cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Process Evaluation of a Peer-Driven, HIV Stigma Reduction and HIV Testing Intervention in Latino and African American Churches

Purpose: Faith-based organizations may be effective in addressing HIV-related disparities, but few interventions have been implemented across diverse churches. The Facilitating Awareness to Increase Testing for HIV (FAITH) intervention harnessed peer leadership to decrease HIV stigma and promote HIV testing in African American and Latino congregations. A pilot study found more consistent effects among Latino congregations. This process evaluation evaluates implementation of FAITH to better understand the pilot study's findings. Methods: Data sources included HIV education and peer leader workshop evaluation forms, participant views of the community's perspective of HIV, and peer leader follow-up interviews. Data were triangulated with systematic observation notes and analyzed using process-related themes of recruitment, reach, context, implementation, dose-delivered, and fidelity. Results: At the Latino churches (compared to the African American church), facilitators spent more time addressing community-based misconceptions about HIV. The peer leader model was well received, especially among Latino participants, and most said that after the workshop they felt comfortable speaking with others about HIV-related topics. Latino peer leaders reported speaking with up to 20 people within their social networks (particularly with family members); African Americans reported up to 4. Implementation challenges at the African American church may have contributed to the limited intervention effects. Nevertheless, we found the peer motivator model feasible and acceptable across diverse faith settings. Conclusion: Peer-based models within faith settings are promising for addressing HIV. However, differences among groups in HIV knowledge, social network characteristics and norms, and church preferences may influence overall effectiveness.
PRES leading to the diagnosis of McArdle disease.

Abstract A 35 year-old male developed myalgias after moving furniture and was hospitalized with acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis requiring hemodialysis. He then had several generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Brain MRI showed findings of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Interval history revealed easy fatigability and exercise-induced myalgias in childhood but no preceding history of urine discoloration. Quadriceps biopsy showed absent muscle myophosphorylase reactivity consistent with the diagnosis of McArdle disease. With supportive care he improved and the PRES resolved. This case represents an extreme in the spectrum of complications that can occur in McArdle disease, including downstream central nervous system involvement and highlights the importance of early recognition and aggressive management of rhabdomyolysis.
Corporate Social Responsibility and the Corporate Board: Assessing the Indian Experiment

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received significant attention from businesses, civil society and governments around the world. Globally the CSR movement has begun the transformation from a set of voluntary good citizenship practices toward a sustainability concept under which companies integrate the potential social and environmental impact of their business activities in the core of their decision-making. Perhaps nowhere is the focus on CSR more pronounced than in India. Over the past decade, Indian corporate law has moved from a shareholder centric model to a more stakeholder oriented model, culminating in the passage of the Companies Act, 2013. A central feature of the 2013 Act is the requirement for companies to develop a CSR policy, and to aim to spend at least 2% of their profits on CSR activities. Under India’s new legal regime, corporate governance and particularly corporate boards are the vehicle for incorporating CSR activities in Indian firms. CSR in India is a board function that cannot be separated from a company’s corporate governance. This chapter analyses India’s corporate governance oriented CSR approach. The chapter explores the recent evolution of the CSR concept in India, and why the board of directors was designated as the proper focal point for the implementation of CSR. The chapter then analyzes some of the challenges to CSR as set forth in the Companies Act. The chapter concludes with some suggestions to improve the role of the board in implementing the CSR mandate.
"Are We Really Not Going to Talk about the Black Girl?": The Intergroup Racial Attitudes of Senior, White, Sorority Women.

Despite the positive effects of cross-racial interactions for students, predominantly White sororities remain segregated. Utilizing focus group methods, this study investigates the racial attitudes...
Guanosine tetraphosphate relieves the negative regulation of Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 gene transcription exerted by the AT-rich ssrA discriminator region

The repressive activity of ancestral histone-like proteins helps integrate transcription of foreign genes with discrepant AT content into existing regulatory networks. Our investigations indicate that the AT-rich discriminator region located between the −10 promoter element and the transcription start site of the regulatory gene ssrA plays a distinct role in the balanced expression of the Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI2) type III secretion system. The RNA polymerase-binding protein DksA activates the ssrAB regulon post-transcriptionally, whereas the alarmone guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) relieves the negative regulation imposed by the AT-rich ssrA discriminator region. An increase in the GC-content of the ssrA discriminator region enhances ssrAB transcription and SsrB translation, thus activating the expression of downstream SPI2 genes. A Salmonella strain expressing a GC-rich ssrA discriminator region is attenuated in mice and grows poorly intracellularly. The combined actions of ppGpp and DksA on SPI2 expression enable Salmonella to grow intracellularly, and cause disease in a murine model of infection. Collectively, these findings indicate that (p)ppGpp relieves the negative regulation associated with the AT-rich discriminator region in the promoter of the horizontally-acquired ssrA gene, whereas DksA activates ssrB gene expression post-transcriptionally. The combined effects of (p)ppGpp and DksA on the ssrAB locus facilitate a balanced SPI2 virulence gene transcription that is essential for Salmonella pathogenesis.
Advanced Image-Guided External Beam Radiotherapy

