cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bernard Herrmann: The Beethoven of Film Music?

“Hello Luddy!” Heinz Roemheld used to say with an impish grin, waving at a treasured drawing of Beethoven’s death mask that adorned the wall beside his grand piano. “There were a lot of composers in Hollywood in the beginning who were not really great composers,” he once remarked sarcastically. Nonetheless Roemheld was among many who were initially idealistic about the future of film music in the first decade of “the talkies.” This is apparent from an enthusiastic testimonial he gave to the press while scoring Warner Bros.’ Four’s A Crowd (1938), then his lengthiest score:
Chinese Leadership in Arts Education Workshops: A Sino-American Cross-Cultural Exchange

Abstract This report compares important aspects of American and Chinese dance education through the lens of the “Chinese Leadership in Arts Education” workshops organized by Brigham Young University in response to requests from Chinese arts educators to observe American arts education in practice as a benchmark for assessing the direction of Chinese arts education reform. The workshops provided Chinese arts educators with an opportunity to observe American arts education and explore the cultural and value-based infuences behind an education model different from their own. Insights arising from in-workshop interactions and post-workshop interviews combine to present the importance of cultural context, the essence of arts education, and the balance between unity and diversity in dance as well as in life.
Agreement among classroom observers of children's stylistic learning behaviors

Standardized and reliable rating scales have an important role in educational assessment and behavioral classroom intervention. The Learning Behaviors Scale (LBS) is a standardized behavior rating scale designed to report how individual students respond to classroom learning situations. This study investigated the interobserver agreement of the LBS with the use of linear and intraclass correlation methods. The methods jointly assessed the three salient aspects of observer judgments—severity level, rank order, and directionality. Participants were 72 students enrolled in special education programs as observed by 16 educators in eight self-contained classrooms. Both linear and intraclass coefficients were substantial (averages = .83 and .84, respectively). No significant observer effect was found. Moreover, the LBS produced comparable levels of differential learning styles for assessments of individual children. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Adolescent Alcohol Use and Other Delinquent Behaviors: A One-Year Longitudinal Analysis Controlling for Sensation Seeking

The often-noted association between alcohol use and criminal behavior has been a sticky one for behavioral scientists to disentangle and explain in terms of causal ordering. In this study, we exami...
Koala: Ultra-Low Power Data Retrieval in Wireless Sensor Networks

We present Koala, a reliable data retrieval system designed to operate at permille (.1%) duty cycles, essential for long term environmental monitoring networks. Koala achieves these low duty cycles by letting the network's nodes sleep most of the time and reviving them through an efficient wake-up strategy whenever the gateway performs a bulk data download. Unlike other systems which consume energy to maintain consistent network state (\emph{e.g.} routes, sleep schedules, etc.) across the network's nodes, Koala maintains no persistent routing state on the motes. Instead, a basestation calculates the network paths using reachability information collected by the motes. The Flexible Control Protocol (FCP), a protocol we developed, is then used to install this routing information on the network's nodes. This paradigm of operation not only eliminates the overhead of maintaining routing state, but also significantly reduces the complexity of the networking code running on the motes. Results from simulation and an actual implementation on TinyOS 2 indicate that Koala can achieve very low duty cycles under a wide range of download and network sizes.
Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation at Auricular Points on Experimental Cutaneous Pain Threshold

The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the effect of high intensity, low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at auricular acupuncture points on experimental pain threshold measured at the wrist and 2) to determine the changes in effect over time. Forty-four healthy adult men and women were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups. Group 1 (n = 15) received TENS to appropriate auricular points for wrist pain, Group 2 (n = 14) received TENS to inappropriate (placebo) auricular points, and Group 3 (n = 15) received no TENS. We measured experimental pain threshold at the wrist after an electrical stimulus during one pretreatment and three posttreatment time periods. Group 1 was the only group that had a statistically significant increase (p less than .05) in pain threshold after testing. This increase remained significant for all posttreatment measurements for Group 1. These results suggest that high intensity, low frequency TENS applied to appropriate auricular acupuncture points can increase pain threshold.
Synovial fluid lipids in normal individuals and patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Normal human synovial fluid contains trace amounts of phospholipids and cholesterol. Phospholipid composition is similar to that in serum. Rheumatoid synovial fluid contains increased amounts of phospholipid, cholesterol, and neutral lipids. In most cases the concentration is 40 to 60 per cent of that found in simultaneously collected serum specimens. A direct relationship appears to exist between total synovial fluid protein and lipid concentration. No relationship could be established between lipid content in rheumatoid synovial fluid, and total cell content, hyaluronic acid, severity or duration of synovitis in the involved joint. Normal liquido synovial in humanos contine quantitates tracia de phospholipidos e de cholesterol. Iste phospholipidos es simile in composition a illos del sero. Le liquido synovial ab patientes rheumatoide contine augmentate quantitates de phospholipido, de cholesterol, e de lipidos neutre. In le majoritate del casos, le concentration es 40 a 60 pro cento de illo trovate in simultaneemente colligite specimens de sero. Un relation directe pare exister inter le proteina total e le concentration lipidic in le liquido synovial. Nulle relation poteva esser establite inter le contento de lipidos in liquido synovial ab patientes rheumatoide e le parametros del total contento cellular, de acido hyaluronic, e del severitate o del duration de synovitis in le afficite articulation.
Relative stability of normal vs. inverse spinel for 3d transition metal oxides as lithium intercalation cathodes

