cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of Novel Dietary and Lifestyle Inflammation Scores

BACKGROUND Chronically higher inflammation, which may partly result from diet and lifestyle, is implicated in risk for multiple chronic diseases. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) and empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP), developed to characterize dietary contributions to systemic inflammation, have several limitations. There are no scores to characterize contributions of lifestyle to inflammation. OBJECTIVES To reflect dietary/lifestyle contributions to inflammation, we developed novel, inflammation biomarker panel-weighted, dietary (DIS) and lifestyle (LIS) inflammation scores in a subset (n = 639) of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study (REGARDS) cohort. METHODS We selected a priori 19 food groups and 4 lifestyle characteristics to comprise the DIS and LIS, respectively. We calculated the components' weights based on their strengths of association with an inflammation biomarker score [comprising high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10] using multivariable linear regression. The sums of the weighted components constitute the scores, such that higher scores reflect, on balance, more proinflammatory exposures. We calculated the DIS, LIS, DII, and EDIP with cross-sectional data from the remaining REGARDS cohort ( n = 14,210 with hsCRP measurements) and 2 other study populations with hsCRP and/or an 8-component inflammation biomarker panel, and investigated their associations with circulating inflammation biomarker concentrations using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS In REGARDS, those in the highest relative to the lowest DIS, LIS, DII, and EDIP quintiles had statistically significant 1.66-, 4.29-, 1.56-, and 1.32-fold higher odds of a high hsCRP concentration (>3 mg/dL), respectively (all P-trend < 0.001). Those in the highest relative to the lowest joint DIS/LIS quintile had a statistically significant 7.26-fold higher odds of a high hsCRP concentration. Similar findings were noted in the other 2 validation populations. CONCLUSION Our results support that dietary and lifestyle exposures collectively contribute substantially to systemic inflammation, and support the use of our novel DIS and LIS.
Spectroscopically Resolved Binding Sites for the Adsorption of Sarin Gas in a Metal-Organic Framework: Insights beyond Lewis Acidity.

Here we report molecular level details regarding the adsorption of sarin (GB) gas in a prototypical zirconium-based metal–organic framework (MOF, UiO-66). By combining predictive modeling and experimental spectroscopic techniques, we unambiguously identify several unique bindings sites within the MOF, using the P═O stretch frequency of GB as a probe. Remarkable agreement between predicted and experimental IR spectrum is demonstrated. As previously hypothesized, the undercoordinated Lewis acid metal site is the most favorable binding site. Yet multiple sites participate in the adsorption process; specifically, the Zr-chelated hydroxyl groups form hydrogen bonds with the GB molecule, and GB weakly interacts with fully coordinated metals. Importantly, this work highlights that subtle orientational effects of bound GB are observable via shifts in characteristic vibrational modes; this finding has large implications for degradation rates and opens a new route for future materials design.
How Would Confucian Virtue Ethics for Business Differ from Aristotelian Virtue Ethics

Confucianism is potentially relevant to business ethics and business practice in many ways. Although some scholars have seen Confucian thought as applicable to corporate social responsibility (Wang and Juslin in Journal of Business Ethics 88(3):433–451, 2009) and to corporate governance (Low and Ang in International Journal of Business and Management 8(4):30–43, 2013), only a few business ethicists (Koehn in Local insights, global ethics for business. Amsterdam, Rodopi, 2001a; Business Ethics Quarterly 11(3):415–431, 2001b; Journal of Business Ethics 116(4):703–715, 2013; Romar in Journal of Business Ethics 38(1–2):119–131, 2002; Lam in The Analects, Penguin Classics, London, 2003; Chan in Journal of Business Ethics 77(3):347–360, 2008; Woods and Lamond in Journal of Business Ethics 102(4):669–683, 2011) have taken seriously the possibility that Confucius may have important insights to offer regarding virtue ethics, which has now become the most popular normative theory as evidenced by the number of recent articles published in business ethics journals (Alzola in Business Ethics Quarterly 25(3):287–318, 2017). This paper aims to help rectify this oversight. The paper focuses on several distinctive aspects of Confucian ethics, discussing both how Confucius’ approach differs from Aristotelian virtue ethics in significant ways and how these key differences suggest numerous directions for future research.
From Goldilocks to Gump: entrepreneurial mechanisms for everyday entrepreneurs

In this essay we argue that the exclusive focus on research aimed at isolating the characteristics of entrepreneurs as opposed to others, while intellectually exciting and even practically valuable, may have blinded us to another wholly new and exciting possibility – namely, the design of mechanisms that allow all kinds of individuals to start new ventures and provide useful and valuable tools to enable them and their stakeholders to build enduring organizations. The research stream on effectuation has identified a few of these mechanisms. By showing where effectuation may be located within the history of behavioral and experimental economics, we were led to the outline of at least three more mechanisms that could open the door to an entirely new research agenda on entrepreneurial mechanisms design that parallels the effort in experimental economics on economic systems design.
Modeling of Injection-dependent Non-radiative Recombination via Point and Extended Defects in mc-Si

