cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
President Taft's Appointments to the Supreme Court

The thirteen appointments to the Supreme Court of the United States made since 1937 once again focus attention on the considerations affecting presidential selections of nominees to the nation's highest tribunal. To arrive at any adequate generalization about such factors, attention might well be directed to a period during which a number of appointments took place and a period having the advantages of historical perspective and access to sources of -evidence denied to us with respect to appointments of the last fourteen years. These requirements are met in the administration of President William Howard Taft. Taft once declared, "I love judges and I love courts. They are my ideals on earth of what we shall meet afterward in Heaven under a just God."I He always hoped for appointment to the nation's highest tribunal,2 although he felt constrained to refuse when President Theodore Roosevelt offered him the place vacated by Justice Shiras in 19023 and that of Justice Brown in 1906.4 It is reported that he said at the time he signed Edward D. White's commission as Chief Justice, "There is nothing I would have loved more than being chief justice of the United States. . . I cannot help seeing the irony
Microsphere-based short-wavelength recombination x-ray laser.

We describe a scheme for obtaining very short wavelengths (\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}10 \AA{}) in recombination lasers. The rapid cooling rates necessary to achieve population inversion during recombination are attained by adiabatic expansion of submicrometer spheres. The lasing region is made up of many such spheres. The spheres are heated impulsively by a powerful picosecond laser. First, they ionize, then as they expand, they cool and recombine. We have calculated the optimum sphere size and initial temperature for maximum gain in the n=3 to 2 transition of hydrogenlike ions of elements with atomic numbers, Z, between 10 and 30. Gain of about 250 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ is calculated in aluminum at 38.8 \AA{}. Gain rapidly decreases with Z so that gain in titanium at 13.6 \AA{} is about 10 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. We have calculated the required pump-laser intensity and found it to be attainable with current lasers. The propagation of the pump through the ``gas'' of spheres is considered and the problems arising from pump scattering by the spheres are discussed.
Densification of titanium powder during hot isostatic pressing

The densification of spherical and angular titanium powder during hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at 700 °C has been studied. The angular powder densifies in a manner similar to the spherical powder despite its low initial packing density. Good agreement is found between a model for the HIP of monosize spheres and the experimental data for both spherical and angular powder provided that the transition between the initial stage of densification (contacts between individual particles) and the final stage (compact is a homogeneous solid with isolated pores) occurs at a density of roughly 95 pct of theoretical. This is consistent with observations of the pore microstructure as a function of density.
Response to adrenocorticotrophic hormone in clinical scurvy.

Summary1. Test doses of ACTH were administered to 5 patients with classical scurvy to assess their adrenal cortical activity. The test was repeated in 4 of these patients after therapy with ascorbic acid. 2. The blood eosinophil response to ACTH was that expected of individuals with normal adrenal function and did not change following treatment with ascorbic acid. 3. The urinary excretion of uric acid after ACTH was uninterpretable because of low urine volumes. 4. The blood glutathione, and the serum sodium concentrations were normal or low in these patients, but were unaltered by ascorbic acid therapy. Serum potassium concentrations were normal before and after ascorbic acid therapy. 5. To explain these evidences of normal adrenal cortical activity in scurvy, it may be postulated that either ascorbic acid is not necessary for these adrenal functions, or there was residual ascorbic acid in the adrenals of these patients.
Educational attainment among Venezuelan youth: an analysis of its determinants

Abstract The paper uses data from the 1987 Household Survey to analyze the determinants of educational attainment among those aged from 10 to 18. Two-thirds of the children in the sample are still in school, and 12% of those who have left school are illiterate. Two percent of the sample have never attended school and 42% have repeated at least one school grade. The mean educational attainment of those who left school is five years of education. The major factor relating to whether a child is in school or not is urban residence, evidently reflecting parental income. Males are especially at risk of not being in school, repeating a grade and being illiterate. The implications of the findings is that greater attention has to be given to providing incentives to male youth to remain in school, perhaps in the form of targeted subsidies to potential dropouts of the primary school system in rural areas.
Age-related recurrence of basal forebrain lesion-induced cholinergic deficits

Abstract Lesions of basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei projecting to neocortex have recently been employed as an animal model for the cholinergic deficits in Alzheimer's desease. However, unlike Alzheimer's patients, whose deterioration appears to be progressive and irreversible, basalis lesioned rats usually recover both behaviorally and neurochemically within several months after the lesion. We now demonstrate that this recovery may be a function of the age of the rat and that cholinergic deficits re-occur in the aged rat. Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and [ 3 H]hemicholinium-3 ([ 3 H]HCh-3) binding are reduced in cortex ipsilateral to ibotenic acid lesions in the 12-month postlesion rat following an initial recovery to normal levels by about 3 months postlesion. The recurrence of decrease of cholinergic markers is not a consequence of a non-specific age-related decline since the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase remains constant between 3 and 12 months postlesion.
RFID and sensor-based container content visibility and seaport security monitoring system

