in both sapling and large adult trees, while Manilkara has a sapling with poorly defined tiers and an adult with a hollow, hemispherical crown. Thus, the same architectural model (Aubreville's) can give rise to different crown shapes due to quantitative differences in branch geometry, degree of reiteration, and longevity of leaf-bearing branch units. Conversely, similar crown shapes can be produced by trees with different models. Manilkara conforms to the monolayer model of leaf arrangement at maturity, but Terminalia cannot easily be described as a monolayer or a multilayer. Adaptive geometry of a tree and its architectural model are not equivalent nor necessarily comparable.
Comparison of flow diverter deployment strategies for cerebral aneurysm treatment: Evaluation of hemodynamic modifications

Flow diversion with the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED, Covidien, Irvine, CA) represents the most recent advancement in endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms. Despite great success at treating previously untreatable aneurysms, complications such as delayed rupture after PED treatment raise concerns that clinical outcome is not always predictable. This is due to the lack of knowledge about the flow modifications by different configurations of PED placement in patient-specific geometry and how these affect thrombosis. To shed light on mechanisms behind these issues, this study investigated the hemodynamic modifications induced by different treatment scenarios, including (1) a single PED vs. 2 overlapping PEDs and (2) uniform vs. dense packing of a single PED. Besides flow reduction and wall shear stress (WSS) modification, we also conducted a preliminary investigation of the potential for platelet activation from high blood shear induced by PED struts.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Cutaneous T cell lymphoma: update of treatment.

The state-of-the art therapy of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is reviewed. Commonly used treatments for early-stage (patch/plaque) mycosis fungoides (MF) include topical corticosteroids, mechloreth
Excised Tobacco Pith Bioassays for Root-knot Nematode-produced Plant Growth Substances

Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne incognita, were grown in tobacco pith tissue cultured in vitro on modifired white's medium. The nematodes did not secrete detectable amounts of auxin or cytokinin, but did promote growth in the presence of both types of growth substance. When both IAA and kinetin were supplied, the nematode-infected tissue was larger, more irregularly shaped than control tissue; nematodes induced syncytia and developed past the second larval stage. When either IAA or kinetin was omitted from the medium, nematodeinfected and control tissue failed to grow and the nematodes failed to induce syncytia or develop.
Effect of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Pandemic H1N1-Related Outcomes in Massachusetts

Objectives. We linked hospital discharge and American Community Survey and US Census data to investigate 2009 H1N1 influenza (H1N1)-related outcomes by racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic status (SES).Methods. We examined the population discharged from any acute care hospital in Massachusetts and calculated rates of intensive care unit (ICU) stay by racial/ethnic and SES groups between April 26 and September 30, 2009. We used logistic regression models to identify predictors of ICU stay.Results. Of 4874 H1N1-related hospitalizations, 526 (11%) were admitted to the ICU. Those in less affluent SES groups had lower risk of ICU stay than the most affluent SES group. Compared with Whites, Hispanics had significantly lower risk of 2009 H1N1-related ICU stay (odds ratio = 0.52; 95% confidence interval = 0.32, 0.86). Only 13% of Whites admitted to the ICU were in the lowest SES group, compared with 63% of Hispanics and 43% of Blacks.Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first statewide description of 2009...
Regulation of the IgE isotype switch: new insights on cytokine signals and the functions of ε germline transcripts

