cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new silver sulfadiazine water soluble gel

Silver sulfadiazine is the most commonly used topical antibacterial agent for the treatment of burn wounds. It has many clinical advantages, including a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, low toxicity, and minimal pain on application. The current formulation of silver sulfadiazine contains a lipid soluble carrier, polypropylene glycol, that has certain disadvantages, including pseudo-eschar formation and the need for twice daily application. The purpose of this investigation was to describe a new formulation of silver sulfadiazine in a water soluble gel, poloxamer 188. The antibacterial activity of this new gel has been compared to that of the commercially available silver sulfadiazine cream by in vitro and in vivo testing. The results of the in vitro antibacterial testing of these two different agents demonstrated the superiority of the new gel formulation. In experimental wounds, the antibacterial activity of the gel and the commercially available silver sulfadiazine cream were not significantly different when applied once a day. The antibacterial activity of the gel when applied once a day was comparable to that encountered by twice daily applications of the silver sulfadiazine cream by experimental wounds. The major advantage of this gel was its ease of application and removal that is attributed to its water solubility.
Bridging cancer biology with the clinic: relative expression of a GRHL2-mediated gene-set pair predicts breast cancer metastasis.

Identification and characterization of crucial gene target(s) that will allow focused therapeutics development remains a challenge. We have interrogated the putative therapeutic targets associated with the transcription factor Grainy head-like 2 (GRHL2), a critical epithelial regulatory factor. We demonstrate the possibility to define the molecular functions of critical genes in terms of their personalized expression profiles, allowing appropriate functional conclusions to be derived. A novel methodology, relative expression analysis with gene-set pairs (RXA-GSP), is designed to explore the potential clinical utility of cancer-biology discovery. Observing that Grhl2-overexpression leads to increased metastatic potential in vitro, we established a model assuming Grhl2-induced or -inhibited genes confer poor or favorable prognosis respectively for cancer metastasis. Training on public gene expression profiles of 995 breast cancer patients, this method prioritized one gene-set pair (GRHL2, CDH2, FN1, CITED2, MKI67 versus CTNNB1 and CTNNA3) from all 2717 possible gene-set pairs (GSPs). The identified GSP significantly dichotomized 295 independent patients for metastasis-free survival (log-rank tested p = 0.002; severe empirical p = 0.035). It also showed evidence of clinical prognostication in another independent 388 patients collected from three studies (log-rank tested p = 3.3e–6). This GSP is independent of most traditional prognostic indicators, and is only significantly associated with the histological grade of breast cancer (p = 0.0017), a GRHL2-associated clinical character (p = 6.8e–6, Spearman correlation), suggesting that this GSP is reflective of GRHL2-mediated events. Furthermore, a literature review indicates the therapeutic potential of the identified genes. This research demonstrates a novel strategy to integrate both biological experiments and clinical gene expression profiles for extracting and elucidating the genomic impact of a novel factor, GRHL2, and its associated gene-sets on the breast cancer prognosis. Importantly, the RXA-GSP method helps to individualize breast cancer treatment. It also has the potential to contribute considerably to basic biological investigation, clinical tools, and potential therapeutic targets.
Brood Guarding by an Adult Parasitoid Reduces Cannibalism of Parasitoid-Attacked Conspecifics by a Caterpillar Host

Adult female bethylid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) commonly guard their offspring until they develop into later immature stages to protect them from competing parasitoids and predators. Another possible mortality factor is from caterpillar larvae that cannibalize parasitized conspecific larvae. This study determined the effect of brood guarding on the occurrence of host cannibalism by using a brood guarding bethylid parasitoid Goniozus legneri and a non-guarding braconid parasitoid Habrobracon gelechiae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), both are gregarious ectoprasitoids that attack the obliquebanded leafroller Choristoneura rosaceana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). When a C. rosaceana larva parasitized by G. legneri was presented to a live conspecific larva, the frequency of cannibalism on the parasitized conspecific was lower in the presence than in the absence of a guarding female G. legneri. In contrast, when a C. rosaceana larva parasitized by H. gelechiae was presented to a live conspecific larva, the presence or absence of H. gelechiae did not affect cannibalism frequency. Cannibals did not gain a fitness advantage in terms of larval survival, developmental time, or body mass of developed pupae; therefore, cannibalism by the host larva may be a group defense against increased parasitism in subsequent population generations. We suggest that brood guarding by parasitoids can act as a broad defense strategy to protect offspring from the cannibalism of parasitized conspecifics by the host larvae.
Expression of CD117 (c-kit) receptor in dysgerminoma of the ovary: diagnostic and therapeutic implications

