cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Castañeda’s Theory Of Morality

My aim in this paper is to discuss the theory of morality that appears as Chapter 8 of CastaŇeda’s Structure of Morality.Though CastaŇeda’s theory is set forth in only twenty-seven pages of text, it is one of the most intricate theories of morality to have appeared in recent years and also, to my mind, one of the most interesting. Since CastaŇeda’s exposition is both complicated and highly condensed, it is difficult to understand even on second or third reading — the reason, no doubt, why his theory has provoked little response from other writers on morality. In what follows I shall try to explain the main points of Castaiieda’s theory, place some of those points in historical perspective, and then offer some critical remarks
When to replace legacy cochlear implants for technological upgrades: Indications and outcomes.

Objective To determine indications, surgical efficacy, and audiologic outcomes of replacing Advanced Bionics Clarion C1.2 internal devices (Advanced Bionics, LLC, Valencia, CA) as a means of technology upgrade. Study design Retrospective review, case series. Methods Ten patients were initially implanted as a child (mean age = 3.87 years) and underwent cochlear implant reimplantation (CIR) with current Advanced Bionics internal device as a young adult (mean duration of implant use = 15.66 years). Demographic data and pre- and post-CIR speech perception scores were collected. Results Technology upgrade was the primary (9) or secondary (1) motivation for CIR. No surgical complications were noted, and full insertion was obtained in nine cases. Intraoperative impedance levels and neural response imaging measures were within normal limits for eight patients. At most recent post-CIR follow-up evaluation, all patients (100%) performed within or better than the 95% confidence interval of their pre-CIR word and sentence recognition scores; and 55.6%, 50.0%, and 50.0% of patients performed above the 95% confidence interval of their pre-CIR scores for the CNC words, sentences in quiet, and sentences in noise, respectively. Conclusion Post-CIR audiological benefit was stable or improved compared to pre-CIR results in all categories by 3 months after reactivation. Given these results, patients who are unable to use the most current external processors due to incompatibility with a legacy internal device could consider reimplanation to optimize their overall performance with a cochlear implant. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 129:748-753, 2019.
Parental Rejection and Mental Health Problems in College Students: Mediating Role of Interpersonal Difficulties

College students are said to have an increasing trend of mental health problems that lead to various negative academic, personal and social outcomes. The current study aimed to determine the mediating role of interpersonal difficulties between parental rejection and mental health problems of college students. A total of 321 college students selected through purposive sampling aged 15to 20 years provided self-report data on EMBU-A (Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der Veen, and Emmelkamp, 1991), Urdu version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS; Aslam, 2007) and Interpersonal Difficulties Scale (IDS; Saleem, Ihsan, and Mahmood, 2014). Pearson Correlation was used to ensure that parental rejection, mental health problems and interpersonal difficulties are related. Results of path analysis revealed that parental rejection has an indirect effect on mental health through interpersonal difficulties. Implications for counselling services are discussed.
Comet Bowell 1980b

Optical filter photometry, and optical and ultraviolet spectrophotometry data collected between November 1980 and June 1982 of Comet Bowell are presented. It was determined that Comet Bowell began producing significant amounts of OH, though not other species, before perihelion at a heliocentric distance near 4.6 AU. As the comet approached perihelion at 3.4 AU, OH production decreased and CN and C2 species were detected at normal concentrations. An outburst in April 1982 was dominated by OH. The grains in 1982 near perihelion showed increases in albedo between 3150 and 4500 A and 1.2 and 1.6 microns. The presence of two grains populations was suggested, together with the conclusion that Comet Bowell was physically a typical new comet entering the inner solar system from the Oort cloud for the first time.
Licensure and Certification

Attainment and maintenance of clinical competency for practicing anesthesiologists is in the interest of both the profession of anesthesiology and the society served by it. While anesthesiologists have long served as leaders in the use of simulation in graduate and professional education, licensing and credentialing bodies are increasingly identifying simulation technology as a means of assessing performance or competency attainment prior to certification (Banerjee Int Anesthesiol Clin 53:42, 2015). Medical students, residents, and practicing physicians are encountering simulation-based assessments as they seek to demonstrate competencies defined by the licensing and certifying bodies charged with ensuring professional standards. Simulation allows for the creation of repeatable, realistic clinical scenarios through which trainees’ aptitude can be measured as they are provided with an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a clinical setting. Furthermore, performance in otherwise difficult-to-measure, nontechnical skills such as communication and professionalism can be measured through a variety of simulation-based testing strategies. Anesthesiologists in both the United States and abroad have been at the fore in creating innovative simulation-based assessment tools in order to advance the goal of patient safety through ensuring practitioner proficiency.
Participation in a workplace smoking cessation program incentivized by lowering the cost of health care coverage: Findings from the LLUH BREATHE cohort

