cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A portable chamber for measuring algal primary production in streams

This paper describes a portable chamber that measures net primary production of stream periphyton using a 14C uptake method. The unique feature is that substrates are moved through water at a velocity of 20 cm s −1 rather than moving water over substrates. The chamber consists of a plexiglass cylinder that is 9 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter. On the top of the cylinder is a DC gearmotor powered by a 12 volt, deep cycle, marine battery. The motor turns a shaft that rotates a 13.3 cm plexiglass plate at a velocity of 20 cm s −1 . Small tiles (3.2 cm × 3.2 cm × 0.5 cm) that have natural algal assemblages are mounted on the rotating plate. After adding 500 ml of filtered stream water and 185 kBq (5 µCi) NaH14CO3 to the chamber, the chambers are placed along a stream margin for 5 h. Measurements of 14C uptake by algae on the tiles provide estimates of net primary production (NPP). To assess the sensitivity and practicality of the chamber, algal primary production was measured in open and closed canopy sections of Kingsley Creek, Randallsville, New York. In autumn, primary production was higher in the open than closed canopy section and NPP was lower in spring in both sections probably because of scouring of algae due to snowmelt.
Metal micromolding: further experiments and preliminary finite element analysis

We report results of instrumented microscale compression molding experiments on Al with Ta mold inserts. The Ta inserts have high-aspect-ratio microscale structures fabricated by micro-electrical-discharge-machining. These microscale structures were further surface engineered by electrochemical polishing, followed by deposition of a conformal amorphous hydrogenated carbon based coating. The molding response of Al, in terms of molding force versus insert displacement, was measured in situ with a high-vacuum, instrumented, compression molding apparatus, and rationalized with a simple model on the mechanics of molding. Molding response was further studied numerically through finite element analysis.
Social features of scent-donor mice modulate scent marking of C57BL/6J recipient males

Territorial male mice can form familiarity-dependent amicable relationships, suggesting that they manage their territorial aggressiveness based on individual recognition, which may be mediated by olfactory signals. The present study demonstrated modulatory effect of odorant cues from mice of different social/housing groups on territorial scent marking by C57BL/6J males. Pair-housed males deposited few scent marks in a novel situation without mouse odors, while singly-housed males marked more in the same situation (Experiment 1). However, when confronted by a conspecific, singly-housed males made fewer marks to pair-housed than to singly-housed stimulus males, while pair-housed males showed few marks to either stimulus animal (Experiment 2). Reduction in scent marking in singly-housed males was also seen on exposure to urine scent alone from a pair-housed male, indicating that the inhibitory cue is mediated by urinary odor (Experiment 3). This inhibitory odor was effective even when singly-housed males were placed in a no-odor environment following exposure to soiled bedding used by pair-housed males (Experiment 4). When singly-housed males were exposed to scent from subordinate males, they showed less marking than when the stimulus scent was from dominants or singly-housed males (Experiment 5). Scent marking was not influenced by the total amount of urine scent marks deposited on the substrates (Experiment 6), suggesting that it is a particular component in urinary odor rather than the magnitude of the odor, that plays a significant role in recipient behavior. Together, these experiments indicate that conspecific male odor signals modulate territorial scent marking behavior in mice.
Molecular dynamics study of the threshold displacement energy in vanadium

The threshold displacement energy (TDE) is calculated for vanadium as a function of temperature and orientation by molecular dynamics simulations. The TDE varies from 13 to 51 eV, depending on orientation and is nearly temperature independent between 100 and 900 K. The lowest TDE is in the 〈100〉 direction. We characterize the defects associated with the displacement simulations and found that they consist of vacancies and 〈111〉-split dumbbells.
Norepinephrine amplifies human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated androgen biosynthesis by ovarian theca-interstitial cells.

Ovarian theca-interstitial cells, when cultured in serum-free medium, secreted androgens in response to hCG stimulation. This production was dependent on time (maximum production attained after 96 h) and dose (half-maximal effective dose of hCG, 9 ng/ml). When the sympathomimetics norepinephrine, epinephrine, and isoproterenol were added to the medium, androgen production in response to hCG was enhanced by 100–300%. The ability of the catecholamines to stimulate androgen production was dependent on the continuous presence of hCG. Treatment with catecholamines alone did not induce theca-interstitial cells to produce androgens. Catecholamine stimulation of steroid hormone metabolism was selective for intermediates in the Δ4-pathway, with greatest increases occurring in the production of androstenedione and testosterone. It was found that the effect of the catecholamines on androgen production was dependent on both β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors. The acquisition of catecholamine responsiveness was specific ...
From SARS to strategic actions reframing systems

