cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LAPAROSCOPIC BLADDER FLAP URETERAL REIMPLANTATION: SURVIVAL PORCINE STUDY

Purpose: The bladder or Boari flap is a useful technique for ureteroneocystostomy when the distal ureter is too short to reach the bladder without undue tension. We report our experience with laparoscopic Boari flap ureteroneocystostomy in the chronic porcine model.Materials and Methods: Six female farm pigs underwent unilateral laparoscopic Boari bladder flap ureteroneocystostomy. Refluxing direct ureteral reimplantation was performed in the initial 3 animals. In the next 3 animals a submucosal tunnel was formed to achieve nonrefluxing ureteroneocystostomy into the Boari flap. The animals were sacrificed 6 weeks after surgery. At sacrifice ascending cystography, ipsilateral antegrade pyelography and autopsy examination of the ureteroneocystostomy site was performed.Results: No intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted. Average operative time was 140 minutes. Postoperatively serum creatinine and hemoglobin were normal in all pigs. All 3 animals with direct ureteroneocystostomy into the Boar...
Longitudinal models of long bone growth during adolescence

Data from the Child Research Council (Denver, CO) were utilized to model longitudinal adolescent growth of the humerus, radius, femur, and tibia for 36 girls (10-16 years) and 33 boys (10-17 years). Multilevel modeling procedures were used to estimate variation, covariation, and the polynomial parameters necessary for generating growth curves. At age 10, long bone lengths for girls and boys are similar; by age 16, each of the boys' arm bones is about 20 mm longer and each of their leg bones is about 30 mm longer. Due to the earlier maturation of girls, the models show the length of each of their long bones exceeding that of boys to some degree during some period of adolescence. Peak velocities for leg bones are attained earlier than those for arm bones; in both sexes, age at humeral peak velocity coincides with age at peak height velocity (PHV). At age 13, correlations among lengths and among velocities of bones are strong to moderate, and girls consistently display higher variation than do boys for both long bone length and growth velocity. Considered relative to the average velocity of each bone's growth, the tibia is the most variable of the four long bones at age 13 years.
Stranger to physics

The Young Einstein: The Advent of Relativity. ByLewis Pyenson. Adam Hilger: 1985. Pp.246. 19.95, 28.
Stochastic simulation of population balance models with disparate time scales: Hybrid strategies

Abstract The Monte Carlo methods have been an effective tool for the numerical solution of population balance models (PBMs). They are particularly useful for complex multidimensional problems. Less attention has been paid to solving population balance models where some species are away from the thermodynamic limit (very dilute or finite) and other species can be considered deterministic (high concentration). These types of problem often result in a stochastic system with rates spanning orders of magnitude for different mechanisms. Using the exact Monte Carlo solution to solve these types of problem is very inefficient because of the simulation time spent sampling fast events. These fast events are associated with species with large populations for which a single event does not change the population appreciably. This frequent sampling of fast events becomes a bottleneck during a simulation in which many single MC steps are required to make an appreciable change in the population. In this work, a hybrid solution strategy is developed to effectively solve this type of problem. The method implements the self-consistent fast/slow partitions used to solve stochastic equations in chemical kinetics. One strategy is found on the capacity of a coarse-grained Markov model called particle ensemble random product (PERP) to accelerate the simulation of fast events of PBMs (Chem. Eng. Sci. 63, 7649–7664; Chem. Eng. Sci. 63, 7665–7675). A second strategy approximates the fast events using mass conservation equations. These models are coupled with the exact MC simulation of slow events. Two extreme cases of heterocoagulation are studied to demonstrate these hybrid strategies.
Failure to Detect Free Radicals in the Isolated Perfused Rat Heart

Oxygen free radicals have been indirectly implicated in reperfusion injury following ischemia in the isolated rabbit heart. The authors moved to detect free radicals in an isolated rat heart model as a prerequisite to studying its effects during ischemia and reperfusion. Several different spin trapping agents and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy were used to detect free radicals being generated during ischemia and reperfusion. The possible roles of ferrous iron and hydrogen peroxide generation in reperfusion injury were also investigated. No free radical "bursts" were detected with any of the spin traps used in this model during ischemia or reperfusion. Hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl free radicals do not appear to be involved in tissue reperfusion injury. This study suggests that free radicals are not produced in clinically significant quantities under these conditions to account for ischemic myocardial damage.
Formulation of wheat-soybean biscuits and their quality characteristics.

