cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
European Union Directives and Poland: A Case Study

ion charges have reduced the levels of water pollution.175 Much remains to be done, however, and Poland continues to have the dubious distinction as having emission intensities of major pollutants per unit of GDP that are among the highest in the 169 Id.; see also Nicola J. Eury, Regulatory Developments: Leveling the Playing Field in Europe, 18 NAT. REsouRcEs & ENVIRON. 45, 45-46 (discussing the regulatory framework mandated by the EU in the interests of environmental preservation); Noah Vardi & Vincenzo Zeno-Zencovich, From Rome to Nice: A Historical Profile of European Environmental Law, 12 PENN. ST. ENvTL. L. REV. 219, 236-38 (2004) (describing the evolution of environmental policy in Eastern Europe). 170 Council Directive 2003/87, 2003 O.J. (L275) 32. 171 Council Directive 2002/95, 2003 O.J. (L,37) 19; Council Directive 2002/96, 2003 O.J. (L37) 24. 172 Sommer, supra note 12, at 37. 173 OECD, ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: POLAND (2003). 174 See COUNTRYWATCH, POLAND: 2005 COUNTRY REVIEW 72 (2005) (depicting greenhouse gas emissions since 1997). 175 Vardi & Zeno-Zencovich, supra note 169, at 236-38. [Vol. 27:1 36 Journal of International Law, Vol. 27, Iss. 1 [], Art. 4 http://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/jil/vol27/iss1/4 2006] EUROPEAN UNION DIRECTIVES AND POLAND 191 OECD. 176 Poland has been relatively slow in implementing the IPPC Directive, and, as of August 2003, still had to issue approximately 2,300 permits to comply fully with the directive. 177 Even with help from the Danish EPA, Polish compliance with the directive has been slow and incomplete. 78 In addition, although almost 80% of the overall volume of waste water in Poland undergoes treatment, not all of it is treated in compliance with the Water Framework Directive.179 More generally, Polish administrative capacity with regard to enforcement of EU environmental directives is substantially less than originally promised. 8 0 Full compliance with EU directives will be financially prohibitive, amounting to an estimated annual expenditure of €22-55 billion for the next ten years.18' Poland should seek to minimize the public outlay by implementing an incentive structure designed to promote private sector efforts at improved environmental compliance. The Polish government has already implemented a facility-specific, compliance determination option, which gives tariff reductions to power plants that are certified as compliant with EU environmental requirementsa policy aimed at encouraging swift adherence to EU mandates. 82 That said, research indicates that market-based instruments, such as taxes and tradable permits, and target emissions are only moderately effective at limiting pollution. Optimum environmental policy relies on a mixed strategy of "command-and-
Performance characteristics of the measurement of gastric volume using single photon emission computed tomography.

Background A non-invasive single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) method was developed and validated to measure gastric volumes (GV). The natural variation in gastric volume responses and performance characteristics of SPECT imaging are unclear. Methods The primary aim of this study was to assess the performance characteristics of SPECT imaging by estimating the inter-individual coefficients of variation (COV) in fasting and postprandial GV in 433 participants in prior research studies over the last decade, and the intra-individual COV in all volunteers who had undergone at least two studies. The secondary aim was to assess the relationship of gender, BMI and age on GV. Key Results The COVINTER for all subjects in the study (n = 433) was 32.6% fasting, 16.0% fed, and 19.0%Δ fed – fasting. The COVINTRA for 47 subjects with repeat estimates of gastric volume was 37.0% fasting, 17.6% fed, and 22.0%Δ fed – fasting. COVINTRA was stable over time interval from 2 to 60 months. There were no significant differences by gender or subgroups. Mean fed and gastric accommodation volumes were associated with age and BMI but the magnitude of variation attributable was <5%. Conclusions & Inferences COVINTRA and COVINTER of GV by SPECT are very similar, and there is a small effect of age and BMI. These data are important for planning future studies of GV and further validate SPECT for studies of gastric motility disorders and obesity.
The Ribosomal DNA Loci inPlasmodium falciparumAccumulate Mutations Independently

Abstract Homogeneity of rDNA sequence within a cell is maintained by mechanisms working at the DNA level. The imperative to maintain homogeneity is thought to result from pressure to maintain the sequence of the rRNA transcript. We have investigated the extent of sequence variation within and between members of a species that is unable to utilize some standard mechanisms of rDNA sequence correction. We have compared the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) located between the 18 S rRNA and 5.8 S rRNA genes of five different loci of a singlePlasmodium falciparumgenotype. The ITS1 sequences are identical at 80 to 91% of the positions among the three asexually expressed genes (A-types) and 75% between the two genes expressed during sporogony (S-types), with only 42 to 57% identity between the types. This is rather startling in that the differences described here for a single genome are greater than those normally seen when comparing rDNA units from distantly related organisms. We observe an apparent conservation of secondary structure within ITS1 sequences from the different transcription units, which would reflect a level of selection at the rRNA but the organism seems to be quite tolerant of primary sequence variation. Investigation of the mature coding region within the 18 S rRNA genes did not reveal sequence variation within A- and S-types from a single genotype. However, comparison of the 18 S rRNA coding region from 17 geographically distinct strains reveals up to 10% sequence variation within a 400 nucleotide region. Hence homogeneity of rRNA units within a species does not seem to be an imperative driven totally by selection at the RNA level. The extraordinary maintenance of homogeneity within rDNA units normally seen within a species appears to have significance beyond those that can be ascribed to the events involved in processing, assembly and function of the ribosome.
International Intellectual Property Scholars Series: Using Intellectual Property Rights to Create Value in the Coffee Industry

