cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Further characterization of bacterial adherence to urinary bladder mucosa: comparison with adherence to anion exchange resin.

Abstract Bacterial adherence to anion exchange resin has recently been reported to provide a useful, rapid, in vitro screening assay for identifying putative antiadherence agents. The studies presented in this report provide additional evidence that adherence to anion exchange resin is similar to urinary bladder mucosa adherence. Results are as follows. 1) Heparin inhibits the adherence of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella ozaenae, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus fecalis and Pseudomonus aeruginosa to both the mucin deficient bladder and anion exchange resin. 2) Drugs which inhibit E. coli adherence to the bladder also inhibit E. coli adherence to the resin and conversely, drugs which do not effect E. coli adherence to the resin do not affect attachment to the bladder. 3) Extracts from mammalian urinary bladder mucosa prevent E. coli adherence to both the bladder and resin. 4) The ability of heparin to displace preattached bacteria from anion exchange resin is inversely proportional to the time the bacteria are in contact with resin. Similar results were obtained for the ability of heparin to displace bacteria from the bladder. These studies indicate that bacterial adherence to anion exchange resin responds to heparin and other chemical agents in a manner similar to the mucin deficient rabbit urinary bladder. Because of the ease and rapid nature of this in vitro assay, it serves as a useful screen for potential bacterial antiadherence agents and could be used to help elucidate mechanisms of bacterial attachment.
Detection of Peripheral Blood Telomerase Activity from Gastric Cancer Patients

Purpose: Telomerase activity is generally absent in primary cell cultures and normal tissues. Telomerase is known to be induced upon immortalization or malignant transformation of human cells. Telomerase activity can be increased in immature lymphocytes and activated lymphocytes, but it is not detected in the peripheral blood of normal persons. The authors analyzed peripheral blood telomerase from patients of gastric cancer to evaluate the possibility of using it for diagnosis and as a prognostic factor. Materials and Methods: We obtained blood samples from 11 inflammatory patients and 64 gastric cancer patients. The telomerase activity was measured using the [PCR-ELISA] method. The results were correlated with the T, N, M stage, cell differentiation, vascular, neural, and lymphatic invasion, tumor size, and tumor location. Results: In the 11 inflammatory patients, telomerase activity was not detected while in the gastric cancer patients, a positive rate of was noted. The peripheral telomerase activity was not related with tumor size, tumor site, lymphatic and vascular invasion, stage, or histologic differentiation. Conclusion: The peripheral blood telomerase activity for patients of gastric cancer can be utilized as a marker for the diagnosis of not only advanced gastric cancer, but also relatively early stage gastric cancer, but not as a prognostic factor.
Local brucellosis outbreak on Thassos, Greece: a preliminary report.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis resulting in reproductive failure in wild and domestic animals and febrile disease and occasionally severe infections of the central nervous system and endocarditis in humans. In animals and humans alike, it is found worldwide, including southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean basin (Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, northern Africa), parts of Mexico, Central and Latin America, Asia, and Africa [1]. Human brucellosis represents a professional hazard, being acquired via ingestion, inhalation in laboratories or abattoirs, conjunctiva and skin trauma contamination with infected animal tissues and products [1,2]. Symptoms can appear as acute or insidious onset, after five to 60 days and last for days, months and occasionally as long as a year. Relapses can also occur. Treatment is effective with antibiotics. Untreated brucellosis can lead to death (case-fatality ratio around 2%), usually by heart complications.
Firearm Ownership and Acquisition Among Parents With Risk Factors for Self-Harm or Other Violence

Abstract Objective Recent policy initiatives aiming to reduce firearm morbidity focus on mental health and illness. However, few studies have simultaneously examined mental health and behavioral predictors within families, or their longitudinal association with newly acquiring a firearm. Methods Population-based, longitudinal survey of 4251 parents of fifth-grade students in 3 US metropolitan areas; 2004 to 2011. Multivariate logistic models were used to assess associations between owning or acquiring a firearm and parent mental illness and substance use. Results Ninety-three percent of parents interviewed were women. Overall, 19.6% of families reported keeping a firearm in the home. After adjustment for confounders, history of depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.77), binge drinking (aOR 1.75; 95% CI, 1.14–2.68), and illicit drug use (aOR 1.75; 95% CI, 1.12–2.76) were associated with a higher likelihood of keeping a firearm in the home. After a mean of 3.1 years, 6.1% of parents who did not keep a firearm in the home at baseline acquired one by follow-up and kept it in the home (average annual likelihood = 2.1%). No risk factors for self-harm or other violence were associated with newly acquiring a gun in the home. Conclusions Families with risk factors for self-harm or other violence have a modestly greater probability of having a firearm in the home compared with families without risk factors, and similar probability of newly acquiring a firearm. Treatment interventions for many of these risk factors might reduce firearm-related morbidity.
CSLSI Character Fruits

