cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Day Among the Diehard Terrorists: The Psychological Costs of Doing Ethnographic Research

This article describes the experience of a sociologist who made contact with a group of diehard terrorists responsible for multiple murders in order to conduct an ethnographic study. After outlining the sociological profile of the diehard terrorists, the author—making reference to the ethnographic studies of Jack Douglas, Martin Sanchez Jankowski, and Laud Humphreys—describes how he followed their traces. The aim of the article is to analyze the psychological costs that the sociologist must pay when he interacts with men and women who, in addition to proudly claiming credit for the homicides they have committed, affirm the importance of continuing to kill in order to salvage humanity's future.
Kaon flow in heavy ion collisions

Using transport models that include explicitly the kaon degree of freedom, we have studied kaon flow, i.e., the average kaon transverse momentum as a function of rapidity, and the associated flow parameter in heavy ion collisions at both SIS and AGS energies. It is found that the pattern of kaon flow in heavy ion collisions is sensitive to the kaon potential used in the model and thus provides a useful means for studying the kaon properties in nuclear medium.
Call detection and extraction using Bayesian inference

Marine mammal vocalizations have always presented an intriguing topic for researchers not only because they provide an insight on their interaction, but also because they are a way for scientists to extract information on their location, number and various other parameters needed for their monitoring and tracking. In the past years field researchers have used submersible microphones to record underwater sounds in the hopes of being able to understand and label marine life. One of the emerging problems for both on site and off site researchers is the ability to detect and extract marine mammal vocalizations automatically and in real time given the copious amounts of existing recordings. In this paper, we focus on signal types that have a well-defined single frequency maxima and offer a method based on Sine wave modeling and Bayesian inference that will automatically detect and extract such possible vocalizations belonging to marine mammals while minimizing human interference. The procedure presented in this paper is based on global characteristics of these calls thus rendering it a species independent call detector/extractor.
Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: A Naturalistic 12-Month Follow-up

A unique intervention combining mindfulness meditation with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to have acute benefits at posttreatment in an open label study. The aim of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of this integrated intervention on measures of sleep and sleep-related distress in an attempt to characterize the natural course of insomnia following this treatment and to identify predictors of poor long-term outcome. Analyses were conducted on 21 participants, who provided follow-up data at six and 12 months posttreatment. At each time point, participants completed one week of sleep and meditation diaries and questionnaires related to mindfulness, sleep, and sleep-related distress, including the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale, the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills, and the Insomnia Episode Questionnaire. Analyses examining the pattern of change across time (baseline, end of treatment, six months, and 12 months) revealed that several sleep-related benefits were maintained during the 12-month follow-up period. Participants who reported at least one insomnia episode (≥1 month) during the follow-up period had higher scores on the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale ( P P P
Multi-resolution state-space discretization for Q-Learning with pseudo-randomized discretization

A multi-resolution state-space discretization method with pseudo-random griding is developed for the episodic unsupervised learning method of Q-Learning. It is used as the learning agent for closed-loop control of morphing or highly reconfigurable systems. This paper develops a method whereby a state-space is adaptively discretized by progressively finer pseudo-random grids around the Regions Of Interest within the state or learning space in an effort to break the Curse of Dimensionality. Utility of the method is demonstrated with application to the problem of a morphing airfoil, which is simulated by a computationally intensive computational fluid dynamics model. By setting the multi-resolution method to define the Region Of Interest by the goal the agent seeks, it is shown that this method with the pseudo-random grid can learn a specific goal within ±0.001, while reducing the total number of state-action pairs needed to achieve this level of specificity to less than 3000.
Loss of NKX3.1 Favors Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C Expression in Prostate Cancer

Decreased levels of the prostate-specific homeobox protein NKX3.1 are correlated with hormone-refractory and metastatic prostate cancer. Thus, it is compelling to define the NKX3.1-regulated genes that may be important for the progression of the advanced stage of the disease. In this study, we showed that vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is one such target gene of NKX3.1. NKX3.1 inhibited VEGF-C expression in prostate cancer, and the loss of NKX3.1 led to increased VEGF-C expression. Histone deacetylase 1 acted as a corepressor of VEGF-C expression along with NKX3.1. Activated RalA acted in synergy with the loss of NKX3.1 for VEGF-C transcription. Patients with deletions at chromosome 8p21.1-p21.2 as a sole deletion developed lymph node metastasis. Interestingly, the higher expression of VEGF-C in prostate cancer is also correlated with lymph node metastasis. Therefore, regulation of VEGF-C expression by NKX3.1 provides a possible mechanism by which the loss of NKX3.1 protein level leads to lymphangiogenesis in the late stages of advanced prostate cancer.
Transmembrane Domain Sequence Requirements for Activation of the p185c-neu Receptor Tyrosine Kinase

