cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of a genetic screening program for thalassemia trait in a Greek adolescent population

Fear of psychological damage has curtailed mass genetic screening, and adolescents have often been excluded for presumed greater susceptibility to its negative impact. Mass education and genetic screening for β-thal trait were conducted among Americans of Greek descent from 1972-75. The 14 adolescents found to have β-thal trait and matched controls were interviewed to determine objective knowledge and subjective interpretation of the seriousness of β-thal trait, their responses to learning that they were carriers of a lethal gene, and their reproductive attitudes and plans. 80% had a good or fair recall of objective information. Traits knew more about the trait, and considered it less serious than controls. Although 8 traits recalled having been upset on learning they were carriers, none remained upset very long. All appeared to find constructive ways of using the information. While not believing that their choice of mate would be affected, when asked about having children should they marry a person with the trait, 36% of traits said they would adopt, and 29% said they would have no children rather than risk having an affected child. In contrast to the prevailing notion, adolescents, who are less threatened by immediate childbearing responsibilities than adults, may be less traumatized than adults by specific genetic information. They appear to benefit from having time to assimilate and integrate this information before facing decisions on child-bearing.
Male Friendship and Jiangxue (Philosophical Debates) in Sixteenth-Century China

This article focuses on the significant rise of the status of friendship in sixteenth-century Chinese cultural discourses and the relevant roles played by the jiangxue (philosophical debating) activities on the part of many members of the popular neo-Confucian movement of the School of the Mind. It seeks to demonstrate how the practices of jiangxue helped construct a special cultural and social sphere where male friendships could flourish with great freedom and where friendship was granted the kind of Confucian legitimacy it had never enjoyed before. The article also explores the resultant tensions within the important Confucian ethical concept of wulun (the five cardinal human relationships) as it was being contested and re/negotiated during that time.
A Sensible Way to Teach Science

(2000). A Sensible Way to Teach Science. Studies in Science Education: Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 155-161.
Electrosensory optimization to conspecific phasic signals for mating

Ampullary electroreceptor systems in fishes and aquatic amphibians are known to function in prey localization by the movement of the animal through a weak dc field produced by their prey. The round stingray produces an electric field with a complex geometry that is modulated rhythmically by movements of the spiracles and gill slits during ventilation. This weak stimulus is used in the field by reproductively active male stingrays to locate mates, and also by female rays to locate buried consexuals. Electrosensory primary afferent neurons are most sensitive to stimuli that vary sinusoidally at the same frequency as the natural respiratory movements. The match between primary afferent frequency sensitivity and the ventilatory phasic signals produced by conspecifics indicates that the electrosensory system serves an important biological function in the social behavior of elasmobranchs.
Virtual Prototyping of Directed Energy Weapons on Thousands of Processors

This paper documents the changes required to permit ICEPIC to scale efficiently to the thousand CPU range. Substantial changes were made to the communication paradigm within the code, so that only one synchronization point is now required. This led to increase of a factor four in the number of processors ICEPIC can productively use on real world problems.
Arts districts, universities, and the rise of digital media

In the last decade, arts and culture have been placed at the center of attention when discussing economic growth. In particular, studies on the “creative class” have been using arts and culture as an important factor impacting local economies. In addition, studies on local economic development have frequently viewed universities as a major factor in economic growth. In the middle of this discussion is new economic growth via creativity, via new recipes and new combinations of local capital, and via innovation centers. Combining these disparate literatures brings to center stage both clusters of arts and culture and concentrations of research and human capital development. Hence, the focus of this paper is to analyze the dual impacts of universities and arts districts on innovation and economic growth through employment in digital media. The results indicate that cultural districts have a consistently positive effect on local digital media economic activity—employment and innovation. The same cannot be said for research universities.
The Demand of Farm Families for the Quantity and Quality of Schooling for Their Children in the United States

In recent years economists have become increasingly interested in the roles of education in the agricultural sector. The pioneering studies by Gisser and Welch on the relationship between education, farm employment, and agricultural production and the vast emerging literature on the importance of education in a dynamic context, summarized by Schultz, are notable examples. Economists have also been studying the determination of the level of human capital acquired by individuals as well as the returns to various di-
Studies on two major contaminating proteins of the cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli

Two major contaminating proteins of the cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in recombinant Escherichia coli overexpressing a LacZ-papain fusion protein were studied. The proteins were isolated and their amino acid compostion and N-terminal sequence analyses were performed. The N-terminal sequence of these proteins were then compared with the sequence of E. coli proteins available in the data bank. The sequences of the contaminating proteins matched with the outer membrane protein II and outer membrane protein F of E. coli.
Bare Density of States at the Fermi Level in V 3 Ga 1 − x Sn x : A Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance Study