The validation of our growth in CSLSI is the generation of the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 6:10): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. This chapter illustrates the behavioral manifestations of the fruits in the workplace as we esteem others greater than ourselves. One of the overlooked elements of Christian character is how to be a cheerful receiver, recognizing hidden sources of pride that impede authentic workplace relationships.
The Monolithic Optoelectronic Transistor

We report a new smart-pixel device, the monolithic optoelectronic transistor (MOET). It uses GaAs/AIGaAs multiple-quantum-well p-i-n diodes as both photodetectors for optical input and reflection modulators for optical output The switching action is obtained by using a double-barrier resonant-tunneling diode (RTD). The RTD is connected in series with the input detector and produces an abrupt voltage change at a threshold level of photocurrent This voltage change is amplified by a FET to drive the output modulator.
Time Series Models for Financial Data

In this chapter we discuss some of the time series models which have been found useful in the analysis of financial data. These include both discrete-time and continuous-time models, the latter being used widely, following the celebrated work of Black, Merton and Scholes, for the pricing of stock options. The closing price on trading day t, say P t , of a particular stock or stock-price index, typically appears to be non-stationary while the log asset price, X t : = log(P t ), has observed sample-paths like those of a random walk with stationary uncorrelated increments, i.e., the differenced log asset price, Z t : = X t − Xt−1, known as the log return (or simply return) for day t, has sample-paths resembling those of white noise.
Bollywood in Britain: cinema, brand, discursive complex

In Bollywood in Britain: Cinema, Brand, Discursive Complex author Lucia Kramer aims to identify and track the discursive changes around the preferences and practices of Britain’s Bollywood audience...
A novel method for tumor localization and tracking in radiation therapy

Because the position of a tumor changes during radiation therapy (because of respiration or patient movements), real-time tumor tracking is necessary during radiation therapy in order to deliver a sufficient dose of radiation to the tumor without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues. In this paper, we propose a novel tumor positioning method based on spatial sparsity. We estimate the position by processing the received signals from only one implantable RF transmitter. The method is easier to implement, non-iterative, faster and more accurate compared to common magnetic transponder based methods. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method using Monte-Carlo simulation.
Variability in modeled cloud feedback tied to differences in the climatological spatial pattern of clouds

Despite the increasing sophistication of climate models, the amount of surface warming expected from a doubling of atmospheric CO $$_2$$ (equilibrium climate sensitivity) remains stubbornly uncertain, in part because of differences in how models simulate the change in global albedo due to clouds (the shortwave cloud feedback). Here, model differences in the shortwave cloud feedback are found to be closely related to the spatial pattern of the cloud contribution to albedo ( $$\alpha$$ ) in simulations of the current climate: high-feedback models exhibit lower (higher) $$\alpha$$ in regions of warm (cool) sea-surface temperatures, and therefore predict a larger reduction in global-mean $$\alpha$$ as temperatures rise and warm regions expand. The spatial pattern of $$\alpha$$ is found to be strongly predictive ( $$r=0.84$$ ) of a model’s global cloud feedback, with satellite observations indicating a most-likely value of $$0.58\pm 0.31$$ Wm $$^{-2}$$ K $$^{-1}$$ (90% confidence). This estimate is higher than the model-average cloud feedback of 0.43 Wm $$^{-2}$$ K $$^{-1}$$ , with half the range of uncertainty. The observational constraint on climate sensitivity is weaker but still significant, suggesting a likely value of 3.68 ± 1.30 K (90% confidence), which also favors the upper range of model estimates. These results suggest that uncertainty in model estimates of the global cloud feedback may be substantially reduced by ensuring a realistic distribution of clouds between regions of warm and cool SSTs in simulations of the current climate.
Feeding Ecology and Dietary Flexibility of Colobus angolensis palliatus in Relation to Habitat Disturbance

Behavioral and dietary flexibility permits primates to survive in variable environments. It is clear that some species cope with habitat disturbance and fragmentation better than others. I examined the dietary flexibility of Colobus angolensis palliatus by studying three groups inhabiting structurally distinct ranges in Kenya’s Diani Forest. I predicted that the two groups inhabiting more disturbed areas would have reduced food availability and would respond by increasing dietary diversity and consuming greater proportions of lianas and exotic plant species compared to the group inhabiting the more intact area. Forest composition and overall plant part availability differed among home ranges; however, group diets did not differ in their proportions of different plant parts, nor did groups select plant parts in proportion to their availability. Diets differed dramatically with regard to species-specific plant parts, i.e., mean monthly dietary overlap among groups = 10.4%. Contrary to my predictions, all three groups exhibited considerable dietary diversity, i.e., 63–76 plant species, and relied heavily on lianas, i.e., 20.8–38.4% of the diet, and exotic plant species, i.e., 30.1–40.3% of the diet. The presence of exotic plant species in all three ranges suggests that even the most intact areas of the Diani Forest are perturbed and should be classified along a spectrum of habitat disturbance rather than intact vs. degraded. Nonetheless, this study emphasizes that diets can vary considerably among groups living in the same forest, and this degree of dietary flexibility likely enables C. a. palliatus to survive within increasingly disturbed habitats.
Minimizing Human Risk: Human Performance Models in the Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Elements

