cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
613. A Comparison of CNS Transduction After Systemic versus Cranial Delivery of an AAV2/9 CamKII Promoter-eGFP Vector in Mice

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is a rare but fatal lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids within the lysosome. Clinical manifestations include ataxia, dementia and hepatosplenomegaly. 95% of cases are caused by an NPC1 gene mutation resulting in a lack of functional NPC1 protein, a putative cholesterol transport protein found in the lysosomal limiting membrane. The neuronal pathology seen in NPC1−/− mice begins with cerebellar axonal swelling, progresses to gliosis and visible lipid accumulation within lysosomes, then is followed by a marked loss of Purkinje cells. Weight loss and ataxia accompany disease progression. We have previously demonstrated that systemic delivery of an AAV9 vector designed to express the human NPC1 gene under the control of the neuronal-specific promoter, mouse calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CamKII), to Npc1−/− mice resulted in a modest but significant increase in survival. Transgene expression, assayed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), revealed widespread NPC1 expression within the brain, broadly correlating with the endogenous CamKII expression pattern. Delayed loss of Purkinje cells in the AAV treated Npc1−/− mice was also observed. Despite the increase in lifespan, expression of NPC1 in the Purkinje cells of the AAV treated Npc1−/− mice was limited, and the mice eventually succumbed to NPC1 disease. This result is notable due to the association between Purkinje cell loss and NPC1 disease progression. In an effort to improve neuronal transduction, particularly in Purkinje cells, we have explored various central nervous system (CNS) delivery routes with an AAV9 reporter, configured to express eGFP under the CamKII promoter. Three groups of mice (n=3 mice per group) received stereotactic-guided AAV9 CamKII-eGFP injections into either the lateral ventricles (dose: 3.8 × 1011 GC), cisterna magna (dose: 3.1 × 1011 GC), or a combination of both (dose: 3.8 × 1011 GC). After two weeks, eGFP expression was assessed using IHC and microscopy. Lateral ventricle and combination injections yielded widespread neuronal transduction throughout the brain, but expression in the cerebellum was limited and sporadic. Injections into the cisterna magna - expected to target the cerebellum - did not improve cerebellar expression compared to the other routes. Overall, aside from a heightened intensity of transgene expression, cranial injections did not appear to increase neuronal targeting compared to systemic delivery by retro-orbital injections (dose: 1×1012 GC). Based on preliminary evidence from a limited number of mice, gross differences in transduction between Npc1−/− and control mice were not observed, suggesting that the disease state at the time of assessment did not influence vector tropism. Our results will help define the optimal delivery route for future NPC1 vector optimization studies, and may be informative for others who seek to correct neurodegenerative mouse models using AAV9-mediated gene therapy.
“Do-not-resuscitate orders: a clinical ethics perspective” medicolegal and bioethics

Closed chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), having been so successful after its introduction in the operating room for saving lives of anesthetized patients, was adopted for use in the intensive care units, then hospital-wide, and finally to out of hospital patients. This has lead to ethical dilemmas involving patients who must themselves request discontinuation of artificial organ function devices and treatments, or placing family members in the difficult positions of having to make those decisions for their unconscious and suffering relatives. In this review, the Ethical principles on which physicians, hospitals, patients, and surrogate decision makers rely in order to apply their perceived moral obligations to provide patient safety, comfort, and treatment are examined with particular emphasis on do not resuscitate orders (DNR). It is clear that DNR does not equate with do not treat.
Chemical Growth Retardants Increase Seed Yield in Apple Trees

Abstract In two experiments the effects of trunk drenches with two gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitors on vegetative growth, seed yield and quality of ‘Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ apple trees were studied. In the first experiment trunk drenches of either paclobutrazol or uniconizole were applied to ‘Golden Delicious’ apple trees in spring 1984. Both chemicals significantly reduced shoot length in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, fruit number tended to be higher in treated trees, but was less than untreated trees in 1985 and 1984. The estimated number of sound seeds produced in 1986 on treated trees was increased. Neither chemical significantly affected seed quality or seedling growth. In a second similar experiment paclobutrazol, applied as a trunk drench in spring 1984 at rates of 2, 4 or 8 g active ingredient (ai)/tree, significantly reduced shoot growth in 1985 and 1986. The number of sound seed/tree was significantly increased in 1986 at all paclobutrazol levels due to an increase in the number of fruit/...
Language, Diaspora, and Identity: An Interview with Yasmine Gooneratne

(2008). Language, Diaspora, and Identity: An Interview with Yasmine Gooneratne. South Asian Review: Vol. 29, Perspectives on South Asian Women's Writing, pp. 269-279.
Some factors affecting fibrinogen precipitation by ristocetin: ultrastructure of precipitates.

