cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Child Soldiering on Myanmar–China Border

Although the persistent and widespread use of child soldiers by the Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw Kyi) and ethnic minority militia makes this an important country study, the very conditions of authoritarian control that have protracted the conflicts have also hindered scholars from gaining access to zones of conflict. In his book,Comparative Study of Child Soldiering on Myanmar-China Border: Evolutions, Challenges and Countermeasures, Kai Chen compiles an extensive collection of reports and studies conducted within Myanmar for his analysis that will be welcome to scholars interested in the complexities influencing child soldiering in modern conflicts generally and Myanmar particularly. He also provides an excellent overview of the scholarly debates and tensions regarding the definition of a child soldier as well as the use of the age of 18 years to demarcate the end of childhood within international accords. Overall, however, the book may be somewhat ambitious in its proposed scope. Chen states that the purpose of his book is fourfold: (1) to compare the situation of child soldiers on the Myanmar–China border along several dimensions, including across time and between different regions and actors; (2) to address the structural factors influencing child soldiering; (3) to introduce what Chen refers to as Ba new approach of ‘limited statehood’ into the studies of child soldiering^ (p. 6), which is the basis for his premise that there is no optimal solution to governing child soldiering on the Myanmar–China border; and consequently (4) propose the use of transnational Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as the next best alternative. Chen draws from the work of Schaferhoff et al. (2009) who define PPPs as Bcontinuous and relatively institutionalized trans-boundary interactions between public and private actors that formally strive for the provision of collective goods, whereas private actors can be for-profit and/or civil society organizations (p. 12).^ Chen asserts that Ba proper transnational PPP should be characterized by the following elements: first, non-hierarchical relationships among all and only relevant partners (e.g., civil society organizations, international NGOs, local NGOs and transnational corporations); second, priority given to disadvantaged groups; third, risk allocation between the public and private sectors; fourth, trust building Asian Criminology (2015) 10:303–305 DOI 10.1007/s11417-015-9213-2
Ethnicity, region, and public fiscal commitment to policing

Based on a study of all cities of 25,000 or more in population size, the research described in this paper investigates the response of the urban fiscal policing commitment to the visibility of those ethnic groups categorized as Hispanic by the U.S. Census. Although the funding requests of police officials may be based on sound professional judgement, the public nature of the budgetary process paves the way for non-professional criteria to play a role in the determination of the final level of financing. The results of the multivariate analysis indicate that the relative size of the Hispanic populations is a significant predictor of the level of policing expenditures in cities in the South and the West, even after the role of the police as providers of social services to the poor has been considered. Percent Hispanic does not, however, have a significant impact on policing expenditures in Northeastern and North Central cities. The findings suggest that while a community's fiscal capacity and its need for p...
Nutritional Issues in Long-Term Care

Because long-term care residents often have chronic illnesses and complex care regimens, nutritional issues are common in these populations. Furthermore, management is complicated because some residents are terminally ill and under palliative care treatment plans that allow for dehydration and low oral intake. As a result, the medical management of nutrition is complex and challenging for medical providers caring for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care settings. Quality nutritional practice in long-term care involves careful assessment of barriers to adequate nutrition; reduction of risk factors; attention to specialized diets, food presentation, and supplements, when appropriate; awareness of the importance of psychosocial and environmental issues; and consideration of the role of medication both as a cause and a therapeutic adjunct. Optimal practice at a facility level would involve a systematic approach to applying the best evidence-based approaches, with a focus on individualizing each resident's nutritional management.
Gene therapy for the treatment of sensory neuropathy

Sensory polyneuropathy can be a serious problem, but for the majority of clinically important neuropathies there are no available therapies. Neurotrophic and neuroprotective peptide factors have been identified that prevent or reverse neuropathy in rodent models of disease, but delivery of these highly pleiotropic peptides has posed an obstacle for translation into effective human therapies. Gene transfer into muscle using viral or non-viral vectors, or into neurons of the dorsal root ganglion using herpes simplex virus-based vectors, provides an alternative means to achieve this end. Studies in animal models have been promising, and the first human trial, using a plasmid to transfer the gene coding for vascular endothelial growth factor into muscle for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, is now underway. Evidence supporting the trial and the challenges facing this therapy are reviewed.
Reexamining the association between child access prevention gun laws and unintentional shooting deaths of children.

