cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Playing at School: An Inquiry Approach to Using an Experiential Play Lab in an Early Childhood Teacher Education Course

Play is considered an important activity of the early childhood years. Research supports the contribution of play to children’s development, learning, and well-being. In spite of this, time for play is being pushed out in many early childhood programs by greater time allotted to formal instruction in narrow academic skills to be tested eventually by standardized tests. As a result, current preservice teachers are likely to see fewer examples of appropriate time and support for play in their field placements in early childhood settings. The purpose of this study was to document and analyze what happens when an experiential play lab is implemented in an early childhood teacher education program. This qualitative study includes multiple forms of data collection, including two forms of reflective writings and group discussions. After the workshop, preservice teachers made a greater number of references to play in their defense of developmentally appropriate practice, and the nature of their references to play...
Electronic state effects in sigma bond activation by first row transition metal ions: the ion chromatography technique

The ability of transition metal ions to activate C—H and C—C bonds of small saturated hydrocarbons has been attributed to the high density of lowlying excited states available to the transition metal center. The details of the interactions of these metal ion states with the reactant molecule, however, are not well understood and the desire to understand these details has stimulated significant experimental and theoretical interest. On the experimental side, gas-phase transition metal ion chemistry has been explored extensively [1–3] and recently state specific studies have been carried out [4–17]. Theoretically, ab initio electronic structure calculations provided insight regarding the nature of the bonding and trends in bond energies [18–25]. In addition, ab initio potential energy surfaces allow chemists to explore the interaction of the low-lying excited states of metal ions with reactant molecules [26]. Both theory and experiment indicate the reactivity of a given state of the metal ion will depend on its interaction with other nearby electronic states. Surface crossings are commonplace and “spin-forbidden” reactions are often observed for transition metal ions (spin is generally conserved for bimolecular reactions involving light elements, but only the total angular momentum must be rigorously conserved for heavier elements) [27]. Because reactions involving atomic transition metal ions are inherently complex, quantitative state specific experimental studies along with theoretical calculations are necessary to understand their reaction energetics and mechanisms.
Association of transient ischemic attack/stroke symptoms assessed by standardized questionnaire and algorithm with cerebrovascular risk factors and carotid artery wall thickness. The ARIC Study, 1987-1989

The baseline examination (1987-1989) for the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study was conducted in 15,792 free-living residents aged 45-64 years in four geographically dispersed US communities. A questionnaire on symptoms of transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke was evaluated by computer algorithm for 12,205 of these participants. Data were also collected on lipoprotein levels, hemostasis, hematology, anthropometry, blood pressure, medical history, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and medication use. Noninvasive high resolution B-mode ultrasonographic imaging was used to determine carotid arterial intimal-medial wall thickness (IMT). The cross-sectional relation between the prevalence of TIA/stroke symptoms and putative risk factors was assessed by logistic regression, controlling for age and community. Odds ratios for TIA/stroke symptoms were significantly elevated (p < or = 0.01) for diabetes mellitus, current smoking, hypertension, lower levels of education, income, and work activity, and higher levels of lipoprotein(a), IMT, hemostasis factor VIII, and von Willebrand factor. However, the relations with education and carotid IMT were not present for black Americans. In whites, the relations of TIA/stroke symptoms to IMT were nonlinear. Only at extreme levels of IMT were symptoms substantially more frequent: For example, men with an IMT greater than 1.17 mm or women with an IMT greater than 0.85 mm had approximately twice the odds of having positive TIA/stroke symptoms as those with lower IMTs. The authors plan in future analyses to address the issue prospectively, as well as to examine the relation with magnetic resonance imaging-defined outcomes and clinically defined incident stroke.
A phenomenology of Galileo's experiments with pendulums

The paper reports new findings about Galileo's experiments with pendulums and discusses their significance in the context of Galileo's writings. The methodology is based on a phenomenological approach to Galileo's experiments, supported by computer modelling and close analysis of extant textual evidence. This methodology has allowed the author to shed light on some puzzles that Galileo's experiments have created for scholars.
Polymerase Chain Reaction Identification of Mycobacterium Avium in Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Animal Tissues:

A PCR procedure previously developed for identification of Mycobacterium bovis in formalin-fixed tissues was used to identify mycobacteria of the M. avium complex. Tissues were examined from 100 culture-positive cases of M. avium complex infection, including 86 in which the subspecies was not identified and 14 that had been identified as M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Each sample was tested with 5 primer sets, 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), IS900, IS901, IS1245, and a heat shock protein (hspX), that detect 1 or both M. avium subspecies. The success rate of PCR detection varied with the primers used and the animal species tested. Among the 86 cases with no M. avium subspecies designation, primers for the 16S rRNA gene were clearly the most efficient because they produced amplicons from all samples that reacted with any other primer set. The overall detection rate in this group of samples was 71%: highest in avian tissues (89%) followed by swine (72%) and ruminants (57%) None of the avian or swine tissues reacted with primers for IS900 or hspX, which identify M. a. paratuberculosis. In contrast, 7 of the 12 ruminant samples that were 16S rRNA positive reacted with 1 or both of these primers. All of the 14 cases shown by culture to be M. a. paratuberculosis infections were positive with IS900 primers, whereas only 11 were positive for 16S rRNA. These results indicate that 16S rRNA primers are the most useful for PCR identification of M. avium in formalin-fixed tissues of nonruminant species. However, IS900 primers should also be used when ruminant tissues are examined because these primers provide the greatest sensitivity for detection of M. a. paratuberculosis infections.
An Incremental Remapping Transport Scheme on a Spherical Geodesic Grid

Weather and climate models contain equations for transporting conserved quantities such as the mass of air, water, ice, and associated tracers. Ideally, the numerical schemes used to solve these equations should be conservative, spatially accurate, and monotonicity-preserving. One such scheme is incremental remapping, previously developed for transport on quadrilateral grids. Here the incremental remapping scheme is reformulated for a spherical geodesic grid whose cells are hexagons and pentagons. The scheme is tested in a shallow-water model with both uniform and varying velocity fields. Solutions for standard shallow-water test cases 1, 2, and 5 are obtained with a centered scheme, a flux-corrected transport (FCT) scheme, and the remapping scheme. The three schemes are about equally accurate for transport of the height field. For tracer transport, remapping is far superior to the centered scheme, which produces large overshoots, and is generally smoother and more accurate than FCT. Remapping has a high startup cost associated with geometry calculations but is nearly twice as fast as FCT for each added tracer. As a result, remapping is cheaper than FCT for transport of more than about seven tracers.
An Early Burial from Gordon Creek, Colorado

An isolated burial was excavated from the bank of a tributary of Gordon Creek, Roosevelt National Forest, northern Colorado. A preliminary report was prepared (D. Anderson 1966, 1967) but further analysis of the skeletal material and newly obtained cultural information add significantly to the documentation of the burial. The body of a woman, aged 25-30 years, was given primary interment in a pit coated with red ocher. The body was placed on its left side with the head to the north, was tightly flexed, and was also coated with red ocher. Burial accompaniments include a large precussion flaked biface or preform, a small biface used as a scraping tool, a hammerstone, an end scraper, a preform with fire pocks, cut and incised animal ribs, and a perforated elk incisor. A radiocarbon assay of bone material from the left ilium produced an age of 9700± 250 radiocarbon years: 7750 B.C. (GX-0530). No indications of habitation which might be associated with the burial were located in its immediate vicinity. A reconstruction of the burial ritual is attempted, and the skeletal remains are compared to other early human remains from North America. A summary of this paper was given at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, May 3, 1969, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Syntenic homology of human unique DNA sequences within chromossome regions 5q31, 10q22, 13q32-33 and 19q13.1 in the great apes

Homologias entre os padroes de bandamento de cromossomos e sequencias de DNA em grandes macacos e humanos sugerem uma aparente origem comum para estas duas linhagens. A disponibilidade de sondas de DNA para regioes especificas de cromossomos humanos (5q31, 10q22, 13q32-33 e 19q13.1) nos levou a realizar hibridacao cruzada com cromossomos de chimpanze (Pan troglodytes, PTR), gorila (Gorilla gorilla, GGO) e orangotango (Pongo pygmaeus, PPY) em um pesquisa de regioes equivalentes em grandes macacos. Sinais positivos de hibridacao para a sonda de DNA especifica para o cromossomo 5q31 foram observados em HSA 5q31, PTR 4q31, GGO 4q31 e PPY 4q31, enquanto que sinais fluorescentes usando a sonda de DNA especifica para o cromossomo 10q22 foram notados em HSA 10q22, PTR 8q22, GGO 8q22 e PPY 7q22. Os bracos de cromossomos apresentando sinais de hibridacao para a sonda de DNA especifica para Quint-EssentialO 13 foram identificados como HSA 13q32-33, PTR 14q32-33, GGO 14q32-33 e PPY 14q32-33, enquanto que aqueles apresentando sinais de hibridacao para sonda de DNA especifica para o cromossomo 19q13.1 foram identificados como HSA 19q13.1, PTR 20q13, GGO 20q13 e PPY 20q13. Todas as quatro sondas presumivelmente hidridizaram para locais cromossomicos homologos nos simios, o que sugere uma homologia de certas sequencias unicas de DNA entre as especies hominoides.
A critical overview of the pharmacologic management of treatment-resistant depression

