cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social contract theory and the semiotics of guns in America

We present a semiotic model of gun possession in America based upon the social contract theories put forward by Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls. Our central focus is upon the rights of self-preservation and the protection of property. The model proposes that American political history has cycled between two sets of symbolic threats to the social contract: tyranny imposed by a despotic central government and chaos represented by outsiders designated as savages. We propose that the two central semiotic images presented in the origin myth of the USA – that of pioneers living on a savage frontier and citizens rebelling against tyrannical government – endorse the individual possession of firearms. The specific models of guns chosen by private citizens are found to be closely intertwined with military patterns of usage; thus, the US military seems to serve as a rhetorical vessel from which cultural ideals of appropriate weaponry are derived. Examples of American autobiographical writings, contemporary gun advertisin...
Triangles in arrangements of lines

Abstract A set of n lines in the projective plane divides the plane into a certain number of polygonal cells. We show that if we insist that all of these cells be triangles, then there are at most 1 3 n(n − 1) + 4 − 2 7 n of them. We also observe that if no point of the plane belongs to more than two of the lines and n is at least 4, some of the cells must be either quadrangles or pentagons. We further show that for n ≧ 4 , there is a set of n lines which divides the plane into at least 1 3 n(n − 3) + 4 triangles.
Effects of timing of stripping and female on the viability of gynogenetic and non-gynogenetic diploid pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

Abstract Timing of stripping post-ovulation and female parent have been demonstrated to affect the viability of eggs and embryos of many species of fish. Viability of gynogenetic embryos is also influenced by the female, but the effect of timing of stripping on gynogenetic survival has not been investigated. This study examined the effects of timing of stripping and female on viability of gynogenetic and non-gynogenetic diploid progeny of pink salmon. Progeny were produced using eggs successively stripped from eight female pink salmon at 1, 7, 10, and 13 days post-ovulation. Neither type of progeny's survival was significantly affected by timing of stripping. Survival of the non-gynogenetic progeny was consistently high and not significantly affected by female or the timing X female interaction. Non-gynogenetic survival rates for the interval during which most mortalities occurred, between initial pick-off at 18 h post-fertilization and eyeing, ranged from 87.4–96.8% when averaged by female. Survival rates of gynogenetic progeny for the same interval were lower and more variable, ranging from 34.0–75.2%, and were significantly affected by female and timing X female ( P P By itself, timing of stripping does not influence the viability of pink salmon embryos. However, because of significant female and timing X female effects on survival, any attempt to improve gynogenetic production must consider the effect of the female and control timing of stripping.
Fiber-optic–graded-index-lens absorbance sensor with wavelength-scanning capability

A single optical-fiber absorbance sensor that contains a graded-index lens is described. The sensor can be tailored for a desired broad wavelength region, path length, and size. Laboratory evaluations of sensors of varying sizes and path lengths are presented. The sensors, even without the added expense of optical coatings, report true absorbance spectra for the 420-850-nm wavelength region with a linear response over a wide absorbance range. Direct comparison with several other sensor configurations shows that the graded-index-lens-based sensor has a high optical efficiency. Potential applications of the sensor include absorbance measurements at hazardous or remote sites and in vivo medical applications.
Geometry and kinematics of continental basement deformation during the Alpine orogeny, Mt. Olympos region, Greece

Abstract In the Hellenic Alps, continental crust of the leading edge of the Apulian plate was subducted beneath the European plate during Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary closure of Tethyan ocean basin(s). Carbonate rocks of the external Hellenides are exposed in the Mt. Olympos tectonic window, overthrust by several thin (∼0.2–4 km thick) thrust sheets of granitic basement derived from the internal Hellenides. Field mapping and structural data from the Mt. Olympos region reported here establish the geometry, kinematics and strain history of the continental basement before, during and after continental collision and subduction. Seven deformational events document the change from ductile conditions obtained at depth in the early stages of deformation, to lower temperature ductile and semi-ductile shortening-related fabrics, to brittle extensional features related to exhumation of the metamorphic rocks. D 1 – D 4 occurred during subduction of basement nappes and are marked by thrust faulting and folding under blueschist facies conditions; D 5 – D 7 are related to unroofing of blueschist facies metamorphic rocks and are associated with extension. Each of the major shortening phases ( D 1 – D 3 ) verges toward the foreland (southwest). Oppositely-directed D 5 – D 7 extension occurred behind the active thrust belt during continued regional shortening. Normal faults have strongly modified the original thrust-related geometry in the Mt. Olympos region and elsewhere in the internal Hellenides.
Non-locality effects on charge-exchange and inelastic scattering

Abstract It is argued that it is not necessary to include correction factors for non-locality effects when using a generalized optical model for charge-exchange and inelastic scattering.
School age children's coping with sexual abuse: Abuse stresses and symptoms associated with four coping strategies