The receptor tyrosine kinase p185c-neu can be constitutively activated by the transmembrane domain mutation Val664→ Glu, found in the oncogenic mutant p185neu. This mutation is predicted to allow intermolecular hydrogen bonding and receptor dimerization. Understanding the activation of p185c-neu has assumed greater relevance with the recent observation that achondroplasia, the most common genetic form of human dwarfism, is caused by a similar transmembrane domain mutation that activates fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 3. We have isolated novel transforming derivatives of p185c-neu using a large pool of degenerate oligonucleotides encoding variants of the transmembrane domain. Several of the transforming isolates identified were unusual in that they lacked a Glu at residue 664, and others were unique in that they contained multiple Glu residues within the transmembrane domain. The Glu residues in the transforming isolates often exhibited a spacing of seven residues or occurred in positions likely to represent the helical interface. However, the distinction between the sequences of the transforming clones and the nontransforming clones did not suggest clear rules for predicting which specific sequences would result in receptor activation and transformation. To investigate these requirements further, entirely novel transmembrane sequences were constructed based on tandem repeats of simple heptad sequences. Activation was achieved by transmembrane sequences such as [VVVEVVA]n or [VVVEVVV]n, whereas activation was not achieved by a transmembrane domain consisting only of Val residues. In the context of these transmembrane domains, Glu or Gln were equally activating, while Lys, Ser, and Asp were not. Using transmembrane domains with two Glu residues, the spacing between these was systematically varied from two to eight residues, with only the heptad spacing resulting in receptor activation. These results are discussed in the context of activating mutations in the transmembrane domain of FGFR3 that are responsible for the human developmental syndromes achondroplasia and acanthosis nigricans with Crouzon Syndrome.
Effect of restenosis at one previously dilated coronary site on the probability of restenosis at another previously dilated coronary site.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether in patients with 2 sites dilated by percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), the sites undergo restenosis independently. Although restenosis remains a critical limitation after PTCA, there is little information separating site- and patient-dependent determinants of restenosis. In particular, if patients with 2 sites dilated have restenosis at 0 or 2 sites more frequently and at 1 site less frequently than expected by random chance, then patient-related factors may be important in the restenosis process. The source of data was the clinical data base at Emory University. Patients who had previous coronary surgery or PTCA, and those who underwent PTCA in the setting of acute myocardial infarction were excluded. In all, 515 patients with 2 sites dilated undergoing angiographic restudy at 4 months to 1 year after PTCA formed the study population. Site 1 was the first site dilated. At site 1, 224 of 515 sites (45%) were restenotic, and at site 2, 193 (33%) were restenotic. Multiple clinical and angiographic variables were analyzed as possible correlates of restenosis. The most powerful univariate and multivariate correlate of restenosis at either site 1 or 2 was the behavior of the other site. If site 2 was patent, then site 1 was restenotic 28% of the time compared with 69% if site 2 was restenotic. If site 1 was patent, site 2 was restenotic 20% of the time compared with 60% if site 1 was restenotic. This relation was stronger if the 2 sites were in the same coronary artery. Thus, patients cluster with either 0 or 2 sites restenosed. The data support the importance of patient factors that may not have been identified as part of the cause of restenosis after PTCA.
Organ preservation for advanced laryngeal carcinoma

Background. Inclusion of patients with mobile vocal cords on larynx preservation trials may lead to overstate- ment of larynx preservation (LPR) and survival (OS) rates. Methods. This is a retrospective review of patients at our institution who would have been eligible for the Department of Veterans Affairs Laryngeal Cancer Study Group (VA) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/Head and Neck Intergroup (RTOG 91-11) clinical trials. No laryngeal conservation proce- dure could be performed in patients with mobile vocal cords. Results. One hundred one patients at our institution would have been eligible for the VA trial. The 2-year OS was 76% for total laryngectomy and 90% for radiotherapy patients (p ¼ .28) compared with 68% reported for the VA trial. Seventy-three patients at our institution would have been eligible for the RTOG 91-11 trial. The 5-year OS was 52% for total laryngectomy and 63% for radiotherapy patients (p ¼ .18) compared with 55% reported for the RTOG 91-11 trial. Radiotherapy patients had an LPR of 80% (VA trial) and 86% (RTOG 91-11 trial). Conclusion. It is unlikely that inclusion of patients with mobile vocal cords had a significant impact on OS or LPR for the VA and RTOG 91-11 larynx preservation trials. V V C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 28: 689-696, 2006
Fast Fashion In A Flat World: Global Sourcing Strategies

The following research offers a theoretical model for understanding sourcing decisions made by apparel retailers. The concept of fast fashion is explored by applying the model to Zara and Kohl’s. Factors influencing sourcing decisions are noted, and financial results of the retailers are compared. Finally, ideas for future research using the model are offered.
Diplomacia económica y balanza de pagos: los pactos Hispano-Estadounidenses de 1918

