cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State Abortion Policies, Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider Laws, and Abortion Demand

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Provider laws (or TRAP laws) are state laws that apply only to abortion providers and impose on them licensing fees, physical plant/personnel regulations, and requirements that exceed those imposed on other comparable health-care providers or medical facilities. According to prochoice supporters, the explicit or implicit goal of TRAP laws is to drive abortion providers from the market and reduce the supply of abortion services. This paper examines whether a state TRAP licensing fee or a TRAP plant/personnel law also has an independent impact on women's demand for abortion over the period 1982-2005. The empirical results find that neither state TRAP law has a statistically significant independent effect on women's abortion demand. The empirical results remain robust even after controlling for time-varying factors or the time period after the Supreme Court's landmark 1992 Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey decision. Copyright 2010 by The Policy Studies Organization.
A DNA-based cancer vaccine enhances lymphocyte crosstalk by engaging the NKG2D receptor

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 3993 The NKG2D receptor is a stimulatory receptor expressed on NK cells and activated CD8 T cells. We demonstrate that engaging the NKG2D receptor markedly improves the efficacy of a survivin-based DNA vaccine. Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis protein and is over-expressed in essentially all solid tumors. The combination vaccine encoding both a NKG2D ligand H60 and survivin activates both innate and adaptive antitumor immunity, resulting in better protection against tumors of different origin and NKG2D expression levels. The enhanced vaccine efficacy is in part due to increased crosstalk between lymphocytes. Depletion of either CD8 T cells or NK cells during priming diminishes the pH60/Survivin-induced activation of dendritic cells (DCs) in Peyer’s patches. More importantly, depletion of CD8 T cells or NK cells during the priming, but not the effector phase of immunization, leads to reduced NK or CTL activity, respectively. In contrast, depletion of CD4 T cells during the priming phase results in activation of DCs, NK and CD8 T cells in Peyer’s patches and enhancement of NK cell activity. These data suggest NK and CD8 T cells as positive contributors and CD4 T cells mainly as negative regulators during the lymphocyte crosstalk induced by our DNA vaccine. Vaccination with pH60/Survivin reduces the number of CD4 T cells, but increase that of DC and NK cells which home to Peyer’s patches. Presumably this is due to changes in homing receptor profiles of these cells. Thus, by preferentially activating and attracting positive regulators and reducing negative regulators in these secondary lymphoid tissues, our dual function DNA vaccine induces a microenvironment more suitable for NK cell activation and T cell priming. As a result, the combination vaccine induces a robust activation of lymphocytes in Peyer’s patches. The effectiveness of our strategy is demonstrated by better tumor protection in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings and long-lived immune memory against tumor cells, suggesting that activation of both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system represents an attractive strategy to overcome tumor-induced peripheral immune tolerance.
Consideration of Abortion in Pregnancy: Demographic Characteristics, Mental Health, and Protective Factors

This study examined demographic characteristics, available resources, and mental health outcomes of women who did and did not consider abortion in pregnancy. Using data collected between 1998 and 2000 from 2,937 mothers recruited for the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, this study examined whether women who did and did not consider abortion differed in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and resources at the birth of their children and mental health outcomes when their children were one year old. This study further examined protective factors associated with low parenting stress at one year postpartum, despite initial abortion consideration. Compared to women who did not consider abortion, women who did consider abortion tended to be younger, have less education and lower income, and report higher levels of substance use, higher perceived support, and lower received support. A subset of women who had higher education, more income, and lower substance use reported lower parenting stress at year one despite abortion consideration in pregnancy. Promotion of education and employment assistance may be particularly important among women experiencing unplanned pregnancies as these services may contribute to lower parenting stress and improved child outcomes.
Supercomputer Market Dynamics

During the past few years the high performance computing market has gone in multiple directions. In all countries, except the United States, the high performance market has been vibrant for all vendors. Those markets have embraced the best computing has to offer for each discipline. At the same time the United States has been an anomaly, but an important anomaly, where traditional high-end systems have been unavailable since the middle 1990’s. In 2001 a number of events transpired that will transform the worldwide high performance market and bring it back to a state of market-equilibrium where all high performance computing products are available to most consumers.
Abstract 618: Novel High-Resolution Mass Spectroscopy Methodologies to Study Anti-inflammatory Nitro Fatty Acids

