cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Political Liberalism, Constructivism, and Global Justice

In The Law of Peoples, John Rawls develops a theory of global justice whose scope and ambitions are quite modest. Far from justifying a global resource distribution principle modeled on the difference principle, Rawls’s theory does not argue for significant redistribution among peoples. This paper focuses on Rawls’s claim that the character and scope of his account of global justice are determined by the constructivist method that he employs to extend political liberalism’s project from the domestic to the global sphere. The principles of an acceptable law of peoples, he argues, are simply those principles that would be selected by rational representatives of peoples from the standpoint of a suitably characterized fair choice position. This paper argues that Rawls’s constructivist method in fact provides support for an account of global justice of greater scope and ambition than Rawls’s Law of Peoples.
Using an Ecological Framework to Understand Men’s Reasons for Spousal Abuse: An Investigation of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007

This article applies an ecological model to explore men’s reasons for spousal abuse in Bangladesh. Data from the Demographic and Health Survey 2007 indicate that multiple factors perpetuate spousal abuse: the individual-level factors of low education and wealth, a micro-level factor of women making decisions regarding household purchases, an exo-level factor relating to the wives’ failure to seek legal support, and a macro-level factor reflecting cultural support for using violence to control wives. However, an ecological model reflecting all four levels of measurement (individual, micro, exo, and macro) explains the greatest amount of variance in spousal abuse. Policy implications include changing the support for spousal abuse at the cultural level, while addressing men’s controlling attitudes towards women within the household.
Focal Plane Imaging Arrays Based on GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors

We summarize our work on the development of focal plane imaging arrays based on GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors. The infrared of interest here is from 3 to 12 μm in wavelength, and detection is based on intersubband excitation of electrons in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells and the subsequent photocarrier transport resulting in photoconductivity.
Characterization of RAT, an autolysis regulator in Staphylococcus aureus

In trying to identify genetic loci involved in the regulation of cap5 genes in Staphylococcus aureus, we isolated a transposon mutant that exhibited a growth defect, enhanced autolysis and increased sensitivity to Triton X-100 and penicillin, attributable in part to increased murein hydrolase activity. Analysis of the chromosomal sequence flanking the transposon insertion site revealed that the gene disrupted in the mutant encodes an open reading frame of 147 amino acids. We named this gene rat, which stands for regulator of autolytic activity. Sequence analysis indicated that Rat is homologous to the MarR and, to a lesser extent, the SarA protein families. Mutations in rat resulted in decreased expression of known autolytic regulators lytSR, lrgAB and arlRS. Gel shift studies indicated that Rat binds to the lytRS and arlRS promoters, thus confirming Rat as a DNA-binding protein to these known repressors of autolytic activity. As anticipated, rat appears to be a negative regulator of autolysin genes including lytM and lytN. These data suggest that the rat gene product is an important regulator of autolytic activity in S. aureus.
On development of 600-850 V 6H-SiC LDMOS transistors using silane-ambient implant anneal

In this work, we report on development of 600-850 V SiC LDMOSFET's, which for the first time utilize silane-overpressure implant annealing, in comparison to earlier works. A 2-D model using Medici/sup TM/ software from Avant! Corporation was used to optimize the structure, and a modified implant anneal with silane overpressure was used to improve the surface morphology of implanted regions. Further, drain and gate electrode extensions were used to increase the blocking voltage.
Studies on motile, non tubule-containing, filiform spermatozoa of the ostracod Cypridopsis sp.: II. Mature spermatozoa

The fine structure of mature spermatozoa in the ostracod Cypridopsis sp. is described. Mature spermatozoa are 1.0 mm long, filiform, spirally patterned cells surrounded by an outer sheath in male genital ducts, but not in female genital ducts. When observed with the electron microscope, the mitochondria, intracellular membranous organelles, and outer plasma membrane are seen to contribute to the spiral pattern of spermatozoa. Each tubular mitochondrial crista contains a single, 40–60 A thick filament. The possible significance of the structural organization which may underlie motility in these spermatozoa is discussed.
Al di là e al di qua della Storia: L’Antigone di Vittorio Alfieri e l’Antígona furiosa di Griselda Gambaro

Scopo di questo articolo e di attuare uno studio comparativo dell’ Antigone (1776) di Vittorio Alfieri (1749–1803) e dell’ Antigona Furiosa (1986) di Griselda Gambaro (1928). Piuttosto che sottolineare le somiglianze fra le due opere, derivanti dalla loro riconducibilita ad una stessa fonte (il mito greco di Antigone), questo lavoro ne evidenziera le differenze, relative alle diverse “posizionalita” dei due autori: Italia del 1776 e Argentina del 1986.
Fellowship training and board certification in reproductive endocrinology and infertility

Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is one of the original officially recognized subspecialties in obstetrics and gynecology and among the earlier subspecialties in medicine. Recognized by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1972, fellowship programs are now 3 years in length following an obstetrics and gynecology residency. Originally focused on endocrine problems related to reproductive function, the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have recently become the larger part of training during REI fellowships. It is likely that the subspecialty of REI strengthens the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology and enhances the educational experience of residents in the field. The value of training and certification in REI is most evident in the remarkable and consistent improvement in the success of ART procedures, particularly in vitro fertilization. The requirement for documented research activity during REI fellowships is likely to stimulate a more rapid adoption (translation) of newer research findings into clinical care after training. Although mandatory reporting of outcomes has been proposed as a reason for this improvement the rapid translation of reproductive research into clinical practice is likely to be a major cause. Looking forward, REI training should emphasize and strengthen education and research into the endocrine, environmental, and genetic aspects of female and male reproduction to improve the reproductive health and fertility of all women.
A Retrospective Administrative Claims Database Evaluation of the Utilization of Belimumab in US Managed Care Settings.

Abstract Purpose Belimumab is an approved therapy for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study examined the real-world utilization patterns of belimumab and standard SLE therapies in patients after regulatory approval of belimumab in the United States. Methods A retrospective, observational study of belimumab users in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database was conducted using administrative claims data (GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Study Register Study ID: 114955). The overall population for analysis was composed of patients who were prescribed belimumab, had ≥6 months pre- and ≥6 months post-index medical and pharmacy eligibility, and at least 1 medical claim for SLE. Patients’ clinical and demographic characteristics, treatment history, treatment patterns of belimumab, utilization of other medications, all-cause resource utilization, and costs were assessed. No hypotheses were tested. Findings All patients who were prescribed belimumab had an SLE claim. Patients who met all eligibility criteria (n = 155) were primarily female (94.2%; mean [SD] age, 44 [12] years) and 94.2% had used standard SLE therapies during the pre- and post-index periods. The majority had moderate SLE disease severity pre-index, and there was a small shift (approximately 8%) from moderate to mild SLE after initiation of belimumab. Two thirds of patients remained on belimumab therapy at 6 months post-index. The percentage of patients with any claim for oral corticosteroids remained stable; however, the point estimate for mean daily dose decreased slightly in months 3 to 6 post-index. Inpatient hospital admissions decreased slightly in the post-index period. The point estimate for total costs (excluding belimumab) decreased after initiation of belimumab, although overall total health care costs (including belimumab) increased. Implications All patients with a belimumab prescription had an SLE diagnosis on at least 1 medical claim, and the vast majority of those meeting all eligibility criteria had previously used a standard SLE therapy. Disease severity improved for a number of patients while on belimumab treatment and modest corticosteroid dose reductions were observed in later months. After initiating belimumab, health care costs (excluding belimumab) decreased. GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Study Register Study ID: 114955.
Optimal multiuser spread-spectrum data hiding in digital images

In this work, we intend to carry out optimized spread-spectrum concealment of multiuser data under a given digital image. First, the overall image is pre-processed into transform-domain small blocks from which host vectors are obtained via zig-zag scanning vectorization. Multiuser data hiding is performed in the generated host vectors. Under this data hiding system model, we give an orthogonal set of embedding spread-spectrum signatures that achieves maximum sum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio at the output of the linear-filter receivers for any fixed embedding amplitude values. Then, for any given total embedding distortion constraint, we present the optimal multi-signature assignment and amplitude allocation that maximizes the sum capacity of the concealment procedure. The practical implication of the results is sum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, sum-capacity optimal multiuser/multi-signature spread-spectrum data hiding in the digital image medium. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing Source Contributions to Particulate Organic Matter in a Subtropical Estuary: A biomarker approach

Abstract Assessing the sources and quantifying the contributions of particulate organic matter (POM) in estuaries is a challenge. Here we apply source-specific biomarkers to assess POM sources in an estuary receiving suspended material from freshwater wetlands, fringe mangroves and coastal environments. A three end-member mixing model, including terrestrial, estuarine and marine end-member contributions was developed and successfully validated to assess general OM dynamics and hydrologic processes that control POM distributions within the Shark River estuary in South Florida. Low tide and wet season conditions coincided with an enhanced signal of the freshwater end-member biomarker abundance, while high tide and dry season conditions resulted in enhanced POM input of marine origin. Incoming tide was observed to be an important factor in the re-suspension and tidal pumping of mangrove-derived POM, which seems to be the dominant source of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the estuary. The three end-member conceptual model was tested to obtain a rough estimate of POC source strength, with the ultimate goal of constraining carbon budgets in this sub-tropical estuary. Mangrove-derived POC flux of ca. 5.3 × 105 to 1.0 × 106 kg/yr POC from the Shark River to the Gulf of Mexico were estimated, but end-member values used in the assessment need to be better constrained to reduce the degree of variability.
An electrokinetic mixer driven by oscillatory cross flow