CONTEXT: A previous study estimated that child access prevention (CAP) laws, which hold adults criminally liable for unsafe firearm storage in the environment of children, were associated with a 23% decline in unintentional firearm mortality rates among children. OBJECTIVE: To reassess the effects of CAP laws and more fully examine the consistency of the estimated law effects across states. DESIGN: A pooled time-series study of unintentional firearm mortality among children from 1979 through 1997. Setting. The 50 states and the District of Columbia. PARTICIPANTS: All children <15 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of unintentional deaths attributable to firearms. RESULTS: When the effects of all 15 state CAP laws enacted before 1998 were aggregated, the laws were associated with a 17% decline unintentional firearm death rates among children. The laws' effects were not equal across states. Florida's CAP law was associated with a 51% decline; however, there were no statistically significant aggregate or state-specific law effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws. CONCLUSIONS: Florida's CAP law-1 of only 3 such laws allowing felony prosecution of violators-appears to have significantly reduced unintentional firearm deaths to children. However, there is no evidence of effects in the other 14 states with CAP laws.
Gypsy moth midgut proteinases: purification and characterization of luminal trypsin, elastase and the brush border membrane leucine aminopeptidase.

Abstract The principal digestive proteinases of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar , larval midgut were identified, and the subcellular distribution of the enzyme activities was determined. Proteinase activities of fifth-instar larvae were largely attributed to two luminal serine proteinases, a trypsin-like enzyme (TLE) and an elastase 2-like enzyme (ELA). TLE was purified to homegeneity by benzamidine-Sepharose affinity chromatography. With respect to size (M r = 25 kDa), substrate specificity, and interaction with trypsin inhibitors, the gypsy moth enzyme resembled mammalian pancreatic trypsin and trypsin-like enzymes from other insects. Gypsy moth elastase (ELA) was purified from the benzamidine-Sepharose flow-through by mono-Q FPLC. ELA exhibitied a slightly smaller size (M r = 24 kDa) than TLE. The insect enzyme was inhibitied by DFP and chymostatin but was unaffected by TPCK. ELA exhibitied little esterolytic activity with BTEE. Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Leu p -nitroanilide was one of the best substrates for ELA, which is characteristic of elastase 2. TLE and ELA constituted c. 6% of the total soluble protein in midgut lumen of actively feeding fifth-instar larvae. Chymotrypsin and carboxypeptidase activities were not detected in any midgut fraction examined. The brush border membrane (BBM) leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) was isolated from CHAPS-solubilized BBM by FPLC. SDS-PAGE results indicated that the aminopeptidase has an apparent molecular size of c. 100 kDa. The aminopeptidase was inhibited by bestatin and was unaffected by serine proteinase inhibitors.
Clinical and Roentgenographic Manifestations of Acute and Chronic Blastomycosis

Roentgenograms and hospital records of 50 patients with blastomycosis proven by cultures were analyzed to determine possible differences between the acute and chronic forms of the illness. Six patients had acute blastomycosis with symptoms occurring three weeks or less prior to hospitalization. The remaining 44 patients had chronic illnesses with symptoms occurring up to six years (mean duration, ten months before hospitalization). The acute illness was characterized by toxic symptoms, chest pain without visible effusions, pneumonic-type consolidations on the chest films, and a relatively benign course. The chronic illness had less severe toxicity, but a high incidence of dissemination, with pleural reactions, hepatosplenomegaly, and cutaneous and osseous involvement. Sputum cultures were positive for Blastomyces dermatitidis in 36 of 46 patients; however, several specimens were frequently required for demonstration of the organism on wet preparations. Pleural fluid and material from skin lesions were also likely sources of the fungus. Skin tests and serologic studies were not helpful in most cases of either the acute or chronic form of the disease.
Velocity Profile Pictographs of Amoeboid Movement

Graphs were obtained of granular motion in Amoeba proteus by the pictograph technique which records the motion exhibited by granules, illuminated by darkfield microscopy, in a single time exposure photograph. The pictographs are made by the organism and are accurate but complex recordings. Information obtained from this method demonstrates that the plasmagel tube is capable of contraction. However, there is no significant change in morphology of this organism during its locomotion. Importance is placed on the active acceleration of plasmasol from the interstices of the tail's Plasmagel. It is suggested that this might be the basic “contractile” event of amoeboid locomotion which supports the concept advanced by Kamiya for Physarum that an active sliding of plasmasol on plasmagel is a fundamental requirement of protoplasmic motion.
Software reusability as synchronous innovation: a test of four theoretical models