The superconducting transition temperature of the pseudobinary $A15$ compounds ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{x}$ ($0\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}1$) falls sharply from a peak of about 14 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K at $x=0$ to about 4 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K at $x=1$. In order to understand the dependence of ${T}_{c}$ on the electronic structure, we have measured the spin-lattice relaxation rate, isotropic and axial Knight shift, and electric field gradient of $^{51}\mathrm{V}$ in the normal and superconducting state at frequencies between 8 and 48.5 MHz. The composition dependence of the relaxation rate and the electric field gradient are calculated by a tight-binding model and the theory of Watson, Gossard, and Yafet, respectively. The results are in quantitative agreement with the $d$-subband densities of states based on an interpolation of the augmented-plane-wave band-structure calculations of Mattheiss. Symmetry considerations suggest that the difference in the electron-phonon coupling parameter for ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Ga and ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Sn could be due to an anomalously large phonon renormalization in ${\mathrm{V}}_{3}$Ga caused by a peak in the $\ensuremath{\pi}$-subband density at the Fermi level.
Properties of a pulsed LiIO 3 doubly resonant parametric oscillator

Spectral and other properties of a ruby laser pumped LiIO 3 pulsed doubly resonant parametric oscillator (DRO) are reported. This device is tunable from 1.12 to 1.83 μ with peak powers of 100 kW and 10-percent efficiency. The stability of the DRO is discussed. The output of the DRO was doubled into the 5600- 9150-A range using a second LiIO 3 crystal. Peak second-harmonic powers were 10-15 kW.
Transient Raman detection of excited state electron, transfer to methyl viologen from photoexcited molecular reagents in fluid solution and anchored to SiO2

Abstract The lowest electronic excited state of the complexes [Ru(2,2′-bipyridine) 3 ] 2+ , fac -[ClRe (CO) 3 (2,2′-bipyridine)], and fac -[(pyridine) Re (CO) 3 (2,2′-bipyridine)] + can be quenched by methyl viologen, MV 2+ , N , N ′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium, in fluid solutions. The quenching obeys Stern—Volmer kinetics as deduced from plots of relative luminescence quantum yield vs [MV 2+ ], and the data are consistent with a quenching process that is essentially diffusion controlled. Pulsed laser excitation (18 ns, 354.7 nm frequency tripled Nd: YAG) of the metal complexes in the presence of MV 2+ shows that a detectable fraction of the quenching results in net electron transfer to form MV + . The MV + is detectable by resonance Raman scattering from the trailing portion of the excitation pulse. Excited state electron transfer to MV 2+ from a photo-excited complex anchored to SiO 2 has also been detected by transient Raman spectroscopy. High surface area SiO 2 was functionalized by reaction with 4-[2-(trimethoxysilyl)ethyl]pyridine to give [SiO 2 ]-SiEtpyr. Reaction of [SiO 2 ]-SiEtpyr with [(CH 3 CN)Re(CO) 3 (2,2′-bipyridine)] + then yields [SiO 2 ]-[(SiEtpyr) Re (CO) 3 (2,2′-bipyridine)] + . Electron transfer quenching of the photo-excited immobilized Re complex occurs when suspended in CH 3 CN solutions of MV 2+ to yield MV + as detected by resonance Raman scattering and by lifetime attenuation in the presence of MV 2+ .
Intraoperative finding of gross lymph node metastasis during robot-assisted prostatectomy

Discovery of macroscopically positive lymph nodes (LN) during radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa) is a rare event. We describe our experience of intraoperative finding of grossly positive LN during radical prostatectomy and evaluate outcomes and predictors. A total of 4,480 patients underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for clinically localized PCa from 2001 to 2010, and pelvic LN dissection was performed in 4,090 of these patients (91.3%). Patients with macroscopically positive LN discovered and confirmed intraoperatively were assessed, as was surgical decision (abort versus continue RARP). Patients with macroscopic LN-positive disease were also evaluated and oncologic outcomes were compared with patients with microscopic LN-positive disease on final pathology. LN-positive disease was found at final pathology in 87 patients (2.1%), of whom 13 (14.9%) had grossly abnormal LN confirmed intraoperatively by frozen section. RARP was aborted in nine cases and completed in four patients. All patients received adjuvant therapy with hormonal deprivation and/or radiation. Two patients in the aborted RARP subset died of PCa. All patients who underwent completion RARP are still alive at a mean follow-up of 57.2 months with one patient still alive at 95 months. Patients with macroscopically positive LN had a higher median preoperative prostate serum antigen (PSA) (17.2 vs. 6.7 μg/L, P = 0.002) and were more likely have biopsy perineural invasion (77.8 vs. 32.4%, P = 0.012). Intraoperative findings of macroscopically positive LN during RARP is a rare event that may occur in high-risk patients, particularly in those with a high PSA and biopsy perineural invasion. Long-term survival is possible after completion RARP.
The Defibrillation Threshold: A Comparison of Anesthetics and Measurement Methods

