cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect evaluation of health education intervention on nutrition label for community residents in Shanghai

Objective To understand the knowledge, attitude and practice(KAP) of nutrition label for community residents in Shanghai and the effects of health education interventions, and to explore the factors affecting the knowledge, attitude and practice(KAP), and to provide theoretical bases for relevant policies. Methods Using stratified random sampling to randomly select at least 20 residents before and after the intervention in each community in Shanghai. A baseline survey was carried out in early March 2016. The survey included basic information and the knowledge、attitude and practice of nutrition label. Using a combination of online and offline method such as issuing posters, folding pages, conducting lectures on knowledge, tweeting on WeChat public accounts, etc. , for a 4-month intervention, and an assessment survey was conducted in June. The same questionnaire was used before and after the intervention. Results The awareness rate of nutrition labels among community residents in Shanghai increased from 63. 0% before the intervention to 87. 4% after the intervention. The proportion of those who felt it necessary to label nutrition labels increased from 77. 7% before the intervention to 88. 3%. When purchasing prepackaged food, the proportion of people who often read nutrition labels increased from 32. 2% before intervention to 51. 8%, and the above differences were statistically significant(Pl0. 05). After the intervention, the mastery of nutrition labeling knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of men were positively changed(Pl0. 05). After the intervention, residents in the suburban areas have significantly improved their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to nutrition labeling(Pl0. 05). The improvement effects of residents in the suburbs was lower than that in the other two types of areas(Pl0. 05). Logistic regression analysis showed that intervention, female, high education, living in the central city, knowing the nutrition label, and thinking that it is necessary to label the nutrition label are the protective factors of looking at the nutrition label when buying foods. Conclusion Health education can effectively improve the awareness rate of prepackaged food nutrition labels, relevant attitudes and behavior changes of residents in Shanghai communities. After intervention, the knowledge and behavior of nutrition labels in Shanghai communities are at a high level. Men, low-education low-income and residents in remote areas are the key population for future health education related to nutrition labels.
An Empirical Study Comparing Patent Validity Challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board vs. the Federal District Courts

Using an originally-constructed database of over 12,000 patent decisions heard at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) and over 75,000 patent law decisions heard by the federal district courts from 2012 through October 2020, this Article analyzes the interplay between the two forums in how patent validity claims are adjudicated, particularly focusing on inter partes review (“IPR”). Reviewing over 7,500 patents assessed at the PTAB over the past six years of the adjudicative tribunal’s existence, the Article analyzes whether there are differences in institution rates and final outcomes depending on the type of patentee owner, the technology type, and whether or not there is a prior or past district court case and decision. While about 80% of PTAB proceedings involve a patent that has or is being litigated in at least one district court, there are only about 2,000 PTAB cases in which the district court has ruled on invalidity grounds. Further, in most cases that do involve a PTAB proceeding, the district court rules a patent invalid based on lack of statutory subject matter—a legal challenge that cannot even be brought in an IPR proceeding. Comparing district court cases where the court rules on eligible PTAB statutory sections—namely obviousness and anticipation grounds—indicates preliminarily that the district court and the PTAB largely agree on outcomes. Overall, this empirical research contributes to the debate about how the patent system—and in particular, the practices at the PTAB—should be reformed, and about the role that the administrative state has in patent policy and in influencing outcomes in the federal courts. Specifically, it questions whether the grounds for PTAB proceedings should be enlarged to encompass challenges based on section 101 subject matter issues.
Achieving Targeted Aims and Objectives of Fiscal, Monetary, Prudential Policy Responses Post Regulatory Crises and Global Pandemics

Even though it has recently been highlighted that the timeline for recovery from the ongoing pandemic is highly uncertain and “will depend heavily on the course of the pandemic”, consumer confidence and expectations, also impact the level of consumer spending and the role of providing greater certainty as regards the resumption of economic activity, ultimately, lies with respective governments What measures could be introduced as incentives to encourage banks to make greater use of macro prudential policy tools and particularly those targeted towards Basel III objectives and tools introduced through the conservative, countercyclical buffers, as well as liquidity (Liquidity Coverage Ratio, Net Stable Funding Ratios) and leverage ratio tools of supervision? How can bank lending be encouraged as a means of achieving the targeted aim of boosting economic activity? As well as addressing the afore mentioned issues, this paper aims to consider the impact of recent Covid-19 regulatory measures on bank activities, incentives and risk taking activities Further, it aims to explore possibilities whereby Basel III measures, which have been designed to address banking and economic problems during periods of economic downturns could be implemented and taken greater advantage of, more effectively As the paper will further highlight, innovative approaches are increasingly being embraced and adopted by many businesses who recognize the need to adapt to a changing environment and way of life Herein lies a role, not only for governments, employees and employers in facilitating speedier resumption of economic activities and a return to economic recovery, but also in ensuring that efforts undertaken by regulatory bodies, as well as central bank and federal regulators, achieve their intended and maximal objectives
Judicial audiences and reputation: perspectives from comparative law

