cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Timing of exposure and mammary cancer risk.

We have tested the hypothesis that timing of exposure to hormonally active chemicals can predetermine susceptibility for mammary cancer. TCDD, the most potent man-made xenobiotic, when given to pregnant rats resulted in the offspring being more susceptible to chemically induced mammary cancer as adults. On the other hand, genistein, the primary isoflavone component of soy, given in the diet during the prepubertal period, or the prepubertal and adult periods, protected against chemically induced mammary cancer. There was an inverse relationship between cancer susceptibility and mammary gland differentiation. The initial effect of early exposure to genistein was to up-regulate the EGF-signaling pathway and to enhance cell differentiation, resulting in reduced EGF-receptor expression in mammary terminal end buds of adults. Genistein has been shown to be bioavailable to the mammary gland in postnatal rats. Differentiation effects are believed to occur via an imprinting mechanism that determines the “blueprint” from which the mammary cells respond to future hormonal and/or xenobiotic exposure.
Making or Wasting Money? Campaign Spending and Campaign Contributions During the 2007 Money Primary

Can candidates spend their way into future contribution totals? We propose the presidential nomination money primary offers an important opportunity to evaluate the abilities of campaign organizations to raise funds. We control for fixed candidate advantages and estimate the effects changes in candidate spending and viability have on future weekly contribution totals using the FEC individual-donor data set. We find that how a campaign uses its resources has significant consequences for future contribution numbers. Spending on staff resources has significant benefits for longshot candidates, while spending on events and travel have the greatest benefits for frontrunner candidates. We also estimate that changes in spending during 2007 had an equal, if not larger, contribution payoff in comparison to changes in a candidate’s viability. These results provide evidence that campaign spending is one reason why early advantages in campaign funds can lead to greater advantages in the future and how presidential candidates benefit from hitting the campaign trail early.
Na(+)-H+ antiporter and Na(+)-(HCO3-)n symporter regulate intracellular pH in mouse medullary thick limbs of Henle.

To determine mechanisms of intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in mouse medullary thick limbs (MTAL), pHi was measured in MTAL suspensions and in the isolated perfused MTAL by use of 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)carboxyfluorescein (BCECF). A method to obtain MTAL suspensions from the mouse outer medulla is reported. Characterization of suspensions with microscopy, anti-Tamm-Horsfall antibody labeling, measurement of O2 consumption, and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate responses to antidiuretic hormone indicated that these suspensions were highly purified for viable MTAL tubules. The resting pHi was 7.41 +/- 0.02 (means +/- SE) in N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid-buffered media and 7.23 +/- 0.02 in CO2- HCO3(-)-buffered media, both at extracellular pH 7.4. MTAL tubules exhibited rapid pHi recovery from intracellular acidification. Recovery of pHi was dependent on luminal Na+ (apparent Km = 13.2 +/- 3.2 mM) and was inhibited by amiloride (apparent Ki = 10.6 microM), consistent with the a...
Assessing understanding of the nature of science and science self-efficacy in undergraduates involved in research in an introductory geology course

We changed the curriculum of our introductory geology lab to include a six-week, student driven research project focused on local groundwater and surface water issues, seeking to determine whether or not this experience was an effective means to increase students’ understanding of the nature of science and self-efficacy towards science. In addition to developing the research project curriculum, we worked with other university faculty to create a local hydrology research station which included eight monitoring wells and a stream gage, allowing students to collect their own water-level and water-quality data as well as to retrieve automatically collected data. In order to measure nature of science understanding, we used a modified version of the Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry questionnaire (Liang et al., 2005; Clough, 2010). We modified a vocational self-efficacy survey (Riggs et al. 1994) to measure science self-efficacy. Both instruments had average Cronbach’s alpha values >0.8, making them reliable for our study. After three semesters of collecting data, we have found that an authentic research project slightly improves, but does not significantly increase overall nature of science understanding or science self-efficacy. Disaggregating the data into demographic sub-groups, nature of science understanding increased relatively more in nonSTEM students than STEM students, and science self-efficacy increased relatively more in STEM students than non-STEM students. 1 Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, elizabethlmoss@gmail.com 2 Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, cinzia@iastate.edu 3 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University 4 Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Iowa State University
Practical Implications and Future Directions

In the preceding chapters, we summarized the state of knowledge in regard to crowding in general and prison crowding in particular. This chapter will provide a brief summary of the major results of our research program, outline the practical implications of these findings, and point out a variety of issues that still need to be resolved.
Flow structure and unsteadiness in a highly confined shock-wave–boundary-layer interaction

High-fidelity simulations show that the confining effect of sidewalls on a shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction can have a very strong influence on both the mean flow and large-scale unsteadiness, and accurately capturing the sidewall flows is essential in realistic modeling of confined flows.
Brain-Computer Interfaces in Quadriplegic Patients.

