cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Dynamic Loading on the Transport of Solutes into Agarose Hydrogels

In functional tissue engineering, the application of dynamic loading has been shown to improve the mechanical properties of chondrocyte-seeded agarose hydrogels relative to unloaded free swelling controls. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of dynamic loading on the transport of nutrients in tissue-engineered constructs. To eliminate confounding effects, such as nutrient consumption in cell-laden disks, this study examines the response of solute transport due to loading using a model system of acellular agarose disks and dextran in phosphate-buffered saline (3 and 70 kDa). An examination of the passive diffusion response of dextran in agarose confirms the applicability of Fick's law of diffusion in describing the behavior of dextran. Under static loading, the application of compressive strain decreased the total interstitial volume available for the 70 kDa dextran, compared to free swelling. Dynamic loading significantly enhanced the rate of solute uptake into agarose disks, relative to static loading. Moreover, the steady-state concentration under dynamic loading was found to be significantly greater than under static loading, for larger-molecular-mass dextran (70 kDa). This experimental finding confirms recent theoretical predictions that mechanical pumping of a porous tissue may actively transport solutes into the disk against their concentration gradient. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the application of dynamic loading in the presence of growth factors of large molecular weight may result in both a mechanically and chemically stimulating environment for tissue growth.
The implementation and evaluation of dynamic code decompression using DISE

Code compression coupled with dynamic decompression is an important technique for both embedded and general-purpose microprocessors. Postfetch decompression, in which decompression is performed after the compressed instructions have been fetched, allows the instruction cache to store compressed code but requires a highly efficient decompression implementation. We propose implementing postfetch decompression using a new hardware facility called dynamic instruction stream editing (DISE). DISE provides a programmable decoder---similar in structure to those in many IA-32 processors---that is used to add functionality to an application by injecting custom code snippets into its fetched instruction stream. We present a DISE-based implementation of postfetch decompression and show that it naturally supports customized program-specific decompression dictionaries, enables parameterized decompression allowing similar-but-not-identical instruction sequences to share dictionary entries, and uses no decompression-specific hardware. We present extensive experimental results showing the virtue of this approach and evaluating the factors that impact its efficacy. We also present implementation-neutral results that give insight into the characteristics of any postfetch decompression technique. Our experiments not only demonstrate significant reduction in code size (up to 35%) but also significant improvements in performance (up to 20%) and energy (up to 10%).
One hundred patients with recurrent pectus excavatum repaired via the minimally invasive Nuss technique—effective in most regardless of initial operative approach

Abstract Purpose Controversy exists as to the best operative approach to use in patients with failed pectus excavatum (PE) repair. We examined our institutional experience with redo minimally invasive PE repair along with the unique issues related to each technique. Methods We conducted an institutional review board–approved review of a prospectively gathered database of all patients who underwent minimally invasive repair of PE. Results From June 1987 to January 2010, 100 patients underwent minimally invasive repair for recurrent PE. Previous repairs included 42 Ravitch (RAV) procedures, 51 Nuss (NUS) procedures, 3 Leonard procedures, and 4 with previous NUS and RAV repairs. The median Haller index at reoperation was 4.99 (range, 2.4-20). Fifty-five percent of RAV patients and 25% of NUS patients required 2 or more bars ( P = .01). Two RAV patients had intraoperative nonfatal cardiac arrest owing to thoracic chondrodystrophy—1 at insertion and 1 upon removal. Bar displacements occurred in 12% RAV and 7.8% NUS patients ( P = .05). Overall reoperation for bar displacement is 9%. Conclusions The minimally invasive NUS technique is safe and effective for the correction of recurrent PE. Patients with prior NUS repair can have extensive pleural adhesions necessitating decortication during secondary repair. Patients with a previous RAV repair may have acquired thoracic chondrodystrophy that may require a greater number of pectus bars to be placed at secondary repair and greater risk for complications. We have a greater than 95% success rate regardless of initial repair technique.
Cool interstellar matter in early-type galaxies

IRAS fluxes of early-type galaxies have been examined. From studying a magnitude-limited sample, it seems that although the statistics are poor, perhaps a third of these objects and possibly even more have an appreciable amount of dust. In general, the infrared emission is strongest at 100 microns, and quite often the far-infrared luminosity of an early-type galaxy can be well in excess of 10 to the 8th solar luminosities. The data are most easily understood if the infrared results from dust reprocessing of starlight. Within 3 kpc of the center of an early-type galaxy, there may be more cold matter than hot gas; recent models that the interstellar media of these objects are composed primarily of hot gas appear to be oversimplifications. The X-ray data do indicate that the thermal pressure in the early-type galaxies often is sufficiently high that in view of the expected low temperatures of their interstellar clouds, it can be speculated that the cold material that is present may be forming low-mass stars.
Region-Specific Medial Fiber Micro-Architecture in the Longitudinal-Radial and Circumferential-Radial Planes of Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Among Bicuspid and Tricuspid Aortic Valve Patients

