cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Children's Bodies, Parents' Choices

Last October, the state of Queensland in Australia made it illegal for teenagers under eighteen to have cosmetic surgery. Other governments may soon follow. Germany is drafting a similar law, and advocates in the Netherlands are calling for one there. The trend reflects the tremendous growth in the number of minors having these procedures--and in the number of parents who are consenting to them, paying for them, and sometimes seeking them out. In the United States, 205,119 teenagers aged eighteen and younger had cosmetic interventions in 2007, up from 145,094 in 2000, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In Germany, about 100,000 teenagers under eighteen have cosmetic surgery each year. Earlier generations of children and teenagers had surgery to correct abnormalities such as cleft palates and protruding ears. Nose jobs arguably fell into this category, too. Today, things are different. The goal in many cases isn't to look normal; it's to look better than normal. The bar that justifies permanently altering a child's physical nature may have reached an all-time low. In 2007, more than nine thousand Americans eighteen years and younger had liposuction to remove body fat. Nearly eight thousand girls in this age group had breast augmentation. "Breast implants and liposuction are now bestowed by parents as graduation or birthday gifts," said an article in the Washington Post. Millions of American adults had Botox injections and soft tissue fillers to make their faces as wrinkle-free as a teenager's; one can only guess why more than eleven thousand teenagers went under the syringe. Often it is the teenagers who want enhancing procedures. If they are underage, they must convince their parents to give consent and, even if they are not underage, to give financial assistance. But sometimes it is the other way around, with parents wanting an intervention that they think is in the child's best interest. Regardless, the decision depends on the parents. The essays that follow look at procedures that are testing the limits of parental choices over children's bodies. Alicia Ouellette discusses "Asian eye surgery" performed on Asian children to make their eyes more like typical Western eyes. Parents who seek this surgery consider wide, round eyes to be a sign of beauty and even to confer a competitive advantage--"like having a great degree from a better school," as one woman quoted in the essay put it. Ouellette argues that it is problematic because it forever alters a feature that signifies a person's identity. A different aspect of personal identity is the subject of Alice Dreger's essay. She presents the dilemma facing parents of young children with gender identity disorder, mainly boys who identify as girls. …
Underdosing of common antibiotics for obese patients in the ED

Abstract Background Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Obesity alters the pharmacokinetic profiles of various drugs. Although there are guidelines for dose adjustments for many of the antibiotics commonly used in the emergency department (ED), they are seldom used. Methods This is an institutional review board–approved retrospective study at an American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence and a level I trauma center with annual ED volumes of more than 80 000 visits. Data were retrospectively collected from ED pharmacy records during a 3-month period in 2008. Any first dose of cefepime, cefazolin, or ciprofloxacin administered in our ED to a patient recorded as both more than 100 kg and with a body mass index greater than 40 kg/m2 was compared with our hospital guidelines and found to either adhere or not adhere to those guidelines. Results There were 1910 orders found to meet the study criteria: 775 orders for cefepime, 625 orders for cefazolin, and 510 orders for ciprofloxacin. Adherence rates for first dose of cefepime, cefazolin, and ciprofloxacin administered, respectively, were 8.0%, 3.0%, and 1.2%. Conclusion Emergency physicians frequently underdose cefepime, cefazolin, and ciprofloxacin in obese patients. Underdosing antimicrobials presents risk of treatment failure and may promote antimicrobial resistance. Education is necessary to improve early antibiotic administration to obese patients.
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EPITAXIAL CEO2 ON SI(111)

Electrical properties of epitaxial CeO2 thin films on silicon (111) substrates grown in ultrahigh vacuum were studied, varying growth conditions and ex situ thermal treatments. Characterization using reflection high‐energy electron diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal that while the ceramic layers have a good single‐crystal structure, a dual amorphous layer of CeOx and SiO2 forms at the CeO2/Si interface. This structure has undesirable electrical properties, however, utilizing a post‐anneal in dry oxygen, the α‐CeOx layer was removed and the SiO2 amorphous layer was made thicker. This newly developed structure benefits from the SiO2/Si interface, having Dit=6×1011 cm−2, and Qf=5×1011 cm−2. The structure exhibits a high capacitance due to the large dielectric constant of CeO2, has electrical properties comparable with those of other reported gate insulators on Si, and has an epitaxial oxide lattice matched to Si.
Theory of deformation of eutectic composites during temperature changes under controlled external displacements

The theory of deformation of the phases of eutectic composites cycled in temperature with controlled external displacements (strains) is reported for the case of an elastic-reinforcement, elastic-plastic-matrix eutectic composite. Generally, the phases deform independently of each other, unlike the case of controlled-load deformation. The applied external displacements provide the necessary constraints to produce elastic and plastic deformation, and only the absolute magnitudes of the thermal-expansion coefficients of the phases, not their difference, determines the amount of deformation.
the Feet of the Master: Three Stages in the Appropriation of Okinawan Karate Into Anglo-American Culture

First “discovered” by Anglo-Americans following the Second World War, karate has undergone a series of changes in the way in which it is presented and taught in the United States and Australia. In ...
What omnivores eat: direct effects of induced plant resistance on herbivores and indirect consequences for diet selection by omnivores.

