cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Candidate's Thesis: Laryngotracheal separation in neurologically impaired children: Long‐term results

Objectives: Fifty-six consecutive neurologically impaired pediatric children underwent laryngotracheal separation (LTS) for acute recurrent and chronic aspiration in the last 18 years. The population demographics, indications for surgery, and comorbidities are reviewed. This study reports early and late complications and survivorship including admissions for pneumonia/aspiration. Diagnosis related group (DRGs) and work relative value units (wRVUs) were measured to document the potential benefits before and after LTS. Study Design: Retrospective review of patient charts and records in an electronic medical record during an 18 year period. Methods: Information was obtained by a chart review and utilization of the electronic medical record. Patient specific DRG and wRVU data on their hospitalizations and outpatient encounters at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children of the Nemours Foundation and survival data were recorded. Data was analyzed using chi-square analysis, a two-tailed t test, and a Fisher's Exact test. Results: Laryngotracheal separation achieved complete control of aspiration in all the children. A significant reduction in the number of hospital admissions for pneumonias after surgery was noted. After LTS there was a reduced average number of DRGs per month (p < .001) as well as wRVUs. Transient fistula formation (11%) was the most common complication. No patient had his or her procedure reversed to date. Conclusion: Laryngotracheal separation is 100% effective in controlling aspiration in all of neurologically impaired children in this study, It is a valuable procedure to prolong the life of children who have intractable aspiration. After LTS, a decrease in DRGs and wRVUs reduces health care costs for these patients. Prior to LTS, all medical and surgical treatment options for aspiration should be discussed and considered, based on the extent of the child's underlying neurologic status, ability to verbally communicate, degree of upper airway obstruction, and hope of recovery of neurologic function. Laryngoscope, 2009
Use of green fluorescent protein and reverse transcription-PCR to monitor Candida albicans agglutinin-like sequence gene expression in a murine model of disseminated candidiasis

Candida albicans PALS-green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter strains were inoculated into mice in a disseminated candidiasis model, and GFP production was monitored by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). GFP production from the ALS1 and ALS3 promoters was detected immunohistochemically. ALS1, ALS2, ALS3, ALS4, and ALS9 transcription was detected by RT-PCR, further identifying ALS genes expressed in this model.
Rat proestrus uterine fluid contains a large molecular-weight protein complex with metalloendopeptidase activity

A neutral metalloendopeptidase has been identified in the secretion of the rat proestrous uterus. The native form of the enzyme secreted in the uterus is a high-mol-wt protein complex, which barely migrates in 3% native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In 2% SDS, the enzyme resolves into 380-, 210-, and 110-kDa subunits. The 380- and 210-kDa proteins demonstrate peptidase activity in SDS-PAGE as detected by an enzyme overlay membrane impregnated with Suc-Ala-Ala-Phe-AFC. The uterine peptidase is substantially inhibited by EDTA, EGTA, 1,10 phenanthroline, thiorphan, DTT, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The inhibition by 1,10 phenanthroline is reversed by Co2+. The uterine enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.0, and readily hydrolyzes acetyl tetraalanine and Suc-Ala-Ala-Leu-pNA by releasing alanylalanine and Leu-pNA, respectively. Kinetic analysis of the peptidase using Suc-Ala-Ala-Leu-pNA as substrate yielded K m and V max values 0.9 mM and 4.3 µM/min/3.5 µg protein, respectively. Negative staining of the purified uterine metalloprotease demonstrated spherical particles made up of several subunits. The earlier work had indicated that the uterine fluid metalloendopeptidase adhered to the head region of the ejaculated spermatozoa. It is very likely that this peptidase may be involved in assisting the fertilization process.
Interaction of vanadate and chloride in chicks

Six experiments have been conducted examining the interaction of dietary sodium chloride levels and vanadate toxicity in chicks. Increasing the dietary supplement of NaCl from 0.5 to 2.0% resulted in amelioration of vanadate toxicity, as measured by growth rate. The amelioration was found to reside in the chloride ion. Hepatic, renal, and femur vanadium concentrations were usually reduced at the higher levels of NaCl supplementation, but there was little correlation between these reductions and the reversal of vanadate toxicity.
The nature of the products of brome mosaic virus RNA polymerase

Abstract The products synthesized in vitro by the detergent solubilized BMV-RNA polymerase with complete brome mosaic virus-RNA were found after phenol extraction to be 60–70% ribonuclease-resistant and soluble in 2 M LiCl, and to behave as double-stranded RNA upon hydroxyapatite chromatography. Gel electrophoresis indicated that the approximate molecular weight of the main and first product to be synthesized was relatively small with lesser amounts of a larger and a smaller molecular weight product. Replacement of complete BMV-RNA in the in vitro assay reaction mixture with either BMV-RNA components 1 + 2, 3, or 4, also resulted in the predominant production of the small molecular weight product, especially when components 3 or 4 were used. Higher molecular weight products were not observed when component 4 was used; however, such products were formed when component 3 was utilized. The products synthesized in vitro by the particle-bound enzyme were about 70–85% resistant to RNase and the major component had a relatively high molecular weight. The product was the first to be synthesized, and its labeling increased with increasing incubation time. Addition of complete BMV-RNA to the bound enzyme reaction mixture did not change the nature of the products.
Characterization of shuttle mechanisms for the transport of reducing equivalents into mitochondria.