It is widely hypothesized that the protective effects of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids involves the enzymatic or non-enzymatic conversion to biologically active metabolites. Accordingly, definitive identification and quantitation of bioactive fatty acid derivatives is essential for both evaluating the beneficial effects of these nutrients and identifying biological markers to monitor the therapeutic efficacy of fatty acid administration. Nitro-fatty acids are a class of fatty acid metabolites that are formed by chemical nitration of the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids, and in mouse models, nitro-fatty acids decrease oxidative stress and inflammation suggesting that these could be biologically relevant mediators. However, due to inherent limitations of currently used analytical approaches for the detection and quantitation of free and esterified nitro-fatty acids, many questions remain to be elucidated regarding their abundance and clinical efficacy. Thus, we hypothesize that using an AMMP derivatization extraction procedure coupled with the use of HR electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and stable isotope dilution will lead to a more accurate profile of nitro-fatty acids in biological samples. To accomplish this we generated methyl pyridinium derivatives of nitro-fatty acids which ionize strongly in positive mode resulting in increased sensitivity of more than 1000-fold over underivatized fatty acids monitored in negative ionization mode. We next developed methods for analysis of methyl pyridinium derivatives of nitro-fatty acids using an AB Sciex 5600 quadrupole TOF MS. Together, these methods allow us to identify the ions of the parent nitro-fatty acid derivative at high resolution and confirm their identities by other techniques such as mass defect and isotopomer ratio pattern analyses. To validate these methods, plasma was collected from C57BL/6 mice and levels of nitro-oleic acid were successfully determined using TOF product ions of 386.31 and 433.31 as key identifiers. In conclusion, we have developed and validated novel analytical methodologies to study nitro-fatty acids which may aide in advancing research of nitro-fatty acids as a therapeutic agent against inflammation and atherosclerosis.
AN EXPERIMENTAL COMPARISON OF INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY AND COMBINATION SELECTION

Two selection experiments comparing the relative efficiencies of individual, family, and combination selection were conducted. The expected results for larval weight of Tribolium (h2 = 0.20) and for pupal weight (h2 = 0.40) were that combination selection would be a more efficient method than family selection, and that family selection would exceed individual selection. In experiment I, individual selection produced more response (P < 0.05) than did combination or family, which was not in agreement with expectation. There was confounding of inbreeding levels and random drift due to differential effective population sizes in the lines selected by different methods. Experiment II consisted of ten single-generation selection tests. An advantage of this approach is that it eleminates the inherent problems of differential inbreeding levels and differential rates of genetic drift due to unequal population sizes among the methods of selection. There were no statistically significant differences in efficiency among the three methods of selection for both traits. This was contrary to theoretical expectations but does suggest that with traits of 20% h2 or higher, and where feasible, one may be justified in basing selection decisions on the phenotype of the individual only. Other advantages of single generation testing are that it allows more precise testing of selection theory and unbiased standard errors for estimates of realized heritability.
Computer Forensics Investigators or Private Investigators: Who Is Investigating the Drive?

The number of states requiring a Private Investigator (PI) license to practice computer forensics is growing despite the wealth of evidence that demonstrates the requirements are inconsistent with the actual qualifications needed to be an effective digital forensics investigator. This paper explores the current trend, the early observed effects of this trend, the types of certifications available outside of the PI licensing requirements, and concludes with some alternatives that should be investigated in order to ensure that the ever-widening array of scenarios that involve digital evidence can be investigated thoroughly and properly by practicing professionals with the proper credentials to secure, investigate, analyze, and present the digital evidence.
Effect of spanwise correlation of turbulence field on the motion stability of long-span bridges

Motion stability of long-span bridges is investigated, taking into consideration imperfect spanwise correlation in the turbulent wind flow. The study is based on a linear mathematical model for the structure-fluid system. Two types of structural modes are considered, the torsional modes and the vertical bending modes. The motion stability is defined in terms of the statistical moments, in particular the second-order moments of the state variables of the system. Turbulence is known to play two opposite roles in affecting the stability of a dynamical system. On the one hand, it destabilizes individual modes if each of these modes acts independently; on the other hand, it facilitates the transfer of energy from the least stable mode to more stable modes, thus increasing the stability margin of the entire system. It is shown in the present paper that in the ideal case of a perfectly correlated turbulence field, this transfer of energy can only occur between modes of different types (from a torsion mode to a bending mode or itvice versa), but not between modes of the same type. The lack of spanwise uniformity in the turbulence field renders the transfer of energy between modes of the same type possible, and yet at the same time, it reduces the generalized parametric random forces in the lower order modes. The analytical algorithm developed in this paper permits the assessment of the overall effect of a turbulence field, which can be either stabilizing or destabilizing, depending primarily on whether or not favorable aerodynamic coupling exists between different types of modes for a particular bridge. A computationally efficient procedure is developed to calculate stability boundaries for linear systems involving a large number of state variables. The procedure reduces the calculation to within a smaller state space including only those state variables which describe the essential system behavior near the stability boundary. The approximate results are found to be very accurate while reducing the computer time significantly.
A comparison of two approaches to utilizing XML in parametric databases for temporal data

Abstract The parametric data model captures an object in terms of a single tuple. This feature eliminates unnecessary self-join operations to combine tuples scattered in a temporal relation. Despite this advantage, this model is relatively difficult to implement on top of relational databases because the sizes of attributes are unfixed. Since data boundaries are not problematic in XML, XML can be an elegant solution to implement parametric databases for temporal data. There are two approaches to implementing parametric databases using XML: (1) a native XML database with XQuery engine, and (2) an XML storage with a temporal query language. To determine which approach is appropriate in parametric databases, we consider four questions: the effectiveness of XML in modeling temporal data, the applicability of XML query languages, the user-friendliness of the query languages, and system performances of two approaches. By evaluating the four questions, we show that the latter approach is more appropriate to utilizing XML in parametric databases.
Survey of birds and lizards for ixodid ticks (Acari) and spirochetal infection in northern California.

