cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A preliminary evaluation of two different meshes in minimally invasive inguinal hernia surgery.

Many meshes are available for use in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair. The surgeon must consider several factors when choosing a mesh for hernia repair including clinical outcomes, cost, and ease of use. The purpose of this study was to compare two different lightweight polypropylene meshes for laparoscopic and robotic inguinal hernia repairs. Subjects were randomized immediately before surgery. Data were reported in N (%) and median [Q1–Q3], comparisons of mesh insertion time were tested using a 2 × 2 ANOVA on the ranked times, comparisons between categorical variables were tested with Fisher’s Exact, and all data were analyzed using SAS® 9.4 (SAS Institute, Inc.). Between January 2015 and June 2016, 50 subjects were enrolled; two were excluded. Of 48 eligible subjects, most were Caucasian (N = 42, 88%), male (N = 37, 77%), with a median age of 63, and were randomized evenly between 3DMax™ mesh and Ultrapro® mesh. Robotic mesh placement significantly increased insertion time regardless of mesh type (p < .0001). When comparing NASA-TLX self-assessment surveys, there was no significant difference between the meshes in difficulty of placement. The type of mesh did not significantly impact the insertion time regardless of robot use (p = 0.523). Our data demonstrate that mesh insertion times comparing two different lightweight polypropylene meshes were not significantly different. Increased insertion times associated with robotic repair are likely due to the mechanics of robotic suturing and associated learning curve. Our data suggest that these meshes can be used interchangeably based on the surgeon’s preference. Clinical trial registration number: NCT01825187.
Future Climate Wealth of Nations’ Winners and Losers

Future wealth of nations is introduced by the concept of climate flexibility defined as the range of temperature variation of a country. In a changing climate, temperature range flexibility is portrayed as a future asset for international trade of commodities but also for production flexibility leading to comparative advantages of countries. A broad spectrum of climate zones has never been defined as asset and comparative edge in free trade but climate change will require territories being more flexible in terms of changing economic production. The more climate variation a nation state possesses, this paper argues, the more degrees of freedom a country has in terms of GDP production capabilities in a differing climate. These preliminary insights aid in answering what financial patterns can we expect given predictions the earth will become hotter. Already now, the degree of climate flexibility is found to be related to human migration inflow and is predicted to determine future climate wealth of nations in a climate changing world. The previously defined climate change winner and loser index will be blended with the novel insights on climate flexibility, leading to an unprecedented outlook on future climate wealth of nations. Lastly, future climate change induced market changes are pegged to scarcity of agriculture production and a prospect of commodity price spikes is given.
Canting of the Magnetic Moments on the Octahedral Site of an Iron Oxide Garnet in Response to Diamagnetic Cation Substitution.

Using neutron powder diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements, we report on the preparation and characterization of the temperature- and field-dependent properties of CaY2ZrFe4O12, a co...
Biophysikalische Fragestellungen in der Ökologie und Umweltforschung

Ein erster Vergleich zwischen Biomassen und Intelligenzentwicklung in der Menschheit zeigt, das die Geschwindigkeit, mit der Neuerungen angenommen werden in den letzten 150 Jahren zwar absolut zugenommen hat, die Zunahme aber relativ zur Bevolkerungsexplosion mehr als aufgewogen wird. Da die aufgestellte Gleichung im Prinzip vielfaltig verwendet werden kann, wird vorgeschla gen, den Versuch zur Erfassung der “kollektiven Intelligenz” zu verfeinern. Als Anwendungsbeispiel wird der Versuch gebracht, eine Intelligenzstufen-bedingte, maximale Bevolkerungszahl zu berechnen. Die von uns aufgestellte Gleichung empfiehlt als obere Grenze eine Bevolkerungszahl von 1,5–2, 3 × 109 Menschen auf dem Bildungsniveau der Industrielander.
Cognitive Psychology of Attention: Foundations

Formal scientific inquiry into the processes underlying attention largely coincided with the emergence of the nascent field of cognitive psychology in the middle of the last century. As cognitive scientists developed models to explain how humans process sensory information, it was necessary to select certain salient stimuli, while ignoring stimuli with less informational value, thereby reducing the amount of input that has to be handled at any given moment in time. This selection process was conceptualized as “attentional” and considered to be an essential aspect of cognition. In this chapter, some of the major cognitive theories and experimental approaches to the study of attention will be discussed. The chapter begins with a review of information-processing theory and early cognitive studies of attention that focused on sensory selection. This will be followed by discussion of other early cognitive theories and approaches. In the next chapter we will review developments in the cognitive psychology of attention that have occurred since the first edition of this book (post-1990) and current status of the cognitive psychology of attention.
Attracting Beneficial Insects to Iowa Agricultural Crops through Floral Provisioning

