cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency divergence image: A novel method for action recognition

Action recognition systems have the potential to support clinicians, coaches and physical therapists in identifying important adopted movement patterns which could aid injury detection potential or inform rehabilitation strategies. Currently, motion capture systems, structured light pattern and time-of-flight sensors have utilization limitations that place constraints on their use outside of the laboratory setting. For this reason, we propose a system for human action recognition from video. The method presented in this work has utility with patient populations, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and dementia, outside of laboratory setting to detect the degree of which, and progression of, gait pathology. We developed a novel vision algorithm for template matching—the characterization of the motion in a video sequence. The method, titled Frequency Divergence Image, is a paradigm shift in template matching methods. Template matching methods measure macro-motion, whereas the proposed method detects micro-motion that differs from the flow of the action. We show that micro-cues improve prediction performance of human action on a real-world data set. We demonstrate a 9.15% improvement in classification accuracy over the original Motion History Image formulation when used with a convolutional neural network. Future work will focus on the deployment of the system to identify gait pathology from various patient populations.
The effect of reduced levels of inorganic and organic trace mineral supplementation on performance, carcass traits, and fecal excretion of grow-finish swine

An experiment was conducted to compare the effect of 2 levels of inorganic and 2 levels of organic (Bioplex, Alltech Inc., Nicholas ville, KY) trace mineral (Cu, Fe, and Zn) supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics, and mineral excretion of growfinish swine. Crossbred barrows and gilts (n = 559; 24.89 ± 0.42 kg) were blocked by weight, penned by sex, and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments. A basal diet was utilized for all 4 dietary phases and treatments and contained inorganic forms of Cu, Fe, and Zn at concentrations of 6, 71, and 30 mg/kg, respectively, for phase 1 (as-fed basis). Treatment 1 was supplemented (amount added to the basal diet) with Cu as CUSO4, Fe as FeS04, and Zn (25% was ZnO and 75% was ZnSO^) at concentrations of 20, 24, and 33 mg/kg, respectively, ^This journal paper of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa, Project No. 3614, was supported by State of Iowa funds. Additional funding and support was provided by Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356. The authors would like to acknowledge Kent Feeds Inc., Muscatine, Iowa; Nevada Feed and Seed Company, Nevada, Iowa; and Allflex Inc., Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, Texas, for their contributions to this project. department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 ^Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 ^Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356 ^Correspondence: 109 Kildee Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (phone: 515-2946728; fax: 515-294-5698; e-mail: tibaas@iastate.edu)
High Strain Rate Response of Al 0.7 CoCrFeNi High Entropy Alloy: Dynamic Strength Over 2 GPa from Thermomechanical Processing and Hierarchical Microstructure

Dynamic mechanical behavior of a dual-phase, precipitation-hardenable, near-eutectic, hierarchical high entropy alloy Al0.7CoCrFeNi was investigated using split-Hopkinson pressure bar. Cast alloy was processed via cold rolling to 30% reduction and annealing at two different temperatures, 1100 °C/5 min and 580 °C/24 h. The microstructure consists of a fine FCC + B2 lamellar structure which looked similar for all three conditions under scanning electron microscope but demonstrated very disparate flow stresses. X-ray diffraction measurements were used to analyze stored dislocation density, i.e. micro-strain in the individual phases i.e. FCC and B2, induced by the cold work and the extent of its recovery after each heat treatment. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the naano-scale features in all the three heat treatment conditions. Low temperature annealing at 580 °C/24 h, with limited recovery of cold work coupled with precipitation of L12 in FCC phase and an adjacent B2/BCC lamellar phase, was discovered to result in exceptionally high dynamic strength of 2150 MPa.
Cured into Destitution: Catastrophic Health Expenditure Risk Among Uninsured Trauma Patients in the United States.

Objective:To characterize the economic hardship for uninsured patients admitted for trauma using catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) risk.Background:Medical debts are the greatest cause of bankruptcies in the United States. Injuries are often unpredictable, expensive to treat, and disproportionall
Investigation of the plasma electrolytic oxidation mechanism of titanium

Abstract A critical parameter in Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) is the applied current composed of electronic current caused by sparking and ionic current caused by diffusion of electrolyte ions into the oxide. A wide spectrum of current densities was applied on pure titanium to investigate the PEO mechanism. The growth process and oxide characteristics were investigated by studying the ionic/electronic current contributions during the PEO stages. The contribution of electronic current was found to dominate at low current densities (30 and 40 mA/cm2). The large number of plasma discharges at this condition increases the porosity and coating surface roughness. These discharges provide enough energy to raise the temperature facilitating formation of both stable rutile and metastable anatase. By increasing the current density, the incorporation of ionic current increases resulting in the formation of dense anatase coatings. The highest growth rates achieved at a balance between ionic and electronic charges. HRTEM showed that all coatings are composed of a top amorphous layer produced from electrolyte quenching and an inner layer consisting of a mixture of nanocrystalline and amorphous regions and pores. The interlayer forming at the substrate/coating interface was found to play a key role in the growth mechanism during PEO processing.
So Sue Me: When Lawsuits Improve Firm Performance

