cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The New Class Action Rule: Procedural Reforms in an Ethical Vacuum

The Washington Post has editorialized that “[n]o portion of the American civil justice system is more of a mess than the world of class actions” — a sentiment shared by many judges, academics, politicians, and ordinary Americans. With the need for reform evident, the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, in May of 2002, recommended the approval of proposed amendments to Rule 23, the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure regulating class action lawsuits. The amendments, the first major changes to the class action rule since 1966, came into effect on December 1, 2003. The class action is a procedural device that permits an individual to bring a civil lawsuit on behalf of a large number of similarly situated individuals. The resolution of the class action, by trial or settlement, binds all members of the class, present or absent. Like party joinder, the class action aims to promote judicial economy by resolving the claims of multiple plaintiffs together as a class, rather than separately through multiple lawsuits as individuals. The gains in judicial efficiency, however, come at a cost to class members: the loss of individualized representation and control. By their nature, class actions are controlled by class action lawyers. This control has allowed some lawyers to use class actions to enrich themselves at the expense of their clients, the individual class members. Absent any meaningful monitoring by class members, class attorneys are free to operate largely on self-interest, subject only to the restraints of judicial oversight and ethical responsibilities. The new class action rule attempts to prevent these abuses by empowering the class members and the court. While the new rule enhances the ability of the court and class members to detect and prevent collusion and self-dealing on the part of class action lawyers, standing alone, the new rules will not prevent future abuses of the class action device. This Note instead reiterates the need for enforceable ethical rules specifically tailored for class action lawyers to tackle the many abuses associated with class actions.
Judges’ experiences with mitigating jurors’ implicit biases

Implicit bias can influence jury decision-making. Training judges about implicit bias is a fairly new endeavor, and not all judges are necessarily aware of these biases. Even when judges are aware ...
Regulatory sampling of industrial hemp plant samples (Cannabis sativa L.) using UPLC-MS/MS method for detection and quantification of twelve cannabinoids

In 2018, the Farm Bill mandated the United States Department of Agriculture to develop regulations governing the cultivation, processing, and marketing of industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is defined as Cannabis sativa L. with a total Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) content ≤0.3%. Therefore, for hemp to become an agricultural commodity, it is important to regulate production by developing standard methods for sampling and testing of the plant material. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analytical method for the quantification of twelve cannabinoids was developed. The method was applied to a regulatory sampling trial of three hemp varieties cultivated for cannabidiol (CBD) production. Two samples were taken from 28 plants with one sample being flower only while the other was a composite sample that included flowers, leaves, and stems. The assay method was validated for specificity, range, repeatability, reproducibility, and recovery in accordance with all applicable standards for analytical methods. The results of the regulatory study indicated a significant decrease in the concentration of total Δ-9-THC and total CBD of 0.09% and 1.32%, respectively, between a flower only and a composite sample. There are many factors that may influence reported total Δ-9-THC content in industrial hemp. A robust analytical method was developed to analyze hemp samples in a trial regulatory study. The results indicate that the way hemp is sampled and analyzed may influence the legality of a crop, which could have negative economic and legal consequences.
Identification of Photocopiers from Fusing Roller Defects

A sampling of 27 photocopiers using the indirect electrostatic process were examined for fusing roller damage of significance to the document examiner. Distinctive indentation patterns were present on some copies produced, which were sufficient for identification and for establishing that the copies had been in physical contact with the copiers. The frequency and nature of the fusing roller defects observed is described.
Vibratory Hammers—Design of Piles

Although many piles have been driven in clay soils using vibratory hammers, vibratory pile hammers are best suited for sandy soils. Vibratory hammers are less noisy and do not cause pile damage as compared with pile-driving hammers. One of the major problems of vibratory hammers is the unavailability of credible methods to compute the bearing capacity of piles based on penetration rates. On the other hand, pile-driving formulas can be used to compute the ultimate bearing capacity of piles driven with drop hammers. Vibratory pile-driving depends on pile and soil characteristics, elastic modulus of pile and soil ( E p and E s ), lateral earth pressure coefficient ( K 0 ), relative density of soil ( D r ), and vibratory hammer properties.
China’s Digital Divide

China has the world’s largest base of information technology users, growing in this century at exponential rates. During the study period of 2006–2009, substantial regional differences existed in China in ICT utilization. In the Chinese conceptual model twelve independent factors are posited to be associated with eight technology utilization factors. The government data introduce culturally specific factors such as workers in non-state-owned enterprises and number of web pages. The most important ICT correlate is export commodities value, followed by published books, tertiary employment, non-state-owned workers, and innovation funds. Cluster analysis indicates the outlier, dominant mainland provinces are Beijing and Shanghai, with a second level of relatively high ICT provinces nearby and vast rural areas of low technology use. Policy implications for China are distinctive regional policies depending on ICT intensity, including Central-policy, low-end industry transfer model, overseas model, and model for China’s West, Center, and North. Cases of Alibaba and Google highlight the rapid growth, exporting aspect, and obstacles of ICT in China.
Cadmium Transport in Eukaryotes