In the year 2002, approximately 8 million maritime containers and 56,596 vessels entered the U.S. at more than 3,700 terminals and 301 ports of entry. Only 2% of these containers were inspected through x-ray equipment. More expensive radiation-detection equipments will be deployed to major U.S. seaports for use. Both x-ray and radiation-detection equipments conduct its inspection from the outside of a container, and cannot identify individual items inside. It also lacks the capability of item tracking and traceability along the shipping chain. A need exists for a system that can inspect containers without opening them on a mass scale at seaports. This paper describes a RFID and sensor based Container Content Visibility and Seaport Security Monitoring System under development that can fulfill this need. The System integrates the latest technologies in the fields of RFID, sensor, door tamper-proof device, and Wi-Fi communications to allow container contents to be identified and inspected automatically without opening it.
JAMA and the mountebank

A timely tale of one man's mission to stamp out medical fraudsters in 1920s America. In Charlatan, Pope Brock tells the cautionary tale of the rise and fall of John R. Brinkley, the notorious quack doctor operating in 1920s America who claimed that goat testicle implants were the fountain of youth. Couldn't happen today? Oh yes it could — every day on the Internet.
Strategies to prevent recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Objective To determine if a daily routine of Brandt-Daroff exercises increases the time to recurrence and reduces the rate of recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Design Random sample of convenience and retrospective case review. Setting Tertiary referral center and outpatient clinic. Patients One hundred sixteen patients diagnosed with BPPV involving the posterior semicircular canal (BPPV-PC) who were successfully treated with the canalith repositioning procedure. Interventions Patients in the treatment group (n = 43) performed daily Brandt-Daroff exercises, while patients in the no-treatment group (n = 73) performed no exercises. Main Outcome Measures Follow-up was as long as 2 years. Every 2 months patients were mailed a questionnaire. If BPPV had recurred, patients contacted the principal investigator within 24 hours. Within 1 to 2 weeks, patients were evaluated in the clinic with the Dix-Hallpike maneuver or, if unable to travel to the clinic, interviewed by telephone. Results Symptoms recurred in 50 (43%) of the 116 subjects, 34 (47%) of 73 in the no-treatment group and 16 (37%) of 43 in the treatment group. There was no significant difference in the frequency of recurrence (Pearson χ 2 , P = .33) or time to recurrence (survival analysis, log-rank test, P = .92). A history of recurrent BPPV-PC did not affect frequency of recurrence (Pearson χ 2 , P = .33) or time to recurrence (survival analysis, log-rank test, P = .72). Conclusion Our results suggest that a daily routine of Brandt-Daroff exercises does not significantly affect the time to recurrence or the rate of recurrence of BPPV-PC.
The emergence of new intentions in subjective experience: A social/personal constructionist and relational understanding

Abstract As part of the larger project to revision vocational psychology for a new era, a process referred to as the emergence of new intentions in subjective experience is defined and described. It is proposed that this process is central to the ongoing construction and reconstruction of lives in the changing landscape of the times. Following an elaboration of the meaning of emergence of new intentions in subjective experience through comparison to related constructs and theories, a social/personal constructionist and relational understanding of this process is developed. The article concludes by addressing implications for vocational psychology practice.
Ionizing irradiation on development of the muscle spindle

Abstract Intrafusal (IF) fibers in leg muscles of the rat increase in number from two at birth, to three at day 3, and to the adult four fibers by the sixth day. The question of whether this multiplication and the attainment of the adult complement of fiber nuclei involves mitotic division was approached by subjecting one leg of rat pups to x-irradiation in single doses up to 1200 R, and comparing treated and control plantaris muscles on complete histological serial sections taken at 1 month of age. The mitotic process is particularly susceptible to ionizing irradiation and since periods for multiplication of IF fibers are fairly precisely scheduled, irradiation even in a single dose might be expected to disrupt future development. However, no effects were detected on number of spindles per muscle, on spindle complement of nuclear bag and chain fibers, or configuration of the nucleated region. Irradiation of gravid rats in the latter half of pregnancy with a single dose that was near lethal for the fetuses was also without obvious effect. Muscle spindles in several rat pups given single doses of colchicine were unaffected. Failure of these procedures to disturb spindle development supports the likelihood that the multiplication of IF fibers and allotment of nuclei that takes place in late natal and early postnatal periods is an amitotic process.
Quantifier elimination via clause redundancy

We consider the problem of existential quantifier elimination for Boolean formulas in conjunctive normal form. Recently we presented a new method for solving this problem based on the machinery of Dependency sequents (D-sequents). The essence of this method is to add to the quantified formula implied clauses until all the clauses with quantified variables become redundant. A D-sequent is a record of the fact that a set of quantified variables is redundant in some subspace. In this paper, we introduce a quantifier elimination algorithm based on a new type of D-sequents called clause D-sequents that express redundancy of clauses rather than variables. Clause D-sequents significantly extend our ability to introduce and algorithmically exploit redundancy, as our experimental results show.
Effect of thermal phase fluctuations on the superfluid density of two-dimensional superconducting films