Non-radiative (NR) carrier recombination limits the efficiency of photovoltaic energy conversion. Minority carrier lifetimes in Si exhibit a variety of dependences on optical injection levels, depending on the types of defects present. To date, models of non-radiative recombination in silicon were proposed for point defects (e.g., Fe interstitials) and extended defects (e.g., dislocations). Direct measurement of local carrier concentration near recombination centers is technically difficult, therefore, computational modeling may be helpful to understand various carrier recombination pathways in materials such as mc-Si. In this paper, modeling is used to compare intensity-dependent NR recombination lifetimes in Si. The usefulness of the model goes beyond mc-Si photovoltaics.
Evaluating interprofessional socialization: Matched student self-assessments surrounding underserved clinic participation.

Abstract Introduction To determine if an existing tool, the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), can be used to measure student perceptions of interprofessional (IP) socialization and teamwork in a cohort of pharmacy, medicine, physical therapy, and social work students volunteering in a student-run free clinic (SRFC). Methods The ISVS was distributed to these health professions students before and after participation at the SRFC. After a one-month pilot, the plan was to collect data for 12 months. A power analysis determined a minimum sample size was 15 students (power = 0.8). Student surveys were matched utilizing unique alphanumeric identifiers. Results of IP socialization were analyzed by total group and health profession. Results A mean value for each ISVS domain was compared before and after the IP SRFC experience over 11 months; the pilot was not included in the final data set. Significant improvement in interprofessional socialization was observed across all ISVS factors including Self-Perceived Ability to Work with Others (p Conclusions Utilizing the ISVS in an IP SRFC setting can detect changes in professional development that is influenced by beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes as self-assessed in our student population. Engaging students in such a clinic demonstrates educational value and potentially leads to significant improvement in their interprofessional socialization and teamwork skills.
Chapter 22 – Circulatory System

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the unique features of the fish cardiovascular system. The fish heart has a single atrium and ventricle and the latter is seldom required to develop pressures in excess of 40 mmHg (one-third that of mammals), moreover, it is rarely perfused with oxygenated blood and the myocardium is accordingly different. Fish blood vessels can be functionally (and structurally) divided into compliance, conductance, resistance, exchange, and capacitance vessels. These descriptors are similar to those used in mammals, although anatomical solutions to a common problem are not always identical and the differences will be stressed. Fish apparently lack a lymphatic system, yet they possess another, perhaps related, vascular network, the secondary circulation. This circulation is both an anatomical curiosity and a physiological enigma. Finally, the chapter describes countercurrent arteriole/capillary systems, the retia mirabilia, which are uniquely designed to concentrate gases in the swimbladder, oxygen in the eye, and in tuna the retia help retain heat in select tissues.
Data for registry and quality review can be retrospectively collected using natural language processing from unstructured charts of arthroplasty patients

Aims Natural Language Processing (NLP) offers an automated method to extract data from unstructured free text fields for arthroplasty registry participation. Our objective was to investigate how ac...
The history of tense and aspect in the Sogeram family

Abstract This paper presents an overview of the tens-aspect system in the Sogeram languages of Papua New Guinea. Taking the Proto-Sogeram reconstruction in Daniels (2015, 2020) as a starting point, I outline the innovations that have taken place in daughter languages and discuss the patterns of change that emerge. The study confirms a variety of known cross-linguistic tendencies, such as the common occurrence of the analytic-to-synthetic and aspect-to-tense pathways of change. More notable trends include the diachronic stability of the present and most remote past tenses; the instability of the middle pasts and future; the stability of the relative semantic ordering of tenses; the absence of a pathway leading from relative-tense to absolute-tense marking; and the ability of innovative tenses to be inserted anywhere into the five-way tense system of Proto-Sogeram. The study also illustrates how featural systems can interact over time, at first by introducing a new feature value in one system which can combine with values from another (as with the Manat habitual), and then, if the featural distinction is lost, creating a pattern of distributed exponence (as in Mum).
Social security and retirement in fast-aging middle-income countries: Evidence from Korea

Abstract Many middle-income countries have been witnessing rapid population aging, increasing pressures on their relatively fragile public pensions. Older workers may want to delay retirement to finance their prolonged lives, but job markets are not favorable for them. A hike in pension benefits might increase individual financial security, but weaken pension stability. Using panel data for older workers in Korea – a typical fast-aging middle-income country with a high rate of elderly poverty – this study finds that the forward-looking incentive measures associated with the public pension have a statistically significant effect on retirement probability. Older wage workers are more responsive to utility gains from continued work due to additional earnings and increased pension benefits than to financial gains from greater pension wealth. The significant effect of transfers from children to parents at retirement is particularly noteworthy, suggesting low fertility rates have made more difficult the tasks of alleviating elderly poverty and maintaining pension stability.
The Rollout of Computer Science Education to Every Student in New York City: A Socio-Contextual Social Network Analysis.

