cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoskopische Therapieverfahren bei Adipositas

Die bariatrische Chirurgie ist inzwischen eine akzeptierte Methode zur Behandlung der morbiden Adipositas. Mit restriktiven und malabsorptiven Eingriffen wird fur die Patienten eine Gewichtsreduktion erreicht, die insgesamt zu einer signifikanten Verringerung der Mortalitat fuhren. Da aber bei den adiposen Patienten oft schwerwiegende Begleiterkrankungen vorliegen, gehen die Eingriffe haufig mit einer gesteigerten Morbiditat und auch Mortalitat einher. Endoskopische transorale Behandlungsverfahren konnten eine minimalinvasive Alternative zur Behandlung der morbiden Adipositas darstellen. In scheinkontrollierten Studien ist bisher nur der Magenballon ausreichend untersucht worden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass diese endoskopische Methode wahrscheinlich nur in einem Gesamtkonzept mit einer sich anschliesenden operativen Behandlung den Patienten eine dauerhafte Gewichtsreduktion ermoglicht. TOGA und TERIS sind neue Methoden, fur die in ersten klinischen Studien ein „prove of principle“ gezeigt werden konnte. Malabsorptive endoskopische Behandlungsverfahren, insbesondere das EndoBarrier-Verfahren, haben eine nicht zu unterschatzende Rate an unerwunschten Nebenwirkungen. Die Zukunft wird zeigen, welche Methode am Ende eine weitere Verbreitung findet.
Mathematical Frameworks for Pricing in the Cloud: Revenue, Fairness, and Resource Allocations

As more and more users begin to use the cloud for their computing needs, datacenter operators are increasingly pressed to effectively allocate their resources among these client users. Yet while much work has been done in this area, relatively little attention has been paid to studying perhaps the ultimate lever of resource allocation: pricing. Most data centers today charge users by "bundling" heterogeneous resources together in a fixed ratio and selling these bundles to their clients. But bundling masks the fact that different users require different combinations of resources (e.g., CPUs, memory, bandwidth) to process their jobs. The presence of multiple resources in fact allows an operator to offer many different types of pricing strategies, which may have different effects on its revenue. Moreover, to avoid user dissatisfaction, operators must consider the impact of their chosen prices on the fairness of the jobs processed for different users. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework that accounts for the fairness and revenue tradeoffs that arise in a datacenter's multi-resource setting and the impact that different pricing plans can have on this tradeoff. We characterize the implications of different pricing plans on various fairness metrics and derive analytical limits on the operator's fairness-revenue tradeoff. We then provide an algorithm to navigate this tradeoff and compare the tradeoff points for different pricing strategies on a data trace taken from a Google cluster.
The Autotransporter BpaB Contributes to the Virulence of Burkholderia mallei in an Aerosol Model of Infection

Burkholderia mallei is a highly pathogenic bacterium that causes the zoonosis glanders. Previous studies indicated that the genome of the organism contains eight genes specifying autotransporter proteins, which are important virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria. In the present study, we report the characterization of one of these autotransporters, BpaB. Database searches identified the bpaB gene in ten B. mallei isolates and the predicted proteins were 99-100% identical. Comparative sequence analyses indicate that the gene product is a trimeric autotransporter of 1,090 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 105-kDa. Consistent with this finding, we discovered that recombinant bacteria expressing bpaB produce a protein of ≥300-kDa on their surface that is reactive with a BpaB-specific monoclonal antibody. Analysis of sera from mice infected with B. mallei indicated that animals produce antibodies against BpaB during the course of disease, thus establishing production of the autotransporter in vivo. To gain insight on its role in virulence, we inactivated the bpaB gene of B. mallei strain ATCC 23344 and determined the median lethal dose of the mutant in a mouse model of aerosol infection. These experiments revealed that the bpaB mutation attenuates virulence 8-14 fold. Using a crystal violet-based assay, we also discovered that constitutive production of BpaB on the surface of B. mallei promotes biofilm formation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a biofilm factor for this organism.
Learning control applied to feedforward compensator tuning

When a robot performs the same task repeatedly, a learning controller can enhance the performance of the system significantly. The function of the learning controller is to update the feedforward compensator which cancels the dynamics of robot manipulators and friction of each joints. The feedforward compensator especially plays an important role in the contact force control of robot manipulators with a rigid workpiece. In this paper, the learning algorithm which guarantees the asymptotic stability is studied and used to refine the feedforward compensator. Experiments with a two degree of freedom direct drive robot confirms the effectiveness of the algorithm. >
Prostate Cancer Stem Cells and Their Involvement in Metastasis