The proto-oncogene c-kit encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor, c-kit (CD117), which has been implicated in the development of a number of human malignancies. While the preferential expression of this protein has been well documented in testicular seminomas, there is little data concerning its expression in dysgerminomas of the ovary. We examined the expression of c-kit in 30 cases of ovarian dysgerminomas using immunohistohemical staining with a polyclonal anti-CD117 antibody. Staining was graded in a semiquantitative manner as follows: negative (no staining), 1+(1-10% staining), 2+(10-29% staining), 3+(30-50% staining), or 4+ (>50% staining). Of the 30 cases examined, 26 (87%) demonstrated immunoreactivity for CD117. In total, 10 (33%) demonstrated 4+ staining; 9 (30%) demonstrated 3+staining; 3 (10%) demonstrated 2+staining; 4 (13%) demonstrated 1+staining; and 4 (13%) demonstrated no staining. In conclusion, CD117 immunoreactivity was detected in 87% of ovarian dysgerminomas, a finding that correlates with previously reported frequencies of CD117 expression in seminomas (78-100%). Thus, antibodies to c-kit may be a useful diagnostic marker for ovarian dysgerminoma. Although the prognosis of patients with dysgerminoma is generally good, this receptor could potentially serve as a target for site-specific immunotherapy as an alternative and/or complement to conventional treatment options.
Revisiting interindustry employment requirements in nonmetropolitan economies

Using two separate data sets a disaggregate (multi-industry) economic base model is estimated for the nonmetropolitan U.S. in 1980, 1990, and 2000. One data set is comprised of 196 small towns located in four Southwestern states; the other is comprised of 577 micropolitan counties located across the nation. A new shortcut method was first used to generate the basic-nonbasic employment splits for eight major industries. Then the cross-industry nonbasic (local) employment requirements were estimated by applying ordinary least-squares regression. These local job requirements are shown to vary within industries, across different industries, and across the two data sets. Earlier estimates of interindustry employment impacts, which were based on much smaller data sets, are shown to be overly restrictive. New projects in manufacturing and government, often favored by policymakers, would appear to have relatively small but evenly distributed impacts on local employment in nonmetropolitan economies.
Group-Based Active Query Selection for Rapid Diagnosis in Time-Critical Situations

In applications such as active learning and disease/fault diagnosis, one often encounters the problem of identifying an unknown object through a minimal number of queries. This problem has been referred to as query learning or object/entity identification. We consider three extensions of this fundamental problem that are motivated by practical considerations in real-world,time-critical identification tasks such as emergency response. First, we consider the problem where the objects are partitioned into groups, and the goal is to identify only the group to which the object belongs. Second, we address the situation where the queries are partitioned into groups, and an algorithm may suggest a group of queries to a human user, who then selects the actual query. Third, we consider the problem of object identification in the presence of persistent query noise, and relate it to group identification. To address these problems we show that a standard algorithm for object identification, known as generalized binary search, may be viewed as a generalization of Shannon-Fano coding. We then extend this result to the group-based settings, leading to new algorithms, whose performance is demonstrated through a logarithmic approximation bound, and through experiments on simulated data and a database used for toxic chemical identification.
The composition of interdendritic eutectic

A theory is given which relates the composition of interdendritic “eutectic” forming during unidirectional solidification to solidification variables. This theory shows that the composition of the solid freezing from the interdendritic liquid is not equal to the eutectic composition but is exactly equivalent to the composition of the alloy which would just grow with a planar front at the same growth rate and temperature gradient. It is shown that this leads to a method for determining the critical values of temperature gradient and growth rate for interface stability of off-eutectic composites. Experimental results for the binary Al-Cu system and the ternary Al-Cu-Ni system give good agreement with theory.
Upregulation of calcium-sensing receptor and mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling in the regulation of growth and differentiation in colon carcinoma.

In the present study, we demonstrate that Ca2+-induced growth inhibition and induction of differentiation in a line of human colon carcinoma cells (CBS) is dependent on mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling and is associated with upregulation of extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) expression. When CBS cells were grown in Ca2+-free medium and then switched to medium supplemented with 1.4 mM Ca2+, proliferation was reduced and morphologic features of differentiation were expressed. E-cadherin, which was minimally expressed in nonsupplemented medium, was rapidly induced in response to Ca2+ stimulation. Sustained activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) occured in Ca2+-supplemented medium. When an inhibitor of ERK activation (10 μM U0126) was included in the Ca2+-supplemented culture medium, ERK-activation did not occur. Concomitantly, E-cadherin was not induced, cell proliferation remained high and differentiation was not observed. The same level of Ca2+ supplementation that induced MAP kinase activation also stimulated CaSR upregulation in CBS cells. A clonal isolate of the CBS line that did not upregulate CaSR expression in response to extracellular Ca2+ was isolated from the parent cells. This isolate failed to produce E-cadherin or undergo growth inhibition/induction of differentiation when exposed to Ca2+ in the culture medium. However, ERK-activation occurred as efficiently in this isolate as in parent CBS cells or in a cloned isolate that underwent growth reduction and differentiation in response to Ca2+ stimulation. Together, these data indicate that CaSR upregulation and MAP kinase signalling are both intermediates in the control of colon carcinoma cell growth and differentiation. They appear to function, at least in part, independently of one another.
How contestable are airline markets