Strategies used by 84 sexually abused children, ages 7 to 12, to cope with their abuse were evaluated, along with child abuse-related symptoms, parent-reported behavioral symptoms, and teacher-reported behavioral symptoms. Principal components analysis of coping yielded four strategies that were labeled avoidant coping, internalized coping, angry coping, and active/social coping. Each coping strategy was found to be associated with a unique set of abuse characteristics, abuse-related social environment, and symptoms. In contrast to findings with adult survivors and adolescents, use of avoidant coping strategies among school-age children was found to be related to fewer behavioral problems, although it was also associated with greater sexual anxieties. Internalized coping was found to be associated with increased guilt and PTSD hyperarousal symptoms. Active/social coping was the only strategy found to be unrelated to symptoms, but neither was it associated with measured benefits. In contrast to some clinical opinion that externalizing blame and venting anger is a helpful strategy, angry coping was found to be associated with a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems as rated by the child's home-room school teacher. Results are discussed in terms of a proposed mediational model.
The Effect of Product Variety and Inventory Levels on Retail Store Sales: A Longitudinal Study

We examine the effects of product variety and inventory levels on store sales. Using 4 years of data from stores of a large retailer, we show that increases in product variety and inventory levels are both associated with higher sales. We also show that increasing product variety and inventory levels has an indirect negative effect on store sales through their impact on phantom products—products that are physically present at the store, but only in storage areas where customers cannot find or purchase them. Our study highlights a consequence of increased product variety and inventory levels that has previously been overlooked in studies of retail product variety and inventory management. It also quantifies the impact of phantom products on store sales. In addition, our study provides empirical evidence to support earlier claims that higher product variety and inventory levels lead to an increase in defect rate. We discuss the implications of our findings for retail inventory and assortment planning and for the design of retail stores.
Stress-related changes in toddlers and their mothers following the attack of September 11

Unlike other forms of disaster, terrorism is not confined to a particular place or time, and recent evidence indicates that the 9/11 terrorist attack was a significant macrolevel stressor affecting the health and mental health of United States citizens. No studies, however, have reported symptoms in toddlers and their mothers both before and after the attacks. To address this gap, we examined the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on mothers and their 33-month-old toddlers. The attacks occurred during data collection at 33 months of a longitudinal study. Thirty-three-month-old toddlers and mothers who were assessed after the attacks were compared with those assessed before the attacks. When changes were examined from a previous wave of data collected at 15 months, those in the after-attack group showed poorer health, lower child acceptance, and marginally more anxiety, and their toddlers cried more and slept less, whereas the before-attack group showed no changes. Our findings contribute to research documenting widespread effects of the 9/11 terrorist attack on stress-related symptoms and suggest that greater attention must be placed on the needs of our youngest citizens and their caregivers.
A Composite Likelihood View for Multi-Label Classification

Given limited training samples, learning to classify multiple labels is challenging. Problem decomposition [24] is widely used in this case, where the original problem is decomposed into a set of easier-to-learn subproblems, and predictions from subproblems are combined to make the final decision. In this paper we show the connection between composite likelihoods [17] and many multilabel decomposition methods, e.g., one-vs-all, one-vs-one, calibrated label ranking, probabilistic classifier chain. This connection holds promise for improving problem decomposition in both the choice of subproblems and the combination of subproblem decisions. As an attempt to exploit this connection, we design a composite marginal method that improves pairwise decomposition. Pairwise label comparisons, which seem to be a natural choice for subproblems, are replaced by bivariate label densities, which are more informative and natural components in a composite likelihood. For combining subproblem decisions, we propose a new mean-field approximation that minimizes the notion of composite divergence and is potentially more robust to inaccurate estimations in subproblems. Empirical studies on five data sets show that, given limited training samples, the proposed method outperforms many alternatives.
Has Working More Caused Married Women to Volunteer Less? Evidence from Time Diary Data, 1965 to 1993

Now that married women are working more for pay than they were three decades ago, are they less likely to volunteer? I use national time diary surveys conducted in 1965, 1975, 1985, and 1993 to document a decrease in the weekly volunteer participation rate of working-age married women, from 16.4% in 1965 to 9.3% in 1993. Changes in observable characteristics explain about 65% of the decrease in married women’s volunteer participation from 1965 to 1985. The increased employment rates of married women as well as the changes in their parental status are substantial contributors to the decline in their volunteer participation. Married women’s gain in educational attainment is the most important factor to offset the decline in their volunteer participation. However, married women’s changing labor force and parental status do not explain why married women’s volunteer participation continued to decline from 1985 to 1993.
Insulin sensitivity in the pathogenesis of hypertension and hypertensive complications.