Abstract The malate-aspartate, fatty acid, and α-glycerophosphate shuttles for the transport of reducing equivalents into mitochondria were reconstituted, using isolated hepatic mitochondria and the extramitochondrial components of the shuttles. Clofibrate and thyroxin increased, while propylthiouracil treatment decreased, the activity of mitochondrial α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. Despite these changes, the activity of the reconstituted α-glycerophosphate shuttle was similar in mitochondria from control rats and those from rats treated with clofibrate and propylthiouracil. There was an increase in the activity of the shuttle using mitochondria from thyroxin-treated rats. Rotenone caused 60–90% inhibition of this shuttle, suggesting that rotenone-sensitive NADH dehydrogenase participates in the pathway of oxidation of extramitochondrial hydrogen. Palmitate, oleate, and octanoate were equally effective in reconstituting a cyclic fatty acid shuttle. The shuttle was inhibited by various compounds affecting mitochondrial metabolism, including oligomycin, dinitrophenol, cyanide, rotenone, atractyloside, and α-bromopalmitate. Carnitine and several dicarboxylic and tricarboxylic acids which stimulate fatty acid elongation, augmented fatty acid shuttle activity. The malate-aspartate shuttle was inhibited by cycloserine, amino-oxyacetic acid, and hydrazine, and stimulated by pyridoxal phosphate, at the same concentrations which affected the activities of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial glutamic oxalacetic transaminase. This shuttle was inhibited by uncouplers, antimycin, azide, cyanide, rotenone, amobarbital, oligomycin, and several inhibitors of anion transport including iodobenzylmalonate and avenaciolide. The reconstituted shuttle is sufficiently active to provide about 70–80% of the oxalacetate required for maximal rates of gluconeogenesis. Extrapolations based on the rates of mitochondrial oxidation of acetaldehyde and the activity of the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system suggest that any one of the shuttles could account for the rate of ethanol metabolism in vitro by the alcohol dehydrogenase pathway.
A taxonomic approach to communicating maxims in interstellar messages

Abstract Previous discussions of interstellar messages that could be sent to extraterrestrial intelligence have focused on descriptions of mathematics, science, and aspects of human culture and civilization. Although some of these depictions of humanity have implicitly referred to our aspirations, this has not clearly been separated from descriptions of our actions and attitudes as they are. In this paper, a methodology is developed for constructing interstellar messages that convey information about our aspirations by developing a taxonomy of maxims that provide guidance for living. Sixty-six maxims providing guidance for living were judged for degree of similarity to each of other. Quantitative measures of the degree of similarity between all pairs of maxims were derived by aggregating similarity judgments across individual participants. These composite similarity ratings were subjected to a cluster analysis, which yielded a taxonomy that highlights perceived interrelationships between individual maxims and that identifies major classes of maxims. Such maxims can be encoded in interstellar messages through three-dimensional animation sequences conveying narratives that highlight interactions between individuals. In addition, verbal descriptions of these interactions in Basic English can be combined with these pictorial sequences to increase intelligibility. Online projects to collect messages such as the SETI Institute's Earth Speaks and La Tierra Habla , can be used to solicit maxims from participants around the world.
A Classifier Ensembling Approach for Imbalanced Social Link Prediction

Supervised learning is a commonly used tool for link prediction in social networks, where data imbalance is a major challenge because only a small portion of nodes may have social connections. In this paper, we propose to use a k-nearest neighbor sampling and a random sampling combined approach to address data imbalance issue for social link prediction. In our solution, we use two sampling approaches to generate multiple copies of the network data, and then use a number of similarity link prediction measures to generate independent variable (features) as training data. For each copy of the sampled data, we train a classifier and use a classifier ensemble for final link prediction. Experimental results on a co-authorship network validate the performance of the proposed design.
T cells in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus: potential roles of CD154-CD40 interactions and costimulatory molecules.

CD154 is an activation-induced CD4 + T cell surface molecule that interacts with CD40 on antigen-presenting cells (APC) and upregulates the key costimulatory molecules, CD80 and CD86. Bidirectional intercellular signaling mediated by CD40 ligation and CD80/CD86 interactions with counter-receptors on T cells play central roles in regulating the survival and outgrowth of pathogenic autoreactive T cells and B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD40 is also expressed on a variety of other cells, including endothelial cells and renal tubule epithelial cells. CD154 activation of APCs, endothelial cells, and renal tubular epithelial cells have proinflammatory or procoagulant effects that may contribute to the pathogenesis of lupus. This review will focus on the immunobiology of CD154-CD40 interactions and the costimulatory functions of CD80 and CD86. The experimental evidence suggesting roles for these molecules in the immunopathogenesis of SLE will be reviewed.
Essential role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the regulation of serotonin transmission in the basolateral amygdala.

