cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Proliferation and Induction of Autophagy by Atorvastatin in PC3 Prostate Cancer Cells Correlate with Downregulation of Bcl2 and Upregulation of miR-182 and p21

The epidemiologic association between statin use and decreased risk of advanced prostate cancer suggests that statins may inhibit prostate cancer development and/or progression. Studies were performed to determine the effects of a model statin, atorvastatin (ATO), on the proliferation and differentiation of prostate cancer cells, and to identify possible mechanisms of ATO action. ATO inhibited the in vitro proliferation of both LNCaP and PC3 human prostate cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. The greater inhibitory activity of ATO in PC3 cells was associated with induction of autophagy in that cell line, as demonstrated by increased expression of LC3-II. miR-182 was consistently upregulated by ATO in PC3 cells, but not in LNCaP cells. ATO upregulation of miR-182 in PC3 cells was p53-independent and was reversed by geranylgeraniol. Transfection of miR-182 inhibitors decreased expression of miR-182 by >98% and attenuated the antiproliferative activity of ATO. miR-182 expression in PC3 cells was also increased in response to stress induced by serum withdrawal, suggesting that miR-182 upregulation can occur due to nutritional stress. Bcl2 and p21 were identified to be potential target genes of miR-182 in PC3 cells. Bcl2 was downregulated and p21 was upregulated in PC3 cells exposed to ATO. These data suggest that miR-182 may be a stress-responsive miRNA that mediates ATO action in prostate cancer cells.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Florida During the 2004 Hurricane Season

Background During August–September 2004, four major hurricanes hit Florida, resulting in widespread power outages affecting several million households. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings during this period were investigated to identify ways to prevent future poisoning. Methods Medical records from ten hospitals (two with hyperbaric oxygen chambers) were reviewed to identify individuals diagnosed with unintentional CO poisoning between August 13 and October 15, 2004. Multiple attempts were made to interview one person from each nonfatal incident. Medical examiner records and reports of investigations conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission of six fatal poisonings from five additional incidents were also reviewed. Results A total of 167 people treated for nonfatal CO poisoning were identified, representing 51 incidents. A portable, gasoline-powered generator was implicated in nearly all nonfatal incidents and in all fatal poisonings. Generators were most often located outdoors, followed by inside the garage, and inside the home. Telephone interviews with representatives of 35 (69%) incidents revealed that concerns about theft or exhaust most often influenced the choice of location. Twenty-six (74%) households did not own a generator before the hurricanes, and 86% did not have a CO detector at the time of the poisoning. Twenty-one (67%) households reported reading or hearing CO education messages before the incident. Conclusions Although exposure to public education messages may have encouraged more appropriate use of generators, a substantial number of people were poisoned even when the devices were operated outdoors. Additional educational efforts and engineering solutions that reduce CO emission from generators should be the focus of public health activities.
The structure of aconitase

The crystal structure of the 80,000 Da Fe-S enzyme aconitase has been solved and refined at 2.1 A resolution. The protein contains four domains; the first three from the N-terminus are closely associated around the [3Fe-4S] cluster with all three cysteine ligands to the cluster being provided by the third domain. Association of the larger C-terminal domain with the first three domains creates an extensive cleft leading to the Fe-S cluster. Residues from all four domains contribute to the active site region, which is defined by the Fe-S cluster and a bound SO4(2-) ion. This region of the structure contains 4 Arg, 3 His, 3 Ser, 2 Asp, 1 Glu, 3 Asn, and 1 Gln residues, as well as several bound water molecules. Three of these side chains reside on a three-turn 3(10) helix in the first domain. The SO4(2-) ion is bound 9.3 A from the center of the [3Fe-4S] cluster by the side chains of 2 Arg and 1 Gln residues. Each of 3 His side chains in the putative active site is paired with Asp or Glu side chains.
Epidemiology of Blackberry yellow vein associated virus.