Beneficial insects can provide valuable ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination for agricultural crops, but agricultural crops often provide limited food and refuge resources necessary to these beneficial insects. Planting flowers can provide some of these limited resources such as nectar, pollen, and refuge. Floral provisioning could enhance the beneficial insect community in agricultural crops if flowers are placed adjacent to the crops. This research project explores whether floral provisioning can increase the ecosystem services provided by pollinating and predatory insects in agricultural crops.
Effects of amplitude modulation on nonlinear interactions between electrons and chorus waves

[1] The effects of amplitude modulation on nonlinear interactions between a parallel propagating chorus wave packet and electrons in a dipole field are investigated in this work using a test particle code. Previous research used a single wave to model a chorus wave element, leading to nonlinear processes such as phase trapping and bunching when the wave amplitude was large enough. However, high resolution observations of chorus wave packets show a modulation of the wave amplitude, forming the so-called chorus subpackets or subelements. Here we first extend a previous method to model a realistic chorus packet. Using the modeled chorus packet, we demonstrate directly that including the realistic amplitude modulation could significantly affect the behavior of resonant electrons. Our results suggest that the amplitude modulation should be considered in the quantitative treatment of interactions between electrons and chorus waves.
Effect of diet intervention on inflammation-related gene expression in CD14+ circulating monocytes from metabolic syndrome patients (1037.10)

Author(s): Deo, Simmi | Abstract: Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, which is the primary defect leading to type 2 diabetes mellitus. In humans, dietary interventions have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, with one of the hypothesized mechanisms being reduced activation of pathways that promote chronic inflammation. The objective of this study was to analyze pro-inflammatory gene expression in CD14+ circulating monocytes from metabolic syndrome subjects before, during, and after two diet interventions. The study was a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial of a 12-week long, 1500 calorie diet. The active diet included low glycemic index bread products, EPA/DHA fish oil capsules (2.4g EPA+DHA/day), and delphinidin polyphenol capsules (300 mg, 10,000 ORAC units/day). The placebo diet included market variety bread products, corn oil capsules, and corn starch capsules. We hypothesized that the active dietary components would act synergistically to significantly improve the inflammatory gene expression profile of the subjects as compared to placebo diet. Baseline, midpoint, and endpoint mRNA expression profiles from monocyte RNA samples were assessed for 30 obese subjects. Post-hoc analysis of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results to measure the expression levels of twelve inflammatory marker genes of interest revealed significant reduction in toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), CD11c, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) expression in circulating monocytes of active group as compared to the placebo group, Pl.05. This study was part of a parent clinical trial showing that average fasting insulin and HOMA-IR improved significantly in the active group but not the placebo group. This monocyte gene expression data will contribute to painting the picture of how the composition of a low calorie diet modulates inflammation and insulin sensitivity.
Thermal sensitivity of voltage-gated Na+ channels and A-type K+ channels contributes to somatosensory neuron excitability at cooling temperatures

Cooling temperatures may modify action potential firing properties to alter sensory modalities. Herein, we investigated how cooling temperatures modify action potential firing properties in two groups of rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTXs) Na(+) channel-expressing neurons and tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTXr) Na(+) channel-expressing neurons. We found that multiple action potential firing in response to membrane depolarization was suppressed in TTXs neurons but maintained or facilitated in TTXr neurons at cooling temperatures. We showed that cooling temperatures strongly inhibited A-type K(+) currents (IA) and TTXs Na(+) channels but had fewer inhibitory effects on TTXr Na(+) channels and non-inactivating K(+) currents (IK). We demonstrated that the sensitivity of A-type K(+) channels and voltage-gated Na(+) channels to cooling temperatures and their interplay determine somatosensory neuron excitability at cooling temperatures. Our results provide a putative mechanism by which cooling temperatures modify different sensory modalities including pain.
Siesta: Software-Defined Energy Efficient Base Station Control for Green Cellular Networks

In order to tackle the issues of mounting deployments and large energy consumption of base stations, it is integral to devise schemes to improve energy efficiency in cellular networks. We propose a virtualized network function of cell management on an SDN architecture. We develop a cell management algorithm on the architecture that can effectively control the sleep and awake modes of base stations and perform handover operations in a cellular network. It provides significant benefits over current cellular networks that suffer from inflexible management and complex control. Our extensive trace-driven evaluation results show that the proposed control architecture and the cell management algorithm achieve significant energy savings, and incur less control message exchanges, more cells in a sleep mode for longer durations, and less cell status changes than existing energy saving approaches for cellular networks.
Dysuria in a young man

An 18-year-old, immune-deficient young man presents to his immunologist’s office with a 1-day history of dysuria.
Applications of Statics to Biomechanics