Fibrinogen in aqueous solution is precipitated by the antibiotic ristocetin. This reaction is inhibited by albumin and facilitated by low temperature. Resolubilized fibrinogen clots in the presence of thrombin. Ristocetin-precipitated fibrinogen takes the form of fibrils or clumps, composed of irregularly spaced, structure-less particles. The addition of ristocetin to washed platelets suspended in fibrinogen- containing media produces fibrinogen clumps in both the media and in the surface cannalicular system of the platelets. The changes in light transmission (aggregation curves) are due to both platelet aggregation and fibrinogen clumping. The role of the latter is confirmed by the observation that the addition of ristocetin to inert latex particles suspended in fibrinogen solution produces typical aggregation curves. This phenomenon is prevented by the addition of albumin to the media. We conclude that (1) if fibrinogen is present in any artificial system, albumin should be included in the media to prevent fibrinogen precipitation; and (2) statements about aggregation of any particulated materials by ristocetin should not be based solely on light- transmission changes, but should also include a description of the morphologic appearance.
Solid energy calibration standards for P K-edge XANES: electronic structure analysis of PPh4Br.

P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is a powerful method for analyzing the electronic structure of organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds. Like all XANES experiments, P K-edge XANES requires well defined and readily accessible calibration standards for energy referencing so that spectra collected at different beamlines or under different conditions can be compared. This is especially true for ligand K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which has well established energy calibration standards for Cl (Cs2CuCl4) and S (Na2S2O3·5H2O), but not neighboring P. This paper presents a review of common P K-edge XANES energy calibration standards and analysis of PPh4Br as a potential alternative. The P K-edge XANES region of commercially available PPh4Br revealed a single, highly resolved pre-edge feature with a maximum at 2146.96 eV. PPh4Br also showed no evidence of photodecomposition when repeatedly scanned over the course of several days. In contrast, we found that PPh3 rapidly decomposes under identical conditions. Density functional theory calculations performed on PPh3 and PPh4+ revealed large differences in the molecular orbital energies that were ascribed to differences in the phospho­rus oxidation state (III versus V) and molecular charge (neutral versus +1). Time-dependent density functional theory calculations corroborated the experimental data and allowed the spectral features to be assigned. The first pre-edge feature in the P K-edge XANES spectrum of PPh4Br was assigned to P 1s → P-C π* transitions, whereas those at higher energy were P 1s → P-C σ*. Overall, the analysis suggests that PPh4Br is an excellent alternative to other solid energy calibration standards commonly used in P K-edge XANES experiments.
Heritability of growth traits and correlation with hepatic gene expression among hybrid striped bass exhibiting extremes in performance

Hybrid striped bass is a major aquaculture species in the United States. Artificial breeding of this species can introduce large variation in growth during production to market size. To assess the ...
Soviet ‘renegades’, Black Panthers, and Angela Davis: the politics of dissent in the Soviet press, 1968–73

Soviet newspapers responded to Western media attention to the persecution of human rights defenders in the USSR not only by vilifying these activists as ‘renegades’, but also by expressing solidari...
Progress Through Collaboration: An ASCO and U.S. Food and Drug Administration Workshop to Improve the Evidence Base for Treating Older Adults With Cancer.

Older adults represent the majority of patients diagnosed with cancer, yet the evidence base used to guide therapy for this growing segment of the population is limited compared with data available for younger adults. Information is particularly limited for adults commonly seen in practice, including those over age 75 and those with comorbidity or frailty. Efforts have been underway to raise awareness of this substantial gap in evidence and identify strategies to build an evidence base for older adults. Recently, the ASCO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a public workshop to address this issue. There is a need for innovative trial design to test the efficacy and tolerability of therapies among generalizable older adult populations. Incorporation of endpoints such as functional independence and quality of life as well as investigation of geriatric assessment–based treatment allocation strategies will be needed to individualize care planning. Strategies to increase trial enrollment need to...
Role of mucosal IgA in the resistance to Acanthamoeba keratitis

