cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic arsenate exposure affects amphipod size distribution and reproduction.

Arsenate (As V) is the predominant inorganic species of arsenic in oxic aquatic environments. Chronic water quality criteria for arsenate have not been established due to the scarcity of relevant studies on its impact on aquatic biota. We examined the acute and chronic effects of arsenate on the benthic amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus, an important test organism for ecotoxicological studies. We determined that a concentration of 1,971 µg/L arsenate induced 50% mortality (LC50) in juveniles in 96-hr water only exposure. Subsequently, we tested the efficacy of a 42-day sediment bioassay to determine chronic population-level effects. Specifically, we analyzed the survivorship, size distribution, reproduction and offspring sex ratio of this amphipod to a sublethal concentration of arsenate. The sublethal concentration was determined based on the results of the acute tests. Arsenate (500 µg/L) was added to seawater (20 psu) overlying natural sediments (particle sizes < 250 µm). Fifteen replicate chambers per treatment were employed, each stocked with 20 stage-sorted juvenile amphipods (500-600 µm). Five replicates per treatment were destructively sampled on week 3 and ten replicates were sampled on week 6. Arsenate exposure did not affect the survivorship of parental amphipods, as expected, but it decreased significantly the number of offspring in the largest size classes. By week 6, arsenate-exposed replicates had statistically fewer sexually mature offspring compared to controls, likely because the overall reproduction was suppressed. Arsenate exposed amphipods had significantly fewer offspring than controls by week 6 (9.3 vs. 19.1 per parent), but the sex ratio of the offspring was not altered. Our results indicate that size distribution and reproduction may be more sensitive endpoints than survivorship for the chronic effects of arsenate in oxic systems. The extended 42-day bioassay with Leptocheirus plumulosus is a very promising tool to study the effects of toxicants on population dynamics.
Highly Conductive Self-Healing Biocomposites Based on Protein Mediated Self-Assembly of PEDOT:PSS Films

Composites of conducting polymers offer a broad spectrum of materials for interfacing electronic devices with biological systems. Particularly, material systems based on poly(styrenesulfonate) dope...
Baccalauréat Practice Tests in Cameroon: The Impact of SMS-Based Exam Preparation

In Cameroon, no exam is more important than the baccalaureat, which serves as the gateway to adulthood and professional and higher-education aspirations. We build on existing literature on the benefits of practice tests to evaluate how SMS-based quizzes could help students in their final year of secondary school prepare for the baccalaureat. Students in 23 schools across Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, received multiple-choice questions four times per week for nine weeks leading up to the exam date. We examined baccalaureat pass rates and student feedback through 11 focus groups. We find that students used our practice tests for formative assessment and as a prompt for recall and review of study material. SMS-based quizzes were not isolated artifacts but were shared in the students' networks, built a distributed learning environment, and used as a focus of collaborative study sessions.
Investigating the effectiveness of fantasy stories for teaching scientific principles.

Abstract Educational media often contain fantastical information. Although some prior research suggests that this information interferes with children’s learning, other work shows that fantasy benefits learning under certain circumstances. To investigate this issue and to clarify how different types of fantastical events might affect children’s learning, we presented preschoolers (N = 99 in Study 1; N = 101 in Study 2) with stories that contained events that violated real-world physical laws, violated real-world biological laws, or did not violate any real-world laws. Within each story, we embedded two pieces of educational information, one each from the domains of biology and physics, to test (a) whether there are benefits of fantastical information on learning and (b) whether such benefits are domain specific. Across both studies, we found that children generally learned both types of information best from the story with physical violations, suggesting that such events can bolster children’s learning.
Characterization of NMOS-based ESD Protection for Wide-range Pulse Immunity

Several immunity requirements for electronic systems in automotive, using transient pulses with high energy, often cause EOS damage in automotive IC products. To improve the situation, IC suppliers need further understanding of device operation for the wide-range pulses beyond component level ESD pulses. This paper provides failure mechanisms for the wide-range pulses in 5V NMOS-based ESD protection which is widely used for the automotive IC products. Through our experimental results, it is clarified that copper interconnects in the ESD protection become more dominant for the pulse immunity beyond several tens of microseconds.
Drivers of exceptional coastal warming in the northeastern United States

The northeastern United States (NEUS) and the adjacent Northwest Atlantic Shelf (NWS) have emerged as warming hotspots, but the connection between them remains unexplored. Here we use gridded observational and reanalysis datasets to show that the twentieth-century surface air temperature increase along the coastal NEUS is exceptional on the continental and hemispheric scale and is induced by a combination of two factors: the sea surface temperature (SST) increase in the NWS associated with a weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and atmospheric circulation changes associated with a more persistent positive North Atlantic Oscillation. These connections are important because AMOC slowdown and NWS warming are projected to continue. A survey of climate model simulations indicates that realistic SST representation at high spatial resolution might be a minimum requirement to capture the observed pattern of coastal warming, suggesting that prior projection-based assessments may not have captured key features in this populous region. The coastal northeastern United States is a warming hotspot, and observations identify a slower Atlantic overturning circulation and a positive North Atlantic Oscillation phase as drivers. Analysis suggests that low horizontal resolution probably hampers models’ ability to capture the spatial pattern of enhanced warming.
Longitudinal Change in Exercise Capacity in Patients Following Ross Procedure

