cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial surface properties of fluoride-containing resin-based sealants

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the antibacterial properties of three resin-based pit and fissure sealant products: Clinpro (3M ESPE), Embrace (Pulpdent), and UltraSeal XT plus (Ultradent). Methods: The antibacterial effects of the sealants were tested in both an agar diffusion assay and a planktonic growth inhibition assay using Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The materials were applied to paper and enamel disks in the former and on the side walls of 96-well microtiter plates on the latter. Results: All materials showed either diffusible or contact antibacterial effects in the agar diffusion assays. The effect was diminished when enamel disks were used as substrate. In the planktonic growth inhibition assay, Clinpro had its effect reduced, but retained activity against both bacteria over time. L. acidophilus was more sensitive than S. mutans to UltraSeal. Embrace retained antibacterial activity against both bacteria over time.
Brain acetylcholine synthesis declines with senescence

The synthesis of whole brain acetylcholine is reduced in two strains (C57BL and BALB/c) of senescent mice. The incorporation of [U-14C]glucose into acetylcholine decreased in both strains by 40 +/- 4 per cent in 10-month-old mice and by 58 +/- 9 percent in 30-month-old mice compared with mice 3 months old. The incorporation of [2H4]choline into acetylcholine declined 60 and 73 percent in 10- and 30-month-old mice, respectively. Deficits in the cholinergic system may contribute to brain dysfunctions that complicate senescence.
Comparison of risk factors for cervical spine, head, serious, and fatal injury in rollover crashes

Previous epidemiological studies of rollover crashes have focused primarily on serious and fatal injuries in general, while rollover crash testing has focused almost exclusively on cervical spine injury. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the risk factors for cervical spine, head, serious, and fatal injury in real world rollover crashes. Rollover crashes from 1995-2008 in the National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) were investigated. A large data set of 6015 raw cases (2.5 million weighted) was generated. Nonparametric univariate analyses, univariate logistic regression, and multivariate logistic regression were conducted. Complete or partial ejection, a lack of seatbelt use, a greater number of roof inversions, and older occupant age significantly increased the risk of all types of injuries studied (p<0.05). Far side seating position increased the risk of fatal, head, and cervical spine injury (p<0.05), but not serious injury in general. Higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of fatal, serious, and cervical spine injury (p<0.05), but not head injury. Greater roof crush was associated with a higher rate of fatal and cervical spine injury (p<0.05). Vehicle type, occupant height, and occupant gender had inconsistent and generally non-significant effects on injury. This study demonstrates both common and unique risk factors for different types of injuries in rollover crashes.
Avoiding the Separation Thesis While Maintaining a Positive/Normative Distinction

While many scholars agree that the “separation thesis” (Freeman in Bus Ethics Quart 4(4):409–421, 1994)—that business issues and ethical issues can be neatly compartmentalized—is harmful to business ethics scholarship and practice, they also conclude that eliminating it is either inadvisable because of the usefulness of the positive/normative distinction, or actually impossible. Based on an exploration of the fact/value dichotomy and the pragmatist and virtue theoretic responses to it, we develop an approach to eliminating the separation thesis that integrates “business” with “ethics” while still permitting a positive/normative distinction, which we call “ethics from observation.”
Taking a fresh look at facilities data: Lessons learned

This chapter highlights some important themes from the previous chapters that will assist institutional research professionals and other higher education leaders interested in expanding use of facilities data in planning and decision making.
Rosie: a worker for the nuclear age

Designed to decontaminate and dismantle aging nuclear facilities, Rosie is a construction-grade, remotely-operated worksystem capable of tearing a building down from the inside out. At the time of the Chernobyl accident, Soviet officials contacted researchers at Carnegie Mellon University about Rosie's grandmother, the Workhorse, a multipurpose, remote worksystem for the Three-Mile Island nuclear power plant. Although the system wasn't ready for release, the Chernobyl incident inspired a group of CMU researchers to form RedZone Robotics, a company that develops remote technology for hazardous environments. Now, almost a decade later, RedZone has released the Workhorse's progeny for its commercial debut.
Analyst Forecasts and Dividend Information

Analyst forecasts made approximately nine months prior to the end of year t are used as surrogates for market expectations of earnings and dividends of year t. A popular mathematical expectations model is also used for comparison. Using the two factor asset pricing models to predict market betas, and to estimate abnormal security returns, cumulative average residuals are computed and partitioned on the sign of the two dividend information variables indicated in the preceding paragraph. The results were consistent with those of Watts and Gonedes in that no significant dividend information was detected.
A PC-based Mie scattering program for theoretical investigations of the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols as a function of composition and relative humidity