Background. The developed world responds to new and re-emerging diseases through the discovery of medications. Disease can be transmitted around the world in a day, but the development of medications does not occur at this rate. The world has one environment and the focus in health care must be on identifying factors in this environment that coalesce to produce disease. Aim. The aim of this paper is to introduce the integrative model of environmental health and explore its potential to illuminate the Toronto SARS experience. Discussion. SARS affected people on three continents in a matter of days. Response to this new disease varied from one area to another and was dependent upon the level of integration of health services and communication across services. The present focus of the health care system is on treating the results of disease rather than the causative factors. Reacting to a new disease had grave social and economic consequences. The time for a new global environmental approach to health is now. The Toronto SARS experience was examined using the integrative model of environmental health and the upstream perspective as exemplars to interrupt the traditional approach to disease. All health care providers share the responsibility to learn about and to understand how our environment creates disease. This knowledge comes through research on topics such as; chemicals, pesticides, soil erosion, killing of forests, contamination of water, destabilization of climate, and social disruption from wars. Conclusions. Health care systems in the developed world continue to focus on the treatment of disease. A global ecological initiative for an integrated disease prevention system must be negotiated among nations.
Basal and stimulus-induced cytokine expression is selectively impaired in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of newborn foals.

Abstract Neonates are thought to be generally deficient in production of Th-1-associated cytokines at birth, and thereby more susceptible to bacterial infections. Using neonatal foals as a model, this study examined the age-dependent maturation of both basal and stimulus-induced immune responses, as reflected by the expression of a panel of Th-1-associated and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results showed that although the basal production of IFN-γ and IL-6 was impaired ( P Rhodococcus equi and CpG-ODN stimulation in vitro , PBMCs of neonatal foals showed increased ( P R. equi stimulation or IL-12(p35/p40) with CpG-ODN stimulation. The magnitude of these stimulus-induced responses (except for IL-23p19), were significantly ( P P in vitro , suggesting immunoprophylactic or therapeutic potential of CpG-ODNs.
Spectral Response of Single Neurones recorded in the Optic Lobes of the Housefly and Blowfly

SOME initial results of an investigation of insect colour vision carried out by recording the activities of second and higher order neurones are reported here. They are relevant to the question of sensitivity to red light in the Diptera.
Cover Picture: Improving Organic Thin‐Film Transistor Performance through Solvent‐Vapor Annealing of Solution‐Processable Triethylsilylethynyl Anthradithiophene (Adv. Mater. 13/2006)

In work reported by Loo and co-workers on p. 1721, the current–voltage characteristics of triethylsilylethynyl anthradithiophene (TES ADT) thin-film transistors are improved dramatically by a simple solvent-vapor annealing process after device fabrication. Exposing the transistors to dichloroethane vapor induces structural rearrangement and crystallization of TES ADT, as shown on the cover (lower section, before annealing, upper section, after). The annealing results in drastic increases in on currents; the saturation mobility increases by two orders of magnitude and the current–voltage hysteresis is largely eliminated.
Using Jackson’s Return Potential Model to Explore the Normativeness of Recycling

In this article, a novel theoretical model, Jackson’s Return Potential Model (RPM), is applied to examine social norms for recycling. Unlike other theoretical models that emphasize the causal relat...
4572 The clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration in the management of colorectal carcinoma.

Background/Aim: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become a well established tool in local staging of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). It provides high resolution imaging of the gastrointestinal wall and the surrounding tissue. The T (tumor) stage accuracy being 75-91% and the N (nodal) stage accuracy being 70-86% with the radial echoendoscope. There is scant data looking at the role of EUS guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) in CRC. Our aim was to determine whether EUS guided FNA had any impact on the management of CRC in terms of surgical management, neoadjuvant, and adjuvant treatments. Methods: The records of 46 consecutive patients diagnosed with CRC (2/98-11/99) referred to our department for EUS staging were reviewed. Initially, a radial echoendoscope was passed to the site of lesion. The patients were endosonographically staged, including involvement of the Internal Anal Sphincter (IAS), and, if suspicious lesions were noted, an EUS guided FNA was performed using the CLA-E. Samples were examined by a cyto-pathologist present during the procedure. The surgical pathology and subsequent treatment were noted. Results: Twelve (26%) out of the 46 patients had EUS guided FNA using the curvi-linear array echoendoscope (CLA-E). In eight (67%) of the cases, suspicious lymph nodes were sampled and in the remaining four (33%), areas suspicious for recurrence by CT scan or endoscopy, with negative biopsy, underwent FNA. Nine (75%) of the 12 FNA's were positive for detection of malignant cells. All cases of recurrent CRC were correctly diagnosed by FNA. There were five (63%) patients with positive lymph nodes. Four (80%) of the five patients went for pre-operative neo-adjuvant therapy based on these results and one patient went for postoperative treatment. There were three (37%) patients with negative lymph nodes. Two of these patients underwent preoperative neo-adjuvant therapy and one went straight for surgery. No complications were associated with intubation with the CLA-E or the FNA. Maximum depth achieved with CLA-E was 40cm. Conclusion: EUS guided FNA changed the management in a total of 75% of the patients biopsied by CLA-E by selecting patients into a surgical or upfront chemo-radiation treatment branch. In addition, EUS guided FNA accurately diagnosed recurrence of CRC in 100% of the patients. In summary, EUS guided FNA with the CLA-E has an important role in staging of CRC and predicting reccurrence of disease.
Surprise is predicted by event probability, outcome valence, outcome meaningfulness, and gender