Abstract Human and animal model studies have linked brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with the etiology of anxiety disorders. This pleiotropic neurotrophin and its receptor, TrkB, promote neuronal survival, differentiation and synaptic plasticity. Here we interrogated the role of BDNF in serotonergic neurotransmission in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a limbic brain region associated with the neurobiology of anxiety. We found that both GABAergic and pyramidal projection neurons in the wild-type BLA contained TrkB receptors. Examination of BDNF 2L/2LCk-Cre mutant mice with brain-selective depletion of BDNF revealed mild decreases in serotonin content in the BLA. Notably, whole cell recordings in BLA pyramidal cells uncovered significant alterations in 5-HT 2 -mediated regulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission in BDNF 2L/2LCk-Cre mutant mice that result in a hyperexcitable circuit. These changes were associated with decreased expression of 5-HT 2 receptors. Collectively, the results indicate a required role of BDNF in serotonin transmission in the BLA. Furthermore, they suggest a mechanism underlying the reported increase in anxiety-like behavior elicited by perturbed BDNF signaling.
Impact of migration on fertility and abortion: evidence from the household and welfare study of Accra.

Over the last few decades, total fertility rates, child morbidity, and child mortality rates have declined in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Among the most striking trends observed are the rapid rate of urbanization and the often remarkably large gaps in fertility between rural and urban areas. Although a large literature has highlighted the importance of migration and urbanization within countries’ demographic transitions, relatively little is known regarding the impact of migration on migrants’ reproductive health outcomes in general and abortion in particular. In this article, we use detailed pregnancy and migration histories collected as part of the Household and Welfare Study of Accra (HAWS) to examine the association between migration and pregnancy outcomes among women residing in the urban slums of Accra, Ghana. We find that the completed fertility patterns of lifetime Accra residents are remarkably similar to those of residents who migrated. Our results suggest that recent migrants have an increased risk of pregnancy but not an increased risk of live birth in the first years post-move compared with those who had never moved. This gap seems to be largely explained by an increased risk of miscarriage or abortion among recent migrants. Increasing access to contraceptives for recent migrants has the potential to reduce the incidence of unwanted pregnancies, lower the prevalence of unsafe abortion, and contribute to improved maternal health outcomes.
A facile preparation of 4-quinolinols by the condensation of dilithiobenzoylacetone or C(α),O-dilithiooximes with methyl anthranilate or 5-chloroisatoic anhydride

Dilithiobenzoylacetone or C(α),O-dilithiooximes were prepared in an excess of lithium dusopropylamide and condensed with methyl anthranilate or 5-chloroisatoic anhydride to give intermediates, which after neutralization were cyclized to 4-quinolinols.
Magnetic resonance measurements of flow-path enhancement during supercritical CO2 injection in sandstone and carbonate rock cores

Abstract Sandstone and carbonate core samples were challenged with a two-phase supercritical CO2 and brine mixture to investigate the effects of chemical processes on the physical properties of these rocks during injection of CO2. The experiments were monitored in real-time for pressure, temperature, and volumetric rate discharge. Pore geometry and connectivity were characterized before and after each experimental challenge using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and two-dimensional MR relaxation correlations. Quartz arenite sandstone cores were largely unaffected by the challenge with no measurable change in effective permeability at moderate and high temperatures (~50 °C and ~95 °C) or brine concentrations (~1 g/L and ~10 g/L). In contrast, a carbonate core sample showed evidence of significant dissolution leading to a six-fold increase in effective permeability. MR images and relaxation measurements revealed a marked increase in the volume and connectivity of pre-existing pore networks in the carbonate core. We infer that the increase in permeability in the carbonate core was enhanced by focused dissolution in the existing pore and fracture networks that enhanced fast-flow paths through the core.
Review of Radiosonde Humidity and Temperature Errors

