cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Empty sources of growth accounting, and empirical replacements à la Kaldor and Goodwin with some beef

Standard sources of growth accounts are empty of content because they rely on neoclassical production theory. Rather, analysis can be based on productivity growth equations derived from national income and product accounts (NIPA) accounting conventions and a helpful algebraic identity. These schemes impose valid restrictions on growth rates of the wage rate, profit rate, capital, labor, and their respective average productivities. One states that the output growth rate equals employment growth plus productivity growth. The standard “convergence” model basically adds accumulation dynamics to this identity. Replacing the aggregate production function with proper accounting restrictions gives a growth model with detailed results that differ markedly from those of the standard model. Alternative, essentially Kaldorian supply- and demandbased alternatives to sources of growth based on a familiar output growth versus productivity growth diagram with constant employment growth contours added in look like a useful alternative to the mainstream models. With distributive dynamics added in, the model would also generate Goodwin-style cycles.
Florida Teachers' Attitudes about Teaching Evolution

A survey of Florida teachers reveals many differences in comfort level with teaching evolution according to the state's science teaching standards, general attitudes and beliefs about evolution, and the extent to which teachers are criticized, censured, disparaged, or reprehended for their beliefs about the teaching of evolution.
Vouchers in U.S. vocational training programs: an overview of what we have learned

An important decision that must be made in operating training programs targeted toward disadvantaged workers is whether the programs dictate the specific training programs that participants will take or they issue vouchers that permit participants to select their specific training programs. Over the past 40 years, the United States has operated a number of targeted training programs, some of which have used vouchers and voucher-like instruments to let participants determine their programs. This paper reviews the evidence from the U.S. experience. Although vouchers permit maximum consumer choice and reduce the need for government oversight, vouchers may not lead to optimal results due to imperfect information and a divergence between government and participant goals. Although vouchers are generally popular with participants, evaluations of U.S. training programs for poor workers and dislocated (displaced) workers show mixed results: many studies indicate that the impact of programs with vouchers is often lower than for programs without vouchers for poor participants, and the evidence is mixed for dislocated workers. When vouchers are used, appropriate counseling and assessment as well as the provision of provider performance information can improve the results.
Identification and Inactivation of Genetic Loci Involved with Lactobacillus acidophilus Acid Tolerance

Amino acid decarboxylation-antiporter reactions are one of the most important systems for maintaining intracellular pH between physiological limits under acid stress. We analyzed the Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM complete genome sequence and selected four open reading frames with similarities to genes involved with decarboxylation reactions involved in acid tolerance in several microorganisms. Putative genes encoding an ornithine decarboxylase, an amino acid permease, a glutamate γ-aminobutyrate antiporter, and a transcriptional regulator were disrupted by insertional inactivation. The ability of L. acidophilus to survive low-pH conditions, such as those encountered in the stomach or fermented dairy foods, was investigated and compared to the abilities of early- and late-stationary-phase cells of the mutants by challenging them with a variety of acidic conditions. All of the integrants were more sensitive to low pH than the parental strain. Interestingly, each integrant also exhibited an adaptive acid response during logarithmic growth, indicating that multiple mechanisms are present and orchestrated in L. acidophilus in response to acid challenge.
A History of Access to Medicine Through the Lens of Patent Perspectives

This chapter provides a broader view of the development of international laws impacting the protection of drugs from the lens of patents as either a privilege or a right. In particular, this chapter demonstrates how domestic and international laws and policies impacting access to medicine is a dynamic process in which competing patent perspectives (as well as their confluence) play an important role. Whereas patent-owning companies are usually considered to dominate conversations, this chapter shows that access to medicine proponents have also utilized tools such as forum shifting and other political pressures to pursue their agenda.
Reaction-based fluorescent sensor for investigating mobile Zn2+ in mitochondria of healthy versus cancerous prostate cells

Chelatable, mobile forms of divalent zinc, Zn(II), play essential signaling roles in mammalian biology. A complex network of zinc import and transport proteins has evolved to control zinc concentration and distribution on a subcellular level. Understanding the action of mobile zinc requires tools that can detect changes in Zn(II) concentrations at discrete cellular locales. We present here a zinc-responsive, reaction-based, targetable probe based on the diacetyled form of Zinpyr-1. The compound, (6-amidoethyl)triphenylphosphonium Zinpyr-1 diacetate (DA-ZP1-TPP), is essentially nonfluorescent in the metal-free state; however, exposure to Zn(II) triggers metal-mediated hydrolysis of the acetyl groups to afford a large, rapid, and zinc-induced fluorescence response. DA-ZP1-TPP is insensitive to intracellular esterases over a 2-h period and is impervious to proton-induced turn-on. A TPP unit is appended for targeting mitochondria, as demonstrated by live cell fluorescence imaging studies. The practical utility of DA-ZP1-TPP is demonstrated by experiments revealing that, in contrast to healthy epithelial prostate cells, tumorigenic cells are unable to accumulate mobile zinc within their mitochondria.
The Protein Arginine Methyltransferase Prmt5 Is Required for Myogenesis because It Facilitates ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodeling

Skeletal muscle differentiation requires the coordinated activity of transcription factors, histone modifying enzymes, and ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes. The type II protein arginine methyltransferase Prmt5 symmetrically dimethylates histones H3 and H4 and numerous nonchromatin proteins, and prior work has implicated Prmt5 in transcriptional repression. Here we demonstrate that MyoD-induced muscle differentiation requires Prmt5. One of the first genes activated during differentiation encodes the myogenic regulator myogenin. Prmt5 and dimethylated H3R8 (histone 3 arginine 8) are localized at the myogenin promoter in differentiating cells. Modification of H3R8 required Prmt5, and reduction of Prmt5 resulted in the abrogation of promoter binding by the Brg1 ATPase-associated with the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes and all subsequent events associated with gene activation, including increases in chromatin accessibility and stable binding by MyoD. Prmt5 and dimethylated H3R8 were also associated with the myogenin promoter in activated satellite cells isolated from muscle tissue, further demonstrating the physiological relevance of these observations. The data indicate that Prmt5 facilitates myogenesis because it is required for Brg1-dependent chromatin remodeling and gene activation at a locus essential for differentiation. We therefore conclude that a histone modifying enzyme is necessary to permit an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme to function.
Comparison of vitamin A status assessment techniques in children from two Indonesian villages

The vitamin A statuses of preschool-aged chil- dren without clinical eye signs of vitamin A deficiency in two villages near Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, were studied by the modified-relative-dose-response (MRDR) test and the conjunc- tival impression cytology (CIC) method. In the second village the relative-dose-response (RDR) test was also applied. Of the children examined, 71% in the first village (group 1, n = 75) and 36% in the second village (group 2, n = 83) fell below the third percentile of the WHO reference standard of weight-for-age. The following provisional cutoff values for inadequate vitamin A status in Indonesia were used: MRDR (� 0.06), RDR (� 20%), CIC (an abnormal impression in one eye). The percent abnormal values were as follows: group 1-MRDR 48%, CIC 51%; group 2-MRDR 12%, RDR 1 1%, CIC 5%. Thus, the indicators gave concordant results for the two populations but did not necessarily identify the same individuals at risk. The consistency ofthe RDR test was much improved by increasing the oral dose to 3.5 smol and by retesting only after a 3-wk interval. Am J Clin Nutr l994;60: 136-41.
Cryptogenic Stroke and Migraine Headache: The Clinical Cardiologist's View

Cryptogenic stroke and migraine headache are disorders which most commonly affect persons younger than 55 years of age. In recent years these disorders have been found to have a strong association with inter-atrial cardiac defects, such as patent foramen ovale and atrial septal defect, and support the pathophysiological mechanism of paradoxical embolism with a right-to-left shunt. With the evolution of technology, magnetic resonance imaging has more clearly defined cryptogenic stroke, and percutaneous cardiac interventional devices have offered a simplified approach to closure of inter-atrial cardiac defects. Nevertheless, the evidence-based data of which sub-populations of patients with cryptogenic stroke or migraine headache will benefit from closure of inter-atrial cardiac defects is just being defined. This review offers a clinical cardiologist???s viewpoint of these developments.
Slit scattering effects in a well aligned pepper pot

A pepper pot is a device used to measure a medium energy (<20 MeV) electron beam's transverse emittance by sampling its transverse phase space. This is accomplished by blocking most of the incident electron beam, while allowing small 'beamlets' to pass through openings in a mask. The accuracy of the transverse emittance measured by a pepper pot is limited by several factors including, electrons leaking through the solid region of the mask, the imaging system resolution and dynamic range, scattering, etc. While the noise contributions from the prior quantities can be easily estimated, scattering effects have previously been neglected due to the difficulty in estimating the effect. In this paper, EGS4 simulations are presented to determine the affect of scattering on emittance measurements for an 8 MeV electron beam.
Constrained optimization of neural network architecture

By introducing a well-motivated information theoretic metric and new convex optimization algorithms, the architecture of a neural network is designed to enhance its supervised learning capability. We formulate two optimization frameworks that allow efficient algorithms for a large number of variables and accommodate a variety of practical constraints on structural randomness of neural networks. Convex optimization is also used for independent component analysis (ICA) and multi-antenna fading channel capacity.
President Bush advocates teaching “intelligent design“

U.S. President George W. Bush has come out in favor of the teaching of “intelligent design” alongside the teaching of the theory of evolution in public schools. Intelligent design includes the tenet that life on Earth is too complex to have evolved on its own and must therefore be the work of an intelligent designer. In a 1 August press briefing, Bush said that “both sides ought to be properly taught…so people can understand what the debate is about.” He added, “Part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought… You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes.”
Assessing Professionals' Writing ProblemsA Proposed Strategy for Advancing Writing Research

