cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro development of mouse embryos after cryopreservation in phosphate or hepes buffered media in two different size straws

Abstract We compared in vitro survival rate of mouse embryos after cryopreservation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with that in Hepes buffered Tyrode's (HeTy) medium. We also examined the effect of size of straw (0.25 ml versus 0.50 ml) in which embryos were frozen on the in vitro survival post thawing. Early to mid-morula (n=823) from superovulated females were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups: Group 1 = PBS in 0.25-ml straws, Group 2 = PBS in 0.50-ml straws, Group 3 = HeTy in 0.25-ml straws, Group 4 = HeTy in 0.50-ml straws. Embryos exposed to glycerol in 3 steps (0.44 M, 0.88 M and 1.4 M) at 22°C were loaded into straws and placed in a programmable freezer at −6°C, manually seeded during a 6 min holding period and cooled to −34°C at 0.5°C/min. After a 15-min holding period at −34°C, the embryos were plunged into liquid nitrogen. Thawing was done by exposing each straw to air (22°C) for 10 sec before plunging into a 37°C water bath for 15 to 20 sec. Embryos were rehydrated for 10 min at 37°C in 0.8 M sucrose, washed (3 times) and cultured for 72 h in modified Ham's F-10 + 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) at 38°C in 5% CO2/air. The percentages of expanding blastocysts at 72 h were 68% ( 140 206 ), 68% ( 135 197 ), 77% ( 164 212 ) and 69% ( 143 208 ) for Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The survival rate of embryos frozen in HeTy (Groups 3 and 4) was slightly higher (73%; P = 0.07) than those frozen in PBS (68%, Groups 1 and 2). Straw size did not have an affect (P = 0.19) on post-thaw development, nor was there an interaction between media and straw size (P = 0.13). We conclude that mouse embryos can be successfully frozen in either 0.25- or 0.50-ml straws, and that HeTy is a suitable medium for mouse embryo cryopreservation; however, further studies with embryos of other species are warranted.
An evaluation of accuracy and repeatability of a novel gait analysis device

Restoration of gait is a particularly important patient-based functional outcome following lower extremity trauma. A new portable device which measures gait parameters, the IDEEA, may be particularly useful in evaluating post-traumatic gait parameters in the office setting, but the accuracy and repeatability of this device relative to standard gait laboratory footswitches are unknown. Twelve healthy subjects were tested simultaneously using the IDEEA device and standard gait laboratory footswitches, at slow, medium, and fast speeds. Parameters evaluated were single-limb support time (SLS), double-limb support time (DLS), swing phase duration (SPD), cycle duration, and cadence. The repeatability between right and left measurements tended to be better for the IDEEA, and was at least as good as the foot switches. The absolute differences of the timed gait parameters between the two devices were all in the range of 0.03 s, which is within the data sampling resolution of the gait laboratory foot switches (0.04 s). Furthermore, assuming a 1-s gait cycle, these differences account for only 3% of the gait cycle, which is also well within the clinical parameters for evaluating and differentiating between treatments. This device is accurate and repeatable, and may facilitate the evaluation of gait function in post-traumatic patients in settings outside of the traditional gait laboratory.
Hypoxic induction of HIF-1α and VEGF expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma lines is mediated by stress activated protein kinases

Abstract Solid tumors must establish a blood supply in order to proliferate and grow. Cancer cells secrete soluble factors which can induce proliferation and migration of capillary endothelial cells. Among the most potent of the angiogenic factors is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Increased VEGF expression by malignant tumors has been associated with high vascularity, increased cancer cell growth, and lymph node metastasis. Reduced oxygen tension has been shown to increase VEGF production by induction of the transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). The mechanisms by which hypoxic tumor environments induce HIF-1α and VEGF expression are largely unknown. Jun N terminal kinase (JNK1) and p38 kinase are activated by a variety of stress stimuli. To determine if hypoxic activation of these stress activated protein kinases regulated HIF-1α and VEGF expression, we assayed JNK1 and p38 activity in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) lines grown under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia rapidly induced both JNK1 and p38 activity in these cells. This activation correlated with induction of HIF-1α expression and DNA binding activity which was blocked by the p38 inhibitor SB203580. Hypoxia also increased VEGF production by SCC lines, which was inhibited by treatment with SB203580. Overexpression of JNK1 or p38 was sufficient to induce HIF-1α and VEGF expression. These results indicate that induction of SAPKs by hypoxia regulates HIF-1α and VEGF expression in head and neck carcinoma cell lines.
Effects of temperature on life table parameters of Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez (Acari: Stigmaeidae) and its attack rate on Panonychus citri eggs