Abstract Over the past decade there has been interest in exploring possible relationships between atmospheric visibility (extinction of light) and the chemical form of aerosols in the atmosphere. A user friendly, menu-driven program for the personal computer (AT 286 with math co-processor or higher) has been developed which both calculates the equilibrium composition of the atmospheric aerosol of specified compositions (including particle-bound water as a function of relative humidity) and also applies optical parameters from these end-products to estimating scattering and extinction. Presented here is a description of such a program, with a discussion of the assumptions and approaches implicit in it. The program appears to give results similar to those reported by others.
Nonlinear Magneto-Optical Effect in Vacuum:. Inhomogeneity-Originated Second-Harmonic Generation in DC Magnetic Field

The photon-photon scattering predicted by quantum electrodynamics can give rise to second-harmonic generation of intense laser radiation in a dc magnetic field due to broken symmetry of interaction even in the “box” diagram approximation. This effect is possible only when the field system (i.e. optical wave+dc field) is inhomogeneous, in particular when a Gaussian laser beam (i.e. nonplane wave) propagates in either homogeneous or inhomogeneous dc magnetic field.
Sexual assault of older women: Risk and vulnerability by living arrangement

Sexual assault of older women may occur within the context of elder mistreatment, domestic violence, or victimization of homeless or mentally ill individuals. Older women with self-care deficits due to impaired physical, cognitive, or psychiatric function or substance use may be vulnerable to sexual assault either because of an inability to self-defend or make wise choices about their environment, or due to exposure to potential offenders. Using consecutive clinical cases of women ages 50 and older (N = 198) who presented for a sexual assault exam, the authors searched for differences in victim, suspected offender, and assault characteristics by alleged victims’ living arrangement (institutional, domestic, homeless, or unknown). The authors found significant differences by living arrangement in age and impaired consciousness at onset of assault; relationship of suspected offender to victim; and in type(s) of coercion, weapon(s) used, and body trauma. Findings have implications for practice, research, and policy.
Gene-marking and haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation

Gene transfer has allowed a number of biological issues in haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation to be addressed. Gene-marking studies have shown that residual malignant cells in infused marrow may contribute to relapse in acute myeloid leukaemia, neuroblastoma and chronic myeloid leukaemia. Double gene-marking techniques with distinguishable retroviral vectors are being used to compare purging techniques and the reconstitution of different sources of stem cells. In allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation, gene-marking has demonstrated that adoptively transferred cytotoxic T cells can persist and reconstitute antiviral immunity.
Spatial and temporal patterns of seed predation on three tree species in an oak-pine forest

We experimentally examined spatial and temporal patterns of seed predation on three tree species in an oak-pine forest in southern Maine, USA. Rodents were the principal seed predators. Rates of seed loss varied with tree species and exposure to three different suites of potential seed predators (all vertebrate seed predators, medium-sized rodents [primarily squirrels] and small rodents [primarily mice and voles]). Acer rubrum seeds were removed more slowly (mean of 17.7% within 2 d across all habitats and treatments in 1991) than seeds of either Quercus rubra or Pinus strobus (e.g., > 99% removed within 2 d across all habitats and treatments for each species in 1991). Levels of final removal (cumulative removal at final census) varied with year but not with microhabitat; i.e., seed predation in four types of forest gap was not significantly different than in intact forest. Both field data and experimental feeding trials with captive Peromyscus leucopus and Clethrionomys gapperi suggest that a significant proportion of white pine seeds is eaten at time of detection, while red oak acorns are more likely to be cached. Captive Peromyscus leucopus cached and ate significantly more red oak acorns than Clethrionomys gapperi. These results suggest that red oak mast may be more important in overwintering success in Peromyscus than in Clethrionomys. Nevertheless, both species did consume red oak acorns, suggesting that in southern Maine these species are not substantially inhibited by high tannin levels in red oak acorns, as has been suggested by researchers elsewhere.
On the electrodynamic balance

The properties of axially symmetric electrodynamic balances are studied using analytic and numerical techniques. The levitation ability and stability characteristics of several balance configurations are determined. A unified theory for the stability characteristics of all electrodynamic balances which have a non-vanishing quadrupole field term is derived. Procedures are proposed to optimize the balance shape for stably levitating particles of maximal mass to charge ratio. The lack of a unique optimum balance shape is demonstrated.
Volumetric retinal imaging with ultrahigh-resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and adaptive optics using two broadband light sources