Whether judges are motivated to make good law or maximize policy goals, they need to develop and maintain a good reputation with some audience. We distinguish internal and external audiences for individual judicial decision-making: internal audiences are those within the judiciary itself, while external audiences include lawyers, the media or the general public. Different legal systems emphasize different audiences: some rely on external audiences that encourage judges to invest in their individual reputations, while others emphasize internal audiences that facilitate the collective reputation of the judiciary as a whole. The article analyzes the interaction between internal and external audiences over time, using case studies from both common law and civil law jurisdictions to illustrate how the concept of judicial audiences illuminates institutional reforms of the judiciary.
HYDRODYNAMICS OF RELATIVISTIC SYSTEMS WITH BROKEN CONTINUOUS SYMMETRIES

We show how hydrodynamics of relativistic system with broken continuous symmetry can be constructed using the Poisson bracket technique. We illustrate the method on the example of relativistic superfluids.
Policy Dialogue: The Problems and Promises of Higher Education in the United States

Nearly 70 percent of American students enroll in postsecondary education immediately after graduating high school. Yet college and university completion rates remain highly disparate across social and economic groups. White students in the US are 20 percent more likely than Black and Latino students to graduate, and students from high-income backgrounds are roughly five times more likely to graduate than their lower-income peers. As a result, many students leave higher education without a degree, bearing debt that cannot be discharged through bankruptcy. The upshot is that much of the $1.7 trillion in student loan obligations today is held by those who cannot afford to repay it—an immediate crisis for millions of individuals and a looming threat to the US economy. How did we arrive at this juncture? And what should we do from here? For this Policy Dialogue, the HEQ editors asked Sara Goldrick-Rab and David Labaree to explore the past, present, and future of pressing issues facing American higher education. Goldrick-Rab is professor of sociology and medicine at Temple University as well as President and Founder of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice in Philadelphia. She is also the chief strategy officer for emergency aid at Edquity, a student financial success and emergency aid company, and founder of Believe in Students, a nonprofit distributing emergency aid. Labaree is a past president of the History of Education Society and the Lee L. Jacks Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. Their dialogue takes readers on a quick and heady jaunt across time, across the country, and across almost all institutional types in higher education. HEQ Policy Dialogues are, by design, intended to promote an informal, free exchange of ideas between scholars. At the end of the exchange, we offer a list of references for readers who wish to follow up on sources relevant to the discussion.
Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

A brief overview of mobility models, MAC , topology control , routing , QOS , energy management, security , and P2P applications of mobile ad hoc network s is provided. It is described how the random mobility patterns of each autonomous mobile node , broadcast nature of multihop wireless communications, and lack of fixed infrastructure are affecting each networking area of the MANET . New research problems that need to be investigated into those areas are also discussed.
Prostaglandin E2-induced release of luteinizing hormone-releasing factor (LRF).

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) injected into the third ventricle (3rd V) of conscious ovariectomized rats bearing a permanent jugular cannula increased the percentage of plasma samples
Circular dichroism of human pituitary luteinizing hormone and its glycopeptides. Curve resolution and band assignments to the peptide chromophore, aromatic residues, disulfides, and N-acetylated amino sugars.

The circular dichroic (CS) spectrum of the glycoprotein hormone, human pituitary luteinizing hormone (hLH), has been determined between 195-320 nm and resolved into gaussian constituents. Below 230 nm the CD spectrum is characterized by a negative extremum at 207 nm with a shoulder at 217 nm. Resolution into gaussian constituents of the 200-230 nm CD spectrum resulted in two resolved negative bands, one at 206 nm and the other at 215 nm. The latter band is assigned to beta-structure which is estimated to be about 25%. The 206 nm resolved band is assigned to the N-acetylated carbohydrate groups (e.g. N-acetyl glucosamine, galactosamine, and neuraminic acid). This is based partly on the evidence that the CD spectrum of the hLH glycopeptide fraction (prepared by a pronase digestion of s-carboxymethylated hLH) exhibited a negative extremum at 207.5 nm, which is close to the resolved 206 nm band in hLH. Above 230 nm the CD spectrum is characterized by a negative extremum at about 275 nm. Most of the ellipticity in this region is attributed to the disulfides in hLH. Both strong acid (0.1 N hcl) and concentrated guanidine hydrochloride (4 M) affect the ellipticity in the vicinity of 275 nm, but only the latter (as well as concentrated urea) has a major effect on the CD spectrum below 230 nm indicating extensive conformational changes. There is, however, some loss of beta-structure in 0.1 N hcl. Thus, it appears that the conformation of the hLH subunits in these subunit-dissociating agents is rather different. There was no dramatic change in the magnitude of the 207 nm extremum of native hLH between 10-50C.
Cutoff point for selenium deficiency

