cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Civic/sanctuary orientation and HIV involvement among Chinese immigrant religious institutions in New York City.

Abstract Using data from a study of Chinese immigrant religious institutions in New York City (primarily Christian and Buddhist), this paper explores why some religious institutions are more inclined than others to be involved in HIV-related work. Although numerous factors are likely to play a role, we focus on organisations’ differing views on social engagement as an explanatory factor. We hypothesise that religious institutions that value social engagement (‘civic’) will be more inclined towards HIV/AIDS involvement than those that are more inward focused (‘sanctuary’). Given that many religious institutions are fundamentally defined by their stance on the appropriateness of social engagement, better understanding of this key characteristic may help to inform community and government organisations aiming to increase religious institutions’ involvement in HIV/AIDS-related work. Our analysis suggests that some organisations may be less interested in taking on the challenges of working in HIV/AIDS because ...
Reward sensitivity to faces versus objects in children: an ERP study

How children respond to social and nonsocial rewards has important implications for understanding social cognitive development. Adults find faces intrinsically rewarding. However, little is known about how children respond to face vs nonface rewards. We utilized event-related potentials (the stimulus-preceding negativity, SPN) to measure differences in reward anticipation during a guessing game in 6- to 8-year-olds. Children were presented with reward indicators accompanied by incidental face or nonface stimuli. Nonface stimuli were comprised of scrambled faces in the shape of arrows, controlling for low-level properties of the two conditions. Children showed an increased SPN when the reward stimuli were accompanied by faces, relative to nonface stimuli. This suggests that children find a face stimulus more rewarding than a nonface stimulus. The results have important implications for processing social vs nonsocial rewards in typically developing children, and allow testing of populations with deficits in social reward processing, such as autism spectrum disorder.
Pictorial representations in statistical reasoning

SUMMARY In an ongoing debate between two visions of statistical reasoning competency, ecological rationality proponents claim that pictorial representations help tap into the frequency coding mechanisms of the mind, whereas nested sets proponents argue that pictorial representations simply help one to appreciate general subset relationships. Advancing this knowledge into applied areas is hampered by this present disagreement. A series of experiments used Bayesian reasoning problems with different pictorial representations (Venn circles, iconic symbols and Venn circles with dots) to better understand influences on performance across these representation types. Results with various static and interactive presentations of pictures all indicate a consistent advantage for iconic representations. These results are more consistent with an ecological rationality view of how these pictorial representations achieve facilitation in statistical task performance and provide more specific guidance for applied uses. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Towards the design of programmable self-assembled DNA-carbon nanotubes: an approach to nanobiotronics

Recently, bioelectronics has become a unique fusion of ideas leading to the development of new bio-devices, which electrically interface biological compounds such as proteins, lipids, and DNAs with electronic transducers. The major developments in this research field are biosensors and biomaterials. In addition, recent trends in interdisciplinary studies in chemistry, biology and electronics have led to a new field of research: biomolecular electronics. This promising scientific field is part of a more general approach, molecular electronics, which aims to the development of new electronic technologies, and will overcome the problem of downscaling silicon CMOS electronics faces, having the long-term goal of building a molecular computer with highly reduced feature sizes, higher performance and increased information processing capabilities. In this preliminary work, we propose a new approach for the realization of a programmable bio-molecular units that will take advantage of the self-assembly and selectivity properties of DNA molecules and the versatility of carbon nanotubes (CNT) to build scalable computing systems that will prove the feasibility of the biomolecular computer.
Lipid binding domains: more than simple lipid effectors

The spatial and temporal regulation of lipid molecules in cell membranes is a hallmark of cellular signaling and membrane trafficking events. Lipid-mediated targeting provides for strict control and versatility, because cell membranes harbor a large number of lipid molecules with variation in head group and acyl chain structures. Signaling and trafficking proteins contain a large number of modular domains that exhibit specific lipid binding properties and play a critical role in their localization and function. Nearly 20 years of research including structural, computational, biochemical and biophysical studies have demonstrated how these lipid-binding domains recognize their target lipid and achieve subcellular localization. The integration of this individual lipid-binding domain data in the context of the full-length proteins, macromolecular signaling complexes, and the lipidome is only beginning to be unraveled and represents a target of therapeutic development. This review brings together recent findings and classical concepts to concisely summarize the lipid-binding domain field while illustrating where the field is headed and how the gaps may be filled in with new technologies.
Cosmetic Surgery Makeover Programs and Intentions to Undergo Cosmetic Enhancements: A Consideration of Three Models of Media Effects.