Background: Ross procedure (RP) is a surgical technique in which the irreparable aortic valve is replaced with pulmonary autograft and the pulmonary valve is replaced with pulmonary or aortic homograft. RP is usually performed in patients younger than 40 years of age, who wish to avoid long-term anticoagulation. Patients who underwent RP are known to have decreased exercise capacity (XC). However, there is paucity of data regarding longitudinal changes in XC in this population. Purpose: Our aim was to assess longitudinal changes in XC in patients who had …
Social support in the service sector: The antecedents, processes, and outcomes of social support in an introductory service

We examine the role of social support in a service business and its effects on clients' willingness to recommend the service. This study utilized interviews (n − 28) and surveys (n − 92) with clients of a non-profit introductory service assisting singles in finding a lifelong partner. We examined clients' beliefs about marriage, children, singlehood, and service utilization; the practical, social support, and psychosocial benefits in service utilization; and the relationship of these benefits to clients' willingness to recommend the service. Results show that clients received social support and psychosocial benefits in these brief encounters. Clients' assessment of this assistance was significantly related to their willingness to recommend the service. The findings point to the importance of the quality of interpersonal contact in service encounters and extend earlier work on the provision of social support in business transactions.
Cerebral dysgeneses secondary to metabolic disorders in fetal life.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of both clinical and experimental observations that link several prenatal-onset metabolic disorders to cerebral dysgeneses. Perturbation of cellular metabolism during critical periods of embryonic or fetal brain development can often explain both cause and effect cerebral dysgeneses. Prenatal metabolic disturbances may result from the effects of nutritional deficits, environmental toxins, and genetic mutation. The mechanisms by which cellular metabolic alterations disrupt sequential stages in cerebral morphogenesis are the study of biochemical genetics, developmental neurobiology, pediatric neuropathology, teratology, and clinical child neurology. The large amounts of data produced in these diverse areas of study create ongoing challenges for clinical classification, model building, and outcome analysis. The identification of cerebral dysgeneses has progressed rapidly with the routine use of prenatal ultrasound and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnostic evaluation of children with cerebral growth abnormalities, seizures, and nonspecific developmental delays. Metabolic screening technologies, such as prenatal α-fetoprotein and neonatal tandem mass-spectroscopy testing, contribute to the earlier recognition of metabolic disorders.
Mutagenicity studies of ambient airborne particles: I. Comparison of solvent systems

Organic materials were extracted from airborne particles by shaking with different solvent systems including acetone, benzene, cyclohexane, dichloromethane (DCM), methanol, a mixture of acetone and DCM and a combination of benzene, cyclohexane and methanol. The solvent-extracted materials were tested for mutagenic activity with the Ames Salmonella/microsomal assay system. Acetone- and cyclohexane-extracted materials gave the highest and lowest mutagenic activities, respectively. Re-extraction experiments confirmed that most of the mutagenic material from air particles cannot be extracted by cyclohexane. The sequential extraction with acetone followed by DCM gave a better mutagenic response than acetone alone or acetone in combination with DCM. Extraction with varying amounts of solvent indicated that 1 ml of acetone per mg of airborne particles reached the maximum recovery of mutagenic material.
Software Pipelining of Nested Loops

Software pipelining is a technique to improve the performance of a loop by overlapping the execution of several iterations. The execution of a software-pipelined loop goes through three phases: prolog, kernel, and epilog. Software pipelining works best if most of the time is spent in the kernel phase rather than in the prolog or epilog phases. This can happen only if the trip count of a pipelined loop is large enough to amortize the overhead of prolog and epilog phases. When a software-pipelined loop is part of a loop nest, the overhead of filling and draining the pipeline is incurred for every iteration of the outer loop. This paper introduces two novel methods to minimize the overhead of software-pipeline fill/drain in nested loops. In effect, these methods overlap the draining of the software pipeline corresponding to one outer loop iteration with the filling of the software pipeline corresponding to one or more subsequent outer loop iterations. This results in better instruction-level parallelism (ILP) for the loop nest, particularly for loop nests in which the trip counts of inner loops are small. These methods exploit Itanium™ architecture software pipelining features such as predication, register rotation, and explicit epilog stage control, to minimize the code size overhead associated with such a transformation. However, the key idea behind these methods is applicable to other architectures as well. These methods have been prototyped in the Intel optimizing compiler for the Itanium™ processor. Experimental results on SPEC2000 benchmark programs are presented.
Design of the Efficacy of Prednisone in the Treatment of Ocular Myasthenia (EPITOME) trial

