cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cooperative Ownership and the Fair Labor Standards Act

In some urban communities, people are coming together to fight food insecurity by opening cooperatively-owned groceries in neighborhoods where traditional grocery stores have closed. Historically some cooperatives require owners to work without pay for a few hours a week, a month, or a year as a way to foster solidarity and keep down labor costs. These owner-work programs raise legal issues, however, because generally the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires for-profit cooperatives to pay their workers. Of course, every requirement has exceptions, and one potential exception that would allow cooperative owners to work at their grocery is classification as an owner rather than an employee covered by the FLSA. But the issue of whether a worker is an owner is much less often addressed than the issue of whether a worker is an independent contractor, and the Department of Labor (DOL) and courts have not yet formulated a consistent test to govern the determination. In this Article, we propose a test, drawing upon those traditional factors used to determine the economic reality of a workers’ situation in the independent contractor setting and on other factors proposed by the DOL and courts. Each cooperative will be different, and the multi-factored test provides room to structure a co-op in a manner that enables owners to work without pay. Generally, the thousands of consumer owners of a large grocery cooperative with a board of directors and professional management will be employees who must be paid. On the other hand, a small grocery cooperative run directly by the owners, who make financial and operations decisions, and work relatively independently of each other could decide not to pay any wages. Ultimately after considering all the factors, to work without pay the cooperative owners must be in business for themselves and choose to pay themselves nothing, like a sole proprietor, majority stakeholder in a closely held corporation, or true partner could.
Zero-shot Slot Filling with DPR and RAG

The ability to automatically extract Knowledge Graphs (KG) from a given collection of documents is a long-standing problem in Artificial Intelligence. One way to assess this capability is through the task of slot filling. Given an entity query in form of [Entity, Slot, ?], a system is asked to `fill' the slot by generating or extracting the missing value from a relevant passage or passages. This capability is crucial to create systems for automatic knowledge base population, which is becoming in ever-increasing demand, especially in enterprise applications. Recently, there has been a promising direction in evaluating language models in the same way we would evaluate knowledge bases, and the task of slot filling is the most suitable to this intent. The recent advancements in the field try to solve this task in an end-to-end fashion using retrieval-based language models. Models like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) show surprisingly good performance without involving complex information extraction pipelines. However, the results achieved by these models on the two slot filling tasks in the KILT benchmark are still not at the level required by real-world information extraction systems. In this paper, we describe several strategies we adopted to improve the retriever and the generator of RAG in order to make it a better slot filler. Our KGI0 system (available at this https URL) reached the top-1 position on the KILT leaderboard on both T-REx and zsRE dataset with a large margin.
Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Individuals' Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Objective Purpose. The following review synthesized the currently available literature evaluating the effectiveness of smartphone-based physical activity applications on various health outcomes including physical and physiological outcomes, weight-related outcomes, and psychosocial outcomes. Design. A systematic review. Data Sources. 114 studies were gathered using the following search descriptors: (“mobile phone” OR “smartphone” OR “cell phone” OR “mobile device” OR “mobile apps” OR “mHealth”) AND (“exercise” OR “physical activity” OR “physical fitness” OR “motor activity”) AND (“physiological outcomes” OR “weight outcomes” OR “psychological outcomes” OR “health” OR “health behavior”). Seven databases were used including databases such as Academic Search Premier and PubMed. PRISMA guidelines were followed in this review. Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies. The 20 articles included in this review met the following inclusion criteria: (1) randomized and controlled trials, (2) involving an outcome variable measured by accelerometer, and (3) intervention enforced by a smartphone application. Results. Overall, 56% of the studies reviewed in this paper resulted in successful interventions. Of the 19 articles that examined the first individual health outcome of physical and physiological outcomes, 11 interventions resulted in a positive effect on one of the following parameters: MVPA/step count, sedentary behavior, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood pressure. Six interventions examined the effects on the second individual health outcome, weight-related outcomes. Five of these interventions observed significant positive effects from mobile application interventions on weight and waist circumference. Six articles evaluated the effectiveness of smartphone-based physical activity interventions on the third and final individual health outcome, psychological outcomes, with four resulting in significant positive outcomes in self-efficacy, life enjoyment/satisfaction, and intrinsic PA motivation. Conclusion. The findings in this review suggest that mobile application physical activity interventions, compared to unguided exercise activities, can effectively improve certain health outcomes for individuals such as physical/physiological and weight-related outcomes. It was found that research in the area of effectiveness of mobile application interventions on specific psychosocial health outcomes such as self-efficacy, life enjoyment, and intrinsic PA motivation is limited. Thus, the effect of mobile health applications remains unclear for psychosocial outcomes. Due to this limitation, more research is warranted to confirm the findings of this review.
Maximizing student opportunities for in-person classes under pandemic capacity reductions