Spinal cord injury affects approximately 17,000 people per year in the United States, with a prevalence of 280,000 people. The loss of function suffered by these patients is life altering. Quadriplegic patients require lifelong assistance to interact with their world. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI), have the potential to restore function to these patients in a meaningful way.
Fröhlich Conduction of Spin Density Waves in Quasi-Two Dimensional Systems

Since the discovery of nonlinear dc conductivity in charge density waves1 in NbSe3 a large class of quasi-one dimensional compounds which exhibit the Frohlich conduction are synthesized and studied.2,3
The Association Between African American Parent-Child Sex Communication and Adolescent Condomless Sex.

African American adolescents are at elevated risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Risk reduction efforts have focused on parent–child communications, despite inconsistent findings regarding their association with adolescent sexual risk behaviors. The present study included sexually active African American adolescents and their parents/guardians (N = 125 dyads). All participants reported on frequency of sexual health conversations and adolescents reported recent occasions of protected and condomless sex. Analyses examined the congruence between parent–child communication reports and the association between this congruence and adolescent condomless sex. Parents and adolescents disagreed on the frequency of sexual health communication: 30% of parents reported such conversations as frequent, whereas only 2% of adolescents did. Parent-reported sex communication was negatively associated with adolescent condomless sex, while adolescent-reported communication was not. The moderation hypothesis was supported in that adolescent-reported sex communication was negatively associated with adolescent condomless sex only among parent–child dyads high in agreement on sexual health communication. Promoting parent–child conversations regarding sexual health, with attention to relational characteristics of the conversations, offers a promising approach to sexual health promotion and disease prevention for African American youth.
Examining the Relationship Between 2-year College Entry and Baccalaureate Aspirants’ Academic and Labor Market Outcomes: Impacts, Heterogeneity, and Mechanisms

Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), this paper analyzes students’ baccalaureate attainment and early labor market performance, comparing 2-year college and 4-year institution entrants and exploring the potential heterogeneous treatment effects of initiating one’s college experience in a 2-year college by individual pre-college academic preparation. Utilizing propensity score matching on a rich set of student demographic characteristics, academic and high school attributes, we find that 2-year college entry sharply reduces baccalaureate aspirants’ likelihood of earning a baccalaureate, and such negative effects are particularly pronounced for students in the highest quartile of pre-college math ability. In terms of labor market outcomes, female 2-year college entrants are less likely to gain full-time employment, as compared to their female 4-year institution counterparts. We also examine various mechanisms that may hinder 2-year college entrants’ baccalaureate completion, including the impact of 2-year college attendance on early academic progress, challenges of the transfer process, loss of credits at the point of transfer, and post-transfer academic shock. Our results provide suggestive evidence in support of all four mechanisms.
The Spectrum's Other End: Solidarity and Distrust in a New Latino Destination*

Our theoretical understanding of immigrant adjustment is based primarily on observations of established immigrant destinations. By settling within an immigrant community, newly arrived co-ethnics often benefit from the accumulated social capital and funds of knowledge of the ethnic community. Resources provided by ethnic support networks aid adjustment while promoting solidarity and trust among community members. However, recent research shows that immigrants are increasingly settling in destinations that lack an established co-ethnic community. We examine the extent to which network support, solidarity, and trust manifest within a new Latino destination.
Online learning and optimization of Markov jump linear models

The problem of online learning and optimization of unknown Markov jump linear models is considered. A new online learning algorithm, referred to as Markovian simultaneous perturbations stochastic approximation (MSPSA), is proposed. It is shown that MSPSA achieves the minimax regret order of B(vT). Using the Van Trees inequality (stochastic Cramer-Rao bound), it is shown that B(vT) is the lowest regret order achievable. Simulation results show scenarios that MSPSA offers significant gain over the greedy certainty equivalent approaches.
Comparing two nonparametric regression curves in the presence of long memory in covariates and errors

This paper discusses the problem of testing the equality of two nonparametric regression functions against two-sided alternatives in the presence of long memory in the common covariate and errors. The proposed test is based on a marked empirical process of the differences between the response variables. We discuss asymptotic null distribution of this process and consistency of the test for a class of general alternatives. We also conduct a Monte Carlo simulation study to evaluate the finite sample level and power behavior of the test at some alternatives.
Causally Stable Approximation of Optimal Maps in Maximal Value Constrained Least-Squares Optimization

