cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coda: Sticking to the Wall:

This coda provides a response to and assessment of the essays in this collection, which take a creative stance by focusing attention on performance itself, as opposed to the composition on one hand or the audience on the other. The effect of such work is to nudge the performance scholar/ethnographer further along the path to becoming an ethnographic and/or performance critic. The scholars here take a very courageous leap on stage where they share the stage with the artist(s) in question. This collection contributes to the evolution of scholarly appreciation for performance—and the arts—by focusing on the stories surrounding creative work. Creative work is made important by the stories that surround it, that say, “I was there”—physically, politically, or emotionally. These stories “stick”—they hold our attention, they engage, they endure. By taking the writing of stories seriously, as the authors here clearly do, our work in performance criticism and ethnography will stick.
Nuclear physics: elusive magic numbers.

Gaps in nuclear levels, which cause nuclei with ‘magic’ numbers of protons or neutrons to be especially stable, seem to be different for nuclei with an excess of neutrons. But are all magic numbers aberrant in exotic species? Dramatic advances are being made in nuclear structure physics because of the availability of facilities producing beams of exotic radioisotopes. Of these, silicon-42 is of particular interest for study of the effects of packing extra neutrons into a nucleus. Neutrons and protons in atomic nuclei are arranged in a series of energy levels or ‘shells’. When a shell has a full quota of particles, the nucleus is particularly stable: the ‘magic numbers’ for stability are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82 and 126. Silicon-42 owes its existence to its 28 neutrons, but is still a short-lived atom. This short lifetime has been explained as a consequence of strong deformation but this is contradicted in a new study that suggests that silicon-42 is almost spherical.
Sparse beamforming for active underwater electrolocation

Weakly electric fish have the ability to navigate and locate prey in the dark using a unique weak electrosense system. Imitating that ability of electric fish, we develop an electric-field sensing system capable of high-resolution imaging of the surrounding environment, by use of a novel beamforming technique that exploits the sparsity of sources in a scanned space. Both simulation and experimental results show that the sparse beamforming technique accurately images not only a single object but also multiple objects with highly correlated signals.
Formation of trans-polyacetylene on transition metal zeolites: A resonance Raman study

Acetylene readily polymerizes to form trans-polyacetylene on Co(II) and Ni(II) exchanged zeolites. Cu(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) would not catalyze the formation of the polymer. In order for the catalytic system to be active, Lewis acid sites provided by the aluminum atoms of the framework were also necessary. Resonance Raman spectroscopy provided a sensitive probe for detecting polyacetylene and determining its structure.
Imperfect axisymmetry in the Tokamak Configuration

In real experimental tokamaks the necessity for access space between toroidal field coils spoils the ideal axisymmetry of the configuration. The "ripple" in toroidal field strength (typically a few percent) causes non-symmetric trapping of particles; the resultant drift orbits generally lead to the wall. A criterion is given for the avoidance of this particle loss. The TORMAG computer program is used to calculate a sample coil systsm that preserves experimental access while also meeting the orbit criterion. In present-day tokamaks, the main effect of the excessive toroidal field ripple is the loss of multi-keV ions from the tail of the Maxwellian, an effect that is reflected in the vertical asymmetry of the charge-exchange neutral diagnostic data. In thermonuclear plasmas, loss due to non-axisymmetry becomes important even for bulk plasma ions. The loss problems for alpha particles and for energetic injected ions (if isotropic) are particularly serious.
Antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter: emergence, transmission and persistence.

Campylobacter is a leading foodborne bacterial pathogen, which causes gastroenteritis in humans. This pathogenic organism is increasingly resistant to antibiotics, especially fluoroquinolones and macrolides, which are the most frequently used antimicrobials for the treatment of campylobacteriosis when clinical therapy is warranted. As a zoonotic pathogen, Campylobacter has a broad animal reservoir and infects humans via contaminated food, water or milk. Antibiotic usage in both animal agriculture and human medicine, can influence the development of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter. This review will describe the trend in fluoroquinolone and macrolide resistance in Campylobacter, summarize the mechanisms underlying the resistance to various antibiotics and discuss the unique features associated with the emergence, transmission and persistence of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter. Special attention will be given to recent findings and emphasis will be placed on Campylobacter resistance to fluoroquinolones...
EXTRUSION OF SORGHUM AND SORGHUM PEANUT MIXTURES: EFFECT OF BARREL TEMPERATURE AND FEED MOISTURE ON PHYSICAL‐TEXTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sorghum and 85% sorghum-15% full-fat peanut meals were extruded over a range of barrel temperatures (160–205°C) and feed moistures (13-25%) in a pilot-scale machine. The resulting products were characterized for physical and textural properties. Resulting data were fit to third order models and the corresponding response surfaces plotted. For both compositions, maximum expansion and minimum density and textural strength occurred at low-to-medium temperatures and moistures. Some extrudates compared favorably with commercial snack products. The addition of full-fat peanut to sorghum meal enchanced the expansion and tenderness in the optimum range. A 70% sorghum-30% full fat peanut mixture could not be extruded successfully.
Separation of gas mixtures using a range of zeolite membranes: a molecular-dynamics study.