The recent proliferation of reality-based television programs highlighting cosmetic surgery has raised concerns that such programming promotes unrealistic expectations of plastic surgery and increases the desire of viewers to undergo such procedures. In Study 1, a survey of 170 young adults indicated little relationship between cosmetic surgery makeover program viewing and body satisfaction or perception of risk but a small positive association with desire to undergo cosmetic surgical procedures. In Study 2, a survey of 271 young women allowed for a test of three theoretical explanations for this association. Evidence in support of cultivation theory, social cognitive theory, and social comparison theory emerged, thus highlighting the need for a more integrated theoretical model of media effects.
Assessing Cognitive and Affective Empathy Through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index: An Argument Against a Two-Factor Model

One aspect of higher order social cognition is empathy, a psychological construct comprising a cognitive (recognizing emotions) and an affective (responding to emotions) component. The complex nature of empathy complicates the accurate measurement of these components. The most widely used measure of empathy is the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). However, the factor structure of the IRI as it is predominantly used in the psychological literature differs from Davis's original four-factor model in that it arbitrarily combines the subscales to form two factors: cognitive and affective empathy. This two-factor model of the IRI, although popular, has yet to be examined for psychometric support. In the current study, we examine, for the first time, the validity of this alternative model. A confirmatory factor analysis showed poor model fit for this two-factor structure. Additional analyses offered support for the original four-factor model, as well as a hierarchical model for the scale. In line with previous findings, females scored higher on the IRI than males. Our findings indicate that the IRI, as it is currently used in the literature, does not accurately measure cognitive and affective empathy and highlight the advantages of using the original four-factor structure of the scale for empathy assessments.
Document Ink Bleed-Through Removal with Two Hidden Markov Random Fields and a Single Observation Field

We present a new method for blind document bleed-through removal based on separate Markov random field (MRF) regularization for the recto and for the verso side, where separate priors are derived from the full graph. The segmentation algorithm is based on Bayesian maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation. The advantages of this separate approach are the adaptation of the prior to the contents creation process (e.g., superimposing two handwritten pages), and the improvement of the estimation of the recto pixels through an estimation of the verso pixels covered by recto pixels; moreover, the formulation as a binary labeling problem with two hidden labels per pixels naturally leads to an efficient optimization method based on the minimum cut/maximum flow in a graph. The proposed method is evaluated on scanned document images from the 18th century, showing an improvement of character recognition results compared to other restoration methods.
Imaging of normal leptomeningeal melanin.

PURPOSE To find CT and MR characteristics of normal leptomeningeal melanin, which can be macroscopically visible at autopsy in decedents with deeply pigmented skin. METHODS For the normal anatomic study, there were two black subjects who had brain MR and CT within 12 months before autopsy that showed leptomeningeal melanin. For the normal imaging study, brain MR was done on 74 patients (31 black), and CT in 24 of these 74 patients. RESULTS In the normal anatomic study, the pattern of T2-weighted hypointensities on the surface of the medulla oblongata matched the histopathologic distribution of leptomeningeal melanin. A similar signal was seen in 28 of the 31 black patients in the normal imaging study. Such a signal was subtle, or entirely absent, in the other patients. CT showed no reliable altered attenuation corresponding to the histopathologic distribution of leptomeningeal melanin. CONCLUSION Normal leptomeningeal melanin is visible on MR as T2-weighted hypointensities along the surface of the medulla oblongata. The signal changes can be profound and might simulate leptomeningeal diseases that contain melanin or iron. This normal pigmentation should be taken into account before diagnosing abnormalities in this region.
Dynamic Preference Maintenance

Consumers' choices and evaluations can sometimes be interpreted as goal-driven attempts to manage some of the internal and external resources and constraints that affect subsequent purchase and consumption choices. For example, delaying gratification involves limiting immediate benefits in favor of better future ones. We refer to this self-management of resources and constraints as dynamic preference maintenance and illustrate this concept with a number of marketing examples. We discuss evidence and practical and conceptual implications for marketing.
Bovine papillomavirus E1 protein affects the host cell cycle phase fractions

C127 murine fibroblast cells were electroporated with a bovine papillomavirus E1 protein expression vector and examined by flow cytometry. E1 expressing cells (E1+) within the total cell population were distinguished from nonexpressing cells (E1−) by immunofluorescent staining with anti-E1 serum and a fluorescein-conjugated second antibody. Under conditions of saturation with the first and second antibodies, the specific green fluorescence reflected the level of intracellular E1 protein. Simultaneous staining with a DNA-specific dye, propidium iodide (PI), enabled the cell cycle distributions for the E1+ and E1− cell populations to be determined. It was found that the E1+ subpopulation had a reduced percentage of cells in G1 phase and an increased percentage of G2+M phase cells, compared to the E1− subpopulation. There was no significant difference in overall doubling time or percentage of noncycling cells in the E1+ vs. E1− populations, indicating that the change in cell cycle distribution was not due to a general activation or inhibition of cell growth by E1. Direct measurement of cell cycle phase fractions confirmed that the G1 phase was decreased and the G2+M phase was increased in E1 expressing cells. As these observations were made in the absence of other viral proteins or viral DNA replication, it suggests that the E1 protein exerts an effect on the host cell independent of its direct role in viral DNA replication. Thus, E1 may interact directly with the host cell cycle regulatory machinery. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Selective detection of non-aromatic pesticides via cyclodextrin-promoted fluorescence modulation

Reported herein is the detection of aliphatic pesticides using cyclodextrin-promoted fluorescence modulation. The introduction of the pesticide leads to noticeable changes in the emission of a fluorophore held in close proximity by cyclodextrin, leading to a pesticide detection system that operates with 100% successful differentiation and low limits of detection.
Evaluation of transgenic soybean exhibiting high expression of a synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis cry1A transgene for suppressing lepidopteran population densities and crop injury.

