cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioreactor Engineering For Recombinant Protein Production Using Plant Cell Suspension Culture

Plant cell culture has long been considered as a potential system for large-scale production of secondary metabolites. In recent years, with the advances in plant molecular biology, plant cell culture has also attracted considerable interests as an expression platform for large-scale production of high-value recombinant proteins. Many plant species can now be genetically transformed. Callus cells derived from the transgenic plants can be grown in simple, chemically defined liquid media to establish transgenic cell suspension cultures for recombinant protein production. For certain plant species, such as tobacco, it is also possible to establish transgenic suspension cell cultures by directly transforming wild-type cultured cells. There are several notable benefits of using plant suspension cultures for recombinant protein production. Plant cells, unlike prokaryotic hosts, are capable of performing complex post-translational processing, such as propeptide processing, signal peptide cleavage, protein folding, disulfide bond formation and glycosylation, which are required for active biological functions of the expressed heterologous proteins [1]. Plant cells are also easier and less expensive to cultivate in liquid media than their mammalian or insect cell counterparts. The potential human pathogen contamination problem associated with mammalian cell culture does not exist in plant cell culture since simple, chemically defined media are used [2]. When compared with transgenic plants, cultured plant cells also possess a number of advantages. Cultured plant cells have a much shorter growth cycle than that of transgenic plants grown in the field. Plant cell cultures are grown in a confined environment (i.e. enclosed bioreactor) and hence devoid the GMO release problem. Furthermore, cell suspension cultures consist of dedifferentiated callus cells lacking fully functional plasmodesmata and hence there is minimum cell-to-cell communication. This may reduce systemic post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) which is believed to be transmitted via plasmodesmata and the vascular system [3,4]. On the down side, plant cells generally have a longer doubling time than bacterial or yeast cells. Genetic instability associated with de-differentiated callus cells due to somaclonal variation is another potential drawback in using cultured plant cells for recombinant protein production. Due in part to their more evolved and more tightly controlled gene/protein
Mechanical Behavior and Aluminization of Cu21Zn6Al Alloys

Copper-21%zinc-6%aluminum (Cu21Zn6Al) alloys were produced through induction casting and processed using various heat treatment methods to investigate their microstructure and mechanical behavior. Some samples were homogenized for different durations, heated for some duration, and quenched by four types of routes. The other samples were heated for different durations and quenched by a two-step quenching. One sample was aluminized to study the aluminization process of the alloy. The processed alloys were studied using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope to explore the microstructure. A lamellar microstructure was observed. The Vickers hardness data were obtained using a microhardness tester. The results show that the grain size increases with the increase of the homogenization duration; the sample quenched to ice directly experienced the fastest cooling rate and thus has the smallest grain size compared with the other three types of quenching routes; the sample experienced longer homogenization duration has lower hardness value and the lowering rate of hardness value levels off with the increase of homogenization duration; the increase of heating temperature from 900 to 950 °C resulted in the decrease of hardness value; and the aluminization process realized an aluminized protection layer on the sample surface.
Bladder function in female rats: effects of aging and pregnancy

In vivo anesthetized cystometrograms and in vitro bladder tissue strip responses were examined in three groups of female rats: young virgins (3 month), older virgins (8 month), and retired breeders (8-9 month). Significant age-related in vivo changes were observed including greater resting pressures, but smaller voided volumes, void durations and void-to-void intervals in older versus young virgin rats. There were significant age-related changes in the in vitro responses. Greater peak and steady state contractions to high K+-modified Krebs (80 mM) depolarization were observed in young animals compared to older animals. Plus, young virgins exhibited greater sensitivity but smaller maximal, normalized contractions to acetylcholine (ACh) than older virgins. Diminished responses to adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) were detected in young versus older virgin rats. Pregnancy-related changes were compared between retired breeders and their age-matched controls, older virgin rats. In vivo voided volumes were greater in the retired breeders than in the older virgins. Smaller in vitro steady state contractions to high K+-modified Krebs depolarization and smaller normalized contractions to maximal concentrations of ACh were observed in the retired breeders than in the older virgins. Retired breeders exhibited diminished relaxation responses to norepinephrine compared to older virgins. ATP produced greater dose-dependent responses and greater maximal contractions in the retired breeders compared to the older virgins. In conclusion, age-related changes were present even prior to the onset of senescence, and multiple pregnancies altered bladder function.
Toward Formalization of Display Grammar for Interactive Media Production with Multimedia Information Extraction

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Display Grammar Background Display Grammar Definition and Characteristics Display Grammar Methodology Display Grammar Use Case Future Directions: Application of Display Grammars to MMIE Acknowledgments
Nonwoven textile for use in a nanoparticle respiratory deposition sampler