Ultrabroadband sources, such as multiplexed superluminescent diodes (SLDs) and femtosecond lasers, have been successfully employed in adaptive optics optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) systems for ultrahigh resolution retinal imaging. The large cost differential of these sources, however, motivates the need for a performance comparison. Here, we compare the performance of a Femtolasers Integral Ti:Sapphire laser and a Superlum BroadLighter T840, using the same AO-OCT system and the same subject. In addition, we investigate the capability of our instrument equipped with the Integral to capture volume images of the fovea and adjacent regions on a second subject using the AO to control focus in the retina and custom and freeware image registration software to reduce eye motion artifacts. Monochromatic ocular aberrations were corrected with a woofer-tweeter AO system. Coherence lengths of the Integral and BroadLighter were measured in vivo at 3.2 μm and 3.3 μm, respectively. The difference in dynamic range was 5 dB, close to the expected variability of the experiment. Individual cone photoreceptors, retinal capillaries and nerve fiber bundles were distinguished in all three dimensions with both sources. The acquired retinal volumes are provided for viewing in OSA ISP, allowing the reader to data mine at the microscope level.
Development of focal plane detectors for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), scheduled for launch in 2011, is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will improve the current sensitivity for detection of faint astrophysical sources in the 6-80 keV band by two orders of magnitude. NuSTAR achieves high sensitivity by utilizing a hard X-ray focusing system. We have developed Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe) pixel detectors optimized for good energy for the NuSTAR focal plane. Each of NuSTAR's two focal planes is comprised of hybrid detectors that consist of a CdZnTe pixel sensor with the anode contacts directly attached to corresponding readout circuits integrated on a custom low-noise VLSI chip. Each hybrid is 20.5 x 20.5 x 2.0 mm in size with the anode divided into 32 x 32 array of pixels at 0.6048 mm. In this paper we describe the hybrid sensor architecture, and present preliminary results from the characterization of detectors fabricated for the NuSTAR focal plane Engineering Test Unit (ETU). We achieve excellent electronic readout noise with an average of 250 eV FWHM, and energy resolution between 0.9 and 1.6 keV FWHM at 86.5 keV, depending on position in the sensor and improving at lower energies. In order to achieve the best spectral resolution we need to make pixeldependent corrections for events with charge split among multiple pixels, and in addition we make spectral corrections based on depth of the gamma-ray interaction.
Family satisfaction and entrepreneurship among Chinese women: The moderating role of self-efficacy

The world today is paying more attention to the economy of the People’s Republic of China due to its rapid growth and internationalisation (Deng et al., 2011). In accordance with the expanding literature in this area, the current study examines entrepreneurial intent relative to satisfaction with family life and generalised self-efficacy with regards to Chinese women. This study makes an important contribution to the new venture creation literature by being one of the first to focus on females in a Chinese context and by being among the first to examine generalised self-efficacy as a moderator of the family satisfaction-entrepreneurial intent relationship. Results of a moderated hierarchical regression analysis provide evidence in support of a moderating role for self-efficacy in the relationship between family satisfaction and the intent to start a new business.
Impact of Web-based nurse's education on glycosylated haemoglobin in type 2 diabetic patients.

Aim. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the effect of the nurse's education using short message service of cellular phone varied according to the degree of the glycosylated haemoglobin at baseline with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Background. Nurse's education using telemedicine has a decrease glycosylated haemoglobin level in type 2 diabetic patients. Design. A control group pretest–post-test design was used to assess the effectiveness of nurse's education. Methods. Fifty-one subjects completed the entire study, 25 interventions and 26 controls. Intervention and control groups were then separated into two groups by baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin, a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin ≥7·0% and a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin <7·0%. The goal of the intervention was to keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range. The intervention was applied for 12 weeks, and consisted of continuous education and reinforcement of diet, exercise and medication adjustment, as well as frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose levels. Short message service intervention was performed weekly for 12 weeks. Participants were requested to input the blood glucose level, diet and exercise diary everyday in http://www.biodang.com by cellular phone or wire Internet. The researcher sends optimal recommendations to each patient using short message service of cellular phone and wire Internet. All medication adjustments were communicated to the subjects’ diabetes doctors. The glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting plasma glucose and two-hour plasma glucose were measured before and after the intervention. Results. Patients with a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin <7·0% in intervention group maintained good control, whereas those in the control group showed significant glycosylated haemoglobin aggravation after 12 weeks. There was a significant percentage change in a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin ≥7·0% for the intervention group (p = 0·007), with a mean percentage change of −2·15%. The percentage change in the control group was, however, not significant; this time the mean percentage change was −0·22% after 12 weeks. Conclusion. These findings indicated that for patients with a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin <7·0% in intervention group maintained good control, whereas those in the control group showed significant glycosylated haemoglobin aggravation. There was a significant percentage change in a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin ≥7·0% for the intervention group; however, no significant change for the control group after 12 weeks. Relevance to clinical practice. Short message service of cellular phone intervention by a nurse can maintain and reduce glycosylated haemoglobin in a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin <7·0% and a baseline-glycosylated haemoglobin ≥7·0% groups.
QUANTITATIVE METHOD FOR DETERMINING A REPRESENTATIVE ALGAL SAMPLE COUNT1