It is always with great interest that I read your journal. I found your article by Bunupuradah et al.,1 ‘Correlation of selenium and zinc levels to antiretroviral treatment outcomes in Thai HIV-infected children without severe HIV symptom’, both relevant and interesting. However, I was surprised to find that their cutoff point for selenium deficiency was mistaken and misleading. Mistaken because the usual cutoff for deficiency is from 70 to 85 μg/l or between 0.9 and 1 μmol/l.2, 3 Their mistake in setting their very low cutoff point for selenium (Se deficiency <0.1 μmol/l) is due to their use of an article by Krittaphol et al.4 as a reference for this value (reference 17 in the original paper). Krittaphol’s article uses this very low cutoff point as an example in the abstract. This cutoff point for selenium deficiency is almost 9 to 10 times lower than the cutoff points used for selenium deficiency in the literature.2, 5
Measles encephalitis; clinical and electroencephalographic study.

The acute symptoms of onset of 31 cases of rubella complicated by encephalitis are presented. The correlation of the incidence of severe residua with the slow recovery from acute symptoms is pointed out. The residual symptoms developing in 12 patients followed over a period of two years are described. It is emphasized that disturbances of personality, concentration and memory are most frequent in occurrence. The electroencephalographic changes occurring in these patients are described and a correlation between the clinical severity of residua and electroencephalographic changes is presented. The need for close follow-up of the convalescing postencephalitic patient is stressed so that developing behavior difficulties may be recognized and intelligently managed. The value of the EEG in the evaluation of the difficulties of the postencephalitic patient is discussed. Selected case reports are presented demonstrating the electroencephalographic changes and the associated clinical manifestations.
What's Greatness Got to Do with It?

The author continues a discussion on Martin Luther King Jr.'s lasting legacy in South Africa in the 1980s, begun with the publication of Lewis V. Baldwin's article in Safundi Issue 16, “Soaring on the Wings of Pride: Martin Luther King Jr. and the ‘New’ South Africa.”
Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene transcription by the cAMP-signaling pathway: Involvement of multiple transcription factors

The conversion of L-tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the first and rate-limiting step in biosynthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters. TH gene expression is regulated in a cell type-specific and cAMP-dependent manner. Evidence from this laboratory and others indicates that the cAMP response element (CRE), residing at -45 to -38 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site, is essential for both basal and cAMP-inducible transcription of the TH gene. To understand the control mechanisms of TH gene transcription in greater detail, we sought to identify and characterize the transcription factors involved in recognition and activation of the CRE of the TH gene. Remarkably, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and antibody supershift experiments indicated that all three major CRE-binding protein factors, i.e. CREB, ATF1, and CREM, may participate in forming specific DNA/protein complexes with the CRE of the TH gene. To address the transcriptional activation function of individual factors, we replaced the TH CRE with a GAL4-binding site and cotransfected this modified TH promoter-reporter gene with an effector plasmid that encodes GAL4-fused transcription factor. Our results indicate that CREB but not ATF1 can support basal promoter activity while both can robustly induce the promoter activity in response to co-expression of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). We further show that the coactivator CBP up-regulates PKA-mediated activation of the TH promoter and, if tethered to the TH promoter by a GAL4-fusion, can robustly transactivate the TH promoter even in the absence of PKA. Collectively, our results suggest that multiple CRE-binding factors interact with the CRE and regulate, in conjunction with the coactivator CBP, the transcriptional activity of the TH gene.
Determination of eutectic compositions in complex metal systems

The zone-melting technique has been used for determining eutectic compositions in complex metal systems. The application of this technique is demonstrated in a ternary system, Mg-Al-Zn, in which the literature is uncertain as to the composition of the ternary eutectic; in a quaternary system, Al-Mg-Zn-Si, in which the eutectic composition is unknown, and in a complex system, Al-Mg-Zn-Cu-Sn-Pb, in which the eutectic composition cannot possibly be determined using the conventional method. The advantages and disadvantages of the unique approach for the determination of the eutectic composition are discussed.
Ventral midbrain correlation between genetic variation and expression of the dopamine transporter gene in cocaine-abusing versus non-abusing subjects

