cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Medical student radiology externs: increasing exposure to radiology, improving education, and influencing career choices

Purpose The radiology externship program at the authors' institution introduces medical students to radiology using a hands-on approach and is tailored to interested third-year medical students. There are currently limited data available on whether the program increases exposure to radiology in a positive fashion and how it influences medical students' education and career choices. Methods In September 2010, current and former externs between 2007 and 2010 were surveyed using an anonymous, Web-based survey. Results The response rates were 100% (11 of 11) for current externs and 52% (15 of 29) for former externs, for an overall response rate of 65% (26 of 40). The respondents included 20 men and 5 women. The average age of respondents was 27.3 ± 2.5 years. Forty-six percent of former externs (6 of 13) had matched to radiology residencies, whereas the remainder had matched to various surgical and nonsurgical subspecialties. Eighty-four percent (21 of 25) had overall positive ratings of the program. Ninety-two percent (23 of 25) felt they had a better understanding of which test was most appropriate to order for common indications, and 88% (22 of 25) felt that they had a better understanding of imaging contraindications. Sixty-eight percent (17 of 25) felt that they had a better understanding of risk-benefit analysis involving imaging using ionizing radiation, and 56% (14 of 25) felt more confident in discussing these matters with their patients. Conclusions This radiology externship program increases exposure to radiology in a positive fashion, increases understanding of the appropriate use of imaging modalities and their associated clinical benefits and risks, and influences medical students' career choices. These results add to the evidence that this type of program is mutually beneficial to medical students, residents, and clinical colleagues and suggest that more medical schools and radiology departments should evaluate the feasibility of starting radiology externship programs.
Slurry-based biotreatment of polyaryl contaminants sorbed onto soil

Abstract Whole soil samples were obtained from a site immediately adjacent to an impoundment used for disposal of still bottoms residue from a benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX) production process. Research examined the effects of other operating conditions on the biotreatment process such as inoculum source, temperature and suspended solids concentration. The effects of humic substances and humic acid metabolites on the biodegradation of polyaryl species and measurements of biological activity also were assessed. Uncontaminated whole soil, was fed to the active bioreactor to determine the contribution of humic material to measurements of the biodegradation process including UV absorbance of slurry extracts, aqueous total organic carbon (TOC), carbon dioxide evolution and acid production. Significant reductions of marker species concentrations, often to levels below detection limits, are observed with low, medium and some high molecular weight aromatic and polyaryl species.
ELECTRON SELF-EXCHANGE OF RE2X4(PME2PH)40/+ (X = CL, BR) BY 1H NMR LINE BROADENING IN METHYLENE CHLORIDE

The kinetics of the electron self-exchange reaction of the redox couple Re2X4(PMe2Ph)4/[Re2X4(PMe2Ph)4]PF6 (X = Cl, Br) has been measured as a function of temperature and reactant concentration in ...
A novel cis element mediating ligand-independent activation by c-ErbA : implications for hormonal regulation

Abstract A novel type of hormone-responsive element (HRE) is described. Unlike classical HREs, this element, RSV-T3RE (found in Rous sarcoma virus-long terminal repeat), mediates strong activation by the c-ErbAα thyroid hormone (T3) receptor in the absence of T3, and addition of T3 reverses this response. Whereas both c-ErbAα and v-ErbA are potent ligand-independent activators through the RSV-T3RE, c-ErbAβ is not. The RSV-T3RE is recognized and activated by either c-ErbAα homodimers or c-ErbAα/retinoid X receptor (RXR) heterodimers. Ligand-independent activation by c-ErbAα depends on a unique N-terminal activation domain, while the C-terminal activation domain is not absolutely required. Ligand-dependent activation, on the other hand, requires the C-terminal but not the N-terminal activation domain. Upon binding to the RSV-T3RE, c-ErbAα assumes a different conformation than when bound to a classical T3RE. c-ErbAα is therefore capable of selective deployment of activation domains, dictated both by the HRE with which it interacts and by T3 binding.
Cognition, Metacognition, and the Design of Maps

With advances in information technologies, graphical displays are becoming increasingly complex and interactive, giving users flexibility to choose and design their own displays. But most people are not trained in graphic design. Do people intuitively choose or create the most effective displays for particular tasks? More generally, what defines an effective graphic? Recent research on cognition of geospatial displays (i.e., maps) has provided empirical validation of cartographic design principles. At the same time, research on metacognition has indicated that people’s preferences for displays do not always conform to the effectiveness of these displays for the task at hand. In this article, I highlight the importance of empirically testing principles of visual-display design and argue for broader education in visual literacy, including principles of graphic design.
Locally Projective-Planar Lattices which Satisfy the Bundle Theorem