This paper studies the links between the evolution of Spain's balance of payments and Spanish-American economic diplomacy along 1917 and 1918. The development of these relations may be useful to explain a great deal about the downturn in Spanish foreign commerce during the last year of WWI. After their entrance into the conflict, the United States toughened their commercial policies and made the Spaniards work hard to keep both their international trade and the freedom of their merchant marine. Contacts between the two countries dealt also with the repatriation of Spain's foreign debt and the use of its extraordinary profits to make loans to the Allied nations. The negotiations ended up in March and August, 1918 with the signing of two bilateral agreements, whose consequences can be followed using the monthly figures of trade between America and the Iberian Peninsula.
The Text Encoding Initiative

This paper describes the goals and work of the Text Encoding Initiative, an international cooperative project to develop and disseminate guidelines for the encoding and interchange of electronic text for research purposes. It begins by outlining some basic problems which arise in the attempt to represent textual material in computers, and some problems which arise in the attempt to encourage the sharing and reuse of electronic textual resources. These problems provide the necessary background for a brief review of the origins and organization of the Text Encoding Initiative itself. Next, the paper describes the rationale for the the decision of the TEI to use the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) as the basis for its work. Finally, the work accomplished by the TEI is described in general terms, and some attempt made to clarify what the project has and has not accomplished.
THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS OF STRUCTURES AND VIBRATIONAL INFRARED FREQUENCIES. I. MERCAPTANS AND SULFIDES

Abstract We report the computed equilibrium geometries and vibrational infrared frequencies of a group of thirteen mercaptans and sulfides. The computations were based on the Gaussian 86 Program Package utilizing 3-21G basis sets. The theoretical bond distances and bond angles are in agreement with the available experimental data. The agreement between computed frequencies and available experimental values seems reasonable. We also used the computations as guidelines for the assignment of available experimental infrared frequencies. We believe that it is possible to make reliable frequency predictions by combining computations with available experimental data for groups of similar molecules. However, it is necessary to introduce different correction factors for different types of vibrational modes if we use 3-21G basis sets.
Feeder Space Requirements of Broiler Chickens

Abstract IN 1952 the American Feed Manufacturers Association released the following feeder space recommendations which have been widely adapted, recommended and used: one inch per chick from day old to three weeks of age, one and three-quarters inches per chick from three to seven weeks, and three inches per chick from seven to twelve weeks of age. Growth rates of broiler chickens have increased considerably since this time. This fact, combined with a dearth of earlier experimental data, has stimulated research on feeder space requirements during the past few years. Roberts (1956) conducted a series of experiments on feeder space while maintaining an all mash ration in the feeders at all times. He reported that chickens allowed 0.44 inch per chick of feeder space grew just as well as those allowed 2.31 inches per chick. Lanson (1956) found that chickens allotted 1.47 inches per chick of tube feeder grew just as …
Bacteremia in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Bacteremia in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has not been previously re ported, a fact probably attributable to activated systemic immunity in the pres ence of chronic bronchopulmonary infection. We have observed two CF pa tients under a year of age with documented bacteremia, and a teen-aged patient with autopsy evidence of premortem bacteremia. Organisms were Staphy lococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, having pre sumably spread from the lower respiratory tract in both patients. None of the patients had historical or laboratory evidence of immunodeficiency. The true incidence of bacteremia in CF patients is unknown, and the circumstances under which it occurs have not yet been defined.
An evaluation of the explicit finite-element method approach for modelling dense flows of discrete grains in a Couette shear cell

Granular flows are complex materials that are composed of discrete solid particles that can display gaseous, liquid, and/or solid behaviour under various conditions. Consequently, tribologists have studied them for their ability to carry loads and/or accommodate sliding surface velocities. Because of the highly non-linear behaviour of granular materials, their behaviour is difficult to predict. One new modelling approach that holds promise in simulating the behaviour of these particulate materials is the explicit finite-element method (FEM). The explicit FEM is a computational modelling approach capable of capturing dynamic, transient events, such as collisions and particle—particle interactions of grains in granular flows. This paper presents an explicit FEM simulation of a dense flow of steel particles in a rough gravity-free Couette shear cell with no externally applied load. Parametric tests of this cell are also carried out by varying the height of the shear cell and the types of known granular mater...
Testing Public Health Ethics: Why the CDC's HIV Screening Recommendations May Violate the Least Infringement Principle

The CDC's HIV screening recommendations for health care settings advocate abandoning two important autonomy protections: (1) pretest counseling and (2) the requirement that providers obtain affirmative agreement from patients prior to testing. The recommendations may violate the least infringement principle because there is insufficient evidence to conclude that abandoning pretest counseling or affirmative agreement requirements will further the CDC's stated public health goals.
Modeling Education as an Information Network

