cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sertraline treatment of panic disorder: results of a long-term study.

Rapaport MH, Wolkow R, Rubin A, Hackett E, Pollack M. Ota KY. Sertraline treatment of panic disorder: results of a long-term study. Objective: To investigate the long-term efficacy, prevention of relapse and safety of sertraline in the treatment of panic disorder. Method: This study consisted of 52 weeks of open-label sertraline treatment (n = 398) followed by a 28 weeks of a double-blind, placebo-controlled discontinuation trial (n = 183). Results: Ninety-three patients were randomized to sertraline and 90 were randomized to placebo. Discontinuation due to insufficient clinical response occurred in 23.6% of placebo-treated patients and 12.0% of sertraline-treated patients (log-rank test, P = 0.040). Thirty-three per cent of placebo-treated patients had an exacerbation of panic symptomatology, versus 13% of sertraline-treated patients (log-rank test, P = 0.005). Abrupt cessation of sertraline resulted in dizziness (4.3% sertraline vs. 16.9% placebo; P = 0.007) and insomnia (4.3% sertraline vs. 15.7% placebo; P = 0.013) occurring at significantly higher rates. Conclusion: Long-term sertraline treatment was effective in preventing relapse of panic disorder, well tolerated and associated with minimal discontinuation symptoms.
Management of Type III Error in Problem Identification

Beneath the seemingly determinate and sophisticated tools of problem solving lies the often ignored type III error---solving the wrong problem. The sources of this error are diverse and often difficult to identify. The practicing manager should be aware of the major sources of type III errors and what strategies will minimize such errors.
Minimally invasive management of post-operative chylous ascites

No. 512 Pharmacomechanical recanalization of caval thrombosis in patients with vena cava filter associated phlegmasia cerulea dolens R. Florek, E.K. Lang, Dr, R. Batson, F. Alessi, E. LaNassa, C. Sheehan; Radiology, Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Lafayette, LA; Radiology, West Jefferson Medical Center, Marrero, LA; Radiology, SUNY Downstate, New York, NY; Vascular Surgery, LSU Medical Center, New Orleans, LA Purpose: Occlusion of the inferior vena cava (IVC) occurs in 1-2.5% of chronically indwelling caval filters (1). IVC thrombosis results in impaired venous drainage from the lower extremities, and can present clinically as phlegmasia cerulea dolens (PCD) in chronic cases. Caval filter associated IVC thrombosis can be recanalized by mechanical clot disruption, aided by multi-day TPA thrombolysis with restoration of caval flow and resolution of PCD symptoms of swelling and discoloration. Materials and Methods: Six patients (ages 48-72, avg. 63) were reviewed who presented with chronic (more than 1 week) symptoms of PCD of the lower extremities after placement of a caval filter (6-49 mos. prior, avg. 25 mos; two placed by the primary author, four referred from outside institutions). All showed complete caval thrombosis with an indwelling caval filter. Mechanical disruption with balloon catheters and Trellis device thrombus disruption was used, in combination with TPA infusion (10 mg. loading dose, followed by overnight infusion of 1 mg/hr, followed by repeat mechanical disruption, over an average of three days). Results: Five of the six patients were recanalized and discharged after therapy. All showed resolution of lower extremity swelling and discoloration. One patient who was admitted with ongoing sepsis continued to worsen into multiorgan failure (MOF) and expired. Overall success rate was 83%, with one treatment failure due to ongoing sepsis resistant to multiple antibiotics, suggesting the IVC thrombus may have been superinfected. Conclusion: PCD secondary to caval filter occlusion is difficult to recanalize and both mechanical and thrombolytic therapy may be necessary over several days. Success rate in this series was 5 of 6 (83%).2. Sepsis in addition to caval thrombosis carries a higher risk of fatality due to resistant sepsis progressing to MOF, suggesting the presence of infected thrombus.
Mono-modal waveguides filled with a pair of parallel epsilon-negative (ENG) and mu-negative (MNG) metamaterial layers

Here we analyze guided wave propagation in a parallel-plate waveguide filled with a pair of parallel lossless slabs; one possessing negative real permittivity but positive real permeability, and the other with negative real permeability and positive real permittivity, in the range of frequency of interest. It is shown that such a waveguide can support only a single propagating mode, essentially independent of the total thickness of this structure. Furthermore, this waveguide can still possess a propagating mode even when its thickness is very small. Field distribution and dispersion relations in such a mono-modal waveguide are obtained and discussed with physical insights and intuitive description for the mathematical findings.
Blind separation of slow waves and spikes from gastrointestinal myoelectrical recordings