The goal of radiation therapy is to eradicate tumor stem cells while sparing healthy tissue. Therefore, the first aim must be to delineate tumor from healthy tissue. Advanced imaging techniques will enable one to reduce the uncertainty of microscopic extension of disease. Ultimately, advanced functional imaging systems correlated with image-registered pathological specimens will allow one to delineate disease extent from normal tissue at the tumor periphery. When it is not possible to determine the CTV margin with reasonable certainty, the margins must remain generous and conformal avoidance methodology could and should be deployed to spare critical normal structures. Of equal importance to defining the CTV is the need to guarantee that this target is indeed treated. For this purpose, image guidance using a variety of systems including portal images, ultrasound devices, and CT scanners at the time of treatment has been implemented. Some image-guided methods, portal images for instance, are more amenable for use with rigid structures such as encountered in the sinus whereas others like ultrasound or CT scanners are able to account for nonrigid setup variations. Several strategies for preventing organ motion from degrading the precision that radiotherapy offers have been described. In particular, a CT scan at the time of treatment delivery can also be used as the basis to reconstruct the dose received by the patient. Dose reconstruction will allow the dose just delivered to be superimposed on the pretreatment CT scan and will allow one to compare the reconstructed delivered dose distribution with the planned dose distribution to assess discrepancies between these. Furthermore, reconstruction of the delivered dose distributions holds the promise of allowing one to accumulate dose delivered to the tumor and normal structures on a fraction per fraction basis. This will ultimately allow for the determination of treatment-specific tumor control probabilities and normal tissue complication probabilities.
Artificial Agents, Cloud Computing, and Quantum Computing: Applying Floridi’s Method of Levels of Abstraction

In his paper “On the Intrinsic Value of Information Objects and the Infosphere,” Luciano Floridi asserts that the goal of Information Ethics (IE) “is to fill an ‘ethical vacuum’ brought to light by the ICT revolution, to paraphrase Moor” (1985). He claims “IE will prove its value only if its applications bear fruit. This is the work that needs to be done in the near future” (Floridi 2002). Our chapter proposes to do part of that work. Initially we focus on Floridi’s Method of Levels of Abstraction (LoA). We begin by examining his methodology as it was first developed with J. W. Sanders in “The Method of Abstraction” (Floridi and Sanders 2004) and expanded in “The Method of Levels of Abstraction” (Floridi 2008a, b). Then we will demonstrate the general applicability and ethical utility of the method of levels of abstraction by considering three different computational paradigms: artificial agents, cloud computing, and quantum computing. In particular, we examine artificial agents as systems that embody the traditional digital computer (modeled as a single Turing machine). This builds on previous work by Floridi and Sanders (2004) and Grodzinsky et al. (2008). New contributions of this chapter include the application of the method of levels of abstraction to the developing paradigm of cloud computing and to the nascent paradigm of quantum computing. In all three paradigms, we emphasize aspects that highlight ethical issues.
A variational principle and its application

Assume that A is a bounded selfadjoint operator in a Hilbert space H. Then, the variational principle max v |(Au,v)| 2 (Av,v) = (Au,u)
Neurochemistry and Behavior in Man

The distribution and functions of certain neurotransmitter substances seem to correlate with clinical, anatomical and physiological evidence about the mediation of normal and abnormal behaviors in man, though much remains to be learned. The biosynthetic and metabolic pathways, receptors and reuptake mechanisms, and relationships to cyclic nucleotides for several major neurotransmitters are characterized, as well as the specific actions of many behavior-modifying drugs employed clinically. Experimental systems, including nerve cells in culture, permit tests of molecular actions inferred from biochemical and neurophysiological analyses in intact brain. This selective review emphasizes advances in neurochemistry which provide a context for current and future research on neurological and psychiatric disorders encountered in clinical practice.
Educational Resilience at Risk? The Challenges of Attending an Early College High School.

This study sought to explain student success at an Early College High School. Guided by previous research on Early College High Schools as well as by the construct of educational resiliency, 28 students were interviewed in focus groups. Through the analysis, we uncovered the key role that educational resilience played in their success as the students leveraged their own individual and social assets to adapt to the challenges they faced. The school setting itself also served to cultivate their resilience. We also heard from students about their ongoing struggles with sleep and anxiety. The study has implications for research on Early College High Schools and similar school settings, as well as for research on educational resilience.
Utilization of palliative care in patients hospitalized with heart failure: A contemporary national perspective.