A research study was conducted to evaluate the quality characteristics of protein enriched biscuits which could be used as a protein supplemented cereal snack food. The use of soy flour to substitute it with wheat flour from 0 to 25 % and the possibility of using soy flour for the production of biscuit was investigated. Prepared biscuits were subjected to nutritional and organoleptic analysis to evaluate the suitability of the biscuits for consumption. Protein, fat and energy (calorie) value of soy flour supplemented biscuits increased with progressive increase in proportion of soy flour and 10% soy flour added biscuits obtained values of 9.9%, 20% and 453.58 kcal/g respectively, while lowest values of 5%, 14.5% and 417.36 kcal recorded for the wheat flour biscuits. The moisture and ash were decreased with corresponding increase in the percentage of soy flour. Nine-point hedonic scale ranking method was used to evaluate the organoleptic characteristics of prepared biscuits. Generally the mean scores for all the assessed organoleptic characteristics decreased with increase in the soybean flour. Organoleptic evaluation indicated that there were no significant (p Key words: Nutritional quality; Organoleptic characteristics; Protein enrichment; Wheat–soy biscuits DOI: 10.4038/tare.v12i2.2791 Tropical Agricultural Research & Extension 12(2): 2009 pp.62-66
The Significance of Not Finding a Gene

As more investigators conduct extensive whole-genome linkage scans for complex traits, interest is growing in meta-analysis as a way of integrating the weak or conflicting evidence from multiple studies. However, there is a bias in the most commonly used meta-analysis linkage technique (i.e., Fisher's [1925] method of combining of P values) when it is applied to many nonparametric (i.e., model free) linkage results. The bias arises in those methods (e.g., variance components, affected sib pair, extremely discordant sib pairs, etc.) that truncate all "negative evidence against linkage" into the single value of LOD = 0. If incorrectly handled, this bias can artificially inflate or deflate the combined meta-analysis linkage results for any given locus. This is an especially troublesome problem in the context of a genome scan, since LOD = 0 is expected to occur over half the unlinked genome. The bias can be overcome (nearly) completely by simply interpreting LOD = 0 as a P value of 1divided by 2ln(2) is approximately equal to .72 in Fisher's formula.
Cadmium(II) hexacyanochromate(III) tetradecahydrate

Abstract Cd 3 [Cr(CN) 6 ] 2 · 14H 2 O crystallizes in a cubic unit cell, space group Fm3m(O h 5 , No. 225), with a 0 = 10.961(2)A. The observed density is 1.70(1) Mg-m −3 (calculated density, 1.690 Mg-m −3 ). A thermogravimetric analysis has yielded 13.9(2) water molecules per formula unit. X-Ray fluorescence emission energy values and infrared spectroscopic results are presented. Full-matrix least-squares refinement of 160 unique reflections has yielded R 1 = 0.0350 and R 2 = 0.0349. The disordered structure contains 1 1 3 molecules in the unit cell. Linkage of the divalent Cd atoms to the Cr atoms is accomplished by cyanide bridging. A new structural model was employed and important bond distances are reported.
Bounding the European Project

The historical project of European unification has had a number of difficult periods in the past when the overall enterprise has suffered from either dissension between leading member states over i...
APU FMEA Validation and Its Application to Fault Identification

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is a standard method to characterize and document product and process problems at the design phase. The FMEA is often delivered to the end user along with the product or system. However, once the system is deployed, the corresponding FMEA is rarely validated and updated. This is mainly due to the lack of method to validate and update FMEA. This paper argues that historical maintenance and operational data could be used to help address this problem. Building on data mining and database techniques, the paper introduces a FMEA validation and updating technique. The proposed technique derives statistics from real world historical operation and maintenance data and uses these statistics to update key FMEA parameters such as Failure Rate and Failure Mode Probability. The paper then shows how the validated FMEA can be used with data mining for fault detection and identification of root contributing component for a given failure mode or failure effect. The paper presents the developed methodology for FMEA validation and experimental results for fault identification. The results show that the updated FMEA can provide more reliable and accurate information that could benefit the decision-making process and improve maintenance efficiency.Copyright © 2010 by National Research Council of Canada
Stretch-activated ion channels in cultured mesangial cells.

Abstract Membrane stretch, delivered by negative pressures in cell-attached patch pipets, activated single-channel ionic currents in cultured mesangial cells. Channel opening probabilities were directly related to degree of suction, with threshold for activation being 5–10 mm Hg. The stretch-activated channels were permeable to Na + , K + , as well as Cl − , having conductances averaging 62 ± 17 pS. These channels may represent a cellular mechano-reflex in mesangial cells.
Response of Catolaccus grandis (Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae) to its natural host after ten generations of rearing on a factitious host, Callosobrucus maculatus (Coleoptera : Bruchidae)

Catolaccus grandis (Burks), an ectoparasitoid of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, grandis (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was reared in laboratory conditions on the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.), as a factitious host to reduce costs on a mass propagation system. Total fecundity, daily oviposition, net reproductive rate, and sex ratio were evaluated and compared among females reared on A. grandis and C. maculatus. The larval data showed that C. maculatus is a viable alternative host for the rearing of C. grandis. After 10 generations of continuous rearing on C. maculatus, C. grandis females showed a significant switch in host acceptance as an oviposition site and remained even after rearing on A. grandis for 1 generation. For this reason, we do not recommend rearing C. grandis on C. maculatus for >1 generation. However, the use of A. grandis and C. maculatus as hosts may be an acceptable practice, given that host preference was not significantly affected on 1st-generation C. grandis females reared on C. maculatus.
Tongue Brushing, Dentifrice, and Age Effects on Taste and Smell