Abstract An attempt is made to provide a brief but comprehensive summary of sources of error in National Weather Service upper air data, and a guide to the relevant literature. Error analysis must be tailored for particular applications. Temperature errors are generally 1°C or less, but reports of relative humidity can be low by 20–30% under unfavorable conditions, especially at very low temperatures.
Effects of memantine on neuronal structure and conditioned fear in the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Memantine, an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been hypothesized to have neuroprotective properties. However, the similarity of its mechanism of action to other NMDA receptor antagonists has led to concerns that it may also have neurotoxic effects. To assess both the neuroprotective and neurotoxic potential of memantine in a mouse model of AD (Tg2576 mice), we used quantitative light and electron microscopy to investigate the effects of long-term (6 months) administration of memantine (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) on plaque deposition and neuronal morphology in the hippocampus and overlying cortex. A fear-conditioning paradigm was used to evaluate the behavioral consequences of any observed changes in structure. Administration of the two higher doses of memantine (10 and 20 mg/kg) was associated with a significant decrease in β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque deposition, increases in synaptic density and the appearance of degenerating axons; the latter two effects were independent of genotype. Administration of the lowest dose of memantine (5 mg/kg) was associated with a significant decrease in Aβ plaque deposition and a significant increase in synaptic density, but not a significant increase in degenerating axons. However, memantine did not significantly improve behavioral deficits associated with genotype in a fear-conditioning paradigm at any dose. These results suggest that chronic memantine administration may have both neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects in a mouse model of AD.
Degradation, growth, and changes in palatability of leaves colonized by six aquatic hyphomycete species

ABSTRACTWe followed the dynamics of aspen leaf degradation caused by six species of aquatic Hyphomycetes and examined the effect of fungal modification of leaves on feeding responses of caddisfly (...
Anthropology as White Public Space

ABSTRACT How far has anthropology come in becoming racially inclusive? In this article, we analyze an online survey of anthropology graduate students and faculty of color undertaken by the AAA Commission on Race and Racism in Anthropology. Despite some progress, institutional and attitudinal barriers remain. We use the concept of “white public space” to analyze these barriers: departmental labor is divided in ways that assign to faculty and graduate students of color responsibilities that have lower status and rewards than those of their white counterparts. Colorblind racial explanatory practices—discourses that explain away racially unequal institutional practices as being “not about race”—are common. We argue that such practices make many anthropology departments feel like white-owned social and intellectual spaces. We conclude by suggesting steps with which anthropology departments can create more inclusive social spaces that are owned equally by scholars of color and their white peers.
What we can learn from the spectrum of infant physical abuse in Alaska.

Objectifs: Determiner l'incidence et les facteurs de risque associes aux mauvais traitements physiques envers les jeunes enfants (>un an ) en Alaska. Methode: Une etude retrospective a ete menee sur une cohorte issue de toute la population sur les naissances chez des residents de 1994 a 2000. On a relie des donnees venant des certificats de naissances, des services de protection de l'Enfance, d'un registre portant sur les traumatismes enregistres a l'hopital dans tout l'Etat, les donnees des decharges apres hospitalisation, ainsi que du registre des deces des enfants (incluant les certificats de deces). Les principales mesures qui ont ete relevees ont concerne l'incidence des sevices physiques en general et des sevices dont le resultat a ete une hospitalisation ou un deces. On a defini un cas de mauvais traitement a enfant comme etant un mauvais traitement physique, avec preuve identifie, dans la base de donnees des services de Protection de l'Enfance ou le deces d'un enfant par infanticide ceci etant identifie sur le certificat de deces comme cause de la mort. Resultats: Pendant les 7 annees qu'a dure l'etude, 70,842 naissances ont eu lieu. Sur 325 cas de sevices physiques, 72 ont necessite une hospitalisation (n = 58), ont entraine la mort (n = 4), ou les deux (n = 10). L'incidence de tous les mauvais traitements et de ceux qui ont mene a une hospitalisation ou a la mort a ete de 4.6 et 1.0 pour 1000 naissance d'enfants vivants. Apres des analyses a plusieurs variables, on a trouve que les facteurs de risque les plus eleves pour la population etaient le niveau d'education du pere ou de la mere inferieur ou egal a 12 ans, mere seule, ou abus par la mere de consommation de drogues pendant sa grossesse. Pour determiner si la methodologie de l'etude avait ete cause de l'exclusion de cas graves de mauvais traitements, nous avons examine les informations concernant tous les 216 enfants hospitalises pour traumatisme pendant la duree de l'etude et qui n'avaient pas ete identifies comme maltraites dans l'une des bases de donnees de l'etude. Parmi ceux-ci, au moins 39 avaient des blessures qui ne concordaient pas avec le mecanisme signale (fracture d'un os long ou du crâne signalee comme resultant d'une chute de moins d'un metre ou chute des bras d'une gardienne qui avait nie toute notion d'un traumatisme). Conclusions: En Alaska il y a la plus haute frequence dans toute la litterature de cas prouves de jeunes enfants maltraites physiquement, ces cas sont associes a des facteurs de risque, surtout sociaux, potentiellement modifiables. Malgre cette frequence elevee, il semble que les cas hospitalises soient, dans une proportion importante, non signales.
Preparing Instructional Designers for Different Career Environments: A Case Study

The competency requirements, content, culture, and value systems of business and industry career environments can differ significantly from that of the higher education context where instructional design and technology (IDT) students receive their formal training. Therefore, faculty should consider how they might provide flexibility in their programs to allow IDT students to experience the contexts in which they choose to work following graduation. The article reports on the results of a case study of an exemplary IDT program identified through a national survey. The emphases and preparation practices of faculty in the case study program were noted to provide an example of how one program successfully prepares its graduates for a variety of career environments, and specifically for a business and industry environment. By studying the successes and challenges of specific programs, new or existing programs may gain ideas for building or re-working existing programs to better meet the needs of students desiring contextualized preparation for different career environments.
THE CULVER CITY SPANISH IMMERSION PROGRAM: HOW DOES SUMMER RECESS AFFECT SPANISH SPEAKING ABILITY?

