cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sources of Population Aging in More and Less Developed Countries.

Populations in all regions of the world are growing older, a development that is having a profound impact on a broad range of economic, political, and social processes. In this article, we investigate the sources of the aging that occurred during 2005–10 in developed and developing countries. We use changes in the mean age of the population as the principal indicator of population aging, but we also consider the sources of growth in the proportion of the population above ages 65, 70, and 75. Generations of demographers have learned about the determinants of age structure primarily through the prism of the stable population model (Keyfitz 1975; Lee 2011). In developing this model, Sharpe and Lotka showed that a population closed to migration and experiencing a time-invariant set of age-specific fertility and mortality rates would eventually attain a constant rate of growth—positive, negative, or zero—and an age distribution that was also constant over time (Sharpe and Lotka 1911). The characteristics of that stable age distribution could be inferred directly from the fertility and mortality rates that produced it. By comparing stable age distributions produced by different combinations of fertility and mortality regimes, an analyst could connect patterns of fertility and mortality to characteristics of age distributions. In a classic study of age structural determinants using the stable model, Coale (1957) concluded that fertility was a “quantitatively much more important source” of variation in age structure than mortality when account is taken of the range of fertility and mortality observed in the world. Of course, the range of mortality conditions, particularly at older ages, has expanded dramatically since this assessment was made (Oeppen and Vaupel 2002). The necessary and sufficient condition for stability is a set of age-specific growth rates that are constant over age (Preston, Heuveline, and Guillot 2001). Few contemporary populations meet this condition, a circumstance that caused Keyfitz (1975) to doubt the utility of the model for understanding actual processes of aging. But the stable model provides one central lesson applicable to any population: changes in age distributions cannot be attributed to levels of fertility, mortality, or migration because any particular set of levels will ultimately produce a constant age distribution if it is maintained for a sufficiently long period. If populations are aging or growing younger, the reason must be that rates of fertility, mortality, or migration are changing.
Clocking perceptual processing speed: From chance to 75% correct in less than 30 milliseconds.

The neural basis of choice behavior has been intensely studied with laboratory tasks in which a subject sees a stimulus and makes a corresponding motor response, but the issue of timing has been hard to tackle: How much time is necessary to make the perceptual judgement versus executing the motor report? When and how does a subject commit to a particular choice, and what neural mechanisms determine that? A major limitation has been that reaction times (RTs) are affected by sensory and motor factors (e.g., task difficulty, urgency, expectation) that can be covertly traded. Recently, we designed a task that overcomes these problems and allows us to construct a new curve that unambiguously reveals how a subject’s perceptual judgement unfolds in time. Specifically, the slope of this “tachometric” curve depends on the perceptual difficulty of the task and the perceptual capacity of the subject, but not on motor execution. This technique shows that monkeys can make accurate color discriminations in less than 30...
P travel-times from Nevada Test Site explosions and the determination of average global P travel-times

Abstract An analysis of P travel-times from the Nevada Test Site is carried out using data from 23 explosions between 1966 and 1976. Results show a scatter of travel times which may partly arise in the lower mantle. P travel-times over the distance range 25–100° are 2.0–2.5 s faster than the Jeffreys-Bullen travel times.
Changes in gravity rapidly alter the magnitude and direction of a cellular calcium current.

In single-celled spores of the fern Ceratopteris richardii, gravity directs polarity of development and induces a directional, trans-cellular calcium (Ca2+) current. To clarify how gravity polarizes this electrophysiological process, we measured the kinetics of the cellular response to changes in the gravity vector, which we initially estimated using the self-referencing calcium microsensor. In order to generate more precise and detailed data, we developed a silicon microfabricated sensor array which facilitated a lab-on-a-chip approach to simultaneously measure calcium currents from multiple cells in real time. These experiments revealed that the direction of the gravity-dependent polar calcium current is reversed in less than 25 s when the cells are inverted, and that changes in the magnitude of the calcium current parallel rapidly changing g-forces during parabolic flight on the NASA C-9 aircraft. The data also revealed a hysteresis in the response of cells in the transition from 2g to micro-g in comparison to cells in the micro-g to 2-g transition, a result consistent with a role for mechanosensitive ion channels in the gravity response. The calcium current is suppressed by either nifedipine (calcium-channel blocker) or eosin yellow (plasma membrane calcium pump inhibitor). Nifedipine disrupts gravity-directed cell polarity, but not spore germination. These results indicate that gravity perception in single plant cells may be mediated by mechanosensitive calcium channels, an idea consistent with some previously proposed models of plant gravity perception.
Prospects of a novel vaccination strategy for human gamma-herpesviruses