In 18 open-chested mongrel dogs (18.0 ± 1.7 kg) we compared three anesthetics and three methods for measuring the defibrillation threshold. Six animals were anesthetized with pentobarbital (30 mg/kg) and maintained with a pentobarbital infusion (4 mg/kg per hour). All other animals were anesthetized with sodium brevital (10 mg/kg) and maintained with either halothane gas (1.5%, N = 6) or isoflurane gas (1.8%, N = 6). In each dog. we measured the energy required for 50% successful defibrillation (E50) with: (A) a 3 reversal—up/down method; (B) a 15 shock—up/down method; and (C) a percent success method. Anesthetics and methods were selected in a balanced random order. Ventricular fibrillation was induced with 50 Hz electrical pacing. After 15 seconds, monophasic truncated exponential shocks were delivered by way of a spring-patch electrode configuration. The animal was rescued (if needed) and fibrillation/defibrillation episodes were repeated at 3 minute intervals. After each determination of the E50, the E50 was delivered in ten successive defibrillation trials to determine its actual success rate. We found no significant difference in E50 among anesthetics; a significant difference (P < 0.05) in E50 between method C (9.7 ± 2.6 joules) and method B (8.2 ± 1.6 joules); no significant difference among anesthetics or methods for the actual success rate of the E50 (45 ± 21% successful); and method A required significantly fewer fibrillation episodes and number of shocks and less cumulative energy than the other methods. We concluded that the anesthetics tested had little effect on E50 but that the method used to determine E50 could have an effect. Also, the E50 estimated by all methods consistently produced an actual success rate lower than 50%.
Teratologic effects of LSD in explanted early chick embryos.

Chick embryos were explanted at stage; 4-7 and cultured for 20 h with or without LSD. At any stage 10 mug/ml LSD or higher caused abnormalities in axial structures, particularly somites, in over 50% of the embryos. LSD had no apparent effect on morphogenesis of the heart, but significantly lowered the pulse rate. Cellular degeneration occurred in severely affected structures, but LSD at embryotoxic doses caused alterations in neither cell morphology nor mitotic activity. The effects of LSD were not permanent, i.e., the embryos retained the ability to undergo normal morphogenesis when, after 4-5 h of treatment with 10 mug/ml LSD, they were subcultured on plain nutrient medium.
Left ventricular filling is usually normal in uncomplicated coronary disease.

Abstract Abnormalities in left ventricular filling have been described as an early finding in coronary artery disease (CAD) and more recently, in hypertension (HTN). The present study was undertaken to compare the prevalence and pattern of diastolic dysfunction in these two entities. Three groups of patients were studied: 10 normal volunteers (NLS), 39 HTN patients, and 30 CAD patients. The CAD patients were divided into two subgroups—one with normal ejection fraction (mean 0.60 ± 0.06) and the second with either a depressed ejection fraction (EF) or a history of HTN (mean EF 0.44 ± 0.15). The diastolic indices examined were peak filling rate (PFR, in end-diastolic volume [EDV]/sec), time to peak filling rate (TPFR, in msec), and first-third filling fraction (FF13, in sec −1 ). The PFR in CAD and HTN was significantly reduced (1.86 ± 0.63 and 2.29 ± 0.49 vs 2.70 ± 0.35 EDV/sec in NLS, p p p −1 in NLS, p p p
First Report of Gray Leaf Spot (Pyricularia grisea) on Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) in New England.

Pyricularia grisea (Cooke) Sacc. causing significant damage in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was first observed on a golf course in eastern Maryland in 1985 by P. H. Dernoeden, but there is no published account. The first published report of the problem was from southeastern Pennsylvania in 1991 (1). There were scattered reports of gray leaf spot in several other states in 1991. A more severe and widespread epidemic occurred under similar environmental conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic region in 1995 and has reoccurred to some extent annually since then in an expanding area throughout the United States. This report documents the expansion of the northern range of the epidemic into New England. Samples of perennial rye-grass with gray leaf spot from golf courses in three towns in Connecticut (Norwich, Stratford, and Willamantic) and one in Rhode Island (West Warwick) were submitted to the diagnostic labs at the universities of Massachusetts and Rhode Island beginning on 22 September 1998. Sev...
The nature of the adhesion to shells of the symbiotic sea anemone calliactis tricolor (Leseur)

Abstract The mechanism of tentacular adhesion to gastropod shells has been demonstrated for a symbiotic sea anemone, Calliactis tricolor (Leseur) by means of scanning electron microscopy. Both basitrichous isorhiza nematocysts and spirocysts are involved with the former being much more abundant on the shells. Contrary to its classical characterization, the thread of the basitrichous isorhiza nematocyst possesses, in addition to the large spines at its base, minute spines along its length. C. tricolor whose pedal discs were attached to gastropod shells showed no difference in the number of nematocysts discharged than did those anemones whose pedal discs were attached to glass.
Watershed base-cation cycle dynamics modeled over forest regrowth in a Central Appalachian ecosystem