ABSTRACTThe nanoparticle respiratory deposition (NRD) sampler is a personal sampler that combines a cyclone, impactor, and a nylon mesh diffusion stage to measure a worker's exposure to nanoparticles. The concentration of titanium in the nylon mesh of the diffusion stage complicates the application of the NRD sampler for assessing exposures to titanium dioxide nanoparticles. This study evaluated commercially available nonwoven textiles for use as an alternative media in the diffusion stage of the NRD sampler. Three textiles were selected as containing little titanium from an initial screening of 11 textiles by field portable x-ray fluorescence (FPXRF). Further evaluation on these three textiles was conducted to determine the concentration of titanium and other metals by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), the number of layers required to achieve desired collection characteristics for use as the diffusion stage in the NRD sampler (i.e., the nanoparticulate matter, NPM, crite...
Modern pharmacotherapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

CME Credits The National Medical Association (NMA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.
Quantitative characterization of hemozoin in Plasmodium berghei and vivax

The incidence and global distribution of chloroquine resistant (CR) Plasmodium vivax infection has increased since emerging in 1989. The mechanism of resistance in CR P. vivax has not been defined. The resistance likely relates to the formation and disposition of hemozoin as chloroquine's primary mechanism of action involves disruption of hemozoin formation. CR P. berghei strains, like CR P. vivax strains, are confined to reticulocyte host cells and reportedly they do not accumulate appreciable intraerythrocytic hemozoin. Reports comparing hemozoin production between P. vivax strains and CR to chloroquine sensitive (CS) P. berghei are absent. Here we compare in vivo patterns of hemozoin formation and distribution in blood, spleen and liver tissue of male Swiss mice infected with CS or CR P. berghei not treated with chloroquine and CR P. berghei also treated with chloroquine. Light microscopy, laser desorption mass spectrometry and a colorimetric hemozoin assay detect trace hemozoin in the blood of CR P. berghei infected mice but significant hemozoin accumulation in liver and spleen tissue. Field emission in lens scanning electron microscopy reveals CR P. berghei hemozoin crystals are morphologically smaller but similar to those formed by CS parasites. CR P. berghei produces approximately five-fold less total hemozoin than CS strain. Lipid analysis of CS and CR P. berghei sucrose gradient purified bloodstage hemozoin indicates a similar lipid environment around the isolated hemozoin, predominately monopalmitic glycerol and monostearic glycerol. In contrast to CR and CS P. berghei, colorimetric hemozoin analysis of P. vivax strains indicates similar amounts of hemozoin are produced despite differing chloroquine sensitivities. These results suggest CR P. berghei forms significant hemozoin which accumulates in liver and spleen tissues and that the P. vivax chloroquine resistance mechanism differs from P. berghei.
Burnout, depression and suicidal ideation in dental and dental hygiene students.

Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between burnout, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in dental and dental hygiene students and to evaluate the influence of gender, programme type and year of study. Subjects and methods Third- and fourth-year dental (DS) and first- and second-year hygiene students (DHS) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and an abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory online as measures of depressive symptoms/suicidality and burnout, respectively. The statistical analyses included summary statistics and tests for intergroup comparisons (chi-square) to evaluate the influence of gender, programme type (DHS or DS) and year of study. Correlations between depression, suicidality and burnout were also conducted. Results A total of 32 dental hygiene and 119 dental students participated. 40% of the dental and 38% of the hygiene students met criteria for burnout. No differences were found between years or between programmes. Nine per cent of both dental and hygiene students were above the cut-off for moderate depressive symptoms, but there were no statistical differences between the third- and fourth-year dental and the first- and second-year hygiene students. Six per cent of the dental and 9% of the dental hygiene students were above the cut-off for clinically significant suicidal ideation, but there were no statistical differences between dental and hygiene students. There were no differences noted in the dental students based on gender for any of the measures. Depression was significantly associated with all three subscales of burnout. Suicidal ideation was only significantly related to the lack of personal accomplishment subscale of burnout. Discussion These findings suggest the need for introducing preventive measures for such affective states in dental and dental hygiene training programmes.
Wireless NoCs Using Directional and Substrate Propagation Antennas

Wireless Network-on-Chip (WNoCs) are introduced to improve the performance for long distance communication within a chip. The on-chip antennas utilized in these WNoCs can be omni-directional or bi-directional, broadcasting to every receiving antenna or directional only in a specific pairing, respectively. There are positives and negatives for both types of antennas, although bi-directional antennas that do not cross paths have the added benefit of decreasing the possibility of interference. This work analyzes the performance of a WNoC with bi-directional antennas that uses an innovative substrate propagation technique recently introduced in literature. Antennas that use substrate propagation are capable of longer distance communication compared to typical on-chip antennas that use surface propagation. It is shown that by using the substrate propagation technique, wireless NoCs with minimal bi-directional antennas can reduce the number of wireless nodes by 66% while achieving similar performance of within ±5% of throughput.
Adaptive Control of Linear Time-Varying Plants: A New Controller Structure