For generations, economists ' anecdotes about positive externalities have almost invariably involved bees and apple orchards. With a similar degree of regularity, the profession's current stereotypical examples of contestable markets are drawn from the airline industry. Unfortunately, as Steven Cheung [1973] showed for the tale of the bees, these c o m f o r t a b l e examples may diverge significantly from reality. This paper shows why the stylized fact of airline contestabil i ty should be viewed with similar skepticism. The argument that airline markets are contestable certainly sounds plausible. No less an au thor i ty than Elizabeth Bailey [1982], for example, argues that: "City pair markets are characterized both by easy entry and exit and significant economies of scale . . . potential competition may be an adequate policeman in such markets. Even if a route is flown by a single carrier, other carriers who have stations at both end-point cities can readily enter if monopoly profits become evident. Airline markets can be contestable became their capital costs, while substantial, are not sunk costs. That is, the major portion of the capital--the aircraft--can be recovered from any particular market at little or no cost."
Integrated ‘omics analysis for studying the microbial community response to a pH perturbation of a cellulose-degrading bioreactor culture

Integrated 'omics have been used on pure cultures and co-cultures, yet they have not been applied to complex microbial communities to examine questions of perturbation response. In this study, we used integrated 'omics to measure the perturbation response of a cellulose-degrading bioreactor community fed with microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel). We predicted that a pH decrease by addition of a pulse of acid would reduce microbial community diversity and temporarily reduce reactor function in terms of cellulose degradation. However, 16S rDNA gene pyrosequencing results revealed increased alpha diversity in the microbial community after the perturbation, and a persistence of the dominant community members over the duration of the experiment. Proteomics results showed a decrease in activity of proteins associated with Fibrobacter succinogenes 2 days after the perturbation followed by increased protein abundances 6 days after the perturbation. The decrease in cellulolytic activity suggested by the proteomics was confirmed by the accumulation of Avicel in the reactor. Metabolomics showed a pattern similar to that of the proteome, with amino acid production decreasing 2 days after the perturbation and increasing after 6 days. This study demonstrated that community 'omics data provide valuable information about the interactions and function of anaerobic cellulolytic community members after a perturbation.
Structural imperfections in amorphous metals

Abstract The experimental evidence on the existence and nature of imperfections in amorphous metals is reviewed. It derives from observations of microscopic homogeneity, density measurements, positron annihilation studies, inhomogeneous flow and measurements of the various atomic transport coefficients: shear viscosity, diffusivity, structural relaxation rate and crystal growth rate. In contrast with crystal imperfections, which tend to be discrete and localized due to the constraints imposed by the long range periodicity, imperfections in amorphous metals tend to be more extended and diffuse. This is illustrated by the collapse and annihilation of a vacancy in a two-dimensional amorphous dynamic hard-sphere model, and the observations are generalized for other defects in three dimensions. It is concluded that the most fruitful way of describing defects in amorphous metals is as sites with small local perturbations of the “ideal” short range order, which allows local configurational rearrangements. It is suggested that different types of rearrangement (nearest neighbor changes, shear, volume annihilation) are possible at different sites, and that the concentration and lifetime of each type of site determines the time constant of the corresponding atomic transport process.
Shanghai on Strike: The Politics of Chinese Labor

Preface Introduction Part I. The Politics of Place, 1839-1919: 1. A city of immigrants 2. South China artisans 3. North China proletarians Part II. The Politics of Partisanship, 1919-49: 4. Heyday of radicalism, 1919-27 5. Conservative interregnum, 1927-37 6. Radical resurgence, 1937-49 Part III. The Politics of Production: 7. Tobacco 8. Textiles 9. Transport Conclusion Appendices.
Centerline Tracking for Quantification of Reverse Structural Remodeling of the Pulmonary Veins Following Cardiac Ablation Therapy

