cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Full circle: Muslim women's education from the Maghrib to America and back

This study examines the relevance of nineteenth-century Maghrib scholarship models to the transmission of Islamic knowledge and information among communities of American Muslims in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Nana Asma'u 'dan Fodio (1793–1864) – scholar, teacher, poet, and activist – was actively involved in the trials and itinerancy of the Sokoto Jihad (1804–30), in which she was principally involved. Although she never travelled beyond her region (now known as northwestern Nigeria), her scholarly reputation extended throughout the Maghrib during her lifetime. This paper explains how Asma'u's reputation and work was spread from the Maghrib to the USA by American Qadiriyya groups that purposively modelled their own communities on that of the nineteenth-century Fodio family network, developing women's study groups based on Asma'u's model, the 'Yan Taru (The Associates), and using her educational materials in twentieth- and twenty-first-century-technological contexts.
Fast scanning spectroelectrochemical ellipsometry: In-situ characterization of gold oxide

Abstract A study of the solid/liquid interface using a fast scanning spectroscopic ellipsometer with an optical multichannel analyzer (SE-OMA) is described. Here, we discuss the basic operating principles of the SE-OMA and, as an example of its application, report the optical properties and growth of monolayer gold oxide films formed on polycrystalline Au surfaces. These studies were performed using a specially-designed spectroelectrochemical cell operated with 0.5M H2SO4 under anodic potential. For the first time, spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements reveal the oxide dielectric function in real time from 1.5 to 3.3 eV. The thickness of the gold oxide was deduced to be approximately 4 A at 1.3 V versus a saturated calomel reference electrode (SCE).
Infection rate and colonization with antibiotic-resistant organisms in skilled nursing facility residents with indwelling devices.

The objective of this prospective surveillance study was to quantify colonization with antimicrobial-resistant organisms (AROs) and infections attributable to indwelling devices in skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents. The study was conducted in 15 SNFs in Southeast Michigan. Residents with (n = 90) and without (n = 88) an indwelling device were enrolled and followed for 907 resident-months. Residents were cultured monthly from multiple anatomic sites and data on infections were obtained. The device-attributable rate was calculated by subtracting the infection rate in the device group from the infection rate in the non-device group. A total of 197 new infections occurred during the study period; 87 in the device group (incidence rate [IR] = 331/1,000 resident-months) and 110 infections in the non-device group (IR = 171/1,000 resident-months), with a relative risk of 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–2.6). The attributable rate of excess infections among residents in the device group was 160/1,000 resident-months, with an attributable fraction of 48% (95% CI: 31–61%). Prevalence rates for all AROs were higher in the device group compared with the no-device group. The prevalence of the number of AROs per 1,000 residents cultured increased from no-device to those with only feeding tubes, followed by those with only urinary catheters and both these devices. In conclusion, the presence of indwelling devices is associated with higher incidence rates for infections and prevalence rates for AROs. Our study quantifies this risk and shows that approximately half of all infections in SNF residents with indwelling devices can be eliminated with device removal. Effective strategies to reduce infections and AROs in these residents are warranted.
Pahoehoe Flows from the 1969–1971 Mauna Ulu Eruption, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Note: This paper is dedicated to Aaron and Elizabeth Waters on the occasion of Dr. Waters' retirement. Three types of chemically similar pahoehoe flows were observed to form during the 1969–1971 Mauna Ulu eruption. (1) A cavernous type called shelly pahoehoe, characterized by fragile gas cavities, small tubes, and buckled fragments of surface crust, was deposited when gas-charged lava welled out of the source fissure with little or no accompanying fountaining. (2) A comparatively smooth-surfaced, dense type, characterized by surface channels and only a few large cavities, formed from voluminous flows of partly degassed fallout away from the foot of lava fountains more than 100 m high. (3) A relatively dense type, characterized by hummocky surfaces with abundant low tumuli and overlapping pahoehoe toes and lobes, formed when largely degassed lava issued from tubes after flowing underground for several kilometers or more. Shelly pahoehoe is rarely found in the geologic record, but the other two types occur commonly. These three types of pahoehoe, which are completely intergradational, can be related qualitatively to the relative gas content and mode of flowage of the lava. The present surface of Kilauea is underlain mostly by hummocky, tube-fed pahoehoe.
Somatic and metabolic responses of mature female rats with dietary obesity to dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions: effects of diet palatability.

