cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processing streams in the early blind

It has long been established that the occipital cortex of early blind animals and humans is activated by nonvisual stimuli (Rauschecker, 1995). This has led to the concept of cross-modal compensatory plasticity. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we have demonstrated that the middle occipital gyrus (MOG) of early blind humans retains its function in spatial localization and is activated in auditory and tactile spatial tasks (Renier et al., 2010). At the same time, visual-to-auditory substitution devices have been used to demonstrate that cortical areas in the visual ventral stream retain their function in object recognition, when they are stimulated by auditory and tactile ‘shapes’. The results confirm that cross-modal plasticity can restitute perceptual abilities in the blind that resemble vision. These abilities are supported by activating specialized processing streams in normally ‘visual’ cortex via preserved nonvisual inputs.
Decreasing the gelation time of fibrin hydrogels

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating problem that often results in paraplegia or quadriplegia. Fibrin hydrogels can be injected into the injured cavity and fill the irregular space. Current techniques require 60 minutes to form a hydrogel. The purpose of this study was to design a fibrin biomaterial that would solidify at a faster rate. By augmenting the existing fabrication procedure, a novel biomaterial was created that formed in 5–7 minutes but lost much of its mechanical stability. Further studies will be performed to improve the mechanical properties while maintaining the faster rate of formation observed here.
Evaluation of experimental Silicon SGTO devices for Pulsed Power applications

The development of new semiconductor devices requires that extensive testing be completed in order to fully understand the device characteristics and performance capabilities. This paper describes the evaluation of experimental Silicon high power Super Gate Turn Off Thyristors (Si SGTOs) in a unique testing environment. The SGTOs are capable of blocking in the forward direction up to 5kV and are also capable of handling several kA when pulsed. The device structure is asymmetric so the reverse blocking of these devices is only a couple hundred volts. Since these devices are SGTOs special consideration had to be given to the gate trigger circuit so that noise would be minimized on the gate therefore preventing false triggering of the devices.
Label-free and high-throughput screening of biomolecular interactions

We present a simple label-free multi-analyte detection technique that is easily scalable for high-throughput screening. We have shown a sensitivity of 20 pg/mm2 and a minimum detectable antibody concentration of 15 ng/ml for a specific antigen.
Bacterial extracellular polysaccharides.

The synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides has been recognized in certain bacterial cultures since the 1880s. It is now apparent that a wide range of bacteria produce these polymers and an equa...
Internal secretory structures in Hypericum (Clusiaceae): H. perforatum L. and H. balearicum L.

SUMMARY Hypericum species have translucent oil cavities; many species also have superficially similar black internal structures. Contradictory descriptions of both structures emerged from 19th century studies, which we review here. Our study of Hypericum perforation L. leaves and petals shows typical schizogenous translucent oil cavities that develop with a uniseriate epithelium. Black structures, in contrast, are nodules, each composed of several large cells lacking a central intercellular space and surrounded by a biseriate sheath of flattened cells. Nodule cells accumulate black, granular, but non-resinous contents. The ‘streaks’ that traverse petals are elongate tubular cavities or nodules, except for some chimerical tubes composed partly of each. Hypericum balearicum L. leaves have bulging, pustular cavities. A large cellular nodule forms first, by non-synchronous cell divisions within the leaf mesophyll, and is surrounded by a sheath of two to three flattened cell layers. The central cells then separate unevenly to form an irregular cavity into which isolated cells and clusters of cells intrude, some of which continue to divide as other cells degenerate. Little or no oil accumulates in the cavity, and the peripheral lining of cells is very irregular to flattened and empty. Both species studied exhibit secretory structures with previously undescribed anatomical features.
Brain reorganization as a function of walking experience in 12-month-old infants: implications for the development of manual laterality.

Hand preference in infancy is marked by many developmental shifts in hand use and arm coupling as infants reach for and manipulate objects. Research has linked these early shifts in hand use to the emergence of fundamental postural–locomotor milestones. Specifically, it was found that bimanual reaching declines when infants learn to sit; increases if infants begin to scoot in a sitting posture; declines when infants begin to crawl on hands and knees; and increases again when infants start walking upright. Why such pattern fluctuations during periods of postural–locomotor learning? One proposed hypothesis is that arm use practiced for the specific purpose of controlling posture and achieving locomotion transfers to reaching via brain functional reorganization. There has been scientific support for functional cortical reorganization and change in neural connectivity in response to motor practice in adults and animals, and as a function of crawling experience in human infants. In this research, we examined whether changes in neural connectivity also occurred as infants coupled their arms when learning to walk and whether such coupling mapped onto reaching laterality. Electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence data were collected from 43 12month-old infants with varied levels of walking experience. EEG was recorded during quiet, attentive baseline. Walking proficiency was laboratory assessed and reaching responses were captured using small toys presented at mid-line while infants were sitting. Results revealed greater EEG coherence at homologous prefrontal/central scalp locations for the novice walkers compared to the prewalkers or more experienced walkers. In addition, reaching laterality was low in prewalkers and early walkers but high in experienced walkers. These results are consistent with the interpretation that arm coupling practiced during early walking transferred to reaching via brain functional reorganization, leading to the observed developmental changes in manual laterality.
Vialogues: Videos and Dialogues Based Social Learning Environment