Spinel oxides represent an important class of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. Two major variants of the spinel crystal structure are normal and inverse. The relative stability of normal and inverse ordering at different stages of lithiation has important consequences in lithium diffusivity, voltage, capacity retention and battery life. In this paper, we investigate the relative structural stability of normal and inverse structures of the 3d transition metal oxide spinels with first-principles DFT calculations. We have considered ternary spinel oxides LixM2O4 with M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni in both lithiated (x = 1) and delithiated (x = 0) conditions. We find that for all lithiated spinels, the normal structure is preferred regardless of the metal. We observe that the normal structure for all these oxides has a lower size mismatch between octahedral cations compared to the inverse structure. With delithiation, many of the oxides undergo a change in stability with vanadium in particular, showing a tendency to occupy tetrahedral sites. We find that in the delithiated oxide, only vanadium ions can access a +5 oxidation state which prefers tetrahedral coordination. We have also calculated the average voltage of lithiation for these spinels. The calculated voltages agree well with the previously measured and calculated values, wherever available. For the yet to be characterized spinels, our calculation provides voltage values which can motivate further experimental attention. Lastly, we observe that all the normal spinel oxides of the 3d transition metal series have a driving force for a transformation to the non-spinel structure upon delithiation.
Collaboration gets the most out of software

By centralizing many of the tasks associated with the upkeep of scientific software, SBGrid allows researchers to spend more of their time on research.
A modeled analysis of telehealth methods for treating pressure ulcers after spinal cord injury

Home telehealth can improve clinical outcomes for conditions that are common among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, little is known about the costs and potential savings associated with its use. We developed clinical scenarios that describe common situations in treatment or prevention of pressure ulcers. We calculated the cost implications of using telehealth for each scenario and under a range of reasonable assumptions. Data were gathered primarily from US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative records. For each scenario and treatment method, we multiplied probabilities, frequencies, and costs to determine the expected cost over the entire treatment period. We generated low-, medium-, and high-cost estimates based on reasonable ranges of costs and probabilities. Telehealth care was less expensive than standard care when low-cost technology was used but often more expensive when high-cost, interactive devices were installed in the patient's home. Increased utilization of telehealth technology (particularly among rural veterans with SCI) could reduce the incidence of stage III and stage IV ulcers, thereby improving veterans' health and quality of care without increasing costs. Future prospective studies of our present scenarios using patients with various healthcare challenges are recommended.
The Anabaptists, the Reformers, and the Civil Government

In dealing with the Anabaptists as a group which discovered or held political and social views of their own, it is first of all desirable to escape from any possible preconceived notion to the effect that the term “Anabaptist” must be used to designate a variety of groups all united to a greater or less degree by some principles or beliefs commonly held. At the outset of the movement such men as Konrad Grebel and Felix Manz, in Switzerland, gave some semblance of unity to the various divisions of the sect by moving from one place to another, and by thus serving somewhat in the capacity of liaison officers. But the movement was still very young when one must say of it that there were a great many small and distinct groups which held nothing of any importance in common, yet which were generally to be designated under the term Anabaptist. Thus, considering the real character of the Anabaptist movement and its chief significance—which I take to be social—the name given to the Anabaptists is less relevant than at first might be supposed. The sectaries did not call themselves Anabaptists; and they resented the use of the name by others. At least from the year 1525 on the name was nothing but an external designation for the various sects. As Sebastian Franck has affirmed, the sects were so disunited amongst themselves that he scarcely knew how to write anything certain or final about them; and he was unable to find even two Anabaptist congregations which held views exactly the same.
Dynamic renegotiation of UPC parameters for arbitrary traffic sources in ATM networks

In networks based on the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), traffic sources are subjected to a usage parameter control (UPC) function which employs a deterministic algorithm to control or shape the emitted cell stream. The UPC parameters constitute a traffic descriptor which is part of a traffic contract that is negotiated with the network provider at the connection set-up time. The network makes connection admission control (CAC) decisions based on the negotiated UPC-based traffic descriptor. However the source traffic characteristics may change dramatically on a slow time-scale making the initially negotiated UPC descriptor inappropriate for the entire traffic stream. Allowing the source to dynamically renegotiate UPC parameters over time is a viable means of accommodating sources with slow time-scale variations. This paper develops a methodology for estimating and dynamically renegotiating UPC parameters for an arbitrary source in an ATM network environment. The methodology makes no specific modeling assumptions on the user cell stream, is robust for a wide class of traffic streams, and permits trade-offs to be made in the choice of the UPC parameters according to the constraints imposed by the source.
Preinvasive Lesions of the Bronchus