Human space exploration has never been more exciting than it is today. Human presence to outer worlds is becoming a reality as humans are leveraging much of our prior knowledge to the new mission of going to Mars. Exploring the solar system at greater distances from Earth than ever before will possess some unique challenges, which can be overcome thanks to the advances in modeling and simulation technologies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is at the forefront of exploring our solar system. NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP) focuses on discovering the best methods and technologies that support safe and productive human space travel in the extreme and harsh space environment. HRP uses various methods and approaches to answer questions about the impact of long duration missions on the human in space including: gravity’s impact on the human body, isolation and confinement on the human, hostile environments impact on the human, space radiation, and how the distance is likely to impact the human. Predictive models are included in the HRP research portfolio as these models provide valuable insights into human-system operations. This paper will provide an overview of NASA’s HRP and will present a number of projects that have used modeling and simulation to provide insights into human-system issues (e.g. automation, habitat design, schedules) in anticipation of deep-space exploration.
Associations of calcium and vitamin D with E-cadherin and β-catenin expression in normal-appearing rectal tissue; markers of adenomatous polyps II (MAP II) case-control study

565 Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Despite advances in screening methods and treatments, mortality attributed to the disease has declined minimally over the last 30 years. There are no accepted biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer even though the molecular basis of the disease is becoming clearer. E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion transmembrane glycoprotein, is essential for maintaining cellular organization, morphology, and migration. β-catenin, an important component of the Wnt pathway that serves as a transcriptional coactivator of cellular proliferation, dimerizes with α-catenin which then binds to E-cadherin. There is mounting evidence for antiproliferative, pro-differentiating, and pro-apoptotic effects of calcium and vitamin D on the gastrointestinal epithelium. Calcium and vitamin D stimulate E-cadherin expression and β-catenin translocation from the nucleus to the cell membrane where it binds with E-cadherin. An influx of intracellular calcium has also been associated with triggering proteolytic cleaving of E-cadherin. In a colonoscopy-based, pilot case-control study of incident, sporadic colorectal adenoma (n = 49 cases, 154 controls) to investigate E-cadherin and β-catenin expression as possible biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer, biopsies from normal-appearing rectal mucosa from a random selection of cases and controls (E-cadherin: 40 cases, 45 controls; β-catenin: 37 cases, 41 controls) were immunohistochemically processed for E-cadherin and β-catenin. E-cadherin and β-catenin expression was assessed by quantifying their staining intensities with a novel image analysis program. Plots of E-cadherin and β-catenin expression from the base of rectal crypts to the apex revealed nearly identical shapes and intensities for E-cadherin and β-catenin, suggesting a tight association between the two markers. Although mean overall expression of neither E-cadherin nor β-catenin differed significantly between cases and controls (0.5%, [p = 0.96], and 6.9% [p = 0.17], respectively), expression plots stratified by total calcium and vitamin D consumption suggested that expression of both β-catenin and E-cadherin (especially E-cadherin) in persons who were consuming high amounts of calcium and vitamin D were substantially different from those in persons who were consuming low amounts of both nutrients together or high amounts of only one nutrient or the other alone. These preliminary data suggest that E-cadherin and β-catenin expression may be modified by calcium and vitamin D intakes. Further investigation into the potential of E-cadherin and β-catenin as modifiable biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer is warranted.
An Introduction to Food Webs, and Lessons from Lotka–Volterra Models

A food web is a real or a model of a set of feeding relations among species or functional groups. This chapter has two foci, (i) a very brief introduction to multi-species webs as networks, and (ii) a re-examination of old lessons regarding the effect of food chain length on a web's dynamical properties.
An efficient packet loss recovery methodology for video-over-IP

High bitrate and limited bandwidth are always at odds for digital video streaming over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, and thus packets could possibly be delayed or lost. Sender-based recovery techniques for packet loss always generate redundant information that leads to lower compression ratio and additional bandwidth requirement. In order to address this issue, a hybrid information hiding based recovery methodology has been developed. The basic idea is that the redundant information used for error recovery is embedded within the frames of the original video contents, by means of high bitrate information hiding techniques. In the receiver end, the hidden information is extracted for lost-packet recovery. Experimental results show that the damaged macroblocks can be recovered with a much better quality as compared to the results obtained through spatial extrapolation by H.264/AVC reference software. The main contribution of the proposed methodology is: the delivery of redundant information does not require additional bandwidth, bringing out significant advantages in practical applications.
Dissociative Recombination of Electrons and Ions: The Early Experiments

