cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spaces with a regular G δ -diagonal

Abstract A space X has a regular G δ -diagonal if the diagonal in X × X can be represented as the intersection of the closures of a countable family of its neighbourhoods in the square. Below we generalize a theorem of McArthur [W.G. McArthur, G δ -diagonals and metrization theorems, Pacific J. Math. 44 (1973) 613–617] to bounded subsets of spaces with a regular G δ -diagonal showing that all such subsets are metrizable (Theorem 1). If a dense subspace Y of the product of some family of separable metrizable spaces has a regular G δ -diagonal, then Y is submetrizable (Theorem 14). We also study the regular G δ -diagonal property in the setting of paratopological groups. It is proved that every Hausdorff first countable Abelian paratopological group has a regular G δ -diagonal (Theorem 17). However, it remains unknown whether “Abelian” in the above statement can be dropped. We also provide the first example of a countable (therefore, normal) Abelian paratopological group G with a countable π-base such that the space G is not Frechet–Urysohn and hence, is not first countable. This is in contrast with the fact that every Hausdorff topological group with a countable π-base is metrizable. Several related results on submetrizability are obtained, and new open questions are formulated.
Insurance coverage gaps among US children with insured parents: are middle income children more likely to have longer gaps?

Millions of US children have unstable health insurance coverage. Some of these uninsured children have parents with stable coverage. We examined whether household income was associated with longer coverage gaps among US children with at least one insured parent. A secondary data analysis of the nationally-representative 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, this study uses logistic regression models to examine the association between income and children’s insurance gaps. We focused on children with at least one parent insured all year (n = 6,151; estimated weighted N = 53.5 million). In multivariate models, children from families earning between 125 and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL) had twice the odds of experiencing coverage gaps >6 months, as compared to those from high income families. Children in the poorest income groups ( 6 months. However, the odds of a gap ≤6 months were significantly greater for all income groups below 400% FPL, when compared to the highest income group. Among children with continuously insured parents, those from lower middle income families were most vulnerable to experiencing coverage gaps >6 months, as compared to those from the lowest and highest income families. These findings are likely due to middle class earnings being too high to qualify for public insurance but not high enough to afford private coverage. This study highlights the need for new US health care financing models that give everyone in the family the best chance to obtain stable coverage. It also provides valuable information to other countries with employer-sponsored insurance models or those considering privatization of insurance payment systems and how this might disproportionately impact the middle class.
The effect of the nature of dietary fat on synthesis of cholesterol from acetate-1-C14 in rat liver slices.

Abstract 1. 1. A comparative study of the incorporation of acetate-1-C 14 into cholesterol in liver slices has been effected in rats maintained on four experimental diets for 1, 4, and 16 weeks. 2. 2. Maximum cholesterol synthesis was observed in the liver of rats receiving a diet containing 15 % cottonseed oil. 3. 3. Cholesterol synthesis was markedly reduced in animals receiving a fat-deficient diet and in those receiving the diet containing 30% hydrogenated coconut oil. 4. 4. The addition of the essential fatty acid, linoleic, to the animals on the fat-free diet maintains a normal liver cholesterol level and normal cholesterol synthesis. 5. 5. The depression of cholesterol synthesis in the livers of animals fed the fat-deficient diet may result from the accumulation of cholesterol in the liver which is observed in these rats.
Effect of sleep deprivation on tolerance of prolonged exercise

Acute loss of sleep produces few apparent physiological effects at rest. Nevertheless, many anecdotes suggest that adequate sleep is essential for optimum endurance athletic performance. To investigate this question, heavy exercise performance after 36 h without sleep was compared with that after normal sleep in eight subjects. During prolonged treadmill walking at about 80% of the VO2 max, sleep loss reduced work time to exhaustion by an average of 11% (p = 0.05). This decrease occurred despite doubling monetary incentives for subjects during work after sleeplessness. Subjects appeared to fall into "resistant" and "susceptible" categories: four showed less than a 5% change in performance after sleep loss, while four others showed decrements in exercise tolerance ranging from 15 to 40%. During the walk, sleep loss resulted in significantly greater perceived exertion (p less than 0.05), even though exercise heart rate and metabolic rate (VO2 and VCO2) were unchanged. Minute ventilation was significantly elevated during exercise after sleep loss ( p less than 0.05). Sleep loss failed to alter the continuous slow rises in VE and heart rate that occurred as work was prolonged. These findings suggest that the psychological effects of acute sleep loss may contribute to decreased tolerance of prolonged heavy exercise.
Chemical and physical aspects of organic fouling of forward osmosis membranes