An electrokinetic mixer driven by oscillatory cross flow has been studied numerically as a means for generating chaotic mixing in microfluidic devices for both confined and throughput mixing configurations. The flow is analyzed using numerical simulation of the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations combined with the tracking of single and multi-species passive tracer particles. First, the case of confined flow mixing is studied in which flow in the perpendicular channels of the oscillatory mixing element is driven sinusoidally, and 90° out of phase. The flow is shown to be chaotic by means of positive effective (finite time) Lyapunov exponents, and the stretching and folding of material lines leading to Lagrangian tracer particle dispersion. The transition to chaotic flow in this case depends strongly on the Strouhal number (St), and weakly on the ratio of the cross flow channel length to width (L/W). For L/W = 2, the flow becomes appreciably chaotic as evidenced by visual particle dispersion at approximately St = 0.32, and the transitional value of St increases slightly with increasing aspect ratio. A peak degree of mixing on the order of 85% is obtained for the range of parameter values explored here. In the second phase of the analysis, the effect of combining a fixed throughput flow with the oscillatory cross channel motion for use in a continuous mixing operation is examined in a star cell geometry. Chaotic mixing is again observed, and the characteristics of the downstream dispersion patterns depend mainly on the Strouhal number and the (dimensionless) throughput rate. In the star cell, the flow becomes appreciably chaotic as evidenced by visual particle dispersion at approximately St = 1, slightly higher than for the case of cross cell. The star cell mixing behavior is marked by the convergence of the degree of mixing to a plateau level as the Strouhal number is increased at fixed flow rate. Degree of mixing values from 70 to 80% are obtained indicating that the continuous flow is bounded by the maximum degree of mixing obtained from the confined flow configuration.
The relationship between water velocity, energetic costs, and microhabitat use in four North American stream fishes

We employed field and laboratory data to test the hypothesis that microhabitat use by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides), longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) and mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi) was affected by energetic constraints. Both rainbow trout and rosyside dace occupied water-column microhabitats in Coweeta Creek, North Carolina, U.S.A. These species were over-represented at velocities requiring lower rates of oxygen consumption, as predicted by an energetic cost hypothesis. Morphological and behavioral adaptations of the two benthic species (mottled sculpin and longnose dace) enabled them to hold position over a wide range of velocities without significant changes in oxygen consumption. Focal point velocities of longnose dace were not significantly different from those available, suggesting a lack of velocity preference. Mottled sculpin, however, consistently were over-represented at low velocities, even though oxygen consumption data showed that energetic costs were not decreased by occupying these microhabitats. Our results indicate that microhabitat use by rainbow trout and rosyside dace is consistent with predictions of an energetic cost hypothesis, whereas the morphological adaptations of longnose dace and mottled sculpin minimize the constraints of energetic costs in microhabitat selection.
Multiscale Multiphysics and Multidomain Models I: Basic Theory.

This work extends our earlier two-domain formulation of a differential geometry based multiscale paradigm into a multidomain theory, which endows us the ability to simultaneously accommodate multiphysical descriptions of aqueous chemical, physical and biological systems, such as fuel cells, solar cells, nanofluidics, ion channels, viruses, RNA polymerases, molecular motors, and large macromolecular complexes. The essential idea is to make use of the differential geometry theory of surfaces as a natural means to geometrically separate the macroscopic domain of solvent from the microscopic domain of solute, and dynamically couple continuum and discrete descriptions. Our main strategy is to construct energy functionals to put on an equal footing of multiphysics, including polar (i.e. electrostatic) solvation, non-polar solvation, chemical potential, quantum mechanics, fluid mechanics, molecular mechanics, coarse grained dynamics, and elastic dynamics. The variational principle is applied to the energy functionals to derive desirable governing equations, such as multidomain Laplace–Beltrami (LB) equations for macromolecular morphologies, multidomain Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) equation or Poisson equation for electrostatic potential, generalized Nernst–Planck (NP) equations for the dynamics of charged solvent species, generalized Navier–Stokes (NS) equation for fluid dynamics, generalized Newton's equations for molecular dynamics (MD) or coarse-grained dynamics and equation of motion for elastic dynamics. Unlike the classical PB equation, our PB equation is an integral-differential equation due to solvent–solute interactions. To illustrate the proposed formalism, we have explicitly constructed three models, a multidomain solvation model, a multidomain charge transport model and a multidomain chemo-electro-fluid-MD-elastic model. Each solute domain is equipped with distinct surface tension, pressure, dielectric function, and charge density distribution. In addition to long-range Coulombic interactions, various non-electrostatic solvent–solute interactions are considered in the present modeling. We demonstrate the consistency between the non-equilibrium charge transport model and the equilibrium solvation model by showing the systematical reduction of the former to the latter at equilibrium. This paper also offers a brief review of the field.
Infrared Absorption Coefficients for Certain Pollutant Gases

Quantitative analysis of gas mixtures by infrared spectroscopy requires a knowledge of the absorption coefficients,: κν, as a function of optical path length and temperature. For the majority of pollutant gases, information is scarce or incomplete. The objective of this work was to determine absorption coefficients for CH4, C2H4, CO2, CO, SO2, NO2, NO, and H2S. Measurements were made at room temperature and elevated temperatures for certain wave lengths, and κν was determined over a very wide range of optical path length, x. The validity of the Bouguer-Beer law was confirmed for a limiting range of x, and for larger values of x, κν decreased and was correlated as a function of x and T.
Correlation between cellular rejection of cardiac allografts and quantitative changes among T-cell subsets identified by V beta epitope expression.