Abstract Caloric intake, body weight, obesity status (Lee Index) and incorporation of U-14 C-glucose into liver and retroperitoneal fat pad glycogen and lipid were studied in mature female rats that had received bilateral lesions or sham-operations in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMN) after dietary obesity was well established. Their diet consisted of a high-fat-sucrose chow mix, chocolate chip cookies and a drinking fluid of 32% sucrose in tap water. Comparable groups of DMN lesioned rats (DMNL rats) and sham-operated controls were maintained on lab chow pellets and tap water. Prior to the hypothalamic operation, the animals on the high-caloric regimen consumed significantly more calories than the rats on lab chow and also attained commensurately higher body weights and obesity indices. The bulk of the calories consumed during this time was derived from the cookies. Following DMNL, the animals maintained on lab chow became hypophagic and had lower body weights than the sham-operated rats, as has been previously reported. In rats on the high-caloric regimen, DMNL resulted in hyperphagia in comparison to all other groups. The greatest percentage of the calories during this time was derived from the high-fat-sucrose chow mix and sugar water. Correspondingly, DMNL rats on the high-caloric regimen had higher body weights and obesity indices than all other groups. At sacrifice, both a diet and lesion effect were noted in an elevated incorporation of U 14-C glucose in both fat pad and liver lipid and glycogen. The data are interpreted to mean that (1) when a highly palatable, high-caloric diet is available, DMNL do not exert their usual hypophagic and weight-lowering effects; (2) DMNL and control rats show excessive caloric intake when both groups are fed a highly palatable, high-caloric diet in comparison to their chow-fed counterparts. However, DMNL rats fed high-caloric diet also consume significantly more than controls fed this diet; (3) This excessive caloric intake of the DMNL rats possibly predisposes these animals to exaggerated lipogenesis in liver and adipose tissue; (4) the sham-operated controls on the high-caloric regimen also show greater lipogenesis but at a level intermediate between the chow-fed controls and the DMNL rats on the high-caloric diet.
Structure of Sodium Aluminosilicate Glass Surfaces

Sodium aluminosilicate (NAS) glass surfaces with compositions containing approximately 63% SiO2 and Al/Na ratios, R, of 0.25 R 2.0 were simulated using the molecular dynamics technique with a multibody interaction potential. There were changes to the surface structure and composition in comparison to bulk NAS glasses. The changes included an increased concentration of sodium and oxygen and the formation of nonbridging oxygen at the outermost surfaces, although the increases were smaller with increased Al concentration. In addition, the formation of small-membered rings and three-coordinated aluminum occurred in the subsurface regions. These changes were accompanied by a change in the ratio of Al/Na in the region extending to 4 A below the surface.
Simaba orinocensis, an earlier name for Simaba multiflora (Simaroubaceae)

Thomas, Wm. Wayt (New York Botanical Garden, Bronz, NY 10458-9980). Simaba orinocensis, an earlier name for Simaba multiflora (Simaroubaceae). Brittonia 37: 190–191. 1985. Simaba orinocensis has been maintained as a species separate from S. multiflora because Kunth’s illustration showed the flowers to be very different from those of S. multiflora. Examination of the holotype reveals that its flowers do not resemble those illustrated by Kunth but are very similar to those of S. multiflora. Therefore, the two names are considered taxonomic synonyms with S. orinocensis having priority. A complete synonymy is given.
Developmental Regulation and Organ-Specific Expression of Soybean Alcohol Dehydrogenase

The Adh1 gene coding for alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme is one of the most widely studied genes in plants. Some controversy exists, howevern concerning the induction of ADH activity in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] by flooding stress. This study showed that the induction of ADH in 5- to 21-d-old soybean seedlings by flooding was organ-specific and changed with seedling age
THE EFFECT OF SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS ON THE LEVEL AND DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The use of school accountability in the United States to improve student performance began in the separate states during the 1980s and was elevated through the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Evaluating the impact of accountability is dife cult because it applies to entire states and can be confused with other changes in the states. We consider how the differential introduction of accountability across states affects growth in student performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Our preliminary analysis e nds that: 1) accountability improves scores of all students; 2) there is no signie cant difference between simply reporting scores and attaching consequences; and, 3) while accountability tends to narrow the Hispanic‐ White gap, it tends to widen the Black‐ White gap in scores. The last e nding suggests that a single policy instrument cannot be expected to satisfy multiple simultaneous goals. (JEL: I2, H7, J4)
Hindu Hair and Jewish Halakha

This pair of essays reflects upon the unexpected encounter of Hindu and Jewish perspectives in the wake of the prohibition of wigs with human hair from India for use by Jewish women by prominent Haredi (‘‘ultra-orthodox’’) legal authorities in May 2004. The rulings sparked distress among Haredi communities in New York, London, and Jerusalem; some women took to the streets to burn their wigs, attracting international media attention. Yet questions about the status of the wigs also occasioned intensive halakhic discussions of Hindu rituals among Orthodox Jews, centered on tonsuring practices of pilgrims to the Ve kateśvara temple near the city of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India. These essays explore some of the insights that arise when one examines the controversy from historical perspectives, and in relation to theoretical questions about comparison and the study of religions. The first essay focuses on the tensions surrounding hair and its interpretation within Vaisnavite textual traditions and ritual p...
Formation of Highly Dispersed Metals on Functionalized Silica Supports