In this paper, we present an asynchronous video discussion tool called 'Vialogues' and empirical evidence of system usage for supporting modern social learning environment. Statistical analysis showed that Vialogues not only enriches online learning experiences but also successfully retains users and creates social learning opportunities. Evidence of learning taking place in a new technology, called Vialogues, is reported.
Dynamic performance as a criterion for redundant manipulator control

Kinematically redundant manipulators have been proven to offer certain advantages over more heavily constrained systems. One such advantage is the extra degrees-of-freedom can be used for other tasks such as maintaining a posture which affords higher acceleration capability in the direction of the desired motion. However certain issues arise when considering the control of these mechanisms due to the lack of invertability of the rectangular Jacobian matrix. Here this issue is addressed by augmenting the rectangular Jacobian with a characterization of the null space motions. This approach allows for a gradient-based control scheme, based upon the dynamic capability equations, to increase or maintain the local performance capability of a manipulator as it performs some task. Simulation results of the application of this control scheme to a six degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar manipulator are given to illustrate the control's advantages on a highly redundant system.
Fringe pattern recognition and interpolation using nonlinear regression analysis.

Least-square error criteria are used to fit 1-D interference fringe pattern irradiance data to a physically meaningful function of the form I(x) = B(x) + E(x) cos[P(x)], where B(x), E(x), and P(x) are low-order polynomials. This procedure is intended to complement digital fringe recognition by providing a method for smoothing and interpolating among fringe position data when the number of fringes is small, there are more than ten irradiance measurements per fringe, and accurate phase values are needed at arbitrary locations in the field.
Maternal transcranial Doppler in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia affects 3-7% of women and is associated with significant maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) has been used in pre-eclampsia/eclampsia to evaluate non-invasively the cerebrovascular hemodynamics in the maternal middle cerebral artery. TCD has demonstrated in pre-eclamptic women maternal cerebral vasospasm, which does not correlate with mean arterial pressure assessed simultaneously. Estimated cerebral perfusion pressure, assessed using a modified formula, has been shown to be increased in women with severe and non-severe pre-eclampsia. However, in severe pre-eclampsia, elevated cerebral perfusion pressure is counterbalanced by increases in cerebrovascular resistance and cerebral blood flow is unaffected. In eclampsia a significant fall in cerebral vascular resistance occurs which, in the presence of increases in cerebral perfusion pressure, leads to hyperperfusion. Cerebral vascular changes to date have not been sensitive enough to predict the development of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Longitudinal studies with the aim of predicting the onset of pre-eclampsia and to assess the effects of various drugs on the maternal cerebral circulation need to be designed.
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is well-established as a potentially curative treatment for patients who have chronic myeloid leukemia. The success of imatinib and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) as initial therapy has changed the treatment paradigm for this disease. Allogeneic hematopoietic transplants are now reserved for patients whose disease does not respond optimally to TKI treatment. Patients whose disease does not have an optimal response to imatinib may respond to a second-generation TKI, dasatinib or nilotinib, and many achieve major or complete molecular and cytogenetic responses. The indication for allogeneic HSCT versus continued second-line therapy is not well-defined and is the subject of ongoing study. There has been continued progress in reducing the toxicity and risks of HSCT with development of reduced-intensity regimens; transplants can be routinely performed in patients up to the age of 75 years who are in fair general medical condition. Transplantation results from unrelated donors have improved, with survival rates similar that achieved with matched siblings. Results with haploidentical and cord blood transplants have markedly improved, and should be considered for patients lacking a matched donor. Allogeneic hematopoietic transplants have the best chance to be curative in patients with chronic phase that is under hematologic control with 80% disease-free survival; patients progressing to the accelerated phase or blast crisis have a much poorer prognosis. Thus, HSCT should be considered for patients with imatinib failure. Patients receiving second-line TKI therapy must be closely monitored and referred for transplantation if a complete cytogenetic response and major molecular response is not achieved. HSCT should be performed if feasible in patients without a continued response to TKI treatment.
Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits

Evidence suggests that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, and phytochemicals including phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids from fruits and vegetables may play a key role in reducing chronic disease risk. Apples are a widely consumed, rich source of phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. In the laboratory, apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol. Apples contain a variety of phytochemicals, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, all of which are strong antioxidants. The phytochemical composition of apples varies greatly between different varieties of apples, and there are also small changes in phytochemicals during the maturation and ripening of the fruit. Storage has little to no effect on apple phytochemicals, but processing can greatly affect apple phytochemicals. While extensive research exists, a literature review of the health benefits of apples and their phytochemicals has not been compiled to summarize this work. The purpose of this paper is to review the most recent literature regarding the health benefits of apples and their phytochemicals, phytochemical bioavailability and antioxidant behavior, and the effects of variety, ripening, storage and processing on apple phytochemicals.
Achievements in Solid State Physics and Density Functional Theory

It is a great privilege and a high honor to present the fourth Feenberg Memorial Medal on the first day of this International Conference on Recent Progress in Many-Body Theories. The Medal was established to commemorate the outstanding contributions made by Eugene Feenberg to the advancement of many-body theories based on first principles, as well as his intellectual leadership of our discipline.
Bitter melon juice activates cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase causing apoptotic death of human pancreatic carcinoma cells

Prognosis of pancreatic cancer is extremely poor, suggesting critical needs for additional drugs to improve disease outcome. In this study, we examined efficacy and associated mechanism of a novel agent bitter melon juice (BMJ) against pancreatic carcinoma cells both in culture and nude mice. BMJ anticancer efficacy was analyzed in human pancreatic carcinoma BxPC-3, MiaPaCa-2, AsPC-1 and Capan-2 cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide, cell death enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and annexin/propidium iodide assays. BMJ effect on apoptosis regulators was assessed by immunoblotting. In vivo BMJ efficacy was evaluated against MiaPaCa-2 tumors in nude mice, and xenograft was analyzed for biomarkers by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results showed that BMJ (2-5% v/v) decreases cell viability in all four pancreatic carcinoma cell lines by inducing strong apoptotic death. At molecular level, BMJ caused caspases activation, altered expression of Bcl-2 family members and cytochrome-c release into the cytosol. Additionally, BMJ decreased survivin and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein but increased p21, CHOP and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and p38) levels. Importantly, BMJ activated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a biomarker for cellular energy status, and an AMPK inhibitor (Compound C) reversed BMJ-induced caspase-3 activation suggesting activated AMPK involvement in BMJ-induced apoptosis. In vivo, oral administration of lyophilized BMJ (5mg in 100 µl water/day/mouse) for 6 weeks inhibited MiaPaCa-2 tumor xenograft growth by 60% (P < 0.01) without noticeable toxicity in nude mice. IHC analyses of MiaPaCa-2 xenografts showed that BMJ also inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and activates AMPK in vivo. Overall, BMJ exerts strong anticancer efficacy against human pancreatic carcinoma cells, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting its clinical usefulness.
Psychosocial problems during child health supervision visits: eliciting, then what?

An explicit goal of child health supervision visits is to gather information and provide guidance about the psychosocial problems of children and families. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which parents had opportunities to express psychosocial concerns and the nature of physicians9 responses to these concerns during health supervision visits. The authors analyzed videotapes of child health supervision visits by 34 children aged 5-12 years to 34 pediatric and family medicine residents. Coding systems with acceptable interobserver reliability were developed to assess (1) the nature of opportunities provided to express concerns, (2) categories of psychosocial problems expressed by parents and children, and (3) the nature of physicians9 responses. In 88% of the child health supervision visits, opportunities were created by the physician to discuss psychosocial concerns or were spontaneously raised by the parent or child. In half of the visits, parents or children expressed a total of 30 psychosocial concerns. Psychosocial problems raised included conduct/behavior problems (47%), insecurity (13%), family, sibling, or social problems (13%), learning difficulties (10%), somatization (7%), and other (10%). Physicians9 responses to these psychosocial concerns were as follows: 17% ignored the concern; 43% asked further exploratory questions but provided no information, reassurance, or guidance; 3% reassured the parent; 27% responded with psychosocial information and/or action; 3% responded with medical information and/or action; and 7% responded with a combination of these latter two modes of actions. Pediatric residents were more likely to respond to more disruptive behavioral concerns (r = .60, P < .05). This study has documented that parents and children are given and take the opportunity to express psychosocial concerns to their physicians. Unfortunately, in only 40% of cases did physicians respond with information, reassurance, guidance, or referral. This study suggests the importance of further efforts focusing on the ability of physicians to respond effectively to patients9 psychosocial concerns.
Should physicians screen for mild thyroid failure