A method for determining a representative count of a sample dependent on number of species is presented for application to various algal communities. Constant species curves are calculated as efficiency = (number of individuals–number of species)/number of individuals and diagrammed on a plot of efficiency versus number of individuals counted. Efficiency is defined as the probability that a new species encountered is minimal. That is, as the ratio of number of species to number of individuals approaches 1, more individuals will need to be counted in order to achieve a representative count. Data and calculations of efficiency from two algal communities are presented for illustration.
δf simulation studies of the ion-electron two-stream instability in IBX

The ion-electron two-stream instability is studied numerically for the high intensity heavy ion beams envisioned in the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX). We consider a 1.7 MeV K+ beam with 0.25 microcoulombs/m line density propagating through a small background electron population. The detailed linear properties of the ion-electron two-stream instability are studied using a 3D low-noise δ-f particle simulation method implemented in the Beam Equilibrium, Stability and Transport (BEST) code.
Fiber optic frequency transfer link

A stabilized fiber-optic reference frequency distribution system has been fabricated and tested. The distribution system is designed to transmit a 100-MHz reference signal, which is generated by a hydrogen maser frequency standard, over a distance of 22 km. The goal is to maintain a stability of 1 part in 10/sup 17/ for 1000-s averaging times. The stabilizer circuitry reduced delay variations that result from the effect environmental changes, such as temperature, on the fiber. The distribution system was designed using a computer simulation program that allows the delays, bandwidths, gains and damping factors to be varied for optimum performance. A breadboard version of the stabilizer was fabricated and tested in an environmentally controlled test chamber. In preliminary tests, the stabilizer reduced phase variations caused by temperature changes of 20 degrees C by as much as 45 times. >
A production limitation in syllable number : a longitudinal study of one child's early vocabulary

The present paper reports on the phonological form of one child's productive vocabulary from age 0;10 to 1;8 with primary focus on his production of multisyllabic targets. A large percentage of his multisyllabic vocabulary was produced as one syllable until the age of 1;6. This limitation was not due to a tendency to extract only single syllables from the speech stream, but rather due primarily to a limitation on production. While some portion of his one-syllable productions could be interpreted as the result of single syllable extraction, a sizeable portion affirmed that he extracted the target size correctly by his inclusion of first and final target phonemes in his productions (e.g. [po] for piano and [kiz] for candies). The resolution of this limitation coincides with his move toward two-word speech. We conclude that there is a developmental and perhaps maturational limitation in the capacity to carry out the processes underlying word and sentence production.
Monuments and the Politics of Memory: Commemorating Kurt Eisner and the Bavarian Revolutions of 1918–1919 in Postwar Munich

Given the turbulent nature of recent German history, studies of postwar German memory understandably have focused upon the issue of Vergangenheitsbewaltigung —the difficult process of “coming to terms” with the historical experience of the Third Reich and the Second World War. This topic's magnitude has rightly inspired considerable scholarly attention but, at the same time, it has also had the unintended effect of overshadowing other German struggles with memory. In recent years, however, this state of affairs has begun to change. As the epochal events of 1989–90 have forced Germans to confront still another burdensome historical legacy—that of communism—the increasing calls for a “second” Vergangenheitsbewaltigung have, for better or worse, broken the monopolistic hold of the Third Reich on the nation's historical consciousness. course of this new Vergangenheitsbewaltigung by comparing it to the experience of coming to terms with the legacy of Nazism.
Racial Frontiers: Africans, Chinese, and Mexicans in Western America, 1848-1890

Once neglected, racial minorities are now the focus of intense interest among historians of the American West, who have come to recognise the roles of African American, Chinese, and Mexican people in shaping the frontier. Racial Frontiers is both a highly original work, particularly in its emphasis on racial minority women, and a masterful synthesis of the literature in this young field. De Leon depicts a US West populated by settlers anticipating opportunities for upward mobility, jockeying for position as they adapted to new surroundings, and adjusting to new political and economic systems. Minority groups discarded unworkable political traditions that had followed them from their homelands and sought to participate in a democracy that they trusted would see to their well-being. Many embraced capitalism in preference to the economic systems they had left behind but refused to give up their cultural traditions. The result was a US West of many colours. Known as a skilled writer, De Leon tells countless stories of the lives of men and women to guide the readers through his narrative. Personal histories and revealing quotations illustrate the struggles and victories of the newcomers, enriching our understanding of the settlement of the trans-Mississippi West since the middle of the nineteenth century.
Optical coherence tomography shows retinal abnormalities associated with optic nerve disease