Myoelectrical recordings of the gut contain slow waves (slow rhythmicity) and spikes (fast rhythmicity). While the slow wave determines the frequency and propagation of gastrointestinal contractions, spike activities are directly associated with the contractions. Traditionally, spikes are extracted from the myoelectrical recording using high-pass/bandpass filters. Due to the sharp rising edge (high-frequency component) of the slow wave, the conventional method is not accurate in the separation of the slow wave and spikes, although it has been used for years. In this paper, a novel and fast blind source separation algorithm is developed. Experimental results show that the proposed method was able to accurately extract spike activities from the myoelectrical recordings obtained in dogs and that its performance was not affected by the high-frequency components of the slow wave.
Influenza in long-term care facilities: Preventable, detectable, treatable

Influenza in long-term care facilities is an ever more challenging problem. Vaccination of residents and health care workers is the most important preventive measure. Although vaccine efficacy has been questioned, the preponderance of data favors vaccination. Antiviral resistance complicates postexposure chemoprophylaxis and treatment. Factors that limit the choice of antiviral agents in this patient population include limited vaccine supplies and impaired dexterity and confusion in long-term care residents.
NEW FLUORESCENT READOUTS FOR PROTEIN INTERACTIONS, GENE EXPRESSION, AND MEMBRANE POTENTIAL

Fluorescent chemosensors now exist for most of the major spherical inorganic ions of biological interest, such as H+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Cl− (for reviews, see [1–3]). Notable progress [4–6] is finally being made on Zn2+, which is important both in many enzymes and in the Zn-fingers of DNA-binding proteins. What major new challenges remain for qualitatively new, biologically relevant fluorescent chemosensors? Obviously organic biochemical analytes are a huge and relatively untapped area. Some years ago we developed a fluorescent protein chemosensor [7,8] for cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP), the only intracellular second messenger that approaches Ca2+ in its ubiquity and importance. This chemosensor consists of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, in which the catalytic subunit is labeled with fluorescein and the regulatory subunit is labeled with rhodamine. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the fluorescein to the rhodamine occurs in the holoenzyme complex but is disrupted when cAMP binds to the regulatory subunits and dissociates them from the catalytic subunits. This chemosensor has been quite successful in a wide variety of cells, revealing many new aspects about cAMP signaling such as subcellular compartmentation [9–11].
Evolution of U-Pb and Sm-Nd systems in numerical models of mantle convection and plate tectonics

hypotheses are examined to explain this discrepancy. Sampling length scale has a minimal effect on age. The extent of crustal settling above the core-mantle boundary makes some difference but not enough. More frequent remelting is a possible explanation but requires the rate of crustal production to have been much higher in the past. Not introducing HIMU into the mantle prior to 2.0–2.5 Gyr before present, because of a change in the surface oxidization environment or subduction zone processes, can account for the difference, but its effect on other isotope systems needs to be evaluated. Improved treatment of the stretching of heterogeneities, which reduces them to length scales at which they cease to be identifiable magma sources, greatly reduces the Pb-Pb age. The mantle develops substantial chemical stratification from a homogeneous start, including stratification around 660 km caused by the two-component phase transitions. A deep layer of subducted crust may provide storage for some of the ‘‘missing’’ heat-producing elements. Magmatic heat transport is important in the first 2 Gyr of model time. INDEX TERMS: 1010 Geochemistry: Chemical evolution; 1025 Geochemistry: Composition of the mantle; 1040 Geochemistry: Isotopic composition/chemistry; 8120 Tectonophysics: Dynamics of lithosphere and mantle— general; 8124 Tectonophysics: Earth’s interior—composition and state (1212); KEYWORDS: thermochemical convection, phase transitions, geochemical heterogeneity, isotopic age, mantle melting, isotopic fractionation
Progesterone treatment increases Fos-immunoreactivity within some progestin receptor-containing neurons in localized regions of female rat forebrain

In female rats, the sequential release of estradiol and progesterone from the ovaries is required for the expression of sexual behavior during the estrous cycle. Many of the neuronal effects of estradiol and progesterone involve estrogen and progestin receptors. Treatment with a behaviorally-effective dose of estradiol increases Fos expression, suggestive of neuronal response, and subsequent treatment with a behaviorally-effective dose of progesterone further increases Fos expression within a few hours in female rat brain. In order to determine if neurons that respond to progesterone with increased Fos expression also contain progestin receptors, we used a double-label immunofluorescent technique to label both progestin receptors and Fos protein following progesterone or vehicle treatment of estradiol-primed female rats. As shown previously, progesterone treatment increased Fos expression in progestin receptor-containing regions, such as the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus and the medial preoptic area. In addition, progesterone treatment induced a statistically-significant increase in Fos-immunoreactivity within progestin receptor-containing cells in the medial preoptic area and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, but not in the arcuate nucleus. Therefore, many but not all of the neurons that respond to progesterone with increased Fos expression also contain progestin receptor-immunoreactivity. The progesterone-induced Fos expression within progestin receptor-containing neurons may or may not be associated with the effects of progesterone on sexual or other reproductive behaviors, as it remains to be tested. However, the Fos expression provides a useful marker to aid in identification of neurons that respond to a behaviorally-relevant dose of progesterone.
Optimal Distributed Multicast Routing using Network Coding