The hydrolysis of H2N(CH2)2NH(CH2)3Si(oMe)3 with a stoichiometric amount of water results in loss of the -OMe groups after two days and formation of a mixture of species mainly with empirical formula, [H2N(CH2)2NH(CH2)3Si(O)3]. The reaction of representative examples of metal salts, e.g. Cu(NO1.5)2, and metal-organic compounds, [(NBD)RhCl]2, with the amino-group of the amine functionalized polysiloxanes [H2N(CH2)2NH(CH2)3Si(O)1.5] has been demonstrated. These species undergo thermal decomposition in air, typically at 200°C, with complete loss of the organic supporting ligands. On heating to 450°C in O2, sintering occurs to form large, ~1μm, sized silica particles which contain highly dispersed, ~4nm sized metal-containing particles. The surface areas range from 228 to 583 m2/g. After reduction, the rhodium species is active towards catalytic hydrogenation of pyrene.
Reproducibility in the automated quantitative assessment of HER2/neu for breast cancer.

Background: With the emerging role of digital imaging in pathology and the application of automated image-based algorithms to a number of quantitative tasks, there is a need to examine factors that may affect the reproducibility of results. These factors include the imaging properties of whole slide imaging (WSI) systems and their effect on the performance of quantitative tools. This manuscript examines inter-scanner and inter-algorithm variability in the assessment of the commonly used HER2/neu tissue-based biomarker for breast cancer with emphasis on the effect of algorithm training. Materials and Methods: A total of 241 regions of interest from 64 breast cancer tissue glass slides were scanned using three different whole-slide images and were analyzed using two different automated image analysis algorithms, one with preset parameters and another incorporating a procedure for objective parameter optimization. Ground truth from a panel of seven pathologists was available from a previous study. Agreement analysis was used to compare the resulting HER2/neu scores. Results: The results of our study showed that inter-scanner agreement in the assessment of HER2/neu for breast cancer in selected fields of view when analyzed with any of the two algorithms examined in this study was equal or better than the inter-observer agreement previously reported on the same set of data. Results also showed that discrepancies observed between algorithm results on data from different scanners were significantly reduced when the alternative algorithm that incorporated an objective re-training procedure was used, compared to the commercial algorithm with preset parameters. Conclusion: Our study supports the use of objective procedures for algorithm training to account for differences in image properties between WSI systems.
Annealing dependent performance of organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells: A theoretical perspective

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology promises a relatively inexpensive option for the solar energy conversion, provided its efficiency increases beyond the current level ( � 7–8%) along with significant improvement in operational lifetime. To achieve this high efficiency/reliability, a systematic theoretical approach is required to optimize the underlying device fabrication process. In this article, we use an anneal-time dependent process-device co-simulation framework (the phase-field model for phase separation coupled with the self-consistent drift-diffusion transport for free carriers) to explore the effects of the process conditions (e.g., annealing temperature, anneal duration) on the performance of organic solar cells. Our results explain experimentally observed annealing effects on the solar cell performance, namely, (i) peak of the short circuit current, (ii) insensitivity of the open circuit voltage, (iii) low fill factor, etc., that would otherwise be deemed anomalous from the perspective of conventional solar cells. As such, this work offers a detailed analysis of the effects of annealing on OPV morphology and its electrical performance. This work also provides a theoretical framework for the optimization of process conditions, which might eventually lead to higher efficiency/reliability of the organic photovoltaic technology. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Personnel considerations in information systems security

In an area where internal control should be considered absolutely mandatory, it is ironic to note that management in many cases has let the mystique of the computer and the resultant associated loftiness of the technical staff discourage them from raising questions about the security of their information systems. As a result, top management is unaware, in many cases, that internal controls in the EDP department are lacking. It is not the intent of this paper to cover the entire area of computer security but only to make managers more aware of what they can do to help control their own personnel in the areas of internal security and internal controls.
Ciliary protein conservation during development in the ciliated protozoan, Oxytricha.