Introduction Systematic analyses of workplace smoking cessation programs indicate that efficacy can be enhanced by using incentives. There is variation in the type of incentives used and their effect on participation and efficacy. The aim of our study was to examine whether lowering employee health plan costs (employee contributions, co-pays) encourage employee smokers to participate in workplace smoking cessation. Methods We conducted a 2014-2015 prospective cohort study of 415 employee smokers of Loma Linda University Health (LLUH). The employees were offered participation in a workplace smoking cessation program (LLUH BREATHE Initiative) with the incentive of enrollment in an employer-provided health plan that had a 50% lower employee monthly contribution and co-payment relative to the employer-provided health plan for non-participants. Participation rates and variables associated with participation were analyzed. Results In the LLUH BREATHE cohort, we found a very high rate of participation (72.7%; 95% CI: 69-77%) in workplace smoking cessation that was encouraged by a lower out-of-pocket health plan cost for the participating employee and/or spouse. Participation did, however, vary by gender and spouse, whereby female employee households with a qualifying smoker were more than two times more likely (employee: OR=2.89, 95% CI: 1.59-5.24; or spouse: OR=2.71, 95% CI: 1.47-5.00) to participate in smoking cessation than male employee households. The point prevalence, at four months, of abstinence from smoking among the participants was 48% (95% CI: 42-54%). Conclusions Our findings indicate that a workplace smoking cessation program that uses a novel reward-based incentive of lower out-of-pocket health plan costs results in a participation rate that is much higher than US norms.
A Taxometric Analysis of Experiential Avoidance.

Abstract Experiential avoidance, a trait-like construct referring to the tendency to rigidly avoid or change unpleasant internal experiences stemming from an unwillingness to experience them, is believed to contribute to the development and maintenance of various forms of psychopathology. Despite significant research on this construct, it remains unclear whether experiential avoidance is dimensional or categorical at the latent level. The current study examined the latent structure of experiential avoidance using three taxometric analytic approaches (MAXimum Eigenvalue, Mean Above Minus Below A Curve, Latent-Mode Factor Analysis) applied to data from two independent samples and using three widely used measures of experiential avoidance. The first sample (n = 922) completed the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (Gamez, Chmielewski, Kotov, Ruggero, & Watson, 2011), while the second sample (n = 615) completed the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (Gamez et al., 2014) and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (Bond et al., 2011). Across both samples and all three measures, experiential avoidance exhibited a dimensional structure. The clinical and research implications of this finding for experiential avoidance are discussed.
A new CRISPR mediated intestinal tumor mouse model targeting four canonical tumor suppressor genes.

e16064Background: Mouse models of intestinal tumorigenesis have been developed and many of them involve mutations in the Apc gene. However, human intestinal tumors contain multiple additional spora...
Degrees of Information Relevance in Situation Assessment

Information overload is a big challenge that the decision makers need to overcome while assessing and sharing information about the situations they are dealing with. In our previous papers, we developed an information relevance reasoning method to support the human decision makers to identify the relevant information that needs to be processed. However, the amount of the relevant information identified by this method still may grow fast when large volumes of information are continuously added to the knowledge base. The collected information selected by this method would include redundant facts, which are relevant to a situation, but not necessary for understanding the situation. In order to identify only the information that is necessary for characterizing a specific situation, we need to refine the definition of relevant information. In this paper, we first extend the conceptual framework for the identification of information relevance developed in our previous papers by considering degrees of relevance. Based on the definition of weak relevance and strong relevance, we develop relevant information simplification algorithms to remove the redundant facts from the weakly relevant facts. We evaluate our method in a medical cyber security scenario. The results show that our relevant information simplification method reduces the size of the information for characterizing a specific situation and the amount of time that is needed to infer answers to queries related to the situation. We also verify that by removing the redundant relevant information we can get the same answers to the queries as if using the whole knowledge base.
House Prices and Rents

Monthly cross-section regressions show that price-to-rent ratios and lagged growth rates of house prices for eleven U.S. metro areas predict variation in the cross-section of rent growth rates. Details of the interplay between house prices and rents pose open questions. What generates the 1998-2012 boom and bust in house prices relative to rents and the subsequent 2012-2020 surge in prices and rents? Why are similar wide swings in house prices relative to rents absent for at least 45 years prior to 1998? General patterns in house prices and rents are shared by many metropolitan areas, but there are large differences of degree, and some areas pass entirely on the boom and bust in 1998-2012 house prices. What explains this diversity?
Effects of maize (Zea mays) genotypes and microbial sources in shaping fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) gut bacterial communities