Abstract The effects of temperature on life table parameters of Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez were studied using Panonychus citri (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) eggs as a single food source at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C. The mean length of a generation (T) was 35.9, 18.1, 14.5, 11.4, and 12.6 days, respectively. Average number of eggs produced per female was 66.0, 69.0, 46.5, 25.5, and 18.8 at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C. More than 70% of the A. exsertus eggs developed to adults when they were maintained at temperatures between 20 and 35°C compared with only 41% at 15°C. The highest net reproductive rate (Ro = 25.30) and intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm = 0.2288) were obtained at 20 and 25°C, respectively. The lowest Ro and rm values were 11.98 and 0.0690 at 35 and 15°C. When citrus red mite eggs were provided as prey for A. exsertus adult females at 10, 20, 30, and 40°C, the attack rate (E-) decreased with an increasing number of prey eggs. Significant decreases in E- were observed at 20 and 30°C compa...
Seasoning for the Soul: Empowerment Through Food Preparation Among Mexican Women in the Texas Colonias

This article examines the idea of empowerment through food preparation and applies it to a specific context—that of the life of immigrant Mexican women from two South Texas settlement areas, or colonias. Based on ethnographic data gathered through participant observation by bilingual research teams of promotoras and formally educated health professionals embedded with participant families, we analyze the living situations of low-income Mexican women in the South Texas colonias, particularly their food procurement, storage, and preparation practices for their families. We acknowledge the existence of hegemonic gendered, economic, and racialized structures of domination that surround the women's role in food preparation. However, we also recognize food preparation as the domain in which otherwise oppressed and marginalized women, living a life of isolation filled with severe problems and uncertainties, exercise some degree of power and control within their lives and the well-being of their family members. I...
Fibrinogen and bleeding: old molecule--new ideas.

ydroxyethyl starches (HES) are often administered to surgical patients asa colloid intravascular volume expander. Although all volume expandersadministeredtoableedingpatientmayproducedilutionalcoagulopathy,HESsolutionscanalsoproduceplateletinhibitionanddecreasedclotstrength(1,2).However, hemodilution with HES of all molecular weights significantlydecreases whole blood and plasma clot strength in a fibrinogen-reversiblemanner (3–8). Fenger-Eriksen et al. (3) were the first to demonstrate
Nonpeptide GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors. 10. Centrally constrained alpha-sulfonamides are potent inhibitors of platelet aggregation

Abstract Potency enhancing features of two series of fibrinogen receptor antagonists were combined to give analogs with improved potency and oral activity. Antagonists containing either alkyl or aryl sulfonamides and a central isoindolinone structural constraint demonstrate high affinity for both activated and unactivated platelet receptors.
Bcl-2 and Bcl-X expression in gangliogliomas

Bcl-2 and bcl-xL are proteins known to inhibit cell death (apoptosis). Expression of these proteins in gangliogliomas has not been extensively examined. This study retrospectively evaluates bcl-2 and bcl-x immunostaining in paraffin-embedded materials in gangliogliomas. Twenty-nine gangliogliomas in 17 males and 12 females, age 2.5 to 47 years (mean, 20.7 years), were studied. Nineteen tumors were situated primarily in the temporal lobe. All but three patients presented with seizures ranging from 3 months to 28 years' duration (mean, 11.1 years) before surgery. All tumors histologically were comprised of an atypical neuronal component and a glioma component, which most frequently resembled a low-grade astrocytoma. Cortical dysplasia was observed adjacent to eight tumors. MIB-1 (marker of cell proliferation) labeling indices (percentage of positively staining tumor cell nuclei) ranged from 0 to 7.7 (mean, 0.8). bcl-2 staining was observed in 25 tumors (86%); neuronal staining was present in 24 cases (83%), and glial cell staining in 21 tumors (72%). Bcl-xL staining was only observed in eight gangliogliomas (28%); in all eight tumors (28%), neuronal staining was seen, and focal glial cell staining was present in two cases (7%). Four tumors (14%) did not stain with either bcl-2 or bcl-xL. There appeared to be no relationship between MIB-1 immunostaining and staining with bcl-2 or bcl-xL. bcl-2 expression by immunohistochemistry was observed more frequently than bcl-xL in gangliogliomas. Expression of these proteins may reflect abnormalities of apoptosis, which could play a role in the survival of cells that may be involved in the development of gangliogliomas.
Differences in adolescent smoker and nonsmoker perceptions of strategies that would help an adolescent quit smoking

This study assessed adolescent smoker and nonsmoker perceptions of strategies that would help an adolescent smoker in his or her attempt to stop smoking. Surveys were distributed primarily in the schools at 4 geographic and ethnically diverse study sites. Respondents were 965 adolescents (49% female; 46% minority). Current smokers (n = 232) were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that supportive behaviors of friends and family, quitting strategies, or learning about quitting strategies would be helpful if they decided to quit. Nonsmokers (n = 733) were asked to indicate the degree to which they agreed or disagreed that these behaviors and strategies would be helpful if a friend decided to quit. Responses to each of the 33 attitude items were rated on a 5-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Marked differences were observed between smokers and nonsmokers in the level of agreement on each item. In general, smokers reported far less enthusiasm for cessation strategies than nonsmokers. After adjusting for gender, age, and other covariates, smoking status was the strongest independent predictor of the number of items endorsed as agree or strongly agree. The results have implications for the design of peer-based and other interventions for adolescent smokers.
Therapist efficiency and clinic accessibility with the mental health research institute brief therapy model