The present research was designed to better understand how the magnitude of experienced surprise is affected by both individual difference variables as well as variations in surprise-eliciting stimuli. Eighty-five participants played 5 versions of a slot machine-like game. The five games only differed with respect to the probability of winning each trial—10 % (i.e., wins were highly unusual), 30, 50, 70, and 90 % (i.e., losses were highly unusual). Players were given a fictitious “bankroll” at the beginning of each game and played up to 25 trials of each game. On each trial, players selected their wager amount, “pulled” the handle, learned the outcome (win or loss), and reported their surprise level using a 1 (none) to 9 (extremely) Likert scale. Replicating past research, results revealed that self-reported surprise was inversely related to outcome probability and that wins were rated as more surprising than losses, even when wins and losses occurred at the same level of probability. Novel results include finding that larger wagers predicted greater felt surprise (regardless of outcome), and that women reported greater surprise to both wins and losses than men.
Nucleonic contribution to Lepton-nucleus deep inelastic scattering

Abstract The nucleon (plus pion) contributions to nuclear deep inelastic scattering are investigated using a relativistic formulation. These terms account for much of the EMC effect.
Maternal depression and early childhood growth in developing countries: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between maternal depression and child growth in developing countries through a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Six databases were searched for studies from developing countries on maternal depression and child growth published up until 2010. Standard meta-analytical methods were followed and pooled odds ratios (ORs) for underweight and stunting in the children of depressed mothers were calculated using random effects models for all studies and for subsets of studies that met strict criteria on study design, exposure to maternal depression and outcome variables. The population attributable risk (PAR) was estimated for selected studies. FINDINGS: Seventeen studies including a total of 13 923 mother and child pairs from 11 countries met inclusion criteria. The children of mothers with depression or depressive symptoms were more likely to be underweight (OR: 1.5; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.2-1.8) or stunted (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.2-1.7). Subanalysis of three longitudinal studies showed a stronger effect: the OR for underweight was 2.2 (95% CI: 1.5-3.2) and for stunting, 2.0 (95% CI: 1.0-3.9). The PAR for selected studies indicated that if the infant population were entirely unexposed to maternal depressive symptoms 23% to 29% fewer children would be underweight or stunted. CONCLUSION: Maternal depression was associated with early childhood underweight and stunting. Rigorous prospective studies are needed to identify mechanisms and causes. Early identification, treatment and prevention of maternal depression may help reduce child stunting and underweight in developing countries.
Polarization of 3 He by Spin Exchange with Optically Pumped Rb and K Vapors

We report on extensive experimental measurements of the key rates that determine the efficiency for polarizing the nuclei of ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ by spin exchange with optically pumped Rb vapor. In agreement with recent theoretical predictions, we find a strong temperature dependence of the electron-spin loss rates due to ${}^{3}\mathrm{HeRb}$ collisions. We also find that the maximum possible efficiency for spin-exchange polarization of ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ by K is 10 times greater than for Rb.
Accuracy and precision of digital volume correlation in quantifying displacements and strains in trabecular bone

Strain measurement is an essential tool in the study of trabecular bone structure-function relationships. Digital volume correlation (DVC) is a measurement technique that quantifies strains throughout the interior of a specimen, rather than simply those on the surface. DVC relies on tracking the movement of microstructural features, and as such, the accuracy and precision of this technique may depend on trabecular structure. This study quantified displacement and strain measurement errors in six types of trabecular bone that spanned a wide range of volume fraction and trabecular architecture. Accuracy and precision were compared across bone type and also across three DVC methods. Both simulated and real displacement fields were analyzed using micro-computed tomography images of specimens from the bovine distal femur, bovine proximal tibia, rabbit distal femur, rabbit proximal tibia, rabbit vertebra, and human vertebra. Differences as large as three-fold in accuracy and precision of the displacements and strains were found among DVC methods and among bone types. The displacement precision and the strain accuracy and precision were correlated with measures of trabecular structure such as structural model index. These results demonstrate that the performance of the DVC technique can depend on trabecular structure. Across all bone types, the displacement and strain errors ranged 1.86-3.39 microm and 345-794 microepsilon, respectively. For specimens from the human vertebra and bovine distal femur, the measurement errors were approximately 20 times smaller than the yield strain. In these cases, DVC is a viable technique for measuring pre- and post-yield strains throughout trabecular bone specimens and the trabecular compartment of whole bones.
Gated field-emission cathodes for microwave devices