Tongue brushing with and without dentifrice in young adult and old subjects affected taste detection thresholds, but not taste intensity scaling, for sucrose, NaCl, citric acid, and caffeine. Citric acid (sour) and caffeine (bitter) tasted significantly less intense in the older subjects. Olfactory detection thresholds for pyridine improved slightly after tongue brushing in the older subjects.
Influences of the circadian clock on neuronal susceptibility to excitotoxicity

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the primary cause of morbidity in the United States, thus posing an enormous burden on the healthcare system. The factors that determine the risk of an individual towards precipitation of an ischemic event possess a strong circadian component as does the ischemic event itself. This predictability provided a window of opportunity towards the development of chronopharmaceuticals which provided much better clinical outcomes. Experiments from our lab showed for the first time that neuronal susceptibility to ischemic events follows a circadian pattern; hippocampal neurons being most susceptible to an ischemic insult occurring during peak activity in a rodent model of global cerebral ischemia. We also demonstrated that the SCN2.2 cells (like their in vivo counterpart) are resistant to excitotoxicity by glutamate and that this was dependent on activation of ERK signaling. We are currently working on elucidating the complete neuroprotective pathway that provides a barricade against glutamate toxicity in the SCN2.2 cells. Our future experiments will be engaged in hijacking the neuroprotective mechanism in the SCN2.2 cells and applying it to glutamate-susceptible entities in an effort to prevent their death in the presence of excitotoxicity. Despite the advancement in chronopharmaceuticals, optimal clinical outcome with minimal adverse events are difficult to come by at an affordable price. Superior treatment options require a better understanding of molecular mechanisms that define the disease, including the role of the circadian clock.
Evaluating the social and economic impact of community-based prenatal care.

ABSTRACT Objective: This article describes the evaluation and findings of a community-based prenatal care program, Omaha Healthy Start (OHS), designed to reduce local racial disparities in birth outcomes. Design: This evaluative study used a comparative descriptive design, and Targeting Outcomes of Programs® was the conceptual framework for evaluation. Sample: The evaluation followed 3 groups for 2 years: OHS birth mothers (N=79; N=157); non-OHS participant birth mothers (N=746; N=774); and Douglas County birth mothers (N=7,962; N=7,987). Measurement: OHS provided case management, home visits, screening, referral, transportation, and health education to participants. Program outcome measures included low birth weight, infant mortality, adequacy of care, trimester of care, and costs of care. Results: OHS birth outcomes improved during year 2, and there was a 31% cost saving in the average hospital expenditure compared with the nonparticipant groups. Preliminary evaluative analysis indicates that prenatal case management and community outreach can improve birth outcomes for minority women, while producing cost savings. Conclusions: Further prospective study is needed to document trends over a longer period of time regarding the relationship between community-based case management programs for minority populations, birth outcomes, and costs of care.
CO2 efflux from deciduous forest litter and soil in response to simulated acid rain treatment

Using both field and laboratory measurements of CO2 evolution as an index of decomposer activity, forest microcosms were used to evaluate the impact of simulated acidic precipitation on decomposition. The following pH treatments: 5.7, 4.5, 4.0, and 3.5 annual average were applied for a 30 mo period. No statistically significant effect of treatment on decomposition could be found in the field measurements. When the microcosm was partitioned into 01 and 02 litter, mineral soil (A and B horizons), and roots within the mineral soil horizons for laboratory determination of CO2 efflux, only the 02 litter exhibited a statistically significant decrease as a function of treatment. The data collected do not allow a complete evaluation of the potential impact of this decrease. However, efflux of CO2 from the 02 layer was small compared to the other layers, and this may account for the failure to detect a significant response in the field measurements. Although the field data did not exhibit a significant response, there is sufficient question concerning the 02 response to warrant additional investigation, especially since many plants derive a major portion of their nutritional requirements directly from the 02 litter layer.
Educating Students with Learning Disabilities in Taiwan.