Altered activity of the human dopamine transporter gene (hDAT) is associated with several common and severe brain disorders, including cocaine abuse. However, there is little a priori information on whether such alterations are due to nature (genetic variation) or nurture (human behaviors such as cocaine abuse). This study investigated the correlation between seven markers throughout hDAT and its mRNA levels in postmortem ventral midbrain tissues from 18 cocaine abusers and 18 strictly matched drug-free controls in the African-American population. Here, we show that one major haplotype with the same frequency in cocaine abusers versus drug-free controls displays a 37.1% reduction of expression levels in cocaine abusers compared with matched controls (P = 0.0057). The most studied genetic marker, variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) located in Exon 15 (3′VNTR), is not correlated with hDAT mRNA levels. A 5′ upstream VNTR (rs70957367) has repeat numbers that are positively correlated with expression levels in controls (r2 = 0.9536, P = 0.0235), but this positive correlation disappears in cocaine abusers. The findings suggest that varying hDAT activity is attributable to both genetics and cocaine abuse.
CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF "NUCLEAR CAPS" ISOLATED FROM BLASTOCLADIELLA ZOOSPORES.

Lovett, James S. (Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.). Chemical and physical characterization of “nuclear caps” isolated from Blastocladiella zoospores. J. Bacteriol. 85: 1235–1246. 1963.—Electron micrographs of Blastocladiella zoospores have shown the nuclear cap to contain essentially all of the small (250 to 300 A) electron-dense particles of the cell. Preparations of clean, whole nuclear caps were isolated to study the composition of the intact organelles and their particulate contents. The cap is strongly basophilic, and is composed of 60% protein and 40% ribonucleic acid (RNA). It represents 18% of the dry weight, and contains 69% of the total RNA, of the spore. The amino acid composition of cap proteins is similar to the ribosomal protein of other organisms. The nuclear cap contents have been extracted and isolated by high-speed centrifugation. More than 95% of the material has a sedimentation coefficient of 83S in 0.005 m Mg. The 83S particles form aggregates at higher Mg concentrations and dissociate to yield 63S and 41S peaks at low Mg concentrations. Purified cap particles contain 37% protein and 63% RNA. The RNA has a nucleotide composition (in moles per cent) of 18.5% cytidylic, 26.2% adenylic, 31.8% guanylic, and 23.5% uridylic acid. The particles contain a latent ribonuclease, which can be activated by urea, and are susceptible to degradation by added pancreatic ribonuclease. The available evidence supports a concept of the zoospore nuclear cap as an unusual intracellular “packet” of ribosomes. Images
A Novel Value of Paragraph Content Based PageRank Approach

In this paper, we proposed an novel PageRank algorithm, which segmented each page into several paragraphs. Then we built links between paragraphs by using N-Gram method. The regular PageRank algorithm were applied on paragraphs and score of PageRank for each paragraph was obtained. The average of the paragraph scores of each page, denoted as Value of Paragraph Content, was used to give scores to the pages. In the N-Gram method, we proposed a solution to limit the memory usage through a hash table.
Comparing the usability of library vs. language approaches to task parallelism

In this paper, we compare the usability of a library approach with a language approach to task parallelism. There are many practical advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. A key advantage of a library-based approach is that it can be deployed without requiring any change in the tool chain, including compilers and IDEs. However, the use of library APIs to express all aspects of task parallelism can lead to code that is hard to understand and modify. A key advantage of a language-based approach is that the intent of the programmer is easier to express and understand, both by other programmers and by program analysis tools. However, a language-based approach usually requires the standardization of new constructs and (possibly) of new keywords. In this paper, we compare the java.util.concurrent (j.u.c) library [14] from Java 7 and the Habanero-Java (HJ) [16] language, supported by our experiences in teaching both models at Rice University.
Value sets of Dickson polynomials over Galois rings

Abstract The Galois ring GR( p n , m ) is a finite extension of the ring of integers modulo p n . We consider Dickson polynomials g d ( x , a ) over Galois rings. In particular, we find an estimate of the cardinality of the value set { g d ( x , a )∥ ∈ GR( p n , m )} and determine the cardinality of the preimage of g d ( x , a ) in certain cases.
The effects of tumor promoters on HTLV-1 expression in a low-virus producer and a non-virus producer cell line

Chemical agents including 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IUdR), 4-O-methyl 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), phorbol, and the tumor promoters teleocidin and TPA were tested for their ability to induce Human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus Type I (HTLV-I) expression in the low-virus producer MT-1 cell line and in the non-virus producer C63/CRII-2 cell line, which contains at least one integrated HTLV-I genome equivalent per cell [26]. Viral antigen expression increased from 0.3% to 8.7% in the MT-1 cell line after treatment with IUdR, while TPA and teleocidin were marginally or non-effective as inducers. Chemicals did not induce HTLV-I antigen expression in the C63/CI(II-2) cell line. No enhancement of reverse transcriptase activity or alteration of proviral organization was observed after chemical treatment of MT-1 cells.
Role of cholesterol in membranes effects on phospholipid-protein interactions, membrane permeability and enzymatic activity