Abstract In this article, we describe the decision support system that was developed for the assignment of courses to teaching modalities and rooms for the Fall semester of 2020 at the University of Connecticut (UConn). With the adoption of safety/mitigation standards imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the seating capacities of rooms were reduced by more than 70%, thus making virtually every existing room assignment for Fall 2020 infeasible. The demand for in-person instruction required the reassignment of a large number of courses to rooms, where not all requests for physical space could be accommodated. In order to maximize opportunities for in-person instruction, UConn introduced a teaching modality in which class meetings are attended on campus by only 50% of the enrolled students. As decision makers were given partial flexibility to assign teaching modalities to classes, the complexity of the assignment problem increased considerably, especially because the real-world instances involved hundreds of rooms and thousands of classes and required a quick solution turnaround in practice. In this article, we introduce this flexible assignment problem and describe the two mixed-integer programming formulations that were used to solve the real-world instances of the problem; in particular, one of the formulations leverages structural properties presented in this work in order to represent the problem in a more compact way. We explain how we tailored our algorithms to solve the real-world problem, describe the dynamics of the interactive decision support system created in this initiative, and present insights derived from our study.
Admit That the Waters Around You Have Grown:Change and Legal Education

Young civil rights workers began registering voters in Lowndes County, Alabama, in February 1965. Their work disrupted a century-old bargain between northern and southern elites that allowed the firm hand of Jim Crow to close its grip on the American South. Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) members are the “New Abolitionists,” as Howard Zinn called them. They wanted to finish the work the Thirteenth Amendment started, ending the badges and incidents of slavery and bringing the descendants of the enslaved to full citizenship. Just as the first reconstruction met burning crosses and lynch mobs, so does this second. The Klan, not needed when Jim Crow was firmly in control, was riding again. My students read of this period in Taylor Branch’s At Canaan’s Edge. Today’s chapter finds a group of organizers, younger than my students, attending a service in a small, isolated Black church in rural Alabama. Suddenly, the church is surrounded by cars. There is no way to exit without running this gantlet of strangers and, given the recent assaults upon civil rights workers, the appearance of Klansmen in the dark of night is a clear promise of violence. At this point, one of my students says, “All I could think of was, my God, they didn’t even have cell phones.” She realizes this was a ridiculous thought when she adds, “but who would they call?” We already know from the history we have read that the police and the Klan are one and the same, and that the feds are hundreds of miles away debating whether they even want to get involved at all. I empathized with her reaction: “I know, I needed them to have someone to call, too.” The feeling of desperation one gets from the absence of law: no one to call, no one to enforce the basic rules that restrain one human being from battering another, opened our class discussion to our relationship to the rule of law. Where does law
Memory Th2 Effector Cells Can Develop in the Absence of B7-1/B7-2, CD28 Interactions, and Effector Th Cells After Priming with an Intestinal Nematode Parasite

B7-1/B7-2 interactions are required for many Th2-cell mediated primary immune responses including the response that follows infection with the intestinal nematode parasite, Heligmosomoides polygyrus. However, few studies have examined the role of B7-1/B7-2/CD28 interactions in the development of a Th2 memory immune response. We examined the development of the memory Th2 response to H. polygyrus in BALB/c mice deficient in both B7-1 and B7-2 (B7-1/B7-2(-/-)) and in BALB/c mice deficient in CD28 (CD28(-/-)). Following primary inoculation with H. polygyrus, adult worms in the gut were cleared with an anti-helminthic drug and mice were subsequently challenge-inoculated with H. polygyrus larvae. The memory Th2 response is readily distinguished by its inhibitory effect on adult worm maturation, resulting in marked reductions in adult worm egg production that are not observed during the primary immune response. Following H. polygyrus challenge inoculation, comparable decreases in egg production and similar increases in mesenteric lymph node cell IL-4 production were observed in B7-1/B7-2(-/-) and B7-1/B7-2(+/+) mice. However, elevations in total serum IgG1 and IgE were reduced, while increases in serum Ag-specific IgG1 and IgE and germinal center formation were blocked in H. polygyrus-challenged B7-1/B7-2(-/-) mice. In contrast, in H. polygyrus-challenged CD28(-/-) mice, marked elevations in Ag-specific IgG1 and IgE and increased germinal center formation were observed. The results of these studies demonstrate that effector Th2 memory cells that produce IL-4 and mediate host defense can develop when B7-1/B7-2 interactions, and associated effector Th2 cell development, are blocked during priming. However, humoral immunity is impaired and differentially affected in B7-1/B7-2(-/-) mice and CD28(-/-) mice following H. polygyrus challenge.
A study on multiple degree-of-freedom force reflecting teleoperation

This article reviews the wave variable method as it applies to multi-degree-of-freedom teleoperation systems. To demonstrate the effect of wave variables on the stability of a time-delayed multidegree-of-freedom system, initial simulation results on a three-axis robot are presented. Also the multidegree-of-freedom teleoperation system model developed in the Matlab/spl copy/ environment is described. This model, used in numerical simulations, is also utilized in real-time implementation of the controller.
Investigating surface topology and cyclic-RGD peptide functionalization on vascular endothelialization