Plants can have fundamental roles in shaping bacterial communities associated with insect herbivores. For larval lepidopterans (caterpillars), diet has been shown to be a driving force shaping gut microbial communities, where the gut microbiome of insects feeding on different plant species and genotypes can vary in composition and diversity. In this study, we aimed to better understand the roles of plant genotypes, sources of microbiota, and the host gut environment in structuring bacterial communities. We used multiple maize genotypes and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) larvae as models to parse these drivers. We performed a series of experiments using axenic larvae that received a mixed microbial community prepared from frass from larvae that consumed field-grown maize. The new larval recipients were then provided different maize genotypes that were gamma-irradiated to minimize bacteria coming from the plant during feeding. For field-collected maize, there were no differences in community structure, but we did observe differences in gut community membership. In the controlled experiment, the microbial inoculation source, plant genotype, and their interactions impacted the membership and structure of gut bacterial communities. Compared to axenic larvae, fall armyworm larvae that received frass inoculum experienced reduced growth. Our results document the role of microbial sources and plant genotypes in contributing to variation in gut bacterial communities in herbivorous larvae. While more research is needed to shed light on the mechanisms driving this variation, these results provide a method for incorporating greater gut bacterial community complexity into laboratory-reared larvae.
Introversion buffers pandemic-related increases in chronic pain impact

The COVID-19 pandemic social distancing mandates have increased levels of social isolation, a change which appears to have impacted some chronic pain patients more than others. Previous research suggests that feelings of loneliness and sleep disturbance may importantly modulate pain. In the present study, we examined whether the personality trait of introversion served as a protective factor against worsening pain interference during conditions of social isolation, and whether this was related to differences in sleep disturbance and loneliness. Chronic pain patients in Massachusetts (n=150) completed electronic questionnaires 4-8 weeks after the state-wide social distancing mandate. Validated questionnaires included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Myers-Briggs introversion/extroversion subscale (1-10), UCLA Loneliness and PROMIS Sleep Disturbance short forms. Change scores were calculated by subtracting recalled scores from current scores. Linear regression was used to assess association between factors, and mediation analyses were used to assess the degree to which other factors mediated the relationship between introversion and change in pain interference. Introversion scores were inversely related to increased pain interference since social distancing (Rho=-0.194, p=0.017), such that patients with higher introversion scores showed little to no change in pain interference, compared to more extroverted patients. Higher introversion was also associated with lower increases in sleep disturbance (Rho=-0.163, p=0.046) and loneliness (Rho=-0.279, p=0.001) since social distancing. Multiple simple mediation analyses revealed that the relationship between introversion and change in pain interference was partially mediated by differential changes in sleep disturbance and loneliness. Chronic pain patients experience varying degrees of worsening of pain interference with social distancing, which may be partially explained by their degree of introversion/extroversion. In particular, more introverted patients appeared to be partially protected, experiencing less of an increase in loneliness and sleep disturbance and, in turn, less of an increase in pain interference. 5R35GM128691-02.
The Origins of Global Humanitarianism: Religion, Empires, and Advocacy

Whether lauded and encouraged or criticized and maligned, action in solidarity with culturally and geographically distant strangers has been an integral part of European modernity. Traversing the complex political landscape of early modern European empires, this book locates the historical origins of modern global humanitarianism in the recurrent conflict over the ethical treatment of non-Europeans that pitted religious reformers against secular imperial networks. Since the sixteenth-century beginnings of European expansion overseas and in marked opposition to the exploitative logic of predatory imperialism, these reformers - members of Catholic orders and, later, Quakers and other reformist Protestants - developed an ideology and a political practice in defense of the rights and interests of distant 'others'. They also increasingly made the question of imperial injustice relevant to growing 'domestic' publics in Europe. A distinctive institutional model of long-distance advocacy crystallized out of these persistent struggles, becoming the standard weapon of transnational activists.
Symptomatic Hydrocephalus: Initial Findings in Brainstem Gliomas Not Detected on Computed Tomographic Scans

In a retrospective review of 85 patients younger than 18 years of age with a diagnosis of brainstem glioma treated between 1974 and 1987, seven (8.3%) initially had hydrocephalus and no evidence of tumor on CT scans. Intrinsic brain tumors, six in the pons and one in the diencephalon, were discovered later, either on follow-up CT scans or on magnetic resonance images obtained despite persistently normal CT scan findings. The initial radiologic study of choice for children and adolescents with hydrocephalus should be magnetic resonance imaging, including axial and sagittal T1 and T2-weighted images. If a CT scan is obtained first and hydrocephalus but not tumor is found, magnetic resonance image should be obtained to rule out the possible presence of an intrinsic brainstem tumor. (Pediatrics 82: 733–737, 1988)
Deterministic Chaos in two State‐Variable Friction Sliders and the Effect of Elastic Interactions