Lawsuits are often considered a costly threat to firms that represent underlying organizational problems. In the case of relatively new firms, however, lawsuits are rare events that can provide lea...
Synthesis of a heterotelechelic helical poly(methacrylamide) and its incorporation into a supramolecular triblock copolymer

We report the first heterotelechelic helical poly(methacrylamide) (PMAc) bearing orthogonal supramolecular binding sites on its chain-ends synthesized through a combination of reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization and thiol–bromo “click” chemistry. The heterotelechelic PMAc was assembled with two monotelechelic polymers featuring different secondary structures, namely a coil-like poly(styrene) and a helical poly(isocyanide), resulting in the formation of a coil–helix–helix supramolecular triblock copolymer through orthogonal metal coordination and hydrogen bonding interactions. Triblock assembly was confirmed through 1H NMR spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and viscometry. The individual polymer blocks retained their secondary structures in the final triblock copolymer, as evidenced by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Our synthetic strategy expands the toolbox of triblock copolymers featuring structural motifs similar to the ones found in proteins and provides the potential for the development of other complex multifunctional polymeric ensembles.
Youth Neighborhood Maps From Around the World: A Preliminary Look Through a Studio Thinking Lens:

This article takes a look at 624 neighborhood maps, drawn by students aged 8 to 18 years from 24 countries, between 2017 and 2018. The maps were made as part of an online cultural exchange program ...
A Novel Interprofessional Mock Clinic Workshop for Medical Students With Orthotics and Prosthetics Students

Introduction Medical school education on orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) is limited, and O&P students receive limited education on performing comprehensive histories and physicals (H&Ps). This inte...
The Physiology of the Gastric Parietal Cell.

Parietal cells are responsible for gastric acid secretion, which aids in the digestion of food, absorption of minerals, and control of harmful bacteria. However, a fine balance of activators and in...
A Global Critique of Neoliberalism? The Comparative Humans of New York and the World

This article asks whether the popular web blog Humans of New York constitutes collective and ethical resistance to the everyday violence of neoliberalism in the era of late global capitalism. If neoliberalism is global and ubiquitous, I suggest that we must consider the ways in which resistance to it must also take on a dimension that transcends the nation-state, even as it is grounded in particular experiences and contexts. Following this line of thought, I ask whether a humanism of the kind that Humans of New York professes—one that assumes a universal humanity that spans the globe and whose rights take precedence over all other imperatives—can be one such form of global resistance. I explore HONY’s innovative form of collective storytelling as a vehicle for a humanism that has a different rationality than homo economicus at its core, for the humans that participate in and read Humans of New York orchestrate an arena within which they are defined in relation to the collective rather than individual self-interest. Then I move on to the extensions of the blog that cover the Humans of Iran and Pakistan, interviewing the inhabitants of countries that often function as a non-Western Orientalized other in mainstream American discourse. I ask whether Brandon Stanton, the author and photographer behind the blog, is able to mobilize the same kind of anti-neoliberal sentiments in these locations as he does in New York without flattening out cultural particularities and details. If not, what does this failure say about the limits and possibilities of forming a truly global humanist social movement, through storytelling, against neoliberalism and an increasingly predatory global capitalism? And can other spin-offs of the blog written from locations in the global south fulfill this function of a localized yet simultaneously global resistance instead?
Encapsulation of tributyrin by gamma-cyclodextrin: Complexation, spray drying, and in vitro fermentation.

Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) known for support in gastrointestinal (GI) health. Tributyrin (TB) could be used as an alternate source of butyrate. The objectives of this study were to encapsulate TB using gamma-cyclodextrin (CD) by spray-drying and to investigate the physicochemical and the fermentation properties of TB/CD complex. The TB/CD complex precipitated in water with an average stoichiometry of 1:1.3 of TB:CD. At a 1:2 molar ratio of TB:CD, TB was fully retained in the spray-dried TB/CD complex. The spray-dried TB/CD complex showed crystalline structure, supported by both X-ray diffraction spectra and scanning electron microscopy images. The TB/CD complex at 1:2 molar ratio was fermented and several SCFAs, including butyrate, were produced in an in vitro test using piglets' ileal and colonic contents. A dose-dependent increase in the butyrate concentration in both ileum and ascending colon was observed. Approximately, 426 and 1189 μmole butyrate was produced per gram of TB/CD powder at 9 mM treatment in ileum and ascending colon, respectively. Thus, the production of the TB/CD complex using spray drying is feasible and the complex has the potential for food applications to improve intestinal health. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The findings in this study can be applied to produce encapsulated tributyrin with gamma-cyclodextrin efficiently using spray-drying. The TB/CD complex was highly fermentable and caused an increase in the butyrate concentration in both ileum and ascending colon, which can be incorporated in foods to enhance butyrate delivery to the GI tract to assist gut health.
Forest discovery: place relationships on an environmental science, arts and humanities (eSAH) field trip