BACKGROUNDCellular rejection of an allograft is mediated in part by peripheral blood T cells. We tested the hypothesis that quantitative changes in T-cell subsets can be detected in the peripheral blood and that these changes correlate with rejection.METHODS AND RESULTST-cell subset analysis was performed by flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies recognizing six isotypic epitopes of the T-cell receptor beta-chain variable (V) region. These analyses were done at 7-day (mean) time intervals. Fluctuations within a given subset were determined by dividing the number of positive cells observed by the number of positive cells found on the previous analysis. For healthy volunteers observed over a period of 30 days, 119 of 120 subset ratios (99.2%) fell between 0.5 and 2.0. For patients, 57 of 240 subset ratios (23.8%) fell outside of this range (P < .004, chi 2). The occurrence of the abnormal ratios coincided more closely with cellular rejection (mean +/- SD, 7.7 +/- 6.2 days from a positive biopsy; median,...
Endothelial cell loss during penetrating keratoplasty.

The specular microscope was first described by Maurice (Maurice, 1968) in 1968 for viewing the endothelium of the intact cornea in vitro. The instrument has been subsequently changed (Laing et al., 1975; Bourne and Kaufman 1976) in order to develop a microscope that can be used in the routine examination of the corneal endothelium. In 1976, the objective lens of the specular microscope was modified to obtain a long working distance of 9 mm. A specialized corneal storage container was used that allows a view of the endothelium of donor corneas before their transplantation (Bourne, 1976). This technique of donor examination has enabled efficient screening of donor corneal tissue for subtle endothelial abnormalities. In addition, a comparison may be made with the appearance of the donor endothelium after its transplantation, thus allowing an estimate of the endothelial damage that occurred at keratoplasty. Because most damaged endothelial cells in humans are not replaced by cell division, but rather the endothelium heals by enlargement of the remaining cells (Bourne et al., 1976), an estimate of the cell loss from keratoplasty can be made by comparing the average number of central endothelial cells per square millimeter in the donor cornea before and after its transplantation.
Variation in heart rate regulation and the effects of particle exposure in inbred mice.

Altered autonomic control of heart rate (HR) rhythm during exposure to particulate matter (PM) has been suggested in human and animal studies. Our lab has shown strain variation in HR regulation between quiescent C3H/HeJ (C3) and C57BL/6J (B6) mice: that is, C3 mice show a consistently higher HR by ∼ 80 bpm compared with B6 mice during a normal 24-h circadian cycle. In the current study, we hypothesize that the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic control of HR during PM exposure varies between C3 and B6 mice. Radiotelemeters were implanted in C3 and B6 mice to measure HR responses and HR variability (HRV) parameters during successive 3-h exposures to filtered air (FA) or carbon black (CB, < 300 μg/m3). Exposures were repeated following administration of saline or parasympathetic (PS; atropine, 0.5 mg/kg ip) and sympathetic (S; propranolol, 1 mg/kg ip) blockade to study the autonomic regulation of HR during CB exposure. During FA exposure with saline, a significantly (p < .05) greater 3-h avera...
Leisure as Life: Outline of a Poststructuralist Reconstruction

Abstract Poststructuralist analyses of social phenomena are not new. They do, however, provide a critique of previous approaches to the study of leisure that deconstructs former projects. This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the study of leisure by suggesting 1) elements of the poststructuralist critique, 2) an introduction to the basis of a phenomenological framework, and 3) an outline of elements in such an agenda for leisure theory and research. These elements include a dialectic of social and existential metaphors in a context of change.
Modeling visual search during mammogram viewing

The purpose of this study was to determine if quantitative parameters derived from visual scanpaths obtained by eye-position recording and parsed using a search and error model can be used to separate readers with different levels of expertise. Expertise was established on the basis of level of training and scores on an image reading test. The eye-position recordings of 9 readers, who searched 31, two view (cc and mlo) mammograms for breast cancer were reviewed. The likelihood of hitting a lesion with a "useful visual field" of 5 degrees of visual angle circumscribed about the center of the gaze location was measured as well as the time required to first hit a lesion and the fixation dwell time on the lesion zone. The hits and misses were classified, using the search model, into scanning, recognition and decision categories. The mammographers were significantly different from the trainees when compared using the categories of the search model.
Operator Choice Modeling for Collaborative UAV Visual Search Tasks