The advantages of endothelialization of a stent surface in comparison with the bare metal and drug eluting stents used today include reduced late-stent restenosis and in-stent thrombosis. In this paper, we study the effect of surface topology and functionalization of tantalum (Ta) with cyclic-(arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-D-phenylalanine-lysine (cRGDfK)) on the attachment, spreading, and growth of vascular endothelial cells. Self-assembled nano-dimpling on Ta surfaces was performed using a one-step electropolishing technique. Next, cRGDfK was covalently bonded onto the surface using silane chemistry. Our results suggest that nano-texturing alone was sufficient to enhance cell spreading, but the combination of a nano-dimpled surfaces along with the cRGDfK peptide may produce a better endothelialization coating on the surface in terms of higher cell density, better cell spreading, and more cell-cell interactions, when compared to using cRGDfK peptide functionalization alone or nano-texturing alone. We believe that future research should look into how to implement both modifications (topographic and chemical modifications) to optimize the stent surface for endothelialization.
Foraminifera of Storm-Generated Washover Fans

This study investigates the sediment source for washover fans and the use of natural (foraminifera) and artificial (glass bead) tracers to quantify deposition and mixing in back-barrier marsh environments along the South Carolina coast. Erosion and deposition along South Carolina’s coast are processes of growing interest. Recent storm events have demonstrated the economic effects of such natural agents and the need to better understand the frequency of major storms in relation to barrier-island migration, sediment supply, and evolution. Foraminiferal assemblages provide insight into back-barrier deposition rates, including potential storm-generated washover intervals, and may help to identify processes acting on an evolving barrier island in a transgressive setting.
Under Solomon’s Tutelage: The Education of Desire in the Homilies on the Song of Songs

This essay examines how Gregory of Nyssa sees the Solomonic books of Scripture (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs) train desire to long for God. The philosophical exercises contained in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes prepare the soul for the supreme training contained in the Song of Songs. The purpose of the Song of Songs is to lead the soul to union with God. The Trinitarian strategy of the philosophy contained in the Song of Songs exposes the soul to paradox and oxymoron, through which the soul is schooled to release its noetic–erotic grasp of concepts and is thus led to apophatic union with God.
Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumors of the Ovary: Review with Emphasis on Historical Aspects and Unusual Variants

Among the many contributions to gynecological pathology of Dr. Robert Meyer were his observations on Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors and the formulation of a classification of them that is the basis of the one used today. Selected variants in this category of tumors are reviewed here. Sertoli cell tumors are of interest clinically because, in contrast to other tumors in this category, they tend to be estrogenic rather than androgenic. They are important for the pathologist to be aware of, because other neoplasms of diverse types may mimic them. Heterologous Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors are noteworthy; since they may feature mucinous epithelium, carcinoid, skeletal muscle, and/or cartilage, they may present a confusing histologic picture that could result in a misdiagnosis. Similarly, the recently recognized retiform variant of Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor is apt to be misdiagnosed because its pattern of slit-like glandular spaces and papillae is often confused with tumors in the common epithelial category. These retiform lesions are also less often androgenic than are other Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors. Finally, neoplasms with bizarre nuclei and tumors that occur in pregnancy, which often have prominent intercellular edema, are briefly discussed.
Sources of error in estimating radioactivity in protein from cell cultures by liquid scintillation counting

Abstract In this study, several common sample preparation techniques for liquid scintillation counting were critically reviewed. It has been shown that techniques such as NaOH or formic acid solubilization of trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-precipitated proteins led to underestimation of the radioactivity by 20–40%; this loss was not corrected by either internal or external standardization. Hydrolysis of the proteins with 6 n HCl or Pronase significantly increased the recovery of the labeled proteins. Also, 10% of the labeled cell proteins remained on the dish when cells were scraped into buffer; these labelled proteins could be recovered either by in situ hydrolysis with Pronase or by solubilization and scraping in 0.3 n NaOH. These techniques increased the recovered radioactivity by 50–60%, allowing quantitative measurements to be made over a 3-day chase period. A possible mechanism and the implications of this observation were discussed.
Cellular processing of platinum anticancer drugs.

Cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin are platinum-based drugs that are widely used in cancer chemotherapy. Platinum–DNA adducts, which are formed following uptake of the drug into the nucleus of cells, activate several cellular processes that mediate the cytotoxicity of these platinum drugs. This review focuses on recently discovered cellular pathways that are activated in response to cisplatin, including those involved in regulating drug uptake, the signalling of DNA damage, cell-cycle checkpoints and arrest, DNA repair and cell death. Such knowledge of the cellular processing of cisplatin adducts with DNA provides valuable clues for the rational design of more efficient platinum-based drugs as well as the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Functional characterization of a stilbene synthase gene using a transient expression system in planta

The expression and functionality of a resveratrol synthase (RS) gene from peanut (Arachis hypogaea) was studied using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Functional analysis of RS was demonstrated by tracking its expression during 96 h. To measure the transcripts levels of RS transgene, real-time qRT-PCR was used and revealed that the highest level of transcripts was at 48 h post-transfection. Western blot analyses showed that RS protein was accumulated to the highest levels at 72 h post-transfection. Finally, HPLC and mass spectrometry analyses revealed the production of trans-piceid (resveratrol glucoside) as the major stilbenoid compound confirming the functional activity of the RS enzyme in planta. No activity of RS transgene was detected in negative controls. This strategy showed advantages over conventional systems because it does not require establishment of cell cultures, feeding with appropriate substrates or generation of stable transgenic plants. This transient system proved to be a rapid and direct approach to perform functional analysis of stilbene synthases, such as resveratrol synthase. Furthermore, this approach can be useful to study the metabolic effects of over-expressing or silencing specific genes within a short period of time.
The Effects of the Standard Rolling Walker and Two Posterior Rolling Walkers on Gait Variables of Normal Children

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the standard rolling walker (SRW) and two veresions of the posteriorly placed posterior rolling walker on gait variable of a sample of normal children. The two versions of the posterior rolling walker included the two-wheeled model (PRW2) and the four-wheeled model (PRW4). Nineteen children aged six to eight years old from two suburban first and second grade classrooms comprised the sample. The footprint method of analysis was used to record and measure the variables of velocity, cadence, step length, stride length, base of support, and toe angle. Each child was initially recorded while walking unassisted, and then with ths SRW, PRW2 and PRW4 presented in randomized order for a total of four trials per child. The mean values for each gait variable were obtained for each trial for each child. A Multiple Analysis of Variance with one repeated measure and Duncan Multiple Comparison Tests were used to analyze these data. Results indicated that use of a...
A satellite-tracking K- and K/sub a/-band mobile vehicle antenna system

This paper describes the development of the K- and K/sub a/-band, satellite-tracking mobile-vehicular antenna system for NASA's ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) project. ACTS is NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, which will be launched into its geostationary orbit in September 1993. The AMT task will make the first experimental use of the satellite soon after the satellite is operational, to demonstrate mobile communications via the satellite from a van on the road. The AMT antenna system consists of a mechanically steered small reflector antenna that uses a shared aperture for both frequency bands and fits under a radome of 23 cm diameter and 10 cm height, and an antenna controller that tracks the satellite as the vehicle moves about. The RF and mechanical characteristics of the antenna and the antenna tracking control system are discussed. Laboratory measurements of the antenna performance are presented. >
Epibulbar allergic granulomatous nodules in a human immunodeficiency virus–positive patient

Abstract PURPOSE: To report an unusual epibulbar inflammatory process in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). METHODS: Case report. A 32-year-old man developed fleshy epibulbar nodules on his right conjunctiva and cornea after being treated for conjunctivitis. A biopsy of the lesions was done, and the specimen was processed for histopathologic examination. RESULTS: The biopsy specimen contained inflammatory cells, including an eosinophilic abscess. The diagnosis was allergic granulomatous nodules. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the occurrence of epibulbar allergic granulomatous nodules in an HIV-positive patient.
Activation of the hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B1 by forms of human hepatic cytochromes P-450 : some do and some don't

Twelve forms of human hepatic cytochrome P-450 were expressed in hepatoma cells by means of recombinant vaccinia viruses. The expressed P-450's were analyzed for their abilities to activate the potent hepatocarcinogens aflatoxin B1 to metabolites having mutagenic or DNA-binding properties. Five forms, P-450's IA2, IIA3, IIB7, IIIA3, and IIIA4, activated aflatoxin B1 to mutagenic metabolites as assessed by the production of His revertants of Salmonella typhimurium in the Ames test. The same P-450's catalyzed conversion of aflatoxin B1 to DNA-bound derivatives as judged by an in situ assay in which the radiolabeled carcinogen was incubated with cells expressing the individual P-450 forms. Seven other human P-450's, IIC8, IIC9, IID6, IIE1, IIIA5, and IVB1, did not significantly activate aflatoxin B1 as measured by both the Ames test and the DNA-binding assay. Moreover, polyclonal anti-rat liver P-450 antibodies that crossreact with individual human P-450's IA2, IIA3, IIIA3, and IIIA4 each inhibited aflatoxin B1 activation catalyzed by human liver S-9 extracts. Inhibition ranged from as low as 10% with antibody against IIA3 to as high as 65% with antibody against IIIA3 and IIIA4. These results establish the metabolic activation of aflatoxin B1 in human liver involves the contribution of multiple forms of P-450.
Synthesis and Structural Analysis of Pure and Mixed Zirconium Phosphonates, Zr(O3PR)x(O3PR′)2-x