Communication is vitally important to professionals’ successes, and they often spend 50% or more of their time on communication activities (Anderson 1985). Of especial concern are the activities involved in preparing their written communications. Clearly, good writing skills are vital to a professional‘s promotion and success. But what happens when professionals encounter difficulties in writing? Their supervisors are often first to recognize their writing problems. Frequently, supervisors edit professionals’ drafts in hopes that their staff members’ writing will improve. Some professionals do learn from such edits and quickly conform thqir writing to the organization’s style and culture. Other professionals continue to have writing problems. Such professionals are told that they have a writing problem, and their performance evaluations often suffer. They then turn to workshops, continuing education courses, and semester-long professional writing courses. Still other professionals seek individuals to coach them on their writing.
Perceptual assessment of demosaicing algorithm performance

Demosaicing is an important part of the image-processing chain for many digital color cameras. The demosaicing operation converts a raw image acquired with a single sensor array, overlaid with a color filter array, into a full-color image. In this paper, we report the results of two perceptual experiments that compare the perceptual quality of the output of different demosaicing algorithms. In the first experiment, we found that a Bayesian demosaicing algorithm produced the most preferred images. Detailed examination of the data, however indicated that the good performance of this algorithm was at least in part due to the fact that it sharpened the images while it demosaiced them. In a second experiment, we silenced image sharpness as a factor by applying a sharpening algorithm to the output of each demosaicing algorithm. The optimal amount of sharpening to be applied to each image was chosen using the results of a preliminary experiment. Once sharpness was equated in this way, an algorithm developed by Freeman based on bilinear interpolation combined with median filtering, gave the best results. An analysis of our data suggests that our perceptual results cannot be easily predicted using an image metric.
Semikinetic modeling of plasma flow on outer plasmaspheric field lines

Abstract We have developed a large scale, plasma transport model which treats ions as particles and electrons as a massless neutralizing fluid. In using this model to study plasmaspheric flows we have included the effects of ion Coulomb collisions, pitch angle scattering, and wave-induced perpendicular heating. We have also include electron heating. Among the results we find: (1) Coulomb collisions are sufficient for plasmasphere refilling within observed time scales, (2) Counterstreaming beams can last up to 30 hours for an L = 4.5 flux tube, provided there is not much wave-particle heating or scattering occurring, (3) At early times, pitch angle scattering and perpendicular heating acting together are much more effective than either acting alone in producing plasma accumulation, (4) Heating power levels as low as 10−13 V2m−2Hz−1 can result in equatorial densities of 10 cm−3 in 12 hours for an L = 4 flux tube, and (5) Equatorial electron heating can create electric potential barriers which will tend to isolate equatorially trapped ions and decouple interhemispheric flow, provided the electron heat flow is not too large. Results from cases with perpendicular ion heating and parallel electron heating are similar to what is seen in the DE RIMS ion observations.
Emulsion polymerization of styrene. I. A reproducible system

Excellent reproducibility of an emulsion polymerization of styrene has been obtained in a nitrogen atmosphere and a technique and apparatus have been described to obtain this reproducibility. The rate of polymerization for this system has been shown to be proportional to the square root of the catalyst concentration and to increase with higher catalyst concentrations. Average molecular weights were higher with higher concentration of catalyst within the catalyst concentrations studied and polymerization occurred without significant pH changes. In contrast, reproducibility of the emulsion polymerization in air atmosphere was unsatisfactory. The presence of air (oxygen) increased the induction period, decreased the rate of polymerization and decreased the average molecular weight of the polymer. Since the time necessary for polymerization was increased, the decrease in pH was considerable during the polymerization.
Natural genetic variation determines susceptibility to aggregation or toxicity in a C. elegans model for polyglutamine disease