Information systems departments are being challenged to improve systems delivery performance. Software reuse is a potential strategy to address recurring systems development problems such as high development cost, low programmer productivity and long systems delivery lead time. However, the barriers associated with reuse implementation are significant. A better understanding of the administrative changes that facilitate reuse implementation is required to further research and practice in this area. We conceptualise reusability as a software process innovation that constitutes administrative and technological dimensions. Drawing from the synchronous innovation concepts, four theoretical models of the interrelationships between these dimensions of reusability and systems delivery performance are developed. Using the data collected through a postal survey these models are empirically evaluated. The results strongly suggest that administrative innovations intervene in the relationship between technological innovations and systems delivery performance and vice versa. This implies that synergies exists between administrative and technological dimensions of reusability which are more important in explaining variance in systems delivery performance than these dimensions individually. Implications of the study for IS theory, future research and practice are identified and discussed.
Outcomes of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Background Acute myocardial infarction is a recognized complication in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, limited data are available on outcomes of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and acute myocardial infarction. Methods We analyzed the 2003-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases to identify all patients aged ≥18 years with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Patients with a concomitant diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were then identified and analyzed as a separate cohort. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction with and without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Results Of 5,901,827 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 5688 (0.1%) had a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were older, more likely to be female, and less likely to have traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Compared with patients without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy were less likely to present with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and more likely to present with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with ST-elevation myocardial infarction or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction were less likely to receive revascularization. In the overall population with acute myocardial infarction, there was no difference in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality between patients with and without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-1.11; P = .59). In the population with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy had lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality than those without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91; P = .003), whereas in the population with non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction, there was no difference in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality between patients with and without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.84-1.11; P = .63). Conclusions Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy represent a small proportion of patients with acute myocardial infarction and are less likely to receive revascularization. Compared with patients without hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with ST-elevation myocardial infarction have lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality.
WiMAX over Free-Space Optics - Evaluating OFDM Multi-Subcarrier Modulation in Optical Wireless Channels

This paper analyzes performance of optical wireless communication systems with multi-subcarrier OFDM as set out in the IEEE 802.16-2004 WiMAX standard. Average power efficiency, atmospheric turbulence, adaptive modulation as well as various noise models are considered. Performance is evaluated in a simulation environment with symbol error probability as the metric of interest. Results indicate that smaller constellation sizes are better suited for the optical wireless channel, as they provide larger P s gains for relatively small increases in average received optical power and are more resilient to atmospheric turbulence. Furthermore, although increasing the number of subcarriers N degrades performance since total optical power is fixed by laser linearity constraints, with proper design, optical wireless technology is capable of distributing WiMAX.
A seat at the table

I should start with a disclaimer: I was a strong supporter of Barack Obama during the recent US presidential campaign, and I remain a strong supporter of the President-elect today. That may open me to changes of bias as far as this particular column is concerned, because I'm going to be lauding one of his recent decisions. But another disclaimer I probably should include is that I am a life scientist, and that admission may reveal additional prejudice, because what I am going to say will be self-serving in that it is meant to promote the life sciences. However, I think my argument will stand up to objective scrutiny. See if you agree.
ArF excimer laser-enhanced photochemical vapor deposition of epitaxial Si from Si 2 H 6 : a simple growth kinetic model

Photolysis of Si2H6 using 193 nm radiation from an ArF excimer laser has been used to deposit homoepitaxial Si films in the temperature range of 250 to 350°C. Photolytic decomposition of Si2H6 generates growth precursors which adsorb on to a hydrogenated Si surface. A growth kinetic model is proposed based on single-photon 193 nm absorption by Si2H6, and chemical reaction of the photofragments as they diffuse to the sub-strate surface. With the laser beam positioned parallel to the Si substrate, the deposi-tion yield of solid Si from photo-excited Si2H6 is estimated to be 0.20 ± 0.04. Growth rates vary linearly with laser intensity and Si2H6 partial pressure over a range of 1–15 mJ/cm2 · pulse and 5–40 mTorr, respectively, and epitaxial films are deposited when laser intensity and Si2H6 partial pressure conditions are such that the initial photofragment concentration is less than ~1013 cm−3.
Immunotoxicology studies on octoxynol-9 and nonoxynol-9 in mice.

In a double-blind study, mice were injected intraperitoneally with 0.2 ml 0.2% octoxynol-9 (O-9), 0.2 ml 0.2% nonoxynol-9 (N-9), or 0.2 ml saline (control) daily for 24 days. Another control group received no treatment. All mice were immunized twice with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and bled by caudal incision. Mice receiving N-9 lost weight (P < 0.02), had smaller livers (P < 0.05), and showed enlarged spleens (P < 0.05). The N-9-treated mice did not differ from either control group in the primary or secondary anti-SRBC responses, leukocyte (WBC) counts, or in the sizes of the kidneys, hearts, lungs, or thymuses. Mice receiving O-9 showed no significant differences from either control group in any of these tests. Serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were similar in mice treated with O-9, N-9, or saline. All 3 groups had higher levels of both classes of immunoglobulins on day 16 than did untreated controls. This study shows that O-9, given to mice in doses 3 times that used by humans, is nontoxic, whereas the same dose of N-9 has minor deleterious effects.
Altruism, Inclusive Fitness, and "The Logic of Decision"

Abstract We show how Richard Jeffrey’s The Logic of Decision provides the proper formalism for calculating expected fitness for correlated encounters in general. As an illustration, some puzzles about kin selection are resolved.
A High-Temperature, Thermal Non-equilibrium Equation of State for Ammonia