Rationale and Objectives Patients with atrial fibrillation undergo structural remodeling resulting in increased pulmonary vein sizes. Studies have demonstrated that these changes are reversible following successful ablation therapy. To date, analyses of pulmonary vein structure have focused on measurements at the pulmonary vein ostia, and the full extent of reverse remodeling along the length of the pulmonary veins has not yet been fully characterized. Materials and Methods An automated, three-dimensional method is proposed that quantifies pulmonary vein geometry starting at the ostia and extending several centimeters into the veins. A centerline is tracked along the length of the pulmonary vein, and orthogonal planes are computed along the curve. The method was validated against manual measurements on each of the four pulmonary veins for 10 subjects. The proposed methodology was used to analyze the pulmonary veins in 21 patients undergoing cardiac ablation therapy with preoperative and postoperative computed tomographic scans. Results Validation results demonstrated that the automated measurements closely followed the manual measurements, with an overall mean difference of 11.50 mm 2 . Significant differences in cross-sectional area at the two time points were observed at all pulmonary vein ostia and extending for 2.0 cm (excluding the 0.5-cm interval) into the left inferior pulmonary vein, 3.5 cm into the left superior pulmonary vein, and 2.0 cm into the right superior pulmonary vein. Conclusions Quantitative analysis along the length of the pulmonary veins can be accomplished using centerline tracking and measurements from orthogonal planes along the curve. The patient study demonstrated that reverse structural remodeling following ablation therapy occurs not only at the ostia but for several centimeters extending into the pulmonary veins.
Tests on Oil Impregnated Paper

About 2 years ago a series of researches was started to study the causes of dielectric loss, chemical deterioration, and electrical failure of oil impregnated paper insulation. Miniature technique has been developed so that at moderate cost specimens can be assembled in glass under accurately controlled conditions, subjected to high voltage life tests, tested periodically for electrical properties and finally examined minutely for changes in electrical, physical, and chemical properties. The results obtained in the first part of this program are presented herewith. Hypotheses now held regarding the effects of variations in several different factors on the life of oil impregnated paper insulation are discussed, and a description of the techniques developed for preparing and testing specimens is given. Illustrative examples are given of the results obtained to date from the correlation of life tests with microscopic physical and chemical examination.
Rupture of the uterine scar during term labour: contractility or biochemistry?

Objective Vaginal birth after a prior low transverse caesarean section (VBAC) is advocated as a safe and effective method to reduce the total caesarean section rate. However, the risk of uterine rupture has dampened the enthusiasm of practising clinicians for VBAC. Uterine rupture occurs more frequently in women receiving prostaglandins in preparation for the induction of labour. We hypothesised that similar to the cervix, prostaglandins induces biochemical changes in the uterine scar favouring dissolution, predisposing the uterus to rupture at the scar of the lower segment as opposed to elsewhere. Design We tested aspects of this hypothesis by investigating the location of uterine rupture associated with prostaglandins and compared it with the sites of rupture in the absence of prostaglandins. Settings Two North American University Hospitals. Population Twenty-six women with a prior caesarean section, experiencing uterine rupture in active labour. Methods Retrospective review of all pregnancies complicated by uterine rupture at two North American teaching hospitals from 1991 to 2000. Main outcome measure Site of the uterine rupture. Results Thirty-four women experienced rupture after a previous caesarean section with low transverse uterine incision. Ten of the women who ruptured (29%) received prostaglandins for cervical ripening (dinoprostone: n= 8 or misoprostol: n= 2) followed by either spontaneous contractions (n= 3) or oxytocin augmentation during labour (n= 7). In 16 women (47%), oxytocin alone was sufficient for the induction/augmentation of labour. Eight (23%) women ruptured at term before reaching the active phase of labour in the absence of pro-contractile agents or attempted VBAC. There were no differences among the groups in terms of age, body mass index, parity, gestational age, fetal weight or umbilical cord pH measurements. Women treated with prostaglandins experienced rupture at the site of their old scar more frequently than women in the oxytocin-alone group whose rupture tended to occur remote from their old scar (prostaglandins 90%vs oxytocin 44%; OR: 11.6, 95% CI: 1.2–114.3). Conclusion Women in active labour treated with prostaglandins for cervical ripening appear more likely to rupture at the site of their old scar than women augmented without prostaglandins. We propose that prostaglandins induce local, biochemical modifications that weaken the scar, predisposing it to rupture.
Relationships between block play and the social development of young children

This naturalistic observational study investigated the social behavior of 20 mixed‐sex, ‐race, and ‐SES kindergarten children as they played with unit (small, solid, hardwood blocks) and large hollow blocks. The findings indicated the following: (1) The children in this study engaged in group, parallel, and solitary play with both types of blocks but group play was more likely to occur with large hollow blocks while parallel and solitary play occurred more often with unit blocks. (2) Children spent more time playing with large hollow blocks. (3) No sex differences were found in the levels of social participation, social behavior, or the amount of time these children spent with the two types of blocks. (4) Many behaviors traditionally considered anti‐social were rarely or never observed. The results from this study suggest that both unit and large hollow block play may provide young children with many opportunities and experiences that encourage social development.
On hard limits of eigen-analysis based planted clique detection

We study the problem of detecting or discovering a planted clique embedded in a random graph. Using recent results from random matrix theory, we demonstrate the presence of a phase transition in eigen-analysis based methods for planted clique detection. The transition separates a regime in which eigen-analysis based methods will successfully detect the planted clique and the associated vertices from one in which the planted clique is present but is undetectable. We validate the prediction with numerical simulations.
Persistent Court Corruption