Abstract The growing attention to forward osmosis (FO) membrane processes from various disciplines raises the demand for systematic research on FO membrane fouling. This study investigates the role of various physical and chemical interactions, such as intermolecular adhesion forces, calcium binding, initial permeate flux, and membrane orientation, in organic fouling of forward osmosis membranes. Alginate, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and Aldrich humic acid (AHA) were chosen as model organic foulants. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to quantify the intermolecular adhesion forces between the foulant and the clean or fouled membrane in order to better understand the fouling mechanisms. A strong correlation between organic fouling and intermolecular adhesion was observed, indicating that foulant–foulant interaction plays an important role in determining the rate and extent of organic fouling. The fouling data showed that FO fouling is governed by the coupled influence of chemical and hydrodynamic interactions. Calcium binding, permeation drag, and hydrodynamic shear force are the major factors governing the development of a fouling layer on the membrane surface. However, the dominating factors controlling membrane fouling vary from foulant to foulant. With stronger intermolecular adhesion forces, hydrodynamic conditions for favorable foulant deposition leading to cake formation are more readily attained. Before a compact cake layer is formed, the fouling rate is affected by both the intermolecular adhesion forces and hydrodynamic conditions. However, once the cake layer forms, all three foulants have very similar flux decline rates, and further changes in hydrodynamic conditions do not influence fouling behavior.
Hepatic Artery Infusion of Doxorubicin with Hepatic Venous Drug Extraction

Hepatic artery infusion (HAI) has been used to take advantage of the steep dose-response relationship characteristic of chemotherapeutic agents. Systemic toxicity, however, remains the dose limiting factor for HAI of low hepatic extraction drugs. This investigation compared the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin administered using a system that combines HAI and hepatic venous drug extraction (HVDE) versus systemic administration without HVDE. HAI was accomplished by transfemoral cannulation of the hepatic artery. HVDE was aided by use of a double-balloon catheter inserted fluoroscopically via femoral vein cutdown into the inferior vena cava. Inflation of the balloons above and below the hepatic veins allowed collection of hepatic venous effluent. Hepatic venous blood was pumped through the double-balloon catheter into an extracorporeal circuit with activated carbon filters to extract drug prior to return to the systemic circulation. Domestic female swine (25-35 kg) received 3 mg/kg doxorubicin over 90 min via HAI. HVDE was performed for 240 min following initiation of HAI (Time 0-240 min). Control swine underwent hepatic venous isolation using the double-balloon catheter without drug filtration and received 3 mg/kg doxorubicin over 90 min via systemic vein (SYSI). Serum and myocardial doxorubicin and doxorubicinol levels were assayed using HPLC. Blood was serially sampled from hepatic vein blood, from the extracorporeal circuit after filtration, and from a systemic artery. Area under the curve (AUC) was integrated from time-concentration plots over Time 0-180 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A comparison of mineral-magnetic and distributed RUSLE modeling in the assessment of soil loss on a southeastern U.S. cropland

Abstract As geospatial technologies increasingly figure into resource management activities, there is a corresponding need to provide commensurately detailed high resolution spatial data. This study addresses the capacity of rapidly and cheaply acquired mineral-magnetic data to provide detailed spatially distributed assessments of long-term cumulative soil loss from agricultural fields. Model output from a simple distributed implementation of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and from a field-data-oriented soil magnetism-based erosion model are compared for a small Alabama (USA) farm lot. An undisturbed reference soil toposequence is used as input to the magnetism model, in contrast with earlier studies that relied on a single reference soil profile. Results from this procedure, while likely to be more dependable, proved primarily to further emphasize spatial patterns noted in prior studies. In addition, the use of a toposequence decreased the area over which RUSLE and magnetism models were in agreement. RUSLE underpredicted denudation relative to magnetism-model results over upper slopes, and overpredicted it on lower slopes. The locations of former access roads may explain underprediction on the upper slopes. The differences between the two method outcomes are discussed with regard to the potential for spatial variability in parent materials, the efficacies of non-fluvial soil redistribution processes, and the availability of detailed land use records for the 100+ years of agricultural activities at the site.
Volume plasmon polaritons and subwavelength interference in a hyperbolic medium

Experiments demonstrate that inside strongly anisotropic materials with hyperbolic dispersion, light diffracted from double slits propagates as volume plasmon polaritons and form subwavelength interference peaks that can be used in subwavelength photolithography and probes.
Scalar dynamic nuclear polarization of protons in trifluoroacetic acid solutions

Abstract Strongly scalar 1 H intermolecular dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of solvent 1 H nuclei in solutions of organic free radicals has now been observed at room temperature. Transient protonation of the CF 3 COOH/pyridyl imidazoline-1-oxyl radical system accounts for the observed effects.
Dynamic enterprises demand advanced curricula in software development and management