BACKGROUND Despite advances in therapy, heart failure (HF) patients have significant symptom burden and poor quality of life. However, data on palliative care (PC) utilization in this population are scarce. We sought to assess national trends in PC utilization in patients admitted with acute HF. METHODS Adults hospitalized with HF without acute coronary syndrome were identified in the National inpatient sample. PC was identified using ICD-9-CM-Code V66.7. Trends in PC utilization, its predictors and its association with length-of-stay and cost were assessed. RESULTS A total of 939 680 HF patients were hospitalized with HF between 2003 and 2014. Of those,1.2% received PC during the hospitalization, with an upward trend in the use of PC over time (0.12% in 2003 to 3.6% in 2014, P < 0.001). Compared with patients who did not receive PC, those who had PC were older (79 ± 12 vs 69 ± 16 years), and had higher prevalence of Caucasian race (73.4% vs 51.8%), coronary disease (45.6% vs 39.3%), chronic renal disease (79.3% vs 42.8%), and pulmonary hypertension (28.3% vs 15.1%) (P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality (35.2% vs 2.2%), length-of-stay (9 ± 13 days vs 6 ± 6, P < 0.001), cost ($19 984 ± 42 922 vs $11 921 ± 18 175), and non-home discharges (46% vs 19.2%) (P < 0.001) were higher in the PC group. In-hospital mortality in PC group trended downward over time (69% in 2003 vs 29% in 2014, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION PC is being utilized in an increasing but overall small number of patients hospitalized with HF. Further research is needed to identify the optimal role and timing of PC in HF patients.
Informative censoring by health plan disenrollment among commercially insured adults

Purpose Health plan disenrollment occurs frequently in commercial insurance claims databases. If individuals who disenroll are different from those who remain enrolled, informative censoring may bias descriptive statistics as well as estimates of causal effect. We explored whether patterns of disenrollment varied by patient or health plan characteristics. Methods In a large cohort of commercially insured adults (2007-2013), we examined two primary outcomes: (a) within-year disenrollment between January 1 and December 30, which was considered to occur due to patient disenrollment from the health plan, and (b) end-of-year disenrollment on December 31, which was considered to occur due to either patient disenrollment from the health plan or withdrawal of the entire health plan from the commercial insurance database. In yearly cohorts, we identified factors independently associated with disenrollment by using log-binomial regression models to estimate risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Among 2 053 100 unique patient years, the annual proportion of within-year disenrollment remained steady across years (range, 13% to 14%) whereas the annual proportion of end-of-year disenrollment varied widely (range, 8% to 26%). Independent predictors of within-year disenrollment were related to health status, including age, comorbidities, frailty, hospitalization, emergency room visits, use of durable medical equipment, use of preventive care, and use of prescription medications. In contrast, independent predictors of end-of-year disenrollment were related to health plan characteristics including insurance plan type and geographic characteristics. Conclusions Differential risk of disenrollment suggests that analytic approaches to address selection bias should be considered in studies using commercial insurance databases.
Impact of acute kidney injury on long-term outcomes after fenestrated and branched endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Abstract Objective Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been identified as a common complication after fenestrated and branched endovascular aneurysm repair (F/BEVAR), occurring in 5% to 29% of patients. Predictors of AKI and its impact on long-term outcomes remain unknown. We sought to identify independent predictors of AKI and its effect on long-term survival after F/BEVAR. Methods A single-institution retrospective review of all consecutive F/BEVAR procedures was performed (November 2010-September 2018). Data were collected prospectively through an Institutional Review Board-approved registry and a physician-sponsored investigational device exemption clinical trial (G130210). AKI was defined as a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate by >30% from baseline, within 30 days postoperatively. The cohort was stratified according to whether a patient experienced AKI. Demographics, operative details, perioperative complications, and length of stay between groups were compared. The primary outcome, long-term survival, was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Independent predictors of AKI were identified using logistic regression. Results Among 219 consecutive F/BEVAR patients, AKI occurred in 41 patients (19%) and was the most common 30-day complication observed. Whereas preoperative creatinine concentration, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and target renal artery stenosis >50% did not predict AKI, the occurrence of intraoperative complications did correlate with AKI (37% vs 7.3%; P Conclusions In our 8-year experience of F/BEVAR, AKI was the most common postoperative complication observed in nearly 20% of patients. AKI after F/BEVAR is associated with decreased short- and long-term survival. Whether AKI is causative or just associated with decreased survival remains to be elucidated. Further study is needed to determine whether the independent predictors of AKI, including intraoperative complications and operating room time, are generalizable across all centers performing F/BEVAR and to investigate how we might further mitigate this common and serious complication.
On the Impact of Subaperture Sampling for Multispectral Scalar Field Measurements