The ciliated protozoan Oxytricha fallax possesses multiple highly localized clusters of basal bodies and cilia, all of which are broken down and rebuilt during prefission morphogenesis-with one major exception. The adoral zone of membranelles (AZM) of the ciliate oral apparatus contains approximately 1,500-2,000 basal bodies and cilia, and it is the only compound ciliary structure that is passed morphologically intact to one daughter cell at each cell division. By labeling all proteins in cells, and then picking the one daughter cell possessing the original labeled AZM, we could then evaluate whether or not the ciliary proteins of the AZM were diluted (i.e., either by degradation to constituent amino acids or by subunit exchange) during cell division. Autoradiographic analysis demonstrated that the label was highly conserved in the AZM (i.e., we saw no evidence of turnover), and electrophoretic data illustrate that at least one of the proteins of the AZM is tubulin. We, therefore, conclude that for at least some of the ciliary and basal body proteins of Oxytricha fallax, AZM morphological conservation is essentially equivalent to molecular conservation.
German Businessmen and Professionals at the End of the Old Regime A Review Article

Neither of these studies is comparative. Jeffry Diefendorf worked in three Rhenish cities-Aachen, Crefeld, and Cologne-and in this sense comes the closest of the two authors to providing a comparative framework. Unfortunately he never succeeds in defining precisely the societies in which he worked. Nor does he identify the nature of the bonds creating the "business community" and linking that community to the other groups in Rhenish society. Instead he has produced an administrative study that in the end cannot sustain the larger comparative generalizations that he wishes to make. Mack Walker, on the other hand, never confronts directly the comparative potential in his biography. Focussing exclusively upon the person of Johann Jakob Moser, he leaves the reader to draw out the larger implications in Moser's tortuous career. The result is that one learns far more than one might wish about the life of a not very pleasant, self-seeking careerist and somewhat less than he might have hoped about the nature of eighteenth-century German political life. Diefendorf's study considers the efforts of certain businessmen to influence government policy in the Rhineland. He charts these efforts through an examination of various commercial boards and committees formed during the French and then Prussian occupations of that area and argues that these activities constituted a "political education" for the Rhenish business community. This community, in other words, learned to work within the system and to shape that system for its own ends. The Napoleonic period was crucial
Gender matters, too: The influences of school racial discrimination and racial identity on academic engagement outcomes among African American adolescents.

The authors examined relationships among racial identity, school-based racial discrimination experiences, and academic engagement outcomes for adolescent boys and girls in Grades 8 and 11 (n = 204 boys and n = 206 girls). The authors found gender differences in peer and classroom discrimination and in the impact of earlier and later discrimination experiences on academic outcomes. Racial centrality related positively to school performance and school importance attitudes for boys. Also, centrality moderated the relationship between discrimination and academic outcomes in ways that differed across gender. For boys, higher racial centrality related to diminished risk for lower school importance attitudes and grades from experiencing classroom discrimination relative to boys lower in centrality, and girls with higher centrality were protected against the negative impact of peer discrimination on school importance and academic self-concept. However, among lower race-central girls, peer discrimination related positively to academic self-concept. Finally, socioeconomic background moderated the relationship of discrimination with academic outcomes differently for girls and boys. The authors discuss the need to consider interactions of individual- and contextual-level factors in better understanding African American youths' academic and social development.
Form and function of the tongue in agamid lizards with comments on its phylogenetic significance

The morphology of the tongue of agamid lizards is reviewed and discussed in the context of its functional and phylogenetic significance. It is shown that in several features, including the development of the central musculature of the tongue into a ring muscle and the presence of a genioglossus internus muscle in adults, the tongue in most agamids is derived relative to that in other squamates. In some features, such as the vertical connective tissue septa, agamids share primitive features with Sphenodon. Some conditions found in agamids are also found in anoline iguanids. Two genera, Uromastyx and Leiolepis, differ significantly from other agamids in intrinsic tongue musculature. The functional significance of the unique tongue morphology is that agamids utilize a different mechanism of tongue protrusion from that of other lizards. This mechanism involves the production of force against the lingual process, leading to an anterior slide of the tongue, and is detailed in this paper. Finally, I discuss the mechanical basis for the transformation series of tongue protrusion mechanisms from agamids to chamaeleonids. It is suggested that the mechanism of tongue protrusion in chamaeleonids is not unique, but is a highly derived state of the condition found in agamids.
National Institute of Mental Health Research and Training Policies Affecting Minorities: An Outsider’s View

My purpose today is to present an outsider’s view of the National Institute of Mental Health’s research and training policies as they affect minorities. From the point of view of an outsider, the most significant change in the NIMH’s policies affecting minorities has been the establishment of the Center for Minority Group Mental Health Programs. The center was founded in November 1970 to serve as a focal point for all activities within NIMH bearing directly on meeting the mental-health needs of minorities. The founding of the center was not a sudden act of benevolence. Rather, it was the culmination of two years of pressure and outspoken criticism of NIMH by the Black Psychiatrists of America for their failure to eliminate racism within the NIMH and to mount any significant effort to eradicate racism in America. The mental-health implication of racism had been recognized and documented in two major reports published the preceding year, the first by the Kerner Commission (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, 1968) and the second by the Joint Commission on Mental Health of Children (1968). In the latter report, the Committee on Minority Group Children agreed: “Racism is the number one public health problem facing America today.
The Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela: Change and Continuity (1998–2000)