Abstract Blackberry yellow vein disease is one of the most important diseases of blackberry in the United States. Several viruses are found associated with the symptomology but Blackberry yellow vein associated virus (BYVaV) appears to be the most prevalent of all, leading to the need for a better understanding of its epidemiology. Efficient detection protocols were developed using end-point and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. A multi-state survey was performed on wild and cultivated blackberry to assess the geographical distribution of the virus. Two whitefly species, Trialeurodes abutilonea and T. vaporariorum, were identified as vectors and 25 plant species were tested as potential BYVaV hosts. The information obtained in this study can be used at multiple levels to better understand and control blackberry yellow vein disease.
Comparative RFLP mapping of an allotetraploid wild rice species (Oryza latifolia) and cultivated rice (O. sativa)

The purpose of this study was to construct a comparative RFLP map of an allotetraploid wild rice species, Oryza latifolia, and to study the relationship between the CCDD genome of O. latifolia and the AA genome of O. sativa. A set of RFLP markers, which had been previously mapped to the AA genome of cultivated rice, were used to construct the comparative map. Fifty-eight F2 progeny, which were derived from a single F1 plant, were used for segregation analysis. The comparative RFLP map contains 149 DNA markers, including 145 genomic DNA markers from cultivated rice, 3 cDNA markers from oat, and one known gene (waxy, from maize). Segregation patterns reflected the allotetraploid ancestry of O. latifolia, and the CC and DD genomes were readily distinguished by most probes tested. There is a high degree of conservation between the CCDD genome of O. latifolia and the AA genome of O. sativa based on our data, but some inversions and translocations were noted.
Structure and expression of cDNAs encoding 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase homologs isolated from excised mung bean hypocotyls

By screening a mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) hypocotyl cDNA library using a combination of apple (pAE12) and tomato (pTOM13) 1-aminocyclopropane1-carboxylate (ACC)-oxidase cDNAs as probes, putative ACC-oxidase clones were isolated. Based on restriction-enzyme map and DNA-sequencing analyses, they can be divided into two homology classes, represented by pVR-ACO1 and pVR-ACO2. While pVR-ACO1 and pVR-ACO2 exhibit close homology in their coding regions, their 3′-noncoding regions are divergent. pVR-ACO1 is a 1312-bp full-length clone and contains a single open reading frame encoding 317 amino acids (MW = 35.8 kDa), while pVR-ACO2 is 1172 bp long and is a partial cDNA clone encoding 308 amino acids. These two deduced amino-acid sequences share 83% identity, and display considerable sequence conservation (73–86%) to other ACC oxidases from various plant species. Northern blot analyses of RNAs isolated from hypocotyl, leaf, and stem tissues using gene-specific probes indicate that the pVR-ACO1 transcript is present in all parts of the seedling and that the expression in hypocotyls is further increased following excision. The maximum induction of ACC-oxidase transcripts occurred at about 6 h after excision, while the maximum enzyme activity was observed at 24 h. When excised hypocotyls were treated with ethylene a further enhanced level of transcripts was observed. Aminooxyacetic acid, an inhibitor of ACC-synthase activity, and 2,5-norbornadiene, an inhibitor of ethylene action, suppressed the wound-induced accumulation of ACC-oxidase mRNA, while an addition of ethylene in these tissues restored the accumulation of ACC-oxidase mRNA. These results indicate that the wound-induced expression of ACC-oxidase transcripts is mediated through wound-induced ethylene. Furthermore, when intact mung-bean seedlings were treated with exogenous ethylene, a marked increase in the level of ACC-oxidase mRNA was observed. Together, these results indicate that ethylene plays a key role in activating the expression of the ACC-oxidase gene in both intact and excised mung-bean hypocotyls.
Gsolve: a faster algorithm for solving systems of algebraic equations

We apply the elimination property of Grobner bases with respect to pure lexicographic ordering to solve systems of algebraic equations. We suggest reasons for this approach to be faster than the resultant technique, and give examples and timings that show that it is indeed faster, and more correct, than MACSYMA's solve.
Film Music---What's in a Name?

encouraged within the academic community, the study of film music has become a burgeoning multidisciplinary if not transdisciplinary endeavor. Today writers utilize not only the concepts and technical vocabularies of music and film making, but variously terms and concepts from musicology, film theory, media and communication studies, cultural studies, comparative literature, literary criticism, critical theory, philosophy, semiotics, psychology, cognitive science, sociology, feminist theory, gender studies, and marketing research— and that is probably not an exhaustive list of all the disciplines and areas represented. With the resulting profusion of technical language there is the potential for a veritable Babel. Like different languages, two disciplines may, for instance, have different terms for the same thing, and writers may
Some steady axisymmetric vortex flows past a sphere

Steady, inviscid, axisymmetric vortex flows past a sphere are obtained numerically as solutions of a partial differential equation for the stream function. The solutions found include vortex rings, bounded vortices attached to the sphere and infinite vortex tubes. Four families of attached vortices are described: vortex wakes behind the sphere, spherically annular vortices surrounding the spherical obstacle (which can be given analytically), bands of vorticity around the sphere and symmetric pairs of vortices fore and aft of the sphere. Each attached vortex leads to a one-parameter family of vortex rings, analogous to the connection between Hill's spherical vortex and the vortex rings of Norbury
Three-dimensional visualization of mRNA release from actively transcribing rotavirus particles.