Multicast is an important communication paradigm, also a problem well known for its difficulty (NP-completeness) to achieve certain optimization goals, such as minimum network delay. Recent advances in network coding has shed a new light onto this problem. In network coding, forwarding nodes can perform arbitrary operations on data received, other than forwarding or replicating, to enhance throughput of a multicast session. In this paper, we show that with the aid of network coding, the once intractable optimal multicast routing problem becomes tractable. In this problem, given a set of multicast sessions and their traffic demands, one tries to route the multicast traffic regarding various objectives, such as to minimize overall delay, or to maximize the battery life of each node. We further show that his problem can be solved in a distributed fashion: each node akes its own routing decisions based on periodic updating information from neighboring nodes. We prove that starting from any initial routing assignment, the proposed distributed routing algorithm is able to converge to the point where the value of the objective function is optimized. Our solution can be fit into a variety of networks to achieve different optimization goals. The example in this paper is maximum lifetime routing in multi-hop wireless network.
Willingness to provide biologic samples: results from a healthy urban population of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Texas

PURPOSE: To evaluate the willingness of participants in a population-based Mexican American cohort study to provide optional biologic samples during baseline recruitment. METHODS: Between July, 2001 and July, 2002, 1766 participants aged 13 88 who self-identified as Mexican or Mexican American were recruited using four methods of recruitment in Houston, Texas: random digit dial, intercept, blockwalk (or door-to-door), and network. Informed consent was administered and epidemiologic data were collected through an in-person interview. Participants were informed about the prospective nature of the study and given the option of providing one or more of the following biologic samples: blood, buccal cells, and/or urine. Participants could choose to provide no sample and still participate in the cohort study. RESULTS: Overall, 808 participants (46%) provided a blood sample, 1537 participants (87%) provided a buccal sample, 1048 participants (59%) provided a urine sample, and 1686 participants (96%) provided a DNA sample (either blood or buccal). Only 1% of all participants provided no sample at all. In examining the data by gender, women were more likely to provide a blood sample (47% vs. 43% in men) and less likely to provide a buccal sample (86% vs. 89% in men). There was no difference in their willingness to provide a urine sample (59% for both men and women). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the willingness of participants to provide a biologic sample in a population of healthy Mexicans and Mexican Americans living in the USA. Overall, the percentage of participants willing to provide optional samples was higher than anticipated in this underserved urban population, and there was little difference by gender. The most notable finding was that in participants over the age of 13, we were able to obtain samples suitable for DNA extraction from 96% of the study population.
Chapter 10. Rethinking the Historical Dimensions of Mortuary Practices: A Case from Nisky Hill Cemetery, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Recent work in cemetery archaeology has focused on the history of the social emulation. Work in Nisky Hill Cemetery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has continued that focus, but also has highlighted the nature of cemeteries as built landscapes. These landscapes provide contexts for additional uses of cemeteries by various community groups in strategies of competition and status construction. The potential for analyzing cemeteries within archaeological contexts is re-evaluated with a look at a large and important Late Bronze Age cemetery in Greece.
Temporal Changes of Access to Primary Health Care in Illinois (1990–2000) and Policy Implications

This paper examines temporal changes of access to primary health care in Illinois between 1990 and 2000 in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. Census data at the census tract level in 1990 and 2000 were used to define the population (demand) distribution and related socioeconomic attributes, and the Physician Masterfile of American Medical Association in corresponding years was used to define the physician (supply) distribution at the zip code level. A two-step floating catchment method was employed to measure the spatial access, considering locations of physicians and population and travel times between them. Various socioeconomic and demographic variables were consolidated into three factors (i.e., socioeconomic disadvantages, sociocultural barriers, and high healthcare needs) for measuring the nonspatial access. Spatial and nonspatial factors were finally integrated together to assess the primary care physician shortage areas. The study shows that spatial accessibility to primary care physician for the majority of the state improved from 1990 to 2000. Areas with worsened spatial accessibility were primarily concentrated in rural areas and some limited pockets in urban areas. The worst among these worsened areas appeared to be associated with populations with high scores of socioeconomically disadvantages, sociocultural barriers, and healthcare needs. Improving the accessibility of those socioeconomically disadvantaged population groups is critical for the success of future policies.
Guided-Mode Resonant Thermo-Optic Tunable Filters

We experimentally show electrically controlled guided-mode resonant thermo-optic tunable optical filters. We design the devices using numerical methods based on rigorous coupled wave analysis and pattern the structure with a UV laser interferometric lithography system. The fabricated devices consist of subwavelength amorphous silicon (a-Si) gratings along with homogeneous a-Si waveguides on glass substrates. We fabricate deep (~ 120 nm) and shallow (~ 20 nm) grating filters that work in the C and L optical communication bands. We thermo-optically change the refractive index of a-Si using electrical Joule heating to spectrally tune the filters. We achieve 15 and 12 nm spectral tuning for these deep and shallow grating devices, respectively, with a temperature increase of 100 °C.
AcrB Multidrug Efflux Pump of Escherichia coli: Composite Substrate-Binding Cavity of Exceptional Flexibility Generates Its Extremely Wide Substrate Specificity