BackgroundCS4All is an $81 million private-public investment aimed at creating the necessary infrastructure to provide computer science experiences to all New York City public-school students by 20...
Evaluating Outcome Following Cartilage Procedures

Many factors influence the evaluation of outcome following cartilage procedures. The outcome is influenced by the patient, the nature of the lesion, the procedure performed, and the outcome measure utilized. All of these factors must be independently considered in great detail to appropriately evaluate any treatment or procedure for a cartilage lesion. Each of these is reviewed in this chapter.
Mathematics in German Literature: Paradoxes of Infinity

Mathematics has been a significant theme in modern German literature. This chapter traces the paradoxes of the mathematical infinite and how they have figured in questions about our ability to understand the divine and comprehend the universe, the nature of modern mathematics, and the limits of human knowledge. The background of these questions is explored in Cusanus and Leibniz, then the role of the mathematical infinite is investigated in the Early Romantic movement, in Novalis and Friedrich Schlegel. Next, the crisis of mathematical foundations in Modernism is illustrated in novels of Musil and Broch. The chapter concludes with an analysis of Measuring the World by the contemporary author Daniel Kehlmann.
Adverse Events and Perception of Benefit From Duloxetine for Treating Aromatase Inhibitor-Associated Arthralgias.

Background Duloxetine effectively treats aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) in women with breast cancer but causes low-grade toxicities. This secondary analysis examines the relationship between adverse events (AE) and patient-perceived benefit, based on patient self-report that the treatment received was beneficial despite side effects. We hypothesized that duloxetine had a favorable effect on patient-perceived benefit, even among duloxetine-treated patients who experienced AEs and who, had they been treated with placebo, would have experienced none. Methods Principal stratification was used to estimate the effect of duloxetine vs placebo on patient-perceived benefit and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Endocrine Scale functional quality of life in the randomized, double-blind trial SWOG S1202 (n = 289). Subgroups of patients were defined by observed and counterfactual (what would have occurred had they been randomly assigned to the opposite study arm) experiences of AEs and the original primary outcome, reduction of average pain after 12 weeks of at least 2 points on the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form. Results Duloxetine caused an estimated 23.4% (95% credible interval [CI] = 13.4% to 33.7%) of patients to experience an AE even though they would have experienced none on placebo. Those patients remained more likely to report that their received treatment was beneficial than comparable patients assigned placebo (73.3% vs 41.8%, respectively; 95% CI for difference = 15.4 to 47.2 percentage points), although there was no statistically significant effect of duloxetine on functional quality of life (11.3 vs 9.0, 95% CI for difference = -2.2 to +6.7). Conclusion Duloxetine resulted in higher patient-perceived benefit, even among those who would have an AE on duloxetine but none on placebo. Treatment of AIMSS with duloxetine should be considered for appropriate patients.
Using Disney As a Pedagogical Approach

With education evolving, teachers and students need to adapt to the most effective way of teaching, and the transformative power of effective teaching is crucial. Rather than being a dismal science, the economics classroom can be an exciting and thought-provoking place. Utilizing a more active learning approach and tapping into the psychology of memory by showcasing Disney films in the classroom may provide an effective way to help undergraduate students understand the principles.
Use of Botulinum Toxin Injections for the Treatment of Chronic Anal Fissure: Results From an American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Survey.

BACKGROUND Chronic anal fissure (CAF) is commonly treated by colorectal surgeons. Pharmacological treatment is considered first-line therapy. An alternative treatment modality is chemical sphincterotomy with injection of botulinum toxin (BT). However, there is a lack of a consensus on the BT administration procedure among colorectal surgeons. METHODS A national survey approved by the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) Executive Council was sent to all members. An eight-question survey was sent via ASCRS email correspondence between December 2019 and February 2020. Questions were derived from available meta-analyses and expert opinions on BT use in CAF patients and included topics such as BT dose, injection technique, and concomitant therapies. The survey was voluntary and anonymous, and all ASCRS members were eligible to complete it. Responses were recorded and analyzed via an online survey platform. RESULTS 216 ASCRS members responded to the survey and 90% inject 50-100U of BT. Most procedures are performed under MAC anesthesia (56%). A majority of respondents (64%) inject into the internal sphincter and a majority (53%) inject into 4 quadrants in the anal canal circumference. Some respondents perform concomitant manual dilatation (34%) or fissurectomy (38%). Concomitant topical muscle relaxing agents are not used uniformly among respondents. DISCUSSION Injection of BT for CAF is used commonly by colorectal surgeons. There is consensus on BT dosage, administration site, technique, and the use of monitored anesthesia care.
Intermittent human-in-the-loop model selection using cerebro: a demonstration

