cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Introduction: We Already Know

This introductory chapter reviews the history of individualism and how liberalist ideals such as “free will” or “freedom of choice” were intended to serve only the interests of white men of means. Early Enlightenment philosophers may have implied that individualism was a universal idea applicable to everyone, but in reality, it only applied to those who had the social and economic power to make individual choices. Furthermore, the chapter offers a vital counter-story derived from our ancestral past that speaks about indigenous ways of being with an emphasis on maintaining a collective consciousness. The world is perceived, understood, and engaged through a collective framework that guides thought and action away from individual practice to more communal sensibilities in which decision-making and knowledge production are processed collaboratively within a community.
Towards Reducing Labeling Efforts in IoT-based Machine Learning Systems: PhD Forum Abstract

The number of Internet-of-Things (IoT) and edge devices has exploded in recent years. Coupled with recent advances in learning methodologies, these can make the vision of smart building a reality and transform how people interact with their environment. Deep learning-driven systems have been already successful in many IoT application areas of pervasive sensing and ubiquitous computing including human activity monitoring and occupancy detection. However, the robustness of such systems at scale is dependent on the availability of a large amount of data labeled by a human expert. Acquiring human annotation involves high effort, high cost, and is often error-prone. Therefore, learning to execute tasks in a machine learning system without manual inspection is of prime interest as it can open up opportunities for continual learning in the long-term deployment of IoT systems. In this work, we propose deep neural network-based approaches for segmentation and classification tasks in sensor streams with no or limited labels. We focus on reducing human labeling efforts in machine learning systems by 1) leveraging temporal features learned through deep neural networks for downstream tasks and 2) learning robust features in dynamic environments by utilizing multiple sensing sources and semi-supervised learning (e.g. small amount of labeled data).
Automatic Sleep Staging using a Small-footprint Sensor Array and Recurrent-Convolutional Neural Networks

The accelerating trend towards personalized “pre-cision medicine” and tele-healthcare is revolutionizing the practice of medicine and giving the individual unprecedented access to their own health data. At the same time, a widening gap between wakeful health (ex. physical activity) and nocturnal health (sleep) has revealed the need for accurate, reliable and automated methods to measure sleep in the home. Here we describe a small-footprint sensor array, using electrode stickers that can be self-applied to the forehead, in conjunction with an automated scoring algorithm that achieves accuracies on par with trained human experts (77% agreement using a five-class taxonomy). Compared to alternatives, this approach avoids the low signal-to-noise ratios of dry-contact scalp electrodes while also circumventing the need to measure through hair. Critically, it does not require a trained human expert, either to apply the electrodes or to translate the signals into a useful description of sleep patterns. Taken together, this represents an exciting step forward towards affordable, reliable, and accurate in-the-home sleep assessment.
Substance Use and Mental Health Outcomes from a Text Messaging-Based Intervention for Smoking Cessation Among Young People Experiencing Homelessness

Introduction Cigarette smoking and associated high-risk behaviors are prevalent among youth experiencing homelessness (YEH), making appropriately tailored interventions targeting smoking behavior important for this group. We pilot tested a brief text-messaging intervention (TMI) as an adjunct to standard care for YEH who smoke and found promising preliminary effects of the intervention on smoking cessation. The purpose of the present study was to test the TMI's effect on the secondary outcomes of other substance use (including use of other tobacco/nicotine devices) and mental health symptoms. Methods A total of 77 participants completed the pilot randomized controlled trial, with 40 receiving the TMI (174 automated text messages plus a group smoking counseling session and provision of nicotine patches). They completed an assessment at baseline and another three months later that evaluated use of other tobacco/nicotine devices, alcohol, marijuana, and anxiety and depression symptoms. Results We found that the TMI helped to reduce secondary substance use behaviors and mental health symptoms among the participants; mainly there were medium effects of the intervention on changes in other tobacco/nicotine use, drinking, and anxiety and depression symptoms. The intervention did not have an effect on number of marijuana use days in the past month; however, past 30-day marijuana users who received the intervention benefited by reducing the number of times they used marijuana per day. Conclusions In addition to helping reduce cigarette smoking, we found that a TMI for YEH was helpful in improving secondary outcomes, suggesting the promise of the TMI on benefiting YEH even beyond targeted smoking behavior. Implications This pilot study demonstrates that by targeting cigarette smoking using a text message-based intervention among youth experiencing homelessness, effects may be seen in other areas of functioning such as other substance use and mental health.
Vitamin A cycle byproducts impede dark adaptation