PURPOSE To determine whether oral immunization with Acanthamoeba castellanii antigens elicits mucosal antibodies of the IgA isotype and whether mucosal antibodies affect parasite adhesion to the corneal epithelium. METHODS Chinese hamsters were immunized with 100 microg aqueous Acanthamoeba antigen mixed with cholera toxin (Ac-CT) and subsequently challenged with parasite-laden contact lenses that were applied to abraded corneal surfaces. Tears and stool samples were examined for the presence of Acanthamoeba-specific IgA antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The effect of mucosal antibody on trophozoite binding to corneal epithelium and viability of trophozoites was examined in vitro. RESULTS Hamsters immunized orally with Ac-CT showed significantly lower infection rates than did control groups (21.4% versus 72.6%). ELISA analysis of mucosal specimens showed the presence of parasite-specific IgA in stool samples and tears from hamsters orally immunized with Ac-CT, but not in control animals. In vitro assays showed that anti-Acanthamoeba IgA did not affect parasite viability. However, mucosal anti-Acanthamoeba IgA profoundly inhibited (>75%) the binding of parasites to corneal epithelial cells in vitro. CONCLUSIONS Oral immunization with Ac-CT induces the production of parasite-specific IgA in mucosal secretions and prevents corneal infection. Mucosal antibody does not affect the viability of Acanthamoeba trophozoites but seems to prevent infection by inhibiting parasite binding to the corneal epithelium.
Effects of dimethazone (FMC 57020) on chloroplast development

Abstract The effects of dimethazone [FMC 57020; 2-(2-chlorophenyl)methyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-isoxalidinone] on the growth and ultrastructure of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L.) were examined. Seeds were imbibed in 0.5 m M dimethazone for 1 day and grown for 4 to 5 subsequent days in darkness without the herbicide. The herbicide stunted etiolated hypocotyl growth and retarded greening under 150 μmol · m −2 · sec −1 white light. No effects of dimethazone on the in vivo absorption spectrum of the etiolated primary leaf was detected. The herbicide caused some reduction and disorganization of prothylakoids in etiplasts. After 3 hr of white light chlorophyll accumulation was greatly reduced in treated leaves and ultrastructural development of the chloroplasts of herbicide-treated tissues appeared to be retarded. Pronounced thylakoid disruption was noticed in some cells after 12 hr, was more common after 24 hr, and was found in all cells by 72 hr. Maximally affected plastids lacked thylakoids, had irregular envelopes, and contained numerous vesicles.
(U) EOSPAC USER'S MANUAL: VERSION 6.3

The EOSPAC utility package is a collection of interface routines, which can be used to access the SESAME data library and perform various data adjustments and interpolations on the SESAME data. The SESAME data library contains both thermodynamic (e.g., equation of state) and transport coefficients (e.g., opacity and conductivity), and it is described in reference 1. Note, for simplicity, the term EOS (equation of state) used herein includes both thermodynamic variables and transport coefficients. The EOSPAC utility package is designed to be used by physics codes (henceforth 'host codes') written in multiple languages and on multiple platforms. The remainder of this manual is organized into several sections. Section 2 provides a general overview of basic theory and models implemented within EOSPAC. Section 3 provides a general overview of how to use the EOSPAC interface library. Section 4 discusses conventions such as data organization and routine names. Sections 5 through 7 describe the public interfaces of EOSPAC in detail. Section 8 provides details related to some selected numerical features of EOSPAC. Section 9 gives examples for using the interface routines described in sections 5 through 7. Section 10 provides technical support contact information. Section 11 contains a brief set of acknowledgments.more » Finally, section 12 contains a list of referenced documents. Appendices list the Table Type Definitions, the Option Flag Definitions, the Information Flag Definitions, and the Error Code Definitions.« less
Modular quantitative monitoring

In real-time decision making and runtime monitoring applications, declarative languages are commonly used as they facilitate modular high-level specifications with the compiler guaranteeing evaluation over data streams in an efficient and incremental manner. We introduce the model of Data Transducers to allow modular compilation of queries over streaming data. A data transducer maintains a finite set of data variables and processes a sequence of tagged data values by updating its variables using an allowed set of operations. The model allows unambiguous nondeterminism, exponentially succinct control, and combining values from parallel threads of computation. The semantics of the model immediately suggests an efficient streaming algorithm for evaluation. The expressiveness of data transducers coincides with streamable regular transductions, a robust and streamable class of functions characterized by MSO-definable string-to-DAG transformations with no backward edges. We show that the novel features of data transducers, unlike previously studied transducers, make them as succinct as traditional imperative code for processing data streams, but the structuring of the transition function permits modular compilation. In particular, we show that operations such as parallel composition, union, prefix-sum, and quantitative analogs of combinators for unambiguous parsing, can be implemented by natural and succinct constructions on data transducers. To illustrate the benefits of such modularity in compilation, we define a new language for quantitative monitoring, QRE-Past, that integrates features of past-time temporal logic and quantitative regular expressions. While this combination allows a natural specification of a cardiac arrhythmia detection algorithm in QRE-Past, compilation of QRE-Past specifications into efficient monitors comes for free thanks to succinct constructions on data transducers.
AudioHighlight: Code Skimming for Blind Programmers