The engineering applications of ammonia extend far beyond the pressure and temperature ranges for which thermodynamic models currently exist in the literature. Thus, a thermal non-equilibrium thermochemical model was developed to compute the composition and thermodynamic properties of ammonia for an extended temperature and pressure range that includes ionization reactions. Thermal non-equilibrium between electrons and heavy particles was included and is presented for ratios of 1/2, 1, 2 and 3. The fourteen-equation nonlinear system produced under the assumptions of ideal gas and two-temperature local thermodynamic equilibrium was solved numerically using a Newton-Raphson method. The thermochemical model is verified for both the composition and thermodynamic properties by comparisons to existing thermochemical models in the literature. These comparisons verify the model for the available, yet limited, temperature and density ranges. Analysis of the composition and thermodynamic properties as a function of the independent properties confirms the necessity for such a model as part of rigorous computations with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) or magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) computer codes. The model can be easily cast in tabular form to complement the set of conservation equations utilized by such codes.
Radiation Resistance of Elastomers

Various data has indicated that some elastomers have much higher radiation resistance than Viton. Nine samples of elastomers were irradiated with gamma rays. Two Ethylene Propylene Diene compounds, EPDM's, were found to exhibit acceptable properties for o-rings after radiation levels of 5×108 rads, while Viton failed at 1×107 rads. Vacuum tests also were favorable so EPDM o-rings were chosen as seals in the Energy Saver cryostat vacuum system.
Time-optimal reorientation of a spacecraft using a direct optimization method based on inverse dynamics

This paper proposes a rapid attitude trajectory generation method for satellite reorientation that satisfies the spatial and temporal constraints imposed by the problem of docking with a tumbling object. 12The problem is first formulated and solved using known academic software readily used for generating optimal guidance trajectories off-line. Then, the problem is reformulated using a polynomial structure that lends itself to satisfying special mathematical constraints imposed by using a unit quaternion for orientation description. The speed profile of the maneuver is varied in order to arrive at a quasi-optimal solution that is both feasible and exactly matches the endpoint conditions specified in the problem. The reduction in the number of varied parameters due to the predetermined structure of the trajectory leads to a faster computational speed as well as having a trajectory that satisfies the end constraints at each iteration. The paper ends with a discussion of solutions obtained for several cases.
Objective assessment of left ventricular wall motion from contrast-enhanced power modulation images

Abstract There is no method to objectively evaluate left ventricular (LV) function from contrast-enhanced images. We tested the feasibility of evaluating regional LV function by using power modulation imaging. In protocol 1, 9 anesthetized closed-chest pigs were studied. Images were obtained during contrast infusion at baseline, during LAD occlusion and reperfusion. In protocol 2, images were obtained in 20 patients (14 wall-motion abnormalities; 6 controls) during contrast enhancement. Off-line, frame-by-frame, semiautomated endocardial border detection was followed by color encoding of endocardial motion, followed by segmentation and calculation of regional fractional area changes. In all animals, coronary occlusions resulted in hypokinesis and decreased fractional area changes in LAD-related segments only, which were reversed during reperfusion. In patients, wall-motion analysis was in agreement with an expert reader of dynamic images in 92.5% segments, with interobserver variability of 12.5%. Color encoding of endocardial motion from contrast-enhanced power modulation images allows accurate quantitative assessment of regional LV function. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2002;15:118-28.)
Editorial: Rochester's Great Ice Storm of 1991

freezing rain started; by midnight it had become a major ice storm with several inches ofice building up on everything. The trees were particularly hard hit with an estimate that "nearly half of Rochester's collection of 80,000 trees were destroyed." The damage to power lines and telephone lines was extensive with some 200,000people without heat or light by early Monday morning. The damage was so bad that even as of this writing (March 15), there were still about 1000 homes without electrical power. Most people affected were without power for several days, the majority for at least a week, and many for 10 days. Total storm damage is currently estimated at more than $380 miffion. The storm did have a major effect on this editorial office. We were without power until the evening of March 9 and lost a whole week of work on the journal—a week when I had hoped to catch up from a part of the week before when I was away, returning just in time for the storm! We did get a generator running to provide somebackgroundheattothePatrick Barry House, where the editorial office is located. This Editorial
Cryptorchidism And Male Fertility Potential: Histological Features And Correlation To Timing Of Orchiopexy And Location Of Testes