The novel 3D imaging and reconstruction capabilities of plenoptic cameras are extended for use with continuous scalar fields relevant to reacting flows. This work leverages the abundance of perspective views in a plenoptic camera with the insertion of multiple filters at the aperture plane. The aperture is divided into seven regions using off-the-shelf components, enabling the simultaneous capture of up to seven different user-selected spectra with minimal detriment to reconstruction quality. Since the accuracy of reconstructed features is known to scale with the available angular information, several filter configurations are proposed to maintain the maximum parallax. Three phantoms inspired by jet plumes are simulated onto an array of plenoptic cameras and reconstructed using ASART+TV with a variety of filter configurations. Some systematic challenges related to the non-uniform distribution of views are observed and discussed. Increasing the number of simultaneously acquired spectra is shown to incur a small detriment to the accuracy of reconstruction, but the overall loss in quality is significantly less than the gain in spectral information.
Urbanization and biodiversity loss in the post-COVID-19 era: complex challenges and possible solutions

Although biodiversity conservation and restoration can significantly contribute to environmental health in urban areas, rapid urbanization undermines biodiversity in various ways. We hypothesize th...
Compassion As an Intervention to Attune to Universal Suffering of Self and Others in Conflicts: A Translational Framework

As interpersonal, racial, social, and international conflicts intensify in the world, it is important to safeguard the mental health of individuals affected by them. According to a Buddhist notion "if you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion," compassion practice is an intervention to cultivate conflict-proof well-being. Here, compassion practice refers to a form of concentrated meditation wherein a practitioner attunes to friend, enemy, and someone in between, thinking, "I'm going to help them (equally)." The compassion meditation is based on Buddhist philosophy that mental suffering is rooted in conceptual thoughts that give rise to generic mental images of self and others and subsequent biases to preserve one's egoism, blocking the ultimate nature of mind. To contextualize compassion meditation scientifically, we adopted a Bayesian active inference framework to incorporate relevant Buddhist concepts, including mind (buddhi), compassion (karuna), aggregates (skandhas), suffering (duhkha), reification (samaropa), conceptual thoughts (vikalpa), and superimposition (prapanca). In this framework, a person is considered a Bayesian Engine that actively constructs phenomena based on the aggregates of forms, sensations, discriminations, actions, and consciousness. When the person embodies rigid beliefs about self and others' identities (identity-grasping beliefs) and the resulting ego-preserving bias, the person's Bayesian Engine malfunctions, failing to use prediction errors to update prior beliefs. To counter this problem, after recognizing the causes of sufferings, a practitioner of the compassion meditation aims to attune to all others equally, friends and enemies alike, suspend identity-based conceptual thoughts, and eventually let go of any identity-grasping belief and ego-preserving bias that obscure reality. We present a brain model for the Bayesian Engine of three components: (a) Relation-Modeling, (b) Reality-Checking, and (c) Conflict-Alarming, which are subserved by (a) the Default-Mode Network (DMN), (b) Frontoparietal Network (FPN) and Ventral Attention Network (VAN), and (c) Salience Network (SN), respectively. Upon perceiving conflicts, the strengthening or weakening of ego-preserving bias will critically depend on whether the SN up-regulates the DMN or FPN/VAN, respectively. We propose that compassion meditation can strengthen brain regions that are conducive for suspending prior beliefs and enhancing the attunements to the counterparts in conflicts.
Complications and Management of Eptifibatide-Induced Thrombocytopenia.

BackgroundEptifibatide is used in acute coronary syndromes to reversibly block platelet aggregation by inhibiting the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor. A serious adverse effect of eptifibati...
Using Urinary Biomarkers in Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder and Upper Tracts

Bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to manage yet available diagnostic tools continue to harbor many limitations. In fact, the gold standard tool in bladder cancer diagnosis and surveillance is cystoscopy, which is inconvenient, invasive, and expensive. To date, urinary biomarkers are not used routinely in the evaluation and surveillance of bladder cancer, despite the expanding number of available tests. The main limitation to their use is the lack of well-defined clinical benefit. A useful biomarker test needs to be accurate, easy, fast, cheap, and safe, but on top of all this has a clinical validity proven by a properly designed clinical trial. In this chapter, we discuss the available urinary biomarkers, the rationale for their use, their test characteristics, the possible clinical scenarios where they can be used, and the future directions for design of clinical trials to establish their clinical benefit.
Differential absorption lidar measurements of atmospheric temperature and pressure profiles

The theory and methodology of using differential absorption lidar techniques for the remote measurement of atmospheric pressure profiles, surface pressure, and temperature profiles from ground, air, and space-based platforms are presented. Pressure measurements are effected by means of high resolution measurement of absorption at the edges of the oxygen A band lines where absorption is pressure dependent due to collisional line broadening. Temperature is assessed using measurements of the absorption at the center of the oxygen A band line originating from a quantum state with high ground state energy. The population of the state is temperature dependent, allowing determination of the temperature through the Boltzmann term. The results of simulations of the techniques using Voigt profile and variational analysis are reported for ground-based, airborne, and Shuttle-based systems. Accuracies in the 0.5-1.0 K and 0.1-0.3% range are projected.
The Role of Estrogen Receptors in Breast Cancer Metastasis