In allergic responses, B cells are driven to undergo an immunoglobulin isotype switch, shifting from IgM to IgE synthesis. This process involves the rearrangement of germline DNA in the immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus and is stimulated by cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13) and CD40 activation. It is now evident that cytokine-induced 'germline' epsilon-RNA transcripts associate with DNA in the genomic switch region (S epsilon) to form DNA-RNA hybrid structures, which target nucleases in for deletional switch recombination. Alterations in cytokine production and signaling affect the efficiency of this process and are associated with inherited predisposition to allergy.
Treatment effects of bonded RME and vertical-pull chincup followed by fixed appliance in patients with increased vertical dimension.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of vertical-pull chincup (VPCC) therapy during an initial rapid maxillary expansion (RME) phase, followed by a second phase of comprehensive orthodontic therapy in growing subjects with mild-to-severe hyperdivergent facial patterns. Methods: The records of 29 subjects treated with bonded RME combined with VPCC followed by a fixed-appliance phase with continued use of VPCC were compared with a group of 29 well-matched patients treated with bonded RME only. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before the start of treatment (T1), before the second phase of treatment (T2), and after the second phase of treatment (T3). Mean age at T1 was approximately 9 years for both groups. Total treatment period (phase 1, interim phase, and phase 2) was 5.7 years for the VPCC group and 6.2 years for the bonded RME-only group. Statistical comparison between the 2 groups was performed by means of independent sample t tests on the T2-T1, T3-T2, and T3-T1 changes. Cervical vertebral maturation stages were assessed at T1, T2, and T3. Results: The VPCC induced significantly smaller increases in mandibular plane angle of about 2°, lower anterior facial height of about 2.5 mm, and total anterior facial height of about 3.5 mm, compared with the RME-only subjects. These outcomes reflect the therapeutic changes that occurred during phase 1 treatment; phase 2 treatment was not associated with any significant difference in treatment response. No statistically significant differences in vertical dentoalveolar changes were concurrent with the vertical skeletal changes in the subjects treated with the VPCC compared with the RME-only group. Conclusions: The clinical significance of VPCC wear over 2 phases of treatment (5.7 years) appears to be limited. The VPCC was most effective during the initial (RME) phase of treatment and of little benefit during the fixed appliance phase.
Catabolite Repression Control of napF (Periplasmic Nitrate Reductase) Operon Expression in Escherichia coli K-12

Escherichia coli, a facultative aerobe, expresses two distinct respiratory nitrate reductases. The periplasmic NapABC enzyme likely functions during growth in nitrate-limited environments, whereas the membrane-bound NarGHI enzyme functions during growth in nitrate-rich environments. Maximal expression of the napFDAGHBC operon encoding periplasmic nitrate reductase results from synergistic transcription activation by the Fnr and phospho-NarP proteins, acting in response to anaerobiosis and nitrate or nitrite, respectively. Here, we report that, during anaerobic growth with no added nitrate, less-preferred carbon sources stimulated napF operon expression by as much as fourfold relative to glucose. Deletion analysis identified a cyclic AMP receptor protein (Crp) binding site upstream of the NarP and Fnr sites as being required for this stimulation. The napD and nrfA operon control regions from Shewanella spp. also have apparent Crp and Fnr sites, and expression from the Shewanella oneidensis nrfA control region cloned in E. coli was subject to catabolite repression. In contrast, the carbon source had relatively little effect on expression of the narGHJI operon encoding membrane-bound nitrate reductase under any growth condition tested. Carbon source oxidation state had no influence on synthesis of either nitrate reductase. The results suggest that the Fnr and Crp proteins may act synergistically to enhance NapABC synthesis during growth with poor carbon sources to help obtain energy from low levels of nitrate.
Fracture of Si3N4–SiC Whisker Composites under Cyclic Loads

This communication demonstrates the role of cyclic compressive loads in inducing mode I fatigue crack growth at room temperature in Si3N4 matrix–SiC whisker composite materials containing stress concentrations. The characteristics of stable, cyclic fracture are examined for several volume fractions of the SiC whisker and are compared with those of the matrix material. It is found that the composites with higher volume fractions of SiC whiskers exhibit an inferior resistance to fracture under cyclic compressive loads despite improvements in fracture toughness values.
Design and performance evaluation of an adaptive parity cache technique

This research proposes adaptive parity cache technique on cache to solve "small write problem" of RAID 5 especially in OLTP environments. This configuration provides a cache management method that adds information on the read/write characteristics of the file when a user process in RAID 5 makes a request to kernel for a file. This information is used for management of disk cache by reading the parity. Especially on write request, this method reduces additional access problems compared to conventional methods by using write related information of the file system to store data and parity together in a cache. Therefore, we can enhance the cache utilization and improve the disk request response time. Our method is analyzed through a mathematical method. Comparing with previous works, we observed performance enhancement.
Developers and Moderators: Observations in the Co-development of an Online Social Space