Gas separation efficiencies of three zeolite membranes (Faujasite, MFI, and Chabazite) have been examined using the method of molecular dynamics. Our investigation has allowed us to study the effects of pore size and structure, state conditions, and compositions on the permeation of two binary gas mixtures, O2∕N2 and CO2∕N2. We have found that for the mixture components with similar sizes and adsorption characteristics, such as O2∕N2, small-pore zeolites are not suited for separations, and this result is explicable at the molecular level. For mixture components with differing adsorption behavior, such as CO2∕N2, separation is mainly governed by adsorption and small-pore zeolites separate such gases quite efficiently. When selective adsorption takes place, we have found that, for species with low adsorption, the permeation rate is low, even if the diffusion rate is quite high. Our results further indicate that loading (adsorption) dominates the separation of gas mixtures in small-pore zeolites, such as MFI...
The Geomorphic Significance of Log Steps in Forest Streams1

Abstract A functional account of log steps in forest streams is provided by field surveys of 163 kilometers of streams in the central Oregon Coast Range. Natural treefall, rather than silvicultural activities, accounts for the majority of log steps. During low-flow conditions, dissipation of potential stream energy by log steps amounts to 6 percent, approximately equal to that by falls. There are no statistically significant differences regarding spatial distribution of log steps between study basins with contrasting silvicultural and natural stream inputs of large woody debris. However, significant spatial differences are revealed between streams of various orders, a finding that points to channel flushing capacity and stream-adjacent topography as dominant controls on log step development. Application of thermodynamic principles to stream systems demonstrates that neither falls nor log steps cause a statistically significant difference in equilibrium conditions of stream networks. The volume of sediment...
Generation and Commercialization of Knowledge

The world economy is currently undergoing major restructuring and reorganization. An important contextual factor in these changes is the development and diffusion of new knowledge and technologies, particularly, in the areas of molecular genetics and biotechnologies, and computer science and information technologies. Social and economic changes and impacts stimulated by enhanced capacities in science and technology, are emerging in every area of human life including health, transportation, communication, and agriculture. In agriculture, university, government, and corporate leaders are all optimistic that these enhanced capacities will continue the evolution of the agriculture and food system locally and globally. However, apprehension and concern exist about the environmental, economic, social and value implications of this new knowledge and its application. This paper focuses on: 1) current trends and contextual factors for science-based knowledge generation and commercialization, and the restructuring of the agriculture and food system; 2) developments in public and private agricultural research and education; and 3) models for organizing this enterprise to realize the full potential of new knowledge and technology.
Transient fluorescence spectroscopy of terbium doped dipicolinic acid: a fluorescence lifetime measurement technique

An innovative fluorescence lifetime technique, called transient fluorescence spectroscopy, has been developed and applied toward the determination of the fluorescence lifetimes (a value near 1 ms) of terbium doped dipicolinic acid (DPA-Tb). This different lifetime measurement technique uses a high-pulse-repetition-frequency (8 kHz) pulsed UV laser excitation source and a slow modulated chopper (50to1000 Hz) to produce the modulated emission intensity from the DPA-Tb, and compares these to a theoretical transient solution of the population rate equations for the DPA-Tb energy levels. Curve fitting of the transient solution of the modulated emission intensity to that obtained experimentally yielded a value for the fluorescence lifetime.
Was climate the prime releaser for encephalization? An editorial comment

Kleidon (2009) concludes that warm climates impose important constraints on the evolution of large brains relative to body size, confirming our previous hypothesis (Schwartzman and Middendorf 2000). Here we update the case for our hypothesis and present a first approximation estimate of the cooling required for hominin brain size increase using a simple model of heat loss. We conclude that Pleistocene glacial episodes were likely sufficient to serve as prime releasers for emergence of Homo habilis and Homo erectus. In addition, we propose that atmospheric oxygen levels may been an analogous constraint on insect encephalization.
An analysis of psychotherapy versus placebo studies