It has long been appreciated that the estrogen receptor (ER) plays an important role in the biology of breast cancer. It is an accepted factor predicting favorable disease outcome and treatment response, and as such is generally considered to represent a "good" prognostic marker in breast cancer. In this review we present data suggesting that the ER may also play a pivotal role in the metastatic behavior of breast cancer, and present an argument that the up-regulation of ER and/or the selection of specific ER mutations are early events important for facilitating tumor progression. Thus, ER could serve dual roles in breast cancer, acting as a "bad" prognostic marker later in the disease process.
Microstructure-property relationships in directionally solidified single-crystal nickel-base superalloys

Some of the microstructural features which influence the creep properties of directionally solidified and single crystal nickel-base superalloys are discussed. Gamma precipitate size and morphology, gamma-gamma lattice mismatch, phase instability, alloy composition, and processing variations are among the factors considered. Recent experimental results are reviewed and related to the operative deformation mechanisms and to the corresponding mechanical properties. Special emphasis is placed on the creep behavior of single crystal superalloys at high temperatures, where directional gamma coarsening is prominent, and at lower temperatures, where gamma coarsening rates are significantly reduced. It can be seen that very subtle changes in microstructural features can have profound effects on the subsequent properties of these materials.
Norma social y ética privada: el adulterio femenino en Cervantes

Contrary to what has often been assumed, honor plays, more than an involuted literary subgenre, respond to a widely documented social reality of wife murders. Delving into a vital problem of his times, Cervantes differs from many other contemporary writers in that he explores the causes of women’s adultery in a very complex domain of affective dysfunctionalities that are usually ignored from the postulates of honor, which privileges above all the unquestionability of marriage as an institution. Quite remarkably, in El celoso extremeno blame is distributed among all the characters except the «adulteress» herself. Although something similar occurs in El curioso impertinente , critics have most often either blamed or belittled Camila, without taking seriously her subjectivity or her exceptional capacity for love and survival. It turns out that she is the only character in this story whose actions are coherent. In these and other Cervantine texts we see that marriage possesses no absolute value and that in certain circumstances a woman’s adultery is more than justifiable.
Structural damage diagnosis using frequency response functions and orthogonal matching pursuit: theoretical development

Summary A structural damage diagnosis procedure that directly uses the frequency response function is developed. Frequency response data from a possibly damaged system and a finite element model of the healthy system are used to form a damage residual—a mathematical proxy or signature of structural damage. This damage residual can be calculated in the presence of incomplete measurements and at multiple frequencies. A system of equations is then formed, which relates the damage residual to the actual damage on each element represented as a fractional stiffness loss. Therefore, only damage affecting the stiffness properties of the structure is considered here. Classical dynamic model condensation is used in the formation of these equations to overcome the coordinate mismatch created by the incomplete measurement problem. The system of equations created using the damage residual is usually overdetermined and subject to noise, error as a result of the model reduction, and general ill-conditioning. To overcome these issues, a method known as orthogonal matching pursuit is used to solve the equations for the percent damage. Orthogonal matching pursuit is a method of sparse recovery that solves for the damage in terms of the fewest number of elements. Simulation studies are performed on a truss structure. The damage diagnosis method is shown to accurately identify multiple damage cases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dust in Star-Forming Galaxies

I review the effects of dust obscuration in galaxies at both low and high redshifts, and briefly discuss a method to remove dust reddening from the emerging light of star-forming galaxies. I also analyze the evolution of the dust opacity in galaxies as a function of redshift, and discuss its effect on the observed UV-optical light. The quantitative corrections for dust obscuration given here allow one to recover the intrinsic value of the global star formation at different cosmological times.
Interface and oxide charge effects on DMOS channel mobility

The channel mobility in n-channel DMOS power transistors was examined as a function of interface- and oxide-trappedcharge densities. Interface trapped charge was the primary contributor to mobility degradation. Any apparent dependence of mobility on oxide-trapped-charge density can be attributed to correlation between interface-and oxide-trapped-charge densities.
Changing Students’ Stereotypes of Older Adults

Research suggests that university students tend to hold negative attitudes about older adults. However, there is some evidence to suggest that these ageist attitudes can be challenged and changed through curricular intervention. The current study was designed to determine whether the “Activities of Older Adults” exercise as part of a lifespan human development course could create positive changes in college students’ attitudes toward older adults. Results suggest that the activities exercise can reduce negative stereotypes, as measured by the Fraboni Scale of Ageism. As the number of people who turn 65 every day increases, there exists an urgent need for all members of society to possess an accurate knowledge about and positive attitude toward older adults.
Preparation of Beryllium Fluoride Glasses Containing Xenon(VI) and/or Thallium (I)