High precision measurements of the complex sheet conductivity of superconducting $a\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{77}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{23}$ thin films have been made from 0.4 K through ${T}_{c}$. A sharp drop in the inverse sheet inductance, ${L}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\left(T\right)$, is observed at a temperature, ${T}_{c}$, which lies below the mean-field transition temperature ${T}_{c0}$. Just below ${T}_{c}$, the suppression of ${L}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\left(T\right)$ below its mean-field value indicates that longitudinal phase fluctuations have nearly their full classical amplitude, but they disappear rapidly as $T$ decreases. We argue that there is a quantum crossover at about ${0.94T}_{c0}$, below which classical phase fluctuations are suppressed.
Absorbance and fluorescence properties of the bacteriochlorophyll a reaction center complex and bacteriochlorophyll a protein in green bacteria.

Abstract Absorbance, emission and excitation spectra were measured at both room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures for a photochemically active bacteriochlorophyll a reaction center complex and a bacteriochlorophyll a protein isolated from Chlorobium limicola and Chlorobium thiosulfatophilum . The low-temperature absorbance spectrum for the complex has a band centered at 833 nm, which is not seen in the spectrum of the bacteriochlorophyll a protein. We attribute this difference to a modification of the bacteriochlorophyll a protein in the active complex. The room-temperature fluorescence spectra for the bacteriochlorophyll a protein and the complex are similar, as are those measured at low temperatures. The 833-nm component of the low-temperature absorbance spectrum of the complex is relatively nonfluorescent.
THE TROUBLE WITH TERROR

The argument proceeds from a sense of imminent danger; 9/11 and its sequel challenge our deepest pretensions regarding the universality and self-evidence of moral/political conviction. The intransigence of such convictions is now an important source of international conflict and terror. It also signifies that the resolution of the disorder that now confronts the international community requires a transformation in our conception of morality itself. In this regard, philosophy has an important task to address. The discussion explores a radical change in our understanding of just war, the distinction between war and peace, the logic of conflict, and similar topics.
Nuclear data sheets for A = 58

Nuclear structure data available through June 1976 are compiled, and adopted level properties are given. The bulk of the data is presented pictorially for easy comparison. Experimental details, references, and additional comments, where required, are given in the text. All drawings, tables, and comments are reproduced from the computerized Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF). Any additions or corrections desired by the users should be addressed to the compilers for maintenance and updating of the computer file.
Biomechanical characterization of human amniotic membrane preparations for ocular surface reconstruction.

Purpose: To investigate the tensile and elastic properties of both commercially available and experimental human amniotic membrane preparations. Method: Nine prep
cAMP signal transduction pathways regulating development of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Dictyostelium discoideum development is regulated through receptor/G protein signal transduction using cAMP as a primary extracellular signal. Signaling pathways will be discussed as well as the regulation and function of individual cAMP receptors and Gα subunits. Finally potential downstream targets including protein kinases and nuclear events will be explored.
Did you see the unicycling clown? Inattentional blindness while walking and talking on a cell phone

We investigated the effects of divided attention during walking. Individuals were classified based on whether they were walking while talking on a cell phone, listening to an MP3 player, walking without any electronics or walking in a pair. In the first study, we found that cell phone users walked more slowly, changed directions more frequently, and were less likely to acknowledge other people than individuals in the other conditions. In the second study, we found that cell phone users were less likely to notice an unusual activity along their walking route (a unicycling clown). Cell phone usage may cause inattentional blindness even during a simple activity that should require few cognitive resources. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Keywords: Driver distraction; Pedestrian distraction
Motion of a spherical particle inside a liquid film

The motion of a spherical particle inside a liquid film coated on a plane wall is considered under conditions of Stokes flow in the limit of vanishing capillary number where the interfacial deformation is infinitesimal. The problem is formulated in terms of a system of one-dimensional integral equations for the velocity and traction Fourier coefficients along the trace of the interface, wall, and particle contour in a meridional plane, and the solution is found using a boundary-element method. Comprehensive results for the force and torque resistance coefficients are presented in the case of particle rotation and translation in quiescent fluids. The velocity of translation and angular velocity or rotation of a freely suspended particle in simple shear flow are computed and discussed over a broad range of conditions.
Speech interfaces based upon surface electromyography

This paper discusses the use of surface electromyography (EMG) to recognize and synthesize speech. The acoustic speech signal can be significantly corrupted by high noise in the environment or impeded by garments or masks. Such situations occur, for example, when firefighters wear pressurized suits with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or when astronauts perform operations in pressurized gear. In these conditions it is important to capture and transmit clear speech commands in spite of a corrupted or distorted acoustic speech signal. One way to mitigate this problem is to use surface electromyography to capture activity of speech articulators and then, either recognize spoken commands from EMG signals or use these signals to synthesize acoustic speech commands. We describe a set of experiments for both speech recognition and speech synthesis based on surface electromyography and discuss the lessons learned about the characteristics of the EMG signal for these domains. The experiments include speech recognition in high noise based on 15 commands for firefighters wearing self-contained breathing apparatus, a sub-vocal speech robotic platform control experiment based on five words, a speech recognition experiment testing recognition of vowels and consonants, and a speech synthesis experiment based on an articulatory speech synthesizer.
Quantitative autoradiography of 5-hydroxytryptaminelA binding sites in rats with chronic neonatal 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine lesions