In this paper, we consider a problem of designing discrete-time systems which are optimal in frequency-weighted least squares sense subject to a maximal output amplitude constraint. In such problems, the optimality conditions do not provide an explicit way of generating the optimal output as a real-time implementable transformation of the input, due to causal instability of the resulting dynamical equations and sequential nature in which criterion function is revealed over time. On the other hand, under some mild conditions, the optimal system has exponentially fading memory which suggests existence of arbitrarily good finite-latency approximations. In this paper, we extend the method of balanced truncation for linear systems to the class of nonlinear models with weakly contractive operators. We then propose a causally stable finite-latency nonlinear system which returns high-quality approximations to the optimal map. The proposed system is obtained by a careful truncation of an infinite dimensional state space representation of the optimal system, as suggested by the derived generalization of the balanced truncation algorithm.
College students' and community members' attitudes toward dementia: The impact of dementia friends sessions.

Background: Negative attitudes toward dementia can delay care and diagnosis, increase social isolation, and limit recognition of the positive attributes of people living with dementia. The purpose ...
Examples with decreasing largest inscribed ball for deterministic rescaling algorithms

AbstractRecently, Pena and Soheili presented a deterministic rescaling perceptron algorithm and proved that it solves a feasible perceptron problem in O(m2n2 log (ρ−1)) perceptron update steps, whe...
Remembering the ‘comfort women’: geographies of displacement, violence and memory in the Asia-Pacific and beyond

The ‘comfort women’ system of the 1930s and 1940s, in which girls and women were coerced to serve as sex slaves for the Imperial Army of Japan, was one of the most systematic and institutionalized ...
Somatosensory Evoked Potentials

This chapter discusses somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) elicited by stimulation of large mixed nerves in the upper and lower extremities, their clinical utility, method of acquisition, and standard recording protocol. This chapter describes the major components of median and posterior tibial SSEPS, and their generator sources, emphasizing near-field and far-field contributions. How various subject related and technical factors influence these responses are discussed. Detail descriptions are provided of common SSEP abnormalities and their interpretation and correlation with dysfunction at specific levels of the somatosensory pathways. Major central and peripheral neurological disorders associated with SSEP abnormalities are also described with a detailed discussion on the abnormal patterns seen in deep coma, various demyelinating conditions, myelopathies, neuropathies, and plexopathies. A brief description of the use of SSEPs in intraoperative monitoring is provided, and more than 30 figures and 10 tables illustrate various SSEP characteristics and abnormalities. At the end of the chapter, six actual clinical cases are added and discussed under the following headings: reason for study, technical summary, SSEP findings, interpretation, and discussion.
Fuzzy Rule-Based Models in Computer Vision

Computer Vision involves many complex tasks. Humans do an excellent job of visual perception, but automation has only been successful in limited domains. In an effort to bring more human-like processing into computer vision activities, rule-based systems have been introduced. The uncertainty and vagueness present in image analysis suggest fuzzy logic is a natural paradigm. In this chapter, we survey fuzzy rule-based systems for various image processing and analysis tasks, and provide examples of three systems developed at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Identiﬁcation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea by a primary care team with a subset focus on chronic pain management.