Blind programmers use a screen reader to read code aloud. Screen readers force blind programmers to read code sequentially one line at a time. In contrast, sighted programmers are able to skim visually to the most important code areas, assisted by syntax highlighting. However, there is a place where there is a widely adopted approach to skimming a structured document: the web. Modern screen readers employ what is known as a virtual cursor to navigate structural information on webpages such as HTML heading tags. These tags can indicate different sections and subsections in the structure of a page. We harness the existing familiarity of blind computer users with this interface in our approach which we call AudioHighlight. AudioHighlight renders the code inside a web view, either as part of the Eclipse IDE or as a web service. It places HTML heading tags on the structural elements of a source file such as classes, functions and control flow statements. We compare AudioHighlight to the state of the art in code skimming represented by a previous code skimming approach called StructJumper. We also compare to the state of practice in reading code on the web as represented by GitHub. We found that AudioHighlight increased the quality and speed of code comprehension as compared to both approaches.
Case 2: A 2-year-old Girl with Difficulty Bearing Weight

1. Stephanie Vander-Plas, MD* 2. Ngozi I. Eboh, MD, FAAP, FHM* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX A 2-year-old girl is transferred to our facility due to the inability to bear weight. On the previous day, she had normal development and received her hepatitis A vaccine at her pediatrician’s office. A complete blood cell count, electrolytes, liver function tests, kidney function tests, C-reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine performed before transfer were normal. Results of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies, urinalysis, and creatine kinase measurement performed on arrival were normal. Her condition rapidly progressed to include truncal ataxia, nystagmus, and upper extremity weakness without deep tendon reflexes. Further evaluation confirmed the diagnosis. Based …
Noisy and Incomplete Boolean Matrix Factorizationvia Expectation Maximization.

Probabilistic approach to Boolean matrix factorization can provide solutions robustagainst noise and missing values with linear computational complexity. However,the assumption about latent factors can be problematic in real world applications.This study proposed a new probabilistic algorithm free of assumptions of latentfactors, while retaining the advantages of previous algorithms. Real data experimentshowed that our algorithm was favourably compared with current state-of-the-artprobabilistic algorithms.
Implementation of a Bundled Consent Process in the ICU: A Single-Center Experience.

Objectives A bundled consent process, where patients or surrogates provide consent for all commonly performed procedures on a single form at the time of ICU admission, has been advocated as a method for improving both rates of documented consent and patient/family satisfaction, but there has been little published literature about the use of bundled consent. We sought to determine how residents in an academic medical center with a required bundled consent process actually obtain consent and how they perceive the overall value, efficacy, and effects on families of this approach. Design Single-center survey study. Setting Medical ICUs in an urban academic medical center. Subjects Internal medicine residents. Interventions We administered an online survey about bundled consent use to all residents. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. Measurements and main results One-hundred two of 164 internal medicine residents (62%) completed the survey. A majority of residents (55%) reported grouping procedures and discussing general risks and benefits; 11% reported conducting a complete informed consent discussion for each procedure. Respondents were divided in their perception of the value of bundled consent, but most (78%) felt it scared or stressed families. A minority (26%) felt confident that they obtained valid informed consent for critical care procedures with the use of bundled consent. An additional theme that emerged from qualitative data was concern regarding the validity of anticipatory consent. Conclusions Resident physicians experienced with the use of bundled consent in the ICU held variable perceptions of its value but raised concerns about the effect on families and the validity of consent obtained with this strategy. Further studies are necessary to further explore what constitutes best practice for informed consent in critical care.
Resource optimization in Visible Light Communication for Internet of Things

In the modern day, there is a serious spectrum crunch in the legacy radio frequency (RF) band, for which visible light communication (VLC) can be a promising option. VLC is a short-range wireless communication variant which uses the visible light spectrum. In this paper, we are using a VLC-based architecture for providing scalable communications to Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices where a multi-element hemispherical bulb is used that can transmit data streams from multiple light emitting diode (LED) boards. The essence of this architecture is that it uses a Line-of-Sight (LoS) alignment protocol that handles the handoff issue created by the movement of receivers inside a room. We start by proposing an optimization problem aiming to minimize the total consumed energy emitted by each LED taking into consideration the LEDs’ power budget, users’ perceived quality-of-service, LED-user associations, and illumination uniformity constraints. Then, because of the non-convexity of the problem, we propose to solve it in two stages: (1) We design an efficient algorithm for LED-user association for fixed LED powers, and (2) using the LED-user association, we find an approximate solution based on Taylor series to optimize the LEDs’ power. We devise a heuristic solution based on this approach. Finally, we illustrate the performance of our method via simulations.
Faculty Online Learning Communities: A Model for Sustained Teaching Transformation.

An online learning community can help faculty adapt research-based instructional strategies to their own educational settings and promote sustained reform.
Effectiveness of Natural Frequency Technology® on cognition, sleep, and mood of adults with high perceived stress: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.