Impaired dark adaptation (DA), a defect in the ability to adjust to dimly lit settings, is a universal hallmark of aging. However, the mechanisms responsible for impaired DA are poorly understood. Vitamin A byproducts, such as vitamin A dimers, are small molecules that form in the retina during the vitamin A cycle. We show that later in life, in the human eye, these byproducts reach levels commensurate with those of vitamin A. In mice, selectively inhibiting the formation of these byproducts, with the investigational drug C20D3-vitamin A, results in faster DA. In contrast, acutely increasing these ocular byproducts through exogenous delivery leads to slower DA, with otherwise preserved retinal function and morphology. Our findings reveal that vitamin A cycle byproducts alone are sufficient to cause delays in DA and suggest that they may contribute to universal age-related DA impairment. Our data further indicate that the age-related decline in DA may be tractable to pharmacological intervention by C20D3-vitamin A.
White Americans’ Opposition to Affirmative Action, Revisited: New Racism, Principled Objections, or Both?:

In this short article, we provide an update and extension of Thomas C. Wilson’s study, “Whites’ Opposition to Affirmative Action: Rejection of Group-based Preferences as well as Rejection of Blacks...
Evaluating Consumer Preferences for Clothes Dryers

Focus on encouraging the adoption of residential energy efficient appliances over recent years has resulted in major energy savings. Even though clothes dryers account for approximately 4 % of residential energy use in the USA, there is still no energy efficient clothes dryer in the market. There has been a lot of focus recently on the development of energy efficient clothes dryers; however, there is limited research on consumer preferences when purchasing a clothes dryer. These preferences should be taken into account when developing the new clothes dryer technology that may aid in encouraging adoption. This study utilizes the Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) to capture consumer preferences and to capture the perception of manufacturers on what they think the consumer preferences are. Energy efficiency experts are used to quantify the sub-criteria for each technology and the resulting technology preferences are determined. The two highest consumer preferences were the purchase and installation cost and the operating lifetime. The results for the consumers and the manufacturers mainly align, except for the importance of potential savings, drying cycle time, and operating lifetime. It is determined that the most preferred technology is moisture and temperature sensors for clothes dryers; however, the overall scores for each technology were relatively close to one another.
Environmental Quality and Legal Protection of Floodplain Wetlands in the Dutch Part of the Rhine Basin

Large parts of the floodplains in the Dutch Rhine basin can be considered wetlands of international importance. Few data are available concerning the threats to these wetlands. Legal protection and the principle of ' wise use' of the wetlands, as stipulated in the Ramsar Convention, are hardly being implementated in national and local policies. Until 1993 none of the floodplains in the river basin has actually been designated as wetland of international importance. In zoning plans the ' wetland function' is hardly ever recognized as the main function. A relatively small part of the river floodplains is designated as nature reserves or protected areas. More research should be carried out concerning the environmental quality of and ecological standards for wetlands. The physical threats of deterioration, disturbance and fragmentation of habitats deserve special attention. Legal protection and 'wise use' of wetlands in the Rhine basin should be further implemented.
Aggressive and Pair‐bond Maintenance Songs of Female Red‐winged Blackbirds (Agelaius pboeniceus)

Female red-winged blackbirds sing two distinct song types. Field observations and playback experiments indicate that Type 1 female song is sung chiefly in the presence of mates and probably functions in pair-bond maintenance, while Type 2 song is sung chiefly in the presence of female conspecifics, and appears to be aggressive in nature.
Abstract 9: Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2) deficiency Attenuates Phagocytic Activities of Microglia and Exacerbates Ischemic Damage in Experimental Stroke

Clearing cellular debris after brain injury represents an important mechanism to re-attain tissue homeostasis and promote functional recovery. Triggering receptor expressed by myeloid cells-2 (TREM2) is involved in the innate immune system, and carries out surveillance functions by binding and phagocytosing pathogens. TREM2 is expressed on macrophages and microglia, and promotes the phagocytosis of apoptotic brain cells. Deficiency of functional TREM2 leads to accelerated dementia, and mutations in the TREM2 gene have been linked to Alzheimer’s. Here we explore the significance of TREM2 in a in-vitro and in-vivo stroke model. Cultures of neurons and microglia were subjected to OGD. TREM2-knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice were subjected to permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion ischemic model. TREM2 knockdown in microglia by siRNA led to decreased transformation to an amoeboid morphology following co-culture and OGD exposure, but no effect on overall neuron death. OGD-exposed and nuclear lysates from neurons led to TREM2 signaling. In vivo, phagocytosis and infarcted brain tissue resorption was observed in wild-type mice by 14d, but no phagocytosis and little infarcted brain resorption was seen in TREM2 KO mice (p < 0.01)(Fig). TREM2 KO mice also had worsened neurological recovery (p < 0.05), and decreased viable brain tissue in the ipsilateral hemisphere. Numbers of activated microglia and macrophages in KO mice were decreased compared to WT, and oil red staining to identify foamy macrophages was nearly absent in the KO brains. These findings establish the relevance of TREM2 in phagocytosis of the infarcted brain and emphasize the importance of phagocytosis in neurological outcome following experimental stroke. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Corrosion processes in the development of thin tarnish films