Monogenic gain-of-function protein aggregation diseases, including Huntington’s disease, exhibit substantial variability in age of onset, penetrance, and clinical symptoms, even between individuals with similar or identical mutations. This difference in phenotypic expression of proteotoxic mutations is proposed to be due, at least in part, to the variability in genetic background. To address this, we examined the role of natural variation in defining the susceptibility of genetically diverse individuals to protein aggregation and toxicity, using the Caenorhabditis elegans polyglutamine model. Introgression of polyQ40 into three wild genetic backgrounds uncovered wide variation in onset of aggregation and corresponding toxicity, as well as alteration in the cell-specific susceptibility to aggregation. To further dissect these relationships, we established a panel of 21 recombinant inbred lines that showed a broad range of aggregation phenotypes, independent of differences in expression levels. We found that aggregation is a transgressive trait, and does not always correlate with measures of toxicity, such as early onset of muscle dysfunction, egg-laying deficits, or reduced lifespan. Moreover, distinct measures of proteotoxicity were independently modified by the genetic background. Resistance to protein aggregation and the ability to restrict its associated cellular dysfunction are independently controlled by the natural variation in genetic background, revealing important new considerations in the search for targets for therapeutic intervention in conformational diseases. Thus, our C. elegans model can serve as a powerful tool to dissect the contribution of natural variation to individual susceptibility to proteotoxicity. Please see related commentary by Kaeberlein, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/11/102 .
Dendritic Cell Function during Chronic Hepatitis C Virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can persist despite HCV-specific T-cell immunity and can have a more aggressive course in persons coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Defects in antigen-presenting, myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) could underlie this T-cell dysfunction. Here we show that monocyte-derived DCs from persons with chronic HCV infection, with or without HIV-1 coinfection, being treated with combination antiretroviral therapy produced lower levels of interleukin 12 (IL-12) p70 in response to CD40 ligand (CD40L), whereas the expression of DC surface activation and costimulatory molecules was unimpaired. The deficiency in IL-12 production could be overcome by addition of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) with CD40L, resulting in very high, comparable levels of IL-12 production by DCs from HCV- and HIV-1-infected subjects. Smaller amounts of IL-12 p70 were produced by DCs treated with the immune modulators tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-1β, with or without IFN-γ, and the amounts did not differ among the uninfected and infected subjects. Blocking of IL-10 with an anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody in the CD40L-stimulated DC cultures from HCV-infected persons increased the level of IL-12 p70 production. The ability of DCs from HCV-infected persons to stimulate allogeneic CD4+ T cells or induce IL-2, IL-5, or IL-10 in a mixed lymphocyte reaction was not impaired. Thus, myeloid DCs derived from persons with chronic HCV infection or with both HCV and HIV-1 infections have defects in IL-12 p70 production related to IL-10 activity that can be overcome by treatment of the DCs with CD40L and IFN-γ. DCs from these infected subjects have a normal capacity to stimulate CD4+ T cells. The functional effectiveness of DCs derived from HCV-infected individuals provides a rationale for the DC-based immunotherapy of chronic HCV infection.
Network construction and structure detection with metagenomic count data

The human microbiome plays a critical role in human health. Massive amounts of metagenomic data have been generated with advances in next-generation sequencing technologies that characterize microbial communities via direct isolation and sequencing. How to extract, analyze, and transform these vast amounts of data into useful knowledge is a great challenge to bioinformaticians. Microbial biodiversity research has focused primarily on taxa composition and abundance and less on the co-occurrences among different taxa. However, taxa co-occurrences and their relationships to environmental and clinical conditions are important because network structure may help to understand how microbial taxa function together. We propose a systematic robust approach for bacteria network construction and structure detection using metagenomic count data. Pairwise similarity/distance measures between taxa are proposed by adapting distance measures for samples in ecology. We also extend the sparse inverse covariance approach to a sparse inverse of a similarity matrix from count data for network construction. Our approach is efficient for large metagenomic count data with thousands of bacterial taxa. We evaluate our method with real and simulated data. Our method identifies true and biologically significant network structures efficiently. Network analysis is crucial for detecting subnetwork structures with metagenomic count data. We developed a software tool in MATLAB for network construction and biologically significant module detection. Software MetaNet can be downloaded from http://biostatistics.csmc.edu/MetaNet/ .
African American Students' Perceptions of Differential Treatment in Learning Environments: Examining the Moderating Role of Peer Support, Connection to Heritage, and Discrimination Efficacy:

The current study advances prior literature by examining the relationship between African American students' perceptions of differential treatment by teachers and educational outcomes (i.e., import...
Proximal Femoral Varus Derotation Osteotomy in Children with Cerebral Palsy: The Effect of Age, Gross Motor Function Classification System Level, and Surgeon Volume on Surgical Success.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate mid-term results of proximal femoral varus derotation osteotomy (VDRO) in children with cerebral palsy and determine what effect age, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, and surgeon volume had on surgical success. Methods: We analyzed a cohort of children with cerebral palsy who underwent VDRO for hip displacement at a tertiary-level pediatric hospital between 1994 and 2007. Age, sex, GMFCS level, preoperative radiographic parameters, previous botulinum toxin administration or soft-tissue release, adjunctive pelvic osteotomy, the performance of bilateral surgery at the index VDRO, and surgeon volume (the number of procedures performed) were recorded. Results were analyzed via univariate and multivariate analyses for association with the need for revision hip surgery. Kaplan-Meier survivorship curves were generated, determining the time from index surgery to failure (defined as the need for subsequent surgical procedures on the hip and/or pelvis, or a hip migration percentage of >50% at the time of final follow-up), and were further stratified according to osseous versus soft-tissue revision. Results: A total of 567 VDROs were performed in 320 children (mean age [and standard deviation], 8.2 ± 3.8 years). The mean follow-up was 8.3 years (range, three to eighteen years). Of the initial 320 patients, 117 (37%) were considered to have had failure. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that younger age at surgery (p < 0.001), increased GMFCS level (p = 0.01), and lower annual surgical hip volume (p = 0.02) were significant independent predictors of any type of surgical revision. Furthermore, soft-tissue release at VDRO was protective against revision (p = 0.02). Five-year survivorship analysis revealed a 92% success rate for children classified as GMFCS levels I and II compared with a 76% success rate for those of GMFCS level V (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrated a 37% failure rate after VDRO in children with cerebral palsy. Older age, lower GMFCS level, and increased surgeon volume were strong predictors of surgical success. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Religion in Politics