This paper explores the modeling of an education system as an information network. This perspective focuses on how instruction and learning rely upon the distribution of information between instructors and students. A case study involving five courses using an online learning management system is described. The objective of the case study was to parameterize and instantiate an information network by examining how students and instructors in a range of courses use the same learning management system. The potential uses of an information network are explored in three examples that focus on situations derived from the case study. This model provides a unique ability to examine the impact of educational technologies that can change the distribution of information in an education system. The proposed use of such a model is to aid course designers in identifying distribution mechanisms that will promote effective instruction and learning.
Designing a definitive trial for adjuvant targeted therapy in genotype defined lung cancer: the ALCHEMIST trials.

Genotype-directed targeted therapies have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but they have not yet been comprehensively studied in the adjuvant setting. Previous trials of adjuvant targeted therapy in unselected early stage NSCLC patients showed no benefit versus placebo, however retrospective data suggests improved disease free survival (DFS) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in patients with appropriate molecular alterations. A definitive prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of targeted therapies for NSCLC is needed to determine the efficacy of targeted therapy following surgical resection and standard adjuvant therapy. The principal challenges facing such a trial are (I) identification of actionable alterations in early stage patients; and (II) realization of sufficient enrollment to power definitive analyses. The ALCHEMIST trial (Adjuvant Lung Cancer Enrichment Marker Identification and Sequencing Trial) was designed to overcome these challenges. Using the national clinical trials network (NCTN) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), several thousand patients with operable NSCLC will undergo tumor genotyping for EGFR mutations or rearrangement of anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK ). Following resection and completion of standard adjuvant therapy, patients with EGFR -mutant NSCLC will be randomized to erlotinib versus placebo (1:1), those with ALK -rearranged NSCLC will be randomized to crizotinib versus placebo (1:1), while those not enrolled onto the adjuvant trials will continue to be followed on the screening trial. ALCHEMIST also provides for the collection of tissue at baseline and at recurrence (if available) to characterize mechanisms of recurrence and of resistance to targeted therapy. Thus, ALCHEMIST is a platform for validation of targeted therapy as part of curative care in NSCLC and creates an opportunity to advance our understanding of disease biology.
Immunohistochemical analysis of the neurotrophins BDNF and NT-3 and their receptors trk B, trk C, and p75 in the developing chick retina

The neurotrophins are trophic and mitogenic factors critical for the development of specific classes of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. In the retina, BDNF and NT-3 have been shown to promote the survival of differentiated ganglion cells (Rodriguez-Tebar et al., 1989; De La Rosa et al., 1994). NT-3 has also been demonstrated to support the survival of amacrine cells and facilitates the differentiation of retinal neurons in culture (De La Rosa et al., 1994). Here, we examine immunohistochemically the expression of BDNF and NT-3 proteins, their cognate receptors, trk B and trk C, respectively, and the p75 neurotrophin receptor in the developing chick retina. At E8, the earliest stage of retinal development examined, all of these proteins exhibit diffuse expression throughout the width of the retina, with the strongest reactivity in the innermost layers. A gradual restriction in expression to ganglion cells and amacrine cells, the staining of which is most prominent at E15, is followed by a downregulation of expression with the strongest immunoreactivity persisting in the ganglion cell layer. Overlapping patterns of expression throughout embryonic development indicate a colocalization of the neurotrophins and their receptors, although NT-3 and p75 alone are present in the inner plexiform layer and only p75 is observed in the outer plexiform layer. Although some of the immunoreactivity for BDNF, NT-3, and their receptors in retina may reflect trophic mechanisms operating in association with the optic tectum and isthmo-optic nucleus, the colocalization of ligands and receptors in retina strengthens the assertion that these neurotrophins function locally during development.
Hepatitis C Epidemiology

More than 170 million individuals in virtually every area of the world have hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV is most often transmitted by percutaneous exposure to blood. However, the predominant modes of transmission have changed over time and differ between and even within countries. Before economic development occurs, HCV may be transmitted through folk and traditional medical procedures and other percutaneous practices such as injection drug use, acupuncture, tattooing, and sharing razors. In economically developed countries, most new HCV infections are related to drug use, though blood transfused prior to HCY antibody screening has been an important source of infection. HCV may also be transmitted between sexual partners and from a mother to her infant, though this is uncommon.
Water decontamination of chemical skin/eye splashes: a critical review.

Skin/eye chemical splashes are a significant workplace problem. Initial water decontamination is usually recommended, but there are few well–conducted experimental animal and human studies of efficacy. An extensive review of the literature and other available information sources was performed to define the scope of the problem and critically review the evidence for water decontamination efficacy. Although water decontamination can decrease the severity of chemical skin/eye burns, it cannot completely prevent them. An ideal replacement decontamination solution would be sterile, nontoxic, chelating, polyvalent, amphoteric, and slightly hypertonic to retard skin or corneal penetration of the chemical.
First Report of Leaf Spot on Switchgrass Caused by Pithomyces chartarum in the United States.