Deep learning (DL) is revolutionizing many fields. However, there is a major bottleneck for the wide adoption of DL: the pain of model selection, which requires exploring a large config space of mo...
Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac amyloidosis

Cardiac amyloidosis, a form of infiltrative cardiomyopathy, is associated with poor prognosis in untreated patients. Early diagnosis is important for timely initiation of effective therapies. Despite advances in diagnostic modalities, it remains a challenging diagnosis, requiring high index of clinical suspicion. Echocardiography represents the first-line cardiac imaging modality for evaluation of heart failure and suspected cardiac amyloidosis. In this review, we discuss echocardiographic findings in cardiac amyloidosis.
Homeostasis phenomenon in conformal prediction and predictive distribution functions

Abstract Conformal prediction is an attractive framework for prediction that is distribution free. In this article, we study in details its homeostasis property under a general regression setup and also introduce the concepts of upper and lower predictive distributions and predictive curve to establish connections to left-, right- and two-tailed hypothesis testing problems as well as the developments in confidence distributions. The homeostasis property is very attractive, since it states that under some conditions the prediction results remain valid even if the model used for learning is completely wrong. We show explicitly why the property holds in a model-based setup and also explore the boundary when the property breaks down. Beside the typical assumption used in conformal prediction that the response and covariate pairs ( y , x ) of all subjects are iid distributed, we also study the classical regression setting in which the design is fixed with given (non-random) covariates x. The trade-offs among learning model accuracy, prediction valid and prediction efficiency are discussed, leading to an emphasis of more efforts on developing better learning models.
A peridynamic model for crevice corrosion damage

Abstract A new peridynamic (PD) model for crevice corrosion damage is introduced and cross-validated with experimental results from the literature. Electrochemical mechanisms are reduced to a simple metal-ion concentration-dependent corrosion rate. Computations over domains with extreme aspect ratios like those seen in crevices are efficiently performed by modifying the PD formulation to accommodate arbitrary-shape horizons. The model is validated against experimental results on bolted washers. Simulations predict both the location and the depth of deep corrosion trenches that form at a distance from the crevice mouth. Far-field boundary conditions are used to autonomously reproduce the experimentally observed progression of crevice corrosion. The PD model results also show that the two factors considered here (diffusion-driven transport of dissolved metal ions, and dissolution being dependent on their concentration) are sufficient to predict the evolution of crevice corrosion.
Association between early extubation and post-operative reintubation after elective open-heart surgery: a bi-institutional study

Abstract Objective It is unknown if remaining intubated after cardiac surgery is associated with a decreased risk of postoperative reintubation. The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between the timing of extubation and the risk of reintubation after cardiac surgery. Design A retrospective, observational study. Setting Two university affiliated tertiary care centers. Participants 9,517 patients undergoing either isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or aortic valve replacement (AVR). Intervention None Measurements and Main Results A total of 6,609 isolated CABGs and 2,908 isolated AVRs were performed during the study period. Reintubation occurred in 112 patients (1.64%) after CABG and 44 patients (1.5%) after AVR. After multivariable logistic regression analysis, early extubation (within the first 6 post-operative hours) was not associated with risk of reintubation after CABG (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.26-1.06) and AVR (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.22-1.22). Risk factors for reintubation included increased age in both the CABG (OR per 10 year increase, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.28-2.08) and AVR (OR per 10 year increase, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.12-2.01) cohorts. Total bypass time, race, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class were not associated with reintubation risk. Conclusion Reintubation after CABGs and AVRs is a rare event, and advanced age is an independent risk factor. Risk is not increased with early extubation. This temporal association and low overall rate of reintubation suggest the strategies for extubation should be modified in this patient population.
Electron Tunneling Through Iron and Copper Proteins

Iron and copper redox centers facilitate the transfer of electrons through proteins that are part of the respiratory and photosynthetic machinery of cells. Much work has been done with the goal of understanding the factors that control electron flow through these proteins. The results of many of the key experiments have been interpreted in terms of semiclassical theory.
Dynamic microparticle manipulation with an electroosmotic flow gradient in low-frequency alternating current dielectrophoresis

