cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PROBIOTIC Bacillus subtilis AND Lactobacillus plantarum IN DIET OF NILE TILAPIA

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar os efeitos da administracao do probiotico composto de Bacillus subtilis e Lactobacillus plantarum em pos-larvas de tilapia-do-nilo, durante a fase de reversao sexual, em condicoes de estresse pela alta densidade de estocagem. O experimento foi realizado no Instituto de Pesca de Sao Paulo, e foi inteiramente casualizado com quatro tratamentos e cinco repeticoes. Sendo: 1) probiotico na racao; 2) probiotico na agua; 3) probiotico na racao e agua; 4) controle. As variaveis analisadas foram: peso final, comprimento total, taxa de crescimento especifico, sobrevivencia, microbiologia do trato intestinal e expressao dos genes TNF-α e HSP-70. Os resultados de desempenho zootecnico de crescimento e expressao genica nao apresentaram diferencas significativas entre os tratamentos nos parâmetros avaliados (P>0,05). No trato intestinal dos alevinos do tratamento com adicao de probiotico na agua, foi observado log10 (7,72±0,51) UFC, superior a contagem de Bacillus spp. em comparacao aos demais tratamentos, e estes nao apresentaram diferencas estatisticas entre si. Conclui-se que a adicao dos probioticos Bacillus subtilis e Lactobacillus plantarum, na dieta ou na agua de criacao das pos-larvas de tilapia-do-nilo, durante fase de reversao sexual nao causaram melhora no desempenho zootecnico de crescimento e expressao genica, mas modificou a composicao bacteriana intestinal.
Emerging threat of triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus

Invasive aspergillosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised populations and is predicted to cause more than 200 000 life-threatening infections each year. Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent pathogen isolated from patients with invasive aspergillosis, accounting for more than 60% of all cases. Currently, the only antifungal agents available with consistent activity against A. fumigatus are the mould-active triazoles and amphotericin B, of which the triazoles commonly represent both front-line and salvage therapeutic options. Unfortunately, the treatment of infections caused by A. fumigatus has recently been further complicated by the global emergence of triazole resistance among both clinical and environmental isolates. Mutations in the A. fumigatus sterol-demethylase gene cyp51A, overexpression of cyp51A and overexpression of efflux pump genes are all known to contribute to resistance, yet much of the triazole resistance among A. fumigatus still remains unexplained. Also lacking is clinical experience with therapeutic options for the treatment of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus infections and mortality associated with these infections remains unacceptably high. Thus, further research is greatly needed to both better understand the emerging threat of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus and to develop novel therapeutic strategies to combat these resistant infections.
A Novel Method for Inferring Person-to-person Relationship Using Wi-Fi

Present communities are encompassed in a consistently developing telecommunication framework. This framework provides significant circumstances for detecting recording on abundance of human actions. Human adaptability patterns are distinguished example of such a conduct which has been considered deliberately grounded on Wi-Fi systems and Bluetooth signals as intermediaries for different areas. While versatility is a significant characteristic of human action, it's very pivotal to research and analyze physical interrelationship among humans. Detecting closeness that empowers social associations on a substantial scale is a practical challenge. Numerous frequently used techniques containing RFID badges and Bluetooth filtering provide only restricted scalability. This research has been conducted based on the idea to deduce the kind of dyadic relationships (friendship) between research candidates from the list of WLAN MAC addresses and detected Bluetooth devices estimated by cellular phones conveyed by the two individuals. We demonstrate our methodologies using MIT's Social Evolution (WLAN + Bluetooth) dataset. The originality of our results is demonstrated by the comparison of outcome of our analysis with the self-investigated surveys subjects issued with regard to their link and connection. Proposed methods for inferring type of dyadic relationships using WLAN dataset gives higher accuracy and F1-Score than using Bluetooth dataset as WLAN can be used for high-resolution mobility tracking of entire populations. Our results exhibit the estimation of WLAN MAC addresses as a tool for social detection and reveal how numbers of Wi-Fi information represent a potential risk to privacy.
An Infiltration Exercise for Introductory Soil Science.

One of the largest challenges in teaching introductory soil science is explaining the dynamics of soil infiltration. To aid stu dents in understanding the concept and to further engage them in active learning in the soils laboratory course, we developed an exercise using Decagon Mini-Disk Infiltrometers with a tension head (h o ) of 2 cm. Groups of up to four students measured cumulative infiltration for up to 5 minutes and plotted their results vs. time (t). Curves for each group were plotted using SigmaPlot through a computer-projection system so that students could observe infiltration differences between different soils. With the help of their lab instructors, regression analyses were completed to obtain curve-fitting parameters needed to calculate hydraulic conductivity (K). Upon completion of data analyses, the students worked cooperatively to answer several questions concerning infiltration physics. Based on student comments, we believe that we successfully engaged the students and increased their exposure and understanding of infiltration dynamics.
An Experimental System

In order to draw together a number of the concepts and ideas in this book, we describe an experimental system and the results of some experiments with the previously described grid-based techniques. This system is not by any manes an extremely complex multi-sensor system, but it serves to test the fusion and information-gathering methods, as well as to illustrate some organizational principles. We will first explain the operation of the basic components and detail a sensor fusion program for the system, and then present the results of several different types of information gathering.
Determination of carbazole and halogenated carbazoles in human serum samples using GC-MS/MS.