There are few reports on diseases of switchgrass. In November 2009, light brown to white bleached spots (1 to 2 × 3 to 4 μm) were observed on ‘Alamo’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) grown in a growth chamber in Knoxville, TN, from surface-disinfested seed produced in Colorado. Symptomatic leaf tissue was surface sterilized, air dried, and plated on 2% water agar (WA) amended with 6.9 mg fenpropathrin/liter (Danitol 2.4 EC, Valent Chemical, Walnut Creek, CA) and 10 mg/liter rifampicin (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO). Plates were incubated at 26°C in the dark for 5 days. A sporulating, dematiaceous, mitosporic fungus was observed and transferred to potato dextrose agar. Colonies were white to gray, with brown as conidia increased. Conidia ranged in size from 10 to 22.5 × 20 to 37.5 (average 15.2 × 26.5) μm. Conidia were golden to dark brown, broadly ellipsoidal, some pyriform, with one longitudinal septum and two to three transverse septa, sometimes constricted at the transverse septa. Based on microscopic...
Kinematic analysis of an appetitive food-handling behavior: the functional morphology of Syrian hamster cheek pouches.

Prodigious food hoarding in Syrian hamsters Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse is strongly linked to appetite and is made possible by large internal cheek pouches. We provide a functional analysis of the cheek pouch and its associated retractor muscle. Frame-by-frame analysis of videotaped pouch-filling behavior revealed multiple jaw cycles for each food item pouched and the use of more jaw cycles to pouch large food items (~2.5·g chow pellets) than small (corn kernels or sunflower seed with husks). These results stand in contrast to previously reported pouching kinematics in the externally pouched Dipodomys deserti, which uses only one jaw cycle per pouching event. Comparison of pouching and mastication in the same individuals also suggests that in Syrian hamsters, feeding jaw cycles are modulated to accommodate pouch filling primarily by the addition of a pause between fast open and fast close phases, which we call ‘gape phase’. Contrary to previous assertions, the retractor muscle does not merely provide structural support for the full pouch during locomotion. Video analysis of ten hamsters with unilaterally denervated retractor muscles and electrophysiological study of an anaesthetized subject confirmed that retractor muscle activity during pouch filling increases pouching efficiency for food items subsequent to the first.
Application of Compiler-Assisted Rollback Recovery to Speculative Execution Repair

Speculative execution is a method to increase instruction level parallelism which can be exploited by both super-scalar and VLIW architectures. The key to a successful general speculation strategy is a repair mechanism to handle mispredicted branches and accurate reporting of exceptions for speculated instructions. Multiple instruction rollback is a technique developed for recovery from transient processor failures. This paper investigates the applicability of a recently developed compiler-assisted multiple instruction rollback scheme to aid in speculative execution repair. Extensions to the compiler-assisted scheme to support branch and exception repair are presented along with performance measurements across ten application programs. Our results indicate that techniques used in compiler-assisted rollback recovery are effective for handling branch and exception repair in support of speculative execution.
Inconsistency between Salience and the Dynamics of Changes: The Information War on Wikipedia (Research Proposal)

Informational wars are not new phenomena. However, nowadays, with the increasing role of the Internet and the growth of networked sources that rely on collective intelligence, manipulation of the information online, especially in supposedly trustworthy sources, becomes of a special interest. Indeed, biased information that is uncritically believed may shift the individual incentives and let those who are responsible for the manipulation virtually affect the flow of the history. This proposal is for a paper that intends to investigate the conflicts and changes in the Wikipedia articles before their topic became salient as a result of a certain political event. The paper proposes that such changes may be suspected to be a part of the preparation of the public for the event
Cutaneous α-Synuclein Is a Biomarker of Parkinson Disease Severity (S37.002)