To the Editor. —In their analysis of thyroid screening, Mr Danese and colleagues 1 point out that most of the net benefit comes from minimizing the sequelae of mild thyroid failure and clinically overt hypothyroidism. Since these conditions are rarely fatal, the value of thyroid screening is thus largely attributable to quality-of-life improvements. In a Markov model (as used by the authors), the quality-of-life effect of an adverse clinical condition is a function of the quality-adjustment factor (utility) and the time patients spend in the state. Thirty percent of the net benefit of thyroid screening (for women) was the result of reducing the symptoms associated with the health state "mild thyroid failure"—patients with an elevated thyrotropin (TSH), but no sign of overt hypothyroidism. This state was given a utility of 0.90, similar to that assigned to patients with severe back pain, ulcer disease, or angina. The authors either have assigned
Obfuscated Malicious Executable Scanner

The proliferation of malware (viruses, Trojans, and other malicious code) in recent years has presented a serious threat to individual users, enterprises, and organizations alike. Current static scanning techniques for malware detection have serious limitations; on the other hand, sandbox testing fails to provide a complete satisfactory solution either due to time constraints (e.g., time bombs cannot be detected before its preset time expires). What is making the situation worse is the ease of producing polymorphic (or variants of) computer viruses that are even more complex and difficult than their original versions to detect. In this paper, we propose a new approach for detecting polymorphic malware in the Windows platform. Our approach rests on an analysis based on the Windows API calling sequence that reflects the behaviour of a particular piece of code. The analysis is carried out directly on the PE (portable executable) code. It is achieved in two basic steps: construct the API calling sequences for both the known virus and the suspicious code, and then perform a similarity measurement between the two sequences after a sequence realignment operation is done. An alternative technique based on comparing the bags of API calls, and the technique’s performance, are also studied. Favourable (in terms of time and accuracy of detection) experimental results are obtained and presented.
O-018 long-term angiographic results of endovascularly “cured” intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulae

Object Dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVF) are complex lesions consisting of abnormal connections between meningeal arteries and dural venous sinuses and/or cerebral veins. The goal of treatment is surgical or endovascular complete occlusion of the fistula, fistulous nidus or atleast the discussion of the feeding vessels and the draining veins that should result in occlusion of the fistula. Delayed angiographic data on previously embolized dural fistulas is lacking. We report our experience and long-term angiographic results with embolization of intracranial DAVF using Onyx. Methods All cases of dural arteriovenous fistula treated primarily with Onyx at our institution from 2006–2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, fistula characteristics, embolization details, and angiographic follow-up were analyzed. Results Fifty-eight patients with DAVFs were treated at our institution from 2006–2013. Twenty-two patients were treated with open surgery with or without prior embolization. Thirty-six were treated with embolization alone of which 26 underwent an attempt at curative embolization and they are the subject of this review. All but two patients were treated in a single session. Angiographic “cure” was achieved in all cases following treatment. The mean angiographic follow-up was 14 months (range 2–39 months). Asymptomatic angiographic recurrence of the fistula was evident in 3 patients (15%). On reviewing the procedural angiograms of the cases that recurred, it was observed that the Onyx cast did not reach the venous portion in one case whereas it reached the vein in the other two cases. Conclusion Recurrence following initial angiographic “cure” of DAVF is not uncommon. Incomplete penetration of the embolic material into the proximal portion of the venous outlet may lead to delayed recurrence. Long-term angiographic follow-up is highly recommended. Disclosures M. Elhammady: None. S. Ambekar: None. B. Gaynor: None. E. Peterson: None.
Heterogeneous Integration of a 300mm Silicon Photonics-CMOS Wafer Stack by Direct Oxide Bonding and Via-last 3D Interconnection

A fully functional Si photonics and 65-nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) heterogeneous three-dimensional (3-D) integration is demonstrated for the first time in a 300-mm production environment. Direct oxide wafer bonding was developed to eliminate voids between silicon on insulator photonics and bulk Si CMOS wafers. A via-last, Cu through-oxide via 3-D integration was developed for low capacitance electrical connections with no impact on the CMOS performance. The 3-D yield approaching 100% was demonstrated on >20,000 via chains.
Measuring Damages for Injury to Personal Property

This article describes the various ways that damages for injury to personal property are measured under Michigan law. Such injuries include wrongful taking, detention, damage, and destruction.
Human Rights in a Climate Changed World: The Impact of COP21, Nationally Determined Contributions, and National Courts