Gram-negative bacteria have, in general, much higher intrinsic levels of resistance to various antibiotics, antiseptics, dyes, and detergents than do gram-positive bacteria. This is, in part, due to the effectiveness of the outer membrane as a barrier. The porin channels exclude large compounds (for
Physiological aspects of oogenesis in two species of sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus L. and Apeltes quadracus (Mitchill)

During May at Woods Hole, female Gasterosteus aculeatus periodically produce clutches of 112 +- 19 eggs with an average diameter of 1.31 +- 0.05 mm. The fish generally have primordial follicles ranging up to 0.56 mm diameter and a clutch of larger follicles undergoing synchronous growth. The size of oocytes within a growing clutch appears to be random within a population, which indicates that recruitment of clutches is not induced by a local environmental event. The largest oocytes within the population of primordial follicles have just begun vitellogenesis but are temporarily arrested. All oocytes within follicles larger than 1.1 mm diameter undergo spontaneous maturation and enlarge to preovulatory size when incubated at 16/sup 0/C in a simple saline medium. Added deoxycorticosterone can induce similar events in somewhat smaller follicles placed in culture. Thus, in vivo, follicles grow from 0.56 to 1.1 mm diameter by vitellogenesis, and further enlargement is achieved by hydration during steroid-induced maturation. Females carrying follicles in the maturational stages also have a new clutch of follicles entering vitellogenic growth from the population of primordial follicles. Injection of human chlorionic gonadotropin causes a recruitment of follicles into vitellogenesis regardless of the stage of follicles within the growing clutch.more » One interpretation of these results is that when vitellogenic follicles reach a diameter of 1.1 mm a surge of gonadotropin(s) induces the follicle cells to release steroid, which results in oocyte maturation; the same surge also recruits a new clutch of vitellogenic oocytes. Qualitatively similar results were obtained for Apeltes quadracus; thus the recruitment phenomenon observed for G. aculeatus may be a general feature among sticklebacks.« less
Insights and Blind Spots: A Qualitative Analysis of Risk in Psychiatric Security Review Board Hearings

The prevalence and consequences of the insanity plea, titled “guilty except for insanity” in the State of Oregon, are fraught with misconceptions. The use of the plea requires a complex set of interactions between the mental health and criminal justice systems, and comes with severe costs for people who use it. Most of the research on the psychological aspects of the insanity plea emphasizes empirical validity in the form of risk assessment instruments and/or the biomedical model with its focus on disease and illness. This thesis analyzes from community psychology and critical theory perspectives the decision process of hearings held by the Psychiatric Security Review Board. The critical analysis draws specifically on Michel Foucault’s (1977) theory of knowledge and power to address three questions: 1. Are there identifiable prototypical narratives of risk that are constructed around evidence admitted to a hearing? 2a. Are these risk narratives deployed differently in public PSRB hearing as opposed to an individual interview? 2b. Do the District Attorney, Defense Attorney, and clinician deploy risk narratives differently? 3. As professionals that create, administer, and interpret risk assessment instruments, how do clinicians use these risk narratives to support or refute the arguments of each side? Running Head: WHAT INSIGHT CANNOT SHOW ii Transcripts and audio recordings of hearings were thematically content analyzed and compared to address these questions. One overarching theme and four subsidiary themes emerged from the data that describe how risk is indirectly discussed in the formal procedures of the hearings and in individual interviews. The overarching theme is Insight and the four subsidiary themes are Elopement, Compliance, Drug-use, and Treatment. Compared across settings, the hearings were highly structured whereas the individual interviews allowed for a more complex analysis and explication of positions. In the context of the PSRB hearings, the testimony of the clinician was of primary importance in determination of insight and the source of information on the patient along the subsidiary themes. Running Head: WHAT INSIGHT CANNOT SHOW iii Table of
Prediction of Indel flanking regions in protein sequences using a variable-order Markov model

MOTIVATION Insertion/deletion (indel) and amino acid substitution are two common events that lead to the evolution of and variations in protein sequences. Further, many of the human diseases and functional divergence between homologous proteins are more related to indel mutations, even though they occur less often than the substitution mutations do. A reliable identification of indels and their flanking regions is a major challenge in research related to protein evolution, structures and functions. RESULTS In this article, we propose a novel scheme to predict indel flanking regions in a protein sequence for a given protein fold, based on a variable-order Markov model. The proposed indel flanking region (IndelFR) predictors are designed based on prediction by partial match (PPM) and probabilistic suffix tree (PST), which are referred to as the PPM IndelFR and PST IndelFR predictors, respectively. The overall performance evaluation results show that the proposed predictors are able to predict IndelFRs in the protein sequences with a high accuracy and F1 measure. In addition, the results show that if one is interested only in predicting IndelFRs in protein sequences, it would be preferable to use the proposed predictors instead of HMMER 3.0 in view of the substantially superior performance of the former.
Moisture Analysis of a Type I Cloud-Topped Boundary Layer from Doppler Radar and Rawinsonde Observations