The human body is rigid in the sense that it can maintain a posture, and flexible in the sense that it can change its posture and move. The flexibility of the human body is due primarily to the joints, or articulations, of the skeletal system. The primary function of joints is to provide mobility to the musculoskeletal system. In addition to providing mobility, a joint must also possess a degree of stability. Since different joints have different functions, they possess varying degrees of mobility and stability. Some joints are constructed so as to provide optimum mobility. For example, the construction of the shoulder joint (ball-and-socket) enables the arm to move in all three planes (triaxial motion). However, this high level of mobility is achieved at the expense of reduced stability, increasing the vulnerability of the joint to injuries, such as dislocations. On the other hand, the elbow joint provides movement primarily in one plane (uniaxial motion), but is more stable and less prone to injuries than the shoulder joint. The extreme case of increased stability is achieved at joints that permit no relative motion between the bones constituting the joint. The contacting surfaces of the bones in the skull are typical examples of such joints.
The primary acid product of DPNH

Abstract Analysis of the proton magnetic resonance spectra obtained at 220 MHz confirms the axial conformation of the C-6 hydroxyl in the model primary acid product 1-n-(2,6-dichlorobenzyl)-6-hydroxy-1,4,5,6-tetrahydronicotinamide. In the primary acid product of DPNH however the reaction occurs stereospecifically with the substitution at the C-6 position equatorial and on the B-side of the pyridine ring and the C-4A proton axial. A cyclic structure α,O2′-6B cyclotetrahydronicotinamide is proposed for the primary acid product of DPNH, formed by epimerization of βDPNH to the α configuration followed by protonation at C-5 and subsequent attack of the ribose C-2′-OH on the C-6 position forming a new five membered ring.
Segmentation of Reward Program Members to Increase Customer Loyalty: The Role of Attitudes Towards Green Hotel Practices

Many organizations use reward programs to cultivate and retain loyal customers. Most programs classify customers into tiers and provide standard benefits at each level. Customers within each tier may have different psychographic and attitudinal characteristics even though their visitation frequency is similar. This study segments hotel reward program members using a matrix approach that classifies loyalty on attitudinal and behavioral dimensions. It introduces a new psychographic dimension, attitudes towards green hotel practices, which are becoming increasingly important in industry and society. Six clusters were produced and validated. All tier levels were present within each segment, and even upper tiers contained members who lacked elements of loyalty. The findings suggest that hotel companies can enhance reward program effectiveness by using a refined segmentation process that allows them to tailor benefits to the characteristics of each segment. Companies can promote sustainable practices by identif...
Single-cluster descriptions of jets in e+e− annihilation

Abstract It is possible to describe the jet structure observed in e + e − annihilations by a single spin-one cluster which couples directly to the photon, and decays by sequential pion emission. We show an explicit decay matrix element which reproduces the experimental results.
Photoionization of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylbenzidine trapped in silica gel

The photoionization of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) trapped in sol—gel synthesized silica gel and commercial silica gels of different pore sizes was studied by diffuse reflectance and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Some ionization of TMB occurs during incorporation into the silica gels. Additional ionization occurs by photoirradiation at 370 nm. The pore size affects the net photoionization yield, but no difference is seen between sol—gel synthesized and commercial silica gels. The half-life of the photoproduced TMB+ ion in silica gel is about 2 h at room temperature, which is an order of magnitude longer than in micelles.
Law and Gospel, and Youth and Family Ministry

: If “faith comes through hearing” the word of God comprised in law and gospel, how do the imperatives that characterize ‘Youth and Family Ministry’ make such hearing possible? Here, literature delineating ‘Youth and Family Ministry’ is analyzed in light of its biblical foundations. The primary lens implemented in this analysis is the law/gospel hermeneutic advocated by Martin Luther and other reformers.
Extended cognition meets epistemology

This article examines the intersection of the theory of extended mind/cognition and theory of knowledge. In the minds of some, it matters to conditions for knowing whether the mind extends beyond the boundaries of body and brain. I examine these intuitions and find no support for this view from tracking theories of knowledge. I then argue that the apparent difference extended mind is supposed to have for ability or credit theories is also illusory.
Evaluating performance of regional wildlife habitat models: Implications to resource planning

Wildlife management and policy decisions are increasingly being made at the regional, national and international level. Much of the motivation for extending the geographic context of resource planning comes from U.S. federal laws that require resource managing agencies to examine the potential impacts from land resource use on wildlife resources. Several regional approaches have demonstrated the feasibility of using extant resource inventories in developing wildlife habitat models. While testing for feasibility is a logical first step in the development of large-scale resource response models, resource planners need to know if these methods provide information that is useful in the decision-making process. This study has taken the next step of quantifying model performance as a means of characterizing the uncertainty in model predictions. Discriminant function analysis was used to relate the composition of land use and land cover within counties of the south-eastern United States to abundance and presence/absence classes of white-tailed deer, wild turkey and red-cockaded woodpecker. We evaluated model performance by examining: (1) classification accuracy of the model as a whole; and (2) the error and precision of the classification rules comprising the models. Although all models were found to perform significantly better than a random model, the performance criteria indicated that significant improvements in the models could be realized. Sources of model uncertainty are reviewed, and suggestions for how to control for that uncertainty are discussed as a future research need.
BRCA1: cell cycle checkpoint, genetic instability, DNA damage response and cancer evolution