It has been proposed that invasive carcinoma of the bronchus develops through a transition from preinvasive lesions to overt malignancy. Newer diagnostic technologies have provided a more sensitive way to diagnose preinvasive lesions and a better understanding of the prevalence of such lesions. The natural history of preinvasive lesions has not been well defined; however, there is evidence that high-grade lesions are at a higher risk of progression to carcinoma. Molecular alterations have been described in preinvasive lesions and may help better predict which lesions will progress. Several noninvasive techniques are available for the treatment of high-grade lesions.
Record-Low NEP in Hot-Electron Titanium Nanobolometers

We are developing hot-electron superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) capable of counting THz photons and operating at . We fabricated superconducting Ti nanosensors with Nb contacts with a volume of on planar Si substrates and have measured the thermal conductance in the material, G=4times10-3 W/K at 0.3 K, caused predominantly by the weak electron-phonon coupling. The corresponding phonon-noise NEP=3times10-19 W/Hz1/2 . Detection of single optical photons (1550 nm and 670 nm wavelength) has been demonstrated for larger devices and yielded the thermal time constants of 30 mus at 145 mK and of 25 mus at 190 mK. This hot-electron direct detector (HEDD) is expected to have a small enough energy fluctuation noise for detecting individual photons with v>THz where NEP~3times10-20 W/Hz1/2 is needed for spectroscopy in space.
Expression of melanocortin receptors in human prostate cancer cell lines: MC2R activation by ACTH increases prostate cancer cell proliferation

The melanocortin receptors (MCRs 1-5) are G protein coupled-receptors (GPCRs) that regulate food intake, inflammation, skin pigmentation, sexual function and steroidogenesis. Their peptide ligands, the melanocortins, are α-, β- and γ-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) all of which are secreted from the anterior pituitary gland under hypothalamic control. MC2R binds ACTH but has no affinity for the other melanocortins and is, thereby, pharmacologically different from MCRs that bind those ligands. Evidence suggests that elevated GPCRs transactivate the androgen receptor (AR), the critical mediator of prostate cell growth, and consequently promote prostate cancer cell proliferation. It may be that reduced central melanocortin signaling is coincidental with reversal of prostate cancer cachexia, but no data are available on the expression of, or the role for, MCRs in prostate cancer. Here, we show that MCR (1-5) mRNAs are expressed in androgen-dependent LNCaP and androgen-independent PC3 and DU-145 human prostate cancer cell lines. Further, MC2R, the specific target of ACTH, is expressed in LNCaP, PC3 and DU-145 cells. Among the several synthetic MCR peptide ligands that we used, only ACTH promoted concentration-dependent cell proliferation in the three cell lines as shown by MTT cell proliferation assay. In LNCaP cells, the effect was additive with testosterone stimulation and was partially blunted with SHU9119, a non-selective MCR antagonist. In the same cells, ACTH induced cAMP production and increased AR nuclear labeling in immunocytochemical assays. Our observations suggest that MC2R is involved in prostate carcinogenesis and that targeting MC2R signaling may provide a novel avenue in prostate carcinoma treatment.
Modeling the seasonal variability of the plasma environment in Saturn's magnetosphere between main rings and Mimas

Abstract The detection of O2+ and O+ ions over Saturn's main rings by the Cassini INMS and CAPS instruments at Saturn orbit insertion (SOI) in 2004 confirmed the existence of the ring atmosphere and ionosphere. The source mechanism was suggested to be primarily photolytic decomposition of water ice producing neutral O2 and H2 ( Johnson et al., 2006 ). Therefore, we predicted that there would be seasonal variations in the ring atmosphere and ionosphere due to the orientation of the ring plane to the sun ( Tseng et al., 2010 ). The atoms and molecules scattered out of the ring atmosphere by ion–molecule collisions are an important source for the inner magnetosphere ( Johnson et al., 2006 , Martens et al., 2008 , Tseng et al., 2010 , Tseng et al., 2011 ). This source competes with water products from the Enceladus' plumes, which, although possibly variable, do not appear to have a seasonal variability ( Smith et al., 2010 ). Recently, we found that the plasma density, composition and temperature in the region from 2.5 to 3.5 RS exhibited significant seasonal variation between 2004 and 2010 ( Elrod et al., submitted for publication ). Here we present a one-box ion chemistry model to explain the complex and highly variable plasma environment observed by the CAPS instrument on Cassini. We combine the water products from Enceladus with the molecules scattered from a corrected ring atmosphere, in order to describe the temporal changes in ion densities, composition and temperature detected by CAPS. We found that the observed temporal variations are primarily seasonal, due to the predicted seasonal variation in the ring atmosphere, and are consistent with a compressed magnetosphere at SOI.
Dapsone-Induced Methemoglobinemia:

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of methemoglobinemia in a patient receiving dapsone for prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).CASE SUMMARY:A 69-year-old white woman was hospitalized to rule out sepsis. Two years prior to this admission, the patient received an orthotopic liver transplant after which she required hemodialysis three times weekly. Because of intolerance to trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole and aerosolized pentamidine, she was prescribed dapsone therapy on hospital day 13, that was continued for 11 days. On hospital day 45 the patient received a cadaveric kidney transplant, and dialysis treatments were scheduled only as needed. One week after the transplant, dapsone therapy was resumed. Nine days into this course of dapsone, the patient developed dyspnea and oxygen desaturation of unknown etiology. The patient was evaluated for and diagnosed with methemoglobinemia. She received two doses of intravenous methylene blue and one dose of oral activated charcoal due to fluctuating methemoglob...
Cytokine-directed therapies in asthma

Multiple cytokines play a critical role in orchestrating and perpetuating inflammation in asthma and several specific cytokine and chemokine inhibitors are now in development as future therapy. Anti-interleukin (IL)-5 antibodies markedly reduce peripheral blood and airway eosinophils, but do not appear to be effective in symptomatic asthma. Inhibition of IL-4, despite promising early results in asthma, has been discontinued and blocking IL-13 may be more effective. Inhibitory cytokines, such as IL-10, interferons and IL-12 are less promising, because systemic delivery produces side-effects. Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α may be useful in severe asthma. Many chemokines are involved in the inflammatory response of asthma and several small molecule inhibitors of chemokine receptors are in development. The CCR3 antagonists (which block eosinophil chemotaxis) are in clinical development for asthma. Because so many cytokines are involved in asthma, drugs that inhibit the synthesis of multiple cytokines may prove to be more useful; several such classes of drug are now in clinical development and any risk of side-effects with these non-specific inhibitors may be reduced by the inhaled route.
Magnetostratigraphy of the Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation (Lower Paleocene) in the Williston Basin, North Dakota

To determine the geomagnetic polarity stratigraphy and the duration and age of the Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation (Lower Paleocene), we constructed a 325 m composite lithostratigraphic section of the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and the Lower Paleocene Ludlow and Tongue River Members of the Fort Union Formation in the Little Missouri River valley of North Dakota, USA. We analyzed paleomagnetic samples from nine of the logged sections. The principal magnetic carrier in the Ludlow Member sediments is likely titanomaghemite, as indicated by predominantly irreversible thermomagnetic curves measured from sandstone, siltstone, and carbonaceous shale samples. The analyzed paleomagnetic samples document a series of polarity zones that can be correlated from C29n to C27r on the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS). We infer that the magnetization of the samples is primary because the characteristic directions are consistent with those of the Paleocene of North America, and the reversal stratigraphy from this section corresponds to the GPTS with reasonable sediment accumulation rates. By extrapolating the measured sediment accumulation rate from the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary to the top of C28n and then to the top of the Ludlow Member, we estimate the duration of the member to range from 2.31 to 2.61 m.y. This is the fi rst estimate for the duration and age of the Ludlow Member, and it can be used as an important tool for interpreting rates of biotic recovery after the K-T extinction.
Exploring utilization of visualization for computer and network security

The role of the network security administrator is continually morphing to keep pace with the ever-changing area of computer and network security. These changes are due in part to both the continual development of new security exploits by attackers as well as improvements in network security products available for use. One area which has garnered much research in the past decade is the use of visualization to ease the strain on network security administrators. Visualization mechanisms utilize the parallel processing power of the human visual system to allow for the identification of possible nefarious network activity. This research details the development and use of a visualization system for network security. The manuscript is composed of four papers which provide a progression of research pertaining to the system. The first paper utilizes research in the area of information visualization to develop a new framework for designing visualization systems for network security. Next, a visualization system is developed in the second paper which has been utilized during multiple cyber defense competitions to aid in competition performance. The last two papers deal with evaluating the developed system. First, an exploratory analysis provides an initial assessment using participant interviews during one cyber defense competition. Second, a quasi field experiment explores the intention of subjects to use the system based on the type of visualization being viewed.
A test of the validity of range of motion studies of fossil archosaur elbow mobility using repeated-measures analysis and the extant phylogenetic bracket.