Abstract Moisture data from radar and rawinsonde observations during three lake-effect snow events are analyzed to determine entrainment rates. Type I convective boundary layers, which are those driven largely by surface heating, typically accompany these storms. Gathered during the winter of 1990, the data are a subset from the Lake Ontario Winter Storms (LOWS) Project, which deployed a mesoscale network of sensors. Doppler wind profiler signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data are used to derive humidity structure function parameter (C2q) time–height series analysis, which are then compared to rawinsonde specific humidity (q) plots. Visual comparison of log(C2q) and q analysis indicated a strongly positive correlation. Radar-derived humidity analysis is used to estimate the depth of the Type I (driven by surface heating), cloud-topped boundary layer (CTBL), which corresponded well with results from LOWS rawinsonde data. Calculations of the contribution of (C2q) to the refractive index structure parameter (C2n) ...
Computational Creativity and Music

In this chapter, I first define the word ‘creativity’ for the purposes of my research and then compare this definition to others found in the literature. Following this, I present two simple examples of creativity involving games—words and chess—in which I invite readers to participate. I then describe two musical situations and subsequent computer programs that, following the discussion surrounding the examples, creatively provide output as tentative proof of their success. Finally, I describe ways this software can be improved to output more elegant results.
Friends, Enemies, and the Fog of Foreign Relations: How ‘Political Question’ Doctrines Thwart the Development of a Principled Alien Tort Jurisprudence

The political question doctrine, in its various forms, mediates the use of public power, including the power of the court to decide certain cases. This has led to various debates about scope of this preclusion, and whether courts can fulfill their role reviewing the constitutionality of actions by the political branches without improperly encroaching on their policy space. The doctrine does not, however, preclude civil actions between private litigants, including most cases brought under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). Why then have federal courts so routinely refused to hear ATS cases, citing the principle that they raise non-justiciable political questions? In the case Corrie v. Caterpillar, for example, no constitutional challenge was made to any branch of government, nor was the court asked to overturn policy judgments of the political branches. Yet the case was dismissed under the political question doctrine. One possibility, frequently cited, is that such cases touch upon issues of 'foreign relations,' which automatically belong to the political branches. In this Article, I will raise a more disturbing possibility: that when faced with cases that involve foreign powers, the courts have interpreted the political question - already a hybrid of constitutional principle, prudence, and procedure - as allowing for an invidious notion of 'the political,' one promoted in an earlier period by the German legal theorist Carl Schmitt. Schmitt notoriously defined 'the political' as the primal distinction, and domain of struggle, between 'friends and enemies.' Such a definition has rarely entered the American political lexicon, and our jurisprudence has steered clear of it, and yet the political branches have intervened on ATS cases to demarcate friends and foes, and U.S. federal courts seem to interpret the political question doctrine as requiring judicial abdication in these cases. In the case of Caterpillar, where the state involved was a ally of the U.S., the case was found to be non-justiciable. In other cases, where 'enemies' may be involved, cases might proceed. I do not argue that federal judges and government lawyers have read Schmitt or been influenced by him, but they do inadvertently accept, and perhaps even vindicate, his notion of the political. In so doing, they also thwart the possibility of developing a principled Alien Tort jurisprudence, one which can decide upon the facts of cases and not with the attitudes of particular administrations towards particular foreign powers.
Role of Internet for Teacher-Student Consultations

Learning and course management systems are useful in generating and managing a variety of student support services and products, such as course outlines, digitally recorded classroom material, discussion groups, laboratory manuals and lab assignments, lecture notes, live lectures for later viewing and re-viewing, links to course specific websites, online tutorials, supplementary readings, and virtual office hours for teacher-student consultations. Virtual libraries, where they exist, are a particular boon to students as they cut down on costs of acquiring expensive textbooks, journals and reference material. Tools are also now available on the Internet to assist both teachers and students to manage writing assignments to detect and avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism and copyright violations. One of the great benefits of ICTs in teaching is that they can improve the quality and the quantity of educational provision. For this to happen however, they must be used appropriately. The Internet has also played a major role in streamlining administrative procedures and processes of universities worldwide. Any modern university, management school or institute today has its own website on which courses offered are listed. Students apply for admission on-line which reduces paperwork and increases administrative efficiency. They receive e-notifications regarding admission, course schedules, and billing procedures, which they can pay on-line, as well as their results. Teachers prefer to receive tutorials on-line, which not only lends itself to faster transmission, but also avoids the difficulty in reading a manuscript. Similarly, some teachers not only put up their course material on the web-site, but also their lectures, which can be heard on-line such that students who were unable to attend can also benefit from them. The faculty and students remain connected through email on which students receive instructions, send essays/assignments, fix appointments, etc. All students are expected to have their own laptop or notebook computer.On-line Universities, which do not require physical infrastructure, have facilitated greater accessibility to education than ever before. While popular perception values a degree from a regular college over one from an On-line college, the greatest advantage of an on-line university or college, that a student need not commute or live on campus tilts much of the debate in its favor. This is especially true for certain kinds of courses designed to cater to the needs of students who do not have financial backup or family support. As acquiring specialized degrees is directly related to better jobs, re-engineering e-education at tertiary level has a great advantage. As jobs become more and more insecure and mid-life career changes more frequent, the need for on-line education is increasing overtime.
(Book Review) Exporting American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall’s African Journey by Mary L. Dudziak