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macula in patients with primary optic neuropathy has revealed the presence of structural changes in the neurosensory retina in addition to the nerve fibre layer. Subretinal fluid has been documented in papilloedema and non-arteritic ischaemic optic neuropathy, and may account for decreased visual acuity in affected patients. Subretinal fluid has also been described from other causes of optic nerve head swelling including diabetic papillopathy and papillitis. Drugs used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, such as corticosteroids and fingolimod can cause decreased vision due to central serous and cystoid macular oedema sometimes confused with recurrent optic neuritis. A subset of patients with various types of optic atrophy show microcystic changes in the inner nuclear layer on spectral domain OCT imaging. The pathophysiology and visual significance of these retinal changes remain unclear, but may affect the diagnosis and management of optic nerve disorders.
Parker limit for monopoles with large magnetic charge

The survival of galactic magnetic fields places a limit on the flux of magnetic monopoles, the so-called ''Parker limit.'' Previous discussions of the Parker limit have assumed that the charge of the monopole is the Dirac value, g/sub Dirac/ = 2..pi../e. However, if the grand unified group is broken by Wilson lines, as is assumed in some superstring models, the minimum value of the magnetic charge is not the Dirac quantum, but an integer multiple of it. In this brief report we investigate the dependence of the Parker limit on the charge of the magnetic monopole. 10 refs., 1 fig.
Carbon use efficiency depends on growth respiration, maintenance respiration, and relative growth rate. A case study with lettuce

Carbon use efficiency ( C UE , the ratio between the amount of carbon incorporated into dry matter to the amount of carbon fixed in gross photosynthesis) is an important parameter in estimating growth rate from photosynthesis data or models. It previously has been found to be relatively constant among species and under different environmental conditions. Here it is shown that C UE can be expressed as a function of the relative growth rate ( r GR ) and the growth ( g r ) and maintenance respiration coefficients ( m r ): 1/ C UE = = = 1 + + + g r + + + m r / r GR . Net daily carbon gain ( C dg ), r GR , and C UE were estimated from whole-plant gas exchange measurements on lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.) ranging from 24 to 66 d old. Carbon use efficiency decreased from 0.6 to 0.2 with increasing dry mass, but there was no correlation between C UE and C dg . The decrease in C UE with increasing dry mass was correlated with a simultaneous decrease in r GR . From the above equation, g r and m r were estimated to be 0.48 mol mol - 1 and 0.039 g glucose g ‐1 dry matter d - 1 , respectively. Based on the g r estimate, the theoretical upper limit for C UE of these plants was 0.68. The importance of maintenance respiration in the carbon balance of the plants increased with increasing plant size. Maintenance accounted for 25% of total respiration in small plants and 90% in large plants.
The Yeast CDC37 Gene Interacts with MPS1 and Is Required for Proper Execution of Spindle Pole Body Duplication

The MPS1 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an essential protein kinase required for spindle pole body (SPB) duplication and for the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint. Cells with the mps1-1 mutation fail early in SPB duplication and proceed through monopolar mitosis with lethal consequences. We identified CDC37 as a multicopy suppressor of mps1-1 temperature-sensitive growth. Suppression is allele specific, and synthetic lethal interactions occur between mps1 and cdc37 alleles. We examined the cdc37-1 phenotype for defects related to the SPB cycle. The cdc37-1 temperature-sensitive allele causes unbudded, G1 arrest at Start (Reed, S.I. 1980. Genetics. 95: 561–577). Reciprocal shifts demonstrate that cdc37-1 arrest is interdependent with α-factor arrest but is not a normal Start arrest. Although the cells are responsive to α-factor at the arrest, SPB duplication is uncoupled from other aspects of G1 progression and proceeds past the satellite-bearing SPB stage normally seen at Start. Electron microscopy reveals side-by-side SPBs at cdc37-1 arrest. The outer plaque of one SPB is missing or reduced, while the other is normal. Using the mps2-1 mutation to distinguish between the SPBs, we find that the outer plaque defect is specific to the new SPB. This phenotype may arise in part from reduced Mps1p function: although Mps1p protein levels are unaffected by the cdc37-1 mutation, kinase activity is markedly reduced. These data demonstrate a requirement for CDC37 in SPB duplication and suggest a role for this gene in G1 control. CDC37 may provide a chaperone function that promotes the activity of protein kinases.
Amorphous computing: examples, mathematics and theory

The cellular automata model was described by John von Neumann and his friends in the 1950s as a representation of information processing in multicellular tissue. With crystalline arrays of cells and synchronous activity, it missed the mark (Stark and Hughes, BioSystems 55:107---117, 2000). Recently, amorphous computing, a valid model for morphogenesis in multicellular information processing, has begun to fill the void. Through simple examples and elementary mathematics, this paper begins a computation theory for this important new direction.
Work Values of Community College Mid-Life Adults.