An account is given of laboratory studies made over 50 years ago that revealed a very fast electron-ion recombination process and the subsequent experiments that established the underlying mechanism. These studies were facilitated by development during World War II of major new technologies such as microwaves and fast electronics. Many of these developments took place at MIT in its classified Radiation Laboratory. In 1946, these extensive facilities were converted to the Research Laboratory for Electronics, where Physics Professors W. P. Allis and S. C. Brown formed the Microwave Discharge Group, initially with four graduate student experimenters.
Endoscopic Assessment of Premalignant Esophageal Disorders

Among the 10,000 Americans newly diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1990, fewer than 700 are expected to survive until 1995. This dismal survival rate is due in part to the lack of early warning signs for tumors of the esophagus. The appearance of symptoms suggests that the esophageal cancer has already grown extensively and disseminated. Regular endoscopic surveillance has been proposed as a means to detect nascent neoplasms, thereby providing the opportunity to effect meaningful intervention and cure. This article focuses primarily on Barrett’s esophagus.
Additive nanomanufacturing of metallic nanostructures through a kick-and-place approach (Conference Presentation)

We investigated a mechanism for quick release and transfer of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) from a soft substrate to another substrate under laser illumination. The heating of GNPs on a soft substrate with a continuous-wave laser causes a rapid thermal expansion of the substrate, which can be used to selectively release and place GNPs onto another surface. In-plane and out-of-plane nanostructures are successfully fabricated using this method. This rapid release-and-place process can be used for additive nonmanufacturing of metallic nanostructures under ambient conditions, which paves a way for affordable nanomanufacturing and enables a wide variety of applications in nanophotonics, ultrasensitive sensing, and nonlinear plasmonics.
Healthcare Providers' Perceived Communication Barriers to Offering Palliative Care to Patients With Heart Failure: An Integrative Review.

Context Heart failure is a chronic complex syndrome that is common and burdensome. International clinical practice guidelines recommend that healthcare providers communicate palliative care options with patients with heart failure. Objectives The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative review to evaluate how healthcare providers perceived communication barriers to offering information to individuals in the palliative phase of heart failure. Methods Four databases and the gray literature were searched from January 1987 to February 2017. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Studies were graded for strength and quality using a critical appraisal tool, and key themes were extracted and synthesized. Results Ten articles met the full inclusion criteria. Most studies were qualitative or nonexperimental studies of good quality. Authors of several studies found that healthcare providers lacked basic knowledge about palliative care or did not possess sufficient knowledge to effectively provide care. Poor knowledge of palliative care created a barrier between the provider and the patient. Inadequate education or inexperience in palliative care led to the resistance of health providers to implementing a palliative approach. Conclusions The results of this review emphasize a lack of knowledge as a barrier to delivering palliative care. Healthcare providers caring for individuals with heart failure need palliative care knowledge, skills, and competencies to ensure that this vulnerable population receives holistic patient-centered care.
Dosimetric comparison of VMAT with integrated skin flash to 3D field‐in‐field tangents for left breast irradiation

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has been implemented for left breast irradiation to reduce prescription dose to the heart and improve dose homogeneity across the targeted breast. Our in-house method requires application of a bolus during the optimization process with a target outside of the body, then removing the bolus during the final calculation in order to incorporate skin flash in VMAT plans. To quantify the dosimetric trade-offs between traditional 3D field-in-field tangents and VMAT with integrated skin flash for these patients, we compared nine consecutive patients who recently received radiation to their entire left breast but not their regional lymphatics. Tangent plans used non-divergent tangents of mixed energies and VMAT plans utilized four 6 MV arcs of roughly 260°. Mean dose to the heart, contralateral lung, and contralateral breast and their volume receiving 5%, 10%, and 20% of the prescription dose were higher in all nine VMAT plans than in the static tangential beam plans. For all critical structures, the mean VMAT DVH was higher in the low-dose region and crossed the 3D field-in-field DVH between 23.13% and 34.18% of the prescription dose (984.75-1454.70 cGy). However, the volume of the contralateral breast and heart receiving the prescription dose was slightly lower in the VMAT plans, but not statistically significant. VMAT provided superior homogeneity, with a mean homogeneity index of 9.41 ± 1.64 compared to 11.05 ± 1.82 for 3D tangents. Results indicate that VMAT spares the heart, contralateral lung, and contralateral breast from prescription dose at the cost of increasing their mean and low-dose volume and delivers a more homogenous dose distribution to the breast. For these reasons, VMAT is selectively applied at the request of the physician for left breast radiation without respiratory gating to spare the heart from prescription dose in cases of poor anatomical geometry.
A review of controls on lava lake level: insights from Halema‘uma‘u Crater, Kīlauea Volcano

