cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Jackson's Apostasy

Frank Jackson has abandoned hisfamous knowledge argument, and hasexplained why in a brief ``Postscripton Qualia'' (1998). This explanationconsists of a direct argument, and anattempt to explain away the intuitionthat lies at the heart of theknowledge argument. The directargument is clarified and found to besubtly question-begging. The attemptto explain away the key intuition isreviewed and found to be inadequate.False memory traces, which Jacksonmentions at the beginning of thedirect argument, are discussed andfound not to materially affect theforce of the knowledge argument.
Improved TaqMan real-time assays for detecting hepatitis A virus.

Abstract Rapid advancement in genomics and bioinformatics in recent years holds great promise for research and development in many disciplines including public health. For the detection of pathogens, methods based on nucleic acid amplification need to be re-evaluated periodically to ensure the validity of signature primers and probes as more and more outbreak strains are sequenced and collected into databases in public domains. In this study, a previous assay designed computationally for detecting hepatitis A virus (HAV) was re-examined. Alignment of 57 complete or near complete HAV genomes allowed identification of conserved sequences for developing new primers and TaqMan probes. Two sets of real-time reverse transcription PCR reagents were developed by targeting highly conserved regions with primers and probes having optimal melting temperatures and minimum secondary structures. These two assays had 10 to 1000 fold lower detection limits than the previous assay when tested using representative human HAV genotypes IA, IB, and IIIA. The better of the two improved assays had a detection limit of 3.7 × 10−2 to 6.6 × 10−2 TCID50 or less. The improved detection sensitivity was likely due to improvement in the following four areas: 1) The Gardner1 probe has a single nucleotide mismatch at the 5′ end in all 19 strains of genotypes IIIA and IIIB. 2) For the Gardner1 forward primer, there is a mismatch corresponding to the 3′ end of the oligonucleotides in two strains belonging to genotype IA. 3) The Gardner1 probe had a melting temperature of 66.2 °C, which is less than the optimum of 68–70 °C (Dorak, 2006). 4) The Gardner1 forward and reverse primers had high potential of forming primer dimers. The improved HAV detection assays developed in this study would support better food safety surveillance initiatives and response to disease outbreaks of viral food-borne illness.
La clasificación de la cultura

La finalidad de toda clasificacion de la cultura debe ser presentamos,bmas concreta y claramente, los trazos, complejos y canones culturales a fin de que podamos percibirlos y manejarlos con mas facilidad dentro del control social. La cultura debe ser concebida como algo dinamico y no como una entidad muerta y antifuncional. Una verdadera ciencia de la cultura o cualquiera ciencia --como la antropologia y., la arqueologiaque emplea profusamente el concepto de cultura, debe tratarla como a una fuerza dinamica, bien sea en el presente, en el pasado o en el futuro.
The Sciences in the Greek Speaking Regions During the 17th and 18th Centuries

What has been known as the Scientific Revolution of the 16th, and especially the 17th century was an exclusively European phenomenon. While the social, ideological, conceptual, theological, economic, and political repercussions of the new ideas developed during the Scientific Revolution have been systematically studied within the setting of the countries where that revolution originated, only few historical works have dealt with the issues related to the introduction of these ideas to the countries in the periphery of Europe (that is, the countries of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balkans, the Eastern European and the Scandinavian countries). How did the ideas of the Scientific Revolution migrate to these countries? What were the particularities of their expression in each country? What were the specific forms of resistance to these new ideas and to what extent did they display national characteristics? What were the legitimising procedures for the acceptance of the new ways of dealing with nature? Did the discourse used by the scholars for writing and discussing scientific issues share the same features as the discourse developed by their colleagues in the countries of Western Europe? Any attempt to understand the assimilation of the ideas of the Scientific Revolution in these regions and to assess the characteristics of the resistance to such an assimilation—especially during the Enlightenment— cannot omit discussion of at least some of these questions.
Repair materials for concrete structures

Abstract: This chapter discusses many types of cementitous and polymeric repair materials and factors that affect material selection. Cementitous materials include those based on Portland cement, modified Portland cements, and other hydraulic cements including magnesium phosphates and high alumina. The two types of polymeric materials are polymer-modified concrete or mortar and polymer concrete. Material selection is based on many factors including construction, load carrying and durability requirements.
Understanding photocatalytic overall water splitting on CoO nanoparticles: Effects of facets, surface stoichiometry, and the CoO/water interface