In this study, the potential of low-frequency AC insulator-based DEP (iDEP) was explored for the separation of polystyrene microparticles and yeast cells. An EOF gradient was generated by employing an asymmetrical, 20 Hz AC electrical signal in an iDEP device consisting of a microchannel with diamond-shaped insulating posts. Two types of samples were analyzed, the first sample contained three types of polystyrene particles with different diameters (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μm) and the second sample contained two types of polystyrene particles (1.0 and 2 μm) and yeast cells (6.3 μm). This particular scheme uses a tapered AC signal that allows for all particles to be trapped and concentrated at the insulating post array, as the signal becomes asymmetrical (more positive), particles are selectively released. The smallest particles in each sample were released first, since they require greater dielectrophoretic forces to remain trapped. The largest particles in each sample were released last, when the applied signal became cyclical. A dielectropherogram, which is analogous to a chromatogram, was obtained for each sample, demonstrating successful separation of the particles by showing "peaks" of the released particles. These separations were achieved at lower applied potentials than those reported in previous studies that used solely direct current electrical voltages. Additionally, mathematical modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics was carried out to estimate the magnitude of the dielectrophoretic and EOF forces acting on the particles considering the low-frequency, asymmetrical AC signal used in the experiments. The results demonstrated the potential of low-frequency AC-iDEP systems for handling and separating complex mixtures of microparticles and biological cells.
Estimating source regions for snowmelt runoff in a Rocky Mountain basin: tests of a data‐based conceptual modeling approach

In many mountain basins, river discharge measurements are located far away from runoff source areas. This study tests whether a basic snowmelt runoff conceptual model can be used to estimate relative contributions of different elevation zones to basin-scale discharge in the Cache la Poudre, a snowmelt-dominated Rocky Mountain river. Model tests evaluate scenarios that vary model configuration, input variables, and parameter values to determine how these factors affect discharge simulation and the distribution of runoff generation with elevation. Results show that the model simulates basin discharge well (NSCE and R >0.90) when input precipitation and temperature are distributed with different lapse rates, with a rain-snow threshold parameter between 0 and 3.3 °C, and with a melt rate parameter between 2 and 4 mm °C−1 d−1 because these variables and parameters can have compensating interactions with each other and with the runoff coefficient parameter. Only the hydrograph recession parameter can be uniquely defined with this model structure. These non-unique model scenarios with different configurations, input variables, and parameter values all indicate that the majority of basin discharge comes from elevations above 2900 m, or less than 25% of the basin total area, with a steep increase in runoff generation above 2600 m. However, the simulations produce unrealistically low runoff ratios for elevations above 3000 m, highlighting the need for additional measurements of snow and discharge at under-sampled elevations to evaluate the accuracy of simulated snow and runoff patterns. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Impact of Serial Correlation on Option Prices in a Non-Frictionless Environment: An Alternative Explanation for Volatility Skew

A persistent anomaly in option pricing is the volatility skew. Many have attempted to explain it with stochastic volatility and/or jump diffusion models with mixed results. We propose a model that incorporates positive serial correlation in the stock price process and test it on empirical data for four "momentum" stocks and their heavily traded options. Although the notion of serial correlation seems to challenge the notion of arbitrage enforced option valuation, in fact, the existence of transaction costs, discontinuities and other frictions in the market allow for fairly wide arbitrage-free bounds on option prices. Within these bounds, serial correlation seems to explain not only the often-noted skew in stock option prices, but also the rarely noted upward bias of implied volatilities over actual volatilities.
Primer Specificity of Mammary Fatty Acid Synthetase and the Role of the Soluble β-Oxidative Enzymes

Abstract Comparison of the incorporation of various primers into fatty acids by rabbit mammary fatty acid synthetase shows butyryl coenzyme A to be most effective for the synthesis of fatty acids. Butyryl-CoA can be synthesized from acetyl-CoA by the reversal of β oxidation by means of enzymes which are present in the cytoplasm. A 3-fold stimulation observed in the incorporation of acetyl-CoA into fatty acids by the fatty acid synthetase on supplementation of the incubation mixture with the β-oxidative enzymes suggests that the role of the β-oxidative enzymes is to provide the synthetase with the most favored primer.
Model reduction of positive real systems

This paper considers the general model reduction problem for a positive real system under the constraint that the reduced model is also positive real. The authors present solutions based on the balanced stochastic truncation, balancing linear matrix inequalities and approximating the spectral factors with associated H/sub /spl infin// norm error bounds. An example is given to illustrate the performance of these methods.
The IWAR range: a laboratory for undergraduate information assurance education

This paper describes a unique resource at West Point, the Information Analysis and Research Laboratory, referred to as the IWAR range. The IWAR range is an isolated laboratory used by undergraduate students and faculty researchers. The IWAR is a production-system-like, heterogeneous environment. The IWAR has become a vital part of the Information Assurance curriculum at West Point. We use the military range analogy to teach the students in the class that the exploits and other tools used in the laboratory are weapons and should be treated with the same care as rifles and grenades. This paper describes the structure of the laboratory and how it is used in classroom instruction. It also describes the process used to create the IWAR and how an IWAR might be built using limited resources. Finally, this paper describes the future directions of the IWAR project.
Distance functions and umbilic submanifolds of hyperbolic space