Corrosion processes in thin films at the molecular level are investigated. Corrosion of thin films in two key areas is studied: (a) at the composition and structure of the thin-film corrosion layer; and (b) the processes of microcell corrosion that account for film growth from 2 nm to 20 nm. The electrochemical and chemical processes that occur in the development of thin tarnish layers and corrosion products during atmospheric exposures are discussed. The processes are illustrated by the behavior of copper in moist air containing low concentrations of sulfur dioxide. Corrosion science principles for bulk electrolytes are applied to the corrosion processes in thin films of electrolyte. >
Food, Insects as

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses insects as foods. The insects used as food are, for the most part, clean living in their choice of food and habitat. Most feed on leaves or other parts of plants. Some of the coleopterous and lepidopterous larvae are woodborers in either dead or living trees and bushes; some, such as cicada nymphs, feed on plant roots. Some hemipterans and coleopterans are aquatic, and some of these and other edible insects are predaceous. Some hymenopterans such as wasp's provision their nests with insect prey upon which the young feed. Some edible species have other aesthetic qualities. Some African termites are architects, erecting earthen cathedral–like termitaria that may rise to heights of 3 or 4 m or more. Cicadas and crickets are songsters. There are many environmental and ecological ramifications relevant to the use of insects as food. Because of the large number of insect species and the consequently wide variety of plants used as hosts, in general, insects are potentially capable of converting a much wider range of vegetation and waste substances into animal biomass than are the animals currently considered acceptable as food by Western cultures.
Effects of Isolated Zinc Deficiency on the Composition of Skeletal Muscle, Liver and Bone during Growth in Rats

We investigated the effects of zinc deficiency on body composition by using intragastric force-feeding to obviate decreased food intake and altered eating patterns. Weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a purified zinc-deficient diet: the ad libitum-fed control group (AL; eight rats) was given powdered diet and water containing 25 ppm zinc; the zinc-replete group (ZN; nine rats) was force-fed a diet blended with water containing zinc in an amount of equal caloric intake to the AL group and allowed access to water containing zinc. The zinc intake of ZN rats was approximately twice that of AL rats based on water intake. The zinc-deficient group (ZD; 13 rats) was fed similarly to the ZN group except deionized water was used for diet preparation and drinking water. After 8 d, body and muscle weight were lower in the ZD group than in the ZN group. Femur weights were similar in the two groups. Serum, liver and femur zinc concentrations were 85, 22 and 42% lower, respectively, in the ZD group than in the ZN group. Serum glucose, relative liver weight, liver glycogen and liver lipids were higher, but muscle and liver DNA were lower in the ZD group than in control groups.
Nondifferentiable Optimization and Large Scale Linear Programming

Research supported, in part, by, the National Science Foundation under Grant No. MCS77-24654.
Women, Property and Islam: Palestinian Experiences, 1920‐1990

Women, Property and Islam: Palestinian Experiences, 1920-1990. Annelies Moors. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 274 pp.
HR-MAS MRS of the pancreas reveals reduced lipid and elevated lactate and taurine associated with early pancreatic cancer

The prognosis for patients with pancreatic cancer is extremely poor, as evidenced by the disease's five-year survival rate of ~5%. New approaches are therefore urgently needed to improve detection, treatment, and monitoring of pancreatic cancer. MRS-detectable metabolic changes provide useful biomarkers for tumor detection and response-monitoring in other cancers. The goal of this study was to identify MRS-detectable biomarkers of pancreatic cancer that could enhance currently available imaging approaches. We used (1) H high-resolution magic angle spinning MRS to probe metabolite levels in pancreatic tissue samples from mouse models and patients. In mice, the levels of lipids dropped significantly in pancreata with lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation, in pancreata with pre-cancerous metaplasia (4 week old p48-Cre;LSL-Kras(G12D) mice), and in pancreata with pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, which precedes invasive pancreatic cancer (8 week old p48-Cre LSL-Kras(G12D) mice), to 26 ± 19% (p = 0.03), 19 ± 16% (p = 0.04), and 26 ± 10% (p = 0.05) of controls, respectively. Lactate and taurine remained unchanged in inflammation and in pre-cancerous metaplasia but increased significantly in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia to 266 ± 61% (p = 0.0001) and 999 ± 174% (p < 0.00001) of controls, respectively. Importantly, analysis of patient biopsies was consistent with the mouse findings. Lipids dropped in pancreatitis and in invasive cancer biopsies to 29 ± 15% (p = 0.01) and 26 ± 38% (p = 0.02) of normal tissue. In addition, lactate and taurine levels remained unchanged in inflammation but rose in tumor samples to 244 ± 155% (p = 0.02) and 188 ± 67% (p = 0.02), respectively, compared with normal tissue. Based on these findings, we propose that a drop in lipid levels could serve to inform on pancreatitis and cancer-associated inflammation, whereas elevated lactate and taurine could serve to identify the presence of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive tumor. Our findings may help enhance current imaging methods to improve early pancreatic cancer detection and monitoring.
Case Reports: Two Cases of Glenohumeral Chondrolysis after Intraarticular Pain Pumps