Sense of place describes both affective and cognitive — emotional and intellectual — connections to place. Affective outcomes, tied to arts and humanities education, can facilitate these connections. But little research explores environmental science, arts and humanities (eSAH) curricula on place relationships. Additionally, most research on the sense of place focuses on repeated visits to a place over time, rather than short-term experiences like a field trip. Finally, digital technology is a growing trend across science education, but little research investigates its use in field-based contexts. Our research begins to address these gaps. This article describes an eSAH field trip for middle and high school learners. Using a conventional content analysis, we present pilot data from two high school field trips. Our findings illuminate a framework for understanding active and passive place relationships in the context of short-term interdisciplinary field learning experiences.
Signal Identification Using a Least L1 Norm Algorithm

In many important applications a signal consists of a sum of exponential terms. The signal is measured at a discrete set of points in time, with possible errors in the measurements. The Signal Identification (SI) problem is to recover the correct exponents and amplitudes from the noisy data. An algorithm (SNTLN) has been developed which can be used to solve the SI problem by minimizing the residual error in the L1 norm. In this paper the convergence of the SNTLN algorithm is shown, and computational results for two different types of signal are presented, one of which is the sum of complex exponentials with complex amplitudes. For comparison, the test problems were also solved by VarPro, which is based on minimizing the L2 norm of the residual error. It is shown that the SNTLN algorithm is very robust in recovering correct values, in spite of some large errors in the measured data and the initial estimates of the exponents. For the test problems solved, the errors in the exponents and amplitudes obtained by SNTLN1 were essentially independent of the largest errors in the measured data, while the corresponding errors in the VarPro solutions were proportional to these largest data errors.
Characterizing and quantifying the temporal relationship between structural and functional change in glaucoma.

Purpose To characterize and quantify the temporal relationship between structural and functional change in glaucoma. Methods 120 eyes of 120 patients with ocular hypertension or primary open-angle glaucoma were selected from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study or the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. Patients had 11 visits, separated by at least 3 months over 5 to 10 years. Each visit had rim area (RA) and mean sensitivity (MS) measurements taken within a 30-day period. The structure-function (SF) relationship was summarized using conventional and modified cross-correlation functions (CCFs), which identified the strongest absolute and positive correlation, respectively. Patients were categorized in one of the following three groups: RA and MS evolved simultaneously (lag = 0), RA preceded MS (lag 0). Lagging regression analysis was used to examine the variations of the SF relationship within groups. Results The number of participants, mean visit lag, and mean correlation (standard deviation) were, for the conventional and modified CCFs, respectively: lag = 0 [16, 0, 0.53 (0.10) and 16, 0, 0.46 (0.11)]; lag 0 [54, 3.35, 0.53 (0.13) and 49, 3.78, 0.45 (0.12)]. A significant difference of the visit lag relation within groups was identified using lagging regression analysis (p<0.0001). Conclusions The strongest relationship between structure and function was obtained at different visit lags in different patients. This finding also suggests that the SF relationship should be addressed at the subject level when using both measurements jointly to model glaucoma progression.
Optimization of Triarylpyridinone Inhibitors of the Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2 to Low-Nanomolar Antiviral Potency

Non-covalent inhibitors of the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 having a pyridinone core were previously reported with IC50 values as low as 0.018 μM for inhibition of enzymatic activity and EC50 values as low as 0.8 μM for inhibition of viral replication in Vero E6 cells. The series has now been further advanced by consideration of placement of substituted five-membered-ring heterocycles in the S4 pocket of Mpro and N-methylation of a uracil ring. Free energy perturbation calculations provided guidance on the choice of the heterocycles, and protein crystallography confirmed the desired S4 placement. Here we report inhibitors with EC50 values as low as 0.080 μM, while remdesivir yields values of 0.5-2 μM in side-by-side testing with infectious SARS-CoV-2. A key factor in the improvement is enhanced cell permeability, as reflected in PAMPA measurements. Compounds 19 and 21 are particularly promising as potential therapies for COVID-19, featuring IC50 values of 0.044-0.061 μM, EC50 values of ca. 0.1 μM, good aqueous solubility, and no cytotoxicity.
Polarimetric characterization of a monochromator to measure the spectral response of a pixelated polarization imager

Monochromators are frequently used in spectral calibrations of optical systems due to their ability to sweep a narrowband output across a wide range of wavelengths. However, monochromators tend to output light with a degree of linear polarization that can vary significantly as a function of wavelength. To use a monochromator to calibrate a polarization-sensitive imager, the monochromator output is often passed into an integrating sphere to convert the linearly polarized light into randomly polarized light. In this paper, we demonstrate the ability to obtain a spectral calibration of a division-of-focal-plane (DoFP) imager by assuming subpixels of a polarization super pixel have equal spectral responses. We also characterize the polarization of the output of a monochromator as a function of wavelength using both a DoFP imager and a wire-grid polarizer mounted on a precision rotation stage with an optical power meter.
Case-Based Evidence and Local Custom