Here Lp is the Euclidean distance function, Lp(x) = \p — f(x)\\ where / is the immersion of M into E. Cecil [2] characterized the metric spheres in hyperbolic space H in terms of hyperbolic distance functions Lp as follows. THEOREM B. Let M, n > 2, be a connected, compact, differentiate manifold immersed in H. Every Morse function Lp has exactly two critical points if and only if M is embedded as a metric n-sphere in H.
Third-Wave Feminism, Motherhood and the Future of Legal Theory

Using motherhood as a lens, this book chapter argues that third-wave feminism needs law and law needs third-wave feminism. Twenty years ago, young women in the United States boldly proclaimed the onset of feminism’s “third wave.” Third-wave feminists embraced the “fun,” “sexy,” and “girly,” rejecting the (supposedly) strident, humorless feminism of the 1970s and 1980s, while also taking up the feminist mantle. The third-wave feminist agenda makes several claims about the law, and yet it has had little or no impact on feminist legal theory. This is because third-wave feminist writing fails to grapple with gender equality or law writ large. Far from improving on the feminism of the past, third-wave feminists retreat -- to women’s detriment -- from their predecessors’ theoretical and methodological commitments. Nowhere is this clearer than in third-wave writings about fertility and motherhood. Much of third-wave feminist writing has taken the form of the first-person narrative. Somewhat predictably, as third-wave feminists have aged, their subject-matters have changed. For third-wave feminists now in their thirties and forties, the personal account of one’s “journey” toward motherhood seems to have become the new rite of passage. Rebecca Walker’s Baby Love, Evelyn McDonnell’s Mama Rama, and Peggy Orenstein’s Waiting for Daisy are three representative examples of this milestone narrative. Taken together, these third-wave fertility and motherhood narratives contribute (perhaps unwittingly) to a mythology of motherhood that prior feminists sought to dismantle. These works pay lip-service to the notion that motherhood should not be the measure of a woman’s worth, but they embrace motherhood as the ultimate personal fulfillment. Second-wave feminists critiqued the influence of state systems, especially law, on motherhood as a practice and status. But third-wave feminists keep most critical theory at a distance. Joining third-wave feminism and law will help develop an equality jurisprudence that acknowledges women’s reproductive capacities but neutralizes the role those capacities play in women’s legal subordination. This chapter appears in Gender, Sexualities and Law (Routledge 2011), edited by Jackie Jones, Anna Grear, Rachel Anne Fenton, Kim Stevenson.
Incorporating Non-rigid Registration into Expectation Maximization Algorithm to Segment MR Images

The paper introduces an algorithm which allows the automatic segmentation of multi channel magnetic resonance images. We extended the Expectation Maximization-Mean Field Approximation Segmenter, to include Local Prior Probability Maps. Thereby our algorithm estimates the bias field in the image while simultaneously assigning voxels to different tissue classes under prior probability maps. The probability maps were aligned to the subject using non-rigid registration. This allowed the parcellation of cortical sub-structures including the superior temporal gyrus. To our knowledge this is the first description of an algorithm capable of automatic cortical parcellation incorporating strong noise reduction and image intensity correction.
Genetic and DNA sequence analysis of the Salmonella typhimurium virulence plasmid gene encoding the 28,000-molecular-weight protein.

We have confirmed that the 28,000-molecular-weight (28K) protein encoded by the virA gene of the 90-kilobase Salmonella typhimurium virulence plasmid is a virulence factor. It was previously shown that a Tn5 insertion, vir-22::Tn5, located in the virulence plasmid greatly attenuated virulence for mice and inhibited the production of a 28K protein (P.A. Gulig and R. Curtiss III, Infect. Immun. 56:3262-3271, 1988). Plasmid pYA426 fully complemented vir-22::Tn5 to virulence by increasing splenic infection after oral inoculation and encoded the 28K protein. To identify the virulence gene(s) of pYA426 mutated by vir-22::Tn5, we constructed nested deletions in pYA426 and examined deletion derivatives for their abilities to complement vir-22::Tn5. Only derivatives still producing the 28K protein complemented vir-22::Tn5. Furthermore, the smallest complementing derivative encoded only the 28K protein, as determined by DNA sequence analysis. Therefore, the 28K protein is sufficient for complementation of the attenuating mutation vir-22::Tn5 and must be the virulence factor inhibited by the insertion. We determined the nucleotide sequence of the 1.2-kilobase BamHI-EcoRI fragment encoding the 28K protein and identified the structural gene, virA. A 723-base-pair open reading frame which encodes a peptide with a molecular weight of 27,572 was found. Images
Language Use in Six Study Abroad Programs: An Exploratory Analysis of Possible Predictors