This investigation originated with a question about inversive planes, which was answered in [19] and [20]. Those results, as well as their analogues for Laguerre and Minkowski planes are special cases of the main result of the present paper; but we are now concerned with a more general class of objects here called "locally projective-planar lattices" in which some properties particular to one or more of the above-mentioned planes are dispensed with. Our main theorem will be introduced in Sect. 2; we begin here with some discussion of the classical examples. An inversive plane is an incidence structure (see Chap. II) ~ = (0, off) (elements of (g are called circles) which satisfies: (0) Circles are nonempty. (1) For each P~(9, ~p is an affine plane (where J e is the "internal" structure whose points are the points of (9 other than P, whose blocks are the circles of c~ which contain P, and whose incidence is that inherited from J ) . The order of J is the (common) order of the affine planes Jp . Inversive planes arise quite naturally in geometry in the following way. Let K be a skewfield and (9 an ovoid in PG(3, K). (I.e., (9 is a set of points satisfying: (1) no three points of (9 are collinear, and (2) if P~(9, then the union of all lines meeting (9 only in P is a plane. PG(3,K) denotes three-dimensional projective space over K.) Then the following incidence structure, ~r is an inversive plane: The points of J((9) are the points of (9. The circles of J((9) are those planes which meet (9 in more than one point. Incidence is inclusion. An inversive plane is said to be egglike 1 if is isomorphic to some J((9). * Supported in part by ONR Contract ~N00014-76-C-0366 1 This term is due to Dembowski and Hughes [131
Fetal Death Due to Extreme Maternal Rh Immune Augmentation

A 19-year-old woman who denied previous transfusion or pregnancy delivered a stillborn Rho(D)-positive male fetus at 38 weeks' gestation. IgG antibodies with the specificities anti-Rho(D), anti- rh”(E), anti-Jka, and anti-Yta were eluted from the fetal red blood cells. In the maternal serum, the antiglobulin titer of anti-Rho(D) was 1:20,000 and the saline (IgM) titer was 1:1,024. Amniocentesis findings at 36 weeks had suggested only mild, if any, fetal hemolysis, but the stillborn infant showed signs of severe hemolytic disease with cardiac failure. This case appears to represent an unusual augmented immune response to fetal red blood cell antigens.
Reflecting on pills and phone use: supporting awareness of functional abilities for older adults

Older adults often struggle with maintaining self-aware of their ability to carry out everyday activities important for independence. Unobtrusive sensors embedded in the home can monitor how older adults interact with objects around the home and can provide objective accounts of behaviors to support self-awareness. In this paper, we describe the design and four month deployment of a prototype sensing system that tracks medication taking and phone use in the homes of two older adults. We describe two case studies on 1) how they engaged with the data by looking for and explaining their own anomalous behaviors and 2) how they used the sensor data to reflect on their actions and their own self-awareness of their abilities to remain independent. Finally, we propose recommendations for the design of home sensing systems that support awareness of functional abilities for older adults using reflection.
HYBRID NUMERICAL TREATMENT OF TWO-FLUID PROBLEMS WITH PASSIVE INTERFACES

We consider the coupled motion of a passive interface separating two immiscible fluids of different viscosities. There are several applications, such as biofilm disinfection, where the velocity of the two fluids as well as the interface is needed to determine the transport of diffusing substances. In this investigation, we use a hybrid approach which employs the Boundary Integral Method to determine the inteface velocity and the method of Regularized Stokeslets to detemine the velocity elswhere in the domain. Our approach capitalizes on the strengths of the two methods yielding an intuitive, efficient method for determining the velocity of a two fluid system throughout the domain. The main result of the presented method is the extension to two-fluid systems with varying viscosity. We describe the results of three numerical simulations designed to test the numerical method and motivate its use.
Effect of tolerance factor and local distortion on magnetic properties of the perovskite manganites

The substitutions of rare earths for La on the magnetic properties of the perovskites La0.7−xRxA0.3MnO3 (0<x<0.7), R=Pr or Gd and A=Ca, Sr, or Ba have shown that small substitution of Pr slightly increases the coercive field Hc and magnetization M, and strongly improves the magnetoresistance (MR) while lowering Tc. On the other hand, the substitution of Gd lowers Hc, M and Tc, however, increases MR of the system La0.7−xGdxSr0.3MnO3 at temperature <Tc. Large differences in the A-site ionic radii rA of the AMnO3 perovskites proved detrimental. The optimal composition has been discussed for the half-metallic ferromagnet of a spin-switch device based on the manganese oxides.
REASONS, CAUSES, AND CONTRASTS

: The standard argument for the causal theory of action is “Davidson's Challenge”: explain the connection between reasons and actions without appealing to the idea that reasons cause actions. I argue that this is an argument to the best contrastive explanation. After examining the nature of contrastive explanation in detail, I show that the causalist does not yet have the best explanation. The best explanation would appeal further to the motivational strength of reasons. Finally, I show how this undermines the argument for causalism, since noncausalists, too, can meet Davidson's Challenge by appealing to motivational strength to explain the cases at issue.
Repression and incitement: A critical demographic, feminist, and transnational analysis of birth control in Estonia, 1920–1939