Abstract Unlike CoO micropowder, which is unable to split water, CoO nanoparticles have been observed to photocatalytically split water into H2 and O2 at room temperature without an externally applied potential or co-catalyst. The photocatalytic activity of CoO nanoparticles has been suggested to stem from an upwards shift in the band edges relative to bulk CoO such that the conduction and valence band edges span the water redox potentials. However, the origin of this shift in the band edges is unknown. In this study, we use first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore the thermodynamically stable surface configurations of CoO as a function of oxygen chemical potential. We show that the band edge positions are sensitive to surface chemistry which is determined by surface orientation, adsorbates, and stoichiometry, and thus growth conditions and operating environment. In particular, we predict that CoO nanoparticles have fully hydroxylated CoO(1 1 1) facets, with band edges spanning the water redox potentials, while larger CoO particles (such as CoO micropowders) have a full monolayer of hydrogen on the CoO(1 1 1) facets, with a band alignment that favors water oxidation but not water reduction. Furthermore, we demonstrate that explicit inclusion of liquid water is crucial for accurately predicting the band edge positions, and thus photocatalytic behavior, of CoO in an aqueous solution. Our work explains why photocatalytic overall water splitting has only been observed on CoO nanoparticles, and provides new insights into the relationships between environmental conditions, surface structure, and band alignment, which may lead to new approaches for optimizing activity in CoO and other oxide photocatalysts.
Sliding-mode Control of Ammonia Coverage Ratio for Automotive Selective Catalytic Reduction Systems

This paper presents a sliding-mode control method for automotive Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems to regulate ammonia coverage ratios to desired levels. SCR systems have been widely adopted on Diesel powered vehicles to reduce tailpipe NO x emissions. To maintain a high NO x removal efficiency as well as acceptable ammonia slip, the SCR ammonia coverage ratio has to be critically controlled to balance such a tradeoff. A sliding-mode control method is analytically developed to track the target ammonia coverage ratio. Its tracking performance under bounded measurement noise is evaluated. The control input saturation is explicitly considered and its effect on SCR transient behavior is assessed in the design procedure. Simulation results indicate the proposed control can effectively track the target ammonia coverage ratio and comparative study against a traditional PID control demonstrates the improvement of robustness in the presence of bounded disturbances.
Why Public Administration Is Needed Now More than Ever: Advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Public Administration: First Public Lecture Sponsored by Teaching Public Administration (Delivered at the Public Administration Conference, University of Northumbria 12 September 2018).

First Public Lecture sponsored by Teaching Public Administration (delivered at the Public Administration Conference, University of Northumbria 12 September 2018). The author provided views on why p...
Advances in the Surgical Management of Ankle Fractures

Ankle fractures are one of the most common injuries treated by orthopedic surgeons worldwide. However, operative indications, techniques, and reported outcomes following operative fixation vary wid...
Cultural Studies as Writing Project, with Trump Assignment

In this chapter, Donald Hedrick teases out what he terms a “micro-legacy” of Stuart Hall’s famous talk on the “legacies of Cultural Studies,” in Hall’s stated allegiance to the “necessary modesty of theory.” Exemplifying his position, he sustains discussion of the unacknowledged importance of metaphors, such as “struggle” or “hegemony” or “interruption.” Applying this claim to the matter of teaching, which Hall doesn’t address, Hedrick flips over the privileged status of theory by treating writing and metaphorization, connected to practices of pedagogy, as primary. Trying out this proposal in an imaginative assignment to compare Donald Trump to capital itself, Hedrick attempts a number of parallels: branding, precarity, volatility, communicative capital, value creation, commodification of pleasures, Marx’s “universal prostitution, inequality production and the ultimate absence of any social goal. While such an assignment might seem more playful than rigorous, one notes Hall’s claim that metaphors can be life or death matters. Hedrick’s sample might open up a thread of possible cultural studies pedagogy through serious, radical, exploratory and creative imagination.
Meta-Analysis of Treatment Modalities in Metastatic Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumors in Children

Abstract Background Metastatic atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) are aggressive central nervous system tumors that present during infancy and are associated with dismal outcomes. Patients receive multimodal treatment including surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy, and one or more of intrathecal chemotherapy (IT), marrow-ablative chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic cell rescue (AuHCR) and radiation therapy (XRT). While data regarding treatment modalities for AT/RT patients exist, no comprehensive data have been published regarding the metastatic patients. Methods We performed a meta-analysis of 1578 articles published through September 2018, including 44 studies with a total of 123 subjects. In addition, seven patients were included through chart review of patients treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Results Analysis of 130 patients revealed a 3-year overall survival (OS) of 25%. Age at diagnosis had a significant effect on survival (P = 0.0355); 3-year OS for infants less than 18 months was 21%, 18 to 36 months was 26%, and greater than 36 months was 36%. Location of the primary tumor, metastatic stage, and extent of surgical resection did not have a significant impact on OS. On univariate analysis, XRT (P Conclusions Although more research is warranted to make generalizable conclusions, these results suggest that treatment regimens for patients with metastatic AT/RTs should include AuHCR, XRT, and IT.
The Microbiome, Surgical Stress, and Infection

The microbiome represents an important emerging biology and potential set of manipuable tools in the understanding and care of the surgical patients. New techniques are allowing an understanding of a formerly underappreciated biology which has both direct infectious and mechanistic effects on the health of our patients and their surgical needs and outcomes. This chapter provides a review of the current state of the science on the microbiome as it applies to surgery. Beginning with a history of the biology we provide definitions and an introduction to techniques for surveying, and finally specific applications to surgical science.
A Finite-Field Approach for GW Calculations beyond the Random Phase Approximation