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening cardiovascular emergency with a high potential for death. It usually begins with an intimal tear which permits blood to enter the wall, split the media and create a false lumen, which can reenter the true lumen or exit through the adventitia causing complete rupture. A possible mechanism for dissection of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) can be the occurrence of blood pressure-induced wall stresses in excess to the adhesive strength between the degenerated aortic wall layers.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Introduction to Symposium on the Meaning of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Strike Twenty-Five Years Later

I am most pleased to present this symposium in the Perspectives section on the meaning of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) strike 25 years later. In August 1981, more than 11,000 air traffic controllers launched a strike which has been viewed as a defining point in U.S. labor history. Three prominent experts on the PATCO strike have written essays for this symposium: Arthur B. Shostak, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Drexel University; Joseph A. McCartin, Associate Professor of History at Georgetown University and Richard W. Hurd, Professor of Labor Studies at Cornell University. These articles provide important insights on what is undoubtedly the most important public sector strike in the United States in the last two decades of the twentieth century. In the first essay entitled, “Finding Meaning in Labor's ‘Perfect Storm’: Lessons from the 1981 PATCO Strike,” Professor Shostak outlines several significant lessons in employee relations that can be gleaned from PATCO's strike against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 25 years ago. In the second piece entitled, “A Historian's Perspective on the PATCO Strike, Its Legacy, and Lessons,” Professor McCartin argues that although the PATCO strike was one of the most important events in twentieth century U.S. labor history, it did not initiate the downfall of American labor as many commentators have claimed although it did set the stage for a problematic U.S. labor relations climate in the decades to come from the unions' point of view. Finally, in the third article entitled, “Reflections on PATCO'S Legacy: Labor's Strategic Challenges Persist,” Professor Hurd points out that even though PATCO's tactical strategy prior to and during its strike contained fatal flaws, the union developed creative methods in an attempt to alter its Employ Respons Rights J (2006) 18: 205–206 DOI 10.1007/s10672-006-9017-8
Effects of generation on memory access

Prior research has demonstrated that subjects’ failure to spontaneously access acquisition information during a problem-solving task results in performance deficits that persist even after the subjects are informed of the relevance of acquisition information (Perfetto, Bransford, & Franks, 1983). The present experiments examined the hypothesis that these deficits are due to interference from previously generated inadequate solutions to the problems. The results indicated that subjects who generated responses on a first problem-solving trial were able to recall fewer acquisition answers on a second, explicit memory trial than were subjects who read the same Trial 1 responses as experimenter-provided material. This effect seems to be due, at least in part, to greater spontaneous noticing of the relevance of acquisition information by read than by generate subjects.
THE EFFECTS OF CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS AND INVESTIGATIONS ON PRESIDENTIAL POPULARITY

Conventional wisdom suggests that high-profile congressional hearings and investigations into executive branch corruption or mismanagement will have a negative effect on presidential popularity. This relationship is explored by measuring changes in public approval ratings for the Truman through the Bush presidencies in response to such congressional probes. Statistical and regression analyses found only the most minor and statistically insignificant popularity losses associated with such probes, although significant effects were found in certain narrowly defined subcategories of congressional investigations.
Neuropsychological Similarities and Differences Among Huntington’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cortical Dementia

A comparison of cognitive function was made among patients with Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cortical dementia. Utilizing indexes from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Halstead-Reitan Battery, it was found that there was substantially more severe cognitive deficit in the Huntington's disease patients than in the multiple sclerosis patients, and the level of impairment was similar between the Huntington's disease and cortical dementia groups. Qualitative differences, particularly involving amount and type of perseveration, were noted among the three groups. It was concluded that subcortical dementia is not necessarily characterized by mild cognitive impairment, and there appear to be important qualitative differences between cortical and subcortical dementia. Results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of the presently conceptualized distinction between cortical and subcortical dementia.
Identification of a nonlinear system using a combined algorithm

Parameter identification algorithm for nonlinear equations describing VTOL aircraft longitudinal response
The production rates of rare earth nuclides by 70 MeV bremsstrahlung for photon activation analysis

The combination of photon activation and solid state γ-ray detection provides a very effective method of analysis of rare earths. The present report describes the production rates of almost all of the product nuclides found in yttrium and 14 rare earths irradiated with 70 MeV bremsstrahlung photons from an electron synchrotron. A 20 cm3 lithium-drifted germanium diode was used as a detector. Sensitivities of this method have been summarized for photon activation analysis, and experimental reaction yields have been obtained in order to discuss the reactivity of high-energy photons with nuclei in the rare earth region.
Stereospecific and chemospecific interconversions of the rhenium alkylidene [(η-C5H5)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CHC6H5)]+PF6− and the alkylrhenium (η-C5H5)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CH(OCH3)C6H5)