The height of the lava column is a fundamental measure of open-vent volcanic activity, but little continuous long-term data exist to understand this parameter. The recent (2008–2018) lava lake activity at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano provides an opportunity to track and understand the processes that control lava level over timescales ranging from minutes to years. We review recently published data as well as analyze the long-term record of lava level at Kīlauea’s summit during 2009–2017. Longer timescale fluctuations, over days to months, have a strong positive linear correlation with ground deformation, suggesting they reflect pressure changes in the summit magma reservoir. Shorter timescale fluctuations, over minutes to hours, have an inverse relationship with spattering (i.e., outgassing) intensity at the lake surface—increased outgassing lowers the lake level and vice versa. Our analysis of the long-term lava level data thus confirms that lava level at Halema‘uma‘u is controlled by these two types of processes: (1) those related to magma reservoir pressure changes (such as magma supply rate) and (2) shallow outgassing fluctuations (such as gas pistoning). Frequency filtering can isolate pressure- and outgassing-driven components of lava level change. Time series analysis indicates that there was no large, persistent periodicity in the lava level; a minor fortnightly oscillation might be related to Earth tides but was not continuously present. The correlation between lava level and deformation of the summit indicates that the lava lake acts as a reliable “piezometer”; tracking lava level over time may thus provide an indication of flank eruptive potential. We show that long-term interdisciplinary monitoring is necessary to discriminate the processes that control lava level.
Low-Loss Uncoupled Two-Core Fiber for Power Efficient Practical Submarine Transmission

We realized 125-μm-cladding 2-core fiber with 0.162-dB/km attenuation, lowest-ever among uncoupled multi-core fibers, and effective areas of 112μm2. It can enable 1.34-times higher capacity without increasing power consumption, compared with a state-of-the-art submarine single-mode fiber.
Tri-Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar for the Measurements of Snow Water Equivalent

A new airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system was recently developed for the estimation of snow water equivalent (SWE). The radar is part of the SWESARR (Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer) instrument, an active passive microwave system specifically designed for the accurate estimation of SWE. The dual polarization (VV, VH) radar operates at three frequency bands (9.65 GHz, 13.6 GHz, and 17.25 GHz), with bandwidths of up to 200 MHz. The radar flew its first flight campaign in November 2019, along with SWESARR’s -already operational – radiometer. The radar collected comprehensive data sets over various terrains that show a successful system performance. The instrument is slated to participate in future SnowEx campaigns.
Evaluation of Interface Modality Effectiveness for Remotely-Controlled Locomotives:

The use of remote-control locomotives has become prevalent in most major rail yards in North America. Despite their increased use, they are limited by the functionality and current design of the op...
Treatment of Eyes With Diabetic Macular Edema That Had a Suboptimal Response to Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy: 2-mg Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide vs 0.7-mg Dexamethasone Implant:

Purpose:This article compares 2-mg intravitreal triamcinolone (IVT) and 0.7-mg dexamethasone (DEX) implant for the treatment of diabetic macular edema in eyes that had a suboptimal response to anti...
The Mitochondria-Associated ER Membranes Are Novel Subcellular Locations Enriched for Inflammatory-Responsive MicroRNAs

The mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAMs) are specific ER domains that contact the mitochondria and function to facilitate communication between ER and mitochondria. Disruption of contact between the mitochondria and ER is associated with a variety of pathophysiological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases. Considering the many cellular functions of MAMs, we hypothesized that MAMs play an important role in regulating microRNA (miRNA) activity linked to its unique location between mitochondria and ER. Here we present new findings from human and rat brains indicating that the MAMs are subcellular sites enriched for specific miRNAs. We employed subcellular fractionation and TaqMan® RT-qPCR miRNA analysis to quantify miRNA levels in subcellular fractions isolated from male rat brains and six human brain samples. We found that MAMs contain a substantial number of miRNAs and the profile differs significantly from that of cytosolic, mitochondria, or ER. Interestingly, MAMs are particularly enriched in inflammatory-responsive miRNAs, including miR-146a, miR-142-3p, and miR-142-5p in both human and rat brains; miR-223 MAM enrichment was observed only in human brain samples. Further, mitochondrial uncoupling or traumatic brain injury in male rats resulted in the alteration of inflammatory miRNA enrichment in the isolated subcellular fractions. These observations demonstrate that miRNAs are distributed differentially in organelles and may re-distribute between organelles and the cytosol in response to cellular stress and metabolic demands.
Strongly Coupled Quantum-Dot Plasmonic-Nanoparticle Assemblies for Low-Power Optical Nonlinearities

We have demonstrated induced transparency (Fano interference) and strong coupling (Rabi splitting) between a single colloidal quantum dot and a plasmonic metal nano-cavity at room temperature. These structures have the potential to serve as ultrafast, low-power optical modulators on the nanoscale.
Regulatory Autonomy under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement: Implications of Korea – Import Bans, and Testing and Certification Requirements for Radionuclides