We describe a finite-field approach to compute density response functions, which allows for efficient G0 W0 and G0 W0Γ0 calculations beyond the random phase approximation. The method is easily applicable to density functional calculations performed with hybrid functionals. We present results for the electronic properties of molecules and solids, and we discuss a general scheme to overcome slow convergence of quasiparticle energies obtained from G0 W0Γ0 calculations, as a function of the basis set used to represent the dielectric matrix.
Can episodic future thinking affect food choices

Abstract Episodic future thinking, defined as the ability to project oneself into the future, has proven useful to pre-experience the future consequences of present actions. We investigate how episodic future thinking influences the food choices of normal weight, overweight, and obese individuals. In doing so, we conduct a controlled laboratory experiment in which participants are presented with representations of weight-increased and weight-reduced modified images of themselves before performing a food choice task. This allows subjects to vividly imagine the future consequences of their actions. We also test the effect of providing health-related information on food choices to compare with the episodic future thinking effect. Our results suggest that while providing health-related information increases the number of lite snack choices of overweight and obese individuals, engaging in episodic future thinking has a positive impact on the food choices of the obese only. These findings are supported by eye-tracking data showing how visual attention and emotional arousal (measured by pupil size) impact individuals’ food choices.
Framing majismo: art and royal identity in eighteenth-century Spain: by Tara Zanardi, University Park, PA, Penn State University Press, 2016, 264 pp., $94.95 (hardback), ISBN13 978-0271067247 / $44.95 (paperback), ISBN13 978-0271074825

Majos are icons of an idealized, popular Spanishness, types whose “performative swagger” (as Zanardi puts it in chapter 2) was forged through eighteenth-century immigration from Andalusia and Casti...
The Autoneige as Workaround: Infrastructural Momentum at the Emergence of the Snowmobile

Background Drawing on infrastructure theories of communication, this article considers the snowmobile as an exceptional instance of transport and media circulation in rural Quebec and Eastern Canada. In the early twentieth century, the snowmobile provided a temporary fix to the isolation of developing communities. When the snow and cold descended on these regions, both transport and communication came to a standstill for months. Analysis This article explores how the snowmobile provided a workaround to the environmental conditions that cut parts of the nation off from the evolving mobilities of the era. Conclusions and implications Transporting people, goods, and messages across social and environmental divides, the snowmobile illustrates how challenging topographies can precipitate invention. This process of mediation is indivisible from its social, environmental, and cultural context. Resume Contexte Se basant sur les theories infrastructurelles de la communication, ce travail examine le role de l’autoneige en tant que forme exceptionnelle du transport et de la circulation des medias dans le contexte rural au Quebec et dans l’est du Canada. Au debut du XXe siecle, l’autoneige represente un remede temporaire a l’isolation des communautes en developpement. A l’arrivee de la neige et des temps froids, les moyens de transport et de communication s’immobilisent pendant des mois. Analyse L’article explore l’histoire de l’autoneige comme solution « de contournement » (work-around) aux conditions environnementales qui isolent alors des regions du pays par rapport a l’evolution contemporaine de la mobilite. Conclusion et implications En transportant des personnes, des biens et des messages au-dela des divisions sociales et environnementales, l’autoneige illustre la maniere dont les obstacles topographiques catalysent l’imagination. Ce processus mediatique est indissociable de son contexte social, environnemental et culturel.
Addressing the critical need for long-term mental health data during the COVID-19 pandemic: Changes in mental health from April to September 2020.

Despite the large amounts of research currently being conducted and the high number of editorials warning about the potential mental health impacts, there is a stunning lack of longitudinal mental health data on the effects of the pandemic. Yet, the pandemic may have sizable long-term impacts on psychological distress and health behaviors-these effects may be long-lasting and may disproportionately affect some demographic groups more than others. Data came from a longitudinal international study of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults' psychological distress and wellbeing (N = 1567). We found high rates of depression (55% were diagnosable with probable depression at baseline), anxiety (65%), and risk for PTSD (51%). More than one-third of participants who reported that they drank alcohol indicated that their drinking had increased since the start of the pandemic. Over time, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors increased significantly, but acute stress symptoms decreased. Specific demographic groups (people of color and sexual and gender minorities) appeared to be at high risk of distress across analyses. Our findings suggest high rates of depression, anxiety, acute stress, and other signs of distress like isolation, hopelessness, and use of substances to cope-even at five-month follow-up. Our findings suggest a need to prioritize availability of, and access to, mental health care during both the pandemic and the recovery.
Limiting barriers to exercise through the development of a faith-based community walking program