Background Patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), who also consume prescription opioids, have a greater likelihood of morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated whether a primary care team, focused on chronic pain care management, could use a validated questionnaire (STOP-Bang) and motivational follow-up, to increase identification and treatment of OSA. Methods This study was a retrospective, dual arm, pre/post controlled study. Participants of this study included the complete chronic pain management sub group treated by this primary care team. Participants were ≥ 18 years old and prescribed daily opioids for treatment of chronic pain. All participants had a multifaceted, individualized, educational meeting that included completing a STOP-Bang questionnaire. Participants who received a score ≥ three were advised to follow up with their primary care physician. Participants were seen quarterly throughout the study. Results The primary outcome of this study was that 65% of participants with likely OSA were using CPAP for a minimum of 12 months (range of 12–25 months, 18-month average) post-intervention vs. 37% CPAP-use in the control group (12 months of observation), both groups were chronic opioid users with OSA. This was a 28% relative improvement (p = 0.0034). A secondary outcome was that 8.9% of non-prior CPAP users obtained CPAP post- intervention; a 56.7% pre-post improvement (p = 0.0064, x2 = 10.08 with 1 degree of freedom). Also, participants who were likely to have OSA (STOP-Bang score ≥ 3 or had a positive polysomnography (AHI >5 with comorbidities)) compared to those unlikely to have OSA (STOP-Bang score <3 or had a negative polysomnography (AHI <5)) in this study were more likely to be male, have a higher BMI, have hypertension, have cardiovascular disease and/or have diabetes (all types). Conclusion Team based care management for participants taking prescription opioids, where STOP-Bang questionnaires were completed, were associated with an increase in the identification and treatment of OSA.
Impact of diurnal variation, sex, tear collection method, and disease state on tear protein levels in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of various biological factors on total protein concentration (TPC) and serum albumin levels in canine tears. ANIMALS STUDIED 10 healthy beagles (5 female, 5 male) were used. PROCEDURES Experiments were conducted on separate days, collecting tears with either capillary tubes or Schirmer strips, as follows: (i) Tear collection at 3 hours intervals (from 6 am to 12 am); and (ii) Tear collection before and 20 minutes following topical histamine application (1, 10, 375 mg/mL) to induce mild, moderate, and severe conjunctivitis, respectively. TPC and serum albumin were measured with infrared spectroscopy and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS Tear film TPC and serum albumin ranged from 9.7-26.1 mg/mL and 6.4-1662.6 µg/mL, respectively. Protein levels did not differ significantly among time points (P ≥ .080). Median coefficient of variation (CV%) was lower with Schirmer strips compared to capillary tubes for both TPC (12% vs 15%, P = .020) and serum albumin (57% vs 78%, P = .232). TPC (P < .001), but not serum albumin was greater in male vs. female dogs. Serum albumin, but not TPC (P ≥ .099), increased significantly with each grade of conjunctivitis severity (P < .001), with no differences between collection devices (P ≥ .322); median increase was 106%, 1389%, and 2871% in eyes with mild, moderate, and severe conjunctivitis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS There is no apparent diurnal variation in canine tear protein levels. Blood-tear barrier breakdown with conjunctivitis allows serum albumin to leak into the tear film at high concentrations. Schirmer strips compare well with capillary tubes for bioanalytical purposes in healthy and diseased eyes, and this collection method may offer improved reproducibility for protein quantification.
Supporting the Value Chain of Extra Virgin Olive Oil: About the Reuse for Nutritional Purposes of Wet Olive Pomace

The present paper provides a process description of the separation and exploitation of a high-value by-product from the extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) mill waste. The olive pomace is a by-product that can potentially improve the EVOO value chain by providing a natural primary matter for the agro-food industry. Furthermore, such exploitation of pomace would reduce the environmental and economic problems related to the management and disposal of mill wastes. The modern two-phase milling technique reduces the wastewater but produces a relevant quantity of wet pomace. Two-phase mills in Italy account for about 11% of the total, thus producing a relevant amount of wet olive cakes. In Colli Orvietani area, the residual olive cake most often retains very high nutritional properties, owing to the persistence of effective management of the olive orchards within the frame of a traditional small farming system. The reduction of mill wastewater and the exploitation of the wet olive cake for innovative and high-added value, agro-food products are effective in reinforcing the local processes of sustainable development.
Finding Meaning in Intermedial Gaps

Media is generally conceptualized as any communicative conduit that conveys ideas or meaning between one place or person and another. However, media products—and particularly intermedial products—do not always transmit meanings and ideas smoothly. This chapter explores a series of historical and contemporary media objects and performances that do not facilitate “successful” transfers of meaning, partly due to their intermedial configurations. Each of these media objects and performances both conceal and reveal, either accidentally as a byproduct of experimentation with the medium’s modalities or purposefully as an aesthetic, social, or cultural intervention. The author argues that these concealments and intermedial “gaps” generate new modes of expression, new artistic experiences for audiences and performers, and new conceptual understandings of existing genres and media.
Preliminary Experimental Investigation of Loading Sequence Effects on Low-Cycle Bending Fatigue

AbstractBending fatigue, as one of the impact factors to reduce a metal’s service life, could play a critical role in fatigue life estimation of aerospace components and civil infrastructures, such...
Stands for Automation Achieved by Sprinkling

Solid set sprinkler systems applying water at approximately 0.1 in. per hr showed improvement over conventional surface irrigation. By preventing surface salt accumulation, increasing crop emergence, saving water, maintaining soil tilth, increasing land use efficiency, and reducing labor requirements, sprinkler irrigation has become essential to the mechanization and automation of desert agriculture.
Health Informatics and Community Health: Support for Patients as Collaborators in Care

Health informatics has much to offer community health care. Computer networks and telecommunications provide particular support that can enhance the collaboration among clinicians, care providers and patients. Special-purpose computer tools referred to as Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) represent the application of computer and information technologies specifically to support the health information and communication needs of patients and lay persons. Research projects like ComputerLink and CHESS demonstrate that CHI is acceptable to patients and promotes self-care and disease management. Three grand challenges must be faced to insure realization of the promise of health informatics to community health care: development of knowledge management and information discovery tools for patients, insurance of health information literacy for all persons, and re-engineering clinical practice to capitalize on patients as full partners in health care.
Three Score and Then Some