It is demonstrated that a quasistatic slider model with two state-variable rate and state dependent friction shows chaotic dynamics in the deterministic sense. The irregular system behavior can be reduced to a one-dimensional, unimodal mapping which explains the existence of universal period doubling sequences in the stick-slip cycles en route to chaos. This property furthermore allows the approximate prediction of time intervals between sliding events. Lyapunov exponents and periodogram branches depend on the control parameter, the load point coupling, in a self-similar way. Thus, the single slider is a good example of low-dimensional chaos in a homogeneous system, possibly implying a microscopic source of irregularity for earthquakes in nature. However, the sliding patterns of interacting slider models are found to be dominated by perturbation wave phenomena. The wavelength of the asperities that are formed along a slider chain (fault) increases with the strength of the spring coupling between sliders. This could imply a regularizing effect of interactions, but instabilities prohibit the exploration of the full parameter range for coupled sliders without damping.
Instantons causing iterative decoding to cycle

It is speculated that the most probable channel noise realizations (instantons) that cause the iterative decoding of low-density parity-check codes to fail make the decoding not to converge. The Wiberg's formula is generalized for the case when the part of a computational tree that contributes to the output at its center is ambiguous. Two methods of finding the instantons for large number of iterations are presented and tested on Tanner's [155, 64, 20] code and Gaussian channel. The inherently dynamic instanton with effective distance of 11.475333 is found.
Ultraviolet observations of close binary stars

Far ultraviolet observation of three interacting binary stars (HR 2142, HR 7084, and lambda Tauri) made with the Copernicus satellite during 1978-79 are presented. All stars exhibit evidence of a gas stream and extensive mass outflow from the system. Physical parameters, derived for the gas stream in HR 2142, are essentially within the range predicted from theoretical calculations.
Dynamin and FtsZ. Missing links in mitochondrial and bacterial division.

FtsZ forms the cytoskeletal framework of the cytokinetic ring in bacteria, and appears to play the major role in constriction of the furrow at septation. Until recently, FtsZ had been found in every eubacterium and archaebacterium, and was thought to be the major and essential component of the
Inferring Causal History from Shape

The shape of an object often seems to tell us something about the object's history; that is, the processes of growth, pushing, stretching, resistance, indentation, and so on, that formed the object. A theory is offered here of how people are able to infer the causal history of natural objects such as clouds, tumors, embryos, leaves, geological formations, and the like. Two inference problems are examined: the first is the inference of causal history from a single shape. It is claimed that this inference consists of two simple and yet powerful rules, based upon the symmetry and curvature structure of the shapes. When these two rules are applied to a large collection of shapes, it is found that the resulting causal histories accord remarkably well with intuition. The second inference problem is the recovery of intervening causal history between two successive shapes that are known to be two stages in the development of the same object. This type of inference is manifested, for example, when a doctor compares two X-rays, taken a month apart, of the same tumor, and is able to conjecture the intervening growth. It is found that a grammar of only six operations is sufficient to generate the later shape from the earlier one via psychologically meaningful process-extrapolations. Finally, a basic heuristic by which human beings seem to infer complex temporal relations between different processes in the past is proposed, and investigated in detail.
Coprevalence of Anxiety and Depression With Spasmodic Dysphonia: A Case-Control Study

Summary Introduction There is evidence supporting an association between depression and anxiety in patients with chronic disease. Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a chronic, incurable, and disabling voice disorder. Reported rates of depression and anxiety in SD range from 7.1% to 72%, with a maximum number of 18 patients. The goal of this study was to define the coprevalence of depression and anxiety with SD. Materials and Methods A single-institution case-control study was performed from May to July 2010. Consecutive patients with SD and benign voice disorders were enrolled prospectively. On enrollment, patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire that reviewed the duration of the voice disorder and personal history of anxiety and depression, including current and lifetime diagnosis. Results One hundred forty-six controls with benign voice disorders and 128 patients with SD were enrolled. Patients with SD were no more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety than those of the control group (odds ratio [OR] = 0.985, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.59–1.63; and OR = 1.314; 95% CI = 0.75–2.3, respectively). Additionally, duration of disease was a risk factor for depression in both the SD group and the control group, and the association was not significantly different between groups. Conclusion Patients with SD were no more likely to have depression or anxiety than those with other voice disorders. It is important for otolaryngologists to be aware of the increased rates of depression in patients diagnosed with chronic diseases, including voice disorders, and to refer to a psychiatrist when appropriate.
Mars Exploration Rover mission