Efficacy of Prednisone in the Treatment of Ocular Myasthenia (EPITOME) is a multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial that is being conducted under the auspices of the Muscle Study Group. EPITOME is the first randomized control trial in patients with ocular myasthenia and aims to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of prednisone over a period of four months in patients with newly diagnosed ocular myasthenia whose symptoms have failed to remit in response to a trial of cholinesterase inhibitor therapy.
The Power of Energy

As a physicist and long time environmental activist, it has become apparent that the decline of Critical Thinking in our society has coincided with popular support of palliative solutions to our energy problems. Few proponents of renewable energy schemes are bothering to use scientific methodology. Their standard excuse for not properly checking out specious industry claims is some version of "we don't have the time." This paper discusses the energy situation from scientific, economic, and environmental perspectives.
Disintegration and Escape

For the purpose of this paper a gravitational system is a set of a finite number n of mass-particles governed by Newton’s Law, and moving through all future time without singularity.
Metabolic characteristics of keto-adapted ultra-endurance runners

Abstract Background Many successful ultra-endurance athletes have switched from a high-carbohydrate to a low-carbohydrate diet, but they have not previously been studied to determine the extent of metabolic adaptations. Methods Twenty elite ultra-marathoners and ironman distance triathletes performed a maximal graded exercise test and a 180min submaximal run at 64% VO 2 max on a treadmill to determine metabolic responses. One group habitually consumed a traditional high-carbohydrate (HC: n=10 , %carbohydrate:protein:fat=59:14:25) diet, and the other a low-carbohydrate (LC; n=10 , 10:19:70) diet for an average of 20months (range 9 to 36months). Results Peak fat oxidation was 2.3-fold higher in the LC group (1.54±0.18 vs 0.67±0.14g/min; P=0.000 ) and it occurred at a higher percentage of VO 2 max (70.3±6.3 vs 54.9±7.8%; P=0.000 ). Mean fat oxidation during submaximal exercise was 59% higher in the LC group (1.21±0.02 vs 0.76±0.11g/min; P=0.000 ) corresponding to a greater relative contribution of fat (88±2 vs 56±8%; P=0.000 ). Despite these marked differences in fuel use between LC and HC athletes, there were no significant differences in resting muscle glycogen and the level of depletion after 180min of running (−64% from pre-exercise) and 120min of recovery (−36% from pre-exercise). Conclusion Compared to highly trained ultra-endurance athletes consuming an HC diet, long-term keto-adaptation results in extraordinarily high rates of fat oxidation, whereas muscle glycogen utilization and repletion patterns during and after a 3hour run are similar.
Concerning the Application of FT-IR to the Study of Coal: A Critical Assessment of Band Assignments and the Application of Spectral Analysis Programs

The problems associated with the application of FT-IR to the characterization of coal structure are critically discussed. The controversies concerning band assignments are considered and it is concluded that the strong 1600 cm−1 band can be assigned to an aromatic ring stretching mode that in most coals is intensity enhanced by the presence of phenolic groups. The application of computer routines to the determination of OH and CH groups is considered. Established criteria for curve fitting are applied to the problem. Qualitative identification of functional groups is achieved, but consistent quantitative measurements will require a determination of the relationship between the extinction coefficients of resolved bands.
SnapShot: Nonhomologous DNA End Joining (NHEJ)

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are serious genetic lesions that must be repaired to prevent catastrophic loss of chromosomes. In general, two classes of mechanisms exist for repairing double-strand breaks, homologous recombination (HR) or nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). HR requires an identical (or nearly identical) template strand of DNA to mend a lesion whereas NHEJ repairs a double-strand gap in DNA without a homologous template (middle upper panel).NHEJ, however, is not entirely devoid of guiding information. Short stretches of complementary “microhomology” sequences (1–10 base pairs) often appear at repair junc-tions, suggesting that limited base pairing between two ends of a double-strand break is exploited during repair. Thus, NHEJ is guided entirely by information in the lesion, which makes NHEJ error prone in comparison to HR. Nonetheless, NHEJ is optimal and necessary for double-strand break repair during the cell-cycle stages (i.e., G0 and G1) when sis-ter chromatids are not available to guide more accurate repair by HR. Most notably, NHEJ is incredibly flexible in terms of its substrates and repair mechanisms. In this SnapShot, we describe the wide range of lesions on which NHEJ operates, the diverse mechanisms used to join these breaks, and the many outcomes possible at the repaired junctions.
Microbial adaptations to envrionmental change: a moving target for global change ecology