A health maintenance organization (HMO) mental health clinic used the Mental Research Institute (MRI) brief therapy model to achieve striking therapist efficiency and clinic acessibility. In the two-year period from January 1985 through December 1986, the clinic averaged 834 separate patients per therapist, copared with a regional average of 456 patients. The rate of hospitalization from the clinic catchment area was two thirds that of the region. This article describes the MRI approach as practiced at the clinic and discusses its applicability to community mental health centers and other mental health clinics.
Model Based Approaches For Some Image Understanding Problems

We summarize our recent work on a) a model based approach for estimation of kinematics and structure of a rigid object from a sequence of noisy images, b) extraction of edges and linear features from noise free and noisy real images using the directional derivatives estimated from a local non stationary random field model, and c) segmentation of textured images using Gauss Markov random field models and simulated annealing techniques. The research work summarized in this paper is supported in part by the NSF Grant DCI-84-51010, match-ing funds from IBM, AT&T, Hughes Aircraft Company, and TRW and by the Airforce Office of Scientific Research under the Contract F 49620-85-C-0071. The author acknowledges the contributions of T.J. Broida, S. Chatterjee, A. Rangarajan, T. Simchony, V. Venkateswar and Y. T. Zhou to the research results reported here.
Let’s Talk Rights: Messages for the Just Corporation–Transforming the Economy Through the Language of Rights

Neoliberal globalization has not yielded the results it promised; global inequality has risen, poverty and hunger are still prevailing in large parts of this world. If this devastating situation shall be improved, economists must talk less about economic growth and more about people's rights. The use of the language of rights will be key for making the economy work more in favor of the least advantaged in this world. Not only will it provide us with the vocabulary necessary to reframe such pressing global problems and to find adequate economic solutions; it will also deliver the basis for deriving according duties and duty-bearers - the language of rights is congruent with the language of justice and as such it is inevitably and at the same time the language of obligations. The language of obligations exposes the multinational corporation as one of the main agents of justice in the global economy. Taking distributive justice as a starting point for reflection, a consistent derivation of the multinational's moral obligations must focus on capabilities rather than on causality. This will lead to a shift from merely passive to active duties and accordingly to a stronger emphasis on the corporation's contribution to the realization of positive rights.
A novel method for measuring initial-burst chemiluminescence in a liquid scintillation counter using the myeloperoxidase-H20Cl− reaction

Abstract These studies show that there is an initial quantifiable burst of luminol-enhanced CL associated with the interaction of MPO with H2O2 and Cl−. They also confirm that the reaction is H2O2-concentration dependent (2). The novel method for quantifying initial-burst CL in a liquid scintillation counter introduced in this study provides many advantages over previous CL studies using the same counter, as noted above. This method provides for more efficient representation of CL associated with the MPO reaction, and allows for valid conclusions concerning the drug effects on this reaction. The ability to “see” the initial part of the reaction may also allow kinetic analysis of this (and other) enzyme CL reactions.
Analyzing FD inference in relational databases

Abstract This paper deals with the general problem of analyzing fuzzy inference based on functional dependencies (FDs) in database relations. Fuzzy inference, the ability to infer fuzzy set values, generalizes imprecise (set-valued) inference and precise inference. Likewise, fuzzy relational databases generalize their classical and imprecise counterparts by supporting fuzzy information storage and retrieval. Inference analysis is performed using a special abstract model which maintains vital links to classical, imprecise and fuzzy relational database models. These links increase the utility of the inference formalism in practical applications involving “catalytic inference analysis”, including knowledge discovery and database security.
God, Supernatural Kinds, and the Incarnation

Thinking about God often leads to thinking about ‘God’. And it has never been completely clear how best to understand this little English word. Traditionally, ‘God’ has been taken to be either a description or a name. However, a third option has recently captured the attention of philosophical theologians. It is claimed that just as one should think of, say, ‘humanity’ as a kind term, so one should think of ‘God’, or perhaps ‘divinity’, as a kind term. But given the tight link between semantics and metaphysics, if one is tempted to understand ‘humanity’ or ‘divinity’ as kind terms, then one will naturally begin to think of humanity and divinity as kinds. Characterizing divinity this way, a primary task of philosophical theology is to give a characterization of the divine kind-essence. In this paper, I want to consider the claim that divinity is profitably construed as a kind-essence, and argue that the way that this has typically been understood is not altogether adequate. I shall then present and develop an alternative understanding of this kind-essence approach that takes the analogy of `supernatural kinds’ and natural kinds much more seriously. I will conclude by considering some objections.
Museum Education and Art Therapy: Promoting Wellness in Older Adults