[1] In January 2004 the Mars Exploration Rover mission will land two rovers at two different landing sites that show possible evidence for past liquid-water activity. The spacecraft design is based on the Mars Pathfinder configuration for cruise and entry, descent, and landing. Each of the identical rovers is equipped with a science payload of two remote-sensing instruments that will view the surrounding terrain from the top of a mast, a robotic arm that can place three instruments and a rock abrasion tool on selected rock and soil samples, and several onboard magnets and calibration targets. Engineering sensors and components useful for science investigations include stereo navigation cameras, stereo hazard cameras in front and rear, wheel motors, wheel motor current and voltage, the wheels themselves for digging, gyros, accelerometers, and reference solar cell readings. Mission operations will allow commanding of the rover each Martian day, or sol, on the basis of the previous sol's data. Over a 90-sol mission lifetime, the rovers are expected to drive hundreds of meters while carrying out field geology investigations, exploration, and atmospheric characterization. The data products will be delivered to the Planetary Data System as integrated batch archives.
Growth kinetics and characterization of low pressure chemically vapor deposited Si3N4 films from (C4H9)2SiH2 and NH3

Abstract The use of the environmentally benign precursor ditertiarybutylsilane (DTBS) with NH 3 to synthesize silicon nitride films by low pressure chemical vapor deposition was investigated. In the temperature range 600 to 700 °C, the growth rate is observed to follow an Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy of 50 kcal mol −1 , while above 700 °C, the rate decreases with higher temperatures primarily due to the gas phase decomposition of DTBS. The growth rate varied linearly with total pressure over the investigated range of 0.2 to 0.65 Torr and with DTBS flow rate up to a value of 20 sccm in agreement with a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. A rapid decrease in growth rate was observed with higher NH 3 DTBS ratios due to a reduction in the partial pressure of DTBS and its enhanced competition with NH 3 for available surface sites. All deposits were found to be essentially stoichiometric and to contain ≈ 10 at% carbon. The films were found in all cases to be amorphous and highly tensile. At deposition temperatures below 750 °C, values of the refractive index were near those reported for Si 3 N 4 . FTIR spectra revealed the presence of hydrogen for even the highest investigated deposition temperature (900 °C). The hardness and Young's modulus of the films increased with higher deposition temperatures reaching values near 19 and 190 GPa, respectively, at 900 °C.
Productivity, nutrient and water-use efficiency of Eucalyptus saligna and Toona ciliata in Hawaii

Abstract We studied changes in productivity and resource use of the Australian hardwoods Eucalyptus saligna and Toona ciliata along a gradient in elevation (650–1300 m) and rainfall (annual mean from 2600 to 1200 mm per year) in the island of Hawaii. The stands were on either organic or volcanic ash soils developed on 1200–2400, and 13,000 year-old lava flows, respectively. Leaf area index (LAI) of E. saligna decreased, and leaf carbon isotope composition ( δ 13 C ) and specific leaf weight (SLW) increased with increasing elevation, suggesting structural (changes in stand leaf area), physiological (increased water use efficiency throughout stomatal closure) and leaf morphological adjustments to reduced water availability. The relatively high net primary aboveground productivity of E. saligna on young organic soils (15.8–23.7 Mg ha−1 per year) was possibly explained by high nitrogen productivity (NP=467 kg kg−1 per year in average). Stands of E. saligna both on shallow volcanic ash on smooth (pahoehoe) lava flows and on wet organic soils at low elevations had evidence of windfall episodes that reduced standing basal area up to 35%. Stand or leaf characteristics of T. ciliata did not significantly change along the gradient. Average N content per unit leaf weight in T. ciliata was higher than that for E. saligna, but N contents per unit leaf area were similar for both species. Productivity and NP of T. ciliata were about one half than those for E. saligna with higher productivity of T. ciliata on volcanic ash soils compared to organic soils. While E. saligna adjusted both structurally and physiologically along the gradient, growth and physiological changes of T. ciliata were less obvious. Several hardwoods grown in Hawaii uplands had different growth and physiological responses to environmental changes.
Dependability Arguments with Trusted Bases

An approach is suggested for arguing that a system is dependable. The key idea is to structure the system so that critical requirements are localized in small, reliable subsets of the system's components called trusted bases. This paper describes an idiom for modeling systems with trusted bases, and a technique for analyzing a dependability argument---the argument that a trusted base is sufficient to establish a requirement.
Evaluating security screening checkpoints for domestic flights using a general microscopic simulation model