PURPOSE Cryptorchidism affects ∼ 3% of term newborn and adversely affects future fertility. This study was designed to identify clinical features that correlate with pathologic changes in children with cryptorchidism with the ultimate goal of determining the optimal time to perform orchiopexy. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective review of all patients (n = 241) who underwent orchiopexy and concurrent testicular biopsy between 1991 and 2001 was conducted. For this cohort, multipredictor logistic regression was used to determine if age at orchiopexy, testis location prior to surgery, unilateral vs. bilateral disease, were predictors of three different pathologic outcomes (germ cell depletion, Leydig cell depletion, and presence or absence of significant fibrosis). RESULTS Germ cell depletion was associated with increased age at orchiopexy and intraabdominal/non-palpable testes. When adjusted for testis location, the odds ratio (OR) for significant germ cell depletion was 1.02 (p CONCLUSIONS Non-palpable testes and testes that remain undescended for an increased duration are associated with histologic changes that could be the cause for decreased fertility in adulthood. By operating on these testes early, especially the non-palpable ones, it is conceivable that the number of germ cells and Leydig cells in the adult testis might be improved, and the risk of infertility reduced.
FOSTERING HOPE: CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN A POSTMODERN AGE

Abstract How should Christians address our often ambiguous and increasingly postmodern world? The article explores some of the ways cultural postmodernity is affecting Christian communities. The tendency to trivialize understandings of meaning and value is highlighted as one of the greatest challenges posed by the negative aspects of postmodernity. It is argued that religious educators can help to overcome this trivializing tendency by fostering hope in the continuing viability of the church and Christian traditions and practices, turning to youth as natives of postmodern culture to guide us in addressing contemporary trends, and focusing on a common commitment to Christian discipleship
Application of transmission electron microscopy to the observation of dislocation emission from crack tips at elevated temperatures

Abstract The emission of dislocations from crack tips in silicon under combined conditions of temperature and stress is observed in-situ at 550 to 750°C, using transmission electron microscopy. Recording on video tape the dislocation emission and the subsequent growth of the dislocation loop away from the crack has proven to be particularly important. It has enabled the crack tip to be identified as the site of the dislocation nucleation and allows direct measurement of the dislocation velocity. Furthermore, the positions of the dislocations, required for quantitative comparison with existing dislocation models, can be measured and the extent of re-arrangement during cooling to room temperature determined.
Lyme Disease as a Cause of Acropapular Dermatitis of Childhood

Acropapular dermatitis of childhood is a symmetric self-limited papulovesicular exanthem that classically occurs on the cheeks, extensor extremities, and buttocks in young children. The eruption of acropapular dermatitis of childhood represents a reaction to a variety of infections usually of viral origin. We present a child with typical findings of acropapular dermatitis of childhood whose serologic workup revealed an acute Lyme infection.
Thermal decomposition of monomethylamine nitrate

Abstract Experimental thermal analysis and mass spectrometric results indicate that, when heated, monomethylamine nitrate dissociates to form monomethylamine an Monomethylamine, one of the dissociation products, is a flammable gas. In dry air, at room temperature, its lower limit of flammability is 4.9%. Its au Preventing acid build-up and rust formation is important for the safe handling and transport of monomethylamine nitrate.
Preparation of spheroplasts from the strict anaerobe Selenomonas ruminantium

A method for the preparation of spheroplasts from Selenomonas ruminantium is described. The method is based on the lysozyme/EDTA method developed by Kaback and collaborators. The most important modification introduced consisted in the substitution of nitrilotriacetic acid for EDTA. The final yield of spheroplasts was ≈80% of the original whole cell suspension. However, to achieve this yield, the inclusion of n-decanoic acid and higher yeast extract levels in the growth medium, as well as the substitution of mutanolysin for lysozyme and of nitrilotriacetic acid for EDTA during the incubation of cell suspensions at lower temperatures, were also all found necessary. Right-side-out vesicles were obtained from these spheroplasts according to the original method.
Estrogen attenuates nuclear factor-kappa B activation induced by transient cerebral ischemia.

The protective effects of estrogens have been widely reported in a number of animal and cell culture models, but the molecular mechanisms of this potent neuroprotective activity are not well understood. Both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, estrogen treatment reduces cytokine production and inflammatory responses. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB) plays an essential role in the regulation of post-ischemic inflammation, which is detrimental to recovery from an ischemic stroke. We investigated the role of NFκB in neuronal survival in rats that received transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, and observed that this transient cerebral ischemia induced substantial apoptosis and inflammatory responses, including IκB phosphorylation, NF-κB activation and iNOS over-expression. 17 β-estradiol (E2) treatment produced strong protective effects by reducing infarct volume, neuronal apoptosis, and inflammatory responses. These findings provide evidence for a novel molecular and cellular interaction between the sex hormone and the immunoresponsive system. These studies also provide evidence that suppression of post-ischemic inflammation may play a critical role in estrogen-mediated neuroprotection.
Hyperbranched Polymers in a Supercritical Fluid: Recent Progress on Phase Behavior and Modeling