I. INTRODUCTION 284 II. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE COFFEE BEAN 285 III. GEOGRAPHICAL EXPANSION OF COFFEE PRODUCTION 286 IV. THE COFFEE CRISIS 288 V. CHANGES IN CONSUMER CONSUMPTION PATTERNS--THE DECOMODIFICATION OF COFFEE 291 VI. DIFFERENTIATED COFFEES 292 A. Specialty and Gourmet Coffees 292 B. Single-Origin Coffees 294 1. Geographical Indications 294 2. Trademarks 301 3. Certification and Collective Marks 304 C. Sustainable Coffees 308 1. Ethical Consumerism 309 2. Organic Coffee 310 3. Shade, Bird, and Eco-Friendly Coffees 313 4. Fair Trade 315 a. Definition and Historical Development of Fair Trade 315 b. The Fair Trade Philosophy, Economics, and Principles 316 c. Fair Trade Principles 318 i. Direct Trade with Producers 318 ii. Long-term Trading Relationships 319 iii. The Minimum Price and the Social Premium 319 d. Fair Trade Labelling 320 e. Certification 322 f. Fair Trade Coffee Facts 322 5. Industry-Driven Certification Initiatives 325 VII. CONCLUDING COMMENTS 325 I. INTRODUCTION Coffee is the single most important tropical commodity traded worldwide. It is produced in over 50 developing countries, and it is estimated that some 20 million rural families, (2) or 125 million people, (3) depend on growing coffee throughout the world for their livelihoods. Over the past decade, coffee producers have been facing considerable difficulties because of low and unstable coffee prices. In 2002, coffee prices collapsed to 100-year lows in real terms, leading to a world coffee crisis. Meanwhile, the coffee economy in high income countries has been moving in the opposite direction, and the crisis is hardly visible from Starbucks-type western coffee chains. This paper examines how coffee producers in developing countries can use intellectual property, or intellectual property-related rights, as differentiation tools to move from pure commodity exports to higher-price exports in niche markets and create value. It takes into account the influence of new consumption patterns in the coffee industry and analyzes the various differentiation techniques that have been proposed, such as single-origin, specialty and gourmet, and sustainable coffees. Finally, it examines the situation of the coffee industry in Vietnam and Indonesia, who are also two of the most important coffee producers worldwide in terms of volume, and where the coffee sector has experienced an explosive growth since the 1980s. II. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE COFFEE BEAN The history of the coffee bean starts in Northeast Africa, in the province of Kaffa in Ethiopia, where the coffee tree probably originated. Used traditionally by Ethiopian nomadic mountain warriors as an early type of energy bar, (4) "coffee was first eaten as a food sometime between 575 and 850[,] long before it was made into a hot beverage in 1000-1300[]." (5) Western accounts of the discovery of coffee include various fanciful tales told by local traders to the first European merchants who came to Yemen to buy coffee in the early seventeenth century. …
Theory of the epitaxial crystallization of polymers: IV. Chain packing energetics of the initially deposited monolayer — application to the PENaCI system

Abstract The packing/surface energetics for the initial layer of epitaxially deposited polyethylene on NaCl has been calculated as a function of the total interactive geometry. Three stable packing modes are found. One mode corresponds to the high energy monoclinic packing observed experimentally. The other two forms are not readily identified with any known crystal packing modes although minor geometric alternations in both forms would lead to the familiar orthorhombic packing of polyethylene chains. The computations indicate that the substrate forces induce a strain within the monolayer of chains that results in specific positioning of PE chains over Na+ rows.
Multi-parameter homotopy methods for finding DC operating points of nonlinear circuits

The authors introduce real and complex multi-parameter homotopy methods for finding DC solutions of nonlinear circuits. They show, using arguments from algebraic topology and circuit and polynomial examples, that multi-parameter homotopy methods can avoid bifurcation points and folds along solution paths, and find multiple solutions with relative ease. These concepts are illustrated on a third-order polynomial with a cusp, an object with folds and a bifurcation point, and on two circuit examples. Simple, isolated solution points in a compact region are assumed. >
Ground-wave attenuation function for a Gaussian modulated carrier signal