Advancing technologies, emergent software development approaches, and economic conditions influencing corporate budgets are creating new challenges for the software development manager. Information dependent enterprises continue to require high quality software that quickly satisfies customer needs, at a time when traditional software development methods are being challenged by agile, user centric approaches. This paper focuses on one higher education program that addresses the unique needs of the software manager in a dynamic enterprise that promises to deliver software projects with successful outcomes.While it is difficult to assure that graduate studies definitively improve the software manager's ability to deliver projects with successful outcomes, RIT has designed a contemporary Software Development & Management curriculum to prepare students to manage and successfully implement software-oriented projects. This paper will discuss a graduate curriculum comprised of practical, theoretical, and technical foundations that serves to increase the probability of success for today's software project. Unique course outlines and delivery mechanisms that further differentiate the curriculum will also be presented.
Interest Groups in the Rule-Making Process: Who Participates? Whose Voices Get Heard?

This article addresses three questions about notice and comment rule rrmaking. The first considers who participates: Who submits comments to federal agencies during the notice and comment period? The second considers the extent to which the comments alter the content of the rules. The third is about evaluating agency rule making in the context of the iron triangle and issue network models of policy making. The article examines eleven rules selected randomly at the EPA, NHTSA, and HUD. Among the findings are. a dearth of citizen commenters, the predominance of participation by business interests, and the presence of issue networks, and the absence of any discernible bias in whose voices get heard. The article concludes by suggesting that agencies fail to hear from all affected parties but that they are nonetheless put in the precarious position of arbitrating among competing interests.
Epistaxis in a patient on antiplatelet therapy: not always benign

Epistaxis in patients on antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy is common and typically benign. We present a case of a rare nasal septal malignancy in a patient on antiplatelet therapy and discuss worrisome symptoms and signs which should prompt early referral to a specialist.
Clinical, laboratory, and neuroimaging characteristics of fatigue in HIV-infected individuals

Fatigue is among the most common symptoms reported by HIV-infected individuals. Previous reports suggest that the prevalence of fatigue varies by disease status with rates close to 80% in patients with AIDS. However, most studies have not been conducted in the setting of a controlled trial and have not assessed the association of fatigue with cellular markers of brain activity. Data for this study were derived from baseline and longitudinal evaluations in ACTG A5090, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the Selegiline Transdermal System for the treatment of HIV-associated cognitive impairment. Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale with scores of >4 considered “fatigued”. Participants in a substudy underwent brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) imaging, an in vivo method for assessing brain metabolites associated with neuronal and glia activity. Differences between fatigued and non-fatigued participants were evaluated with respect to demographics and clinical characteristics, plasma and CSF HIV-1 RNA concentration, CD4 counts, and brain metabolites. One hundred and twenty-eight participants were enrolled (88% male, median age = 45 years) and 82 participants (64%, 95% confidence interval 55%, 72%) were fatigued at baseline. MRS was conducted in 62 of the 128 participants. Fatigued participants were significantly younger (p = 0.011), had lower Karnofsky scores (p = 0.032), and had higher levels of depressive symptoms on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale (p < 0.001) than non-fatigued participants. Statistically significant differences between fatigued and non-fatigued groups were not detected for plasma and CSF HIV-1RNA concentration, CD4 counts, or on neuropsychological tests. MRS revealed significantly lower levels of the cellular energy marker total creatine (p = 0.002) in the basal ganglia of fatigued participants. Statistically significant differences in other brain metabolites were not detected. Longitudinal data showed that fatigue persisted and worse fatigue at baseline was predictor of future fatigue. Among the cognitive tests, baseline Stroop score was associated with future fatigue. Fatigue was present in 64% of A5090 study participants and persisted during the 24 weeks of follow-up. Fatigue was associated with worse functional performance and depressive mood. Lower cellular energy levels in the basal ganglia, as measured by MRS total creatine concentration, suggest energy dysmetabolism in this brain region. This observation, taken together with the association between fatigue and neuropsychological tests of frontal lobe performance is consistent with the hypothesis of a striatal–cortical circuitry involvement in the symptoms of fatigue.
Reality therapy: Icing on the cake of behavior modification

The paper presents a conceptual model for therapeutic intervention based on a behavioral orientation. Behavioral therapy is viewed on a continuum ranging from basic operant techniques to cognitive strategies applied to human interaction. It is hypothesized that the elements of reality therapy, with its emphasis on human interaction, are needed to provide closure to the therapeutic intervention and to help maintain new coping behaviors. Utilizing the context of an institutionalized client, suggestions for how this process might occur are discussed.
Informed Consent for Emergency Research