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide unprecedented access to imagery of possible ground targets of interest in real time. The availability of this imagery is expected to increase with envisaged future missions of one operator controlling multiple UAVs. This research investigates decision models that can be used to develop assistive decision support for UAV operators involved in these complex search missions. Previous human-in-the-loop experiments have shown that operator detection probabilities may decay with increased search time. Providing the operators with the ability to requeue difficult images with the option of relooking at targets later was hypothesized to help operators improve their search accuracy. However, it was not well understood how mission performance could be impacted by operators performing requeues with multiple UAVs. This work extends a queuing model of the human operator by developing a retrial queue model (ReQM) that mathematically describes the use of relooks. We use ReQM to generate performance predictions through discrete event simulation. We validate these predictions through a human-in-the-loop experiment that evaluates the impact of requeuing on a simulated multiple-UAV mission. Our results suggest that, while requeuing can improve detection accuracy and decrease mean search times, operators may need additional decision support to use relooks effectively.
Phase transitions in nuclear matter described by pseudospin Hamiltonians

Abstract Upper and lower bounds on the ground-state energy per nucleon E g N and the free energy per nucleon F(β) N are constructed for nuclear systems described by pseudospin Hamiltonians. In the limit of large numbers of nucleons these bounds become equal. A simple algorithm is developed for computing E g N , F(β) N and S N (entropy per nucleon) exactly in the N → ∞ limit. The values of E g N and F(β) N are obtained by computing the minimum value of associated potential functions hc and Φ. These potentials are constructed very simply from the pseudospin Hamiltonian. Groundstate energy phase transitions are determined by investigating how the minima of the potential hc change as a function of changing nuclear interaction parameters. Thermodynamic phase transitions are determined by investigating how the minima of the potential Φ change as a function of changing nuclear temperature. Concise conditions are given for the occurrence of a second-order phase transition of either type. These conditions define critical values of the nuclear interaction parameters at which a ground-state energy second-order phase transition occurs and the critical temperature at which a thermodynamic second-order phase transition occurs. A “crossover theorem” relates the occurrence of a ground-state energy phase transition to a thermodynamic phase transition.
Utilizing the folate receptor for active targeting of cancer nanotherapeutics

The development of specialized nanoparticles for use in the detection and treatment of cancer is increasing. Methods are being proposed and tested that could target treatments more directly to cancer cells, which could lead to higher efficacy and reduced toxicity, possibly even eliminating the adverse effects of damage to the immune system and the loss of quick replicating cells. In this mini-review we focus on recent studies that employ folate nanoconjugates to target the folate receptor. Folate receptors are highly overexpressed on the surface of many tumor types. This expression can be exploited to target imaging molecules and therapeutic compounds directly to cancerous tissues.
A new modeling approach for simulating microtopography-dominated, discontinuous overland flow on infiltrating surfaces

Abstract Realistic modeling of discontinuous overland flow on irregular topographic surfaces has been proven to be a challenge. This study is aimed to develop a new modeling framework to simulate the discontinuous puddle-to-puddle (P2P) overland flow dynamics for infiltrating surfaces with various microtopographic characteristics. In the P2P model, puddles were integrated in a well-delineated, cascaded drainage system to facilitate explicit simulation of their dynamic behaviors and interactions. Overland flow and infiltration were respectively simulated by using the diffusion wave model and a modified Green–Ampt model for the DEM-derived flow drainage network that consisted of a series of puddle-based units (PBUs). The P2P model was tested by using a series of data from laboratory overland flow experiments for various microtopography, soil, and rainfall conditions. The modeling results indicated that the hierarchical relationships and microtopographic properties of puddles significantly affected their connectivity, filling–spilling dynamics, and the associated threshold flow. Surface microtopography and rainfall characteristics also exhibited strong influences on the spatio-temporal distributions of infiltration rates, runoff fluxes, and unsaturated flow. The model tests demonstrated its applicability in simulating microtopography-dominated overland flow on infiltrating surfaces.
Key-segments for video object segmentation

We present an approach to discover and segment foreground object(s) in video. Given an unannotated video sequence, the method first identifies object-like regions in any frame according to both static and dynamic cues. We then compute a series of binary partitions among those candidate “key-segments” to discover hypothesis groups with persistent appearance and motion. Finally, using each ranked hypothesis in turn, we estimate a pixel-level object labeling across all frames, where (a) the foreground likelihood depends on both the hypothesis's appearance as well as a novel localization prior based on partial shape matching, and (b) the background likelihood depends on cues pulled from the key-segments' (possibly diverse) surroundings observed across the sequence. Compared to existing methods, our approach automatically focuses on the persistent foreground regions of interest while resisting oversegmentation. We apply our method to challenging benchmark videos, and show competitive or better results than the state-of-the-art.
Women, Infant and Children (WIC) peer counselor contact with first time breastfeeding mothers.