The recent WTO dispute case, Korea – Import Bans, and Testing and Certification Requirements for Radionuclides (Korea – Radionuclides), illustrates complex legal issues and significant political implications associated with the regulatory autonomy of a sovereign country under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS Agreement). There has been constant tension between the sovereign right of a WTO member state to determine its own appropriate level of protection (ALOP) and the regulatory constraints imposed under the SPS Agreement to prevent abuse and disguised trade protection. The case emerged from this tension and raises questions on the extent of the regulatory autonomy in the application of an SPS measure. This article addresses these questions and examines the criteria for the qualitative standards for the ALOP, the question that the Appellate Body decision did not fully resolve. The criteria for the qualitative ALOP standards affect the regulatory autonomy significantly under the current SPS rules as it determines the manner and the extent of which a Member may meet the sensitive public interests in the application of an SPS measure. The article proposes a rational basis test to restrain abuse of SPS measures while preserving the regulatory autonomy protected under the SPS Agreement.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Political Power: Sociopolitical Conditions Underlying the Development of Calvinism

This article reconsiders the societal conditions determining ascetic Protestantism such as Calvinism during its early development, as distinguished from its later effects on society. It argues that a multiplicity of social conditions impacted the rise and expansion of Calvinism. These involve political, religious, cultural and economic conditions of the rise of Calvinism. They indicate the original societal conditioning of Calvinism, as distinct from and empirically prior to its subsequent effects on societies. This analysis specifically focuses on the sociopolitical conditions and conjunctures influencing Calvinism. The article concludes that early Calvinism was the outcome of political and related societal conditions and historical conjunctures, specifically of the Ancien Regime, and only subsequently producing its social outcomes emphasized in the sociological literature. The article aims to contribute to abridging a gap in the sociological literature, which centers on Calvinism’s outcomes in society, including economy and politics, and decenters on its own societal, including political, conditions.
What Do Stockholders Own? The Rise of the Trading Price Paradigm in Corporate Law

Corporate law is on the cusp of a paradigm shift—a revolution in the definition of the stockholder’s entitlement. For a century, a simple proposition sat at the heart of corporate law: a share of stock may have some trading price, but in an intracorporate dispute that trading price has no necessary bearing on the value of an individual stockholder’s entitlements. Instead, the stockholder’s entitlement is determined by inquiring into the value of the corporate enterprise as a whole, not the individual fractionalized share. First articulated in the context of appraisal rights, this proposition has served as the Atlas of Delaware’s corporate law, providing the theoretical underpinnings of its entire doctrinal universe. It’s the centerpiece of the fairness standard, and it serves as a measure of damages for stockholders who suffer from unfaithful conduct by corporate managers. This traditional paradigm is foundational in the merger context, animating landmark decisions like Unocal and Revlon, for the powers and obligations of boards of directors make little sense if trading prices are the measure of the stockholders’ entitlement. A new paradigm is emerging, however. In a series of important decisions, the Delaware Supreme Court has thoroughly refashioned the appraisal remedy, elevating the role of trading prices in delineating the stockholder’s entitlement. These decisions have unfortunate consequences even in their native appraisal rights context. But they portend a far broader change that has thus far escaped the attention of commentators, one that goes to the very foundation of Delaware’s corporate law. As we show in this Article, the Delaware Supreme Court has redefined the nature of the stockholders’ entitlement, and the implications are potentially revolutionary. Most notably, the new paradigm calls into question the power of corporate directors to fight off a hostile bid. In concrete terms, it directly undermines the high-profile line of cases that culminates in the controversial 2011 Airgas v. Air Products decision. In Airgas, which has stood for a decade as the high-water mark of board power under Delaware law, the court allowed directors to repel a bidder offering a large premium to the market price by crediting the board’s view that the corporation’s value—and the value to which the stockholders were entitled—exceeded both the unaffected trading price and the bidder’s offer. If, as the Delaware Supreme Court suggests in its recent appraisal cases, the legal position of stockholders entitles them to nothing more than the trading price of their shares, then the justification for the board’s sweeping powers in Airgas to defend the corporation against hostile suitors has been swept away.
PdO self-assembly on zeolite SSZ-13 with rows of O3Al(IV)OH selectively incorporated in PdO(101) facets for moisture-resistant methane oxidation