The author defends a version of justificatory liberalism against a line of criticism developed by Christopher Eberle. Along the way, a conception of respect that liberal citizens owe to each other qua citizens is proposed. According to thins conception, respect requires citizens to both seek and find public justifications for their favored coercive laws.
Persistence of group A streptococci labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate in inflammatory sites in the heart and muscle of mice and rabbits.

SummaryA simple method of labeling living group A streptococci with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is described. Low concentrations of FITC (10-50 μg/ml) labeled group A streptococci but affected neither the viability of the cells nor the capacity of the streptococci to produce acid from glucose or to form cell-bound streptolysin S. Mucopeptide prepared from group A streptococci by the formamide method and group A streptococcal L-forms were readily labeled with FITC. On the other hand C-polysaccharide could not be labeled with FITC when in solution. Group A streptococci, streptococcal cell debris, and mucopeptide labeled with FITC injected into the thigh muscle of mice and rabbits and intramyocardially into rabbits persisted intracellularly in histiocytes for several months. Since FITC-labeled group A L-forms, which are devoid of cell walls, disappeared from the site of injection within 24-72 hr it is suggested that the long persistence of streptococci and products in the tissues is probably due to the...
Little White Lies

This metasynthesis surveyed extant literature on deception in the context of dementia and, based on specific inclusion criteria, included 14 articles from 12 research studies. By doing so, the authors accomplished three goals: (a) provided a systematic examination of the literature-to-date on deception in the context of dementia, (b) elucidated the assumptions that have guided this line of inquiry and articulated the way those shape the research findings, and (c) determined directions for future research. In particular, synthesizing across studies allowed the authors to develop a dynamic model comprised of three temporally linear elements-(a) motives, (b) modes, and (c) outcomes that describe how deception emerges communicatively through interaction in the context of dementia.
Supervenience, Dynamical Systems Theory, and Non-Reductive Physicalism

AbstractIt is often claimed (1) that levels of nature are related by supervenience, and (2) that processes occurring at particular levels of nature should be studied using dynamical systems theory....
Mitigating damaging behaviors of snorkelers to coral reefs in Puerto Rico through a pre-trip media-based intervention

Abstract There is widespread consensus that recreational snorkelers are damaging coral reefs, but the magnitude of the issue is unknown. Loss of reefs jeopardizes tourism, which is a significant economic driver. Recreational snorkeling is a popular activity and yet there has been little research about the behavior of snorkelers at reefs. The authors carried out observations at several reef locations in Puerto Rico to determine the baseline level of snorkeler behavior that threatens coral reefs. From August of 2010 until June 2012, they observed 328 different recreational snorkelers in-water at various reef locations and recorded number and types of potentially damaging behaviors. Snorkelers exhibited 0.26 potentially damaging behaviors per minute. Most were fin kicks (39%) and the next most frequent behavior was sitting, standing or kneeling on the reef (22%). The authors asked a subset of the people who were observed to make self-reports of their behavior, evaluated the accuracy of self-reports, and found that people underreported their potentially harmful behaviors. The authors experimented with a video message and signed pledge to promote proper snorkeling etiquette. From March 2012 until June 2012, snorkelers watched the video and signed the pledge before they boarded a tour operator led excursion. The pledge expressed commitment to specific pro-reef behaviors. Post-treatment in-water observations of 79 different snorkelers found a five-fold reduction in the rate of potentially damaging behaviors. Furthermore, the percentage of snorkelers who never harmed the reef shot up from 65% to 89%. The research suggests the pre-trip messaging together with a written pledge can change behaviors, thus improving the ability of ecotourism operators to help sustain reefs as well as the economic livelihoods of their employees.
The Sometimes Unitary Executive: Presidential Practice Throughout History