Summary 1. Omnivory, where an animal crosses trophic boundaries, is thought to be common in natural and managed communities. Foraging theory predicts that omnivores will balance their diet as a result of nutritional needs, food quality and availability of alternate foods. We investigated diet selection of the western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)], a herbivore under some circumstances, and a predator under other circumstances. 2. We demonstrate that induced plant resistance can indirectly affect diet selection by thrips. The density of herbivorous spider mites is reduced on induced plants compared to controls and is also positively correlated with the number of mite eggs that the thrips consume. 3. In choice tests, mite eggs from induced plants were less preferred by thrips than eggs from control plants. Mite egg size was also smaller on induced plants compared to controls. However, this alone did not explain the diet selection by thrips. In a field experiment, thrips avoided colonizing induced plants, but they were attracted to induced plants that we inoculated with mites. Thus, the presence of herbivorous prey on induced plants attenuated the negative effects of induced resistance on thrips colonization. 4. Feeding decisions of thrips can be influenced by several factors. We showed previously (Agrawal, Kobayashi & Thaler 1999a) Influence of prey availability and induced host plant resistance on omnivory by western flower thrips. (Ecology, 80, 518–523.) that reducing plant quality can cause omnivores to shift towards relatively more predation than herbivory. We show now that on induced plants, reduced prey density and quality may antagonize this shift towards increased predation. 5. Induced plant resistance has negative effects on both the plant-based food resource (direct effect) and the animal-based food resource (indirect effect) of omnivorous thrips. Thus, variation in the quantity and quality of food items interact to determine the diet selection of omnivores.
Prognostic significance of race on biochemical control in patients with localized prostate cancer treated with permanent brachytherapy: multivariate and matched-pair analyses.

Abstract Purpose : To compare PSA relapse-free survival (PSA-RFS) between African-American (AA) and white American (WA) males treated with permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) for clinically localized prostate cancer. Methods and materials : One thousand eighty-one consecutive patients, including 246 African-Americans, underwent PPB with 103Pd or 125I, alone or with external beam radiation therapy between September 1992 and September 1999. Computer-generated matching was performed to create two identical cohorts of WA and AA males, based on the use of neoadjuvant androgen ablation (NAAD), pretreatment PSA, and Gleason score. Presenting characteristics were used to define risk groups, as follows: Low risk had PSA ≤10 and Gleason score ≤6, intermediate risk had PSA >10 or Gleason score ≥7, and high risk had PSA >10 and Gleason score ≥7. PSA-RFS was calculated using the Kattan modification of the ASTRO definition, and the log-rank test was used to compare Kaplan-Meier PSA-RFS curves. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine predictors of PSA-RFS. Results : Overall, univariate analysis revealed that AA males at presentation had lower disease stage (p = 0.01), had lower Gleason scores (p = 0.017), were younger (p = 0.001), and were more likely to receive NAAD (p = 0.001) than their WA counterparts. There were no differences in pretreatment PSA, isotope selection, use of external beam radiation therapy, median follow-up, or risk group classification between AA and WA males. Pretreatment PSA and Gleason score were significant predictors of PSA-RFS in multivariate analysis, and race was not significant. There was no significant difference between the 5-year PSA-RFS for AA males (84.0%) and the matched cohort of WA males (81.2%) (p = 0.384). Race was not a predictor of 5-year PSA-RFS among patients treated with or without NAAD and within low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups. Conclusion : Race is not an independent predictor of 5-year PSA-RFS in patients with localized prostate cancer treated with PPB. This result is consistent with other studies that also show that race does not contribute to differences in outcome after definitive therapies for localized prostate cancer.
SINGLE AND DOUBLE STRAND DNA-BINDING PROTEINS CONJOINTLY REGULATE EXPRESSION OF THE MURINE GROWTH HORMONE RECEPTOR (GHR) GENE • 406

SINGLE AND DOUBLE STRAND DNA-BINDING PROTEINS CONJOINTLY REGULATE EXPRESSION OF THE MURINE GROWTH HORMONE RECEPTOR (GHR) GENE • 406
Capillary Microscopy in Eosinophilic Fasciitis

Capillary microscopy was performed on 19 patients with eosinophilic fasciitis. These patients were compared with 13 individuals with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Capillary patterns were normal in 16 of 19 (84%) eosinophilic fasciitis patients; 3 exhibited either borderline or nonspecific changes, and none showed a definite scleroderma pattern. In contrast, characteristic nailfold capillary changes, consisting of both dilatation and loss of capillaries, were present in 11 of 13 (85%) scleroderma patients; the remaining 2 showed scleroderma-type abnormalities of only 1 finger and were, therefore, classified as borderline. These results suggest that capillary microscopy may help to distinguish these 2 disorders.
Family Feuds: Digital Battles Over the Place of Women in Contemporary Iran