We describe an efficient way to prepare moisture-tolerant methane (hydrocarbon) combustion catalysts based on PdO nanoparticles supported on siliceous SSZ-13 zeolite. Only zeolites with high Si/Al ratios >15 are hydrophobic enough to exclude the Pd from the micropores while forming well-faceted PdO nanoparticles. Simultaneously, during self-assembly mobile Al hydroxo species get incorporated into the as-formed PdO nanoparticles. For the first time, we reveal selective incorporation of rows of O3Al(IV)-OHbridging aluminum hydroxo-species into the (101) facets of PdO nanoparticles that form during thermal self-assembly in Pd/SSZ-13 using state-of-the-art atomically-resolved HAADF-STEM imaging, solid-state NMR, DFT calculations and reactivity measurements. The Al+3-OH moieties form atom-thin rows in place of tri-coordinate Pd ions Pd+2 in Pd1O3 on (101) facets: these tri-coordinate Pd1+2O3 are responsible for C-H bond dissociation of methane and hydrocarbons during catalytic methane oxidation. However, on unmodified or non-zeolite supported PdO nanoparticles in the presence of water vapor from engine exhaust, water competes with methane by forming a deactivated Pdtetra(OH)(H2O)Pdtetra site with two water molecules on contiguous 3-coordinate Pd, which is not active for C-H bond activation. When Al-OH moieties are present in place of some tri-coordinate Pd1O3 sites, water dissociation becomes kinetically unfavorable due to disruption of Pdtetra(OH)(H2O)Pdtetra species formation. Consequently, our catalytic measurements reveal a significantly more stable performance of such catalysts in methane combustion in the presence of water vapor. Our findings provide an unprecedented atomic-level insight into structure-property relationships for supported PdO materials in catalytic methane oxidation and offer a new strategy to prepare moisture-tolerant Pd-containing methane combustion catalysts for green-house gas mitigation by selectively doping atomically thin rows of non-precious metal into specific facets of PdO.
The Novelty of Innovation: Competition, Disruption, and Antitrust Policy

We develop a model to capture the novelty of innovation and explore what it means for the nature of market competition and quality of innovations. An innovator decides not only whether to innovate ...
The TNF-α, IL-1-β, IL-6, IL-8, INF-γ, PGE-2 and IL-10 Expression in Meconium Aspirated Newborn Lungs

The TNF-α, IL-1-β, IL-6, IL-8, INF-γ, PGE-2 and IL-10 Expression in Meconium Aspirated Newborn Lungs
Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology: ‘The molecular basis of cancer’: Organizers: Carol L. Prives and George F. Vande Woude, Taos, NM, 15–21 March 1999

The Keystone Symposium on the Molecular Basis of Cancer was an excellent meeting, which stimulated the exchange of a great deal of information. This report was prepared to organize some of the results that provided new insights into the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. We were unable to report on all of the talks and posters due mostly to our limited capacity to absorb and digest the large amount of results presented at the meeting. We apologize to those whose results were not covered in this report.
Framework for Incorporating Probabilistic Building Performance in the Assessment of Community Seismic Resilience

AbstractA framework is presented for incorporating probabilistic building performance limit states in the assessment of community resilience to earthquakes. The limit states are defined on the basis of their implications to postearthquake functionality and recovery. They include damage triggering inspection, occupiable damage with loss of functionality, unoccupiable damage, irreparable damage, and collapse. Fragility curves are developed linking earthquake ground motion intensity to the probability of exceedance for each of the limit states. A characteristic recovery path is defined for each limit state on the basis of discrete functioning states, the time spent within each state, and the level of functionality associated with each state. A building recovery function is computed accounting for the uncertainty in the occurrence of each recovery path and its associated limit state. The outcome is a probabilistic assessment of recovery of functionality at the building level for a given ground motion intensit...
Morphological Observations of Diplodia maydis on Synthetic and Natural Substrates as Revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract Mycelial and spore morphology of Diplodia maydis were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy after growth on various media and natural substrates (oat and corn kernels, and corn husks). Of several specimen preparation methods studied, Parducz fixation followed by critical-point or freeze-drying gave adequate preservation for pycnidia, mycelia, and spores. Morphological characteristics were similar in rotary and reciprocal shaker cultures and differed from that found in stationary cultures in the amount of slime-like material produced and precipitated matter on the mycelial surfaces. In general, mycelial surfaces were smooth. Large areas of coalesced material were present in all samples examined. Slime-like material produced in liquid media appeared as a finely laced net, randomly appearing throughout the mycelia with bead-like structures present along the net. A fine netting also was observed interspersed among the spores inside the pycnidia obtained from oats. Slime-like material was observed to cover the pycnidia produced on oat and corn kernels. In the latter case, the spores were less protected by the outer slime-like covering. Thickened node-like structures were observed in mycelial mats produced in modified Fries 2 medium, on potato dextrose agar plates, and on infected oats. Round and ovate thickened node-like structures were observed in mycelium produced on corn kernels. In general, node-like structures were less abundant in mycelia from naturally infected substrates. Conidia were commonly rounded to tapered and two celled, with a distinctive ridged septum at the middle. Dried spores were collapsed in a characteristic flask-like fashion.
A cultural and social cognitive model of differences in acculturation orientations, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol-related risk behaviors among Hispanic college students.