Watershed ecosystem analysis has been used to study aspects of nutrient cycles in many regions of the US. Here we quantify watershed input-output budgets and intrasystem cycling of the base cations Ca, K and Mg in a montane Virginia ecosystem. The intrasystem fluxes of uptake, return, canopy leaching and mineralization were simulated over the period of forest aggradation. A forest-dynamics model, based on previous models, was created to model biotically-driven fluxes at this site; biomass nutrient concentrations were parameterized with a field study. A two-year watershed mass-balance study was then conducted to estimate geologic fluxes for comparison with modeled biotic fluxes. Results show the major biotic fluxes to be much greater, highlighting the importance of considering biomass dynamics in ecosystem nutrient-cycling studies. Mineralization from forest-floor biomass compartments proved to be an increasingly important avenue for internal recycling during aggradation. Accumulation of base cations in biomass also corresponded to a production of H + in soil at three times the H + levels in atmospheric deposition at this location. Such high levels of base removal in soils could exceed weathering rates and may result in a depletion of bases from the soil exchange complex.
Hungry, homeless, and HIV: A study of homeless visitors to an outreach meal center for people with AIDS

When homelessness, HIV infection or AIDS, and drug dependency occur together, the risk of malnutrition is exponential (1-4). Some evidence indicates that malnourished, HIV -infected people develop AIDS more rapidly after exposure to the disease than do those who are adequately nourished (5). There are abundant recommendations for aggressive, early nutrition intervention for people with AIDS, particularly those who are hospitalized (6-10). Some causes of malnutrition among people with HIV and AIDS are wellestablished: decreased appetite, oral esophageal pain, mechanical problems with eating, malabsorption and diarrhea (11). Add to this the long list of possible factors affecting the nutritional status of homeless people (1,3,12):
GLUCAGON ADMINISTRATION DECREASES HEPATIC NUCLEAR TRIIODOTHYRONINE BINDING CAPACITY

The maximal binding capacity (MBC) of nuclear triiodothyronine (T3) receptor sites in rat liver decreases markedly after glucagon administration. Administration of serial doses of glucagon (2.5 μg/100 g BW) resulted in a 33% decrease in MBC in 3.5 h and MBC was reduced by 45% in 6.25 h. The individual doses used were in the same order of magnitude as those used in the treatment of hypoglycemic human subjects (1.5 μg/100 g BW). This report presents the first evidence that a peptide hormone can change the number of nuclear T3 receptor sites. The physiological significance of these findings remains to be clarified.
Measurement of craniocaudal catheter displacement between fractions in computed tomography–based high dose rate brachytherapy of prostate cancer

The objective of this work is to measure the cranio-caudal displacement of catheters occurring between consecutive fractions of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided high dose rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy. Ten consecutive patients were treated with 2 fractions of 9.5 Gy TRUS guided HDR brachytherapy using dental putty for the fixation of catheters. For each patient, a CT scan with 3 mm slice thickness was acquired before each of the two fractions. Two different references were employed to measure the catheter displacement between fractions: the ischial bone as a bony marker (BM) and the center of two gold markers (COGM) implanted in the prostate. The catheter displacement was calculated by multiplying the thickness of CT slice with the difference in number of CT slices between the reference slice and the slice containing the tip of a catheter. The average (range) magnitude of caudal catheter displacement was 2.7 mm (-6.0 to 13.5 mm) for BM method and 5.4 mm (-3.75 to 18.0 mm) for COGM method, respectively. The measurement data obtained from BM and COGM methods verified that both prostate movement and catheter displacement occurred independently between fractions. The most anterior and medial two catheters (catheter position 8 and 12) had the greatest tendency to be displaced in the caudal direction because they were located at the most distant position from the fulcrum, susceptible to the rotation of the dental putty in lateral plane due to the movement of patient legs between fractions. In conclusion, the use of both BM and COGM methods can demonstrate the prostate and catheter movement relative to the BM between fractions. We found a pattern of catheter displacement using our technique. Based on our finding further improvement of our results may be possible by modification of our current technique.
Flow-Based Real-Time Communication in Multi-Channel Wireless Sensor Networks

As many radio chips used in today's sensor mote hardware can work at different frequencies, several multi-channel communication protocols have recently been proposed to improve network throughput and reduce packet loss for wireless sensor networks. However, existing work cannot utilize multiple channels to provide explicit guarantees for application-specified end-to-end communication delays, which are critical to many real-time applications such as surveillance and disaster response. In this paper, we propose MCRT, a multi-channel real-time communication protocol that features a flow-based channel allocation strategy. Because of the small number of orthogonal channels available in current mote hardware, MCRT allocates channels to network partitions formed based on many-to-one data flows. To achieve bounded end-to-end communication delay for every data flow, the channel allocation problem has been formulated as a constrained optimization problem and proved to be NP-complete. We then present the design of MCRT, which includes a channel allocation algorithm and a real-time packet forwarding strategy. Extensive simulation results based on a realistic radio model demonstrate that MCRT can effectively utilize multiple channels to reduce the number of deadlines missed in end-to-end communications. Our results also show that MCRT outperforms a state-of-the-art real-time protocol and two baseline multi-channel communication schemes.
Temperature Dependence of Thermal Properties of Sands across a Wide Range of Temperatures (30–70°C)