The time-harmonic theory of ground-wave propagation is generalised to the time domain for a Gaussian modulated carrier signal. The model is a vertical electric dipole located on a flat imperfectly conducting earth. It is shown that the radiated field is characterised by a modified Sommerfeld-type attenuation function with a time-dependent ‘numerical distance’.
On grazing and strange attractors fragmentation in non-smooth dynamical systems

Abstract This paper presents some new ideas to understand the strange attractor fragmentation caused by grazing in non-smooth dynamic systems. The sufficient and necessary conditions for grazing bifurcations in non-smooth dynamic systems are presented. The initial sets of grazing mapping are introduced and the corresponding initial grazing manifolds are discussed. The grazing-induced fragmentation of strange attractors of chaotic motions in non-smooth dynamical systems is presented. The mathematical theory for such a fragmentation of strange attractors should be further developed.
MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SELECTED SOIL SAMPLES USING A DRY DISPERSION TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT The optical properties of soil particles are dependent on their mineralogy. In this paper, the mineral content of selected soil samples was determined on a size-specific basis using dry mechanical sieving, acoustic sieving, and dry dispersion in a fluidized bed. The aerosol produced by the fluid bed was aerodynamically size-classified by a cascade impactor/cyclone system. The mineral content of the various separates was then determined by a combination of polarized light microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray fluorescence analysis. Complete experimental data are provided. Of the various size classification methods used for particles < 74 μmP, the fluid bed/cascade impactor/cyclone system was shown to be the most effective for all samples analyzed. Also, a “coating” of limonite and phyilosilicate minerals was found on the surface of other mineral grains in the coarse and intermediate particle size ranges. This coating could have a significant effect on the optical properties of soil aerosols. Th...
The hydrology and hydrometeorology of flooding in the Delaware River basin.

Abstract Extreme floods in the Delaware River basin are examined through analyses of a sequence of record and near-record floods during September 2004, April 2005, and June 2006. The three flood episodes reflect three principal flood-generating mechanisms in the eastern United States: tropical cyclones (September 2004); late winter–early spring extratropical systems (April 2005); and warm-season convective systems (June 2006). Extreme flooding in the Delaware River basin is the product of heavy rainfall and runoff from high-gradient portions of the watershed. Orographic precipitation mechanisms play a central role in the extreme flood climatology of the Delaware River basin and, more generally, for the eastern United States. Extreme flooding for the 2004–06 events was produced in large measure from forested portions of the watershed. Analyses of flood frequency based on annual flood peak observations from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauging stations with “long” records illustrate the striking het...
“To the Arab Hebrew”: On Possibilities and Impossibilities

�To the Arab Hebrew [la-?ivriyah ha-?arviyah]! If you are a Hebrew, you are not an Arab. If an Arab, not a Hebrew. So, you are neither a Hebrew nor an Arab . . . C.Q.F.D.� This paid announcement, published by an anonymous reader of the Jerusalem-based Hebrew newspaper ha-Tsevi on 27 November 1908, reminds us that the idea of an Arab Jew (or, in the parlance of Palestinian Hebrew in the early 20th century, an Arab Hebrew) has been at once present and contested from the early years of Zionist settlement in Palestine. Moreover, the contestation was (as it remains) often more emotional than logical (ce qu'il fallait demontrer notwithstanding). But the category of Arab Hebrew was not constructed simply to be attacked; for some, including another personal advertiser on the very same page of ha-Tsevi, Arab Hebrew was a self-proclaimed identity. �To M. M.,� he or she wrote, �I saw you, I knew you, I respected you. I will leave you, I will remember you, and I will not forget you.� This mysterious, otherwise anonymous, apparent break-up letter�a succinct, public tweet a century before Twitter�was signed by �Arab Hebrew [?ivri ?arvi].�
Testing the construct validity of intercultural effectiveness

Abstract Intercultural effectiveness is a theoretical construct that includes a set of factors that predict effective intercultural communication and adaptation. The construct validity of intercultural effectiveness must be established before it can be used for theory development. This study considers intercultural effectiveness a theoretical construct that has cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects and tests the factorial structure model in which intercultural effectiveness is a second-order factor indicated by three first-order factors: communication competence, cultural empathy, and communication behavior. The construct validity is tested by examining the factorial validity using confirmatory factor analysis with LISREL VI. The overall fit of the model is satisfactory, indicated by adequate factor loadings and correlations and goodness of fit. The present findings provide some support for the construct validity of intercultural effectiveness. However, more research should be done on intercultural effectiveness in areas such as its discriminant and convergent validity before using the construct for model building and theory development.
‘Speaking a secret language’: West Coast Swing as a community of practice of informal and incidental learners

This study reports the findings of a qualitative study of competitive West Coast Swing dancers that incorporated both ethnographic and phenomenological techniques. A modern variation of the original Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing is typically learned in dance studios and non‐profit clubs. The West Coast Swing community can be considered a community of practice in which nonformal and incidental learning occurs for participants; this study explores the nature of the learning that occurs within this community. The nonformal nature of learning the dance itself creates the community of practice; in turn, dancers encounter incidental learning, especially regarding interpersonal communication, as they learn the dance.
Reversors and symmetries for polynomial automorphisms of the complex plane