Introduction NexQuest Natural Frequency Technology® (NFT® ), intended to enhance biological function using naturally occurring frequencies, may be a nonpharmacological intervention to improve stress and health. The study purpose was to determine the effectiveness of NFT® for improving stress, sleep quality, mood, and cognition in adults. Methods Using a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, participants with high perceived stress (N = 42, M age = 43.8) were assessed at baseline (BL) and assigned to either the Placebo Watch (PW) or Wellness Watch (WW) condition for 2 weeks, and then 2 weeks in the alternate condition. Participants completed the following self-report surveys of Perceived Stress Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, Food Craving Questionnaire, and Profile of Mood States, as well as the CNS Vital Signs neurocognitive test at BL and following each condition. Results The WW condition had significant improvements in sleep duration and Complex Attention compared to the PW group. Compared to BL, both conditions had significant improvements for perceived stress, food cravings, mood, sleep quality, and several cognitive tests, p's Conclusion Despite the placebo effect, NFT® may be a natural alterative for improving stress and health. Research is needed examining the efficacy of NFT® in a variety of populations and environments.
Overexpression of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) protects mesenchymal stem cells against caspase-dependent apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and inflammation.

The clinical application of stem cells offers great promise as a potential avenue for therapeutic use in neurodegenerative diseases. However, cell loss after transplantation remains a major challenge which currently plagues the field. Based on our previous findings that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) protected neurons from glutamate excitotoxicity and that upregulation of FGF-21 in a rat model of ischemic stroke was associated with neuroprotection, we proposed that overexpression of FGF-21 protects bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from apoptosis. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether the detrimental effects of apoptosis can be mitigated by the transgenic overexpression of FGF-21 in MSCs. FGF-21 was transduced into MSCs by lentivirus and its overexpression was confirmed by quantitative PCR. Moreover, FGF-21 overexpression did not stimulate the expression of other FGF family members, suggesting it does not activate a positive feedback system. The effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and staurosporine, known inducers of apoptosis, were evaluated in FGF-21 overexpressing MSCs and mCherry control MSCs. Caspase 3 and 7 activity was markedly and dose-dependently increased by all three stimuli in mCherry MSCs. FGF-21 overexpression robustly suppressed caspase activation induced by H2 O2 and TNF-α, but not staurosporine. Moreover, the assessment of apoptotic morphological changes confirmed the protective effects of FGF-21 overexpression. Taken together, these results provide compelling evidence that FGF-21 plays a crucial role in protecting MSCs from apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and inflammation, and merits further investigation as a strategy for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell-based therapies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Measurements of Aerosol Charge and Size Distribution for Graphite, Gold, Palladium, and Silver Nanoparticles

The role of charge on aerosol evolution and hence the nuclear source term has been an issue of interest, and there is a need for both experimental techniques and modeling for quantifying this role. Our focus here is on further exploration of a tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) technique to simultaneously measure both the size and charge (positive, negative and neutral) dependent aerosol distributions. We have generated graphite, gold, silver, and palladium nanoparticles (aerosol) using a spark generator. We measure the electrical mobility-size distributions for these aerosols using a TDMA, and from these data we deduce the full charge-size distributions. We observe asymmetry in the particle size distributions for negative and positive charges. This asymmetry could have a bearing on the dynamics of charged aerosols, indicating that the assumption of symmetry for size distributions of negatively and positively charged particles in source term simulations may not be always appropriate. Also, the experimental technique should find applications in measurements of aerosol rate processes that are affected by both particle charge and size (e.g. coagulation, deposition, resuspension), and hence in modeling and simulation of the nuclear source term.
KeyGuard: Using Selective Encryption to Mitigate Keylogging in Third-Party IME.

As mobile devices become ubiquitous, people around the world have enjoyed the convenience they have brought to our lives. At the same time, the increasing security threats that rise from using mobile devices not only have caught attention from cyber security agencies but also have become a valid concern for mobile users. Keylogging is one of the mobile security threats caused by using insecure third-party IME (input method editor) applications. Keylogging, as the name suggests, keeps track of user\rq s key events performed on the device and stores all the events in a log. The log could include highly sensitive data such as credit card number, social security number, and passwords. This paper presents a novel solution by intercepting the keystroke events triggered by a user and encrypting them before sending them to the third-party IME, making the third-party IME unable to log what the users actually entered on the screen. Input will be decrypted when showing on text view on the underlying app. This solution addresses the fundamental reason why an IME may leak sensitive information since an IME will no longer have access to the user\rq s actual sensitive information, which will greatly reduce the chance of leaking sensitive information by using a third-party IME while maintaining the functionalities of the third-party IME at the same time.
Progress and Purposiveness in Chinese Philosophies: A Darwinian Critique