Several zirconium phosphonates, Zr(O3PR)2 (R = (CH2)3COOH, CH2C6H5, (CH2)2Cl, CHCH2, (CH2)2CHCH2), containing reactive functional groups were synthesized and structurally characterized. There were found to be nonreactive toward incorporation of small molecules and ions from solution. In an effort to synthesize microporous phosphonates, mixed phosphonates of composition Zr(O3PCH2C6H5)x(O3PCH3)2-x and Zr(O3P(CH2)3COOH)x(O3POH)2-x were prepared, varying x from 0 to 2. The interlayer spacings of the benzyl/methyl derivatives indicated a random distribution of the alkyl moieties throughout the interlayer galleries, resulting in relatively porous materials. The observed interlayer spacings of the 3-carboxypropyl/hydroxyl materials indicated products in which the alkyl groups were segregated, resulting in less porosity. A structural model for porous and nonporous materials is discussed.
The law of one price cannot be rejected: Two tests based on the tradable/nontradable price ratio☆

Abstract In contrast to conventional, disaggregative testing of the law of one price, this study adopts an aggregative approach. Using a tradable/nontradable level of aggregation, a model is developed to test equality of the prices of tradables and nontradables domestically and equality of the price of tradables internationally. The disaggregative approach exhibits biases that lead to rejection of the law of one price. In contrast, the results of the aggregative technique for the law of one price are strongly positive and the limitations of the approach are found not to overcome its findings.
Improved Estimation Algorithms for Automated Type-Curve Analysis of Well Tests

Etude comparative de l'aptitude de plusieurs algorithmes de Gauss, de Marquardt, de Newton Greenstadt et de la plus grande pente a modeliser les parametres du reservoir a partir des essais de puits
Assessing, Teaming, and Reflecting: Student Outcomes From Participating in a Play-Based Assessment

Preparing early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood special education (ECSE) professionals to work with young children with and without disabilities entails the acquisition of content, its application, and opportunities for reflection. This article describes a component of an ECSE assessment course focusing on the logistics and process to conduct a play-based assessment (PBA). Demographic characteristics are provided for participating students, children and, parents. The components of assessing, teaming, and reflecting as related to preparing, conducting, and writing the results are presented within the context of preservice student outcomes with corresponding student comments. Possible PBA difficulties and solutions are also described. Implications for teacher preparation in ECE and ECSE are also offered.
Photochemical and FT-IR probing of the active site of hydrogen peroxide in Ti silicalite sieve.

Upon loading of aqueous hydrogen peroxide into Ti silicalite sieve and removal of the solvent by evacuation, a thermally stable hydroperoxo species was detected by infrared spectroscopy with an OO stretch absorption at 837 cm-1 (18O, 793 cm-1) and a broad OH band at 3400 cm-1. The species, assigned to TiOOH (η2), is photolabile and is very efficiently converted to a titanol group upon excitation of its UV−vis ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) absorption. Growth of H2O (16O, 1629 cm-1; 18O, 1625 cm-1) and of the 960 cm-1 framework mode indicate that a substantial fraction of the titanol groups recondense with adjacent Si−OH to Ti−O−Si. The TiOOH moiety was shown by in situ FT-IR monitoring to oxidize small olefins at room temperature in the dark (propylene) or under photoexcitation of the LMCT chromophore (ethylene). This is the first direct detection of the active oxidation site in H2O2-loaded Ti silicalite sieve.
Did you have fun

Abstract Twenty-two American and 25 Chinese mothers and their 3-year-old children participated in this study. Mothers were instructed to discuss with their children at home four specific one-point-in-time events in which they both participated and during which the child experienced happiness, sadness, fear, or anger. American mother–child conversations showed an “emotion-explaining style” in which mothers and children provided rich causal explanations for antecedents of emotions. Chinese mother–child conversations employed an “emotion-criticizing style” that focused on installing proper behavior in the child and gave few explanations for the emotion itself. American mother–child conversations were also more likely to center on personal themes, were more elaborative, and were more focused on the child's roles and predilections than the conversations of Chinese. Findings are discussed in light of the impact of early family narrative practices on children's acquisition of emotion situation knowledge, which may in turn affect the development of autobiographical memory.
Mitochondrial biotransformation of ω-(phenoxy)alkanoic acids, 3-(phenoxy)acrylic acids, and ω-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylthio)alkanoic acids: A prodrug strategy for targeting cytoprotective antioxidants to mitochondria