Abstract Addition of methoxide to either geometric isomer of the benzylidene complex [(η-C5H5)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CHC6H5)]+PF6− (1t, 1k) affords (η-C5H5)Re(NO)(PPh3)(CH(OCH3)C6H5 (2t, 2k) in which a new chiral center has been generated stereospecifically or with high stereoselectivity. Reaction of 2t and 2k with Ph3C+PF6− results in the chemospecific abstraction of a methoxy group and the stereospecific regeneration of 1t and 1k, respectively.
Radioimmunoassay of the Insulin Receptor: A New Probe of Receptor Structure and Function

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for the insulin receptor has been developed employing receptor autoantibodies from the serum of a patient with insulin-resistant diabetes. The assay detects insulin binding sites at concentrations as low as 0.1 nanomolar; distinguishes between receptors originating from human placental membranes, human lymphoblastoid cells, and mouse liver membranes; and measures the receptor independently of its binding function. Down-regulation, or loss of binding after exposure to insulin, is associated with loss of immunoreactive receptor.
Reversible Photo Actuated Bulk Nanocomposite with Nematic Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Matrix

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are excellent actuator materials. However, current LCE materials are generally made in the forms with thin thickness, such as films or fibers, which have limitation...
Exogenous fibroblast growth factor-10 induces cystic lung development with altered target gene expression in the presence of heparin in cultures of embryonic rat lung.

Objectives: Signaling by fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor (FGFR) 2IIIb regulates branching morphogenesis in the mammalian lung. FGFR2IIIb is primarily expressed in epithelial cells, whereas its ligands, FGF-10 and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF; FGF-7), are expressed in mesenchymal cells. FGF-10 null mice lack lungs, whereas KGF null animals have normal lung development, indicating that FGF-10 regulates lung branching morphogenesis. In this study, we determined the effects of FGF-10 on lung branching morphogenesis and accompanying gene expression in cultures of embryonic rat lungs. Methods: Embryonic day 14 rat lungs were cultured with FGF-10 (0–250 ng/ml) in the absence or presence of heparin (30 ng/ml) for 4 days. Gene expression profiles were analyzed by Affymetrix microchip array including pathway analysis. Some of these genes, functionally important in FGF-10 signaling, were further analyzed by Northern blot, real-time PCR, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results: Exogenous FGF-10 inhibited branching and induced cystic lung growth only in cultures containing heparin. In total, 252 upregulated genes and 164 downregulated genes were identified, and these included Spry1 (Sprouty-1), Spry2 (Sprouty-2), Spred-1, Bmp4 (bone morphogenetic protein-4, BMP-4), Shh (sonic hedgehog, SHH), Pthlh (parathyroid hormone-related protein, PTHrP), Dusp6 (MAP kinase phosphatase-3, MKP-3) and Clic4 (chloride intracellular channel-4, CLIC-4) among the upregulated genes and Igf1 (insulin-like growth factor-1, IGF-1), Tcf21 (POD), Gyg1 (glycogenin 1), Sparc (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, SPARC), Pcolce (procollagen C-endopeptidase enhancer protein, Pro CEP) and Lox (lysyl oxidase) among the downregulated genes. Gsk3β and Wnt2, which are involved in canonical Wnt signaling, were up- and downregulated, respectively. Conclusions: Unlike FGF-7, FGF-10 effects on lung branching morphogenesis are heparin-dependent. Sprouty-2, BMP-4, SHH, IGF-1, SPARC and POD are known to regulate branching morphogenesis; however, potential roles of CLIC-4 and MKP-3 in lung branching morphogenesis remain to be investigated. FGF-10 may also function in regulating branching morphogenesis or inducing cystic lung growth by inhibiting Wnt2/β-catenin signaling.
Inhibition of Fatty-Acid Amide Hydrolase Accelerates Acquisition and Extinction Rates in a Spatial Memory Task

Recent reports have demonstrated that disruption of CB(1) receptor signaling impairs extinction of learned responses in conditioned fear and Morris water maze paradigms. Here, we test the hypothesis that elevating brain levels of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide through either genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of its primary catabolic enzyme fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) will potentiate extinction in a fixed platform water maze task. FAAH (-/-) mice and mice treated with the FAAH inhibitor OL-135, did not display any memory impairment or motor disruption, but did exhibit a significant increase in the rate of extinction. Unexpectedly, FAAH-compromised mice also exhibited a significant increase in acquisition rate. The CB(1) receptor antagonist SR141716 (rimonabant) when given alone had no effects on acquisition, but disrupted extinction. Additionally, SR141716 blocked the effects of OL-135 on both acquisition and extinction. Collectively, these results indicate that endogenous anandamide plays a facilitatory role in extinction through a CB(1) receptor mechanism of action. In contrast, the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana, Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, failed to affect extinction rates, suggesting that FAAH is a more effective target than a direct acting CB(1) receptor agonist in facilitating extinction. More generally, these findings suggest that FAAH inhibition represents a promising pharmacological approach to treat psychopathologies hallmarked by an inability to extinguish maladaptive behaviors, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Metabolomics of colorectal cancer: past and current analytical platforms