Steven Calabresi and Christopher Yoo’s book The Unitary Executive: Presidential Power from Washington to Bush presents an excellent inquiry into the concept of a centralized executive throughout our history. The authors’ goal is to persuade the reader that all presidents have viewed the power to supervise and remove subordinates as central to the very meaning of “executive power” in Article II of the Constitution. Without such an ability, presidents would be unable to execute the law effectively and place their stamp on the administration. The authors succeed in attaining that goal in part, for the historical record they portray reveals a long tradition of forceful assertion of presidential rights to control policy through close supervision of officers within the executive branch, especially through the removal power. The book, however, is both over and underinclusive. The authors include many historical incidents that do not shed light on the unitary executive but rather on executive power more generally. The book is also underinclusive in failing to make a persuasive case for presidential authorities other than the removal power that fall within the unitary executive conception. In particular, the authors’ focus on a presidential power to nullify acts of subordinates is misguided. They simply have not made the historical case for any such nullification power, and they have omitted analysis of significant aspects of presidential administration that would illuminate whether presidents consistently have asserted a nullification power. I conclude by examining one of those settings – when the executive branch is defending itself in litigation against suit filed by private entities and individuals – to ascertain how consistent the presidential practice has been. Presidents in a wide variety of cases have not hesitated to rely on a fragmented executive branch to dismiss claims. They have argued that cases should be dismissed because the wrong federal governmental entity was named and due to the fact that insufficient governmental entities were before the court to permit effective redress. They have recognized that federal agencies have distinct legal personalities, and declined to take responsibility for acts committed by subordinates. The historical evidence, in other words, provides a more cabined understanding of the unitary executive than the authors and President Bush’s administration would have us believe.
Semi-preparative isolation of plant sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols by solid phase extraction and HPLC procedures

Techniques are described for the semi-preparative isolation of sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol from plant leaf tissue lipid extracts and the resolution and analysis of component molecular species. Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol was resolved from phospholipids in a polar lipid fraction by isocratic normal phase HPLC with detection at 208 nm. The mobile phase was composed of heptane-isopropanol-0.001 M KCl 40:52:8 (v/v/v). Yields from spinach leaf lipid extracts were 1.8 mg.10 g-1 fresh wt leaf tissue. Molecular species components of purified sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol were separated by reversed-phase C18 HPLC, and fatty acid positional distribution was defined.
Indoor and Outdoor Co-coverage in 3G

It analyzes the key issues on indoor and outdoor co-coverage in 3G,presents the technical suggestions.Finally it gives the application of multi-RRU single cell technique to co-coverage.
First direct confirmation of grass carp spawning in a Great Lakes tributary

Abstract Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), an invasive species of Asian carp, has been stocked for many decades in the United States for vegetation control. Adult individuals have been found in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, but no self-sustaining populations have yet been identified in Great Lakes tributaries. In 2012, a commercial fisherman caught four juvenile diploid grass carp in the Sandusky River, a major tributary to Lake Erie. Otolith microchemistry and the capture location of these fish permitted the conclusion that they were most likely produced in the Sandusky River. Due to this finding, we sampled ichthyoplankton using paired bongo net tows and larval light traps during June–August of 2014 and 2015 to determine if grass carp are spawning in the Sandusky River. From the samples collected in 2015, we identified and staged eight eggs that were morphologically consistent with grass carp. Five eggs were confirmed as grass carp using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction for a grass carp-specific marker, while the remaining three were retained for future analysis. Our finding confirms that grass carp are naturally spawning in this Great Lakes tributary. All eggs were collected during high-flow events, either on the day of peak flow or 1–2 days following peak flow, supporting an earlier suggestion that high flow conditions favor grass carp spawning. The next principal goal is to identify the spawning and hatch location(s) for the Sandusky River. Predicting locations and conditions where grass carp spawning is most probable may aid targeted management efforts.
A Decision Model for Finishing Calves on Annual Winter Grazing

FINISHING beef on annual winter grazing has been thought by many to be a means by which the Southeast can aggressively increase its share of the production of finished beef. In attempting to take advantage of this potential enterprise, the producer is plagued with the problem of predicting the availability of a given quantity of grazing at a specified time because of variations in fall rainfall and winter temperatures. Researchers face the same problem in obtaining adequate data to evaluate the economic potential of this enterprise. The results of rate-of-stocking studies have been inconclusive because of variations in total seasonal forage production and variations in the seasonal pattern of the production. The use of seasonal yields of forage-plot experiments to estimate production potential also buries the important intraseasonal pasture carrying capacity variations. These variations permit conflicting results to be obtained from fertility and irrigation experiments of different time periods when data are analyzed by traditional methods.' The results of traditional methods of data analysis fail to provide the producer with a framework satisfactory for making decisions as to stocking rates, methods of grazing, and alternatives for handling periods of low forage production within seasons. The problem is further complicated by carry-over effects of previous decisions and/or previous-period forage production on one or more succeeding grazing periods within the same
UV–Vis Absorption and Chemiluminescence Techniques