Abstract The effect of cholesterol on the interaction of proteins with phospholipid membranes was studied using three independent techniques: effects on vesicle permeability, monolayer expansion, and phospholipid-dependent (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity. The proteins studied were: cytochrome c, albumin, hemoglobin, lysozyme, myelin basic protein, myelin proteolipid apoprotein, and the polypeptide gramicidin A. The results were as follows: 1. 1. All the proteins in this study produced a large increase in the permeability of phospholipid vesicles to Na+. When cholesterol was mixed with phospholipid in equimolar proportions, most proteins produced only a comparatively small increase in permeability. This inhibitory effect of cholesterol on the permeability of phospholipid-protein membranes, was 38-fold for cytochrome c and 10-fold for hemoglobin. The only protein that was not affected by cholesterol was the myelin proteolipid apoprotein. Experiments with cytochrome c indicated that the above effects were unlikely to be due to inhibition of its binding to phosphatidylserine vesicles. 2. 2. The presence of cholesterol in phosphatidylserine monolayers inhibits the area expansion produced by the addition of cytochrome c to the bulk phase. The inhibition of monolayer expansion by cholesterol was shown to be considerably larger than that obtained by equivalent dilution of the surface charges of phosphatidylserine by phosphatidylcholine. 3. 3. The presence of cholesterol inhibits the ability of phospholipids to activate a delipidated preparation of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. The degree of inhibition produced by nearly equimolar mixtures of cholesterol with brain phosphatidylserine and dioleylphosphoatidylglycerol was approximately 60% while in mixtures with dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol, it was more than 90%. 4. 4. The biological significance of these data are discussed in relation to the possible effects of increased cholesterol levels in cell membranes during the process of aging and the development of atherosclerosis.
Electronic minds' eyes: Remote sensing and image processing — An eye opening field

A brief overview of remote sensing and image processing basics is given. The components and operation of a typical imaging system is described. Image processing is discussed, focusing on classification and feature extraction.
Determination of composition of lead zirconate-titanate piezoelectric ceramics by means of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

We have analysed the composition of several samples of lead zirconate-titanate piezoelectric ceramics by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and shown this method to be consistent to within 1%. The RBS technique is more convenient than chemical or x-ray methods.
Translucency estimation for thick pigmented maxillofacial elastomer.

Abstract Objectives : Human skin is multilayered and inhomogeneous and has a partially translucent structure. Since it is not straightforward to quantify the translucency for human skin as it is for translucent materials at a certain thickness, a laser light-diffusing method was developed to quantitatively approximate translucency of translucent pigmented maxillofacial materials, using a technique that would be applicable to human skin. A developed method of laser light diffusing area (LLDA) and the method of color difference due to edge loss (CDEL) were compared in accuracy of translucency estimations of thick pigmented maxillofacial elastomeric material. Methods : Thick specimens of 19 different shades of skin-colored maxillofacial elastomer (MFE) were made with a silicone elastomer and four commercially available pigments (tan, red, yellow and black). Translucency parameter (TP) values at a thickness of 1.5 mm on ideal black and white backings for each shade based on the CIELAB and CIE2000 color difference formulas were previously calculated, and were predicted by the regressions of TP onto the LLDA and CDEL measurements. Results : Both the LLDA and CDEL methods provided reasonably accurate (adjusted R2 ≥ 0.919) estimations of TP, and no significant differences were found in the error variances of the regressions. Conclusions : The laser light diffusing method appears to be highly reliable for the estimation of translucency of maxillofacial elastomer, and the relationship of translucency to LLDA may be used to estimate the apparent translucency of any thick translucent material within the range of translucency studied. The laser light diffusing method as a non-contact and non-destructive method may be applied to quantitatively estimate the translucency of human skin and prosthetic elastomers, and further be incorporated into appearance matching of maxillofacial prosthesis to human skin.
Physiology of difficult rock climbing

The purpose of this review is to explore existing research on the physiological aspects of difficult rock climbing. Findings will be categorized into the areas of an athlete profile and an activity model. An objective here is to describe high-level climbing performance; thus the focus will primarily be on studies that involve performances at the 5.11/6c (YDS/French) level of difficulty or higher. Studies have found climbers to be small in stature with low body mass and low body fat. Although absolute strength values are not unusual, strength to body mass ratio is high in accomplished climbers. There is evidence that muscular endurance and high upper body power are important. Climbers do not typically possess extremely high aerobic power, typically averaging between 52–55 ml·kg−1·min−1 for maximum oxygen uptake. Performance time for a typical ascent ranges from 2 to 7 min and oxygen uptake (VO2) averages around 20–25 ml·kg−1·min−1 over this period. Peaks of over 30 ml·kg−1·min−1 for VO2 have been reported. VO2 tends to plateau during sustained climbing yet remains elevated into the post-climb recovery period. Blood lactate accumulates during ascent and remains elevated for over 20 min post-climbing. Handgrip endurance decreases to a greater degree than handgrip strength with severe climbing. On the basis of this review, it appears that a specific training program for high-level climbing would include components for developing high, though not elite-level, aerobic power; specific muscular strength and endurance; ATP–PC and anaerobic glycolysis system power and capacity; and some minimum range of motion for leg and arm movements.
Inkjet-printed microshell encapsulation: A new zero-level packaging technology