How do institutional arrangements and social capital work, and do cases on the ground corroborate what has been conceptualized? Some case-based evidence of MSMEs in different regions provide clues to that question. The role of trust and local solution to achieve a particular goal, including fostering environmental-friendly activities, is highlighted. The evidence also helps permeate the practical and moral thinking of the issues related to MSME operations influenced by local customs and customary laws.
Learning Through Academic Collaborations In/With the East: North American Adult Education Scholars’ Insights

Applying Culture and Appreciative Education lenses, this qualitative study, eliciting detailed descriptions, examines six North American adult and higher education scholars’ lived learning experien...
Towards a Diagnosis of Cochlear Neuropathy with Envelope Following Responses

Listeners with normal audiometric thresholds can still have suprathreshold deficits, for example, in the ability to discriminate sounds in complex acoustic scenes. One likely source of these deficits is cochlear neuropathy, a loss of auditory nerve (AN) fibers without hair cell damage, which can occur due to both aging and moderate acoustic overexposure. Since neuropathy can affect up to 50 % of AN fibers, its impact on suprathreshold hearing is likely profound, but progress is hindered by lack of a robust non-invasive test of neuropathy in humans. Reduction of suprathreshold auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) can be used to quantify neuropathy in inbred mice. However, ABR amplitudes are highly variable in humans, and thus more challenging to use. Since noise-induced neuropathy is selective for AN fibers with high thresholds, and because phase locking to temporal envelopes is particularly strong in these fibers, the envelope following response (EFR) might be a more robust measure. We compared EFRs to sinusoidally amplitude-modulated tones and ABRs to tone-pips in mice following a neuropathic noise exposure. EFR amplitude, EFR phase-locking value, and ABR amplitude were all reduced in noise-exposed mice. However, the changes in EFRs were more robust: the variance was smaller, thus inter-group differences were clearer. Optimum detection of neuropathy was achieved with high modulation frequencies and moderate levels. Analysis of group delays was used to confirm that the AN population was dominating the responses at these high modulation frequencies. Application of these principles in clinical testing can improve the differential diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss.
Enhancing Brand Image Via Sponsorship

Despite the increased usage of sponsorship activities by practitioners, there has been little research on the impact of sponsorship on building brand image. This research examines the influence of sponsorship on associations transfer from sponsored entity to the sponsor. In order to test all the hypotheses, two pre-tests and one main study were conducted. Empirical findings suggest that individuals who are exposed to the highly fitting partnership develop a stronger associative link between sponsor and sponsored entity than individuals who are exposed to the poorly fitting partnership. Results do not offer support that frequency of the partnership contributes to building the strength of the associative link between sponsor and sponsored entity. Most importantly, results indicate that the strength of the associative link between sponsor and sponsored entity is positively related to the transfer of associations from sponsored entity to sponsor.
Nations, Identities, and Global Technologies

As a political unit, the nation is facing an ever-expanding set of challenges. Modern systems of transportation and communication facilitate global exchanges of commodities, populations and information, often evading the borders and jurisdictions of the nation state. Faced with an increasingly interconnected globe, the nation may no longer be able to sustain its territorial hegemony. Nor may it be able to contain citizens within national identities. This talk examines the role of the Internet in these processes.
Biosynthesis of protease nexin-I.

Abstract Protease nexin-I (PN-I) is representative of a newly described class of serine protease inhibitors secreted by human fibroblasts, the protease nexins. Protease nexins form covalent complexes with their target proteases, subsequently binding to cells via specific receptors. PN-I preferentially binds thrombin, urokinase, trypsin, and plasmin, and its binding to thrombin is accelerated by heparin. We have previously described the production of a polyclonal antibody against PN-I which is able to block the binding of PN-I X proteinase complexes to cells and will immunoprecipitate metabolically labeled PN-I. Anti-PN-I was used to investigate the biosynthesis and regulation of PN-I in human fibroblasts. Unlabeled PN-I could compete for the binding of metabolically labeled PN-I to anti-PN-I, as shown by the elimination of the 43-kDa band representing PN-I on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis autoradiographs. Excision of this 43-kDa band from gels, followed by amino-terminal sequencing, showed a homogeneous protein that is homologous with that described by Scott et al. (Scott, R. W., Bergman, B. L., Bajpai, A., Hersh, R. T., Rodriguez, H., Jones, B. N., Barreda, C., Watts, S., and Baker, J. B. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7029-7034). An analysis of the biosynthesis of the PN-I revealed that a lower Mr precursor exists intracellularly. This apparent rough endoplasmic reticulum form appears as a doublet on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, as does mature PN-I. The PN-I precursor was also sensitive to endoglycosidase H, suggesting that it contains N-linked carbohydrates of the high mannose form. Mature PN-I is not sensitive to endoglycosidase H, but does contain 3 kDa of N-linked carbohydrate. PN-I appears to be constitutively secreted by fibroblasts. PN-I levels in conditioned media reach a steady state within 48 h, although PN-I synthesis maintains a constant rate. This steady state is due to the continuous uptake of PN-I from medium, presumably through a specific receptor.
Writing across the Biology‐Culture Gap