Several solid tumors have now been shown to contain stem cell-like cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs). These cells, although generally rare, appear to be highly tumorigenic and may be the cells that drive tumor formation, maintain tumor homeostasis, and mediate tumor metastasis. In this chapter, we first summarize our current knowledge of stem/progenitor cells in the normal human prostate, an organ highly susceptible to hyperproliferative diseases such as benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer (PCa). Then we provide our insight on how a CSC should be defined. We further review the evidence of CSCs in PCa. Along with our discussion, we present several methodologies that can be potentially used to identify putative tumor-initiating CSCs. Finally, we discuss the involvement of CSCs in metastasis and the potential implications of the CSC model in helping us to understand the progression of prostate carcinogenesis and metastasis and to design novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches.
Broken Trust: Dysfunctional Government and Constitutional Reform -- Chapter 1

This is Chapter 1 of a forthcoming book, Broken Trust: Dysfunctional Government and Constitutional Reform, to be published this fall by University Press of Kansas. Chapter 1 serves both as the introduction and begins the discussion in the rest of the book by setting out my themes of the relationship of trust in government to the constitutional order, understanding dysfunctional government in terms of studying the aftermath of “policy disasters,” and whether and how we should reform the Constitution. I also include the table of contents for the book, which is intended to be short and accessible.Chapter 1 starts by establishing a framework, inspired by the work Madison did in preparation for the Philadelphia convention, for assessing claims that the ways in which our national government is dysfunctional justify changing the Constitution. It argues that although the idea that our government is dysfunctional is quite plausible, it is much harder than most assume to build a case that this dysfunction justifies fundamental constitutional reform. Despite this, the book assumes the burden of arguing that such fundamental reform is justified. However, I have an original take on how such an argument can be made and so I go about this task differently from most of the existing literature on dysfunctional government. In particular, although I have no quarrel with the evidence of political polarization, at least among elites, I steer clear of arguments about dysfunction based on polarization. I believe that the problem of trust in government is more fundamental and more relevant to the challenge of justifying constitutional reform.So how to justify changing the Constitution, something most Americans instinctively oppose? The book concentrates on two related phenomena: the increasing occurrence of “policy disasters” – policy outcomes that are in no one’s interest – and the long-term decline of trust in the federal government. I argue that we can better understand how these developments are related in contemporary times by examining the experience of California and other western states with “hybrid democracy” – a combination of Madisonian representative government with direct democracy. Although unpopular with constitutional scholars, hybrid democracy nonetheless offers valuable lessons relevant to our contemporary difficulties with dysfunctional government at the national level. These lessons underpin the agenda for reform that I propose, emphasizing democratic innovations aimed at producing both more effective government and greater trust in our political institutions.Ultimately, I argue that dysfunctional government, along with the policy disasters it engenders, is a product of the deep and persistent distrust in government. Put simply, effective government in the kind of constitutional order we have today requires high trust in government or, at least, higher trust than we have seen in many decades. Building that trust should be our common project.
Locality Requirements in Reduplication: SYLLABLEPROXIMITY-BR *

Some languages show patterns of order-disrupting reduplication, in which the input order of elements is not faithfully preserved in the reduplicated form. Based on data from Saisiyat, an endangered Austronesian language of Taiwan, I propose that these patterns of order-disrupting reduplication are driven by syllable-based locality. In Saisiyat Progressive Reduplication, the second occurrence of the elements in Base-Reduplicant correspondence interrupts the expected linear sequence; for example, the unreduplicated form [koma:at] ‘write’ has the reduplicated form [kokma:at] ‘be writing’, in which the second [k] is order-disrupting. To account for such patterns, I propose a constraint SyllableProximity-BR, which demands that elements in Base-Reduplicant correspondence be dominated by the same syllable node. Order disruption results when SyllableProximity-BR dominates a constraint requiring order preservation. This account captures both the position and the minimal size of the Reduplicant in order-disrupting reduplication, and makes the strong empirical prediction that all order-disrupting reduplication is local. An alternative account of these phenomena that enforces position and size requirements by separate constraints predicts unattested patterns of order-disrupting reduplication with a variable source of copy and an arbitrarily long distance between correspondents.
Intrinsic-state coefficients of fractional parentage in the oscillator shell model☆

Abstract Intrinsic-state c.f.p. allow access to the internal structure of shell-model wave functions without involving the c.m. coordinate. A method is presented which allows intrinsic-state c.f.p. to be calculated from known standard shell-model c.f.p. Sample results are tabulated and an example of the usage of such c.f.p. is given.
Experimental and numerical investigation of confined oblique impingement configurations for high heat flux applications