A common predictor of language gains during study abroad (SA) is amount of language use. Yet little attention has been given to determining what factors influence the extent of language use while abroad. Studies in this area have mainly been case studies of learners in single locations. In this larger study, we seek to determine variables connected with language use by examining 118 learners studying abroad in Madrid, Merida (Mexico), Paris, Moscow, Nanjing, or Cairo. These learners reported their second language (L2) use over a 1-week period during their stay. Significant predictors of reported L2 use include SA program, age, pre-departure language proficiency, number of native speaker friends, gender, and personality.
Regional anatomy of the term human placenta

Summary We have studied regional anatomical variability in four term placentae, comparing both whole placental regions and intralobar zones and plates. In addition, we have emphasized the need for careful selection of the area to be sampled, rather than strictly randomized sampling of the whole placenta. A unique contribution is our quantitative data for a number of structures of the several intralobar zones and plates. The data confirm the hypothesis that the area best suited to physiological exchange is the central region parabasal plate. The relative homogeneity of the intralobar zones in this area make it a representative area for sampling for various placental studies.
DISTINGUISHING AND TREATING CAUSES OF CENTRAL VERTIGO

A patient's dizziness can be caused by a peripheral vestibular disorder, VIIIth nerve compression, brain stem ischemia, or cerebellar stroke. Clues from the history and physical examination are mentioned, and diagnostic entities, such as demyelination, cerebrovascular disease, migraine, Arnold-Chiari malformation, cerebellar degeneration, and neoplastic disease are discussed. Treatment options are outlined so that therapeutic and diagnostic trials can be initiated. Guidelines are offered for when to image the brain or posterior circulation vasculature and when a patient with acute vertigo should be admitted for observation.
Chronic phase advance alters circadian physiological rhythms and peripheral molecular clocks

Shifting the onset of light, acutely or chronically, can profoundly affect responses to infection, tumor progression, development of metabolic disease, and mortality in mammals. To date, the majority of phase-shifting studies have focused on acute exposure to a shift in the timing of the light cycle, whereas the consequences of chronic phase shifts alone on molecular rhythms in peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle have not been studied. In this study, we tested the effect of chronic phase advance on the molecular clock mechanism in two phenotypically different skeletal muscles. The phase advance protocol (CPA) involved 6-h phase advances (earlier light onset) every 4 days for 8 wk. Analysis of the molecular clock, via bioluminescence recording, in the soleus and flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscles and lung demonstrated that CPA advanced the phase of the rhythm when studied immediately after CPA. However, if the mice were placed into free-running conditions (DD) for 2 wk after CPA, the molecular clock was not phase shifted in the two muscles but was still shifted in the lung. Wheel running behavior remained rhythmic in CPA mice; however, the endogenous period length of the free-running rhythm was significantly shorter than that of control mice. Core body temperature, cage activity, and heart rate remained rhythmic throughout the experiment, although the onset of the rhythms was significantly delayed with CPA. These results provide clues that lifestyles associated with chronic environmental desynchrony, such as shift work, can have disruptive effects on the molecular clock mechanism in peripheral tissues, including both types of skeletal muscle. Whether this can contribute, long term, to increased incidence of insulin resistance/metabolic disease requires further study.
Quantitation of promethazine enantiomers in human serum using a chiralcel OJ-R column and mixed-mode disc solid-phase extraction

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for the assay of R(+)- and S(−)-promethazine enantiomers from human serum. The method involves the use of the mixed mode disc solid-phase extraction technique for sample clean-up. Chromatographic resolution of the enantiomers was performed on a reversed-phase cellulose-based chiral column (Chiralcel OJ-R) under isocratic conditions using a mobile phase consisting of 0.5 M aqueous sodium perchlorate/acetonitrile (63:37, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 ml min−1. Recoveries in the range of 97–99% at 20 ng ml−1 levels were obtained for both promethazine enantiomers. Intra-day and inter-day precision calculated as R.S.D.% was in the 3–8% ranges for both enantiomers. Intra-day and inter-day accuracy calculated as percent error was in the 0–10 and 1–7% ranges for both enantiomers, respectively. Linear calibration curves were obtained for each enantiomer in serum in the concentration range 5–90 ng ml−1. The limit of quantitation of each enantiomer was 10 ng ml−1. The detection limit for each enantiomer in serum using UV detection at 249 nm was 2 ng ml−1 (S/N=2).
Quality, accessibility, and contraceptive use in rural tanzania