Major depressive disorder is a frequent, serious disorder that usually responds partially to treatment and leaves many patients with treatment resistance. This article reviews and critically evaluates the evidence for the management of treatment-resistant depression and examines pharmacologic approaches to alleviate the suffering of patients who benefit insufficiently from initial treatment.
Ultrasonic Assessment of Thermal Therapy in Rat Liver

Abstract One way to assess the efficacy of thermal therapy is to quantify changes in tissue properties through ultrasonic interrogation, which requires knowledge of the acoustic properties of thermally treated tissues. In this study, estimates of ultrasonic attenuation, speed of sound, backscatter coefficient (BSC), and scattering property estimates were generated from rat liver samples submersed for 10 minutes in a saline bath that was heated to one of seven temperature values over a range of 37–70°C. The attenuation coefficient increased monotonically with exposure temperature, with a maximum increase of 90%. Speed of sound changed by
Assessment of AASHTO LRFD Specifications for Hybrid HPS 690W Steel I-Girders

This paper details research conducted to determine the applicability of the 2nd and 3rd editions of the AASHTO LRFD Specifications to hybrid I-girders fabricated from high-performance steel (HPS) 690W (100 ksi) flanges and HPS 480W (70 ksi) webs. Specifically, the scope of this paper is to evaluate the applicability of the negative moment capacity prediction equations for noncomposite I-girders subjected to moment gradient. This evaluation is carried out using three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element analysis to determine the ultimate bending capacity of a comprehensive suite of representative hybrid girders. In addition, a design study was conducted to assess the economical feasibility of incorporating HPS 690W (100 ksi) in traditional bridge applications. This was accomplished by designing a series of I-girders with varying ratios of span length to girder depth ( L∕D ratios) for a representative three-span continuous bridge. Results of this study indicate that both the 2nd and 3rd editions of the spec...
The Krüppel-like Factor KLF15 Regulates the Insulin-sensitive Glucose Transporter GLUT4

Resistance to the stimulatory effects of insulin on glucose utilization is a key feature of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies suggest that insulin resistance is primarily caused by a defect in glucose transport. GLUT4 is the main insulin-responsive glucose transporter and is expressed predominantly in muscle and adipose tissues. Whereas GLUT4 has been shown to play a critical role in maintaining systemic glucose homeostasis, the mechanisms regulating its expression are incompletely understood. We have cloned the murine homologue of KLF15, a member of the Kru¨ppel-like family of transcription factors. KLF15 is highly expressed in adipocytes and myocytes in vivo and is induced when 3T3-L1 preadipocytes are differentiated into adipocytes. Overexpression of KLF15 in adipose and muscle cell lines potently induces GLUT4 expression. This effect is specific to KLF15 as overexpression of two other Kru¨ppel-like factors, KLF2/LKLF and KLF4/GKLF, did not induce GLUT4 expression. Both basal (3.3-fold, p
Long‐term responses in the yield of Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] to nitrogen fertilizer under two harvest regimes in the United States

Eastern Gamagrass [Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.] is a perennial C4 grass with potentially high productivity. Intensive management through the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and frequency of cutting, however, may be required to maximize its potential for forage production. This study determined the long-term and residual responses of Eastern Gamagrass in terms of dry matter (DM) yield and tiller density to three annual application rates (0, 50 or 100 kg ha−1) of a N-fertilizer solution applied by broadcasting or knife placement for 5 out of the 10 years of the study, and harvested using one-cut or two-cut regimes. Application of N-fertilizer increased total DM yield in the 5 years of N applications by 0·44 with the first increment of 50 kg N ha−1, and by an additional 0·15 with the next increment of 50 kg N ha−1. In the first year that directly followed N-fertilizer applications, DM yield was 0·175 higher than the no fertilizer treatment when 50 kg ha−1 had been previously applied and a further 0·16 higher when 100 kg ha−1 had been previously applied. Dry matter yields were greater from the one-cut than the two-cut regime only in years when no N-fertilizer was applied. Knife placement of N-fertilizer increased total DM yield only at 100 kg N ha−1. Tiller densities were generally higher under the one-cut than the two-cut regime, particularly when N-fertilizer was broadcast. The application of N-fertilizer increased herbage production, especially when responses in the year subsequent to application are considered.
Human Body Temperature (37°C) Increases the Expression of Iron, Carbohydrate, and Amino Acid Utilization Genes in Escherichia coli K-12