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the discussions of birth control and contraception in mainstream Estonian periodicals and books, published in the interwar Estonian Republic, 1920–1939. This study shows that, although fertility rates were low in Estonia, the discussion of birth control methods was very limited in mainstream texts. Moreover, there were no visible organizations, centers, clinics, or individuals that consistently educated the public about birth control or advocated for greater access to contraceptives. A number of translated books were published, however, that provided pertinent advice and linked Estonia to the transnational social field of birth control. The main social forces that repressed Estonians' ability to engage more openly with issues of birth control were the ideology of respectability, the nationalist fear of depopulation, and particular understandings of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality.
The Carolina nursing experience: a service perspective on an academic-service partnership.

Abstract There is a renewed interest in and commitment to the strengthening of academic-service partnerships. This article will explore the developing relationship between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing and the University of North Carolina Hospitals—an example of a research university/academic medical center arrangement. The roles of academic and service leaders will be presented in terms of both the formation and maintenance of the partnership. The benefits for the various stakeholders will be presented.
The problem of open-sea navigation: The migration of the green turtle to Ascension Island☆

Abstract Green turtles, Chelonia mydas , make lengthy, regular migrations from Brazil to their nesting grounds on Ascension Island, 1400 miles away. The navigational systems used by Chelonia are unknown; but recent measurements of visual acuity in green turtles suggest that they cannot use stars for guidance. In this paper, we evaluate the possibility that orientation is based, in part, on the detection of some chemical substance originating at Ascension Island. Calculations based on the turbulences and structure of the oceanic currents in the South Atlantic Ocean show that the concentration of any substance emanating from the island would be only 100- to 1000-fold lower in the Brazilian coastal region than in the upstream waters in the immediate vicinity of the island. In order to use this chemical trail as a cue in navigation, the turtles would have to be able to follow the gradient of increasing concentration to the center of the stream and then travel against the current in an easterly direction. The potential problems of sensory receptor habituation, of the determination of polarity in a shallow chemical gradient, of the detection of compass direction or the direction of current flow, and of the maintenance of a straight course in the open sea, are discussed. The potential advantage of having the hatchlings imprinted by the taste or odor of the waters near their birthplace, in terms of reducing the amount of genetic information needed for successful orientation, is also considered.
Preoperative oral rofecoxib does not decrease postoperative pain or morphine consumption in patients after radical prostatectomy: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Study Objective: To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of the rofecoxib po before radical prostatectomy. Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Teaching hospital. Patients: Anesthetic management was standardized. Patients received either a 50-mg rofecoxib capsule or a placebo capsule po 1 hour before induction of anesthesia. Measurements and Main Results: Patient-generated 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain were assessed at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after surgery. Morphine consumption was recorded from a patient-controlled analgesia device at the same time. A patient-generated overall pain relief score was obtained at 24 hours after surgery. We were unable to detect any differences between study groups with respect to postoperative morphine consumption, VAS score, or overall pain relief score. Conclusions: When rofecoxib is used po in maximum recommended doses before surgery, it does not provide significant analgesia that results in reduction in pain scores or analgesic requirements for patients after radical prostatectomy.
miR-24 regulates menin in the endocrine pancreas

Menin, the product of the MEN1 gene, functions as a tumor suppressor and was first identified in 1997 due to its causative role in the endocrine tumor disorder multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1). More recently, menin has been identified as a key player in pancreatic islet biology with the observation of an inverse relationship between menin levels and pancreatic islet proliferation. However, the factors regulating menin and the MEN1 gene in the pancreas are poorly understood. Here, we describe the regulation of menin by miR-24 and demonstrate that miR-24 directly decreases menin levels and impacts downstream cell cycle inhibitors in MIN6 insulinoma cells and in βlox5 immortalized β-cells. This regulation of menin impacts cell viability and proliferation in βlox5 cells. Furthermore, our data show a feedback regulation between miR-24 and menin that is present in the pancreas, suggesting that miR-24 regulates menin levels in the pancreatic islet.
Buber’s Critique of Heidegger

In 1938 Martin Buber, the best known Jewish thinker in Europe, left Germany to settle in Jerusalem. Although he came to assume the newly established chair in social philosophy at the Hebrew University, considering the time and the places involved, this was obviously a far more significant journey. Buber's critique is ad rem rather than an ad hominem attack of the man Martin Heidegger. In the lectures Buber deals with the inadequacy of Heidegger's philosophical anthropology, which had been worked out before the rise to power of the Nazis in Germany. Buber begins his critique of all the German philosophers with whom he deals by adopting the problematic of Immanuel Kant. Since the reconstructive neo- Kantian work of the earlier Jewish philosopher Hermann Cohen, German philosophy had been characterized by the slogan zurueck zu Kant . Keywords: German philosophy; Hermann Cohen; Immanuel Kant; Jerusalem; Jewish philosopher; Martin Buber; Martin Heidegger
Marrow adipocyte-derived CXCL1 and CXCL2 contribute to osteolysis in metastatic prostate cancer