As the abiotic conditions that structure biological communities and elicit physiological responses continue to change at an unprecedented rate, we need to understand how biological responses to global change will affect ecosystem functioning. A number of studies have detected shifts in the structure of microbial communities in response to experimental warming, elevated CO2 altered precipitation, and increased N deposition. However, since the links between microbial phylogeny and function are poorly understood, it can be challenging to predict how these changes in community structure will affect the rates of specific processes. It is often assumed that the high diversity of microbial communities makes them functionally redundant, and thus changes in community composition should have no direct effects. This paradigm has resulted in model structures that famously represent microbes as ‘black boxes'. Recently, significant progress has been made in linking microbial community structure to function, and efforts have been made to incorporate microbial physiology into biogeochemical models. Most efforts to predict the rates of microbially driven processes under future climates have extrapolated contemporary relationships between abiotic drivers and process rates, derived from either short-term lab studies under artificial conditions, or from large-scale patterns across resource or climate gradients. This approach assumes that the nature of these relationships will not change through time. However, recent studies have shown that microbial communities can acclimate to changing environments over time. For example, we recently found that the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration decreased in response to experimental warming in forest mineral soils. This mechanism may contribute to the ephemeral stimulation of respiration following experimental warming that has been observed at many sites, and has important implications for soil C responses to climate change. Other research suggests the ability of microbes to adapt to environmental change can be constrained by nutrient availability. In aquatic systems, the ability of bacteria to acclimate to temperature regimes, possibly through modifcations in cell wall structure, can be limited by P. Similarly, in soils, N availability can modify the balance of r vs K selected microbes, thus altering the ability of microbial communities to utilize short-lived pulses in C availability due to rhizodeposition or precipitation events. Ongoing research will elucidate the specific nature of biological adaptation and acclimation that will enable us to better constrain ecosystem response to global change and manage for preferential outcomes.*The audio track for talks in this symposium may be obtained at the following web address:**https://sites.google.com/site/esa2010symposium13audiocontent/esa2010-symposium13-audio-content*
Fluorinated Analogs of Ins(1,4,5)P3

Abstract 2-Fluoro-2-deoxy-Ins(1,4,5)P 3 ( ) and 2,2-difluoro-2-deoxy-Ins(1,4,5)P 3 ( ) were synthesized from protected inositol precursors. The monofluoro compound with free 3,6-hydroxyl groups underwent slow defluorination at pH > 13, as determined by 19 F-NMR, while the difluoro compound was inert.
A novel NLFM waveform generator using tunable integrated optical ring resonators: simulation and proof of concept experiment

The NLFM waveform resulting from a tunable integrated optical ring resonator is simulated and compared with the well known tan-FM waveform. The metrics of interest are the first sidelobe levels and FWHM times of the autocorrelation, as these directly relate to the long-range performance and fine range resolution of a LADAR system, and should ideally be as small as possible. Through simulation, the sidelobe level of the autocorrelation of an NLFM waveform generated by a series of tunable integrated optical ring resonators is shown to be lower than the autocorrelation sidelobe level of an equivalent optimized tan-FM waveform with an equal FWHM time. A proof of concept experiment employing thermally tunable Silicon Nitride integrated optical ring resonator is shown to generate NLFM chirped waveforms with frequency chirps of 28 kHz.
Targeted Prevention of Childhood Anxiety: Engaging Parents in an Underserved Community

Selective prevention programs hold the promise of alleviating child anxiety symptoms, decreasing the risk for emotional problems across the lifespan. Such programs have particular public health import for young children of poor, underserved communities. Identifying factors related to parent engagement, and methods to improve engagement, are paramount in the effort to develop anxiety-focused, community prevention programs. This feasibility study investigated the effect of an enhanced recruitment strategy to maximize parent engagement, as well as factors related to attendance in a single session focused on anxiety prevention. Participants were poor, ethnic minority parents of children aged 11–71 months (n = 256) who completed a survey that assessed anxiety risk according to trauma exposure, child anxiety, or parent anxiety, as well as preferences for preventive services (phase 1). Those meeting risk criteria (n = 101) were invited to a preventive group session (phase 2). Half of parents received enhanced recruitment (ER), which included personalized outreach, matching parent preferences, and community endorsement. Other parents were invited by mail. Chi square analyses indicated that ER was associated with planning to attend (49 vs. 6 % of control). Parents receiving ER were 3.5 times more likely to attend. Higher sociodemographic risk was correlated with higher child anxiety symptoms but not attendance. Results highlight the need for improved strategies for engaging parents in preventive, community-based interventions.
Conservative management of primary cervical lymphoma using combination chemotherapy: A case report

A 22-year-old nulligravida presented with a stage IE/IIIB primary malignant lymphoma of the cervix which measured 8 cm in diameter. In order to preserve reproductive potential, a 12-week course of methotrexate with leucovorin rescue, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and bleomycin was administered. One month later a 4-cm-diameter left parametrial mass was excised at laparotomy; no tumor was detected in the specimens obtained. Menses resumed after an additional 6 months. The patient was clinically disease-free at the 33-month follow-up.
Tolerance of grapefruit and Mexican fruit fly larvae to heated controlled atmospheres