In East Asia, Taiwan is one of only a few countries that has a clear definition of learning disabilities (LD) as well as operational criteria for the identification of LD (Hung, 2006). In Taiwan, special education services for students with LD are mandated in the Special Education Act of 1984 (Tzeng, 2007). According to the official statistics from the Taiwanese Special Education Transmit Net, Ministry of Education (MOE; 2010), there are 96,220 students with disabilities (K–12) receiving special education services in Taiwan. Within this group, students with LD compose 21% of the total population, which is second only to students with intellectual disabilities (31%). Education in Taiwan is moving forward in meeting the needs of this unique group of students. However, overall there is a low prevalence rate of students with LD in Taiwan (Hung, 2006; Tzeng, 2007; H. Wang, n.d.). Therefore, in spite of the recognition of learning disabilities as a category, there still are areas for improvement in the education of this population of students. To gain a clearer understanding of the education of students with LD in Taiwan, a description of the definition of LD, the procedure for identification and diagnosis, provision of services, and educational placement (i.e., special education and general education) is presented.
Stability of solutions of human granulocyte lactate dehydrogenase stored at different temperatures.

Granulocyte suspensions from eight healthy individuals were lysed ultrasonically in 0.15 M NaCI or serum. The leukolysates were tested for lactate dehydrogenase after being stored at 22 C, 5 C, -20 C and -196 C for one, two, three, four and seven days. The LDH content of granulocytes was 291 IU/1010 cells (mean) and the enzyme had a characteristic isoenzyme pattern rich in LDH-5 with stepwise increases in each fraction from LDH-1 to LDH-5. The enzyme was unstable in saline solutions. This was marked at -20 C and related to the duration of storage. All the isoenzyme fractions showed significant inactivation. A mean 10 per cent loss of activity occurred at -196 C. This loss was independent of the duration of storage and related to the process of freezing and thawing. Moderate inactivation occurred at room temperature while refrigerated samples were stable for four days. Serum protected the enzyme from denaturation and samples stored at -20, -196 and 22 C were stable for the seven days of the experiment.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Influence of Genetic Origin on Emigration Behavior and Physiology of Resident and Anadromous Juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss

Abstract We investigated the interaction among genetically identified origin, behavioral tendency to emigrate, and Na+, K+-ATPase enzyme activity in recently diverged subpopulations of resident (above-barrier) rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout) in Scott Creek, California. Genetic assignment tests found that the frequency of resident and anadromous origin fish varied by sampling location within the watershed. Individuals immediately below barriers assigned to both above-barrier (37%) and anadromous (63%) subpopulations, and distinct differences in size and age were observed. However, the majority of downstream migration behavior occurred in fish of anadromous ancestry, which represented 97% of the fish sampled as outmigrating smolts. Nonmigratory fish of both life history types and origins typically had low Na+, K+-ATPase activity levels throughout most of the year, but significantly elevated levels were observed in individuals from both groups during the spring smol...
The β-δ-core of sarcoglycan is essential for deposition at the plasma membrane

Mutations of any of the sarcoglycan complex subunits (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, individual mutations lead to a reduction or loss of all other members of the complex. In some cases of limb-girdle muscular dystrophies, however, residual sarcoglycan expression has been documented. Therefore, in this study we tested the hypothesis that formation of specific sarcoglycan subcomplexes is crucial for plasma membrane deposition. Using co-immunoprecipitation assays, we demonstrated that beta- and delta-sarcoglycan interact with alpha-sarcoglycan and these two subunits must be co-expressed for export from the endoplasmic reticulum. Advanced light-microscopic imaging techniques demonstrated that co-expression of beta-sarcoglycan and delta-sarcoglycan is also responsible for delivery to and retention of sarcoglycan subcomplexes at the cell surface. These data suggest that formation of the beta-delta-core may promote the export and deposition of sarcoglycan subcomplexes at the plasma membrane, and therefore identifies a mechanism for sarcoglycan transport.
Sequelae of Traveler's Diarrhea: Focus on Postinfectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Traveler's diarrhea is usually an acute, self-limited illness; however, in some patients, enteric symptoms can persist for weeks, months, or years. It has been estimated that up to 3% of patients with traveler's diarrhea have symptoms for >30 days. The differential diagnosis includes persistent infection, coinfection, temporary postinfection phenomena, or malabsorptive syndromes. Once these possibilities are excluded, and if symptoms persist, a diagnosis of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) becomes more likely. PI-IBS has recently become a topic of considerable clinical and investigative interest, because evidence validating it as a diagnosis and elucidating its pathophysiological mechanisms has accumulated. Epidemiological evidence suggests that PI-IBS is a relatively common sequela of acute gastroenteritis. Experimental evidence suggests that chronic inflammation following acute bacterial infection has a pathophysiological role in the development of PI-IBS. A fuller understanding of these pathophysiological mechanisms will lead to a more directed therapeutic approach and, perhaps, a reevaluation of prophylaxis for traveler's diarrhea as a means of primary prevention of PI-IBS.
Particle-in-Cell Model of a Laser-Triggered Spark Gap