Late marriages, rising divorce rates, and women outnumbering their male counterparts on university campuses are among the most striking indicators of major shifts in the position of women and the family in contemporary Iran. In the post-revolutionary state, where officially sanctioned discourses largely have addressed women's roles and rights in terms relating to family, marriage and motherhood, these changes constitute a crisis. To address this crisis and to reframe discourses on women, the Iranian state has provided substantial support for the production of material that emphasizes the essential links between women and family. Recognizing the influence of New Media in general and the online successes of dissenting voices in particular, state actors and supporters have supplemented the explosion in offline material about women and the family with digital sites for promoting similar content. With a focus on New Media, this article interrogates such attempts to define and circumscribe discourses on women w...
Early Childhood Intervention: A Promise to Children and Families for Their Future:

The field of early childhood intervention for infants and young children with disabilities or delays has a rich history that spans many disciplines of practice. Both legislation and research has provided a foundation for how services are delivered to this population, and there are several recommended practices that govern service delivery to this group, the most prominent being family-centered care, team process, and natural and inclusive environments. Unfortunately, the field is facing many challenges because of the growing heterogeneity of children's and families' needs, the increasing complexity and variability of service systems, and dwindling resources available to support an infrastructure. Recommendations to address the future of early childhood intervention include adopting a culture of accountability across all dimensions of service provision, developing and instituting evidence-based practice, implementing comprehensive systems of professional development, and collaborating and merging with the ...
Intestinal lipoprotein synthesis in control and hypercholesterolemic rats.

Abstract Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) synthesized by the intestine of the diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rat are enriched in cholesteryl esters and unesterified cholesterol compared with intestinal VLDL from control rats. In these studies, we isolated and characterized nascent intestinal Golgi intermediate-density lipoproteins (IDL, d 1.006–1.040 g/ml) and studied isotope incorporation into apolipoproteins of Golgi VLDL from control and hypercholesterolemic rats. IDL were triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins but contained more cholesteryl ester and protein than the corresponding Golgi VLDL fractions. IDL from hypercholesterolemic rats were enriched in cholesteryl esters to a greater extent than IDL from control rats. The apolipoprotein patterns of IDL fractions were the same as those of intestinal Golgi VLDL, consisting of apolipoproteins (apo) B-48, A-I and A-IV. Time-course isotope incorporation curves for apo A-I and A-IV in Golgi VLDL were similar, but they differed from curves for apo B-48. None of these curves was markedly altered in the hypercholesterolemic rat. We conclude that the major effect of increased dietary cholesterol on intestinal lipoprotein biosynthesis is to increase the percentage of cholesteryl esters in Golgi lipoproteins. Dietary cholesterol does not alter the apolipoprotein composition of Golgi lipoproteins, nor does it have a significant effect on the pattern of isotope incorporation into apolipoproteins of Golgi VLDL. The effect of cholesteryl ester enrichment on the subsequent metabolism of these particles in the circulation and the effect of these particles on hepatic lipoprotein production remain to be determined.
Small-molecule inhibitors of biofilm formation in laboratory and clinical isolates of Candida albicans.

Candida albicans cells have the ability to form biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces, such as indwelling medical devices. C. albicans cells can interconvert between budded and hyphal growth forms, herein termed the budded-to-hyphal transition (BHT), which is important for the formation of mature biofilms. Previous work identified 23 small organic molecules that could inhibit the BHT but did not affect C. albicans cell viability or budded cell growth. These BHT inhibitors were proposed to inhibit multiple signalling pathways regulating the BHT, many of which also regulate biofilm formation. However, only three of the BHT inhibitors, buhytrinA, ETYA and CGP-37157, were capable of inhibiting in vitro biofilm formation of wild-type laboratory C. albicans strains. When clinical C. albicans isolates were examined for their ability to form biofilms, only 11 of the 28 clinical isolates tested (39 %) were capable of forming biofilms. Although buhytrinA, ETYA and CGP-37157 could inhibit the BHT of all 28 clinical isolates, they were only able to inhibit biofilm formation of a subset of these clinical isolates, with ETYA having 100 % efficacy. These data indicate that the biofilm-forming capability of laboratory and clinical isolates of C. albicans, as well as the efficacy of BHT inhibitors against these different isolates, can differ dramatically. These differences between laboratory and clinical isolates should be an important aspect to consider when examining potentially new antifungal therapeutics.
Inward−outward guanxi contagion and employees’ responses to managerial guanxi practices