Abstract Breakthroughs in recent cutting-edge electronic technologies have become increasingly dependent on the ability to safely dissipate large amount of heat from small areas. Improvements in cooling methodologies are therefore required to avoid unacceptable temperature rise and at the same time maintain a high efficiency. Jet impingement is one such cooling scheme which has been widely used to dissipate transient and steady concentrated heat loads. The configuration examined in the present paper aims at wall-integrated inclined impinging jets in a confined environment. Coolant outlet is perpendicular to the plane of the impinging jets and is along the cross-flow direction. The main objective of the present work is to gain insight both experimentally and numerically into designing and analysis of a jet impinging cooling scheme for high heat density applications systems such as micro- and meso-scale electronic systems and trailing edge of a turbine blade. An overall enhancement of 150%–200% in the maximum heat transfer coefficient has been recorded both experimentally and computationally due to impingement and associated swirl. Results are presented to show the effect of the wall induced swirl and the associated enhanced heat transfer mechanism. The presence of fins between the jets further increases the cooling area and adds additional conduction area. The present scheme is therefore expected to provide alternatives for overcoming the existing heat distribution and cooling problems in high heat flux dissipating devices.
Thermochemistry of thermal plasma chemical reactions. Part I. General rules for the prediction of products

Equilibrium calculations based on the standard technique of minimization of the Gibbs free energy, with consideration of both gas and condensed phases, are shown to be inadequate for predicting the yield or even the proper composition of the products from thermal plasma reaction systems. This is due to the dominating influence of nucleation kinetics, a nonequilibrium effect. In this paper a modification of the equilibrium approach is proposed, whereby the supersaturation of a phase which may condense is calculated, and species with low supersaturation pressures which are unlikely to precipitate are subsequently removed from consideration. A comparison is made between the former equilibrium predictions and these quasi-equilibrium predictions. When compared with experimental data taken from the extant literature and from the authors' own research, the quasi-equilibrium modification is seen to provide excellent agreement with respect to product composition and yield. Examples are discussed including the thermal plasma production of hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, acetylene, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and titanium carbide.
Combined Maternal Erythrocyte Autosensitization and Materno‐Fetal Jka Incompatibility

A black woman in the second month of her fourth pregnancy was found to have moderately strong autosensitization of her own erythrocytes (RBC) by C3d (α2D); at the same time, anti-Jka was detected in her serum. At term she delivered a healthy Jka-positive ABO-compatible infant whose RBC were very strongly coated by C3d. Anti-Jka was demonstrable in maternal and cord serum at a titer of 1/64, and in an eluate from the newborn infant's washed RBC at a titer of 1/8. Despite very strong RBC C3d sensitization and the persistence of free anti-Jka in the infant's circulation for at least six weeks postpartum, no evidence for hemolytic disease of the newborn developed. The infant's benign course is discussed in relation to 16 reports of maternofetal Kidd isosensitization in pregnancy.
Thermal regime of dune‐covered sediments under gaining and losing water bodies

[1] We investigate the effects of current–bed form induced flow and heat transport through permeable-bottom sediments overlain by a marine or terrestrial water column that is gaining or losing deep groundwater. Heat transport is forced by the diel variation of temperature in the water column. The investigation utilizes sequentially coupled simulations of turbulent flow in the water column, and Darcy flow and heat transport in the sediments. The simulations address the question when, where, and by how much are diel water column temperature variations transmitted into sediments subjected to ambient-groundwater discharge? This is crucial information for detecting, observing, and predicting temperature-sensitive biogeochemical and ecological processes in the bottom sediments. When the groundwater gain or loss is small, it has no appreciable effect on temperatures in the sediments, which are controlled by heat conduction and current–bed form induced heat advection. As losing discharge increases, the temperature signal from the water column penetrates deeper into the sediments, with the largest temperature variations found under a downwelling zone along the stoss side of the bed form and damped temperature variations found near a narrow upwelling zone below the crest. Similar patterns are observed under gaining conditions, but with temperature variations penetrating to shallower depths; the interfacial exchange zone is diminished by upward movement of deep groundwater. Large gains or losses of deep groundwater prevent the formation of an interfacial exchange zone making heat transport almost vertically one-dimensional. The sensitivity of the sediment-thermal regime to hydrodynamic conditions increases with increasing water column current (Reynolds number) and with sediment permeability.
On optimality conditions for maximizations with respect to cones

For a Pareto maximization problem defined in infinite dimensions in terms of cones, relationships among several types of maximal elements are noted and optimality conditions are developed in terms of tangent cones.
A generic framework to simulate realistic lung, liver and renal pathologies in CT imaging