Panicked, I split. He one way, I another. I come upon him huddled in the woods, an echo repeating no sound, catching his breath. I pull him to his feet. Let's go, I say. Look on the bright side. Miles to go. We pick up branches and pile them on each other. We laugh, making rocks sway, take on shapes like in the old days. A few more turns round the field and the sun shoots up head-high, squawking and creaking. Everything's flashing, so we go on, collecting, two birds hell-bent with rain starting to form other beings that dovetail ours with incompletions and fragments beginning to relax into themselves, each drop a spark leavening itself big enough for us to wander through as if for ever. And there we go, haunted by ourselves, clearing the air, floating through windows, limber, roots wide as ships, on roads that wander over and through the air about us, glossy, dethroned, joyful in our own funeral, split like an atom, unmapped, bright, companionable and cold.
When Environmental Messages Should Be Assertive: examining the moderating role of effort investment

The research reported in this article examined whether environmental advertisers who use assertive language can expect to have varying persuasive impacts depending on how much effort message recipients invest in completing environmentally friendly requests. The findings indicate that assertive messages cause individuals to show more favorable attitudes and behavioral intentions toward recycling when they invest significant effort in following the requests. In contrast, nonassertive messages are more effective for individuals who invest little effort. Furthermore, perceived issue importance mediates the interaction between message assertiveness and effort investment for predicting attitudes toward recycling, and in turn enhances intentions to recycle.
A Coasean Analysis of Marketing

Consumers claim to hate marketing - mostly, because they get too much unwanted marketing. In response, regulators develop medium-by-medium marketing suppression regulations. Unfortunately, these ad hoc solutions do little to satisfy consumers, and dynamic technologies and business practices quickly render them moot. Instead of continuing this cycle, there would be some benefit to developing a cross-media marketing regulatory scheme. However, any holistic solution must be predicated on a clear rationale for regulating marketing. The most common justification is that marketing imposes a negative externality on consumers, but this argument ignores the private and social welfare created by marketing and can lead to cost overinternalization and marketing undersupply. The Coase Theorem also suggests that social welfare improves by reducing the costs of matching marketers with interested consumers. To achieve this, consumers need a low cost but accurate mechanism to manifest their preferences. This Article shows that typical regulatory and marketplace solutions do not provide effective mechanisms. Instead, marketer-consumer matchmaking will improve from technology that will automatically infer consumer preferences and use these inferences to filter incoming marketing and seek out wanted content. This technology is rapidly emerging, but regulation of surreptitious monitoring devices (like adware and spyware) may inadvertently block the development of this socially-beneficial technology. As a result, current regulatory overreactions to developing technology may counterproductively foreclose social welfare improvements.
Online Addendum: Modeling Trade Direction

This is the online addendum for Modeling Trade Direction. It contains information on delays between trades and quotes, further analysis commentary, a discussion of varying coefficients, some evidence on short- and ultra-short-term price predictability, and an explanation of how large trades may (seemingly) be recorded as trading far outside the contemporaneous bid-ask spread.
Human DNA Repair and Recombination Genes

Several genes involved in mammalian DNA repair pathways were identified by complementation analysis and chromosomal mapping based on hybrid cells. Eight complementation groups of rodent mutants defective in the repair of UV radiation damage are now identified. At least seven of these genes are probably essential for repair and at least six of them control the incision step. The many genes required for repair of DNA cross-linking damage show overlap with those involved in the repair of UV damage, but some of these genes appear to be unique for cross-link repair. Two genes residing on human chromosome 19 were cloned from genomic transformants using a cosmid vector, and near full-length cDNA clones of each gene were isolated and sequenced. Gene ERCC2 efficiently corrects the defect in CHO UV5, a nucleotide excision repair mutant. Gene XRCC1 normalizes repair of strand breaks and the excessive sister chromatid exchange in CHO mutant EM9. ERCC2 shows a remarkable 52% overall homology at both the amino acid and nucleotide levels with the yeast RAD3 gene. Evidence based on mutation induction frequencies suggests that ERCC2, like RAD3, might also be an essential gene for viability.
Proteomic Insights: Cryoadaptation of Permafrost Bacteria

The permafrost microbial community has been described as 'a community of survivors' (Friedman 1994). Because of the permanently cold condition and the long term isolation of the permafrost sediments, the permafrost microorganisms have acquired various adaptive features in the membrane, enzymes, and macromolecular synthesis. This chapter reviews the different adaptive mechanisms used by permafrost microorganisms with a focus on the proteomic level of cryoadaptation that have recently been identified during the low temperature growth in permafrost bacteria.
A Physically Based Internal Variable Model for Rate Dependent Plasticity