In this paper we consider the Model Reference Control and Model Reference Adaptive Control problem of a class of linear time-varying plants with bounded, piecewise smooth parameters. We first introduce a new controller structure that solves the Model Reference Control problem, with zero tracking error, in the case of smooth slowly time-varying plant parameters. When the plant parameters are unknown we use the robust adaptive law, proposed in [12], to adjust the controller parameters and establish boundedness of all signals in the adaptive loop and good tracking properties, provided that the smooth time-variations of the plant parameters are sufficiently slow and the minimum time between discontinuities is large enough. Furthermore, we show that when the plant parameters become constant, the tracking error converges asymptotically to zero.
A Compact Highly Efficient High-Power Ka-band SiGe HBT Cascode Frequency Doubler With Four-Way Input Transformer Balun

A compact highly efficient high-power SiGe Ka-band balanced frequency doubler is presented. Using a compact single-footprint four-way transformer input balun, wideband matching, and high fundamental rejection were achieved simultaneously. A cascode topology with very low base impedance termination was utilized for stable operation and high-voltage swing at the output. Two cascode differential pairs form a common-centroid configuration, resulting strong enhancement in output power, power-added efficiency (PAE), fundamental rejection, and robustness to process and supply variation. The proposed Ka-band cascode balanced frequency doubler was implemented in a 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ SiGe BiCMOS technology. Measured results show 13-dBm output power with 22% peak PAE at 34 GHz for a −1-dBm input power. The 3-dB conversion gain bandwidth is from 25 to 40 GHz, fully covering Ka-band. Peak fundamental suppression is 74.5 dB at 33 GHz, and it is higher than 35 dB over Ka-band. No performance degradation is observed after 24-h RF stress test. To the author’s best knowledge, this paper has the highest efficiency, the highest output power/power density, the highest conversion gain without output buffers, and the higher or comparable fundamental rejection among any Si-based frequency doublers. Therefore, this doubler will be a promising solution for efficient and high-power local oscillator generation in 5G wireless phased-array communication system.
Evaluation of cMET aberration by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in triple negative breast cancers

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the incidence of cMET proto-oncogene aberration in a cohort of triple negative breast cancers using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods and correlated with patient outcome. Patients and methods One hundred and six female patients with diagnosis of triple negative invasive breast carcinoma at The University of Texas-M D Anderson Cancer Center from 1983 to 2009 were included in the study. Expression of cMET was assessed by IHC using rabbit monoclonal anti-total cMET antibody (SP44 from Ventana). Staining intensity was scored on a scale of 0, 1+, 2+ and 3+. cMET overexpression was defined as at least moderate membranous/cytoplasmic staining in ≥50% of tumor cells (score ≥ 2+). FISH analysis was performed using MET (7q31) specific probe (BAC clone RP11-95i20, Abbott Molecular Inc.) and the centromere probe (CEP7/D7Z1, Abbott Molecular Inc.) as internal control. cMET amplification was defined as gene copy numbers ≥4 per cell or cMET/CEP7 ratio ≥ 2. cMET status was tested for correlation using Fisher's exact test with other clinicopathological parameters. The Kaplan-Meier product limit method was used to estimate the survival outcomes. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to determine the association of cMET status by IHC, or by FISH, or by copy number with survival outcomes after adjustment for other patient and disease characteristics. Results Medium follow up is 69.4 months (range 9–317 months). cMET was successfully evaluated by both IHC and FISH methods in ninety-six patients. There were 13 patients whose tumors overexpressed cMET was by IHC. Two patients had cMET amplification by FISH using definitive of cMET/CEP7 ratio of ≥2 and four patients had cMET copy number >4. Only one patient showed cMET/CEP7 ratio of 2.53 and one was positive for cMET overexpression by IHC. No significant association between cMET overexpression by IHC and by FISH using cut-off of with either cMET/CEP7 ratio of ≥2 or cMET copy number of >4 (P = 1.0). There was no significant correlation between the cMET overexpression and other clinicopathological characteristics, such as patient demographics, tumor grade, stage, or chemotherapy treatment history. cMET overexpression and gene amplification did not correlate with the prognosis of TNBC regarding OS or DFS. Conclusion MET amplification is a rare incidence in TNBCs. cMET overexpression is infrequent in TNBCs and may not be driven by gene amplification. Neither have significant prognostic value nor do they correlate with other clinicopathological characteristics in this TNBC cohort.
Von der Tradition zur Erforschung von Tradierungspraxen – Überlegungen zu Tradition und Tradierung aus familienhistorischer Perspektive

Wer sich mit dem Thema Tradition beschaftigt, stellt zunachst einmal zweierlei fest. Erstens: Traditionen kennen alle, Traditionen haben alle, und alle reden davon: Von Firmentraditionen, von Festtraditionen und von Familientraditionen. Traditionen sind fester Bestandteil in den alltaglichen Praxen menschlicher Kollektive. Zweitens: Traditionen wird eine kaum zu uberbietende Bedeutung fur die menschliche Existenz zugeschrieben.
Integrated Product Development: The Case of Westinghouse Electronic Systems