This chapter explores the application of spectrophotometric measurement techniques in biological systems. Spectrophotometric techniques involving ultraviolet and colorimetric detection offer a convenient way of detecting reactive species (RS) formation due to the prevalence of UV–Vis spectrophotometer in research laboratories. Spectrophotometric techniques for RS measurement have found broad application in the fields of biomedical research, clinical chemistry, plant biology, food chemistry, environmental chemistry, radiation chemistry, pharmaceuticals, toxicology, and material science or simply for the investigation of RS production in simple chemical systems. This chapter describes in detail the spectrophotometric techniques for the detection in biological systems of a range of RS, including superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide and its metabolites, thiols, and peroxides. The chapter also covers the application and techniques of a variety of AOC assays used to detect RS, before concluding with a discussion on the techniques and interpretation of chemiluminescence in biological cells and tissues.
ThoC1 is required for early embryonic development in the mouse

2525 The yeast TREX complex physically couples the elongating RNA polymerase II machinery with RNA processing and nuclear export factors thereby facilitating efficient and regulated gene expression. Hpr1p is an essential component of TREX, and loss of Hpr1p compromises transcriptional elongation, RNA export, and genome stability. Despite these defects, Hpr1p deficiency is not lethal in yeast. Functional orthologues of Hpr1p have been identified in metazoan species including mammals and insects (alternately known as Thoc1 , Hpr1, or p84), but their physiological functions have not been determined. Here we describe the generation and phenotypic characterization of mice containing a null allele of the mouse Thoc1 gene. Heterozygous null Thoc1 mice are born at the expected Mendelian frequency with no phenotype distinguishable from wild type. In contrast, homozygous null mice are not recovered, indicating Thoc1 is required for embryonic development. Embryonic development is arrested around the time of implantation as blastocysts exhibit hatching and blastocyst outgrowth defects upon in vitro culture. Cells of the inner cell mass are particularly dependent on Thoc1 as these cells rapidly lose viability coincident with Thoc1 protein loss. While Hpr1p is not essential for the viability of unicellular yeasts, the mammalian orthologue Thoc1 is required for viability of the mammalian embryo.
Deep-sea coral and hardbottom habitats on the west Florida slope, eastern Gulf of Mexico

Until recently, benthic habitats dominated by deep-sea corals (DSC) appeared to be less extensive on the slope of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) than in the northeast Atlantic Ocean or off the southeastern US. There are relatively few bioherms (i.e., coral-built mounds) in the northern GOM, and most DSCs are attached to existing hard substrata (e.g., authigenically formed carbonate). The primary structure-forming, DSC in the GOM is Lophelia pertusa, but structure is also provided by other living and dead scleractinians, antipatharians (black corals), octocorals (gorgonians, soft corals), hydrocorals and sponges, as well as abundant rocky substrata. The best development of DSCs in the GOM was previously documented within Viosca Knoll oil and gas lease blocks 826 and 862/906 (north-central GOM) and on the Campeche Bank (southern GOM in Mexican waters). This paper documents extensive deep reef ecosystems composed of DSC and rocky hard-bottom recently surveyed on the West Florida Slope (WFS, eastern GOM) during six research cruises (2008–2012). Using multibeam sonar, CTD casts, and video from underwater vehicles, we describe the physical and oceanographic characteristics of these deep reefs and provide size or area estimates of deep coral and hardground habitats. The multibeam sonar analyses revealed hundreds of mounds and ridges, some of which were subsequently surveyed using underwater vehicles. Mounds and ridges in <525 m depths were usually capped with living coral colonies, dominated by L. pertusa. An extensive rocky scarp, running roughly north-south for at least 229 km, supported lower abundances of scleractinian corals than the mounds and ridges, despite an abundance of settlement substrata. Areal comparisons suggested that the WFS may exceed other parts of the GOM slope in extent of living deep coral coverage and other deep-reef habitat (dead coral and rock). The complex WFS region warrants additional studies to better understand the influences of oceanography and geology on the occurrence of DSC and associated organisms. Protection measures are being considered to ensure the long-term integrity of this diverse ecosystem.
Readmission Rates After Passage of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: A Pre-Post Analysis.