Due to the dynamic nature of the shallow subsurface, knowledge of soil thermal properties across a wide range of soil moisture and temperature conditions is necessary to accurately describe heat transport in many settings. Soil thermal properties are difficult to measure at high temperatures, however, due to the lack of suitable measurement devices and the potential for measurement-induced changes. Therefore, thermal property data are often scarce and incomplete and very often limited to specific soils. Due to this scarcity of accurate experimental data, empirical relationships often do not accurately predict the thermal properties of soils as a function of both soil moisture and temperature. In this study, thermal conductivity and diffusivity were measured for silica sands under loose and tight packing conditions and a field sand under varied water saturation and temperature. Several recent sensor-based technologies were integrated into a small cell modified to have a network of sampling ports, continuously monitoring water saturation, temperature, and soil thermal properties. For the test sands studied, data showed that the thermal conductivity and diffusivity increased noticeably for sample temperatures >50°C. At sample temperatures between 30 and 50°C, any change in thermal properties with temperature was small. Thermal conductivities measured in this study were compared with independent estimates made using empirical models from the literature. In general, good agreement was observed for most thermal conductivity data when proper fitting parameters were established, except at intermediate saturation values.
Ring-resonator-based frequency-domain optical activity measurements of a chiral liquid

Chiral liquids rotate the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light and are therefore optically active. Here we show that optical rotation can be observed in the frequency domain. A chiral liquid introduced in a fiber-loop ring resonator that supports left and right circularly polarized modes gives rise to relative frequency shifts that are a direct measure of the liquid's circular birefringence and hence of its optical activity. The effect is in principle not diminished if the circumference of the ring is reduced. The technique is similarly applicable to refractive index and linear birefringence measurements.
Fluoxetine treatment of prepubescent rats produces a selective functional reduction in the 5-HT2A receptor-mediated stimulation of oxytocin.

Various childhood mood disorders are being treated with serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac®), yet limited data are available on their effects on serotonergic systems prior to maturation. This study investigated the effects of chronic fluoxetine treatment on 5-HT2A serotonin receptor-mediated neuroendocrine responses in young male rats. Prepubescent male rats were treated with saline or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for 14 days, a treatment regimen producing maximal changes in postsynaptic 5-HT2A function in adults. Eighteen hours post-treatment, the rats received saline or increasing doses (0.5, 2.0, or 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) of the 5-HT2 receptor agonist (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane HCl ((±)-DOI). Trunk blood was obtained to determine changes in oxytocin, ACTH, corticosterone, and renin responses. Fluoxetine produced a small (∼6%) but significant reduction in body weight gain, but no changes were observed in basal hormone levels. In both saline- and fluoxetine-treated rats, (±)-DOI increased plasma oxytocin levels in a dose-dependent manner. However, the magnitude of the oxytocin responses to all doses of (±)-DOI were markedly attenuated (∼50%) in the fluoxetine-treated rats, indicating a functional reduction in the Emax of 5-HT2A receptor-mediated oxytocin responses. In contrast, fluoxetine did not alter the (±)-DOI-induced increases in plasma ACTH, corticosterone, or renin. These data provide the first demonstration of selective neuroadaptive responses in 5-HT2A serotonin receptor function due to prepubescent treatment with fluoxetine. These data may be clinically relevant with respect to the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in children and adolescents. Synapse 58:102–109, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Gut feeling: does it have a place in the modern physician's toolkit?

The beeper rings for the umpteenth time at 6 AM. I have one more hour to cap another very busy night. The nurse requests pain medication for an elderly gentleman who has been admitted with colitis ...
Gut Microbiota, Low-grade Inflammation, and Metabolic Syndrome

The intestinal tract is inhabited by a large diverse community of bacteria collectively referred to as the gut microbiota. Alterations in gut microbiota composition are associated with a variety of disease states including obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Transplant of microbiota from diseased persons (or mice) to germfree mice transfers some aspects of disease phenotype, indicating that altered microbiota plays a role in disease establishment and manifestation. There are myriad potential mechanisms by which alterations in gut microbiota might promote disease, including increasing energy harvest, production of toxic metabolites, and molecular mimicry of host proteins. However, our research indicates that an overarching mechanism by which an aberrant microbiota negatively impacts health is by driving chronic inflammation. More specifically, we hypothesize that the histopathologically evident gut inflammation that defines IBD is a severe but relatively rare outcome of an altered host-microbiota relationship, while a much more common consequence of such disturbances is "low-grade" inflammation characterized by elevated proinflammatory gene expression that associates with, and may promote, metabolic syndrome. In this context, a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases may stem from inability of the mucosal immune system to properly manage a stable healthy relationship with the gut microbiota. While one's ability to manage their gut microbiota is dictated in part by genetics, it can be markedly influenced by the composition of the microbiota one inherits from their early environment. Moreover, the host-microbiota relationship can be perturbed by instigator bacteria or dietary components, which may prove to play a role in promoting chronic inflammatory disease states.
Investigation of electrical characteristics of P3HT:PCBM organic solar cells