Realistic three-dimensional (3D) mathematical models of subtle lesions are essential for many computed tomography (CT) studies focused on performance evaluation and optimization. In this paper, we develop a generic mathematical framework that describes the 3D size, shape, contrast, and contrast-profile characteristics of a lesion, as well as a method to create lesion models based on CT data of real lesions. Further, we implemented a technique to insert the lesion models into CT images in order to create hybrid CT datasets. This framework was used to create a library of realistic lesion models and corresponding hybrid CT images. The goodness of fit of the models was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R2) and the visual appearance of the hybrid images was assessed with an observer study using images of both real and simulated lesions and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. The average R2 of the lesion models was 0.80, implying that the models provide a good fit to real lesion data. The area under the ROC curve was 0.55, implying that the observers could not readily distinguish between real and simulated lesions. Therefore, we conclude that the lesion-modeling framework presented in this paper can be used to create realistic lesion models and hybrid CT images. These models could be instrumental in performance evaluation and optimization of novel CT systems.
Sympathetically mediated effects of mental stress on the cardiac microcirculation of patients with coronary artery disease

Mental stress often causes myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). There is increasing evidence that the coronary microcirculation of patients with atherosclerosis may be dysfunctional, with the potential of contributing to myocardial ischemia. This study investigated sympathetically mediated coronary microcirculatory and regional noradrenergic effects of mental stress. We measured left anterior descending coronary artery blood flow and norepinephrine kinetics at rest and during a 10-minute video game in 10 CAD patients with nonsignificant atherosclerosis of this artery and in 5 patients with normal coronary angiograms (NCA). The 2 groups did not differ in their responses of systemic and cardiac norepinephrine spillovers, heart rate, and blood pressure during mental stress. Patients with NCA had microvascular dilation during mental stress (26 +/- 9% [mean +/- SD] decline in coronary vascular resistance from baseline, p < 0.01), whereas patients with CAD did not (9 +/- 20% decline, p = 0.11). Six patients with CAD then received intracoronary phentolamine (1.7 micrograms/kg/min for 5 minutes, followed by 0.17 micrograms/kg/min) and played the video game again. In contrast to nonsignificant changes in coronary resistance during the initial video game (6 +/- 15% decline, p = 0.20), coronary vascular resistance decreased significantly during the repeat video game (25 +/- 19% decline, p = 0.02). Vasomotor responses of epicardial coronary artery segments did not differ between the 2 video game studies. Five other patients (4 with CAD, 1 with NCA) repeated the video game during intracoronary administration of 5% dextrose, with systemic and coronary hemodynamic and noradrenergic responses unchanged from those during the initial video game.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Combining the Calculus of Variations and Wavelets for Image Enhancement

Abstract We propose methods of both slow and rapid post-processing of signals for erasure of artifacts that arise in the process of thresholding and quantization. We use wavelets as tools to define constraints and variational functionals as measures of complexity of signals. The methods come from analyses of different possibilities of blending variational calculus and wavelet multiresolution in ways that appear to be natural.
California verbal learning test (CVLT) performance in severely head-injured and neurologically normal adult males

California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) performance was compared for 33 head-injured and 33 neurologically normal adult males. On learning trials, head-injured persons recalled fewer items than controls in general, though the percent of improvement between trials did not differ for these groups. Head-injured patients also demonstrated more intrusions and used semantic groupings less than did normal controls during learning trials. On delayed recall trials, head-injured persons remembered a smaller percentage of items they had learned earlier than did controls. Semantic cues aided recall for head-injured but not normal persons. Head-injured persons were less able to discriminate list from nonlist items during the recognition trial. Results indicated both retrieval and storage (i.e., encoding or retention) deficits for the head-injured group. The CVLT is a useful instrument for defining memory deficits in a head-injured population.
Psychological costs of air pollution: Atmospheric conditions, seasonal trends, and psychiatric emergencies

Archival data covering a two-year period were obtained from four sources in order to assess relationships between calls for assistance in handling psychiatric emergencies and levels of air pollution, nine types of weather, four temporal variables, and changes in the economy. Multiple regression and analysis of covariance revealed that police received a disproportionate number of calls when levels of air pollution, especially photochemical oxidants, and temperatures were high. Also, more calls were received on weekdays than weekends and during spring and winter than other months. These results, which are consistent with affective models of social behavior, confirm hypotheses derived from laboratory studies on malodorous pollution. It is suggested that psychiatric emergencies and treatment should be included in costbenefit analyses of air pollution-health relationships.
The reaction of sulfilinic acids with benzeneseleninic acid

Abstract Aromatic sulfinic acids are rapidly oxidized at 0°C by benzeneseleninic acid, setting in motion a reaction sequence whose final products are (a) the arenesulfonate salt of benzeneseleninic acid ( 2 ) and (b) the Se-phenyl areneselenosulfonate ( 1 ).
Warfighter Inclusion in System Development : The Operational Perspective in Defining Design Requirements