Germline mutations of the breast cancer associated gene 1 (BRCA1) predispose women to breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA1 is a large protein with multiple functional domains and interacts with numerous proteins that are involved in many important biological processes/pathways. Mounting evidence indicates that BRCA1 is involved in all phases of the cell cycle and regulates orderly events during cell cycle progression. BRCA1 deficiency, consequently causes abnormalities in the S-phase checkpoint, the G2/M checkpoint, the spindle checkpoint and centrosome duplication. The genetic instability caused by BRCA1 deficiency, however, also triggers cellular responses to DNA damage that blocks cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Thus BRCA1 mutant cells cannot develop further into full-grown tumors unless this cellular defense is broken. Functional analysis of BRCA1 in cell cycle checkpoints, genome integrity, DNA damage response (DDR) and tumor evolution should benefit our understanding of the mechanisms underlying BRCA1 associated tumorigenesis, as well as the development of therapeutic approaches for this lethal disease.
Transfer of sperm into a chemically defined environment by centrifugation through 12% (wt/vol) Accudenz

Centrifugation is commonly used to wash sperm; however, most washing techniques do not put sperm in a chemically defined environment. Rather, washing by centrifugation, in effect, dilutes seminal plasma components. A 0.5-mL volume of 30% (wt/vol) Accudenz was layered beneath 5 mL of 12% (wt/vol) Accudenz in a 15-mL polypropylene centrifuge tube. Diluted semen from individual males (n = 10) was overlaid upon the 12% (wt/vol) Accudenz. After centrifugation at 1,250 x g at 4 C for 25 min, washed sperm were present at the interface of the Accudenz layers. Based upon hemacytometer counts, sperm recovery was 83% (CV = 12%). Neither sperm viability nor morphology was affected by washing. Efficacy of the washing procedure was evaluated by using extracellular glucose, glutamic acid, Ca+2, and protein as markers. Washing eliminated 99% of the glutamic acid and glucose associated with sperm. Likewise, washing removed 98.5% of the extracellular Ca+2 associated with sperm. As evidenced by total protein analysis and SDS-PAGE, washing removed 98% of soluble seminal plasma proteins from sperm. In addition, washing did not affect sperm mobility or fertilizing ability. This procedure returns extended sperm to a physiological concentration in a chemically defined environment. By suspending washed sperm in distinct media, we induced differential sperm mobility. Therefore, this procedure is suitable for the study of the effect of specific substances upon sperm cell function.
Does Post–Neoadjuvant Therapy PET Response Predict Pathologic Outcomes in the Treatment of Sarcomas?

sarcomas (10), and other malignancies (2). 4 of these patients had radiation associated sarcomas within prior radiation field for different malignancies. Materials/Methods: The median age of the patients at diagnosis was 51 (range 7-75). The patients were treated from Feb, 2000 to Oct, 2013. 6 patients were treated with dural plaques during both stages of planned 2-stage operations. 46 patients were planned for treatment during one of the staged resection. The types of plaques used included Y-90, P-32 and Ir-192. Median dose was 10 Gy (range 7.5 e 17 Gy) prescribed to the dural surface in a single fraction. The median length of the dural plaque is 36mm, and the median arc of the dural plaque is 153 . All patients had also received preand/or postoperative photon/proton external beam radiation therapy. We limit spinal cord dose to 63/54 Gy RBE to surface/center. Results: In 7 of 51 patients, dural plaque brachytherapy was not given (4 because of intraoperative anatomic constraints, and 3 because of dural tears). Results are based on intention to treat analysis. The median follow up time from date of planned dural plaque brachytherapy is 17.7 months. Of the 3 patients treated for primary disease and had local recurrence, 2 presented with radiation associated sarcoma, which significantly limited their external beam radiation dose. No acute or late myelopathy could be attributed to dural plaque brachytherapy. 6 patients had intraoperative dural tear (none directly caused by plaque placement). In 3 of these 6 patients, dural plaque treatments were given. In 1 of the 3 patients, a persistent CSF leak developed postoperatively, and it eventually resolved without intervention. Conclusions: Dural plaque brachytherapy allows high dose of radiation to be safely delivered to the dural surface. Dural plaque shall be considered in situation when tumors are in close proximity to spinal cord, and sufficient dose of radiation cannot be delivered with external beam radiation therapy alone. Author Disclosure: D.D. Yip: None. T.F. DeLaney: None. A. Jacobson: None. F.J. Hornicek: None. J.H. Schwab: None. T.C. Mauceri: None. Y. Chen: None.
The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Music Instruction on Intelligence and General Cognitive Abilities

This article reviews research on the effects of music instruction on general cognitive abilities. The review of more than 75 reports shows (1) the consistency in results pertaining to the short-ter...
Glaciotectonic origin of the Massachusetts coastal end moraines and a fluctuating late Wisconsinan ice margin.