Abstract The potential for disinfesting grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) of Mexican fruit fly by heating the fruit in a controlled atmosphere was evaluated by comparing larval mortality and fruit quality after heat treatments with or without altered levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The mortality of third instar, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) larvae was significantly higher when larvae were heated at 44 °C in 1% oxygen for 2 h than when larvae were heated for the same amount of time at the same temperature in air or in air enriched to 20% carbon dioxide. Reducing the concentration of oxygen to 1 from 21% (air) during a heat treatment resulted in a 30% shorter exposure time (3.5 vs. 5 h) to achieve 100% larval mortality. The concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside the grapefruit during exposure to 46 °C were significantly different when the fruit were exposed to low oxygen, air, or high carbon dioxide during heating. Inconsistent fruit quality results warrant further study to optimize controlled atmosphere conditions during heating.
Transverse energy and forward energy production in a high energy nuclear collision model.

Distributions of transverse energy, forward energy, and {ital dE}{sub {ital T}}/{ital d}{eta} from 60{ital A} GeV and 200{ital A} GeV {sup 16}O-induced and 200{ital A} GeV {sup 32}S-induced nuclear collision with Al, Cu, Ag, and Au are calculated by a high energy nuclear collision model and compared to recent experimental data from the WA80 Collaboration at CERN. The high energy nuclear collision Monte Carlo model which is based on the concept of independent multiple nucleon-nucleon collisions, describes the experimental data at forward-rapidity and midrapidity well.
Low Prealbumin Level Is a Risk Factor for Microvascular Free Flap Failure

Purpose The purposes of this study were 1) to estimate and compare the 1-month survival rates of patients with acute malnutrition (low prealbumin level) and patients who are not malnourished (normal prealbumin level) and 2) to identify risk factors associated with microvascular free flap failure. Materials and Methods To address the research purposes, we designed a retrospective cohort study and enrolled a sample composed of patients who underwent head and neck microvascular reconstruction and had prealbumin levels measured in the perioperative period. The primary predictor variable was nutritional status (low vs normal prealbumin level). The primary outcome variable was flap survival. One-month survival rates were estimated by use of Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Risk factors for free flap failure were identified by use of multivariate marginal Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results The sample was composed of 162 patients who underwent microvascular free tissue transfer during the study enrollment period. The 1-month survival estimates for patients who were and were not malnourished were 76.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.8% to 90.5%) and 95.2% (95% CI, 90.1% to 97.7%), respectively ( P = .002). In the adjusted Cox hazards proportions model, acute malnutrition was associated with a 4-fold increased risk of failure ( P = .04) in comparison with those patients with a normal nutritional status. Conclusions Acute malnutrition in patients undergoing microvascular free flap reconstruction in the head and neck region was associated with an increased risk for free flap failure.
Conversion of jet fuel and butanol to syngas by filtration combustion

Abstract Replacing batteries with fuel cells is a promising approach for powering portable devices; however, hydrogen fuel generation and storage are challenges to the acceptance of this technology. A potential solution to this problem is on-site fuel reforming, in which a rich fuel/air mixture is converted to a hydrogen-rich syngas. In this paper, we present experimental results of the conversion of jet fuel (Jet-A) and butanol to syngas by non-catalytic filtration combustion in a porous media reactor operating over a wide range of equivalence ratios and inlet velocities. Since the focus of this study is the production of syngas, our primary results are the hydrogen yield, the carbon monoxide yield, and the energy conversion efficiency. In addition, the production of soot that occurred during testing is discussed for both fuels. Finally, an analysis of the potential for these fuels and others to be converted to syngas based on the present experiments and data available in the literature is presented. This study is intended to increase the understanding of filtration combustion for syngas production and to illuminate the potential of these fuels for conversion to syngas by non-catalytic methods.
A Possible Predocking Attachment Site for N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive Fusion Protein INSIGHTS FROM IN VITRO ENDOSOME FUSION

N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) is an ubiquitous protein required for multiple vesicular transport events. We have investigated the role of the two nucleotide-binding regions of NSF in endosomal fusion by analyzing NSF mutants in a cell-free system. Our results indicate that mutations on the first ATP-binding domain, that render a protein defective in either ATP binding or ATP hydrolysis, results in almost complete inhibition of endosomal fusion. A mutation in the second ATP-binding site of NSF was only slightly inhibitory. The inhibitory effect was observed only when the mutant proteins were added at early times during the fusion reaction indicating that NSF may be required for an early step during the docking/fusion process. Binding studies using Western blotting reveal that the binding of NSF mutants to endosomal membranes is differentially affected by Ca2+. Our results indicate that NSF, depending on its nucleotide state, may interact with membranes via an alternate mechanism. Our findings suggest the existence of a predocking binding site either independent of the docking complex or a site that leads to the formation of the SNAP-SNARE complex (e.g. 20 S particle).
Talking Race, Marketing Culture: The Racial Habitus In and Out of Apartheid