Smith, Glass, and Miller (1980) have reported a meta-analysis of over 500 studies comparing some form of psychological therapy with a control condition. They report that when averaged over all dependent measures of outcome, psychological therapy is. 85 standard deviations better than the control treatment. We examined the subset of studies included in the Smith et al. metaanalysis that contained a psychotherapy and a placebo treatment. The median of the mean effect sizes for these 32 studies was. 15. There was a nonsignificant inverse relationship between mean outcome and the following: sample size, duration of therapy, use of measures of outcome other than undisguised self-report, measurement of outcome at follow-up, and use of real patients rather than subjects solicited for the purposes of participation in a research study. A qualitative analysis of the studies in terms of the type of patient involved indicates that those using psychiatric outpatients had essentially zero effect sizes and that none using psychiatric inpaticnts provide convincing evidence for psychotherapeutic effectiveness. The onty studies clearly demonstrating significant effects of psychotherapy were the ones that did not use real patients. For the most part, these studies involved small samples of subjects and brief treatments, occasionally described in quasibeliavioristic language. It was concluded that for real patients there is no evidence that the benefits of psychotherapy are greater than those of placebo treatment.
Homocysteine Thiolactone and Protein Homocysteinylation in Human Endothelial Cells: Implications for Atherosclerosis

Editing of the nonprotein amino acid homocysteine by certain aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases results in the formation of the thioester homocysteine thiolactone. Here we show that in the presence of physiological concentrations of homocysteine, methionine, and folic acid, human umbilical vein endothelial cells efficiently convert homocysteine to thiolactone. The extent of this conversion is directly proportional to homocysteine concentration and inversely proportional to methionine concentration, suggesting involvement of methionyl-tRNA synthetase. Folic acid inhibits the synthesis of thiolactone by lowering homocysteine and increasing methionine concentrations in endothelial cells. We also show that the extent of post-translational protein homocysteinylation increases with increasing homocysteine levels but decreases with increasing folic acid and HDL levels in endothelial cell cultures. These data support a hypothesis that metabolic conversion of homocysteine to thiolactone and protein homocysteinylation by thiolactone may play a role in homocysteine-induced vascular damage.
Phenomenon of Declining Anxiety Sensitivity Scores: A Controlled Investigation

Background: Repeated administration of anxiety sensitivity measures can often produce declining scores, even in ostensible control groups, which is a significant concern for researchers. The reasons for these changes are as yet unknown, but could be because of regression to the mean in samples selected on extreme scores, exposure to general information about anxiety contained in psychiatric interviews, or mere exposure to anxiety sensitivity information. Methods: This study sought to experimentally evaluate these potential explanations using a comprehensive measure of anxiety sensitivity and its subcomponents, a non-anxiety sensitivity measure (self-esteem), and participants representing the full spectrum of anxiety sensitivity. Results: Results indicated significant decreases in anxiety sensitivity scores (but not self-esteem scores) that could not be accounted for by regression to the mean or exposure to information about anxiety in general. Conclusions: Several potential explanations for these findings are reviewed and implications for research study designs are discussed.
Quality of Information Based Data Selection and Transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we provide a quality of information (QoI) based data selection and transmission service for classification missions in sensor networks. We first identify the two aspects of QoI, data reliability and data redundancy, and then propose metrics to estimate them. In particular, reliability implies the degree to which a sensor node contributes to the classification mission, and can be estimated through exploring the agreement between this node and the majority of others. On the other hand, redundancy represents the information overlap among different sensor nodes, and can be measured via investigating the similarity of their clustering results. Based on the proposed QoI metrics, we formulate an optimization problem that aims at maximizing the reliability of sensory data while eliminating their redundancies under the constraint of network resources. We decompose this problem into a data selection sub problem and a data transmission sub problem, and develop a distributed algorithm to solve them separately. The advantages of our schemes are demonstrated through the simulations on not only synthetic data but also a set of real audio records.
How the Continents Deform: The Evidence From Tectonic Geodesy*

Space geodesy now provides quantitative maps of the surface velocity field within tectonically active regions, supplying constraints on the spatial distribution of deformation, the forces that drive it, and the brittle and ductile properties of continental lithosphere. Deformation is usefully described as relative motions among elastic blocks and is block-like because major faults are weaker than adjacent intact crust. Despite similarities, continental block kinematics differs from global plate tectonics: blocks are much smaller, typically ∼100–1000 km in size; departures from block rigidity are sometimes measurable; and blocks evolve over ∼1–10 Ma timescales, particularly near their often geometrically irregular boundaries. Quantitatively relating deformation to the forces that drive it requires simplifying assumptions about the strength distribution in the lithosphere. If brittle/elastic crust is strongest, interactions among blocks control the deformation. If ductile lithosphere is the stronger, its fl...
Determinants of Declining Wage Mobility in the New Economy

This study draws from the 1979 and 1997 National Longitudinal Survey to compare patterns of wage mobility among the late boomer and millennial cohorts of young men. Estimating group-based trajector...
Fresh ankle osteochondral allograft transplantation for tibiotalar joint arthritis.