This review of Mary Dudziak’s hugely important book contends that the author conflates the struggle for civil rights in the United States with the struggle for black majority rule in Kenya. While the two struggles are linked by white domination and the quest for blacks to free themselves from that domination, the book fails to interrogate and contextualize the limitations of equal protection norms for minorities in two vastly different political milieus. Dudziak does not problematize Thurgood Marshall’s blind insistence that the independence Kenyan constitution accord the economically dominant and oppressive white minority in colonial Kenya the same equal protections that he sought for marginalized blacks in the United States. While the latter would enhance the likelihood of racial equality in the United States, the former would freeze white privilege in Kenya and doom any real chance at social transformation.
Evidence for Nuclear T3 Receptors in Neonatal Cerebral Astrocytes

An important effect of thyroid hormones on brain development has been well documented (1) and T4 nuclear receptors have been described in whole brain of several animal species (2–5). In developing chick brain, T3 nuclear receptors are distributed in both neurons and glial cells (6). We have shown that astrocytes from 2 and 12 day old mice in culture produce Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) (7) and that brain NGF concentrations in the developing mouse are thyroid hormone responsive (8). This data suggested that astrocytes may have T3 receptors. However, recent studies, in abstract form, report the absence of T3 receptors in 17 day fetal rat brain glial cells (9). No data are currently available regarding T3 receptors in astrocytes of developing rodent brain. Therefore, the present study was conducted to characterize the T3 receptor in mouse neonatal astrocytes.
Design and representation of complex objects in database systems

In recent decades, applications like geospatial, genomic, and multimedia have made use of very large and diverse application objects such as spatial networks and protein structures. These objects are complex in the sense that they are highly structured and of variable size. Storing, accessing and manipulating them in a standard and efficient manner is very challenging. The state-of-the-art solutions handle such objects by using file system formats like HDF and XML, serialization technique like Protocol Buffers and BLOB data type in databases. However, specialized file format solutions lack any well established database system features, and neither a uniform concept nor mechanisms exist for supporting complex objects for BLOBs. In this article, a novel and database-friendly framework of specifying and interpreting complex objects is proposed. Empirical studies have shown that our approach outperforms prevailing methods with efficient processing time and less storage consumption.
A NOTE ON THE NONLINEAR EFFECT OF MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES

We use a labor search model with worker experience to assess the effects of minimum wage increases. Minimum wages can have nonlinear effects on unemployment as higher minimum wages become binding for larger portions of the underlying productivity distribution. The model is used to assess the increases proposed by the Obama Administration from $7.25 an hour to $9.00 and then to $10.10 per hour. We find that minimum wage increases have large effects on youth unemployment. These large effects cast doubt on using past empirical estimates of the effects of minimum wages that do not account for potential nonlinearities. (JEL E24, J08, J24, J64)
Computer Mapping in Pest Management

The concept of computer maps as a data management and resource optimization technique in pest management is presented. A specific example is the use of the widely available computer mapping program SYMAP in the pest management program for the cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus (L.).
Ecosystem carbon stocks in Pinus palustris forests

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) restoration in the southeastern United States offers opportunities for carbon (C) sequestration. Ecosystem C stocks are not well understood in longleaf pine forests, which are typically of low density and maintained by prescribed fire. The objectives of this research were to develop allometric equations for above- and below-ground biomass and quantify ecosystem C stocks in five longleaf pine forests ranging in age from 5 to 87 years and in basal area from 0.4 to 22.6 m2·ha−1. Live aboveground C (woody plant + ground cover) and live root C (longleaf pine below stump + plot level coarse roots + plot level fine roots) ranged from 1.4 and 2.9 Mg C·ha−1, respectively, in the 5-year-old stand to 78.4 and 19.2 Mg C·ha−1, respectively, in the 87-year-old stand. Total ecosystem C (live plant + dead organic matter + mineral soil) values were 71.6, 110.1, 124.6, 141.4, and 185.4 Mg C·ha−1 in the 5-, 12-, 21-, 64-, and 87-year-old stands, respectively, and dominated by tree C and...
The determination of metal content in biochemical products by atomic absorption spectroscopy. I. Cytochrome-C and chlorophyllins.