This article uses the concept of habitus to address the puzzle of past-in-present racial formations. Although formal ideologies of white supremacy may be suddenly overturned, the embodied dispositions of the habitus should prove durable and may even improvise new practices that transpose old racial schemata into new settings. Evidence for these propositions derives from an ethnography of marketing practices inside a leisure firm in postapartheid South Africa. In the organizational backstage, veteran white managers routinely categorize consumers as desired "whities" versus denigrated "darkies." But a second discourse of marketing, found in the frontstage, uses survey data to divide the market into "blue-collar" and "jazz" types. By structuring marketing strategy to attract the former and repel the latter, managers exclude black consumers and euphemize such exclusion vis-a-vis the state and other public audiences. Findings extend not only racial formation theory, but also U.S.-based understandings of discrimination.
Paleointensity record in zero-age submarine basalt glasses: testing a new dating technique for recent MORBs

Abstract Thellier–Thellier paleointensity experiments were conducted on a collection of glasses from three very recent submarine axial flows. Two were erupted along the Juan de Fuca ridge at around 46°N and one along the East Pacific Rise South at around 18°S. The within-sample dispersion of paleointensity results from the ‘Animal Farm’ flow (EPR south) is very low and leads to a well-defined mean value of 35.6±1 μT (95% error on the mean) based on 11 glass chips from four independent samples. Today’s geomagnetic field intensity in the area is 31.2 μT. Comparing Animal Farm results with published field model reference curves developed for the past 400 yr suggests an eruptive date estimated between 1880 A.D. and 1950 A.D. (taking into account different sources of errors). This is consistent with qualitative evidence for the age of this flow and constitutes the first precise demonstration of using paleointensity as a dating tool for very recent mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). However in the Juan de Fuca area results show a more erratic pattern with samples varying by up to 30% higher and lower from the expected value of about 55 μT. The dispersion is attributed to the large local crustal magnetic anomalies in this area that can lead to inconsistent intensity values over the same unit. Local magnetic anomalies should thus always be checked when doing paleointensity on MORB samples which should also be distributed as widely as possible in a flow unit. When no significant magnetic anomalies are detected the paleointensity dating tool is anticipated to be especially efficient to investigate the volcanic cyclicity along the EPR axis during the last several hundred years.
An Empirical Study of the Challenges Facing Hospitality Master's Programs: a Hotel Industry Perspective:

As master's-level hospitality programs continue to grow in size and number, concerns still remain over the acceptability and recognition of such programs by the hotel industry. In order to understand the challenges faced by these programs, it was considered appropriate to conduct an empirical investigation that would reveal the gap between perceptions of corporate hotel executives and master's level hospitality students. The study reported in this article investigated the career path, educational background, and perceptions of 106 corporate hotel executives compared to the educational preparation, anticipated career path, and perceptions of 130 master's- level students in the United States. There were significant differences between the career-paths of hotel executives and the anticipated career-paths of students. Students appeared to have unrealistic expectations of securing corporate-level positions immediately upon graduation when executives' experiences are that most of them started their careers at t...
Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF)-dependent, Pluripotent Stem Cells Established from Inner Cell Mass of Porcine Embryos

The pig is important for agriculture and as an animal model in human and veterinary medicine, yet despite over 20 years of effort, there has been a failure to generate pluripotent stem cells analogous to those derived from mouse embryos. Here we report the production of leukemia inhibitory factor-dependent, so-called naive type, pluripotent stem cells from the inner cell mass of porcine blastocysts by up-regulating expression of KLF4 and POU5F1. The alkaline phosphatase-positive colonies resulting from reprogramming resemble mouse embryonic stem cells in colony morphology, cell cycle interval, transcriptome profile, and expression of pluripotent markers, such as POU5F1, SOX2, and surface marker SSEA1. They are dependent on leukemia inhibitory factor signaling for maintenance of pluripotency, can be cultured over extended passage, and have the ability to form teratomas. These cells derived from the inner cell mass of pig blastocysts are clearly distinct from the FGF2-dependent "primed" induced pluripotent stem cells described recently from porcine mesenchymal cells. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the up-regulation of KLF4, as well as POU5F1, is required to create and stabilize the naive pluripotent state and may explain why the derivation of embryonic stem cells from pigs and other ungulates has proved so difficult.
Thin film 0–3 polymer/piezoelectric ceramic composites: Piezoelectric paints