SUMMARY Recent studies have presented range of motion (ROM) data in degrees for dinosaur forelimb joints, usually via physical manipulation of one individual. Using these data, researchers have inferred limb orientations, postures, gaits, ecological functions and even phylogenetic trends within clades. However, important areas of concern remain unaddressed; for example, how does ROM at a forelimb joint change after soft tissues are lost in archosaurs? And are fossil ROM methodologies amenable to reproducibility and statistical analysis? Here, we investigated these questions using the extant phylogenetic bracket of dinosaurs. Repeated measures of elbow joint ROM from Struthio camelus and Alligator mississippiensis forelimbs were statistically analyzed as they were sequentially dissected through five levels of tissue removal treatment. Our data indicate that there are no statistically significant differences in repeated measures of ROM between observers who use the same techniques. Extrinsic soft tissues, such as integument, muscles and ligaments were found to impede ROM at the elbow joint. Intrinsic soft tissues, such as articular cartilage, may increase ROM. The hypothesis that the articular surfaces of the bones within the elbow joints of archosaurs provide a general approximation of mobility is supported. Final ROMs were less than the initial ROMs in both taxa, which suggests that prior reports of elbow joint ROMs in degrees for nonavian dinosaurs may represent conservative estimates. We conclude that if observer bias and other variables are controlled for, ROM studies of fossil archosaur limbs can obtain useful degree data for inferring joint mobility in vivo.
A simple model of the muon lateral distribution in «Anomalous» extensive air showers

In this article we present a simple Heitler-styled model for the development of «anomalous» extensive air showers initiated by primaries of a weaker than hadronic interaction. We look in particular at the lateral density distribution of observed muons in order to examine the distinguishing features of showers induced atypically low in the atmosphere. We find that there is good evidence that such showers can clearly be distinguished from standard showers induced by hadrons.
Effects of Vortices With Different Circulations on Heat Transfer and Injectant Downstream of a Single Film-Cooling Hole in a Turbulent Boundary Layer

Results are presented which illustrate the effects of single embedded longitudinal vortices on heat transfer and injectant downstream of a single film-cooling hole in a turbulent boundary layer. Attention is focussed on the changes resulting as circulation magnitudes of the vortices are varied from 0.0 to 0.15 m**2/s. Mean temperature results are presented which show how injectant is distorted and redistributed by vortices, along with heat transfer measurements and mean velocity surveys. Injection hole diameter is 0.952 cm to give a ratio of vortex core diameter to hole diameter of about 1.5–1.6. The freestream velocity is maintained at 10 m/s, and the blowing ratio is approximately 0.5. The film-cooling hole is oriented 30 degrees with respect to the test surface. Stanton numbers are measured on a constant heat flux surface with a non-dimensional temperature parameter of about 1.5. Two different situations are studied: one where the injection hole is beneath the vortex downwash, and one where the injection hole is beneath the vortex upwash. For both cases, vortex centers pass well within 2.9 vortex core diameters of the centerline of the injection hole.To quantify the influences of the vortices on the injectant and local heat transfer, the parameter S is used, defined as the ratio of vortex circulation to injection hole diameter times mean injection velocity. When S is greater than 1.0–1.5, injectant is swept into the vortex upwash and above the vortex core by secondary flows, and Stanton number data show evidence of injectant beneath the vortex core and downwash near the wall for x/d only up to 33.6. For larger x/d, local Stanton numbers are augmented by the vortices by as much as 23 percent relative to film-cooled boundary layers with no vortices. When S is less than 1.0–1.5, some injectant remains near the wall beneath the vortex core and downwash where it continues to provide some thermal protection. In some cases, the protection provided by film cooling is augmented because of vortex secondary flows which cause extra injectant to accumulate near vortex upwash regions.Copyright © 1990 by ASME
Multifunctional Bacteriochlorins from Selective Palladium-Coupling Reactions

Nonsymmetrical, multifunctional bacteriochlorin derivatives possessing different substituents at the β-pyrrolic positions have been prepared by stepwise, selective functionalization of 3,13-dibromo-5-methoxybacteriochlorin via palladium-coupling reactions. The new derivatives reported here include monovalent bioconjugatable bacteriochlorin, orthogonally protected bacteriochlorin amino acid, and push–pull bacteriochlorins. Taken together, this study provides a route to previously unavailable bacteriochlorin architectures for fundamental studies and diverse applications.
A pilot ex vivo evaluation of a telerobotic system for transurethral intervention and surveillance.

Abstract Introduction: Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and pathological staging are both standard surgical therapies for nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and integral parts of the diagnostic evaluation and progression monitoring of all bladder tumors. We developed and tested a dexterous robot that can fit through a standard resectoscope for evaluation for possible en bloc resection of bladder tumors, especially tumors along the dome and anterior wall of the bladder. Materials and Methods: Our dexterous robot uses a continuum (snake-like) mechanical architecture with three working channels through which a fiberscope, biopsy graspers, and a holmium laser were placed. The continuum robot has two segments. Using indigo carmine, injections were performed through the detrusor muscle into the mucosa of the ex vivo bovine bladders at a total of 11 positions throughout all quadrants of the bladder. The snake robot was used in conjunction with the holmium laser to ablate nine of the lesions; two a...
Comparison of zooxanthellae densities from upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana, across coastal habitats of The Bahamas