Abstract Carbazole and halogenated carbazoles have been widely detected throughout the environment in soil, river deposits, and lake sediments. Human exposure to these compounds may occur through inhalation, drinking water, dietary intake and/or skin contact, and exposure levels in the body may be evaluated by measuring them in serum or blood. This paper reports the method development and validation for the analysis of carbazole and 11 halogenated carbazoles in human blood and/or serum samples. A small sample size of 100 μL of blood or serum was employed for the analysis. The samples were prepared through salting-out liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) by using hexane/ethyl acetate (4:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent and aqueous MgSO4 (37.5 wt%) as the salting-out regent, respectively. Sample analysis was performed using gas-chromatography (GC) coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS) in an electron impact (EI) mode. The developed method demonstrated low detection limits in the range of 0.02–0.27 ng/mL, intra-day accuracy ranging from 81.2% to 125%, and inter-day accuracy from 91.0% to 117%. The intra- and inter-day precisions, calculated by relative standard deviations (RSDs), were in the ranges of 1.0–16.0% and 1.8–16.4%, respectively. The developed method was applied to the analysis of 50 human serum samples collected from pregnant women in Southern California in 2012. Low concentrations of carbazole were measured in 18 samples, while halogenated carbazoles were not detected in any of the samples.
Characterization of the Land Surface Freeze/Thaw State with SMAP-Reflectometry (SMAP-R)

The use of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) radar in received mode has allowed for a new dataset of Global Navigation Satellite System – Reflectometry (GNSS-R) measurements. GNSS-R techniques have been used for more than two decades and have proven successful perform altimetry studies and to retrieve ocean wind speed and soil moisture, monitor wetland dynamics, estimate snow depth, detect sea ice and determine sea ice types. In this paper, the SMAP-Reflectometry measurements are used to classify freeze/thaw (F/T) state over Alaska, studying the differences in the SNR signal at both V and H polarizations.
Photothermal Imaging with Sub-100-nm Spatial Resolution

A new high resolution thermal microscope has been demonstrated, capable of imaging thermal fields with sub-100-nm resolution. It is based upon a non-contacting near field thermal probe. The thermal probe consists of a thermocouple sensor on the end of a tip with 100 nm dimensions. The probe tip is scanned over a surface under servo control to maintain a constant gap between tip and surface. Simultaneously, the surface is periodically heated by an external source (current or laser) and the resultant ac temperature variation is measured. Two electronic images are produced, one of the surface topography and the other of the ac temperature distribution on the sample surface. The latest thermal images indicate a lateral resolution below 100 nm and a temperature sensitivity below 1 millidegree. These measurements demonstrate thermal microscopy with a spatial resolution which is an order of magnitude greater than has been achieved by other techniques to date. The basic theory and experimental work will be described. Thermal images of surfaces heated by electrical current and optically absorbed power will be presented.
23 Bloodlust: a case study of theranos and the embodiment of a brand’s values in a chief executive

Objective Once a Silicon Valley startup valued at over $9 billion, Theranos aimed to provide low-cost, rapid blood testing performed with small samples of blood directly to consumers, ultimately hoping to jumpstart a new wave of preventive medicine. However, the blood diagnostics firm is now defunct, having been accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of conducting an ‘elaborate, years-long fraud.’ Theranos’s fall was largely the result of the efforts of whistleblowers and John Carreyrou, a journalist at The Wall Street Journal and author of Bad Blood, which examines the company’s elaborate scam. However, its rise is less well understood; the logistics of its deception seem much clearer in hindsight, but much of the messaging and grand visions touted by Theranos’s CEO, despite being iterations of phenomena common in Silicon Valley, have remain unexamined in sociological research. Because sociology of expectations literature has thus far lacked extensive analysis of the promotional activities of individual firms, this research aims to contribute to this field by examining the role of the celebrity executive in promoting and embodying the brand of a firm. The primary focus of this research is to deconstruct the messages and mechanisms by which Holmes embodied the values central to Theranos and its mission. Methods This goal is carried out in the form of a case study analyzing 221 articles discussing Holmes and Theranos, ten public speeches and interviews given by Holmes, and 304 tweets posted by Holmes’s Twitter account. Drawing from literature on cults of personality, promissory capitalism, and the sociology of Silicon Valley, I uncover how former CEO Elizabeth Holmes used her role to represent the anticipatory nature of Theranos and its ethos. Results I examine four main themes as they appear in Holmes’s external marketing: consumer sovereignty and rights language, consumer empowerment, timeliness and prevention, and persona of social transformation. Conclusions After exploring these four themes and offering a brief normative critique of the firm’s values, I conclude by suggesting that, despite Theranos’s former ‘unicorn’ status, the framing of its vision and marketing tactics employed by Holmes as the company’s CEO were far less unique. Because such framing may have a significant impact on the way in which a culture of overdiagnosis is fostered, this marketing deserves to be critically examined by all relevant stakeholders in the diagnostics biotechnology industry.
VALIDATION OF AN ANP DEFICIENCY IN ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE THROUGH ANALYSES OF BIOLOGICALLY IN-ACTIVE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDES

We recently reported that contrary to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is relatively deficient in 26% of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) patients. Yet, less characterized are the biologically inactive NT-proANP and NT-proBNP, both of which are more
Cross-Sectional Trajectories of Mental State Language Development in Children With Down Syndrome.

Purpose This article (a) examined the cross-sectional trajectories of mental state language use in children with Down syndrome (DS) and (b) identified developmental factors associated with its use....
How Do People Get Big Things Done

How does the human past help us figure out how to solve the biggest problems facing humanity today? For humans, getting things done is always social. Institutions are organized and socially reproduced ways of accomplishing objectives. Since people are always faced with multiple, different problems, they tend to create institutions that are varied, non-isomorphic, and non-congruent. The recent expansion of archaeological information now allows scholars to move beyond gross types toward documenting the histories of institutions and assemblages of institutions. Archaeology’s language (its units of analysis and how its data are packaged) can be reshaped to recognize the sociological, organizational nature of actors’ responses to pressing challenges. The archaeological record provides case material regarding long-enduring institutions, times of highly creative and rapid institution-building, societies that had many institutions and others that had few, and societies composed of non-isomorphic, non-centralized institutions and a few others whose institutions were more centralized. Research problems include better understanding of synchronous variation, rapid versus gradual change, internal and external causes leading to change in the relative importance or power of institutions, and the social means of limiting concentration of power. We suggest that if humanity makes an adequate response to contemporary global pollution and climate change, the response will be social, organizational. Existing institutions may be transformed, and new ones may be created. But totalizing, meta-institutions are less effective than multiple, cross-cutting institutions.
Diverticulitis: Predicting Which Patients with Acute Abdominal Pain Have the Disease.

Is it possible to determine which patients with acute abdominal pain are likely to have diverticulitis and therefore do not require imaging?
The emancipation of gestures

Abstract Interactional linguists are interested in ways in which communicative resources emerge from interactional practice. This paper defines a place for the study of gesture within interactional linguistics, conceived as ‘linguistics of time’ (Hopper, 2015). It shows how hand gestures of a certain kind – conceptual gestures – emerge from ‘hands-on’ instrumental actions, are repeated and habitualized, and are taken to other communicative contexts where they enable displaced reference and conceptual representation of experiences. The data for this study is a video-recording of one work-day of an auto-shop owner (Streeck, 2017). The corpus includes auto-repair sequences in which he spontaneously improvises new gestures in response to situated communication needs, and subsequent narrative sequences during which he re-enacts them as he explains his prior actions. He also makes numerous ‘pre-fabricated’ gestures, gestures that circulate in the society at large and that are acquired by copying other conversationalists. They are ready-made manual concepts. The paper explains the life-cycle of conceptual gestures from spontaneous invention to social sedimentation and thereby sheds light on the ongoing emergence of symbolic forms in corporeal practice and intercorporeal communication.
Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses Elicited by Natural Infection and mRNA Vaccination

Author(s): Assis, Rafael; Jain, Aarti; Nakajima, Rie; Jasinskas, Al; Kahn, Saahir; Palma, Anton; Parker, Daniel; Chau, Anthony; Leung, Amanda; Grabar, Christina; Muqolli, Fjolla; Khalil, Ghali; Escobar, Jessica Colin; Ventura, Jenny; Davies, Huw; Albala, Bruce; Boden-Albala, Bernadette; Schubl, Sebastian; Felgner, Philip | Abstract: We analyzed data from two ongoing COVID-19 longitudinal serological surveys in Orange County, CA., between April 2020 and March 2021. A total of 8,476 finger stick blood specimens were collected before and after an aggressive mRNA vaccination campaign. IgG levels were determined using a multiplex antigen microarray containing 10 SARS-CoV-2 antigens, 4 SARS, 3 MERS, 12 Common CoV, and 8 Influenza antigens. Twenty-six percent of 3,347 specimens from unvaccinated Orange County residents in December 2020 were SARS-CoV-2 seropositive. The Ab response was predominantly against nucleocapsid (NP), full length spike and the spike S2 domain. Anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) reactivity was low and there was no cross-reactivity against SARS S1 or SARS RBD. An aggressive mRNA vaccination campaign at the UCI Medical Center started on December 16, 2020 and 6,724 healthcare workers were vaccinated within 3 weeks. Seroprevalence increased from 13% in December to 79% in January, 93% in February and 99% in March. mRNA vaccination induced much higher Ab levels especially against the RBD domain and significant cross-reactivity against SARS RBD and S1 was also observed. Nucleocapsid protein Abs can be used to distinguish individuals in a population of vaccinees to classify those who have been previously infected and those who have not, because nucleocapsid is not in the vaccine. Previously infected individuals developed higher Ab titers to the vaccine than those who have not been previously exposed. These results indicate that mRNA vaccination rapidly induces a much stronger and broader Ab response than SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Perioperative implications and management of dextrocardia