Online social spaces have emerged at the confluence of three notable trends: an increasing amount of interaction occurring over digital channels, an awareness of the range of technical and social affordances such spaces provide, and a growing participatory culture that fosters member involvement in the creation and maintenance of digital locales. At the same time, these trends offer both great promise and significant challenges to the creation and maintenance of online social spaces. This paper unpacks the observations from the creation of one such online social space developed with involvement from the moderators tasked with facilitating its operation. Observations run the gamut from the technical (modifying system features to meet described work practices) to the social (fostering a joint ownership in the success of the social space) and set the stage for a broad research agenda for discovering best practice in constructing social spaces online.
Preoptic nitric oxide attenuates endotoxic fever in guinea pigs by inhibiting the POA release of norepinephrine.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration induces hypothalamic nitric oxide (NO); NO is antipyretic in the preoptic area (POA), but its mechanism of action is uncertain. LPS also stimulates the relea...
THE BLESSING OF THE COMMONS : Small-Scale Fisheries, Community Property Rights, and Coastal Natural Assets

Introduction Following the influential article by Garrett Hardin titled ‘Tragedy of the commons’, it is part of both popular and scholarly belief that unless natural resources are strictly in the domain of private or state property, their fate is an inevitable ruin (Hardin 1968). Closer examination of the actions of lowincome communities who depend on natural resources for their daily livelihoods has recently brought to the fore a more positive view about human proclivity for caring and nurturing common resources found in nature. A good example is found in the state of Kerala, in India, where small-scale, community-based fisherfolk initiated collective action to invest in rejuvenating the natural assets of the sea that had been destroyed by the incessant fishing operations of large-scale bottom trawlers in the region. They went about erecting artificial reefs at the sea bottom in coastal waters to create anthropogenic marine environments. Reefs act as fish refugia and become sources of food for them as the structures are soon covered with bottom-dwelling biomass. Artificial reefs placed in strategic positions in the coastal waters can in time increase the overall biomass and the fish stock in the local ecosystem. An unintended side-effect of sufficiently large artificial reefs is that they act as barriers to the operation of bottom trawl nets, effectively performing the role of a sea-bottom fence against incursions of trawlers into coastal waters. Such reefs have not yet healed the wounds inflicted on the coastal ecosystem of the area, nor can the fishing communities depend exclusively on them as a major source of livelihood.
Magnetic resonance imaging in inhomogeneous fields

In this paper, we explain the principles underlying imaging with an inhomogeneous B0-field and show how SNR and SAR considerations place limits on the size of the relative field inhomogeneity. We explore problems of imaging with a background field that varies in both magnitude and direction, both with and without critical points. We give a simple geometric explanation for the difficulties that arise when attempting to use fields such that has a saddle point, and construct examples of fields where has isolated, nonzero minima.
Sequential and Simultaneous Processing in Children with Learning Disabilities An Attempted Replication

K-ABC Sequential (SEQ) and Simultaneous (SIM) Processing scores of 94 children with learning disabilities were analyzed to seek confirmation of processing patterns and factor loadings indicated in previous studies (e.g., Kaufman & Kaufman, 1983; Kaufman & McLean, 1986). Confirmatory analyses produced factor patterns generally supportive of the traditional K-ABC Mental Processing structure with the exception of Spatial Memory (SM). A modified factor analysis, allowing SM to load on either factor, produced a significantly better fit to the data. Relative SEQ Processing strengths for the present sample differed from a trend toward SIM Processing strengths in previous studies. Selection criteria and subpopulation differences may have influenced the direction of processing strengths. Results point to implications for generalizing findings across groups of learning disabled children, particularly in predicting successful educational intervention based upon a limited set of preselected subtests.
Embracing Latinidad: Beyond Nationalism in the History of Education

This article provides a rationale and suggests an approach for investigating the school activism of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in the history of education. This more inclusive and comparative approach to Latino activism deepens the understanding of their complex struggles for equality and pluralism in American education. It shows how different groups of Latinos engaged in multiple but parallel struggles for increased learning across space and time and achieved different results. Their efforts expanded, extended, and diversified the historic struggle for education waged primarily by ethnic Mexican activists in the first half of the 20th century.
Effect of artificial perspiration and cleaning chemicals on the mechanical and chemical properties of ballistic materials