To the Editor. —The Consensus Statement on informed consent in emergency research 1 is a needed plea for direction and sensibility to enable researchers to pursue socially desirable research in emergency care. Nonetheless, the statement under-emphasizes the legitimate role prior expressions of treatment desires by competent patients should play in such research. First, no distinction is drawn between patients who are in the care of physicians in a hospital and those not in the care of physicians at the time an emergency arises. The authors consider securing prospective consent from patients when they are admitted to the hospital, but dismiss it. They assert that patients may not consider their options carefully if there is only a remote chance of study entry, and thus they may not be protected adequately from research risks. The reasoning behind this conclusion is flawed and the result unacceptably paternalistic. It is wrong to presume that
Excessive force: A comparative study of police in the Caribbean

Police scholars attribute police use of excessive force to various factors including individual characteristics, situational contingencies, organizational determinants and leadership styles. Most research investigating the determinants of excessive use of force concerns deadly force among urban police agencies in developed nations, primarily the United States. Only recently has research attention focused on excessive force that is less than lethal. This research reports the findings of a study on police perceptions regarding the use of less-than-lethal excessive force in three Caribbean nations. A model is developed based on current literature from developed nations that specifies the relationships among situational, individual, and organizational factors and the use of excessive force as measured by observations, interviews, and surveys. A questionnaire collected data from 672 street-level constables and their immediate supervisors. Observations of constables, interviews with their supervisors, and inter...
A procedure to determine the onset of soot agglomeration from multi-wavelength experiments

Abstract A procedure to identify agglomeration of soot particles in flames from multi-wavelength experiments is discussed. N -particle agglomerates are modeled by using a discrete dipole approximation. We find that measurements of the differential scattering and absorption coefficients, and phase function can be used to determine the number of agglomerated monomers, their size and the structure of the formed agglomerate. Representative results are presented for a complex index of refraction value typical for that of soot particles produced during combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. The same models produced for a range of refractive indices show that effects of this parameter on the presented results are negligible.
Inhibition of active strontium transport from erythrocyte ghosts by internal calcium: evidence for a specificity controlling site.

The inhibition of strontium transport from erythrocyte ghosts by internal calcium was investigated. When active strontium transport was measured in the presence of increasing levels of internal calcium it was found that the inhibition of strontium transport started at an internal calcium level of 0.3mm and was virtually complete when this concentration reached 1.0mm. It was also noted that calcium transport was virtually constant between concentrations of 0.3 and 1.0mm. This experiment indicated that calcium did not inhibit strontium transport by competing for the active site of the transport system. This inhibition was partially reversed by increasing the internal magnesium concentration from 1 to 4mm. A higher level of magnesium at the time of lysis and during incubation enhanced strontium transport. However, the inhibition remained noncompetitive with respect to calcium. Manganese was also found to support calcium and strontium transport. However, it could not reverse the inhibition of strontium transport by internal calcium at any concentration tested. In fact, manganese restored the inhibition of strontium transport by calcium in ghosts that were prepared and incubated in solutions that had high magnesium levels.
Instrumentation for the northern site of the Pierre Auger Observatory

Abstract The Pierre Auger Observatory is a multi-national project for research on ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Science results from the Southern Auger Observatory motivate the completion and extension of the investigations begun there by constructing the Northern Auger Observatory, with a much larger acceptance for the extremely rare cosmic ray events above a few times 10 19 eV. This paper describes the layout and technical implementation of Auger North, highlighting advances with respect to the Auger South instrumentation that have been made to improve performance, reduce costs, and accommodate differences between the Southern and Northern sites.
Relation Between the Available Essential Amino Acid Patterns in Four Fish Meals and Their Values in Certain Broiler Rations

Abstract EXPERIMENTS are being conducted at our station to determine by a chick test which amino acids are most limiting in the protein of feedstuffs commonly used in poultry rations. A previous report (Warnick and Anderson, 1968) gave results obtained in studies on soybean meals and cited our other related publications. The present paper reports results obtained in similar studies of fish meals. In addition to the tests to determine the limiting amino acids, each meal was fed as a supplement to a corn and soybean meal ration and as a supplement to a corn and cottonseed meal ration. Four lots of fish meal were used to supplement a ration based on corn, cottonseed meal, and soybean meal. This allowed us to compare the meals in the different tests. In the United States fish meal is used in most rations fed to broiler chicks and to turkey poults, and it is . . .
Teaching Methods-Using Discussions in the Classroom

Some instructors like to use a variety of pedagogical methods throughout the semester. Using discussions in the classroom is a way to add variety. The benefits of utilizing discussions include enhanced problem-solving and communications skills, and a higher retention rate of information. Suggestions for leading effective discussions are followed by a sample class discussion format.
Analysis of large scale disturbances in spiral galaxies

A scale analysis is made of large scale eddying motions superimposed upon the state of mean rotation of spiral galaxies. By this means a balance relationship is derived between the fields of potential on the one hand and the horizontal eddy velocity on the other. This should provide a useful kinematical relationship for observational astronomy. It is obvious to the meteorological reader that the large scale irregular motions of galaxies are analogous to those which occur in our own atmosphere.
Mitral annular dynamics during rapid atrial pacing