Background: Conventional treatment for tibiotalar joint arthritis relies on arthrodesis or prosthetic arthroplasty. Fresh osteochondral allografting is an alternative procedure to replace diseased ...
The robust variance estimator for two-stage models

This article discusses estimates of variance for two-stage models. We present the sandwich estimate of variance as an alternative to the Murphy-Topel estimate. The sandwich estimator has a simple formula that is similar to the formula for the Murphy-Topel estimator, and the two estimators are asymptoti- cally equal when the assumed model distributions are true. The advantages of the sandwich estimate of variance are that it may be calculated for the complete pa- rameter vector, and that it requires estimating equations instead of fully specified log likelihoods.
Picosecond photon echo experiments using a superconducting accelerator-pumped free-electron laser

A superconducting accelerator-pumped free-electron laser (SCA/FEL) is used to perform photon echo experiments on a near-IR dye molecule in a polymeric glass. The SCA/FEL produces Fourier-transform-limited picosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 11.8 MHz. Its wavelength is continuously tunable. The experiments are conducted at 0.776 μm by doubling the output of the SCA/FEL tuned to 1.55 μm. At this wavelength, the SCA/FEL is operated in a burst mode. The duration of the bursts (macropulses) is 2 ms with a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Each individual pulse (micropulse) has a length of 3.2 ps and is approximately 1 μJ in energy. In the experiment a number of single micropulses are selected from each macropulse. The doubling, stabilization, synchronization, single-pulse selection, and detection electronics are described. These are the first photon echo experiments and, to our knowledge, the first optical coherence experiments performed using a free-electron laser as a source.
Is CEO Pay Really Inefficient? A Survey of New Optimal Contracting Theories

Bebchuk and Fried (2004) argue that executive compensation is set by CEOs themselves rather than boards on behalf of shareholders, since many features of observed pay packages may appear inconsistent with standard optimal contracting theories. However, it may be that simple models do not capture several complexities of real-life settings. This article surveys recent theories that extend traditional frameworks to incorporate these dimensions, and show that the above features can be fully consistent with efficiency. For example, optimal contracting theories can explain the recent rapid increase in pay, the low level of incentives and their negative scaling with firm size, pay-for-luck, the widespread use of options (as opposed to stock), severance pay and debt compensation, and the insensitivity of incentives to risk.
Public ownership and private profit in housing

The 1937 Housing Act granted local governments the rights to build and operate public housing. And, while this was a significant win for housing advocates, subsequent public housing policies throughout the 20th century ultimately recreated slum-like conditions leading to another round of demolition and redevelopment. Our paper examines this history in order to make sense of current policy initiatives that, in the name of helping the poor, have sought to reclaim these areas for potential private-sector investment and, simultaneously, re-regulate the poor by attaching the provision of housing to the reproduction of labour.
Constitutive relations for tin-based-solder joints

Extensive data on 62Sn36Pb2Ag, 60Sn40Pb, 96.5Sn3.5Ag, 97.5Pb2.5Sn, and 95Pb5Sn solder are presented. All of the data were collected on soldered assemblies to properly account for the effects of grain size and intermetallic compound distribution. Tensile and shear loading were employed in the strain rate range between 10/sup -8/ and 10/sup -1/ s/sup -1/ and the temperature range between 25 and 135 degrees C. It is remarkable to note that all of the data can be fit to the same general form of constitutive relations; i.e., only the constants depend on the solder alloy. The derived constitutive relations are used to predict solder joint response under thermal cycling. Based on the calculated hysteresis loops, it is apparent that each solder will have a different acceleration factor between field use cycling and accelerated test cycling. >
Comparison of robotic and clinical motor function improvement measures for sub-acute stroke patients

In this paper, preliminary results in motor function improvement for four sub-acute stroke patients that underwent a hybrid robotic and traditional rehabilitation program are presented. The therapy program was scheduled for three days a week, four hours per day (approximately 60% traditional constraint induced therapy activities and 40% robotic therapy). A haptic joystick was used to implement four different operating modes for robotic therapy: unassisted (U), constrained (C), assisted (A), and resisted (R) modes. A target hitting task involving the positioning of a pointer on twelve targets was completed by the patients. Two different robotic measures were utilized to quantify the motor function improvement through the sessions: trajectory error (TE) and smoothness of movement (SM). Fugl-Meyer (FM) and motor activity log (MAL) scales were used as clinical measures. Analysis of results showed that the group demonstrates a significant motor function improvement with respect to both clinical and robotic measures. Regression analyses were carried out on corresponding clinical and robotic measure result pairs. A significant relation between FM scale and robotic measures was found for both of the analyzed modes. Regression of robotic measures on MAL scores resulted in no significance. A regression analysis that compared the two clinical measures revealed a very low agreement. Our findings suggest that it might be possible to obtain objective robotic measures that are significantly correlated to widely-used and reliable clinical measures in considerably different operating modes and control schemes.
Cyclooxygenase-2 induces genomic instability, BCL2 expression, doxorubicin resistance, and altered cancer-initiating cell phenotype in MCF7 breast cancer cells.