OBJECTIVES: The present study used a cultural and social cognitive conceptual framework to investigate whether alcohol expectancies and valuations would mediate the associations between specific acculturation orientations and alcohol-related risk behaviors. DESIGN: The sample comprised 1,527 Hispanic students attending colleges and universities in diverse regions of the United States. Respondents completed self-report measures of Hispanic and American cultural practices; alcohol expectancies and valuations; and self-reported frequency of hazardous alcohol use, binge drinking, sexual activity under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol, and riding with a drunk driver. Latent class analysis was used to classify participants into acculturation orientations. RESULTS: Results indicated that acculturation orientations were differentially associated with alcohol-related risk outcomes, with separated bicultural and low bicultural orientations inversely related to all of the alcohol-related risk behaviors except for riding with a drunk driver. Negative expectancy valuations were positively associated with endorsement of binge drinking and drunk driving and negative expectancies were negatively associated with binge drinking, drunk driving, and riding with a drunk driver. With the exception of sexual activity under the influence of alcohol, the associations between acculturation orientations and alcohol-related risk behaviors were partially mediated by positive alcohol expectancies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided relevant data that are informative for preventing alcohol and related risk behaviors among Hispanic college students. Language: en
Capital Budgeting and Risk

Evaluating whether a company should invest in a capital project requires an analysis of whether the project adds value to the company. Essential in the analysis of the attractiveness of a capital project is an assessment of the project's risk. The analysis of the risk of a project is challenging because most capital projects are unique and a project's contribution to the company's risk is difficult to quantify. There are several tools available to help incorporate a project's risk into the decision. These tools include the incorporation of a project's market risk in the cost of capital, as well as the use of the adjusted present value. An alternative to the traditional approaches is the use of real options, which can be used to estimate the value of any options associated with a capital project. Keywords: capital budgeting; risk; total risk; stand-alone risk; sensitivity analysis; scenario analysis; simulation analysis; pure play; adjusted present value (APV); real options valuation (ROV); strategic net present value (NPV); certainty equivalent
Training of Social Workers in Work Settings:: Response of the Academia

This paper describes results from a survey of Schools of Social Work regarding their role in the preparation of social workers to assume professional responsibilities within work settings. The results clearly indicate that although social workers are increasingly entering the work settings including employee assistance programs, there does not appear to be a dramatic increase in the number of full fledged specialized occupational social work programs. Despite this small number of schools with specialized occupational social work concentration, an overwhelming number of them do incorporate this content in their curriculum.
The semantic data model for security: representing the security semantics of an application

Data security requirements go beyond traditional access control considerations to include relationships among data that must be protected. The author extends the data-modeling concepts to include the secrecy properties of data. The semantic data model for security (SDMS) is proposed as the vehicle for users, database designers and security officers to analyze and understand the security requirements of the application domain. The model aids in analyzing data security requirements and database designs by providing an easy-to-comprehend representation scheme. SDMS can represent a full range of security semantics of an application. >
Ganciclovir permeation of the human erythrocyte membrane

The membrane permeation of ganciclovir (DHPG)--a structural analogue of acyclovir (ACV) with activity against cytomegalovirus--was investigated in human erythrocytes at 37 degrees with an "inhibitor-stop" assay. DHPG influx was nonconcentrative, occurred without permeant metabolism, and was rate-saturable. While substantial inhibition of the influx of 13 microM DHPG occurred only in the presence of permeants of the purine nucleobase carrier, nucleosides and inhibitors of nucleoside transport markedly inhibited DHPG influx at higher DHPG concentrations (greater than or equal to 200 microM). Adenine and dilazep (a potent inhibitor of the nucleoside carrier) each inhibited the influx of DHPG only partially; when present together, however, they inhibited DHPG permeation completely. DHPG permeation via the purine nucleobase carrier (Km = 0.89 mM) was characterized by assessing influx in the presence of 1.0 microM dilazep. Adenine and ACV were shown to competitively inhibit this process, while DHPG (Ki = 0.90 mM) was found to competitively inhibit adenine influx. DHPG influx via the nucleoside carrier (Km = 14 mM) was characterized by assessing influx in the presence of 2 mM adenine. DHPG (Ki = 10 mM) also appeared to competitively inhibit the influx of 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine. These results indicate that DHPG permeates the human erythrocyte membrane primarily by the purine nucleobase carrier and secondarily by the nucleoside transporter.
Independence accounts of substance and substantial parts

Traditionally, independence accounts of substance have held pride of place. Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes and Spinoza—among many others—accepted independence accounts in one form or another. The general thrust of such views is that substances are those things that are apt to exist in themselves. In this paper, I argue that several contemporary independence theories of substance—including those of Kit Fine, E.J. Lowe and Michael Gorman—include an ad hoc element that renders them unacceptable. I’ll also consider the theories of Hoffman and Rosenkrantz.