Background Acute idiopathic chondrolysis in young adults is rare. The etiology often is unknown and outcomes can be devastating owing to rapid development of painful secondary osteoarthritis. There have been some recent reports of chondrolysis after arthroscopic shoulder procedures. Animal and laboratory data suggest chondrolysis is related to the use of intraarticular pain pumps, although there is no conclusive evidence that this is causative in patients.
Intracellular Trafficking and Molecular Effects of Peptide Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles on Hep-2 Cells

Gold nanoparticles have been extensively used in various biomedical applications especially in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer, targeted delivery to sub-cellular organelles, molecular detection etc., due to their ease of synthesis, lower levels of cytotoxicity and biocompatibility. Recently, various methods have been developed to functionalize the gold nanoparticles in order to serve specific biomedical needs of targeted delivery. Depending on the type of functionalization, the gold nanoparticles can have significant effects on the host cells making it necessary to study their effects on the host cells. In the present study, we have functionalized gold nanoparticles using a carrier peptide. The functionalized gold nanoparticles (FGNPs) were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM and Zetasizer. To assess the cytotoxicity of these FGNPs, MTT assay was carried out with varied concentrations of FGNPs. In order to investigate the intracellular uptake of these FGNPs, ICP-MS analysis was done which revealed an increased uptake of FGNPs as compared to bare GNPs. Moreover, in order to track the intracellular path of these FGNPs, ultrathin sections of the nanoparticles treated cells were cut and analyzed after negative staining. Likewise the extent of DNA damage was assessed using the comet assay. We have also investigated the effect of these nanoparticles on human necrosis and apoptosis related genes by real time PCR array analysis. A significant change of up-to two fold was observed in the levels of expression of these genes in the treated cells as opposed to the untreated cells. The work is currently underway in order to further analyze the effects of these nanoparticles in terms of molecular and genomic effects and the pathways underlined therein.
The Effects of American Sign Language on General Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Among Mothers in a Residential Rehabilitation Facility for Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse

This experimental study tests the effects of an intervention where recovering illicit drug- and substance-abusing mothers were taught American Sign Language as a means for improving general self-efficacy and reducing state anxiety as related to parenting their infant/child. Findings demonstrated that the experimental group exhibited higher general self-efficacy and lower state anxiety. In essence, there was evidence of an increase in the mother's efficaciousness and a decrease in state anxiety.
Plant community dynamics relative to the changing distribution of a highly invasive species, Eichhornia crassipes: a remote sensing perspective

Eradicating or controlling invasive alien species has frequently had unintended consequences, such as proliferation of other invasive species or loss of ecosystem function. We explore this problem using a case study of a highly invasive floating aquatic macrophyte, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California. We used 5 years of remote sensing data to perform change detection analysis to study plant community dynamics contemporaneous with changes in water hyacinth cover. Our results show that as water hyacinth cover decreased, submerged aquatic plant (SAP) cover increased and vice versa. This effect was strongest in large patches of water hyacinth. We found no evidence that the native floating aquatic species, pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata), benefitted from reducing cover of water hyacinth. In most years, pennywort cover either showed no trend or followed the same trajectory as water hyacinth cover. In this study a decrease in cover of water hyacinth most often resulted in colonization by SAP species with some habitat returning to open water.
There’s plenty of room at the bottom: nanoscience in geochemistry

Nanoscience is a relatively new field of research that primarily involves the discovery and exploration of the properties of matter in the size range of roughly one to 100 nanometers, the so-called nanoscale. Mechanical, electrical, thermodynamic, and other types of properties are strongly modified as the physical dimensions of a material enters the nanoscale, and researchers in the field are just beginning to catalog and understand these property modifications in this fuzzy area between the classical (bulk) and quantum domains. It is also becoming more and more apparent that many earth materials exist in the nanodomain as minute particles or thin films, especially in low-temperature environments, but also in mid- to high temperature environments. As examples, this article describes how nanoscience has started to be applied to mineral weathering, mineral-bacteria interaction, and metal transport in acid mine drainage systems, but this is only the beginning. The future directions of nanoscience in geochemistry will include a determination of the identity, distribution, and properties of nanosized particles in aqueous and soil systems, thin films in both low and high temperature systems, and nanosized features on mineral surfaces.
Identifying a critical threat to privacy through automatic image classification