Metabolomics is coming of age as an important area of investigation which may help reveal answers to questions left unanswered or only partially understood from proteomic or genomic approaches. Increased knowledge of the relationship of genes and proteins to smaller biomolecules (metabolites) will advance our ability to diagnose, treat, and perhaps prevent cancer and other diseases that have eluded scientists for generations. Colorectal tumors are the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the USA, and the incidence is rising. Many patients present late, after the onset of symptoms, when the tumor has spread from the primary site. Once metastases have occurred, the prognosis is significantly worse. Understanding alterations in metabolic profiles that occur with tumor onset and progression could lead to better diagnostic tests as well as uncover new approaches to treat or even prevent colorectal cancer (CRC). In this review, we explore the various analytical technologies that have been applied in CRC metabolomics research and summarize all metabolites measured in CRC and integrate them into metabolic pathways. Early studies with nuclear magnetic resonance and gas-chromatographic mass spectrometry suggest that tumor cells are characterized by aerobic glycolysis, increased purine metabolism for DNA synthesis, and protein synthesis. Liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and ion mobility, each coupled with mass spectrometry, promise to advance the field and provide new insight into metabolic pathways used by cancer cells. Studies with improved technology are needed to identify better biomarkers and targets for treatment or prevention of CRC.
Who bears the burden of a tax on carbon emissions in Japan

We develop a simple general equilibrium model in the style of Harberger to analyze the distributional effects of the proposed “environment tax” on carbon in Japan. We derive closed-form equations that show how a change in the tax rate affects the economy-wide return to capital, wage, and output prices. The two main features of the economy that determine the sources-side incidence of the tax are the factor intensities of the polluting and nonpolluting industries and the elasticity of substitution in production between polluting inputs and labor or capital. The input that is a better substitute for pollution usually bears a lower burden of the tax than the other input, although we find conditions under which this is not true. If the polluting sector is relatively capital intensive, then capital can bear a higher burden of the tax. Calibrating this model to the Japanese economy, we find a trade-off between these two effects. Polluting industries are more capital intensive, but capital is likely to be a better substitute for pollution than is labor.
Abradability and hardness in rare-earth-oxide stabilized hafnia

The dry abradability and diamond pyramid hardness of HfO2 fully-stabilized by variable additions of Er2O3 were determined on sintered polycrystalline specimens of near-theoretical densities. Measurements on fused silica and on a single crystal of Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 were included for comparison. In general, the hardness was decreased and the abradability was increased by increasing additions of stabilizing oxide. These effects were attributed mainly to the increase in defect concentration of the anion sublattice with increasing amounts of modifier oxide. Solution of HfO2 in Er2O3 (rare-earth-oxide Type C structure) increased hardness and decreased abradability: effects which also seemed to be related to the defect concentration of the anion sublattice.
Emergency department use by the rural elderly

This study uses Medicare data to compare emergency department (ED) use by rural and urban elderly beneficiaries. The U.S. Health Care Financing Administration's National Claims File was used to identify services provided to Medicare beneficiaries in Washington State in 1994. Patients were classified by urban, adjacent rural, or remote rural residence. We identified ED visits and associated diagnostic codes, assigned severity levels for presenting conditions, and determined the specialties of physicians providing ED services. The rural elderly living in remote areas are 13% less likely to visit the ED than their urban counterparts. Causes of ED use by the elderly do not vary meaningfully by location. Most ED visits by this group are for conditions that seem appropriate for this setting. Given the similarity of diagnostic conditions associated with ED visits, rural EDs must be capable of dealing with the same range of emergency conditions as urban EDs.
Xanthine dehydrogenase activity in the cockroach endosymbiont Blattabacterium cuenoti (Mercier 1906) hollande and favre 1931 and in the cockroach fat body

Abstract 1. 1. Crude extracts of concentrations of endosymbionts from newly formed cockroach oothecae have been assayed anaerobically and aerobically for enzyme activity related to the degradation of uric acid. 2. 2. The extracts exhibited uric acid-dependent oxidation of both methyl viologen and NADH 2 when strictly anaerobic conditions were maintained throughout the extraction and assay procedures. 3. 3. Under aerobic conditions, extracts from egg endosymbionts and cockroach fat body catalyzed the xanthine-dependent reduction of NAD + . 4. 4. The enzyme activity exhibited is strikingly similar to that of xanthine dehydrogenase. 5. 5. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to uric acid storage in the cockroach fat body.
A Crisis-Density Formulation for Identifying Rivalries