When Darwinism is taken up as a hermeneutic position from which to engage and interpret traditional Chinese philosophies, it elicits questions regarding philosophical commitments to metaphysical ideals of progress, nature’s purposiveness and harmony. Advancing this hermeneutic dialogue between Confucianism, Daoism, and Darwinism, this chapter demonstrates potential contradictions and possible resolutions for a creative synthesis of these several worldviews. The present discussion begins with an exposition of the philosophical critique that Darwinism posed to teleological positions in the history of Anglo-American and European philosophies. It then pivots to pose this Darwinian critique to classical Chinese traditions of thought. Over the course of this discussion, two pillars of modern Chinese thought are addressed: Yan Fu and Li Zehou. The philosophies presented by these two authors provide insight into the antitheses between and potential syntheses of Darwinism and traditional Chinese worldviews.
Risk of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer in Association With Use of Hydrochlorothiazide-Containing Products in the United States.

Background European studies reported an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer associated with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ)-containing products. We examined the risks of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) associated with HCTZ compared with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) in a US population. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the US Food and Drug Administration's Sentinel System. From the date of HCTZ or ACEI dispensing, patients were followed until a SCC or BCC diagnosis requiring excision or topical chemotherapy treatment on or within 30 days after the diagnosis date or a censoring event. Using Cox proportional hazards regression models, we estimated the hazard ratios (HRs), overall and separately by age, sex, and race. We also examined site- and age-adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) by cumulative HCTZ dose within the matched cohort. Results Among 5.2 million propensity-score matched HCTZ and ACEI users, the incidence rate (per 1000 person-years) of BCC was 2.78 and 2.82, respectively, and 1.66 and 1.60 for SCC. Overall, there was no difference in risk between HCTZ and ACEIs for BCC (HR = 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.97 to 1.00), but there was an increased risk for SCC (HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.06). HCTZ use was associated with higher risks of BCC (HR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.11) and SCC (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.17) among Caucasians. Cumulative HCTZ dose of 50 000 mg or more was associated with an increased risk of SCC in the overall population (IRR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.35) and among Caucasians (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.47). Conclusions Among Caucasians, we identified small increased risks of BCC and SCC with HCTZ compared with ACEI. Appropriate risk mitigation strategies should be taken while using HCTZ.
Robotic Understanding of Spatial Relationships Using Neural-Logic Learning

Understanding spatial relations of objects is critical in many robotic applications such as grasping, manipulation, and obstacle avoidance. Humans can simply reason object’s spatial relations from a glimpse of a scene based on prior knowledge of spatial constraints. The proposed method enables a robot to comprehend spatial relationships among objects from RGB-D data. This paper proposed a neural-logic learning framework to learn and reason spatial relations from raw data by following logic rules on spatial constraints. The neural-logic network consists of three blocks: grounding block, spatial logic block, and inference block. The grounding block extracts high-level features from the raw sensory data. The spatial logic blocks can predicate fundamental spatial relations by training a neural network with spatial constraints. The inference block can infer complex spatial relations based on the predicated fundamental spatial relations. Simulations and robotic experiments evaluated the performance of the proposed method.
Temperature and time effects of post-weld heat treatments on tensile properties and microstructure of Zircaloy-4

Abstract Opportunities exist to expand the application of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) into lower-temperature ( 800°C or >18hours) cases, but the effect of temperature was stronger. The second order cumulative annealing parameter shows a trend with tensile properties. Average grain sizes in the fusion zone and heat affected zone did not change under any of the PWHTs until the development of an undesirable blocky-alpha phase, which was only observed to form in the heat affected zones for hold times greater than 18hr at 800°C.
Tending to the Spirit: A Proposal for Healing the Hearts of Black Children in Poverty

This article describes the public and private responses necessary to develop skills for low-income children to succeed. In order to fully comprehend the challenges facing these children, the article begins by explaining the statistics behind childhood poverty, including that children raised in poverty perform well below average in school and attend schools with signiacantly less resources. The article then turns to the concept of resiliency, which is a theory that children who develop positive internal strengths can overcome the burdens of poverty. Finally, the article explores how resiliency can be developed in children by examining three methods currently used in communities: Storytelling, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Alabama Blues Program. The article concludes by anding that, in addition to meeting the basic needs of impoverished children, children’s spirits can soar through these community programs—by being therapeutic, empowering, imaginative, challenging, and educational—and inspired to overcome the barriers of
Action of Steroidal Diamines on Active Transport and Permeability Properties of Escherichia coli