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic metal implicated in various public health concerns. Identification and characterization of Cd targets, which manifests its toxic effects and molecular factors involved in Cd transport and detoxification, has been an important scientific problem for many years. CdII enters biological systems via the transport pathways of divalent nutritional metals, such as ZnII, FeII, MnII, and CaII, through chemical mimicry with these metals. High affinity for thiol (SH) groups is known to be a major mechanism underlying Cd toxicity, which is consistent of the CdII detoxification by thiol-containing cellular molecules such as glutathione (GSH), metallothionein (MT), and phytochelatin (PC). Along with expressional control of these Cd chelators, compartmentalization and efflux are also evolutionally conserved for Cd tolerance. Further insights into Cd transport and detoxification would ultimately control Cd's detrimental effects, minimize human exposure to this toxic metal via the food chain, and develop methods for Cd remediation from the environment. This chapter provides a brief overview of mechanisms underlying Cd toxicity, its metabolic pathways, and adaptive responses to Cd stress in eukaryotes, with a focus on yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, plants, and mammals. Keywords: cadmium; thiol groups; sulfur; oxidative stress; metallothionein; glutathione; phytochelatin; divalent metal; ABC transporter; P-type ATPase
Investment and employment with unlimited labor: The role of aggregate demand

Abstract While the rate of growth of ouput has been rapid in many LDC's in the post-World War II period, the rate of growth of employment has been disappointing. This paper argues that the reason may lie in a lack of aggregate effective demand. It is pointed out that the main works in the field (such as those of Arthur Lewis and Dale Jorgenson) basically just assumed there could be no shortage of aggregate demand. A one-sector model, fitted to Malaysiandata, is used to quantify the argument.
A new low switching noise CMOS logic circuits for single-chip CMOS imaging system

In this paper, we present a new low switching noise CMOS logic for on-chip CMOS image sensors, which reduce the switching noise through the substrate. The instantaneous peak current in digital system is the main source of the substrate noise and the injected current noise propagates through highly doped substrate and contaminates the sensitive image sensing systems. AMI 0.5 /spl mu/m CMOS technology is used for the analysis of switching noise. Simulation results show that the proposed logic generates lower ground bounce compare to the other low noise logic circuits. As a result it enables system-on-chip CMOS imaging system to be less susceptible to switching noise than when using other low noise logics.
Calorimetric Studies of Dilute Aqueous Suspensions of Bilayers Formed from Synthetic l-α-Lecithins

Abstract The gel-liquid crystal transitions in lipid bilayers formed from synthetic dimyristoyl, dipalmitoyl and distearoyl l-α-lecithins have been studied by high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry in dilute aqueous suspensions ranging in concentration from 0.4 to 6.6 mg ml-1. Each lipid shows two endothermic transitions, an extremely sharp main transition and a broader transition accompanied by a smaller heat absorption at a temperature 5–10° below the main transition. The enthalpy increases in the main transition are respectively 6.3, 9.7, and 10.8 kcal per mole of monomeric lipid. The main transition widths, which are not very reproducible, reach a minimum in the case of dimyristoyl lecithin of as little as 0.2° for 10% to 90% conversion, suggesting that these transitions would be truly isothermal with completely pure lipids. The apparent heat capacities of the lipids in the liquid crystal state are, with the possible exception of dipalmitoyl lecithin, no more than 5 cal deg-1 (mole of lipid)-1 larger than in the gel state, indicating that the hydrocarbon chains have much less mobility in the liquid crystalline state than in the corresponding liquid normal paraffins. This conclusion was also reached by Phillips et al. (Phillips, M. C., Williams, R. M., and Chapman, D. (1969) Chem Phys. Lipids 3, 234) on the basis of entropy comparisons.
Zinc: pathophysiologic effects, nutritional deficiency, and effects of supplementation in older people — a review

Zinc is an essential micronutrient. Several studies have shown that zinc deficiency is common in older people. Zinc has been extensively studied with regard to its role in wound healing, infections, immune system, cardiovascular disease, and several other medical conditions. Several investigators have published intervention studies using zinc supplements in older people with favorable outcomes. This paper will briefly review the pathophysicologic effects of zinc, nutritional deficiency, and effects of zinc supplementation in older people.
Devoted to Dogs

The Behavioural Biology of Dogs. Per Jensen, Ed.. CABI, Wallingford, UK, 2007. 276 pp. Paper, $70, £35, €55. ISBN 9781845931872. In a series of short chapters, the contributors survey a range of topics including the evolutionary history and domestication of dogs, breed diversity, behavior, learning, behavioral genetics, and dogs among humans.
Liquid chromatography in open-tubular columns : Theory of column optimization with limited pressure and analysis time, and fabrication of chemically bonded reversed-phase columns on etched borosilicate glass capillaries