In the summer of 1993, Robert T. Barnes, general manager of the Manufacturing Operations Division for Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s Electronic Systems (ES), was reconsidering the organization’s approach to integrated product development (IPD). He knew IPD has exciting possibilities for overcoming chronic deficiencies in the company’s traditional serial approach to product development, but he was concerned about its effectiveness in several recent projects. Since 1990, ES had invested significant resources in investigating and understanding IPD and had developed guidelines for program managers and IPD cross-functional teams. An integrated development approach had been adopted, to varying degrees, in such major developmental projects as transmit/receive modules, modular radar, and low-temperature cofired ceramics. In reviewing progress to date. Barnes was attempting to identify what aspects of the multifunctional team approach really worked well and, more importantly, he hoped, how to institutionalized an IPD approach within ES.
Shape of the zeroth Landau level in graphene with nondiagonal disorder

Nondiagonal (bond) disorder in graphene broadens Landau levels (LLs) in the same way as random potential. The exception is the zeroth LL, $n=0$, which is robust to the bond disorder, since it does not mix different $n=0$ states within a given valley. The mechanism of broadening of the $n=0$ LL is the intervalley scattering. Several numerical simulations of graphene with bond disorder had established that $n=0$ LL is not only anomalously narrow but also that its shape is very peculiar with three maxima, one at zero energy, $E=0$, and two others at finite energies $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}E$. We study theoretically the structure of the states in $n=0$ LL in the presence of bond disorder. Adopting the assumption that the bond disorder is strongly anisotropic, namely, that one type of bonds is perturbed much stronger than other two, allowed us to get an analytic expression for the density of states which agrees with numerical simulations remarkably well. On the qualitative level, our key finding is that delocalization of the $E=0$ state has a dramatic back effect on the density of states near $E=0$. The origin of this unusual behavior is the strong correlation of eigenstates in different valleys.
Inducing jealousy and intimate partner violence among young adults

Jealousy has been linked to a number of deleterious relationship outcomes; yet, few studies have explored the broader ways in which inducing jealousy affects intimate relationships. Using data on 8...
The gene: from genetics to postgenomics

In The Gene: From Genetics to Postgenomics, Hans-Jorg Rheinberger and Staffan Muller-Wille examine the history of the concept of the gene over the course of the twentieth century to better understa...
Controlling bipedal movement using optic flow

In the 1950’s Gibson pointed out the importance of the flow of the ‘optic array’ (i.e. optic flow), a visual cue arising from relative movement of the environment, in the control of human locomotion (Gibson 1958). Relative motion of the environment can reveal environment structure. His pioneering ideas have influenced generations of experimentalists in the brain and behavioral sciences.
Assessing patient usability of video visits

Background Telehealth is being adopted by health systems across the country and many barriers to the expansion of video visit programs have been identified. Our study focused on the usability of video visit technology by examining technical challenges faced by patients over the course of a video visit. Methods We conducted a survey of patients who received care from the Michigan Medicine video visit program from January 31, 2019 to July 31, 2019. The video visit program includes more than 1,300 visits a year across more than 30 specialties. Following the completion of their video visit, all patients were invited to participate in our online survey through the patient portal. The survey included questions on patient satisfaction, motivation and technical challenges. Results We received responses from 180 patients (response rate of 26%). Overall patient satisfaction was high; 90% of respondents agreed that their video visit experience was similar to that of in-person visits and 93.3% of respondents would recommend video visits. Despite this high satisfaction rate, 36 out of 180 (20.0%) respondents cited technical issues during their video visit: video issues (n=11), audio issues (n=5), video and audio issues (n=2), slow/dropped connection (n=7), initial set-up issues (n=4), long wait time (n=3), and other (n=4). Conclusions While most patients report a high degree of satisfaction with their video visit, a meaningful subset of patients continue to experience technical challenges.
Biology and biotechnology of microbial pilus nanowires

Type IV pili (T4P) are bacterial appendages used for cell adhesion and surface motility. In metal-reducing bacteria in the genus Geobacter, they have the unique property of being conductive and essential to wire cells to extracellular electron acceptors and other cells within biofilms. These electroactive bacteria use a conserved pathway for biological assembly and disassembly of a short and aromatic dense peptide subunit (pilin). The polymerization of the pilins clusters aromatic residues optimally for charge transport and exposes ligands for metal immobilization and reduction. The simple design yet unique functionalities of conductive T4P afford opportunities for the scaled-up production of recombinant pilins and their in vitro assembly into electronic biomaterials of biotechnological interest. This review summarizes current knowledge of conductive T4P biogenesis and functions critical to actualize applications in bioelectronics, bioremediation, and nanotechnology.
How lessons from an evolving comprehensive approach for water and sanitation can improve artisanal and small-scale mining environmental initiatives

