cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microtubules have special physical associations with smooth endoplasmic reticula and mitochondria in axons

Abstract Ultrastructural morphometry was used to document the non-random spatial distributions of organelles within the compact myelinated region of avian oculomotor axons. These regions contain large numbers of loosely packed neurofilaments (NFs) (241/μm2) and only a relatively small number of microtubules (MTs) (4/μm2), mitochondria (0.6/μm2), and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) (1.6/μm2). Random co-occurrences between the relatively sparsely distributed MTs, mitochondria, and SER are probably infrequent in these axons. The actual co-occurrences of MTs, mitochondria, and SER with MTs were counted and compared to the co-occurrences expected in a random Poisson distribution. At long distances (200 nm), the co-occurrences were random. At shorter distances (40 nm and less), MTs were still randomly associated with other MTs. However, at these shorter distances, the spatial associations of mitochondria with MTs and of SER with MTs were not random; such preferential stable associations may be produced by specific MT associated cross-bridging proteins. In axons, MTs tend to be clustered together, giving the appearance of MT bundles. We propose that the MT-MT bundling is an indirect result of MT concentration along the continuous intra-axonal SER network, to which the MTs are apparently tied directly by dynamic molecular cross-bridges.
Applications of image analysis to soil micromorphology.

Abstract The technique of image analysis allows scientists to study images as digital data. The equipment and procedure for image analysis are briefly discussed. Its application to soil thin sections is illustrated. Examples of potential applications in soil ecological studies are given. It is proposed that image analysis is most useful in soil ecology to study the effect of faunal activity on soil structure and litter turnover.
Delivery of membrane impermeable cargo into CHO cells by peptide nanoparticles targeted by a protein corona

Nanocarriers can fulfill essential functions in the stabilization and delivery of drugs: they prevent solubility issues and degradation, reduce side effects and modify the pharmacokinetic profile. However, particle based pharmaceuticals are complex and thus challenging to scale up. As formulation routines account for a large fraction of production costs, reducing complexity in the process of assembly, loading and functionalization of nanoparticles is desirable. Unlike existing approaches with similar goals, our protocol is designed to minimize usage of material and time. Prerequisite to this elegant one-step-procedure is the controlled phase-separation of a hydrophobic peptide to nanoparticles, inducing concurrent cargo-entrapment and association of a protein corona. We demonstrate the process by assembling Flutax-2 containing peptide nanoparticles functionalized with transferrin. Cellular uptake of the particles and cargo release depend on specific particle-cell interactions via transferrin receptor. These data indicate corona-mediated delivery of membrane impermeable cargo in vitro by a particulate delivery system entirely composed of amino acids.
PROMOTING AWARENESS of LGBT Issues in Aging in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Abstract It is estimated that up to 10 percent of the American population is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and that up to 7 million members of this population are elderly. Both the Institute of Medicine and Healthy People 2020 have addressed the health disparities that affect elderly members of the LGBT community. Nurses are well positioned to bridge health disparities and provide culturally sensitive care across the lifespan, but compared with that of other disciplines, the nursing literature is lacking in content addressing LGBT health. Eliminating health disparities in the care of LGBT elders should be a priority in nursing education. The authors review the issues LGBT elders face and recommend how content related to LGBT aging can be integrated into nursing curricula.
Securing web services

The Web service security challenge is to understand and assess the risk involved in securing a Web-based service today, based on our existing security technology, and at the same time track emerging standards and understand how they will be used to offset the risk in new Web services. Any security model must illustrate how data can flow through an application and network topology to meet the requirements defined by the business without exposing the data to undue risk. In this paper we propose a mechanism for the client to provide authentication data, based on the service definition, and for the service provider to retrieve those data. We also show how XML Digital Signatures and encryption can be exploited to achieve a level of trust.
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Mist Jet Impingement Cooling

Experimental data and analytical predictions for air/liquid mist jet cooling of small heat sources are presented. The mist jet was created using a coaxial jet atomizer, with a liquid jet of diameter 190 μm located on the axis of an annular air jet of diameter 2 mm. The impingement surface was a square of side 6.35 mm. Experimental data were obtained with mists of both methanol and water. Surface-averaged heat fluxes as high as 60 W/cm 2 could be dissipated with the methanol/air mist while maintaining the target surface below 70°C. With the water/air mist, a heat flux of 60 W/cm 2 could be dissipated with the target surface at 80°C. Major trends in the data and model predictions have been explained in terms of the underlying hydrodynamic and heat transfer phenomena.
Carbohydrate Metabolism in Dictyostelium discoideum: II. Systems' Analysis