The Accelerator Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University is developing gated field-emitter cathodes for microwave and millimeter-wave applications. The cathode consists of an array of gated field-emitters which are modulated at microwave frequency to produce a fully modulated electron beam. Field-emitter structures under development include gated knife-edge arrays, reentrant cusps, and porous silicon. All feature extremely high transconductance, low noise, and rugged structure as compared to earlier field-emitter structures. The field emission at the cathode surface is discussed. The knife-edge emitter geometry is described. The inverted cusp cathodes are considered. The porous silicon emitting surfaces are described. >
Clinical Utility of Biochemical Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid

In addition to microbial culture, cytology, and immunological studies, physicians rely on the clinical chemistry laboratory for biochemical analysis of patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, apart from routine glucose and protein determinations, the clinical value of other CSF analytes is often unclear. Here, we review the literature pertaining to the use of CSF biochemical measurements in managing patients with infectious disease, neoplasia, stroke and trauma, and dementia. Although a small number of studies demonstrate potential usefulness of some markers, we conclude that, without further study, the data are insufficient to support the routine clinical use of most of the analytes examined.
Diabetes and insulin secretion: whither KATP?

The critical involvement of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in insulin secretion is confirmed both by the demonstration that mutations that reduce KATP channel activity underlie many if not...
The Perpetuation of Neighborhood Reputation: An Interactionist Approach

How is neighborhood reputation performed and reproduced? Drawing on ethnographic observation in a Philadelphia neighborhood known for stable racial integration, I show how residents engage in Goffmanian interactional teamwork, particularly deference-demeanor rituals, that perpetuate the neighborhood's reputation. My observations demonstrate how the ideology of racial integration is collectively performed and maintained through these deference rituals. I show that these deference rituals can also have the unintended and undesirable consequence of maintaining, rather than challenging, preexisting racial hierarchies. This work highlights the tenuous nature of reputations for inclusivity in the face of persistent social inequality.
Scatterometer measurements of ocean surface stress magnitude and direction from aircraft during SWADE and from ERS-1

New results have been obtained from both the K/sub u/- band scatterometer and from the in-situ, large area estimates of surface wind stress and direction during the SWADE 1991 experiment. These results address the accuracy of the K/sub u/-band model function for estimating the magnitude of the friction velocity, and the ability of the azimuthal scatterometer data to estimate the wind direction. They demonstrate an excellent accuracy for estimating friction velocity magnitude. But they show the potential for frequent errors in estimating wind direction because of small upwind/downwind differences in the radar cross section at the lower incidence angles; however accuracy improves at the higher incidence angles. These results provide useful information in the development of NSCAT/ADEOS algorithms.
Long-term effects of family planning and other determinants of fertility on population and environment: agent-based modeling evidence from Wolong Nature Reserve, China

The practice of family planning has a long history, but its environmental implications have not often been considered. Using data from Wolong Nature Reserve for the conservation of the world-famous giant pandas in China, we employ a spatially explicit agent-based model to simulate how family-planning and other fertility-related decisions may affect human population, household number, and panda habitat over time. Simulation results indicate that (1) population size has the shortest time lag in response to changes in family-planning decisions, and panda habitat has the longest time lag; (2) the amount of panda habitat is more sensitive to factors affecting number of households than those affecting population size; (3) although not large in quantity nor changing landscape fragmentation substantially, the associated changes in habitat are in good areas for the panda. This study offers a novel approach to studying long-term demographic and environmental effects of family-planning and fertility-related decisions across space.
Expression Dynamics of Arsenic Respiration and Detoxification in Shewanella sp. Strain ANA-3

Because arsenate [As(V)] reduction by bacteria can significantly enhance arsenic mobility in the environment, it is important to be able to predict when this activity will occur. Currently, two bacterial systems are known that specifically reduce As(V), namely, a respiratory system (encoded by the arr genes) and a detoxification system (encoded by the ars genes). Here we analyze the conditions under which these two systems are expressed in Shewanella sp. strain ANA-3. The ars system is expressed under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, whereas the arr system is only expressed anaerobically and is repressed by oxygen and nitrate. When cells are grown on As(V), the arr system is maximally induced during exponential growth, with peak expression of the ars system occurring at the beginning of stationary phase. Both the arr and ars systems are specifically induced by arsenite [As(III)], but the arr system is activated by a concentration of As(III) that is 1,000 times lower than that required for the arsC system (≤100 nM versus ≤100 μM, respectively). A double mutant was constructed that does not reduce As(V) under any growth conditions. In this strain background, As(V) is capable of inducing the arr system at low micromolar concentrations, but it does not induce the ars system. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the two As(V) reductase systems in ANA-3 respond to different amounts and types of inorganic arsenic.
AIRWAY DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH ANAESTHESIA IN ACROMEGALY