OBJECTIVE: To develop a biomarker for Parkinson disease. BACKGROUND: Parkinson disease is a multisystem neurodegenerative disease with deposition of α-synuclein in the central, peripheral and enteric nervous systems. The most prominent manifestations of Parkinson disease are due to central, motor system neurodegeneration but there is also widespread peripheral, autonomic and enteric nervous system degeneration with associated clinical features. DESIGN/METHODS: Twenty patients with Parkinson disease and 14 age and gender matched control subjects underwent examinations, autonomic testing and skin biopsies at the distal leg, distal thigh and proximal thigh. Skin biopsies were stained for PGP9.5, tyrosine hydroxylase, vasoactive intestinal peptide and α-synuclein. The density of intra-epidermal, sudomotor and pilomotor nerve fibers was calculated and the ratio of α-synuclein to nerve innervation (α-synuclein ratio). Results were compared to exam scores and autonomic function testing. RESULTS: Patients with Parkinson disease had a distal sensory and autonomic neuropathy characterized by loss of intra-epidermal and pilomotor fibers (P 0.01). Alpha-synuclein ratios were not increased within sensory nerve fibers. CONCLUSIONS: Alpha-synuclein ratios are elevated within sympathetic adrenergic and sympathetic cholinergic fibers, but not sensory fibers, of patients with Parkinson disease. Higher α-synuclein ratios are associated with greater autonomic dysfunction and more advanced Parkinson disease. These data suggest that the α-synuclein ratio may be a useful biomarker in patients with Parkinson disease. Supported by: NIH NINDS K23NS050209 (CHG) and the RJG Foundation (CHG). Disclosure: Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Freeman has received personal compensation for activities with Pfizer, Abbott, Depomed, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, and Chelsea Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Freeman has received personal compensation in an editorical capacity for Autonomic Neuroscience - Basic and Clinical and Clinical Journal of Pain. Dr. Gibbons has nothing to disclose.
Three-Phase 3D Reconstruction of a LiCoO2 Cathode via FIB-SEM Tomography.

Three-phase three-dimensional (3D) microstructural reconstructions of lithium-ion battery electrodes are critical input for 3D simulations of electrode lithiation/delithiation, which provide a detailed understanding of battery operation. In this report, 3D images of a LiCoO_2 electrode are achieved using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), with clear contrast among the three phases: LiCoO_2 particles, carbonaceous phases (carbon and binder) and the electrolyte space. The good contrast was achieved by utilizing an improved FIB-SEM sample preparation method that combined infiltration of the electrolyte space with a low-viscosity silicone resin and triple ion-beam polishing. Morphological parameters quantified include phase volume fraction, surface area, feature size distribution, connectivity, and tortuosity. Electrolyte tortuosity was determined using two different geometric calculations that were in good agreement. The electrolyte tortuosity distribution versus position within the electrode was found to be highly inhomogeneous; this will lead to inhomogeneous electrode lithiation/delithiation at high C-rates that could potentially cause battery degradation.
Internet resources for agriculture

Cet article presente les ressources Internet dans les differents domaines de l'agriculture. Les differents modes d'acces a ces informations sont presentes en fonction du domaine concerne
Metal optics: Visible light from inelastic tunnelling

Electrically driven antennas are ubiquitous at radio frequencies, but frequency generators cannot reach optical frequencies. Quantum shot noise from inelastic tunnelling may provide the solution.
A Proposal—Research and Training in Foreign Agricultural Development

N RECENT YEARS many of the United States college departments of agricultural economics have had staff members involved in foreign agricultural activities. While AID-University contracts may have been the most common form, other kinds of organizational or individual arrangements have been made, too. The growth of these programs has been almost haphazard and there seems to have been a feeling that this was an emergency activity and that soon we could return to the comfortable routine of our conventional research-teaching-extension work in the home state. It now seems clear that United States colleges of agriculture can look forward to a permanent concern with the problems of the world's agriculture, and that the departments of agricultural economics will be heavily involved. Experience thus far suggests many segments of the pattern for future activities, but it poses some problems also. How can we carry on the research needed to either buttress our program efforts overseas or to guide our own national policy making? How can we give foreign students the research experience they need? How can we open the door to foreign agricultural development work to the smaller departments? The proposal outlined here is aimed at these problems.' The essential ingredient in the proposal is one interested and competent faculty member who could commit at least half his time to a research-training project. The proposed activity is intended to be compatible with the normal teaching load of a senior staff member, preferably one with some overseas experience who wants to maintain a professional interest in agricultural development. It need not involve the staff member taking residence abroad, but would provide valuable foreign experience, and it would permit the conduct of some badly needed research. The activity would also provide a developing country with a small core of trained, experienced agricultural economists for employment as college teachers, researchers or government administrators.2 A second necessary ingredient, of course, is money. On a pilot-operation basis it would seem worthwhile for initial support to come from one
Influence of early malnutrition on drug metabolism and effect

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were raised in litters of 10 (controls, C) and 18 (malnourished, M) until 21 days of age (weaning). Total body and liver weights were decreased by 30% in the M group. As a consequence liver weight remained at the same percentage of body weight (4.89 ± 0.1) as in the controls (4.75 ± 0.2). The microsomal components of the electron transport chain for oxidative pathways were similar in both groups. Metabolism for several different oxidative substrates (aminopyrine, aniline, and benzpyrene) was increased significantly in liver homogenates in the M group. Since drug metabolism is the most important determinant of drug effect, hexobarbital was used in correlative in vivo studies. The duration of sleep (the major action of hexobarbital) was surprisingly longer in the M animals (160 ± 9 minutes) than in the controls (112 ± 6 minutes) at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Since hexobarbital metabolism was not decreased in the M group these findings strongly suggest that brain sensitivity is altered. This may have important consequences for drug usage in malnourished children.
Susceptibility of Conventional and Germfree Mice to Lethal Effects of Endotoxin