The steroidal diamine irehdiamine A (IDA) is a potent inhibitor of bacteriophage growth and macromolecular synthesis in Escherichia coli. By using radioactive 42K and 14C-thiomethylgalactoside (TMG), rapid effects of IDA and related steroids, both on the influx of potassium and TMG via their respective transport systems and on the efflux (leakage) of radioactivity from the treated cells, have been measured. IDA affects both the influx and efflux of 42K at concentrations of steroid as low as 2 × 10−5m. Because of the increased leakage, it is not possible to tell whether there is a direct effect reducing the rate of active transport of potassium. The primary diamine, IDA, and its bis-secondary, bis-tertiary, and bis-quaternary diamine analogues are decreasingly effective in altering cell permeability properties in the order 1° > 2° > 3° > 4°. The effects of IDA on potassium transport are mirrored by similar effects on the transport of TMG. Therefore, the action of IDA is on the cell membrane and not directly on one or another transport system. The effects of IDA on cell permeability can reasonably explain the inhibitory actions of the drugs on bacteriophage growth and cellular metabolism.
See, Hear, and Speak No Evil A Content Approach to Evaluating Multicultural Multimedia Materials

In this article, I offer evaluation criteria for librarians, teachers, parents, and others who are responsible for selecting and providing multicultural multimedia materials (text, sound, and graphics). These criteria can be used to evaluate multicultural content in the context of building library collections, developing programs and readers' advisories, providing Internet links or bookmarking World Wide Web pages, weeding collections, and other activities that entail the assessment of the quality of multicultural multimedia. Previously published guidelines and criteria available to evaluate multicultural materials, whether print or multimedia, were developed for specific types of materials, audiences, or multicultural content and, as such, are limited in their usefulness. The proposed criteria require the examination of four components: objectivity, language, subject mastery, and resources. These criteria are designed to be applied broadly in evaluating multicultural content of any multimedia, for any audience and level of coverage, and in any language.
Systematic applications of gas-liquid chromatography in toxicology: II. The antihistamines

Abstract The relative retention times of 22 antihistaminic drugs obtained at 160 ° and 190 °C on a 3-foot glass column packed with 1% Hi-Eff-8B on 100 120 mesh silanized Gas Chrom P are recorded. Also described are the results of animal experiments, particularly the concentrations of drugs found in the bloods of rats after they were given toxic doses of seven of the common antihistaminic drugs. The simple acetone-ether extraction method (1) as described in Part I of this series was used to extract drugs from bloods. This procedure was also used in determining recovery data obtained on adding known quantities of drugs to bloods.
Video-Driven Multimedia, Web-Based Training in the Corporate Sector: Pedagogical Equivalence and Component Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to assess the pedagogical equivalence, as determined by knowledge gains, and the pedagogical effectiveness of certain components in a video-driven multimedia, web-based professional development training program as compared to a traditional, face-to-face program under real-world constraints of time and limited economic resources. The study focused on the use of video-driven multimedia, web-based instruction in the corporate environment to determine if the quality of the learning experience and the knowledge gained from the instruction were the same as with traditional methods. This experimental study assigned business professionals quasi-randomly to either a control group or an experimental group, where they attended either a live-instructed professional development program or a video-driven multimedia, web-based professional development program. Overall, results indicated that the video-driven multimedia, web-based instruction was not only pedagogically equivalent in terms of knowledge gains to the live instruction but that the knowledge gains were slightly higher among the web-based participants. Further, certain components in the web-based environment contributed more than components in the live environment to pedagogical effectiveness.
Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration. Mendaglio, S. (2007)

With this edited volume, Sal Mendaglio sets out to integrate under one cover the multiple facets of Kazimierz Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration (TPD). To this end, he invited 11 authors...
Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Magnetic-field Relaxations in Solar-coronal MHD

This paper treats the relaxation of a magnetic field into a minimum-energy force-free state in a cold (pressure-less) viscous fluid, under the frozen-in condition of perfect electrical conductivity and letting the viscosity-dissipated energy be completely lost. A non-Newtonian fluid in popular use is studied in relation to the Newtonian viscous fluid, as two alternative numerical means to (1) construct force-free fields representing solar coronal structures in realistic geometry and (2) investigate the Parker theory of spontaneous formation of electric current sheets as a basic MHD process. Faraday's induction equation imposes an independent condition on the fluid velocity at rigid, perfectly conducting boundaries. This boundary condition is quite compatible with Newtonian mechanics but not with the non-Newtonian fluid model where velocity is equated to the Lorentz force with a free, positive multiplicative-factor. This defining property gives rise to unphysical or artificial singularities not previously known that are completely distinct from the physically admissible singularities representing the current sheets of the Parker theory. In particular, the non-Newtonian fluid takes a magnetic field with neutral points from any one of a continuum of initial states into an unphysical state instead of the proper force-free end-state accessible by Newtonian relaxation. The validity of previously published MHD results based on this non-Newtonian fluid, including some counterclaims against the Parker theory, is dubious. Investigating the Parker theory requires numerical relaxation models capable of anticipating and accurately describing inevitable current-sheet singularities. By including a weak resistivity to dissipate the inevitable current sheets as they form, the field can change topology intermittently to seek a terminal force-free state free of singularities. The minimum-energy state of this more complete model corresponds to the long-lived relaxed structures in the corona.
Toward an empirically based parameter selection for time-sampling observation systems