A total of 138 birds (24 species) was captured in an oak woodland between December 1988 and June 1989 at the University of California, Sierra Foothill Range Field Station, Yuba County, Calif. Ticks were not found on 71 birds captured between December 1988 and March 1989. Five subadult Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls were removed from 3 of 67 birds caught between April and June 1989. These three birds, an orange-crowned warbler ( Vermivora celata (Say)), a lazuli bunting ( Passerina amoena (Say)), and a chipping sparrow ( Spizella passerina (Bechstein)), represent new host records for I. pacificus in California. Tissues from two ticks and thick blood films prepared from 126 birds tested negative for spirochetes by direct immunofluorescence (DI). A total of 172 larval and 197 nymphal /. pacificus was removed from 15 of 16 western fence lizards ( Sceloporus occidentalis Baird & Girard) caught between April and June 1989 in the same location as were birds. Thick blood films prepared from all 16 lizards and tissue smears from 334 of the ticks (143 larvae and 191 nymphs) were DI test-negative for spirochetes. One (1.1%) of 93 adult I. pacificus collected at the bird-lizard capture site in February 1989 was infected with spirochetes that resembled B. burgdorferi .
Transcription influences the types of deletion and expansion products in an orientation-dependent manner from GAC•GTC repeats

The genetic instability of (GAC*GTC)n (where n = 6-74) was investigated in an Escherichia coli-based plasmid system. Prior work implicated the instability of a (GAC*GTC)5 tract in the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) gene to the 4, 6 or 7mers in the etiology of pseudoachondroplasia and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. The effects of triplet repeat length and orientation were studied after multiple replication cycles in vivo. A transcribed plasmid containing (GAC*GTC)49 repeats led to large deletions (>3 repeats) after propagation in E.coli; however, if transcription was silenced by the LacI(Q) repressor, small expansions and deletions (<3 repeats) predominated the mutation spectra. In contrast, propagation of similar length but opposing orientation (GTC*GAC)53 containing plasmid led to small instabilities that were unaffected by the repression of transcription. Thus, by inhibiting transcription, the genetic instability of (GAC*GTC)49 repeats did not significantly differ from the opposing orientation, (GTC*GAC)53. We postulate that small instabilities of GAC*GTC repeats are achieved through replicative slippage, whereas large deletion events are found when GAC*GTC repeats are transcribed. Herein, we report the first genetic study on GAC*GTC repeat instability describing two types of mutational patterns that can be partitioned by transcription modulation. Along with prior biophysical data, these results lay the initial groundwork for understanding the genetic processes responsible for triplet repeat mutations in the COMP gene.
Hypnotizability and Related Physical Symptoms

I would like to return to a consideration of physical symptoms and the relevance of high hypnotizability in that context. It will be remembered that among the first seven case histories reported in the earlier chapters were two patients with incapacitating physical complaints. They had both undergone surgery to the spine with little benefit, and continued to struggle with the effects of their poorly understood diseases. Reference was made to the fact that their persistent and puzzling physical complaints bore a resemblance to the physical sensations that can be created as effects of hypnosis; it was emphasized that both people were highly hypnotizable, and the occurrence of spontaneous trance was considered a factor in the etiology of the clinical picture. The case history that we will now examine in some detail extends over many years from puberty to menopause; the treatment program differs from the earlier two cases of physical symptoms in that it lasted for a few years, and the psychotherapy and hypnosis were in the hands of the same therapist.
Empirically Based Profiles of the Early Literacy Skills of Children With Language Impairment in Early Childhood Special Education

The purpose of this study was to empirically determine whether specific profiles characterize preschool-aged children with language impairment (LI) with respect to their early literacy skills (print awareness, name-writing ability, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge); the primary interest was to determine if one or more profiles suggested vulnerability for future reading problems. Participants were 218 children enrolled in early childhood special education classrooms, 95% of whom received speech-language services. Children were administered an assessment of early literacy skills in the fall of the academic year. Based on results of latent profile analysis, four distinct literacy profiles were identified, with the single largest profile (55% of children) representing children with generally poor literacy skills across all areas examined. Children in the two low-risk categories had higher oral language skills than those in the high-risk and moderate-risk profiles. Across three of the four early literacy measures, children with language as their primary disability had higher scores than those with LI concomitant with other disabilities. These findings indicate that there are specific profiles of early literacy skills among children with LI, with about one half of children exhibiting a profile indicating potential susceptibility for future reading problems.
The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , RNase P/MRP ribonucleoprotein endoribonuclease family