Abstract We recently reported that rats with elevated brainstem serotonin (5-HT) concentration and 5-HT transporter binding site density after neonatal 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) lesions made by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection exhibited more myoclonic supersensitivity to the 5-HTIA agonist 8-OH-DPAT than those with decreased brainstem 5-HT and 5-HT transporter sites following intracisternal 5,7-DHT (i.c.) injection. To investigate the role of 5-HT1A receptors in these differences, we labelled 5-HTIA binding sites autoradiographically with [3H]8-OH-DPAT 4 months after i.p. or i.c. 5,7-DHT or saline in the first week postnatal. The regional distribution of 5-HT1A sites conformed to previous reports of highest receptor densities in hippocampus (CA1, dentate gyrus), septal nuclei, dorsal and median raphe, mammillary body, and certain cortical regions (cingulum, claustrum). 5-HTIA binding was significantly decreased (-87%) in the dorsal raphe after i.c.-made 5,7-DHT lesions. No reductions were found after lesions made by i.p. injection compared to controls, but rather a 246% increase in area of 5-HTIA binding extending from the dorsal raphe was observed. These changes in 5-HTIA binding sites in the dorsal raphe in the chronic phase of 5,7-DHT lesions may contribute to the different behavioral consequences of the route of neonatal 5,7-DHT injection.
A Fiasco of Noble Proportions

The 1967 presidential elections in South Vietnam presented U.S. policymakers with their last opportunity to establish a potentially popular and legitimate non-communist government there. This article examines how and why the Johnson administration squandered this opportunity over the course of 1967. U.S. policymakers faced the choice of intervening actively to promote a more civilian popular government or adopting a stance of non-intervention that would effectively keep the government in the hands of South Vietnam9s military rulers. Although many of Johnson9s closest advisers and the State Department preferred the former policy, the administration largely pursued the policy of non-intervention advocated by Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge and the Saigon Embassy. By choosing stability over reform, Johnson9s policy toward the South Vietnamese election of 1967 helped ensure that U.S. efforts to wage war would continue to be compromised by its support of a corrupt, unpopular regime in Saigon.
The laminar hole pressure for Newtonian fluids

For flows with wall turbulence the hole pressure, PH, was shown empirically by Franklin and Wallace (J Fluid Mech, 42, 33–48, 1970) to depend solely on R+, the Reynolds number constructed from the friction velocity and the hole diameter b. Here this dependence is extended to the laminar regime by numerical simulation of a Newtonian fluid flowing in a plane channel (gap H) with a deep tap hole on one wall. Calculated hole pressures are in good agreement with experimental values, and for two hole sizes are well represented by: (PH−PHS)/τw = √(k2 + c2R+2)−k, where the Stokes hole pressure PHS/τw = s (b/H)3, k, c, s are fitted constants, and τw is the wall shear stress.
“A Helluva Read”: Profanity in Adolescent Literature

Although the use of profanity has been examined in a number of types of media, to our knowledge profanity has not been examined in adolescent literature. Thus, the frequency and portrayal of profanity was coded in 40 bestselling adolescent novels. Results revealed that some novels did not contain a single instance of profanity, whereas others contained hundreds of often very strong profanity. When profanity was used, characters were likely to be young, rich, attractive, and of pronounced social status. Novels directed at older adolescents contained much more profanity. However, age guidance or content warnings are not found on the books themselves. Discussion is provided regarding the implications of the findings and the appropriateness of including content warnings in adolescent literature.
Leukemia-differentiating activity expressed by the human melanoma cell line LD-1.

Abstract We have identified a leukemia-differentiating activity (LDA) in medium conditioned by the LD-1 melanoma, a G-CSF secreting human tumor line. Partially-purified LDA induces HL-60 cells to produce superoxide, become phagocytic, and to develop macrophage-like morphology and surface markers. The LDA markedly suppresses clonal growth in agar of HL-60 cells, and cells of the human myeloid leukemia lines PBL 985 and K562, but does not suppress clonal growth of the B-lymphoblast lines Raji and Daudi. The molecular weight of this material is approx. 40,000 daltons. It can be separated from the bulk of the colony stimulating activity on phenyl sepharose chromatography. The LDA is not neutralized by antibodies to G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFNα, IFNγ, TNF, urokinase, and tissue plasminogen activator, and is not inhibited by preincubation with aprotinin. The LDA in conditioned medium may be different from previously described differentiating factors, and may represent an additional class of human growth regulators.
Precision Glass Microlens Array By A Photo-Thermal Technique