Capacitance of P3HT(poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)):PCBM ([6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester) bulk heterojunction solar cell was measured at different biases and different temperatures (25 °C and 130 °C). The capacitance was found to vary with bias voltages, and showed different trends with temperature, but the peak capacitance values and positions did not vary much. Mott-Schottky relation was used to model the behavior of capacitance in reverse bias. The capacitance of pure P3HT showed a different trend as compare to the P3HT:PCBM blend. The peak position did not vary, but the peak values decrease with temperature. Permittivity of P3HT was then calculated and the temperature dependence of exciton binding energy was revealed. The active layer thickness effect on the series resistance was also examined. The results show two regions, the slope quickly changes after certain thickness. Further investigation of electrical prosperities will provide insight on the origin of open circuit voltage and charge transport mechanism.
The Lipid A Phosphate Position Determines Differential Host Toll-Like Receptor 4 Responses to Phylogenetically Related Symbiotic and Pathogenic Bacteria

ABSTRACT The human symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron promotes intestinal function and health, whereas the phylogenetically related pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with the chronic oral inflammatory disease periodontitis. Although both B. thetaiotaomicron and P. gingivalis synthesize lipopolysaccharides (LPS) consisting of penta-acylated, monophosphorylated lipid A in addition to immunologically silent, nonphosphorylated lipid A, they elicit strikingly distinct Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) responses. We show that the phosphate position of penta-acylated, monophosphorylated lipid A is a key feature for determining the differential TLR4 responses elicited by these evolutionarily related bacteria. B. thetaiotaomicron produces TLR4-stimulatory lipid A bearing a 1-phosphate, in contrast to P. gingivalis, which produces TLR4-evasive lipid A bearing a 4′-phosphate. Confirming these observations, recombinant Escherichia coli LPS containing penta-acylated, 1-phosphorylated lipid A is more TLR4 stimulatory than LPS containing 4′-phosphorylated lipid A. The specific capacity of a Gram-negative bacterium to alert or evade the host innate immune defense system through TLR4-dependent signaling is currently recognized as a critical aspect defining the relationship between the host and the bacterium. We propose that the distinct lipid A phosphate positions observed for the B. thetaiotaomicron and P. gingivalis LPS contributes to the manifestation of these bacteria as commensal or pathogen within the human host.
Information in Spectra of Collision-broadened Absorption Lines

A mathematical model is introduced for experiments which yield spectra of isolated, collision-broadened absorption lines. A nonlinear design analysis is then performed on the model to identify the optimum experimental conditions. The information in the spectra is split into components associated with each of the unknown parameters to be estimated from the spectra. By exploring the variation of these components it is shown that spectra with line center transmittances of 0.25 are nearly optimum for measuring the line position, the Lorentz width α, the instrument resolution H, and the product of line intensity and absorber amount. The trade off between signal/noise ratio and resolution is investigated for several different resolution-dependent noise levels. The analysis shows that when signal/noise ratio is proportional to the square root of the ratio of resolution and Lorentz width, a single optimum resolution and line center transmittance combination of H/α ≅ 1.5 and 0.28, respectively, exists.
Nightmares of Nuclear Terrorism

The author, an accomplished former counterterrorism official at the CIA and Energy Department, outlines the nuclear terrorism scenarios that keep him up at night–and suggests how best to prevent them.
Mapping multi-wavelet reentry without isochrones: an electrogram-guided approach to define substrate distribution.

Aims A key mechanism responsible for atrial fibrillation is multi-wavelet reentry (MWR). We have previously demonstrated that ablation in regions of increased circuit density reduces the duration of, and decreases the inducibility of MWR. In this study, we demonstrate a method for identifying local circuit density using electrogram frequency and validated its effectiveness for map-guided ablation in a computer model of MWR. Methods and results We simulated MWR in tissues with variation of action potential duration and intercellular resistance. Electrograms were calculated using various electrode sizes and configurations. We measured and compared the number of circuits to the tissue activation frequency and electrogram frequency using three recording configurations [unipolar, contact bipolar, orthogonal closed unipolar (OCU)] and two frequency measurements (dominant frequency, centroid frequency). We then used the highest resolution electrogram frequency map (OCU centroid frequency) to guide the placement of lesions to high frequency regions. Map-guided ablation was compared with no ablation and random/blind ablation lesions of equal length. Electrogram frequency correlated with tissue frequency and circuit density as a function of electrode spatial resolution. Map-guided ablation resulted in a significant reduction in MWR duration (142 ± 174 vs. 41 ± 63 s). Conclusion Electrogram frequency correlates with circuit density in MWR provided electrodes have high spatial resolution. Map-guided ablation is superior to no ablation and to blind/random ablation.
Donepezil: a clinical review of current and emerging indications