The paper examines to what extent electoral behaviour in Venezuela, as it appeared in the elections of 1998 and 2000, is different from that observed between 1958 and 1988. The paper reaches the conclusion that given the decline in party identification (dealignment), the short-term variables specific to each election, in particular the attitude towards government performance and personalities, have grown in weight vis-a-vis the structural factors (party identification, institutions, long-standing political predispositions). However, the latter were still relevant and important in the 1998 and 2000 elections and it is very likely they will carry on as such for the future. It is also concluded that, even though the party system has become unstable due to the decline in identification with the traditional government parties, new stabilising factors seem to have appeared and should be taken into account. These are ideology and negative party identification.
A feature selection approach to concept acquisition

A concept acquisition algorithm (ALFS) based on the selection of so-called best features was developed to learn decision rules to recognize examples from different subsets of a training data set. The features which best represent and differentiate a particular subset from all other subsets are used to form the rules. A knowledge base for a diagnostic expert system is produced using the rules. The results obtained by applying ALFS to two established learning data sets from the domains of breast cancer and lymphography are reported. >
Esophagopleural fistula after pneumonectomy.

Rupture of the esophagus into the space left after pneumonectomy is a rare and often fatal complication. Esophagopleural fistulas occurred in three patients following pneumonectomy. After previous methods failed, two patients were successfully treated by using a one-stage procedure which included (1) suture closure of the fistula, (2) buttressing the repair with a viable, pedicled, two-rib intercostal-muscle flap, and (3) performing an extensive thoracoplasty with a continuons drip infusion of neomycin. Such a procedure offers the maximum opportunity for successful treatment of this catastrophic lesion.
Study of the Media’s Potential Influence on Prospective Research Participants’ Understanding of and Motivations for Participation in a High-Profile Phase I Trial

PURPOSE: To describe prospective participants’ initial source of information about, understanding of, and motivation to participate in a phase I clinical trial of the antiangiogenesis agent human recombinant endostatin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We surveyed 100 of 130 persons referred to the endostatin trial between October 1999 and November 2000 and analyzed media coverage of the agent from 1997 to 2000. RESULTS: Forty-seven percent of survey respondents first heard about the trial from media reports. Fifty-one percent of these subsequently contacted their physicians. Thirty-three percent of respondents correctly understood the purpose of the trial. Seventy-nine respondents were interviewed before they met trial investigators to discuss the trial. Of these, those who first heard about endostatin from the media were five times more likely to understand correctly the trial’s purpose than those who first heard from other sources. Seventy-four percent (70 of 95) of respondents cited hope for personal benefit as ...
The New-Word Policy and Decision Feedback in Loop Data Communication Networks

The new-word policy with decision feedback is shown to improve the efficiency of loop data communication with noisy links to the extent that the average number of loop transmissions per new word increases only linearly with the number of identically noisy links. This compares to an exponential increase in more conventional acknowledge-or-retransmit systems. Also, in the (almost) noiseless case, a greater number of word transfers per loop transmission can be achieved.
Beetle pollination and fruit predation of Xanthosoma daguense (Araceae) in an Andean cloud forest in Colombia

This study describes a pollination system in a species of Araceae that involves three species of beetle, one of which is also a fruit predator. In a tropical cloud forest in Colombia, inflorescences of Xanthosomna daguense opened at dusk, releasing a sweet scent and raising their temperature 1-3 'C. Soon after, two species of Scarabaeidae (Dynastinae; Cyclocephala gregaria and C. amblyopsis) and one species of Nitidulidae (Macrostola costulata) arrived with pollen. Cyclocephala beetles remained inside the inflorescence for 24 h. The next night, Cyclocephala beetles left the inflorescence after picking up the freshly shed pollen, almost always moving to the nearest inflorescence available. The probability of inflorescence abortion and number of fruits set after the visit of one individual was equivalent for both Cyclocephala species. However, C. gregaria was much more abundant than C. amblyopsis, so it was the most important pollinator. There was a positive relationship between the number of dynastine visits and the number of fruits produced. Besides carrying pollen to the inflorescences, nitidulid beetles had a negative effect on female reproductive success through fruit predation. Nitidulid larvae developed inside the infructescence and preyed on up to 64% of the fruits. However, 8% of inflorescences not visited by dynastines were probably pollinated by nitidulids, because hand- pollination experiments showed that self-pollination was unlikely. Inflorescences potentially pollinated by nitidulids comprised 25% of the fruit crop in the year of our study. This interaction with a fruit predator that is also a potential pollinator resembles brood-site pollination systems in which pollinators prey on part of the fruit set (e.g. Ficus, senita cacti, Yucca), making this system substantially more complex than previously described dynastine-pollinated systems in aroids.
Scutellospora rubra, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal species from Brazil