Abstract Environmental risk mitigation strategies employed in developing communities to address mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) have largely failed to meet community needs, resulting in their abandonment. In contrast, the water and wastewater treatment sector has gained more traction, introducing sustainable and community supported water treatment strategies. This paper discusses why initiatives in water and wastewater treatment in developing communities are succeeding while initiatives in ASGM environmental risk mitigation are falling short. Selected case studies illustrate that water and wastewater treatment project success is contingent on the inclusion of a fully comprehensive approach that considers the socio-economic and ecological context of communities and individuals along with behavior change interventions. These elements of successful WASH projects were then applied to past ASGM environmental projects to determine their applicability to the sector. By adopting the core traits of successful water and wastewater treatment projects in developing communities, a framework can be developed for ASGM projects that, when applied correctly, could lead to measurable impact and long-term sustainability.
Amelogenesis Imperfecta Enamel Changes, Amelogenin, and Dental Caries Susceptibility

There is great interest in identifying the subset of individuals in the population that are more susceptible to dental caries. We proposed that a portion of these particular individuals are more susceptible to dental caries due to changes in dental enamel that are related to amelogenin genomic variation. However, apparently amelogenin function can be impacted by inflammation and this can lead to small changes in the structure of the dental enamel that later in life increases the risk of dental caries.
Trends in Psychiatric Residency Education and Practice From 1944 to 2019: A Loving, Informal, and Highly Personal Review Served With Gently Roasted Sacred Cow.

In celebration of the American Psychiatric Association's 175th anniversary, the author presents an overview of major trends in psychiatric residency education over the past 75 years, from 1944 to 2019, using narrative review and personal perspectives infused with occasional irreverence. In both 1944 and today in 2020, psychiatric educators have been challenged by having too many patients, too few clinicians, too few teachers, and too little knowledge. Over the course of these years, psychiatric residency training has adapted and evolved in response to major ongoing shifts in psychiatric practice patterns shaped by economic, social, and cultural forces, academic regulations and processes, roles for psychiatry vis-a-vis other health and mental health professions, diagnostic and scientific models, psychotherapeutic, psychosocial, and biological treatment paradigms, methods of education, and methods of educational evaluation. Trends in psychiatric education have moved from loosely and irregularly structured clinical and didactic curricula to much more highly regulated and bureaucratized program requirements and processes, from faith-based beliefs and practices to increasing reliance on evidence-based faith, from the availability of Federal funds directly supporting stipends and teachers to the disappearance of those funds, from few to increasing numbers of women entering psychiatry (and all of medicine), and persistent concerns about recruiting excellent and diverse US medical school graduates into residency. Psychiatric educators will continue to help generate, synthesize, sustain, and disseminate meaningful narratives and to prepare future generations of psychiatric residents armed with iteratively better myths and conceptualizations about human nature, purpose, and our place in the universe-and about how to better confront and reduce psychiatric suffering through psychotherapeutic, psychosocial, and biological treatment strategies. Trends are onward and upward.
Factors associated with clinical interpretation of tracheal wash fluid from dogs with respiratory disease: 281 cases (2012‐2017)

BACKGROUND Clinicians face several dilemmas regarding tracheal washes (TWs) for the diagnosis of respiratory disease, including method and prediction of bacterial growth from cytology results. OBJECTIVE To compare cytology and culture of endotracheal and transtracheal washes and identify factors associated with discordancy and bacterial growth. ANIMALS Two hundred forty-five dogs with respiratory disease. METHODS Retrospective study. Tracheal wash submissions were included if cellularity was sufficient for cytologic interpretation and aerobic cultures were performed. Collection technique, cytology, bacterial growth, and antibiotic history were analyzed. RESULTS Fewer transtracheal specimens (9/144, 6.3%) were excluded for hypocellularity than endotracheal (28/174, 16.1%); otherwise, results were similar and were combined. Of 281 specimens with cellularity sufficient for interpretation, 97 (34.5%) had bacteria on cytology and 191 (68.0%) had bacterial growth. Cytology positive/culture negative discordancy was uncommon (8/97, 8%). Cytology negative/culture positive discordancy was frequent (102/184, 55.4%), but occurred less often (28/184, 14.2%) when only 1+ growth or greater was considered positive. Oropharyngeal contamination was associated with bacterial growth, but not discordancy. No association was found between antibiotic administration and bacterial growth. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Endotracheal wash fluid, in particular, should be screened for gross mucus or turbidity to maximize the likelihood of an adequate specimen. Otherwise, endotracheal and transtracheal specimens were similar. Presence of bacteria on cytology was a good predictor of any growth, while their absence was a good predictor of the absence of growth of 1+ or more. Recent antibiotic usage should not discourage TW culture if there is compelling reason to avoid delay.
Fiscal Federalism and Dynamic Credence Capital in the U.S.