The dissolution of CsXeF7 in molten alkali fluoroberyllate glasses between 250° and 500°C is described. The apparent small solubility of Xe(VI) in these ionic glass-forming melts (about 1 to 2 wt% or less) may be related to retention of a molecular configuration by XeF6 that is caused by its strong fluoride ion donor properties and/or to the nonmelting behavior of numerous MF-XeF6 salts when they are heated. Rather low-softening (about 100°C) glasses were also prepared in the TIHF2-NaHF2-BeF2 system, whereas TlHF2 has a relatively low melting point (about 85°C). Contrary to expectations, Xe(VI) appears to oxidize TI+ in these molten glass environments at 250°C.
Chemical induction of settlement and metamorphosis of Capitella capitata Sp. I (Polychaeta) larvae by juvenile hormone-active compounds

Summary The influence of juvenile hormone (JH)-active chemicals on the settlement and metamorphosis of metatrochophore larvae of the polychaete annelid Capitella sp. I of the Capitella complex has been investigated. These studies demonstrate that JH-active chemicals are able to induce settlement and metamorphosis of Capitella larvae, and that these effects may possibly be mediated by protein kinase C induction. Evidence for the presence of JH-active compounds in marine sediments is also presented, suggesting that these chemicals may serve a natural role as chemical cues for settlement and metamorphosis for Capitella larvae in the marine environment.
Automated fudicial labeling on human body data

The Cyberware WB4 whole body scanner generates a high- resolution data set of the outer surface of the human body. The acquisition of anthropometric data from this data set is important for the development of custom sizing for the apparel industry. Software for locating anthropometric landmarks from a cloud of more than 200,000 three-dimensional data points, captured from a human subject, is presented. The first phase of identification is to locate externally placed fudicials on the human body using luminance information captured at scan time. The fudicials are then autonomously labeled and categorized according to their general position and anthropometric significance in the scan. Once registration of the landmarks is complete, body measurements may be extracted for apparel sizing.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Urbanization and agricultural land loss in India: comparing satellite estimates with census data.

We examine the impacts of urbanization on agricultural land loss in India from 2001 to 2010. We combined a hierarchical classification approach with econometric time series analysis to reconstruct land-cover change histories using time series MODIS 250 m VI images composited at 16-day intervals and night time lights (NTL) data. We compared estimates of agricultural land loss using satellite data with agricultural census data. Our analysis highlights six key results. First, agricultural land loss is occurring around smaller cities more than around bigger cities. Second, from 2001 to 2010, each state lost less than 1% of its total geographical area due to agriculture to urban expansion. Third, the northeastern states experienced the least amount of agricultural land loss. Fourth, agricultural land loss is largely in states and districts which have a larger number of operational or approved SEZs. Fifth, urban conversion of agricultural land is concentrated in a few districts and states with high rates of economic growth. Sixth, agricultural land loss is predominantly in states with higher agricultural land suitability compared to other states. Although the total area of agricultural land lost to urban expansion has been relatively low, our results show that since 2006, the amount of agricultural land converted has been increasing steadily. Given that the preponderance of India's urban population growth has yet to occur, the results suggest an increase in the conversion of agricultural land going into the future.
A new promoter for α1C subunit of human L-type cardiac calcium channel Cav1.2

Abstract The cardiac Ca channel known as α1C or CaV1.2 is shown to express a new longer first exon equivalent to that formerly reported in rabbit heart or rat aorta. Ribonuclease protection assay indicates that this exon is found in the majority of CaV1.2 transcripts in human heart RNA. The presence of this exon also suggests that expression of this transcript is driven by a promoter immediately upstream of this exon and its 5′ untranslated region. The putative promoter exhibits 69% homology to its rat counterpart and displays functional promoter activity when transfected into heart cells in culture in luciferase-expressing constructs.
Depolarized light scattered from a fluid near its Bénard instability

Abstract Bilinear response theory is extended and applied to a fluid of non-spherical molecules in a gravitational field and with time independent different temperatures on its upper and lower boundaries. The spectral line-shape of the depolarized component in a light-scattering experiment is worked out. It is found that there are two dips in the central peak and that one of these dips becomes infinitely sharp as the external constraints approach their critical values. It is hoped that this kind of experiment will provide relevant information about the dynamics of fluctuations near hydrodynamical instabilities.
Neither testicular androgens nor embryonic aromatase activity alters morphology of the neural song system in zebra finches.