Late Wisconsinan end moraines on Cape Cod and islands south and west of Cape Cod are believed to be glaciotectonic features formed by advancing ice fronts. Evidence of a glaciotectonic origin includes the stratified drift composition of the moraines, dislocated preglacial and glaciolacustrine deposits, tilted preglacial and glacial beds, folding and thrust faulting, and morphologic similarity to ancient and modern glaciotectonic moraines. Evidence for major ice readvances during over-all general recession includes the moraines themselves, till atop stratified drift, and the numerous basal tills that are inferred to exist beneath Cape Cod Bay. The Thompson Glacier end moraine in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is considered to be a modern example of how late Wisconsinan end moraines on Cape Cod and the islands were formed. The Thompson Glacier is overriding its outwash plain, displacing outwash deposits forward and upward beyond the ice front. New sheets are added to the base of the moraine, and till is deposited atop the moraine as the ice overrides it. Evidence from Cape Cod and the nearby islands indicates that over-all recession of late Wisconsinan ice was characterized by alternating episodes of ice-front retreat, during which the outwash plains were formed, and of ice-front advance, during which the moraines were built. Retreat of the ice from Cape Cod and the islands may have been similar to the retreat of the Lake Michigan lobe, deposits of which contain evidence of at least 12 moraine-building episodes caused by readvancing ice during the over-all retreat of the late Wisconsinan ice sheet.
KB-Rank: efficient protein structure and functional annotation identification via text query

The KB-Rank tool was developed to help determine the functions of proteins. A user provides text query and protein structures are retrieved together with their functional annotation categories. Structures and annotation categories are ranked according to their estimated relevance to the queried text. The algorithm for ranking first retrieves matches between the query text and the text fields associated with the structures. The structures are next ordered by their relative content of annotations that are found to be prevalent across all the structures retrieved. An interactive web interface was implemented to navigate and interpret the relevance of the structures and annotation categories retrieved by a given search. The aim of the KB-Rank tool is to provide a means to quickly identify protein structures of interest and the annotations most relevant to the queries posed by a user. Informational and navigational searches regarding disease topics are described to illustrate the tool’s utilities. The tool is available at the URL http://protein.tcmedc.org/KB-Rank.
Electron energy loss spectroscopy: application to synthetic organic polymers

Electron energy loss spectroscopy has been examined as a possible tool for measuring the atomic composition of polymers on a local scale in the transmission electron microscope. Thin films of nylon 6,6 and single crystal lamellae of poly(chlorotrifluorethylene) were investigated as model systems. Spectra were obtained using an 100 kV electron beam. Results for nylon 6,6 gave fairly good quantitative agreement between the measured relative atomic contents of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (77, 9, and 14%, ± 5%, respectively) and the calculated values (75, 12.5, and 12.5%, respectively). Spectra obtained for poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) single crystals revealed significant mass loss of chlorine as a function of electron dose. The amount of chlorine decayed exponentially with a characteristic dose D* of 96 C/m2. Supporting the poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) crystals on a continuous carbon film, a holey carbon film, or sandwiched between two carbon films did not effect the mass loss decay constant significantly but did effect the amount of chlorine remaining in the irradiated area at large electron doses. The poly(chlorotrifluorethylene) crystals sandwiched between two carbon films retained more chlorine at large doses, possibly due to the carbon film on both sides of the crystals, inhibiting surface diffusion of the chlorine. Analysis of the spectrum from a portion of a trilayer PCTFE crystal suspended over a hole in the support film gave the relative contents of C, Cl, and F (extrapolated to zero dose) as being 38, 15, and 47%, respectively. The calculated values are 33, 17, and 50%, respectively.
Wave-action conservation for pseudo-Hermitian fields.

The linearized Vlasov-Maxwell system and ideal magnetohydrodynamics are examples of systems with a [ital pseudo]-[ital Hermitian] structure with respect to an [ital indefinite] inner product on the space of complex representations of real fields [J. Larsson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 1466 (1991)]. This structure leads to variational principles, whose variation with respect to local wave phase yields new wave-action conservation laws, which generalize previous eikonal versions.
Ethnic Cleansing and Extermination as State‐Building