Due to the oncogenic potential associated with persistent infection of human gamma-herpesviruses, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV or HHV-4) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or HHV-8), vaccine development has focused on subunit vaccines. However, the results using an animal model of mouse infection with a related rodent virus, murine gamma-herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68, γHV-68, or MuHV-4), have shown that the only effective vaccination strategy is based on live attenuated viruses, including viruses engineered to be incapable of establishing persistence. Vaccination with a virus lacking persistence would eliminate many potential complications. Progress in understanding persistent infections of EBV and KSHV raises the possibility of engineering a live attenuated virus without persistence. Therefore, we should keep the option open for developing a live EBV or KSHV vaccine.
Theopompus and Herodotus: A reassessment

W. R. Connor has argued that Theopompus' critical attacks on almost all the leading figures in Greek history suggest he was writing a ‘history without heroes’. This article will argue that a similar principle applies to Theopompus' attitude towards Herodotus and other earlier historians: all fell short of his ideal, and, in the final analysis, Theopompus had but one literary hero: himself. Theopompus' mysterious Epitome of Herodotus, I will suggest, is best taken not as an independent work, but as a portion of the Philippika in which Theopompus incorporated and adapted a significant body of Herodotean material. This fact, taken together with Theopompus' polemical statements about his predecessors, suggests that Theopompus boldly challenged Herodotus on his own turf, confident he could improve upon him.
Induction of protective immunity against pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus by a foreign receptor-dependent replication of an engineered avirulent virus.

In AIDS vaccine strategies, live attenuated vaccines can confer good resistance against pathogenic virus infections but have the potential risk of inducing disease, whereas safer replication-negative strategies such as DNA vaccinations have so far failed to prevent the disease onset. Here, we developed a novel DNA vaccine strategy to induce restricted replication of an avirulent virus and evaluated it in a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection model. We generated a chimeric SIV, FMSIV, by replacing SIV env with ecotropic Friend murine leukemia virus (FMLV) env to confine its replication to FMLV receptor (mCAT1)-expressing cells. In primate cells lacking mCAT1, FMSIV did not replicate unless mCAT1 was introduced exogenously. Vaccination to macaques with both the FMSIV DNA and the mCAT1-expression plasmid DNA induced SIV Gag-specific cellular immune responses and resistance against pathogenic SIVmac239 challenge more efficiently than the replication-negative control vaccination with the FMSIV DNA alone. This strategy may be useful for development of safe and effective vaccines against various kinds of pathogenic viruses.
CAI: effects on cytotoxic therapies in vitro and in vivo

CAI (NSC 609974; L651582), a new agent that has demonstrated antimetastatic activity in vitro and in vivo, was not very cytotoxic toward EMT-6 mouse mammary carcinoma cells in culture or toward FSaIIC fibrosarcoma cells in vivo. Coexposure of EMT-6 cells to CAI and antitumor alkylating agents under various environmental conditions did not markedly increase the cytotoxicity of cisplatin (CDDP), melphalan, or carmustine (BCNU). However, the combination of CAI and 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) produced much greater than additive killing of EMT-6 cells. CAI also increased the sensitivity of hypoxic EMT-6 cells to X-rays. CAI increased the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide toward FSaIIC tumor cells when animals were treated with single doses of both drugs. The effect of CAI on tumor cell killing by cyclophosphamide was greatest at high doses of the antitumor alkylating agent. CAI administration appeared to result in increased serum levels of prostaglandin E2 and leukotriene B4 in animals bearing the Lewis lung tumor. Administration of CAI on days 4–18 did not alter the growth of the Lewis lung carcinoma but did result in an increase in the tumor-growth delay produced by treatment with CDDP, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, BCNU, and fractionated radiation. Although CAI did not reduce the number of lung metastases present in Lewis lung carcinoma-bearing mice on day 20, it did appear to reduce the number of large (vascularized) metastases present on that day.
Papillary projections in ovarian neoplasms: Appearance on MRI

Papillary projections are distinctive pathologic features of epithelial ovarian neoplasms. We sought to determine whether these structures have recognizable features on MRI. A search of a database of 125 patients on whom MRI was performed with pelvic phased-array coil and abdominal surgical exploration was performed for suspected gynecologic disease identified 15 patients who had either MRI reports or pathology reports mentioning papillary projections in an adnexal mass. The MR images were reviewed to characterize the size, structure, and signal intensity of papillary projections. Pathologic correlation was performed on these and on four surgical specimens imaged with high resolution technique. Pathologic correlation showed that larger papillary projections had a distinctive structure of a fibrous stalk supporting clumps of edematous papillae with signal intensity similar to that of fluid on T2-weighted images. Smaller papillae showed nondescript intracystic projections of intermediate signal intensity on T2-weighted images. All papillary projections in vivo enhanced after injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Papillary projections have an appearance on MRI that reflects their histologic structure.
Benefit of postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locoregionally advanced esophageal carcinoma