Dextrocardia, a term used to describe all varieties of developmental malformations resulting in the positioning of the heart in the right hemithorax, is linked to a number of highly significant cardiac disorders. Current estimates vary tremendously in the literature. Only about 10 % of patients with diagnosed dextroversion show no substantial cardiac pathology; however, the incidence of congenital heart defects associated with dextrocardia is close to 100 %. The majority of studies previously reported include dextrocardia associated with situs inversus and cases of Kartagener syndrome. There is complex embryology and pathogenesis that results in dextrocardia. Physical examinations of the heart, such as percussion and palpation during routine exams, are vitally important initial diagnostic instruments. X-ray, CT scan, echocardiography (ECHO), and MRI are all invaluable imaging modalities to confirm and classify the diagnosis of dextrocardia. In summary, heart malposition is a group of complex pathologic associations within the human body, rather than just a single congenital defect. Clinicians such as anesthesiologists have unique challenges managing patients with dextrocardia. An appreciation of associated pathogenesis, appropriate diagnosis, and management is paramount in ensuring the best outcome for these patients perioperatively.
Discovery of Highly Isoform Selective Thiazolopiperidine Inhibitors of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase γ

A series of high affinity second-generation thiazolopiperidine inhibitors of PI3Kγ were designed based on some general observations around lipid kinase structure. Optimization of the alkylimidazole group led to inhibitors with higher levels of PI3Kγ selectivity. Additional insights into PI3K isoform selectivity related to sequence differences in a known distal hydrophobic pocket are also described.
Erratum to: Contribution of ρ’ to the charge radius of the pion

G. BARBARINO, M. GRILLI, E. IAROCCI, V. VALENTE, R. VISENTIN, F. CERADINI, M. CONVERSI, L. PAOLUZI, R. SANTONICO, M. NIGRO, L. TRASATTI and G. T. ZORn: Lett. Nuovo Cimento, 3, 689 (1972); M. GRILLI, E. IAROCCI, P. SPILLANTINI, V. VALENTE, R. VISENTIN, B. BORGIA, F. CERADINI, ~ . CONVERSI, L. PAOLUZI, R. SANTONICO, M. NIGRO, L. TRASATTI and G. T. ZORN: Multihadron production in e+e collisions at high energy, to be published in II Nuovo Cimento.
Fiber Optics in Medicine

The goal of this article is to give the reader basic tools necessary to understand principles of biomedical fiber optics and its applications. In addition to diagnostic, imaging, and therapeutic applications that are described in this article, optical fibers have been employed in a number of biomedical applications, for example, laser surgery and fiber-based transducers for monitoring physiologically important parameters (temperature, pressure, oxygen saturation, blood flow). All those subjects have been covered in detail in the dedicated articles of this encyclopedia. The structure of this article is the following. The first section provides general physical and engineering principles of fiber optics needed to understand the rest of the article. It discusses the physics of total internal reflection and throughput, fiber propagation modes, optical fiber construction, and types of fibers. The next section provides the reader with the review of illumination applications of fibers in medicine. The third section discusses the diagnostic applications of the biomedical fibers, including imaging and spectroscopy. The last section reviews therapeutic applications of fibers. Keywords: fiber optics; medicine; total internal reflection; throughput; propogation
Collembola effects on plant mass and nitrogen acquisition by ash seedlings (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