Abstract In this paper we summarize our investigation of the electrical properties of thin-film 0–3 polymer-ceramic composites. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the principle that a piezoelectric paint can indeed be prepared. Two polymers, an acrylic copolymer and a polyurethane, were utilized in our research. Both were loaded with 60–70 volume percent PZT and a coprecipitated PbTiO3. The addition of various surfactants and dispersing agents to the acrylate-based composites was necessary to aid in dispersing the ceramic particles in the polymer matrix. The hydrostatic strain and voltage coefficients, along with the ‘figures of merit’ for PZT-filled acrylic and polyurethane composites were found to be significantly larger than values reported previously for other 0–3 polymer-PZT composites. For acrylic copolymer-coprecipitated PbTiO3 composites, the hydrostatic coefficients were found to be roughly 50% larger than the comparable PZT-filled materials. For example, gh dh ranged from about ...
Interference map for 802.11 networks

The interference map of an 802.11 network is a collection of data structures that can help heuristics for routing, channel assignment and call admission in dense wireless networks. The map can be obtained from detailed measurements, which are time consuming and require network down time. We explore methods and models to produce the interference map with a reduced number of measurements, by identifying interference properties that help to extrapolate complex measurements from simple measurements. Actual interference in an 802.11a testbed is shown to follow certain regularities - it is linear with respect to packet rate of the source, packet rate of the interferer, and shows independence among interferers. When multiple cards are available, they behave differently, and even different channels of the same card have different performance. We find that while current methods of gathering the interference map may be appropriate for characterizing interference in one card networks, they are unscalable for multiple card networks when considering: 802.11 characteristics (card and channel asymmetries, time variation), required downtime, and complexity of the measurement procedure.
3D particle size distributions from 2D observations : stereology for natural applications

Abstract We have developed a general formulation for stereological analysis of particle distributions which is applicable to any particle size or size distribution (not limited to log-normal, unimodal, etc.). We have applied numerical techniques to define intersection probability distributions for any shapes (previously only known for spheres), and quantified the errors involved in using spherical coefficients for various non-spherical particles. This stereological technique is based on knowing the probability distribution of random cross-sections through various particles so that `small circle' cross-sections can be subtracted from an observed population to provide the 3D size distribution of particles. The results indicate that the most important parameter controlling calculated size distribution is particle aspect ratio. For a distribution of particles with a specific aspect ratio or range of aspect ratios, variations of particle form (spherical vs. cubic; rectangular vs. elliptical) do not alter the results, so the technique can be applied to a range of particle shapes. Applications can be made in a petrology, volcanology, and other fields, only a few of which can also be treated using expensive X-ray techniques.
Spinal Bone Mineral Loss in Estrogen-Replete, Calcium-Replete Premenopausal Women

After peak bone mass in women is attained, the benefits of increased dietary calcium or supplemental calcium are uncertain. In a longitudinal, 4-year study we have investigated the effect of calcium intake on bone mineral in a group of 41 premenopausal women, aged 38–42 years at entry. Skeletal density was measured four times during the 4-year follow-up; spinal trabecular bone density (STBD) was measured by quantitative computed tomography, and midradius bone mineral density (RBMD) was measured by single photon absorptiometry. At baseline, no differences in bone density were observed among subjects in the highest and lowest quartiles of habitual dietary intake. Overall, STBD declined −0.86±0.15% per year (p<0.001), but RBMD did not decline. Total calcium intake (dietary calcium plus supplemental calcium) did not correlate with the rate of STBD loss. Serum estradiol level did not decrease during the study, and bone loss did not correlate with the mean estradiol level. We conclude that premenopausal women in the fifth decade lose about 1% of spinal trabecular mineral yearly, in spite of a normal serum estradiol level and ample calcium intake.
Mechanisms of metal-catalyzed oxidation of histidine to 2-oxo-histidine in peptides and proteins

The metal-catalyzed oxidation of histidine (His) to 2-oxo-histidine (2-oxo-His) represents an important pathway of protein oxidation in vivo and in vitro. In the pharmaceutical literature this pathway has received less attention. However, this fact may not necessarily represent reality as, in some cases, the analysis of His oxidation in proteins may be compromised by aggregation and precipitation of the target protein. For predicting the susceptibility of His residues in proteins it is important to understand in detail how protein sequence and conformation control the mechanisms of His oxidation to 2-oxo-His, reviewed in this paper.
Synthesis of a heparinized poly(organophosphazene).

Abstract The synthesis of a new potential anti-thrombogenic polymer is described. Limited halogenation of an aryloxysubstituted polyphosphazene, followed by quaternization with triethylamine yielded a polymer capable of forming polyelectrolyte complexes with sodium heparin. The results of preliminary clotting tests with bovine blood are presented.
Horny layer lipids. II. Further studies on the overall chemical composition of lipids from normal and pathological human stratum corneum.