A low-thermal-budget (CMOS-compatible) process for microshell encapsulation of MEMS devices is proposed. Inkjet-printing of silver (Ag) nanoparticle ink is demonstrated to form porous microshells through which sacrificial oxide (SiO2) can be selectively removed to release MEMS structures. A second inkjet printing process using finer gold (Au) nanoparticle ink is demonstrated to effectively seal the microshells. The mechanical strength of a printed microshell (∼3 μm thick) is sufficient for encapsulating regions greater than 1 mm in length.
A Mechanism Describing How Low-income Women Exchange Support in Their Personal Networks

Research shows that low-income women often find it difficult to make ends meet and tend to rely on their friends and family for help. There is evidence that these supportive exchanges may not always be characterized by strict accounting systems or binding agreements. Though several studies have examined supportive exchanges in the survival networks of inner-city women, few have offered an explanation for how women embedded in resource-scarce environments decide with whom they will and will not exchange support. This article posits that the structure of survival networks in terms of their size and density (shared ties) along with women's perceptions of how fair their friends and family are contribute to women's decisions to exchange support without strict accounting systems or binding agreements. Data from a pilot study offer some evidence of these associations.
Positive Steady-State Solutions of a Competing Reaction-Diffusion System

Abstract This paper is concerned with positive steady-state solutions of a coupled reaction-diffusion system which models the coexistence problem of two competing species in ecology. The main purpose of the paper is to determine the set Λ of natural growth rate (r1, r2) of the two competing species so that the coupled system possesses positive solutions. It is shown that Λ is a connected unbounded region in R2+, whose boundary consists of two monotone nondecreasing curves r1=H2(r2) and r2=H1(r1). For every (r1, r2) inside Λ the coupled system has positive solutions and for (r1, r2) outside Λ there exists no positive solution. The functions H1(r1, ) and H2(r2) are constructed in terms of the limit of the corresponding time-dependent solution with a specific initial function.
542 VALIDATION OF THE BODY MASS INDEX AND CURVES OF ADIPOSITY FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

A measure of adiposity is needed which can be applied longitudinally for clinical and epidemiologic purposes from childhood through adolescence and adulthood.. Direct methods of body fatness are only of limited applicability in children due to their risks and inconvenience. Using data on 5,679 Caucasian subjects aged 1-19years, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1971-1974, the validity of the Body Mass Index (BMI=wt/ht2), Relative Weight (RW=wt/ht)and Skinfold Thickness (SF=ave. of triceps and subscap. measurements) were compared. Both the BMI and RW were found to have greater validity than SF in the age group under study. Since BMI has greater validity than RW for adults, the BMI is the preferred longitudinal measure of adiposity for clinical and epidemiological purposes. Three methodological features of the study are unique. First, an indirect criterion of validity was specified a priori (maximal correlation with weight and minimal correlation with height). Second, a Validity Coefficient was developed for the study in order to measure simultaneously the correlation of each measure with height and weight. Third, all calculations used Spearman rank correlations and were done separately by sex and year of age, rather than using combined age groups. In order to facilitate use of BMI, smoothed percentile curves of BMI by year of age for Caucasian males and females ages 1-19 were developed from these data. These curves can be used to monitor a child's change in adiposity over time and to compare the adiposity of children by age and sex.
Managing the development process: Community strategies in economic revitalization

This paper considers community strategies in economic revitalization. Guidelines are proposed for local economic development practitioners and as a framework for further research. Findings are based on extensive analysis and comparative study of economic development efforts in four medium-sized industrialized cities in the northeastern United States. The role of motivating, organizing, and diagnostic agents, including crisis situations, community based planning, and local development agencies, are highlighted. The analysis presents economic revitalization as an on-going activity requiring strong local leadership, competent local development institutions, and broad-based public and private sector participation.
Effects of Training on Naïve Listeners' Judgments of the Speech Intelligibility of Children With Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss

Purpose This study examined the effects of feedback training, familiarization training, and no training on naive listeners' word identification (WI) and magnitude estimation scaling (MES) judgments...
Stability of Levalbuterol in a Mixture of Levalbuterol and Ipratropium Nebulizer Solution

Levalbuterol hydrochloride (Xopenex) inhalation solution is a short-acting bronchodilator, which was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment or prevention of br...
Dose-response relationships for induction of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 enzyme activity in liver, lung, and skin in female mice following subchronic exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls.