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a ribonucleoprotein responsible for the endonucleolytic cleavage of the 5′-termini of tRNAs. Ribonuclease MRP (RNase MRP) is a ribonucleoprotein that has the ability to cleave both mitochondrial RNA primers presumed to be involved in mitochondrial DNA replication and rRNA precursors for the production of mature rRNAs. Several lines of evidence suggest that these two ribonucleoproteins are related to each other, both functionally and evolutionarily. Both of these enzymes have activity in the nucleus and mitochondria. Each cleave their RNA substrates in a divalent cation dependent manner to generate 5′-phosphate and 3′-OH termini. In addition, the RNA subunits of both complexes can be folded into a similar secondary structure. Each can be immunoprecipitated from mammalian cells with Th antibodies. In yeast, both have been found to share at least one common protein. This review will discuss some of the recent advances in our understanding of the structure, function and evolutionary relationship of these two enzymes in the yeast,Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Gender and Employment: A Global Lens on Feminist Analyses and Theorizing of Labor Markets

This review of feminist analyses and theorizing of labor markets uses a global lens to reveal the forces shaping gender inequality. The review focuses on the increasing dominance of services primarily in the liberal market economies of the United States and the United Kingdom along with examples from Asia where restructuring has shifted locations of work and affected new ways of working by a diverse and mobile workforce. Labor market restructuring through commodification of care, outsourcing of household tasks and informalization of employment affects the complexity of relationships between and the interconnectedness of social inequalities transnationally and in global cities. Place matters when analyzing how service employment alters divisions of labor and how these labor market changes are gendered. Global restructuring not only poses new challenges but also creates new opportunities for mobilization around a more robust notion of equality.
Fine particulate source apportionment using data from the USEPA speciation trends network in Chicago, Illinois: comparison of two source apportionment models

Data from two of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's speciation trends network fine particulate matter sites within Chicago, Illinois were analyzed using the chemical mass balance (CMB) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) models to determine source contributions to the ambient fine particulate concentrations. The results from the two models were compared to determine the similarities and differences in the source contributions. This included examining the differences in the magnitude of the individual source contributions as well as the correlation between the contribution values from the two methods. The results showed that both models predicted sulfates, nitrates and motor vehicles as the three highest fine particle contributors for the two sites accounting for approximately 80% of the total. The PMF model attributed a slightly greater amount of fine particulate to the road salt, steel and soil sources while vegetative burning contributed more in the CMB results. Correlations between the contribution results from the two models were high for sulfates, nitrates and road salt with very good correlations existing for motor vehicles and petroleum refineries. The predicted PMF profiles agreed well with measured source profiles for the major species associated with each source.
METROPOLITAN SHORELINES OF THE GREAT LAKES

RESUME L'ouverture de la voie maritime du Saint-Laurent a mis l'accent sur le besoin d'ameliorer les installations portuaires, d'approfondir les havres et les chenaux et de pourvoir a une demande grandissante de sites industriels en bordure des nappes d'eau, tandis que, coincidemment, la population croissante des centres urbains et metropolitains reclame plus d'espace pour fins de recreation et, plus particulierement, des pares riverains. La tâche qui s'impose consiste a formuler et, ce qui est le plus important, a realiser une juste attribution des espaces riverains a des usages qui sont en conflit mutuel. Si les proprietaires de terrains situes en bordure de l'eau conservent leurs droits exclusifs, tout usage public demeurera restreint. Par contre, si les espaces riverains etaient largement consacres a des usages recreatifs, les besoins portuaires et industriels en souffriraient; si, enfin, ces derniers devaient predominer, les interets des communautes urbaines en seraient leses. L'auteur aborde l'etude de ce probleme de concurrence en soulignant quelques-unes de ses ramifications majeures telles qu'observees en diverses zones metropolitaines des Grands Lacs, en particulier a Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto et Hamilton. Il en conclut que ce serait une grave erreur si on laissait se perpetuer les formes de developpement qu'a connues le passe uniquement—ou principalement—par souci de la tradition, des prejuges, ou encore par ignorance. Les installations portuaires doivent etre etablies en bordure des lacs; bien qu'elles puissent etre situees plus ou moins en amont, en bordure de rivieres, cela entrainerait des depenses substantielles pour le public, les compagnies de navigation et les proprietaires d'industries et servirait a diminuer les avantages de concurrence de certains ports, la rapidite des virages etant un atout de premiere valeur. De meme, les industries qui dependent largement du transport par eau doivent etre situees le long de chenaux profonds et aussi libres que possible de courbes, de verrous ou de ponts. Ce genre d'usines doivent egalement disposer de preference de sites donnant directement sur les lacs. Le bon agencement de ces usages dans l'espace riverain disponible presente un defi majeur a la planification.
1H, 15N, and 13C resonance assignments for a monomeric mutant of the HIV-1 capsid protein