Several transgenic lines of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., expressing a synthetic cry1A gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were examined in replicated field trials in 2003–2007 for suppression of naturally occurring population densities of lepidopteran pests and the resultant crop injury that they caused. Bt soybean and negative controls (isogenic segregants and parental lines) were evaluated against velvetbean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hubner); soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker); and green cloverworm, Hypena scabra (F.). Population densities of these lepidopteran species were essentially absent in each of the Bt soybean entries evaluated throughout the growing season in every year of the study compared with moderate (5–10 larvae per row-m) to large (20–30 larvae per row-m) peak population densities in the negative control soybean entries. These lepidopteran populations caused significant plant injury in the non-Bt soybean plots, ranging from 53% defoliation in 2003 to 17.5% in 2007, compared with <1.5% defoliation (mostly 0.0% defoliation) in the Bt soybean plots. When two or three foliar insecticides were applied in August or September, as lepidopteran populations approached or exceeded economic threshold levels, pest populations were suppressed and defoliation was minimal in the treated non-Bt entries similar to results in Bt soybean. Soybean 100-seed weights and harvested yields were similar between the Bt and non-Bt entries each year of this study. It seems that Bt transgenic soybean provides excellent season-long control of lepidopteran pests and have yields equal to the standard cultivars examined in this study. Once available to producers, this Bt technology has the potential to provide an effective insect pest management option similar to that being used in Bt cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., and Bt corn, Zea mays L., and enhance the sustainability and profitability of soybean production in the southern region where lepidopteran pests cause annual economic losses to the crop.
Activity of medullary respiratory neurons during ventilator-induced apnea in sleep and wakefulness

Mechanical ventilation of cats in sleep and wakefulness causes apnea, often within two to three cycles of the ventilator. We recorded 137 medullary respiratory neurons in four adult cats during eupnea and during apnea caused by mechanical ventilation. We hypothesized that the residual activity of respiratory neurons during apnea might reveal its cause(s). The results showed that residual activity depended on 1) the amount of nonrespiratory inputs to the cell (cells with more nonrespiratory inputs had greater amounts of residual activity); 2) the cell type (expiratory cells had more residual activity than inspiratory cells); and 3) the state of consciousness (more residual activity in wakefulness and rapid-eye-movement sleep than in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep). None of the cells showed an activation during ventilation that could explain the apnea. Residual activity of approximately one-half of the cells was modulated in phase with the ventilator. The strength of this modulation was quantified by using an effect-size statistic and was found to be weak. The patterns of modulation did not support the idea that mechanoreceptors excite some respiratory cells that, in turn, inhibit others. Indeed, most cells, inspiratory and expiratory, discharged during the deflation-inflation transition of ventilation. Residual activity failed to reveal the cause of apnea but showed that during apnea respiratory neurons act as if they were disinhibited and disfacilitated.
Validation of weekly-dose cisplatin combined with radiation therapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer

6076 Background: Impressive outcomes have been achieved using multiagent neoadjuvant and concomitant chemotherapy combined with radiation in definitive treatment of head and neck cancer; these are ...
Deep history: reflections on the archive and the lifeworld

This paper outlines an approach for comparing Edmund Husserl’s late historical-teleological reflections in the Crisis of the European Sciences with Michel Foucault’s archaeology of discursive formations in his Archaeology of Knowledge, with a particular emphasis on the notion of an “historical apriori.” The argument is that each conception of historical reflection complements the other by opening up a depth dimension that moves beyond the traditional limits of the philosophy of history. In Husserl, the concept of the lifeworld fixes the parameters of a “deep history” as the horizon of anonymous subjective comportment, while in Foucault the concept of the archive delimits an alternative deep history of the anonymous production of discursive formations. Together, Husserl and Foucault represent two important moments of the radicalization of the theme of history in twentieth century philosophy, one seeking to extend the limits of transcendental philosophy, the other contesting the domain of the transcendental altogether.
Interdependence Revisited: A Developing Countries' Perspective on Macroeconomic Management and Trade Policy in the Industrial World