Book reviewed in this article: Primate Behaviour: Information, Social Knowledge, and the Evolution of Culture. Duane Quiatt and Vernon Reynolds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 322 pp. The Use of Tools by Human and Non-Human Primates. Arlette Berthelet and Jean Chavaillon, eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. 424 pp.
An interactive transparent protocol for connection oriented mobility $performance analysis with voice traffic

Loss-free handoff in mobile networks is an extensive research area. Mobile IP (MIP) provided a solution to enable a mobile node to roam from one location to another while maintaining its network level connectivity. However, handoff latencies and longer triangular routing paths in MIP can severely degrade communication performance and in particular cripple connection oriented protocols like TCP. In this paper we propose an alternate approach for robust mobility. The scheme is based on the principle of 'interactive transparent networking' where all networking layers remain lightweight but are engineered for interactivity. This would allow principle intelligent actions to be performed at the application layer. With protocol interactivity we demonstrate a novel scheme that switches IP address in the TCP/IP stack on both end-points and perform loss-free rapid handoff. The scheme offers not only loss-free handoff, but also offers several fundamental system advantages; (i) it does not impose any changes on original network protocols or their dynamics, and (ii) it fully adheres to the end-to-end principle and do not require intermediary nodes as in MIP. We have achieved a real implementation of the scheme on FreeBSD and tested the real system over Internet with voice traffic. We show that this scheme can dramatically reduce handoff latency and improve TCP performance by offering shorter routes with loss-free handoffs and smooth, low-jitter voice stream.
Measurement of groundwater recharge on eastern Long Island, New York, U.S.A.

Abstract Two methods were tested for their suitability to provide improved estimates of recharge in the region of eastern Long Island. The two methods tested consist, first, of measuring recharge with a direct application of Darcy's law in the vadose zone and, second, of calculating recharge by closure of the hydrologic budget equation with evaporation computed from micrometeorologic data. The recharge figure, now in general use, of 50% of the annual precipitation is a long-term average at best. Our measurements of recharge, which were performed during a three-year period, showed that the vertical flux past the 1 m depth was strongly dependent on both the time of the year and the precipitation amount. In late fall, winter and early spring a high percentage of the precipitation became recharge. During the summer months there was a small net upward movement of water past the 1 m depth. Precipitation during these months did not contribute to the annual recharge. It may be concluded from our measurements that in order to estimate recharge, special attention should be given to precipitation during the winter months. A better estimate for annual recharge than the current 50% of annual precipitation might be to take approximately 75–90% of the precipitation from October 15 until May 15. The two methods used for estimating recharge were labour intensive and required experienced technicians. Currently, one method cannot be recommended above the other. Both methods give a good estimate during the year except for the winter. The closure method using micrometeorological data gives a slightly higher estimate than the direct measurement method based on Darcy's law.
Transmembrane dynamics of water exchange in human brain

Tracking arterial spin labeled (ASL) water in the human brain with magnetic resonance imaging can provide important information on the dynamics of the trans-capillary and trans-membrane water exchange. This information however, is not only important from a basic biological standpoint, but also is essential for deciphering positron emission tomography and MRI perfusion experiments based on the movement of labeled water. While substantial information exists on water exchange through cellular membranes in vitro, the in vivo information remains limited and controversial. In this MRI study, we use a combination of pulsed ASL and recently developed quantitative blood-oxygen-level-dependent technique to address this question. Our approach is based on the measurements of the intrinsic MR transverse relaxation (T) properties of the ASL-labeled water. We discovered that T of the ASL-labeled water in the extravascular space is 87 ms ± 10 ms while T of the corresponding tissue water is much shorter, 50 ms ± 4 ms. This suggests that the ASL-labeled water does not reach equilibrium with the extravascular tissue and is mostly localized to the extraneuronal space. We estimated that the water transport time through the neuronal membranes is on the order of several tens of seconds; a finding consistent with older PET tracer kinetic studies using 15O-water. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Surgical Management of Male Epispadias in the New Millennium