Abstract The Toxic Equivalency Factor (TEF) method is used to estimate potential health risks associated with exposure to dioxin-like chemicals. The TEF method is a relative potency (REP) scheme that assumes dose additivity, that the chemicals produce the same response through the same mechanism, and that the REP of a chemical is equivalent for all responses. The present study estimates the REP for five PCBs with dioxin-like activity. Mice were exposed to either 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,3′,4,4′-pentachlorobiphenyl (105), 2,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (118), 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (126), or 2,3,3′,4,4′-,5-hexachlorobiphenyl (156), five days/week for 13 weeks by oral gavage in a corn oil vehicle. Three days after the last dose, animals were euthanized and the ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase activity was determined in liver, lung, and skin. Acetanilide-4-hydroxylase activity was determined in liver. In addition, liver and skin disposition of the chemicals were determined. REPs were estimated using a statistical method previously described (DeVito et al., Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 147, 267–280, 1997). For any given compound, the REP generally varied by less than a factor of four across endpoints when calculated based on an administered dose. However, typically there was one response for every chemical in which the REP was different by an order of magnitude or more from the other responses. There was some evidence that the REPs may be dose-dependent. While, in general, these data support the use of a single point estimate of the REP, the issue of dose-dependency requires targeted investigation.
Calculation of Mass Transfer Coefficients in a Crystal Growth Chamber through Heat Transfer Measurements

The growth rate of a crystal in a supersaturated solution is limited by both reaction kinetics and the local concentration of solute. If the local mass transfer coefficient is too low, concentration of solute at the crystal-solution interface will drop below saturation, leading to a defect in the growing crystal. Here, mass transfer coefficients are calculated for a rotating crystal growing in a supersaturated solution of potassium di-hydrogen phosphate (KDP) in water. Since mass transfer is difficult to measure directly, the instantaneous distribution of the heat transfer coefficient on a heated scale model crystal in water is measured using temperature-sensitive paint (TSP). To the authors' knowledge this is the first use of TSP to measure temperature distributions in water. The corresponding mass transfer coefficient is then calculated using the Chilton-Colburn analogy. Measurements were made for three crystal sizes at two running conditions each. Running conditions include periodic reversals of rotation direction. Heat transfer coefficients were found to vary significantly both across the crystal faces and over the course of a rotation cycle, but not from one face to another. Mean heat transfer coefficients increased with both crystal size and rotation rate. Additional experiments show that continuous rotation of the crystal results in about a 40% lower heat transfer compared to rotation with periodic reversals. The continuous rotation case also shows a cyclic variation in heat transfer coefficient of about 15%, with a period of about 72 times the rotation period. Calculated mass transfer coefficients were broadly in line with expectations from the full-scale crystal growth experiments.
Implementation and application of an intelligent platform for time-frequency measurement and analysis

Aiming at the problems that time-frequency equipment of the power system can not be tested comprehensively, effectively and high-precision, and can not comprehensively analysis of tested data, this paper has designed and developed a highly accurate, comprehensive, intelligent time-frequency test platform, it introduces the overall structure, working principle and the functional analysis of the test and analysis platform in detail in this paper. At last time from time synchronization device's testing application, it verifies that the functionality and performance is meeting the designed goals of the platform and meeting the requirements of the power industry standard test at the same time.
Stereotactic neurosurgery using 3-D image data from computed tomography.

During the last decade computer tomography (CT) scanners have provided images that show internal anatomy of unsurpassed resolution and that, since they are inherently digital, a format computer graphics software can easily process. By combining CT images, a specially designed head-mounted instrument, and the software to coordinate them, improved surgical accuracy can result for stereotactic surgery. Using the head-mounted frame and the interactive computer software described here, the entire stereotactic approach is transportable to computer systems of three major CT manufacturers. Neurosurgeons now have a tool that allows trajectory selection and probe placement entirely within the CT suite. Compared with conventional stereotaxis, the CT-aided approach offers increased accuracy, with a significant reduction in procedure time and patient risk due to both the elimination of cerebral spinal fluid contrast injection for finding reference points and the avoidance of important brain structures due to the direct visualization afforded with CT. Key interactive features are shown here that allow unrestricted views of anatomy in the area of surgical interest. For example, oblique views that are normal to the trajectory of neurosurgical instruments are extracted in real time during the surgical procedure. Standard sagittal (lateral) and coronal (frontal) image planes are also shown integrated with the interactive technique. The surgical procedure is outlined and details of the pattern recognition technique for image-to-frame registration are presented. Test, phantom, and patient results are given.
Platelet-derived growth factor is a potent inhibitor of angiotensin II-induced aldosterone synthesis.