This Article chronicles the growing acknowledgment of climate change’s impacts on human rights and how it affected the COP21 negotiations. It puts this human rights advocacy campaign into the broader context of the new agreement's architecture at the heart of the negotiations. The Article then describes six national cases brought to date, and analyzes how they use international climate change norms when making domestic law claims. Finally, it concludes with several observations about how the Paris Agreement’s nationally determined contributions may ultimately lead to greater treaty compliance via nationally determined enforcement. This method can complement the facilitative international compliance mechanisms inscribed in the new agreement while closing the accountability gap. In doing so, it also puts into practice the aspirational human rights language in the Paris Agreement preamble.
Flow Measurement Techniques for Hydraulic Dredges

Hydraulic dredges are being equipped with metering systems that furnish direct readout of spoil velocity, density, and solids flow rate. The latter is time-integrated to produce a continuous cumulative number display that is proportional to total solids transported in the pipeline. Two types of systems have been developed; one uses all-pneumatic instrumentation, the other uses all electric instrumentation. First cost of the electric system is approximately four times that of the pneumatic. The electric is more complex and generally beyond the maintenance capabilities of dredge personnel. However, it is somewhat more trouble-free and a little faster in response. The pneumatic systems use instruments that sense differential pressures at purge taps in the pipeline and deliver pneumatic signals in the ISA standard 3 psi to 15 psi signal band. The electric system uses especially built large magnetic flow meters to produce a velocity signal and a radioactive density gage (gamma ray source). Pneumatic and electric computation is used in the respective systems.
Limiting the Spread of Misinformation While Effectively Raising Awareness in Social Networks

In this paper, we study the Misinformation Containment (MC) problem. In particular, taking into account the faster development of misinformation detection techniques, we mainly focus on the limiting the misinformation with known sources case. We prove that under the Competitive Activation Model, the MC problem is NP-hard and show that it cannot be approximated in polynomial time within a ratio of \({e}/(e-1)\) unless \(NP \subseteq DTIME (n^{O(\log \log n)})\). Due to its hardness, we propose an effective algorithm, exploiting the critical nodes and using the greedy approach as well as applying the CELF heuristic to achieve the goal. Comprehensive experiments on real social networks are conducted, and results show that our algorithm can effectively expand the awareness of correct information as well as limit the spread of misinformation.
Physically-motivated force fields from symmetry-adapted perturbation theory.

We present a general methodology for generating accurate and transferable ab initio force fields, employing the framework of symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). The resulting force fields are “physically-motivated” in that they contain separate, explicit terms to account for the various fundamental intermolecular interactions, such as exchange, electrostatics, induction, and dispersion, with each term parametrized to a corresponding term in the SAPT energy decomposition. Crucially, the resulting force fields are largely compatible with existing, standard simulation packages, requiring only minimal modifications. We present several novel parametrization techniques that yield robust, physically meaningful atomic parameters that are transferable between molecular environments. We demonstrate the accuracy and generality of our method by validating against experimental second virial coefficients for a variety of small molecules. We then show that the resulting atomic parameters can be combined using p...
The carbon dioxide and oxygen content of the blood after ligation of the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava

Respiration experiments on normal and depancreatized anaesthetized animals after ligation of the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava1 and on normal animals after exclusion of the liver by joining the portal vein to the inferior vena cava2 show an increase in the respiratory quotient, which is interpreted by the v. Noorden school to demonstrate the combustion of sugar in the depancreatized animal and the dependence of the normal animal upon the liver for its ability to burn protein and fat. These experiments, however, were not accompanied by analyses of the blood gases. It is possible that the higher respiratory quotient after shortening of the circulating stream might be due to an interference with the oxygen absorption (passive congestion of the lungs) or to increased elimination of carbon dioxide by more rapid circulation of the blood through the lungs.Preliminary to some respiration experiments on depancreatized dogs in which we are seeking the explanation of the altered respiratory quotient, we...
Technology and Classroom Practices

AbstractThis study examines the findings from 174 case studies of innovative pedagogical practices using technology from 28 participating countries. The study looks at how classrooms world-wide are using technology to change the practices of teachers and students. Within many of these classrooms, the use of technological tools and resources supports students as they search for information, design products, and publish results. Teachers create structure, provide advice, and monitor progress. Beyond these commonly exhibited practices, the study identifies specific patterns of classroom practice that are more likely to be associated with reports of certain desirable student outcomes. Examples are provided.
The Impact of Courts of Appeals on Substantive and Procedural Success in the Federal District Courts