The increasing enrollment of mid‐life adults in the nation's comprehensive community colleges has stimulated a widespread interest in the characteristics of an older, nontraditional clientele. One area of concern is the work values of mid‐life students and the implications of these values for counseling services in the community college. It was found in a study of part‐time and full‐time, mid‐life students (ages 35‐55) enrolled at a comprehensive community college in Virginia that intrinsic work values were of primary importance. A work role allowing for achievement, creativity, and intellectual stimulation was of greater value to all mid‐life groups, except nonwhites, than extrinsic values emphasizing economic returns, security, and work associates. Counselors working with mid‐life adults need to be cognizant of the work values hierarchy of their clients and be able to integrate work value priorities and interrelationships into an effective job/career decision‐making process.
Endocrine Disruptor Vinclozolin Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Adult-Onset Disease

The fetal basis of adult disease is poorly understood on a molecular level and cannot be solely attributed to genetic mutations or a single etiology. Embryonic exposure to environmental compounds has been shown to promote various disease states or lesions in the first generation (F1). The current study used the endocrine disruptor vinclozolin (antiandrogenic compound) in a transient embryonic exposure at the time of gonadal sex determination in rats. Adult animals from the F1 generation and all subsequent generations examined (F1–F4) developed a number of disease states or tissue abnormalities including prostate disease, kidney disease, immune system abnormalities, testis abnormalities, and tumor development (e.g. breast). In addition, a number of blood abnormalities developed including hypercholesterolemia. The incidence or prevalence of these transgenerational disease states was high and consistent across all generations (F1–F4) and, based on data from a previous study, appears to be due in part to epig...
Integration of CMAC and radial basis function techniques

In this paper, we integrate the techniques of radial basis functions (RBF) and CMAC to develop a more efficient scheme. Both the CMAC and RBF use the basis functions that may have significant values only in a local input space. CMAC uses the plateau basis while the RBF often uses the Gaussian. Merits of RBF include the continuity and differentiability of the approximate function, and the better accuracy. CMAC has however very attractive convergence properties. In this study, we combine these two techniques with an intention to take the merits from both.
Spin-Lattice Relaxation of Heavy Spin-1/2 Nuclei in Diamagnetic Solids: A Raman Process Mediated By Spin-Rotation Interaction

We present a theory for the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation of heavy spin-1/2 nuclei in solids, which explains within an order of magnitude the unexpectedly effective lead and thallium nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rates observed in the ionic solids lead molybdate, lead chloride, lead nitrate, thallium nitrate, thallium nitrite, and thallium perchlorate. The observed rates are proportional to the square of the temperature and are independent of magnetic field. This rules out all known mechanisms usually employed to model nuclear spin relaxation in lighter spin-1/2 nuclei. The relaxation is caused by a Raman process involving the interactions between nuclear spins and lattice vibrations via a fluctuating spin-rotation magnetic field. The model places an emphasis on the time dependence of the angular velocity of pairs of adjacent atoms rather than on their angular momentum. Thus the spin-rotation interaction is characterized not in the traditional manner by a spin-rotation constant but by a related physical parameter, the magnetorotation constant, which relates the local magnetic field generated by spin rotation to an angular velocity. Our semiclassical relaxation model involves a frequency-mode description of the spectral density that can directly be related to the mean-square amplitudes and mode densities of lattice vibrations in the Debye model.
Integrating Integrity and Procurement: The United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law

Traditionally, procurement reform and anti-corruption initiatives have followed separate tracks, although they share a common purpose: a sound government, supported by a robust and politically legitimate procurement system. Now two initiatives at the United Nations may integrate those disparate strands. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is working to reform the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services(the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law), an important instrument for harmonizing, and strengthening, procurement systems throughout the developing world. At the same time, the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, a sweeping commitment to fight corruption internationally, has been signed by 140 countries. This paper reviews how the two U.N. initiatives can work together, and concludes that the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law provides precisely the sort of structured system of rules called for by the Convention. Moreover, by containing corruption, the U.N. Convention could make it possible to loosen at least some of the cautious constraints that confine most procurement systems, including those under the UNCITRAL Model Procurement Law. Ultimately, therefore, the U.N. Convention Against Corruption, if prudently implemented, could serve as a catalyst for procurement reform around the world. More broadly, the two U.N. initiatives show the powerful synergies that can be gained by carefully coordinating procurement reform and anticorruption efforts.
The U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, the Supreme Court, and public health.