The mature fullerene cone-shaped capsid of the human immunodeficiency virus 1 is composed of about 1,500 copies of the capsid protein (CA). The CA is 231 residues long, and consists of two distinct structural domains, the N-terminal domain and the C-terminal domain (CTD), joined by a flexible linker. The wild type CA exhibits monomer–dimer equilibrium in solution through the CTD–CTD dimerization. This CTD–CTD interaction, together with other intermolecular interdomain interactions, plays significant roles during the assembly of the mature capsid. In addition, CA–CA interactions also play a role in the assembly of the immature virion. The CA also interacts with some host cell proteins within the viral replication cycle. Thus, the capsid protein has been of significant interest as a target for designing inhibitors of assembly of immature virions and mature capsids and inhibitors of its interactions with host cell proteins. However, the equilibrium exhibited by the wild-type CA protein between the monomeric and dimeric states, along with the inherent flexibility from the interdomain linker, have hindered attempts at structural determination by solution NMR and X-ray crystallography methods. In this study, we have utilized a CA protein with W184A and M185A mutations that abolish the dimerization of CA protein as well as its infectivity, but preserve most of the remaining properties of the wild type CA. We have determined the detailed solution structure of the monomeric W184A/M185A-CA protein using 3D-NMR spectroscopy. Here, we present the detailed sequence-specific NMR assignments for this protein.
Low consistency of four brain connectivity measures derived from intracranial electrode measurements.

Measures of brain connectivity are currently subject to intense scientific and clinical interest. Multiple measures are available, each with advantages and disadvantages. Here we study epilepsy patients with intracranial electrodes, and compare four different measures of connectivity. Perhaps the most direct measure derives from intracranial electrodes; however this is invasive and spatial coverage is incomplete. These electrodes can be actively stimulated to trigger electrophysical responses to provide the first measure of connectivity. A second measure is the recent development of simultaneous BOLD fMRI and intracranial electrode stimulation. The resulting BOLD maps form a measure of effective connectivity. A third measure uses low frequency BOLD fluctuations measured by MRI, with functional connectivity defined as the temporal correlation coefficient between their BOLD waveforms. A fourth measure is structural, derived from diffusion MRI, with connectivity defined as an integrated diffusivity measure along a connecting pathway. This method addresses the difficult requirement to measure connectivity between any two points in the brain, reflecting the relatively arbitrary location of the surgical placement of intracranial electrodes. Using a group of 8 epilepsy patients with intracranial electrodes, the connectivity from one method is compared to another method using all paired data points that are in common, yielding a overall correlation coefficient. This method is performed for all 6 paired-comparisons between the 4 methods. While these show statistically significant correlations, the magnitudes of the correlation are relatively modest (R2 between 0.20 and 0.001). In summary, there are many pairs of points in the brain that correlate well using one measure yet correlate poorly using another measure. These experimental findings present a complicated picture regarding the measure or meaning of brain connectivity.
Vulnerabilities of Academically Gifted Students

Abstract It is often assumed that gifted students enjoy relatively good social and emotional adjustment, vibrant mental health, and overall well being. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and a significant number of gifted students experience painful, troubling and often debilitating psychological problems. Gifted children and youth possess a set of personality characteristics that make them uniquely vulnerable. School personnel and parents need to be cognizant of these risk factors so that they can provide coordinated and comprehensive educational and social opportunities to foster resilience and, when needed, provide preventive and therapeutic mental health interventions for those gifted students with actual psychological problems.
3He-Rich Solar Energetic Particle Events

3He-rich solar energetic particle (SEP) events show huge enrichments of 3He and association with kilovolt electrons and Type-III radio bursts. Observations from a new generation of high resolution instruments launched on the Wind, ACE, Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, and RHESSI spacecraft have revealed many new properties of these events: the particle energy spectra are found to be either power-law or curved in shape, with the 3He spectrum often being distinctly different from other species. Ultra-heavy nuclei up to >200 amu are found to be routinely present at average enrichments of >200 times solar-system abundances. The high ionization states previously observed near ∼1 MeV/nucleon have been found to decrease towards normal solar coronal values in these events. The source regions have been identified for many events, and are associated with X-ray jets and EUV flares that are associated with magnetic reconnection sites near active regions. This paper reviews the current experimental picture and theoretical models, with emphasis on the new insights found in the last few years.
Photoinduced electron transfer for pyrenesulfonamide conjugates of tryptophan-containing peptides. Mitigation of fluoroprobe behavior in N-terminal labeling experiments