A transition model of carbohydrate metabolism during differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum was described in Wright & Albe (1994, J. theor. Biol. 168, 231-241). From this base model, two steady-state models are derived in which concentration and flux are consistent with culmination (600 min) or young sorocarp (700 min) stages of development. These steady-state models are analyzed using metabolic control theory (MCT), and the summation property is met for metabolites, individual flux rates, and overall flux control coefficients. The MCT analyses show that flux control differs between the two stages. At culmination, cellulose synthetase is the major control point for overall pathway flux (C = 0.86) whereas at young sorocarp, glycogen phosphorylase is the major control point (C = 0.89). This is a reflection of the increased competition between the endproduct synthases, which are used to define overall pathway flux. Thus the specific metabolic state of the cells is important in assessing control distribution. The significance of this work in understanding the mechanisms controlling biochemical differentiation is discussed and related to the work of others in the field. For example, mutant analysis can reveal which enzymes are essential to differentiation (most are) but cannot reveal which enzymes are unique and/or rate-controlling.
Electrochemical stimulation of microbial perchlorate reduction.

As part of our studies into the diversity of dissimilatory perchlorate reducing bacteria (DPRB) we investigated the reduction of perchlorate in the cathodic chamber of a bioelectrical reactor (BER). Our results demonstrated that washed cells of Dechloromonas and Azospira species readily reduced 90 mg L-1 perchlorate in the BER with 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate (AQDS) as a mediator. No perchlorate was reduced in the absence of cells or AQDS, or in an open-circuit control. Similar results were observed when a natural microbial community was inoculated into a fed-batch BER. After 70 days of operation, a novel DPRB, strain VDY, was isolated which readily reduced perchlorate in a mediatorless BER. Continuous up-flow BERs (UFBERs) were seeded with active cultures of strain VDY, and perchlorate at a volumetric loading of 60 mg L-1 day-1 was successfully removed. Gas phase analysis indicated that low levels of H2 produced at the cathode surface through electrolysis may mediate this metabolism. The results of the...
Intestinal Nutrient Influence on the Enteroinsular Axis

The gastrointestinal contribution to carbohydrate metabolism includes carbohydrate absorption and the release of gastrointestinal hormones that interact with the endocrine pancreas. To learn the contributions to the enteroinsular axis from different levels of the gastrointestinal tract and different nutrients in chyme, we determined serum concentrations of glucose, gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP), insulin, and glucagon postprandially in six normal subjects who underwent diversion of chyme just proximal to an occlusive balloon at the ligament of Treitz and jejunal infusion of saline or chyme carbohydrate, protein, and lipid, separately or in combination. Postprandial elevations of serum glucose, GIP, and insulin and decrease of serum glucagon were elicited predominantly from the bowel and its contents distal to the ligament of Treitz. In this segment, each chyme nutrient (but especially carbohydrate) significantly stimulated factors affecting carbohydrate metabolism. Protein and lipid were able to block c...
A new algorithm for scheduling periodic, real-time tasks

We consider the problem of preemptively scheduling a set of periodic, real-time tasks on a multiprocessor computer system. We give a new scheduling algorithm, the so-called Slack-Time Algorithm, and show that it is more effective than the known Deadline Algorithm. We also give an (exponential-time) algorithm to decide if a task system is schedulable by the Slack-Time or the Deadline Algorithm. The same algorithm can also be used to decide if a task system is schedulable by any given fixed-priority scheduling algorithm. This resolves an open question posed by Leung and Whitehead. Finally, it is shown that the problem of deciding if a task system is schedulable by the Slack-Time, the Deadline, or any given fixed-priority scheduling algorithm is co-NP-hard for each fixedm≥.
Melatonin and Light Induce Phase Shifts of Circadian Activity Rhythms in the C3H/HeN Mouse

This study examines the effect of light pulses and administration of the pineal hormone melatonin on the circadian activity rhythm of C3H/HeN mice. Mice were housed in constant dark in cages equipped with running wheels. Phase shifts in the circadian rhythm of wheel-running activity were measured following treatment with a 15-min pulse of light (300 lux) or administration of vehicle (ethanol/saline) or melatonin (90 μg, sc). Light treatment induced phase changes in circadian activity rhythms; specifically, delays during early subjective night (circadian time [CT] 12.5 to CT 18.5) and advances during late subjective night (CT 0.5). A single dose of melatonin administered at various CTs had no consistent effect on free-running circadian activity rhythms. By contrast, melatonin administration for 3 consecutive days at the same clock time induced advances in circadian activity rhythms by more than 1 h when the first dose was administered at CT 10 and induced delays in circadian activity rhythms by up to 1 h w...
Hodgkin's disease in children. Results of management between 1970-1981.