Male epispadias is a rare and challenging urologic condition. As part of the epispadias-exstrophy complex of genitourinary anomalies, it covers a broad spectrum with the mildest forms being the rarest. The anatomic classification into glanular, penile, and penopubic is based on the location of the urethral meatus. However, this classification fails to include some of the suprapubic malformations that may be present such as pubic diastasis, bladder neck abnormalities, and vesicoureteral reflux. Careful preoperative evaluation should allow the identification of these anomalies and will help achieve the goals of surgical reconstruction. These goals include cosmetic and functional reconstruction of the penis and urethra as well as, when needed, creation of a continence mechanism that will allow for normal bladder function, storage, and evacuation of urine. This review will focus on: 1) the preoperative evaluation and management of male patients with epispadias and 2) surgical management based on the anatomic classification.
Reality TV Gives Back: On the Civic Functions of Reality Entertainment

Abstract Reality TV is more than a trivial diversion. Civic aims historically associated with documentaries (particularly citizenship training) have been radically reinterpreted and integrated into current popular reality formats.
The communicative function hypothesis: An operant behavior perspective

The suggestion that all problem behaviors may serve a communicative function is explored from an operant perspective. An analysis of the environmental functions of operant behavior involves an understanding of two sets of relations: (1) two types of reinforcement contingencies (positive and negative) and (2) two types of operant behaviors (verbal and non-verbal). Such an operant analysis reveals that not all problem behaviors may currently serve a communicative function. However, often an alternate replacement behavior can be developed that would achieve the same environmental effect as the problem behavior through social mediation and thereby be communicative in nature. A theoretical classification system for identifying the type of function a problem behavior may serve is advanced. Implications for prescribing behavioral treatments based on this model are presented.
Bcl-2 inhibitor HA14-1 and genistein together adeptly down regulated survival factors and activated cysteine proteases for apoptosis in human malignant neuroblastoma SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y cells

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric extracranial tumor and a major cause of death in children under age 2. Conventional therapy shows inefficacy in most cases and thus development of new therapeutic strategies is urgently needed. We explored the efficacy of combination of the small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor HA14-1 (HA) and the isoflavonoid genistein (GST) in human malignant neuroblastoma SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y cells. Combination of 10 μM HA and 250 μM GST was optimal for SK-N-BE2 cells and combination of 5 μM HA and 100 μM GST was optimal for SH-SY5Y cells for induction of apoptosis. Phase-contrast microscopy and Wright staining showed morphological features of apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis and Annexin V-FITC/PI binding assay showed that combination of HA and GST was more effective in inducing apoptosis in both cell lines than either HA or GST alone. Western blotting showed that combination of HA and GST caused upregulation of Bax and down regulation of Bcl-2 resulting in increased Bax:Bcl-2 ratio and mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, Smac, and AIF. Down regulation of survival factors such as NF-κB, N-Myc, and survivin promoted apoptosis. Activation of caspase-8, calpain, and caspase-3 occurred in course of apoptosis. Increased calpain and caspase-3 activities were confirmed in the degradation of α-spectrin to 145 kD spectrin break down product (SBDP) and 120 kD SBDP, respectively. Thus, combination of HA and GST could serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for increasing apoptosis in different human malignant neuroblastoma cells.
Static and dynamic forces between adsorbed polyelectrolyte layers (quaternized poly-4-vinylpyridine)

Static forces (a combination of steric and electrostatic interactions) and dynamic shear forces (resulting from interactions between polymer chains) were measured between quaternized poly-4-vinylpyridine layers (QPVP) adsorbed onto mica from 1 mM borate buffer with or without added 0.25 M NaCl. At the polyelectrolyte concentration chosen, 0.4 mg mL-1, extended layers were formed at all adsorption conditions. The adsorbed amount of 98% quaternized poly-4-vinylpyridine was lower at low ionic strength than of 14% quaternized, and increased with added salt. Layers formed by one-step adsorption showed a predominantly elastic response to small-amplitude oscillatory shear in the frequency range 0.13−130 Hz. In the case of two-step adsorption, the confined layers allowed viscous dissipation of similar magnitude as the elastic, which suggests that additional chains adsorbing at high salt concentration onto a preformed layer had fewer segments in contact with the solid surface.
Female tannin avoidance: a possible explanation for habitat and dietary segregation of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) in Niger