SUMMARY Three cases of airway difficulties associated with acromegaly are presented. Acromegalic features, with generally thickened tissues in the upper airway, predispose to airway obstruction. This potential difficulty, especially greater during anaesthesia, has not received the attention it warrants in the anaesthetic literature. Careful pre-operative evaluation, meticulous intra-operative management, and close postoperative observation of these patients regarding adequacy of the airway are essential.
A practical relay scheduling scheme for wireless sensor networks with energy harvesting

The use of cooperative communication technology in energy harvesting sensor networks is one of the most viable solutions to overcome the power limitations of the battery-powerd sensor networks. However, combining cooperative communication and energy harvesting in a network requires an efficient and a practical relay usage scheduling scheme to maximize the overall packet delivery ratio. This paper considers a wireless sensor network with energy harvesting and cooperative communication, and proposes a practical scheme that maximizes the packet delivery ratio of the system. The results show that our scheme provides almost the same performance of the threshold based scheme (state-of-the-art scheme) using the same system parameters. Compared to the threshold scheme that has a tunable parameter (threshold value) for each set of system parameters, the results show that our scheme does not require any tunable parameter to maximize the performance. In the threshold based scheme, if one of the system parameters changes, the sensors need to tune the threshold level at a new value to maintain the maximum performance. Tuning the threshold at a certain value requires simulating the system at different threshold levels to get that tunable value. This is not easy and might not even be practical to implement especially in networks of thousands of sensors with unstable parameters. So, no need for any tunable parameter makes our scheme easier and more practical to be used. Also, it makes our scheme more flexible to adjust the performance of the source and relay to ensure fairness between them.
Molecular Evolution of FLORICAULA/LEAFY Orthologs in the Andropogoneae (Poaceae)

Members of the grass family (Poaceae) exhibit a broad range of inflorescence structures and other morphologies, making the grasses an interesting model system for studying the evolution of development. Here we present an analysis of the molecular evolution of FLORICAULA/LEAFY-like genes, which are important developmental regulatory loci known to affect inflorescence development in a wide range of flowering plant species. We have focused on sequences from the Andropogoneae, a tribe within the grass family that includes maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). The FLORICAULA/LEAFY gene phylogeny we generated largely agrees with previously published phylogenies for the Andropogoneae using other nuclear genes but is unique in that it includes both members of one of the many duplicate gene sets present in maize. The placement of these sequences in the phylogeny suggests that the duplication of the maize FLORICAULA/LEAFY orthologs, zfl1 and zfl2, is a consequence of a proposed tetraploidy event that occurred in the common ancestor of Zea and a closely related genus, Tripsacum. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that the transcribed regions of the FLORICAULA/LEAFY-like genes in the Andropogoneae are functionally constrained at both nonsynonymous and synonymous sites and show no evidence of directional selection. We also examined conservation of short noncoding sequences in the first intron, which may play a role in gene regulation. Finally, we investigated the genetic diversity of one of the two maize FLORICAULA/LEAFY orthologs, zfl2, in maize and its wild ancestor, teosinte (Z. mays ssp. parviglumis), and found no evidence for selection pressure resulting from maize domestication within the zfl2-coding region.
Key features of heat shock regulatory elements.

Abstract The promoters of heat shock protein genes are among the best-studied inducible eucaryotic promoters. Regions responsible for heat regulation have been identified previously by deletion experiments with several different heat shock genes. In this paper the critical importance of two novel features of heat shock regulatory elements was investigated. First, the elements were modular and, as a consequence, displayed a characteristic 5-nucleotide periodicity produced by multiple GAA blocks that were arranged in alternating orientations and at 2-nucleotide intervals. Functional heat shock regulatory elements appeared to include three or more of these blocks. Second, the nucleotides at the two positions immediately upstream from GAA segments played an important role in defining the competence of regulatory elements.
Carbon-based electrical interconnect and thermal interface materials

Summary form only given. As integrated circuit (IC) technology continues the trend towards sub-45 nanometer feature sizes, it is imperative to retain performance of back-end features such as on-chip interconnects while gaining the cost benefit of scaling. Some major barriers to achieving continuous downward scaling include high resistance and questionable reliability of nanoscale copper lines, and power dissipation in densely packed integrated circuits. This work presents fundamental electrical and thermal characterization of carbon nanofibers (CNF) as a possible solution for next-generation back-end integrated circuit processing. Results of temperature-dependent electrical resistance measurements for CNF arrays demonstrate distinct metallic behavior of these novel nanoscale devices. The current capacity of CNF interconnect test structures is examined and the results are compared with an electrothermal transport model. The use of CNF/copper composite material as a thermal interface for IC packaging is explored and fundamental thermal resistance measurement results show promise of such a composite material for thermal management applications.
Emergence of the introduced ant Pachycondyla chinensis (Formicidae: Ponerinae) as a public health threat in the southeastern United States.