Abstract A theory is developed which shows that open-tubular columns will have well defined optimum diameters lengths if limits are placed on the available pressure and analysis time. The optimum diameters are shown to be rather insensitive to choice of operating pressure and analysis time, and lie between 1 and 3μm for a wide range of conditions. A method of etching borosilicate glass capillaries to increase surface roughness and column capacity factors is described. Octadecylsilane is chemically bonded to these roughened surfaces and columns are operated in a reversed-phase mode. Detection of solutes is with an on-column fluorescence detector.
Macronutrient Regulation of Lipoprotein Lipase Is Posttranslational

To examine the relative impact of diet and meal composition on lipoprotein lipase (LPL), high fat (60% of energy) (HF) and high carbohydrate (68%) (HC) diets were fed to Sprague-Dawley rats for 2-3 wk, followed by overnight food deprivation and a meal of the same composition. Heparin-releasable LPL activities, mass and mRNA were measured in heart, diaphragm and soleus muscle and epididymal fat after food deprivation and 1, 2, 4 and 8 h postprandially. No effect of dietary macronutrient composition on LPL activity, protein or mRNA in food-deprived rats was demonstrated. However, in cardiac and diaphragm muscle, heparin-releasable LPL activity was suppressed by HC but stimulated by HF meal-feeding at 4 h. Moreover, in adipose tissue, the HC meal increased LPL activity at 1, 2 and 4 h relative to the basal period. Although there were no consistent effects of meal composition on LPL mass or mRNA in any one tissue, overall LPL mass was generally increased by HC meal-feeding. Because there were meal composition-dependent differences in LPL activity but no detectable differences in mass or mRNA in a particular tissue, LPL regulation by meals seems to be predominantly posttranslational.
Potential Economic Impact of Using a Restrictive Transfusion Trigger Among Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery.

Importance Transfusion practice among surgeons varies despite several evidence-based recommendations supporting the restrictive use of blood products. Objective To define the economic impact of liberal blood transfusions as assessed through an analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) triggers. Design, Setting, and Participants Using a prospective database, data on Hb levels that triggered a transfusion and overall blood product use were obtained for patients undergoing pancreas, liver, or colorectal surgery between January 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013, at Johns Hopkins Hospital. An economic analysis was performed using a range of costs for a single unit of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) based on actual institutional acquisition costs ($220/unit) and an estimated activity-based cost ($760/unit). Guidelines define a liberal Hb trigger as transfusion of PRBCs for an intraoperative Hb level of 10 g/dL or greater or a postoperative Hb level of 8 g/dL or greater (to convert to grams per liter, multiply by 10.0). Main Outcomes and Measures Numbers of surgical patients who received PRBC transfusion, estimated cost per transfusion, and estimated cost of excessive blood transfusions. Results Among 3027 patients, 942 (31.1%) received at least 1 PRBC transfusion, intraoperatively in 264 patients (8.7%), postoperatively in 429 (14.2%), or both in 249 (8.2%). A total of 4000 units of PRBCs (range, 0-167 units/patient) were transfused in the intraoperative (1581 units [39.5%]) and postoperative (2419 units [60.5%]) periods. Estimated total costs of PRBC transfusion ranged from $880 000 to $3 040 000, with marked variation in costs per patient across procedure type and surgeon. Among the 942 patients who received a transfusion, 456 units (11.4%) were transfused using a liberal trigger (intraoperative, 122 patients [13.0%]; postoperative, 79 patients [8.4%]). By adopting a restrictive trigger, total overall PRBC transfusion costs may have been reduced by $100 320 to $346 560 during the 44-month study period or $27 360 to $94 516 per year for patients undergoing a pancreas, liver, or colorectal resection. Conclusions and Relevance More than 1 in 10 units of PRBCs were transfused using a liberal Hb trigger. Patient blood management programs should aim to identify and reduce liberal transfusion practice in the surgical patient.
Metal Ion-Mediated Nucleobase Recognition by the ZTP Riboswitch

The ZTP riboswitch is a widespread family of regulatory RNAs that upregulate de novo purine synthesis in response to increased intracellular levels of ZTP or ZMP. As an important intermediate in purine biosynthesis, ZMP also serves as a proxy for the concentration of N10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, a key component of one-carbon metabolism. Here, we report the structure of the ZTP riboswitch bound to ZMP at a resolution of 1.80 A. The RNA contains two subdomains brought together through a long-range pseudoknot further stabilized through helix-helix packing. ZMP is bound at the subdomain interface of the RNA through a set of interactions with the base, ribose sugar, and phosphate moieties of the ligand. Unique to nucleobase recognition by RNAs, the Z base is inner-sphere coordinated to a magnesium cation bound by two backbone phosphates. This interaction, along with steric hindrance by the backbone, imparts specificity over chemically similar compounds such as ATP/AMP.
Frontal cryosectioning: an improved protocol for sectioning large areas of fibrous scaffolds