Epidemiologic and clinical studies suggest an association between hyperinsulinemia (and insulin resistance) and hypertension. This relationship is not present in secondary forms of hypertension and may persist despite adequate antihypertensive therapy. Normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents are also, as a group, insulin resistant and hyperinsulinemic. The association of hyperinsulinemia (and insulin resistance) with hypertension is more marked in the obese but present in lean hypertensives as well. Physiological mechanisms by which insulin might increase blood pressure include sympathetic nervous system stimulation and enhancement of renal sodium reabsorption. Evidence exists linking both of these mechanisms to hypertension. Insulin is also independently associated with myocardial infarction and microalbuminuria, two long term complications of high blood pressure. Experimentally induced decreases in insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, furthermore, have been associated with decreased blood pre...
Epithelial Neoplasms of the Appendix

Abstract Context.—The appendix gives rise to an array of epithelial neoplasms showing glandular or neuroendocrine differentiation, and some tumors with elements of both cell types. Although some appendiceal neoplasms resemble their counterparts in the small and large intestines (conventional adenocarcinoma and carcinoid tumor), the appendix also gives rise to relatively unique entities including mucinous neoplasms and goblet cell carcinoid tumors, which present a challenge in pathologic classification and clinical management. Objective.—To review clinical and diagnostic issues for 3 pathologic types of epithelial neoplasms of the appendix: (1) adenocarcinoma, with specific focus on mucinous neoplasm; (2) goblet cell carcinoid tumor and associated adenocarcinoma; and (3) typical carcinoid tumor. Data Sources.—Case-derived material and literature review. Conclusions.—The most important issue in pathologic assessment of epithelial tumors of the appendix is to understand the clinical implications inherent in ...
Mystification and Social Drama: The Hidden Side of Communication Skills Training

This paper examines several aspects of management communication skills training. It discusses communication "skills" and their hidden potential as methods that sustain and mystify bureaucratic control. It also examines the social drama of communication skills training. Based on participant observation of a 4-day communication skills training seminar, the paper identifies and discusses six categories which, we argue, are designed to convert participants into practitioners and believers of the skills: creating an aura of status and wealth, creating an aura of credibility, minimizing risk, creating a "flow," trainer/participant testimonials, and closing-down-the-day rituals. The paper also looks at two groups of "nonbelievers" who resisted the training content or process. Last, the paper looks at why the workshop ultimately failed, discusses the covert aspects of management training, and speculates on management communication training that "demystifies."
Signals transmitted along retinal axons in Drosophila: Hedgehog signal reception and the cell circuitry of lamina cartridge assembly

The arrival of retinal axons in the brain of Drosophila triggers the assembly of glial and neuronal precursors into a ‘neurocrystalline’ array of lamina synaptic ‘cartridges’. Hedgehog, a secreted protein, is an inductive signal delivered by retinal axons for the initial steps of lamina differentiation. In the development of many tissues, Hedgehog acts in a signal relay cascade via the induction of secondary secreted factors. Here we show that lamina neuronal precursors respond directly to Hedgehog signal reception by entering S-phase, a step that is controlled by the Hedgehog-dependent transcriptional regulator Cubitus interruptus. The terminal differentiation of neuronal precursors and the migration and differentiation of glia appear to be controlled by other retinal axon-mediated signals. Thus retinal axons impose a program of developmental events on their postsynaptic field utilizing distinct signals for different precursor populations. SUMMARY
Quantum dot imaging for embryonic stem cells.

Background: Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) hold increasing potential for cellular imaging both in vitro and in vivo. In this report, we aimed to evaluate in vivo multiplex imaging of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells labeled with Qtracker delivered quantum dots (QDs). Results: Murine embryonic stem (ES) cells were labeled with six different QDs using Qtracker. ES cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation were not adversely affected by QDs compared with non-labeled control cells (P = NS). Afterward, labeled ES cells were injected subcutaneously onto the backs of athymic nude mice. These labeled ES cells could be imaged with good contrast with one single excitation wavelength. With the same excitation wavelength, the signal intensity, defined as (total signal-background)/exposure time in millisecond was 11 ± 2 for cells labeled with QD 525, 12 ± 9 for QD 565, 176 ± 81 for QD 605, 176 ± 136 for QD 655, 167 ± 104 for QD 705, and 1,713 ± 482 for QD 800. Finally, we have shown that QD 800 offers greater fluorescent intensity than the other QDs tested. Conclusion: In summary, this is the first demonstration of in vivo multiplex imaging of mouse ES cells labeled QDs. Upon further improvements, QDs will have a greater potential for tracking stem cells within deep tissues. These results provide a promising tool for imaging stem cell therapy noninvasively in vivo.
Information at the wave of your hand

Many universities are placing large screen displays in public locations to provide information about their academic programs and events. Typically, these displays are not interactive and the person viewing the information can only see a small subset as (s)he passes by. We present a gesture-based interactive system that can be used for any public information system when the information can be represented by entities and relations. In our demonstration system we have defined entities and relations among classes, professors, research topics, organizations, and events both within a department at a university. This Gesture Interactive Information System is a "Walk-Up-And-Use" interface that utilizes gesture recognition via Microsoft Kinect, and is designed so that multiple users may interact with the system. To provide clarity and visual hierarchy, information is displayed in clusters of circles with different sizes and color to differentiate between the various information types. This information can be arranged by type or discipline in order to provide users with multiple ways to explore the relationships between the various entities in the information system. Our user evaluation studies show that the system was able to attract the passers-by attention and engage them. The mean rating for system's design consistency, content engagement, and ease of navigation was significantly higher than other usability aspects.
Needs and Pretrial Failure: Additional Risk Factors for Female and Male Pretrial Defendants