In 1978 Krieg et al. published a ‘unified creep-plasticity’ model for rate-dependent deformation of metals, incorporating a power-law relationship between inelastic strain rate, applied stress, and instantaneous value of two internal variables.1 The internal variables were permitted to evolve by a Bailey—Orowan process, including strain hardening and recovery. Hardening was taken to be linear and to increase the internal variables rather than the flow stress directly; recovery was treated as thermal (as opposed to dynamic strain-activated) only, where the kinetics were derived from dislocation mechanics for the process in question. The physical basis was established because (a) the power-law flow rule was taken to be a mathematically convenient approximation to rate-process theory at fixed microstructural state, (b) linear strain hardening in polycrystals is usually viewed as an aggregate manifestation of the linear (stage II) hardening behavior of fcc single crystals oriented initially for single slip and in the absence of dynamic recovery,2,3 and (c) the recovery kinetics were derived from dislocation models. The value of physical bases follows, of course, from the confidence (indeed the meaning) that is given to extrapolation of the relationship beyond the range of measured data.
Chapter 45 Trade and industrial policy reform

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the consequences of policy reforms. It covers both theory and evidence, as it is only the interplay of the two that allows comprehending and interpreting the world around. Research on policy reform has not been short on either theory or evidence, even though, there is still a need for systematic empirical studies on the consequences of the recent round of reforms. The chapter focuses on trade and industrial policies and discusses macroeconomic stabilization issues as they impinge on microeconomic reforms. The chapter reviews the literature on the strategy of reform and covers recent contributions including those in the theories of piecemeal reform, timing and sequencing of reform, credibility, and political economy. It also reviews the available evidence on the consequences of the reforms of the 1980s, paying particular attention to the supply response and to static and dynamic efficiency.
Gravitational redshifts and the mass-radius relation

While the results described in this article are preliminary due to the small numbers of stars available, the use of gravitational redshifts as a probe of the properties of white dwarfs seems most promising. Recent advances in digital detectors has made this possible and detailed data on mass distributions can be expected as measurements for more systems become available. White dwarfs can also probe the gravitational force and do not seem to support large deviations from the Newtonian law.
The conduction pore of a cardiac potassium channel

Ion channels form transmembrane water-filled pores that allow ions to cross membranes in a rapid and selective fashion. The amino acid residues that line these pores have been sought to reveal the mechanisms of ion conduction and selectivity. The pore (P) loop is a stretch of residues that influences single-channel-current amplitude, selectivity among ions and open-channel blockade and is conserved in potassium-channel subunits previously recognized to contribute to pore formation. To date, potassium-channel pores have been shown to form by symmetrical alignment of four P loops around a central conduction pathway. Here we show that the selectivity-determining pore region of the voltage-gated potassium channel of human heart through which the I(Ks) current passes includes the transmembrane segment of the non-P-loop protein minK. Two adjacent residues in this segment of minK are exposed in the pore on either side of a short barrier that restricts the movement of sodium, cadmium and zinc ions across the membrane. Thus, potassium-selective pores are not restricted to P loops or a strict P-loop geometry.
Chemical weathering and chemical denudation dynamics through ecosystem development and disturbance

[1] Mineral weathering and chemical denudation of terrestrial environments are understood by both geochemists and ecologists to be affected by rooted plant growth. We used unique 20-year “sandbox” experiments to test the predictions of both disciplines regarding the influence of tree growth and harvest on chemical weathering and denudation of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+. Results showed 3 temporal phases: 1) weathering-dominated rapid uptake of mineral nutrients with retention in trees and soil, and low denudation; 2) biocycling-dominated nutrient uptake with slower tree growth, and chemical fluxes reduced to near zero; and 3) denudation-dominated loss of nutrient reserves after harvest by disruption of biotic regulation. Overall, a red pine sandbox used and retained its resources more effectively than a reference non-vascular system. The results suggest that disturbance may be an important factor controlling chemical denudation rates. Temporal variations of the fluxes highlight difficulties of extrapolating weathering and denudation rates over long timescales.
Greeting and leave-taking in Texas : perception of politeness norms by Mexican-Americans across sociolinguistic divides

The present study reveals how 16 Mexican-Americans residing in Texas perceive and follow politeness norms (e.g. Brown and Levinson 1987 ; Locher and Watts 2005 ; Scollon and Scollon 2001 ) related to greetings and leave-takings in different cultural and linguistic contexts. Data from online questionnaires identify a significant difference in perceived level of social expectation (i.e. politeness) for employing the speech acts with Spanish- versus non-Spanish speakers. The data support previous research in identifying a sense of solidarity among Mexican-American extended families, but also suggest that this bond extends to other Spanish-speaking acquaintances. Better understanding of these norms should facilitate inter-cultural exchanges between linguistic in- and out-group members.
GaN-on-Si Vertical Schottky and p-n Diodes