Increased bone marrow adiposity is a common feature of advanced age, obesity and associated metabolic pathologies. Augmented numbers of marrow adipocytes positively correlate with dysregulated bone remodeling, also a well-established complication of metastatic disease. We have shown previously that marrow adiposity accelerates prostate tumor progression in the skeleton and promotes extensive destruction of the bone; however, the factors behind adipocyte-driven osteolysis in the skeletal tumor microenvironment are not currently known. In this study, utilizing in vivo diet-induced models of bone marrow adiposity, we reveal evidence for positive correlation between increased marrow fat content, bone degradation by ARCaP(M) and PC3 prostate tumors, and augmented levels of host-derived CXCL1 and CXCL2, ligands of CXCR2 receptor. We show by in vitro osteoclastogenesis assays that media conditioned by bone marrow adipocytes is a significant source of CXCL1 and CXCL2 proteins. We also demonstrate that both the adipocyte-conditioned media and the recombinant CXCL1 and CXCL2 ligands efficiently accelerate osteoclast maturation, a process that can be blocked by neutralizing antibodies to each of the chemokines. We further confirm the contribution of CXCR2 signaling axis to adiposity-driven osteoclastogenesis by blocking fat cell-induced osteoclast differentiation with CXCR2 antagonist or neutralizing antibodies. Together, our results link CXCL1 and CXCL2 chemokines with bone marrow adiposity and implicate CXCR2 signaling in promoting effects of marrow fat on progression of skeletal tumors in bone.
Issues in Nonprofit Finance Research: Surplus, Endowment, and Endowment Portfolios

As the first systematic attempt to identify the issues involved in the use of large data sets to examine nonprofit surpluses and endowments, this paper provides suggestions for how best to ensure that the data are consistent and useful. We introduce five definitions of nonprofit surplus (the analogue of profit) and identify when researchers should use one in preference to the other. The distinctions are especially important when analyzing endowed organizations because surpluses affect the amount and rate of accumulation of endowment assets. Conversely, an endowment affects how managers and analysts should calculate surplus. Information on IRS 990 reports is incomplete, so we explain how to construct a pro forma endowment portfolio and endowment spending from available data for the purpose of calculating operating surplus of endowed organizations. We argue that researchers doing statistical analyses with large data bases should distinguish between endowed organizations and those without endowments because ...
Carbonyl functional groups in photo-oxidized polystyrene

Abstract Photo-oxidation of thin polystyrene films in air using 254 nm uv produces several different carbonyl-containing functional groups. The structure of these functional groups has been examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, with its spectral subtraction capabilities, along with several post-irradiation treatments. It was found that the rate of formation of the carbonyl-containing functional groups was dependent on irradiation temperature. Four major products were found to absorb in the carbonyl region of the infra-red and it is confirmed that most react with ammonia. Reversibility of this reaction has been demonstrated in the present study for one of the two major products that absorb at 1725 cm−1, indicating that it is a carboxylic acid. The other major product absorbing at 1725 cm−1 did not react reversibly, but apparently underwent an ammoniolysis reaction. The major product absorbing at 1775 cm−1 also underwent an irreversible reaction with ammonia and, upon heating, was found to be volatile. Spectral subtraction revealed that the final major product, absorbing at 1690 cm−1, showed no evidence of reaction with ammonia and was thermally stable. These results are consistent with the assignment of the band at 1690 cm−1 to a simple ketone structure resembling acetophenone.
Low transcondylar fractures of the distal humerus: results of open reduction and internal fixation.

Background This study presents the outcomes of low transcondylar fractures of the distal humerus treated by open reduction and internal fixation. Methods Between 1996 and 2010, 263 distal humeral fractures were managed at our institution. Patients with a true low transcondylar fracture treated by open reduction and internal fixation were included. Fourteen patients form the basis of this study. Fracture fixation was achieved through a triceps-sparing approach, a triceps tongue, or an olecranon osteotomy. Internal fixation was performed with parallel plates, orthogonal plates, a single lateral plate, or a single medial plate. The clinical outcome was measured with pain levels, range of motion, and the Mayo Elbow Performance Score. Radiographs at latest follow-up were assessed for union, delayed union, nonunion, and hardware failure. Results At most recent follow-up, 11 patients had no pain, 2 had mild pain, and 1 had moderate pain. The mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 85. The mean arch of motion was 95°. Complications included nonunion, delayed union, wound complications, deep infection, and heterotopic ossification. Discussion Stable internal fixation of low transcondylar fractures is perceived as difficult to achieve because of the very small size of the distal fragment. However, the results of our study indicate that internal fixation of low transcondylar fractures of the distal humerus is associated with a high union rate and satisfactory clinical results. Elbow arthroplasty does not need to be considered for most patients with a low transcondylar distal humeral fracture.
Cytokines and the Anorexia of Infection: Potential Mechanisms and Treatments:

Anorexia during infection is thought to be mediated by immunoregulatory cytokines such as interleukins 1 and 6 and tumor necrosis factor. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of action by which these cytokines are thought to suppress food intake during infection and examines the proposition that blocking of cytokine activity might be one approach to improving food intake of the infected host.
Traffic analysis of Internet-based multiplayer online games from a client perspective

An analysis of self-similarity in traffic generated by the popular Internet-based online game engine, unreal engine, is presented. Client-side packet traces are collected and analyzed for both client and server traffic. Initial analysis of over two million packets indicates client generated traffic shows strong long-range dependence of a self-similar nature primarily due to packet interarrival times associated with user actions. On the contrary, server generated traffic seen at the client, while still exhibiting a heavy tail, is more short-range dependent in regions where self-similarity is observed.
Clinical, demographic and laboratory parameters at HAART initiation associated with decreased post-HAART survival in a U.S. military prospective HIV cohort.

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has improved HIV survival, some patients receiving therapy are still dying. This analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with increased risk of post-HAART mortality. We evaluated baseline (prior to HAART initiation) clinical, demographic and laboratory factors (including CD4+ count and HIV RNA level) for associations with subsequent mortality in 1,600 patients who began HAART in a prospective observational cohort of HIV-infected U.S. military personnel. Cumulative mortality was 5%, 10% and 18% at 4, 8 and 12 years post-HAART. Mortality was highest (6.23 deaths/100 person-years [PY]) in those with ≤ 50 CD4+ cells/mm3 before HAART initiation, and became progressively lower as CD4+ counts increased (0.70/100 PY with ≥ 500 CD4+ cells/mm3). In multivariate analysis, factors significantly (p < 0.05) associated with post-HAART mortality included: increasing age among those ≥ 40 years (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.32 per 5 year increase), clinical AIDS events before HAART (HR = 1.93), ≤ 50 CD4+ cells/mm3 (vs. CD4+ ≥ 500, HR = 2.97), greater HIV RNA level (HR = 1.36 per one log10 increase), hepatitis C antibody or chronic hepatitis B (HR = 1.96), and HIV diagnosis before 1996 (HR = 2.44). Baseline CD4+ = 51-200 cells (HR = 1.74, p = 0.06), and hemoglobin < 12 gm/dL for women or < 13.5 for men (HR = 1.36, p = 0.07) were borderline significant. Although treatment has improved HIV survival, defining those at greatest risk for death after HAART initiation, including demographic, clinical and laboratory correlates of poorer prognoses, can help identify a subset of patients for whom more intensive monitoring, counseling, and care interventions may improve clinical outcomes and post-HAART survival.
A Genetic Test of the Role of the Maternal Pronucleus in Wolbachia-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Drosophila melanogaster

Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a reproductive sterility found in arthropods that is caused by the endoparasitic bacteria Wolbachia. In CI, host progeny fail to develop during early embryogenesis if Wolbachia-infected males fertilize uninfected females. It is widely accepted that this lethality is caused by some unknown Wolbachia-induced modification of the paternal nuclear material in the host testes. However, the direct means by which this modification leads to early embryonic death are currently unresolved. Results from previous studies suggested that CI lethality occurs as a result of asynchrony in cell cycle timing between the paternal and maternal pronuclei. This hypothesis can be tested experimentally by the prediction that the Wolbachia-modified paternal pronucleus should support androgenetic development (i.e., from the paternal pronucleus only). Using specific mutations in Drosophila melanogaster that produce androgenetic progeny, we demonstrate that the Wolbachia-induced modification inhibits this type of development. This result suggests that CI occurs independently of the maternal pronucleus and argues against pronuclear asynchrony as the primary cause of CI lethality. We propose that CI occurs instead as the result of either a developmentally incompetent paternal pronucleus or asynchrony between the paternal pronucleus and the cell cycle of the egg cytoplasm.
Phenotypic fidelity (or not?) of epithelial cells in the liver.