This study reports the results of a project that identifies interstate rivalries through the repeated incidence of international crises using data from the International Crisis Behavior project. Despite the existence of other rivalry data collections, a crisis-density population of rivalries has the potential for making important new contributions to this growing literature. The article discusses several justifications for this new formulation for rivalry and then presents an operational procedure for identifying interstate rivals through repeated crises. The study compares the resulting population of crisis-density rivalries to other well-known populations and discusses how attributes of the different rivalry conceptions account for the differences and similarities between the identified populations. The study finds that the crisis-density approach tends to identify rivalries that have reached higher levels of hostility and militarization. Rival relationships characterized by numerous low-level militariz...
Noise characteristics of gallium arsenide field-effect transistors

Small signal and noise characteristics for GaAs field-effect transistors are derived with the saturated drift velocity of the carriers underneath the gate taken into account. The noise contributed by the saturated carriers is nonnegligible and in most cases, exceeds the noise generated by the unsaturated region. Parasitic elements contribute importantly by preventing the full cancellation of the correlated noise of the intrinsic transistor and by adding their own Johnson noise. The theory predicts the experimentally observed trend of noise figure dependence on drain current and on source-to-drain voltage. The present theory doesnot take into account the effects of a possible short negative resistance region underneath the gate.
STRATIFICATION OF PENILE VASCULAR PATHOLOGIES IN PATIENTS WITH PEYRONIE’S DISEASE AND IN MEN WITH ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION ACCORDING TO AGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

ABSTRACT Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) occurs in 20% to 54% of men with Peyronie's disease (PD). We investigated the role of vascular status in the pathophysiology of ED in patients with PD. Materials and Methods: A total of 509 consecutive men with PD (group 1—impotent 259, 1a, and potent 250, 1b, mean age ± SD 54.6 ± 4.4 years) and 507 consecutive men with ED only (group 2—mean age 49.4 ± 12.4 years) underwent penile duplex ultrasonography (PDU). Detailed sexual and medical history, and focused physical examination were performed in all patients. Patients in the 2, groups were stratified according to age (18 to 80 years) and classified according to PDU results (normal vascular status, arterial insufficiency, veno-occlusive dysfunction [VOD] and mixed vascular pathology). Results: VOD was observed in 23.1% and 42.8% of patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p 0.05). Of note, mixed vascular pathologies were significantly higher in group 1a than in group 2 in the third through fifth decades (p Conclusions: While many groups have investigated the vascular causes of ED, the exact etiology of ED in men with PD remains controversial. A possible relationship between ED and VOD in patients with PD has been previously reported. The current PDU study demonstrates that for all ages except 30 to 39 years the prevalence of VOD in patients with PD plus ED is similar to that of patients with ED alone.
Women Truckers' Problems and the Impact of Sponsorship:

Women who drive tractor-trailer rigs face many of the same problems encountered by women pursuing other nontraditional occupations. However, our research, conducted through an open-ended questionnaire, showed that the extent of these tensions is less than expected, due largely to the influence of male support, sponsorship, and protection.
Highly-Charged Ions in Traps – Progress and Opportunities

Penning and Kingdon ion traps have been used to study low-energy multiply-charged ions with charge states up to 80+ during the last few years. The ions have been captured into the traps from beams of external multiply-charged ion sources, or have been produced inside the trap. Measurements of cross sections for electron capture from neutrals to ions and studies of relative double electron capture rates have been completed. The lifetimes of metastable levels of ions, precision spectroscopy on multiply-charged ions in traps, and cooling of trapped ions using lasers, ion-ion elastic collisions, and parallel-tuned circuits, are briefly reviewed. Prospects for the future of highly-charged ions in traps are also discussed.
Distributions of Competing Container Mosquitoes Depend on Detritus Types, Nutrient Ratios, and Food Availability

Coexistence of competitors may result if resources are sufficiently abundant to render competition unimportant, or if species differ in resource requirements. Detritus type has been shown to affect interspecific competitive outcomes between Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) larvae under controlled conditions. We assessed the relationships among spatial distributions of detritus types, nutrients, and aquatic larvae of these species in nature. We collected mosquitoes, water, and detritus from artificial containers across 24 Florida cemeteries that varied in relative abundances of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. We measured nutrient content of fine particulate organic matter in water samples as total N, P, and C and ratios of these nutrients. We quantified food availability via a bioassay, raising individual Aedes larvae in the laboratory in standard volumes of field-collected, particulate-containing water from each cemetery. Quantities of detritus types collected in standard containers were significant predictors of nutrients and nutrient ratios. Nutrient abundances were significant predictors of relative abundance of Ae. aegypti, and of larval survival and development by both species in the bioassay. Survival and development of larvae reared in particulate-containing water from sites decreased with decreasing relative abundance of Ae. aegypti. These data suggest that N, P, and C availabilities are determined by detritus inputs to containers and that these nutrients in turn determine the feeding environment encountered by larvae, the intensity of interspecific competition among larvae, and subsequent relative abundances of species at sites. Detritus inputs, nutrients, and food availability thus seem to contribute to distributions of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in cemetery containers throughout Florida.
Infection in the First 2 Years of Life and Autism Spectrum Disorders