Abstract We studied the effects of varied collembolan numbers on three compensatory mechanisms of nutrient uptake: fine root mass, endomycorrhizal development, and physiological uptake capacity. We grew ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) with or without the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices, with 0, 10 or 50 initial Collembola (Folsomia candida). After 83 d root NH 4 + and NO 3 − uptake rates, endomycorrhizal development, and plant biomass were determined. Plant mass increased with Collembola number. Collembola interacted with mycorrhizae in their effects on N uptake and leaf N. Collembola in the absence of mycorrhizal roots were associated with lower N uptake and leaf N at 10 than at 0 or 50 initial Collembola. In contrast, Collembola in the presence of mycorrhizal roots were associated with the highest rate of N uptake and leaf N at 10 versus 0 or 50 initial Collembola. Hence as initial Collembola number increased, the relative importance of root system traits that determined N uptake changed from root physiological uptake capacity, presence of mycorrhizal roots, to fine root biomass.
An S-band frequency-modulated continuous-wave boundary layer profiler: Description and initial results

[1] Operating principles of frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar are reviewed, and their measurement limitations for atmospheric targets are discussed. In particular, we outline misregistration errors due to Doppler velocities and target coherence limitations on range resolution. The latter is of importance to volumetric scattering from atmospheric targets. Parallax errors and near-field operation are also considered. A high-resolution S-band FMCW radar developed at the University of Massachusetts is then described, and observations obtained by this system during the 1999 Cooperative Atmosphere-Surface Exchange Study are used to illustrate system performance. In the convective boundary layer, Rayleigh scatterers appear to dominate the observed vertical profile of mean reflectivity at S-band.
Policing, Crime and Legitimacy in New York and Los Angeles: The Social and Political Contexts of Two Historic Crime Declines

The relationship between citizens and police occupies a central place both in urban politics and in the political economy of cities. In this respect, for nearly 50 years, New York and Los Angeles have been bellwethers for many of the nation’s larger cities. In each city, as in cities across the world, citizens look to police to protect them from crime, maintain social order, respond to a variety of extra-legal community concerns, and reinforce the moral order of the law by apprehending offenders and helping bring them to justice (Reiss, 1971; Black, 1980; Skogan and Frydl, 2004). Beyond enforcing social and political order, the police are the front line representatives of a variety of social service needs in communities (Walker, 1992). Accordingly, policing is an amenity of urban places that shapes how citizens regard their neighborhood and their city, and in turn, the extent to which citizens see their local institutions as responsive and reliable (Skogan, 2006). Effective and sustainable governance, especially when it comes to public safety, depends on the capacity of the institutions of criminal justice to provide “value” that leverages legitimacy and cooperation among its citizens (Moore et al., 2002; Skogan and Frydl, 2004; Tyler and Fagan, 2008; Tyler, 2010).
Posttranscriptional Regulation of the Inflammatory Marker C-Reactive Protein by the RNA-Binding Protein HuR and MicroRNA 637

C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase plasma protein, is a major component of inflammatory reactions functioning as a mediator of innate immunity. It has been widely used as a validated clinical biomarker of the inflammatory state in trauma, infection, and age-associated chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite this, the molecular mechanisms that regulate CRP expression are not well understood. Given that the CRP 3' untranslated region (UTR) is long and AU rich, we hypothesized that CRP may be regulated posttranscriptionally by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and by microRNAs. Here, we found that the RBP HuR bound directly to the CRP 3' UTR and affected CRP mRNA levels. Through this interaction, HuR selectively increased CRP mRNA stability and promoted CRP translation. Interestingly, treatment with the age-associated inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) increased binding of HuR to CRP mRNA, and conversely, HuR was required for IL-6-mediated upregulation of CRP expression. In addition, we identified microRNA 637 (miR-637) as a microRNA that potently inhibited CRP expression in competition with HuR. Taken together, we have uncovered an important posttranscriptional mechanism that modulates the expression of the inflammatory marker CRP, which may be utilized in the development of treatments for inflammatory processes that cause CVD and age-related diseases.
Preclinical Study of Treatment Response in HCT-116 Cells and Xenografts with 1H-decoupled 31P MRS

The topoisomerase I inhibitor, irinotecan, and its active metabolite SN-38 have been shown to induce G2/M cell cycle arrest without significant cell death in human colon carcinoma cells (HCT-116). Subsequent treatment of these G2/M-arrested cells with the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, flavopiridol, induced these cells to undergo apoptosis. The goal of this study was to develop a noninvasive metabolic biomarker for early tumor response and target inhibition of irinotecan followed by flavopiridol treatment in a longitudinal study. A total of eleven mice bearing HCT-116 xenografts were separated into two cohorts where one cohort was administered saline and the other treated with a sequential course of irinotecan followed by flavopiridol. Each mouse xenograft was longitudinally monitored with proton (1H)-decoupled phosphorus (31P) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) before and after treatment. A statistically significant decrease in phosphocholine (p = 0.0004) and inorganic phosphate (p = 0.0103) levels were observed in HCT-116 xenografts following treatment, which were evidenced within twenty-four hours of treatment completion. Also, a significant growth delay was found in treated xenografts. To discern the underlying mechanism for the treatment response of the xenografts, in vitro HCT-116 cell cultures were investigated with enzymatic assays, cell cycle analysis, and apoptotic assays. Flavopiridol had a direct effect on choline kinase as measured by a 67% reduction in the phosphorylation of choline to phosphocholine. Cells treated with SN-38 alone underwent 83 ± 5% G2/M cell cycle arrest compared to untreated cells. In cells, flavopiridol alone induced 5 ± 1% apoptosis while the sequential treatment (SN-38 then flavopiridol) resulted in 39 ± 10% apoptosis. In vivo1H-decoupled 31P MRS indirectly measures choline kinase activity. The decrease in phosphocholine may be a potential indicator of early tumor response to the sequential treatment of irinotecan followed by flavopiridol in noninvasive and/or longitudinal studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cerebral cortex responds rapidly to thyroid hormones