Atomic absorption spectroscopy has been used to determine the copper content of commercial chlorophyllins and of the iron in Cytochrome-C. The procedure is rapid and direct as preparation involves only weighing and dissolution of the sample. The precision of the methods is excellent. The values obtained compare favorably with those obtained by the standard colorimetric methods.
Epidemiological Factors for Dental Fluorosis among 12-year-old Age Goup in Industrial Zone of Baiyin City

[Objective]To investigate the oral health status and the prevalence of dental fluorosis for industrial region in Baiyin City,to analyze prevalence factors,and to explore prevention and treatment measures in order to provide information support to oral health care in Baiyin city. [Methods]Selected 480 people of 12-year-old residents of industrial region in Baiyin City with random,multi-stage,stratified sampling method,male and female are half-and-half.Inspection for fluorosis cases was conducted in accordance with the clinical inspection methods and standards for dental fluorosis of "The Third National Oral Health Epidemiology Survey Program".By using of SAS software to make statistics,the prevalence rate comparing was conducted by χ2 test. [Results]Fluorosis prevalence rate of 12-year-old crowd was 31.88%,fluorosis index was 0.3,and dental fluorosis is in the prevalence edge. [Conclusion]Fluorosis prevalence rate and fluorosis index of industrial region in Baiyin city are higher than the national level,which are at the edge of prevalence and related to industrial region fluorine pollution and environmental fluorine pollution.
The evaluation of short-term effect of knowledge, faith and practice of health education on tuberculosis prevention and control among high school students

Objective The study was aimed to explore the effect of health education intervention on high school students, in order to provide evidence for TB intervention strategy. Methods Cluster sampling and uniform questionnaire were used among high school students in Huzhou city before and after the intervention. General information of the respondents, knowledge about TB, faith and practice of tuberculosis prevention and control were investigated. Results The core information awareness about TB prevention and control among high school students in Huzhou city was 60.7% before the intervention and 62.3% after the intervention, respectively. There was no significant statistical difference before and after the intervention(chi-square=1.98, P1.98). When concerning the attitudes regarding the status of TB infections on a neighbor or classmate, positive attitude and the thought of trying to keep distance or provide more caring to the infected neighbor or classmate rose by 9.2% and 9.2% respectively, after intervention in terms of attitude holding rate. There was statistically significant differences before and after the intervention(chi-square=54.9, P0.05). When concerning the attitudes regarding the communication of TB knowledge in terms of behavior holding rate, 29.8% participated in communication before the intervention and 63.0% participated in communication after the intervention respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences(chi-square=129.7, P0.05). Conclusion Relying on the school as the executor for health education, through the network of schools, broadcasting promotions, boards and posters, propaganda pamphlet and so on to promote core knowledge of TB via indoctrination may have some limitations among high school students in Huzhou city. Short-term health education may play an important role in promoting beliefs, behavior and good habits among high school students.
Dynamic Consolidation of TaC Powders

The high melting point of TaC(3880 C),second amongst all known materials,along with good corrosion resistance makes TaC a potential candidate for Air Force applications.However,traditional methods of manufacturing,such as hot pressing or HIP-ing,give rise to rapid grain growth and low fracture toughness.In this work,we have utilized dynamic consolidation technique to overcome the grain growth problem,and thereby obtain stronger and more fracture resistant TaC.TaC powders of size less than 3μm,and grain size ranging from 0.5 to 1μm,were packed in double-tube steel vessels and subjected to explosive consolidation.The double-tube configuration was selected to increase pulse duration and aid plasticity induced consolidation.Almost full densification was observed near one end of the cylindrical containers,but this region also was accompanied with cracking.The hardness approached 15 GPa,similar to hardness values reported in the literature for dense TaC.In the central regions of the cylinders,the density was approximately 83% of theoretical density.However,the region was free of cracks.Post heat treatments aimed at achieving full density will be discussed in the context of improved sinterability of shock treated powders.Our results show that indeed fully dense material may be fabricated by this route,and our technique appears to overcome some of the major problems associated with consolidation of nano-materials.
Kinetics of Particles: Impulse-Momentum

Since the beginning of time, the principles of impact and momentum have influenced our daily lives here on Earth and in the depth of space. There is strong evidence that the universe exploded from an infinitely dense primal seed, possibly 8 to 18 billion years ago, and that it will continue to expand forever. In these respects, this event inaugurated an eternal potential for collisions between debris and planet Earth. In fact, it is now believed that the collision of a large comet with Earth is the reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs from the face of our planet.
Toxicity Equivalents and Their Use in Hazard and Risk Assessment