Introduction: Ovine mitral annular area (MAA) reduction predominantly occurs before ventricular systole. We used the myocardial marker methods to investigate left atrial and MAA dynamics during rapid atrial pacing. Methods: Seven sheep underwent implantation of 21 myocardial markers around the mitral annulus, the left ventricle and left atrium. After 7 to 10 days, animals were studied with biplane videofluoroscopy to determine 3-dimensional marker coordinates unpaced and during rapid atrial pacing at 140 minutes–1. Left ventricle volume, left atrial volume (LAV), and MAA were calculated from marker coordinates. End diastole (ED) was defined at peak of the electrocardiogram R wave; times of minimum MAA and minimum LAV were expressed relative to ED (t = 0). Percent reduction in MAA and LAV were calculated from maximum and minimum values between diastole and early systole. Results: The time of minimum MAA occurred earlier relative to ED during rapid pacing compared with control (–48 ± 21 vs 19 ± 14 msec; P <.001), as did the time of minimum LAV (–47 ± 18 vs 4 ± 16 msec; P <.001). Minimum MAA and LAV were significantly smaller with rapid pacing (6.8 ± 0.6 vs 6.5 ± 0.5 cm2; P <.05, respectively; and 15.4 ± 2.4 vs 16.5 ± 2.3 mL; P <.01, respectively), and a relatively greater fractional reduction in MAA and LAV was observed during presystole. Conclusions: Rapid atrial pacing resulted in greater MAA and LAV reduction, both of which occurred entirely during diastole. This study supports the notion that MAA reduction is closely linked to LA dynamics. (Surgery 2000;128:361-7.)
Coopting Ethics Education: Ethically Challenged Ethics Lessons:

In a society that is increasingly reliant on complex technologies, there are vital interests at stake in the ethics education of technical professionals. To promote professional behavior that will enhance the long-term well-being of all citizens and their environment, ethics education should be free of industry bias and use resources developed by independent academic and professional organizations. Recently, however, corporations have attempted to involve themselves in engineering ethics education (through the American Society of Engineering Education) as a spinoff of their n-house employee ethics training. This article examines the “industry perspective” on ethics education offered by Boeing and Lockheed-Martin Corporations and reviews Lockheed-Martin’s “Ethics Challenge” game. The aerospace industry’s narrow focus on employee workplace behavior overlooks larger public-interest concerns. Engineering ethics education must include developing ethical awareness and a sense of social responsibility.
COMMENT ON NOTES BY BRÖKLING AND SAS

(1969). COMMENT ON NOTES BY BROKLING AND SAS. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 59, No. 3, pp. 608-610.
Some effects of glucose and ammonia on protein synthesis by rumen bacteria

Four species of ruminal anaerobic bacteria:Bacteroides ruminicola Succinivibrio dexrinosolvesn, Selenomonas ruminantium, andStreptococcus bovis, were used in growth experiments to study the effects of ammonia-nitrogen concentration, at several levels of fermentable energy, on nutrient utilization and protein synthesis. The optimal available ammonia concentration for use without wastage by most of the organisms was 5.4 mmol/l, butBacteroides ruminicola used as much as 27 mmol/l ammonia. All the organisms used 27 mmol/l glucose completely. Differences were found among the organisms in the optimal available glucose and ammonia concentrations associated with maximal total protein formation and maximal protein formation per unit of glucose or ammonia used during growth. The glucose concentration associated with most efficient conversion of glucose to protein (5.4 mmol/l) byBacteroides ruminicola andSuccinivibrio dextrinosolvens was five-fold less than that associated with most efficient protein formation per unit of glucose used byStreptococcus bovis andSelenomonas ruminantium. Under nutritional conditions associated with ruminant productivity, it is likely that, for both microbe and animal, substantial nutrient waste occurs.
Octahedral metal carbonyls. X. Kinetics of the reactions of [1,2-bis(diphenylphosphine)ethane]chromium- and molybdenum tetracarbonyls with lewis bases☆☆☆

Abstract Kinetic data for the reaction of Lewis bases (L) with (diphos)M(CO)4 (diphos = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane; M = Cr, Mo) support a mechanism in which reversible dissociation of CO is followed by attack of L on the resulting five-coordinate intermediate. Activation parameters for the carbonyl dissociation step have been calculated. The results suggest metal π-base and ligand π-acid interaction in the ligand association step. The results are compared to those previously obtained for reactions of L with (bidentate)M(CO)4 systems.
Expression analysis of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) gene in developing porcine conceptuses