Abstract Background Although evidence supports the benefits of regular exercise, most US adults do not achieve the recommended minimum amount of exercise per week. This is likely related to lack of facilities/social support, cost, fear of injury, and unsafe environments. Purpose The goal of this project was to implement an exercise program within the faith community setting and evaluate for effects on tendencies to exercise and assess attitudes toward potential exercise barriers. Method Informed consent was obtained from enrolled participants. Those enrolled were provided with a fitness tracker. Pre-/post-walking assessment included A1C, height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, and heart rate. Discussion The data showed a trend toward improved self-efficacy, even among participants who were new to exercise.
Constructing Micro Knowledge Graphs from Technical Support Documents

Short technical support pages such as IBM Technotes are quite common in technical support domain. These pages can be very useful as the knowledge sources for technical support applications such as chatbots, search engines and question-answering (QA) systems. Information extracted from documents to drive technical support applications is often stored in the form of Knowledge Graph (KG). Building KGs from a large corpus of documents poses a challenge of granularity because a large number of entities and actions are present in each page. The KG becomes virtually unusable if all entities and actions from these pages are stored in the KG. Therefore, only key entities and actions from each page are extracted and stored in the KG. This approach however leads to loss of knowledge represented by entities and actions left out of the KG as they are no longer available to graph search and reasoning functions.
PorkFuzz: testing stateful software-defined network applications with property graphs

This paper proposes a state-aware fuzzing framework for testing software-defined network applications. It leverages a property graph to store fuzzing results. Application developers can easily express oracles with the graph query language to test their applications. The graph representation also allows the oracles to analyze the fuzzing result efficiently.
Complete feeds—intensive systems

Abstract Most commercially cultivated fish are raised in high-density systems where the assumption is that the contribution of natural foods to the nutrition of the fish is insignificant. Thus, intensively cultured fish must be fed a nutritionally complete feed. A short section on the concept and importance of complete feeds for intensive aquaculture is presented. Emphasis is on the next two sections, meeting dietary requirements (which include a brief survey of dietary requirements and feedstuffs) and formulation of complete feeds for intensively cultured fish. A short section on future trends is also presented.
Decoupled Parameter Estimation for Coherently Distributed Source

A computationally efficient method for the problem of estimating the parameters—the central direction of arrival (DOA) and angular spread of coherently distributed source is presented. The proposed method is based on Schur–Hadamard product which enables the estimation of the central DOA decoupled from that of angular spread of the source. So an underlying rotational invariance structure is exploited. Then the key idea is to apply the propagator method to estimate the central DOA, which only requires linear operations. The angular spread is estimated by a proposed second-order statistics sequently, from which the closed solution of angular spread is derived. An advantage of this method over the classical subspace-based algorithm, such as ESPRIT and MUSIC for distributed source, is that it does not apply any searching. Numerical examples illustrate the performance of the method.
Effect of structural alterations on the photosensitizing potency of furocoumarins (psoralens) and related compounds.

The furocoumarins, certain isomers of which are commonly called psoralens, are heterocyclic compounds that are considered to be derivatives of coumarin. In nature, furocoumarins are widely distributed in many plant families, including the Umbelliferae, Rutaceae, Legumino-sae, Mimosae (1), and can be synthesized when the furan ring is built on a suitably substituted coumarin derivative. A furan ring can be fused to a coumarin molecule in 12 different ways and each of the resulting compounds can become the parent of a family of derivatives. Most of the naturally occurring furocoumarins so far described (e.g., psoralen; 8-methoxypsoralen [xan-thotoxin] ; 5-methoxypsoralen [bergapten] ; isopsoralen [Angelicin]) have been found to be derivatives of either psoralen (7-H furo [3,2-g] [1] benzopyran-7-one) or Angelicin (2-H furo [2,3-h] [1] benzopyran-2-one). Hegarty and La-hey (2), however, have reported the isolation of two very interesting furocoumarins, halfordin and isohalfordin, from the bark of Halfordia scleroxyla F. Muell, a tree of the rain forests of North Queensland. These substances resemble the synthetic isopseudopsoralens discussed here.
The Evolution of Solid Powders in Liquid Aluminum at Low Temperature and the Effects of Ultrasound on It

This research investigated the evolution of solid Ti powders in liquid Al at low melting temperature of 730 °C. In situ Al3Ti particles were synthesized due to the reactive diffusion between solid Ti powders and liquid Al. These Al3Ti particles were blocky in morphology and smaller than 5 µm in size. It was found that the formation of Al3Ti particles underwent the processes of nucleation, growth and rupture. Accordingly, a reaction-peeling model was suggested to illustrate the formation mechanism of small blocky Al3Ti particles. In addition, the effects of high-intensity ultrasound on the diffusion reaction between solid Ti powders and liquid Al were studied. Ultrasonic fields in the Al melt could generate instantaneous high pressure and interparticle collisions, both of which could accelerate the formation rate of Al3Ti particles significantly. An ultrasound assisted in situ method was proposed for producing in situ Al3Ti/Al composites in this research.
Phycobilins of cryptophycean algae. Structures of novel bilins with acryloyl substituents from phycoerythrin 566.