This study looks at one aspect of second-language mastery in depth: patterns of foreign language retention among young children after being removed from a language contact situation for a period of time. The subjects were 14 Anglo children from the Culver City Spanish Immersion Program, a pioneering project in American public school education. These children were immersed exclusively in Spanish during their kindergarten year. English was gradually introduced in first grade. This report deals with the effects of summer recess between first and second grade upon the spoken Spanish of the students. They were given an Oral Language Achievement Measure individually on a test-retest basis. The results showed that a summer recess of three months took its toll on Anglo children's performance in Spanish. Utterances became shorter; at least one grammatical class (prepositions) was used slightly less while another (verbs) became more prominent; the children made more errors proportionate to what they said; problems with article/adjective agreement not only persisted, but in the case of the definite article, shifted in nautre; the ser verb began to be used more than estar when children were in doubt; and inflection for person in present tense indicative verbs continued to cause minor problems.
The Discovery of Medicines from Plants: A Current Biological Perspective1

The Discovery of Medicines from Plants: A Current Biological Perspective. The last 50 years have seen tremendous innovations in the process of discovering novel bioactive compounds from plants. Every stage of the natural products discovery and development pipeline has seen major advances, so as a result, today it is possible to evaluate large numbers of plant extracts efficiently and in more effective ways against a wider array of disease targets. Despite all of these technological advances and numerous large-scale discovery efforts, the number of new drugs developed as natural products from plants to reach the market has been surprisingly low, very different from the continuing productive discovery work from microbes. The innovations in the discovery process are reviewed, possible explanations for low success of recent discovery efforts are explored, and an effort is made to estimate the future potential of plants as a discovery resource. It may be that the low rate of discovery during this developmental period of natural products discovery is a consequence of technological limitations of the discovery process rather than a lack of interesting compounds in plants, and that even when necessary assumptions are taken into account, conservative estimates would indicate great potential for the discovery of new drugs from plants.
A comparative evaluation of two user feedback techniques for requirements trace retrieval

In automated requirements trace retrieval, significant improvements can be realized through incorporating user feedback. In this paper we introduce a relatively new technique named Direct Query Manipulation (DQM) and compare its effectiveness against Rocchio, the current defacto standard for integrating user feedback into automated tracing methods. The two techniques are evaluated empirically through a series of simulations and a user study, conducted by tracing requirements for WorldVista, an electronic healthcare information system against requirements from the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology. Our results show that both Rocchio and DQM return significant improvements in trace quality in comparison to the vector space model, a fully automated technique. DQM performs slightly better than Rocchio in terms of trace quality with minimal difference in human effort. The hybrid approach provides further improvement over both individual approaches of DQM and Rocchio.
Echocardiography and risk prediction in advanced heart failure: incremental value over clinical markers.

Abstract Background Incremental value of echocardiography over clinical parameters for outcome prediction in advanced heart failure (HF) is not well established. Methods and Results We evaluated 223 patients with advanced HF receiving optimal therapy (91.9% angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, 92.8% β-blockers, 71.8% biventricular pacemaker, and/or defibrillator use). The Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) was used as the reference clinical risk prediction scheme. The incremental value of echocardiographic parameters for event prediction (death or urgent heart transplantation) was measured by the improvement in fit and discrimination achieved by addition of standard echocardiographic parameters to the SHFM. After a median follow-up of 2.4 years, there were 38 (17.0%) events (35 deaths; 3 urgent transplants). The SHFM had likelihood ratio (LR) χ 2 32.0 and C statistic 0.756 for event prediction. Left ventricular end-systolic volume, stroke volume, and severe tricuspid regurgitation were independent echocardiographic predictors of events. The addition of these parameters to SHFM improved LR χ 2 to 72.0 and C statistic to 0.866 ( P P = .019, respectively). Reclassifying the SHFM-predicted risk with use of the echocardiography-added model resulted in improved prognostic separation. Conclusions Addition of standard echocardiographic variables to the SHFM results in significant improvement in risk prediction for patients with advanced HF.
A selective survey of computational electromagnetics