Abstract Objective We sought to determine whether chemoradiotherapy after esophagectomy improves survival. Methods From 1994 to 2000, 31 patients with locoregionally advanced esophageal carcinoma (90% pT3, 81% pN1, and 13% pM1a) received postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Concurrently, 52 patients with advanced carcinoma underwent esophagectomy alone and survived at least 10 weeks, the time frame for adjuvant therapy. A propensity score based on demographic, tumor, and surgical factors was used to identify matched pairs to determine the association of adjuvant therapy with outcomes. Results For patients receiving adjuvant therapy versus esophagectomy alone, risk-unadjusted median, 1-year, and 4-year survivals were 28 versus 14 months, 68% ± 8.4% versus 60% ± 6.8%, and 44% ± 9.0% versus 17% ± 5.6%, respectively ( P = .05). Similarly, risk-unadjusted median time to recurrence was 25 versus 13 months ( P = .15), and median recurrence-free survival was 22 versus 11 months ( P = .04). Among propensity-matched patients, median, 1-year, and 4-year survivals for those receiving adjuvant therapy versus esophagectomy were 28 versus 15 months, 60% ± 11.0% versus 65% ± 10.7%, and 44% ± 11.3% versus 0% ( P = .05). Median time to recurrence was 25 versus 13 months ( P = .04), and recurrence-free survival was 22 versus 10 months ( P = .02). Conclusion In patients with locoregionally advanced esophageal carcinoma, addition of postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy to esophagectomy alone doubled survival time, time to recurrence, and recurrence-free survival. Patients with locoregionally advanced carcinoma after esophagectomy should be considered for adjuvant therapy.
Antisense RNA-mediated Deficiency of the Calpain Protease, nCL-4, in NIH3T3 Cells Is Associated with Neoplastic Transformation and Tumorigenesis

We previously have described the use of an antisense RNA strategy termed random homozygous knock-out (RHKO) to identify negative regulators of cell proliferation. Here we report the discovery that RHKO-mediated deficiency of the nCL-4 calpain protease results in cellular transformation of and tumorigenesis by murine NIH3T3 fibroblasts. We isolated cell clones able to form colonies on 0.5% soft agar and found that these cells generated tumors when injected subcutaneously into nude mice. The gene inactivated by RHKO was identified as nCL-4 by genomic library screening, transcript analysis, and DNA sequencing. Anchorage-independent growth, as indicated by colony formation on soft agar, was reversed by reversal of antisense-mediated homozygous inactivation, but continued haplo-insufficiency of nCL-4 resulting from insertional mutagenesis of one nCL-4 allele was associated with persistent tumorigenesis. nCL-4 cDNA expressed in naive 3T3 cells in the antisense, but not sense, direction under control of the cytomegalovirus early promoter reproduced the anchorage-independent growth effects of RHKO. Our results implicate deficiency of the nCL-4 calpain protease in neoplastic transformation.
Google Book Search and Metadata

This article summarizes published documents on metadata provided by Google for books scanned as part of the Google Book Search (GBS) project and provides suggestions for improvement. The faulty, misleading, and confusing metadata in current Google records can pose potentially serious problems for users of GBS. Google admits that it took data, which proved to be inaccurate, from many sources and is attempting to correct errors. Some argue that metadata is not needed with keyword searching; but optical character recognition (OCR) errors, synonym control, and materials in foreign languages make reliable metadata a requirement for academic researchers. The authors recommend that users should be able to submit error reports to Google to correct faulty metadata.
TMSGN: A program for testing trend against a nonrandom alternative

A simple test of trend in a time series with high asymptotic power is Cox's sign test (Cox & Stuart, 1955). In this test, values from the middle third of the time series are ignored and values from the last third of the series are compared with values from the first third of the series. More precisely, let n' equal (N + 1)/3, where N is the total length of the series. Each value in the first one-third of the series is subtracted from the value in the last one-third of the series, which follows by 2n' observations. The number of these differences that are positive in sign is noted. If the number of positive differences is r, then
Characterization of the transport signals that mediate the nucleocytoplasmic traffic of low risk HPV11 E7

We previously discovered that nuclear import of low risk HPV11 E7 is mediated by its zinc-binding domain via a pathway that is independent of karyopherins/importins (Piccioli et al., 2010. Virology 407, 100–109). In this study we mapped and characterized a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), 76IRQLQDLLL84, within the zinc-binding domain that mediates the nuclear export of HPV11 E7 in a CRM1-dependent manner. We also identified a mostly hydrophobic patch 65VRLVV69 within the zinc-binding domain that mediates nuclear import of HPV11 E7 via hydrophobic interactions with the FG-repeats domain of Nup62. Substitutions of hydrophobic residues to alanine within the 65VRLVV69 sequence disrupt the nuclear localization of 11E7, whereas the R66A mutation has no effect. Overall the data support a model of nuclear entry of HPV11 E7 protein via hydrophobic interactions with FG nucleoporins at the nuclear pore complex.
Training chemical dependency counselors to treat nicotine dependence