The Commerce Clause one of the most important sources of congressional legislative powers in the U.S. Constitution is the subject of this installment of Law and the Public's Health. Commerce Clause jurisprudence, and its evolution through key Supreme Court decisions governing its application to major population health challenges, constitutes a basic building block of public health policy and practice.
AMOEBA-RT: Run-Time Verification of Adaptive Software

Increasingly, software must dynamically adapt its behavior in response to changes in the supporting computing, communication infrastructure, and in the surrounding physical environment. Assurance that the adaptive software correctly satisfies its requirements is crucial if the software is to be used in high assurance systems, such as command and control or critical infrastructure protection systems. Adaptive software development for these systems must be grounded upon formalism and rigorous software engineering methodology to gain assurance. In this paper, we briefly describe AMOebA-RT , a run-time monitoring and verification technique that provides assurance that dynamically adaptive software satisfies its requirements.
Evidence for quantity–quality trade-offs, sex-specific parental investment, and variance compensation in colonized Agta foragers undergoing demographic transition

Evolutionary ecological models of human fertility predict that: (1) parents will bias investment toward the sex with the highest fitness prospects in a particular socio-ecological context; (2) fertility is subject to quantity–quality trade-offs; and (3) fertility decisions will be sensitive to both predictable and stochastic mortality risk and the relative fitness value of differently sized sib-sets (the variance compensation hypothesis). We test these predictions using demographic records from the Agta, an indigenous population from the Philippines, who, as a result of disruption by loggers, miners, and settlers, are undergoing a demographic and social/ecological transition from foragers to peasant laborers. Leveraging the spatial and temporal variation in the Agta Demographic Database, we conduct an analysis of Agta life-history traits across this transition. Specifically, we compare the Casiguran Agta (CA) with the more isolated peninsular San Ildefonso Agta (SIA) sub-population from before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) encroachment. We find: (1) evidence of a decline in overall survival from phase 1 to phase 2, coupled with increased parental investment in first-born daughters compared to first-born sons in the CA population, and increased parental investment in sons versus daughters in the SIA population; (2) evidence of a moderate quantity–quality trade-off in CA and SIA fertility in phase 1; and (3) support for predictions of the variance compensation hypothesis as a driver of the lowered relative fertility in the CA. Our customized methods, comparative framework, and simultaneous focus on fertility and mortality allow us to show how heterogeneity in mortality and fertility are linked to life history trade-offs and environmental context in a manner consistent with the predictions of evolutionary ecological models.
The hemizona assay (HZA): development of a diagnostic test for the binding of human spermatozoa to the human hemizona pellucida to predict fertilization potential * † ‡

The authors present their initial results with the hemizona assay (HZA), which was developed to predict the fertilizing potential of spermatozoa. The HZA uses the matching halves of a human zona pellucida from a nonfertilizable and nonliving oocyte, providing an internal control on zona-to-zona variability. Maximal binding of human sperm to the hemizona usually occurred after 4 to 5 hours of coincubation. Sperm from fertile men exhibited significantly higher binding capacity to hemizonae compared with sperm from men who had fertilization failure during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The HZA index is calculated as follows: (bound sperm from subfertile male) divided by (bound sperm from fertile male) X 100. These findings demonstrate that the HZA may be a useful diagnostic tool in male infertility evaluations.
Automatic collocation extraction using web feedback data

To improve the precison of collocation extraction,this paper proposes a new method based on Internet data.For the constraint by the corpus scale for traditional collocation extraction approach based on linguistic corpus,we acquire collocations from Web,which contains plenty of information and knowledge.Three classical association measures of co-occurrence frequency,mutual information and χ2-test are used to automatically extract the collocation.Based on the experimental results,the benchmarks show that the performance of this new Web-based approach is superior to that of traditional approach in both precision and recall.Thus the data from Internet may be applied in many NLP applications.
The Musa Dagh History Hike: Truth-Telling, Dialogue and Thanatourism

The past is often difficult to grasp, even when it is directly related to one’s family history. The collective memory of historical injustices can be warped by time, overlaid by more recent events, and filtered through the lens of vested interests only too willing to expropriate the past in order to score points in the present. Cultural production, although clearly created and thus subjective by nature, offers survivor generations the opportunity to deal in an imaginative and productive manner with past suffering which has been transmitted into their lives through intergenerational dialogue, be it by intention or default.
Saving NORAD: Should Ottawa Seize the Obama Moment?

The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) is heading for obsolescence. Saving it would require reversing the Martin government’s 2005 “no” on missile defence. The Obama presidency provides the Harper government with some political cover to do so. Ottawa could also seize the opportunity to reconsider the Chretien government’s 2002 decision not to consider broadly expanding NORAD’s roles. While it will be tempting to try to save NORAD for symbolic reasons,it should be let go. The U.S. and Canada no longer need a binational aerospace command. The focus should be on air defence cooperation, especially for special events such as the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Practice-Based Measures of Elementary Science Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching: Initial Item Development and Validity Evidence