By combining museum education with art therapy, museums can make significant contributions to healthcare. The Creative Aging program at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., unites these fields, using artworks and art-making as catalysts to explore feelings, invite self-exploration, and build community. The program fosters an interest in art among older adults and provides them with an empowering sense of accomplishment. Programs like Creative Aging are particularly important to museums today since the population of older adults in the U.S. is increasing rapidly, and is expected to more than double by 2040.
What is the optimal laparoscopic antireflux procedure for children with gastroesophageal reflux disease

What is the optimal laparoscopic antireflux procedure for children with gastroesophageal reflux disease?
The past, present, and future of power electronics [Guest Introduction]

Bimal K. Bose, in whose honor this special issue is dedicated, looks back at the past, examines the present and looks into the future of power electronics.
Glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation causes a novel skeletal muscle glycogenosis

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) is a novel glycogenosis in horses characterized by abnormal glycogen accumulation in skeletal muscle and muscle damage with exertion. It is unlike glycogen storage diseases resulting from known defects in glycogenolysis, glycolysis, and glycogen synthesis that have been described in humans and domestic animals. A genome-wide association identified GYS1, encoding skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GS), as a candidate gene for PSSM. DNA sequence analysis revealed a mutation resulting in an arginine-to-histidine substitution in a highly conserved region of GS. Functional analysis demonstrated an elevated GS activity in PSSM horses, and haplotype analysis and allele age estimation demonstrated that this mutation is identical by descent among horse breeds. This is the first report of a gain-of-function mutation in GYS1 resulting in a glycogenosis.
SHR3: A novel component of the secretory pathway specifically required for localization of amino acid permeases in yeast

Abstract Mutations in SHR3 block amino acid uptake into yeast by reducing the levels of multiple amino acid permeases within the plasma membrane. SHR3 is a novel integral membrane protein component of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). shr3 null mutants specifically accumulate amino acid permeases in the ER; other plasma membrane proteins, secretory proteins, and vacuolar proteins are processed and targeted correctly. Our findings suggest that SHR3 interacts with a structural domain shared by amino acid permeases, an interaction required for permease-specific processing and transport from the ER. Even in the presence of excess amino acids, shr3 mutants exhibit starvation responses. shr3 mutants constitutively express elevated levels of GCN4, and mutant shr3shr3 diploids undergo dimorphic transitions that result in filamentous growth at enhanced frequencies.
Effects of Moisture Absorption and Test Method on the Properties of E-glass/Polyester Hull Laminates:

Effects of moisture absorption on the tensile, compressive, shear, bending and bending fatigue properties of an iso-polyester/E-glass hull laminate were studied. Fickian diffusion constants were found that closely modeled moisture absorption. Comparisons were made of standard moisture experiments using boiling water versus long-term exposure. Results indicated that the boiling water test yielded significantly conservative values. Fatigue endurance limits were found to be near 25% of static load, indicating a fatigue design factor of four is required for infinite service with this material. Coupon results were used with finite element analysis (FEA) to predict panel deformations and strains. Good correlation was achieved.
Natural probabilistic information

Natural information refers to the information carried by natural signs such as that smoke is thought to carry natural information about fire. A number of influential philosophers have argued that natural information can also be utilized in a theory of mental content. The most widely discussed account of natural information (due to Dretske, in Knowledge and the flow of information, 1981/1999) holds that it results from an extremely strong relation between sign and signified (i.e. a conditional probability of 1). Critics have responded that it is doubtful that there are many strong relations of this sort in the natural world due to variability between signs and signified. In light of this observation, a promising suggestion is that much of the interesting natural information carried by natural signs is really information with a probabilistic content. However, Dretske’s theory cannot account for this information because it would require implausible second order objective probabilities. Given the most plausible understanding of the probabilities involved here, I argue that it is only sequences of traditional natural signs (not individual signs) that carry this probabilistic information. Several implications of this idea will be explored.
Quadruple Metal−Metal Bonds with Strong Donor Ligands. Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy of M2(form)4 (M = Cr, Mo, W; form = N,N‘-diphenylformamidinate)

The He I photoelectron spectra of M2(form)4 (M = Cr, Mo, W; form = N,N‘-diphenylformamidinate) and Mo2(cyform)4 (cyform = N,N‘−dicyclohexylformamidinate) are presented. For comparison, the Ne I, He I, and He II photoelectron spectra of Mo2(p-CH3-form)4 have also been obtained. The valence ionization features of these molecules are interpreted based on (1) the changes that occur with the metal and ligand substitutions, (2) the changes in photoelectron cross sections with excitation source, and (3) the changes from previously studied dimetal complexes. These photoelectron spectra are useful for revealing the effects that better electron donor ligands have on the valence electronic structure of M2(L⌒L)4 systems. Comparison with the He I spectra of the isoelectronic M2(O2CCH3)4 compounds is particularly revealing. Unlike with the more electron-withdrawing acetate ligand, several formamidinate-based ionizations derived from the nitrogen pπ orbitals occur among the metal−metal σ, π, and δ ionization bands. Alth...
Reactive plasma cleaning of metals