Abstract The (nitro)pyrenesulfonamide group has been attached to the N-terminus of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides. Intramolecular electron transfer between pyrene and Trp indole side chains, observed by fluorescence quenching and laser flash photolysis, depends on the spacing between Pyr and Trp moieties and the strength of the electron acceptor.
Development of a New Approach to Earthquake Prediction: Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) Theory

—The seismogenic process is nonlinear and irreversible so that the response to loading is different from unloading. This difference reflects the damage of a loaded material. Based on this insight, a new parameter-load/unload response ratio (LURR) was proposed to measure quantitatively the proximity to rock failure and earthquake more than ten years ago. In the present paper, we review the fundamental concept of LURR, the validation of LURR with experimental and numerical simulation, the retrospective examination of LURR with new cases in different tectonic settings (California, USA, and Kanto region, Japan), the statistics of earthquake prediction in terms of LURR theory and the random distribution of LURR under Poisson's model. Finally we discuss LURR as a parameter to judge the closeness degree to SOC state of the system and the measurement of tidal triggering earthquake.¶The Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) theory was first proposed in 1984 (Yin, 1987). Subsequently, a series of advances were made (Yin and dYin, 1991; Yin, 1993; Yin et al. 1994a, b, 1995; Maruyama, 1995). In this paper, the new results after 1995 are summarized (Yin et al., 1996; Wang et al., 1998a; Zhuang and Yin, 1999).
The Kluyveromyces gene encoding the general transcription factor IIB: structural analysis and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract The Kluyveromyces lactis gene encoding the general transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) was isolated from a genomic library by complementation of the cold-sensitive phenotype conferred by a mutation in the SUA7 gene, which encodes TFIIB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. DNA sequence analysis of the KI-SUA7 gene revealed a 357 amino acid open reading frame that is 67% identical (81% overall similarity) to S. cerevisiae TFIIB. Comparison with other eukaryotic TFIIBs indicated that the most highly conserved sequence is located adjacent to the Zn-finger motif near the N-terminus. A plasmid shuffle system was used to replace the essential Sc-SUA7 gene with KI-SUA7 in S.cerevisiae. The resulting strain was viable and phenotypically indistinguishable from the normal strain. However, transcription start site selection at the ADH1 locus, shown previously to be affected by mutations in Sc-SUA7, was affected by K.lactis TFIIB. This result provides further evidence that TFIIB is a principal determinant of start site selection in yeast.
A human periodontal ligament fibroblast clone releases a bone resorption inhibition factor in vitro.

The conditioned media (CM) obtained from three lines of cloned human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were analyzed to determine whether they altered the parathyroid hormone (PTH)-stimulated resorption rates (45Ca release) in 48-hour cultures of 45Ca-labeled rat long bones. One PDL cell line, PDL-5, produced a heat-resistant factor in its CM that inhibited the PTH-stimulated resorption by 43.8 ± 9.7 (SE) percent (p < 0.02), whereas the CM from the other cell lines were without statistically significant effect. The CM from the PDL-5 line did not diminish organ culture viability, as determined by 3H-thymidine incorporation, and did not enhance or diminish the resorption-inhibiting activity of calcitonin added to the PTH-stimulated cultures. The addition of CM from PDL-5 did not alter the bone-resorbing effect of interleukin-1 (IL-1). These results indicate that CM from PDL-5 inhibits only the PTHinduced and not the IL-1-mediated resorption processes, whose mechanisms are therefore likely to differ.
Protected endogenous retroviral sequences copurify with infectivity in experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are caused by infectious agents that are defined phenomenologically. No agent-specific molecules or particles have been identified. Biological properties, such as exponential agent replication and strain variation, as well as physical characteristics of infectivity indicate a protected viral structure. A host membrane glycoprotein of 34 kDa (“prion” protein) that aggregates at end stages of disease is clearly important in pathology and susceptibility to infection, but has no demonstrable infectivity in any purified or recombinant form. Thus a characterization of more viral-like molecules is important. In order to identify viral-like nucleic acids we previously developed methods to substantially purify the human CJD agent from experimentally infected hamster brains, and demonstrated selected retro-viral-like LTR bands at pg levels that were insufficient for sequencing. To further define these and other viral-like sequences we cloned nucleic acids from highly infectious CJD fractions, and tested the efficacy of our methods using a selected retroviral probe. RNA extracted from an infectious 120 S Gaussian peak, which is reproducibly purified ∼ 100,000 fold with respect to starting nucleic acids, and contains ∼ 20% of the initial brain infectivity, was used to generate a cDNA library in a sequence independent amplification strategy for low levels of RNA (<6 ng). Reconstituted strong stop experiments using several retroviral tRNA primers had indicated that Syrian hamster IAP (SHIAP) sequences should be present in both CJD and uninfected control fractions. Because SHIAP particles are extremely resistant to denaturation, their representation in a cDNA library would imply adequate extraction of other protected RNAs of viral origin. At least 900 bases of the Syrian hamster retroviral IAP genome were unambiguously identified in the cDNA library, and in independent PCR walks with selected primers, all of which were based on our cloned sequences. Sequencing confirmed the presence of protected LTR and adjacent retroviral motifs. Because these sequences were also present in control preparations they may represent normal endogenous viral contaminants that cosediment with infectivity in size and density gradients. On the other hand, LTRs can drive the expression of many diverse sequences, and it remains to be seen if CJD specific sequences are either transduced, or copackaged with, protected IAP complexes. The effective extraction and amplification of highly protected SHIAP nucleic acids of significant length sets the stage for identifying additional protected viral elements that may specify the CJD agent.
Self-observation as an agent of behavioral change