Niger is host to the last free-roaming herd of G.c. peralta (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta). We examined the foraging preferences of these giraffe in their dry-season habitats, with the goal of preserving the herd in the regions that they currently inhabit. The current dry-season habitat comprises two distinct vegetation zones. In both of these zones the giraffe must exist alongside the people of this region. The giraffes exhibit a sexual segregation in their dry-season habitat selection and forage choices. The females show a strong preference for the intermediate zone (IM) when lactating. The males and pregnant females show a preference for the Dallol Bosso (DB). Nursing cows exhibit an avoidance of tannins. Bulls and non-nursing cows prefer high protein and high fat forage, while subadults show a strong preference for high protein and carbohydrate contents and moderate tannin levels. Combretum glutinosum is the preferred species for adults of both sexes in the IM. Males and females have strong preferences for both Acacia nilotica and Acacia seyal in the DB. Sub-adults of both sexes strongly prefer Prosopis africana in the IM. Unlike females, males retain their preference for A. nilotica when in the IM. Resume Le Niger abrite la derniere population sauvage de Giraffa camelopardalis peralta. Nous avons etudie les preferences alimentaires de ces girafes dans leurs habitats de saison seche, dans le but de maintenir cette population dans les regions qu'elle occupe actuellement. L'habitat actuel de saison seche comprend deux zones de vegetation distinctes. Dans les deux zones, les girafes doivent cohabiter avec les gens de la region. Les girafes presentent une segregation sexuelle tant dans la selection de l'habitat de saison seche que dans les choix alimentaires. Les femelles allaitantes manifestent une forte preference pour la zone intermediaire (IM). Les mâles et les femelles pleines montrent une preference pour le Dallol Bosso (DB). Les femelles qui s'occupent de jeunes evitent visiblement les tanins. Les mâles et les femelles sans jeune preferent un fourrage riche en proteines et en graisses, tandis que les subadultes manifestent une forte preference pour un contenu eleve en proteines et en hydrates de carbone et des taux de tanins moderes. Combretum glutinosum est l'espece preferee des adultes des deux sexes dans la IM. Les mâles et les femelles preferent nettement Acacia nilotica et Acacia seyal dans le DB. Les subadultes des deux sexes preferent nettement Prosopis africana dans la IM. Contrairement aux femelles, les mâles conservent leur preference pour A. nilotica lorsqu'ils sont dans la IM.
The Black Power Movement: A State of the Field

“By all rights, there no longer should be much question about the meaning—at least the intended meaning—of Black Power,” the journalist Charles Sutton observed in January 1967. “Between the speeches and writings of Stokely Carmichael, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (sncc),” Sutton continued, “the explanations of Floyd McKissick, director of the Congress of Racial Equality (core), and the writings of more than a score of scholars and commentators, the slogan and its various assumptions have been fairly thoroughly examined.”1 Clearly Sutton was wrong. Despite efforts to define it both then and today, “black power” exists in the American imagination through a series of iconic, yet fleeting images—ranging from gun-toting Black Panthers to black-gloved sprinters at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics—that powerfully evoke the era’s confounding mixture of triumph and tragedy. Indeed, the iconography of Stokely Carmichael in Greenwood, Mississippi, Black Panthers marching outside an Oakland, California, courthouse, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s wanted poster for Angela Davis serves as a kind of visual shorthand to understanding the history of the era, but such images tell us very little about the movement that birthed them. This fact has been complicated by conventional civil rights narratives, which, until recently, accepted as wisdom the idea that black power undermined struggles for racial justice. Those narratives differed more in their level of condemnation than in their analysis of the black power movement’s self-destructive impact. The embrace, at times, of violent rhetoric, misogyny, and bravado by black power advocates have made them and their struggles easy targets for demonization and dismissal. For instance, black power stands at the center of declension narratives of the 1960s: the movement’s destructiveness poisoning the innocence of the New Left, corrupting a generation of black activists, and steering the drive for civil rights off course in a way that reinforced racial segregation by giving
Presence of a metallothionein-like protein in the bovine pineal gland.

The high concentration of zinc in the bovine pineal gland prompted us to investigate the existence of a zinc-binding protein in this organ. In this study, we report that the subcellular distribution of zinc in the bovine pineal gland is nonuniform, with the crude nuclear, mitochondrial, microsomal, and supernatant fractions having 0.264±0.038, 0.160±0.019, 0.130±0.016, and 0.287±0.010 Μg zinc/mg protein, respectively. Furthermore, gel filtration studies using Sephadex G-75 and a 105,000 g supernatant fraction revealed two zinc binding protein peaks that bind 1.7 and 3.7 Μg Zn++/mg protein, respectively. Furthermore, purification of the protein peak with an elution volume (ve/vo) of 2.06 on anion exchange chromatography (DEAE-A 25) yielded a single protein peak which binds 10 Μg zinc/mg protein. The comparative high performance liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) profiles of the zinc-induced hepatic metallothionein isoform I (retention time=17.39 min) and of the bovine pineal metallothionein-like protein isoform I (retention time=17.49 min) are similar. Since zinc is a potent inhibitor of sulfhydryl-containing enzymes and receptor sites, we investigated the effects of zinc and found that it inhibited the binding of [3H]glutamate (IC 50=80 ΜM) and of [3H]spiroperidol (IC 50=0.6 mM) to the pineal membranes. The results of these studies are interpreted to indicate that the bovine pineal gland possesses an active and dynamic zinc homeostatic mechanism, whose precise function(s) remain(s) to be delineated.
MBE-grown long-wavelength interband cascade lasers on InAs substrates