Pachycondyla chinensis (Emery) (Formicidae: Ponerinae), a species introduced into North America > 70 yr ago, is found throughout Southeast Asia. Stinging of zookeepers by P. chinensis at the Greenville Zoo (Greenville, SC) initiated an investigation of this exotic species and a survey of sting victims. Eighty percent of sting victims experienced local reactions, including swelling 5 cm in diameter around the sting site, recurring pain, skin redness, severe urticaria, and symptoms lasting 3-14 d. P. chinensis represents an emerging public health threat throughout its present range in the southeastern United States (i.e., Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia). Because of reported adverse reactions to stings of P. chinensis, further studies on its ecology and medical and veterinary importance need to be undertaken.
Studies on tumor induced angiogenesis

Methods were developed to test angiogenic response to human tumor implants and various biologic agents in the cornea of rabbits and non-human primates (Macaca arctoides). Crude PDGF preparations were found to have significant angiogenic effect. Purified, recombinant PDGF preparations were also effective inhibitors (e.g. pentoxifylline (Px) (which also were found to release PgI2 and t-PA) inhibited human tumor implant induced angiogenesis and reduced spontaneous metastases in 3 transplantable murine tumors (Furth-Columbia Wilm’s tumor in Furth-Wistar rats, C-1300 neuroblastoma in A/J mice and HM-Kim mammary carcinoma in Wistar rats) but not in the NIH adenocarcinoma in Balb/c mice. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC), a metal complexing agent with special affinity to copper and anti-thyroid as well as, immune stimulating activity was shown to be anti-angiogenic and to potentiate the effect of Px. The anti-fibrinolytic agents epsilon amino caproic acid (EACA) and tranaxamic acid (t-AMCHA) were anti-angiogenic. DDTC and Px were synergistic from this point of view.
Left atrial isolation: New technique for the treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias

Surgical management of refractory ectopic supraventricular tachycardia arising in the left atrium requires cryoablation of the bundle of His and insertion of a permanent ventricular pacemaker. This study was designed to develop a technique to isolate the left atrium electrically from the remainder of the heart, so that an artificial pacemaking system would be unnecessary. Ten adult dogs were subjected to cardiopulmonary bypass and a standard left atriotomy was extended anteriorly across the mitral valve anulus between the right and left fibrous trigones. Posteriorly, the atriotomy was extended across the mitral valve anulus just to the left of the posterior crux and interatrial septum. The muscular interatrial fibers accompanying the coronary sinus were cryoablated at -60 degrees C for 2 minutes. Postoperatively, all animals remained in normal sinus rhythm. Rapid left atrial pacing did not affect the rate or rhythm of the remainder of the heart. Preliminary hemodynamic measurements suggest that loss of the synchronous left atrial "kick" does not significantly affect left ventricular preload, afterload, or cardiac output. This technique offers an alternative to the current surgical approach for management of refractory ectopic supraventricular tachycardia arising in the left atrium.
Dispelling Fear and Loathing: Engaging Mathematically Challenged Students to Learn Statistics

Although accreditation standards require that programs must teach quantitative research methodology, students are not always eager to learn statistics. This article describes several techniques to aid the social work instructor in engaging students who are uncomfortable facing statistical information. In one small BSW program a social work professor has collaborated with a mathematics professor in developing ideas to engage students who arrive with fear and loathing at the very word statistics. By promoting problem solving, improving student attitudes, and quelling fears regarding learning statistics, these techniques can be adapted in the social work classroom.
Mechanical connections for copper and aluminum magnet wires in hermetic motors

Two things triggered the study of mechanical crimp connecting of magnet wires for use in our hermetic motors: (1) the economic possibilities of using aluminum magnet wires; and (2) the possible improvements in cost and reliability of copper wire connections.
Synergic Effect of Shot Blasting and Deposit RE on Corrosion Behavior of TP304H steel in SO_2-O_2 at 923K

The corrosion behavior of TP304H steel with combined treatment of shot blasting and electrophoresis deposited RE coating in l%SO2+14%O2+85%Ar mixture gaseous has been studied at 923K for 150 hours. The results show that both RE coating and shot blasting can improve the corrosion resistance of TP304H steel, and combined treatment has the best effect. Combined treatment reduces 50% mass gain, enhances the continuous and compactness of scale and changes the scale phase forms from FeaOs/Fe^S/Ni^/S to Cr2O3/FeCr2S4/Ni3_xS2. The synergistic effects of combined treatment on corrosion resistance and the effect of shot blasting on corrosion kinetics are discussed. Shot blasting increases the outward diffusion and surface concentration of Cr, Ce coating promotes the selective oxidation of Cr.
Study on Relationship Between Salary of State-Owned Coal Enterprise and Staff's Satisfaction