Fibrous tissue engineering scaffolds, such as those produced by electrospinning, cannot achieve their clinical potential until deep cell-scaffold interactions are understood. Even the most advanced imaging techniques are limited to capturing data at depths of 100 µm due to light scatter associated with the fibers that compose these scaffolds. Conventional cross-sectional analysis provides information on relatively small volumes of space and frontal sections are difficult to generate. Current understanding of cellular penetration into fibrous scaffolds is limited predominantly to the scaffold surface. Although some information is available from cross-sections, sections vary in quality, can distort spatial scaffold properties, and offer virtually no spatial cues as to what scaffold properties instigate specific cellular responses. Without the definitive ability to understand how cells interact with the architecture of an entire scaffold it is difficult to justify scaffold modifications or in-depth cell penetration analyses until appropriate techniques are developed. To address this limitation we have developed a cryosectioning protocol that makes it possible to obtain serial frontal sections from electrospun scaffolds. Microscopic images assembled into montage images from serial sections were then used to create three-dimensional (3D) models of cellular infiltration throughout the entire scaffold.
Transformative Learning Theory: A Systematic Review of Travel and Tourism Scholarship

Transformational education is emerging as a key area of study in travel and tourism research. Determining how to facilitate theory-driven transformational education is vital to the success of this emergent academic agenda. The purpose of this article is to: (a) recommend John Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (TLT) as a framework to guide this agenda, and (b) systematically review travel and tourism research, using TLT as the screening criteria, to identify strategies for successfully implementing this framework as educators. Fifty-three articles were identified, with only 14 published in tourism journals, indicating that research utilizing TLT in travel and tourism is in its infancy. Results suggest that a greater understanding of the theoretical basis of TLT, as well as scholarship highlighting intentional, creative, and effective uses of TLT in the tourism classroom is needed.
Atlas-based segmentation of the brain for 3-dimensional treatment planning in children with infratentorial ependymoma

This paper presents a fully automated brain segmentation method that has been applied to a group of patients with infratentorial ependymoma. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that fully-automated atlas-based segmentation methods provide useful normal tissue dosimetry from which dose-volume modeling may be performed in a manner equivalent to dose-volume data obtained from manual contouring. To test this hypothesis, we compared the integrated average dose for three small (chiasm, pituitary, hypothalamus) and three large (temporal lobes and total brain) normal tissue structures from ten patients using automated and manual contouring. There was no significant difference in the calculated average dose for the structures of interest. The greatest difference was noted for smaller structures which were located along the midline and in the gradient of dose. The results of this study form the basis of an ongoing larger study involving similar patients to evaluate automated and manual contouring as well as the clinical significance of any differences using dose-volume modeling.
Encoding of goal-relevant stimuli is strengthened by emotional arousal in memory.

Emotional information receives preferential processing, which facilitates adaptive strategies for survival. However, the presence of emotional stimuli and the arousal they induce also influence how surrounding non-emotional information is processed in memory (Mather & Sutherland, 2011). For example, seeing a highly emotional scene often leads to forgetting of what was seen right beforehand, but sometimes instead enhances memory for the preceding information. In two studies, we examined how emotional arousal affects short-term memory retention for goal-relevant information that was just seen. In Study 1, participants were asked to remember neutral objects in spatially-cued locations (i.e., goal-relevant objects determined by specific location), while ignoring objects in uncued locations. After each set of objects were shown, arousal was manipulated by playing a previously fear-conditioned tone (i.e., CS+) or a neutral tone that had not been paired with shock (CS-). In Study 1, memory for the goal-relevant neutral objects from arousing trials was enhanced compared to those from the non-arousing trials. This result suggests that emotional arousal helps to increase the impact of top-down priority (i.e., goal-relevancy) on memory encoding. Study 2 supports this conclusion by demonstrating that when the goal was to remember all objects regardless of the spatial cue, emotional arousal induced memory enhancement in a more global manner for all objects. In sum, the two studies show that the ability of arousal to enhance memory for previously encoded items depends on the goal relevance initially assigned to those items
Scanning transmission electron microscopy and its application to the study of nanoparticles and nanoparticle systems