Between May 1970 and April 1981, 108 previously untreated children, ages four to 20 years (median, 11 years) with Hodgkin-s disease (HD) had been treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). In addition to the clinical and biochemical diagnostic procedures, surgical staging was done on all but three patients. Most children with pathologic stages (PS) I and II received involved field (IF) irradiation. Of 34 PS IA and IIA patients so treated, 26 are relapse-free for 1–10+ years (median, 5+ years). Eight patients had relapses 5–23 months (median, 9 1/2 months) after completion of radiation. All but one are currently disease-free after retreatment including chemotherapy. Initially, total nodal irradiation (TNI) was given to PS III patients, but six of seven of these developed relapses within four years of treatment. Also three of eight patients with PS IB and IIB treated by local irradiation had relapses all within 13 months after radiotherapy. For Stage IV disease a sequential multiple drug chemotherapy protocol (MDP) consisting of six cycles of Adriamycin, vincristine, prednisone, and procarbazine followed by cyclophosphamide were used in conjunction with IF irradiation to bulky disease areas. Since 1974, all patients with constitutional (“B”) symptoms and those of PS III and IV have been treated first with three cycles of MDP chemotherapy, followed by IF irradiation to disease area and three more cycles of MDP chemotherapy. The first ten patients so treated received 3600 to 4000 rad of radiation and all are disease-free 3+ to 7+ years (median, 6+ years) after completion of therapy. Subsequently, the dose of radiation was reduced to 2400 and 2000 rad for Stage III and Stage IV patients, respectively. Of 30 patients so treated, 27 are relapse-free, (median, 25 months). Eleven other patients received chemotherapy alone, and three had relapses. Their risk of recurrence was significantly higher than those who received combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy (P <0.02). The ten year relapse-free and survival rate of the whole group is 76% and 84%, respectively. Involved field irradiation for PS IA and IIA patients and combined MDP chemotherapy with low-dose IF irradiation for other patients are the recommended treatment of choice for children with HD. Staging laparotomy remains a useful procedure for the treatment planning of these patients.
High-Speed imaging and analysis of the solidification of undercooled nickel melts

Rapid solidification of undercooled pure nickel has been imaged at sufficiently high spatial resolution (64 ×X 64 pixels) and temporal resolution (40,500 frames/s) to observe interface shape and motion at solidification velocities exceeding 45 m/s. Imaging was of 8 g, quartz-enclosed melts at undercoolings of 70 to 300 K. Dendrite velocities within the melt were calculated from the surface velocities observed employing a simple geometric model of growth. Solidification was found to proceed invariably from a single nucleation point; growth velocity then followed an approximate power-law relationship with respect to undercooling up to some critical value ΔT*, where 150 K < ΔT* < 180 K. At higher undercoolings, velocity increased less rapidly than predicted by the power-law relationship and the interface morphology changed in appearance from angular to macroscopically smooth.
Harnessing massive parallelism in the era of parallelism for the masses

As we embrace this new era of multicore and heterogeneous processors, we find ourselves ill-equipped to leverage the full potential of increasing parallelism. There are no widely-adopted parallel programming languages. With massive datasets, the growing importance of sensor-based systems, and increasingly large data models the I/O wall is looking more daunting than the memory wall. Current high-end software technology is not easily used by non-sophisticated developers.
A web-based advisory system for process and material selection in concurrent product design for a manufacturing environment

This paper reports the work of selecting suitable manufacturing processes and materials in concurrent design for manufacturing environment. In the paper, a fuzzy knowledge-based decision support method is proposed for multi-criteria decision-making in evaluating and selecting possible manufacturing process/material combinations in terms of the total production cost. Based on the proposed method, a prototype Web-based knowledge-intensive manufacturing consulting service system (WebMCSS) with the client-knowledge server architecture is developed to help designers/users find good processes and materials while still at the conceptual level of design. The system, as one of the important parts of an advanced design for manufacturing tool, is a concept level process and material selection tool that can be used as both a standalone application and a Java applet freely available via the Web. Interlinked with Web pages of tutorials, and reference pages explaining the facets, fabrication processes and material choices, the system performs reasoning and calculations using the process capability and material property data from the remote Web-based database and knowledge base that can be maintained and updated via the Internet. The use of the system is illustrated with an example.
How large is the retrograde annual wobble

Recent measurements of polar motion (wobble) made by space-geodetic methods are compared with older optical measurements. Multitaper spectra of these data show that the retrograde (clockwise) annual wobble is much larger in the older data than the newer data, implying systematic errors in the older techniques. Two additional analyses show evidence for a small retrograde motion in the newer data, which appears to be consistent between data types. This implies that the excitation of the retrograde wobble must be about half of the prograde excitation. None of the available estimates of the excitation shows full agreement with these observations.
Magnetic resonance imaging and pathologic correlation in stage IB cervix cancers

Ten patients with Stage IB cervical carcinoma underwent primary radical surgery within 2 weeks following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Underestimation of stromal disease was common on examination under anesthesia (EUA), while MRI correctly estimated tumor volume and degree of stromal invasion in 9 of 10 cases. In six patients, EUA severely underestimated the tumor: stroma ratio, and five of these six underwent postoperative pelvic radiation therapy. Had the true extent of tumor involvement been recognized preoperatively, we probably would have selected either primary radiation or radiation plus extrafascial hysterectomy for these patients. Pathologic correlation revealed that MRI more accurately predicted tumor size and extent of stromal involvement than clinical examination. We believe that magnetic resonance imaging may have a role in treatment planning of patients with Stage IB cervical carcinoma.
Characteristics of Schools Successful in STEM: Evidence from Two States’ Longitudinal Data