The method of producing microlenses in glass by a photo-thermal technique is applied to the fabrication of a linear lens array to be accurately positioned over a CCD detector array. The process is described with particular emphasis on the control of the optical and thermal steps so as to maintain the accuracy of alignment required.
Japanese and American Management: Theory Z and Beyond

This article analyzes studies comparing Japanese and American managers, workers, and societies in order to consider questions raised by William Ouchi's book, Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge. The analysis results in 2 general observations: 1) Theory Z management is not likely to become the accepted norm in American companies to the extent that it has in Japan, and 2) the major conceptual or theoretical lesson we can learn from the Japanese is the potential values of developing a management system that is internally consistent, that fits societal norms and expectations and that obtains support from the major institutional actors in the world of work.
Anatomy, behavior, and modern human origins

The fossil record suggests that modern human morphology evolved in Africa between 150,000 and 50,000 years ago, when the sole inhabitants of Eurasia were the Neanderthals and other equally nonmodern people. However, the earliest modern or near-modern Africans were behaviorally (archaeologically) indistinguishable from their nonmodern, Eurasian contemporaries, and it was only around 50,000-40,000 years ago that a major behavioral difference developed. Archaeological indications of this difference include the oldest indisputable ornaments (or art broadly understood); the oldest evidence for routine use of bone, ivory, and shell to produce formal (standardized) artifacts; greatly accelerated variation in stone artifact assemblages through time and space; and hunting-gathering innovations that promoted significantly larger populations. As a complex, the novel traits imply fully modern cognitive and communicative abilities, or more succinctly, the fully modern capacity for Culture. The competitive advantage of this capacity is obvious, and preliminary dates suggest that it appeared in Africa about 50,000 years ago and then successively in western Asia, eastern Europe, and western Europe, in keeping with an African origin. Arguably, the development of modern behavior depended on a neural change broadly like those that accompanied yet earlier archaeologically detectable behavioral advances. This explanation is problematic, however, because the putative change was in brain organization, not size, and fossil skulls provide little or no secure evidence for brain structure. Other potential objections to a neural advance in Africa 50,000-40,000 years ago or to the wider “Out-of-Africa” hypothesis, include archaeological evidence (1) that some Neanderthals were actually capable of fully modern behavior and (2) that some Africans were behaviorally modern more than 90,000 years ago.
Instructional effects in memory for frequency of occurrence

The effects of instructions on memory for frequency were assessed, using a vigilance cover task designed to minimize strategic or effortful processing. Subjects performed a 1,250-item (words and numbers) vigilance task and then made frequency estimates on some of the words. The three instruction conditions were intentional, incidental, and nonspecific. Frequency estimates were most accurate and vigilance performance was lowest following nonspecific memory instructions. The findings support an indirect frequency coding model.
The alteration of uraninite to Clarkeite

The oxidative alteration of uraninite by alkali-bearing, hydrothermal (200-400{degrees}C) solutions in granitic rocks produces the rare mineral clarkeite. The general formula for Na-clarkeite is {l_brace}(Na,K){sub 6-y-z}(M{sup 2+}{sub p}M{sup 3+}{sub q}M{sup 4+}{sub r}){sub y}({open_square}{sub 1+z-x}Pb{sub x}){r_brace}[(UO{sub 2}){sub 7-x}O{sub 10}]{center_dot}nH{sub 2}O z = p+2q+3r. The terms in square brackets designate the sheet structure; the other elements and vacancies ({open_square}) occur in interlayer sites. Clarkeite can accommodate Ca, Sr, Ba, Y, Th, and lanthanides. Thus, clarkeite is a potential actinide and fission product host. The replacement of uraninite by clarkeite occurs in the solid state and results in the loss of one-half of the uranium from uraninite. As U decays to Pb, the radiogenic Pb enters interlayer vacancies in clarkeite. This destabilizes the structure and clarkeite eventually decomposes to woelsendorfite, (Pb,Ca){sub 2}U{sub 2}O{sub 7}{center_dot}2H{sub 2}O, or curite, Pb{sub 3}U{sub 8}O{sub 27}{center_dot}3H{sub 2}O.
Cutaneous vascular calcification, gangrene and hyperparathyroidism.

SUMMARY Three cases of vascular calcification, cutaneous gangrene and hyperparathyroidism are presented. Biopsy of the skin reveals calcinosis of the media as well as obstruction of a muscular vessel. Secondary, as well as primary, hyperparathyroidism is associated with this characteristic cutaneous syndrome. Treatment of the parathyroid disease and conservative skin therapy will produce reversal of vascular calcification and healing of the skin.
Operation of the NAL Main Ring Extraction System

The NAL Main Ring extraction system has delivered both slow and fast extracted beam at 100, 200 and 300 GeV. Construction progress, operating conditions, instrumentation and beam characteristics are discussed.
Elevated serum pesticide levels and risk for Alzheimer disease.