Abstract To test the effectiveness of providing chemical dependency (CD) staff with a knowledge-and-skills-building workshop on treatment of nicotine dependence, we employed a nested cross-sectional design with six outpatient CD programs in Nebraska (3 intervention. 3 control sites). Data on tobacco counseling provided by CD staff were obtained by telephone from sequential samples of smokers currently receiving alcohol treatment at each participating site. Intervention site clients with clinic visits after the staff training workshop were no more likely than intervention-site clients with clinic visits before the workshop to report having been counseled about their smoking ( OR = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74–1.21). However, control-site clients were significantly more likely to report having been counseled about smoking during the second half of the study ( OR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.49–3.08), even though staff training was not provided at control sites until data collection had been completed. These findings suggest that in some alcohol treatment programs simple monitoring of staff counseling practices may be sufficient to increase the frequency of attention to tobacco. In others, more intensive efforts might be needed to shift CD staff toward more consistent treatment of nicotine dependence.
Leisure in Japan, 1986–2006: A Revival?

Japan is famous for long working hours. For decades the Japanese government has tried to influence how people spend their free time. In 5-yearly surveys since 1986 the government has surveyed “quality of life,” gauging how much time people spend daily in various activities, including “leisure.” Analyzing results from these time use surveys, from 2006 back to 1986, and controlling for labor market conditions, this study determines whether time spent on leisure activities has actually changed. Gains in some types of leisure have been fleeting. Yet in other respects leisure has been enhanced, with significant increases occurring in active recreational pastimes. Nevertheless, leisure remains elusive for mid-career employees. Moreover, there is a pronounced gender gap for leisure time.
Supersymmetry without the desert

Naturalness of electroweak symmetry breaking in weak scale supersymmetric theories may suggest the absence of the conventional supersymmetric desert. We present a simple, realistic framework for supersymmetry in which (most of) the virtues of the supersymmetric desert are naturally reproduced without having a large energy interval above the weak scale. The successful supersymmetric prediction for the low-energy gauge couplings is reproduced due to a gauged $R$ symmetry present in the effective theory at the weak scale. The observable sector superpotential naturally takes the form of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, but without being subject to the Landau pole constraints up to the conventional unification scale. Supersymmetry breaking masses are generated by the $F$-term and $D$-term vacuum expectation values of singlet and $U(1{)}_{R}$ gauge fields, as well as by anomaly mediation, at a scale not far above the weak scale. We study the resulting pattern of supersymmetry breaking masses in detail and find that it can be quite distinct. We construct classes of explicit models within this framework, based on higher-dimensional unified theories with TeV-sized extra dimensions. A similar model based on a non-$R$ symmetry is also presented. These models have a rich phenomenology at the TeV scale, and allow for detailed analyses of, e.g., electroweak symmetry breaking.
fs8.1, a major QTL, sets the pattern of tomato carpel shape well before anthesis

fs8.1 is a major fruit-shape QTL differentiating fresh-market and processing tomatoes. Mature fruits from plants with the wild-type fresh-market alleles are round, whereas those with alleles from processing variety E6203 are elongated (sometimes referred to as blocky or square tomatoes). Fine mapping was undertaken to determine whether the effect is due to a single gene or several tightly linked genes. RAPD and RFLP linkage analysis, and substitution mapping of nearly isogenic lines (NILs) segregating for the 22.8 cM-TG176-CT92 interval at the top of chromosome 8 in tomato were used for high-resolution mapping. For the 1212 gametes screened in F2 and F3 families, it was determined that fs8.1 maps as a single locus near the centromere of chromosome 8. A comparative developmental study of fs8.1 NILs revealed that fs8.1 alleles exert their effects on fruit shape early in carpel development at least 6 days before anthesis. Field evaluations of the NILs indicate that fs8.1 affects not only fruit shape, fruit length, and fruit weight but also the number of flowers and fruits per inflorescence, and the harvest index. The date of first flower and fruit diameter were not significantly affected.
Acute Dissection Of The Ascending Aorta: Initial Presentation as Acute Lower Gl Bleeding

We present the unusual case of a 56-year-old man with acute dissection of the ascending aorta (DeBakey type 1) whose presenting symptoms were those of lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Surgical repair was successfully accomplished with resection of the aorta with a Dacron tubular graft combined with aortic valvular replacement after obtaining bowel viability.
Immunocytochemical localization of GABA, GABAA receptors, and synapse-associated proteins in the developing and adult ferret retina.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) modulates the pattern of correlated spontaneous bursting activity between amacrine cells and ganglion cells of the ferret retina during the first postnatal month. Here, we demonstrate the presence of an anatomical network which may underlie these interactions throughout the period when correlated bursting activity is observed, by immunolabelling the neonatal ferret retina for GABA, GABA A receptors, and synapse-associated proteins. GABA immunoreactivity was detected in cell somata in the ganglion cell layer (GCL), in amacrine cells, and in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) by embryonic day 38. This pattern remained largely unchanged throughout neonatal development and in the adult. By contrast to other mammals, the outer plexiform layer (OPL) was only very weakly labelled for GABA, at all ages studied. Strong, punctate, immunolabelling for the β2/3 subunit of the GABA A receptor was apparent in the IPL by birth, and appeared in the OPL by the second postnatal week. The possibility that synaptic interactions in the IPL occur during bursting activity was examined by immunolabelling for synapse-associated proteins. Strong immunoreactivity for synaptic vesicle proteins, Synapsin I and II, and synaptic vesicle-2 (SV2), a synaptic vesicle transporter protein, was observed in the IPL by birth. Immunoreactivity for SNAP-25, a protein associated with vesicle fusion, was also intense at the level of the IPL and in the nerve fiber layer of the retina at birth. Taken together, these patterns of immunoreactivity suggest the presence of a GABAergic network in the IPL of the ferret retina by birth, coinciding with the appearance of correlated bursting activity in the inner retina.
Ingested interferon alpha induces Mx mRNA.