This letter demonstrates GaN vertical Schottky and p-n diodes on Si substrates for the first time. With a total GaN drift layer of only 1.5- $\mu{\rm m}$ thick, a breakdown voltage (BV) of 205 V was achieved for GaN-on-Si Schottky diodes, and a soft BV higher than 300 V was achieved for GaN-on-Si p-n diodes with a peak electric field of 2.9 MV/cm in GaN. A trap-assisted space-charge-limited conduction mechanism determined the reverse leakage and breakdown mechanism for GaN-on-Si vertical p-n diodes. The on-resistance was 6 and 10 ${\rm m}\Omega\cdot{\rm cm}^{2}$ for the vertical Schottky and p-n diode, respectively. These results show the promising performance of GaN-on-Si vertical devices for future power applications.
The Digital World of Local Government: A Comparative Analysis of the United States and Germany

ABSTRACT Innovations in information communication technologies have contributed to new forms of interaction between governments and citizens in many industrialized democracies. The adoption of these technologies at different levels of government has contributed to the emergence of electronic government, or e-government, designed to communicate information, deliver services, and offer additional avenues for citizen interaction with and participation in government. Based on a detailed content analysis of government Web sites and survey research, this study assesses and explains the current state of e-government sophistication and the perceived effects of the Internet in local government in the federal republics of the United States and Germany. The study argues that local e-government sophistication in the United States is more advanced than in Germany, while the presence of local e-government is more advanced in Germany compared with the United States. Furthermore, factors such as professional management, ...
Unapproved treatments or indications in dermatology: physical therapy including balneotherapy

More than a decade ago, the author was the AAD representative and liaison with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), beginning the new approach to “orphan” drugs and orphan diseases. This was precipitated by the need for an organized study on the efficacy of Dilantin in the various forms of epidermolysis bullosa. At the time, in meeting with the FDA, it was very obvious that, in dermatology, more than two-thirds of treatment regimens and medications used were for diseases and conditions that did not have specific FDA approval. Perhaps in dermatology more than any other specialty, the large number of unapproved usages of both drugs and modalities is the greatest. Several of the specific areas that this involves are listed in the following sections, covering balneology, spas, and physical therapies.
Vibrational and elastic properties of ferromagnesite across the electronic spin-pairing transition of iron

Ferromagnesite [(Mg,Fe)CO3] has been proposed as a candidate host mineral for carbon in the Earth’s mantle. Studying its physical and chemical properties at relevant pressures and temperatures helps our understanding of deep-carbon storage in the planet’s interior and on its surface. Here we have studied high-pressure vibrational and elastic properties of magnesian siderite [(Mg0.35Fe0.65)CO3] across the electronic spin transition by Raman and X-ray diffraction spectroscopies in a diamond-anvil cell. Our results show an increase in Raman shift of the observed lattice modes of magnesian siderite across the spin transition at 45 GPa as a result of an ∼8% unit-cell volume collapse and a 10% stiffer lattice (higher bulk modulus). C-O bond lengthening in the strong, rigid (CO3) 2– unit across the spin transition contributes to a competitive decrease in Raman shift, most evident in the Raman shift decrease of the symmetric stretching mode. Combined vibrational and elastic results are used to derive the mode Gruneisen parameter of each mode, which drops significantly across the transition. These results suggest that the low-spin state has distinctive vibrational and elastic properties compared to the high-spin state. Analyses of all recent experimental results on the (Mg,Fe)CO3 system show no appreciable compositional effect on the transition pressure, indicating weak iron-iron exchange interactions. Our results provide new insight into understanding the effects of the spin transition on the vibrational, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of (Mg,Fe)CO3 as a candidate carbon-host in the deep mantle.
The dependence of the tunneling current on density of states in non-superconducting junctions