Our study develops a new conceptual framework in which guanxi practices (managerial use of interpersonal ties to benefit their organizations) are analyzed by their focus (resources flowing inward or resources flowing outward) and their base (familiar – based on friendship ties; or family – based on kinship ties). Using this framework, we highlight the linkage between costs and benefits from using guanxi in Chinese business organizations, and show how the linkage depends on the guanxi base. Finally, we show how guanxi focus and guanxi base importantly affect employee responses to the use of guanxi practices in their organizations.
On implementing MPI-IO portably and with high performance

We discuss the issues involved in implementing MPI-IO portably on multiple machines and file systems and also achieving high performance. One way to implement MPI-IO portably is to implement it on top of the basic Unix I/O functions (open, lseek, read, write, and close), which are themselves portable. We argue that this approach has limitations in both functionality and performance. We instead advocate an implementation approach that combines a large portion of portable code and a small portion of code that is optimized separately for different machines and file systems. We have used such an approach to develop a high-performance, portable MPI-IO implementation, called ROMIO. In addition to basic I/O functionality, we consider the issues of supporting other MPI-IO features, such as 64-bit file sizes, noncontiguous accesses, collective I/O, asynchronous I/O, consistency and atomicity semantics, user-supplied hints, shared file pointers, portable data representation, and file preallocation. We describe how we implemented each of these features on various machines and file systems. The machines we consider are the HP Exemplar, IBM SP, Intel Paragon, NEC SX-4, SGI Origin2000, and networks of workstations; and the file systems we consider are HP HFS, IBM PIOFS, Intel PFS, NEC SFS, SGI XFS, NFS, and any general Unix file system (UFS). We also present our thoughts on how a file system can be designed to better support MPI-IO. We provide a list of features desired from a file system that would help in implementing MPI-IO correctly and with high performance.
Paraffin Polydispersity Facilitates Mechanical Gelation

Incipient wax−oil gel deposits form in crude oil transport pipelines when long-chain n-paraffins precipitate at the cold interior surface of the pipe wall. The kinetics of paraffin gel formation was studied using model fluids consisting of monodisperse and polydisperse n-paraffin components dissolved in petroleum mineral oil. Classical homogeneous nucleation theory was applied to investigate the supersaturation conditions necessary for crystal formation. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to monitor paraffin crystallization rates and to provide solid-phase fraction measurements. Gelation occurs when growing n-paraffin crystals interlock and form a volume-spanning crystal network which entrains the remaining liquid oil among the crystals. Paraffin wax−oil gels exhibit a mechanical response to an imposed oscillatory stress, which is characterized by the elastic storage modulus G‘ being greater in magnitude than the viscous loss modulus, G‘ ‘. Low-temperature rheological gels can form from model flui...
CMU-CAM System

This paper describes a software system for Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) of VLSI circuits being developed at Carnegie-Mellon University. In developing the system, a major effort was devoted towards the computational efficiency of the algorithms implemented. The results obtained with this system indicate that it can be used for a variety of real-life tasks, such as optimal process design, process diagnosis and control, in commercial fabrication lines. We believe that such a system provides an attractive extension for the CAM systems that are currently being introduced to VLSI fabrication processes.
Lawbreaking Jokers: Tricksters Using Outlaw Discourse

In an attempt to enrich Sloop and Ono's (1997) theory of outlaw discourse, this article draws from the more extensive literature on the trickster to demonstrate how the two concepts have a shared heritage. First, the nature of outlaw discourse is reviewed, and then the myth of the trickster is discussed. Following these overviews, the similarities and differences between the two are explained by providing three brief examples of trickster-influenced outlaw discourse that demonstrate the potential for a trickster perspective to enrich the study of certain kinds of outlaw discourse.
In vivo detection and quantification of scalar coupled H NMR resonances

In vivo1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an important tool in characterizing the metabolic status of brain tissue. Changes in absolute concentrations of individual metabolites, like lactate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are important markers associated with specific brain diseases. The absolute quantification of metabolites by in vivo1H NMR is not a straightforward task, because a large number of metabolites are resonating in a small spectral region leading to severe spectral overlap. Furthermore, in vivo1H NMR is complicated by the need for complete three-dimensional spatial localization and excellent water suppression. The response of scalar-coupled spin systems to typically employed in vivo1H NMR sequences can be especially complicated. This article will review the complications of detecting and quantifying scalar-coupled spin-systems by in vivo1H NMR. The characteristics and consequences of scalar coupling will be described. The scalar coupling can be intelligently used to discriminate scalar-coupled resonances from overlapping (uncoupled) resonances by spectral editing. However, in many cases, the scalar coupling introduces complications arising from spatial localization and water suppression. The effect of typical in vivo1H NMR sequences on scalar-coupled resonances will be analyzed in detail. Finally, examples of spectral editing of GABA, lactate, and glucose will be given to describe some of the practical considerations involved with in vivo1H NMR. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 13: 32–76, 2001
Juvenile Xanthogranuloma in a Child with Insulin‐dependent Diabetes Mellitus