While scholars have tested for the presence of powerful hierarchical constraints and effectiveness within the federal judicial branch, this scholarship has been restricted, largely due to data limitations, to federal appellate courts. Utilizing an original database of cases terminated in 29 federal district courts from 2000 to 2004, I assess the impact that courts of appeals have on district court decision making after a case is appealed to the circuit court and then returned to the district court on remand. I argue and find that appellate courts impact district courts, both in terms of the parties that win and the disposition methods that take place. In particular, the specificity of appellate court directions given to district courts are an important determinant of impact, as is the appellate court decision to publish the opinion remanding the case to the district court. These findings have vast implications, including for hierarchical control in the judiciary, appellate court bargaining, and perceptions of judicial legitimacy. At the same time, they also present a more nuanced theoretical picture of judicial impact.
Studies on agronomic traits of introgression populations of South-China indica rice Feng-ai-zhan No.1 by backcross

Two sets of introgression populations of South-China indica rice Feng-ai-zhan No.1 by backcross were grown by upland cultivation and normal lowland cultivation and its' agronomic traits were studies.ANOVA showed that all traits of two sets of introgression populations were different significantly.The distribution of the yields of two sets of introgression populations was diffusive.There were some lines of which yields were higher than Feng-ai-zhan No.1 and some other lines of which yields were lower than donor parent.The coefficient of variation of yield was highest and the coefficient of plant height was lowest.Seed setting ratios of two sets of introgression populations by upland cultivation were significantly higher than those by normal lowland cultivation.While the other traits by upland cultivation were significantly lower than those by normal lowland cultivation.Correlation analyses showed that yields of introgression population derived from Khazar by upland cultivation were significantly correlated to those by normal lowland cultivation.But yields of introgression population derived from IR58025B by upland cultivation were significantly correlated to those by normal lowland cultivation.this suggested that IR58025B carried more or more effect genes or QTLs for drought tolerance.
Production of interferon gamma by lymphocytes exposed to antibody-coated spermatozoa: a mechanism for sperm antibody production in females.

The ability of sperm to induce lymphocytes from female donors to produce interferon gamma (IFN)' was measured. Of nine samples where immunoglobulin was bound to ejaculated motile sperm, five (55.6%) induced IFN production. In contrast, only 1 of 35 (2.9%) sperm samples lacking bound immunoglobulins induced IFN ( P
Some Demographic Trends in Atlantic Canada: Potential Consquences and Policy Response

The population growth rate in Atlantic Canada has been in continuous decline for most of the post-World War II period, the most drastic taking place after the 1970s. Net out-migration from the region has been a permanent factor in this decline. This means that to maintain some population growth, the region has relied solely on natural increase (births minus deaths). However, this component of population growth has also declined continuously, falling below even the out-migration rate in the new millennium, thereby causing the population growth rate to become negative in the first half of the last decade. During 2006–2010, the population growth rate rose but remained very close to zero (i.e., an increase of only about 14,350 in the region) because of a lower net out-migration rate than occurred at the beginning of the century and one observed largely due to an increase in international immigration during this period. Chart 1 shows the trends in components of population growth. Open image in new window Chart 1 Components of population growth rates in Atlantic Canada in the post-World War II period. Source and notes Table A2. A negative growth rate means population declined during that period
Interacting Particles, I: Classical and Quantum Clustering

For all the various models considered up to this point the basic interactions between and among the constituent particles were essentially ignored, and for good reasons. First of all, the resulting simplification in the many-body problem permitted a detailed explication of the major physical features of these systems, and led to the development of some powerful mathematical techniques which will always be useful. Secondly, the resulting physical descriptions in terms of free-particle models are often quite viable in themselves and provide significant insight into the systems and processes they model. This latter situation arises because the particle-particle interactions are actually irrelevant to those macroscopic properties we choose to measure in these cases.
A Critical Appraisal of Engelhardt on the “Enlightenment Project”

This chapter provides a critical appraisal of Engelhardt’s conception of “the Enlightenment project” as a quest for certainty in bioethics. The chapter begins with an elaboration of the elements of this conception and its purported sole alternative in morality, nihilism. The critical appraisal begins with an account of a competitor Enlightenment project. There was no single Enlightenment, as Engelhardt apparently assumes, but multiple national Enlightenments. This is both historically and philosophically important; the Scottish and English Enlightenments, it turns out, provide an alternative Enlightenment project, in which reason does not play the dominant role. The result is, not a quest for certainty in morality, but a quest for reliability. There is, historically and philosophically, a third alternative to the quest for certainty in bioethics; namely, the quest for reliability in bioethics. The chapter then shows how, in a very important sense, Engelhardt’s bioethics can be read as itself very much an Enlightenment project. The Foundations, it turns out, are deeply in philosophical debt, methodologically, to the German Enlightenment and its conception of Reason. The chapter closes with an account of the attraction of a bioethics of reliability for the ethics of the health care professions and for health policy.
Intraventricular Hemorrhage in the Premature Infant