ABSTRACTPresent federal education policies promote learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the participation of minority students in these fields. Using longitudinal data on students in Florida and North Carolina, value-added estimates in mathematics and science are generated to categorize schools into performance levels and identify differences in school STEM measures by performance levels. Several STEM-relevant variables show a significant association with effectiveness in mathematics and science, including STEM teacher turnover, calculus and early algebra participation, and mathematics and science instructional indices created from survey items in the data. Surprisingly, a negative association between students’ STEM course participation and success in STEM is consistently documented across both states, in addition to low participation of underrepresented minority students in successful schools in STEM.
186 OXYGEN TRANSPORT IN HYPOTHERMIC DOGS WITH AND WITH OUT HEMODILUTION

Although hypothermia decreases cardiac output, oxygen consumption by the tissues is thought to decrease proportionately, so that tissue hypoxia does not occur. Hemodilution has been shown to increase cardiac output and tissue oxygenation. We hypothesize that hemodilution may be harmful by increasing cardiac output and oxygen need in excess of oxygen delivery. Oxygen consumption (V02) and arterial and venous blood gases were measured directly in 5 anesthetized dogs before and after cooling to 30°C and again after hemodilution (H) with Dextran 75. Cardiac index (CI), oxygen delivery (D02), oxygen extraction rate (02 ext) and oxygen equivalent (02 eq) were then calculated. Results are shown in the table below. (H=hemodilution, V02 units are cc/kg/min, *p<.05, ** p<.01). Although neither hypothermia nor hemodilution alone result in increased oxygen extraction, mild hypothermia and hemodilution together produce increased 02 extraction in order to avoid tissue hypoxia. It is possible that although hemodilution increased cardiac output, microvascular flow remained impaired necessitating increased oxygen extraction.
In vivo and in vitro activity of roxithromycin against Toxoplasma gondii in mice.

Roxithromycin protected mice against a lethal infection with the extremely virulent RH strain and the CS6 strain ofToxoplasma gondii. Therapy initiated 2 h after infection with 2×103 or 2×104 RH or C56 tachyzoites protected more than 80% of the mice, compared with 0% of untreated controls (p 80%)in treated mice surviving infection with the less virulent strain (CS6) than those surviving infection with the more virulent RH strain (< 25%). Furthermore, in vitro studies revealed that roxithromycin at dosages up to 250 μg/ml had no effect on the proliferation ofToxoplasma gondii in murine peritoneal macrophage cultures.
High confinement plasmas in the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch

Reduction of core-resonant m=1 magnetic fluctuations and improved confinement in the Madison Symmetric Torus [Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] reversed-field pinch have been routinely achieved through control of the surface poloidal electric field, but it is now known that the achieved confinement has been limited in part by edge-resonant m=0 magnetic fluctuations. Now, through refined poloidal electric field control, plus control of the toroidal electric field, it is possible to reduce simultaneously the m=0 and m=1 fluctuations. This has allowed confinement of high-energy runaway electrons, possibly indicative of flux-surface restoration in the usually stochastic plasma core. The electron temperature profile steepens in the outer region of the plasma, and the central electron temperature increases substantially, reaching nearly 1.3 keV at high toroidal plasma current (500 kA). At low current (200 kA), the total beta reaches 15% with an estimated energy confinement time of 10 ms, a tenfold ...
Stiffness in discrimination of patients with vertebral fractures.

We measured the ultrasound parameters of the heels of 49 women with vertebral fractures and 87 age-matched controls using an Achilles ultrasound device. Average broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), speed of sound (SOS) and Stiffness were significantly lower in fracture patients (p 0.5 and statistically significant (p<0.0001). A stepwise logistic regression with presence or absence of vertebral fracture as the response variable and all ultrasound – DXA parameters as the explanatory variables indicated that the best predictor of fracture was Stiffness, with additional predictive ability provided by spine BMD. Sensitivity and specificity of all measures were determined by the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which were 0.76 ± 0.04 for BUA, 0.77 ± 0.04 for SOS, 0.78 ± 0.04 for Stiffness and 0.78 ± 0.03 for spine BMD. The areas under the ROC curves of BUA, SOS, Stiffness and spine BMD were compared and it was found that Stiffness and spine BMD were significantly better predictors of fracture than BUA and SOS. These results support many recent studies showing that ultrasound measurements of the os-calcis have diagnostic sensitivity comparable to DXA, and also demonstrated that Stiffness was a better predictor of fracture than spine BMD.
Aberrant Neurites and Synaptic Vesicle Protein Deficiency in Synapsin II-Depleted Neurons

Synapsin I and synapsin II are neuron-specific phosphoproteins that have a role in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and in the formation of nerve terminals. After depletion of synapsin II by antisense oligonucleotides, rat hippocampal neurons in culture were unable to consolidate their minor processes and did not elongate axons. These aberrant morphological changes were accompanied by an abnormal distribution of intracellular filamentous actin (F-actin). In addition, synapsin II suppression resulted in a selective decrease in the amounts of several synaptic vesicle-associated proteins. These data suggest that synapsin II participates in cytoskeletal organization during the early stages of nerve cell development.
Molecular dynamics study of sliding friction of ordered organic monolayers.