The measurement error of time-sampling observation systems, used to estimate the frequencyof behavioral events, was analyzed by means of a five-factor design, computer simulation experiment. The first three factors represented response parameters: the relative frequency and duration of the behavior and the pattern of response distribution. For each combination of frequency, pattern, and duration, five simulated behavior events were generated within a simulated observation period of 900 sec. A total of 21 different time-sampling systems was employed. As a fourth factor three different observe and record lengths were included (6, 12, and 60 sec). In addition, there were seven different ratios of “observe” to “record” interval length (5∶1, 3∶1, 2∶1, 1∶1, 1∶2, 1∶3, and 1∶5) representing the fifth factor. Thus, 21 time-sampling systems scanned a total of 120 different behavior simulations from 24 types of behavior parameter combinations. The data were analyzed by means of a five-factor (2 × 3 × 4 × 3 × 7) analysis of variance with repeated measures on two factors. The study demonstrated that time sampling leads to high average measurement errors, which are determined by complex interrelationships among a variety of variables. Choosing a time-sampling system arbitrarily may lead to highly erroneous data. It was also shown, however, that time-sampling systems have the potential to yield very accurate results. An empirical selection procedure for time-sampling intervals is proposed to minimize measurement error. Exemplary tables are presented from which time-sampling parameters can be chosen given that the rate, duration, and pattern of occurrence of a behavior to be observed are known.
Experimental and analytical study of vibrations of joined shells.

Vibrational characteristics of composite shells, noting effects of circular joint connecting two components
Electronegativity: Coordination compounds

The utility of electronegativity and the extended electronegativity function in describing the charge distribution in simple coordination compounds of both the representative and transition metals has been explored. The extended electronegativity function has been shown to yield excellent atomic charges and charging energies. When applied to simple coordination compounds of the representative and transition elements, there is excellent qualitative agreement between the atomic charges and charging energies with the range of chemical behaviors of these compounds. In addition, the hydrolysis constants of these complexes have been used as probes to assess the success of electronegativity and the electronegativity function in describing in a quantitative manner the distribution of charge in these molecules as well as the energetics of hydrolysis of these compounds. For these simple coordination compounds the absolute electronegativities and absolute hardnesses in conjunction with the extended electronegativity...
Mapping brain activity in gradient-echo functional MRI using principal component analysis

The detection of sites of brain activation in functional MRI has been a topic of immense research interest and many technique shave been proposed to this end. Recently, principal component analysis (PCA) has been applied to extract the activated regions and their time course of activation. This method is based on the assumption that the activation is orthogonal to other signal variations such as brain motion, physiological oscillations and other uncorrelated noises. A distinct advantage of this method is that it does not require any knowledge of the time course of the true stimulus paradigm. This technique is well suited to EPI image sequences where the sampling rate is high enough to capture the effects of physiological oscillations. In this work, we propose and apply tow methods that are based on PCA to conventional gradient-echo images and investigate their usefulness as tools to extract reliable information on brain activation. The first method is a conventional technique where a single image sequence with alternating on and off stages is subject to a principal component analysis. The second method is a PCA-based approach called the common spatial factor analysis technique (CSF). As the name suggests, this method relies on common spatial factors between the above fMRI image sequence and a background fMRI. We have applied these methods to identify active brain ares during visual stimulation and motor tasks. The results from these methods are compared to those obtained by using the standard cross-correlation technique. We found good agreement in the areas identified as active across all three techniques. The results suggest that PCA and CSF methods have good potential in detecting the true stimulus correlated changes in the presence of other interfering signals.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Contact nucleation of various crystal types

The purpose of this study was to investigate contact nucleation for various types of crystalline materials. Selected were aqueous solutions of two hydrated inorganic salts (MgSO4 · 7H2O and KAl(SO4)2 · 12H2O), one nonhydrated inorganic salt (K2SO4) and one organic substance (citric acid). Nucleation data were determined as number of nuclei generated per contact as a function of supersaturation and impact energy. Both of these variables strongly influenced the number of nuclei generated per contact. These data show that crystal growth and contact nucleation are related, with more rapidly growing substances giving higher yields of nuclei.