Abstract Reactive plasmas formed in an r.f. discharge are effective in removing contaminants and barrier layers from a variety of metals. Reactive d.c. discharges are ineffective. A mixture of argon (90–99%) with a reactive gas or a gas which will decompose to a reactive species in the discharge was used in the r.f. reactive plasmas. A soft X-ray appearance potential spectrometer was used for in situ surface analysis to evaluate the surface cleaning. Carbon-containing gases, such as those used in reactive plasma etching, left a carbon residue on the surface. Oxygen additions to the reactive plasma, such as are used in reactive etching, prevented cleaning of the metal surfaces. Reactive plasmas containing hydrochloric acid were the most effective. Reactive plasma cleaning in Ar-HCl was as effective as r.f. sputter cleaning and could be accomplished at much lower power levels. For example, reactive plasma cleaning of titanium was accomplished in 90 min using 500 V r.f. and 30 W in an Ar-5% HCl plasma. Similar r.f. sputter cleaning required 90 min at 2 kV r.f. and 600 W in Ar. It is proposed that the reactive species reacts with the surface, forming compounds which are more easily volatilized or sputtered.
Nutritional contribution of eggs to American diets

Objectives: The main purposes of this study were (1) to assess the nutritional significance of eggs in the American diet and (2) to estimate the degree of association between egg consumption and serum cholesterol concentration.Methods: Data from the most recent National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–94) were utilized to compare the nutritional quality indicators of diets that contained eggs (USDA food grouping system) with those that did not. Nutrient intake (from 24-hour dietary recall), egg intake (from food frequency questionnaire), sociodemographic data and blood cholesterol levels of subjects who met inclusion criteria (n=27,378) were grouped according to the occurrence and frequency of egg consumption and were analyzed using SUDAAN.Results: Daily nutrient intake of egg consumers (EC) was significantly greater than that of nonconsumers (NC) for all nutrients studied (except dietary fiber and vitamin B6). Eggs contributed < 10% of daily intake of energy and vitamin B6, 10...
Ground-Water Contamination in the Silurian Dolomite of Door County, Wisconsina

Door County, a recreational and fruit-growing area bordering Lake Michigan in northeastern Wisconsin, has had a long history of ground-water contamination from surface and near-surface sources. Contamination is most severe in late summer when the influx of tourists and fruit-canning operations create additional wastes. Thin soil cover and well-fractured dolomitic bedrock give easy entry to ground-water contaminants throughout large parts of Door County. Many contaminants enter the dolomite by surface or near-surface seepage. There is little attenuation of contamination concentrations in the well-jointed dolomite, and contaminants may travel long distances underground in a relatively short time. The major source of ground-water contamination is bacterial, from individual waste-disposal systems, agricultural, industrial, and municipal sources. Contamination is in zones that originate from point sources and move in the direction of ground-water flow, either naturally or as induced by pumping wells. The contaminated areas include only a small percentage of the total ground-water system and are separated by large areas of ground water free of contamination. Tests based on indicator bacteria suggest that the periods of highest contamination potential occur during or immediately following rapid ground-water recharge periods. Increasing the depth of casing and pressure grouting the casing into firm bedrock are two well-construction procedures that reduce the contamination potential in wells.
Cultures of Music Piracy An Ethnographic Comparison of the US and Japan

In 2003, the US recording industry, hoping to change what some view as a ‘culture of piracy’, initiated lawsuits against its own consumers. What is this culture of piracy and what is at stake in trying to change it? In this article, I take an ethnographic look at music file-sharing, and compare the situation in the US with Japan, the second largest music market in the world. My findings are based on fieldwork in Tokyo, and surveys and discussions with US college students. By considering the ways social dynamics and cultural orientations guide uses of digital media technology, I argue that a legal and political focus on ‘piracy’ ignores crucial aspects of file-sharing, and is misleading in the assumptions it makes for policy. A focus on fan participation in media success provides an alternative perspective on how to encourage flourishing music cultures.
DNA damage and chronic neuronal degenerations

DNA plays an essential role not only in dividing cells, but also in postmitotic cells such as neurons. Accumulated damage to the nuclear DNA will result in damage to neuronal metabolism. There is suggestive evidence of altered DNA in ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, and of deficiency of DNA repair mechanisms in these age-related neuronal degenerations and in Huntington's disease. We suggest that these DNA abnormalities are more likely to be the cause of the diseases, rather than an effect of the disease process.
Selective herbivory on low-zinc phenotypes of the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (Brassicaceae)

The European plant Thlaspi caerulescens hyperaccumulates zinc in its leaves to concentrations exceeding 2 %. This may represent a defense against herbivory, as shown by reduced feeding on plants grown in high-zinc versus low-zinc substrates. However, the more evolutionarily relevant comparison involves plants whose metal content differs due to genetic rather than environmental causes. In our study, plants were grown in a uniform hydroponic solution containing 10 mg/l Zn. Foliar Zn concentrations were measured, and plants of contrasting Zn concentration were chosen for feeding trials using Pieris napi oleracea larvae. Comparisons revealed no statistically significant preferences when young larvae were used, but highly significant avoidance of high-Zn leaves by later-instar caterpillars, suggesting that hyperaccumulation could evolve in response to the selective pressures of herbivory.
Minimum Length-of-Stay Requirements as Part of Hotel Revenue Management Systems: Are They Legal?