Human systems integration (HSI) is integral to any comprehensive system engineering process. HSI is defined by the International Conference on System Engineering as “interdisciplinary technical and management processes for integrating human considerations within and across all system elements; an essential enabler to systems engineering practice.” But how does one accomplish this interdisciplinary integration? This paper highlights the essential role of the warfighter as an overarching elicitor and integrator of system requirements, and how to effectively exploit this crucial resource. All complex systems are developed to be used and maintained in a specific operational environment by a trained user. It is therefore imperative that the unique operational perspectives of those users are made part of the design and development process. There are several key opportunities within the acquisition process where qualified, representative users play a significant role in refining the system's requirements and defining how the total system will perform. Active participation from the warfighter and user community in the design process will aid in identifying issues early enough to make a meaningful influence on design, fosters warfighter acceptance of the system, reduces the risks associated with warfighter alterations to system configurations, and validates total system performance using human in the loop evaluations.
The oriental species of Curtonotidae (Diptera)

Abstract The family Curtonotidae is represented in the Oriental Region by only two genera, viz., Curtonotum and Apsinota. Parapsinota is a new synonym of Curtonotum. Only five species have been previously recorded. Seven additional new species and one unnamed species in two genera are treated here.
Does positive end-expiratory pressure significantly reduce airway blood flow?

Nutritive (systemic arterial) airway blood flow (mL/min/100 grams tissue) was studied in various size airways at four randomized levels of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) in smoke injured and normal lungs. Seven sheep were studied 24 hours after an isolated injury to the left lung using cotton smoke. Radioactive 15-μm microspheres were utilized to measure this airway blood flow. These data demonstrated a marked increase in systemic arterial blood flow to the airways in the injured left lung. Increasing levels of PEEP significantly reduced this hyperemic response. PEEP did not significantly affect the uninjured right lung. Systemic airway blood flow was never reduced to below normal control levels (uninjured) in either lung despite PEEP of up to 20 cm H 2 O
Diverse basalt types from Loihi seamount, Hawaii

Loihi seamount is the southeasternmost active volcano in the Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain. The seamount is considered representative of the early phase of Hawaiian volcanism because of its youth, small size, and location near the melting anomaly. Seventeen dredge stations recovered transitional basalt, alkalic basalt, and basanite, in addition to the expected tholeiitic basalt. Four flows of alkalic basalt contain common small dunite xenoliths. The recovered samples have thin palagonite rinds and almost no manganese on the glassy surfaces; we estimate that the lavas are less than about 4,000 yr old, and many are less than 1,000 yr old. Loihi seamount is apparently in a transitional growth phase between the early eruption of alkalic lavas and the commonly observed (subaerial) tholeiitic eruptive phase, previously thought to dominate Hawaiian volcanism from inception until the postcaldera collapse, alkalic stage.
Fear of failure and the Zeigarnik effect.

The present study was a partial replication of one by Atkinson in 1953 and an attempt to assess the effect of strength of fear-of-failure motivation on recall of interrupted and completed tasks. 81...
Fascists. By Michael Mann. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2004. Pp. x+429. $65.00. ISBN 0-521-83131-8.

Seeking a general theory of fascism is a bit like the attempt to gather all of modern physics into a single unified field theory. It is a necessary exercise that can stimulate reflection, even in failure. Michael Mann, a historical sociologist at UCLA, provides an intriguing survey and theory of European fascism. While he does not really break significant new ground, he does raise questions that will eventually advance the state of our knowledge.
Teaching community psychology to undergraduate students

Limited resources have been available to those community psychologists now in the teaching profession to assist in the development of courses for undergraduates. The authors suggest a distinction between teaching and training, offer three examples of course curricula with both academic and fieldwork components, and reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of experiential learning.
Conversion of methane to methanol on copper-containing small-pore zeolites and zeotypes

This communication reports the discovery of several small-pore Cu-zeolites and zeotypes that produce methanol from methane and water vapor, and produce more methanol per copper atom than Cu-ZSM-5 and Cu-mordenite. The new materials include Cu-SSZ-13, Cu-SSZ-16, Cu-SSZ-39, and Cu-SAPO-34.
Effect of topical application of defined constituents of coal tar on skin and liver aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase and 7-ethoxycoumarin deethylase activities

Abstract A single topical application of coal tar solution (USP) to neonatal rats resulted in the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and 7-ethoxycoumarin O -deethylase activities in skin, liver, lung, kidney, and intestine. The induction response of AHH in these tissues was in the order of skin > liver > intestine > lung > kidney. The induction response of 7-ethoxycoumarin O -deethylase was highest in the lung and followed the order of lung > kidney > skin > liver > intestine. Twenty-eight defined chemical constituents present in coal tar solution were individually analyzed for their induction effect on skin and liver AHH and 7-ethoxycoumarin O -deethylase activities. A single topical application of anthracene, 1,2-benzanthracene, 2,3-benzanthracene, benzo( a )pyrene, 2,3-benzofluorene, carbazole, chrysene, coronene, 1,2,3,4-dibenzanthracene, 1,2,5,6-dibenzanthracene, 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene, fluorene, isoquinoline, 3-methylcholanthrene, or phenanthrene at a dose of 1 mg/10 g body weight to neonatal rats resulted in statistically significant induction of skin and liver AHH and 7-ethoxycoumarin O -deethylase activities. The induction response varied from chemical to chemical. Acridine was found to be an inducer of the skin enzymes only. Topical application of triphenylene, benzo(ghi)perylene, fluoranthene, 1-methylphenanthrene, and perylene caused induction of liver enzymes without producing effects on skin enzymes. These studies indicate that several hydrocarbons present in coal tar solution have induction effects on drug and carcinogen metabolism in skin and liver and that there are tissue-specific responses to some of these hydrocarbons.
Cretan Jews and the First Sephardic Encounter in the fifteenth century