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques can provide imaging, diffraction and spectroscopic information, either simultaneously or in a serial manner, of the specimen with an atomic or a sub-nanometer spatial resolution. High-resolution STEM imaging, when combined with nanodiffraction, atomic resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy and nanometer resolution X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques, is critical to the fundamental studies of importance to nanoscience and nanotechnology. The availability of sub-nanometer or sub-angstrom electron probes in a STEM instrument, due to the use of a field emission gun and aberration correctors, ensures the greatest capabilities for studies of sizes, shapes, defects, crystal and surface structures, and compositions and electronic states of nanometer-size regions of thin films, nanoparticles and nanoparticle systems. The various imaging, diffraction and spectroscopy modes available in a dedicated STEM or a field emission TEM/STEM instrument are reviewed and the application of these techniques to the study of nanoparticles and nanostructured catalysts is used as an example to illustrate the critical role of the various STEM techniques in nanotechnology and nanoscience research.
A Hypothesis of the Co-evolution of Cooperation and Responses to Inequity

Recent evidence demonstrates that humans are not the only species to respond negatively to inequitable outcomes which are to their disadvantage. Several species respond negatively if they subsequently receive a less good reward than a social partner for completing the same task. While these studies suggest that the negative response to inequity is not a uniquely human behavior, they do not provide a functional explanation for the emergence of these responses due to similar characteristics among these species. However, emerging data support the hypothesis that an aversion to inequity is a mechanism to promote successful long-term cooperative relationships amongst non-kin. In this paper, I discuss several converging lines of evidence which illustrate the need to further evaluate this relationship. First, cooperation can survive modest inequity; in explicitly cooperative interactions, individuals are willing to continue to cooperate despite inequitable outcomes as long as the partner's overall behavior is equitable. Second, the context of inequity affects reactions to it in ways which support the idea that joint efforts lead to an expectation of joint payoffs. Finally, comparative studies indicate a link between the degree and extent of cooperation between unrelated individuals in a species and that species’ response to inequitable outcomes. This latter line of evidence indicates that this behavior evolved in conjunction with cooperation and may represent an adaptation to increase the payoffs associated with cooperative interactions. Together these data inform a testable working hypothesis for understanding decision-making in the context of inequity and provide a new, comparative framework for evaluating decision-making behavior.
Note on the Magnetic Properties of Rare Earth Oxides

The magnetic susceptibility of three very pure rare earth oxides, namely those of cerium, holmium and praseodymium, have been measured and found to be 0.14\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$, 229\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$, and 13.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ dyne cm per gm respectively. The spectroscopic and atomic weight analyses for the purity of one of the elements have been checked by magnetic susceptibility measurements. The latter were found to be in good agreement with the former.Resolution numbers obtained from a theory based by Jakob Kunz on the anomolous Zeeman effect have been compared with magnetic susceptibilities obtained by the author in this and previous papers and found to be consistent therewith.
Repeat sternotomy in congenital heart surgery: no longer a risk factor.

Background The risk of repeat sternotomy (RS) is often taken into account when making clinical management decisions. Current literature on RS suggests a risk of approximately 5% to 10% for major morbidity. We sought to establish the true risk of RS in a contemporary pediatric series. Methods All RS between October 2002 and August 2006 were analyzed (602 RS in 558 patients). Median age was 3.6 years (range, 0.1 to 45.1); weight, 14.2 kg (2.0 to 112.2). Operations performed at RS were Glenn 22% (131), Fontan 21% (129), aortic valve repair/replacement 12% (72), right ventricle-pulmonary artery conduit 11% (67), Rastelli 7% (39), heart transplant 5% (31), and other 22% (133). Forty-seven percent of patients (280) had single-ventricle physiology. Incidence of second sternotomy was 67% (406), third 28% (166), fourth 4% (24), fifth 0.8% (5), and sixth 0.2% (1). A major injury upon RS was defined as one causing hemodynamic instability requiring vasopressor support or emergent transfusion; femoral cannulation or emergent cardiopulmonary bypass; and any morbidity. A minor injury is any other injury during RS. Results The incidence of a major injury was not different between RS (0.3%; 2 of 602) and first-time sternotomy (0%; 0 of 1,274; p > 0.1). Incidence of a minor injury was 0.66% (4 of 602). No injury resulted in hemodynamic instability, neurologic injury, or death. Two patients (0.3%) required a nonemergent blood transfusion secondary to injury. (Nonemergent was defined as adminstration rate of less than 0.2 cc/kg/min and less than 10 cc/kg in total.) Femoral cannulation was performed in 4 of 602 RS cases ( Conclusions Repeat sternotomy can represent a negligible risk of injury and of subsequent morbidity or mortality. Therefore, the choice of management strategies for patients should not be affected by the need for RS.
The Exploding Service Sector: Meeting the Challenge through Behavioral Management

All aspects of the expanding service sector, including its growth, importance, status and role, are examined. Moments of truth, called here MOTs, are identified as crucial in the successful running of service companies, and a behavioral approach is suggested as an excellent method of getting front‐line employees to increase the incidence of + (or positive) MOTs for customers' and the company's, benefit.
Cross-cultural counseling with the chemically dependent: preparing for service delivery within a culture of violence