ABSTRACT Many hotels have instituted revenue management systems that incorporate minimum length of stay requirements. The hotel will refuse to book the room unless the traveler agrees to book for two, three, or more nights. The English common law, case law in the United States, and many state statutes provide that a hotel has an obligation to provide a room to an acceptable guest if the hotel has a room available. This article attempts to answer the question: Are minimum length-of-stay controls legal or illegal? The author also provides a method for hotels to continue to use length-of-stay controls, maximize revenue, and comply with existing laws.
Telemedicine diffusion in a developing Country:The case of India (march 2004)

Telemedicine (health-care delivery where physicians examine distant patients using telecommunications technologies) has been heralded as one of several possible solutions to some of the medical dilemmas that face many developing countries. In this study, we examine the current state of telemedicine in a developing country, India. Telemedicine has brought a plethora of benefits to the populace of India, especially those living in rural and remote areas (constituting about 70% of India's population). We discuss three Indian telemedicine implementation cases, consolidate lessons learned from the cases, and culminate with potential researchable critical success factors that account for the growth and modest successes of telemedicine in India.
Integrated Whole Facility System Optimization through Continuous Commissioning: A Case Study

The case study facility is a shopping mall with a total floor area of 112,000 square meter (1,200,000 square feet). A central plant in the mall is equipped with dual-fuel generators, turbine engine chillers and boilers as well as absorption chillers. The central plant provides electricity to most mall tenants, and chilled water and heating water to HVAC systems in the entire mall. The rest of the electricity is provided by a local utility company. Continuous Commissioning was applied to solve existing facility problems, to optimize facility operation, and to reduce operational costs. The cause of a persistent major comfort problem was identified. A costly retrofit with a total value of $50,000 was avoided. The key system performances were tested and measured. Based on the actual key system performance, optimal operation and control schedules were developed. The integrated whole facility optimization approach also identified a potential cost reduction of $81,000/yr with a retrofit cost of $58,000. The improved chilled water system operation could potentially reduce annual gas and fuel costs by $60,000. This paper presents methods, analyses, and results of this integrated system optimization study.
Vasodilatory Effects of Troglitazone Improve Blood Pressure at Rest and During Mental Stress in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The present study examined the hemodynamic mechanisms of blood pressure (BP) lowering by troglitazone in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) at rest and during a mental arithmetic test (MAT). Twenty-two patients with DM with normal to high-normal BP and 12 controls matched for age, gender, glucose tolerance, and BP were studied. DM subjects showed significantly higher systolic BP response during MAT than controls (157 versus 139 mm Hg; P 140 mm Hg during MAT. Heart rate and diastolic BP were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The DM group was then randomized to receive troglitazone (n=10; 400 mg/d) or glyburide (n=12; 20 mg/d). MAT was repeated after 6 months of treatment. Both treatments reduced glucose equally (-1.7 mmol/L for troglitazone and -1.5 mmol/L for glyburide), but only troglitazone reduced insulin (-15 microU/mL; P<0.001) and C-peptide (-0.9 ng/mL; P<0.02) levels. Troglitazone significantly reduced BP at baseline (P<0.05) and systolic BP response to MAT (P<0.01), whereas glyburide did not affect BP at baseline or during MAT. Stroke volume and cardiac output did not change with either drug, but troglitazone decreased peripheral vascular resistance (-112 dyne. s. cm(-5); P<0.05). Improved insulin resistance rather than an improved glycemic control is associated with lower resting and stress BP values in patients with DM. A reduction in vascular resistance may be a primary hemodynamic mechanism of the manner in which troglitazone lowers BP. Insulin sensitizers may offer potential therapeutic advantage in subjects with DM with elevated BP.
Training Personnel to Promote Quality Parent-Child Interaction in Families Who Are Homeless:

This study was designed to, first, train parent-child advocates serving homeless parents and their children (birth-three) in providing one-on-one early intervention to facilitate healthy parent-chi...
Generalized quadratic weights for asymptotic regulator properties

This paper describes a generalized quadratic weight selection procedure based on asymptotic modal properties of linear-quadratic regulators as control weights tend to zero. Explicit formulas are developed for weighting matrices which produce an asymptotic eigenstructure consisting of p \leq n-m finite modes, with the rest tending to infinity in selectable Butterworth patterns or determined by other secondary design considerations.
Public Attitudes Toward Felon Disenfranchisement in the United States