Image classification, in general, is considered a hard problem, though it is necessary for many useful applications such as automatic target recognition. Indeed, no general methods exist that can work in varying scenarios and still achieve good performance across the board. In this paper, we actually identify a very interesting problem, where image classification is dangerously easy. We look at the problem of image classification, in the specific context of accurately classifying images containing highly sensitive data such as drivers licenses, credit cards and passports. Our key contribution is to build a Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) network that is able to classify many sensitive images with over 90% accuracy, and use this to develop a system to automatically derive and transcribe sensitive information from image data. Our system classifies images into two groups -- sensitive and non-sensitive. The group of sensitive images can then be further analyzed. This is a real world security issue that could easily lead to privacy problems such as identity theft, since scans of passports and drivers licenses are routinely emailed or kept in digital form, and many local documents are left unencrypted. Essentially, an attacker can use data mining and machine learning techniques very effectively to breach individual privacy. Thus, our main contribution is to demonstrate the efficacy of image classification for deriving sensitive information, which could also serve as a guide for other interesting applications such as document detection and analysis. Thus, it also serves as a warning against leaving data unencrypted and again proves that security through obscurity is simply not enough.
Cyclic modes in artificial neural nets

Artificial neural nets constructed of dicrete populations of 200–1000 formal neurons have been studied through computer simulation. Among the basic assumptions of operation of these nets are the following: a) Each neuron fires at times which are integral multiples of the synaptic delay τ. b) It produces the appropriate PSP's after τ. c) All the neurons have the same refractory period and d) temporal summation occurs without decrement, for a period less than the synaptic delay. The nets were specified by a number of parameters: fraction of inhibitory neurons in the population, average number of connections to each cell, threshold for cell firing. These parameters did not determine the detailed “microscopical” structures of nets which was established separately on a random basis.
Intestinal adaptation for oligopeptide absorption via PepT1 after massive (70%) mid-small bowel resection.

Introduction Proteins are absorbed primarily as short peptides via peptide transporter 1 (PepT1).
A double dose of advice.

In 2006, I flew across the ocean to study molecular biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. As the top graduate from my program at Zhejiang University in China, I had no problem learning from a textbook or solving equations. Graduate school, however, was not like studying from a book. In graduate school, every student writes her own book, and sometimes there is no equation to follow. I had another challenge, too, a challenge of my choosing: coordinating two labs and two advisers. Early in graduate school, I did lab rotations in three labs, and I liked two of them. The principal investigators in those labs—Kristi Anseth and Leslie Leinwand—were collaborators, so they agreed to let me take on a collaborative project. My goal was to engineer cardiac valve tissue for patients who need valve replacement surgery. Achieving that could have a big medical payoff, but to make it work, we needed to understand the fundamental interactions between cardiac valve cells and the tissue matrix surrounding them. It was my job to bring together fundamental and applied expertise. ![Figure][1] “Co-advised students get twice as many researchers to interact with.” ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER To make co-advising work, everyone needs to play an active role. But you—the graduate student—are the main actor in this movie, so you must take the lead. Here are some things I learned from the experience. The result? I found that culturing cardiac valve cells on synthetic hydrogels preserves their normal properties better than the traditional plastic plates do, and I discovered a signaling pathway connecting the stiffness of the supporting scaffold to the cells' cytoskeletal structure. One laboratory taught me diverse molecular and cellular techniques, and the other trained me to engineer biocompatible scaffolds. The interaction of these disciplines shaped my scientific perspective and focused my career on understanding and engineering organs for clinical applications. I earned my Ph.D. with confidence, a deep appreciation of both disciplines, and gratitude toward my advisers—both of them! [1]: pending:yes
Functionality of the seventh and eighth transmembrane domains of acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase 1.

Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) is a resident enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum. ACAT1 is a homotetrameric protein and contains nine transmembrane domains (TMDs). His460 is a key active residue and is located within TMD7. Human ACAT1 has seven free Cys, but the recombinant ACAT1 devoid of free Cys retains full enzyme activity. To further probe the functionality of TMD7 (amino acids 446−460) and TMD8 (amino acids 466−481), we used a parental ACAT1 devoid of free Cys as the template to perform Cys-scanning mutagenesis within these regions. Each of the single Cys mutants was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line AC29 lacking endogenous ACAT1. We measured the effect of single Cys substitution on enzyme activity and used the Cu(1,10-phenanthroline)2SO4-mediated disulfide cross-linking method to probe possible interactions of engineered Cys between the two identical subunits. The results show that several residues in one subunit closely interact with the same residues in the...
Efficacy of the fetal-pelvic index for delivery of neonates weighing 4000 grams or greater: A preliminary report

The fetal-pelvic index was recently introduced as an accurate method of prospectively identifying the presence or absence of fetal-pelvic disproportion. In that report the ability to detect fetal-pelvic disproportion in patients with macrosomic fetuses was not specifically addressed. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of three methods used to identify the presence or absence of fetal-pelvic disproportion (the fetal-pelvic index, Colcher-Sussman x-ray pelvimetry, and estimated fetal weight greater than or equal to 4000 gm) in patients delivered of neonates weighing greater than or equal to 4000 gm after an adequate trial of labor (N = 34). Of the 18 patients requiring operative intervention, all but one had a positive fetal-pelvic index value (sensitivity = 94%). Of the 16 patients in whom vaginal deliveries were spontaneous, all but one had a negative value (specificity = 94%). On the basis of these data, the fetal-pelvic index is an accurate method of predicting the presence or absence of fetal-pelvic disproportion in patients delivered of neonates weighing greater than or equal to 4000 gm.
A Comparison of Two Measures of School Psychologists’ Job Satisfaction:

The purpose of this study was to establish the concurrent and construct validity of the Job Satisfaction Scales (JSS) and a modified version of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) using ...
Application of High-Resolution Skeletal Imaging to Measurements of Volumetric BMD and Skeletal Microarchitecture in Chinese-American and White Women: Explanation of a Paradox

Asian women have lower rates of hip and forearm fractures despite lower areal BMD (aBMD) by DXA compared with white women and other racial groups. We hypothesized that the lower fracture rates may be explained by more favorable measurements of volumetric BMD (vBMD) and microarchitectural properties, despite lower areal BMD. To address this hypothesis, we used high-resolution pQCT (HRpQCT), a new method that can provide this information noninvasively. We studied 63 premenopausal Chinese-American (n = 31) and white (n = 32) women with DXA and HRpQCT. aBMD by DXA did not differ between groups for the lumbar spine (1.017 ± 0.108 versus 1.028 ± 0.152 g/cm2; p = 0.7), total hip (0.910 ± 0.093 versus 0.932 ± 0.134 g/cm2; p = 0.5), femoral neck (0.788 ± 0.083 versus 0.809 ± 0.129 g/cm2; p = 0.4), or one-third radius (0.691 ± 0.052 versus 0.708 ± 0.047 g/cm2; p = 0.2). HRpQCT at the radius indicated greater trabecular (168 ± 41 versus 137 ± 33 mg HA/cm3; p = <0.01) and cortical (963 ± 46 versus 915 ± 42 mg HA/cm3; p < 0.0001) density; trabecular bone to tissue volume (0.140 ± 0.034 versus 0.114 ± 0.028; p = <0.01); trabecular (0.075 ± 0.013 versus 0.062 ± 0.009 mm; p < 0.0001) and cortical thickness (0.98 ± 0.16 versus 0.80 ± 0.14 mm; p < 0.0001); and lower total bone area (197 ± 34 versus 232 ± 33 mm2; p = <0.001) in the Chinese versus white women and no difference in trabecular number, spacing, or inhomogeneity before adjustment for covariates. Similar results were observed at the weight-bearing tibia. At the radius, adjustment for covariates did not change the direction or significance of differences except for bone, which became similar between the groups. However, at the tibia, adjustment for covariates attenuated differences in cortical BMD and bone area and accentuated differences in trabecular microarchitecture such that Chinese women additionally had higher trabecular number and lower trabecular spacing, as well as inhomogeneity after adjustment. Using the high-resolution technology, the results provide a mechanistic explanation for why Chinese women have fewer hip and forearm fractures than white women.
The Supreme Court and “The Moment of Truth”

This annual ceremony of our non-partisan Association is being held at a time when most political scientists are preoccupied with the events of a fateful national election. To avoid any implications of partisanship, it seems best on this occasion to eschew politics in the conventional sense and to concentrate on institutional analysis not applicable to the current conflict. This discussion will therefore deal with the Supreme Court and with the Court primarily as an institution, rather than with problems of changing personnel or the political implications of particular decisions. It will assume that institutions are important in terms of their intrinsic nature and that the kind of institution to be used for a particular governmental task depends largely on the kind of task to be performed, with room for exceptions in exceptional circumstances. So it is that the Court will be presented not in isolation but as a part of the judicial system at whose apex it stands, and will be discussed in terms of the assumptions which lie back of and dictate its rituals, routines and procedures, and which have a great deal to do with determining its efficacy for the tasks allocated to it.Because analysis of hallowed institutions and ritualized performance is often incorrectly identified with the expression of hostility or disrespect, with only deference permitted on the part of him who would leave the ritual or the institution with the stature it had when he approached it, let me emphasize that the purpose here is not to attack or to disparage but to analyze and to encourage further analysis, with creative ends in view.
Somatotopic organization of climbing fiber projections from low threshold cutaneous afferents to pars intermedia of cerebellar cortex in the cat.