Introduction Cyclooxygenase (COX2) expression in primary breast cancer correlates with a worse prognosis. We reported previously that COX2 expression in MCF10A breast epithelial cells of basal subtype induces genomic instability. To understand the role of COX2 in estrogen receptor-positive (non-basal) breast cancer, we transfected the MCF7 cell line with COX2 and analyzed its chromosomal profile, BCL2 protein expression, and resistance to doxorubicin. We also analyzed cell cultures grown as mammospheres to determine whether COX2 expression affects the cancer-initiating (“stem”) cell phenotype in MCF7 cells. Methods MCF7 Tet On cells (obtained from Clontech) were stably transfected with pTRE2pur-COX2 or pTRE2pur-COX2-GFP to produce COX2 or COX2-GFP protein, respectively. BCL2 protein was detected by Western blotting. Sensitivity of cells to drug treatment was analyzed by MTT assay. Groups were compared using Chi-Square test. We analyzed the genomic instability phenotype by chromosome analysis of control and COX2 transfected metaphase-arrested MCF7 cells after Giemsa staining. We assessed the tumorigenic potential of cells grown as mammospheres with a clonogenic assay. Results Cytogenetic analysis of early passage COX2 transfected MCF7 cells demonstrated significant genomic instability as compared to parental MCF7 cells. COX2 overexpression was associated with a significant increase in chromosomal aberrations (chromatid breaks, chromosome fusions, C anaphase). COX2 transfected MCF7 cells produced a significantly higher level of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 than the parental cells. In a functional assay, we found that COX2 expression correlated with increased resistance to doxorubicin. In a complimentary approach to determine tumorigenic potential of cells, we found that COX2 increased the ability of MCF7 cells to grow as mammospheres in culture, which correlated with an increase in clonogenic efficiency. Conclusions We found that COX2 expression in MCF7 breast cancer cells induced genomic instability, BCL2 expression, and doxorubicin resistance, thus making them significantly more tumorigenic. This data suggests that COX-2 may be an important target for breast cancer treatment.
A measure-theoretic analysis of stochastic optimization

This paper proposes a measure-theoretic framework to study iterative stochastic optimizers that provides theoretical tools to explore how the optimization methods may be improved. Within this framework, optimizers form a closed, convex subset of a normed vector space, implying the existence of a distance metric between any two optimizers and a meaningful and computable spectrum of new optimizers between them. It is shown how the formalism applies to evolutionary algorithms in general. The analytic property of continuity is studied in the context of genetic algorithms, revealing the conditions under which approximations such as meta-modeling or surrogate methods may be effective. These results demonstrate the power of the proposed analytic framework, which can be used to propose and analyze new techniques such as controlled convex combinations of optimizers, meta-optimization of algorithm parameters, and more.
Need for improved monitoring in patients with acromegaly.

Acromegaly is a rare and insidious disease characterized by the overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and is most commonly due to a pituitary adenoma. Patients with acromegaly who experience prolonged exposure to elevated levels of GH and IGF1 have an increased mortality risk and progressive worsening of disease-related comorbidities. Multimodal treatment with surgery, medical therapy, and radiotherapy provides biochemical control, defined by recent acromegaly clinical guidelines from the Endocrine Society as a reduction of GH levels to <1.0 ng/ml and normalization of IGF1 levels, to a substantial proportion of patients and is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Patients with acromegaly, even those without clinical symptoms of disease, require long-term monitoring of GH and IGF1 levels if the benefits associated with biochemical control are to be maintained and the risk of developing recurrent disease is to be abated. However, suboptimal monitoring is common in patients with acromegaly, and this can have negative health effects due to delays in detection of recurrent disease and implementation of appropriate treatment. Because of the significant health consequences associated with prolonged exposure to elevated levels of GH and IGF1, optimal monitoring in patients with acromegaly is needed. This review article will discuss the biochemical assessments used for therapeutic monitoring in acromegaly, the importance of monitoring after surgery and medical therapy or radiotherapy, the consequences of suboptimal monitoring, and the need for improved monitoring algorithms for patients with acromegaly.
Downtime and early burntime thermal response of the fusion power core of a pulsed fusion reactor

Transient thermal response of the Fusion Power Core (FPC) of a pulsed fusion reactor is analyzed numerically using a computer code developed for this purpose. In this code, the convection and conduction equations are solved simultaneously. The flow is assumed to be constant. The analysis models the outboard first wall and blanket of the He-cooled ARIES-IV fusion reactor. It is found that the first wall suffers the largest temperature fluctuation: and almost all of the sensible heat in it is removed within about 30 seconds. Since the thermal time constants of the blanket are much larger, temperature fluctuations are smaller in it. Also, only a part of the sensible heat in the blanket can be removed by the coolant during the downtime.
Snapshot spectral imaging via compressive random convolution