This article reviews the piperidine derivative, donepezil hydrochloride (E2020, Aricept), a reversible central acetylcholinesterase inhibitor currently approved for treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Donepezil is well absorbed orally, unaffected by food or by time of administration; it reaches therapeutic levels in doses of 5-10 mg/day and peak plasma concentrations are obtained 3-4 h after oral administration. A single bedtime dose is recommended due to the long elimination half-life of the drug (70 h). Donepezil does not cause liver toxicity or significant drug interactions and is relatively well-tolerated. Initial side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, insomnia, muscle cramps, fatigue, anorexia and syncope. Caution is advised in patients with bradycardia. Long-term use of donepezil in AD has been found to delay nursing-home placement and to result in caregiver respite. Donepezil also slows deterioration of cognition and global function in patients with moderate-to-severe AD, with improvement of abnormal behaviours. In addition to AD, donepezil demonstrates significant improvement in cognition, global function and activities of daily living in comparison with placebo-treated patients with vascular dementia and has potential therapeutic benefit for other neurological conditions.
Factors Affecting Satisfaction and Retention of African American and European American Teachers in an Urban School District: Implications for Building and Maintaining Teachers Employed in School Districts Across the Nation

An urban school district developed strategies for recruiting and retaining minority teachers. Examination of data on teachers hired over a 3-year period found the retention rate for African American teachers was slightly higher than that of European American teachers. Teachers with at least 3 years' experience in the district were surveyed as to their satisfaction with various aspects of teaching. There was a significant difference by race on class size: African American teachers were more likely to be satisfied with it. African American men were least likely to be satisfied with salaries, benefits, and opportunities for advancement. High school and middle school teachers were less likely to be satisfied on several aspects of teaching than elementary teachers.
Clarifying Pascal’s Wager: Charity as Decided

Most of Blaise Pascal’s commentators see his famous wager as an argument on the practicability of faith, according to which, given the absence of certainty about the existence of God, one must believe in God because it is the most beneficial action. However, this interpretation of the wager fails to see it as a part of Pascal’s philosophical thought, which is centered on the primacy of charity through which the human being can find the happiness and fulfillment he seeks. This essay, in contrast, presents an interpretation of the wager that sees it as the culminating point of Pascal’s philosophical thought, arguing that the wager shows that the decision to believe is ultimately a free movement of the will. It further claims that the wager is in fact an apologetic in its strict and true sense, for it concerns and convinces not the mind but the will to believe and live a life of charity. Ultimately, this work shows that the final word for Pascal is not that faith is a rational choice that can be justified through a series of arguments, but that it is a movement of the will by which one responds to a reality that is greater than oneself.
Hepatic Glucocorticoid Binders in Mature and Senescent C57BL/6J Male Mice

Because of prominent age-related changes in the response to stress and in steroid metabolism and excretion, the effect of age on fractionated liver glucocorticoid-binding proteins was studied in C57BL/6J male mice. When cytosol, pre-labeled with [3H]corticosterone, was chromatographed on Sephadex G-100, 4 peaks were obtained. Peak 1 (excluded), peak 2 (corresponding to plasma transcortin), and peak 3 corresponding to glucocorticoid receptors isolated from nuclei) showed no significant age differences. This finding is consistent with reports that glucocorticoidmediated induction of hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase is not altered by aging in rodents. However, there was a striking age-related decrease (80%) in peak 4 (apparent MW 29,000). Competition studies imply that peak 4 binds aldosterone, testosterone, progesterone, and corticosterone (Δ4-3-keto steroids), but not estradiol or dexamethasone. Peak 4 did not translocate to the nucleus, nor was it a plasma component. Although the function of peak 4 is no...
True Random Number Generator with a Metastability-Based Quality Control

We present a metastability-based true random number generator that achieves high entropy and passes NIST randomness tests. The generator grades the probability of randomness regardless of the output bit value by measuring the metastable resolution time. The system determines the original random noise level at the time of metastability and tunes itself to achieve a high probability of randomness. Dynamic control enables the system to respond to deterministic noise and a qualifier module grades the individual metastable events to produce a high-entropy random bit-stream. The grading module allows the user to trade off output bit-rate with the quality of the bit-stream. A fully integrated true random number generator was fabricated in a 0.13 mum bulk CMOS technology with an area of 0.145 mm2.
A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE DIETARY RISK FACTORS