During routine field use of soft body armor, the ballistic panels become saturated with perspiration. This condition motivates the user to clean and/or deodorize the armor, and anecdotal evidence is given for various methods used to accomplish this. Although the cleaning/deodorization is usually performed on the armor liners and coverings, there is concern that the chemicals could seep into the ballistic panels and damage the fibers. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of artificial perspiration and cleaning chemicals on the mechanical and chemical properties of aramid, poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole), and ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene yarns after controlled cycles of exposure to artificial perspiration and dilute solutions of common cleaning chemicals. It was observed that the effect of the artificial perspiration on the properties of all of the materials tested was the same as that of water alone. Of all of the cleaning chemicals used, only chlorine bleach had a detrimental effect on the yarn properties. All other cleaning chemicals had the same effect as water alone. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
EFFECT OF THYROIDECTOMY AND OF THYMECTOMY IN EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS OF THE RABBIT.

Experiments are described in which the thyroid or thymus gland of rabbits was removed prior to inoculation of the animals with Tr. pallidum. The effect of these procedures is described from the standpoint of the manifestations of the disease. After complete thyroidectomy, the disease was considerably more severe than in the controls and very markedly so in certain instances. Partial tyroidectomy, on the other hand, resulted in a milder disease than that of the controls. The effect of complete thymectomy was less pronounced than that of either complete or partial thyroidectomy, but, in general, the syphilis resembled that in partially thyroidectomized animals. These effects are discussed in relation to the host's reaction and resistance to experimental syphilis and the conclusion was reached that the integrity and balance of the glands of internal secretion play an important role in the mechanism of defense against this infection.
Integrated Learning: Controlling Explanation

Similarity-based learning, which involves largely structural comparisons of instances, and explanation-based learning, a knowledge-intensive method for analyzing instances to build generalized schemata, are two major inductive learning techniques in use in Artificial Intelligence. In this paper, we propose a combination of the two methods—applying explanation-based techniques during the course of similiarity-based learning. For domains lacking detailed explanatory rules, this combination can achieve the power of explanationbased learning without some of the computational problems that can otherwise arise. We show how the ideas of predictability and interest can be particularly valuable in this context. We include an example of the computer program UNIMEM applying explanation to a generalization formed using similaritybased methods.
Effects of Same-Modality Interference on Immediate Serial Recall of Auditory and Visual Information

Abstract Two studies investigated the effects of same-modality interference on the immediate serial recall of auditorily and visually presented stimuli. Typically, research in which this task is used has been conducted in quiet rooms, excluding auditory information that is extraneous to the auditorily presented stimuli. However, visual information such as background items clearly within the subject's view have not been excluded during visual presentation. Therefore, in both the present studies, the authors used procedures that eliminated extra-list visual interference and introduced extra-list auditory interference. When same-modality interference was eliminated, weak visual recency effects were found, but they were smaller than those that were generated by auditorily presented items. Further, mid-list and end-of-list recall of visually presented stimuli was unaffected by the amount of interfering visual information. On the other hand, the introduction of auditory interference increased midlist recall of ...
A cephalometric appraisal of edgewise Class II nonextraction treatment with extraoral force.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the treatment effects of nonextraction edgewise therapy combined with cervical headgear on Class 11, Division 1 malocclusions. Data from a sample of 43 treated patients with a mean age of 11 years 11 months and a mean treatment time of 2 years 8 months were recorded. A cephalometric appraisal was done and the initial and final measurements of points, lines, and angles based on accepted cephalometric analyses were compared. Student's t test for paired cases was used to evaluate the significance of all measurement changes. The significant findings were as follows: the inhibition of forward growth of the maxilla, downward tipping of the anterior part of the palate, reduction of flaring of the maxillary incisors, reduction of the facial convexity, and extrusion and mesial movement of maxillary and mandibular first molars. The overall results tend to indicate the efficacy of this treatment modality in the treatment of the Class II, Division 1 malocclusion.
Shock-Initiated Combustion in an Airbreathing, Pulse Detonation Engine-Crossover System

An airbreathing pulse detonation engine-crossover system is developed to characterize the feasibility of shock-initiated combustion within an airbreathing pulse detonation engine. A shock wave is transferred through a crossover tube that connects a spark-ignited driver pulse detonation engine to the airbreathing, driven pulse detonation engine. Detonations in the driven pulse detonation engine develop from shock-initiated combustion caused by shock wave reflection. The pulse detonation engine-crossover system increases system efficiency through decreased deflagration-to-detonation transition distance while employing a single spark source to initiate a system consisting of multiple detonation tubes. The initiation effectiveness of shock-initiated combustion is compared to spark discharge initiation and detonation injection through a predetonator. Increasing the Reynolds number enhances combustion wave acceleration. However, for all initiation methods, the system requires a device to transition the combusti...
Legal Expressivism: A Primer