A variety of sexual dimorphisms exist in zebra finches, both in the central nervous system and in the periphery. For example, male zebra finches sing to court females, whereas females do not normally sing. In parallel, the brain regions that control song contain a variety of male-biased sexual dimorphisms, and the vocal organ (syrinx) is larger in males than in females. It is thought that some, if not all, of these sex differences are caused by differential hormone secretion by the testes and ovaries of developing birds. However, the effects on sexual differentiation of altering the hormonal environment of birds after hatching have been ambiguous. We have found that treating embryonic female zebra finches with fadrozole, a potent aromatase inhibitor, can induce testicular tissue to develop in addition to normal ovarian tissue. This study documents the function of that testicular tissue in females by showing that it secretes androgens in adulthood, produces sperm, and causes the androgen-sensitive syrinx to enlarge. However, that functional testicular tissue has no effect on the neural song system of females ; the brain regions remain completely feminine. Therefore, these results suggest that endocrinologically active testicular tissue alone is not responsible for the dramatic morphological sex differences in the zebra finch song system.
Detection of oxidases on polyacrylamide gels.

Abstract Direct transfer of electrons, from the reduced flavin moiety of several oxidases to phenazine methosulfate and then to nitroblue tetrazolium, serves to detect activity of the oxidases of l -amino acids, urate, diamines, hydroxy acids (both long- and short-chain), aldehydes, and sarcosine. It is demonstrated that the method specifically detects oxidases and is more sensitive than other methods available. It is noted that, in the detection of certain dehydrogenases on polyacrylamide gels by the usual NAD-phenazine methosulfate-nitroblue tetazolium technique, one or more of the isozymes may actually represent the corresponding oxidase rather than the dehydrogenase in question.
El arte de la política/ la política del arte: Semprún y Padura ante el asesinato de Trotsky

El articulo analiza el entramado entre estetica y politica en relatos que giran en torno al acontecimiento historico que fue la muerte de Trotsky: La segunda muerte de Ramon Mercader, de Jorge Semprun; El hombre que amaba a los perros, de Leonardo Padura; y la seccion “La muerte de Trotsky referida por varios escritores cubanos, anos despues –o antes”, perteneciente a Tres tristes tigres de Cabrera Infante. A pesar de la diversidad de esteticas (distintas relaciones con la referencialidad y disimiles proyectos formales), los textos parecen tener coincidencias politico-ideologicas y en todos el desencanto clausura las utopias politicas.
Acetyl-p-aminophenol and Vitamin C in Heat-Stressed Birds

Abstract A COMMON drug for pain and fever reduction is the compound, aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP), although not used as commonly as is aspirin, is a more potent antipyretic and analgesic drug. It is not possible to successfully measure pain in chickens, but it is possible to record changes in body temperature. Glick (1962) reported that low levels of aspirin (0.07% and 0.15%) did not affect body weight in chickens. In later research, Glick (1963) found that feeding acetylsalicylic acid for 5 or 56 days did not influence normal body temperature. However, when birds were subjected to a sudden rise in environmental temperature, the cloacal temperature of heat-stressed birds fed aspirin was lower than the cloacal temperature of the control birds. The literature reports no trials in which APAP (acetyl-p-aminophenol) was fed to chicks. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of APAP on heat-stressed chickens. Since . . .
Trichomes and root hairs: natural pesticide factories

Franck E. Dayan and Stephen O. Duke from the USDA-ARS's Natural Products Utilization Research Unit (National Center for Natural Products Research) at Oxford, Mississippi, USA, describe the natural pesticides produced by these specialized structures on the epidermis of aerial and rhizosphere plant parts.
Components of the Goeckerman Regimen

Although application of tar products and subsequent exposure to ultraviolet radiation (the Goeckerman regimen) has repeatedly been demonstrated to be effective therapy for psoriasis, the therapeutic role of each component has remained uncertain. Utilizing the bilateral comparison technique in 30 hospitalized patients with chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis vulgaris, we closely monitored the clinical responses to ultraviolet radiation (Westinghouse fluorescent FS40 bulbs, 290–400 nm) and a variety of tar preparations and lubricant vehicles in combination and separately. We found that: 1) 4 weeks of maximally-aggressive exposure to ultraviolet radiation alone will markedly improve, but not completely clear, psoriasis unless combined with a tar preparation or lubricating base; 2) 5% crude coal tar plus ultraviolet radiation offers no clear advantage or benefit over lubricating base plus ultraviolet radiation; and 3) none of the tar preparations tested offered any consistent advantage over any other preparation.
Genetic toxicities of human teratogens