Base on the study on the related theory and connotation of the salary management and the staff's satisfaction,with the investigation questionnaires and the deep interview,an analysis and study was conducted on the relationship between the salary of the state-owned enterprise and the staff's satisfaction.The study results showed that the establishment of the salary system base on the staff's satisfaction could improve the staff's satisfaction and would have important theoretical and practical significance.
Vacuum Tumescence Devices: The Role of Papaverine in the Selection of Patients

AbstractWe conducted a prospective study to determine the positive predictive value of papaverine testing to select patients in whom a vacuum constriction device would be a successful alternative to operative management of impotence. A total of 30 men presenting to an impotence clinic was evaluated with a series of papaverine dosages up to 60mg. These patients then received a physician-administered trial of a vacuum constriction device, followed by 3 months of home use and a repeat objective evaluation. Initial responses to the device were poor, with 46% of the patients (14) achieving a rigid erection. However, after 3 months of home use 83% of the patients (25) achieved a rigid erection. The positive predictive value of a good response to the papaverine trial was 94%.
Rethinking Inclusion as Mundanity: Insights from an Experimental Bilingual Kindergarten Classe LSF at École Maternelle Gabriel Sajus in France

In this article, I demonstrate how hybrid language practices allow for children to make use of their full linguistic repertoire in negotiating the social and communicative demands of the school environment (Axelrod in Early Child Educ J, p 1–8, 2014). I argue that the unusual case of classe LSF and Ecole Maternelle Gabriel Sajus directly challenges mainstream progressive assumptions of inclusion that effectively exclude deaf children from their deaf peers. Current so-called progressive models of inclusion often isolate deaf learners in mainstream classroom settings with non-deaf classmates and adults. Classe LSF and Ecole Maternelle Gabriel Sajus offers insights for rethinking inclusion in early childhood classrooms in the ways that it provokes us to consider the inclusive potential of hybrid linguistic spaces for bilingual learners.
Study of Robustness by Simulation: Particularly Improvement by Adjustment and Combination

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the study of robustness. The Monte Carlo study should be an active process of data analysis, and not just a passive evaluation of estimate performance. In the Monte Carlo, each data set belongs to an inner configuration that is determined by how that data set was generated as part of the raw material for the Monte Carlo. Thus, the raw material for studying estimates in a given finite approximation consists of a list, each element of which combines (1) a data set, (2) information about the inner configuration to which that data set belongs and (3) of instructions of how to use the latter information. In assessing the behavior of an estimate, each element of such a list is used to determine the performance of an estimate, first for the given data set and then for the whole inner configuration that it represents.
Adenovirus Infection in Solid Organ Transplantation

Adenoviruses are commonly found community viruses particularly in the pediatric population. There are over 50 distinct adenovirus serotypes described thus far that infect humans. Infection with adenovirus is often asymptomatic. When clinically apparent, disease can manifest as a wide variety of infectious syndromes, including respiratory, gastrointestinal, and conjunctival disease. While adenoviral infection results in self-limited disease in the majority of immunocompetent children and adults, it can cause disseminated and life-threatening illness in immunocompromised hosts. This chapter will discuss the role of adenovirus infection in recipients of solid organ transplantation (SOT).
Working with Practicing Teachers in a High-Stakes Teaching Context to Rethink their Pedagogical Practices with Children of Diverse Backgrounds

ABSTRACTThe public education system in the United States continues to struggle in educating children of diverse backgrounds. Many have addressed this issue by documenting how certain practices teac...
Association of Serum Level of Vitamin D at Diagnosis With Breast Cancer Survival: A Case-Cohort Analysis in the Pathways Study.

Importance There are long-standing interests in the potential benefits of vitamin D for preventing breast cancer recurrence and mortality, yet data from prospective cohort studies are limited. Objective To investigate a serum biomarker of vitamin D status, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) measured at the time of breast cancer diagnosis, to determine the association with prognosis. Design, Setting, and Participants The Pathways Study is a prospective cohort study of breast cancer survivors established in 2006. Enrollment was completed in 2013; follow-up is ongoing. The cohort was established in Kaiser Permanente Northern California, a large integrated health care delivery system in northern California. Women with a diagnosis of incident invasive breast cancer were typically consented and enrolled within 2 months of diagnosis. The overall enrollment rate was 46% (4505 of 9820). Participants are followed for health outcomes and comorbidities at 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 months after baseline interview. A case-cohort design was used for efficiency assay of 25OHD, selecting 1666 cohort members with serum samples and ensuring representation in the subcohort of races and clinical subtypes. The data analysis was performed from January 5, 2014, to March 15, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes are breast cancer recurrence, second primary cancer, and death. Results Mean (SD) age was 58.7 (12.4) years. Serum 25OHD concentrations were lower in women with advanced-stage tumors, and the lowest in premenopausal women with triple-negative cancer. Levels were also inversely associated with hazards of disease progression and death. Compared with the lowest tertile, women with the highest tertile of 25OHD levels had superior overall survival (OS). This association remained after adjustment for clinical prognostic factors (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.98). Among premenopausal women, the association with OS was stronger, and there were also associations with breast cancer–specific survival and invasive disease–free survival (OS: HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.21-0.96; breast cancer–specific survival: HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15-0.93; invasive disease–free survival: HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.34-1.01; all after full adjustment). Conclusions and Relevance Serum 25OHD levels were independently associated with breast cancer prognostic characteristics and patient prognosis, most prominently among premenopausal women. Our findings from a large, well-characterized prospective cohort provide compelling observational evidence on associations of vitamin D with lower risk of breast cancer morbidity and mortality.
How Parents Engage Children in Tablet-Based Reading Experiences: An Exploration of Haptic Feedback