This paper aims to provide a basic primer on legal expressivism for scholars with a general interest in normative legal theory as well as those who are interested in applying the teachings of legal expressivism to novel regulatory contexts. It first surveys the two main strands of legal expressivism: instrumental expressivism and revelatory expressivism. After discussing the meaning of revelatory expressivism, the paper briefly addresses an issue that critics have raised with revelatory expressivism - its controversial commitment to some form of "objective" public meanings of legal actions. The paper concludes by briefly exploring the relationship between normative legal theory and the two main strands of legal expressivism.
Use of di- and tripropionate substrate analogs to probe the active site of human recombinant coproporphyrinogen oxidase.

Background: Defects in the enzyme coproporphyrinogen oxidase result in accumulation of porphyrins which may affect the severity of a subset of porphyrias. Thus evaluation of this enzyme for substrate selectivity is of value. Kinetic evaluations of recombinant human coproporphyrinogen oxidase have been undertaken using six di- and tripropionate analogs of the natural substrate coproporphyrin-ogen-III. These substrate analogs were modified by having alkyl groups in place of one or both of the ring 13- or 17-propionate moieties. Material/Methods: Cloned human enzyme was incubated with analogs under apparent first order conditions and with various substrate concentrations. The kinetic values, K m and V max , were determined. Results: Relative to the authentic substrate, the K m values for the 13-ethyl, dimethyl and diethyl porphyrinogens were very comparable whereas the K m values were much higher using dipropyl and dibutyl porphyrinogen and much lower for the 17-ethyl analog. For the dipropionate analogs, the V max values were an apparent function of the carbon length of the substituent on the C and D rings, with longer carbon length severely reducing product formation by some 4-5 orders of magnitude. Also, the two isomeric tripropionates that were tested indicated that it was more detrimental to have an ethyl group at the 13-position for both binding and catalysis. Conclusions: This work extends our understanding of porphyrin ring substituent effects reported by Cooper et al. (2005). The substituents on both the C and D rings have significant effects on both the substrate binding and catalysis by this important enzyme.
Cell Biology and the Study of Behavior

My purpose in this brief discussion is to describe how cellular neurobiologists are trying to study the mechanisms of behavior and learning. For reasons that are fairly obvious, the biological study of behavior and learning is still in its infancy. Behavior is produced by the brain. The brain of man, which is the brain biologists would ultimately most like to understand, is immensely complex. In addition, because it is encased in a bony skull, it is relatively inaccessible from a technical standpoint. Even when its surface is exposed surgically by removing the bone, many important structures remain out of view because they are deeply buried within its massive sub-stance. The brain is also inaccessible for moral reasons. Since it is the seat of those attributes and functions we refer to as character and mind, we would only want to explore the brain of man when we know exactly what we are doing, can do it safely, and have a clear medical indication for doing it. As a result, our understanding of how the human brain controls behavior is very limited. More than in any other area of medicine, study of the relationship of brain and behavior will require the development of adequate animal models.
Phospholipid Changes during Fracture Healing

AbstractThe changes in the phospholipid content of healing rat fracture callus were shown to resemble those occurring during endochondral ossification. Specifically, the calcium—acidic phospholipid—phosphate complexes (Ca-PL-PO4) which have been associated with the onset of mineralization in other tissues, are most abundant in the Day 11 fracture callus (19% of total lipid) where mineral is accumulating most actively. The Ca-PL-PO4 content then gradually decreases to the value observed for metaphyseal and diaphyseal bone (6% of total lipid). This study provides further proof that the Ca-PL-PO4 complexes are associated with the early stages of mineralization, and demonstrates another manner in which fracture healing in the rat resembles endochondral ossification.
Strategies that delay or prevent the timely availability of affordable generic drugs in the United States