In this study we argue that the U.S. should follow the Swiss precedent, restoring a strong fiscal federalist system, with fiscal autonomy for state and local governments. A ‘no-bailout’ principle should be restored, such that state as well as local governments are subject to bankruptcy laws. Like their Swiss counterparts, state and local governments would then have an incentive to enact effective fiscal rules, mandating a balanced budget and reduction in unsustainable levels of debt. Swiss style fiscal rules are proposed for the federal government as well as state and local governments. With these fiscal rules in place elected officials would have an incentive to address the debt crisis. With effective fiscal rules, and enforcement of a ‘no-bailout principle, citizens would gain confidence in the ability of elected officials to pursue prudent fiscal policies. However, after a half century of declining dynamic credence capital, enacting the institutional reforms required for effective fiscal rules in the U.S. will be a formidable challenge.
Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency

Mark K. Updegrove, the director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, since 2009, offers a portrayal of Johnson as seen by associates who worked with him du...
Do Investment Banks Create Value for Target Companies

The business press literature suggests that investment banks play a critical role in creating value for target companies by providing financial advice. To what extent is this statement true? I argue that two factors influence an advisor's ability to generate increased value: quality and involvement. I test the effect of advisor involvement on stock price premiums for public companies which completed an M&A transaction between 2005 and 2009, and find statistically significant evidence that more actively involved financial advisors generate greater value gains for their clients.
Cleavage of alkylsilanes by strong acids : III. The reactions of (halomethyl)trimethylsilanes with fluorosulfonic acid

Abstract The stepwise cleavage of alkyl groups from (bromomethyl)trimethylsilane and (iodomethyl)trimethylsilane by fluorosulfonic acid has been studied with proton magnetic resonance. Exclusive methyl cleavage is observed in the first reaction of both compounds. The reaction of (bromomethyl)dimethylsilyl fluorosulfonate occurs with cleavage of both methyl and bromomethyl from silicon. The reaction of (iodomethyl)dimethylfluorosilane occurs with exclusive cleavage of the iodomethyl group.
The Separation of Powers in a Post-Apartheid South Africa

My task this afternoon is a large one: to describe the lessons of the United States' experience with the separation of powers and suggest what relevance those lessons might have to the shaping of a South African government. This is not a project that will produce a short, simple set of answers. The fact is that scholars and citizens in this country continue to debate the nature and the value of our system of separation of powers, and so many of the lessons one observer may draw will be considered errors by another.' More importantly, our constitutional structure works, or does not work, as part of our nation-a particular country with a particular history and culture, none of it identical by any means to South Africa's. Thus, the question of what you can learn from us is inevitably a contestable one. Finally, just as we debate the value of our own system of government, and disagree in part because we have differing political perspectives on what we want our government to do, so the lessons you may draw from our experience will no doubt depend on the priorities you hold in designing your new nation. Yet none of this should discourage us completely: the Framers of the United States Constitution, like you, acted in a quasi-revolutionary context; acted with imperfect knowledge; and acted with good inten-
Public management reform without managers: the case of German public schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of principals in light of public management reforms taking place in the German educational system and in reference to the empirical patterns uncovered by the papers contained in the Special Issue. Policy makers have created new expectations and new technologies that seem to suggest to necessitate a shift from principals acting as rule-bound administrators to acting as entrepreneurial managers. The paper asks if the availability of new managerial technologies is complemented by shifts in role conception or enactment. Design/methodology/approach – The author discusses the papers included in this Special Issue by suggesting one possible overarching frame for the German situation as documented by the papers and contrasting this frame with the situation in the USA. Findings – The Special Issue papers reviewed in this paper ask if the principalship in Germany across various states has become more managerial, and the author’s conclusion is that it has no...
Limiting the Evolutionary Path: Explaining Constitutional and Statutory Entrenchment in State Legislatures

Previous research (Martorano Miller, Hedlund and Hamm 2009; 2010) has shown that at the state level, legislative structure and procedure can be dictated to a large degree by constitutional and statutory law. Additionally, a measure of this entrenchment has been developed (Martorano, Hedlund Hamm 2011). The goal of this paper is to better understand entrenchment by identifying the factors that lead to more/less constitutional and statutory entrenchment of legislative structure and procedure as well as begin to investigate how entrenchment impacts legislative performance. We find that legislative structure and process is more restrictively entrenched in initiative/referenda states. We also find that constitutional/statutory entrenchment can help us understand legislative output to some degree.
Maximal nests in the Calkin algebra