Cryptomonad strain CBD phycoerythrin 566 carries four open-chain tetrapyrrole (bilin) prosthetic groups: three singly thioether-linked bilins at alpha-19, beta-82, and beta-158 and a bilin linked through two thioether bonds at beta-50,61 (amino acid sequence numbering from Wilbanks, S. M., Wedemayer, G.J., and Glazer, A.N. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 17860-17867). The structures of all four peptide-linked prosthetic groups were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The bilin at beta-82 was identified as phycoerythrobilin (PEB), a common prosthetic group in cyanobacterial and red algal phycobiliproteins. The structures of the remaining bilins were novel. The bilin at alpha-19, designated Cys-bilin 618, differed from PEB in having additional double bonds between C-2 and C-3 of ring A and between C-12' and C-12", i.e. an acryloyl substituent at C-12 of ring C. The doubly linked bilin at beta-50,61 designated DiCys-bilin 584, differed from doubly linked PEB (Schoenleber, R.W., Lundell, D.J., Glazer, A.N., and Rapoport, H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5481-5484) in possessing an acryloyl substituent at C-12 of ring C in place of a propionyl substituent. Similarly, the bilin at beta-158, designated Cys-bilin 584, differed from singly-linked PEB in possessing an acryloyl substituent at C-12 of ring C in place of a propionyl substituent. The three novel cryptomonad bilins join heme d1 and chlorophylls c1, c2, and c3 as the only known porphyrin-derived natural products with acryloyl substituents.
Multimedia Effectiveness in an AAC Preservice Setting.

This study investigated the effectiveness of the CD, Families, Culture and AAC, as a culturally sensitive teaching tool for students enrolled in a speech-language pathology AAC course. Students enrolled in the course were divided into three learning format groups that (a) viewed the CD and engaged in learning challenges independently, (b) viewed the CD in class, and (c) had lecture only. Students took objective pre-post tests and also answered essay questions over the material after it was presented. Results indicated that the independent group made significantly smaller gains in pretest-posttest scores related to cultural content than did either the in-class viewing or the lecture group. No significant differences were found by learning group to answers to essay questions. Results are discussed and suggestions are given for appropriate classroom use of the CD.
Models of surface diffusion: I. Anisotropy in activated diffusion

Abstract Monte Carlo simulations of surface diffusion on a bcc(110) plane were carried out to investigate the anisotropy of diffusion. For the unreconstructed plane with jumps occuring along the (111) directions in the plane D 110 /D 110 = D 110 ∗ /D 100 ∗ = 2 for all adsorbate-adsorbate interactions; unstarred quantities refer to the chemical, starred to the tracer diffusion coefficients. The value 2 is in agreement with experimental results for O/W(110). For H/W(110) experiments showed D 110 ∗ /D 100 ∗ ≅ 1 for virtually all coverages and temperatures. The present simulations indicate that this can be accounted for by allowing a fixed ratio of lateral to diagonal, i.e. (100)/(111) directed jumps. The ratio of chemical diffusion coefficients is still equal to that of the tracers in this case, but D110/D100 is in general a function of coverage. It is possible, however, to find interactions for which D110/D100 remains virtually constant. Theoretical arguments, based on the socalled “conventional approximation” are presented to rationalize the equality of the ratio of tracer and chemical diffusion coefficients, and to evaluate the ratio for simple cases. Additional simulations showed that diffusion chains do not affect D110/D100. Finally, the experimentally observed orientation dependence of mean square fluctuations was confirmed by simulations, using anisotropic adsorbate-adsorbate interactions.
Creep of Plasma‐Sprayed‐ZrO2 Thermal‐Barrier Coatings

Specimens of plasma-sprayed-zirconia thermal-barrier coatings with three different porosities and different initial particle sizes were deformed in compression at initial loads of 6900, 13,800, and 24,100 kPa (1000, 2000, and 3500 psi) and temperatures of 1100, 1250, and 1400 C. The coatings were stabilized with lime, MgO, and two different concentrations of Y2O3. Creep began as soon as the load was applied and continued at a constantly decreasing rate until the load was removed. Temperature and stabilization had a pronounced effect on creep rate while the stress, particle size, and porosity had a lesser effect. Creep deformation was due to cracking and particle sliding.
Phagocytosis and Killing of Streptococcus pyogenes by Human Alveolar Macrophages

Abstract In contrast to human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes, alveolar macrophages were able to readily phagocytose and kill an M protein-positive Streptococcus pyogenes strain after opsonization in normal human serum.
Sperm nuclear maturity in spinal cord-injured men: Evaluation by acidic aniline blue stain