Abstract: The advent of new chemistries has led to the creation of well-defined, novel polymer architectures. Due to their unique structures, hyperbranched polymers are receiving more and more attention and widely applied in various fields in the past two decades. In spite of their increasingly mature applications, some fundamental properties of star polymers are still lacking, such as their solubility behavior in different solvents, especially at high pressures. On the other hand, supercritical fluids (SCF) are ideal environmentally preferable solvents for polymer processing. This article intends to review the recent progress on the experimental determination and modeling of phase behavior of hyperbranched polymer systems, especially hyperbranched polymers in SCF. Following a brief description of the definition, properties, and applications of hyperbranched polymers, a detailed overview will be presented on the recent studies on phase behavior of hyperbranched polymer systems. Emphasis will be laid on the high-pressure phase behavior of polymers in SCF. Different models proposed by previous researchers will be then compared for the purpose of accurately predicting the phase equilibrium data. Finally current challenges will be discussed for future work.
The Development of Racial Evaluation and Preference: A Cognitive Approach

The paper presents the results of an empirical study designed to investigate impersonal and racial cognitive development in Black American children. It is hypothe sized that "impersonal" cognitive ...
Small Interfering RNAs Directed against β-Catenin Inhibit the in Vitro and in Vivo Growth of Colon Cancer Cells

The β-catenin and APC genes are key components of the Wnt signaling pathway. Mutation of these genes results in increased levels of the β-catenin protein, which is associated with enhanced cellular proliferation and the development of both colon polyps and colon cancer. Recently, a technique known as RNA interference has been successfully adapted to mammalian cells so that it is now possible to specifically decrease the expression of cellular genes after transfection of annealed small interfering 21-mer RNAs. In the current study, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against β-catenin to determine the effects of decreasing the high constitutive levels of this protein in colon cancer cell lines with mutations in either β-catenin or APC. Our studies demonstrate that siRNA directed against β-catenin markedly decreased β-catenin-dependent gene expression and inhibited cellular proliferation as reflected in the reduced growth of these colon cancer cells both in soft agar and in nude mice. These results indicate that siRNA can target specific factors whose expression is altered in malignancy and may have the potential as a therapeutic modality to treat human cancer.
Technology Competition and International Cooperation: Friends or Foes?

A large amount of literature in international and comparative political economy emphasizes the importance of competitive rivalry as a concern in technology policy. How does such competition influence international cooperation to control negative externalities, such as pollution? Is technology competition between rivals an impediment to international cooperation, or could it even help states achieve cooperation? We develop a game-theoretic model of the relationship between competition for technology markets and international cooperation. The model suggests that technology competition impedes international cooperation whenever states hold "techno-nationalist"' preferences but their ability to capture new markets is starkly asymmetric. States expecting to lose refuse to cooperate, so treaty formation fails. Under symmetric abilities, however, technology competition may even facilitate cooperation. States invest in new technologies for reasons of self-interest but accidentally reduce consumer prices for others. Comparative case studies in environmental cooperation provide empirical support for the model, and show how it can contribute to the empirical study of international cooperation.
The Role of the Safety Net and the Labor Market on Falling Cash Consumption in Russia: 1994–96 A Quintile‐Based Decomposition Analysis

This paper investigates the relative importance of changes in social safety net support and labor market in explaining the decline in the purchasing power of Russian households that occurred during the period 1994–96. Drawing on three cross-sections of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, we find that labor market changes have been the main cause of the observed decline in cash consumption. Among these changes, reductions in the impact of the time spent in employment and increasing frequency of wage arrears are most important, more so than increases in open unemployment or the fall in real wages among workers who were fully paid. The contribution of falling state transfers to cash consumption is nonetheless substantial. We also find that the sources of the decline in household welfare vary substantially across quintiles in the distribution.
‘Playing Deaf’: Jewish Women at the Medical Missions of East London, 1880–1920s

Organizations whose fundamentalist eschatology inspired them to attempt to convert Jews to Christianity had existed from early in the nineteenth century, but with the intensification of Jewish emigration to Britain in the 1880s dozens opened stations in East London. Historians today correctly continue to stress the insult and annoyance the missionaries represented to the struggling Jewish immigrants. This essay focuses on the specialized medical missions - at least a dozen, at times more - attached to the major East London missionary organizations, and designed to exchange good health care (for free) for a hearing of the ‘Gospel truth’. These have received less attention from historians than have the general missions, though they proved extremely popular with poor Jews, so much so that many urged the Jewish Board of Guardians to provide rival dispensaries. This study thus places the medical missions within the extensive health care systems of the district. ‘Playing Deaf’ also seeks to position the medical missions within Jewish immigrant social and family life. Mission dispensaries were among the several Christian spaces that Jewish women would have to negotiate as they tried to organize work and family life in a state with an established Protestant church, so women’s behaviour in mission spaces may exemplify other kinds of interactions with the Christian world. Jewish mothers used the missions’ free doctors and nurses to stretch their household budgets, so the majority of patients were women and children - yet women as a group were less susceptible to conversionist rhetoric than men, especially single men. A major primary source for this study is the missionary press, with its extensive coverage of the largest of the medical missions, the Mildmay Medical Mission to the Jews. Mildmay’s reports depict encounters inside the medical missions and provide insight into the subjective lives of the mission doctors, whose efforts to sustain their optimism despite nearly constant failure are palpable in their reports over three decades.
Regulators and mediators of radiation-induced fibrosis: Gene expression profiles and a rationale for Smad3 inhibition