Since the 1980s, increasing numbers of individuals entering into the criminal justice system have caused criminal justice professionals and researchers concern about the phenomenon of individuals c...
A Randomized Trial of High-Dose Compared with Low-Dose Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Severe IgA Nephropathy

Tested was the hypothesis that high-dose omega (omega)-3 fatty acids will be more effective than low-dose omega-3 fatty acids in preserving renal function in patients with severe IgA nephropathy in a randomized, open-label, parallel-group clinical trial. Patients were assigned to receive either high-dose fatty acids (EPA 3.76 g and DHA 2.94 g) or low-dose fatty acids (EPA 1.88 g and DHA 1.47 g), both given daily in a highly purified ethyl ester concentrate (Omacor). Patients were treated for a minimum of 2 yr in the absence of a treatment failure or until study closure (January 2000). Seventy-three patients were enrolled in the trial with two ranges of elevated serum creatinine (SC): 63 patients (86%) with a range of 1.5 to 2.9 mg/dl and 10 patients (14%) with a range of 3.0 to 4.9 mg/dl. The primary end point, within-patient rates of change in SC (2-yr minimum), showed an annualized median increase in SC of 0.08 mg/dl per yr in the low-dose group and 0.10 mg/dl per yr in the high-dose group (P: = 0.51). Patients in the lower entry SC range had lower SC slopes (P: = 0.02) and less end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (P: < 0.001) compared with those in the higher entry SC range. No patient died, and 18 patients developed ESRD: 10 in the low-dose group and 8 in the high-dose group (P: = 0.56). SC slopes were significantly lower, and survival free of ESRD was significantly higher (both, P: = 0.04) in the 63 Omacor-treated patients compared with the 22 placebo-treated patients from our previously reported clinical trial in which both groups had a similar level of renal impairment. Patient compliance was excellent, and no serious adverse events were noted. Low-dose and high-dose omega-3 fatty acids were similar in slowing the rate of renal function loss in high-risk patients with IgA nephropathy, particularly those with moderately advanced disease.
Author Response to: Military Social Influence in the Global Information Environment

Commentary from seven esteemed colleagues generally centered around three broad questions: (1) Does military social influence work? (2) Should academic researchers address military influence programs, and if so, how so? and (3) What ethical concerns are prominent as a consequence of scholarly engagement with military influence programs? I address each of these broad questions, in turn. Where relevant, I provide an update of recent literature. I conclude my response by returning to the question of the future of military Information Operations. Language: en
Rural Mothers' Experiences and Perceptions of Their Role in Pregnancy Prevention for Their Adolescent Daughters

ABSTRACT Objective To explore rural mothers' experiences and perceptions of their role in talking with daughters about pregnancy prevention. Design Qualitative design using open-ended interviews. A semistructured interview guide was used based upon the concepts that emerged from previous research, a literature review, and the conceptual framework. Setting Women were recruited from 3 rural counties in southern Oregon. Interviews took place in private and public settings based on mutual agreement. Participants The sample included 30 mothers of adolescent females. Methods Thematic analysis within and across interviews was used to identify barriers, facilitators, and methods mothers described in talking with their daughters about contraception. Results Barriers and facilitators to communications included characteristics and behaviors of the daughter and the mother as well as contextual issues related to the topic and the environment. Specific strategies mothers used were grouped into the categories of timing, introducing the topic, the mother's approach, and using teaching opportunities. Conclusions The message content and the way it is conveyed are shaped by barriers, facilitators, and contextual influences to communication. These aspects need to be considered in the design of interventions aimed at helping parents communicate with adolescents about sexuality and pregnancy prevention.
Holding On and Letting Go: Making Sense of End-of-Life Care Decisions in Families

Making medical care decisions for a family member at the end of life is an emotional and complex experience for families. To understand how families make sense of this process, we used Relational Dialectics Theory (RDT) to analyze discourses around the struggle between holding on and letting go. From in-depth interviews with individuals about their family communication during end-of-life (EOL) decision making, two overarching discursive contradictions in families' meaning making emerged: family members' wishes versus patient's wishes and emotionality versus rationality. These contradictions provide insight into how families make sense of EOL decisions, including the process of decision making and who makes or influences those decisions, which has implications for a family's healing after the loss of a family member.
ASCA Observations of Seyfert 1 Galaxies. II. Relativistic Iron Kα Emission