Levels of court corruption differ widely across the world. To give just one example, in a recent survey of firms in transition economies, the proportion of respondents who answered that firms in their line of business never have to make 'additional payments' to 'deal with the courts' ranged from 86.8% in Hungary to just 37.2% in Albania. A second notable feature of court corruption is its persistence over time - in spite of almost universal condemnation of the phenomenon and frequent government anti corruption campaigns. This article presents a simple model that explains both the variation and persistence of corruption. The main argument is as follows. A major role of the legal system is to provide incentives to individuals to take (or abstain from) certain actions - this is true of regulation, criminal law, contract law and tort law alike. However, when courts are corrupt, the incentive effect provided by court-enforced fines and other penalties is reduced. To maintain incentives, higher penalties are required. But these higher penalties in turn raise the bribes that court officials can extract, since the stakes to winning a court case are now higher. Finally, higher bribes make court employment more attractive to dishonest individuals, which raises the corruptibility of the court. Loosely speaking, then, corruption and penalties are complements: corruption necessitates higher penalties, while higher penalties engender corruption. The feedback effect just described gives rise to the possibility of multiple equilibria. That is, apparently similar countries can have very different levels of court corruption. One country may have a relatively honest pool of court officials, and a low level of penalties; while a second country may have the opposite. Moreover, if a country in a high-corruption equilibrium attempts to shift to using smaller penalties, the immediate effect is a fall in the incentives provided by the legal system. As such, a country can find itself stuck in a high-corruption equilibrium.
Does hook type influence the catch rate, size, and injury of grouper in a North Carolina commercial fishery?

Members of the Epinephelinae subfamily of serranids (“grouper”) are heavily exploited by both recreational and commercial hook-and-line fishermen on the continental shelf of the southeastern United States. However, aspects of groupers’ biology and ecology render them extremely vulnerable to overexploitation, including slow growth, late reproduction, large size, and long life span. In addition to direct fishing mortality, hook and release mortalities likely occur when grouper are caught and released, due to injuries sustained from hooking as well as those associated with retrieval from deep waters. Here, we evaluated four hook sizes and styles (5/0 “J”, 7/0 “J”, 9/0 “J”, and 12/0 circle hooks) during the summer of 2003 by their ability to reduce catches of sublegal grouper and non-target species in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, USA. A total of 1249 fish representing 33 species were landed during 20 days of commercial fishing activities. The most common grouper landed were red grouper Epinephelus morio (n = 459), gag grouper Mycteroperca microlepis(n = 55), and scamp grouper Mycteroperca phenax(n = 50). Overall, 6.8% of grouper landed were below the minimum size limit, and the proportion of sublegal grouper caught per day decreased with depth. Catch rates for small grouper (i.e., <50.8 cm fork length), non-target individuals, and sharks varied across hook treatments, while catch rates for large grouper (i.e., ≥50.8 cm fork length) did not. Circle hooks significantly reduced gut hooking in all groupers as well as non-target species. The proportion of grouper and non-target fish that bled varied across hooking locations, with more fish bleeding from gut and gill hooking than jaw hooking. Finally, the proportion of red and gag grouper with distended stomachs was positively related to the water depth in which the fish were caught. These results suggest a tradeoff between fishing in shallow water to reduce depth-related injuries to grouper and fishing in deeper water to minimize the catch of sublegal grouper. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Endothelial-independent prevention of high blood pressure in L-NAME-treated rats by angiotensin II type I receptor antisense gene therapy.

It has previously been established that a single systemic administration of retroviral vector containing angiotensin II type I receptor antisense (AT1R-AS) in the neonatal spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) prevents development of hypertension, and in addition cardiac hypertrophy and endothelial dysfunction. However, these studies could not determine whether the effects of AT1R-AS on high blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function were independent. Angiotensin receptor blockers have been shown to reduce BP in the L-NAME (N v -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride)-induced rat model of hypertension. Our objective in the present study was to use the L-NAME model of hypertension to determine whether AT1R-AS treatment would lower high BP and attenuate cardiac hypertrophy under conditions of permanent endothelial damage. A single bolus of LNSV-AT1R-AS viral particles in neonatal Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was without affect on basal BP. Efficacy of the transgene incorporation was assessed by observing a significant reduction in angiotensin-induced dipsogenic response in the AT1R-AS-treated animals. Introduction of L-NAME in the drinking water for 10 weeks resulted in the establishment of hypertension only in the WKY rats treated with vector alone. These hypertensive (BP, 179 ± 4 mmHg) animals showed a 17 % increase in heart weight/body weight ratio and a 60 % reduction in ACh-induced vasorelaxation in phenylephrine-preconstricted arteries. The L-NAME-induced high BP and cardiac hypertrophy were attenuated in rats expressing AT1R-AS. However, endothelial dysfunction could not be prevented with the antisense therapy. These observations demonstrate that attenuation of endothelial dysfunction is not a prerequisite for the antihypertensive effects of AT1R-AS treatment. Experimental Physiology (2003) 88.4, 467–473.
Detecting road intersections from GPS traces