Some of the tools used in computational electromagnetics are placed into perspective with respect to the different kinds of approaches that may be used and their computer-resource requirements. Particular attention is paid to numerical models based on integral and differential equations. After a brief background discussion, some of the analytical and numerical issues involved in developing a computer model are reviewed. Some practical considerations are included from the viewpoint of computer-resource requirements, followed by a discussion of some ways by which computer time might be reduced. The presentation concludes with a brief examination of validation and error checking. The emphasis throughout is on review and summarization rather than detailed exposition. >
Pogrom in Gujarat: Hindu nationalism and anti-Muslim violence in India

Pogrom in Gujarat presents an ethnographic account of the 2002 violence, primarily towards Muslims, in the capital city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Examining the media portrayal, official policies, and ...
The “Wisdom of the State”: Adam Smith on China and Tartary

Adam Smith's engagement with China and Tartary is a central yet underappreciated element of his economic and political thought. This article reconstructs this engagement and demonstrates its broader significance, arguing that it focuses on three themes: the economic institutions that promote domestic growth in a manner that alleviates the material conditions of the poorest, the social and political conditions that minimize the dependence of the poor on the wealthy, and the ethical values and civic institutions that guarantee the existential survival of the state. This treatment is significant for three reasons: It offers useful insight into the contested issue of Smith's conception of legitimate state action; it clarifies Smith's vision of a commercial order that promotes human dignity; and it reveals the depth of his participation in a specific contextual debate.
A Personal Approach to Laser Resurfacing

Recommendations based on 2 years’ experience with CO2 laser skin resurfacing of more than 600 treatment areas are presented. The two different CO2 laser systems used are reviewed and compared. The mechanism of action of the CO2 laser, indications, treatment protocol, preoperative and postoperative guidelines, complications, and results are outlined. There is no question that laser resurfacing (LRS) is effective, and at times the results are spectacular. This enthusiasm must be countered with the realization that a certain morbidity is associated with this procedure and the longevity of the results is uncertain. Nevertheless, this technique can be used safely with proper training and experience. LRS became a reasonable treatment option with the advent of the new high-energy, short-pulse CO2 lasers. A detailed discussion of laser physics is beyond the scope of this article. However, with all laser technology, the emphasis is on “selective” injury. There are many mechanisms to achieve “selectivity,” but one basic concept common to all selective systems is that with delivery of high energy to the target tissue (i.e., skin, pigment, and blood vessels) this energy needs to “dwell” on the tissue for a shorter time to accomplish its goal. In theory, with infinitely high energy there would be an infinitely short dwell time so that only the specific target would be heated and destroyed with very little residual damage. This concept is termed “selective photothermolysis.”1 With LRS the target is the superficial portion of the skin to the level of the upper to mid reticular dermis, although the ideal depth has yet to be determined. 2,3 Selectivity has currently been accomplished with the new pulsed CO2 lasers in which powers as high as 400 to 500 mJ per pulse can be delivered in 1 msec or less. Keeping …
Vesicovaginal Fistula and Ureteral Injury During Pelvic Surgery

Genitourinary fistula may result from obstructed labor during childbirth, pelvic irradiation, or from iatrogenic injury during gynecologic and pelvic surgery. If unrecognized, complications such as vesicovaginal fistula, ureterovaginal fistula, or ureteral stricture may occur. The avoidance, recognition, and subsequent treatment of these complications are an important issue. This chapter focuses on causes of urogenital fistula and ureteral injuries, strategies for prevention, methods to help identify them, and their appropriate management either in the initial or postoperative setting.
Phenological responses of wheat and barley to water and temperature: improving simulation models

Understanding and predicting small-grain cereal development is becoming increasingly important in enhancing management practices. Recent efforts to improve phenology submodels in crop simulations have focused on incorporating developmental responses to water stress and interpreting and understanding thermal time. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate data from three experiments to (a) determine the qualitative and quantitative response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) to water stress and (b) ascertain where in space to measure temperature, to provide information required to improve phenological submodels. The first experiment tested the phenological responses of 12 winter wheat cultivars to water stress for two seasons at two sites. The second experiment tested the timing of water stress on spring barley phenological responses for 2 years. In a third experiment, soil near the shoot apex of field-grown spring wheat was heated to 3°C above ambient soil temperature for three planting dates in each of 2 years, to test whether it is better to use soil or air temperature in calculating thermal time. The general response of wheat and barley to water stress was to reach growth stages earlier (i.e. to hasten development). The most significant response was for the grain filling period. Water stress had little effect on jointing and flag leaf complete/booting growth stages. Thermal time to jointing was highly variable across locations. However, thermal time to subsequent growth stages was very consistent both within and across locations. The winter wheat cultivars tested followed this general response across site-years, but inconsistencies were found, suggesting a complicated genotype by environment (G×E) interaction that makes improving phenology submodels for all cultivars difficult. The G×E interaction was most prominent for anthesis (A) and maturity (M) growth stages. Results of heating the soil at the shoot apex depth were completely unexpected: heating the soil did not speed spring wheat phenological development. These results, and others cited, suggest caution in allocating effort and resources to measuring or estimating soil temperature rather than relying on readily available air temperature as a means of universally improving phenology submodels. These results help quantify the response of wheat to water stress and thermal time for improving crop simulation models and management.
Changes in microbial communities along redox gradients in polygonized Arctic wet tundra soils