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has established a list of items that are prohibited to be taken onboard an airplane. As a consequence passenger lines occasionally exceed into terminal halls, sometimes onto airports’ curbside. Today, the additional wait time and the inconvenience of searches experienced at security screening checkpoints are a matter of continuous concern. The purpose of the present study was to assess operational efficiency of the passenger processing system with a sole emphasis on the screening of passengers and their carry-on baggage. This study sought to define an acceptable wait time threshold, as well as provide general recommendations with respect to screening approach, screening procedures, and screening equipment. In addition, a sensitivity analyses was conducted by means of a general microscopic simulation model to test the impact of screeners’ performance and the effect of prescreening. The measures of effectiveness used in both analyses consist of average wait time, average service time, average queue length, and average throughput rate. It was concluded that significant improvements occur as the portion of passenger that is positively profiled increases, hence levering the pressure on secondary screening. Reduction in queue length, and thus wait time; occurred even at relatively high percentages of random selected passengers.
Language Choice as a Means of Shaping Identity

In this study of four Mexican-American fourth grade children in a Spanish—English bilingual classroom, language choice is shown to be a mechanism for constructing social identity. While all four children use both English and Spanish to perform their identities, the diversity of their social identities leads them to use the same linguistic resources in a variety of ways. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses show how specific language choices may be tied to societal norms to index pre-existing identity categories, most saliently ethnicity and nationality; yet frequently specific language choices are used to construct identities in which gender, friendship ties, and classroom roles are focal aspects.
Healing Inside and Out: Promoting Social Justice and Peace in a Racially Divided U.S. Community

We describe how racial identity theory is being applied in a U.S. community through the Heritage Project (HP), a multi-leveled intervention aimed at promoting peace and social justice among schoolchildren, pre-service and in-service teachers, and parents and community members. The HP targets its attention on racial disparities in the school achievement and experiences of children in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. However, all levels of intervention maintain a steady focus on how intersecting structures of disadvantage (e.g., sexism, xenophobia) inform identities and contribute to hatred and divisions among people. This feature of making parallels between the “particular” (racism) and general processes of oppression is typically overlooked in descriptions of the theory. We describe how this feature is essential to an understanding of the theory's relevance to erecting structures that promote peace-building.
Botulinum toxin therapy for cervical dystonia

Cervical dystonia, or torticollis, is perhaps the most common form of focal dystonia. The discovery that botulinum toxin was beneficial in the treatment of this disorder had a twofold impact. First, it silenced a small minority of physicians who believed that this disorder had a psychogenic basis despite convincing evidence to the contrary. Second, it alerted physicians to the broad potential of this novel therapeutic agent. The influence of botulinum toxin extended beyond therapeutics. It led to an enhanced understanding of the pathophysiology of the disorder, insight into how best to design clinical rating scales and an appreciation of the techniques used to administer the drug in other disorders. As such, cervical dystonia is a model disorder for tracing the effect of novel technology on a poorly understood disease.
The effect of inhaled gallopamil, a potent calcium channel blocker, on the late-phase response in subjects with allergic asthma

The effect of gallopamil on the late-phase response to inhaled allergen was evaluated in six young adults with allergic asthma in a crossover manner. During 2 study days, subjects received 20 mg of inhaled gallopamil or placebo 30 minutes before challenge with the same dose of allergen. In addition, a histamine challenge was performed 1 1/2 hours before and 24 hours after allergen challenge. On 2 additional study days, in the absence of allergen, basal airway responsiveness to histamine was measured before and after gallopamil or placebo administration. During the early phase, the mean +/- SD decrease in FEV1 was 28.0% +/- 11.3% after placebo and 25.1% +/- 8.4% after gallopamil administration (p greater than 0.05; beta = 0.14). During the late phase, the maximum decrease in FEV1 was 26.9% +/- 11.9% after placebo and 25.3% +/- 10.3% after gallopamil administration (p greater than 0.05; beta = 0.21). Airway reactivity to histamine 24 hours after allergen challenge could not be measured in three subjects after gallopamil administration and in one subject after placebo administration because of persistent bronchospasm. In contrast, basal responsiveness to histamine in the absence of allergen was modestly decreased by gallopamil. Since gallopamil is one of the most potent calcium channel blockers when it is administered by the inhaled route, it is unlikely that this group of drugs will be clinically useful for allergic asthma.
Influence of inflation and atelectasis on the hypoxic pressor response in isolated dog lung lobes