Recent evidence has contradicted the prevailing view that homeostasis and regeneration of the adult liver are mediated by self duplication of lineage-restricted hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells. These new data suggest that liver progenitor cells do not function solely as a backup system in chronic liver injury; rather, they also produce hepatocytes after acute injury and are in fact the main source of new hepatocytes during normal hepatocyte turnover. In addition, other evidence suggests that hepatocytes are capable of lineage conversion, acting as precursors of biliary epithelial cells during biliary injury. To test these concepts, we generated a hepatocyte fate-tracing model based on timed and specific Cre recombinase expression and marker gene activation in all hepatocytes of adult Rosa26 reporter mice with an adenoassociated viral vector. We found that newly formed hepatocytes derived from preexisting hepatocytes in the normal liver and that liver progenitor cells contributed minimally to acute hepatocyte regeneration. Further, we found no evidence that biliary injury induced conversion of hepatocytes into biliary epithelial cells. These results therefore restore the previously prevailing paradigms of liver homeostasis and regeneration. In addition, our new vector system will be a valuable tool for timed, efficient, and specific loop out of floxed sequences in hepatocytes.
Self-Interpretation, Agency, and the Objects of Anthropology: Reflections on a Genealogy

If there is anything that exemplifies a certain common style in ethnographically-oriented approaches to culture and society today, and sets them apart from other kinds of social science, it is the habit, irritating to colleagues in some other disciplines, frustrating to students, deemed perverse by potential funders, and bewildering to the public, of responding to explanations with the remark, “We need to complicate the story.” The words “reductionist” and “essentializing” are brandished with scorn. One important perspective is expressed by this remark by Jean and John Comaroff, two influential anthropologists with solid roots in longterm fieldwork, the sobriety of British social anthropology, and the tough-minded realism of the Marxist tradition: ethnography “refuses to put its trust in techniques that give more scientific methods their illusory objectivity: their commitment to standardized, a priori units of analysis, for example, or their reliance on a depersonalizing gaze that separates subject from object” (1992:8). These words, offered almost in passing, take a host of important arguments as settled. One is that it is no longer in much dispute that cultural anthropology is not merely at an “immature” stage, en route to something more akin to natural science. Most significant, perhaps, is the assumption that the separation of subject from object can be understood only in negative terms, that to say that a field of knowledge “depersonalizes” is ipso facto to discredit it. Yet in their own ethnographic and historical work the Comaroffs take their empirical materials very seriously and do not wholly reject the separation of subject from object—how could they? What is at issue, rather, is what kinds of “objects” and “subjects,” and what categories of analysis and comparison, are epistemologically appropriate and ethically legitimate for the study of social actions and self-understandings.
THE ENCHANTMENTS OF MAMMON: NOTES TOWARD A THEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF CAPITALISM

Tales of “disenchantment” dominate modern intellectual life, and especially accounts of the cultural history of capitalism. Yet Weberian sociology, and especially Marxist notions of “commodity fetishism”, point to the persistence of “enchantment” in the capitalist imagination. If we reformulate these notions of “enchantment” and “disenchantment” in theological terms of sacrament, then we can write new histories of capitalism, as well as articulate new forms of political and cultural criticism. Borrowing from “radical orthodoxy”, the author takes a Cook's Tour of “disenchantment”, explores the possibilities afforded by “sacramental” conceptions of materialism, and gestures toward an account of American cultural history shaped by a sacramental materialism.
Food aid : a cause of development failure or an instrument for success?

The role of food aid in furthering the economic development of poor countries and in alleviating the adverse effects on the poor of structural and sectoral adjustment programs is discussed. A simple analytical framework for evaluating the incentive and welfare impact of food aid is suggested. Domestic and international markets for food historically have been subject to severe distortions, leading to ever-growing food stocks in some, mainly rich, countries while in others, largely poor, many cannot afford to consume enough food. The possible impact of distortion-free global food markets is sketched. The use of surplus food for payment of wages in rural work programs has often been proposed as a means to create productive assets while alleviating poverty. Using an applied general equilibrium model of the Indian economy, it is shown that a well-designed and efficiently implemented food-for-work program can virtually eliminate abject poverty in India at a modest cost. Experience with food aid in several other countries is also briefly discussed.
Novel nonparametric approach to canonical correlation analysis with applications to low CNR functional MRI data.

Detection of activation in functional MRI (fMRI) is often complicated by the low contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the data. The primary source of the difficulty is the fact that for activities that are subtle the signal can be hidden inside the inherent noise in the data. Classical univariate methods based on t-test or F-test are susceptible to noise, as they fail to harness systematic correlations in evoked responses within neighboring voxels. Here the power of a multivariate statistical analysis tool known as canonical correlation analysis (CCA) in fMRI studies is demonstrated where the CNR is low. As a further illustration of the power of the method, a comparative study of CCA and ordinary correlation analysis using simulated data under various noise levels is also performed. A novel nonparametric approach is introduced to calculate the P-values from the distribution of the complicated test statistic. The circumstances under which CCA is a better performer as well as when it is not the case are discussed. As an example, this method is applied to detect hippocampal activation from memory-related tasks.
The Disproportionate Impact of Antigay Family Policies on Black and Latino Same-sex Couple Households