Abstract Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and the attendant mitochondrial dysfunction are implicated in a range of disease states. The objective of the present studies was to test the hypothesis that the mitochondrial β-oxidation pathway could be exploited to deliver and biotransform the prodrugs ω-(phenoxy)alkanoic acids, 3-(phenoxy)acrylic acids, and ω-(1-methyl-1 H -imidazol-2-ylthio)alkanoic acids to the corresponding phenolic antioxidants or methimazole. 3- and 5-(Phenoxy)alkanoic acids and methyl-substituted analogs were biotransformed to phenols; rates of biotransformation decreased markedly with methyl-group substitution on the phenoxy moiety. 2,6-Dimethylphenol formation from the analogs 3-([2,6-dimethylphenoxy]methylthio)propanoic acid and 3-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)acrylic acid was greater than that observed with ω-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)alkanoic acids. 3- and 5-(1-Methyl-1 H -imidazol-2-ylthio)alkanoic acids were rapidly biotransformed to the antioxidant methimazole and conferred significant cytoprotection against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury in isolated cardiomyocytes. Both 3-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)propanoic acid and 3-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)acrylic acid also afforded cytoprotection against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury in isolated cardiomyocytes. These results demonstrate that mitochondrial β-oxidation is a potentially useful delivery system for targeting antioxidants to mitochondria.
Coca‐Cola's marketing challenges in Brazil: The tubaínas war

This case presents the challenges the Coca-Cola Company faces in Brazil. Not only is Coke up against its nemesis, Pepsi, but it must also compete with hundreds of local brands, many of which do not pay taxes. These local brands are generically called tubainas. The case provides background information on the history of Coke in Brazil, trends in the Brazilian soft drink market, and competition by Pepsi and the many local soft drink firms. In addition, Coke's strategies for competing are outlined. The main question raised by the case is what marketing strategies can Coke adopt to better compete in Brazil. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exploiting Hawaii's Foreign Language Resources*

M ORE than two years ago, the Senate of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Hawaii, passed this resolution: "The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is requested to enter into formal negotiations with the State Department of Education to the end that three or four years hence three years of one foreign language will become a college entrance requirement, and that with such a requirement established, one year of intensive intermediate language will suffice as the foreign language requirement for the B.A. degree. At that time, placement of entering students shall be determined by scores on tests administered by the language departments." In this paper I will deal with only a few aspects of the proposal, although several others must eventually be taken into account, not the least of which is the pressure on the schools from every side for time in the curriculum. Four questions seem pertinent: 1. Is there a particular value in the study of foreign languages in school and college in Hawaii?
The Universal gestation of nature: Chambers' Vestiges and Explanations

Sometimes a book proves hard to interpret correctly not because of what is in the book, but because of what is in another book. Darwin's Origin of Species has made it very difficult indeed to give a correct reading of Robert Chambers' Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844) and Explanations: A Sequel to the Vestiges (1845). In fact, I know of no such reading, and a main aim of this paper is to attempt one, at least for the sections where Chambers deals with organic diversity.' But let me dwell a moment on the difficulty involved. For there are some important historiographical issues at stake. The biology students I have been introducing to the history and philosophy of biology during the last two years come to the subject with several predictable preconceptions, mostly derived from scientific textbooks. A parody of one preconception might go like this: Darwin synthesized a molecule with two atoms-the ideas of evolution and natural selection. The second was new, the first was not. Darwin did a couple of key things, then. He produced more "evidence for evolution" than anyone before, and he provided a novel "mechanism" for it. Conversely, his "precursors" who "believed in evolution" lacked Darwin's weight of evidence and his mechanism. For the biology student there is an easy assumption, as natural as it is
The Sources of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Connections with QSOs and Active Galaxies

It is shown that the redshifts zo of ?-ray burst (GRB) sources, where they have been measured, together with the redshifts for seven quasars (QSOs) that lie very close to the positions of the unidentified sources GRB 990625, 000210, 001105 (two QSOs), 940720, 991217, and 990506, show a remarkable tendency to cluster about several of the periodic redshift peaks previously established for QSOs at z = 0.061, 0.30, 0.60, 0.96, 1.41, 1.96, 2.63, 3.44, and 4.45. In 1971, Karlsson showed that these peaks lie in a series with ? log(1 + z) = 0.089. Out of a total of 32 currently known redshifts of GRBs, afterglows, or QSOs very close to burst positions, two are very close to 0.30, three are close to 0.60, nine are equal to or very close to 0.96, three are very close to 1.41, six are close to 1.96, two are close to 3.44, and one is very close to 4.45. Statistical tests by W. Napier show that the observed redshifts zo showed periodicity at the 98% confidence level. In addition, very close to the positions of two bursts GRB 990625 and GRB 001105, many QSOs with redshifts close to the peak values have been found. Since zo = [(1 + zc)(1 + zD)(1 + zi) - 1], where zc, zD, and zi are the cosmological, Doppler, and intrinsic components of the observed redshift zo, the existence of these peaks suggests that zo zi, so that both zc and zD are very much less than zo. However, while the observed values of zo are very close to the corresponding values of zi, in most cases zo > zi, suggesting that in most cases zc is greater than it was found to be in earlier samples of X-ray QSOs that appear to be ejected from bright galaxies. It appears likely, therefore, that the GRB sources, like the QSOs, are ejected from active galaxies, most of which have comparatively small cosmological redshifts 0.02 ? zc ? 0.1, thus suggesting that the distances of most of the GRB sources are ?500 Mpc. A possible example of an active galaxy that has given rise to such phenomena is UGC 12348 (zi = 0.03). This galaxy has two GRB sources and three QSOs with measured redshifts zo that lie very close to intrinsic redshift peaks all lying within 1? of it. Among these five objects, the QSO at z = 3.7 lies inside the error box for the unidentified burst GRB 991217.
Tight binding theory for deep-level native point defects in Hg1-xCdxTe