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to investigate the association between infections in the first 2 years and subsequent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. METHODS. We conducted a case-control study among children born at Kaiser Permanente Northern California from 1995 to 1999. Case subjects (n = 403) were children with an autism diagnosis recorded in Kaiser Permanente databases. Control subjects (n = 2100) were randomly sampled from the remaining children without autism and frequency matched to case subjects on gender, birth year, and birth hospital. Information on infections and covariates were obtained from Kaiser Permanente and birth certificate databases. RESULTS. Overall, infection diagnoses in the first 2 years of life were recorded slightly less often for children with autism than control children (95.0% vs 97.5%). Among specific diagnoses, upper respiratory infections were significantly less frequently diagnosed and genitourinary infections more frequently diagnosed in children with autism. In the first 30 days of life, the frequency of having an infection was slightly higher among children with autism (22.6% vs 18.7%). CONCLUSIONS. Children with subsequent diagnoses of autism do not have more overall infections in the first 2 years of life than children without autism. Data suggest that children with autism may have modestly elevated rates of infection in the first 30 days and that, during the first 2 years, children with autism may be at higher risk for certain types of infections and lower risk for others. Additional studies that explore the associations between prenatal and early childhood infections and autism may help clarify the role of infection and the immune system in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder.
Legislating the Good: A Survey and Evaluation of Character Education Laws in the United States.

In this article, the authors trace the historical context of character education legislation in the United States, analyze and evaluate current legislative trends, and discuss the inherent dangers in legislating the good. The survey concludes that at no other time in history have Americans attempted to legislate such a specific vision of character education. The authors evaluate this legislation using the criteria of local choice, programmatic integration, comprehensiveness, community involvement, K-12 implementation, and allocation of staff development resources. Their evaluation reveals that few state laws meet these criteria and that some laws even contradict the spirit of comprehensive character education. They conclude that these inadequacies are fatal flaws in current attempts to legislate character.
Jansen's metaphyseal chondrodysplasia: A disorder due to a PTH/PTHrP receptor gene mutation

Jansen's metaphyseal chondrodysplasia (JMC) is a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by short-limbed dwarfism and severe, agonist-independent hypercalcemia. An activating PTH/PTHrP receptor mutation that results in constitutive cAMP accumulation was recently identified in the genomic DNA of a patient with this disorder. These findings provide a plausible explanation for the abnormal regulation of growth-plate chondrocytes and mineral ion homeostasis in JMC, and may have significant implications for understanding the broader biological role of PTHrP and its receptor.
Giving up Hume's Guillotine

The appealing principle that you can't get an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’, sometimes called Hume's Guillotine (or, more soberly, Hume's Law), faces a well-known challenge: it must give a clear account of the distinction between normative and descriptive sentences while dodging counter-examples. I argue in this paper that recent efforts to answer this challenge fail because the distinction between normative and descriptive sentences cannot be described well enough to be of any help. As a result, no version of the principle is both true and adequate. Yet a different principle—that no normative terms are synonymous with any descriptive terms—can satisfy much of the motivation we had for defending Hume's Guillotine in the first place. I show briefly how this second principle can explain why is-ought arguments are invalid, block some attempted deductive justifications of beliefs with normative terms, and create an explanatory advantage for moral non-cognitivism. Just so, giving up Hume's Guillotine is the prudent thi...
Proteins of the Whey Fraction in Milk from Normal and Abnormal Udders

Summary A volumetric method of determining the quantity of proteins other than casein in milk has been described. It was possible to correlate volume of protein precipitate with actual quantity of protein as determined colorimetrically. The results indicate that normal milk contains a fairly uniform quantity of such proteins. Under abnormal udder conditions they are usually increased. The observations suggest that the proteins found in the milk during mastitis originated in the blood. In addition, differences in the albumin-globulin ratio between normal milk and that from abnormal udders have been found.
The lean enterprise and traditional accounting—Is the honeymoon over?

This article describes a Fortune 500 company's transition from mass to lean production and how it transformed its accounting information systems to support this change. It points out some of the limitations of traditional accounting practices that emerged as a result of its lean transition and six keys to the company's successful transition to lean accounting. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ontogeny of basolateral membrane sodium-hydrogen exchange (NHE) activity and mRNA expression of NHE-1 and NHE-4 in rat kidney and jejunum

Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) activity varies with ontogenic state in rat intestinal basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV). The current investigation sought to determine if these observations are due to differential expression of BLM NHE isoforms, NHE-1 and NHE-4. In rat kidney, BLMV sodium uptake levels were similar in 2, 3 and 6 week rats (13.28±0.68, 14.03±0.84, and 11.71±0.66 nmol Na+/mg protein/30 s, respectively), and lower in adults (5.53±0.24) (n=4; p<0.001 between 2 week rats and adults, and between 3 week rats and adults; p<0.01 between 6 week rats and adults). In rat jejunum, BLMV uptake was highest in adults (13.07±0.86 nmol Na+/mg protein/30 s), and decreased in 6, 3, and 2 week rats (4.48±0.75, 2.94±0.68, and 1.59±0.58, respectively) (n=4; p<0.001 between all groups and adults). Control immunoblot experiments with NHE-3 antiserum showed that BLMV preps were not contaminated with significant amounts of this brush-border membrane specific protein. Northern blots with isoform-specific probes showed highest renal NHE-1 hybridization intensities in 2 and 3 week rats (11.00±0.25 and 12.07±0.16 phosphorimage units, respectively), and lower intensities in 6 week and adult animals (4.30±0.95, and 4.40±1.40, respectively) (n=4; p<0.01 between 2 week animals and 6 week and adult animals, and between 3 week animals and 6 week and adult animals). NHE-1 probes in the intestine showed no hybridization intensity differences between groups: 2 week-7.09±1.10, 3 week-5.39±0.56, 6 week-8.24±1.57, and adult-8.99±2.20 (n=3). NHE-4 specific probes in the kidney showed hybridization intensity levels of 9.22±0.35 in 2 week animals, 12.12±1.26 in 3 week animals, 5.63±0.81 in 6 week animals, and 3.52±0.57 in adults (n=4; p<0.05 between 2 week and adults; p<0.01 between 3 week and 6 week animals, and between 3 week and adults). No NHE-4 message was detected in rat jejunum by Northern blot analysis or by reverse transcriptase-PCR. These results suggest that ontogenic NHE activity at the jejunal BLM is not related to differential expression of NHE-1, while NHE activity at the renal BLM may in part be related to differential ontogenic expression of NHE-1 and NHE-4.
The Effect of Tax and Expenditure Limitations on Public Education Resources: A Meta-regression Analysis

While tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) are intended to restrain government taxing and spending, empirical research has arrived at different, sometimes contradictory, conclusions on their impa...
Morphometry of Great Basin pluvial shore landforms: Implications for paleolake basins on Mars

[1] Many basins with relict contributing valley networks and outlet valleys in the Martian highlands indicate past flowing and ponded water on the surface. These likely paleolakes motivate an investigation of pluvial shore landforms in the Great Basin region of the western United States, as confident identification of strandlines on Mars would facilitate analyses of its past hydrology and climate. The purpose of this study is to characterize the scale of Late Pleistocene erosional and depositional shore landforms in an endorheic setting, determine the preservation potential of similar forms from multiple epochs in early Martian history, and identify the data products that would be necessary to detect them. We use Differential Global Positioning System field surveys to measure the dimensions and elevations of shore landforms; compare shore platform widths to theoretical maxima; and note the minimum scale of landforms that have survived since the Late Noachian and Early Hesperian Epochs on Mars. We find that due to impact gardening and aeolian erosion, Martian highland paleolakes like those in the pluvial Great Basin would likely not have well-preserved shore landforms, unless they were unusually large and formed in the Late Hesperian or later. Individual strandlines are often not equally well expressed around an entire basin, so correlating shore landforms in plan view imaging and using their consistency in elevation as a hypothesis test for paleolakes can be challenging. Detection of younger shore landforms like those examined here would require meter-resolution imaging and topography such as stereo digital elevation models.
Dissociation of expression patterns of homeodomain transcription factors in the evolution of developmental mode in the sea urchins Heliocidaris tuberculata and H. erythrogramma.

Summary The direct-developing sea urchin species Heliocidaris erythrogramma has a radically modified ontogeny. Along with gains of novel features, its entire ectoderm has been reorganized, resulting in the apparent absence of a differentiated oral ectoderm, a major module present in the pluteus of indirect-developing species, such as H. tuberculata. The restoration of an obvious oral ectoderm in H. erythrogramma×H. tuberculata hybrids, indicates the action of dominant regulatory factors from the H. tuberculata genome. We sought candidate regulatory genes based on the prediction that they should include genes that govern development of the oral ectoderm in the pluteus, but play different roles in H. erythrogramma. Such genes may have a large effect in the evolution of development. Goosecoid (Gsc), Msx, and the sea urchin Abd-B-like gene (Hox11/13b) are present and expressed in both species and the hybrid embryos. Both Gsc and Msx are oral ectoderm specific in H. tuberculata, and show novel and distinct expression patterns in H. erythrogramma. Gsc assumes a novel ectodermal pattern and Msx shifts to a novel and largely mesodermal pattern. Both Gsc and Msx show a restoration of oral ectoderm expression in hybrids. Hox11/13b is not expressed in oral ectoderm in H. tuberculata, but is conserved in posterior spatial expression among H. tuberculata, H. erythrogramma and hybrids, serving as a control. Competitive RT-PCR shows that Gsc, Msx, and Hox11/13b are under different quantitative and temporal controls in the Heliocidaris species and the hybrids. The implications for the involvement of these genes in the rapid evolution of a direct developing larva are discussed.
Characterization of etched and Unetched Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (VACNFs) using Atomic Force Microscopy

One of the major limitations in the development of ultrasensitive electrochemical biosensors based on one dimensional nanostructures is the difficulty involved with uniform growth of the nanofibers. Fabrication of the Vertically Aligned Carbon Nano Fibers (VACNFs) involve treatment of several chemicals including a variety of etchants. In previous work, successful measurement and characterization of electron beam patterned VACNFs is demonstrated using Atomic Force Microscopy. In this paper, the effect of etchant on VACNFs dimension (height and diameter) is observed and characterized using a highly sensitive and precise Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, statistical analysis is performed on AFM measured data to demonstrated data confidence.
Intracytoplasmic desmosomes in human oral neoplasms.