SummaryGermfree mice of the NIH and Lobund strains, as well as specific pathogen-free mice, are significantly more resistant to the lethal effect of endotoxin, derived from E. coli strains indigenous to the mouse, than conventional mice of the same genetic stock. Conventional NIH mice were generally more susceptible to E. coli endotoxin than conventional Lobund mice. The NIH conventional mice harbored 10–100 times more coliform bacteria in their intestinal contents than the Lobund conventional mice. Differences in the gram-positive flora were also noted. Whereas conventionalization of germfree mice or SPF mice enhanced their susceptibility to endotoxin, contamination of germfree mice or SPF mice with single strains of E. coli failed to increase susceptibility to endotoxin.
Layer-by-Layer Processing and Optical Properties of Core/Alloy Nanostructures

A novel hydrothermal layer-by-layer processing method for the fabrication of core/alloy nanoparticles with highly tunable surface plasmon resonance is described. For a model system of Au/AuxAg1−x, the processing temperature, alloy composition, and alloy thickness resulted in unique and tailorable plasmonic signatures. The discrete dipole approximation and selective alloy etching were used to correlate this optical response with the particle morphology and alloy phase ultrastructure.
The ethics of African American religious scholarship

L'objectif de l'A. est triple: analyser le combat ardu des Noirs americains pour l'acces a l'education euro-americaine, clarifier les valeurs morales presentes dans les etudes religieuses noires americaines, degager la production d'une nouvelle connaissance par les Noirs americains au cours de la seconde moitie du XX e siecle. On constate une unite autour de la condamnation du racisme et du sexisme, l'accent mis sur les experiences des Noirs comme la souffrance, la resistance et l'espoir comme fondement de leur theologie et de leur sagesse ethique
Effects of Palmitoylethanolamide on Aqueous Humor Outflow

PURPOSE. To study the effects of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a fatty acid ethanolamide, on aqueous humor outflow facility. METHODS. The effects of PEA on outflow facility were measured using a porcine anterior segment‐perfused organ culture model. The involvements of different receptors in PEA-induced changes were investigated using receptor antagonists and adenovirus delivered small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs). PEAinduced activation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was determined by Western blot analysis using an antiphospho p42/44 MAPK antibody. RESULTS. PEA caused a concentration-dependent enhancement of outflow facility, with the maximum effect (151.08 6 11.12% of basal outflow facility) achieved at 30 nM of PEA. Pretreatment of anterior segments with 1 lM cannabinoid receptor 2 antagonist SR144528 and 1 l MP PARa antagonist GW6471, but not 1 lM cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist SR141716A, produced a partial antagonism on the PEA-induced increase of outflow facility. Treatment of TM cells with PEA for 10 minutes activated phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK, which was blocked by pretreatment with SR1444528 and GW6471, but not SR141716A. Knocking down the expression of either GPR55 or PPARa receptors with specific shRNAs for these receptors partially blocked PEA-induced increase in outflow facility and abolished PEA-induced phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK. PD98059, an inhibitor of the p42/44 MAPK pathway, blocked both PEA-induced enhancement of aqueous humor outflow facility and PEA-induced phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK. CONCLUSIONS. Our results demonstrate that PEA increases aqueous humor outflow through the TM pathway and these effects are mediated by GPR55 and PPARa receptors through activation of p42/44 MAPK. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012; 53:4416‐4425) DOI:10.1167/iovs.11-9294
Spin fluctuations, Fermi surface hotspots and nesting in PuCoGa 5

Surprisingly little is known about the mechanism and symmetry of superconducting pairing in PuCoGa 5 . A common thread with other unconventional superconductors is the presence of spin fluctuations in the normal state, which in this particular case is controlled by strong spin–orbit coupling split bands. The many and anisotropic Fermi surfaces make the guessing of the potential spin-fluctuation nesting vector and resulting symmetry of the pairing function a nontrivial task. To provide much needed guidance for the identification of the pairing symmetry in this multiband superconductor, we perform first-principles based magnetic spin susceptibility calculations to identify the dominant nesting vectors that potentially give rise to interband pairing with nodal d- or s ± -wave gap functions.
Analysis of Monitoring Data of Personal Dosage from Occupational Radiation Exposure from 2004 to 2007 in Bengbu City