The North-South connection Sweder van Wijnbergen How do macroeconomic and trade policies in the industrialized world affect the welfare of the less developed countries? This paper develops a theoretical and empirical model of the world economy to address these issues. It differs from conventional economic models in its focus on the role of real interest rates and relative prices rather than the level of demand. Two policy simulations are carried out with the model. The first looks at the effect of an increase in OECD budget deficits on the less developed countries. The less developed countries suffer doubly because the fiscal expansion in the developed countries not only raises real interest rates, but also reduces the relative price of the goods produced by the less developed countries. An increase in protectionism in the industrialized countries also hits the developing countries twice: again, the relative price of their export goods falls whilst the real interest rate at which they borrow rises. The welfare effects are significant. A scenario in which industrial countries levy a 10% tariff on developing country exports and OECD budget deficits are $75 billion higher by 1989 would raise the real interest rate by more than 4 percentage points and reduce by 1.4 percentage points the average rate of growth of the developing countries in the late 1980s.
Image Frequency Termination of the Superconducting Quasiparticle Mixer

A simple analytic expression is derived from the quantum theory of mixing ignoring all reactances, which predicts that a smaller image termination conductance always increases the range of parameter values which produce infinite available gain in the superconducting quasiparticle mixer. An exactly short circuited image is anomalous in that infinite gain is strictly prohibited, except for one special case. Including the nonlinear quasiparticle reactance, the calculated gain contours for real junction I-V curves, displayed on a Smith chart of image termination impedance, are symmetrical about an axis rotated counterclockwise from the real axis. This rotation implies that the predominant effect of the nonlinear reactance is a time delay. This time delay may be related to the average time delay in the quasiparticle response function.
AN OLFACTOMETER FOR USE IN THE STUDY OF MOSQUITO ATTRACTANTS.

In our laboratory at Gainesville we have found a simplified olfactometer useful in studying the responses of mosquitoes to emanations from human arms and to attractive chemicals.
Linguistic Anthropology in 2015: Not the Study of Language

The thesis of this essay is that linguistic anthropology is not the study of language. Rather, “language” functions as a permanently problematic, if indispensable, object for linguistic anthropological analysis and thought. This is because, as I suggest, the critical intervention of linguistic anthropology over the last 40 years has been its ethnographic focus on indexicality, in particular, the ways that indexical processes undermine language as an autonomous object, entangling it with other semiotic modalities and thereby displacing it beyond its putative borders. Reviewing linguistic anthropological scholarship from 2015, I argue that it is the study of this displacement and its more general semiotic implications—and the entangled and mutually informing analytics that have been developed to theorize them, for example, language ideology, entextualization, interdiscursivity, chronotope—that centers the field. Focusing on a set of such analytics, I illustrate how recent linguistic anthropological scholarship has elaborated the reflexive, dialectical nature of social life, theorizing what I call total semiotic facts. I explore these dialectics by discussing three thematic clusters that occupied the attention of the field in 2015: diversity and authenticity, political economy, and mass mediation.
Myosin isozyme distribution in rodent hindlimb skeletal muscle.

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of myosin isozymes in rodent (Rattus norvegicus) hindlimb skeletal muscles and regions of muscle known to have contrasting fiber-type composition. Muscle samples were analyzed for Ca2+-regulated myofibril adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, Ca2+-activated myosin ATPase activity, myosin isozyme profile, and myosin light chain profile. Four isozymes of myosin were identified based on native protein and light chain electrophoresis patterns: one associated primarily with slow-twitch muscle (SM) and three associated primarily with fast-twitch muscle (FM). Multiple linear regression analysis of Ca2+-regulated myofibril ATPase activity (pCA 4) vs. measured isozyme profile was used to estimate the myofibril ATPase activities of the individual isozymes (FM1 = 0.86, FM2 = 0.52, FM3 = 0.31, and SM = 0.15 mumol Pi formed . mg myofibril protein-1 . min-1 at 25 degrees C, n = 180, P less than 0.001). Differences in the native isozyme profiles and myofibril ATPase activities between muscles and muscle regions of similar fiber type composition indicate that a given fiber type may not necessarily express a single isozyme profile. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that, among rodent hindlimb skeletal muscles and inherently their motor units, a range of myosin isozyme profiles exists that may provide a broad range of mechanical expression.
Patient factors influencing bariatric operation- what has changed, 11 years later

While bariatric surgery has remained a popular treatment option for overweight patients in the past decade, little research has been performed into the decision-making process for these patients. Our institution published a study in 2005 examining the most popular weight-loss operations chosen, the demographics of the bariatric population, the referral patterns that led to bariatric surgery, and the reasons why certain procedures were selected over others. A review of the literature identified several other studies that have explored one or more of these topics. The patient population has remained relatively stable over time, with a trend towards younger and less obese patients. The longitudinal sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has supplanted the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) as the most popular bariatric operation, and the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) has greatly decreased in prevalence. Patient reasoning behind surgical choices is conflicting, suggesting that despite preoperative education sessions, patients are making their choices prior to their initial consultation. Lastly, while use of the internet has remained stable over time, the accuracy of the information presented has increased. A combination of internet use, primary care physician (PCP) referral, and friend/family recommendations are used by patients to find their surgeon, though which factor is most important is unknown.
Examining health literacy among urban African-American adolescents with asthma.