We present evidence for widespread relativistic effects in the central regions of active galactic nuclei. In a sample of 18 Seyfert 1 galaxies observed by ASCA, 14 show an iron K? line that is resolved, with mean width ?K? = 0.43 ? 0.12 keV for a Gaussian profile (full width at half-maximum, FWHM ~ 50,000 km s-1). However, many of the line profiles are asymmetric. A strong red wing is indicative of gravitational redshifts close to a central black hole, and accretion disk models provide an excellent description of the data. The peak energy of the line is 6.4 keV, which indicates that it arises by fluorescence in near-neutral material. Our fits imply a low inclination for the disk in these Seyfert 1 galaxies, with a mean of 30?, consistent with orientation-dependent unification schemes. Differences in the line profiles from source to source imply slight variations in geometry, which cannot be accounted for solely by inclination. In most cases, we require that the line emission arises from a range of radii. Although a small contribution to the emission from a region other than the disk is not ruled out, it is not generally required and has little effect on our conclusions regarding the disk line. Our data are fit equally well with rotating (Kerr) and nonrotating (Schwarzschild) black hole models. We find a mean spectral index in the 3-10 keV range of ?3-10 = 1.91 ? 0.07 after accounting for the effects of reflection. Such observations probe the innermost regions of active galactic nuclei and arguably provide the best evidence yet obtained for the existence of supermassive black holes in the centers of active galaxies.
Operative endoscopy of the airway

Airway endoscopy has long been an important and useful tool in the management of thoracic diseases. As thoracic specialists have gained experience with both flexible and rigid bronchoscopic techniques, the technology has continued to evolve so that bronchoscopy is currently the foundation for diagnosis and treatment of many thoracic ailments. Airway endoscopy plays a significant role in the biopsy of tumors within the airways, mediastinum, and lung parenchyma. Endoscopic methods have been developed to treat benign and malignant airway stenoses and tracheomalacia. And more recently, techniques have been conceived to treat end-stage emphysema and prolonged air leaks in select patients. This review describes the abundant uses of airway endoscopy, as well as technical considerations and limitations of the current technologies.
State power and domestic water provision in semi-arid Northwest China: Towards an aleatory political ecology

Abstract Between 2005 and 2010 state actors constructed a centralized piped water system to serve 50,000 rural households in a semi-arid region of Northwest China. However, the intended beneficiaries of this project largely chose not to connect the system, and were often ambivalent towards its success. I explain this ambivalence through Foucault’s (2007) engagement with the role of the aleatory in the formation of modern state power. The aleatory is those elements of risk, chance and contingency that cannot be fully controlled, but can be calculated and the adverse effects thereof mitigated through what Foucault calls apparatuses of security. Managing the aleatory was a central moment in the emergence of governmentality as a means of exercising state power. Peasants’ ambivalence towards centralized piped water originates in the success of a previous state-backed improved rainwater-harvesting program that has significantly reduced peasants’ risk of water shortage and placed households in control of risks of water shortage. By improving peasants’ ability to cope with drought, rainwater harvesting decentralized power over and knowledge about household water resources. In contrast, piped water has centralized both power over water, and the risk of water shortage in the hands of state actors, but has interacted with local water markets in ways that empower households to reduce the risk of water shortage from both natural sources and the state. The shifting reconfigurations of the risk of water shortages explain how state power has been extended through water management despite the population’s selective engagement with piped water.
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: A REVIEW OF MACROECONOMIC AND MICROECONOMIC APPROACHES

Reviewing: R. Dornbusch, Dollars, Debts and Deficits, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1986; and P. R. Krugman (ed.), Strategic Trade Policy and the New International Economics, M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1987
Deploying a secure Windows operating system and applications.

.. iv LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES .. vii I. INTRODUCTION . 1 II. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT 4 III. CLIENT PROCEDURE .. 7 IV. SERVER PROCEDURE 12 V. BACKUP PROCEDURE . 14 VI. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 15 VII. CONCLUSIONS ... 17 VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS . 18 REFERENCES CITED . 20 APPENDIX I. ASSET INVENTORY .. 22 APPENDIX II. CONFIGURATION AND SETTINGS ... 26 APPENDIX III. SYSPREP CONFIGURATION FILE 33 APPENDIX IV. DRIVERS DOCUMENTATION .. 35 APPENDIX V. BACKUP BATCH FILES ... 40 VITA . 47
Private forest landowners: Estimating population parameters

Private forest landowners (PFLs) own the majority of eastern US forests, which provide a range of benefits including clean air, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, timber production, and recreational opportunities. Research on this population has been conducted for many years but little has been done to standardize sampling methods or procedures for estimating population parameters, thus frustrating comparisons among studies and longitudinal explorations. This article explores the sampling and estimation methods used by the USDA Forest Service to produce estimates of PFL population parameters. The Forest Service estimation equation is reviewed, its functionality is established given broad application, and modifications are suggested to achieve unbiased estimation and provide methodological standardization for future PFL research.
Concentration of corticotropin releasing factor by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose.