Molecular dynamics is used to model the friction between two ordered monolayers of alkane chains six units long bound at their ends to two rigid substrates. Depending on the interfacial interaction strength, energy dissipation occurs by a discontinuous ``plucking'' mechanism and a continuous viscous mechanism. The plucking mechanism follows a simple thermal activation model, while for the viscous mechanism, friction force is enhanced at the rotator transition temperature of the films.
P-1: Optical Properties of Reflective LCD with Diffusive Micro Slant Reflectors (DMSR)

A reflective TFT-LCD with an internal diffusive micro slant reflector (DMSR) is developed to improve the previous MSR structure. The DMSR structure is optimized to obtain a desired light scattering disbribution cone while still preserving the asymmetry characteristics. A 6.4″ VGA full-color reflective TFT-LCD with a DMSR is realized. In this paper, we will discuss the optical perperties of the panel. The measurement results show that the reflectance is 42% compared with a Lambertian white standard and the contrast ratio is larger than 20:1.
The Procon incontinence device: a new nonsurgical approach to preventing episodes of fecal incontinence

The Procon incontinence device: a new nonsurgical approach to preventing episodes of fecal incontinence
High rate of methane leakage from natural gas production

Natural gas production is growing as the United States seeks domestic sources of relatively clean energy. Natural gas combustion produces less carbon dioxide emissions than coal or oil for the amount of energy produced. However, one source of concern is that some natural gas leaks to the atmosphere from the extraction point, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Impaired clearance of influenza A virus in obese, leptin receptor deficient mice is independent of leptin signaling in the lung epithelium and macrophages.

Rationale During the recent H1N1 outbreak, obese patients had worsened lung injury and increased mortality. We used a murine model of influenza A pneumonia to test the hypothesis that leptin receptor deficiency might explain the enhanced mortality in obese patients.
Guarded and Banded Semigroups

The variety of guarded semigroups consists of all (S,·, ¯) where (S,·) is a semigroup and x ↦ \overline{x} is a unary operation subject to four additional equations relating it to multiplication. The semigroup Pfn(X) of all partial transformations on X is a guarded semigroup if x \overline{f} = x when xf is defined and is undefined otherwise. Every guarded semigroup is a subalgebra of Pfn(X) for some X. A covering theorem of McAlister type is obtained. Free guarded semigroups are constructed paralleling Scheiblich's construction of free inverse semigroups. The variety of banded semigroups has the same signature but different equations. There is a canonical forgetful functor from guarded semigroups to banded semigroups. A semigroup underlies a banded semigroup if and only if it is a split strong semilattice of right zero semigroups. Each banded semigroup S contains a canonical subsemilattice g⋆(S). For any given semilattice L, a construction to synthesize the general banded semigroup S with g⋆ ≅ L is obtained.
Protein kinases regulate the phosphorylation of the GluR1 subunit of AMPA receptors of spinal cord in rats following noxious stimulation

The present project was designed to investigate the role of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) in the regulation of phosphorylation of the GluR1 subunits of AMPA receptors in the spinal cord of rats after capsaicin injection. We found that after capsaicin injection, a significant upregulation of phosphorylated GluR1 both at Ser(831) and Ser(845) was detected on the side ipsilateral to the injection. Intrathecal treatment with a PKA inhibitor, H89 ([N-[2-((3-bromophenyl)-2-propenyl)amino)ethyl]-5-isoquinoline sulfonamide, HCl), or a PKC inhibitor, NPC15473 (2,6-diamino-N-([1-oxotridecyl)-2-piperidinyl]methyl)hexanamide), significantly blocked the increased phosphorylation at different serine sites without affecting the GluR1 protein itself. Our results suggest that increased phosphorylation of the GluR1 subunit of AMPA receptors contributes to central sensitization following acute peripheral inflammation, and the effect may occur at different phosphorylation sites through the activation of the PKA or PKC protein kinase cascades.
The spousal SROK revisited: A comparison of Chicago and Houston intimate partner homicide ratios