We examine how informants’reports on community perceptions of the quality and accessibility offamily planningfacilities relate to the use of modern contraceptives by individuals in rural Tanzania. Using information on individual-level contraceptive use in conjunction with community-level information on the accessibility and quality of family planning facilities, we employ two distinct statistical procedures to illustrate the impacts of accessibility and quality on contraceptive use. Both procedures treat the community-level variables as imperfect indicators of characteristics of the facilities, and they yield nearly identical implications. Wefind that a communitylevel, subjective perception of a family planning facility s quality has a significant impact on community members’ contraceptive use whereas other community measures such as time, distance, and subjective perception of accessibility have trivial and insignificant direct impacts, net of the control variables. Future research that uncovers the determinants of perceptions of both community-level and individual-level quality could provide key insights for developing effective and efficientfamily planning programs.
Projective transformations of the parameter of a Bernstein-Bézier curve

The definitions of polynomial and rational Bernstein-Bezier curves are reviewed and extended to include homogeneous parametrizations. Then the effects of a projective transformation of the parameter space are described in terms of a group representation. This representation is used to answer the following questions: (1) If the control points are held fixed, when do two different sets of weights determine the same rational curve? (2) How do we find the control points for a subdivision of the original curve?
Finding the fit: selecting an appropriate veterinary internship.

Are you considering an internship? Do you advise students about applying for an internship? Then it’s time to brush up on those skills you mastered when searching for the perfect college. You had a checklist of what you wanted in a college, and you worked hard to be sure that the college has a history of delivering what it promised. Many of those DOs and DON’Ts are still applicable when considering internships.
Does Jewish schooling matter? A review of the empirical literature on the relationship between Jewish education and dimensions of Jewish identity

"In such a crisis environment [of assimilation], many within the Jewish community have identified Jewish education, a major transmitter of Jewish identity, as potentially the single most effective antidote . . wrote Marcus and Peck (1996:) in their "Foreword" to Drachler's monumental A Bibliography of Jewish Education in the United States (1996). In order to better examine this assumption, we will focus on the relationship between Jewish schooling in childhood and subsequent aspects of adult Jewish identity. To state the problematic concern of this paper succinctly: Is the continued involvement of children in Jewish study associated with adult commitment to Jewish identity as measured by varying attitudes and behaviors? (This paper is limited to an examination of elementary and secondary education and excludes college and adult education.)
Removal of fibroblasts from primary cultures of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

A commonly encountered problem in primary cultures of tumor specimens is overgrowth of fibroblastic cells. A method to remove fibroblasts from primary cultures of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck using immunomagnetic adsorption is described. A monoclonal antibody (BR2) was used for fibroblast depletion. BR2 stains human fibroblasts but does not stain human endothelial cells, human keratinocytes, or the squamous cell carcinoma lines, A-431 and NCI-H292. Eight primary cultures of head and neck tumor specimens were established. BR2-positive cells were removed from the suspension of cultured cells by immunomagnetic adsorption, which employs a magnetic iron oxide conjugated goat anti-mouse antibody as a secondary reagent. The BR2 positive cells became adherent to the surface of the culture dish which was placed over a magnet. BR2-negative cells remained in suspension and were collected for further culture or study. These BR2-negative cells were shown by cytokeratin staining to be epithelial cells.
Aip1 destabilizes cofilin-saturated actin filaments by severing and accelerating monomer dissociation from ends.

Summary Background Depolymerization of actin filaments is vital for the morphogenesis of dynamic cytoskeletal arrays and actin-dependent cell motility. Cofilin is necessary for actin disassembly in cells, and it severs filaments most efficiently at low cofilin to actin ratios, whereas higher concentrations of cofilin suppress severing. However, the cofilin concentration in thymocytes is too high to allow the severing of single-actin filaments. Results We observed that filaments sever efficiently in thymus cytosol. We identified Aip1 as a critical factor responsible for the severing and destabilization of actin filaments even in the presence of high amounts of cofilin. By fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based spectroscopy and single-filament imaging of actin, we show that, besides driving the rapid severing of cofilin-actin filaments, Aip1 also augments the monomer dissociation rate at both the barbed and pointed ends of actin. Our results also demonstrate that Aip1 does not cap the barbed ends of actin filaments, as was previously thought. Conclusions Our results indicate that Aip1 is a cofilin-dependent actin depolymerization factor and not a barbed-end-capping factor as was previously thought. Aip1 inverts the rules of cofilin-mediated actin disassembly such that increasing ratios of cofilin to actin now result in filament destabilization through faster severing and accelerated monomer loss from barbed and pointed ends. Aip1 therefore offers a potential control point for disassembly mechanisms in cells to switch from a regime of cofilin-saturation and stabilization to one that favors fast disassembly and destabilization.