Abstract The electronic structure of single and paired antisite defects as well as of host interstitials on tetrahedral sites is calculated using the empirical tight binding method (ETBM). Deep levels occur in all parts of the fundamental gap. Defects appearing preferably and having excess anion(s) act as acceptors, whereas excess cation defects are mostly electrically inactive.
Fatigue and Hysteresis Modeling of Ferroelectric Materials

Due to their nonlinear properties, ferroelectric materials are ideal candidates for smart materials. Degradation properties such as low voltage breakdown, fatigue, and aging have been major problems in commercial applications of these materials. Such degradations affect the lifetime of ferroelectric materials. Therefore, it is important to understand degradation for reliability improvement.In this article, recent studies on fatigue and hysteresis of ferroelectric ceramics such as Lead Zir conate Titanate (PZT) thin films is reviewed. A new fatigue model is discussed in detail which is based on effective one-directional movement of defects by internal field difference, defect entrapment at the ferroelectrics-electrode interface, and resultant polarization loss at the interface. A fatigue equation derived from this model is presented. Fatigue parameters such as initial polarization, piling constant, and decay constant are defined from the fatigue equation and voltage and temperature de pendence of fatigue p...
Beyond Strategy, Towards the Kingdom of God: The Post-Critical Reconstructionist Mission of the Emerging Church

: The Emerging Church is a diverse global phenomenon which envisions a radical reforming of the theology and praxis of the broader Christian church in light of the philosophical and cultural shift from modernism to post-modernism. Differing from the evangelical New Paradigm seeker-sensitive Church's generational focus, and the organizational unity and routines of Mainline Protestant denominations the Emerging Church conversation endeavors to create committed, authentic, day-to-day communities that embrace ecumenical and ancient Christian theology and practices in order to live out the reality of the in-breaking kingdom of God. Though precise systemic theological unity within the Emerging movement is recognized as an elusive goal that is generally not even sought, the movement as a whole finds much in common with post-conservative and post-liberal theology, and shares a joint mission with those who have been called to the task of post-critical reconstruction.
The factorial domain of interpersonal skills

A total of 168 naturally occurring dyadic conversations in and around a large Midwest metropolitan city were interrupted and the interactants were surveyed on their impressions of their partners’ communicative skills. Given several extant, competing models for the factorial structure of interpersonal behavior evaluation, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to ascertain the best fit of current theoretical models and the optimal model for social conversations among acquaintances. Results recommend either a four- or five-factor model, depending upon one’s preference for factor definition.
Mechanism of the Internal Reduction of (Mg, Cu)O

Single crystals of (Mg, Cu)O have been internally reduced to produce metallic copper precipitates inside the oxide matrix. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy investigations of the composite materials yielded information on the morphology and composition of the precipitates and on the orientation relationship between the two phases. The structure of dislocation networks formed during the reaction and the presence of Cu2O particles in short-time reduction experiments allow the internal reduction of(Mg, Cu)O to be modeled by a two-step reduction mechanism.
Gas dispersion near a cubical model building. Part II. Concentration fluctuation measurements

A wind-tunnel study has been performed of concentration fluctuations in the near-wake region (1.0 ⩽ x/H ⩽ 5.0) of a cubical model building in a simulated, neutrally stratified shear layer. Contaminants were released at a central roof vent for buildings with 0° and 45° orientations, and at a downwind roof vent for a building with 0° orientation. The log-normal concentration probability model was found appropriate for measurements in the building wake, and concentration fluctuation intensity was found to be reduced by the presence of the model building in an obstructed flow. A simple algorithm, based on the relation of the peak-to-mean concentration ratio to the local intensity, suggests an upper limit to the peak-to-mean concentration ratio near the ground centerline.
The Houston flood of 2001: The Texas Medical Center and lessons learned