Objective To recognize the dynamic dose of individual external exposure for radiological workers in Bengbu city.Methods Individual exposed dose for radiological workers in Bengbu from 2004 to 2007 were measured with thermoluminescent method and statistical analyses was made by Excel,such as the use of computer programs in the region of personal data at the annual dose.Results Individual average effective dose was 2.321 mSv/a;87.28% of radiological workers dose was less than 5mSv/a.The average annual per capita effective dose of Industrial X-ray Inspection staff during four years was the highest of all which was 2.617mSv/a.The number of medical X-ray diagnostic radiology staff accounted for 80%.Per capita annual dose in townships and county-level hospitals was higher than that of the provincial and municipal hospitals,and differences were significant.Conclusion Working environment of most of the radiation workers was safe in Bengbu City.It is necessary to supervise and monitor the hospitals in countryside and Protection of industrial X-ray Inspection should be reinforced.
Cyclical mechanical stretching increases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Background and Purpose: Mechanical forces have profound effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The mechanism by which mechanical stimuli regulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and regulation has yet to be elucidated. We investigated the effect of cyclical mechanical stretching on regulation of the VEGF gene in VSMCs. Materials and Methods: Cultured rat VSMCs grown on a flexible membrane base were stretched by applying a vacuum at 60 cycles/minute. VEGF concentration in the cultured media was determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. VEGF gene expression was determined by Western blot and Northern blot. The location of VEGF in the VSMC was studied immunohistochemically. Chimeric constructs of the VEGF promoter were deleted and the promoter activity was determined by luciferase activity. Results: VEGF concentration increased by 21 to 32% as early as 10 minutes after stretching and remained at this level for up to 12 hours. The concentration of VEGF reached a maximum of 2.8-fold over that in control cells by 2 hours after stretching and declined slightly thereafter. The amount of VEGF mRNA in stretched cells increased as early as 1 hour after stretching, reached a maximum of 3.2-fold over the amount in control cells by 2 hours, and remained at this level for up to 6 hours after stretching. Immunohistochemical study confirmed increased VEGF expression in VSMCs after stretching. Stretched cells transfected with a Sac-Nhe fragment showed only 46% of the luciferase activity of unstretched control cells. However, stretched cells transfected with chimeric plasmids containing a Spe-Nhe fragment showed 2.8-fold luciferase activity over that in control cells. Conclusions: Cyclical mechanical stretching upregulates expression of the VEGF gene in VSMCs at the transcription level. The VEGF 5'-flanking region contains a negative stretch-response element located in the 0.4-kb Sac-Pst fragment and a positive stretch-response element located in the 0.6-kb Spe-Sac fragment.
Hepatotoxicity due to red bush tea consumption: a case report

Many conventional drugs used today, including isoniazid, dapsone, and acetaminophen, are well recognized culprits of hepatotoxicity. With increasing use of complementary and alternative medical therapies, several herbal medicines, such as Ma-Huang, kava, and chaparral leaf, have been implicated as hepatotoxins. Hepatotoxicity may be the most frequent adverse reaction to these herbal remedies when taken in excessive quantities. A myriad of liver dysfunctions may occur including transient liver enzyme abnormalities due to acute and chronic hepatitis. These herbal products are often overlooked as the causal etiologic agent during the evaluation of a patient with elevated liver function tests. We describe a case of hepatotoxicity due to ingestion of red bush tea diagnosed during preoperative assessment of a patient scheduled for laparoscopic appendectomy. Elevated liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia detected in the patient's laboratory work up confounded the initial diagnosis of acute appendicitis and additional investigations were required to rule out cholecystitis and other causes of hepatitis. Open appendectomy was done uneventfully under spinal anesthesia without any further deterioration of hepatic function.
Anemia in preschool children in the United States of America.

Extract: Hematocrit values were determined for nearly 7000 preschool children from low socio-economic backgrounds in five cities of the United States: Gainesville, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville and Augusta. The mean hematocrit for the entire group was 36.32 % ± 2.8%. Although severe anemia was unusual, the incidence of significant anemia (hematocrit < 31 %) showed considerable variation from city to city, ranging from 0.6 to 7.7 % and was unaffected by iron supplementation.
Theophylline-Induced Infantile Spasms

Infantile spasms and hypsarrhythmia developed in a 6-month-old infant with asthma after 3 days treatment with theophylline at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Northern Ireland.
Functional carbon nanodots for multiscale imaging and therapy

As an emerging class of carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) have garnered many researchers' interests in the past decade due to their excellent biocompatibility, replete surface functional groups, water dispersibility, and unique photoluminescence. These extraordinary properties have opened new avenues for their advanced application in cell labeling, bioimaging, drug delivery, sensors, and energy-related devices. In this paper, we critically review recent advances in the synthetic strategies and the application of CDs for biological purposes, specifically, imaging and therapy. Finally, a perspective has been given on the potential challenges facing the translation of these materials from the bench to the market. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2017, 9:e1436. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1436 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.