As an alternative to expensive road surveys, we are working toward a method to infer the road network from GPS data logged from regular vehicles. One of the most important components of this problem is to find road intersections. We introduce an intersection detector that uses a localized shape descriptor to represent the distribution of GPS traces around a point. A classifier is trained on the shape descriptor to discriminate intersections from nonintersections, and we demonstrate its effectiveness with an ROC curve. In a second step, we use the GPS data to prune the detected intersections and connect them with geometrically accurate road segments. In the final step, we use the iterative closest point algorithm to more accurately localize the position of each intersection. We train and test our method on GPS data gathered from regular vehicles in the Seattle, WA, USA area. The tests show we can correctly find road intersections.
Jerusalem in Medieval Narrative: Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: three accounts by English authors

When one thinks of those medieval English pilgrims whose works have been edited for scholarly study, Margery Kempe is perhaps the first name that comes to mind. Indeed, with her copious weeping on her pilgrimage journeys, and wailing at Christ's crucifixion site, she stands out, as she herself admits, from other pilgrims to Jerusalem. This chapter, however, does not deal with the devotional account of Margery Kempe. While Kempe produced a narrative of her travels as mediated through “the eyes of her soul,” the works studied in this chapter offer a different focus, emanating from three different English pilgrims who are roughly contemporary with Kempe, but who present a view of pilgrimage shaped by their concern for the practicalities of physical travel. Although only a few hundred Jerusalem pilgrim accounts from Europe and England survive, Henry Savage has shown that “many thousands” of pilgrims visited Jerusalem annually. According to G. Owst, tales of pilgrim experience were usually spread orally, often in sermons; thus the relatively small number of extant texts does not represent the full extent to which pilgrimage pervaded English medieval society. Those that do survive, however, offer an outline of what the experience of English pilgrimage involved. While this chapter seeks to describe the practicalities of the pilgrim journey, it also explores the significance of Jerusalem to the English traveler, itinerary reader, and writer.
Direct Optimization, Sensitivity Analysis, and the Evolution of the Hymenopteran Superfamilies

ABSTRACT Even as recent studies have focused on the construction of larger and more diverse datasets, the proper placement of the hymenopteran superfamilies remains controversial. In order to explore the implications of these new data, we here present the first direct optimization-sensitivity analysis of hymenopteran superfamilial relationships, based on a recently published total evidence dataset. Our maximum parsimony analyses of 111 terminal taxa, four genetic markers (18S, 28S, COI, EF-lα), and 392 morphological/behavioral characters reveal areas of clade stability and volatility with respect to variation in four transformation cost parameters. While most parasitican superfamilies remain robust to parameter change, the monophyly of Proctotrupoidea sensu stricto is less stable; no set of cost parameters yields a monophyletic Diaprioidea. While Apoidea is monophyletic under eight of the nine parameter regimes, no set of cost parameters returns a monophyletic Vespoidea or a monophyletic Chrysidoidea. The...
Developmental and Cross-Cultural Differences in the Cooperative and Competitive Behavior of Young Children

A two-person experimental task was developed for use in the study of age and cultural differences in the cooperative-competitive behavior of children in a small Mexican town and in California. The results indicate a higher level of cooperation among Mexican than among Anglo-American children and an increase in nonadaptive competition with age among the Anglo-American children.
The Insufficiency of Non-Domination:

This essay argues that the neo-Roman republican principle of “non-domination,” as developed in the recent work of Philip Pettit, cannot serve as a single over-arching political ideal, because it responds to only one of two important dimensions of concern about human agency. Through critical engagements with several aspects of Pettit's work, ranging from his philosophical account of freedom as “discursive control” to his appropriation of the distinction between dominium and imperium, the essay argues that the idea of domination, which responds to concerns about “control,” needs to be supplemented by the idea of usurpation, which responds to questions about “involvement”; and it shows how attention to both domination and usurpation (and to the interaction between them) can shed light on such phenomena as imperialism, slavery, and democracy.
An envelope elimination and restoration power amplifier using a CMOS dynamic power supply circuit

This paper presents a CDMA power amplifier using Kahn envelope elimination and restoration technique. A CMOS delta-modulated envelope amplifier with over 3MHz bandwidth is used as the dynamic power supply. Internal feedback was used on the envelope amplifier to reduce delay. A commercially available 1W GaAs/AlGaAs HFET power amplifier was tested in conjunction with the envelope amplifier. Using an IS-95 CDMA signal, a peak output power of 25 dBm was obtained at 836 MHz while achieving a maximum efficiency of 48% with ACPR of 47.9 dBc.
Uniter or Divider? Religion and Social Cooperation: Evidence from Indonesia