Summary1) Neurohypophysial extracts of commercial origin were chromatographed on carboxymethylcellulose cation exchange adsorbent under conditions of pH and ionic strength gradient in view of separating CRF. An in vivo assay was used to assess CRF activity. 2) The method described is useful in large scale preparations. Fractions containing CRF were regularly found to emerge before lysine vasopressin and were well separated from oxytocin.
Physical durability of two types of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) three years after a mass LLIN distribution campaign in Mozambique, 2008-2011.

Abstract. We conducted a prospective evaluation to measure the physical durability of two brands of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) distributed during a campaign in 2008 in Nampula Province, Mozambique. Households with LLINs tagged during the campaign (6,000) were geo-located (34%) and a random sample was selected for each of 3 years of follow-up. The LLINs were evaluated in the field and a laboratory for presence of holes and a proportional hole index (pHI) was calculated following the World Health Organization guidelines. We performed 567 interviews (79.0%) and found 75.3% (72.1–78.4%) of households retained at least one LLIN after 3 years; the most common cause of attrition was damage beyond repair (51.0%). Hole damage was evident after 1 year, and increased by year. Olyset had a significantly greater mean number of holes and pHI compared with PermaNet 2.0 brand (all P values ≤ 0.001). Additional information about LLIN durability is recommended to improve malaria control efforts.
Process yield and economic trade-offs for enzymatic hydrolysis of alkaline pretreated corn stover

Response surface methodology was used to investigate the interaction of pH, temperature, and enzyme loadings on corn stover hydrolysis rates following soaking in aqueous ammonia pretreatment. Economic tradeoffs were estimated for cellulase and hemicellulase loadings under different hydrolysis conditions. Enzyme loadings had a more significant effect on rates than did pH or temperature. The effect of hydrolysis pH was independent of temperature and enzyme loadings, and the optimal pH for glucose and xylose yields were 4.5 and 4.3, respectively. Conducting hydrolysis at 50 °C rather than 37 °C enables either a 10% glucose yield increase, or a comparable yield with 40% and 65% reduction in cellulase and hemicellulase loadings, respectively. Although yield models showed that hydrolysis rates increase with higher enzyme loadings, economic models showed that optimal cellulase and hemicellulase loadings were as much as 47% and 23% lower, respectively, than the maximum loadings tested. Optimal enzyme loadings change with fluctuations in enzyme costs and ethanol price, but cellulase loadings were more sensitive to these changes than hemicellulase loadings. Enzyme loadings were also more sensitive to enzyme price at lower processing temperatures. Enzyme loadings can be adjusted to increase return based on enzyme costs, ethanol price, and process temperature.
P079 : IS DNA ISOLATED FROM FROZEN PLASMA A RELIABLE METHOD FOR rSSOP HLA TYPING?

Aim DNA isolation from frozen plasma may be necessary to determine inherited vs. non-inherited umbilical cord blood (UCB) maternal HLA haplotypes. Our aim was to determine if DNA isolated from frozen plasma can yield high quality DNA that could consistently be used in HLA class I and II rSSOP typing for hematopoietic UCB transplant donors. Methods Plasma was collected from 26 recipients and healthy donors then frozen to mimic future storage conditions. 20 samples were previously typed. Samples were thawed and isolated using the DNA Purification from Blood and Body Fluids Spin Protocol as described in the QIAamp DNA Mini and Blood Mini Handbook . Four samples were eluted in 50 μL and 200 μL of AE buffer. The remaining 22 samples were eluted in 50 μL of AE buffer. The concentration and purity (260/280 ratio) of all samples were determined using a NanoDrop ™ 1000 spectrophotometer. All 26 samples eluted in 50 μL were typed using the LABType® SSO methodology at HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQB1, and DQA1 loci. For samples with less than optimal purity, additional adjustments were made in an attempt to improve purity, using higher concentrations of protease during lysis, as well as alcohol precipitations. Results DNA was obtained from all samples. Purity differences between samples eluted in 50 μL versus 200 μL AE buffer were negligible; however the concentrations were considerably higher in 50 μL eluted samples. The concentrations ranged from 2.83 to 39.95 ng/μL (Average: 10.65 ng/μL). The 260/280 ratios ranged from 1.32 to 2.71 (Average: 1.72). The increased protease isolations and alcohol precipitations did not improve purity. 9/26 (34.6%) samples yielded complete typing results at all 6 loci. 10/26 (38.5%) samples yielded a complete typing for class I loci. 22/26 (84.6%) samples yielded a complete typing for class II loci. 160 assignments across all loci could be compared to previous typing results. 2/160 (1.3%) were mistyped due to allele dropout, both were HLA-C alleles. Conclusion DNA isolated from plasma using the QIAamp DNA Blood kit can be used in rSSOP HLA typing methods. However the isolated DNA does not yield quality template consistently enough to replace traditional sources of DNA in HLA labs for typing at HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQB1, and DQA1 loci by rSSOP methods. Additional methods should be tested for reliable DNA isolation from this source.
Localization of Alexa-conjugated cisplatin in cisplatin-resistant cell lines