This study investigated how microbial community structure and diversity varied with depth and topography in ice wedge polygons of wet tundra of the Arctic Coastal Plain in northern Alaska and what soil variables explain these patterns. We observed strong changes in community structure and diversity with depth, and more subtle changes between areas of high and low topography, with the largest differences apparent near the soil surface. These patterns are most strongly correlated with redox gradients (measured using the ratio of reduced Fe to total Fe in acid extracts as a proxy): conditions grew more reducing with depth and were most oxidized in shallow regions of polygon rims. Organic matter and pH also changed with depth and topography but were less effective predictors of the microbial community structure and relative abundance of specific taxa. Of all other measured variables, lactic acid concentration was the best, in combination with redox, for describing the microbial community. We conclude that redox conditions are the dominant force in shaping microbial communities in this landscape. Oxygen and other electron acceptors allowed for the greatest diversity of microbes: at depth the community was reduced to a simpler core of anaerobes, dominated by fermenters (Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes).
Molecular and cellular physiology of renal organic cation and anion transport

Organic cations and anions (OCs and OAs, respectively) constitute an extraordinarily diverse array of compounds of physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological importance. Renal secretion of these compounds, which occurs principally along the proximal portion of the nephron, plays a critical role in regulating their plasma concentrations and in clearing the body of potentially toxic xenobiotics agents. The transepithelial transport involves separate entry and exit steps at the basolateral and luminal aspects of renal tubular cells. It is increasingly apparent that basolateral and luminal OC and OA transport reflects the concerted activity of a suite of separate transport processes arranged in parallel in each pole of proximal tubule cells. The cloning of multiple members of several distinct transport families, the subsequent characterization of their activity, and their subcellular localization within distinct regions of the kidney now allows the development of models describing the molecular basis of the renal secretion of OCs and OAs. This review examines recent work on this issue, with particular emphasis on attempts to integrate information concerning the activity of cloned transporters in heterologous expression systems to that observed in studies of physiologically intact renal systems.
Large-scale simulation of normal grain growth via diffusion-generated motion

Diffusion-generated motion is used to perform a very large-scale simulation of normal grain growth in three dimensions with high accuracy. The method is based on the diffusion of signed distance functions and shares similarities with level-set methods. The Herring-angle condition at junctions and topological transitions are naturally captured with this formulation. This approach offers significant advantages over existing numerical methods and allows for accurate computations on scales not previously possible. A fully resolved simulation of normal grain growth, initially containing over 130 000 grains in three dimensions, is presented and analysed. It is shown that the average grain radius grows as the square root of time and the grain-size distribution is self-similar. Good agreement with other theoretical predictions, experimental results and simulation results via other techniques is also demonstrated.
Comparative evaporimetry in man

Background/aims: Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements are frequently used; the most widely utilized instrument has been the open chamber device. Traditional open-chamber systems for measuring TEWL have limitations related to ambient and body-induced airflows near the probe, probe size, measurement site and angles. Recent technology provides a portable and battery-operated closed chamber Evaporimeter. It is presumably less affected by external factors such as room- or body-induced airflows, breathing or heating of the probe by the operators' hand. This study compares this commercial instrument, a closed chamber device, with a traditional open-chamber device. Methods: Two open chamber devices and one closed chamber device were used in such a way that each instrument could simultaneously measure TEWL in an identical experimental environment with known relative humidity and temperature values. TEWL values of seven locations on healthy volunteers were measured simultaneously with each instrument in the same room according to the guidelines of the standardization group of the European society of contact dermatitis. Results: For TEWL values of all forearm locations, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean values measured by all three instruments. For TEWL values of forehead locations, there was a significant difference between the mean values of open chamber device and closed chamber device. For the forehead, values from closed chamber device were higher than the open one. Conclusion: The TEWL values measured by all instruments were constant with small standard deviations. These instruments appear sufficiently robust that a standardization group could document similarities and differences with in vitro models. We suspect that both techniques will continue to be used and that the closed method will find increasing use because of its ease of use.
Patterns and Scales in Gastrointestinal Microbial Ecology