Scutellospora rubra is a new arbuscular mycorrhizal species trapped in a pot culture of rhizosphere soil from Eucalyptus dunnii. Spores are dark red-brown, 140–220 μm diam., and closely resemble those of S. heterogama in size, colour, and subcellular organization, but the outer layer of the spore wall is smooth rather than ornamented. Resolution of such species-level variation to properties of the spore wall is consistent with that measured among all other species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi studied to date.
Hydroxyethyl Starch Reduces Leukocyte Adherence and Vascular Injury in the Newborn Pig Cerebral Circulation After Asphyxia

Background and Purpose —Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has beneficial effects on ischemic brain injury; however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that HES can attenuate increases in leukocyte adherence and vascular permeability in the cerebral vasculature after global cerebral ischemia induced by asphyxia. Methods —Pial venular leukocyte adherence and permeability to sodium fluorescein were quantified in anesthetized newborn piglets by in situ fluorescence videomicroscopy through closed cranial windows during basal conditions and during 2 hours of reperfusion after global ischemia induced by 9 minutes of asphyxia. Experimental animals received HES after the asphyxial insult (10% HES 257/0.47, 600 mg/kg IV bolus 5 minutes after asphyxia, followed by 600 mg/kg per hour IV drip during reperfusion; n=9). Results —A progressive and significant ( P <0.05) increase in adherent leukocytes was observed during the initial 2 hours of reperfusion after asphyxia compared with nonasphyxial controls. In this model, vascular injury, as determined by significant ( P <0.05) increases in fluorescein permeability at 2 hours of reperfusion, is largely dependent on adherent leukocytes. HES significantly reduced ( P <0.05) leukocyte adherence at 1 hour and 2 hours of reperfusion and reduced fluorescein permeability at 2 hours. HES did not change hematocrit or alter pial arteriolar diameter. Conclusions —These findings indicate that a vascular anti-inflammatory action may underlie the beneficial effects of HES in global cerebral ischemia secondary to asphyxia. Since this compound is well tolerated by patients, future preclinical and clinical studies may reveal improvements in functional outcome with the early introduction of this or similar agents after perinatal asphyxia or global ischemia.
Challenges to nurses' efforts of retrieving, documenting, and communicating patient care information.

Objective To examine information flow, a vital component of a patient's care and outcomes, in a sample of multiple hospital nursing units to uncover potential sources of error and opportunities for systematic improvement. Design This was a qualitative study of a sample of eight medical—surgical nursing units from four diverse hospitals in one US state. We conducted direct work observations of nursing staff's communication patterns for entire shifts (8 or 12 h) for a total of 200 h and gathered related documentation artifacts for analyses. Data were coded using qualitative content analysis procedures and then synthesized and organized thematically to characterize current practices. Results Three major themes emerged from the analyses, which represent serious vulnerabilities in the flow of patient care information during nurse hand-offs and to the entire interdisciplinary team across time and settings. The three themes are: (1) variation in nurse documentation and communication; (2) the absence of a centralized care overview in the patient's electronic health record, ie, easily accessible by the entire care team; and (3) rarity of interdisciplinary communication. Conclusion The care information flow vulnerabilities are a catalyst for multiple types of serious and undetectable clinical errors. We have two major recommendations to address the gaps: (1) to standardize the format, content, and words used to document core information, such as the plan of care, and make this easily accessible to all team members; (2) to conduct extensive usability testing to ensure that tools in the electronic health record help the disconnected interdisciplinary team members to maintain a shared understanding of the patient's plan.
Towards a civic environmental design