: A young girl who developed classical insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus at one year of age also developed carotinemia and a typical picture of juvenile xanthogranuloma beginning at five months of age which exhibited A waxing and waning courses. When her diabetes was well-controlled, her serum lipid levels were within normal limits. This is the first reported association of diabetes mellitus and juvenile xanthogranuloma, which together with previous reports of eye, cardiac, pulmonary, and posterior pituitary involvement in children with juvenile xanthogranuloma, suggests that the rare organ involvement in this disease, as well as the characteristic skin lesions, could result from similar etiologic factors which still remain to be elucidated.
Reflections on the Role of Emotion in Feminist Research

In this article the author explores the topic of researching the researcher and, more specifically, the role of emotion in researching sensitive issues within the context of feminist research. She offers reflections on the implications of emotionally engaged feminist research for addressing and working through such thorny issues as responsibility and representation with respect to one’s research, research participants, and the researchers themselves.
Hypertension during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of chronic and end-stage kidney disease

Commentary on Wang IK, Muo CH, Chang YC, et al. Association between hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and end-stage renal disease: a population-based study. CMAJ 2013;185:207–13.[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] To date, case–control and registry-based cohort studies have suggested that women with histories of hypertensive pregnancy disorders and pre-eclampsia in particular, are at risk for future cardiovascular disease (CVD).1 ,2 Limited data have suggested that women with pre-eclampsia are at risk for microalbuminuria,3 CKD and ESRD years after their affected pregnancies.4 The limitations of the available evidence … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DCMAJ%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1503%252Fcmaj.120230%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F23339156%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=cmaj&resid=185/3/207&atom=%2Febnurs%2F17%2F2%2F35.atom
Prospects for the discovery of new (Hybrid) antibiotics by genetic engineering of antibiotic‐producing bacteria

Revue sur les differentes approches de production de nouveaux antibiotiques; «biosynthese hybride» et «mutasynthese», production par des enzymes purifiees, par genie genetique et clonage de genes
Neuroprotection by dietary restriction and the PPAR transcription complex

Although the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases is distinct for each disease, considerable evidence suggests that a single manipulation, dietary restriction, is strikingly protective against a wide range of such diseases. Thus pharmacological mimetics of dietary restrictions could prove widely protective across a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The PPAR transcription complex functions to re-program gene expression in response to nutritional deprivation as well as in response to a wide variety of lipophilic compounds. In mammals there are three PPAR homologs, which dimerize with RXR homologs and recruit coactivators Pgc1-alpha and Creb-binding protein (Cbp). PPARs are currently of clinical interest mainly because PPAR activators are approved for use in humans to reduce lipidemia and to improve glucose control in Type 2 diabetic patients. However, pharmacological enhancement of the activity of the PPAR complex is neuroprotective across a wide variety of models for neuropathological processes, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Conversely activity of the PPAR transcriptional complex is reduced in a variety of neuropathological processes. The main mechanisms mediating the neuroprotective effects of the PPAR transcription complex appear to be re-routing metabolism away from glucose metabolism and toward alternative subtrates, and reduction in inflammatory processes. Recent evidence suggests that the PPAR transcriptional complex may also mediate protective effects of dietary restriction on neuropathological processes. Thus this complex represents one of the most promising for the development of pharmacological treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
β3-Integrins Rather Than β1-Integrins Dominate Integrin-Matrix Interactions Involved in Postinjury Smooth Muscle Cell Migration

Background—Smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration is a vital component in the response of the arterial wall to revascularization injury. Cell surface integrin–extracellular matrix interactions are essential for cell migration. SMCs express both β1- and β3-integrins. In this study, we examined the relative functional roles of β1- and β3-integrin–matrix interactions in postinjury SMC migration. Methods and Results—Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy of migrating SMCs immunostained with anti-β1 and anti-αvβ3/5 antibodies (Abs) revealed expression of both β1- and β3-integrins, with β1 observed as linear streaks and β3 found in focal contacts. In a scrape-wound migration assay, anti-β1 Abs (92.0±10.7% of control, P=.1) and 0.5 mmol/L linear RGD (105±5% of control, P=.2) did not alter SMC migration at 48 hours after injury. β3-Blockade, however, via Abs (anti-β3/5 35.7±4.5% of control, anti-β3 61±12% of control, both P<.001) and cyclic RGD (0.5 mmol/L) (12±10% of control, P<.001) decreased migration. Neither...
Response to Lipow on Climate Change Policy