Since passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, debates about suffrage in the United States have largely shifted from questions about formal individual rights to participation to questions of fairness in the policy implementation of those rights. Prior to the Voting Rights Act, the disenfranchisement of African American voters provided a vivid example of persistent suffrage inequities in the American political system, and its passage was a landmark development in the struggles to extend the franchise to all citizens (Keyssar 2000). After the passage of the Voting Rights Act, however, concern over voting rights faded rapidly. As one authoritative treatment puts it, “at least since the voting rights reforms of the 1960s, political rights have been universalized in the United States. With relatively insignificant exceptions, all adult citizens have the full complement of political rights” (Verba, Scholzman, and Brady 1995, p. 11). The apparently settled character of the right to vote and its disappearance from the scholarly and popular literatures on American democracy, however, is challenged by the rapid growth in incarceration and conviction rates within the criminal justice system over the past three decades (U.S. Department of Justice 2003). Election laws in most states bar felons and some ex-felons from voting, and it has been estimated that between 4.1 and 4.7 million Americans are currently disenfranchised due to a past or current felony conviction
Diagnosing moisture transport using D/H ratios of water vapor

[1] Water vapor transport paths into the American Southwest were deduced from a high temporal resolution record of hydrogen isotope compositions of atmospheric water vapor (δDwv) collected over a six-week period in late spring, 2005, at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Daily fluctuations of δDwv routinely exceeded 20‰ in magnitude, while δDwv variations up to 80‰ occurred on the time scale of weather (a few hours to ∼ a week). Vertical profiles of δDwv in the lower troposphere exhibited considerable structure that cannot be ascertained from standard meteorological measurements. Trajectory analyses provide consistent evidence that the large temporal variations of surface δDwv and vertical variations of δDwv are primarily due to advection of water from different source regions. The lack of mixing inferred from our analyses indicates that δDwv can be used as a sensitive tracer of the moisture transport history of air parcels.
Dutchman Ghosts and the History Mystery: Ritual, Colonizer, and Colonized Interpretations of the 1763 Berbice Slave Rebellion

Abstract In colonial orders the most impoverished and least powerful subordinates had few opportunities to store their images of the past in forms traditionally used by historians. In this essay I explore historical interpretations of the 1763 Berbice slave rebellion presented in three rituals, the majority of whose participants are impoverished residents of rural Guyanese communities. I contrast the issues addressed in these images with those addressed in accounts of the rebellion presented in colonial and post-colonial accounts written by the colonizers and the colonized. The focus of my description and analysis is the relation between historical accounts and the social identities of those who produce them.
Media refusal and conspicuous non-consumption: The performative and political dimensions of Facebook abstention:

This paper is a study of consumer resistance among active abstainers of the Facebook social network site. I analyze the discourses invoked by individuals who consciously choose to abstain from participation on the ubiquitous Facebook platform. This discourse analysis draws from approximately 100 web and print publications from 2006 to early 2012, as well as personal interviews conducted with 20 Facebook abstainers. I conceptualize Facebook abstention as a performative mode of resistance, which must be understood within the context of a neoliberal consumer culture, in which subjects are empowered to act through consumption choices - or in this case non-consumption choices - and through the public display of those choices. I argue that such public displays are always at risk of misinterpretation due to the dominant discursive frameworks through which abstention is given meaning. This paper gives particular attention to the ways in which connotations of taste and distinction are invoked by refusers through their conspicuous displays of non-consumption. This has the effect of framing refusal as a performance of elitism, which may work against observers interpreting conscientious refusal as a persuasive and emulable practice of critique. The implication of this is that refusal is a limited tactic of political engagement where media platforms are concerned.
The interaction between vocabulary size and phonotactic probability effects on children's production accuracy and fluency in nonword repetition.

Adults' performance on a variety of tasks suggests that phonological processing of nonwords is grounded in generalizations about sublexical patterns over all known words. A small body of research s...
Airborne L-Band Radio Frequency Interference Observations From the SMAPVEX08 Campaign and Associated Flights

Statistics of radio frequency interference (RFI) observed in the band 1398-1422 MHz during an airborne campaign in the United States are reported for use in analysis and forecasting of L-band RFI for microwave radiometry. The observations were conducted from September to October 2008, and included approximately 92 h of flight time, of which approximately 20 h of “transit” or dedicated RFI observing flights are used in compiling the statistics presented. The observations used include outbound and return flights from Colorado to Maryland, as well as RFI surveys over large cities. The Passive Active L-Band Sensor (PALS) radiometer of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory augmented by three dedicated RFI observing systems was used in these observations. The complete system as well as the associated RFI characterization approaches are described, along with the resulting RFI statistical information and examinations of specific RFI sources. The results show that RFI in the protected L-band spectrum is common over North America, although the resulting interference when extrapolated to satellite observations will appear as “low-level” corruption that will be difficult to detect for traditional radiometer systems.
CDK-dependent phosphorylation and nuclear exclusion coordinately control kinetochore assembly state