A symposium entitled Designing for Civic Environmentalism, held important lessons for architects and planners alike concerned with cultural and ecological sustainability. Itself an emerging discourse and practice, civic environmentalism (CE) is, according to William Shutkin, "the idea that members (stakeholders) of a particular geographic and political community -- residents, businesses, government agencies, and non-profits -- should engage in planning and organizing activities to ensure a future that is environmentally healthy and economically and socially vibrant at the local and regional levels” (Shutkin 2000). Andrew Light situates the area of concern within the urban environment (Light and Wellman 2003). His aim, while agreeing with Shutkin, is the inclusion of environmental virtues as the governing factor in relationships between persons in a community (civic) and between human and non-humans (ecology) in that same community. In sum, then CE is about the revival and engagement of civic life based on the protection of the environment for all. In this research paper, I describe three tenets for design practice based on civic environmentalism and present a key finding that emerged from my qualitative research (interview, participation, textual review) into the motivations and successful strategies emergent within the workshop. My research revealed that a key characteristic for a design practice based on CE is that the process is best when it works with an a posteriori or emergent logic. An a posteriori process privileges what is found at the site as the catalyst for development – reframing practice from application to discovery, preservation, and enhancement. By virtue of the local sensitivity it engenders, tempered with knowledge and skills from the outside (a priori), we increase the potential for design to yield the "goods" promised by civic environmentalism - places of ecological and cultural integrity, community, justice, and beauty.
Bioconversion of 13C-labeled microalgal phytosterols to cholesterol by the Northern Bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians

Bivalve mollusks lack de novo cholesterol biosynthesis capabilities and therefore rely upon dietary sources of sterols for rapid growth. Microalgae that constitute the main source of nutrition for suspension-feeding bivalves contain a diverse array of phytosterols, in most cases lacking cholesterol. Rapid growth of bivalves on microalgal diets with no cholesterol implies that some phytosterols can satisfy the dietary requirement for cholesterol through metabolic conversion to cholesterol, but such metabolic pathways have not been rigorously demonstrated. In the present study, stable isotope-labeled phytosterols were used to supplement a unialgal diet of Rhodomonas sp. and their biological transformation to cholesterol within scallop tissues was determined using (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Scallops efficiently dealkylated ∆(5) C29 (24-ethyl) sterols to cholesterol, and the only C28 sterol that was dealkylated efficiently possessed the 24(28)-double bond. Non-metabolized dietary phytosterols accumulated in the soft tissues. Observed formation of ∆(5,7) sterols (provitamin D) from ∆(5) sterols may represent initiation of steroid hormone (possibly ecdysone) biosynthesis. These findings provide a key component necessary for formulation of nutritionally complete microalgal diets for hatchery production of seed for molluscan aquaculture.
Managing Information in an Office Systems Environment: The IMOSA Project

This paper is reprinted from John McDonald, "Information Management and Office Systems Advancement," in Information Handling in Offices and Archives, edited by Angelika Menne-Haritz (New York: K. G. Saur, 1993). It describes a public-private-academic partnership project that was led by the National Archives and that investigated the impact of office systems technologies on the management of electronic records. Prototype software for managing electronic records was tested, and functional requirements and other related products were developed. This paper describes the project and summarizes the findings.IMOSA represented an important milestone in the evolution of the National Archives' guidance in this area. The consultation drafts of this guidance, which were made available by the National Archives in June 1995, are shaped largely by the findings of the IMOSA project. For a description of this guidance and a more recent perspective on the management of electronic records in the office systems environment, ...
Program checking

In languages such as Pascal, the programmer can arrange to have the compiler check such things as the range of the value of a variable only by defining a new type or sub-type. I have investigated how more powerful checking facilities might be provided if they were divorced from the type machinery, and also if the necessary language constructs were designed independent of what any particular compiler would check at compile-time.The first part of the project is the language design. An important goal is that the programmer can have checked as little or as much as he cares, and that it is not necessary for the programmer to specify complete input and output specifications for the program. My work falls short of program verification not only because I wanted to be able to check a program quickly, but also because I was unwilling to force the programmer to specify the program in that much detail. Current program verification systems, such as that of Constable [Constable and Johnson, 1978] seem to require that the programmer write the program twice: once as a program and again as a proof.
Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Acute Pain: The Significant Role of Pain Catastrophizing and State Anxiety.

Objective . Pain is one of the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visits. Given the significant association of psychological variables and pain experience, it is critical to examine the relation of such factors with ED pain reports. This study sought to analyze the association of reported pain intensity in ED with pain catastrophizing and state anxiety. Methods . One hundred participants presenting with a primary complaint of acute pain in an urban ED completed the study. The measures included a demographic survey with questions pertaining to pain intensity, type and duration of present pain, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Subscale (STAI-S). Results . Pain intensity was significantly and positively associated with pain catastrophizing and state anxiety. Follow-up PROCESS mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of pain catastrophizing on the relationship between state anxiety and pain intensity. Conclusions . The results suggest that it is important to assess the psychological distress due to anxiety and pain catastrophizing of patients presenting to EDs with acute pain. Setting-appropriate brief behavioral interventions in conjunction with pharmacological interventions could improve outcomes.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Adults