Abstract We have demonstrated that ingested murine interferon alpha (IFN-α) suppressed clinical relapse in chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (CR-EAE), decreased inflammation and suppressed the adoptive transfer of EAE, and is a biological response modifier in patients with multiple sclerosis. We examined the relative levels of the Mx mRNA signal using semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis on splenocytes from mice and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from man after IFN-α ingestion. Both mice and man demonstrated inducible levels of Mx mRNA after ingesting IFN-α. Murine spleen T cells and CD8 + T cells also demonstrated upregulation of Mx mRNA. Murine whole splenocytes demonstrated upregulation of Mx mRNA after IFN-α ingestion of 10 and 100 U, but not after 0, 1000, 5000 U. Ingested IFN-α acts via established pathways of type 1 IFN signalling.
Antimalarial quassinoids: past, present and future

This review is a compilation of the investigations reported to date on the sources, isolation, chemistry and antimalarial activities of natural quassinoids and their synthetic and semisynthetic analogs. It also provides an analysis of the in vitro structure–activity relationship of quassinoids for further evaluation in animal models. The introduction of non-nitrogenous antimalarial drugs has created a new era of malaria chemotherapy to treat Plasmodium falciparum strains that are resistant to existing nitrogenous drugs and the rising incidence of the deadly cerebral malaria. Many antimalarial quassinoids are discovered from simaroubaceous plants that are used traditionally to treat fever and malaria, thereby reiterating the critical role of ethnopharmacology as a rich source of novel drug discovery.
Measurement of onset potentials for proton transfer reactions with a triple quadrupole instrument

Problems with the treatment of data from the study of both exothermic and endothermic ion-molecule reactions are discussed. Recommendations are (i) to extrapolate data from an obviously linear region in the plot of ratios of secondary to primary ion intensity which appears ∼1−3 V above the value of the onset potential; (ii) to use ionization methods that give low internal energies to primary ions; (iii) to set for moderately high resolution; (iv) to check the stability of the primary ion current frequently; (v) to pay special attention heed to source and collision region pressure stability; and (vi) to keep collision region pressures below 0.6 mPa
The Influence of Zirconia Substrate Temperature on the Microstructure and Adhesion of Deposited Mg Films

Mg films were prepared by magnetron sputtering on zirconia substrate. The surface morphology, structure and adhesion performance were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and automatic nano scratch tester, respectively. The results show that the Mg films deposited on the substrates at 50 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C are mainly of hexagonal phase with the crystal planes (002) in highly preferred orientation that is weaken with the substrate temperature increased. After annealed at 230 °C, the quality of thin film deposited on the substrate at 50 °C can be improved as crystallizability enhanced and grain size increased. The adhesion of Mg film increases firstly, and then decreases with increasing the substrate temperatures.
Backscattered light confocal imaging the human lens

The ex vivo human was examined with a laser scanning confocal microscope. Back scattered light was used to image the surface epithelial cells and the deeper lenticular fibers. The membranes of the lenticular fibers are visualized within the ocular lens. This noninvasive optical examination of both the surface and the deeper structures of the ocular lens is demonstrated.
Milled Rice Oxidation Volatiles and Odor Development

ABSTRACT The development of volatile components in milled rice was investigated over 50 d of storage. The major volatiles were identified and measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and their relative odor potencies were subsequently calculated as aroma values. Volatile concentrations were greater in partially milled rice than in fully milled rice. Concentrations of 2-nonenal, octanal, and hexanal increased significantly during storage whereas heptanal, 3-penten-2-one, and 2-pentylfuran did not. Octanal (fatty) and 2-nonenal (rancid) had the highest contributions to milled rice odor. The aroma values for hexanal and 2-pentylfuran changed by a larger factor relative to those for heptanal, 2-nonenal, 3-penten-2-one, and octanal during early storage, whereas the aroma value for 2-nonenal increased by a higher factor than those obtained for the other components during late storage. Hexanal and 2-pentylfuran had the highest influence on odor change at the beginning of storage, whereas 2-nonenal influenced odor change.
Right Reason in Plato and Aristotle: On the Meaning of Logos