This report describes efforts by a group of science teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and content specialists to conceptualize, develop, and pilot practice-based assessment items designed to measure elementary science teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT). The report documents the framework used to specify the content-specific teaching practices and instructional tools that are critical to the work that elementary science teachers engage in with students, curriculum, and instruction. Drawing on this framework, the report details the development process for practice-based assessment items designed to measure CKT elementary science in three content areas: (a) structure and properties of matter, (b) ecosystems, and (c) Earth's place in the universe. These practice-based assessment items address the various content challenges elementary science teachers face in their work and were designed to be used as a foundation for building large-scale assessments of elementary science teachers' CKT science. This report presents initial validity evidence examining the practice-based CKT science item characteristics using results from online administrations of these items to 250 upper elementary science teachers. Findings reveal that the majority of these new assessment items capture variability in elementary science teachers' performance and that a large proportion of the items differentiate moderately well, supporting a beginning proof-of-concept for the conceptualization and design of these practice-based CKT elementary science assessment items.
Two-Year Results of the Prospective Spine Treatment Outcomes Study: Analysis of Postoperative Clinical Outcomes Between Patients with and without a History of Previous Cervical Spine Surgery.

Objective History of previous cervical spine surgery is a frequently cited cause of worse outcomes after cervical spine surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine any differences in clinical outcomes after cervical spine surgery between patients with and without a history of previous cervical spine surgery. Methods A multicenter prospective database was reviewed retrospectively to identify patients with cervical spondylosis undergoing surgery with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with (W) or without (WO) previous history of cervical spine surgery. Statistical analyses of Health-Related Quality of Life scores were analyzed with statistical software to fit linear mixed models for continuous longitudinal outcome. Results A total of 1286 patients (377 W, 909 WO) met criteria for inclusion. Overall, patients in both groups experienced an improvement in their Health-Related Quality of Life scores. However, patients in the W group had significantly decreased improvement compared with WO patients in the Neck Disability Index score and the following SF-36 domain scores: Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Health Transition, and Physical Component Summary at all time points ( P P > 0.05). Conclusions Patients with a history of previous cervical spine surgery had inferior improvement in quality of life outcome scores. Patients with a history of previous surgical intervention who elect to undergo subsequent surgeries should be appropriately counseled about expected results.
Can Sepsis Be Detected in the Nursing Home Prior to the Need for Hospital Transfer

Abstract Objectives To determine whether and to what extent simple screening tools might identify nursing home (NH) residents who are at high risk of becoming septic. Design Retrospective chart audit of all residents who had been hospitalized and returned to participating NHs during the study period. Setting and Participants A total of 236 NH residents, 59 of whom returned from hospitals with a diagnosis of sepsis and 177 who had nonsepsis discharge diagnoses, from 31 community NHs that are typical of US nursing homes overall. Measures NH documentation of vital signs, mental status change, and medical provider visits 0–12 and 13–72 hours prior to the hospitalization. The specificity and sensitivity of 5 screening tools were evaluated for their ability to detect residents with incipient sepsis during 0–12 and 13–72 hours prior to hospitalization: The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria, the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), the 100-100-100 Early Detection Tool, and temperature thresholds of 99.0°F and 100.2°F. In addition, to validate the hospital diagnosis of sepsis, hospital discharge records in the NHs were audited to calculate SOFA scores. Results Documentation of 1 or more vital signs was absent in 26%–34% of cases. Among persons with complete vital sign documentation, during the 12 hours prior to hospitalization, the most sensitive screening tools were the 100-100-100 Criteria (79%) and an oral temperature >99.0°F (51%); and the most specific tools being a temperature >100.2°F (93%), the quick SOFA (88%), the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria (86%), and a temperature >99.0°F (85%). Many SOFA data points were missing from the record; in spite of this, 65% of cases met criteria for sepsis. Conclusions NHs need better systems to monitor NH residents whose status is changing, and to present that information to medical providers in real time, either through rapid medical response programs or telemetry.
Nato Advanced Research Workshop

The major objective for studying the impacts of external mechanical forces on agricultural soils is to develop and maintain a well- structured surface that interacts favorably with biological growth; water, heat, and air balances in the soil; and human activities. In this NATO Advanced Research Workshop the discussions were limited to the aspects of soil structure which are influenced by application of external forces, although natural forces such as those created by plant roots, soil fauna, freezing and water content changes are also important. The Workshop offered an opportunity for discussion of information available world-wide and to plan future research, both individually an cooperatively.
Sensitivity of Viscosity on Molten Ti Infusion into a B 4 C-Packed Bed at the Microscale

The effect of the surface tension–viscosity dissipation driving liquid Ti flow into a B4C packed bed was analyzed at 1941 K and 2573 K. The model consisted of randomized size distributions of pores (1 to 10 µm) mimicking a packed bed to determine the depth of infusion. Statistical uncertainty was determined as a function of viscosity and pore geometry. The computations were performed with our in-house software, which incorporates a directed acyclic graph and modified nodal analysis algorithms.