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the toxicity equivalents and their use in hazard and risk assessment. The validation of the toxic equivalency approach for the hazard assessment of halogenated aromatic mixtures has also been reported for some in vitro and in vivo responses in which the calculated toxicity of a mixture is compared to the experimentally derived toxic potency of a mixture relative to that of -tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for the same response. The use of toxic equivalency factors for risk assessment of a specific class of chemicals that act through a common pathway must consider contributions from both xeno and natural analogs and their possible interactions. This type of approach suggests that at least for some responses, the effects of dioxins may be significantly lower than for natural Ah receptor agonists.
Study of the thermo-mechanical behavior of glass interposer for flip chip packaging applications

The reliability of flip chip packages using either glass or organic substrate, and then mounted on printed circuit board (PCB) was investigated. This study is focused on the high stress concentration areas in the package structures and identified the stress mitigation solutions. Four-point bending test revealed that the fracture strength of the glass with through glass vias (TGV) can be significantly reduced by 10∼30% with respect to the different via densities. The brittle nature of glass along with its low fracture strength, particularly with TGV, could have serious implications on the reliability of the packaging system using glass substrate. In order to increase its fracture strength, the glass surface was coated with a low CTE film and is shown to effectively strengthen the glass. The assembled glass substrate packages subjected to thermal stressing were simulated by finite element modeling. To reduce the high stress concentration and improve the stress distribution in the glass interposer system, the parametric factors on the structure, materials, geometry and shape were investigated. According to our simulation result, the CTE of glass substrate is critically important in affecting the stress levels in the Si die, BGA ball and glass itself. To minimize the stress levels occurring on either side of the package structure, glass substrate with a medium CTE (∼8.3 ppm) is demonstrated as the optimal choice when sandwiched between the Si die (CTE∼2.7 ppm) and PCB board (CTE∼16 ppm) with C4 and BGA balls, respectively. Since the glass CTE can be tailored by adjusting its compositions, glass with an optimal CTE can be manufactured by the supplier.
Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale–Second Edition Scores Among Chinese Secondary School Students:

The purpose of this study was to adapt the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale–Second Edition (RCMAS-2) into Mandarin and to examine its psychometric properties among Chinese adolescents. The participants included 436 Chinese students in Grades 7 to 12 who were administered the Chinese version of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS-2-C). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were performed to examine the factor structure of the RCMAS-2-C. Results indicated a modified four-factor model (Worry and Social Anxiety factors combined, Physiological Anxiety, Defensiveness I, and Defensiveness II factors) provided an adequate model fit to the data. Categorical omegas were computed and ranged from .68 to .90 for the RCMAS-2 scale scores. Convergent evidence of validity for the RCMAS-2-C anxiety scores was also found. Implications of the findings of the study for clinicians and researchers are discussed.
‘Monsoon Hungama’ and the 2G Scam: Public interest and mobile spectrum policy in India, 1999–2012:

This study explores the rapid diffusion of mobile phones in India by analysing the government policy of spectrum allocation. Spectrum refers to the range of electromagnetic frequencies that make wireless communication possible, and decisions about its allocation are a fundamental influence upon the mobile industry. The analysis is informed by theories of social construction and devotes particular attention to the way regulators have sought to allocate the airwaves to serve the public interest. The research is focused on two key moments of disruption that were particularly influential for the diffusion of phones in India: the introduction of code division multiple access (CDMA) service in the early 2000s and an infamous spectrum scandal of 2008. Information is drawn from interviews with stakeholders in the Indian mobile industry, policy documents and prior scholarship.
F Scale Validity Considered Against Peer Nomination Criteria

Widespread use of the F scale as a measure of authoritarianism continues despite uncertainty concerning the facet of authoritarianism it measures. This research examined the relationship between peer perception of authoritarian behaviors and F-scale scores. Only a minimal relationship was found. No relationship was found between the number of authoritarian behaviors on which a person was consistently rated high and his F-scale score. It was concluded that it is unlikely that the F scale measures validly authoritarian behavior as it is usually conceived, though it seemed sensitive to some form of authoritarian submission.
Life History of Ovarian Endometriomas

In a powerful opening statement, Sampson compared the prevalence at operation of “the pathologic conditions arising from the implantations of epithelium which escape from the fallopian tubes into the peritoneal cavity” as second in prevalence only to leiomyomas of the uterus in women between the age of 30 years and menopause.1 Here in the short span of only 2 years after Cullen’s last major publication, Sampson spoke of pelvic adenomas and ovarian hematomas of endometrial type as a common disease entity of women in their fourth and fifth decades. He clarified new terminology used in the title of this paper. “I have discarded the term ‘perforating hemorrhagic cysts’ as applied to this condition, because perforations may occur in other varieties of ovarian hematomas. I now refer to them as hematomas or hemorrhagic cysts of endometrial (mullerian) type.”2