Behavior-modification procedures often require subjects to self-observe their own behavior. The present study was undertaken with the belief that the effects of self-monitoring may be predictable and that self-observation may have important applications for behavior-change programs. Undergraduate students were asked to observe and record their studying behavior for a college course. It was predicted that self-observation would increase study output for these students and thereby effect an increase in their course grades. Two control groups were included: (a) a group of students who self-observed dating activities, and (b) another group of students who volunteered but were randomly not accepted into the study. The results indicate that students who self-observed study behavior achieved significantly higher grades, during the latter part of the academic term, than the control group of unaccepted volunteers. Subjects in the dating group achieved higher grades than the control group and lower grades than the study group but these differences were not significant. These findings suggest that self-observation procedures may often be reactive and that this reactivity may be successfully used as an agent for behavior change.
Anodic etching of p-type cubic silicon carbide

p-Type cubic silicon carbide was anodically etched using an electrolyte of HF:HCl:H2O. The etching depth was determined versus time with a fixed current density of 96.4 mA/sq cm. It was found that the etching was very smooth and very uniform. An etch rate of 22.7 nm/s was obtained in a 1:1:50 HF:HCl:H2O electrolyte.
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Phosphate Indirectly Activates KCa3.1 via 14 Amino Acids in the Carboxy Terminus of KCa3.1

KCa3.1 is an intermediate conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel that is expressed predominantly in hematopoietic cells, smooth muscle cells, and epithelia where it functions to regulate membrane potential, Ca2+ influx, cell volume, and chloride secretion. We recently found that the KCa3.1 channel also specifically requires phosphatidylinositol-3 phosphate [PI(3)P] for channel activity and is inhibited by myotubularin-related protein 6 (MTMR6), a PI(3)P phosphatase. We now show that PI(3)P indirectly activates KCa3.1. Unlike KCa3.1 channels, the related KCa2.1, KCa2.2, or KCa2.3 channels do not require PI(3)P for activity, suggesting that the KCa3.1 channel has evolved a unique means of regulation that is critical for its biological function. By making chimeric channels between KCa3.1 and KCa2.3, we identified a stretch of 14 amino acids in the carboxy-terminal calmodulin binding domain of KCa3.1 that is sufficient to confer regulation of KCa2.3 by PI(3)P. However, mutation of a single potential phosphorylation site in these 14 amino acids did not affect channel activity. These data together suggest that PI(3)P and these 14 amino acids regulate KCa3.1 channel activity by recruiting an as yet to be defined regulatory subunit that is required for Ca2+ gating of KCa3.1.
Variation of lipid and tocopherol composition in three strains of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Three strains of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), which were designated as ‘AQUA’, ‘LSU’ and ‘MSU’, were examined for their lipid and tocopherol composition to delineate if genetic strains exhibited the potential to vary in their susceptibility to lipid oxidation. Since age, diet and environmental conditions were similar for all strains, growth and compositional differences were ascribed to genetic factors. Significant differences were noted between strains in their muscle tissue for triacylglycerol (TG) levels, fatty acid composition, and tocopherol levels. The largest quantity of TG was found in the LSU strain whereas the smallest quantity was found in the AQUA strain. Levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the TG and total lipid (TL) fraction were highest in the AQUA strain and lowest in the MSU strain. Similarly, a peroxidizability index, which took into account the differences in susceptibility of unsaturated fatty acids to oxidize, was highest in AQUA and lowest in MSU for the TG and TL fractions. The peroxidizability index for the phospholipid fraction did not vary between strains. Adopting a relative antioxidant effectiveness value of 0.31 for γ-tocopherol, the LSU, MSU and AQUA catfish strains were calculated to contain 37.72, 22.79 and 42.49 nmol of α-tocopherol equivalents, respectively. The MSU catfish strain exhibited the highest ratio (nmol PUFA/nmol α-tocopherol equivalents) suggesting that its tissue would be the least stable to oxidation.
Spectra of alkali metal-organic halide flames

Atomic and molecular line spectrum of organic- halide compounds and halides burning in alkali metal vapor
Milk Prices and the Public Interest: Discussion