In rats subjected to thyroidectomy there was a two- to fourfold increase in cerebral cortex iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase activity within 24 hours. This increase was prevented by thyroxine replacement. The increased cortical 5'-deiodinase in chronically hypothyroid rats was normalized within 4 hours by a single intravenous injection of triiodothyronine. These results indicate that the adult central nervous system can give a very rapid biochemical response to thyroid hormone.
Wear of single crystal silicon as a function of surface roughness

Abstract With increasing activities on micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) type microactuators, there is a growing need in understanding the tribological properties of silicon, the most commonly used wafer material for those devices. In particular, it is of interest if single crystal silicon used in microactuators exposed to rather low vertical loads is subject to wear. Therefore, wear tests using monocrystalline silicon on both sides of the tribological interface were conducted. A classic way to measure wear on sliders in contact with a tape or a rotating disk is to create an imprint using a Berkovich diamond tip mounted on a picoindenter. However, in our case we used a different approach. We created three studs on a slider’s surface by recessing the material outside the studs through an ion milling process. During the wear tests, the studs wore off. By measuring the remaining stud height, the wear volume could be determined at any point in time. The tests were performed on a pin on disk tester with a gimbaled slider to realize a flat on flat contact and a rather low normal force of 30 mN.
Modelling the effect of purchase quantity on consumer choice of product assortment

The authors develop a model to predict consumer selection of product assortment and its relationship to category purchase quantity. Brand and variety choice decisions are modelled with a nested logit. A shopper's vector of choice probabilities—and hence likely assortment selection—directly depends on his or her purchase quantity. The purchase quantity decision is modelled with a Poisson regression which is, in turn, integrated with the nested logit. The full model permits investigators to assess the impact that quantity—and the marketing activity that affects it—has on the assortment of items chosen at the point of purchase. It should provide a decision aid for both manufacturers and retailers seeking to understand and forecast demand for item assortment. The authors illustrate their modelling approach with scanner panel data for yogurt. The results show that panellists' assortment selection is significantly related to purchase quantity, but the overall magnitude of the effect is small when compared to other factors that predict item sales. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison between a second and a third generation parathyroid hormone assay in hemodialysis patients.

Abstract Objective Third generation parathyroid hormone (PTH) assays are new generation assays that do not recognize the PTH7–84 fragment whereas second generation assays detect both PTH1–84 and PTH7–84 fragments. Despite the excellent correlation between both assays in chronic renal failure (CRF) subjects, the mean PTH levels are typically 50% lower with the third compared to the second generation assays. The assessment of third generation PTH assays has not been extensively studied in hemodialysis subjects. The purpose of our study was to compare a third generation PTH assay to a second generation one in a population of hemodialysis subjects. Materials and methods 92 haemodialysis subjects (36 women and 56 men) with a mean age of 67±12.9 years were included in this study. Anthropometric and clinical parameters (Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure) were measured. Second and third generation PTH assays (Cis biomedical and Diasorin respectively) were performed in each subject. In addition, the following biochemical tests were measured: 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-(OH)D), 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D (1,25-(OH)2D), crosslaps and alkaline phosphatase. Results The mean second and third generation PTHs are respectively 211±205 pg/ml and 151±164 pg/ml. The mean third generation PTH values are 28.4% lower compared to the second generation ones. Both methods are strongly correlated (r = 0.923, p Conclusion Our results show that both second and third generation PTH methods are strongly correlated in hemodialysis patients mainly when PTH values are low. However, the difference between both methods increases when PTH values are high. More research is needed to establish which method is the gold standard when PTH values are high.
Underrepresentation of underrepresented minorities in academic medicine: the need to enhance the pipeline and the pipe.