AbstractObjective: This exploratory study assessed health literacy among urban African-American high school students to improve understanding of the association between adolescent health literacy and asthma. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the control group (n = 181) of the Puff City randomized controlled trial (2006–2010), a web-based intervention to promote asthma management among students, grades 9 through 12. A validated self-report 3-item health literacy screening instrument was completed at final online follow-up survey. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between health literacy, demographic characteristics, quality of life, asthma management, and health care utilization. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that an overall inadequate health literacy score was associated with students who were more likely to be younger (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.44–0.84), not on Medicaid (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.17–0.76), have at least one hospitalization (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.07–1.56); and...
NEW LEGISLATION IN FINLAND - STATE FUNDING FOR SHELTERS FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Background (issue/problem) The roots of the shelter movement in Finland are strongly connected to child protection. Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters opened the first Shelters in 1979. The service was primarily targeted for women with children. Description of the problem Earlier it was up to the municipality if they had money to send a victim of domestic violence to a shelter or not. It was not an obligation for the municipality because we had no legislation on shelter services. Many of the shelters had financial problems to run the services. Because the services were targeted for women with children the entry of single women into shelters was not possible or was complicated. Results (effects/changes) In 2014 the Government decided that the responsibility for the shelter services belongs with the state instead of the municipalities. The Act on reimbursement out of State funds for providers of shelters for victims of domestic violence (1354/2014) took effect on 1 January 2015. The responsibility for financing the services provided in the shelters rests with the State. Most of the service providers are still NGOs. Now the shelters for victims of domestic violence are open for anyone – women, men and children of all ages – who has experienced acts or threatened acts of domestic violence. The shelters are open 24/7, free of charge and one doesn’t need a referral. The National Institution of Health and Welfare is responsible for the national co-ordination and development of the shelter services. There are already common national quality standards drawn up together with national and local agencies and NGOs. The aim of the quality standards is to improve the quality of shelters and give uniform norms for granting a shelter license. In Finland we think this legislation is a great step forward for the State to take responsibility to help victims of domestic violence. This improvement was made thanks to the Istanbul Convention.
Science, Explanatory Theory, and Environment-Behavior Studies

This metatheoretical paper is in two major parts, the first dealing with scientific theory in general, the other with theory in Environment-Behavior Studies (EBS) based largely on a preliminary synthesis of my own work.
Suppression of Angiogenesis and Resistance to Doxorubicin by the Thyroid Hormone Tetraiodothyroacetic Acid.

Abstract Thyroid hormone has been recently shown to induce tumor growth and angiogenesis. These angiogenesis modulating activities are initiated at endothelial cell plasma membrane receptor via the integrin αVβ3, at or near the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) recognition site on the integrin. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of tetraiodothyroacetic acid (tetrac), a deaminated thyroid hormone analog that inhibits thyroid hormone-binding to the cell surface integrin, on angiogenesis and cancer cell resistance to doxorubicin both in vitro and in vivo. Two angiogenesis models were studied in which vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF165 or basic fibroblast growth factor, FGF2 (1–2 μg/ml) or thyroid hormone, thyroxin (L-T4 or T3) were used either to induce tube formation in the human dermal micro-vascular endothelial cells (HDMEC), or to stimulate new blood vessel branch formation in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) models. In both models, Tetrac (0.1–10 μM) inhibited the pro-angiogenesis activity of VEGF, FGF2, L-T4 or T3 by more than 50% at 1.0 uM RT-PCR revealed that tetrac (1–3 μM) decreased abundance of angiopoietin-2 mRNA but did not affect the mRNA levels of angiopoietin-1, in VEGF-exposed endothelial cells, suggesting that specific angiogenic pathways are targeted by this compound. Additionally, microarray was used to examine changes in expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP) and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases (TIMP) following VEGF treatment with and without tetrac. HDMEC cells treated with VEGF exhibited 3–5-fold increase in MMP-15 and MMP-19 expression and tetrac (3μM), inhibited expression of MMP-15 and MMP-19 by 3–9-fold, respectively. Expression of TIMP-3 was increased 5.4-fold following VEGF and tetrac treatment when compared to treatment with VEGF alone. This finding suggests that part of the mechanism by which tetrac inhibits VEGF-stimulated angiogenesis involves inhibition of certain MMPs and increase in TIMP expression. Investigation of the anti-proliferative function of tetrac was carried out using the αVβ3 expressing breast cancer cells MC7 and their drug resistant counterparts. Interestingly, proliferation of both cell lines was inhibited similarly by tetrac suggesting that this analog may circumvent drug resistance. In fact, tetrac was able to reverse resistance to doxorubicin in vitro and to suppress growth of doxorubicin resistant tumors in nude mice. Inhibition of the drug transporter p-glycoprotein was found to play a key role in mediating the action of tetrac. Taken together, findings presented in this study provide evidence that the anticancer function of tetrac can be attributed to its anti-angiogenic and drug resistance reversal activities.
Biochar-based nursery substrates: The effect of peat substitution on reduced salinity