Apnoeic left lower lobes of dog lungs were inflated by increasing alveolar pressure or decreasing pleural pressure, or the lobes were collapsed and exposed to decreasing pleural pressure with the bronchus occluded. Under each of these conditions the lobe could be made ‘hypoxic’ by perfusion with mixed venous blood or ‘normoxic’ by perfusion with systemic arterial blood. Inflation of the lobes diminished the hypoxic pressor response. The relative influence of decreasing pleural pressure on inflated and collapsed lobes was such that at low pleural pressures resistance to flow through the hypoxic atelectatic lobe was no greater than that through the inflated normoxic lobe. The results indicated that the level of lung inflation can alter the effectiveness of the hypoxic pressor response in reducing perfusion to underventilated regions.
Self-Regulating PTC Heating Systems: A New Approach for Electric Heating Appliances

Self-regulating ceramic heating systems that operate without conventional thermostatic controls are now being designed into heated appliances. The result is longer life, lower cost, and more streamlined appliance packaging. The development appropriately comes at a time when end of life safety is receiving increased attention, cost reductions in heater-thermostat systems are producing diminishing returns, and the volume of heated portable appliances for personal care and food warming is growing rapidly. The Semiconducting barium titanate heaters undergo a crystalline phase change and resultant resistivity increase in the vicinity of the ferro-electric curie temperature. This characteristic provides high initial power at which point the sharply increasing heater resistance reduces power to the required steady-state level. Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) barium titanate has been used since the 1950's for low voltage sensors, but was only made available for appliance heaters by the recent development of line voltage materials for a different segment of industry?color television. One third of all color sets now use 120-V PTC degaussing elements. The paper discusses the complex thermal design considerations involved in the development of a PTC heater for 10-200 W appliances and reviews the application of a PTC heater to a food warmer.
Wave dispersion in a rotating, differentially-heated fluid model

Abstract An investigation is made of the mechanics of the wave dispersion phenomenon obtained in a numerical simulation of the rotating annulus flow system. Wave dispersion is characterized by the presence of two quasi-steady sideband baroclinic waves of comparable amplitudes and different phase speeds. The recurrence of wavepacket formation downstream of the wave train can be kinematically related to the group velocity. The vertical structure of the temperature wave for the primary wavenumber consists of a upper layer and a lower layer maximum, while the secondary wavenumber lacks the lower layer maximum. The primary wave is baroclinically active as it is maintained by the zonal flow baroclinicity, while the secondary wave is baroclinically passive in the sense that it is linearly stable with respect to the instantaneous zonal flow, although it exhibits a strong baroclinic energy conversion. Wave-wave interactions enhance the baroclinic energy conversion of the secondary wave by increasing the pressure-temperature phase difference, counteracting the negative nonlinear energy transfer and the stabilizing effect of the zonal mean basic state.
The role of endoscopy in irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract Commentary Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common condition encountered in general gastroenterology practice. IBS has protean manifestations but is typically characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, and disturbed defecation. The prevalence of IBS is estimated to be between 14% and 24% in women and 5% and 19% in men in the United States and Britain and is responsible for 2.4 to 3.5 million physician visits per year. The estimated total direct cost associated with IBS was $1.6 billion in 1998 with medication costs and the costs associated with diagnostic testing comprising the largest components of this estimate. Drs Cash and Chey focus on the role of endoscopy in a cost-effective diagnostic evaluation of IBS. Grace Elta, MD Editor
Total intravenous alimentation in low-birth-weight infants: A preliminary report

Nine infants with birth weights less than 1,200 Gm. received total intravenous alimentation for 5 to 24 days. In six infants, alimentation was started within 48 hours of birth; in three others, the procedure was started at 12 to 14 days of age. When a caloric intake of more than 100 Cal. per kilogram per day was achieved, weight gain averaged 15.3 Gm. per day and nitrogen balance averaged 0.23 Gm. per day. No significant deviations were observed of plasma sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and acid-base values. The time required to regain the initial body weight after institution of intravenous nutrition was significantly improved over that expected in conventionally managed infants of similar weights. The results demonstrate that the technique, when properly used, warrants further controlled investigation in premature infants.
Enhancing effects of Hoe 175 on memory in mice

These experiments investigated the effects of the nootropic compound Hoe 175 [3,8-dimethyl-4-phenyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-pyrazolo-(3,4-b) (1,5)-diazepine-1H,4H-5,7-dione] on retention performance of mice in three training tasks. When administered prior to both training and retention testing on a one-trial inhibitory avoidance task, Hoe 175 (6–25 mg/kg PO) attenuated the amnestic effect of transcorneal electroconvulsive shock. Post-training administration of Hoe 175 enhanced retention of otherwise untreated mice in both inhibitory (3–12 mg/kg IP) and active avoidance (1–25 mg/kg IP) learning tasks. The drug was most effective at intermediate doses. The enhancing effect of post-training administration of Hoe 175 was time-dependent: enhancement of retention was obtained with injections administered 2 h but not 6 h after training. The findings are interpreted as suggesting that Hoe 175 affects retention performance through influences on memory storage and retrieval.
Epidermal growth factor receptor-directed therapy in esophageal cancer.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is one of the fastest growing malignancies in the US. The long-term survival of patients with this cancer remains poor; only 25% of patients undergoing surgical excisio
Invariant form of the general solution of coupled dynamic thermoelastic problems