State Identities and the Homogenisation of Peoples. By Heather Rae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 372 pp., $65.00 cloth (ISBN: 0-521-79284-3), $24.00 paper (ISBN: 0-521-79708-X). Under the unassuming title of State Identities and the Homogenisation of Peoples , Heather Rae tackles the incredibly complex problems of genocide, ethnic cleansing, disenfranchisement, and expulsion as practiced by European governments against minority groups over the past six centuries. Her central thesis argues that leaders use these various forms of persecution (which Rae terms “pathological homogenization”) as a strategy of state-building. The book traces “the relationship between state-building and the strategies of ‘pathological homogenization’ used by elites to construct the bounded political community of the modern state as an exclusive moral community from which outsiders must be expelled” (p. 3). Rae explains that leaders draw on available cultural resources, such as religion, to gain popular support for their policies. Rae convincingly disputes the existing explanations for pathological homogenization, including materialist (Wallerstein 1974), institutionalist (North and Thomas 1973), power-based (Elias 1982), and rational choice (Hardin 1995) arguments. She argues that the most common explanation (nationalism) is insufficient because such pathological practices occurred centuries before the age of nationalism. She also demonstrates that most theories of state-building ignore the phenomenon of pathological homogenization and the role of culture. One exception is Charles Tilly's (1975, 1990) work, which addresses homogenization as an aspect of state-building in the prenationalist era, although Rae finds his analysis incomplete. In addition to Tilly, Rae draws on constructivist international relations theory. She uses Alexander Wendt's (1994, 1999) distinction between corporate (internal) and social (international) aspects of state identity, but she critiques Wendt's separation of the two realms and finds that they are …
Managing reproductive tract malignancy

Abstract The basic, accepted tenet of every physician and every obstetrician-gynecologist’s treatment philosophy is to provide the highest quality, cost effective medical care to each and every woman in their practice. Given this fact, our direction, response, and therapeutic goals for all patients at each and every branch of the medical algorithm decision tree should be no less than that expected or desired for one of our beloved family members. All aspects of our daily practice, including but not limited to decisions regarding appropriate spacing of appointment times, careful correct prescribing practices, thorough history taking, appropriate and complete physical examination, a resolve to relieve pain, thoughtful preoperative preparation, and successful safe completion of every surgical procedure should by governed by these “standards.” While every decision regarding women’s health care carries potential value and possible consequences, few carry as much psychologic or physiologic impact on short- or long-term patient well being as the correct diagnosis and appropriate management of a suspected gynecologic malignancy.
Considerations of Species-Related Hematological Differences on the Evaluation of Biomaterials

Species-related hematological differences of experimental animals are important in the proper assessment of biomaterials intended for human use. This area, which has received less than adequate attention in the past, requires the development of new test methodologies with blood of primates and humans, under conditions that better simulate the physiological environment.
Synthesis and 19F NMR spectra of fluoroanthracenes, fluoroacenaphthylenes, and fluorofluoranthenes, and a practical synthesis of 7-substituted fluoranthenes☆

Abstract The synthesis of the three fluoroanthracenes, of the three unknown fluoroacenaphthylenes, and of the four unknown fluorofluoranthenes is reported. The route used for the preparation of 7-fluoro-fluoranthene represents a practical approach to the hitherto poorly accessible 7-substituted fluoroanthenes. The 19 F NMR spectra of these compounds are reported.
The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress in Methadone-Maintained Mothers’ Parenting

Objective. To (1) examine the subjective experience of parenting stress as a mediator between 2 distal stressors (sociodemographic risk and global psychological maladjustment), and examine the parenting of methadone-maintained mothers, and (2) identify maladaptive and adaptive parenting correlates of specific types of parenting stress. Design. We analyzed baseline data from interviews conducted with 74 methadone-maintained mothers who expressed interest in a randomized clinical trial study testing the efficacy of a relational parenting intervention. Baseline measures included questionnaires on maternal psychological maladjustment, parenting stress, parenting problems, and children's maladjustment. Three series of hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to test the mediation model and specificity of associations. Results. Parenting stress mediated the associations between sociodemographic risk and 2 maladaptive parenting domains (aggression and neglect) and between psychological maladjustment and al...
Specific absorption rates in the human head and shoulder for passive UHF RFID systems

In this paper, we use a human head and shoulder model to extend the analysis of SAR in the human head due to radiation caused by UHF RFID readers. We use an FEM human head and shoulder model with a voxel size of 8 mm for the tetrahedral and 25 distinct tissues to analyse the peak one-voxel SAR, spatial-peak 1 g cube of tissue SAR, spatial-peak 10 g cube of tissue SAR and the average SAR in the human head. We study the SAR in the human head at 1 W radiated power of a 7.4 dB RFID reader patch antenna at distances of 10 cm, 100 cm and 1,000 cm from the human head. We show that an RFID reader at 10 cm from the human head presents a SAR above 1.6 W/kg for both the spatial-peak 1 g and 10 g cube of tissue, the maximum value allowed by the FCC in the USA.
Characterization of an ATPase associated with the lipid body membrane of germinating rapeseed

Abstract ATPase activity was detected in lipid body membrane preparations of germinating rapeseed, Brassica napus . Maximum activity was observed on the third day of germination. The optimal pH was 9.5. There was a divalent cation requirement, with Mg 2+ preferred over Ca 2+ and Mn 2+ at an optimal concentration of 6 mM. The enzyme was stimulated by Cl − . The ATPase was sensitive to nitrate and insensitive to azide, oligomycin, diethylstilbestrol, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and orthovanadate. ATP and GTP were the preferred substrates. The Km value for ATP was 0.60 mM. While a function cannot yet be determined for the ATPase, the results suggest that although it is similar to a vacuolar ATPase, it does not function as a proton pump.
LONG-TERM EVALUATION OF RECTUS FASCIAL WRAP IN PATIENTS WITH SPINA BIFIDA