The number of underrepresented minorities (URMs; black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander) among US medical school faculty is markedly low when compared with their respective percent representation of the US population. Women URMs are doubly underrepresented, particularly as the academic rank advances from the instructor to the professor level, and gender discrepancies occur more prominently among white female faculty. Although the percent of white faculty has decreased over the past 5 years, the low percentage of black and Hispanic faculty has not changed proportionately. Furthermore, the 2008–2009 pipeline of URM trainees is unlikely to reverse the current trends. Several measures are suggested for consideration by medical schools and the National Institutes of Health, and recommendations that URM faculty and students may wish to consider are also discussed. The major issues to address include increasing the pipeline of predoctoral URMs, promoting the success and retention of junior URM faculty, enhancing the support of senior URM faculty to serve as needed mentors, and building a pool of URM and non-URM mentors for URM trainees. Therefore, issues pertaining to both the pipeline and the pipe need to be overcome.
Theatre History and Historiography: A Disciplinary Mandate

Historical scholarship, despite the many changes in methodologies and models over the years, is one of the abiding missions of the discipline of theatre studies: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Yesterday, as is well known, Theaterwissenschaft was the foundational methodology for scholarship and doctoral education. Today, of course, our approaches to theatre history encompass several dozen research methodologies and analytical models. And tomorrow? Will cultural, social, political, and intellectual histories still provide a reliable foundation? Or will we develop fields of investigation and modes of analysis that draw upon new ideas in psychology, neuroscience, and biology? One thing is clear: our methods and models will continue to change.
Method for performance analysis and optimization of APD optical receivers operating under dynamic reverse bias

We report a method for performance optimization of optical receivers using avalanche photodiodes operating under dynamic reverse bias, a novel theory developed to improve APD performance.
Comparisons of USDA UV shadow-band irradiance measurements with TOMS satellite and DISORT model retrievels under all sky conditions

Comparisons of UV irradiances measured by the USDA UVB Monitoring and Research Network at 305 and 368 nm with retrievals from the NASA TOMS and a multiple scattering radiative transfer code were made for an 18-month period from January 1, 2000 through May 31, 2001 for Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA (32.6 degree(s)N, 106.7 degree(s)W, 1317 m elevation) and Billings, Oklahoma, USA (36.6 degree(s)N, 97.5 degree(s)W, 317 m elevation). Agreement is generally within +/- 12% for all sky conditions and 8% for clear skies. The effects of aerosols is mostly less than 5%, consistent with the measured aerosol optical depths at 368 nm within the range of 0.05 and 0.25.
Jiternice and Kolache: Food and Identity in Wilson, Kansas

A small town in north-central Kansas uses its ethnically Czech heritage, especially traditionally Czech food products, as a way to maintain personal and social identity and to encourage heritage tourism as a means of economic development. Wilson, Kansas, is a town with a significant proportion of its population that is ethnically Czech. The town is attempting to use this ethnic background and its historical nature to deal with economic and demographic problems caused by its location away from major transportation infrastructures and lack of large-scale employers. The residents are using elements of Czech ethnicity and historical identity to create useful social and personal identities in the face of the challenges created by their unique situation. We focus on the primary areas of the food served at the After-Harvest Czech Festival, the Midland Hotel, analysis of local cookbooks featuring Czech cooking, and changing meal patterns among local residents in order to examine the nature of the changing identity of the residents and the town. The four areas examined show the difference between the ways that ethnicity is performed in the public and private space and the way in which the Midland Hotel functions as a metaphor for the larger changes that are affecting the community.
A. System To Recognize Objects In 3-D Images

We are developing a system to recognize objects portrayed in 3-D images. Currently the system Is implemented as a C programming environment: a control program, a suite of generally useful subroutines, and a shared data structure. An application is constructed by writing one or more procedural models for finding a specific object In an image. In operation, the system is initialized by a supervisor module which later provides certain facilities to each of the procedural models. Initialization consists of filtering the 8 bit z(x,y) image, segmenting it into smooth patches, and recording various properties of those patches in a "scene graph". Each procedural model then examines the scene graph and either Identifies the object of interest or rejects the entire image. Each model includes a program of operations to acquire such decisive information. Currently, the environment supports subroutines that 1. analytically fit and classify a specified patch, 2. merge two or more patches (or unmerge some previously blended patches), 3. "defuzz" some patch by directing the absorption of small neighboring patches according to a specified criterion, 4. resegment a portion of the image in some special way, 5. construct 'and process lists of patches ordered by location, cardinality, area, or shape criteria.
Key factors in patient-centered care coordination in ambulatory care: Nurse care coordinators' perspectives

Abstract Background Care coordination within Health Care Homes (HCHs) is an evolving registered nurse role. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing nurse care coordination. Aims The aims are to 1) describe the characteristics of patients perceived by nurse care coordinators (NCCs) to benefit from care coordination and to 2) describe interventions judged by NCCs to be most effective in caring for patients with complex chronic care needs. Methods This study was an analysis of existing data using a qualitative descriptive design. Experienced NCCs from various practice settings participated in a focus group. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Findings indicate the importance of the cumulative impact of complex health problems, limited social support, culture and language on patients needing care coordination. Effective interventions are focused on providing holistic, relationship-based care. Conclusion The identification of contextual factors juxtaposed to complex chronic health conditions holds promise as a powerful indicator of individuals needing targeted, individualized interventions.
Maximum-likelihood differential detection of uncoded and trellis coded amplitude phase modulation over AWGN and fading channels/spl minus/metrics and performance