Abstract For many of the spinal cord-injured (SCI) men who are able to produce an ejaculate, infertility because of poor semen quality is a concern. Impaired spermatogenesis has been attributed as a possible reason for the poor semen quality. If so, events that occur during spermatogenesis may be used as a marker to evaluate the extent of spermatogenic alteration. During spermatogenesis, when the sperm nuclear condensation occurs, lysine-rich somatic histone are replaced by arginine-rich protamines in the DNA. Acidic aniline blue preferentially stains the immature sperm nucleus blue by binding to the lysine. Hence, each sperm can be individually evaluated for nuclear maturity. To test this concept, the nuclear maturity of sperm from 12 SCI men obtained by vibratory stimulation was compared with sperm samples obtained by self-masturbation from 104 non-SCI men. Sperm smears stained with acidic aniline blue were evaluated for nuclear maturity. The percent of unstained spermatozoa for non-SCI men (mean ± SEM; 83.4 ± 1.1%) was not statistically different from that of the SCI men (79.7 ± 4.8%). However, the sperm motility (70.5 ± 1.2%) and the percentage of normal sperm morphology (50.8 ± 0.7%) of non-SCI men were significantly ( P
Kinematic analysis of human movement

Understanding the kinematics of human movement is of both a basic and an applied value in medicine and biology. Motion measurement can be used to evaluate functional performance of limbs under normal and abnormal conditions. Kinematic knowledge is also essential for proper diagnosis and surgical treatment of joint disease and the design of prosthetic devices to restore function. In general, kinematic analysis of human movement can be categorized into two main areas: 1) Gross movement of the limb segments interconnected by joints, where the relative three-dimensional joint rotation is described by adopting the Eulerian angle system. With proper selection of axes of rotation between two bone segments, the associated finite rotation is sequence independent. This concept is particularly useful, since it matches precisely the clinical definition of joint motion. 2) Detailed analysis of joint articulating surface motion, where generalized three-dimensional, unconstrained rotation and translation are described utilizing the concept of the screw displacement axis. Knowing the surface geometry and soft-tissue constraints, the movement of an articulating joint can be analyzed to provide basic information for lubrication and wear studies. In addition, with appropriate numerical differentiation, velocity and acceleration can be obtained from the displacement information described by the above two methods. Currently available measurement techniques of human movement can be classified into three categories: 1) electrical linkage methods; 2) stereometric methods and biplanar roentgenographic methods; and 3) accelerometric methods. Each system has its unique advantages and limitations in terms of the operational principle, instruments required, data reduction, and type of information produced. Representative analyses of human upper and lower extremity movement will be included as illustrative examples.
Wavefront correction with high-order curvature adaptive optics systems

We demonstrate the existence of higher-order curvature adaptive optics (AO) systems and compare their performance with the current 85-element system being built at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. Simulation results show that systems with in excess of 500 actuators are possible with actuator patterns that are simple extensions of the 85-element design. The attenuation of residual phase error within the Nyquist frequency of the deformable mirror (DM) satisfies the (−5/6) power law. A high-order system is also analyzed in which the pattern of wavefront sensor is synthesized from square pixels and the curvature actuators of the DM are also rectangular. The Strehl performance is ∼2% worse than its annular analog.
Computer simulation of prostate cryoablation--fast and accurate approximation of the exact solution.

Objective. Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive cancer treatment that uses liquid nitrogen or supercooled argon to freeze and destroy tumors. To achieve complete ablation of the prostate, we have developed a computer program that can determine treatment effects by calculating iceball formation. This is based on a three-dimensional (3D) model of the patient's prostate constructed from ultrasound images. The program predicts the best set of cryoablation parameters and cryoprobe spatial positions, then displays these parameters in graphical or numerical form. The objective of this work was to improve our prostate cryoablation modeling software by making its partial differential equation (PDE) solver more accurate and faster.Materials and Methods: CryoSim, our software package, accepts a set of acquired and processed 3D ultrasound images of the prostate, then models heat diffusion using numerical approximations of the heat equation.Results: We describe the latest version of the CryoSim software, which models c...
Composing postmodern subjectivities in the aporia between identity and difference

Recent discussions of teaching composition in the context of cultural studies have begun to consider the condition of the writing subject in society, yet these discussions construct student-writer Subjects according to modernist identity/difference binary oppositions that are politically problematic.1 The modernist Subject is defined in terms of its objective relationship to reality and its opposition to "Other" subjects, and the construction of the modernist Subject (autonomous and sovereign) is an effect of ethno-centric formulations (frames, constructions) of identity/difference oppositions.2 In Orientalism, for example, Edward Said describes how modernist European societies construct cultural differences not only as "other" but also as "opposite" (the identity of the West is constructed in opposition to the difference of the East). According to Said, "When one uses categories like Oriental and Western as both the starting and the end points of analysis, research, public policy, . . . the result is usually to polarize the distinction-the Oriental becomes more Oriental, the Westerner more Western-and limit the human encounter between different cultures, traditions, and societies." The tendency, then, is "to channel thought into a West or an East compartment" (46), eliminating the possibility for common ground, agreement, understanding, or in more extreme cases, destroying the human capacity for tolerance of difference. We cannot maintain oppositional notions of identity/difference without inevitably falling into a situation in which "identity" gains (or attempts to gain) hegemonic control over "difference." A few recent cultural theorists, on the other hand, do not view "identity" and "difference" as oppositional terms; instead, they construct "identity and difference" as a complementary pair, as an alliance rather than an opposition. And the subjectivities that result from this alliance refuse the structural closure of the modernist Subject and articulate themselves (engage in cultural and rhetorical practices) in the aporia between identity and difference. Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida in particular deconstruct the unified structure of the sovereign and autonomous modernist Subject, positing in its place a space in the aporia between identity and difference where subjectivities construct themselves and each other. Throughout much of his work, Foucault is concerned with issues of identity and difference in the textual construction of subjectivities. Discursive
Influence of water level, hunting pressure and habitat type on crocodile abundance in the fly river drainage, Papua New Guinea