This article explores Jewish reactions to Sephardic settlement on Venetian Crete following the Spanish massacres of 1391, when a significant number of Sephardic Jews fled Iberia for the eastern Mediterranean. The Romaniot (Judeo-Greek) Jews native to Crete were heavily influenced by Sephardic intellectual traditions, and Spanish Jews had settled on Crete before 1391. The two Jewish communities commonly intermarried and accommodated one another. Yet, utilizing Taqqanot Qandiya, a collection of local Hebrew communal ordinances, this article argues that Crete's Jewish elite saw the Spanish newcomers as a threat to their long-held authority. Though the accusations are subtle, a close reading of this Hebrew source reveals a growing tension that provoked a self-defensive response on the part of the Cretan Romaniot leadership.
Translating Research Into Practice: Case Study Of A Community-Based Dementia Caregiver Intervention

One of the most devastating impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is the toll on caregivers. Evidence from randomized clinical trials has demonstrated the effectiveness of providing psychosocial interventions for caregivers to lessen their burden. However, the implementation of such interventions in community settings has proved challenging. This case study describes outcomes of the implementation of an evidence-based intervention in a multisite program in Minnesota. Consistent with the original randomized clinical trial of the intervention, assessments of this program showed decreased depression and distress among caregivers. Participating in a greater number of caregiver counseling sessions was also associated with longer time to nursing home placement for the person with dementia. Some of the challenges in the community setting included having caregivers complete the full six counseling sessions and acquiring complete outcome data. Given the challenges faced in the community setting, web...
The bright Moho reflection in the 1986 Nevada PASSCAL seismic experiment

Abstract Detailed study of the reflected phases from the Moho, identified in the seismic reflection recordings of the 1986 Nevada PASSCAL lithospheric seismic experiment, place important constraints on the fine structure and geological nature of the Mohorovicic discontinuity. Two different spectral ratio techniques are used to estimate the reflectivity of the Moho. We evaluate the ratio of the reflected PmP phase to the incident source amplitude. We also calculated the spectral ratio of the PmP phase with a reference reflection. Reflectivity estimates, calculated using both spectral ratio techniques, are very consistent. High reflectivity within the range 0.28–0.39 was obtained. The analysis of the spectral characteristics suggests a layered structure for the Moho with an average thickness between 85 and 250 m. These results require a layered Moho structure with high impedance contrasts. Amplitude modeling using a reflectivity algorithm demonstrates that constructive interference from a 1.0–1.5-km-thick layered structure produces amplitudes and waveforms comparable to the data. To achieve such high reflectivities, 20–25% of the Moho consists of layers with velocities below 6.5 km/s. The remaining layers have velocities between 7.7 and 8.1 km/s. Geologically, the low velocities are consistent with velocities characteristic of basaltic magmas (partial melts). The high velocities are characteristic of mantle material. The partial melts may represent an expression of present-day underplating.
Oral immunotherapy induces local protective mechanisms in the gastrointestinal mucosa

Background Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a promising treatment for food allergy. Studies are needed to elucidate mechanisms of clinical protection and to identify safer and potentially more efficacious methods for desensitizing patients to food allergens. Objective We established a mouse model of OIT to determine how the dose or form of antigen may affect desensitization and to identify mechanisms of desensitization. Methods Increasing doses of egg white or ovomucoid as OIT were administered orally to sensitized mice. The impact of OIT on anaphylaxis elicited by oral allergen challenge was determined. Allergen-specific antibody and cytokine responses and mast cell and basophil activation in response to OIT were measured. Gene expression in the small intestine was studied by microarray and real-time PCR. Results OIT resulted in desensitization but not tolerance of mice to the allergen. OIT did not result in desensitization of systemic effector cells, and protection was localized to the gastrointestinal tract. OIT was associated with significant changes in gene expression in the jejunum, including genes expressed by intestinal epithelial cells. Extensively heated ovomucoid that does not trigger anaphylaxis when given orally to sensitized mice was as efficacious as native ovomucoid in desensitizing mice. Conclusions OIT results in clinical protection against food-induced anaphylaxis through a novel mechanism that is localized to the intestinal mucosa and is associated with significant changes in small intestinal gene expression. Extensively heating egg allergen decreases allergenicity and increases safety while still retaining the ability to induce effective desensitization.
Empty spaces: neighbourhood change and the greening of Detroit, 1975–2005