Steroidogenesis in porcine non-conceptus tissue is regulated by the STAR-dependent transport of cholesterol from the outer to inner mitochondrial membrane. Previous serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) identified a STAR mRNA transcript in the porcine peri-implantation conceptus during trophectoderm elongation and increased conceptus estrogen synthesis between gestational day 11 and 12. To assess a potential role for STAR in the modulation of conceptus steroidogenesis via cholesterol transport, the conceptus STAR transcript was PCR cloned and temporal expression of mRNA and protein were examined. Northern analysis of day 12 corpora lutea and pig conceptus RNA detected multiple STAR transcripts in both tissues and identified the cloned transcript as the longest variant. The transcript had a 99% similarity to a truncated ovarian STAR transcript. The conceptus STAR transcript was temporally regulated during elongation but trace expression was present in day 6 blastocysts and day 25 conceptuses. Differential regulation of STAR mRNA was concomitant with the presence of the stimulatory transcription factor steroidogenic factor 1, and absence of the inhibitory transcription factor dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia congenita, critical region on the X chromosome, gene-1, transcripts. In contrast to peak STAR mRNA expression at the filamentous stage, Western blot analyses revealed STAR protein levels were highest in tubular conceptuses. These data confirm the presence of STAR mRNA and protein during porcine conceptus elongation and suggest regulation of STAR at two levels, transcriptionally, in part, through differential regulation of transcription factors, and post-transcriptionally, evidenced by the disparity of protein to RNA in filamentous conceptuses.
Dwarf shrub and graminoid responses to clipping, nitrogen and water: simplified simulations of biomass and nitrogen dynamics

Abstract A dynamic model (CLIPSIM) was developed to (a) represent complex defoliation responses, particularly compensatory growth, with a minimal level of complexity, (b) represent responses to nitrogen and water and their interactions with defoliation, (c) represent the allocation of biomass and nitrogen above and belowground and the allocation of biomass to leaves, stems, sheaths or spines, and flowers. Data from previously published factorial experiments with an African dwarf shrub, a short-sedge, a mid-grass and a tall-grass were used to develop and test the model. The model simulated these four very different species under a very wide range of experimental conditions. Each species responded to defoliation with different processes, indicating high variability in adaptive mechanisms. Simple reductions in leaf area, and resultant decreases in total photosynthesis and plant nitrogen, were not always sufficient explanations of observed defoliation responses. More complex mechanisms were required, particular in the two species which exhibited the most pronounced compensatory growth responses ( Indigofera spinosa and Kyllinga nervosa ). In these species clipping altered allocation patterns, tissue longevity, and nitrogen uptake in ways that could not be explained by simple changes in plant mass or nutrient status, suggesting possible hormonal effects. It also proved necessary to simulate the effects of defoliation on plant nitrogen balance, and the secondary consequences of alterations in nitrogen balance for photosynthesis, biomass allocation, and tissue death rate. Plant herbivory responses such as these may need to be included in simplified models of plant growth that are intended for application over large spatial areas.
Three-dimensional silver nanostructure fabrication through multiphoton photoreduction

Metal nanofabrication techniques have become increasingly important for photonic applications with rapid developments in plasmonics, nanophotonics and metamaterials. While two-dimensional (2D) techniques to create high resolution metal patterns are readily available, it is more difficult to fabricate 3D metal structures that are required for new applications in these fields. We present a femtosecond laser technique for 3D direct-writing silver nanostructures embedded inside a polymer. We induce the photoreduction of silver ions through non-linear absorption in a sample doped with a silver salt. Utilizing nonlinear optical interactions between the chemical precursors and femtosecond pulses, we limit silver-ion photoreduction processes to a focused volume smaller than that of the diffraction-limit. The focal volume is scanned rapidly in 3D by means of a computer-controlled translation stage to produce complex patterns. Our technique creates dielectric-supported silver structures, enabling the nanofabrication of silver patterns with disconnected features in 3D. We obtain 300 nm resolution.
Comment on "High abrasion resistance with sparse mineralization: copper biomineral in worm jaws".

Lichtenegger et al . ( [1][1] ) demonstrated the fascinating occurrence of a copper biomineral in a worm jaw, but did not show, as they claimed, that this mineral has a structural role. Lichtenegger et al . based that conclusion on an apparent correlation between slight variations in mechanical
Direct Detection of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Aqueous Samples with Thermally-Assisted Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

An ambient mass spectrometric method based on desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) has been developed to allow rapid, direct analysis of contaminated water samples, and the technique was evaluated through analysis of a wide array of pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) contaminants. Incorporating direct infusion of aqueous sample and thermal assistance into the source design has allowed low ppt detection limits for the target analytes in drinking water matrices. With this methodology, mass spectral information can be collected in less than 1 min, consuming ~100 μL of total sample. Quantitative ability was also demonstrated without the use of an internal standard, yielding decent linearity and reproducibility. Initial results suggest that this source configuration is resistant to carryover effects and robust towards multi-component samples. The rapid, continuous analysis afforded by this method offers advantages in terms of sample analysis time and throughput over traditional hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques.
Using the Reggio Exhibit to Enrich Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of How Children Construct and Represent Knowledge.