Accurate chromosome segregation requires assembly of the multiprotein kinetochore complex. Prior work has identified more than 100 different kinetochore components in human cells. However, little is known about the regulatory processes that specify their assembly upon mitotic entry and disassembly at mitotic exit. In this paper, we used a live-cell imaging–based assay to quantify kinetochore disassembly kinetics and systematically analyze the role of potential regulatory mechanisms in controlling kinetochore assembly state. We find that kinetochore assembly and disassembly was driven primarily by mitotic phosphorylation downstream of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). In addition, we demonstrate that nuclear exclusion of the Ndc80 complex helped restrict kinetochore formation to mitosis. Combining constitutive CDK-dependent phosphorylation of CENP-T and forced nuclear localization of the Ndc80 complex partially prevented kinetochore disassembly at mitotic exit and led to chromosome segregation defects in subsequent divisions. In total, we find that the coordinated temporal regulation of outer kinetochore assembly is essential for accurate cell division.
Spatial dispersion of benthic Foraminifera in the abyssal central North Pacific 1

Five 0.25-m2 box cores (four open cores and one vegematic core subdivided in situ into 25 contiguous lo- x lo-cm subcores) reveal that populations of benthic agglutinated Foraminifera in the central North Pacific are extremely abundant and diverse. As many as 120 species and 10,310 total fragments occur in a single open core, and the Foraminifera outnumber all metazoan taxa combined by at least an order of magnitude. Significant patchiness occurs on both the between-core scale of kilometers and the within-core scale of centimeters. Few species occurred in all cores and those that did were not abundant. Hierarchical classification an d multiple discriminant analysis on the resultant subcore groups in the vegematic core suggest potential interactions between certain species of Foraminifera and such external variables as surface deposit feeders, subsurface deposit feeders, carnivores, filter feeders, biogenic surface structure, and manganese nodules. Multiple regressions of foraminiferan species against all the external variables substantiate the existence of patterns of association. Foraminifera are important components of the benthic fauna, acting, among other things, as predators and disturbance agents. It may well be that they have a more significant effect on the structure and dynamics of deep-sea benthic communities than have any of the metazoan macrofaunal taxa that are the usual objects of deep-sea studies.
Erratum to: The Acquisition of Letter Writing using a Portable Multi-Media Player in Young Children with Developmental Disabilities

This study investigated the use of the iPod Touch® and the application Letter School in the acquisition of letter writing in three preschool aged children diagnosed with a developmental disability, using a multiple baseline across letters design. Additionally, the generalization of the acquisition of letter writing from the iPod Touch® and stylus pen to paper and pencil was evaluated. Finally, participant preference for instruction using the iPod Touch ® with a stylus pen or paper and pencil was assessed. The results indicated that all three participants acquired the ability to write letters using a pencil and paper, following instruction using the iPod Touch® and application Letter School. For two of the three participants instruction incorporating the iPod Touch® and application Letter School was preferred, while one participant demonstrated a slight preference for paper and pencil instruction.
Technology roadmap for high frequency integrated DC-DC converter

This preliminary roadmap is provided for state-of-the-art technologies and trends toward integration of point-of-load converters. This paper encompasses an extended survey of literature ranging from device technologies and magnetic materials to integration technologies and approaches. The paper is organized into three main sections. 1) Device technologies, including the trench NIOSFET, lateral MOSFET and lateral trench MOSFET, are discussed along with their intended applications. The critical role of device packaging to highfrequency integration is assessed. 2) Magnetic materials: In recent years, a number of new magnetic materials have been explored in various research labs to facilitate magnetic integration for high-frequency POL applications. These data are collected and organized to help selecting magnetic material for various current levels and frequency ranges. 3) Levels of integration, which are defined with the focus on magnetic integration techniques and approaches, namely board-level, package-level and wafer-level, each with suitable current scale and frequency range.
Good enough versus high assurance software testing and analysis methods

Good enough evaluation methods are reviewed, including low volume statistical testing. High assurance software is viewed as requiring high volume statistical testing, or analysis methods that prove that a program has certain desired properties. The weaknesses of some previous high assurance strategies are discussed, and a new approach called pattern directed testing and analysis is described. In this approach, design patterns are used to give high assurance for critical generic properties, and enough assurance for problem dependent functionality.
Revealing the inherent heterogeneity of human malignancies by variant consensus strategies coupled with cancer clonal analysis

Tumors are heterogeneous in composition. They are composed of cancer cells proper, along with stromal elements that collectively form a microenvironment, all of which are necessary to nurture the malignant process. In addition, many of the stromal cells are modified to support the unique needs of the malignant state. Tumors are composed of a variety of clones or subpopulations of cancer cells, which may differ in karyotype, growth rate, expression of cell surface markers, sensitivity to therapeutics, etc. New tools and methods to provide an improved understanding of tumor clonal architecture are needed to guide therapy.