High cancer drug prices are influenced by the availability of generic cancer drugs in a timely manner. Several strategies have been used to delay the availability of affordable generic drugs into the United States and world markets. These include reverse payment or pay-for-delay patent settlements, authorized generics, product hopping, lobbying against cross-border drug importation, buying out the competition, and others. In this forum, we detail these strategies and how they can be prevented.
Analysis on economic burden of patients with tuberculosis and influencing factors in a rural area of Jiangsu Province

Objective To analyze the economic burden of patients with tuberculosis and influencing factors in a rural area of Jiangsu Province.Methods One county from Jiangsu Province was purposely selected and 34 villages were randomly selected as the study sites.Tuberculosis patients who were registered from January 2010 to May 2011 in the study sites,and had completed the standard antituberculosis treatment episode were recruited.Face to face interviews were performed by using a standard questionnaire.Basic characteristics of patients,history of seeking healthcare services,treatment experience,and direct and indirect costs due to the tuberculosis disease were collected.Results 316 tuberculosis patients were recruited for the analysis.The average cost of diagnosis and treatment on the tuberculosis disease was 6 598.3 RMB and the median(25%-75%) cost was 2 263.4(982.6-6 687.5) RMB.The mean(median) direct and indirect costs were 3 524.8(931.6) RMB and 3 073.5(900) RMB,respectively.Factors associated with the cost included previous tuberculosis history,adverse drug reactions,taking putative liver protection compounds,using the second line antituberculosis drugs,and diagnosis delay,etc.Conclusions Although the government of China has established a "free TB service policy",the financial burden on patients was still heavy.More patient-centered interventions and greater attentions to tuberculosis management are essential,with aims to reduce patients' economic burden.
Microencapsulation of Bovine Spermatozoa

Two experiments were conducted to examine the efficacy of microencapsulation of bovine spermatozoa for use in artificial insemination. In Exp. 1, sperm were encapsulated at three different concentrations (45, 90 and 180 X 10(6) sperm/ml) in either .75- or 1.5-mm (diameter) microcapsules and incubated in vitro for 24 h at 37 C. Unencapsulated samples of each concentration served as controls. Capsule contents were evaluated for percentage of sperm motility and intact acrosomes at 2, 12 and 24 h of incubation. Capsule fragility was evaluated after 24 h incubation. Viability of spermatozoa was not influenced by sperm concentration or capsule size, and compared with controls, cellular injury after encapsulation was not apparent. Fragility of capsules was unaffected by capsule size; however, as the sperm concentration increased, integrity of the capsules decreased (P less than .05). In Exp. 2, using frozen-thawed semen, the effect of egg yolk content, presence of glycerol and viability of spermatozoa on the success of microencapsulation was measured. The extender was 2.9% sodium citrate with glycerol (7% v/v) and either 0, 5, 10 or 15% egg yolk (v/v). Uniformity of capsules in size and shape was evaluated subjectively. Capsule integrity and uniformity were unaffected by glycerol, sperm viability or egg yolk level up to 10% v/v; however, encapsulation of spermatozoa in 15%-yolk buffer increased the heterogeneity in capsule size and shape. Viability of encapsulated spermatozoa was maximal for extenders containing 10 or 15% yolk v/v. Reduced viability for the 5% yolk extender was due to pre-encapsulation injury associated with freezing. Microencapsulation procedures are compatible with sperm viability and can be adapted to an acceptable extender system used in artificial insemination.
SU-F-R-46: Predicting Distant Failure in Lung SBRT Using Multi-Objective Radiomics Model

Purpose: To predict distant failure in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by using a new multi-objective radiomics model. Methods: Currently, most available radiomics models use the overall accuracy as the objective function. However, due to data imbalance, a single object may not reflect the performance of a predictive model. Therefore, we developed a multi-objective radiomics model which considers both sensitivity and specificity as the objective functions simultaneously. The new model is used to predict distant failure in lung SBRT using 52 patients treated at our institute. Quantitative imaging features of PET and CT as well as clinical parameters are utilized to build the predictive model. Image features include intensity features (9), textural features (12) and geometric features (8). Clinical parameters for each patient include demographic parameters (4), tumor characteristics (8), treatment faction schemes (4) and pretreatment medicines (6). The modelling procedure consists of two steps: extracting features from segmented tumors in PET and CT; and selecting features and training model parameters based on multi-objective. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used as the predictive model, while a nondominated sorting-based multi-objective evolutionary computation algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used for solving the multi-objective optimization. Results: The accuracy for PET, clinical, CT, PET+clinical, PET+CT, CT+clinical, PET+CT+clinical are 71.15%, 84.62%, 84.62%, 85.54%, 82.69%, 84.62%, 86.54%, respectively. The sensitivities for the above seven combinations are 41.76%, 58.33%, 50.00%, 50.00%, 41.67%, 41.67%, 58.33%, while the specificities are 80.00%, 92.50%, 90.00%, 97.50%, 92.50%, 97.50%, 97.50%. Conclusion: A new multi-objective radiomics model for predicting distant failure in NSCLC treated with SBRT was developed. The experimental results show that the best performance can be obtained by combining all features.
Assessing interactions of hydrophilic nanoscale TiO 2 with soil water