This article prepares the clinician delivering chemical dependency treatment for more effective work in therapeutic dyads where there are racial, ethnic, or other "differences" between client and therapist. The objective is to prepare clinicians for service delivery within the present culture of violence and for the receipt of additional training in cross-cultural counseling and trauma-resolution psychotherapy. Social learning and unconscious processes are reviewed in order to explain how this culture of violence operates and impacts treatment. The way in which chemically dependent clients of color--especially African-Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos--have been impacted by both personal and cultural trauma is illustrated by a case example. The resolution of clients' personal trauma by properly trained clinicians is presented as relapse prevention and the clients' best defense against becoming a victim of violence and racism. The article ends with a brief description of the recommended clinical technique for this kind of work, and a statement of needed research.
Mesoscale convective systems

Abstract The largest convective clouds are mesoscale convective systems, which account for a large portion of Earth's cloud cover and precipitation, and the patterns of wind and weather associated with mesoscale convective systems are important local phenomena that often must be forecast on short timescales. They often produce floods. Mesoscale convective systems are generally much larger than the individual cumulonimbus and lines of cumulonimbus discussed in Chapter 8 . They develop circulations on the mesoscale, which are larger in scale than the updrafts and downdrafts of individual cumulonimbus clouds. The mesoscale circulations produce large regions of stratiform (nimbostratus) precipitation of the type discussed in Chapter 6 . Often the stratiform precipitation regions trail a squall line consisting of convective cells, and a mesoscale convective vortex tends to form in the stratiform region. The heating profile in the stratiform region is positive at upper levels and negative at lower levels due to evaporation and melting of the precipitation particles. The dynamics of mesoscale circulations involve a joint adjustment to the wind shear and thermodynamic stratification of the large scale environment. Gravity-wave dynamics also contribute to the maintenance of mesoscale convective systems. This chapter reviews both the observed structure of mesoscale systems and their unique dynamics.
Transfection by half molecules and inverted molecules of λ DNA: Requirement for exo and β-promoted recombination

Abstract A rec + strain of E. coli was infected less efficiently by half molecules and inverted molecules of λ DNA than were recombination deficient strains that lack the recBC DNase. In recB spheroplasts, transfection by half molecules or inverted molecules depends on the action of both of the principal genes of the phage λ system for recombination, namely, the genes for λ exonuclease and β protein. Partial digestion of the ends of inverted molecules by λ exonuclease in vitro bypasses the requirement for the action of either the exo or β gene. Thus, in recB , transfection by broken molecules of DNA with either double-stranded or single-stranded ends does not discriminate between the roles of exonuclease and β protein in genetic recombination. When the recB defect is suppressed by either sbcA or sbcB mutations, neither half molecules nor inverted molecules require λ exonuclease or β protein for infectivity. In recB , the dependence of half molecules and inverted molecules on the genes for exonuclease and β protein for infectivity shows that these genes are active in DNA molecules that are not circular. Furthermore, since the product of the N gene is required for expression of the genes for exonuclease and β protein, circularization of the DNA is probably not a prerequisite for the transcription of N .
Ultra-High Transmission Electrowetting Displays Enabled by Integrated Reflectors

A reflector technique for increasing the transmission performance of a back-lit electrowetting display is presented. The electrowetting display pixel structure consists of an opaque oil film that blocks light transmission. Electrowetting with 5-10 V breaks up the oil film and creates a transmissive area for the pixel. With real-world electrowetting materials and device constraints, the transmissive area typically reaches 60% to 80% of the pixel area. By integrating a simple thin-film reflector between the backlight and the remaining oil film area, the effective transmission can be boosted to >90%. This high efficiency is promising for battery-powered applications and for high-brightness sunlight-legible displays.
Theoretical analysis of single-frequency Raman fiber amplifier system operating at 1178nm

We analyze the scalability of amplifying the output from a single-frequency diode laser operating at 1178 nm through the utilization of a core pumped Raman fiber amplifier. A detailed model that accounts for stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in relation to the fiber mode field diameter, length, seed power, and available pump power in both co-pumped and counter-pumped configurations is developed. The backward travelling Stokes light is initiated from both spontaneous Brillouin and spontaneous Raman processes. It is found that when fiber length is optimized, the amplifier output scales linearly with available pump power. Although higher amplifier efficiency is obtained with higher seed power, the output power diminishes. In order to mitigate the SBS process for further power scaling, we employ and optimize a multi-step temperature distribution. Finally, we consider the feasibility of generating the D2a and D2b lines in a sodium guide star beacon from a single Raman amplifier by examining four-wave mixing (FWM).
Coupled Photonic Systems Between Core-Shell Nanoparticle and Integrated Microresonator