This session and each of the papers owes its existence to the regulatory reform hypothesis and the flowering of debate stemming from it. This hypothesis holds that the regulation or legislation in question was initiated many years ago in one depression or another to meet conditions which were peculiar to those depression years. The depression is gone but the regulations are still with us. It goes almost without saying that regulations appropriate to depression conditions are quite inappropriate in the affluent eighties. Implicit in the argument is the conclusion that, because the legislation has not changed in major degree, the regulation likewise has not changed. The "proofs" of the verity of this hypothesis are based on bad history, which almost completely ignores the transformation of milk-marketing orders from a system of local markets in the thirties to a national system of interrelated regional markets in the seventies. A great many things indeed have changed since 1937, but some fundamentals have not. Milk is still produced every day and moved to market at least every other day. Despite the best management, cows do not produce on the schedule demanded by the buyers. This requires more management in balancing milk supplies than was needed during the depression. There are substantial economies of scale in balancing milk supplies, and cooperatives can achieve them. Despite economies of scale, there are still substantial costs in performing the balancing function. The firm which can avoid these costs by allowing someone else to perform the function receives substantial benefits. This applies to producers, cooperatives, and processors. Thus, many of the major reasons for the federal order program still exist. The Antitrust Exemption
Kinetics of multiproduct fermentations

A simple model for biomass, product, and substrate evolution proposed previously for batch polysaccharide fermentations is extended to multiproduct fermentations. The examples involve Clostridium thermocellum, (ATCC 27405) fermentations of glucose to four products (ethanol, acetic, formic, and lactic acid), of fructose to two products (ethanol and acetic acid), and of cellobiose to two products (ethanol and acetic acid). In all cases, parameter evaluation was carried out in a serial deterministic procedure.
Inequality and the Great Recession

What part did global inequality play in the worldwide credit crisis? Using Keynesian analysis, this author thinks it was the primary factor. Lack of demand reduced productive investment opportunities. Finance turned to speculation instead.
Social policy implications of the minimum wage law

Poverty and unemployment are two critical issues facing the United States today. Linked to both of these is the federal minimum wage law. Established under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the purpose of the law was—and still is—to eliminate, as rapidly as possible, labor conditions thought to be harmful to the “health, efficiency, and general well-being of workers ... without substantially curtailing employment or earning power.”1 In other words, to eliminate low wages without eliminating jobs. This is a laudable goal, with which no one is likely to disagree. The question remains as to how effective the law has been in achieving this goal. Has it eliminated poverty? Or has it, to the contrary, had effects detrimental to those the law was designed to help? It is the contention here that the minimum wage law has played a significant role in causing unemployment among the most disadvantaged groups, including blacks, teenagers, unskilled workers, and people living in economically depressed regions. It is therefore proposed that further increases in the minimum wage be blocked and that the rate and coverage be held at the present level.
The presence of thiols in the hepatic nuclear binding site for L-tryptophan: Studies with selenite

Abstract This study investigated the effects in vitro of selenite and selenate on nuclear L-tryptophan receptors of rat liver. Sodium selenite at 10 −6 M inhibited the in vitro 3 H-tryptophan binding to rat liver nuclear receptors. No inhibitory effect of selenite on 3 H-tryptophan binding to nuclear receptor was found in the presence of 10 −4 M dithiothreitol, a protective agent for sulfhydryl groups. Selenate as well as sulfite or sulfate did not exert an inhibitory effect on the tryptophan receptor. The results based upon in vitro studies suggest that selenium in the form of selenite may reversibly affect the L-tryptophan binding at the sulfhydryl sites in the nuclear receptor protein. In vivo administration of high (toxic) levels of selenite before or along with L-tryptophan inhibited the L-tryptophan-induced stimulation of hepatic protein synthesis.
Initial Operation Of A Cherenkov Carm

The CARM's advantages of high efficiency and high frequency can be obtained with a low voltage electron beam by incorporating a slow wave structure. A wave with βph ≈ 1 has been excited by a 100 keV electron beam generated by a Pierce/Wiggler gun.
A novel ionic polymer-metal composites incorporating ZnO thin film

This paper aims to introduce newly developed Ionic Polymer-metal Composites (opto-IPMCs) targeting optical applications. The thin optical film of ZnO was deposited on IPMC by an electroless deposition method. This ZnO/Pt IPMC demonstrates photoluminescence (PL) quenching phenomenon, which is reduction in PL intensity (PLI) with an increase in applied electric fields. The crystal structure, morphology and atomic compositions of the resulting ZnO incorporated IPMCs were proved by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, respectively. We observed that ZnO incorporated IPMCs show stable and large displacement under a square current pulse. Also, the electro-optical responses of the manufactured opto-IPMCs were characterized by the PL spectra. The working range of the newly developed electro-optical system was measured to be within the 375-475 nm wavelength.