AbstractSomething Aristotle calls ‘right logos’ plays a crucial role in his theory of virtue. But the meaning of ‘logos’ in this context is notoriously contested. I argue against the standard translation ‘reason’, and—drawing on parallels with Plato’s work, especially the Laws—in favor of its being used to denote what transforms an inferior epistemic state into a superior one: an explanatory account. Thus Aristotelian phronēsis, like his and Plato’s technē and epistēmē, is a matter of grasping explanatory accounts: in this case, accounts that identify the right action and say why it is right. Arguably, Aristotelian rationality is a matter of being able to grasp accounts in general.
Compensation Method to Measure the Contrast Produced by Contours

An attempt is made to show that the brightness changes produced by a border can be measured by a compensation method in which the stimulus magnitude is reduced on one side of the border to such a value that the brightness inequality disappears. Experiments with rotating disks, similar to the color-mixing disks, were used to produce compensation for a specific luminance distribution with a border. The compensation method can be used to compare the lateral inhibition produced by Mach-band patterns with that which accompanies border effects. Also, comparisons are made of the similarities and differences of lateral inhibition produced by the two methods. The influence of the border has the advantage that sharp projection of the image on the retina is not necessary, as in Mach bands. The difference between the Mach bands and the border effect is discussed and used to explain why the compensation for the border effect changes with the distance of the observer.
Transcriptional antitermination activity of the synthetic nut elements of coliphage lambda. I. Assembly of the nutR recognition site from boxA and nut core elements.

Abstract An active nutR antiterminator was reconstructed from two synthetic modules, one containing the 8-bp boxA (5′-CGCTCTTA) and the other the 17-bp nutR core (5′-A GCCCT GAAAA AGGGC A) sequence. The modules were synthesized with HindIII cohesive ends, which upon annealing and ligation created an 8-bp spacer (5′-CAAAGCTT) between the boxA and nutR core. The 8-bp length was the same as in the native nutR (5′fs-CACATTCC), but the sequence showed less than 38% homology. The antitermination mediated by the synthetic nutR, was 68–80% efficient when tested in the pp-nutR-N-tL1-galK expression plasmid, analogous to that used by Drahos and Szybalski [Gene, 16 (1981) 261–274]. The cloned boxA by itself has no activity, while the nutR core alone shows only marginal (5–10%) antiterminator function. Increasing the distance between boxA and the nutR core from 8 bp to 20–28 bp i.e., by one to two turns of the DNA helix (about 10 bp per turn), has little effect on the antiterminator function, whereas use of spacers with length about halfway between 8 and 20 bp results in reduced antitermination. It appears that both the sequences and spacial arrangement of the boxA and nut elements are important for efficient antiterminator function.
A laparoscopic knot-tying device for minimally invasive cardiac surgery

Objectives Intracorporeal suturing and knot tying can complicate, prolong or preclude minimally invasive surgical procedures, reducing their advantages over conventional approaches. An automated knot-tying device has been developed to speed suture fixation during minimally invasive cardiac surgery while retaining the desirable characteristics of conventional hand-tied surgeon's knots: holding strength and visual and haptic feedback. A rotating slotted disk (at the instrument's distal end) automates overhand throws, thereby eliminating the need to manually pass one suture end through a loop in the opposing end. Electronic actuation of this disk produces left or right overhand knots as desired by the operator.
Simultaneous Integrated Boost Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy in Patients With High-Grade Gliomas

Purpose We analyzed outcomes of simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with high-grade gliomas, compared with a literature review. Methods and Materials Forty consecutive patients (WHO grade III, 14 patients; grade IV, 26 patients) treated with SIB-IMRT were analyzed. A dose of 2.0 Gy was delivered to the planning target volume with a SIB of 0.4 Gy to the gross tumor volume with a total dose of 60 Gy to the gross tumor volume and 50 Gy to the planning target volume in 25 fractions during 5 weeks. Twenty patients received temozolomide chemotherapy. Results At a median follow-up of 13.4 months (range, 3.7–55.9 months), median survival was 14.8 months. One- and 2-year survival rates were 78% and 65%, respectively, for patients with grade III tumors and 56% and 31%, respectively, for patients with grade IV tumors. Age (≤50 vs. >50), grade (III vs. IV), subtype (astrocytoma vs. oligodendroglioma or mixed), and a Zubrod performance score (0–1 vs. >2) were predictive of survival. Of 25 (63%) patients who had recurrences, 17 patients had local failure, 9 patients had regional failure, and 1 patient had distant metastasis. Toxicities were acceptable. Conclusions SIB-IMRT with the dose/fractionation used in this study is feasible and safe, with a survival outcome similar to the historical control. The shortening of treatment time by using SIB-IMRT may be of value, although further investigation is warranted to prove its survival advantage.
Impact of pectus excavatum on pulmonary function before and after repair with the Nuss procedure.