Spectral imaging is of interest in many applications, including wide-area airborne surveillance, remote sensing, and tissue spectroscopy. Coded aperture spectral snapshot imaging (CASSI) provides an efficient mechanism to capture a 3D spectral cube with a single shot 2D measurement. CASSI uses a focal plane array (FPA) measurement of a spectrally dispersed, aperture coded, source. The spectral cube is then attained using a compressive sensing reconstruction algorithm. In this paper, we explore a new approach referred to as random convolution snapshot spectral imaging (RCSSI). It is based on FPA measurements of spectrally dispersed coherent sources that have been randomly convoluted by a spatial light modulator. The new method, based on the theory of compressive sensing via random convolutions, is shown to outperform traditional CASSI systems in terms of PSNR spectral image cube reconstructions.
Recent insights into the origins of adrenal and sex steroid receptors

The recent cloning by Thornton (2001) of estrogen, progesterone and corticoid receptors from lamprey provides important insights into the early evolution of adrenal and sex steroid receptors and an opportunity to elucidate the ancient steroids that regulated gene transcription. Inclusion of lamprey sequences in a steroid receptor phylogeny indicates that the estrogen receptor is the most ancient of these receptors, followed by the progesterone receptor and the corticoid receptor. Thornton proposed that estradiol was the earliest of the steroids to activate a steroid receptor. An alternative hypothesis is that a steroid in the ∆ 5 pathway activated the ancestral estrogen receptor.
Local regulation and land-use change: The effects of wetlands bylaws in Massachusetts☆

Abstract As urban areas across the U.S. grow, open-space lands providing wildlife habitat and ecosystem services are lost to development. In response, many communities have experimented with local regulations to encourage land conservation, but little is known about their effects on land-use change or housing supply. Wetlands protection bylaws are a potentially important and highly controversial form of local land-use regulation in Massachusetts. This paper uses conditional variation in the timing of adoption of these bylaws across communities to analyze their effects on rates of land-use change and housing growth from 1971 to 1999. We find that bylaws significantly reduced the rate of land conversion from open space to residential uses in communities where they were enacted, but did not significantly reduce growth in housing units, housing values or housing density in those communities. We do not find strong evidence that land-use conversion was displaced to neighboring communities, but supply constraints may have encouraged additional development at alternate sites within communities or additional higher density housing development in communities where it was allowed.
New Conceptual Frameworks for Student Engagement Research, Policy, and Practice

Student engagement research, policy, and practice are even more important in today’s race-to-the top policy environment. With a priority goal of postsecondary completion with advanced competence, today’s students must be engaged longer and more deeply. This need is especially salient for students attending schools located in segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods and isolated rural communities. Here, engagement research, policy, and practice must become more nuanced and less formulaic, and the ensuing review is structured accordingly. Guided in part by social-ecological analysis and social-cultural theory, engagement is conceptualized as a dynamic system of social and psychological constructs as well as a synergistic process. This conceptualization invites researchers, policymakers, and school-community leaders to develop improvement models that provide a more expansive, engagement-focused reach into students’ family, peer, and neighborhood ecologies.
Comprehensive identification of virulence factors required for respiratory melioidosis using Tn-seq mutagenesis

Respiratory melioidosis is a disease presentation of the biodefense pathogen, Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is frequently associated with a lethal septicemic spread of the bacteria. We have recently developed an improved respiratory melioidosis model to study the pathogenesis of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the lung (intubation-mediated intratracheal [IMIT] inoculation), which more closely models descriptions of human melioidosis, including prominent septicemic spread from the lung and reduced involvement of the upper respiratory tract. We previously demonstrated that the Type 3 Secretion System cluster 3 (T3SS3) is a critical virulence determinant for B. pseudomallei when delivered directly into the lung. We decided to comprehensively identify all virulence determinants required for respiratory melioidosis using the Tn-seq phenotypic screen, as well as to investigate which virulence determinants are required for dissemination to the liver and spleen. While previous studies have used Tn-seq to identify essential genes for in vitro cultured B. pseudomallei, this represents the first study to use Tn-seq to identify genes required for in vivo fitness. Consistent with our previous findings, we identified T3SS3 as the largest genetic cluster required for fitness in the lung. Furthermore, we identified capsular polysaccharide and Type 6 Secretion System cluster 5 (T6SS5) as the two additional major genetic clusters facilitating respiratory melioidosis. Importantly, Tn-seq did not identify additional, novel large genetic systems supporting respiratory melioidosis, although these studies identified additional small gene clusters that may also play crucial roles in lung fitness. Interestingly, other previously identified virulence determinants do not appear to be required for lung fitness, such as lipopolysaccharide. The role of T3SS3, capsule, and T6SS5 in lung fitness was validated by competition studies, but only T3SS3 was found to be important for respiratory melioidosis when delivered as a single strain challenge, suggesting that competition studies may provide a higher resolution analysis of fitness factors in the lung. The use of Tn-seq phenotypic screening also provided key insights into the selective pressure encountered in the liver.
The DNA of White Collar Crime (Book Review)