This paper examines the racial dynamics of antigay activism, and the particular, disproportionate impact of antigay family policies on Black and Latino same-sex couple families. Starting in the mid-1990s, antigay activists have passed dozens of laws and constitutional amendments banning and repealing state recognition of gay and lesbian relationships. For two decades the antigay movement has portrayed sexual orientation nondiscrimination laws as “special rights” that threaten the civil rights of people of color, especially Black people. They have portrayed the gay and Black communities as mutually exclusive, and pointed out the obvious difference between race and sexual orientation, accusing gay activists of hijacking the civil rights legacy of the 1950s and 1960s. While antigay bias and racism are indeed different, legal protections for gay people and families do not threaten the civil rights of people of color, or anybody, for that matter. In fact, the cruel irony is that the antigay policies of the Christian right pose a disproportionate threat to Black and Latino same-sex couple families. This is because Black and Latino same-sex couples are twice as likely as White same-sex couples to be raising children (particularly Black and Latino lesbian couples), and because they earn less and are less likely to own the home they live in. Policies restricting family recognition, whether of partner relationships or parent–child relationships, disproportionately harm Black and Latino same-sex couple families. Black same-sex cohabiting partners are more likely than their White counterparts to hold public sector jobs which may offer domestic partner health insurance; many antigay marriage amendments and laws prevent public sector employers in those states from offering such benefits to gay and lesbian employees. Latino same-sex partners are more likely to be non-US citizens; this means they are disproportionately affected by the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s failure to recognize same-sex couple families. Both Black and Latina female same-sex partners (partnered lesbians) are more likely than their heterosexual and White non-Hispanic counterparts to serve in the military, despite the ban. They are also discharged at a higher rate. For all these reasons, equal treatment for same-sex couples and gay, lesbian and bisexual people constitute issues of racial justice as well as human rights and equality.
Impact of dispersion map on performance vs complexity tradeoff in frequency-shaped digital backpropagation

We examine performance versus complexity tradeoff for nonlinear compensation using frequency-shaped backpropagation. High residual dispersion per span gives better asymptotic performance at high complexity, but this is not necessarily true at intermediate complexities.
Genome-wide analysis of SPAK/OSR1 binding motifs

Based on the alignment of 12 sequences of protein motifs that interact with the kinases SPAK (Ste20-related proline alanine-rich kinase) and OSR1 (oxidative stress response 1), we performed genome-...
Activation of Liver FGF21 in hepatocarcinogenesis and during hepatic stress

FGF21 is a promising intervention therapy for metabolic diseases as fatty liver, obesity and diabetes. Recent results suggest that FGF21 is highly expressed in hepatocytes under metabolic stress caused by starvation, hepatosteatosis, obesity and diabetes. Hepatic FGF21 elicits metabolic benefits by targeting adipocytes of the peripheral adipose tissue through the transmembrane FGFR1-KLB complex. Ablation of adipose FGFR1 resulted in increased hepatosteatosis under starvation conditions and abrogation of the anti-obesogenic action of FGF21. These results indicate that FGF21 may be a stress responsive hepatokine that targets adipocytes and adipose tissue for alleviating the damaging effects of stress on the liver. However, it is unclear whether hepatic induction of FGF21 is limited to only metabolic stress, or to a more general hepatic stress resulting from liver pathogenesis and injury. In this survey-based study, we examine the nature of hepatic FGF21 activation in liver tissues and tissue sections from several mouse liver disease models and human patients, by quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, protein chemistry, and reporter and CHIP assays. The liver diseases include genetic and chemical-induced HCC, liver injury and regeneration, cirrhosis, and other types of liver diseases. We found that mouse FGF21 is induced in response to chemical (DEN treatment) and genetic-induced hepatocarcinogenesis (disruptions in LKB1, p53, MST1/2, SAV1 and PTEN). It is also induced in response to loss of liver mass due to partial hepatectomy followed by regeneration. The induction of FGF21 expression is potentially under the control of stress responsive transcription factors p53 and STAT3. Serum FGF21 levels correlate with FGF21 expression in hepatocytes. In patients with hepatitis, fatty degeneration, cirrhosis and liver tumors, FGF21 levels in hepatocytes or phenotypically normal hepatocytes are invariably elevated compared to normal health subjects. FGF21 is an inducible hepatokine and could be a biomarker for normal hepatocyte function. Activation of its expression is a response of functional hepatocytes to a broad spectrum of pathological changes that impose both cellular and metabolic stress on the liver. Taken together with our recent data, we suggest that hepatic FGF21 is a general stress responsive factor that targets adipose tissue for normalizing local and systemic metabolic parameters while alleviating the overload and damaging effects imposed by the pathogenic stress on the liver. This study therefore provides a rationale for clinical biomarker studies in humans.
Cultural Disturbances and Local Ecological Knowledge Mediate Cattail ( Typha domingensis ) Invasion in Lake Pátzcuaro, México