Birth defects cause a myriad of societal problems and place tremendous anguish on the affected individual and his or her family. Current estimates categorize about 3% of all newborn infants as having some form of birth defect or congenital anomaly. As more precise means of detecting subtle anomalies become available this estimate, no doubt, will increase. Even though birth defects have been observed in newborns throughout history, our knowledge about the causes and mechanisms through which these defects are manifested is limited. For example, it has been estimated that around 20% of all birth defects are due to gene mutations, 5-10% to chromosomal abnormalities, and another 5-10% to exposure to a known teratogenic agent or maternal factor [D.A. Beckman, R.L. Brent, Mechanisms of teratogenesis. Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 24 (1984) 483-500; K. Nelson, L.B. Holmes Malformations due to presumed spontaneous mutations in newborn infants, N. Engl. J. Med. 320 (1989) 19-23.]. Together, these percentages account for only 30-40%, leaving the etiology of more than half of all human birth defects unexplained. It has been speculated that environmental factors account for no more than one-tenth of all congenital anomalies [D.A. Beckman, R.L. Brent, Mechanisms of teratogenesis, Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 24 (1984) 483-500]. Furthermore, since there is no evidence in humans that the exposure of an individual to any mutagen measurably increases the risk of congenital anomalies in his or her offspring' [J.F. Crow, C. Denniston, Mutation in human populations, Adv. Human Genet. 14 (1985) 59-121; J.M. Friedman, J.E. Polifka, Teratogenic Effects of Drugs: A Resource for Clinicians (TERIS). The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1994], the mutagenic activity of environmental agents and drugs as a factor in teratogenesis has been given very little attention. Epigenetic activity has also been given only limited consideration as a mechanism for teratogenesis. As new molecular methods are developed for assessing processes associated with teratogenesis, especially those with a genetic or an epigenetic basis, additional environmental factors may be identified. These are especially important because they are potentially preventable. This paper examines the relationships between chemicals identified as human teratogens (agents that cause birth defects) and their mutagenic activity as evaluated in one or more of the established short-term bioassays currently used to measure such damage. Those agents lacking mutagenic activity but with published evidence that they may otherwise alter the expressions or regulate interactions of the genetic material, i.e. exhibit epigenetic activity, have likewise been identified. The information used in making these comparisons comes from the published literature as well as from unpublished data of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP).
von Neumann entropy and on-site localization for perpetually coupled qubits

We used the von Neumann entropy to study the single and many-particle on-site localizations of stationary states for an anisotropic Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain. With a constructed bounded sequence of on-site energies for single and many-particle systems we demonstrate that the von Neumann entropy approaches zero indicating strong on-site localizations for all states. On the contrary, random on-site energy sequence does not lead to strong on-site confinement of all states. Our numerical results indicate that the von Neumann entropy provides a new insight to analyze on-site localizations for these systems.
Construction and application of electric energy information acquisition system

Electric energy information acquisition system is an important composition part of strong and smart grid. It concludes the present construction status of electric energy information acquisition system in China and analyzes its demands. The construction mode and technology scheme of electric energy information acquisition system are proposed. Different electric energy information acquisition modes are presented for different power users. The application of acquisition system can greatly speed up standardization construction of marketing measurement, meter reading, charging and information system of electric power company. It can further enhance marketing business management level and provide important physical foundation for achieving step tariff and speeding up construction of strong and smart grid.
Storage Class Memory

This paper describes the development of a new class of solid state memory known as Storage Class Memory (SCM). We will examine various memory technologies that promise to become the emerging SCM standard currently under development in research laboratories and memory manufacturing facilities around the world. We will focus our attention mostly in the enterprise space and extrapolate the future of SCM in this space for the next 10 years.
Kinetics of ordering in two dimensions. I. Model systems

The approach to equilibrium of ordered superlattice structures on surfaces is analyzed. Both Monte Carlo methods as well as analytic models of interacting domain walls are used to study the kinetics of quenched, two-dimensional systems with $Q$ degenerate equilibrium states. In particular, the growth of long-range order in the magnetic analogs ($Q$-component Potts models) of the commensurate superlattice structures found on surfaces is analyzed in a study of the kinetics of typical domain geometries that are found when systems are quenched from high (disordered state) to low temperatures. Calculations and simulations of the time and temperature dependence of the domain sizes for the model system of isolated domains indicate that for two dimensions roughening fluctuations of the domain walls strongly influence the grain growth kinetics. Strip-shaped domains approach equilibrium almost entirely through these fluctuations, while circular domains shrink due to deterministic curvature, but with a rate that is strongly temperature dependent even for temperatures outside the critical region. Pinning effects in systems with $Q\ensuremath{\ge}3$ lead to extremely slow kinetics for particular domain geometries. Low-temperature quenches on a triangular lattice indicate that these pinned geometries are rarely nucleated, while quenches on a square lattice equilibrate much more slowly due to pinning. The application of the theory to superlattice grain growth on surfaces is discussed in the following paper which presents results for the kinetics of quenched systems in terms of the simple domain geometries examined here.