Using DNA microarrays, we identified 126 genes in Escherichia coli K-12 whose expression is increased at human body temperature (37 degrees C) compared to growth at 23 degrees C. Genes involved in the uptake and utilization of amino acids, carbohydrates, and iron dominated the list, supporting a model in which temperature serves as a host cue to increase expression of bacterial genes needed for growth. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we investigated the thermoregulatory response for representative genes in each of these three categories (hisJ, cysP, srlE, garP, fes, and cirA), along with the fimbrial gene papB. Increased expression at 37 degrees C compared to 23 degrees C was retained in both exponential and stationary phases for all of the genes and in most of the various media tested, supporting the relative importance of this cue in adapting to changing environments. Because iron acquisition is important for both growth and virulence, we analyzed the regulation of the iron utilization genes cirA and fes and found that growth in iron-depleted medium abrogated the thermoregulatory effect, with high-level expression at both temperatures, contrasting with papB thermoregulation, which was not greatly altered by limiting iron levels. A positive role for the environmental regulator H-NS was found for fes, cirA, hisJ, and srlE transcription, whereas it had a primarily negative effect on cysP and garP expression. Together, these studies indicate that temperature is a broadly used cue for regulating gene expression in E. coli and that H-NS regulates iron, carbohydrate, and amino acid utilization gene expression.
Intelligent spider for Internet searching

As World Wide Web (WWW) based Internet services become more popular, information overload also becomes a pressing research problem. Difficulties with searching on the Internet get worse as the amount of information that is available increases. A scalable approach to support Internet search is critical to the success of Internet services and other current or future national information infrastructure (NII) applications. A new approach to build an intelligent personal spider (agent), which is based on automatic textual analysis of Internet documents, is proposed. Best first search and genetic algorithm have been tested to develop the intelligent spider. These personal spiders are able to dynamically and intelligently analyze the contents of the users' selected homepages as the starting point to search for the most relevant homepages based on the links and indexing. An intelligent spider must have the capability to make adjustments according to progress of searching in order to be an intelligent agent. However, the current searching engines do not have communication between the users and the robots. The spider presented in the paper uses Java to develop the user interface such that the users can adjust the control parameters according to the progress and observe the intermediate results. The performances of the genetic algorithm based and best first search based spiders are also reported.
Conspicuous impacts of inconspicuous hosts on the Lyme disease epidemic

Emerging zoonotic pathogens are a constant threat to human health throughout the world. Control strategies to protect public health regularly fail, due in part to the tendency to focus on a single host species assumed to be the primary reservoir for a pathogen. Here, we present evidence that a diverse set of species can play an important role in determining disease risk to humans using Lyme disease as a model. Host-targeted public health strategies to control the Lyme disease epidemic in North America have focused on interrupting Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss) transmission between blacklegged ticks and the putative dominant reservoir species, white-footed mice. However, B. burgdorferi ss infects more than a dozen vertebrate species, any of which could transmit the pathogen to feeding ticks and increase the density of infected ticks and Lyme disease risk. Using genetic and ecological data, we demonstrate that mice are neither the primary host for ticks nor the primary reservoir for B. burgdorferi ss, feeding 10% of all ticks and 25% of B. burgdorferi-infected ticks. Inconspicuous shrews feed 35% of all ticks and 55% of infected ticks. Because several important host species influence Lyme disease risk, interventions directed at a multiple host species will be required to control this epidemic.
Brazil's Rising Ambition in a Shifting Global Balance of Power

Rooted in democracy and economic stability and propelled by President Lula’s extraordinary popularity and assertive foreign policy, Brazil’s recent rise has allowed the country to gain a new global pre-eminence despite its failure to achieve the stated goals of its international strategy. Consolidation of the nation’s place and influence will depend as much on its ability to tackle domestic vulnerabilities, such as low competitiveness and low savings and investment rates that limit potential economic growth, as on its capacity to calibrate ambition to its position in the redistribution of international power under way in the early twenty-first century.
Freeze Mortality Characteristics of the Mold Mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae, a Significant Pest of Stored Products

The mold mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Shrank) is a common pest of stored food products. Until recently, commodity and facility treatments have relied on acaricides and fumigants to control this mite. However, T. putrescentiae will cause infestations in areas where acaricide or fumigant use may be restricted, prohibited, or highly impractical. Because temperature is an essential factor that limits the survival of arthropod species, extreme temperatures can be exploited as an effective method of control. Making low-temperature treatments reliable requires better temperature-time mortality estimates for different stages of this mite. This was accomplished by exposing a representative culture (eggs, nymphs, and adults) of noncold-acclimated T. putrescentiae to subfreezing temperatures to determine their supercooling points (SCPs), lower lethal temperatures (LLTs) and lethal times (LTimes) at set temperatures. The results indicate that the adult and nymphal stages of T. putrescentiae are freeze intolerant; based on 95% CIs, the adult LLT90 of -22.5°C is not significantly different from the SCP of -24.2°C and the nymphal LLT90 of -28.7°C is not significantly different from the SCP of -26.5°C. The egg stage seems to be freeze tolerant, with an LLT90 of -48.1°C, significantly colder by ≈ 13.5°C than its SCP of -35.6°C. The LTime demonstrates that 90% of all mite stages of T. putrescentiae can be controlled within commodity or packaged product by freezing to -18°C for 5 h. By achieving the recommended time and temperature exposures, freezing conditions can be an effective way of controlling mites and reducing chronic infestations.
Blood and urine concentrations of subjects receiving barbiturates, meprobamate, glutethimide, or diphenylhydantoin.