This teacher research study explores the changes in early childhood teacher candidates' perceptions of how children construct and represent knowledge following repeated exposure to “The Wonder of Learning: the Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit. When the renowned exhibit from Reggio Emilia was housed on the study participants' campus for 6 months, a unique opportunity was afforded area educators and future teachers interested in gaining a deeper appreciation of the many facets of this exhibit. After viewing the exhibit, participants wrote four one-minute reflections, which were later unitized and coded for emergent themes. Results indicated a notable expansion of teacher candidates' understanding of the multiple ways children can express and make visible their learning.
The relative influence of vocational behavior and family involvement on self-esteem: Longitudinal analyses of young adult women and men

Abstract Although self-esteem is frequently conceptualized as an independent or mediating variable affecting vocational behavior and adjustment, the effects of careers and career preparation on self-esteem are equally of interest. In the present study, relationships among parenthood, vocational status, and self-esteem were explored using longitudinal data from 462 young adult women and 192 young adult men. A latent construct of Marriage and Family Involvement initially appeared to be negatively related to the self-esteem of the young adult women, but not for the men. However, subanalyses indicated that the critical variable for self-esteem of the women was vocational status rather than marital status or parenthood. Women not engaged in vocational behavior continued to demonstrate a negative relationship between Marriage and Family involvement and self-esteem. However, no such relationship remained for women working full-time or preparing for careers. In addition, to rule out self-selection, prior self-esteem, assessed in late adolescence, did not predict subsequent family involvement and was equivalent for the two different vocational status groups. In young adulthood, men and women attending school or engaged in full-time jobs had higher self-esteem than men and women with part-time jobs or no jobs, respectively.
Nanoforest Nb2O5 Photoanodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Vertically aligned bundles of Nb2O5 nanocrystals were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and tested as a photoanode material in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). They were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopies, optical absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis), and incident-photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) experiments. The background gas composition and the thickness of the films were varied to determine the influence of those parameters in the photoanode behavior. An optimal background pressure of oxygen during deposition was found to produce a photoanode structure that both achieves high dye loading and enhanced photoelectrochemical performance. For optimal structures, IPCE values up to 40% and APCE values around 90% were obtained with the N3 dye and I3–/I– couple in acetonitrile with open circuit voltage of 0.71 V and 2.41% power conversion efficiency.
Is there a phase transition in CeAl3

Abstract Experimental results for the 27 Al nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate and NMR absorption line shape over a broad range of frequencies down to 0.48 and 0.6 K respectively are reported for CeAl 3 . A search for the antiferromagnetic transition at 1.2 K reported by Nakamura et al. indicates that it does not occur in pure CeAl 3 .
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection Caused by Actinomyces neuii subsp. neuii

Actinomyces neuii subsp. neuii is a rare isolate in clinical specimens. The organism was previously designated CDC coryneform group 1 and was renamed in 1994. A case of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection caused by this organism is described.
Studies of adhesion by secondary ion mass spectrometry

The study of adhesion requires the characterization of surfaces and interfaces. One surface analytical technique which has been used extensively in the study of adhesion is secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). This paper provides a brief introduction to the basis of this technique and describes the two broad categories of SIMS analyses: static and dynamic. A complete literature review of the applications of SIMS to the study of adhesion follows. The papers reviewed are organized into a series of topics including the nature of surfaces produced by pre-bonding treatments, contamination which produces adhesion loss, polymer damage at interfaces, silanes and adhesion, characterization of polymer/polymer interfaces, and measurements of interface widths by SIMS.
The role of tacrolimus in renal transplantation

Tacrolimus gained FDA approval for use in liver transplantation in 1994 and, approximately 3 years later, was approved for the prevention of acute rejection in kidney transplantation. Over the last decade tacrolimus has become the calcineurin inhibitor of choice for the prevention of rejection in renal transplantation. The objective of this study was to provide a review and update of the literature on the use of tacrolimus in renal transplantation. Numerous clinical trials have shown tacrolimus to be superior to cyclosporine in the prevention of acute rejection and recent trials have demonstrated superiority of tacrolimus over cyclosporine in terms of allograft survival. Post-transplant diabetes remains more common with tacrolimus than cyclosporine, despite lower doses of both tacrolimus and corticosteroids. A novel once-daily dosage form of tacrolimus has recently been developed and is approved for use in Europe. Tacrolimus remains an important immunosuppressant for the prevention of acute rejection. The prolonged-release formulation may improve compliance and possibly long-term outcomes.
A social capital perspective on meta-knowledge contribution and social computing