This article responds to criticisms of âLeft Clouds Over Climate Change Policyâ ( RRPE vol. 44 no. 2) made by Gar Lipow in âShutting Down the Fog Machineâ ( RRPE vol. 47 no. 2). It explains (a) why Lipowâs criticisms are either beside the point or invalid; (b) why once national emissions are capped fairly for all countries, trading emission reduction credits cannot possibly undermine global reductions if countries meet their treaty obligations; and (c) why if national caps are set fairly â i.e. according to differential responsibility and capability â carbon trading would not only reduce political resistance in advanced economies to deeper global reductions, but generate annual flows of payments from MDCs to LDCs far in excess of any âclimate reparation paymentsâ that could be expected.
A baseline algorithm for estimating talker orientation using acoustical data from a large-aperture microphone array

We have shown that knowing the orientation of a talker in a large-aperture microphone array system can significantly improve location-estimation and beamforming algorithms. Measurements of a talker in an anechoic chamber have shown significant anisotropy in radiation patterns that may be used to influence the selection, processing, and weighting of microphone signals in such algorithms. We introduce a simple method for determining the orientation of a talker within a large focal area using only acoustic energy data obtained from the array. The mathematical basis for this procedure is presented and computed performance, based solely on acoustical measurements in a real environment, are listed and discussed.
Neurotoxicogenomic Investigations to Assess Mechanisms of Action of the Munitions Constituents RDX and 2,6-DNT in Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

Munitions constituents (MCs) including hexahydro-1,3,5trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), and TNT derivatives are recognized to elicit aberrant neuromuscular responses in many species. The onset of seizures resulting in death was observed in the avian model Northern bobwhite after oral dosing with RDX beginning at 8 mg/kg/day in subacute (14 days) exposures, whereas affective doses of the TNT derivative, 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), caused gastrointestinal impacts, lethargy, and emaciation in subacute and subchronic (60 days) exposures. To assess and contrast the potential neurotoxicogenomic effects of these MCs, a Northern bobwhite microarray was developed consisting of 4119 complementary DNA (cDNA) features enriched for differentially-expressed brain transcripts from exposures to RDX and 2,6-DNT. RDX affected hundreds of genes in brain tissue, whereas 2,6-DNT affected few (£ 17), indicating that 2,6-DNT exposure had relatively little impact on the brain in comparison to RDX. Birds exhibiting RDX-induced seizures accumulated over 203 more RDX in brain tissues in comparison to non-seizing birds even within a common dose. In parallel, expression patterns were unrelated among seizing and non-seizing birds exposed to equivalent RDX doses. In birds experiencing seizures, genes related to neuronal electrophysiology and signal transduction were significantly affected. Comparative toxicology revealed strong similarity in acute exposure effects between RDX and the organochlorine insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) regarding both molecular mechanisms and putative mode of action. In a manner similar to DDT, we hypothesize that RDX elicits seizures by inhibition of neuronal cell repolarization postaction potential leading to heightened neuronal excitability and seizures facilitated by multiple molec
RNAi-mediated disruption of squalene synthase improves drought tolerance and yield in rice

About one-third of the world’s rice area is in rain-fed lowlands and most are prone to water shortage. The identification of genes imparting tolerance to drought in the model cereal plant, rice, is an attractive strategy to engineer improved drought tolerance not only rice but other cereals as well. It is demonstrated that RNAi-mediated disruption of a rice farnesyltransferase/squalene synthase (SQS) by maize squalene synthase improves drought tolerance at both the vegetative and reproductive stages. Twenty-day-old seedlings of wild type (Nipponbare) and seven independent events of transgenic RNAi lines showed no difference in morphology. When subjected to water stress for a period of 32 d under growth chamber conditions, transgenic positives showed delayed wilting, conserved more soil water, and improved recovery. When five independent events along with wild-type plants were subjected to drought at the reproductive stage under greenhouse conditions, the transgenic plants lost water more slowly compared with the wild type, through reduced stomatal conductance and the retention of high leaf relative water content (RWC). After 28 d of slow progressive soil drying, transgenic plants recovered better and flowered earlier than wild-type plants. The yield of water-stressed transgenic positive plants ranged from 14–39% higher than wild-type plants. When grown in plates with Yoshida’s nutrient solution with 1.2% agar, transgenic positives from three independent events showed increased root length and an enhanced number of lateral roots. The RNAi-mediated inactivation produced reduced stomatal conductance and subsequent drought tolerance.
The Influence of Preexisting Boundaries on Supercell Evolution

Abstract A three-dimensional nonhydrostatic cloud model is used to study the evolution of supercell thunderstorms, with emphasis on the low-level mesocyclone, interacting with preexisting boundaries. The impacts of low-level environmental shear, storm motion relative to boundary orientation, and boundary strength are assessed. In the low-level shear experiments, significant low-level rotation is consistently observed earlier, tends to be stronger, and is longer lived in storms interacting with a boundary than in storms initiated in a homogeneous environment. Low-level rotation is weaker in storms crossing the boundary and moving into the colder air. In contrast, all storms moving along or into the warm air ahead of the boundary develop significant low-level rotation. Increasing the temperature gradient and shear across the boundary has little impact on the low-level mesocyclone evolution. Storms interacting with a boundary characterized by only horizontal shear produce weaker mesocyclones than those creat...
Early versus delayed reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament: a decision analysis approach.