We obtain normal forms for symmetric and reversible polynomial automorphisms (polynomial maps that have polynomial inverses) of the complex and real planes. Our normal forms are based on the Henon normal form of Friedland and Milnor. We restrict ourselves to the case where the symmetries and reversors are also polynomial automorphisms. We show that each such reversor has finite order and that for nontrivial, real maps, the reversor has order 2 or 4. The normal forms are shown to be unique up to finitely many choices. We investigate some of the dynamical consequences of reversibility, especially for the case where the reversor is not an involution.
The role of inter-generation memory in diel phytoplankton division patterns

Phytoplankton populations are strongly influenced by light and therefore exhibit diel rhythms in many ways, including biomass growth and division. Cells typically divide at about the same time of day, but when the average generation time is longer than 24 h, only a fraction of the population divides each day. This means that two given cells born at the same time and exposed to the same environment can have different generation times (e.g. 24, 48 h). Existing explanations attribute this variability to stochastic internal variability, and several cell cycle models have been proposed. This paper proposes that a deterministic inter-generation memory mechanism, specifically biomass inheritance, is the source for the generation time variability. To explore this hypothesis, the continuum model (an alternative to the cell cycle model that accounts for inter-generation memory) was modified for phytoplankton. Two models with the traditional stochastic and the new deterministic mechanisms were constructed and implemented in an agent-based simulation model. An autonomous endogenous circadian clock is included using a modified van der Pol oscillator. The two models were tested against cell density data from light/dark experiments with average generation times ≈24 h and >24 h from the literature. The applications demonstrate that the deterministic model can reproduce the data without introducing stochastic internal variability, and that it is applicable to a wider range of conditions. Under realistic field conditions, with a light intensity time series from a Lagrangian particle tracking model, the two approaches produce significantly different results. Additional model-data comparisons for cell densities from free-running experiments, cell biomass, and DNA content from direct measurement and flow cytometric analysis are presented. The results suggest that the inter-generation memory mechanism is responsible for the generation time variability underlying diel phytoplankton division patterns and that the difference is of practical significance.
Differences in self-reported health in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) and Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III).

Objective To assess self-reported health status (SRHS) in two cohorts of participants with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and examine the extent that differences in SRHS are due to study design. Method We used data from the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES-III; population-based national survey) and the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI; prospective cohort study). Inclusion criteria for this analysis were age 60–79 and presence of radiographic knee OA. SRHS, elicited as a five-item domain (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor), was analyzed by dichotomizing the general health status measure as “fair/poor” versus all other states. We estimated the proportion of participants in fair/poor health from each study. Propensity score methodology was used to adjust for the differences in sampling strategies between the two studies. Results Thirty-four percent (N = 1,608) of OAI and 29% (N = 756) of NHANES-III participants satisfied inclusion criteria. The proportion in fair/poor health was higher in NHANES-III (28%) than in OAI (5%). After adjusting for the propensity score, the proportion in fair/poor health was four times higher in NHANES-III than in OAI. Conclusion SRHS was substantially better in OAI than in NHANES-III. Self-selection bias may contribute to overestimation of SRHS in prospective cohort studies such as OAI.
Colony-forming assay for circulating chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

In these studies, we report adaptation of a colony-forming assay to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) peripheral blood cells. T-lymphocyte-depleted CLL peripheral blood cells were cultured with irradiated, normal T cells and media conditioned by normal, mitogen-stimulated T cells in methylcellulose. Colonies containing small and transformed lymphocytes appeared after 5-7 days incubation. The plating efficiency of CLL colonies was 0.15 +/- 0.08% (x +/- S.D.), similar to that of other colony-forming systems. The majority of CLL colony-forming cells were in S phase (50 +/- 4% x +/- S.E.) as determined by thymidine suicide and the fraction of colony-forming cells in S phase was inversely related to the WBC. Cells harvested from CLL colonies lacked surface markers for T lymphocytes and stained positively for monoclonal surface and/or cytoplasmic immunoglobulin light chains. A 1-h incubation was used to study the in vitro response of CLL colony-forming cells to adriamycin and melphalan. Preliminary studies suggest differences in patterns of in vitro sensitivity to melphalan between patients previously treated with alkylating agents and those who had not received treatment. This system can be used to study regulation of CLL cell proliferation, and may have utility in predicting response to chemotherapeutic agents.
Pathway-based classification of lung cancer: a strategy to guide therapeutic selection.