Background/Purpose: Patient reports of preoperative exercise intolerance and improvement after surgical repair of pectus excavatum (Pex) have been documented but not substantiated in laboratory studies. This may be because no study has been large enough to determine if pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in the Pex population are significantly different from the normal population, and none has assessed improvement in pulmonary function after Nuss bar removal. Methods: The authors studied PFT results in 408 Pex patients before repair and in a subset of 45 patients after Nuss procedure and bar removal. Significance of differences in percent predicted (using Knudson’s equations) was tested using t tests (parametric) or sign tests (nonparametric). Normal was defined as 100% of predicted for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow (FEF25%-75%). Results: Preoperatively, FVC and FEV1 medians were lower than the normal by 13%, whereas the FEF25-75 median was lower than normal by 20% (all P b .01). The postoperative group had statistically significant improvement after surgery for all parameters. Patients older than 11 years at the time of surgery had lower preoperative values and larger mean post–bar removal improvement than the younger patients. An older patient with a preoperative FEF25-75 score of 80% of normal would be predicted by these data to have a postoperative FEF25-75 of 97%, indicating almost complete normalization for this function. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that preoperatively Pex patients as a group have decreased lung function relative to normal patients. After Nuss procedure and bar removal, we show a small but
Multiple bilateral masses detected on screening mammography: assessment of need for recall imaging.

OBJECTIVE. When multiple bilateral partially circumscribed masses having a similar appearance are detected on screening mammography, some radiologists recommend recall examination to identify imaging features suggestive of malignancy that are not evident on standard screening views. This study assesses the need for such recall imaging.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Cases of multiple masses were identified by reviewing the mammographic reports of 84,615 consecutive screening examinations. Each case of multiple masses was prospectively interpreted as benign, with recommendations for follow-up mammography in 1 year and for aspiration of any palpable masses if clinically indicated. Subsequently diagnosed cancers were identified through data linkage with our regional tumor registry and through our institution's computer-based outcomes tracking system.RESULTS. Among 84,615 consecutive screening examinations, we identified 1440 (1.7%) cases of multiple masses. Among the multiple-masses cohort, two interval cancers were f...
An Engineering Major Does Not (Necessarily) an Engineer Make: Career Decision Making Among Undergraduate Engineering Majors

This study uses a mixed-methods design to investigate students' career decision making at two U.S. undergraduate institutions. The research question was, “To what extent do students who complete undergraduate programs in engineering intend to pursue engineering careers?” We surveyed senior engineering majors about their post-graduate intentions, and later interviewed a subset of the seniors about their career intentions. Only 42 percent of students surveyed reported that they definitely intended to pursue a career in engineering, 44 percent were unsure, and 14 percent were definitely not pursuing engineering. We observed significant institutional differences. Interview data reveal the quixotic nature of many students' decisions about their careers; strikingly, students were vacillating between multiple post-graduate options late into the senior year, even into summer. Implications are discussed for further research and ways engineering departments can influence students' career decisions.
Concomitant open surgical repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm and endovascular repair of a thoracic aortic aneurysm

Infrarenal abdominal aortic and descending thoracic aneurysms are the most frequently coexisting aortic aneurysms and pose problems deciding priority of treatment, timing of interventions, and minimizing the risk of paraplegia. An 81-year-old man presented with a 5.8-cm descending thoracic and a 5.0-mm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (A, note two renal arteries on the right). The thoracic aneurysm had a proximal and a distal neck appropriate for endovascular repair. The right common iliac artery was aneurysmal up to the iliac bifurcation, and open surgical repair of the abdominal aneurysm was undertaken. After repairing the abdominal aneurysm with a bifurcated aorto-bi-iliac Dacron graft, a 10-mm Dacron sleeve was sewn to the anterior aspect of the aortic graft and served as an access port for endovascular repair of the thoracic aneurysm with a 40 3 12 AneuRx stent graft (B). After thoracic endovascular repair, the Dacron side arm was amputated and closed (B, arrow). The patient recovered uneventfully and has done well for 6 months.
mRNA transcripts as molecular biomarkers in medicine and nutrition

In medicine, mRNA transcripts are being developed as molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases. These biomarkers offer early and more accurate prediction and diagnosis of disease and disease progression, and ability to identify individuals at risk. Use of microarrays also offers opportunity to identify orthogonal (uncorrelated) biomarkers not known to be linked with conventional biomarkers. Investigators are increasingly using blood as a surrogate tissue for biopsy and analysis; total RNA isolated from whole blood is predominantly from erythroid cells, and whole blood mRNA shares more than 80% of the transcriptome with major tissues. Thus blood mRNA biomarkers for individualized disease prediction and diagnosis are an exciting area in medicine; mRNA biomarkers in nutrition have potential application that parallels these opportunities. Assessment of selenium (Se) status and requirements is one area where tissue mRNA levels have been used successfully. Selenoprotein-H and selenoprotein-W as well as glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) mRNAs are highly down-regulated in Se deficiency in rat liver, and the minimum dietary Se requirement is 0.06-0.07 microg Se/g based on these biomarkers, similar to requirements determined using conventional biomarkers. Blood Gpx1 mRNA can also be used to determine Se requirements in rats, showing that blood mRNA has potential for assessment of nutrient status. Future research is needed to develop mRNA biomarker panels for all nutrients that will discriminate between deficient, marginal, adequate and supernutritional individuals and populations, and differentiate between individuals who will benefit vs. be adversely affected by nutrient supplementation.
Polymorphic reentrant ventricular tachycardia in the isolated rabbit heart studied by high-density mapping.