Background: A recent randomized controlled trial compared early anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a program of initial rehabilitation, with delayed anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction if needed. The authors reported that the improvement in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores was nearly identical in both groups and concluded that in young, active adults with acute ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears, a strategy of rehabilitation plus early ACL reconstruction was not superior to a strategy of rehabilitation plus optional delayed ACL reconstruction. Yet, in making that assessment, the authors did not account for the fact that there were more meniscal injuries in the group with delayed anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Establishing the true superiority of one strategy requires consideration of meniscal injury, as well as a further determination if the apparent protective effect regarding meniscal tears found in the cohort of patients with early anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is offset by the costs of additional reconstructive surgery. That analysis of offsetting utility, omitted in the randomized controlled trial noted above, is provided in the present study. Methods: A decision analysis model considering the options and probabilities described in the randomized controlled trial was constructed: the functional outcome of all groups was assumed to be equal, the likelihood of a patient eventually needing surgery despite initially choosing a program of rehabilitation was 37%, and the likelihood of needing a meniscectomy was 23% for the early surgery group and 35% for the rehabilitation and deferred anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction group. Results: The early surgery option is the preferable therapeutic approach as long as the costs of a potential meniscal tear are at least 5.25 times the costs of reconstructive surgery. Conclusions: Early surgery for anterior cruciate ligament tears may be the preferred approach for some patients, on the basis of the utility values they assign to the possible treatment outcomes. The reported randomized controlled trial did not establish a dominant strategy. Indeed, early surgery may be the more effective approach overall.
Federalism and Regional Equity: Building Partnerships or Transfer Dependencies

Constituent units of a nation state encompassing a large geographic area usually differ considerably in population size, resource base, economic and demographic composition of population and topography. These differences contribute to divergent levels and growth rates of incomes across sub-national units. Most nations, federal and unitary alike undertake policies to reduce regional disparities to ensure political and economic stability for the political union. In unitary countries, national government is relatively unconstrained to pursue policies to induce convergence in regional incomes. In federal countries, on the other hand, constituent units can undertake actions to mitigate the effects of federal policies. However, the task of reducing regional disparities is a daunting one and there is no assurance of success even in the long run. Despite active policies, these disparities persist in the long run both in federal and unitary countries alike. In the extreme case of China, Shanghai province has a per capita GDP that is 17 times that of Guizhou province. This paper shows the fact that the very policies adopted to overcome these disparities under some conditions ensure the long run deprivation of the disadvantaged regions. Globalization introduces further complexities in meeting this challenge. Under globalization, skill mix and knowledge capital rather than the resource base of country determines its international competitiveness. Thus regions with less education and training and with a higher relative concentration of unskilled workers loose at the expense of regions with skilled workers. Thus globalization compounds the problems of regional convergence within nations. This paper discusses the responses to this challenge in federal systems. In section 2, the paper outlines types of actions that may be helpful to the process. Section 3 discusses the downside risks of certain policies intended to deal with this issue. Finally, policy implications of earlier discussions are drawn.
Quantum thermalization through entanglement in an isolated many-body system

Statistical mechanics relies on the maximization of entropy in a system at thermal equilibrium. However, an isolated quantum many-body system initialized in a pure state remains pure during Schrodinger evolution, and in this sense it has static, zero entropy. We experimentally studied the emergence of statistical mechanics in a quantum state and observed the fundamental role of quantum entanglement in facilitating this emergence. Microscopy of an evolving quantum system indicates that the full quantum state remains pure, whereas thermalization occurs on a local scale. We directly measured entanglement entropy, which assumes the role of the thermal entropy in thermalization. The entanglement creates local entropy that validates the use of statistical physics for local observables. Our measurements are consistent with the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis.
Reduction of Reproductive Potential in Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) by a Chitin-Inhibiting Insect Growth Regulator

The experimental insect growth regulator UC-62644 fed at sublethal concentrations to 6th-instar spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens), caused a dose-dependent reduction in reproductive potential of emerging adults. At 0.01 ppm. there were no effects on mating, fecundity, or hatch. Reciprocal crosses between adults from the control and O.025-ppm treatment demonstrated that males were more susceptible to UC-62644 than females. At this concentration, the UC-62644 reduced their capability to successfully mate with either treated or control females. The few females that were mated by males from the 0.025-ppm treatment produced normal complements of viable eggs. Higher concentrations (0.034 ppm) of UC-62644 affected both sexes. Reduction in mating success was greater in treated males, and reductions in egg production was significant only with treated females.
Sinonasal Carcinomas with Neuroendocrine Features: Histopathological Differentiation and Treatment Outcomes