The critical challenge in virtually all cancer research is heterogeneity: “Breast cancer” and “lung cancer” are actually collections of disease with distinct molecular mechanisms and clinical characteristics. The challenge is evident in the complexity of most cancers with multiple mutations and alterations generating the cancer phenotype, requiring therapeutic strategies that can match the complexity with equally complex combination regimens. Substantial progress in treatment requires major advances in methods to define refined, “common mechanism” subgroups to allow development of combination therapeutics that target these individual mechanisms. Our work is on the use of genomic signatures of oncogenic signaling pathways that provide an opportunity to dissect the complexity of lung cancer and to serve as tools to direct the use of targeted therapeutic agents.
The hypocomplementemic urticarial-vasculitis syndrome: Therapeutic response to hydroxychloroquine

We report a patient with hypocomplementemic urticarial-vasculitis syndrome. This case illustrates the continuum between urticaria and purpura characteristic of hypocomplementemic urticarial-vasculitis syndrome. Clq precipitin was demonstrated in the patient's serum and in the diethylaminoethylcellulose-ion exchange fraction containing only IgG. A skin biopsy specimen of urticarial and purpuric lesions demonstrated leukocytoclastic vasculitis and granular deposition of C3 and Clq in the basement membrane with IgA, IgM, C3, and Clq in postcapillary venules. Serial total hemolytic complement activity and Clq determinations were performed, and the response to several treatment regimens is presented. Symptomatic and serologic improvement was observed only with hydroxychloroquine.
Artificial neural networks as a tool for archaeological data analysis

Artificial neural networks (ANN) offer a supplement to traditional classification algorithms applied to archaeological data. Because of their flexible architecture, non-linearity and independence from the distribution of the underlying data, neural networks have unique advantages for such applications. In particular, ANN models are well suited for use with the sparse data sets common in archaeological work. Combining multivariate techniques with networks for data validation, pre-processing and classification exploits the merits of both and provides a comprehensive approach to the analysis and classification of archaeological data.
Adaptive trial of personalized radiotherapy for intrahepatic cancer.

Primary liver cancer is a major health problem worldwide, with more than 500,000 new cases diagnosed yearly. Preliminary results suggest excellent local control rates of intrahepatic malignancies treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), but some patients have experienced life-threatening toxicity because the current approaches cannot accurately estimate residual liver function after treatment. An early-phase trial of SBRT in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, including those with compromised liver function, is described. Patients are treated with three fractions of SBRT, then treatment is paused for 4 weeks and liver function is evaluated by means of an indocyanine green assay. The size of the final two fractions of SBRT is determined based on the patient’s indocyanine green assay after the first three fractions, so that the therapy is personalized to each patient’s sensitivity to radiation. The sensitivity to the liver of the final two fractions of SBRT, compared with the first three frac...
WEALTH, INCOME, AND OPTIMAL INSURANCE

This article considers the decision to purchase insurance against possible losses of a property or wealth. The decision involves a standard economic trade-off between the benefit of protection against loss and the cost of insurance premium. The premium is paid out of the income and decreases the consumption of other goods and services, rather than out of wealth and decreases the property or wealth. The demand for insurance depends mainly on the income and preferences. As a result, unlike in the standard model, a fair premium is neither necessary nor sufficient for the optimality of full coverage insurance. Rather, the individuals with higher incomes purchase full coverage insurance even at unfair prices of insurance while the individuals with lower income purchase partial coverage insurance at a fair price.
Evidence against the 1:2:2:1 quartet DMPO spectrum as the radical adduct of the lipid alkoxyl radical.

It was reported that the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO)/lipid alkoxyl radical exhibited a quartet with 1:2:2:1 relative intensity that is identical to that of DMPO/hydroxyl radical (K. M. Schaich and D. C. Borg, 1990, Free Radicals Res. Commun. 9, 267–278). We repeated these EPR experiments using HPLC separation of radical adducts and isotope substitution. We found that the HPLCEPR chromatogram of the radical adduct with a 1:2:2:1 quartet obtained by the reduction of methyl linoleate hydroperoxide (MLOOH) with Fe2+ exhibited identical retention time to that of the DMPO.OH radical adduct obtained from the Fenton reaction in two different solvent systems. Upon performing the same reaction in 17O-enriched water, the 17O-hyperfine coupling constants due to DMPO.17OH were identified. Ultimately, ~80–90% of the total DMPO.OH is derived from water by an iron-dependent nucleophilic addition reaction. Initially, a water-independent mechanism also significantly contributes to DMPO/.OH formation. Regardless of its mechanism of formation, the 1:2:2:1 quartet radical adduct of DMPO formed during the reduction of MLOOH by Fe2+ is in fact DMPO.OH.
Characterization of Biosensor Detection Process at Ultra-Low Concentration Through a Stochastic Particle Model

Biosensor detection process involves binding between biomolecules in a solution and a functionalized sensor surface. These sensors are time and cost efficient, sensitive, and enable new applications in medicine, drug design, and environmental monitoring. In literatures, various biosensor designs have been proposed, such as planar electrodes, nanowire, and nanospheres for different applications. However, to fully realize the potentials of these biosensors for biomarker/nanoparticle detection, several challenges must be addressed. In particular, ultra-sensitive biosensors are needed for detection of ultra-low concentration biomarkers such as cancer markers for early disease detection. The goal of this paper is to understand the diffusion process of biomarkers in a liquid solution and the binding with nanosensor surface through a stochastic particle model.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Predictors of spoken language learning