We have numerically investigated the unique effects of the core-shell nanoparticles on the integrated microdisk resonator. By attaching the core-shell nanoparticle to the disk resonator with gold core and polymer shell, the coupling between the disk resonator and the core-shell nanoparticle results in shift of the resonance wavelength of the disk resonator, depending on the core size/shell thickness of the nanoparticle. An invisibility phenomena found from the coupled core-shell nanoparticle and integrated disk resonator system is emphasized; at certain core size/shell thickness ratio, compared with the original resonance wavelength without core-shell nanoparticle, there is almost no resonance wavelength shift observed. The detailed interaction mechanism between the disk resonator and the nanoparticle is revealed in the electromagnetic field intensity distribution at the resonator resonance wavelength. The dependence of the position and number of core-shell nanoparticles is also discussed. Future studies on this coupled photonic systems will stimulate wide variety of applications.
Experts look at future of volcanology

Volcanologists do not need a crystal ball to forecast the future direction of their discipline. They only need to hear the rumblings of Pocopatepetl near Mexico City or see the flames and flows of other volcanoes to remind them of the need to better understand and forecast the behavior of these natural phenomena that are also often natural hazards. A December 15 briefing at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco took on the not-too-distant topic of “Volcanology in 2010.”
Consumer profiles of apparel product involvement and values

Purpose – This study sets out to explore how consumers may be segmented based on their levels of apparel product involvement using Kapferer and Laurent's consumer involvement profiles (CIP). It also seeks to examine whether consumers within each profile group could be differentiated by their personally‐held values.Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were mailed to female consumers, ages 18 and over, randomly selected from a consumer database. Responses from 757 female consumers were used. The response rate based on delivered questionnaires was 30 percent. Laurent and Kapferer's CIP was used to measure consumer involvement and Kahle's list of values (LOV) was used to measure consumer values.Findings – Five consumer involvement types were identified based on four dimensions of involvement: challenged moderate, knowledged enthusiast, indifferent moderate, challenged enthusiast, and cautious moderate. This study found that values could be used to further explain differences between the enthusiast and...
Project community diagnosis: Participatory research as a first step toward community involvement in primary health care

Abstract ‘Community participation’ and ‘bottom up planning’ have become fashionable themes in international health circles. However, in the absence of sociocultural perspective these themes remain largely rhetoric. In this paper, a deprofessionalization of social science is advocated in the service of participatory research as a first step towards community involvement in primary health care. Deprofessionalization is suggested as an adjunct to, not a replacement for in-depth professional social science research. An exploratory community diagnosis of health project conducted in rural south India is described. During the project, lay researchers received rudimentary social science field training and collected data on health behaviour deemed important to health planners as well as the health concerns of the community. Illustrative data, generated by the project is presented on the rural poors' utilization of government health facilities, their attitudes towards Primary Health Centre staff, and their ideas about how a proposed community health worker scheme could best serve them.
Dietary Variation in the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana)

In a field experiment designed to evaluate dietary variation in Mexican free-tailed bats ( Tadarida brasiliensis mexicand ) we found that lactating females fed largely on coleopter-ans and lygaeid bugs during evening feeding bouts and mostly on moths during morning feeding bouts. These results suggest that interpretations of food habits in this and other species may be biased unless samples from both nightly feeding bouts are included in the analyses. Diets of different individuals during the same feeding bout were strikingly similar, suggesting that lactating females either fed in the same general habitats or that they encountered and preferentially fed on similar prey items among those available. Bats captured upon return from evening feeding bouts produced significantly more fecal pellets than those captured following second feeding bouts. This difference suggests that either more food is eaten in the first feeding bout or, alternatively, highly chitinous insects such as coleopterans and lygaeids contribute more to fecal matter than relatively soft-bodied moths. We found no significant relationship between hardness of prey and number of pellets produced. Individual bats produced an average of 2–3.6 insects/pellet, but no consistent relationship was found between the number of insects eaten and the number of fecal pellets produced. Our analysis indicates that at least five pellets are needed to establish the number of insect taxa (families) consumed by a bat. Results from this study suggests that future research on food habits of insectivorous bats should examine fecal pellets or stomach contents from evening and morning feeding bouts to fully characterize the diet of a given species.
Adolescent Tdap vaccine use among primary care physicians.