Abstract Between October 1978 and July 1980, day and night crocodile surveys were conducted at low, normal and high water levels over 2703 km of river and lakeshore in the Western and Southern Highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea. The 1353 crocodiles seen ranged between 0·18 and 2·23 animals per km. Night counts recorded 12·9 times as many crocodiles as day counts over the same area. This may indicate more nocturnal activity than occurs in other crocodilians. Unhunted areas had a greater proportion of large crocodiles than did hunted regions. As the water level rose, the ‘visible juveniles’ category decreased as a result of migration into newly flooded adjacent swamplands. The upstream range of New Guinea crocodiles on the Strickland River extended only to the Burnett River junction. There was an increase in flight distance with increasing body size and this rate of increase was over twice as large for hunted populations as for unhunted ones.
Association between the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction and the Self-Esteem and Relationship Questionnaire following treatment with sildenafil citrate for men with erectile dysfunction.

Abstract Objectives Research is lacking on the correlation between treatment satisfaction and confidence, self-esteem, and relationships for men receiving treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). We sought to correlate scores between the validated Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) index and the validated Self-Esteem And Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire following treatment with sildenafil citrate (VIAGRA). Methods This study was based on an open-label, flexible-dose trial of 93 sildenafil-naive patients with ED. Pearson correlation coefficients between EDITS index and SEAR questionnaire scores, each of which can range from 0 to 100 (most favorable), were calculated at end of treatment (EOT). An analysis of covariance model was applied to associate changes from baseline to EOT in SEAR scores with EDITS score at EOT, controlling for baseline SEAR score. Results Significant and sizable Pearson's correlations between SEAR and EDITS scores ( P ≤ 0.0001; range: 0.49–0.84) were observed. A 10-point higher EDITS scores at EOT corresponded to a significant and tangible average improvement in SEAR scores from baseline to EOT ( P ≤ 0.0001; range: 6.6–8.7). Average SEAR scores at EOT were markedly different between patients with greater treatment satisfaction at EOT (EDITS score ≥ median EDITS score of 88.6; n = 50) and those with lesser treatment satisfaction at EOT (EDITS score Conclusions The data add to the validity of the SEAR questionnaire, suggest a tangible relationship between treatment satisfaction and psychosocial benefit among men with ED treated with sildenafil, and highlight the importance of assessing the psychosocial impact of ED in men undergoing treatment.
The number of indecomposable codes

Abstract A CUPS class of codes is a class that is closed under external direct sums, projections onto components of external direct sums, and formation of equivalent codes. In this paper, formulas are developed to compute the number of indecomposable codes of length n and the number of indecomposable (n, k) codes (both with full support) in a CUPS class C in terms of the total number of length n and (n, k) codes, respectively, in C . Applications include complete computations of the total number of indecomposable length n codes, the number of indecomposable (n, k) codes, the number of indecomposable (n, k) codes of minimum distance 3 or more, the number of indecomposable length n self-dual codes, and the number of indecomposable length n self-dual codes with minimum distance 4 or more.
Dynamics of DNA Mismatch Repair Revealed by Single Molecule FRET

Single molecule FRET (smFRET) has rapidly gained popularity because it can provide unique information about biomolecular systems. In particular, smFRET provides quantitative nanoscale resolution of dynamic molecular motions and multimolecular interactions, all for unsynchronizable samples that may have multiple reaction pathways operating in parallel. As the experimental capabilities of smFRET advance, this method has been applied to increasingly complex biological systems. I will illustrate these complex system advantages of single molecule FRET by presenting measurements of DNA mismatch repair proteins MutS and MutL interacting with mismatched DNA. These proteins are the initial sentries that detect single base mismatches and insertions/deletions and activate repair cascades. We use smFRET to determine dynamic DNA bending by MutS, concomitant conformational changes within MutS itself, motion of MutS scanning along DNA, ATP binding states that commit MutS:mismatch DNA complexes to convert to sliding states used in signaling, and the modulation of these MutS behaviors by interactions with MutL.
In the First Soot-Gray Light: Translating Rodolfo Walsh's “Worldly Offices”