(1970). Blood and Urine Concentrations of Subjects Receiving Barbiturates, Meprobamate, Glutethimide, or Diphenylhydantoin. Clinical Toxicology: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 131-145.
Using Consensus to Measure Weighted Targeted Agreement

The information-theoretic measures of consensus, dissent and agreement are used to address the problem of the assignment of weights in recognition of expert opinions, and interval weights to reflect categorical weights. All measures are bounded in the 0 to 1 interval. Dissent is also interpreted as an indicator of dispersion. Thus, the values selected by a panel of experts is calculated for each targeted category and the category with the highest resulting value is the one chosen to represent the overall expert judgment. Further, the distances between threat levels can be calculated and the dispersion for the distribution may also be calculated. This is different from the standard statistical measures of variance for categorical values are based on an ordinal scale of ordered categories and the standard deviation requires the presence of an interval or ratio scale. Illustrations are shown to describe the functionality of the measures.
Boundedness of Linear Operators Defined on H p ( X )

The main goal of this chapter is to identify criteria guaranteeing that a given linear operator \(T: L^{q}(X,\mu ) \rightarrow \mathcal{B}_{1}\) with q ≥ 1, extends as a bounded operator \(T: H^{p}(X) \rightarrow \mathcal{B}_{2}\) for p as in ( 7.262).
Hybrid Control Network Intrusion Detection Systems for Automated Power Distribution Systems

In this paper, we describe our novel use of network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) for protecting automated distribution systems (ADS) against certain types of cyber attacks in a new way. The novelty consists of using the hybrid control environment rules and model as the baseline for what is normal and what is an anomaly, tailoring the security policies to the physical operation of the system. NIDS sensors in our architecture continuously analyze traffic in the communication medium that comes from embedded controllers, checking if the data and commands exchanged conform to the expected structure of the controllers interactions, and evolution of the system's physical state. Considering its importance in future ADSs, we chose the fault location, isolation and service restoration (FLISR) process as our distribution automation case study for the NIDS deployment. To test our scheme, we emulated the FLISR process using real programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that interact with a simulated physical infrastructure. We used this test bed to examine the capability of our NIDS approach in several attack scenarios. The experimental analysis reveals that our approach is capable of detecting various attacks scenarios including the attacks initiated within the trusted perimeter of the automation network by attackers that have complete knowledge about the communication information exchanged.
Patient knowledge and information-seeking about personalized cancer therapy

Abstract Background Understanding patients' knowledge and prior information-seeking regarding personalized cancer therapy (PCT) may inform future patient information systems, consent for molecular testing and PCT protocols. We evaluated breast cancer patients' knowledge and information-seeking behaviors regarding PCT. Methods Newly registered female breast cancer patients ( n =100) at a comprehensive cancer center completed a self-administered questionnaire prior to their first clinic visit. Results Knowledge regarding cancer genetics and PCT was moderate (mean 8.7±3.8 questions correct out of 16). A minority of patients (27%) indicated that they had sought information regarding PCT. Higher education ( p =0.009) and income levels ( p =0.04) were associated with higher knowledge scores and with seeking PCT information ( p =0.04). Knowledge was not associated with willingness to participate in PCT research. Conclusion Educational background and financial status impact patient knowledge as well as information-seeking behavior. For most patients, clinicians are likely to be patients' initial source of information about PCT. Understanding patients' knowledge deficits at presentation may help inform patient education efforts.
Abstract A96: Association of leptin with sex steroid hormones, insulin, and CRP among adult men in NHANES III

Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008 A96 Objective We previously observed an inverse association between leptin concentration and risk of prostate cancer, which was contrary to our hypothesis (AACR 2008). It is possible that the association between leptin - a hormone secreted by adipocytes - and prostate cancer or other cancers may be explained by confounding by other hormone and metabolic biomarkers. To address this issue, we evaluated the association of leptin with sex steroid hormones, insulin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) among a nationally representative sample of US men in the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III). Methods 1149 men aged 20+ years and who attended the morning examination session of Phase I of NHANES III (1988-1991) were included. We measured serum concentrations of testosterone, androstanediol glucuronide (AAG) (a metabolite of dihydrotestosterone), estradiol, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) by immunoassay. Insulin, CRP, and leptin were measured previously. Free hormones were estimated from measured total hormones, albumin, and SHBG. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured. Percent body fat was calculated from bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric data. Data on alcohol, smoking, and physical activity were obtained by interview. Using linear regression, we estimated geometric mean concentrations of hormones, insulin, and CRP by quartiles of leptin, applying sampling weights and adjusting for age, alcohol, smoking, physical activity, waist circumference, percent body fat and race/ethnicity. Results Men who had higher leptin concentrations had lower testosterone (Q1: 5.7, Q2: 5.3, Q3: 4.8, Q4: 4.7 ng/mL; p-trend = 0.02). Although the trend was not statistically significant, men who had higher leptin had lower free testosterone (0.109, 0.106, 0.098, 0.096 ng/mL; p-trend = 0.10). Men who had higher leptin had higher estradiol (34.7, 34.8, 36.4, 38.5 pg/mL; p-trend = 0.03), free estradiol (0.86, 0.89, 0.94, 1.01 pg/mL; p-trend = 0.007), and insulin (43.7, 50.1, 56.3, 60.0 pmol/L; p-trend = 0.0006) levels. Men in the lowest quartile of leptin had the highest SHBG; levels were the same in the upper 3 quartiles (37.7, 34.0, 33.1, 32.5 nmol/mL; p-trend = 0.14). Leptin did not appear to be associated with AAG or CRP. These patterns were similar within age strata. Conclusions Even after taking into account extent of body fat and other factors, leptin appears to be inversely associated with total and free testosterone but positively associated with estradiol, free estradiol, and insulin. In analysis of the independent association of leptin and prostate and other cancers, whether overall or by stage/grade, in addition to adiposity, adjustment for other hormonal and metabolic correlates of leptin may also be necessary. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A96.
Helium atmospheric pressure plasma jets interacting with wet cells: delivery of electric fields

The use of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) in plasma medicine have produced encouraging results in wound treatment, surface sterilization, deactivation of bacteria, and treatment of cancer cells. It is known that many of the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced by the APPJ are critical to these processes. Other key components to treatment include the ion and photon fluxes, and the electric fields produced in cells by the ionization wave of the APPJ striking in the vicinity of the cells. These relationships are often complicated by the cells being covered by a thin liquid layer-wet cells. In this paper, results from a computational investigation of the interaction of APPJs with tissue beneath a liquid layer are discussed. The emphasis of this study is the delivery of electric fields by an APPJ sustained in He/O-2 = 99.8/0.2 flowing into humid air to cells lying beneath water with thickness of 200 mu m. The water layer represents the biological fluid typically covering tissue during treatment. Three voltages were analyzed-two that produce a plasma effluent that touches the surface of the water layer and one that does not touch. The effect of the liquid layer thickness, 50 mu m to 1 mm, was also examined. Comparisons were made of the predicted intracellular electric fields to those thresholds used in the field of bioelectronics.
Communications Problems in Marine Casualties: Development and Evaluation of Investigation, Reporting, and Analysis Procedures:

The contribution of ineffective communications to marine casualties was studied. A standardized procedure was used to guide casualty investigations by Coast Guard investigators over a six-month period. Analyses of the resulting 589 casualty reports were conducted to characterize the extent and nature of communications problems in critical marine casualties. The results suggest that increased efforts to address these problems through improvements in operational procedures and training could reduce occurrences of such casualties. The study procedures were revised for future use in marine casualty investigations.
Some models for development, growth, and morphometric correlation

Genetic and phenotypic correlations between morphometric traits can be a direct consequence of shared developmental history and common systems of growth regulation. Correlation between traits, therefore, need not imply direct functional or adaptive constraints on those traits. Useful models of the developmental origins of correlations will consider mechanisms that can reduce initially high correlation of traits that arise from a single developmental precursor. Several models presented here predict such correlations for different modes of fission of a precursor. Timing of developmental events may also affect correlations and respond to selection on adult traits. The models may apply to development of the tetrapod limb bud, including variance and covariance induced by known developmental mutants.
Prostaglandins Stimulate and Inhibit Acid Secretion in Amphibian Fundic Mucosa

AbstractStripped gastric fundic mucosae of Rana catesbeiana were mounted between two halves of a lucite chamber, and acid secretion was measured during continuous monitoring of transmucosal potential difference (PD), resistance (R), and short-circuit current (Isc). At low concentrations ( 10-6M), 16,16dmPGE2 stimulates H+ secretion without significant change in electrical measurements. The stimulatory effect which is observed with titration at a luminal pH of either 4.8 or 7.4 shows tachyphylaxis, is abolished by metiamide (1 × 10-3M) but not by atropine (1 × 10-6M), and is prevented or reduced by pretreatment with compound 48/80 (1 × 10-4 g/ml), a substance which releases histamine from mast cells or by heparin which prevents release of histamine from mast cells. Similar stimulatory effects were observed with PGE1, PGF2α, and PGI2 at 1 × 10-5M, with the magnitude of the effe...
Mokara a New Kinds of Orchid was Planting in Sanya

Orchid is a large family,but plant for commercial is so limited now,there are lots of orchid need our to exploitative.Mokara planting as commercial purpose is start in sanya now.
The influence of hydration state on thermoregulation during a 161-km ultramarathon.