IMPORTANCE The causes of late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) are not yet understood but likely include a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Limited epidemiological studies suggest that occupational pesticide exposures are associated with AD. Previously, we reported that serum levels of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), the metabolite of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), were elevated in a small number of patients with AD (n=20). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between serum levels of DDE and AD and whether the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype modifies the association. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A case-control study consisting of existing samples from patients with AD and control participants from the Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Serum levels of DDE were measured in 79 control and 86 AD cases.
Biodistance analysis of the Moche sacrificial victims from Huaca de la Luna plaza 3C: Matrix method test of their origins

The purpose of this study is to test two competing models regarding the origins of Early Interme- diate Period (AD 200-750) sacrificial victims from the Huacas de Moche site using the matrix correlation method. The first model posits the sacrificial victims rep- resent local elites who lost competitions in ritual battles with one another, while the other model suggests the vic- tims were nonlocal warriors captured during warfare with nearby polities. We estimate biodistances for sacrifi- cial victims from Huaca de la Luna Plaza 3C (AD 300- 550) with eight previously reported samples from the north coast of Peru using both the mean measure of diver- gence (MMD) and Mahalanobis' distance (d 2 ). Hypotheti- cal matrices are developed based upon the assumptions of each of the two competing models regarding the origins of Moche sacrificial victims. When the MMD matrix is com- pared to the two hypothetical matrices using a partial- Mantel test (Smouse et al.: Syst Zool 35 (1986) 627-632), the ritual combat model (i.e. local origins) has a low and nonsignificant correlation (r ¼ 0.134, P ¼ 0.163), while the nonlocal origins model is highly correlated and signifi- cant (r ¼ 0.688, P ¼ 0.001). Comparisons of the d 2 results and the two hypothetical matrices also produced low and nonsignificant correlation for the ritual combat model (r ¼ 0.210, P ¼ 0.212), while producing a higher and stat- istically significant result with the nonlocal origins model (r ¼ 0.676, P ¼ 0.002). We suggest that the Moche sacrifi- cial victims represent nonlocal warriors captured in terri- torial combat with nearby competing polities. Am J Phys Anthropol 132:193-206, 2007. V C 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evaluating a BASIC approach to sensor network node programming

Sensor networks have the potential to empower domain experts from a wide range of fields. However, presently they are notoriously difficult for these domain experts to program, even though their applications are often conceptually simple. We address this problem by applying the BASIC programming language to sensor networks and evaluating its effectiveness. BASIC has proven highly successful in the past in allowing novices to write useful programs on home computers. Our contributions include a user study evaluating how well novice (no programming experience) and intermediate (some programming experience) users can accomplish simple sensor network tasks in BASIC and in TinyScript (a principally event-driven high-level language for node-oriented programming) and an evaluation of power consumption issues in BASIC. 45--55% of novice users can complete simple tasks in BASIC, while only 0--17% can do so in TinyScript. In both languages, users generally are most successful using imperative loop-oriented programming. The use of an interpreter, such as our BASIC implementation, has little impact on the power consumption of applications in which computational demands are low. Further, when in final form, BASIC can be compiled to reduce power consumption even further.
Arsenic Bioaccessibility in a Soil Amended with Drinking-Water Treatment Residuals in the Presence of Phosphorus Fertilizer

A laboratory incubation study was conducted to determine the effect of drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs) on arsenic (As) bioaccessibility and phytoavailability in a poorly As-sorbing soil contaminated with arsenical pesticides and fertilized with triple super phosphate (TSP). The Immokalee soil (a sandy spodosol with minimal As-retention capacity) was amended with 2 WTRs (Al and Fe) at 5 application rates ranging between 0% and 5% wt/wt. Sodium arsenate and TSP were used to spike the soil with 90 mg As kg(-1) and 115 mg P kg(-1), respectively. Bioaccessible As was determined at time 0 (immediately after spiking), and at 6 and 12 months of equilibration using an in vitro gastrointestinal test, and As phytoavailability was measured with a 1-M KC1 extraction test. Arsenic phytoavailability decreased immediately after spiking (20% availability at 5% rate), but only after 6 months for the Al-WTR- and the Fe-WTR-amended soil, respectively. Arsenic bioaccessibility simulated for the stomach and intestine phases showed that the Fe-WTR was more effective than the Al-WTR in resisting the harsh acidic conditions of the human stomach, thus preventing As release. Both the phytoavailable As and the bioaccessible As were significantly correlated (p < 0.001) for soil spiked with either Al- or Fe-WTR. Both WTRs were able to decrease soil As bioaccessibility irrespective of the presence or absence of P, which was added as TSP. Results indicate the potential of WTRs in immobilizing As in contaminated soils fertilized with P, thereby minimizing soil As bioaccessibility and phytoavailability.
Moral Responsibility and Determinism: The Cognitive Science of Folk Intuitions