This paper investigates the disappearing residential geography of Detroit, Michigan, between 1975 and 2005 by examining the relationship between the ‘greenness’ of the urban landscape and the structural thinning of residential areas via satellite imagery and census data. The study uses normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and key housing variables as a proxy for observed changes in neighbourhood structure that correspond to the neighbourhood life cycle. Ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression (GWR) were used to visualize the observed trends and performance of the models across space. Results from GWR analyses suggest the shifting residential geography of Detroit has changed from uniformly developed residential blocks to neighbourhoods that have experienced severe structural thinning across an urban landscape characterized by uneven development. The performance of the study models and parameters demonstrate how the relationships among NDVI and housing indicators, though signi...
Using eclectic digital resources to enhance instructional methods for adult learners

Purpose – To demonstrate that adult learning can be improved through the use of eclectic digital resources to enhance instructional methods rather than through learning skills in isolation.Design/methodology/approach – During the past two decades, a significant research has focused on adults as learners. Many adults take classes for skills improvement, job advancement, and personal understanding. The demand for training programs to help workers keep current and competitive is growing. It is likely that more adults from all walks of life will be continuing their education in a variety of settings. For example, librarians do instruction for their communities in the areas of internet searching, electronic database use, and personal computing skills. Many of their students are adults, including other library staff members, community members, and non‐traditional students.Findings – A learning program that includes digital resources helps provide the opportunity for instructors to help their students make conne...
Gordon Versus the Working Definition: Lessons from a Classic Critique

The author critiques Gordon's influential analysis of the National Association of Social Workers' working definition of social work practice (WD). Gordon's critique contains well-founded objections leading to the elimination of the WD's method, purpose, and sanction components. However, Gordon's implied conclusion that social work can be defined by a broad value (i.e., self-realization) and a distinctive knowledge domain (i.e., social transactions) involves fundamental errors repeated in subsequent definitional attempts. Rather than being distinguished by a unique knowledge domain, social work, like other professions, must be defined by a value that is distinctive of the profession yet shared by all social work fields.
Hepatic Collagenase Activity During Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Fibrosis

Abstract The contribution of collagen degradation, as measured by collagenase activity, to the accumulation of collagen during hepatotoxic fibrogenesis was examined using a carbon tetrachloride rat model. Both active and inactive enzyme forms were determined with the inactive form quantitated following activation by limited trypsin digestion of the liver homogenate. The rate of collagen biosynthesis was monitored by quantitating hepatic prolyl hydroxylase activity and accumulation of collagen. In one study CCl4 was administered twice weekly, i.p. (0.2 mL, 33% v/v in light mineral oil) for sixteen weeks, with animals sacrificed every two weeks. Histologic examination of liver sections and serum alanine transaminase levels indicated a progressive necrosis and fibrosis which was confirmed by the increase in hepatic hydroxyproline line content from 0.303 to 4.84 μg/mg wet wt. tissue. Prolyl hydroxylase activity increased in a time dependent manner to a maximum of 3.7 × control. This increase was accompanied by a large increase in both active collagenase (15.0–40.8 mU/mg protein) and latent collagenase activity (69.8–191.7 mU/mg protein). These increases were maintained through the transition to irreversible fibrosis. The increase in active collagenase activity was positively correlated with collagen content. A second short term CCl4 treatment study confirmed a transient alteration in the active to latent collagenase ratio early in the fibrotic process. These results demonstrate the dynamic changes in hepatic collagenase levels and indicate that the fibrotic lesion is not dependent on decreased collagenase levels for collagen accumulation.
Molecular mapping of kernel shattering and its association with Fusarium head blight resistance in a Sumai3 derived population

Kernel shattering (KS) can cause severe grain yield loss in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The introduction of genotypes with Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance has elevated the KS importance. 'Sumai3,' the most commonly used FHB-resistant germplasm worldwide, is reported to be KS susceptible. The objectives of this study were to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for KS and to determine the relationship between KS and FHB. A recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between Sumai3 and 'Stoa' was evaluated for KS in five environments and FHB in two field trials, separately. Four genomic regions on chromosomes 2B, 3B, and 7A were associated with KS. Of them, two major KS QTLs were detected consistently over three environments and each located proximal to the centromere on chromosomes 3B and 7A. The resistant alleles at these two QTLs together can reduce KS by 66.1% relative to the reciprocal alleles and by 41.1% compared to the population mean. The field FHB data revealed four QTLs on chromosomes 2B, 3B, and 7A. Three of these FHB QTLs coincided with and/or linked to the KS QTLs with opposite allele effects in the corresponding genomic regions, which may explain the negative correlation (r = -0.29 and P < 0.01) between the KS and FHB infection found in this study. The results in this study indicate that KS and FHB in Sumai3 are, in part, inherited dependently. However, the correlation between KS and FHB is not strong, and the major FHB resistance QTL on chromosome arm 3BS was not linked to any KS QTL. Our results showed that pyramiding of the two major KS-resistant alleles and the unlinked major FHB-resistant allele could produce lines with both low values of KS and FHB infection.
EFFECT OF HYDROXYUREA ON THE INCORPORATION OF THYMIDINE INTO EHRLICH ASCITES TUMOR CELLS.