Background Whether hospitals with the highest risk-standardized readmission rates (RSRRs) subsequently experienced the greatest improvement after passage of the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) is unknown. Objective To evaluate whether passage of the HRRP was followed by acceleration in improvement in 30-day RSRRs after hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), or pneumonia and whether the lowest-performing hospitals had faster acceleration in improvement after passage of the law than hospitals that were already performing well. Design Pre-post analysis stratified by hospital performance groups. Setting U.S. acute care hospitals. Patients 15 170 008 Medicare patients discharged alive from 2000 to 2013. Intervention Passage of the HRRP. Measurements 30-day readmission rates after hospitalization for AMI, CHF, or pneumonia for hospitals in the highest-performance (0% penalty), average-performance (>0% and <0.50% penalty), low-performance (≥0.50% and <0.99% penalty), and lowest-performance (≥0.99% penalty) groups. Results Of 2868 hospitals serving 1 109 530 Medicare discharges annually, 30.1% were highest performers, 44.0% were average performers, 16.8% were low performers, and 9.0% were lowest performers. After controlling for prelaw trends, an additional 67.6 (95% CI, 66.6 to 68.4), 74.8 (CI, 74.0 to 75.4), 85.4 (CI, 84.0 to 86.8), and 95.1 (CI, 92.6 to 97.5) readmissions per 10 000 discharges were found to have been averted per year in the highest-, average-, low-, and lowest-performance groups, respectively, after passage of the law. Limitation Inability to distinguish between improvement caused by the magnitude of the penalty or by different levels of health improvement in different patient populations. Conclusion After passage of the HRRP, 30-day RSRRs for myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia decreased more rapidly than before the law's passage. Improvement was most marked for hospitals with the lowest prelaw performance. Primary Funding Source National Institutes of Health.
Abstract 444: The Liver-Specific Role of Sortilin in VLDL Secretion

Introduction Sortilin, the protein product of the SORT1 gene, is a multi-ligand sorting receptor involved in Golgi to lysosome trafficking that is expressed in multiple tissues. Genome-wide association studies have shown an association between elevated SORT1 expression in human liver and a reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and in myocardial infarction (MI) risk. Our lab has previously shown liver specific sortilin overexpression in mice reduces LDL by facilitating LDL plasma clearance and by promoting the lysosomal degradation of very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Interestingly, we and others have also shown that total body Sort1 deficiency in mice is associated with a paradoxical reduction in VLDL secretion (48%, P = 0.004). One major difference is that the overexpression studies were hepatic specific whereas the loss-of-function studies were in total body knockout (KO) mice. Methods/Results We used liver-specific Sort1 conditional KO mice and reconstitution of hepatic Sort1 in total body KO mice to further probe the specific role of hepatic sortilin in VLDL secretion. Sort1 fl/fl mice were injected with a control adeno-associated virus (AAV) or an AAV expressing Cre recombinase driven by a liver specific promoter and in vivo VLDL secretion studies were performed. Liver-specific Sort1 deletion reduced VLDL secretion by 51% (P = 0.005). We also used AAV to test the hypothesis that sortilin serves as a chaperone to facilitate VLDL secretion. Sort1 reconstitution in total body Sort1 KO mice reduced VLDL secretion by 29% (P = 0.002). Interestingly, expression of a sortilin mutant that cannot traffic to the lysosome but does traffic to the plasma membrane increased VLDL secretion by 88% (P = 0.001). Conclusion These findings suggest that liver-specificity is not responsible for the paradoxical reduction in secretion seen in the total body Sort1 KO mouse, which is reproduced in the hepatic-specific sortilin KO mouse. The differential effects of wild-type and lysosomal defective sortilin on VLDL secretion and are consistent with a model in which sortilin serves a dual function in VLDL trafficking, with low levels of sortilin facilitating VLDL export and higher levels of sortilin promoting pre-secretory lysosomal VLDL degradation.
The Ethical Wealth of Nations

Michael Porter argues that some nations manifest a competitive advantage deriving from key elements of their economic structure. Some nations are thus disposed by structure to possess what Porter calls a "competitive advantage of nations" (Porter, 1990). In this paper I examine the prospect of an ethical advantage of nations, and in particular, of a set of advantages that extend far beyond the simple dimension of trust so often discussed. I consider, further, how such a range of ethical features would be structured, and what the implications of those features would be. Three conclusions are reached: 1. Morality may create economic advantages for nations in ways that extend beyond the notion of an idealized market; 2. In order for ethics to drive economic advantage, ethical concepts must rise to the status of intrinsic value; and 3. If claims for national ethical success factors are true, then nations should attend to the issue of moral education.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Targeting during Embryogenesis in Swine.

Ability to disrupt genes is essential in elucidating gene function. Unlike rodents or amphibians, it has been difficult to generate gene targeted embryos in large animals. Therefore, studies of early embryo development have been hampered due to the limitation. A recent technology suggests that targeted mutations can be successfully introduced during embryogenesis, thus by-passing the need of breeding to produce gene-targeted embryos. This is particularly important in large animal models because of longer gestation period and higher animal cost. Here we describe a specific approach to disrupt up to two genes simultaneously during embryogenesis using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in swine. The approach can help understand the mechanism of zygotic genome activation in large animals.
Omalizumab versus Mepolizumab as add-on therapy in asthma patients not well controlled on at least an inhaled corticosteroid: A network meta-analysis

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the comparative efficacy of Omalizumab (OMA) and Mepolizumab (Mepo) in the treatment of severe asthma by performing a network meta-analysis. Metho...