1218 Resistance to cisplatin, one of the most widely used anticancer chemotherapeutic agents, is a major clinical problem. The exact mechanism of cisplatin resistance is still unknown. In KB-CP-r cells, multidrug resistance is accompanied by decreased accumulation of platinum compounds and membrane protein mislocalization, which is caused mainly by a defect of plasma membrane protein recycling as shown by pulse-chase labeling and pulse-chase biotinylation analysis. We have hypothesized that the mislocalization of a cisplatin-binding protein or proteins is responsible for the decreased drug uptake. To study distribution of cisplatin in parental and KB-CP-r cells, a fluorescent platinum compound, Alexa Fluo-546 cisplatin, was used. Using digital fluorescence confocal microscopy, the fluorescent cisplatin was readily internalized by the parental KB-3-1 cells and localized throughout the cells after 2 hours. In contrast, only punctate cytoplasmic staining was observed in KB-CP-r cells after incubation, with little or no fluorescence observed in the nucleus. In parental cells, Alexa-546 cisplatin entered cells partially by pinocytosis similar to that seen with Dextran-10, after which it localized in the Golgi apparatus as detected by colocalization with NBD-C6-ceramide, followed by nuclear localization. The overall fluorescence accumulated in the cells decreased in the KB-CP-r cells compared with sensitive KB-3-1 cells, as observed by Flow Cytometry (FACS) and confocal fluorescence microscopy, consistent with decreased uptake of the platinum complex in KB-CP-r cells. To identify the punctate compartment in which Alexa-488 cisplatin localized in CP-r cells, we examined cell extracts by iodixanol gradient centrifugation. As detected by antibodies to Alexa-488, the fluorescent cisplatin was mostly in a low density membrane fraction in both sensitive and resistant cells. Some Alexa-488 cisplatin binding proteins (CBPs) were not labeled in KB-3-1 cells after treatment with 10mg/ml cisplatin, suggesting specific labeling. We conclude that failure of appropriate trafficking of cell membrane binding protein(s) for cisplatin may result in resistance to cisplatin in cultured cancer cells, presumably because putative CP-r cell surface receptors/ transporters/ channels are not properly located on the cell surface in these cells.
A Two-Step Approach for Analysis of Nonignorable Missing Outcomes in Longitudinal Regression: an Application to Upstate KIDS Study.

Background Imperfect follow-up in longitudinal studies commonly leads to missing outcome data that can potentially bias the inference when the missingness is nonignorable; that is, the propensity of missingness depends on missing values in the data. In the Upstate KIDS Study, we seek to determine if the missingness of child development outcomes is nonignorable, and how a simple model assuming ignorable missingness would compare with more complicated models for a nonignorable mechanism. Methods To correct for nonignorable missingness, the shared random effects model (SREM) jointly models the outcome and the missing mechanism. However, the computational complexity and lack of software packages has limited its practical applications. This paper proposes a novel two-step approach to handle nonignorable missing outcomes in generalized linear mixed models. We first analyse the missing mechanism with a generalized linear mixed model and predict values of the random effects; then, the outcome model is fitted adjusting for the predicted random effects to account for heterogeneity in the missingness propensity. Results Extensive simulation studies suggest that the proposed method is a reliable approximation to SREM, with a much faster computation. The nonignorability of missing data in the Upstate KIDS Study is estimated to be mild to moderate, and the analyses using the two-step approach or SREM are similar to the model assuming ignorable missingness. Conclusions The two-step approach is a computationally straightforward method that can be conducted as sensitivity analyses in longitudinal studies to examine violations to the ignorable missingness assumption and the implications relative to health outcomes.
Enter the Dragon: Import Penetration and Innovation

We examine the effect of Chinese import penetration on the innovation activities of US manufacturers. We find that firms boost innovation in response to greater import penetration. The boost in innovation builds on narrow focus and familiar technology and results in greater product differentiation. However, in the years after the import penetration, the firms gradually and significantly reduce innovation. As an ancillary finding, we document that import competition prompts firms to scale back capital expenditures. Combined, our evidence suggests that Chinese import penetration spurs US firms to rapidly, but temporarily, increase innovation to dodge price competition.
Many-body formalism for fermions: The partition function