Summary The fine detail of climbing fiber projections to large areas of the pars intermedia of lobule V was demonstrated by means of low threshold natural cutaneous stimulation. These projections formed a complex mediolateral organization of patches that were elongated in the anteroposterior direction. In general, distal forelimb was represented medially and the face represented laterally, although there were also elongated patches of cells that did not respond to any cutaneous stimulus presentation. The entire ipsilateral anterior quadrant of the body was represented in lobules Vb, c, d with the addition of face projections which extended slightly across the midline. Ipsilateral hindlimb patches were observed in lobule Va. Although the boundary between patches was quite sharp, a slight overlap of the patches within the mosaic was often observed. In these areas of overlap, some cells possessed receptive fields that encompassed, either continuously or discontinuously, cutaneous areas of both the adjacent patches. It is proposed that the cerebellar cortex could correlate event timing in the climbing fiber patches with ‘on-line’ information relating the parameters of movement in the granule cell parallel fiber system, and that the areas described in the present study could mediate ‘spatially organized and skilled movements’ in the animal's repertoire, which involve paw-face-mouth interaction, such as feeding, cleaning and grooming.
Just Give Me Hope: Lived Experiences of Medicaid Patients With Advanced Cancer

The purpose of this phenomenological exploration was to describe the lived experiences of persons diagnosed with advanced cancer who receive Medicaid. Themes emerged from the transcribed interviews of 10 participants in accordance with the cancer trajectory. Before diagnosis, participants were uninsured or underinsured and had more severe symptoms prior to late diagnosis. Upon diagnosis, they desired hopeful, respectful communication and experienced strong emotional reactions. There was also an abrupt change in the use of health care resources. During cancer treatment, they experienced social isolation from family and friends while receiving strong psychosocial support from the health care team. Throughout the cancer trajectory, they focused on living, reclaiming normalcy, and expressed resiliency and spirituality. Findings support the need to recognize the “fighting spirit” of patients regardless of prognosis or socioeconomic status; the impact of hopeful, respectful communication; and the value of oncol...
Thermoelectric and magnetotransport properties of Bi1 xSbx thin films and Bi/CdTe superlattices

The magnetotransport properties of Bi1-xSbx thin films (x = 0, 0.09 and 0.16) and Bi/CdTe superlattices have been determined by applying the quantitative mobility spectrum analysis (QMSA) and multicarrier fitting to the magnetic-field-dependent resistivities and Hall coefficients, using algorithms which account for the strong anisotropy of the mobilities. The experimentally derived electron and hole densities and mobilities are then used as the input to a nonparabolic and anisotropic band model that derives the thermal occupations and relaxation times for L-valley electrons and holes as well as T-valley and H-valley holes. This allows a calculation of the thermoelectric properties for comparison with experimental results. While the data for a Bi thin film and Bi/CdTe superlattices are reproduced quite well without any adjustable parameters, for Bi1-xSbx thin films a non-uniform doping profile must be assumed.
Occurrence and prognostic significance of cervical pseudodissection phenomenon associated with acute intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND Acute stroke from intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion can occasionally resemble angiographic cervical ICA dissection which may cause delays in endovascular acute ischemic stroke treatment. OBJECTIVE To determine the angiographic characteristics of the phenomenon of “pseudodissection” and its clinical implications in acute ischemic stroke endovascular treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of angiographic and clinical data from 31 patients with ischemic acute stroke secondary to intracranial ICA occlusion, treated with endovascular therapy at two University-affiliated institutions, was performed. Pseudodissection was defined as angiographic appearance of typical cervical ICA dissection with evidence of normal inner vascular wall upon further catheter exploration. RESULTS Angiographic appearance pseudodissection was identified in 7 out of 31 patients (22.6%). Six patients had guide catheters placed proximal to pseudodissection in anticipation of stent placement for treatment of ICA dissection. All 7 patients had further exploration of the presumed dissected segment (6 microcatheter, 1 diagnostic catheter) which demonstrated normal vascular inner wall. The clot was located more commonly in the petro-cavernous segment in the pseudodissection patients (5/7, 71%). Carotid terminus clot was more common in ICA occlusion patients than pseudodissection patients (18/24, 75% vs. 2/7, 29% respectively, P < .0001). Recanalization was less common in pseudodissection patients compared to ICA occlusion patients (3/7 and 21/24 respectively, P = .029). CONCLUSION Early recognition of pseudodissection in the ICA is important in the setting of acute ischemic stroke to avoid delay in treatment of intracranial ICA occlusion.
Separation of human blood monocytes and lymphocytes on a continuous percoll gradient

A method for separation of human blood monocytes and lymphocytes is described. Mononuclear leukocytes are centrifuged on a continuous gradient of colloidal silica particles (Percoll) in phosphate-buffered saline. This leads to formation of 4 bands: a layer containing dead material (if present) which did not enter the gradient; a layer near the bottom of the tube containing granulocytes and red cells, and two other bands in between. The upper one is enriched for monocytes (av. 78%) and the lower one for lymphocytes (av. 98%). The final yields of these cell types are 73% and 79%, respectively, and their viability is greater than 95%. No functional impairments could be detected by different criteria including the ability of B lymphocytes to produce immunoglobulins when stimulated with pokeweed mitogen and the ability of monocytes to phagocytize opsonized red cells and latex particles.
Calorimetric Detection of a Membrane-Lipid Phase Transition in Living Cells