OBJECTIVE: Radiotherapy, an essential modality in cancer treatment, frequently induces fibrotic processes in the skin, including accumulation of extracellular matrix. Transforming growth factor-β is essential in regulating extracellular matrix gene expression and is dependent on Smad3, an intracellular mediator/transcription factor. Our study characterized the genetic expression involved in extracellular matrix accumulation during radiationinduced fibrosis. We performed Smad3 gene silencing in an attempt to abrogate the effects of radiation.STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory research.SETTING: University laboratory.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: C57 murine dermal fibroblasts were irradiated with 20 Gy RNA isolated (0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours postirradiation) and mRNA analyzed (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) for known regulators (Smad3, interleu-kin-13 [IL-13]), tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α]) and mediators of fibrosis (collagen 1A1 [Col1A1]), TGF-β, matrix metalloprotease-1 and −2 (MMP-1, MMP-2), and tissu...
Tbx1 controls the morphogenesis of pharyngeal pouch epithelia through mesodermal Wnt11r and Fgf8a

The pharyngeal pouches are a segmental series of epithelial structures that organize the embryonic vertebrate face. In mice and zebrafish that carry mutations in homologs of the DiGeorge syndrome gene TBX1, a lack of pouches correlates with severe craniofacial defects, yet how Tbx1 controls pouch development remains unclear. Using mutant and transgenic rescue experiments in zebrafish, we show that Tbx1 functions in the mesoderm to promote the morphogenesis of pouch-forming endoderm through wnt11r and fgf8a expression. Consistently, compound losses of wnt11r and fgf8a phenocopy tbx1 mutant pouch defects, and mesoderm-specific restoration of Wnt11r and Fgf8a rescues tbx1 mutant pouches. Time-lapse imaging further reveals that Fgf8a acts as a Wnt11r-dependent guidance cue for migrating pouch cells. We therefore propose a two-step model in which Tbx1 coordinates the Wnt-dependent epithelial destabilization of pouch-forming cells with their collective migration towards Fgf8a-expressing mesodermal guideposts.
Clinical features of de Novo acute myeloid leukemia with concurrent DNMT3A, FLT3 and NPM1 mutations

De novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with concurrent DNMT3A, FLT3 and NPM1 mutations (AML DNMT3A/FLT3/NPM1 ) has been suggested to represent a unique AML subset on the basis of integrative genomic analysis, but the clinical features of such patients have not been characterized systematically. We assessed the features of patients (n = 178) harboring mutations in DNMT3A, FLT3 and/or NPM1, including an index group of AML DNMT3A/FLT3/NPM1 patients. Patients with AML DNMT3A/FLT3/NPM1 (n = 35) were significantly younger (median, 56.0 vs. 62.0 years; p = 0.025), mostly women (65.7% vs. 46.9%; p = 0.045), and presented with a higher percentage of bone marrow blasts (p < 0.001) and normal cytogenetics (p = 0.024) in comparison to patients within other mutation groups in this study. Among patients <60 years old, those with AML DNMT3A/FLT3/NPM1 had a shorter event-free survival (EFS) (p = 0.047). DNMT3A mutations and not FLT3 or NPM1 mutations were independently associated with overall survival (OS) (p = 0.026). Within mutation subgroups, patients with AML DNMT3A/NPM1 had a significantly shorter OS compared to those with AML FLT3-ITD/NPM1 (p = 0.047) suggesting that the adverse impact of DNMT3A mutations is more pronounced than that of FLT3- ITD among patients with NPM1 mutation. DNMT3A has a significant dominant effect on the clinical features and outcomes of de novo AML patients with concurrent DNMT3A, FLT3 and NPM1 mutations.
Oct-4 Expression in Pluripotent Cells of the Rhesus Monkey