The dispute between compatibilists and incompatibilists must be one of the most persistent and heated deadlocks in Western philosophy. Incompatibilists maintain that people are not fully morally responsible if determinism is true, i.e., if every event is an inevitable consequence of the prior conditions and the natural laws. By contrast, compatibilists maintain that even if determinism is true our moral responsibility is not undermined in the slightest, for determinism and moral responsibility are perfectly consistent.1 The debate between these two positions has invoked many different resources, including quantum mechanics, social psychology, and basic metaphysics. But recent discussions have relied heavily on arguments that draw on people’s intuitions about particular cases. Some philosophers have claimed that people have incompatibilist intuitions (e.g., Kane 1999, 218; Strawson 1986, 30; Vargas 2006); others have challenged this claim and suggested that people’s intuitions actually fit with compatibilism (Nahmias et al. 2005). But although philosophers have constructed increasingly sophisticated arguments about the implications of people’s intuitions, there has been remarkably little discussion about why people have the intuitions they do. That is to say, relatively little has been said about the specific psychological processes that generate or sustain people’s intuitions. And yet, it seems clear that questions about the sources of people’s intuitions could have a major impact on debates
Science Signaling Podcast: 10 February 2015

This Podcast features an interview with Kunxin Luo, senior author of a Research Article that appears in the 10 February 2015 issue of Science Signaling , about how the protein Ski suppresses the progression of breast cancer. Ski is oncogenic in some contexts but acts as a tumor suppressor in other contexts. Rashidian et al . found that, in breast cancer cells, Ski inhibited the activity of TAZ, a transcriptional coactivator that stimulates the expression of growth-promoting genes. Ski interacted with several components of the Hippo pathway to promote the cytosolic sequestration and degradation of TAZ. Furthermore, Ski also inhibited TAZ activity through two Hippo-independent mechanisms. Ski inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cultured breast cancer cells and suppressed metastasis of TAZ-expressing xenografted tumors.
Discussions of sexual health testing: Applying the theory of motivated information management

To investigate how individuals seek and disclose information related to testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in sexual relationships, this study utilizes the revised theory of motivated information management (TMIM; Afifi & Morse, 2009). As part of a longitudinal design, 199 participants completed questionnaires assessing TMIM constructs. The hypothesized model was supported for individuals as seekers and providers of information regarding STI testing behaviors, and efficacy emerged as a mediator of seekers' negative emotional response and indirect information seeking and of providers' outcome expectancies and indirect information provision. Findings from this investigation support the workings of the revised TMIM and illustrate the importance of efficacy in information management decisions regarding STI testing behaviors between sexual partners.
Evolution of Surface Deposits on a High-Pressure Turbine Blade—Part I: Physical Characteristics

Turbine blade coupons with three different surface treatments were exposed to deposition conditions in an accelerated deposition facility. The facility simulates the flow conditions at the inlet to a first stage high pressure turbine (T=1150oC, M=0.31). The combustor exit flow is seeded with dust particulate that would typically be ingested by a large utility power plant. The three coupon surface treatments included: (1) bare polished metal, (2) polished thermal barrier coating with bondcoat, and (3) unpolished oxidation resistant bondcoat. Each coupon was subjected to four successive 2 hour deposition tests. The particulate loading was scaled to simulate 0.02 ppmw (parts per million weight) of particulate over three months of gas turbine operation for each 2 hour laboratory simulation (for a cumulative one year of operation). Three-dimensional maps of the deposit-roughened surfaces were created between each test, representing a total of four measurements evenly spaced through the lifecycle of a turbine blade surface. From these measurements the surface topology and roughness statistics were determined. Despite the different surface treatments, all three surfaces exhibited similar nonmonotonic increases in roughness with repeated exposure. In each case, an initial build-up of isolated roughness peaks was followed by a period when valleys between peaks were filled with subsequent deposition. This trend is well documented using the average forward facing roughness angle in combination with the average roughness height as characteristic roughness metrics. Deposition-related mechanisms leading to spallation of the thermal barrier coated coupon are identified and documented. [Keywords: deposition, roughness, turbines] NOMENCLATURE i = summation index in y direction I = number of surface data points in the y direction j = summation index in y direction J = number of surface data points in the x direction ks = equivalent sandgrain roughness M = Mach number Ra = centerline averaged roughness [µm] [Eq. (1)] Rt = maximum peak-to-valley roughness [µm] Rz = k = mean peak-to-valley roughness [µm] T = flow temperature [C] x = surface dimension perpendicular to the gas stream y = surface dimension parallel to the gas stream z = height of an individual roughness element
Blood cardiac troponin in toxic myocardial injury: archetype of a translational safety biomarker.