We report two sets of experiments showing that the large individual variability in language learning success in adults can be attributed to neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, cognitive, and perceptual factors. In the first set of experiments, native English-speaking adults learned to incorporate lexically meaningfully pitch patterns in words. We found those who were successful to have higher activation in bilateral auditory cortex, larger volume in Heschl's Gyrus, and more accurate pitch pattern perception. All of these measures were performed before training began. In the second set of experiments, native English-speaking adults learned a phonological grammatical system governing the formation of words of an artificial language. Again, neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, and cognitive factors predicted to an extent how well these adults learned. Taken together, these experiments suggest that neural and behavioral factors can be used to predict spoken language learning. These predictors can inform the redesign of existing training paradigms to maximize learning for learners with different learning profiles. Learning outcomes: Readers will be able to: (a) understand the linguistic concepts of lexical tone and phonological grammar, (b) identify the brain regions associated with learning lexical tone and phonological grammar, and (c) identify the cognitive predictors for successful learning of a tone language and phonological rules.
Sequence analysis of a cDNA encoding a human nuclear pore complex protein, hnup153

Abstract Nuclear pore complexes represent the channels for the the bi-directional movement of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and are thought to contain upwards of 100 different polypeptide subunits. Many of these subunits belong to a growing family of polypeptides termed nucleoporins which are characterized by the presence of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine moieties and a distinctive pentapeptide repeat (XFXFG). This paper reports the primary structure of hnup153, the human homologue of the rat nucleoporin, nup153, with which it shares 82% amino acid identity. In addition to 33 copies of the XFXFG repeat, hnup153 exhibits four repeats of 37–38 amino acids each containing an apparent ‘zinc finger motif’. These zinc fingers are most closely related to those found in the mouse oncoprotein mdm-2 and a product of Drosphila small optic lobes (sol) gene.
Daily energy expenditure and water flux in black-rumped waxbills (Estrilda troglodytes)

Abstract 1. 1. Daily energy expenditure ( H TD ) and water flux rates were measured in free-flying, aviaryhoused Estrilda troglodytes using doubly labeled water (H 3 H 18 O). 2. 2. Daily energy expenditure of these 6.7 g passerine birds averaged 57.4 ±15.1 kJ/day (mean ± SD). This is 3.8 times the waxbill's average daytime basal metabolic rate, as determined by respiratory gas exchange with an open-circuit respirometer. We estimate that between 13 and 24% H TD of was used to maintain body temperature at night. 3. 3. Daily water efflux averaged 291 ± 36 ml (kg day) −1 , equivalent to 41% of the total body water pool per day. 4. 4. Daily water influx, 222 ± 58 ml (kg day) −1 , was 24% lower than efflux, indicating that these small seedeating birds were unable to meet their water needs without drinking under the conditions of our experiments.
DNA Repair Response in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes from Donors of Different Age

We have compared the excision-repair and growth properties of epidermal keratinocytes from humans of different ages. Keratinocytes isolated from newborn and adult abdominal skin at autopsy were cultured on collagen gels. Repair replication was assayed by the 5-bromodeoxyuridine density-labeling method following ultraviolet (UV) irradiation (254 nm) of the cultures. The keratinocytes from newborn donors proliferated more rapidly and attained a higher concentration at confluence than did those from aged donors. Semiconservative DNA replication was inhibited by UV radiation to an equal extent in cell cultures from newborns and adults. After a UV dose of 13 J/m2, the time course of DNA repair was similar for the respective cultures. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the time course of repair for keratinocytes in the proliferative or the plateau phase of growth. The dose-response curves for repair replication in cells from both young and old donors maximized at about 50 J/m2 but the attenuation in repair at higher doses appeared somewhat greater in cells from older donors. We conclude that no significant age-related differences exist in the rate and extent of the repair-replication response of human epidermal keratinocytes to UV-radiation damage in DNA. However, it remains to be determined whether other cellular recovery responses to damaged DNA are also relatively unrelated to age.
A pre-design tool for a class of parallel processing systems

Abstract A properly designed parallel multi-microprocessor system can have significant speed advantage over single-microprocessor system for specific problem domains. There are several types of multi-processor systems architecture which are of interest to us. These are: 1. a. SIMD: Single Instruction Multiple Data machine (e.g., Illiac IV[1].) 2. b. MIMD: Multiple Instruction Multiple Data machine (e.g., C.mmp[2]). 3. c. MSIMD: Multiple SIMD (e.g., MAP[3]) 4. d. PASM: Partitionable SIMD/MIMD machine[4] There are a few questions to be answered for the design of such systems. How good can a multimicroprocessor system be in terms of speed and ‘best’ processing element designed for local processing? How can we re-evaluate the performance of the multi-processor system which employs different types of processing element? The question on speed has been explored by the designers though, to day, such systems, are basically particular processor oriented. The questions on local processor design and over-all evaluation are inter-related. In order to answer such questions for a multi-processor system, a simulator to evaluate the performance of the system is necessary. Simulation of a MC68000 based PASM system has been carried out at Purdue University[5]. While MC68000 is a very powerful machine, there are cases where such systems would be too powerful to be used. Also, this simulator is limited in use in the sense that it is not general purpose and only accepts MC68000 based processors as its processing element.
Biogenic sedimentation and surface productivity changes in the Southern California Borderlands during the last glacial—interglacial cycle