Anthropogenic disturbances may drive jellyfish blooms, and previous studies have suggested this is the case for upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea xamachana). Cassiopea were found to have higher mean zooxanthellae densities in human-impacted areas on Abaco Island, The Bahamas, suggesting that nutrient loading in impacted sites may be one factor driving zooxanthellate jellyfish blooms. Gut contents from Cassiopea medusae were positively correlated to zooxanthellae densities, indicating that heterotrophically-derived nutrition may be an important factor in facilitating increased zooxanthellae population densities. Understanding the mechanisms driving jellyfish blooms is crucial for developing effective management strategies in impacted coastal ecosystems.
Spontaneous Cure of Male Infertility

Four of sixteen couples whose infertility was thought to be due to a male factor achieved a pregnancy without treatment. Pregnancy without therapy, despite compromised sperm counts or motilities, has been documented by a number of other authors. Despite this information many studies concerning the treatment of male infertility neglect to include control groups, and pregnancies which occur are credited solely to the therapy. Such claims of therapeutic success should be viewed with caution.
Occurrence, fate and removal efficiencies of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) discharging in the coastal environment of Algiers

Abstract In the last few decades, the presence of pharmaceutical products in the environment is known under the name of emerging contaminants. These substances can enter the aquatic environment via different sources, as parent compounds, metabolites or a combination of both. In this work, we have investigated the presence of four pharmaceutical active compounds belonging to the group of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), in wastewater, surface water and drinking water of Algiers, which have a direct impact on the Mediterranean Sea. The target analytes (ibuprofen (IBU), naproxen (NAP), ketoprofen (KET), and diclofenac (DIC)), were extracted from the water samples by using Solid Phase Extraction Oasis ® HLB Cartridges; the identification and quantification were realized by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). To obtain the best resolution and precision, N -methyl- N -(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) was used as the derivatization reagent and ibuprofen- d 3 was used as the internal standard. The obtained recoveries were good, ranging from 82% for ketoprofen to 120% for naproxen with relatively small standard deviations (≤20%). The target compounds were detected in wastewater, influent/effluent with concentrations ranging from 155.5 to 6554 ng/L, implicating removal efficiencies of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), between 30.3 and 95%. The surface water was also contaminated with pharmaceuticals from 72.9 ng/L for diclofenac to 228.3 ng/L for naproxen. In addition, the occurrence of ibuprofen and ketoprofen in drinking water, at concentrations of 142.1 and 110.9 ng/L, respectively, attracts concerns about possible impacts on human health.
Schwann Cell-Mediated Axonal Regeneration in the Central Nervous System

Abstract The enigmatic Schwann cell has intrigued scientists for the past century, spanning the exposition of its general function to application to the central nervous system (CNS) trauma. A resident for function in the peripheral nervous system, the Schwann cell may seem an unlikely candidate for promoting axonal regeneration in the injured spinal cord. However, more than 30 years of research have revealed multifaceted capabilities of this remarkable glial cell when transplanted either as a component of a spinal nerve graft, or directly into the spinal cord, in axon growth as well as myelination. In addition, Schwann cells produce neuroptrophins that can alter their environment, involving host cell, as well as axon stimulation and interaction. Schwann cells can be derived from many sources for use in transplantation therapy following CNS injuries, including from embryonic, stem cell, and adult host tissue. Despite our knowledge on the Schwann cell and its function, challenges still exist for maximizing its ability for promoting axonal connections and neurological recovery following CNS injuries. Limitations in the abilities of the Schwann cell, including poor survival and insufficient promotion of axon growth out of the graft, and inhibition presented by the injured host cord environment contribute to these hurdles. Nonetheless, developments in the clinical application of Schwann cell transplantation have broadened our understanding of the potential for experimental translation for the treatment of human CNS injuries. This chapter provides an overview of basic Schwann cell biology and function, and highlights key benefits of these cells in promoting axon growth in the injured CNS. The chapter discusses (1) advances of Schwann cell-mediated regeneration in the injured CNS using spinal cord injury as a unique model, and (2) future directions for better understanding and overcoming obstacles that are associated with Schwann-cell-transplantation-mediated recovery.
Cytologic Features of Central and Extraventricular Neurocytoma on Squash Preparations

Intraoperative cytologic evaluation of brain tumors is utilized as an adjunct technique to frozen section because it provides comparatively better nuclear and cytoplasmic details. We undertook a retrospective study to further define the cytologic features of central and extraventricular neurocytomas, rare well-differentiated entities which are classified according to their locations but are morphologically similar. These tumors may be difficult …
As we may search : Comparison of major features of the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar citation-based and citation-enhanced databases