This paper derives metrics for maximum-likelihood differential detection of uncoded and trellis coded MPSK and QAM transmitted over Rayleigh and Rician fading channels. Receiver structures based on these metrics are proposed and their error probability performance analyzed and/or simulated. The results represent a generalization of the notion of multiple symbol differential detection, previously introduced by the authors for MPSK over an AWGN, to the fading channel and other modulations. For the coded cases, ideal interleaving/deinterleaving is assumed and furthermore the presence or absence of channel state information. An interesting side result is that for a constant envelope modulation transmitted over a fading channel with unknown but rapidly-varying phase error (the other extreme to the slowly-varying phase error case normally assumed for differential detection), under certain practical assumptions, it is shown that the optimum receiver is of the limiter-discriminator type. >
A novelty effect in phonetic drift of the native language

Abstract Previous findings on adult second-language (L2) learners showed systematic phonetic changes in their production of the native language (L1) starting in the first weeks of L2 learning [Chang, C. B. (2012). Rapid and multifaceted effects of second-language learning on first-language speech production. Journal of Phonetics, 40 , 249–268]. This “phonetic drift” of L1 production in novice L2 learners was consistent with reports of phonetic drift in advanced L2 learners; however, the fact that novice learners showed relatively pronounced drift was unexpected. To explore the hypothesis that this pattern is due to a novelty effect boosting the encoding and retrieval of elementary L2 experience, the current study compared the inexperienced learners analyzed previously (learners with no prior knowledge of the L2) to experienced learners enrolled in the same language program. In accordance with the hypothesis, experienced learners manifested less phonetic drift in their production of L1 stops and vowels than inexperienced learners, suggesting that progressive familiarization with an L2 leads to reduced phonetic drift at later stages of L2 experience. These findings contradict the assumption that L2 influence on the L1 is weakest at early stages of L2 learning and argue in favor of viewing the L1 and L2 both as dynamic systems undergoing continuous change.
Laser spectroscopy for totally non-intrusive detection of oxygen in modified atmosphere food packages

A device for measuring the oxygen concentration inside packages in modified atmosphere working in a completely non-intrusive way has been developed and tested. The device uses tunable diode laser spectroscopy in a geometry similar to a short distance LIDAR: A laser beam is sent through the top film of a food package, and the absorption is measured by detecting the light scattered by the bottom of the container or by a portion of the food herein contained. The device can operate completely in a contactless way from the package, and the distances of absorption both outside and inside the package are measured with a triangulation system. The performances of the device have been tested for various types of containers, and absolute values for the oxygen concentration have been compared with standard albeit destructive measurements.
Low-complexity scheduling for wireless networks

Designing efficient scheduling and power control algorithms for distributed wireless communication has been a challenging issue, especially in the physical interference model based on SINR constraints. In this paper, we discuss the first local distributed scheduling and power control algorithm in the SINR model that achieves an O(g(L)) approximation factor of the rate region, where O(g(L)) denotes the link diversity. As an intermediate step, we develop a scheduling algorithm in a k-hop interference model, which is used in the analysis of the more general model. Our algorithms are based on random-access and use local queue size information. Exchanging queue size information is challenging, and the complexity of this step is often ignored in prior local distributed algorithms. A novel aspect of our paper is the use of stale and infrequently updated queue size info, which significantly improves the complexity of our algorithms.
Getting personal while narrating the 'field': a researcher's journey to the villages of the Narmada valley

In this article, I discuss my experiences, dilemmas and emotions following my field surveys conducted in the rehabilitated villages of Sardar Sarovar. The Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is a multi-purpose river valley project that has dislocated thousands of Adivasis and non-Adivasis from their traditional lands. I have used the narrative method to research and gain insights into the lifestyle changes of the Adivasis displaced by the SSP. Accordingly, I reflect critically on the negotiation of ethics and insider–outsider status in international field research and pay close attention to the importance of reflexivity, positionality and power struggles.
The duality of juvenile justice in the United States: History, trends, and prospects

Juvenile justice in America was formulated from the dual philosophies of punishment and treatment. The duality is still evident and is manifested in both increased legalization of the juvenile court and the use of diversion from the court. The punitive societal attitude toward juveniles, now prevalent, is predicted to change, partly in response to an expected decline in delinquency over the next several years and to a public awareness of the economic costs of a punitive policy. Generally, moreover, the system and societal response are seen as gradually moving in the direction of treatment for juvenile delinquency.