This study investigates how religion influences particularized and generalized trust, as well as inter-group discrimination and tolerance, in contemporary Indonesia. I combine the individual-level data of the latest round of the Indonesian Family Life Survey with the national census microdata and other nationally representative datasets to examine two sources of variation through which religion may influence these attitudes: individual religiosity and the community’s religious composition. Religiosity is positively associated with particularized trust and in-group preference, and negatively with religious tolerance. The strengths of the associations between measures of in-group preference (including political preference) and individual religiosity are much stronger than those from gender, education, or per-capita expenditure; they are also strongest among Muslims, the dominant majority in Indonesia. These associations are robust to various identification strategies. Using selection on observables to benchmark the potential bias from selection on unobservables, I find that the selection on unobservables
A dynamic high speed multi-media local area network (MLAN) protocol architecture

The design of a multimedia LAN (MLAN) protocol using a broadcast bus system topology suitable for a campus environment is considered. It minimizes the bus access time by using an advanced reservation technique, and accommodates requests for several packet sizes expressed in multiples of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell size. The architecture presented assumes a MLAN speed of 50 Mb/s, and can be easily extended to the STS-3 signal bit rate of 150 Mb/s. The bus access techniques, bandwidth allocation for various types of traffic, clock synchronization, etc. are monitored and changed/adjusted dynamically according to traffic conditions on the bus. >
Hybridization and genome size evolution: timing and magnitude of nuclear DNA content increases in Helianthus homoploid hybrid species.

Summary • Hybridization and polyploidy can induce rapid genomic changes, including the gain or loss of DNA, but the magnitude and timing of such changes are not well understood. The homoploid hybrid system in Helianthus (three hybrid-derived species and their two parents) provides an opportunity to examine the link between hybridization and genome size changes in a replicated fashion. • Flow cytometry was used to estimate the nuclear DNA content in multiple populations of three homoploid hybrid Helianthus species (Helianthus anomalus, Helianthus deserticola, and Helianthus paradoxus), the parental species (Helianthus annuus and Helianthus petiolaris), synthetic hybrids, and natural hybrid-zone populations. • Results confirm that hybrid-derived species have 50% more nuclear DNA than the parental species. Despite multiple origins, hybrid species were largely consistent in their DNA content across populations, although H. deserticola showed significant interpopulation differences. First- and sixth-generation synthetic hybrids and hybrid-zone plants did not show an increase from parental DNA content. First-generation hybrids differed in DNA content according to the maternal parent. • In summary, hybridization by itself does not lead to increased nuclear DNA content in Helianthus, and the evolutionary forces responsible for the repeated increases in DNA content seen in the hybrid-derived species remain mysterious.
Near infrared fluorescent optical imaging for nodal staging

Current techniques to assess lymph node metastases in cancer patients include lymphoscintigraphy after administration of a nonspecific radiocolloid in order to locate and resect lymph nodes for pathological examination of harbored cancer cells. Clinical trials involving intradermal or subcutaneous injection of antibody-based nuclear imaging agents have demonstrated the feasibility for target-specific, molecular imaging of cancer-positive lymph nodes. The basis for employing near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging for assessing disease is evidenced by recent work showing functional lymph imaging in mice, swine, and humans. We review antibody-based immunolymphoscintigraphy with an emphasis on the use of trastuzumab (or Herceptin) to target human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) overexpressed in some breast cancers. Specifically, we review in vitro and preclinical imaging data from our laboratory that show how the dual-labeled agent ((111)In-DTPA)(n)-trastuzumab-(IRDye800)(m) utilizes the high photon count provided by an NIR fluorescent dye, IRDye 800CW, and the radioactive signal from a gamma emitter, Indium-111, for possible detection of HER2 metastasis in lymph nodes. We show that the accumulation and clearance of ((111)In-DTPA)(n)-trastuzumab-(IRDye800)(m) from the axillary nodes of mice occurs 48 h after intradermal injection into the dorsal aspect of the foot. The requirement for long clearance times from normal, cancer-negative nodes presents challenges for nuclear imaging agents with limited half-lives but does not hamper NIR optical imaging.
Autism spectrum disorder, flea and tick medication, and adjustments for exposure misclassification: the CHARGE (CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment) case-control study

Background The environmental contribution to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is largely unknown, but household pesticides are receiving increased attention. We examined associations between ASD and maternally-reported use of imidacloprid, a common flea and tick treatment for pets.
Stretch augments TGF-β1 expression through RhoA/ROCK1/2, PTK, and PI3K in airway smooth muscle cells