Purpose: We evaluated patients with spina bifida to determine long-term results of the rectus fascial wrap, a modification of the rectus fascial slingMaterials and Methods: We assessed patients with spina bifida 3 years after a rectus fascial wrap procedure using an outcome questionnaire, renal ultrasound and urodynamics.Results: The 15 patients who completed the outcome questionnaire indicated that significant improvement over preoperative status was maintained a mean of 58 months postoperatively. Ultrasound in 14 cases showed no postoperative increase in hydronephrosis. Urodynamic study in 13 patients revealed a mean bladder capacity of 583 cc and mean maximum detrusor pressure of 39 cm. water, while 11 had no urine leakage when Valsalva leak point pressure was measured.Conclusions: Three years postoperatively the rectus fascial wrap provides dryness comparable to that of other bladder neck sling procedures in patients with spina bifida.
Activation of the umami taste receptor (T1R1/T1R3) initiates the peristaltic reflex and pellet propulsion in the distal colon

Intraluminal nutrients in the gut affect the peristaltic reflex, although the mechanism is not well defined. Recent evidence supports the presence of taste receptors and their signaling components in enteroendocrine cells, although their function is unclear. This study aimed to determine if nutrients modify colonic motility through activation of taste receptors. Colonic sections were immunostained for the umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3, which mediates the response to umami ligands, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), in taste cells. Ascending contraction, descending relaxation, and calcitonin gene-related peptide release were measured in three-chamber flat-sheet preparations of rat colon in response to MSG alone or with inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP). Velocity of artificial fecal pellet propulsion was measured by video recording in guinea pig distal colon. T1R1/T1R3 receptors were present in enteroendocrine cells of colonic sections from human, rat, mouse, and guinea pig. MSG initiated ascending contraction and descending relaxation components of the peristaltic reflex and calcitonin gene-related peptide release in flat-sheet preparations. IMP augmented the MSG-induced effects, suggesting activation of T1R1/T1R3 receptors. In T1R1−/− mice, mucosal stroking, but not MSG, elicited a peristaltic reflex. Intraluminal perfusion of MSG enhanced the velocity of artificial fecal pellet propulsion, which was also augmented by IMP. Propulsion was also increased by l-cysteine, but not l-tryptophan, supporting a role of T1R1/T1R3 receptors. We conclude that T1R1/T1R3 activation by luminal MSG or l-cysteine elicits a peristaltic reflex and CGRP release and increases the velocity of pellet propulsion in distal colon. This mechanism may explain how nutrients regulate colonic propulsion.
Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression in vivo and spirochete pathogenicity

Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes that do not cause arthritis or carditis were developed and used to investigate Lyme disease pathogenesis. A clonal isolate of B. burgdorferi N40 (cN40), which induces disease in C3H/HeN (C3H) mice, was repeatedly passaged in vitro to generate nonpathogenic spirochetes. The passage 75 isolate (N40-75) was infectious for C3H mice but did not cause arthritis or carditis, and spirochetes were at low levels or absent in the joints or hearts, respectively. N40-75 could, however, cause disease in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, suggesting that the response in immunocompetent mice prevented effective spirochete dissemination and the subsequent development of arthritis and carditis. Administration of immune sera at 4 days after spirochete challenge aborted N40-75, but not cN40, infection in SCID mice. A B. burgdorferi genomic expression library was differentially probed with sera from cN40- and N40-75-infected mice, to identify genes that may not be effectively expressed by N40-75 in vivo. N40-75 was defective in the up-regulation of several genes that are preferentially expressed during mammalian infection, including dbpAB, bba64, and genes that map to the cp32 family of plasmids. These data suggest that adaptation and gene expression may be required for B. burgdorferi to effectively colonize the host, evade humoral responses, and cause disease.
Video summarization based on user log enhanced link analysis

Efficient video data management calls for intelligent video summarization tools that automatically generate concise video summaries for fast skimming and browsing. Traditional video summarization techniques are based on low-level feature analysis, which generally fails to capture the semantics of video content. Our vision is that users unintentionally embed their understanding of the video content in their interaction with computers. This valuable knowledge, which is difficult for computers to learn autonomously, can be utilized for video summarization process. In this paper, we present an intelligent video browsing and summarization system that utilizes previous viewers' browsing log to facilitate future viewers. Specifically, a novel ShotRank notion is proposed as a measure of the subjective interestingness and importance of each video shot. A ShotRank computation framework is constructed to seamlessly unify low-level video analysis and user browsing log mining. The resulting ShotRank is used to organize the presentation of video shots and generate video skims. Experimental results from user studies have strongly confirmed that ShotRank indeed represents the subjective notion of interestingness and importance of each video shot, and it significantly improves future viewers' browsing experience.
Factors associated with condom use among young adult ecstasy users