Objective This study was designed to determine whether singleton women who had not previously breastfed and who had a women, infant and children (WIC) peer counselor were more likely to initiate breastfeeding than women not exposed to the WIC peer counselor. Design and Sample The retrospective cross-sectional study used data from the 2009 Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) WIC Infant Feeding Practices Survey (IFPS) administered through 73 local WIC agencies. Of the 5,427 responses to the 2009 Texas DSHS WIC IFP Survey, 56.6% (N = 3,070) were included in this study. Measures The Texas DSHS WIC IFPS, a 55-item survey with multiple-choice and two open-ended questions, was used to evaluate breastfeeding beliefs, attitudes, and practices among women receiving WIC services. Results Women who had peer counselor contact during pregnancy, in the hospital, and after delivery were more likely to initiate breastfeeding than women without such contacts, OR = 1.36, 2.06, 1.85, respectively. Conclusion Women's decision to initiate breastfeeding is significantly associated with WIC peer counselor contacts. Continued WIC peer counselor program services may increase breastfeeding initiation rates among WIC participants.
Systematic modification of the separation selectivity of cyclodextrin-based gas chromatographic stationary phases by varying the size of the 6-O-substituents

Abstract Several heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin derivatives were synthesized in which the size of the primary 6-O-substituent was varied systematically from deoxy-fluoro, through methyl, n -pentyl, n -propyldimethylsilyl, tert. -butyldimethylsilyl, to triisopropylsilyl. The resulting solid cyclodextrin derivatives were dissolved at identical molal concentrations in OV-1701-vi to form useful gas chromatographic stationary phases for enantiomer separations. It was found that while all phases could be operated at temperatures as high as 250°C, the lower operating temperatures decreased greatly as the size of the substituent increased. Chiral selectivity also varied significantly with the size of the substituent: for almost all of the test compounds chiral selectivity had a local maximum when the substituent was the tert. -butyldimethylsilyl group.
Induced Spawning of Largemouth Bass [Micropterus salmoides (Lacépède)]

Abstract When water temperature and photoperiod were manipulated, largemouth bass were induced to spawn successfully in laboratory tanks during the months of December, January, February, May, June and July.
The New York-Alabama lineament: Geophysical evidence for a major crustal break in the basement beneath the Appalachian basin

In the basement under the Appalachian basin, a northeast-trending lineament extending more than 1,600 km from the Mississippian embayment to the Green Mountains has been found from aeromagnetic mapping augmented by regional gravity data. This lineament, here called the New York–Alabama lineament, is marked by a series of linear magnetic gradients that bound areas of magnetic rocks in the basement and implies strike-slip displacement along a profound crustal break. The lineament tends to coincide with the west side of the regional Appalachian gravity low and separates a province of dominantly north-trending gravity anomalies on the northwest from a province of prevailing northeast trends on the southeast. The lineament seems to mark the southeast edge of a stable crustal block that acted as a buttress for the strong deformation of the Appalachian foldbelt, so that the arcuate salients in Pennsylvania and Tennessee are tangential to it. Present-day seismic activity shows a correlation of the location of the lineament with an active area to the southeast in the eastern part of the Appalachian basin and a seismically inactive block along the northwest side of the lineament. A parallel active zone to the west extends from New Madrid, Missouri, to the valley of the St. Lawrence River. The lineament is in the subsurface extension of the Grenville province, which may mark a region of a former continental collision analogous to the India-Asia region. Strike-slip faults of great length, linearity, and profound horizontal displacement, such as the Altyn Tagh fault of Tibet, typify the region north of India and may have their counterpart in the New York-Alabama lineament, which records probable strike-slip displacement of great magnitude in the basement rocks under the Appalachian basin.
Reassessment of the Incidence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 Following Stroke

Previous literature has suggested that reflex sympathetic dystrophy, also known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type 1, is a relatively common finding after a stroke. However, much of this data was obtained before patients routinely received early intensive inpatient rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to reevaluate the incidence of CRPS type 1 following an acute first stroke. Subjects admitted to an acute rehabilitation setting for stroke with no other concomitant neurologic or orthopedic injuries between October 1, 1996, and May 31, 1997, were studied. At admission and once a week until discharge, subjects were evaluated for shoulder pain, decreased passive range of motion of the shoulder, wrist/hand pain, edema, and skin changes. If three of these five criteria were positive, the subjects underwent a triple-phase bone scan (TPBS). Bone scan findings consistent with CRPS type 1 were taken as confirming the diagnosis. Of 64 subjects, 13 underwent bone scans, with only one positive result. Thus our study revealed a 1.56 percent incidence of CRPS type 1 following a first stroke. This incidence is much lower than the historically accepted 12.5 percent. We speculate that this low figure is related to early comprehensive rehabilitation that included proper upper extremity positioning and early mobilization with sensory stimulation.
Systematic literature review of treatment interventions for upper extremity hemiparesis following stroke.