A particle-in-cell simulation of the streamer formation process in a laser-triggered spark gap has been developed to estimate streamer radius and conductivity under a variety of conditions. The motivation for developing the model was to understand the initial conditions of the switching arc in a laser-triggered spark gap, with the goal of accelerating the resistive decay of the arc. In a parallel plate switch configuration with dimensions of 0.6 mm times 0.3 mm, the electric field was varied from 2 to 5 MV/m, the gas pressure was varied from 1 to 1.5 atm, and the gas type was varied between Ar and Ne. The laser triggering parameters, including the laser ionization rate (from 5 to 20middot1018 s-1), laser spot area (from 1200 to 4800 mum2), and laser spot orientation relative to the electric field, were also varied. The electric field had a large influence on radius, increasing it by 19% with increasing field, and on conductivity, resulting in a 285% increase with increasing field. Among the laser triggering parameters, a linear focal spot-oriented transverse relative to the electric field direction was observed to produce a very large increase in streamer radius
Expanding Consciousness in Nursing Education and Practice

This column focuses on the importance of Newman's work for the future of nursing and healthcare. Dorothy Jones takes a strong position that nursing science should be a driving force in the healthcare arena in today's world. Implications for education are addressed.
International shark fin markets and shark management: an integrated market preference–cohort analysis of the blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus)

Abstract The increasing demand for shark fins in Asia, and the publicity resulting from finning and discarding live sharks, has generated concern regarding the sustainability of the world's shark populations. These concerns can be attributed to the shark's life history, which is characterized by a pattern of slow growth, late maturity, few offspring, and long life, making populations vulnerable to overexploitation. Once overexploited, shark stocks will be slow to recover due to these constraints. Despite an increase in consumption and trade of shark fins and other shark products, and the vulnerability of shark populations once overexploited, little effort has been expended to understand the biology and economics of sharks and shark fisheries until recently. This study adds to the understanding of linkages between shark product markets, specifically shark fins, and the biology of shark populations by explicitly incorporating multi-attribute market information into bioeconomic modeling. Results from conjoint analysis of the Hong Kong dried, processed end-user markets is incorporated into a blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) cohort model to estimate the optimal harvest size and age that maximize economic value. Results show that optimal harvest sizes and ages for all mortality and discount factor scenarios are greater than the maturation sizes and ages for both male and female blacktip. Policy implications for this study are also discussed.
Des images et des signes. À propos de la relation indexicale et de son interprétation

Le present article cherche a demontrer que le diagnostic des theoriciens du cinema annoncant la fin du 7e art — dans la mesure ou il reposerait sur le concept peirceen de l’index — fait foi d’une profonde incomprehension de la theorie semiotique de C. S. Peirce. En outre, les nouvelles images numeriques de la photographie et du cinema ne sont pas “moins” indexicales qu’avant et ne sauraient l’etre d’un point de vue strictement logique. Ce qui ne signifie pas, toutefois, qu’il n’existe aucune distinction pertinente au plan semiotique entre l’image photo-filmique d’une part, et la peinture, le dessin, ou l’image de synthese d’autre part. Nous ferons appel a la classification des signes elaboree par Peirce en 1903 pour examiner ce qui distingue ces deux paradigmes de l’image.
Protonated rubyrin and C-Tips: Co-carriers for the transport of guanosine 5′-monophosphate at neutral pH

Abstract At neutral and near-neutral pH, rubyrin, a readily protonated, hexapyrrolic expanded porphyrin, and triisopropylsilyl-protected cytidine (C-Tips) act cooperatively to effect the efficient through-transport of guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) in a model three-phase H2O-CH2Cl2-H2O bulk liquid membrane system.
Estradiol and Progesterone in Human Breast Cancer Cytosols and Their Relationship to Receptor Incidence

Plasma and breast cancer cytosol estradiol and progesterone levels were determined in pre and postmenopausal women and correlated with tumor estrogen and progesterone receptor incidence and content. There was no statistical correlation between plasma estradiol levels and estrogen or progesterone receptor incidence or content in premenopausal patients. Similarly, no correlation was apparent between plasma estradiol and progesterone levels, and tumor cytosol steroid concentration in either pre or postmenopausal women. In contrast to these observations, a significant inverse relationship developed between plasma progesterone levels and progesterone receptor incidence in premenopausal patients. An increase in tumor progesterone concentration in pre and postmenopausal patients was also significantly, and inversely related to receptor incidence. Our observations suggest that an increase in plasma progesterone and a decrease in tumor estrogen: progesterone ratio is significantly correlated with a decrease in estrogen and progesterone receptor incidence in pre- and postmenopausal patients.
Carbon nanofiber electrode array for electrochemical detection of dopamine using fast scan cyclic voltammetry

A carbon nanofiber (CNF) electrode array was integrated with the Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration Sensor System (WINCS) for the detection of dopamine using fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). Dopamine detection performance by CNF arrays was comparable to that of traditional carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFMs), demonstrating that CNF arrays can be utilized as an alternative carbon electrode for neurochemical monitoring.
Origins and implications of pluripotent stem cell variability and heterogeneity