In a previous report (1) we described some studies of the lipids from human horny layers. We have continued this work using improved extraction and analytical techniques. The results confirm and amplify our previous findings.
A multiparameter Garsia–Rodemich–Rumsey inequality and some applications

Abstract We extend the classical Garsia–Rodemich–Rumsey inequality to the multiparameter situation. The new inequality is applied to obtain some joint Holder continuity along the rectangles for fractional Brownian fields W ( t , x ) and for the solution u ( t , y ) of the stochastic heat equation with additive white noise.
Contribution of Na+/Ca2+ exchange to excessive Ca2+ loading in dendrites and somata of CA1 neurons in acute slice

Multiple Ca(2+) entry routes have been implicated in excitotoxic Ca(2+) loading in neurons and reverse-operation of sodium-calcium exchangers (NCX) has been shown to contribute under conditions where intracellular Na(+) levels are enhanced. We have investigated effects of KB-R7943, an inhibitor of reverse-operation NCX activity, on Ca(2+) elevations in single CA1 neurons in acute hippocampal slices. KB-R7943 had no significant effect on input resistance, action potential waveform, or action potential frequency adaptation, but reduced L-type Ca(2+) entry in somata. Nimodipine was therefore included in subsequent experiments to prevent complication from effects of L-type influx on evaluation of NCX activity. NMDA produced transient primary Ca(2+) increases, followed by propagating secondary Ca(2+) increases that initiated in apical dendrites. KB-R7943 had no significant effect on primary or secondary Ca(2+) increases generated by NMDA. The Na(+)/K(+) ATPase inhibitor ouabain (30 microM) produced degenerative Ca(2+) overload that was initiated in basal dendrites. KB-R7943 significantly reduced initial Ca(2+) increases and delayed the propagation of degenerative Ca(2+) loads triggered by ouabain, raising the possibility that excessive intracellular Na(+) loading can trigger reverse-operation NCX activity. A combination of NMDA and ouabain produced more rapid Ca(2+) overload, that was contributed to by NCX activity. These results suggest that degenerative Ca(2+) signaling can be triggered by NMDA in dendrites, before intracellular Na(+) levels become sufficient to reverse NCX activity. However, since Na(+)/K(+) ATPase inhibition does appear to produce significant reverse-operation NCX activity, this additional Ca(2+) influx pathway may operate in ATP-deprived CA1 neurons and play a role in ischemic neurodegeneration.
On solutions continuously differentiable on ℝ+ for systems of linear functional differential equations with linearly transformed argument

We obtain conditions for the existence of solutions continuous on ℝ+ for a system of linear functional differential equations with linearly transformed argument.
Systems Thinking: A Skill to Improve Student Achievement

(2004). Systems Thinking: A Skill to Improve Student Achievement. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 77, No. 5, pp. 222-230.
A Spatio-Temporal Methodology for Real-Time Biosurveillance

﻿A new spatio-temporal biosurveillance methodology called the repeated two-sample rank (RTR) procedure is introduced. The procedure is designed to sequentially incorporated data from individual observations so that it can operate in real-time as the dat..
Binding of monomeric organic compounds to marcomolecular dissolved organic matter in seawater

Abstract Several monomeric organic compounds, including amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids, were found to bind abiologically to dissolved macromolecular materials in particle-free seawater at natural substrate concentrations. The binding primarily occurred in ocean surface waters, at rates slower than in situ biological utilization rates of most of the compounds. Seasonal patterns of binding in Gulf of Maine waters may have been related to seasonal variations in macroalgal exudation of polyphenolic materials. Enhanced reactivity of relatively hydrophobic monomers implicated hydrophobic effects as potentially important in marine organic condensations. The resultant condensates showed high particle reactivity, consistent with low concentrations of dissolved condensed materials in seawater.
Catalase turnover in human diploid cell cultures

Abstract The rates of synthesis and degradation of catalase protein were measured in cultures of human diploid fibroblasts by the method of Price et al. [10] which employs 3-aminotriazole as an irreversible inhibitor of catalase without affecting its synthesis. The half-life of catalase has been estimated at approx. 30 h, a value comparable to that obtained for rat and mouse liver catalase. The turnover of catalase is influenced by a factor present in fetal calf serum which is inactivated during incubation. Suboptimal amounts of this serum factor retard both synthesis and degradation of catalase, resulting in a reduction in the cell content of catalase. From the double isotope method of Arias et al. [18] it would appear that catalase is turning over more slowly than average cellular protein.
Association between tree pollen counts and asthma ED visits in a high-density urban center.

Background. Asthma exacerbation patterns are cyclic in nature and often correlate with air particle concentrations. Objective. To examine the relationship between asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits and outdoor air quality for pediatric and adult patients in a high asthma prevalence area, the New York City borough of the Bronx. Methods. Numbers of daily asthma-related adult and pediatric ED visits during one complete year (1999) were obtained from the seven major Bronx hospitals. Daily values of nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and pollen counts were acquired. Results. Asthma-related ED visit numbers were highest in December–January and lowest in July. There were three distinct peaks of increased asthma ED visits: winter (December–January), spring (late April–May), and fall (October). The spring peak was the most striking and coincided with high tree pollen counts (tree pollen: r = 0.90, p = .03). We observed a positive correlation between asthma ED visits in the winter...