The primary purpose of this review article is to critically analyse the literature from 1999 to 2005 regarding effective interventions for upper extremity hemiparesis following stroke. The researchers narrowed the scope of the review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, which yielded 11 pertinent studies congruent with the selection criteria. Studies were categorized using Sackett's levels of evidence, level I being the highest degree of certainty and level V the lowest. Grades of recommendations were then developed, grade A being highly recommended, grade B discretionary and grade C not endorsed. Two studies were endorsed as level I – grade A, six were level II – grade B, and three were level III – grade C. Clinical recommendations inferred from the present evaluation are as follows: • Electrical stimulation can be used to improve upper limb outcomes in patients with moderate to severe upper limb dysfunction and is feasible for home-based interventions. • Therapy that utilizes goal-directed reaching behaviours promotes more typical reaching patterns than non-goal-directed interventions. • Reach-to-grasp movements show greater improvement when compensatory trunk movements are reduced. • As an addition to regular exercise therapy time, Arm BASIS training may enhance selective movements of the upper extremity (i.e. reaching). • When performed in conjunction with active neuromuscular stimulation, random and blocked practice may improve pre-motor, motor and total reaction times of the upper extremity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
24.3 An implantable 64nW ECG-monitoring mixed-signal SoC for arrhythmia diagnosis

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a critical source of information for a number of heart disorders. In arrhythmia studies and treatment, long-term observation is critical to determine the nature of the abnormality and its severity. However, even small body-wearable systems can impact a patient's everyday life and signals captured using such systems are prone to noise from sources such as 60Hz power and body movement. In contrast, implanted devices are less susceptible to these noise sources and, while having closer-spaced electrodes, can obtain similar quality ECG signals due to their proximity to the heart [1]. In addition, implanted devices enable continuous monitoring without affecting patient quality of life. As in other implantable systems, low power consumption is a critical factor; in this case to provide a sufficiently long operating time between wireless recharge events.
Analysis of preconditioners for domain decomposition

Domain decomposition is a class of techniques that are designed to solve elliptic problems on irregular domains and on multiprocessor systems. Typically, a domain is decomposed into many smaller regular subdomains and the capacitance system governing the interface unknowns is solved by some version of the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. In this paper, we show that for a simple model problem—Poisson’s equation on a rectangle decomposed into two smaller rectangles—the capacitance system can be inverted exactly by Fast Fourier Transform. An exact eigen-decomposition of the capacitance matrix also makes it possible to relate and compare the various preconditioners that have been proposed in the literature. For example, we show that in the limit as the aspect ratio of the two rectangles tend to infinity, the preconditioner proposed by Golub and Mayers becomes exact, but the one proposed by Dryja does not. Both preconditioners, however, are poor when the aspect ratio is small.
Sharp bounds for NBUE distributions

Let F be a new better than used in expectation (NBUE) distribution function with mean μ. In a previous paper (Brown in Probab. Eng. Inf. Sci. 20:195–230, 2006), the author derived the following bound. For any t≥μ, $$\overline{F}(t) = \mathit{Pr}(X \ge t) \le e^{-[{t\over\mu}-1]}. $$ The main result of this paper is to show that this bound is sharp. Other sharp bounds for NBUE distributions are also derived.
A secondary ion microprobe ion trap mass spectrometer.

An ion trap mass analyzer has been attached to an organic secondary ion microprobe. A pressure differential >100 can be maintained between the ion trap and microprobe. The well-focused secondary ion beam can transit a small (2 mm) diameter tube, but gas flow from ion trap to microprobe is impeded. This pressure differential allows the microprobe to retain imaging capability. Ion trap and microprobe data systems are integrated by taking advantage of the highly reproducible periodicity of the ion trap operating in resonant ejection mode and asynchronous signal and data acquisition afforded by commercially available interface cards. Secondary ion mass spectra and images obtained indicate an approximately 10-fold improvement in sensitivity, although preliminary evidence indicates low (<1%) trapping efficiency. Image data acquisition using the ion trap for mass analysis requires at least 10 times as much time compared to using a quadrupole mass filter because the mass-selected instability mode is used for mass analysis, i.e., mass resolution in the ion trap is not continuous as it is in the quadrupole.
Depressed Natural Killer Cell Activity in Schizophrenic Patients

Factors that suppress natural killer (NK) cell activity were examined in a random sample of 73 schizophrenic patients. NK activity in these patients were compared with 25 healthy age, sex and race matched controls. The mean percent of NK activity was 21% in the schizophrenic group compared with 30% percent in the controls. The difference between these two groups was statistically significant. The mean percent of NK activity in the chronic undifferentiated schizophrenic subgroup and schizoaffective subgroup were 20% and 22% respectively. The degree of suppression of NK activity in the chronic undifferentiated subgroup was higher than in the schizoaffective one, but the difference was not statistically significant. The two subgroups were comparable regarding other immune related variables such as total white cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes, total protein, albumin, globulin, immunoglobulins and stress. The lower impairment of NK activity in the schizoaffective subgroup may be due to their exposure to lithium which can enhance immune functions. Factors associated with significant suppression of NK activity in schizophrenic patients were physical restraint, number of psychotropic medications, number of chronic non-psychiatric diagnoses and race. Psychosocial stressors were associated with suppression of NK activity but it was not statistically significant. Our results identify factors associated with reduced NK activity observed in certain schizophrenic patients and NK activity in these patients may be the result of interaction between various factors.
Down-regulation of urea transporters in the renal inner medulla of lithium-fed rats