The body surfaces of humans and other animals are colonized at birth by microorganisms. The majority of microbial residents on the human body exist within gastrointestinal (GI) tract communities, where they contribute to many aspects of host biology and pathobiology. Recent technological advances have expanded our ability to perceive the membership and physiologic traits of microbial communities along the GI tract. To translate this information into a mechanistic and practical understanding of host-microbe and microbe-microbe relationships, it is necessary to recast our conceptualization of the GI tract and its resident microbial communities in ecological terms. This review depicts GI microbial ecology in the context of 2 fundamental ecological concepts: (1) the patterns of biodiversity within the GI tract and (2) the scales of time, space, and environment within which we perceive those patterns. We show how this conceptual framework can be used to integrate our existing knowledge and identify important open questions in GI microbial ecology.
Enhancing Solar Cell Efficiencies through 1-D Nanostructures

The current global energy problem can be attributed to insufficient fossil fuel supplies and excessive greenhouse gas emissions resulting from increasing fossil fuel consumption. The huge demand for clean energy potentially can be met by solar-to-electricity conversions. The large-scale use of solar energy is not occurring due to the high cost and inadequate efficiencies of existing solar cells. Nanostructured materials have offered new opportunities to design more efficient solar cells, particularly one-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials for enhancing solar cell efficiencies. These 1-D nanostructures, including nanotubes, nanowires, and nanorods, offer significant opportunities to improve efficiencies of solar cells by facilitating photon absorption, electron transport, and electron collection; however, tremendous challenges must be conquered before the large-scale commercialization of such cells. This review specifically focuses on the use of 1-D nanostructures for enhancing solar cell efficiencies. Other nanostructured solar cells or solar cells based on bulk materials are not covered in this review. Major topics addressed include dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells, and p-n junction solar cells.
X‐ray studies on the deformation of an aromatic polyimide

The deformation of the aromatic polyimide poly{N,N′-bis(phenoxyphenyl)-pyromellitimide} (PMDA-ODA) has been investigated by x-ray scattering. PMDA-ODA, which exhibits a smecticlike ordering in the bulk can be elongated up to 70% at room temperature without a distinct yield point. Under strain, the diffraction pattern of the intramolecular spacing occurring at a Bragg spacing of 15.4 A is elliptical. The ellipticity shows that the molecule changes its repeat distance along the chain axis. This may result from bond angle and bond length distortions. Consistent with this is a rapid recovery well below the glass transition temperature where all but 20% strain is recovered. This localized extension, however, cannot account fully for the macroscopic deformation applied, and, as such, a global orientation of the chains occurs, as evidenced by the arcing of the diffraction profiles. The retention of the intrachain reflection indicates that bundles of chain segments ordered in a smectic fashion orient as a unit maintaining a lateral chain-segment alignment. Finally, the scattering vector at which a small-angle scattering reflection occurs was found to be correlated to the coherence length determined by a Scherrer analysis of the ca. 15.4 A intramolecular reflection. As the strain increased, the intensity and spacing of the small-angle scattering reflection increased parallel to the stretching direction and decreased perpendicular to this. This suggests that the origin of the small-angle scattering reflection arises from electron density fluctuations along the chain axis, as is typically seen in semicrystalline polymers.
Tactile discrimination of textures by Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

Two male Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) demonstrated sensitive tactile discrimination in a two-alternative forced choice task, using a modified staircase method. Stimuli were acrylic plates with vertical gratings of ridges and grooves. The standard stimulus, present on every trial, had 2 mm gratings and the comparison stimuli had wider gratings. The blindfolded subjects were trained to demonstrate discrimination by pressing the target with wider gratings. Discrimination thresholds (75% correct) for the subjects were 2.05 mm and 2.15 mm, corresponding to Weber fractions of 0.025 and 0.075, respectively. These results indicate thresholds on similar stimuli comparable to humans (index finger tasks) and better than harbor seals, Phoca vitulina, and the closely related Antillean manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus. Memory for the tactile task was quite stable for both subjects, over 2 yr in the case of one of the subjects. Video analysis of responses indicated that bristle-like hairs, perioral bristles, and skin on the oral disk were involved in the discrimination response.
Efficient delivery of cyclic peptides into mammalian cells with short sequence motifs.

Cyclic peptides hold great potential as therapeutic agents and research tools, but their broad application has been limited by poor membrane permeability. Here, we report a potentially general approach for intracellular delivery of cyclic peptides. Short peptide motifs rich in arginine and hydrophobic residues (e.g., FΦRRRR, where Φ is l-2-naphthylalanine), when embedded into small- to medium-sized cyclic peptides (7–13 amino acids), bound to the plasma membrane of mammalian cultured cells and were subsequently internalized by the cells. Confocal microscopy and a newly developed peptide internalization assay demonstrated that cyclic peptides containing these transporter motifs were translocated into the cytoplasm and nucleus at efficiencies 2–5-fold higher than that of nonaarginine (R9). Furthermore, incorporation of the FΦRRRR motif into a cyclic peptide containing a phosphocoumaryl aminopropionic acid (pCAP) residue generated a cell permeable, fluorogenic probe for detecting intracellular protein tyrosi...