While recent work examines parents and children reading together on tablet computers, the ways in which interactive elements within e-books affect parent-child interaction are not well understood. We examine haptic feedback as a new form of e-book interactivity and analyze how parents and children exploit this dimension when reading together. Results from a laboratory study with 18 parent-child dyads (N=36) reveal that participants reading a haptic e-book talked more about the technology compared to those reading a regular e-book, and this additional talk was a way in which parents elaborated the story narrative. Parents reading a non-haptic e-book, however, engaged in higher rates of expressive behavior (e.g., making sounds, gestures). This suggests that haptic interactivity provides a new resource for parents to draw out the story narrative but may also result in less parent expressivity when reading, both of which have implications for child comprehension and literacy.
Airway smooth muscle dysfunction in Pompe (Gaa-/- ) mice.

Pompe disease is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of acid α-glucosidase (GAA), an enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing lysosomal glycogen. Deficiency of GAA leads to systemic gl...
Out of the ashes: Sikh American institution building and the promise of equality for Sikh women

This paper examines Sikh American institution building in the post-9/11 period, and the impact of these institutions on Sikh women’s status and empowerment within the community. I examine t...
Do Mammals Lick at a Constant Rate? A Critical Review of the Literature

A review of research on uninterrupted licking in mammals indicates that studies which support the invariant-rate hypothesis do not contain statistical analyses. When parametric analyses are used several variables, including sex, age, deprivation level, time of day, and phase of the test session, are associated with statistically significant burst-lick-rate variability. Possible reasons for the general failure to regard lick-rate invariance as a testable null hypothesis are discussed.
Violence in the Emergency Department: A Global Problem

Violence against health care workers is an unfortunately common event. Because of several inherent factors, emergency departments are particularly vulnerable. Once an incident occurs, it often goes unreported and leads to both physical and mental trauma. Health care workers should learn to recognize the cues that patients are escalating toward violence and be familiar with various options for sedating agitated patients. If sedation is not successful, physical restraint may become necessary. There are measures that can be taken that may help minimize the likelihood of violence toward health care workers. These measures include legislation, physical design, and increased security.
Justice and the faithless: The demand for disobedience in international criminal law:

How is disobedience required under international criminal law? How do war crimes trials demand and seek to cultivate disobedience as a response to atrocity? It is widely recognized that internation...
High-sensitivity silicon ultraviolet p+-i-n avalanche photodiode using ultra-shallow boron gradient doping

Photo detection of ultraviolet (UV) light remains a challenge since the penetration depth of UV light is limited to the nanometer scale. Therefore, the doping profile and electric field in the top nanometer range of the photo detection devices become critical. Traditional UV photodetectors usually use a constant doping profile near the semiconductor surface, resulting in a negligible electric field, which limits the photo-generated carrier collection efficiency of the photodetector. Here, we demonstrate, via the use of an optimized gradient boron doping technique, that the carrier collection efficiency and photo responsivity under the UV wavelength region have been enhanced. Furthermore, the ultrathin p+-i-n junction shows an avalanche gain of 2800 and an ultra-low junction capacitance (sub pico-farad), indicating potential applications in the low timing jitter single photon detection area.
Plasmon-enhanced light-driven water oxidation by a dye-sensitized photoanode.

Dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPECs) provide a flexible approach for solar water splitting based on the integration of molecular light absorption and catalysis on oxide electrodes. Recent advances in this area, including the use of core/shell oxide interfacial structures and surface stabilization by atomic layer deposition, have led to improved charge-separation lifetimes and the ability to obtain substantially improved photocurrent densities. Here, we investigate the introduction of Ag nanoparticles into the core/shell structure and report that they greatly enhance light-driven water oxidation at a DSPEC photoanode. Under 1-sun illumination, Ag nanoparticle electrodes achieved high photocurrent densities, surpassing 2 mA cm −2 with an incident photon-to-current efficiency of 31.8% under 450-nm illumination.