Abstract The growing of ornamental plants for urban greening has significant environmental and economic implications. In particular, the intensive use of peat and high-quality water at the nursery stage is sensitive due to the problems of soil depletion and water salinization even in urban areas. In these contexts, a preference for salinity-resistant species and cultivation techniques based on the substitution of low-impact materials could be beneficial. Here, an experiment has been carried out with two ornamental plant species – cherry laurel [Prunus laurocerasus L.] which is salinity-sensitive, and phillyrea [Phillyrea latifolia L.] which is salinity-resistant – using substrates containing different amounts of biochar in place of peat. Moreover, using irrigation water at two different salinity concentrations, we assess the extent to which the biochar can mitigate salinity damage in these plant species. The results of this study showed that the addition of biochar to the potting medium had no effect on plant growth but crucially limited cherry laurel salinity damage. Tolerance to salinity was attributed to lower Na+ retention in the biochar-containing substrates. Based on these findings, we conclude that the application of biochar not only reduces the amount of peat required in growth substrates, but can also permit the utilization of low-quality irrigation water – thereby also reducing the leaching of nutrients such as K+ and N-NH4+.
Hydrogenation of CO2 in Water Using a Bis(diphosphine) Ni–H Complex

The water-soluble Ni bis(diphosphine) complex [NiL2](BF4)2 (L = 1,2-[bis(dimethoxypropyl)phosphino]ethane and the corresponding hydride, [HNiL2]BF4, were synthesized and characterized. These complexes were specifically designed for CO2 hydrogenation. For HNiL2+, the hydricity (ΔG°H–) was determined to be 23.2(3) kcal/mol in aqueous solution. On the basis of the hydricity of formate, 24.1 kcal/mol, the transfer of a hydride from HNiL2+ to CO2 to produce formate is favorable by 1 kcal/mol. Starting from either NiL22+ or HNiL2+ in water, catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 was observed with NaHCO3 (0.8 M) as the only additive. A maximum turnover frequency of [4.0(5)] × 10–1 h–1 was observed at 80 °C and 34 atm of a 1:1 mixture of CO2 and H2. This report demonstrates the use of a homogeneous first-row transition-metal catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation in water using NaHCO3 as an inexpensive, readily available base.
Quantification in Q’anjob’al

This study offers a broad descriptive overview of quantification in Q’anjob’al (Mayan, ISO: kjb). Areas of particular focus include the encoding of definiteness and distributivity, and the semantics of clausal particles in their quantificational usage.
Turning Wrongs into Rights: Implementation of RightsStatements.org at Washington University

As many librarians who work with digital collections know, ambiguous or meaningless rights statements can cause confusion and limit downstream use of materials. Following DPLA and Europeana's lead in drafting simple, standardized terms that help metadata contributors more effectively communicate copyright and re-use status of digital objects, we evaluated materials in 50+ exhibits at Washington University Libraries in order to assign each an appropriate statement from RightsStatements.org and help facilitate the same for other contributors to the Missouri Hub. This poster focuses on the implementation of project statements and recommendations. Its purpose is to share and discuss practical steps and workflows that organizations can use to assign statements to materials in their own collections. This is rooted in the perspective of a medium-sized organization, with fairly typical staffing, that contributes to DPLA via participation in a regional service hub, but may be relevant to platforms and institutions of all types. The goal is to provide concrete help with evaluating the underlying status of items by collection and deciding which statement to apply. This may involve risk assessment and/or judgment calls, and the poster outlines a few factors that were considered and how decisions were made.
The ECOWAS Intervention in the Gambia - 2016

This is a book chapter that examines the legality of the 2017 ECOWAS intervention in The Gambia. This chapter commences with a factual description of the crisis that broke out in The Gambia in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential Election, which ultimately led to the Senegalese-led ECOWAS intervention in The Gambia on January 19, 2017. It also describes the positions adopted by the international community, including international and regional organizations, during the crisis and after the beginning of the intervention. This chapter then discusses the potential legal justifications for the intervention. These are: pro-democratic intervention, intervention by invitation, and UN Security Council authorization. It argues that the ECOWAS intervention is legally unjustifiable on any of these grounds. This is because pro-democratic intervention is not recognized as a legal basis for intervention, and because the Security Council did not authorize ECOWAS to intervene in The Gambia. This chapter also finds that, judged by the established rules of jus ad bellum governing intervention by invitation, the intervention was illegal. This is because President-Elect Adama Barrow did not exercise effective control – or indeed any control – over The Gambia when he invited ECOWAS to intervene to enforce the results of the 2016 Presidential Election. This chapter does argue, however, that when viewed in combination with earlier ECOWAS interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire, the ECOWAS intervention in The Gambia could signify a shift in the rules of customary international law relating to intervention by invitation, whereby a legitimate, but ineffective, government may enjoy the right to invite foreign intervention. Finally, this chapter argues that ECOWAS violated the prohibition on the threat of the use of force by issuing what essentially amounts to an ultimatum to force former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power.
Stem Cell-Paved Biobridge: A Merger of Exogenous and Endogenous Stem Cells Toward Regenerative Medicine in Stroke