Abstract Purpose In 2006 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended replacement of the adolescent tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td) booster with combined tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap). We examined the degree to which pediatricians and family practitioners have adopted this recommendation. Methods National mail-based survey of a random sample of 725 pediatricians and 725 family practitioners from January through March, 2007. Results Overall response rate was 60%. The majority of respondents indicated they routinely recommended Tdap to adolescents at the preferred age for vaccination, 11–12 years old (87%), and also for "catch up" vaccination among adolescents 13–18 years old (89%). In bivariate analyses, pediatrician specialty, specialty society membership, stocking Tdap in the office, and prior experience diagnosing adolescent pertussis were associated with routinely recommending Tdap to adolescents. In multivariable models adjusting for these factors simultaneously, only pediatrician specialty (OR = 4.8, 95% CI = 2.5–9.3) and stocking Tdap in the office (OR = 14.5, 95% CI=7.5–28.5) remained significantly associated with routine recommendation. Pediatricians were significantly more likely than family practitioners to accept shorter time intervals for administering Tdap following Td vaccination, and to co-administer Tdap with MCV4. Lack of adolescent visits was the most commonly cited major barrier to adolescent Tdap administration. Conclusions Based on self report, our results indicate the majority of physicians have adopted recent recommendations from the ACIP to administer Tdap to adolescents. However, specialty-based disparities in attitudes and practices persist, suggesting that ongoing efforts are needed to motivate physicians to recommend this vaccine to adolescents and to clarify how to integrate Tdap with other adolescent vaccinations.
Reflecting Materials in the Eyes of Three Teleosts, Orthopristes chrysopterus, Dorosoma cepedianum and Anchoa mitchilli

The tapeta lucida of three species of teleosts were examined to determine the composition of the reflecting material. The fishes were bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli (Engraulidae), gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum (Clupeidae) and pigfish Orthopristes chrysopterus (Haemulidae). The tapetum of each species was situated in the pigment epithelium of the eye. That of the pigfish contained triglycerides identified as chiefly glyceryl tridocosahexaenoate. A reduced pteridine, 7,8-dihydroxanthopterin, occurred in the tapetum of the gizzard shad. Guanine occurred in the tapetum of the bay anchovy. The tapetum of the shad contained brightly reflecting particles about 0.5 $\mu $m in diameter There were 10.8 mg of dihydroxanthopterin in the tapetum of a shad (total body length 23 cm) and 0.46 mg of guanine in the tapetum of an anchovy (total body length 9 cm). This is the first report of a pteridine acting as a retinal reflector in vertebrates. Various aspects of retinal reflectors of teleosts are discussed and their variety and common characteristics commented upon.
Synthesis of carbon-11 labeled 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolinium derivatives as new potential PET SKCa channel imaging agents

Abstract Small conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SKCa) channels play an important role in many functions such as neuronal communication and behavioral plasticity, secretion, and cell proliferation. SKCa channel modulation is associated with various brain, heart, and cancer diseases. N-methyl-laudanosine and its structurally related derivatives, substituted 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoliniums, are reversible and selective SKCa channel blockers. Carbon-11 labeled N-methyl-laudanosine and its tetrahydroisoquinolinium derivatives may serve as new probes for positron emission tomography (PET) to image SKCa channels in the brain, heart, and cancer. The key intermediates, substituted isoquinolines (3a–c), were synthesized using a modification of the Pomeranz–Fritsch procedure. The precursors, substituted 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (8a–c), and their corresponding reference standards, substituted 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoliniums (9a–c), were synthesized from compounds 3a–c with 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl chloride (2) in multiple steps with moderate to excellent chemical yields. The precursor 6,7-dimethoxy-1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (10) was commercially available, and the methylation of compound 10 with methyl iodide provided N-methyl-laudanosine (11). The target quaternary ammonium tracers, carbon-11 labeled 1-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoliniums ([11C]9a–c and [11C]11), were prepared by N-[11C]methylation of the tertiary amine precursors (8a–c and 10) with [11C]methyl triflate and isolated by a simplified solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification using a SiO2 or cation-exchange CM Sep-Pak cartridge in 40–65% radiochemical yields.
The Bose Form of Two-dimensional Quantum Chromodynamics

Abstract By means of a special choice of gauge QCD2 [SU(N)] with one flavor of quarks is recast into the Bose form. Weak (g ⪡ m) and strong (g⪡m) coupling regimes are studied. The former is shown to be the SU(N)-symmetric confining phase in which bound states possess stringlike configurations with strings being represented by electric vortex lines; the ordinary mesons and baryons appear as longitudinal modes of electric strings. The strong coupling regime describes the Higgs phase with the residual symmetry [U(1)]N−1 ⊗ SN where the left and right factors are the maximal abelian subgroup of SU(N) and the permutation group of N quarks, respectively; the particle spectrum consists of SN multiplets and the [Uw(1)]N−1 charges are trapped.
A study of the kinetics and mechanisms of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions with power rate laws

Abstract A new approach to the study of the kinetics and mechanisms of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions with power rate laws is discussed and applied to two reactions. This method may suggest experiments that can discriminate among rival kinetic mechanisms for this class of reactions. It can also provide information on whether assumptions and approximations usually made are justified.
Dual bipartite Q-polynomial distance-regular graphs

Abstract We classify the dual bipartite Q-polynomial distance-regular graphs of diameterd≥5which are not bipartite. Results of Curtin and Nomura give a classification of the dual bipartite Q-polynomial distance-regular graphs of diameterd ≥6which are bipartite. This completes a classification of the dual bipartite Q-polynomial distance-regular graphs of diameterd≥6.