Abstract An interband cascade (IC) laser structure with an emission wavelength designed to be near 11 μm was grown by molecular beam epitaxy on an InAs substrate. Defects and surface smoothness, as well as the overall crystalline quality, were characterized by optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The maximum operating temperatures of a broad-area IC laser device in CW and pulsed modes were 97 K and 130 K, respectively, at an emission wavelength of 11 μm, which is the longest wavelength among interband lasers based on III–V semiconductor materials. The pulsed threshold current density at 80 K was measured to be 72 A/cm 2 . The performance of this IC laser device may be limited by intersubband absorption loss in the active region and an unidentified carrier leakage channel.
Structures of Angled Aerated-Liquid Jets in Mach 1.94 Supersonic Crossflow

Abstract : The structures of aerated-liquid jets injected into a supersonic crossflow have been studied experimentally. Aerated-liquid injectors with diameters of 0.020", 0.040" and 0.060" were flush mounted on the bottom plate of a supersonic wind tunnel to provide normal and angled injection. Free stream Mach number and temperature were held constant at 1.94 and 500 degrees F, respectively. Water at room temperature was used as the liquid injectant and nitrogen gas used as the aerating gas. Wide ranges of test conditions for injection angle (circle minus), injector orifice diameter (d0), jet-to-air momentum flux ratios (q0), and gas-to-liquid ratios (GLR), were studied. Injection angles were varied from 45 downstream to 90 (normal to freestream). Jet-to-air momentum flux was varied from 1% to 15% of the free stream and gas-to-liquid ratios from 0% (pure-liquid injection) to 10%. Shadowgraph and laser sheet illumination techniques were used for spray visualization while a phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) was utilized to quantitatively measure droplet and spray plume properties. The data from all three methods were used to develop correlations for the droplet and spray plume properties for aerated-liquid jets using a linear fit of the base-10 logarithm coefficients. Correlations relating penetration height and spray plume width of the injected spray to the above listed parameters, as well as the normalized axial distance downstream of the injector, x/d0, were formulated based on all three measurement techniques. Results indicate that a reasonable prediction of penetration height, spray plume cross sectional area, and local equivalence ratio can be obtained from PDPA data, while other visualization techniques tend to under-predict such quantities.
The 15th Annual Meeting of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists

Tampa, Florida was bustling with over 500 psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists last month. The 15 Annual CPNP Meeting took place April 29 through May 2, 2012, at the Tampa Marriott Waterside. This meeting was full of wonderful and innovative programming and networking opportunities that inspired psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists to continue to improve their practices. This issue recaps some of the topics covered at the meeting and provides highlights from the meeting. Read articles from some of the Annual Meeting speakers as well as articles by other experts in our field.
Imagining the future: Community perceptions of a family-based economic empowerment intervention for AIDS-orphaned adolescents in Uganda

AIDS-orphaned children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa have inadequate access to basic services, including health and education. Using a qualitative approach, the study explores the meaning of education in rural Uganda, obstacles faced by AIDS-orphaned adolescents and their caregivers to access secondary education, and the potential of an economic empowerment intervention SEED in addressing the challenges of accessing educational opportunities for AIDS-orphaned adolescents. The findings come from 29 semi-structured interviews conducted with eleven adolescents study participants, four caregivers and fourteen community leaders involved in the pilot SEED intervention. Study participants and community members indicated that the savings accounts offer a unique opportunity for orphaned adolescents to stay in school and imagine the future with optimism.
Odor magnitude: Coarse vs. fine grain

Despite a dismal reputation, olfaction’s resolving power actually appears to be keen, especially when the contaminating influence of noise in the stimulus is discounted from psychophysical performance. In a previous investigation, subjects were able to resolve a change of 4% in the concentration of butyl alcohol. In the present experiment, these same subjects resolved a change of 9% in the concentration of amyl butyrate. The data imply that resolving power varies among odorants. The growth of odor intensity assessed by magnitude estimations of easily discriminable (i.e., grossly different) concentrations also varies among odorants. These observations prompt the question: Does an odorant for which resolution is relatively difficult lead to slower growth of perceived intensity with concentration than an odorant for which resolution is easy? In a scaling experiment, amyl butyrate indeed led to slower growth of intensity than butyl alcohol. Nevertheless, amyl alcohol, which permitted poorer resolution than butyl alcohol, led to approximately the same rate of growth as butyl alcohol. Accordingly, growth of odor intensity with concentration may correlate only weakly with resolving power.
Electronic states of silicon vacancy. I. Covalent states

Self-consistent generalized valence bond (GVB) and configuration-interaction calculations have been performed for a cluster model of the neutral vacancy in silicon. Three low-lying states ($^{1}E, ^{3}T_{1}, ^{5}A_{2}$) are found to possess one electron in dangling-bond orbitals on each of the four silicon atoms around the defect. Of these three covalent states, the $^{1}E$ is found to be the ground state with the excitation energies to the $^{3}T_{1}$ and $^{5}A_{2}$ states being 0.17 and 0.60 eV, respectively. The shapes of the GVB orbitals for all three states are found to be quite similar.