Abstract Field equations of coupled dynamic thermoelasticity are subjected to integral transformations in a finite domain. Repeated application of the generalized Green's theorem enables to find both the displacement and the temperature distribution in form of infinite series depending on boundary and initial conditions. Derived expressions are applied, as an example, to a parallelepiped with special boundary conditions.
COPD Is Associated With a Macrophage Scavenger Receptor-1 Gene Sequence Variation

Background Macrophages play an important role in COPD. We genotyped at-risk smokers to evaluate the role of polymorphisms in the macrophage scavenger receptor-1 gene ( MSR1 ) in COPD susceptibility and related measures of lung function. Then, in macrophages from donors with specific MSR1 genotypes, we determined the effect of MSR1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on macrophage function by examining in vitro adhesion, receptor expression, and cell number in culture as an index of increased survival/reduced apoptosis. Methods Smokers (≥ 20 pack-years) who were > 40 years (n = 714) were genotyped for seven SNPs; one nonsense change (ex6R293×_C/T), four missense changes (ex4V113A_T/C, ex4P174Y_G/T, ex11H441R_A/G, and in the ligand binding site ex6P275A_C/G), -176511_A/G in the promoter region, and IVS5-59_C/A in the intron. Nonsmoking healthy volunteers (n = 85) were genotyped, and peripheral blood monocytes were isolated from seven P275A_CG/GG and eight P275A_CC controls and cultured to generate monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). The effectiveness of trypsin and scraping to dislodge MDM was scored on a four-point subjective scale. MDM were counted on a Z1 particle counter and surface expression of MSR1 was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis using secondary staining of antibodies against human macrophage scavenger receptor (MSR1). Results The MSR1 -coding SNP P275A was associated with susceptibility to COPD in smokers ( P 1 , FEV 1 /FVC, and pp forced expiratory flow (FEF) 25–75 ( P = .03). P275A_CG/GG was also associated with increases in maintenance of cell number in culture (increased survival/reduced apoptosis), MSR1 expression, and adhesion of macrophages to plastic in vitro ( P Conclusions The MSR1 association with COPD susceptibility, COPD-related measures of lung function, and abnormalities of macrophage function may account for significant COPD morbidity.
The second decade of experience with the umbilical vein graft for lower-limb revascularization.

Abstract Some 20 years have elapsed since the initial concept and development of the human umbilical vein graft. Experience with 1074 umbilical vein grafts forms the basis of this report as the indications for this prosthesis have been refined and its performance defined. In 1988, the author and colleagues published their 10-year experience with umbilical vein which described the results of 907 bypasses constructed in 715 patients (799 limbs). Over the past 5 years, the use of umbilical vein has decreased because of a commitment to autologous saphenous vein. A total of 167 additional umbilical vein bypasses were performed at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center between 1985 and June 1993. Secondary patency rates for popliteal and crural reconstructions at 5 years showed a trend of continuous improvement — 65% and 45% respectively compared with 57% and 33% as reported during the first decade of experience. Rates of infection, stenosis and pseudoaneurysm decreased and only two aneurysms have been discovered during this period. Umbilical vein is an acceptable alternative to the absent or deficient autologous vein. Patency rates are second only to autologous vein rates and the fear of failure due to aneurysm formation has not only been overstated, but also significantly exaggerated.
Ratiometric fluorescence imaging of free Zn2+ in brain

Recently, the function of zinc in the axonal boutons of hippocampal neurons has come under increased scrutiny as evidence has emerged of a putative role for this metal ion in neural damage following insults such as ischemia, blunt force trauma, and seizure. Indeed, the nonpathological role of free zinc in the brain remains cryptic after more than 40 years. We have used a biosensing approach to determine free zinc ion concentrations by fluorescence lifetime, intensity, intensity ratio, or anisotropy changes caused by binding of zinc to variants of a protein, apocarbonic anhydrase II (apo-CA). This approach permits real time measurement of zinc down to picomolar levels, with no perceptible interference from other divalent metal ions abundant in serum and tissue, such as calcium and magnesium. Recently, we used apo-CA together with a fluorescent ligand whose binding is metal-dependent to obtain the first fluorescence micrographs of zinc release from a rat hippocampus model in response to electrical stimulus. In our view, elucidation of the zinc fluxes in neural tissue ultimately requires quantitation, as in the case of calcium. Recent results will be shown.