The implications of manufactured nanoscale materials (MNMs) in unsaturated soil are mostly unknown. Owing to its widespread use, nanoscale (n) TiO2 is expected to enter soils where its accumulation could impact soil processes. Yet fundamental information is lacking regarding nTiO2 in situ wettability, i.e., interactions with soil water that relate to nTiO2 exposure and bioavailability. To probe nTiO2 interactions with soil water, we amended a natural soil with 20 mg per g of P25 nTiO2, a high-production, hydrophilic MNM that, based on its small size (25 nm nominal), provides ample specific surface area (SSA) for water sorption. We then measured nTiO2-amended soil SSA, and conducted a dynamic water vapor conditioning experiment. Early time-course water sorption into soil, with and without nTiO2, was clearly diffusional. Over 9 months, soil water content asymptotically equilibrated. However, despite amending with nTiO2 levels that increased the soil SSA by 16 %, measured water sorption rates and endpoint soil water contents were mostly unchanged by P25 nTiO2. Our results indicate that as-manufactured hydrophilic P25 nTiO2 was hydrophobic in soil, a finding relevant to nTiO2 bioavailability and transport.
Cosmology with galaxy cluster phase spaces

We present a novel approach to constrain accelerating cosmologies with galaxy cluster phase spaces. With the Fisher matrix formalism we forecast constraints on the cosmological parameters that describe the cosmological expansion history. We find that our probe has the potential of providing constraints comparable to, or even stronger than, those from other cosmological probes. More specifically, with 1000 (100) clusters uniformly distributed in the redshift range $0\ensuremath{\le}z\ensuremath{\le}0.8$, after applying a conservative 80% mass scatter prior on each cluster and marginalizing over all other parameters, we forecast $1\ensuremath{\sigma}$ constraints on the dark energy equation of state $w$ and matter density parameter ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{M}$ of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{w}=0.138(0.431)$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{M}}=0.007(0.025)$ in a flat universe. Assuming 40% mass scatter and adding a prior on the Hubble constant we can achieve a constraint on the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder parametrization of the dark energy equation of state parameters ${w}_{0}$ and ${w}_{a}$ with 100 clusters in the same redshift range: ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{{w}_{0}}=0.191$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{{w}_{a}}=2.712$. Dropping the assumption of flatness and assuming $w=\ensuremath{-}1$ we also attain competitive constraints on the matter and dark energy density parameters: ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{M}}=0.101$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}}=0.197$ for 100 clusters uniformly distributed in the range $0\ensuremath{\le}z\ensuremath{\le}0.8$ after applying a prior on the Hubble constant. We also discuss various observational strategies for tightening constraints in both the near and far future.
Sage on the Stage in the Digital Age: The Role of Online Lecture in Distance Learning.

The Internet can be a useful tool that can enhance interactivity in classes. Accordingly, offering distance learning courses using the Web, especially in the asynchronous mode for the additional flexibility of time, is becoming an established practice in higher education. Web-based distance learning comes with numerous benefits, but not without worries for potentials deficiencies. One such deficiency in the current distance learning framework is the lack of lecture, the most relied-upon and proven means of instruction in the traditional classroom settings. This paper raises an issue of the lack of lectures in Web-based distance learning, and proposes that streaming video take the role of online lecture in that setting. Described in this paper are the rationale to put the lecture back into elearning in higher education, two case studies in which the steps were taken to implement the proposed method, and the feedback from the students who took such courses in the undergraduate business curriculum and the MBA program.