Abstract The theory that the tunneling current in a non-superconducting tunnel junction depends on the densities of states of the electrodes has been known for sometime although Harrison has suggested that it is in fact not correct. In this paper Harrison's suggestion is critically discussed and the expression for the tunneling current is written in a way that emphasizes its dependence on the surface densities of states of the electrodes and takes into account the band structure of the oxide barrier. We find where ƒ L , ƒ R are the Fermi function of the left and right hand electrodes, D is the probability that an electron tunnels from a point r L in the barrier near the left hand electrode to a point r R in the barrier near the right hand electrode. ξ depends on the oxide and is a slowly varying function of ω and k ∥ , the electron momentum parallel to the epectrode surfaces. ϱ ⊥ L ( r L , ω, k ∥ ) is the one dimensional density of states of the left hand electrode in the direction normal to the electrode at a position r L in the barrier for electrons of energy ω and momentum k ∥ and ϱ ⊥ R has a similar meaning. This expression for J reduces to that previously derived by Harrison if the electrodes as well as the oxide barrier are treated in a WKB approximation. In this limit J has no dependence on the densities of states due to cancellations from the factor ξ. Recent field emission experiments and theory have shown that the tunneling current is dependent on the electrode density of states so the expression for J given above must be used. It is suggested that the failure to observe such effects in tunnel junctions is due to imperfections in the junction and that tunneling in metal-vacuum-metal junctions or in perfected tunnel junctions will give density of states information.
The role of the endogenous opioid system in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders

The author suggests that anxiety disorders are related to a deficiency in the endogenous opioid system. The author classifies deficiencies of the endogenous opioid system as congenital or acquired, and also as real or relative. Individuals with 'real deficiency' cannot function adequately in any situations, including situations which are natural for human beings. Persons with 'relative deficiency' are unable to function adequately under circumstances which are unnatural for humans: their 'adaptational reserve' is insufficient. The use of opioid substances and alcohol is a form of self-medication to reduce anxiety. Acupuncture and its variations, psychotherapy, and the administration of placebo can decrease anxiety because these therapeutic maneuvers activate the endogenous opioid system.
How killers kill

Previously, it was assumed that functional signaling by KIRs required only that they encounter their ligands. Now, new work by Foley and colleagues presented in this issue of Blood suggests that the rules of NK-cell alloreactivity may be more complicated than initially thought. Several families of
Measuring Lay Conceptions of Well-Being: The Beliefs About Well-Being Scale

A number of explicit conceptions of well-being have been provided by philosophers and psychologists, but little is known about laypersons’ conceptions of well-being. Two studies investigating the content and measurement of lay conceptions of well-being are presented. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic procedures, the 16-item Beliefs about Well-Being Scale (BWBS) was developed to measure lay conceptions of well-being along four theoretically-meaningful dimensions: (1) the Experience of Pleasure, (2) Avoidance of Negative Experience, (3) Self-Development, and (4) Contribution to Others. Initial evidence concerning the reliability and validity of the BWBS indicated that this new scale has acceptable psychometric properties. In both studies, associations between each subscale, representing the above four dimensions, and multiple self-report measures of experienced well-being were also examined. Each subscale was significantly associated with well-being, with Self-Development and Contribution to Others indicating stronger associations with measures of well-being than either Experience of Pleasure or Avoidance of Negative Experience. Implications for future research using this economical new scale are discussed.
Rebound Vasospasm after Coronary Revascularization in Association with Calcium Antagonist Withdrawal

Four patients experienced life-threatening coronary vasospasm following discontinuation of calcium channel blocking medication at the time of coronary revascularization. The last dose of the calcium blocker in each instance was administered between 8 and 18 hours before operation. Two of the patients were receiving diltiazem (60 mg four times a day) and 2, nifedipine (20 mg four times a day). During this same period, 16 patients had received diltiazem (12.5% incidence of vasospasm) and more than 100 patients, nifedipine (less than 2% incidence). In 3 of the 4 patients, coronary spasm was identified by electrocardiogram and documented as the cause of ischemia in the distribution of a nondiseased right coronary artery. In the fourth patient, spasm had occurred in the distribution of a bypassed left anterior descending coronary artery. In 2 patients in whom the problem was recognized retrospectively, an infarct developed; 1 patient died. In the 2 patients in whom the problem was apparent prior to infarction, nitroglycerin (1 to 3 micrograms/kg/min, intravenously) and nifedipine (10 mg, sublingually every 4 to 6 hours) successfully reversed the ischemic process. The routine administration of calcium at the completion of coronary revascularization may be ill-advised in patients in whom calcium channel blockers have been utilized. Postoperative therapy of this condition with intravenous administration of nitroglycerin and sublingual administration of nifedipine seems to be effective when instituted early.
Characterization of RNA polymerase type II from human term placenta.

RNA polymerase type II from human term placenta has been isolated and characterized with respect to its template, ammonium sulfate, divalent cation, and buffer preferences. In addition, the apparent Michaelis constants for AMP amd UMP incorporation have been determined. The enzyme was also analyzed by native and denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and evidence is presented that a single polypeptide is radiolabeled with azido purine nucleoside triphosphate photoprobes.