Abstract A variety of geochemical evidence suggests that surface productivity in the California Borderlands region was 1.5–2 times higher during the last glacial relative to the Holocene. High accumulation rates of opaline silica and organic carbon suggest increased glacial productivity, while carbonate accumulation records and C org. C CO 3 ratios point toward a dominantly siliceous plankton community at that time. The observed productivity changes are attributed to a southerly migration of the North Pacific high pressure cell, which resulted in an intensification of the California Current and enhanced upwelling south of 40 °N during the last glacial.
Limited proteolysis and site-directed mutagenesis of the NF-κB p50 DNA-binding subunit

Tryptic digestion was used to obtain an active 41 kDa fragment of NF-κB. The major proteolysis products were comprised of residues 2-364 (p502–364), 2–362 (p502–362) and 2–366 (p502–366). By site-directed truncation mutagenesis, overproducers for p502–364 and p502–366 were constructed. These vectors direct high level expression of homogeneous, active protein.
Magnetohydrodynamic models of coronal transients in the meridional plane. IV - Effect of the solar wind

A two-dimensional, time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic model in the meridional plane with and without an ambient solar wind in an ambient radial magnetic field has been used to investigate mass motions associated with coronal transients. It is shown that the solar wind does not significantly affect the general dynamic characteristics of the mass motion. The ambient solar wind, however, increases the velocity of the mass motion and produces a moderate change in the thermodynamic properties of the coronal plasma.
Responding to culture in the instrumental music programme: a teacher's journey

The purpose of this case study was to examine how one music teacher responds to student's cultural backgrounds through a middle school instrumental music programme in the US. The study sought to uncover the events, situations and circumstances that served as catalysts for curricular change and the rationales that gave it purpose. It also examined how concepts of musical and cultural ‘self’ and ‘other’ informed a teacher's culturally responsive teaching and multicultural education and created various tensions in and outside of the classroom. Implications for practice are described based on the findings.
Embedded bone fragment detection in chicken fillets using transmittance image enhancement and hyperspectral reflectance imaging

This paper is concerned with the detection of bone fragments embedded in compressed de-boned skinless chicken breast fillets by enhancing single-band transmittance images generated by back-lighting and exploiting spectral information from hyperspectral reflectance images. Optical imaging of chicken fillets is often dominated by multiple scattering properties of the fillets. Thus, resulting images from multiple scattering are diffused, scattered and low contrast. In this study, a fusion of hyperspectral transmittance and reflectance imaging, which is a non-ionized and non-destructive imaging modality, was investigated as an alternative method to the conventional transmittance X-ray imaging technique which is an ionizing imaging modality. An image formation model, called an illumination–transmittance model, was applied for correcting non-uniform illumination effects so that embedded bones are more easily detectable by a simple segmentation method using a single threshold value. Predicted bones from the segmentation were classified by the nearest neighbor classifier that was trained by the spectral library of mean reflectance of chicken tissues like fat, meat and embedded bones. Experimental results with chicken breast fillets and bone fragments are provided.
Limitations in microelectrochemical capillary cell testing and transformation of electrochemical transients for acquisition of microcell impedance data

Abstract Microelectrochemical testing which employs the use of microcapillaries has become wide spread over the past decade. Although the possibilities of the method are recognized, certain aspects of the method relevant to routine users have not yet received individual discussion. This communication discusses issues which should be considered in the course of good practice for reliable collection of electrochemical data from the microcell method. Furthermore, the presentation of impedance data from such methods remains scarce. In the present work we propose the use of time-to-frequency transformation to be an effective method for obtaining impedance information using microelectrodes. Advantages of this approach include: minimization of test duration, minimizing the risk of perturbation induced mass transport issues, minimizing the effects of large electrolyte resistance, and not violating stationary conditions.
A randomized trial of strategies to increase chlamydia screening in young women.