Based on the work of Wilson and Daly (1992) and Gauthier and Bankston (1997), the major objective of the present study was to determine how the spousal sex ratios of killing (SROKs)—the number of female perpetrators for every 100 male perpetrators—compare between two geographically disparate, major U.S. cities—Chicago and Houston. The results of the analysis reported add to our general understanding of the problem of intimate partner violence, in that the relative proportions of females and males killing intimate partners were similar along at least three important dimensions. The SROKs in both cities were only high for the killing of spouses and children; we did not observe a convergence of SROKs in the killing of other blood relatives, nor acquaintances or strangers. Our analysis also strongly indicates that men’s relative risk of intimate partner homicide victimization in both cities decreases dramatically when the two parties are estranged in some way. Another major finding is that large SROKs observed in the present analysis of Chicago and Houston are primarily a Black phenomenon. The lowest SROKs were found for Hispanics, followed by non-Hispanic Whites. The article concludes with suggestions for further research in this area.
A Test for the Effect of Numerical Magnitude of Knowledge of Results

Ss were given 3 guided training (T) trials, each followed by a free response, to learn to move a concealed lever 60°. No KR was administered. Six unguided countertraining (CT) trials followed, during which KR related to a target 20° above the origin was administered after each free response. A unit error of 2° was reported as 1, 10, 100, or 1000 units, depending upon the group. In the first post-KR trial and over all CT trials, no significant differences among the groups were observed. The Groups X Trials interaction was likewise non-significant. It was concluded that inflating error by “adding zeroes” was a very weak manipulation in this situation.
Seeking Trust and Commitment in Women's Interracial Collaboration in the Nineteenth Century and Today

We were drawn to this special issue of MELUS in part by research we each do on nineteenthcentury interracial collaborations, but of equal interest was the opportunity to examine our own experiences with interracial collaboration. Having crafted this essay, we now understand women’s interracial collaborations to signify both social action projects and writing produced through a shared composing process. Notable cases of interracial collaboration by US-affiliated women have often begun with one (either participating in a coalition around a social goal or writing together) and moved to the other. In either case, particular collaborations need not reach an “ideal” status to be productive, but achieving a degree of trust through commitment to identifiable goals (whether visionary or pragmatic) supports women’s interracial collaborative work. Consistent with our own previous scholarship, the primary focus of this essay is US-based women’s interracial work. However, we also understand that such projects are often situated within an extra-national context, so that, for instance, a mediated anti-slavery text created within the United States could also be in dialogue with a parallel text like that generated by Mary Prince and Susanna Strickland in England. So, too, given the circulation of scholarly texts in digital formats today, any account of academic women’s interracial collaborations now could be shaped by and potentially speak to a broader, transnational audience. Therefore, readers will note our efforts to situate US women’s interracial collaborations in an interactive global context. By generating this essay together, we have affirmed that women’s interracial collaboration merits careful critique, refined our individual research projects, developed approaches to learning about interracial collaboration from examining our own practices, and identified questions for future research. Thus, our essay falls into several sections: an overview of our
Social Capital and Protecting the Rights of the Accused in the American States An Investigation of the Dark Side of Social Capital

High levels of social capital in communities are related to a number of positive conditions. Although high levels of social capital are generally viewed positively, they may also have negative consequences, particularly the mistreatment of people outside the mainstream. As social capital increases, individuals charged with committing crimes—norm violators—may experience increased sanctions and decreased constitutional protections from the state. To explore this aspect of social capital, this study examines the relationship between a state's level of social capital and the likelihood of its highest court granting criminal defendants rights beyond those man-dated by the Supreme Court.
Complications of stone baskets: 14-year review of the manufacturer and user facility device experience database.

Purpose: We categorized trends in failure of the stone baskets as reported in the United States Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database.Materials and Methods: We queried the online database using the code for stone baskets (FFL) from January 1996 to December 2009. Variables extracted were the type of basket, malfunction and treatment, and patient outcome.Results: We identified 556 adverse events related to stone baskets. The device configuration was tipped in 48% of cases, tipless in 36%, forceps in 8% and the Stone Cone™ in 8%. Malfunction type included detachment of a portion of the basket in 49% of cases, breakage without detachment in 39% and inability to withdraw the basket in 12%. Compared to the early period studied (1996 to 2004) there was a 3-fold increase in adverse events from 2005 to 2007 and a 6-fold increase from 2008 to 2009. Of adverse events 79% and 11% were managed by endoscopy and open surgery, respectively. Of the patients 42 experienced s...
Prospects for cleantech venture capital investment in China: A third wave?

With peoples' concerns about China's environmental problems, CleanTech-related fields are getting more attentions by the Chinese government. The author studies CleanTech Venture Capital (VC) in China because it may represent a third wave of VC investments. The first two waves were Information Technology and Communication. CleanTech is different from other investment categories because it is closely related to environment protection, energy efficiency, ecosystem, government policy and sustainable development of the society. Also, it drives the innovation of technology in clean energy areas. Despite the current global economic downturn, green energy still shows its huge appeal of VC. VC investors from Silicon Valley continue to have a strong interest in the cooperation of green energy projects between China and the U.S., including electric cars, solar energy, green construction and other fields. This paper focuses on studying the current China's CleanTech VC investment environment, exploring potential investment tendency, indicating several challenges facing to the investors, and seeking practical ways to attract more investments in China's CleanTech. The study suggests several key ways to gain successes in CleanTech VC investment. Whether China's CleanTech become the third wave for VC investment needs the collaborated efforts from all the interest-related parties.
Satisfaction of IT professionals with employment arrangements in traditional and virtual contexts