This article is a Review of Professor Stuart Green's recently published book, Lying, Cheating, and Stealing: A Moral Theory of White-Collar Crime (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). Professor Green is one of the leading scholars in the field of criminal law theory, and his book is the first systemic review of white collar crimes that provides a coherent view of the reason why these acts are properly the subject of criminal prosecution. Green's book fills a critical gap in legal scholarship by analyzing the moral norms that underlie the prosecution of white collar crimes, an approach never attempted in any systematic way in the criminal law literature. It provides a framework for explaining how the law reflects morality in white collar crime cases. He begins by considering the fundamental ambiguity in the term "white-collar crime," which is not subject to any clear definition yet is a term used commonly to describe certain types of conduct. To explain why certain acts that might otherwise be legitimate should be subject to criminal prosecution, Green analyzes ten moral norms that help explain the rationale for certain prosecuting certain types of conduct. By looking at these shared moral understandings, he explains how crimes such as fraud, perjury, obstruction of justice, blackmail, and insider trading should be understood as reflecting the community's norms. The key to white collar crime cases is proving the intent of the defendant to commit a crime. Unlike street crimes, there are no alibi defenses in white collar cases, nor the classic criminal defenses of justification or excuse. Instead, defenses offered include the "ignorant CEO" defense offered by Bernie Ebbers of WorldCom or the "fundamentally sound company" defense in the Enron conspiracy trial. The DNA of White Collar Crime considers how this analysis of the moral norms illuminates the critical assessment of intent. In the Review, I analyze how Green's moral theory of white collar crime makes it possible to understand the focal point on the defendant's mind in these types of cases. Green's insightful analysis of white collar crime provides a valuable tool to address why such prosecutions should even be brought.
How Students Reason Differently in Everyday and Mathematical Contexts: Typicality and Example Choice in Justification

Middle school students bring with them to the classroom powerful, informal resources for reasoning about mathematical ideas. However, little research has examined how these resources can interact with or support skills of mathematical justification. Here, we explore how middle school students consider inductive strategies – the use of examples in proof – when confronted with conjectures. We discuss ways in which these students might reason about mathematical objects like numbers and shapes strategically as they test examples. We argue that critical to such strategic reasoning is flexible application of mathematical and everyday ways of knowing.
The Relation of Surface Area to Body Weight in Postnatal Life

The 9 determinations of surface area on 3 children from 2 to 5 years reported in the first paper of this series, are not sufficient to warrant the computation of a formula for surface area at this age level but their relation to the trend of previous determinations by other methods on both living and dead may be determined.A preliminary survey of the literature furnished 135 actual determinations of the surface areas of normal individuals who ranged from birth to late maturity in age and whose heights and weights were given. The minimal body weight in this series was 2.5 kg. The sources and methods are as follows: Fubini and Ronchi,1 1 living adult, geometric method; Meeh,2 16 living males, 6 days to 66 years, coating and geometric method, Ssytscheff,3 23 males and females, 15 days to 43 years, coating method; Lissauer,4 8 male and female cadaver, 28 days to 15 months, coating method; Lassabliere,5 15 determinations each based on averages of 2 or 3 living children, one day to 24 months, geometric method; ...
Cardiovascular Imaging in Mice

The mouse is the mammalian model of choice for investigating cardiovascular biology, given our ability to manipulate it by genetic, pharmacologic, mechanical, and environmental means. Imaging is an important approach to phenotyping both function and structure of cardiac and vascular components. This review details commonly used imaging approaches, with a focus on echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging and brief overviews of other imaging modalities. We also briefly outline emerging imaging approaches but caution that reliability and validity data may be lacking.
The Expedient Turn to Collaboration

In history there is, of course, nothing permanent. Yesterday’s enemies may become today’s allies. The development of relations between Western multinational corporations and the Communist regimes since the Second World War bears witness to this rule. The strange marriage of convenience between these natural antagonists evident since the early 1960s — against a previous background of mutual fear, contempt and incompatibility — must be regarded as one of the most paradoxical cases of bilateral volte-face in recent history. Recriminations of the type considered in the preceding chapter, although by no means openly repudiated, appear to have been conveniently forgotten in favour of collaboration to mutual advantage.
Reversal of neurobehavioral social deficits in dystrophic mice using inhibitors of phosphodiesterases PDE5A and PDE9A