Pluripotent stem cells constitute a platform to model disease and developmental processes and can potentially be used in regenerative medicine. However, not all pluripotent cell lines are equal in their capacity to differentiate into desired cell types in vitro. Genetic and epigenetic variations contribute to functional variability between cell lines and heterogeneity within clones. These genetic and epigenetic variations could 'lock' the pluripotency network resulting in residual pluripotent cells or alter the signalling response of developmental pathways leading to lineage bias. The molecular contributors to functional variability and heterogeneity in both embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are only beginning to emerge, yet they are crucial to the future of the stem cell field.
OFFSHORING, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, AND THE STRUCTURE OF U.S. TRADE

Theory suggests that multinational enterprises (MNEs) play the role of factor service intermediaries in international trade. This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis that exploits variation in the intrafirm trade by U.S. MNEs across countries and industries to assess this theory. The results provide support for recent models of multinational enterprise and suggest that the activities of U.S. MNEs alter the structure of international trade, particularly among middle-income countries. (JEL: D2, F1, F23, L2)
Contribution of Regulation by the bvg Locus to Respiratory Infection of Mice by Bordetella pertussis

Whooping cough is an acute respiratory disease caused by the small, gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. B. pertussis expresses several factors that contribute to its ability to cause disease. These factors include surface-associated molecules, which are involved in the adherence of the organism to respiratory epithelial cells, as well as several extracellular toxins that inhibit host defenses and induce damage to host tissues. The expression of virulence factors in B. pertussis is dependent upon the bvg locus, which consists of three genes: bvgA, bvgS, and bvgR. The bvgAS genes encode a two-component regulatory system consisting of a sensor protein, BvgS, and a transcriptional activator, BvgA. Upon modification by BvgS, BvgA binds to the promoter regions of the bvg-activated genes and activates transcription. One of the bvg-activated genes, bvgR, is responsible for the regulation of the bvg-repressed genes, the functions of which are unknown. The fact that these genes are regulated by the bvg locus suggests that they play a role in the pathogenesis of the bacterium. In order to evaluate the contribution of bvg-mediated regulation to the virulence of B. pertussis and determine if expression of the bvg-repressed genes is required for the virulence of B. pertussis, we examined the ability of B. pertussis mutants, defective in their ability to regulate the expression of the bvg-activated and/or the bvg-repressed genes, to cause disease in the mouse aerosol challenge model. Our results indicate that the bvgR-mediated regulation of gene expression contributes to respiratory infection of mice.
Physiochemical characterization of synthetic bio-oils produced from bio-mass: a sustainable source for construction bio-adhesives

This paper investigates physicochemical properties of four different types of bio-oil produced through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and vacuum pyrolysis including wood pallet, corn stover, miscanthus and swine manure. It should be noted that the term bio-oil in this paper is used to refer to synthesized oil from post processing of biomass. Accordingly, swine manure was processed under HTL conditions of 340 °C, 10–12 MPa with 15 min residence time. Bio-oils from miscanthus, corn stover and wood pellet were produced at 450 °C under vacuum pyrolysis. Furthermore, in this paper the merit of applying each of these bio-oils as a precursor for producing bio-adhesive was studied using physiochemical and rheological characterization. Chemical functional groups and individual compounds were identified with GC-MS, NMR and FT-IR, while molecular weight distribution determined using GPC showed that wood pellet bio-oil has the lowest molecular weight followed by those from corn stover, miscanthus and swine manure. In addition, boiling point distributions of different fractions of bio-oils were analyzed. Furthermore, TLC-FID was used to determine different fractions of bio-oils based on their solubility in comparison with those of petroleum. It was shown that overall bio-oils from woody bio-mass have higher amount of alcoholic compounds as evidenced by the presence of strong peaks related to ether and alcohols in FTIR spectra; in addition, the TLC-FID analysis showed presence of higher fraction of fused poly aromatic rings referred to “asphaltene” in bio-oils produced from woody biomass compared to bio-oils from swine manure. The results of our characterization show the importance of feedstock composition and their effect on the characteristics of bio-oils as well as their applicability for use in bio-adhesives production.
The Problem With the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality—an Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that posits that multiple social categories (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status) intersect at the micro level of individual experience to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro, social-structural level (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism). Public health’s commitment to social justice makes it a natural fit with intersectionality’s focus on multiple historically oppressed populations. Yet despite a plethora of research focused on these populations, public health studies that reflect intersectionality in their theoretical frameworks, designs, analyses, or interpretations are rare. Accordingly, I describe the history and central tenets of intersectionality, address some theoretical and methodological challenges, and highlight the benefits of intersectionality for public health theory, research, and policy.
Sex Differences in Infants' Mapping of Complex Occlusion Sequences: Further Evidence