We prove that if two countable commutative lattices of projections in the Calkin algebra are order isomorphic, then they are unitarily equivalent. We show that there are isomorphic maximal nests of projections in the Calkin algebra that are order isomorphic but not similar. Assuming the continuum hypothesis, we show that all maximal nests of projections in the Calkin algebra are order isomorphic. Suppose H is a separable infinite-dimensional Hilbert space, let B(H) denote the algebra of all operators on H, and let K(H) denote the ideal of compact operators on H. We let C(H) denote the Calkin algebra, B(H)/K(H). A nest in B(H) is a linearly ordered family of projections containing 0 and 1. We identify projections in B(H) with their ranges in H (i.e., each subspace of H corresponds to the orthogonal projection onto that subspace). By a Boolean algebra of projections, we mean a commutative family 3 of projections containing 0 and 1 that is a Boolean algebra under PVQ = P + Q PQ, PAQ = PQ, and P' = 1P. Two nests P and Q are similar if there is an invertible operator S such that Q = {ranSP: PEP}. Note that the projection onto ranSP can be written as f((SPS-1)(SPS-1)*), where f: [0, oo)[0, 1] is the continuous function f(t) = min{1, t}. The question of similarity of nests of subspaces of a separable infinitedimensional Hilbert space goes back to J. Ringrose, who asked if similar nests must be unitarily equivalent. Using a result of N. T. Andersen [A] (see also [Ar]), D. Larson [L] gave a negative answer to Ringrose's question. Building on Larson's ideas, K. Davidson [DI] gave the following wonderful characterization of similarity for nests. A beautiful account of these facts is contained in [D2]. Theorem 1. [DI] Suppose P and Q are nests in B(H) that are closed in the strong operator topology. Then P is similar to Q if and only if there is an order isomorphism T : P-?Q such that, for every P, QEP with P 0, there exist a unitary operator U and a compact operator K with I KI < c such that S = U + K is invertible and r(P) = ranSP for every P in 'P. Note that the preceding theorem shows that rank-preserving order isomorphisms of nests in B(H) are given by a unitary operator in C(H). This note addresses the question of what analogs of these aforementioned results hold in the Calkin algebra C(H). Similar problems were studied in [AD] and [AG]. Since there is no analog of finite-rank projections in C(H), one might suspect that any two order Received by the editors September 23, 1996. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 47D25, 04A30. ?)1998 American Mathematical Society
Secondary Data Bases and Their Use in Outcomes Research: A Review of the Area Resource File and the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project

Secondary data sources are being used more frequently than ever in outcomes research. The speed and relative low cost of these data bases makes them ideal for analyzing outcomes. Today's researcher has numerous secondary data bases available for use. Few publications exist to help researchers locate the ideal data set for their needs. Herein, two national secondary data bases are reviewed: the Area Resource File (ARF) and the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). These two data sets represent the two types of secondary data: aggregate and individual. ARF represents an aggregate data set and HCUP represents an individual data set. The advantages of each type of secondary data will also be reviewed.
Ocular translation and cyclotorsion due to changes in fixation distance.

Abstract When an observer, looking straight ahead with one eye occluded, aligns a nearby target with a more distant one, and then alternately fixates upon the near and far targets, the iris and pupil of the viewing eye shift back and forth laterally by as much as 200 μm, and produce fixation-dependent misalignment of the targets. These changes in steady-state eye position—usually temporal during near fixation, nasal during far fixation—apparently involve translation of the optic axis, and are accompanied by rotation of the iris around the optic axis (up to 2° cyclotorsion). Unbalanced relaxation of both the superior and inferior oblique muscles during near fixation would be adequate to account for the observed eye movements.
Tau immunoreactivity and SDS solubility of two populations of paired helical filaments that differ in morphology

To further understand the processes that lead to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles from paired helical filaments (PHF) in Alzheimer brains, we studied two morphologically distinct fractions of PHF separated on sucrose density gradient. In a fraction with mostly short and non-aggregated PHF, the majority of filaments could be solubilized in SDS. In a fraction containing primarily PHF aggregated into clusters or bundles, sometimes resembling neurofibrillary tangles, filaments were less soluble in SDS. Immunogold labelling with a panel of tau-immunoreactive antibodies demonstrated that N-terminal epitopes of tau were preserved in the short filaments, but were reduced or absent in aggregated filaments. In contrast, C-terminal epitopes were present in both fractions. Furthermore, the accessibility of the microtubule-binding domain to immunolabelling was markedly impaired in short and non-aggregated filaments compared to aggregated filaments. These results are consistent with proteolytic degradation of the N-terminal epitopes and preservation of the C-terminal epitopes and the microtubule-binding domain of tau in the aggregated filaments. Partial proteolysis may be involved in the generation of aggregated PHF in neurofibrillary tangles.
SU-E-T-450: Dosimetric Impact of Rotational Error On Multiple-Target Intensity-Modulated Radiosurgery (IMRS) with Single-Isocenter