It is advised that individuals should avoid losing >2% of their body mass during exercise in order to prevent hyperthermia. This study sought to assess whether a loss of >2% body mass leads to elevations in core temperature during an ultramarathon. Thirty runners agreed to take part in the study. Body mass and core temperature were measured at the start, at three locations during the race and the finish. Core temperature was not correlated with percent body mass change (p = 0.19) or finish time (p = 0.11). Percent body mass change was directly associated with finish time (r = 0.58, p 3% body mass does not contribute to rises in core temperature. An emphasis on fluid replacement for body mass losses of this magnitude during prolonged exercise is not justified as a preventative measure for heat-related illnesses.
The Role of Intraflagellar Transport in the Photoreceptor Sensory Cilium

The photoreceptor is a complex specialized cell in which a major component responsible for visual transduction is the photoreceptor sensory cilium (PSC). Building and maintenance of the PSC requires the transport of large proteins along microtubules that extend from the inner segments to the outer segments. A key process, termed intraflagellar transport (IFT), has been recognized as an essential phenomenon for photoreceptor development and maintenance, and exciting new studies have highlighted its importance in retinal and cilia related diseases. This review focuses on the important roles of IFT players, including motor proteins, IFT proteins, and photoreceptor-specific cargos in photoreceptor sensory cilium. In addition, specific IFT components that are involved in inherited human diseases are discussed.
“Moving” the Pyramids of Giza: Measuring the Effects of Ethics Education in a Visual Communication Curriculum

As mass communication scholars and educators, we should be greatly concerned about how we teach ethics to our students. This research posits improving the quality of mass communication education with the intention of producing top-notch journalists who are dedicated to raising the credibility of the profession. Specifically, the research assesses the effects of integrating ethical content within a visual communication course, focusing on two critical and timely issues in visual journalism: the acceptability of graphic photographs and image manipulation. Findings showed significant differences in how participants viewed selected ethical issues in visual journalism from time 1 to time 2.
Supermode control in diffraction-coupled laser arrays

Diffraction-coupled arrays represent one path toward achieving fundamental supermode operation.1 In this geometry (Fig. 1), the array channels are optically isolated for some length L and then allowed to couple by diffraction in a common end region of length D. Thus the coupling is discrete rather than distributed, and by suitable choice of D the coupling constant can be tailored to favor the fundamental supermode.1,2
Antimicrobial Use Metrics and Benchmarking to Improve Stewardship Outcomes: Methodology, Opportunities, and Challenges

Measurement of antimicrobial use before and after an intervention and the associated outcomes are key activities of antimicrobial stewardship programs. In the United States, the recommended metric for aggregate antibiotic use is days of therapy/1000 patient-days. Clinical outcomes, including response to therapy and bacterial resistance, are critical measures but are more difficult to document than economic outcomes. Interhospital benchmarking of risk adjusted antimicrobial use is possible, although several obstacles remain before it can have an impact on patient care. Many challenges for stewardship programs remain, but the methods and science to support their efforts are rapidly evolving.
Before Recognition: On the Aesthetics of Aftermath

This essay explores the relation between trauma and representation by attending to a set of cultural works—architectural, artistic and literary—that took the events of September 11th as their subject. Through a close reading of these works, indebted at once to an art historical project of exegesis and interpretation and to a literature on trauma, the essay proposes and pursues the possibility that such work is not so much, or not yet, a post-traumatic representation of September 11th but rather, a cultural site in which the very impossibility of such representation is both theorized and figured. Among those works discussed are Michael Arad’s now-realized memorial proposal, Reflecting Absence, a piece that is at once a work of art and architecture, Jonathan Borofksy’s sculptural installation Walking to the Sky, Paul Chan’s video installation 1st Light, Pia Lindman’s “portraits of grief,” as well as her video projects Viewing Platform and Waterline, Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, In the Shadow of No Towers and, finally, as a gesture of conclusion, a literary work that is punctuated by photographs that appear with all the unpredictability and force of the traumatic flashback, Jonathan Safran Foer’s illustrated work of literary fiction, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Lab-in-a-Box.