Recently, infant researchers have reported sex differences in infants' capacity to map their representation of an occlusion sequence onto a subsequent no-occlusion display. The research reported here sought to identify the extent to which these sex differences are observed in event-mapping tasks and to identify the underlying basis for these differences. Two experiments were conducted with 9.5-, 10.5-, and 11.5- month-olds using the following task. First, infants were shown an occlusion event in which a box and a ball emerged successively to opposite sides of a screen. Then, the screen was lowered and infants saw a single ball on the platform. Boys first showed prolonged looking to the 1-ball display at 10.5 months, suggesting that at 10.5 months, boys detected the inconsistency between the box-ball occlusion sequence and the final 1-ball display. In contrast, girls first showed prolonged looking to the 1-ball display at 11.5 months. However, girls did show prolonged looking at 10.5 months if they were sh...
A Review of: “Career Advising: An Academic Advisor's Guide”

There is a dizzying array of career choices for college students today. The growing populations of diverse students, including returning adults, increasingly look to academic advisors for both educ...
Development of Optimal PI Controllers for a Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Inverter

Power electronic interfaces (PEIs) play a significant role in integrating distributed energy sources (DER) into the electric power grid. In fact, as solution to grid integration of photovoltaic arrays, voltage source inverters (VSI) are widely utilized as the PEI entity. The VSI is controlled by a set of proportional-integral (PI) controllers, which require optimal tuning in order to guarantee smooth a PV-system is exposed to severe meteorological conditions e.g. Sudden cloud covers. Hence, developing a practical robust tuning method for optimizing the PV-inverter set of controllers i.e. The DC-link voltage controller, the reactive power controller, and the decoupled current controller becomes of paramount importance. This paper employs a computational intelligence (CI) approach to optimally tune these controllers based on online operation performance of the PV-System. The CI approach used effectually used for searching the inverter's PI controllers' parameters is the particle swarm optimization (PSO). The simulation results conclude the superiority of this approach in comparison to conventional inverter PI controller tuning methods, enhancing the PV-System transient and steady-state step-response over a wide operating range of irradiance.
Incorporating hopped spectral gaps into nonrecurrent nonlinear FMCW radar emissions

The time-varying landscape of spectral congestion is driving the investigation into new forms of “spectrally aware” radar emissions based on passive sensing of the environment. The recent Pseudo-Random Optimized FMCW (PRO-FMCW) framework, which can be viewed as an instantiation of FM noise radar, generates a nonlinear FMCW waveform that does not repeat and is designed using spectrally shaped optimization to improve range sidelobe and spectral containment. Here, these concepts are combined to generate time-varying spectral gaps within the PRO-FMCW waveform to avoid in-band interference. The impact on radar range sidelobe performance is considered with regard to both static and time-varying spectral gaps.
Mirages, Malaysia Air Flight 370 and other Interesting Optical Phenomena

What do ocean, optical, seismic, and acoustic waves have in common? In most materials the composition varies as a function of x, y, and z. This talk will tie together these four phenomena and describe one of the difficulties of locating Malaysia Air Flight 370. Article not available.
A Century Plus of X-rays

Copyright: © 2012 Datta T. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. As we approach the last quarter of the celebration of the International Year of Crystallography [1] let me relate some of the excitements and the developments that followed the epochal works conducted in 1912 on both sides of the English Channel. I will conclude with a tip of my Stetson to today’s champions who are keeping the fire brightly lit well into the twenty-first century.
A Cross-Sectional Survey on the Intake of Limnetic Products among Residents in Shanghai

[Objective] To study the intake of limnetic products among residents in Shanghai and provide basis for risk assessment of food stuff.[Methods] According to the distribution of residing districts and sub-districts in Shanghai,2 630 general subjects and 399 specific subjects(pregnant women) were chosen via stratified random sampling method.Questionnaires were designed by kinds of food for three consecutive days through bookkeeping method to collect the dietary consumption of limnetic products,including annual consumption rate,daily intake and frequency of intake.[Results] Annual consumption rates of freshwater fish,freshwater shrimp,freshwater crab and margarya were 84.94%,83.80%,59.51% and 41.90%,respectively.Daily intakes per capita of freshwater fish,freshwater shrimp,freshwater crab and margarya were 21.78 g,14.46 g,4.51 g and 2.63 g,correspondingly,which was significantly different from each other(P 0.05).Daily intake per capita was varied significantly when stratified by age(P 0.05),but insignificantly by gender(P 0.05).The amount of daily intake of freshwater fish,freshwater shrimp,freshwater crab and margarya of pregnant women were 30.18 g,24.55 g,6.00 g and 0.79 g per capita,respectively,which was significantly different from each other(P 0.05).[Conclusion] Daily intake of various kinds of limnetic products varies significantly among Shanghai residents,and daily intake per capita of different age group for the same kind of limnetic products is also significantly different.The pregnant women consume much more limnetic products than other people on average.Risk assessment of limnetic products,therefore,should be conducted specifically by the age of subjects and the kind of food.
Russian Industry: Optimistic Tragedy