Down-regulation of urea transporters in the renal inner medulla of lithium-fed rats. Background Lithium is commonly used to treat bipolar psychiatric disorders but can cause reduced urine concentrating ability. Methods To test whether lithium alters UT-A1 or UT-B urea transporter protein abundance or UT-A1 phosphorylation, rats were fed a standard diet supplemented with LiCl for 10 or 25 days, and then compared to pair-fed control rats. To investigate another potential mechanism for decreased urea transport, inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) suspensions from lithium-fed or control rats were incubated with 32 P-orthophosphate to measure the phosphorylation of UT-A1. Results In lithium-fed rats (25 days), UT-A1 abundance was reduced to 50% of control rats in IM tip and to 25% in IM base, and UT-B abundance was reduced to 40% in IM base. Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) protein abundance was reduced in both IM regions. Vasopressin (100 pmol/L) increased UT-A1 phosphorylation in IMCD suspensions from control but not from lithium-fed rats; a higher vasopressin concentration (100 nmol/L) increased UT-A1 phosphorylation in control and lithium-fed rats. Conclusions Decreases in UT-A1, UT-B, and AQP2 protein abundance, and/or vasopressin-stimulated phosphorylation of UT-A1, can contribute to the reduced urine concentrating ability that occurs in lithium-treated rats.
Beyond the hammer and the scalpel: selective circuit control for the epilepsies.

Current treatment options are, for many patients with epilepsy, either insufficient or ineffective and, thus, new therapeutic methodologies are necessary. In this Perspective, Esther Krook-Magnuson and Ivan Soltesz look at recent advances in optogenetic-based modulation of circuit activity and seizures with an eye toward the prospect—and challenges—of utilizing these technologies for the treatment of epilepsy.
Coalescent-based, maximum likelihood inference in phylogeography.

Nielsen and Beaumont (2009) extol the virtues of a coalescent-based, likelihood approach to phylogeographic inference. In contrast, they compare the inferences drawn from nested-clade, phylogeographic analysis (NCPA) as similar to an “interest in newspaper horoscopes”. I fully agree with Nielsen and Beaumont (2009) on the desirability of a coalescent-based, likelihood approach to phylogeographic inference. Where I disagree with them is in their description of the inference structure of NCPA, which is both inaccurate and incomplete.
Evaluation of chemotherapy and radiation enhancement and 31P NMR spectral changes induced by biochemical modulation

The combination of N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA), 6-methylmercaptopurine riboside (MMPR), and 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) has been shown to be an effective antineoplastic regimen and also to enhance the effects of other antineoplastic agents (1-4). To further enhance the effect of this combination, we investigated the effects of adding adriamycin, at its maximally tolerated dose, to this regimen. The response rate (complete regression+partial regression) for the four-drug regimen was higher than for the three-drug regimen, and the tumor growth delay was also significantly higher than for treatment with PALA, MMPR, 6AN, or after treatment with maximally tolerated doses of adriamycin alone (11 mg/kg). The addition of adriamycin to PALA, MMPR, 6AN did not result in enhancement of the effect of radiation, as measured by tumor growth delay studies and tumor control (complete and partial regression rate). The mechanism of action of the combination of PALA, MMPR, and 6AN is not known definitively, but a possible mechanism previously suggested is biochemical modulation of energy metabolism and inhibition of production of tumor ATP. Treatment with PALA, MMPR, 6AN, and adriamycin (at 2.5 hr post MMPR, 6AN) resulted in a nadir NTP/Pi value, as determined by 31P NMR spectroscopy, at approximately 10 hr post MMPR + 6AN (7.5 hr post adriamycin), which was not significantly different from the NTP/Pi value determined after treatment with the three-drug combination.
The areal frequency of tornadoes in the United States by Counties, 1880–1931

In this third paper of statistical studies of the distribution of tornadoes in our country in the recent half-century, the writers submit the county-distribution map with comments. It shows the results of the study of the distribution based upon smallest available unit. Of course, it is understood that, under the inspiration of Colonel Finley's enthusiasm, the gathering of tornado-data was fairly comprehensive until the middle of the nineteenth century. A hiatus of a score of years then ensued in which tornado-facts were of rather fragmentary nature. But from 1916 on, some 5000 observers were cooperating in collecting fairly complete field-data. Of the 4000 tornadoes studied in this paper, about three-fifths occurred in this later period, and of the balance, the major portion occurred in the earlier period.