Stroke is a significant unmet clinical need with therapeutic options limited to tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), which has a small therapeutic window and risk for hemorrhagic transformation. Stroke is a multiphasic disease with a complex pathology. After the initial insult, a cascade of events occur causing secondary cell death and the expansion of the penumbra. The major contributing factors to this secondary cell death are depletion of growth factors, neuroinflammation, and disruption of the neurovascular unit. There is a need for more innovative and effective therapies that can target the diverse pathological consequences of stroke. To this end, stem cell therapy is a promising approach for stroke. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated the potential of stem cells for treating neurological disorders, including stroke. Here, we discuss diverse stem cell types which have generated encouraging results for advancing to the clinic. Then, we examine the mechanisms of action of stem cells—cell replacement, by stander effect, and a novel biobridge concept advanced by our laboratory. These mechanisms work in concert to afford the neuroprotection and neuroregeneration after stroke. We envision that an in-depth understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of various stem cells and their mechanisms of action will guide the translational entry of stem cell therapy from the laboratory into the clinical setting.
Umbilical Cord Blood Diagnostics for Early Onset Sepsis in Premature Infants: Detection of Bacterial DNA and Systemic Inflammatory Response

Background : Preterm infants often receive prolonged empiric antibiotics for culture-negative presumed early onset sepsis. We investigated 16S rDNA PCR of cord blood (CB) as a culture-independent method of bacterial detection to improve EOS diagnosis. Methods : Preterm infants were classified into 4 categories: confirmed EOS (cEOS), culture-negative presumed sepsis (PS), late onset sepsis (LOS), and no sepsis (control). Sanger and next generation sequencing (NGS) of 16S rDNA amplicons from CB buffy coat were compared to peripheral blood culture and CB acute phase reactants (APRs). Results : Twelve of 12 cEOS patients had a positive CB Sanger-based 16S rDNA result; 8 were concordant with the peripheral blood culture. Twenty-three of 30 controls and 14 of 15 LOS had negative Sanger sequencing (NPV=92.5%). Known pathogens were identified by Sanger-based 16S rDNA PCR in 8 of 30 PS patients. These infants had elevated CB APRs. NGS demonstrated complex bacterial rDNA species in all CB samples. Controls had significantly higher alpha diversity than cEOS. Some cEOS and PS had high % abundance of known pathogenic neonatal bacteria. Conclusions : CB Sanger-based 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing correctly identifies bacterial pathogens in cEOS. PS with positive PCR and elevated APRs may indicate infection where culture remains negative. NGS indicates altered microbial diversity in infection and in utero microbial exposures. CB PCR could provide early organism-specific information in cases of culture-negative sepsis, improving targeted antibiotic use.
What is in the Literature.

What is in the Literature focuses on peripheral neuropathies with new and practical information related to the diagnosis, treatment, and management. Diagnostic and treatment guidelines are available for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) but not all clinicians follow them resulting in erroneous diagnoses and prolonged treatment. Secondary axonal loss in CIDP causes increased connective tissue in muscle. Antibodies to proteins at the node of Ranvier are found in a small percentage of patients with CIDP. The differential diagnosis for CIDP-like neuropathies includes amyloid neuropathy and POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, skin changes) and amyloidosis. Upper limits for cerebral spinal fluid protein are 0.45 g/L and cell count <10/µL, but both may be too low. Hyperactive reflexes may occur in Guillain-Barre syndrome and should not exclude the diagnosis. In severely affected Guillain-Barre syndrome patients, a second dose of intravenous immune globulin within 4 weeks of onset is not likely to be effective.
Examining Youth Outcomes of African American–Led Nonprofits

This article examines the outcomes of African American–led nonprofit organizations in improving the lives of the youth they serve. Using the framework of representative bureaucracy, this study sugg...
DDT and related compounds in pore water of shallow sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf, California, USA