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by mutations in the DYSTROPHIN gene. Although primarily associated with muscle wasting, a significant portion of patients (approximately 25%) are also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. We describe social behavioral deficits in dystrophin-deficient mice and present evidence of cerebellar deficits in cGMP production. We demonstrate therapeutic potential for selective inhibitors of the cGMP-specific PDE5A and PDE9A enzymes to restore social behaviors in dystrophin-deficient mice.
Digital Hologrphy and Aperture Synthesis

Digital holography and aperture synthesis techniques have the ability to dramatically enhance the achievable resolution in standoff sensing applications. A review of relevant work from multiple groups will be presented. Article not available.
Pharmaceutical Industry Compliance with Industry Guiding Principles for Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

Since 1997 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has permitted direct-to-consumer prescription pharmaceutical advertising via television commercials. The pharmaceutical industry has argued that direct-to-consumer advertising is an effective means to educate consumers about diseases and appropriate treatments. In contrast, direct-to-consumer television advertising has been criticized for the level of information provided and for undermining physician patient relationships.
Language Contact in Europe: The Periphrastic Perfect through History

This comprehensive new work provides extensive evidence for the essential role of language contact as a primary trigger for change. Unique in breadth, it traces the spread of the periphrastic perfect across Europe over the last 2,500 years, illustrating at each stage the micro-responses of speakers and communities to macro-historical pressures. Among the key forces claimed to be responsible for normative innovations in both eastern and western Europe is 'roofing' - the superstratal influence of Greek and Latin on languages under the influence of Greek Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism respectively. The author provides a new interpretation of the notion of 'sprachbund', presenting the model of a three-dimensional stratified convergence zone, and applies this model to her analysis of the have and be perfects within the Charlemagne sprachbund. The book also tackles broader theoretical issues, for example, demonstrating that the perfect tense should not be viewed as a universal category.
Neuroendocrine Projections to the Median Eminence

Advertisements in the Sunday newspaper boast of how to command your pituitary gland with a simple tablet, but in fact, regulation of anterior pituitary function is the result of complex interactions of cells in the pituitary with hormones from the gland itself, from peripheral target tissues, and from neurons in the central nervous system. Within the brain, neuronal signals are integrated with blood-borne hormonal messages. These are directed to a set of neuroendocrine neurons whose axons extend to the floor of the third ventricle, the median eminence, where they terminate within the perivascular spaces of the primary capillary plexus of the pituitary portal system. The neurohormones are then carried via the portal system to the anterior pituitary where they effect or inhibit release of the pituitary hormones.
The chemo-mechanical effect of cutting fluid on material removal in diamond scribing of silicon

The mechanical integrity of silicon wafers cut by diamond wire sawing depends on the damage (e.g., micro-cracks) caused by the cutting process. The damage type and extent depends on the material removal mode, i.e., ductile or brittle. This paper investigates the effect of cutting fluid on the mode of material removal in diamond scribing of single crystal silicon, which simulates the material removal process in diamond wire sawing of silicon wafers. We conducted scribing experiments with a diamond tipped indenter in the absence (dry) and in the presence of a water-based cutting fluid. We found that the cutting mode is more ductile when scribing in the presence of cutting fluid compared to dry scribing. We explain the experimental observations by the chemo-mechanical effect of the cutting fluid on silicon, which lowers its hardness and promotes ductile mode material removal.
Sex Differences and Role of Estradiol in Hypoglycemia-Associated Counter-Regulation

Vital nerve cell functions, including maintenance of transmembrane voltage and information transfer, occur at high energy expense. Inadequate provision of the obligate metabolic fuel glucose exposes neurons to risk of dysfunction or injury. Clinical hypoglycemia rarely occurs in nondiabetic individuals but is an unfortunate regular occurrence in patients with type 1 or advanced insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus. Requisite strict glycemic control, involving treatment with insulin, sulfonylureas, or glinides, can cause frequent episodes of iatrogenic hypoglycemia due to defective counter-regulation, including reduced glycemic thresholds and diminished magnitude of motor responses. Multiple components of the body's far-reaching energy balance regulatory network, including the hindbrain dorsal vagal complex, provide dynamic readout of cellular energetic disequilibrium, signals that are utilized by the hypothalamus to shape counterregulatory autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral outflow toward restoration of glucostasis. The ovarian steroid hormone 17β-estradiol acts on central substrates to preserve nerve cell energy stability brain-wide, thereby providing neuroprotection against bio-energetic insults such as neurodegenerative diseases and acute brain ischemia. The current review highlights recent evidence implicating estrogen in gluco-regulation in females by control of hindbrain metabolic sensor screening and signaling of hypoglycemia-associated neuro-energetic instability. It is anticipated that new understanding of the mechanistic basis of how estradiol influences metabolic sensory input from this critical brain locus to discrete downstream regulatory network substrates will likely reveal viable new molecular targets for therapeutic simulation of hormone actions that promote positive neuronal metabolic state during acute and recurring hypoglycemia.