Recent years have seen a substantial growth of social computing, where large numbers of individual users share content with others in online communities. Social computing systems have thus led to a profusion of highly heterogeneous data, further exacerbating the traditional problems of knowledge sharing. This has made Meta-knowledge (knowledge about knowledge) important and more widely used, as it helps users locate knowledge easily. However, the reasons for people's meta-knowledge contribution in the social computing context and the extent to which this may differ from traditional knowledge contribution remain largely unexplored. This gap is addressed in the present study. Building on social capital theory, and using a combination of survey and independent system data, we explore what affects individual meta-knowledge contribution on Flickr, a popular photo-sharing service.
Speed of Mating and Sexual Isolation in Drosophila

SEXUAL isolation is considered to be among the most important factors that prevent or inhibit interspecific matings and that maintain species integrity among many animal species1–3. Sexual isolation may result when animals are capable of discriminating between members of their own species and those of other species. Such discrimination may be based on behavioural differences between species (ethological isolation). During the courtship the occurrence of incongruent actions may lead to a breaking off of courtship and/or failure to mate. Interspecific discrimination may also be based on species specific stimuli, auditory, visual or chemical (olfactory and tactile) in nature, which inhibit the elicitation of congruent mating behaviour between heterospecific partners.
Neuroconcerns: Some Responses to My Critics

Neuroscience has its limits. Perhaps oxytocin can diminish neuroskepticism. But no psychoactive drug or neuro-technological innovation can enable me to engage meaningfully in around a thousand word...
Specific Heat of LiF and KI at Low Temperatures

The heat capacities of LiF and KI single crystals have been measured over the temperature range 2-7\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. An adiabatic calorimeter was employed making use of a mechanical contact "heat switch." A carbon resistor embedded directly in the specimen was used as thermometer. For LiF the heat capacity was found to be proportional to the cube of the temperature over the whole range of temperatures investigated, and the value of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{0}$ was found to be 722\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. For KI variations from the ${T}^{3}$ dependence were found above 3\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. An extrapolation of a smooth curve through the data to zero degrees temperature indicates a value of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{0}=128\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K. These values of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{0}$ are compared to values of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{0}$ derived from elastic constants data.
Evidence from Fram Strait (78° N) for early deglaciation

Recent syntheses of the history of the last Northern Hemisphere glaciation and deglaciation illustrate that understanding of the mechanisms and timing of deglaciation before approximately 12,000 years BP1–5 is limited. After 12,000 yr BP, however, there is sufficient evidence from radiocarbon-dated moraines, raised beaches, varved lake sediments and pollen records to provide a reasonable temporal and geographic picture of the decay of the ice sheets. Here we report on the first oxygen isotope record from the Norwegian-Greenland Sea that is radiocarbon-dated directly by accelerator mass spectrometry. A significant light-oxygen-isotope event is recorded at approximately 15,000 years BP which suggests that the marine-based Barents Shelf ice sheet disintegrated rapidly at this time. Recent studies6,7 have estimated that the decay of this ice sheet could have contributed as much as 15 metres to eustatic sea-level rise. The decay of the Barents Shelf ice sheet is the earliest major deglacial event yet dated, and may have triggered subsequent deglacial events through eustatic sea-level effects.
Acquisition of protease resistance by prion proteins in scrapie-infected cells does not require asparagine-linked glycosylation.

Abstract The scrapie and cellular isoforms of the prion protein (PrPSc and PrPC) differ strikingly in a number of their biochemical and metabolic properties. The structural features underlying these differences are unknown, but they are thought to result from a posttranslational process. Both PrP isoforms contain complex type oligosaccharides, raising the possibility that differences in the asparagine-linked glycosylation account for the properties that distinguish PrPC and PrPSc. ScN2a and ScHaB cells in culture produce several PrP molecules with relative molecular masses of 26-35 kDa and proteinase K-resistant cores of 19-29 kDa. When the cells were treated with tunicamycin, this heterogeneity was eliminated and a single PrP species of 26 kDa was observed. Several hours after its synthesis, a fraction of this protein became insoluble in detergents and acquired a proteinase K-resistant core, thus displaying two of the biochemical hallmarks of PrPSc. Synthesis in the presence of tunicamycin restricted the proteinase K-resistant cores of PrP to a single species of 19 kDa. No proteinase K-resistant PrP was found in uninfected cells. Expression of a mutated PrP gene lacking both asparagine-linked glycosylation sites in ScN2a cells resulted in the synthesis of 19-kDa proteinase K-resistant PrP molecules. We conclude that asparagine-linked glycosylation is not essential for the synthesis of proteinase K-resistant PrP and that structural differences unrelated to asparagine-linked oligosaccharides must exist between PrPC and PrPSc. Whether unglycosylated PrPSc molecules are associated with scrapie prion infectivity remains to be established.