The influence of local actors and socioeconomic constraints on biological invasions is often ignored. Wetland plant harvesters appeared to intentionally influ- ence cattail (Typha domingensis) invasion around Lake Patzcuaro, Mexico, by altering their harvesting regimes, according to interviews with 44 expert respondents and botanical surveys. The oldest and most experienced harvesters reported controlling Typha initially, sometimes through organized eradication efforts, in order to protect Schoenoplectus californicus, an economically and culturally valuable wetland plant. Later, outsiders commoditized Typha by introducing new weaving designs popular with tourists, while industrial products and new livelihood activities reduced Schoenoplectus harvest. Harvesters from several communities began to promote Typha re-growth. Some harvesters, however, continued to combat Typha to maintain Schoenoplectus production, especially where supply was limited. Interviews suggested novel ecological cause-effect mechanisms and restoration strategies; some local harvesting regimes could efficiently conserve rare plants. An under- standing of local ecological knowledge and incentives can inform invasive species control and conservation policy at a broader scale.
A new method for imaging and 3D reconstruction of mammalian cochlea by fluorescent confocal microscopy

Traditional methods for anatomical and morphometric studies of cochlear tissues have relied upon either microdissection of the organ of Corti or the generation of serial sections of the cochlea. Such methods are time-consuming, disruptive to three-dimensional relationships and often restrict sampling to very limited numbers of cells. We have found that cells and tissue components of the cochlear duct may be labelled by fluorescent markers within intact cochleae, which are then embedded in epoxy resin for subsequent viewing by fluorescent microscopy methods. This approach allows imaging through thick optical volumes with preservation of three-dimensional relationships. Unlike sectioned tissue, alignment of the sample relative to the focal axis may be easily corrected by re-orientation of the optical volume with common image processing software. Fluorescently labelled cochleae embedded in epoxy can be viewed by most fluorescent microscopy methods including laser scanning confocal microscopy, multi-photon confocal microscopy and widefield epi-fluorescence microscopy with deconvolution. Furthermore, semi-thin sections made from these preparations are compatible with traditional histological stains, as well as allowing brightly labelled epi-fluorescent images.
Sociology as a Conversation: The Present Circumstances and Future Prospects of Peer Review

We can conceive of sociology as something akin to a vast conversation among scholars dispersed across time and space. Using this analogy, I examine the present situation and future prospects of peer review at sociological journals. First, I summarize the model of scientific discourse as an ideal type and distinguish its advantages relative to the conversations we find on the Internet, in the Modern Language Association, and in contemporary journalism. Second, I consider the problems associated with peer review at sociological journals. Third, I assess two efforts to redress the problems in peer review: (1) doing away with anonymity and (2) the trend toward open access publishing in scholarly research. I conclude with suggested reforms.
Cache efficient functional algorithms

The widely studied I/O and ideal-cache models were developed to account for the large difference in costs to access memory at different levels of the memory hierarchy. Both models are based on a two level memory hierarchy with a fixed size fast memory (cache) of size M, and an unbounded slow memory organized in blocks of size B. The cost measure is based purely on the number of block transfers between the primary and secondary memory. All other operations are free. Many algorithms have been analyzed in these models and indeed these models predict the relative performance of algorithms much more accurately than the standard Random Access Machine (RAM) model. The models, however, require specifying algorithms at a very low level, requiring the user to carefully lay out their data in arrays in memory and manage their own memory allocation. We present a cost model for analyzing the memory efficiency of algorithms expressed in a simple functional language. We show how some algorithms written in standard forms using just lists and trees (no arrays) and requiring no explicit memory layout or memory management are efficient in the model. We then describe an implementation of the language and show provable bounds for mapping the cost in our model to the cost in the ideal-cache model. These bounds imply that purely functional programs based on lists and trees with no special attention to any details of memory layout can be asymptotically as efficient as the carefully designed imperative I/O efficient algorithms. For example we describe an o(n/BlogM/Bn/B) cost sorting algorithm, which is optimal in the ideal cache and I/O models.
Mesenchymal stem cells selectively engraft into tumor stroma and produce potent antitumor proteins in situ

3025 Background: The formation of stroma is essential for tumor growth and involves complex interactions between malignant cells and non-tumor stromal cells. We have previously demonstrated that IV injected bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) integrate into solid tumors as stromal elements (Cancer Res 62:3603, 2002; JNCI 96:1593, 2004). Methods: MSC were labeled by a fiber modified Ad vector expressing firefly luciferase (AdLux-F/RGD), injected into normal or tumor-bearing SCID mice, and biodistributed MSC-Lux were imaged utilizing the Xenogen IVIS system. Results: After IP injection, no hMSC-LUX were detected in normal animals after 7 days, while strong punctate regions of LUX-activity were observed in ovarian tumors. Tumor cells transduced with renilla luciferase constructs co- localized with firefly luciferase MSC. Next, we examined whether hMSC-producing interferon-beta (IFNβ-MSC) could inhibit the growth of metastatic tumors in the lungs of SCID mice. When injected IV (4 doses of 106 MSC...