Background— The role of dispersion of refractoriness and reentry for the genesis of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) has recently become emphasized. We investigated the mechanisms of polymo...
Identification and characterization of zebrafish ocular formation genes

To study genes that are specifically expressed in the eyes, we employed microarray and in situ hybridization analyses to identify and characterize differentially expressed ocular genes in eyeless m...
Descriptions of the Male and Female Genitalia of Phanaeus (Macleay) (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): the Vindex Species Group

Abstract Illustrated descriptions of the male genitalia and notes on the spermathecae are provided for the Phanaeus vindex species group: P. vindex (Macleay), P. difformis (LeConte), and P. igneus (Macleay). These represent the first descriptions of the internal sac (aedeagus) for these species. Examination of the genital capsule (i.e., phallobase and parameres) and the sclerites within the internal sac (aedeagus) revealed only slight differences in shape and sclerotization. No differences were observed among the spermathecae of the three species.
Maximum discharge rates of respiratory neurons during opossum development

The observed low frequencies of action potentials observed in medullary respiratory neurons of immature opossums (Didelphis virginiana) could occur because these cells are incapable of achieving hi...
The R753Q Polymorphism Abrogates Toll-Like Receptor 2 Signaling in Response to Human Cytomegalovirus

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) serves as a pattern recognition receptor that signals the presence of cytomegalovirus. Herein, we report that R753Q polymorphism paralyzes TLR2-mediated immune signaling in cells exposed to cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B. This immunologic impairment could serve as a biologic mechanism underlying the association between the TLR2 R753Q polymorphism and cytomegalovirus disease in humans.
Epidemiology: A Problem-solving Journey

As a scientific discipline, epidemiology has helped liberate the practice of public health and medicine from dogmatic thinking over the past century. This commentary highlights some integrating principles to explain why epidemiology is a problem-solving discipline. The first of these is that epidemiology is an information science. Epidemiology generates information for decision-making at all levels of the health-care system, including information for both individuals and the general public. Although all scientific disciplines produce data that may be used for decision-making, there is more immediacy for the decisions in epidemiology. The second principle is that epidemiology operates within an environment of complex systems. Etiologic factors operate in complex systems, and the use of a systems analysis approach in investigating health problems must be considered. The third principle is that epidemiology is not just a scientific discipline but a professional practice area as well. Epidemiology has a solid disciplinary scientific base, and its practice requires well-grounded academic preparation. Its objectives are very much within the public-social domain, and a well-defined, outcome-oriented, prevention-based philosophy steers its practice. In a number of universities, epidemiology is taught today as a research discipline rather than as an operational, problem-solving one. In conclusion, this commentary emphasizes the need to accept the fact that epidemiology has as much of a social role as a scientific one. Public health action, problem solving, and a sense of mission are what brings many students to epidemiology. A problem-solving, action-oriented epidemiology is consistent with that sense of mission.
HPLC method for simultaneous determination of clobazam and N‐desmethylclobazam in human serum, rat serum and rat brain homogenates

A method for simultaneous determination of clobazam (CBZ) and its active metabolite N-desmethylclobazam (DCBZ) in various biological samples by RP-HPLC with UV detection is described. The determination of both CBZ and DCBZ is performed without derivatization. The internal standard is diazepam. The method is rapid and simple with sensitivity limits of 10 ng/mL for both CBZ and DCBZ and is suitable for routine analysis as well as for animal studies.
Language Development Survey Provides a Useful Screening Tool for Language Delay in Preterm Infants

Developmental language disorder has been reported in 3% to 10% of term infants and 30% of preterm infants (<34 weeks gestation). Screening for language delay in preterm infants can be costly and time-consuming. The objective of this study was to assess the expressive language development of preterm infants using the Language Development Survey (LDS). A total of 178 preterm infants born at 23 to 34 weeks between 2006 and 2008 were enrolled. The LDS was completed by parents between 22 and 26 months at or shortly before 2-year neurodevelopmental assessment using the Bayley III Scale. A total of 26% of former preterm patients had language delay, using LDS. Significant correlations were observed between LDS results and Bayley III scores. Male gender and public health insurance were the most important risk factors for language delay in this cohort. Expressive language delay was present in 26% of preterm infants. LDS is a suitable and inexpensive screening tool for assessing language delay in preterm infants.