A translational safety biomarker for toxic myocardial injury is needed in drug discovery and development. This need reflects the increasing recognition of occurrence of cardiotoxicities, prior lack of preclinical blood biomarkers for toxic cardiac injury, introduction of troponin as a biomarker, and regulatory and industry drivers. Cardiac troponin is considered the gold-standard biomarker in humans for cardiac injury due to ischemic injury and drug toxicity. It has been demonstrated to correlate highly with histopathological extent of injury, degree of impairment of cardiac function, and prognosis. Numerous studies have now clearly demonstrated that both cardiac troponin T and cardiac troponin I are sensitive and specific biomarkers of cardiac injury in laboratory animals. Their use is highly recommended for incorporation into preclinical drug-safety studies, especially whenever there is any history of cardiac effect in prior studies with a compound of the same or similar chemical or pharmacological clas...
Family Education for Adults in Correctional Settings: A Conceptual Framework

This article examines family education programs for strengthening family ties between prison inmates and their families. To advance the development of a conceptual basis for family education in prisons, we suggest a classification based on three criteria: the program purpose, the program content, and the level of interaction between professional and participant. We give an example of a family education program at an optimal level of involvement and provide evaluation data about the program. These data provide more information about the internal workings of the family system to provide guidelines for more appropriate, useful content and interaction in family programming.
Intelligent Analysis of Biosignals

While biosignal analysis has been a mainstay in many medical applications for a number of decades, notably in cardiology, problems remain in the analysis of high volume data and in comparison among time series. Effective comparisons can determine if the state of a particular patient has changed significantly. These comparisons are useful in both long-term and short-term monitoring. Methods will vary depending on the type of signal and the situation. Intelligent agents permit the activation of the appropriate analysis for the signal and the current situation. Agents are defined in terms of both methodology and function. The agent system is described and illustrated in applications to cardiology and neurology
The history of progress in dimensionally stable anodes

This article provides a brief history of dimensionally stable anodes by reviewing innovations in the chlor-alkali industry, electroplating and electrogalvanizing, and electrowinning. These anodes are attractive for numerous reasons (e.g.,.long life and reduced energy consumption), but they must still overcome the hurdle of cost togain wider acceptance for applications in the metallurgical process industries.
expa: a program for calculating extreme pathways in biochemical reaction networks

Summary: The set of extreme pathways, a generating set for all possible steady-state flux maps in a biochemical reaction network, can be computed from the stoichiometric matrix, an incidence-like matrix reflecting the network topology. Here, we describe the implementation of a well-known algorithm to compute these pathways and give a summary of the features of the available software. Availability: The C-code, along with a Windows executable and sample network reaction files, are available at http://systemsbiology.ucsd.edu Contact: [email protected]
Butyrate Alters Activity of Specific cAMP-Receptor Proteins in a Transgenic Mouse Colonic Cell Line

There is great interest in utilizing butyrate as a chemotherapeutic agent. To elucidate its mechanism of action, the effect of butyrate on cAMP receptor protein kinase (PKA) activity in young adult mouse colon (YAMC) cells isolated from transgenic mice bearing a temperature sensitive mutation of the SV40 large T antigen gene was investigated. Conditionally immortalized cultures were plated at the permissive temperature (33 degrees C) or growth arrested by incubation at the nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C). In addition, cells were incubated at 33 degrees C with or without 1 mmol/L butyrate for 24 h. Butyrate treatment reduced cell proliferation by 28% and enhanced apoptosis by 350% compared with cultures not exposed to butyrate. The PKA type I/II isozyme activity ratio was lower (P < 0.05) in cells incubated with butyrate. The relative level of PKA I isozyme was higher in proliferating cells at 33 degrees C (63% of total PKA), while the relative level of PKA II was higher in nonproliferating cells undergoing apoptosis at 39 degrees C (59% of total PKA). Neither incubation conditions (33 vs. 39 degrees C) nor butyrate treatment altered total PKA activity. When YAMC cells were incubated with 8-CI-cAMP, an activator of PKA II, growth was markedly inhibited in cells at both temperatures. Consistent with in vitro data, increased PKA I isozyme levels were associated with dysregulated growth in vivo. Specifically, the relative level of PKA I isozyme was three- to fivefold higher in rat colonic tumors compared with normal nontransformed colonic mucosa. These data indicate that the biological effects of butyrate on colonocyte proliferation and apoptosis are associated with changes in PKA isozyme-dependent signal transduction, and the YAMC cell line is a relevant model to examine the molecular mechanisms by which dietary-derived factors affect relative cancer risk.
Rapid thermal analysis of energetic materials with microfabricated differential scanning calorimeters

This paper introduces a class of single crystal silicon micro-scale differential scanning calorimeters for rapid detection and thermal characterization of energetic materials. The suspended membrane micro hotplates have fast time response and high sensitivity, which enables thermal measurements of melting endotherms and deflagration exotherms in energetic materials such as RDX and TNT. The potential exists for sensitivities in the picogram range with thermal scans in the 10's of milliseconds and controlled thermal cycling faster than 106°C/sec.
Single Bunch Current Dependent Phenomena in CESR

Single bunch current dependent phenomena have been examined in CESR, the Cornell Electron Storage Ring. These measurements are described and their results compared with predictions using the broad band resonator model of vacuum chamber impedance. A transient anti-damping effect in the vertical plane has been observed. The influence of various machine parameters on this effect will be described and a possible mechanism suggested.