Retention of IT personnel is a difficulty encountered by many organizations today, particularly for those who work in virtual organization contexts. However, the fit between IT employees' preferred work arrangements and their current work arrangements and this fit's impact on IT employees' intention to stay has been an under-researched phenomenon. This paper develops a conceptual framework, based on Rousseau's [38] psychological contract theory, to address the retention concern. Additional literatures that enhance the conceptual framework suggest that the antecedents of fit, besides preferred employment arrangement, include IT employee stages and anchors, IT competencies, and organizational factors, including IT human resource practices. IT human resource strategy, in turn, impacts the organizational factors. The conceptual framework incorporates additional antecedents of intention to stay, including other employment opportunities, virtual team factors, and individual factors. The paper also suggests an initial empirical study to explore the concept of fit and its antecedents as an initial point of departure for the examination of the conceptual model.
[A sensitive micro-spectrophotometric method for succinate analysis].

ASSAY of succinic acid by estimation of reduction of a redox dye in a succinic dehydrogenase and cyanide–poisoned system has been reported by Lardy1 for methylene blue, and by Vishniac and Ochoa2 for 2,6-dichloroindophenol. The disadvantage to the use of these dyes is that they are non-enzymatically reoxidized directly by oxygen and there is uncertainty concerning the end-point of the reduction of the dye and thus about the amount of succinate oxidized.
Exploring Current Ready-to-Wear Apparel Attributes for Plus-Size Female Teens

This study investigated apparel issues experienced by plus-size female teens aged 12–17 in the context of the functional, expressive, and aesthetic consumer needs model. A mixed-methods research design was used with a convenience sample of 30 female teens with body mass indexes in the overweight or obese categories. Three-dimensional (3D) body scans were taken and in-depth interviews conducted with participants and their family members. Findings indicated that expressive and aesthetics desires were often sacrificed to obtain apparel that addressed functional needs. ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) standardized sizes for Juniors need to be revised to include plus-sizes and to improve the expressive and aesthetic attributes of apparel for plus-size female teens.
The Mind of Thomas Jefferson – By Peter S. Onuf

In these eleven previously published essays, the author, the Dean of American Jefferson scholars, addresses many of the contested aspects of Jefferson's thought. This brief review will concentrate ...
Role of SARA (SMAD Anchor for Receptor Activation) in Maintenance of Epithelial Cell Phenotype

By inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) promotes cancer progression and fibrosis. Here we show that expression of the TGF-β receptor-associated protein, SARA (Smad anchor for receptor activation), decreases within 72 h of exposure to TGF-β and that this decline is both required and sufficient for the induction of several markers of EMT. It has been suggested recently that expression of the TGF-β signaling mediators, Smad2 and Smad3, may have different functional effects, with Smad2 loss being more permissive for EMT progression. We find that the loss of SARA expression leads to a concomitant decrease in Smad2 expression and a disruption of Smad2-specific transcriptional activity, with no effect on Smad3 signaling or expression. Further, the effects of inducing the loss of Smad2 mimic those of the loss of SARA, enhancing expression of the EMT marker, smooth muscle α-actin. Smad2 mRNA levels are not affected by the loss of SARA. However, the ubiquitination of Smad2 is increased in SARA-deficient cells. We therefore examined the E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf2 and found that although Smurf2 expression was unaltered in SARA-deficient cells, the interaction of Smad2 and Smurf2 was enhanced. These results describe a significant role for SARA in regulating cell phenotype and suggest that its effects are mediated through modification of the balance between Smad2 and Smad3 signaling. In part, this is achieved by enhancing the association of Smad2 with Smurf2, leading to Smad2 degradation.
Coping with anomic stress: Chinese students in the USA

This research builds upon Merton's perspectives of a goals‐means disjunction and modes of adaptation to stress to better understand the difficulties experienced by Chinese students residing in the United States. In‐depth and multiple interviews with 25 Chinese students revealed ways they managed anxiety and frustration. The findings indicate that although the majority of Chinese students are conformists (including ritualists, retreatists, and rebellionists), some of them have circumvented troublesome immigration regulation. Merton's paradigm continues to show utility not only as a theory of deviance, but also as a general approach to understanding disadvantaged people's adaptation to an anomic situation.
Regenerative simulation methods for local area computer networks

Local area computer network simulations are inherently non-Markovian in that the underlying stochastic process cannot be modeled as a Markov chain with countable state space. We restrict attention to local network simulations whose underlying stochastic process can be represented as a generalized semi-Markov process (GSMP). Using "new better than used" distributional assumptions and sample path properties of the GSMP, we provide a "geometric trials" criterion for recurrence in this setting. We also provide conditions which ensure that a GSMP is a regenerative process and that the expected time between regeneration points is finite. Steady-state estimation procedures for ring and bus network simulations follow from these results.
Spatial frequency channels in human vision and the threshold for adaptation

Abstract Threshold measurements of a spatial sinusoid of 13·3 c/deg were made before and after adaptation to different adapting frequencies both higher and lower than the test frequency. The test threshold was found to increase with adaptation contrast, the rate of change being greater the closer the adaptation and test frequencies. We defined a measure of the threshold for adaptation of different frequencies and used this as an index of channel sensitivity. The findings suggest various problems for an independent channels model of spatial perception.
Heats of thermally induced helix-coil transitions of DNA in aqueous solution.