IT may appear blasphemous to paraphrase the title of the classic article of Vannevar Bush but it may be a mitigating factor that it is done to pay tribute to another legendary scientist, Eugene Garfield. His ideas of citationbased searching, resource discovery and quantitative evaluation of publications serve as the basis for many of the most innovative and powerful online information services these days. Bush 60 years ago contemplated – among many other things – an information workstation, the Memex. A researcher would use it to annotate, organize, link, store, and retrieve microfilmed documents. He is acknowledged today as the forefather of the hypertext system, which in turn, is the backbone of the Internet. He outlined his thoughts in an essay published in the Atlantic Monthly. Maybe because of using a nonscientific outlet the paper was hardly quoted and cited in scholarly and professional journals for 30 years. Understandably, the Atlantic Monthly was not covered by the few, specialized abstracting and indexing databases of scientific literature. Such general interest magazines are not source journals in either the Web of Science (WoS), or Scopus databases. However, records for items which cite the ‘As We May Think’ article of Bush (also known as the ‘Memex’ paper) are listed with appropriate bibliographic information. Google Scholar (G-S) lists the records for the Memex paper and many of its citing papers. It is a rather confusing list with many dead links or otherwise dysfunctional links, and a hodge-podge of information related to Bush. It is quite telling that (based on data from the 1945– 2005 edition of WoS) the article of Bush gathered almost 90% of all its 712 citations in WoS between 1975 and 2005, peaking in 1999 with 45 citations in that year alone. Undoubtedly, this proportion is likely to be distorted because far fewer source articles from far fewer journals were processed by the Institute for Scientific Information for 1945–1974 than for 1975–2005. Scopus identifies 267 papers citing the Bush article. The main reason for the discrepancy is that Scopus includes cited references only from 1995 onward, while WoS does so from 1945. Bush’s impatience with the limitations imposed by the traditional classification and indexing tools and practices of the time is palpable. It is worth to quote it as a reminder. Interestingly, he brings up the terms ‘web of trails’ and ‘association of thoughts’ which establishes the link between him and Garfield.
A comparison of ICD-11 and DSM criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder in two national samples of U.S. military veterans

Abstract Background The proposed ICD-11 criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differ substantially from the DSM-5. ICD-11 eliminated several PTSD symptoms thought to be nonspecific, with the goal of reducing psychiatric comorbidities. However, this change also results in a narrower PTSD definition that may fail to capture individuals with clinically significant PTSD. The purpose of the current study was to compare prevalence and psychiatric comorbidities of DSM (IV/5) and ICD-11 PTSD. Methods We evaluated concordance between DSM (IV/5) and ICD-11 PTSD diagnoses in a web survey of two nationally representative samples of U.S. military veterans (ns = 3517 and 1484). Lifetime and past-month PTSD symptoms were assessed with the DSM-IV-based PTSD Checklist-Specific Stressor version and the DSM-5-based PTSD Checklist-5. Psychiatric comorbidities were assessed using MINI Neuropsychiatric Interview modules. Results A significantly greater proportion of veterans met criteria for lifetime and past-month PTSD under DSM-IV/5 than under ICD-11. 21.8–35.9% of those who met criteria under DSM IV/5 did not meet under ICD-11, whereas only 2.4–7.1% of those who met under ICD-11 did not meet under DSM-IV/5. Psychiatric comorbidities did not significantly differ between DSM-IV/5 and ICD-11. Limitations This study relied upon self-report measures of PTSD, distress/impairment, and psychiatric comorbidities. Conclusions The proposed ICD-11 criteria identify fewer PTSD cases than DSM-IV/5 without reducing psychiatric comorbidities. Veterans with clinically significant PTSD symptoms may not meet ICD-11 PTSD criteria, possibly affecting eligibility for healthcare, disability, and other services. The ICD-11 criteria could be revised to capture more PTSD cases before ICD-11 is published in 2018.
Heidegger’s path to language

Wanda Torres Gregory’s Heidegger’s Path to Language is perhaps the most comprehensive view of Heidegger’s philosophical treatment of language yet available in English. In this deeply informed book,...
Can continuation of GSE status for the farm credit system be justified

This article reviews the development and future of the Farm Credit System (FCS) as a government sponsored source of credit for American agriculture. While agriculture is now a minor sector of the U.S. economy, and there is considerable competition for the FCS from other lenders suggesting no further need for GSE status, it still may be possible to argue that there is some ongoing need. Although credit market imperfections are no longer as clear cut as in the past, they may still act as an impediment to a desirable allocation of capital. Consequently, refocusing the FCS may provide a relatively efficient form of government intervention that can enhance capital flows in rural areas.
Identification of high affinity HER2 binding antibodies using CHO Fab surface display.