Objective This paper examines the prevalence of and the factors associated with condom use in a sample of 283 young adult ecstasy users.
Larval-damaged plants: source of volatile synomones that guide the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris to the micro-habitat of its hosts

Single and dual choice tests in a flight tunnel revealed that plants damaged by host larvae are the main source of the volatiles that attract females of the parasitoid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) to the microhabitat of its hosts. Frass and host larvae, the other two major components of a complete plant-host complex, were significantly less attractive than the damaged seedlings; frass alone was more attractive than larvae alone. However, a recombination of larvae with the damaged seedlings was significantly more attractive than the damaged leaves alone, or damaged leaves with frass. This was due to the additional feeding damage done by the larvae. The role of plants in the host-finding behaviour of parasitoids is discussed.
25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 is a natural chemopreventive agent against carcinogen induced precancerous lesions in mouse mammary gland organ culture.

Despite the role of vitamin D3 endocrine system in prevention of mammary gland transformation in animal models, use of 1,25(OH)2D3 in clinical settings is precluded due to its toxicity in vivo. Therefore much effort has been placed in developing relatively non-toxic vitamin D analogs. Recently, with the discovery of the expression of 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase (CYP27B1) in multiple extrarenal organs, the functional role of prohormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3], has been redefined. Since 25(OH)D3 does not cause hypercalcemia and maintains relative high concentration in serum, it is possible that the prohormone can be converted to active hormone in mammary epithelial cells to provide chemopreventive effects. In the present study, we evaluated its functional significance using mouse mammary organ culture (MMOC) system. We first showed that 25(OH)D3 1α-hydroxylase is extensively expressed in mammary ductal epithelial cells at both protein and mRNA levels, which is a prerequisite for 25(OH)D3 to function in an autocrine/paracrine manner. However, we also observed that clotrimazol (1α-hydroxylase inhibitor) enhanced 25(OH)D3 -induced CYP24 expression in breast cancer cells. In mammary glands derived from 1α-hydroxylase knockout mice, 25(OH)D3 treatment in organ culture significantly induced CYP24 expression, indicating a potential direct effect of 25(OH)D3. In MMOC, 100–250 nM 25(OH)D3 suppressed both ovarian hormone-dependent and -independent mammary precancerous lesions (induced by DMBA) by more than 50%, while the active hormone 1,25(OH)2D3 (positive control) at 100 nM suppressed alveolar lesions by more than 80%. The inactive vitamin D3 (negative control) at 100 nM suppressed alveolar lesions by only 20% (P > 0.05). We found that 25(OH)D3 inhibits DMBA-induced mammary alveolar lesions (MAL) in a stage-specific manner: 25(OH)D3 mainly inhibits the promotion stage of lesion formation. We conclude that 25(OH)D3 could serve as a non-toxic natural chemopreventive agent for further development for breast cancer prevention.
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in the ACCOMPLISH trial.

To the Editor: Although lowering blood pressure with any effective therapy reduces cardiovascular risk, the Avoiding Cardiovascular Events through Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension (ACCOMPLISH) trial1 showed a 20% greater reduction in cardiovascular events among patients receiving a combination of benazepril plus amlodipine than among those receiving benazepril plus hydrochlorothiazide, despite similar blood-pressure readings at study visits. However, some observers speculated that the two drug regimens may have exerted different effects on the 24-hour blood-pressure profile that favored the amlodipine group.2 Moreover, in previous trials of drugs for reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension, either hydrochlorothiazide . . .
Protective effect of apolipoprotein E-mimetic peptides on N-methyl-D-aspartate excitotoxicity in primary rat neuronal-glial cell cultures.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a 34-kD protein with multiple biological properties. Recent clinical and preclinical observations implicate a role for apoE in modifying the response of the brain to focal and global ischemia. One mechanism by which apoE might exert these effects is by reducing glutamate-induced excitotoxic neuronal injury associated with ischemic insults. We demonstrate that human recombinant apoE confers a mild neuroprotective effect in primary neuronal-glial cultures exposed to 100 microM N-methyl-D-aspartate. Furthermore, a peptide derived from the receptor-binding region of apoE (residues 133-149) maintained a significant helical population as assessed by circular dichroism, and completely suppressed the neuronal cell death and calcium influx associated with N-methyl-D-aspartate exposure. Neuroprotection was greatest when the peptide was added concurrently with N-methyl-D-aspartate; however, a significant protection was observed when peptide was preincubated and washed off prior to N-methyl-D-aspartate exposure. These results suggest that one mechanism by which apoE may modify the CNS response to ischemia is by partially blocking glutamate excitotoxicity. Moreover, small peptide fragments derived from the receptor-binding region of apoE have enhanced bioactivity compared with the intact holoprotein, and may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of brain ischemia.