Thermal denaturation of calf thymus DNA at both alkaline and neutral pH values was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It was shown that the dependence of the enthalpy of transition on pH and salt concentration could be accounted for on the basis of a heat capacity change of +40 cal deg−1(base pair)−1. In the pH range between 10.3 and 11.3, a release of 0.6 proton per base pair was calculated from the pH dependence of the melting temperature. The heat effect associated with the release of this proton was calculated to be 5 kcal mole−1.
UNDERSTANDING TURBULENT ION HEATING IN THE OAK RIDGE MIRROR MACHINE, ''BURNOUT V.''

For several years, we have been empirically producing steady-state, mirror-confined hot-ion plasmas with ${T}_{i}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathrm{a}$ few keV and ${n}_{i}\ensuremath{\approx}\frac{{10}^{13}}{{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}}$. We describe here the ion-heating mechanism, which is an instability having a fine-grained azimuthal structure covering a broad band of frequencies around ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{pi}}$, having a rapid growth rate on the order of ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{pi}}$, and being driven by an intense radial dc electric field. It does not require that ${T}_{e}g{T}_{i}$.
A space filling map from I2 to I3 with a zero-dimensional singular set

Abstract We provide a brief description of why maps, with a zero-dimensional singular set, from a 2-manifold into a 3-manifold, are important to the recognition problem for 3-dimensional manifolds. We then show that such maps can be unexpectedly pathological by exhibiting an example of such a map which is space filling.
Climate Change and Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases : Future Prospect of Northern Expansion of Aedes albopictus

Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is one of vectors of the dengue and Chikungunya viruses and was common mosquitoes in Southeast Asia, Far East including Japan. During past two decades the distribution areas of Ae. albopictus clearly expand to worldwide by world trading of used tiers. In Japan Aedes albopictus distributed widely in Honshu Island of Japan with its northern limits between 38° to 40° degrees north. The factors affecting distribution of the species in Japan were studied using the GIS and showed an annual mean temperature higher than 11 C° is most related to the northern limit. During 1998–2006, larval surveillance was carried out in more than 30 urban and rural areas in Tohoku district, the northern limit clearly moved to northward. The future expansion of the distribution of Ae. albopictus were analyzed using 1-km mesh climate data prospected by MIROC(K1) model in 2035 and 2100. From these analyses, the distribution of the mosquitoes widely expands in the lowland areas of Aomori Prefecture, most northern Honshu district in 2035. Ae. albopictus will also invade to Hokkaido Island crossing the Tsugaru Strait in 2100. This means that risk areas in dengue and Chikungunya outbreak clearly expand in the northern parts of Japan. The population density of the mosquito is one of the important factors to predict the possibility of outbreak of mosquito borne diseases. Ae. albopictus is not a simple nuisance mosquito, so we should recognize the importance of this mosquito species as an important vector of viral diseases, dengue and chikungunya. The technical report published by ECDC in 2009 entitled “Development of Aedes albopictus risk map” completely adopted our criterion, 11 C° as a northern expansion limit in Europe and North America.
ATR and ATM regulate the timing of DNA replication origin firing.

Timing of DNA replication initiation is dependent on S-phase-promoting kinase (SPK) activity at discrete origins and the simultaneous function of many replicons1,2. DNA damage prevents origin firing through the ATM- and ATR-dependent inhibition of Cdk2 and Cdc7 SPKs3,4. Here, we establish that modulation of ATM- and ATR-signalling pathways controls origin firing in the absence of DNA damage. Inhibition of ATM and ATR with caffeine or specific neutralizing antibodies, or upregulation of Cdk2 or Cdc7, promoted rapid and synchronous origin firing; conversely, inhibition of Cdc25A slowed DNA replication. Cdk2 was in equilibrium between active and inactive states, and the concentration of replication protein A (RPA)-bound single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) correlated with Chk1 activation and inhibition of origin firing. Furthermore, ATM was transiently activated during ongoing replication. We propose that ATR and ATM regulate SPK activity through a feedback mechanism originating at active replicons. Our observations establish that ATM- and ATR-signalling pathways operate during an unperturbed cell cycle to regulate initiation and progression of DNA synthesis, and are therefore poised to halt replication in the presence of DNA damage.