Abstract Objective Despite the recommendations of numerous clinical practice guidelines, testing of at-risk women for Chlamydia trachomatis infection remains low. We evaluated an intervention to increase guideline-recommended chlamydia screening. Method In a two-by-two factorial design randomized trial conducted in 2001–2002, 23 primary care clinics at Group Health Cooperative in Washington State were randomized to either control (standard) or intervention (enhanced) guideline implementation arms. Clinic-level intervention strategies included use of clinic-based opinion leaders, individual measurement and feedback, and exam room reminders. A second patient-level intervention, a chart prompt to screen for chlamydia, was delivered in a random sample of 3509 women. The outcome measure was post-intervention chlamydia testing rates among sexually active women ages 14–25. Results The clinic-level intervention did not significantly affect overall chlamydia testing (odds ratio (OR) = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92–1.26, P = 0.31). However, testing rates increased significantly among women making preventive care visits (OR, Pap test visit = 1.23, 95% CI, 1.01–1.51, P = 0.04; OR, physical exam visit = 1.22, 95% CI 1.06–1.42, P = 0.009, intervention vs. control clinics). The chart prompt intervention had no significant effect (OR = 1.08, 95% CI 0.94–1.23, P = 0.27). Conclusions Interventions to improve guideline-recommended chlamydia testing increased testing among women making preventive care visits. Additional organizational change and/or patient activation strategies may improve plan-wide testing, particularly among asymptomatic women.
Massive polarons in large-energy-gap polymers.

We present evidence for the existence of defect states with large mass and low mobility in the conducting polymer polyaniline. This large-energy-gap polymer has been shown to have properties significantly different from many other conducting polymers. Photoinduced infrared absorption studies presented here are consistent with the photogeneration of charged polarons. Analysis within the amplitude mode (Peierls) formalism indicates that these polarons are massive (${M}_{\mathrm{pol}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sim}}60{m}_{e}}$), while use of a bond-order or Holstein polaron formalism leads to even larger estimates of ${M}_{\mathrm{pol}}$.
Biological Productivity in the Dead Sea Part II. Evidence for Phosphatidyl Glycerophosphate Lipid in Sediment

Reducing surface sediment from a depth of 300 m in the Dead Sea was found to contain phytanic acid (520 μg/Kg), dihydrogen phytol (800 μg/Kg) and phytane (17 μg/Kg). An investigation revealed that glycerol phytanyldiether could be isolated from the sediment by hydrolysis of a lipid soluble fraction. The phytanyldiether is probably derived from the phosphatidyl glycerophosphate lipid, which has been demonstrated by Kates and co-workers to be the dominant lipid present in red halophilic bacteria. Comparison of results by analysis of Halobacterium cutirubrum, using the same analytical procedure as was used for the sediment investigation, confirmed the authenticity of the lipid characterization. In view of this finding, it is suggested that phytane in the Dead Sea sediment has been derived from this lipid and that long-chain isoprenoid hydrocarbons in some ancient environments may have had a similar origin.
Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma during pregnancy.

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with pregnancy is unusual. Case: A 33-year-old woman presented at 25 weeks’ gestation with sudden, severe epigastric pain for 6 hours. Abdominal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple liver tumors with a small amount of ascites. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an unresectable ruptured liver tumor that was treated by packing. Although a biopsy was nondiagnostic, ultrasound-guided needle biopsy 6 days after cesarean delivery at 41 weeks’ gestation showed hepatocellular carcinoma, which was treated with transarterial embolization. At 3.5 years posttherapy, both mother and infant are well. Conclusion: Ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma during pregnancy is rare but should be included in the differential diagnosis of sudden, severe epigastric pain.
Advanced Low-Voltage Power MOSFET Technology for Power Supply in Package Applications

In this paper, a high-current dc-dc power supply in package is reported with an emphasis on the design aspects of the low- and high-side power MOSFETs embedded in the power module. A new NexFET structure with its source electrode on the bottom side of the die (source down) is designed to enable an innovative stacked-die PSiP technology with significantly reduced parasitic inductance and package footprint. A gate voltage pulldown circuitry monolithically integrated in the low-side NexFET is introduced to effectively prevent shoot-through faults even when a very low gate threshold voltage is used to reduce conduction and body diode reverse-recovery-related power losses. In addition, an asymmetric gate resistor circuitry is monolithically integrated in the high-side NexFET to minimize voltage ringing at the switch node. With all these novel device technology improvements, the new power supply in package module delivers a significant improvement in efficiency and offers an excellent solution for future high-frequency, high-current-density dc-dc converters.
ACTION OF SERUM ON FIBROBLASTS IN VITRO.

It may be concluded that, under the conditions of the experiments: 1. The duration of life of fibroblasts is not altered by the presence of 7 per cent serum in a medium composed of fibrin and Tyrode solution, but is slightly decreased when the concentration of the serum reaches 25 per cent. 2. Fibroblasts cultivated in serum or in Tyrode solution are only in a condition of survival; they do not build up new protoplasm from the serum proteins and their mass does not increase. 3. When embryonic tissue juice is added to the medium, the tissues increase in mass. But the rate of growth is the same in media containing 0 per cent and 10 per cent serum. In 25 per cent serum, however, the rate of growth slightly decreases. Even in the presence of embryonic tissue juice, serum does not increase the rate of growth of connective tissue. 4. The nitrogenous compounds contained in serum are not used as food material by fibroblasts growing in vitro .