According to the Gaidar Institute’s business survey data1, the September performance score proved pessimistic rather than otherwise. The dynamics of demand and output underwent no fundamental change which discouraged enterprises and resulted in a lower satisfaction with demand and an increase in the inventory excess rate. That said, the industrial sector kept raising prices, which would hardly fuel demand. A continuous exodus of employees from enterprises leads to labor force shortages even in the conditions of stagnation. Corporate investment plans signal a further cutting back on investment in production.
Application of lentiviral vectors for development of production cell lines and safety testing of lentiviral-derived cells or products

Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are frequently used to engineer cell lines for preclinical research purposes including assay development and target validation. Development of production cell lines for manufacturing recombinant protein therapeutics may also benefit from the use of LVs because they may reduce timelines and generate more uniform or higher expressing stable pools and clones. In addition, LVs could be advantageous for engineering new, alternative host cell substrates due to their ability to efficiently transduce most cell types. We demonstrate here that NS0 mouse myeloma cells, a host cell frequently used for protein production, can be transduced with LVs to greater than 80% efficiency and with no cytotoxic effects. The use of LVs for engineering of production cell lines will require additional testing procedures. Since LVs have previously been used in human gene therapy clinical trials, safety testing assays and procedures have been developed that could easily be applied to the development process for manufacturing cell lines to ensure the absence of unwanted viral material in cell banks and biologic products.
Freeways and Fog: The Shift in Attitude between Postmodernism and Post-Postmodernism from The Crying of Lot 49 to Inherent Vice

ABSTRACTPostmodernism has been declared dead and gone many times over the last forty years, but you would not necessarily be able to see it if you flipped through many contemporary novels. Although many of these books still look postmodernist on the page, there has been a change in attitude. In order to examine this change, this essay looks at the subtle differences between two of Pynchon’s detective novels: The Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice. While postmodernist notions of interconnectedness carried a negative valance—manifested as conspiracies often leading to death—post-postmodernism views interconnection in a positive and hopeful way. Ultimately, the key distinction is in the way that each novel handles the idea that narrative can convey knowledge.
The Power of Citizen-Group Public-Policy Advertising: Messages Don't Need Third-Party Validation to Increase Salience among Pockets of Voters

ABSTRACT Issue advertisements are advertisements designed to change public opinion about a social issue rather than advocate or oppose a candidate or ballot question or sell a product or service. What effect do these advertisements have on perceived importance of the advertised issue and attitudes and knowledge about the featured policy? Results from an online experiment studying the effect of online issue advertisements suggest that issue advertisements can increase the salience of and knowledge about an issue. Issue advertisements can also persuade about the merits of a policy but only among individuals without attachments to major political parties.
The Nuclear Instrumentation System

In the previous chapters the reader has been presented with essential information for the task of designing electronic equipment which must perform in a nuclear environment. It is the purpose of the last two chapters to present examples of possible application of this knowledge. It should be emphasized that it is not the purpose of the following to dictate fast and unyielding rules for the design of nuclear-hard electronic equipment. Rather, the intent is to present the reader with guidelines which may stimulate creative and unique design approaches. The design of nuclear-hard electronic equipment is a new technology with plenty of room for the application of new design techniques.
Explanation Generation over Temporal Interval Algebra

Temporal interval algebra has generated strong interest for both theoretical and practical reasons. All its maximal tractable subalgebras (MTS) have been identified. Now is the time to make transition toward their practical applications. In this work we have proposed a formalism on how to classify an input temporal network in one of these MTSs, or decide its intractability. We have also proposed a linear algorithm for checking consistency when the input belongs to one of the seventeen MTSs, and for finding out the constraints responsible for inconsistency in case the network is unsatisfiable.
Distress tolerance is linked to unhealthy eating through pain catastrophizing

Low distress tolerance, an important component of emotion regulation, is a risk factor for unhealthy eating. Identifying factors which explain the link between distress tolerance and unhealthy eating can advance the understanding of problematic eating and inform prevention and treatment of obesity and eating disorders. The present study examines pain catastrophizing as a mediator between distress tolerance and unhealthy eating in a nonclinical population, which has received little attention despite being a risk factor for unhealthy eating behaviors. The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), were administered to 171 college students (62.6% female, 38.6% White, 28.1% Hispanic). There was no evidence of a significant direct effect of distress tolerance on unhealthy eating. However, as hypothesized, there was a significant indirect or mediated effect of pain catastrophizing on the relationship between distress tolerance and unhealthy eating. Individuals low in distress tolerance reported higher pain catastrophizing, and a result, these individuals also reported higher levels of unhealthy eating. These findings introduce pain catastrophizing as an influential variable in the link between distress tolerance and unhealthy eating. Findings suggest that reducing catastrophic thinking about pain may be a worthy target of intervention in reducing unhealthy eating.