Objectives Sinonasal cancers with neuroendocrine features share similar clinical, radiological, and histopathological features; however, these tumors often exhibit varying degrees of aggressive behavior presenting significant treatment challenges. The objective of this study was to report our experience with these rare malignancies and to present a review of current literature. Methods Following institutional review board approval, the records of all patients with biopsy-proven sinonasal malignancies over a 5-year period were reviewed. Results The study included 14 patients with olfactory neuroblastomas (ONBs), 7 patients with sinonasal undifferentiated carcinomas (SNUC), and 2 patients with sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinomas (SNEC). Histopathologic markers aided in final diagnosis, but showed variable specificity. In patients with sufficient follow-up, the 2-year disease-free survival rate was 81% (9/11) for ONB and 75% (3/4) for SNUC. Three patients developed a regional or distant recurrence (two with ONBs and one with SNUC). Two patients, one with SNEC and one with ONB, succumbed to brain radionecrosis related to proton radiation therapy. Conclusions Overlapping clinical and histopathological features in poorly differentiated sinonasal cancers with neuroendocrine features continue to present a diagnostic challenge. Individualized assessment and treatment strategies can improve the accuracy of the initial assessment and the treatment outcomes.
Inhibition of the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma by indomethacin in conventional, nude, and beige mice.

The effects of a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, indomethacin (Indo), on the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) growing as primary subcutaneous tumors in either conventional C57BL/6 mice, T cell deficient nude mice, or natural killer (NK) cell deficient beige mice were studied. In conventional mice, Indo, when continuously administered in the drinking water, consistently and significantly inhibited, in a dose-related fashion, the growth of LLC implanted either subcutaneously in the footpad or in the inguinal region; however, the degree of inhibition of footpad tumor appeared to be greater than that of inguinal tumor. Maximum inhibition was found when Indo was initiated before detectable or measurable tumor developed. If Indo treatment was initiated after tumor growth was evident, then Indo was found to be less effective, although significant inhibition was still observed. Indo also effectively inhibited LLC growing either in the footpad or in the inguinal region of nude or beige mice. The degree of inhibition of both footpad and inguinal tumors in both these mice was comparable to that seen in conventional C57BL/6 mice, indicating that mature T cells, NK cells, or soluble products produced only by these cells are not involved in mediating or modulating the inhibitory effects of Indo on LLC growth. Although Indo treatment significantly inhibited LLC growth in vivo, continuous treatment of cultured LLC cells with Indo in vitro did not decrease the growth of cultured cells. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of Indo in vivo is not the result of a direct inhibitory effect of Indo on these tumor cells. Lastly, this inhibitory effect of Indo in vivo could not be reversed or negated, not even in part, by the simultaneous, daily i.p. administration of 16,16-dimethyl-PGE2. This finding suggests that the inhibitory effect of Indo involves a mechanism other than the inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production.
Liquid chromatographic determination of cimetidine in whole blood and plasma by using short polymeric reverse phase column

A rapid and simple reverse phase liquid chromatographic method for the separation and quantitation of the H2-receptor antagonist drug cimetidine in human whole blood and plasma is described. The method involves a single step organic extraction of the drug from alkalinized biological samples followed by a salting-out of the organic solvent by an appropriate salt. A short column packed with polymeric reverse phase particles was used with an isocratic elution of 20mM potassium phosphate (pH = 9.5) and acetonitrile (87.5 + 12.5). The cimetidine was monitored at 210 nm and 0.10-0.005 absorbance unit full scale (AUFS). The relative standard deviation (%) for analysis was reproducible within 1 day and that for day-to-day analysis was 5 (n = 8) or lower.
Non-invasive electrical stimulation for vision restoration: dream or reality?

In 1873, Henri Dor performed one of the earliest experiments using electrical stimulation for the treatment of eye diseases, including amblyopia, retinochoroiditis, glaucoma, and optic atrophy [1]....
Mobile Musics, Mobile Technologies: Engaging the Cell Phone in a West African Context

Scholarship on cell phones and related devices has contributed useful insights into mobile media practices, but several assumptions do not hold when considered within alternative contexts such as rural West Africa. Given the highly engaged social environment of Burkina Faso, this paper questions the relevance of theories that over-emphasize individualized and isolating listening experiences. I examine how villagers not only adopt communal listening practices, but also allow for social interaction during personal listening. It also explores how the particularities of cell phones as mobile media devices highlight new technologies that are creatively or pragmatically developed and adapted within particular contexts.
Asymmetric Transport of Light through All-dielectric Structured Media

Asymmetric transmission of light usually requires chiral materials or grating-like structures that make them sensitive to all parameters of incident light. Here we show asymmetric transport of light that is broadband and polarization-insensitive.