Despite marked improvements in perinatal care, the smallest premature infant remains at high risk for the development of intraventricular hemorrhage. The pathogenesis of the hemorrhage includes vulnerable poorly supported capillary beds within the germinal matrix, with the propensity for rupture of these vessels under conditions where there are perturbations in systemic blood/venous pressures that maybe reflected in the cerebral circulation, particularly with a pressure passive state. Blood filling the ventricles, particularly when followed by hydrocephalus, and/or associated involvement of the periventricular white matter markedly increases the risk for neurologic deficits. The extent of hemorrhage can be minimized if the mother receives a course of antenatal steroids shortly prior to delivery, in the postnatal period with the early administration of indomethacin and by avoiding vascular perturbations. The management of post hemorrhagic hydrocephalus will depend on the size of the infant, the amount of blood in the ventricles and the intracranial pressure.
Building trust and rapport early in the new doctor-patient relationship: a longitudinal qualitative study

New patients are a particularly vulnerable population because they are at high risk of missing a subsequent visit or dropping out of care completely. However, few data exist on what new patients value in the beginning of a relationship with a new provider. Persons with HIV infection may be an ideal population to study the drivers of a positive initial patient-provider relationship, as it is a chronic and serious condition that requires a reliable, ongoing relationship with a provider. Informed by patients’ real experiences, this study aims to identify what patients see as the most critical elements for building trust and rapport from the outset. We conducted longitudinal, in-person interviews with 21 patients new to the HIV clinic at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas, from August 2013 to March 2015. Patients were interviewed across three time points: once before their first provider visit, a second time within two weeks after the first visit, and a third time at 6 to 12 months after the first provider visit. We conducted 61 h of patient interviews. The mean age was 53 years; 52% were non-Hispanic white, 23% were non-Hispanic black and 19% were Hispanic. Patients described significant anxiety and vulnerability not just from HIV itself, but also in starting a relationship as a new patient to a new provider. Our analysis of these experiences revealed five actions providers can take to reduce their patients’ anxiety and build trust early in the first visit: 1) provide reassurance to patients, 2) tell patients it’s okay to ask questions, 3) show patients their lab results and explain what they mean, 4) avoid language and behaviors that are judgmental of patients, and 5) ask patients what they want [i.e., treatment goals and preferences]. Our study incorporates direct input from patients and highlights the unique psychological challenges that patients face in seeking care from a new provider. The actionable opportunities cited by patients have the potential to mitigate patients’ feelings of anxiety and vulnerability, and thereby improve their overall health care experience.
High throughput selection of antibiotic-resistant transgenic Arabidopsis plants

Kanamycin resistance is the most frequently used antibiotic-resistance marker for Arabidopsis transformations, however, this method frequently causes escape of untransformed plants, particularly at the high seedling density during the selection. Here we developed a robust high-density selection method using top agar for Arabidopsis thaliana. Top agar effectively suppressed growth of untransformed wild-type plants on selection media at high density. Survival of the transformed plants during the selection were confirmed by production of green true leaves and expression of a firefly luciferase reporter gene. Top agar method allowed selection using a large amount of seeds in Arabidopsis transformation.
Family, friend, and media factors are associated with patterns of weight control behavior among adolescent girls

To examine the relationship of family, friend, and media factors on weight-control group membership at 15 years separately and in a combined model. Subjects included 166 15 year girls. Latent class analysis identified four patterns of weight-control behaviors: non-dieters, lifestyle, dieters, and extreme dieters. Family (family functioning, priority of the family meals, maternal/paternal weight-teasing, and mother’s/father’s dieting), friend (weight-teasing and dieting), and media variables (media sensitivity and weekly TV time) were included as predictors of weight-control group membership. Family functioning and priority of family meals predicted membership in the Extreme Dieters group, and maternal weight-teasing predicted membership in both dieters and extreme dieters. Friend’s dieting and weight-teasing predicted membership in both dieters and extreme dieters. Media sensitivity was significantly associated with membership in lifestyle, dieters, and extreme dieters. In a combined influence model with family, friend, and media factors included, the following remained significantly associated with weight-control group membership: family functioning, friends’ dieting, and media sensitivity. Family, friends, and the media are three sources of sociocultural influence, which play a role in adolescent girls’ use of patterns of weight-control behaviors; family functioning was a protective factor, whereas friend’s dieting and media sensitivity were risk factors. These findings emphasize the need for multidimensional interventions, addressing risk factors for dieting and use of unhealthy weight-control behaviors at the family, peer, and community (e.g., media) levels.
Incremental Revisions across the Life Span of Ophthalmic Devices after Initial Food and Drug Administration Premarket Approval, 1979–2015