The membrane lipids in living Mycoplasma laidlawii exhibit a phase transition characteristic of that from crystal to liquid crystal within the bilayer conformation. The transition occurs at the same temperature in viable organisms, membranes isolated from the organisms, and isolated membrane lipids. The enthalpy of the transition in the membrane is compared with that of an aqueous suspension of isolated membrane lipids. The result is consistent with presence of an extended lipid bilayer in the native membrane.
A Deeply Fractured Regime: Assessing the 2010 NPT Review Conference

The United States had mixed results at the 2010 NPT Review Conference. On the one hand, it avoided the isolation and criticism directed at Washington in connection with the failed 2005 Review Conference, in large measure because the Obama administration took more congenial positions on a number of nuclear issues. Its cooperation also facilitated the successful achievement of a consensus final document. On the other hand, there was wide resistance to a number of measures for strengthening the NPT system favoured or promoted by the United States, resistance that reveals deep and worrying divisions within the regime.
Adjunctive platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibition with tirofiban before primary angioplasty improves angiographic outcomes: results of the TIrofiban Given in the Emergency Room before Primary Angioplasty (TIGER-PA) pilot trial.

Background— Previous work has suggested that platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor blockade may confer benefit in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. The TIGER-PA pilot trial was a single-center randomized study to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and utility of early tirofiban administration before planned primary angioplasty in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. Methods and Results— A total of 100 patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction were randomized to either early administration of tirofiban in the emergency room or later administration in the catheterization laboratory. The primary outcome measures were initial TIMI grade flow, corrected TIMI frame counts, and TIMI grade myocardial perfusion (“blush”). Thirty-day major adverse cardiac events were also assessed. Angiographic outcomes demonstrate a significant improvement in initial TIMI grade flow, corrected TIMI frame counts, and TIMI grade myocardial perfusion when patients are given tirofiban in the em...
IL-4 up-regulates epidermal chemotactic, angiogenic, and pro-inflammatory genes and down-regulates antimicrobial genes in vivo and in vitro: Relevant in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease. Although the pathogenesis of AD is not fully understood, we and others have shown that IL-4 plays a key role. In this study we aimed to identify keratinocyte genes regulated by IL-4 that may play important roles in the pathophysiology of AD. HaCat cells were treated with IL-4 at various concentrations for 24h, and PCR gene array on inflammation/autoimmunity was performed three times for analysis of differential gene expression. Of all the 370 genes examined, 32 and 53 genes are up- and down-regulated, respectively. Specifically related to AD, chemokines CCL3L1, CCL8, CCL24, CCL25, CCL26, CXCL6 and CXCL16 are up-regulated by IL-4. Pro-inflammatory factors, such as IL-19, IL-20, IL-1α, IL-12Rβ2, IL-25, IL-31RA, OSMR and nitric oxide synthase 2, are also up-regulated. In addition, IL-4 up-regulates VEGFA, a pro-angiogenic factor. In contrast, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) or factors involved in APM production, such as IFN-κ, S100s, Toll-like receptors, and several chemokines are down-regulated. Similarly IL-4 also down-regulates TNF-α, lymphotoxin-β, an IgE suppressor, TNFSF18, a T-cells function regulator, and the glucocorticoid receptor. On the in vivo level, real-time RT-PCR on the selected genes confirmed that IL-4 up-regulates chemokines, proinflammatory cytokines while it suppresses AMP production related genes in the skin obtained from IL-4 Tg mice. Detailed examination of these genes will delineate their specific roles in chemotaxis, inflammation, angiogenesis and AMP production, all of which may contribute to the development and progression of AD.
4,4,24-Trimethylcholesta-8,14,24(28)-trien-2α,3β,11α,12β-tetrol-12-acetate, 3-sulphate from Fusarium graminearum.

Abstract A sterol sulphate [4,4,24-trimethylcholesta-8,14,24(28)-trien-2α,3β,11α,12β-tetrol-12-acetate, 3-sulphate sodium salt] was isolated from white corn grits fermented with Fusarium graminearium NRRL 13166. In accord with its elemental analysis and negative ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, it was of composition C32H49O8SNa. The structure was determined by spectroscopic data [13C NMR, 1H NMR, UV, IR, high resolution mass spectrometry] and conversion of the sterol sulphate to its diacetate and dihydro derivatives. This is the first report of a sterol sulphate from the genus Fusarium.
Comparison of the Thermal Transport Property Measurements of Thermally Sprayed Coatings by the Laser and Xenon Flash Techniques

Development of precise and reliable measurement methods is an important step in the study of the thermal transport property of inherently complex systems such as thermally sprayed coatings. In this study, the applicability and repeatability of both the laser and xenon flash techniques have been investigated through the measurements on the coatings made from ceramics, metals, alloys, and composites. For the four series of material systems, issues such as the effect of powder morphology, coating thickness, spraying technique, chemical composition, and oxidation on the thermal diffusivity as well as the corresponding measurement repeatability are assessed. This investigation provides information necessary for precise and reliable characterization of the thermal transport property of various thermally sprayed coatings.