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression in smooth muscle cells may play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, mechanisms that are involved in the regulation of TGF-β1 gene expression in human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) remain elusive. Here, we show that mechanical stretch of HASMCs augmented TGF-β1 expression through a de novo RNA synthesis mechanism. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that stretch-induced TGF-β1 expression was mediated through the enhanced activation of TGF-β1 promoter. Interestingly, selective inhibitors of PTK, PI3K, or MEK1/2 attenuated TGF-β1 expression through blocking ERK1/2 phosphorylation and TGF-β1 promoter activity in response to stretch. In addition, stretch rapidly and transiently augmented GTP-bound RhoA and Rac1 but not Cdc42 GTPase. Either blockade of RhoA GTPase using C3 transferase, ROCK1/2 using Y27632, or knockdown of endogenous RhoA using RhoA siRNA attenuated stretch-induced TGF-β1 expression through the inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Moreover, stretch augmented DNA binding activity of AP-1 in a time-dependent manner. Either treatment of HASMCs with the inhibitors of RhoA, ROCK1/2, PTK, PI3K, MEK1/2, or AP-1 or transfection of HASMCs with AP-1 decoy oligonucleotide attenuated stretch-induced TGF-β1 expression through repressing the DNA binding activity of AP-1. Site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated that two AP-1 binding sites in the TGF-β1 promoter region are responsible for stretch-induced TGF-β1 expression. Overall, in HASMCs, mechanical stretch plays an important role in TGF-β1 gene upregulation through a stretch-induced signaling pathway, which could be a potential therapeutic intervention for TGF-β1-induced pathogenesis in asthma.
Singara: Courses in Anthropology and Education

Persons with course descriptions to contribute are requested to send them to the Department Editor at CU 319, College of Education, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. Communications about materials appearing in this Department should be directed to their author, whose name and address will be provided with each outline published.
Admission factors predicting family medicine specialty choice: a literature review and exploratory study among students in the Rural Medical Scholars Program.

Purpose: The Rural Medical Scholars Program (RMSP) was created to increase production of rural family physicians in Alabama. Literature review reveals reasons medical students choose careers in family medicine, and these reasons can be categorized into domains that medical schools can address through admission, curriculum, and structural interventions. We examine whether admission factors can predict family medicine specialty choice among students recruited from rural Alabama. Methods: We developed a questionnaire to study the ability of admission factors to predict family medicine specialty choice among Rural Medical Scholars (RMS). Eighty RMS graduates were surveyed by mail and 64 (80%) responded. Findings: Student characteristics of humanitarian outlook with commitment to rural or underserved populations, family medicine decision or intention made before or at medical school admission, and community influence were positive associations with RMS choosing family medicine residencies; shadowing in an urban hospital was a negative association. Conclusions: Statements of interest, intentions, plans, and decisions regarding family medicine should be elicited at the time of RMSP admission interview. Strong attachment to home community and commitment to serving and living in a rural area are also important. Students whose introduction to medicine was informed through shadowing or observing in urban hospitals should be considered less likely to become family physicians. Larger sample size studies are needed to assess the role of gender, race, marital status, size of rural town, and MCAT score of candidates in affecting residency choices of students selected for this rural medical education track.
Why Service‐Learning?

Service-learning is generally based on one of two impulses, philanthropic or civil, each with its own distinct philosophical viewpoint. Teachers should be aware of these impulses as well as the major challenges of service-learning.
Secular trends in the epidemiology and outcome of Barrett's oesophagus in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Background—The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma has increased greatly. Barrett’s oesophagus is a known risk factor. Aims—To identify changes in the incidence, prevalence, and outcome of Barrett’s oesophagus in a defined population. Subjects—Residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, with clinically diagnosed Barrett’s oesophagus, or oesophageal or oesophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma. Methods—Cases were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system. Records were reviewed with follow up to 1 January 1998. Results—The incidence of clinically diagnosed Barrett’s oesophagus (>3 cm) increased 28-fold from 0.37/100 000 person years in 1965‐69 to 10.5/100 000 in 1995‐97. Of note, gastroscopic examinations increased 22-fold in this same time period. The prevalence of diagnosed Barrett’s oesophagus increased from 22.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 11.7‐33.6) per 100 000 in 1987 to 82.6/100 000 in 1998. The prevalence of short segment Barrett’s oesophagus (<3 cm) in 1998 was 33.4/ 100 000. Patients with Barrett’s oesophagus had shorter than expected survival but only one patient with Barrett’s oesophagus died from adenocarcinoma. Only four of 64 adenocarcinomas occurred in patients with previously known Barrett’s oesophagus. Conclusions—The incidence and prevalence of clinically diagnosed Barrett’s oesophagus have increased in parallel with the increased use of endoscopy. We infer that the true population prevalence of Barrett’s oesophagus has not changed greatly, although the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma increased 10-fold. Many adenocarcinomas occurred in patients without a previous diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus, suggesting that many people with this condition remain undiagnosed in the community. (Gut 2001;48:304‐309)