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a relatively recently discovered disease of increasing incidence and prevalence and is a common cause of dysphagia and food bolus impaction. The definition of eosinophilic esophagitis continues to evolve, most recently with the characterization of proton pump inhibitor-responsive esophageal eosinophilia. The number of high-quality prospective, controlled trials guiding therapeutic decisions in eosinophilic esophagitis has increased steadily over the past several years. Treatment options at present focus on dietary therapy, particularly implementation of a 6-food elimination diet, and medical therapy, primarily the use of swallowed, topical corticosteroids. Proton pump inhibitors play an important role in current management. Conservative esophageal dilation is effective at ameliorating dysphagia in symptomatic patients with esophageal strictures. We conducted an evidence-based review of the diagnosis and treatment options in adults with eosinophilic esophagitis. The understanding of eosinophilic esophagitis continues to be refined. Continued validation of appropriate endpoints, however, is essential to establish the efficacy of existing and novel therapeutic approaches.
Do remittances improve income inequality? An instrumental variable quantile analysis of the Kenyan case

Abstract The impact of remittances on income inequality constitutes a keenly debated topic in the development literature. Yet, a consensus still has not evolved on the issue. This paper explores the argument that the adverse distributional impact of remittances obtained by a number of studies could partially be due to the failure to control for existing differentials in the ability to migrate. We test the impact of remittances on household expenditures using data from the Kenyan Migration Household Survey and employing an instrumental variable quantile regression model to control for the unequal access to migration of rich and poor households. Our results indicate that while remittances increase household expenditure at all levels of the expenditure distribution, the impact is unambiguously greatest for poorer households. Hence, remittances, in and of themselves, improve both poverty and the distribution of income. This suggests that if remittances are to provide an impetus to development, recipient economies need to alleviate the credit constraints that restrict access to migration for the poor and the ability to send money home once the access bar has been overcome.
Care of the patient with chronic pain: part II.

Chronic nonmalignant pain is estimated to affect over 50 million Americans. It frequently results in significant physical, behavioral, psychological, social, and spiritual problems for patients and their families. In spite of its prevalence and consequences, chronic pain is often misunderstood and inadequately managed by healthcare professionals. Advanced practice nurses who are knowledgeable about chronic pain and the complex biopsychosocial-spiritual needs of this patient population serve an important role in recognizing these patients and intervening appropriately in their care. The purpose of this two-part article is to provide that information. Part I outlines the pathophysiology, assessment, biopsychosocial-spiritual aspects, and pharmacological treatment of chronic pain. Part II addresses a variety of nonpharmacologic and self-management interventions one can use in the primary care setting to treat these difficult health problems.
Beyond Extension: Strengthening the Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP)

Most agricultural activities on Indian lands have been under the control of non-Indian managers since the reservation era began in the 1800s. Despite federal trust obligations dating back to the late 1700s, there has been little involvement by U.S. Cooperative Extension. Federally funded programs created to enhance tribal farming and ranching operations continue to be marginalized and severely underfunded. The Federally Recognized Tribal Extension Program (FRTEP) is tasked with supporting American Indians through scientific, economic, agricultural, and traditional information to solve local problems. FRTEP serves 19 reservation communities with an annual fluctuating budget of approximately US$3 million, which is nationally competitive. Recent litigation offers an opportunity for FRTEP to grow, serve as a catalyst for change, and energize economic stimulation. FRTEP also offers a potential model for community-based agricultural and food programs nationwide. See the press release for this article.
Developing and Evaluating Genomics- or Proteomics-Based Diagnostic Tests

The completion of the Human Genome Project and the ongoing sequencing of mouse, rat, and other genomes have led to an explosion of genetics-related technologies that are finding their way into all areas of biological research in both basic sciences and clinical applications. High-throughput genomics and proteomics technology has been quickly adapted to develop tools for clinical and pharmacological applications. Because molecular alterations usually occur much earlier than histological, physiological, and clinical abnormality, researchers hope to extend the applications of genomics and/or proteomics technology to early diagnosis of diseases and clinical outcome prognosis. Recently, some successful attempts in molecular diagnosis or prognosis have been published. However, for such tests to be translated from the bench to the bed, they must meet some rigorous standards. To develop a clinically meaningful genomics-based diagnostic test, we must have good study design, appropriate statistical analyses, and valid assessment of its clinical efficacy. In this chapter, we discuss statistical considerations on the process of developing reliable and useful genomics- or proteomics-based tests.
Liposomes as Macromolecular Carriers for the Introduction of RNA and DNA into Cells

Liposomes are vesicles composed of one or more lipid bilayers completely surrounding an internal aqueous space. They are usually composed of phospholipids either in pure form or in combination with other amphipathic molecules such as sterols, long chain bases or acids. The structure of liposomes varies from large (0.5 to 5μ) multilamellar vesicles (1) to small (~300A) unilamellar vesicles (2, 3) or to unilamellar vesicles of intermediate size (4–6).