Abstract Tropical Storm Allison was the deadliest and most-costly tropical or subtropical storm in recorded United States history. The world-renowned Texas Medical Center sustained approximately $2 billion in damage, more than that experienced by any other medical community. In addition, decades of research performed by hundreds of scientists was destroyed. This article traces the unprecedented damage caused by this storm, focusing primarily on its direct and indirect effects on Texas Medical Center and its surrounding medical infrastructure. It also examines the storm's impact on Texas Children's Hospital, the only free-standing pediatric hospital in the city and one of only three tertiary-care hospitals in the city of Houston to remain open in the days following the storm.
Comparison of activated partial thromboplastin time to activated clotting time for adequacy of heparin anticoagulation just before percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Abstract Patients must undergo systemic anticoagulation with heparin before undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) to minimize the risk of intracoronary thrombus formation and acute vessel occlusion. Although most patients undergo anticoagulation just before PTCA, a subset consisting of those who have received thrombolytic therapy and those with unstable angina are frequently brought to the interventional laboratory already being treated with a continuous heparin infusion. Such anticoagulation is thought to reduce the risk of spontaneous coronary thrombosis. Heparin anticoagulation is typically monitored using activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). There are several other laboratory methods, however, available for evaluating the anticoagulant effect of heparin. The activated clotting time (ACT) is another frequently used parameter 1 that is rapidly obtainable in an on-line fashion. Bedside kits have also become available for the rapid determination of aPTT. This study determines if therapeutic aPTT in patients maintained on a continuous heparin infusion for > 24 hours before PTCA is indicative of an adequate level of preprocedural anticoagulation as assessed by ACT.
The patient safety screener: validation of a brief suicide risk screener for emergency department settings

This study evaluated the concurrent validity of a brief suicide risk screener for adults in the emergency department (ED). Two versions of the verbally administered Patient Safety Screener (2-item, 3-item) were compared to a reference standard, the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI). Analyses included measures of agreement (Kappa). Agreement between the Patient Safety Screener-2 and -3 and the BSSI (n = 951) was almost perfect for overall positive screening (K = 0.94-0.95) and past suicide attempts (K = 0.97-0.98). Agreement on ideation ranged from fair (K = 0.34) for the 2-item version to good (K = 0.61) for the 3-item version. The Patient Safety Screener's concurrent validity with the BSSI ranged from fair to almost perfect and warrants additional study.
Immersion zone-plate-array lithography

An immersion scheme is used to improve resolution, exposure latitude, and depth-of-focus in zone-plate-array lithography (ZPAL). We believe this is the first implementation of an immersion scheme in a maskless lithography system. Replacing air with de-ionized water as the medium between the zone-plate array and the substrate effectively increases the system’s numerical aperture and consequently, enhances its patterning capabilities. The design and fabrication process of an immersion zone plate is described. Its behavior is then characterized through the experimental reconstruction of its point-spread function, and compared to the theoretical model. A wide variety of patterns were printed, demonstrating the improved lithographic performance of immersion ZPAL.
Morphological and Isothermal Diffusive Probe Analyses of Low-Molecular-Weight Diblock Copolymers

While numerous scattering and rheological studies have investigated the disordering mechanism of low-molecular-weight poly(styrene-b-isoprene) (SI) diblock copolymers, relatively few efforts have addressed the real-space morphologies and transport properties of such copolymers at conditions near the order−disorder transition (ODT). In this work, the morphological features of seven compositionally symmetric (50/50 w/w S/I) copolymers ranging in molecular weight from 5000 to 20000, as well as several of their blends, are examined by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle neutron scattering. These results are used to interpret toluene gravimetric sorption data collected at various temperatures. At temperatures above the styrenic glass transition temperature, microphase-ordered copolymer melts are found to exhibit Fickian diffusion. In the case of a copolymer with an experimentally accessible ODT, anomalous sorption (as evidenced by equilibrium overshoot in gravimetric mass-uptake curves) is observe...
Running, esophageal acid reflux, and atrial fibrillation: A chain of events linked by evidence from separate medical literatures

Using a previously described approach to generating novel medical hypotheses, this paper shows how two separate medical literatures taken together can suggest new information not apparent in either literature alone. Many studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise in healthy people can induce esophageal acidic reflux that increases with the duration and intensity of exercise. Separately, independently of exercise, it has been shown that, in patients with gastroesophageal reflux, esophageal acid exposure can lead to atrial fibrillation (AF) and to other heart dysrhythmias. The two arguments together suggest that a regimen of excessive exercise may be conducive to AF mediated by acid reflux, an implicit, but unpublished, hypothesis. Proton pump inhibitors are widely used to treat gastroesophageal reflux. Remarkably, several small clinical trials of these drugs have been shown also to reduce symptoms and frequency of AF episodes in patients with comorbid acid reflux. Plausible mechanisms have been suggested. These small-scale tests in a highly restricted population may be of particular interest in the light of a possible exercise-reflux-AF causal chain of events in a broader population of athletes. Because the minimum degree of esophageal acidity exposure required to induce AF is unknown, further tests of proton pump inhibitors for that purpose are therefore merited without regard to any known prior reflux in a population of runners with lone AF. The prospect of reducing AF burden with a relatively benign agent is attractive in view of the limited options for effective treatment otherwise available. The study of arrhythmia and esophageal reflux in athletes may offer insights on the origin and natural history of lone atrial fibrillation.