The process of translating Rodolfo Walsh's short story “Los oficios terrestres” (“Worldly Offices”) into English presents numerous interpretive and stylistic challenges. This essay discusses various strategies used in the translation of Walsh's text into English. It is informed by Antoine Berman's theoretical paradigm, which rejects the Platonic figure of translation as “an embellishing restitution of meaning” in favor of “labor on the letter,” a practice that seeks to go beyond semantic restitution to restore such vehicles of expression as rhythm, linguistic and discursive patterns, idioms, and the underlying signifiers that constitute the subtext. Issues addressed include representations of power and resistance, the ironic use of ecclesiastical language to satirize the oppressive authority of the Catholic Church, and the interplay of oppositions in narrative structure, theme, imagery, register, and language.
Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of Non-Polypoid Colorectal Neoplasm

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is preferred to standard polypectomy for the resection of non-polypoid lesions because these lesions can be technically difficult to capture with a snare; furthermore, without submucosal injection the underlying muscularis propria may be excessively coagulated or even inadvertently resected. Because the resection plane of EMR is in the middle or deeper part of the submucosa, EMR allows the precise depth of the lesion to be evaluated. Although the majority of non-polypoid lesions are adenomatous, non-polypoid colorectal neoplasm has a high association with advanced pathology, irrespective of size. Using EMR, a complete pathologic specimen is obtained, the risk of lymph node metastasis can be accurately assessed based on the depth of invasion, and patients can be suitably managed. Used according to its indications, EMR provides curative resection, and obviates the higher morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with surgical treatment.
In vitro induction of specific unresponsiveness by exposure of primed spleen cells to high doses of a hapten-protein conjugate.

Abstract In vitro unresponsiveness was induced to the hapten-protein conjugate of β- d -lactoside azocoupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (Lac-KLH) in single cell suspensions of primed mouse lymphocytes. Primed cells pretreated with 200 μg Lac-KLH for 1–2 days could not respond when thoroughly washed and challenged with 0.02 μg Lac-KLH in medium containing 2-mercaptoethanol. However, 2-mercaptoethanol included in the cultures during the time of pretreatment showed some protection against the induction of unresponsiveness. Unresponsiveness was shown to be specific in that the responses to unrelated antigens were not impaired. Both T and B cells appeared to be affected in unresponsive cultures, because cells pretreated with 200 μg Lac-KLH failed to respond to non-cross-reacting haptens coupled to the homologous carrier (KLH) or to a challenge of the Lac hapten conjugated to a different carrier, horse red cells (HRC), in cultures containing HRC-primed helper T cells. Unresponsiveness could be transferred to fresh cultures of Lac-KLH-primed cells containing 0.02 μg Lac-KLH and apparently did not involve T suppressor cells or a B-cell product. Thus treatment of the unresponsive cells with anti-T-cell serum and complement, heavy doses of X irradiation, passage of such cells through nylon wool columns, or removal of both T and B cells by rosetting techniques prior to transfer, failed to abrogate their ability to suppress the fresh cells. These findings suggested that the suppression in this system may be mediated by macrophages or other accessory cells, probably via bound antigen-antibody complexes.
The stereochemistry of aziridine borane lithiation: diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity

Abstract Lithiation of 1-methylaziridine borane, 1-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxyethyl)aziridine borane, or 1-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxyethyl)-2-methylaziridine borane occurs syn to the boron substituent, while lithiation of 1-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxyethyl)-2-trimethylstannylaziridine borane occurs anti to boron as well as silicon due to the steric effect of trimethylsilyl group (s-butyllithium was used in all cases). Kinetically controlled lithiation in the first three cases results from a combination of steric and electrostatic effects. Enantioselective lithiation occurs in the presence of (−)-sparteine, with product enantioselectivities near 70% ee.
Thyroid Mitochondrial Respiration1,2

Respiration of calf thyroid mitochondria, microsomes and homogenate was studied by conventional Warburg manometric techniques, and in a Clark oxygen electrode. Basal mitochondrial respiratory rates are low, averaging 0.006 uaO (uatom oxygen per mg protein per min). The addition of succinate stimulates respiration to 0.016 uaO and addition of ADP as high energy phosphate acceptor further stimulates respiration to 0.07 uaO. The respiratory control ratios (RCR, respiration with ADP/ respiration without) are over 5 in the most satisfactory preparations. KCN (.1 mM), antimycin A (0.5 μg/mg pr) and malonate (3 mM) inhibited succinate respiration. DPNH-supported respiration is low unless cytochrome c is added. TSH does not augment respiration with succinate, alpha-ketoglutarate, TPNH, or DPNH, with or without cytochrome c. Methimazole (10 mM), KCIO4 (1 mM) and KI (10 mM) do not alter respiratory activity. Mitochondrial ATPase activity tends to exceed acceptorless succinate oxidation by a ratio of 3.7:1. DNP, 0.1...