Abstract Intracytoplasmic desmosomes have recently been observed in a variety of premalignant and malignant epithelial lesions and in one experimental study. The mechanism by which these intracellular desmosomes were formed in the neoplastic and pre-neoplastic lesions has been a point of debate because intermediate steps in their formation are not often observed. The current report describes intracytoplasmic desmosomes and desmosome-like structures in a benign pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland and in an ameloblastoma of the maxilla. Some were associated with ATPase activity. The morphologic and cytochemical data presented suggest that these structures are derived from ingestion of desmosomes formed between two aspects of the cell membrane. This observation is consistent with those of Overton (1974).
Cesium selectivity of (Al+Na)-substituted tobermorite

Several synthetic tobermorites with different levels of [Al+Na] substitution were prepared from two different types of starting materials and their cation exchange and cesium selective properties were investigated. The substituted tobermorites were found to have high cation exchange capacities and very high selectivities for Cs[sup +] ion. Cesium selectivity of the substituted tobermorites was demonstrated in the presence of divalent cations such as Ca[sup 2+], Mg[sup 2+], Ba[sup 2+] and univalent cations such as Na[sup +], K[sup +] and Li[sup +] which are one hundred times more concentrated than the cesium ion. The uptake of Cs is maximum in the presence of highly hydrated Mg[sup 2+] and Li[sup +] ions whereas it is minimum in the presence of less hydrated K[sup +] and Ba[sup 2+] ions due to steric limitations of the tobermorite structure.
Label-Free Chemiresistive Immunosensors for Viruses

We report development, characterization, and testing of chemiresistive immunosensors based on single polypyrrole (Ppy) nanowire for highly sensitive, specific, label free, and direct detection of viruses. Bacteriophages T7 and MS2 were used as safe models for viruses for demonstration. Ppy nanowires were electrochemically polymerized into alumina template, and single nanowire based devices were assembled on a pair of gold electrodes by ac dielectrophoretic alignment and anchored using maskless electrodeposition. Anti-T7 or anti-MS2 antibodies were immobilized on single Ppy nanowire using EDC-NHS chemistry to fabricate nanobiosensor for the detection of corresponding bacteriophage. The biosensors showed excellent sensitivity with a lower detection limit of 10(-3) plaque forming unit (PFU) in 10 mM phosphate buffer, wide dynamic range and excellent selectivity. The immunosensors were successfully applied for the detection of phages in spiked untreated urban runoff water samples. The results show the potential of these sensors in health care, environmental monitoring, food safety and homeland security for sensitive, specific, rapid, and affordable detection of bioagents/pathogens.
The reality of virtual TV studios

Virtual television took a step closer to reality when BBC TV'sTomorrow's World demonstrated a new technology which will allow TV programme makers to stretch the limits of their artistic imagination. The technique enables programme makers to create imaginative studio sets with limitless perspectives, sweeping camera shots, and where the quality of imagery is almost indistinguishable from the real thing, but at a fraction of the cost. Tomorrow's World viewers saw the result when presenter Howard Stableford stepped onto a `virtual set' depicting a Roman Bath, in which he sees himself playing characters in a pastiche ofJulius Caesar andUp Pompeii. In reality Stableford was filmed in a conventional TV studio, but the set was created artificially using technology which combines computer graphics and a motion controlled camera. Unlike other attempts at virtual sets, where only the virtual set, or the actor, or the camera is in motion, this technique allows simultaneous motion of all three. The resulting sequence of just over two minutes was broadcast on BBC TV as part of theTomorrow's World-Christmas Special on 22 December 1995.
Glass wars: The Hanford tank wastes and public participation

One of the most difficult remediation challenges facing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the need to immobilize some 50 million gallons of highly ra-dioactive, liquid wastes stored in underground tanks at the Hanford site in Washington State. In part as a result of public participation, the technical strat-egy for tank waste treatment was revised in 1994: high-activity and low-activity waste fractions would both be immobilized in a vitrified glass form, although the low-activity fraction would remain at Hanford. This strategy has been subjected to cycles of reargument, reanalysis, and reconfirmation. As DOE proceeds with remediation of the Hanford tank wastes, it would be to the Department's advan-tage to understand that public participation has already made positive contribu-tions to technical decisions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.