Abstract The antitumor agent, hydroxyurea, was shown to reduce the rate of incorporation of thymidine- 3 H into Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro . A loss of previously incorporated thymidine- 3 H was also observed. This loss was not accompanied by gross cellular disorganization. The action of hydroxyurea on the test system was found to differ from that of hydroxylamine.
Influence of Degeneracy on Coherent Pulse Propagation in an Inhomogeneously Broadened Attenuator

Coherent pulse propagation in inhomogeneously broadened attenuator, examining degeneracy influence and connection with self induced transparency /SIT/ in nondegenerate system
Toxicity monitored with a correlated set of cell-culture assays

1. A set of assays for toxicity has been developed in which cell cultures serve as an alternative to toxicity testing in vivo.2. One test is the assessment of the highest concentration of toxicant which produces minimal morphological alterations in cell cultures, followed by the determination of the amount of neutral red dye uptake by the cells.3. A second test is based on 50% inhibition of uptake of [3H]uridine after incubation of the cultures with the toxicant.4. There is good agreement between these assays in the rank correlation of a broad spectrum of compounds tested, as well as with the data from Draize rabbit eye irritancy tests in vivo.
Inheritance of prophage P2 in superinfection experiments

Abstract Genetically marked P2 phage was used to superinfect cells of Escherichia coli (or Shigella dysenteriae ) which were lysogenic for P2 and hence immune to the superinfecting phage. The genetic incorporation of the superinfecting P2 was studied by examining the progeny of the superinfected cells. The results obtained are in agreement with the previously established rule that genetic incorporation occurs most frequently at the preferred location (I) either by prophage addition or by prophage substitution. Besides complete substitution, partial (= single marker) substitution was also observed, but at a lower frequency than complete substitution. The frequency of genetic incorporation was found to increase linearly with the multiplicity of superinfection for small multiplicities. The probability of genetic incorporation of a superinfecting phage is decreased by the presence of a prophage in location I; this hindrance does not depend on the immune specificity of such prophage. It is assumed that in immune cells multiplication of prophage precursors (= preprophages) is prevented. The probability of genetic incorporation of a preprophage in the absence of steric hindrance (5%) compares well with the probabilities found in other systems for the genetic incorporation of bacterial markers in transduction experiments. Weak virulent mutants of P2 and P2 Hy dis can become prophages, but only in cells already lysogenic for a temperate phage of the same immunity class.
Impact of next generation sequencing: the 2009 Human Genome Variation Society Scientific Meeting.

The annual scientific meeting of the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) was held on the 20th of October, 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The theme of this meeting was the “Impact of Next Generation Sequencing.” Presenters spoke on issues ranging from advances in the technology of large-scale genome sequencing to how this information can be analyzed to uncover genetic variants associated with disease. Many of the challenges resulting from the implementation of these new technologies were presented, but possible solutions, or at least paths to the solutions, were also given. With the combined efforts of investigators using next-generation sequencing to help understand the impact of genetic variants on disease, the use of the personal genome in medicine will soon become a reality. Hum Mutat 30:1–4, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
AIDS Action-Research With Women in Kinshasa, Zaire

Abstract AIDS has assumed epidemic proportions in Central Africa. Knowledge of culturally constructed gender relations and sexual meanings is crucial to developing prevention strategies and reducing the impact of AIDS. CONNAISSIDA, a transdisciplinary medical anthropology research project, developed culturally appropriate community-based empowerment workshops. These used cognitive, emotional and social stimulants to provoke critical reflection and action. Collaborative relationships developed in workshops were used to study sexual relations in many contexts. Significant changes in knowledge and action were observed. Nevertheless, economic necessity and inequality limited the ability of many women to avoid sexual risk. Economic crisis, structural adjustment and debt reimbursement policies have exacerbated poverty, particularly among women. Linking macrolevel political economy to microlevel sociocultural analysis shows how strategies adopted for survival contribute to sexual risk. Therefore broader socioeconomic changes that reduce poverty and gender subordination are necessary to controll the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Findings from Zaire are widely applicable in the region.