Discovery of monoclonal antibodies is most commonly performed using phage or yeast display but mammalian cells are used for production because of the complex antibody structure, including the multiple disulfide bonds and glycosylation, required for function. As this transition between host organisms is often accompanied by impaired binding, folding or expression, development pipelines include laborious plate-based screening or engineering strategies to adapt an antibody to mammalian expression. To circumvent these problems, we developed a plasmid-based Fab screening platform on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells which allows for antibody selection in the production host and in the presence of the same post-translational modifications as the manufactured product. A hu4D5 variant with low affinity for the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) growth factor receptor was mutagenized and this library of ~10(6) unique clones was screened to identify variants with up to 400-fold enhanced HER2 binding. After two rounds of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), four unique clones exhibited improved antigen binding when expressed on the CHO surface or as purified human IgG. Three of the four clones contained free cysteines in third complementarity determining region of the antibody heavy chain, which did not impair expression or cause aggregation. The improved clones had similar yields and stabilities as hu4D5 and similar sub-nanomolar affinities as measured by equilibrium binding to target cells. The limited size of mammalian libraries restricts the utility of this approach for naive antibody library screening, but it is a powerful approach for antibody affinity maturation or specificity enhancement and is readily generalizable to engineering other surface receptors, including T-cell receptors and chimeric antigen receptors.
Causal inference in environmental conservation: The role of institutions

Abstract The on-going degradation of global public goods such as biodiversity and climate regulation due to the loss of natural tropical ecosystems has generated demand for evidence on the effectiveness of alternative policy instruments for environmental conservation. Economists initially responded with ex post evaluations using quasi-experimental methods to identify average causal effects on outcomes such as deforestation. In this chapter, we demonstrate how careful attention to institutions enhances both the credibility and the policy relevance of these evaluations. Policy instruments such as protected areas, decentralization, and payments for ecosystem services are designed to change formal property rights institutions. Their causal effects are shaped by both formal and informal institutions, especially when they are applied to ecosystems that are also central to local livelihoods. Program evaluation should consider how these institutions define (1) assignment or selection of people and places, (2) specific treatments, through variation in institutional details that generate heterogeneous effects, (3) moderators that influence potential outcomes both with and without treatment, again generating heterogeneous effects, and (4) mechanisms, or the means by which instruments affect the ultimate outcomes.
Physical impacts of PLGA scaffolding on hMSCs: Recovery neurobiology insight for implant design to treat spinal cord injury

Our earlier work generated a powerful platform technology of polymeric scaffolding of stem cells to investigate and treat the injured or diseased central nervous system. However, the reciprocal sequelae between biophysical properties of the polymer and responses of the stem cell have not been examined in situ in lesioned spinal cords. We postulated that implantable synthetic scaffolds, acting through physical features, might affect donor cell behavior and host tissue remodeling. To test this hypothesis, poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in either low/soft or high/hard rigidity was fabricated for carrying adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal stem cells (hMSCs). The construct was transplanted into the epicenter of a rat model of acute T9-10 segmental hemisection to evaluate the effect of PLGA rigidity on the therapeutic potential and fate of hMSCs for neural repair. Compared to controls, only treatment with soft PLGA-scaffolded hMSCs significantly improved sensorimotor function via activation of recovery neurobiology mechanisms. The main benefits included inhibiting neuroinflammation and enhancing tissue protection. Also detected in the treated lesion region were expressions of neurotrophic and anti-inflammatory factors together with proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells, impacts likely derived from hMSCs' functional multipotency maintained by soft PLGA-scaffolding. Conversely, hard rigidity PLGA activated mechanotransduction and mesoderm lineage differentiation of hMSCs that ectopically produced bone, cartilage and muscle markers in neural parenchyma. The findings collectively suggested that the physical texture of polymeric scaffolds should be tailored for sustaining the stemness of hMSCs to constructively interact with the spinal cord for functional restoration.
Foramen magnum syndrome after iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid leak during lumbar spine surgery: A series of two cases

Foramen magnum syndrome (FMS) is a rare complication from lumbar spine surgery. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks can be difficult to treat. FMS is a dangerous complication due to excessive distal CSF drainage from a dural tear or secondary to a “controlled” lumbar drainage. We present two cases of FMS after iatrogenic CSF leaks. Both patients underwent decompressive laminectomy as a part of the index surgery. Intraoperative dural tear was not identified in either case. A postoperative computed tomography (CT) myelogram ordered in view of the positional headaches indicated a CSF leak. A lumbar drain was placed, but both the patients worsened symptomatically. CT head in Case 1 indicated tonsillar ectopia within the foramen magnum, while that in Case 2 revealed a posterior fossa hemorrhage with fullness of the foramen magnum and profound hydrocephalus. Both patients were treated surgically. Additional corrective measures were also initiated to reverse the pathology. Both patients made a good recovery with resolution of symptoms. Development of neurological changes in a patient with CSF leak may indicate an acute intracranial process. Treatment of foramen magnum syndrome requires prompt realization of the underlying pathology and measures to cease or modulate the CSF drainage. The dangers of excessive distal CSF drainage, whether it is from a dural tear or from “controlled” lumbar drainage, should be considered.