Abstract For nearly two and a half decades following World War II, production wastes from the world's largest manufacturer of technical DDT (1-chloro-4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene) were discharged into sewers of Los Angeles County. Following treatment, the wastes were released via a submarine outfall system to nearshore coastal waters where a portion accumulated in shallow sediments of the Palos Verdes Shelf (PVS). An investigation of the pore-water geochemistry of DDT-related compounds (DDX) was undertaken in an effort to understand factors controlling the rate of reductive dechlorination (RDC) of the major DDT degradate, 4,4′-DDE (1-chloro-4-[2,2-dichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethenyl]benzene). Equilibrium matrix-solid phase microextraction (matrix-SPMEeq) combined with automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) was used to determine freely dissolved concentrations of ten DDX analytes in sediment cores collected from three locations on the PVS (stations 3C, 6C, 8C, which are 7 km, 2 km, and 0 km, respectively, downcurrent from the outfall system). Pore-water concentrations (pM) of the principal DDX compounds involved in RDC were: 3C-DDE: 6.0–24, DDMU (1-chloro-4-[2-chloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethenyl]benzene): 11–160, DDNU (1-chloro-4-[1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethenyl]benzene): 1.8–68; 6C-DDE: 5.6–170, DDMU: 5.6–177, DDNU: 1.7–87; 8C-DDE: 27–212, DDMU: 31–403, DDNU: 5.5–89. Variations in the spatial distribution of DDX analytes in pore water reflect several factors including proximity to the outfalls, RDC reaction rates, and natural variability in sedimentation and post-depositional transport processes. A comparison of pore-water data produced using matrix-SPMEeq/TD-GC/MS and whole-core squeezing/solvent extraction/liquid injection-GC/MS indicates that the majority of the DDE in the upper sediment column (≤about 10 cm) is associated with dissolved/colloidal organic matter. Below that depth, freely-dissolved DDE predominates. The principal organic geochemical phase controlling sorption of DDE in PVS sediments are residual hydrocarbons, the vast majority of which originated from petroleum refinery wastes. Organic carbon-normalized sediment-water distribution coefficients (KOC) were calculated from solid-phase and pore-water concentrations of DDX and organic carbon. Log KOC values (L/kg) were relatively invariant across the shelf and with depth in the sediment column. Shelf-wide compound-specific coefficients (log KOC) were: DDE: 7.5 ± 0.11, DDMU: 6.92 ± 0.13, DDNU: 6.37 ± 0.19. The spatial uniformity of KOC means that biological exposure and availability of the DDX compounds can, in principle, be estimated from solid-phase chemical measurements.
Construction of Semantic Data Models

The production of scientific publications has increased 8–9% each year during the previous six decades [1]. In order to conduct state-of-the-art research, scientists and scholars have to dig relevant information out of a large volume of documents. Additional challenges to analyze scientific documents include the variability of publishing standards, formats, and domains. Novel methods are needed to analyze and find concrete information in publications rapidly. In this work, we present a conceptual design to systematically build semantic data models using relevant elements including context, metadata, and tables that appear in publications from any domain. To enrich the models, as well as to provide semantic interoperability among documents, we use general-purpose ontologies and a vocabulary to organize their information. The resulting models allow us to synthesize, explore, and exploit information promptly.
Research and Future Directions

The ideas presented in this book represent just a snapshot in time. Given the rapid pace of technological development, the representations presented here are likely to improve significantly in the next few years. New ways of visualizing information, not yet envisioned, will surely be invented. This chapter begins with a discussion of how one can successfully conduct research on visualization and optimization (Section 19.1). The chapter ends with fearless predictions of developments that can be reasonably expected in the near future (Section 19.2).
FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS IN CONTINUUM MECHANICS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the functional differential equations in continuum mechanics. Two quail-linear equations are suggested as approximations. The first is the quasistatic approximation in engineering. One simply sets the acceleration u(t) equal to zero. Under the same assumptions as above all solutions of the quasistatic equation satisfy limit integral of h(u(t)), for all t → ∞, equals to A -1 f. The importance of the approximations lies in the extensions to the partial differential functional equations arising in one-dimensional elasticity. The corresponding approximate equations can be treated while, as yet, the theory for the functional equations is incomplete.
Giving Medical Testimony in a Patient's Behalf.

An overview of the duties of expert medical witnesses and general medical witnesses in helping the judicial system gather objective information in cases of injury that may result from medical impairment. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The ΔNγ electromagnetic transition form factors GM∗(q2) and GE∗(q2)

Abstract A parameter-free, nonperturbative calculation of the ΔNγ electromagnetic transition amplitudes G M ∗ (q 2 ) , G E ∗ (q 2 ) , and the resonant multipole ratio REM(q2)≡E1+3/2(q2)/M1+3/2(q2) is performed in terms of the well-known nucleon isovector Sachs form factor GMV. Our methods are fully relativistic with conservation of the electromagnetic current guaranteed. We find that G M ∗ (q 2 ) decreases more rapidly than the nucleon dipole form factor when −q2≳1 GeV2/c2 and that REM(q2) remains small even for very high four-momentum transfer implying that the perturbative QCD prediction REM(q2)→1 is purely asymptotic and is valid only for extremely high |q2|.