Objectives: Noncommunicable diseases, including malignancies, represent an increasing proportion of the global human disease burden, but low- and middle-income countries lack the necessary infrastructure to diagnose and treat the rising number of patients with cancer. Methods: African Strategies for Advancing Pathology devised the lab-in-a-box to guide rapid deployment of anatomic pathologic services in sub-Saharan Africa. Results: This framework defines essential elements of a laboratory network, providing the full spectrum of cancer care, and explores the many barriers to creating fully functional laboratory networks in resource-limited settings. Conclusions: For global cancer care access and quality to advance, multiple stakeholders must commit to common goals and objectives and develop a comprehensive, sustainable system. African Strategies for Advancing Pathology will continue aligning stakeholders and advocating for meaningful policy changes to create positive, measurable, and long-lasting impact on global cancer care.
Cornea organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells

The cornea is the transparent outermost surface of the eye, consisting of a stratified epithelium, a collagenous stroma and an innermost single-cell layered endothelium and providing 2/3 of the refractive power of the eye. Multiple diseases of the cornea arise from genetic defects where the ultimate phenotype can be influenced by cross talk between the cell types and the extracellular matrix. Cell culture modeling of diseases can benefit from cornea organoids that include multiple corneal cell types and extracellular matrices. Here we present human iPS cell-derived organoids through sequential rounds of differentiation programs. These organoids share features of the developing cornea, harboring three distinct cell types with expression of key epithelial, stromal and endothelial cell markers. Cornea organoid cultures provide a powerful 3D model system for investigating corneal developmental processes and their disruptions in diseased conditions.
Detecting dynamic causal inference in nonlinear two-phase fracture flow

Identifying dynamic causal inference involved in flow and transport processes in complex fractured-porous media is generally a challenging task, because nonlinear and chaotic variables may be positively coupled or correlated for some periods of time, but can then become spontaneously decoupled or non-correlated. In his 2002 paper (Faybishenko, 2002), the author performed a nonlinear dynamical and chaotic analysis of time-series data obtained from the fracture flow experiment conducted by Persoff and Pruess (1995), and, based on the visual examination of time series data, hypothesized that the observed pressure oscillations at both inlet and outlet edges of the fracture result from a superposition of both forward and return waves of pressure propagation through the fracture. In the current paper, the author explores an application of a combination of methods for detecting nonlinear chaotic dynamics behavior along with the multivariate Granger Causality (G-causality) time series test. Based on the G-causality test, the author infers that his hypothesis is correct, and presents a causation loop diagram of the spatial-temporal distribution of gas, liquid, and capillary pressures measured at the inlet and outlet of the fracture. The causal modeling approach can be used for the analysis of other hydrological processes, for example, infiltration and pumping tests in heterogeneous subsurface media, and climatic processes, for example, to find correlations between various meteorological parameters, such as temperature, solar radiation, barometric pressure, etc.
Online social network use among parents of young childhood cancer survivors.

82Background: Online social networks (OSNs) have emerged in the past decade as potentially powerful tools for health information sharing and health behavior change. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 75% of all parents are active on OSNs. Given the high level of need for childhood cancer survivorship health education and preventive health behavior change, OSNs represent key resources for parents to engage with experts and peers over survivorship health. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 114 parents of young and adolescent ( < 13 years) childhood cancer survivors was used to examine parent OSN use in specific platforms. Recruitment was conducted through online social support groups of two childhood cancer non-profits that focus on parent support. The novel online survey investigated OSN frequency of use, history of making new friends in OSNs, and whether OSNs were “good for sharing and receiving reliable and high quality information on diet, physical activity, and other healthy beha...
Non-Destructive Evaluation of the Interface in Reinforced Concrete Using Phase Measurement Interferometry

Studying the behavior of steel and concrete as a composite is of fundamental importance to the understanding of the cracking of reinforced concrete structures. In this article, a technique leading toward the development of a constitutive model for the interaction of steel and concrete is described. Experiments are based on pull-out specimens, where the shear stress and the two displacement components at the interface are measured. Phase Measurement Interferometry is used for accurate surface displacement measurement, and crack growth detection. The normal stress is then deduced using the measured crack length and crack opening displacements, along with a fracture mechanics based numerical simulation.
Neural networks and the search for a quadratic residue detector

This paper investigates the feasibility of employing artificial neural network techniques for solving fundamental cryptography problems, taking quadratic residue detection as an example. The problem of quadratic residue detection is one which is well known in both number theory and cryptography. While it garners less attention than problems such as factoring or discrete logarithms, it is similar in both difficulty and importance. No polynomial-time algorithm is currently known to the public by which the quadratic residue status of one number modulo another may be determined. This work leverages machine learning algorithms in an attempt to create a detector capable of solving instances of the problem more efficiently. A variety of neural networks, currently at the forefront of machine learning methodologies, were compared to see if any were capable of consistently outperforming random guessing as a mechanism for detection. Surprisingly, neural networks were repeatably able to achieve accuracies well in excess of random guessing on numbers up to 20 bits in length. Unfortunately, this performance was only achieved after a super-polynomial amount of network training, and therefore we do not believe that the system as implemented could scale to cryptographically relevant inputs of 500 to 1000 bits. This nonetheless suggests a new avenue of attack in the search for solutions to the quadratic residues problem, where future work focused on feature set refinement could potentially reveal the components necessary to construct a true closed-form solution.