Purpose To characterize the frequency, nature, and regulatory mechanisms by which ophthalmic devices are iteratively modified after initial Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Premarket Approval (PMA). Design Retrospective cross-sectional analysis using publicly available FDA data. Participants Ophthalmic devices initially approved via the FDA's PMA pathway between January 1, 1979 and December 31, 2015. Methods We used the FDA's PMA Database to identify and characterize initial approvals and subsequent postmarket modifications to Class III ophthalmic devices. The FDA Recalls Database was used to identify associated safety events. Main Outcome Measures Median iterated life span (timespan across which modifications occurred after initial PMA) and median number of supplements approved per device, by device type, and overall, stratified by regulatory pathway and modification type. Results Between 1979 and 2015, the FDA approved 168 original ophthalmic devices via the PMA pathway and 2813 subsequent modifications. More than one third (n = 64; 38%) of original approvals were intraocular lenses. Overall, devices underwent a median of 11 postmarket modifications (interquartile range [IQR], 3–24.8) across a median 10.0-year iterated life span (IQR, 4.1–16.7). The majority of devices (n = 144; 86%) underwent more than 1 postapproval modification, including more than 1 design modification (n = 84; 50%). The median number of changes altering device design or labeling was 3.5 (IQR, 1–9). Although manufacturing alterations (n = 834 of 2813; 30%) were the most frequent type of revision, changes involving device design (n = 667; 24%) and labeling (n = 417; 15%) were common. Recalled devices underwent more frequent postapproval modifications per year (median, 1.4; IQR, 0.7–2.3; mean, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–1.9) in the period preceding recall than did nonrecalled devices (median, 0.5; IQR, 0.2–1.1; mean, 0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.7–1.0) across their market approval period ( P Conclusions Most ophthalmic devices approved via the FDA's PMA pathway have undergone extensive revisions, including serial design and labeling changes, since their initial approvals, often without supporting clinical data. Ophthalmologists should take into consideration that cumulative revisions may render the clinical evidence that supported an original FDA approval less relevant to newer device models.
Abstract TP77: Race/Ethnic Disparity Trends in tPA Administration in the United States

Introduction: Prior studies have shown racial disparities in tPA use for acute ischemic stroke. With the implementation of nationwide quality improvement measures, we sought to describe the temporal change in racial disparity in tPA administration. Hypothesis: Disparity in tPA administration improved across all racial groups in the past decade Methods: Data were obtained from all US states that contributed to the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. All patients (N=5,932,175) admitted to hospitals between 2000 and 2010 with a discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD9 codes) were included. Primary analysis was the proportion of patients who received tPA administration stratified by race (white, black, Hispanic, Asian) temporally. Survey-weighted Poisson regression was used to estimate the rate ratio and compare the trend for yearly change between race categories. Results: Of the patients with ischemic stroke, 55.4% were white, black 11.89%, Hispanic 5.32%, Asian 1.89%, others 1.77%, missing race 23.31%. tPA administration rate increased from 2000 to 2010 regardless of race. In 2000, tPA administration rate was 0.96%, 0.40%, 0.73%, 0.59% in white, black, Hispanic, Asian, respectively. In 2010, tPA administration rate was 4.0%, 2.14%, 2.09%, 2.13% respectively. The relative change was the greatest in black with rate ratio of 6.7 (5.95-7.54), compared to other racial groups, Asian 5.36 (4.23-6.78), Hispanic 3.93 (3.42-4.51), and white 3.88 (3.74-4.03). Conclusions: Over the last decade, the rate of tPA administration for acute ischemic stroke in the United States have increased for every racial group. There is a lasting but improved disparity in tPA administration in non-white race. Targeted interventions designed to increase treatment and close disparity gap focusing on culturally tailored education and communications to address barriers need to be further explored.
Online Appointment-Scheduling for Optimizing a High Volume of Research Consultations

Librarians at Penn State University piloted the online appointment-scheduling tool YouCanBook.me to determine its effectiveness in facilitating a high number of research consultations and improving an embedded service model. Librarians sought to leverage the tool to work with as many students as possible while balancing other duties. This article details using YouCanBook.me for this specific application, provides data and evaluation of the pilot, and explores possibilities for scaling usage of this scheduling tool in other library settings, both large and small.
Skin microbiota–host interactions

The skin is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that is inhabited by bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. These microbes—collectively referred to as the skin microbiota—are fundamental to skin physiology and immunity. Interactions between skin microbes and the host can fall anywhere along the continuum between mutualism and pathogenicity. In this Review, we highlight how host–microbe interactions depend heavily on context, including the state of immune activation, host genetic predisposition, barrier status, microbe localization, and microbe–microbe interactions. We focus on how context shapes the complex dialogue between skin microbes and the host, and the consequences of this dialogue for health and disease.