The POU (Pit-Oct-Unc)-domain transcription factor, Oct-4, has become a useful marker of pluripotency in the mouse. It is found exclusively in mouse preimplantation-stage embryos after embryonic genome activation and is a characteristic of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, and its absence in knockout mice precludes inner cell mass (ICM) formation in blastocysts. Expression of Oct-4 has also been associated with pluripotency in primate cells. Here, we undertook a systematic study of Oct-4 expression in rhesus macaque preimplantation embryos produced by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in ES cells before and after exposure to differentiating conditions in vitro. We also evaluated Oct-4 expression as a means of monitoring the extent of reprogramming following somatic cell nuclear transfer. Oct-4 was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry with a monoclonal antibody. Monkey pronuclear-stage zygotes and cleaving embryos up to the 8-cell stage showed no detectable Oct-4. Nuclear staining for Oct-4 first became obvious at the 16-cell stage, and a strong signal was observed in morula and compact morula stages. Both ICM and trophectodermal cell nuclei of monkey early blastocysts were positive for Oct-4. However, the signal was diminished in trophectodermal cells of expanded blastocysts, whereas expression remained high in ICM nuclei. Similar to the mouse, hatched monkey blastocysts showed strong Oct-4 expression in the ICM, with no detectable signal in the trophectoderm. Undifferentiated monkey ES cells derived from the ICM of in vitro-produced blastocysts expressed Oct-4, consistent with their pluripotent nature, whereas ES cell differentiation was associated with signal loss. Therefore, Oct-4 expression in the monkey, as in the mouse, provides a useful marker for pluripotency after activation of the embryonic genome. Finally, the observed lack or abnormal expression of Oct-4 in monkey nuclear transfer embryos suggests inadequate nuclear reprogramming.
Quantifying embedded uncertainty of space systems architectures in conceptual design

This paper presents the start to a framework for a dynamic space system conceptual design through the quantification of embedded life-cycle uncertainty found in architectures in the design trade space. In traditional space systems conceptual design, point designs are chosen early to pursue. This has the benefit of jump-starting downstream design efforts, but has severe detriments in terms of sub-optimization and the cost of redesign. This paper provides a framework that delivers one more piece of information, embedded uncertainty, to the decision makers so that those early design decisions are better informed.
Chiral imprint of a cosmic gauge field on primordial gravitational waves

A cosmological gauge field with isotropic stress-energy introduces parity violation into the behavior of gravitational waves. We show that a primordial spectrum of inflationary gravitational waves develops a preferred handedness, left or right circularly polarized, depending on the abundance and coupling of the gauge field during the radiation era. A modest abundance of the gauge field would induce parity-violating correlations of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization patterns that could be detected by current and future experiments.
Comparative genomics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae natural isolates for bioenergy production.

Lignocellulosic plant material is a viable source of biomass to produce alternative energy including ethanol and other biofuels. However, several factors—including toxic byproducts from biomass pretreatment and poor fermentation of xylose and other pentose sugars—currently limit the efficiency of microbial biofuel production. To begin to understand the genetic basis of desirable traits, we characterized three strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with robust growth in a pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysate or tolerance to stress conditions relevant to industrial biofuel production, through genome and transcriptome sequencing analysis. All stress resistant strains were highly mosaic, suggesting that genetic admixture may contribute to novel allele combinations underlying these phenotypes. Strain-specific gene sets not found in the lab strain were functionally linked to the tolerances of particular strains. Furthermore, genes with signatures of evolutionary selection were enriched for functional categories important for stress resistance and included stress-responsive signaling factors. Comparison of the strains’ transcriptomic responses to heat and ethanol treatment—two stresses relevant to industrial bioethanol production—pointed to physiological processes that were related to particular stress resistance profiles. Many of the genotype-by-environment expression responses occurred at targets of transcription factors with signatures of positive selection, suggesting that these strains have undergone positive selection for stress tolerance. Our results generate new insights into potential mechanisms of tolerance to stresses relevant to biofuel production, including ethanol and heat, present a backdrop for further engineering, and provide glimpses into the natural variation of stress tolerance in wild yeast strains.
A Comprehensive Faculty, Staff, and Student Training Program Enhances Student Perceptions of a Course-Based Research Experience at a Two-Year Institution

Early research experiences must be made available to all undergraduate students, including those at 2-yr institutions who account for nearly half of America's college students. We report on barriers unique to 2-yr institutions that preclude the success of an early course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Using a randomized study design, we evaluated a CURE in equivalent introductory biology courses at a 4-yr institution and a 2-yr institution within the same geographic region. We found that these student populations developed dramatically different impressions of the experience. Students at the 4-yr institution enjoyed the CURE significantly more than the traditional labs. However, students at the 2-yr institution enjoyed the traditional labs significantly more, even though the CURE successfully produced targeted learning gains. On the basis of course evaluations, we enhanced instructor, student, and support staff training and reevaluated this CURE at a different campus of the same 2-yr institution. This time, the students reported that they enjoyed the research experience significantly more than the traditional labs. We conclude that early research experiences can succeed at 2-yr institutions, provided that a comprehensive implementation strategy targeting instructor, student, and support staff training is in place.