The partition function, a fundamental tenet in statistical thermodynamics, contains in principle all thermodynamic information about a system. It encapsulates both microscopic information through the quantum energy levels and statistical information from the partitioning of the particles among the available energy levels. For identical particles, this statistical accounting is complicated by the symmetry requirements of the allowed quantum states. In particular, for Fermi systems, the enforcement of the Pauli principle is typically a numerically demanding task, responsible for much of the cost of the calculations. The interplay of these three elements---the structure of the many-body spectrum, the statistical partitioning of the $N$ particles among the available levels, and the enforcement of the Pauli principle---drives the behavior of mesoscopic and macroscopic Fermi systems. In this paper, we develop an approach for the determination of the partition function, a numerically difficult task, for systems of strongly interacting identical fermions and apply it to a model system of harmonically confined, harmonically interacting fermions. This approach uses a recently introduced many-body method that is an extension of the symmetry-invariant perturbation method (SPT) originally developed for bosons. It uses group theory and graphical techniques to avoid the heavy computational demands of conventional many-body methods which typically scale exponentially with the number of particles. The SPT application of the Pauli principle is trivial to implement since it is done ``on paper'' by imposing restrictions on the normal-mode quantum numbers at first order in the perturbation. The method is applied through first order and represents an extension of the SPT method to excited states. Our method of determining the partition function and various thermodynamic quantities is accurate and efficient and has the potential to yield interesting insight into the role played by the Pauli principle and the influence of large degeneracies on the emergence of the thermodynamic behavior of large-$N$ systems.
Intrauterine device embedded in omentum of postpartum patient with a markedly retroverted uterus: a case report.

The intrauterine device is a popular form of long-acting reversible contraception. Although generally safe, one of the most serious complications of intrauterine device use is uterine perforation. Risk factors for perforation include position of the uterus, force exerted during intrauterine device insertion, postpartum period, and breastfeeding. This case is important and needs to be reported because it highlights the need to assess risk factors for uterine perforation. It adds to the medical literature because it examines the relationship between position of the uterus and the location of uterine perforation. This case report is unusual in that it describes the mechanism and specific location of uterine perforation in relation to the position of the uterus. We present a case of an intrauterine device found in the omentum of a 30-year-old white postpartum woman with a significantly retroverted uterus after the intrauterine device threads were not visualized on speculum examination during a 6-week placement check. The intrauterine device was located and removed via laparoscopy without complication. This case report will be of interest to women’s health practitioners because it illustrates the importance of identifying patients with risk factors for uterine perforation, examining the relationship between uterine position and location of perforation. This is especially significant because the true incidence of perforation may be higher than the numbers reported in the literature. There is no specific diagnostic code for uterine perforation and it is unlikely that retrospective studies can accurately identify all cases.
A first-principles study on the interaction of biogas with noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd) decorated nitrogen doped graphene as a gas sensor: A DFT study

Abstract Density functional theory calculations are carried out to investigate the adsorption characteristics of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), nitrogen (N2), and oxygen (O2) on the surface of pyridine-like nitrogen doped graphene (PNG) as well as noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd) decorated PNG to elaborate their potentials as gas sensors. The adsorption intensities of biogas on noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd) decorated PNG are in the order of O2 > H2S> N2 > CH4 > CO2 > H2, which are corresponded to the order of their sensitivity on surface. Compared with biogas adsorption on pristine PNG, there exist higher adsorption ability, higher charge transfer and higher orbital hybridization upon adsorption on noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd) decorated PNG. Consequently, the noble metal (Rh, Pt, Pd) decorated PNG can transform the existence of CH4, CO2, H2, H2S, N2, and O2 molecules into electrical signal and they could potentially be used as ideal sensors for detection of biogas in ambient situation.
Past the Mediterranean and Iran: A Comparative Study of Armenia as an Islamic Frontier, First/Seventh to Fifth/Eleventh Centuries

Vacca takes a comparative look at Islamic frontiers to identify useful models to inform Armenian history. Descriptions of Syria, Khurāsān, Sind, and Spain as political, geographical, cultural, or legal frontiers depend largely on the types of sources employed; as such, the conclusions of scholars working across the Islamic world can inform the reading of medieval Armenian sources in a new light. Additionally, Vacca calls into question the Mediterranean frontier. Armenia is on the edges of both the Mediterranean world and the Iranian oikoumene. This civilizational divide consistently sets Armenia on the outside instead of being integrated into Near Eastern history. Accordingly, Vacca suggests that the usefulness of Mediterranean Studies is not the result of geographical determinants, but rather in the interdisciplinary approach and questions of Mediterraneanists.
Critical race theory meets posthumanism: lessons from a study of racial resegregation in public schools

Critical race theory (CRT) was used to frame a study of the impact of racial resegregation on students in a public school district. Racism operated in the district at multiple ontological levels – ...
Investigation of metallation/transmetallation reactions to synthesize a series of CCC–NHC Co pincer complexes and their X-ray structures

Abstract Formation of Co(III) complexes was achieved via transmetallation with CoCl2 or Co(acac)3 of an isolated CCC–NHC pincer Zr complex. Four new crystal structures are reported, which expand upon the limited scope of first-row transition metal CCC–NHC pincer complexes. DFT computations were utilized to analyze the thermodynamics of cleaving a dimeric cobalt pincer complex with dimethylamine.
Graphical Analysis of System Repair Data

(This paper was presented at the Journal of Quality Technology Session at the 31st Annual Fall Technical Conference of the Chemical and Process Industries Division of the American Society for Quality Control and the Section on Physical and Engineering S..