The mode of natural transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease remains unknown. In a case-control study conducted in 1981-1983 to evaluate possible dietary and other sources of the disease, 26 cases were ascertained in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, 23 of which were obtained from accumulated records of the Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies of the National Institutes of Health. Controls included 18 family members and 22 hospital-matched individuals (total sample size, 66). An increased consumption among patients was found for roast pork, ham, hot dogs (p less than 0.05), roast lamb, pork chops, smoked pork, and scrapple (p less than 0.1). An excess consumption of rare meat (p less than 0.01) and raw oysters/clams (p less than 0.1) was also reported among the patients. Liver consumption, among organ foods, was greater (p less than 0.1) among the cases. If Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is acquired through ingestion of foods containing the agent, then the food items identified may be among those which need to be evaluated more intensively. Larger case-control studies with more focused dietary questions are warranted.
Design preferences on wearable e-nose systems for diabetes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate potential users’ preferences and expectations for fabric-based wearable electronic nose (e-nose) system designs in order to develop painless and non-invasive monitoring systems for diabetes. Design/methodology/approach – After developing a fabric-based wearable sensor, this study used an online survey with a mixture of closed- and open-ended questions about people’s desires and preferences for use-contexts, product types, design styles, and other key design factors. Findings – This study investigated the preferences and expectations on designs of wearable e-nose systems for diabetes. The results showed that designers and developers need to consider important design components including sizes, shapes, and colors for practical wearable e-nose system designs. There were strong positive and significant correlations between participant characteristics and preferred wearable e-nose system design factors. Research limitations/implications – Future research co...
45 REGULATION OF 4-HYDROXY-2-NONENAL-MEDIATED ENDOTHELIAL BARRIER FUNCTION BY FOCAL ADHESION AND ADHERENS JUNCTION PROTEINS.

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), a highly reactive aldehyde generated by peroxidation of membrane lipids, altered endothelial cell (EC) barrier function, resulting in vascular leakiness. Here we report that 4-HNE mediates EC barrier dysfunction by modulating focal adhesion and adherens junction proteins that affect cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions via integrins. Treatment of bovine lung microvascular endothelial cells (BLMVECs) with 4-HNE, in a dose-dependent manner, modulated cell-cell adhesion contacts, enhanced intracellular ROS formation, and increased permeability. Interestingly, 4-HNE did not alter cell-matrix interactions as determined by transendothelial electrical resistance measurement. Therefore, we hypothesized that 4-HNE-induced permeability changes involved modulation of focal adhesion and adherens junction proteins. Treatment of BLMVECs with 4-HNE resulted in the redistribution of FAK, b-catenin, paxillin, VE-cadherin, and ZO-1 and caused intercellular gap formation. Western blot analyses confirmed that 4-HNE formed Michael adducts with the focal adhesion and adherens junction proteins. Furthermore, 4-HNE decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK without affecting total cellular FAK contents. Flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy analyses revealed a time-dependent reduction in the surface integrins after 4-HNE treatment. Conclusion These results indicate that 4-HNE affects EC permeability by modulating cell-cell adhesion involving focal adhesion, adherens and tight junction proteins, as well as integrins signal transduction. Supported by NIH RO1 HL 69909 and P01 HL 58064 to V.N.
Time Distribution of Bacillary Dysentery Incidence in Huludao,1990-2009

Objective To explore the variation of bacillary dysentery(BD) incidence in different period in Huludao.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of BD from 1990 to 2009 reported by Huludao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention,and Cox-Stuart test was performed to explore the secular trend.Finally,circular distribution method was adopted to analyze the seasonal distribution of BD incidence.Results The decline trend of BD incidence was found by Cox-Stuart test with statistical significance(P0.05).The result of circular distribution method indicated that the incidence peak was in late July,and the peak period was from June 4 to September 14.Conclusion The decline trend of BD incidence was observed in Huludao,the current control measures should be strengthened.
The Idea of Distance and the Born of Traditional Chinese Landscape Painting

On the basis of full documentary information,this thesis studies the original meaning of the word "distance",and then analyzes the influences of metaphysics as well as criticism on persons in Wei and Jin Dynasties to the nature and connotation of "distance",so as to discover the developing process of the word "distance" from the area of semantics to that of aesthetics.This thesis makes a further demonstration on the relationship between "distance" and the birth of traditional Chinese landscape painting.
White-winged Choughs Corcorax melanorhamphos Using a Stick Nest

(1996). White-winged Choughs Corcorax melanorhamphos Using a Stick Nest. Emu - Austral Ornithology: Vol. 96, No. 3, pp. 207-208.
The Iranian Student in Logan, An Exploratory Study of Foreign Student Social Experience and Adjustment

ed from participant observation field notes and supplemented by a short survey of foreign student problema conduoted by the author and another student for the Personnel Orfice of U.S.A.C. during the spring of 1954. Third, a brief history of foreign student r elattons with the town will be pres ented from the limited historical reoords available. Characteristics ~ Logan The town of Logan baa the following pertinent charaoteristics, 1. Logan 18 the largest center in Cache Valley, northern Utah. The climate is temperate-wet in winter. dry in summer. More water 18 available in Caohe Valley for irrigation and domestic use than in most of the surrounding areas. Logan is on the eastern side of Cache Valley, and spreads from the dcnmtown section on the valley floor up steep slopes to a relatively flat area where the college and some residenoes are situated. 2. The popula tioD of Logan i8 about 16.000. Raoially it 1s almost entirely Caucasoid, ohiefly of northern European stooke Besides the college, the major occupations of townspeople are dependent on the agrioult ural hinterland. There is little industry. The average inoome
Harmonic Self Adjoint Operator Chebyshev-Grüss Type Inequalities

We present here very general self adjoint operator harmonic Chebyshev-Gruss inequalities with applications.