Purpose: Evaluating the dosimetric-impact on multiple-targets placed away from the isocenter-target with varying rotational-error introduced by initial setup uncertainty and/or intrafractional-movement Methods: CyberKnife-Phantom was scanned with the Intracranial SRS-protocol of 1.25mm slice-thickness and the multiple-targets(GTV) of 1mm and 10mm in diameter were contoured on the Eclipse. PTV for distal-target only was drawn with 1mm expansion around the GTV to find out how much margin is needed to compensate for the rotational-error. The separation between the isocenter-target and distal-target was varied from 3cm to 7cm. RapidArc-based IMRS plans of 16Gy single-fraction were generated with five non-coplanar arcs by using Varian TrueBeam-STx equipped with high resolution MLC leaves of 2.5mm at center and with dose-rate of 1400MU/min at 6MV for flatteringfilter- free(FFF). An identical CT image with intentionally introduced 1° rotational-error was registered with the planning CT image, and the isodose distribution and Dose-Volume-Histogram(DVH) were compared with the original plans. Additionally, the dosimetric-impact of rotational error was evaluated with that of 6X photon energy which was generated with the same target-coverage. Results: For the 1mm-target with 6X-FFF, PTV-coverage(D100) of the distal-target with 1° rotational-error decreased from 1.00 to 0.35 as the separation between isocenter-target and distal-target increased from 3cm to 7cm. However, GTV-coverage(D100) was 1.0 except that of 7cm-separation(0.55), which resulted from the 1mm-margin around the distal-target. For 6X photon, GTV-coverage remained at 1.0 regardless of the separation of targets, showing that the dosimetric-impact of rotational error depends on the degree of rotational-error, separation of targets, and dose distribution around targets. For 10mm-target, PTV-coverage of distaltarget located 3cm-away was better than that of 1mm-target(0.93 versus 0.7) and GTV-coverage was 1.0 regardless of 6X-FFF/6X photon beams. Conclusion: RapidArc-based Multiple-target IMRS may Resultin a compromised outcome due to the setup-error for distal-targets. With 1mm-margin, GTV-coverage of distal-target was 1.0 although the separation of targets was up to 5cm.
Remote detection of nitroaromatic explosives in soil using distributed sensor particles

Environmental fate and transport studies of explosives in soil indicate that 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and similar products such as dinitrotoluene (DNT) are major contributors to the trace chemical signature emanating from buried landmines. Chemical analysis methods are under development that have great potential to detect mines, or to rapidly classify electromagnetically detected anomalies as mines vs. 'mine-like objects'. However, these chemical methods are currently confined to point sensors. In contrast, we have developed a method that can remotely determine the presence of nitroaromatic explosives in surface soil. This method utilizes a novel distributed granular sensor approach in combination with uv-visible fluorescence LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. We have produced prototype sensor particles that combine sample preconcentration, explosives sensing, signal amplification, and optical signal output functions. These particles can be sprayed onto soil areas that are suspected of explosives contamination. By design, the fluorescence emission spectrum of the distributed particles is strongly affected by absorption of nitroaromatic explosives from the surrounding environment. Using ~1mg/cm2 coverage of the sensor particles on natural soil, we have observed significant spectral changes due to TNT concentrations in the ppm range (mg TNT/kg soil) on 2-inch diameter targets at a standoff distance of 0.5 km.
Unexpected Hemoglobin A Results after an Erythrocyte Exchange: Importance of Specimen Mixing

Erythrocyte exchange, a procedure in which blood is removed and replaced with donor cells, is often used to prevent or treat severe vasocclusion in patients with sickling hemoglobinopathies. This procedure increases the percentage of hemoglobin A without dramatically increasing the hematocrit or viscosity. The efficacy of erythrocyte exchange is often measured by hemoglobin electrophoresis and densitometry to determine the posttransfusion percentages of hemoglobin A and S. We performed a manual erythrocyte exchange on a 28-year-old pregnant woman with hemoglobin SD-Punjab. Five units of whole blood were withdrawn and replaced with packed erythrocytes and saline. The expected percentage of hemoglobin A in each unit withdrawn was calculated in an iterative fashion. We calculated the total volume of hemoglobin SD-Punjab erythrocytes using the patient’s total blood volume estimated by nomogram, measured hematocrit, and assuming 100% hemoglobin SD-Punjab. The volume of erythrocytes removed was subtracted from the hemoglobin SD-Punjab erythrocyte volume tally, and the volume of erythrocytes administered (assumed to be an average of 160 mL) …
Linear heating rate affects gelation of Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting surimi

Shear stress of Alaska pollock surimi gels with and without beef plasma protein (BPP) increased as heating rate decreased, but shear strain was unaffected. An increase in shear stress was accompanied by an increase of cross-linked myosin heavy chain. Slow heating rates increased proteolysis in Pacific whiting surimi as shown by degradation of myosin heavy chain and low shear stress and shear strain. Proteolysis of whiting surimi was lessened by BPP to a greater extent at rapid heating rates (20 and 30°C/min) than at slow heating rates (1 and 5°C/min).