Abstract Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent mitogen for several cell types. In addition, PDGF has vasoconstrictive action and shares some signal transduction mechanisms with angiotensin II (AII). In the present study, we have examined the effects of PDGF on basal and AII-induced aldosterone synthesis in freshly isolated rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. Recombinant human PDGF-BB caused a dose-dependent inhibition of AII-induced aldosterone synthesis being effective at concentrations as low as 10 −12 M. We also investigated possible mechanisms of action of PDGF. We have previously reported that the 12-lipoxygenase (LO) pathway of arachidonic acid plays a key role in AII-induced aldosterone synthesis. We thus examined whether PDGF action is mediated by changes in 12-LO activation. PDGF, at the same doses that blocked All-induced synthesis also significantly inhibited AII-induced increases in the 12-LO product, 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) formation. Further, the addition of 12-HETE completely restored the stimulatory effect of AII during inhibition by PDGF. These results suggest that PDGF could act, at least in part, by inhibition of AII-induced 12-HETE formation. We also examined the role of diacylglycerol (DG) formation since we have previously reported that DG is the source of arachidonic acid for 12-HETE formation. We observed that both AII and PDGF stimulated [ 3 H]arachidonic acid-labeled DG formation. However, PDGF did not alter AII-induced DG formation suggesting that PDGF action is not mediated by affecting AII-induced increases in DG. These results suggest that PDGF may play an important role in the regulation of aldosterone synthesis by acting as a potent negative modulator of AII action in the adrenal.
Comparison of Two TeamSTEPPS® Training Methods on Nurse Failure-to-Rescue Performance

Abstract Background Registered nurses are the frontline of defense against unrecognized changes in patients' condition to prevent failure-to-rescue events, reducing mortality and morbidity in hospitalized patients. This study explores the impact of two types of evidence-based training methodologies, in situ simulation-based training (SBT) versus case study review, both incorporating TeamSTEPPS ® training, on practicing nurse early warning sign knowledge, confidence, teamwork, and clinical skill performance. Methods A quasi-experimental, two-group comparison, pre/post intervention study. Results Increased knowledge and teamwork skills after education were seen in both groups ( p p Conclusions High-quality, in situ, simulation-based team training may have its greatest impact on improvement in nurse confidence in and performance of teamwork skills. However, the study indicates that, regardless of the method, well-designed educational programs are effective in improving nursing knowledge of care of complex patients.
Parameter identifiability for catchment-scale erosion modelling: a comparison of optimization algorithms

Abstract The Simplex and the Shuffled Complex Evolution—University of Arizona (SCE-UA) optimization algorithms and the simple least-squares (SLS) and the heteroscedastic maximum likelihood estimator (HMLE) were applied to identify erosion parameters for a process-based model of catchment runoff and sediment yield. Four parameter identification problems were posed with the objective of studying the behaviour of the model under four optimization procedures. Error-free data as well as data with correlated error provided the means for determining the effectiveness of the optimization procedures studied. Results showed that the Simplex algorithm and the SLS objective function provided the best parameter estimates at lower levels of error, while the Simplex algorithm and HMLE objective function provided the best parameter estimates at higher levels of error. This was contrary to the expected theoretical outcome since the SCE-UA algorithm was more successful than the simplex algorithm in locating the global minimum on the response surface.
Diagnosis and staging of mild cognitive impairment, using a modification of the clinical dementia rating scale: the mCDR.

Objective To examine the reliability and validity of the mCDR, a modified version of the clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale. Methods The mCDR is an informant-based, technician-administered, structured interview with multiple choice responses, which does not include objective cognitive testing. Subjects (n = 556) with no cognitive impairment (NCI), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and dementia were assessed with mCDR, CDR, and neuropsychological evaluation, while medial temporal atrophy (MTA) was measured on MRI scans. The mCDR and CDR were compared with respect to inter-rater reliability, validity, and ability to predict progression in cognitive diagnosis at 12 month follow-up. Results The mCDR can be administered in less than one third of the time required to administer the CDR (30 min). Inter-rater reliability (Cohen's weighted κ) was 0.86 for the mCDR and 0.56 for the CDR. Ability to distinguish between NCI, aMCI, and Dementia subjects, and correlations to memory and non-memory measures were marginally better for the CDR, in comparison to the mCDR. Correlations of mCDR and CDR scores to MTA scores did not differ. Baseline mCDR scores predicted transition from NCI to aMCI, whereas baseline CDR scores predicted transition from aMCI to Dementia. Conclusions The mCDR, as compared to the CDR, is briefer and more reliable, and is a valid measure of functional ability among subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and mild dementia. The mCDR should be particularly useful as a reliable and economical instrument for assessing change in functional abilities, especially in multi-center clinical trials and population studies of MCI and mild dementia. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.