The three-dimensional structure of actively transcribing rotavirus particles reveals that the nascent mRNA transcripts generated within the core of the virion by endogenous transcriptase complexes are translocated through the intact capsid through a system of channels at the icosahedral five-fold axes.
Low temperature thermal conductivity and specific heat of elastomers

Abstract The specific heat C and thermal conductivity κ of polybutadiene are characteristic of all non-crystalline materials at temperatures below ≈ K, reflecting the presence of localized excitations. The changes in C and κ with variation in crosslinking suggest that the relaxation times of the localized excitations may vary with crosslink density. Extension of an elastomer does not reveal a change in density of localized excitations as monitored by measuring κ, possibly because other phonon scattering mechanisms mask the effect. For T ≲ 10 K the phonon mean-free-path is independent of the microscopic anisotropy of the elastomer.
Sexuality Counseling in Counselor Preparation Programs

This article describes a sexuality counseling course designed for a master’s level counselor preparation program. Course content and process underscores material helpful to counselor preparation programs considering the addition of a sexuality counseling course to their curriculum. Print and video resources are identified to facilitate the acquisition of human sexuality knowledge.
Life cycle strategies of copepods in coastal upwelling zones

Abstract Life cycles of copepods of coastal upwelling zones are of the multigenerational type—as many as 10 or more generations may be produced each year, depending upon water temperature, food concentration and length of the upwelling season. Abundant food resources and moderate temperature convey advantages to those copepods living in coastal upwelling zones, however, there is a clear disadvantage in that coastal upwelling zones are highly advective environments. Typically, water circulation patterns are such that surface waters are carried offshore, deeper waters carried onshore and most of the water column over the continental shelf is moving equatorward. The challenge to copepod species that inhabit upwelling systems is life cycle closure—how do eggs, nauplii, juveniles and adults avoid being swept out of these ecosystems in the face of persistent transport out of the system? In this review, I first list the species which dominate coastal upwelling ecosystems then discuss three variations on the multigenerational life cycle scheme that are observed in upwelling systems. The latter part of the review is devoted to discussion of how individuals are retained in the productive continental shelf waters within coastal upwelling ecosystems. The suggestion is made that the only copepod species that successfully achieve life cycle closure in such systems are those that are preadapted to upwelling circulation patterns. Our quantitative understanding of the relative importance of physical factors (such as advection) and biological factors (birth, growth, and mortality) on life cycle strategies and population dynamics is quite rudimentary. It would help our understanding if there were more field studies and more computer modeling studies that focused on seasonal cycles of abundance, development times and vertical distribution of life cycle stages, and measurements of water circulation patterns.
The role of state 4 electron transport in the activation of state 3 respiration in potato mitochondria.

The initial state 3 respiration rate of potato mitochondria is markedly depressed, or attenuated. With several consecutive state 3/state 4 cycles the state 3 rate rises to a maximum, while the state 4 rate remains essentially unchanged. The development of state 3 respiration has been termed conditioning. An analysis of the process has indicated that state 4 is a better conditioner than state3 per se. Conditioning is also attained by preincubation in state 2, or under conditions designated pseudostate 2, wherein ADP is present, with or without oligomycin, and inorganic phosphate is absent. ADP implements the conditioning process in the absence of oxidative phosphorylation. The action of ADP in its secondary or modulator role appears to be positively cooperative, the kinetics of ADP involvement being second-order. S0.5 for ADP as a modulator of the conditioning process is approximately 62 μM, a value in excess of the K s for ADP in oxidative phosphorylation. Electron transport is indispensable for conditioning, and it is suggested that conditioning and ATP synthesis represent alternative uses of respiratory energy. It is further suggested that to some extent state 4 underlies state 3.
Minor Constituents of Photosystem II Core Complexes: Possible Regulators of Photosystem II Protein Kinase

Abstract We recently identified a 58-kDa protein kinase, PS II-PK, closely associated in substoichiometric abundance with a core complex of photosystem II and capable of phosphorylating both the photosystem and its associated light-harvesting proteins. Oxidizing species, produced during aerobic illumination, inhibited the kinase, and the irreversibility of this process is now demonstrated. Other substoichiometric protein constituents of the core preparation were identified as probably originating in the grana margins. These include the cytochrome b 6 /f complex, the apocytochrome f precursor, and membrane-bound ferredoxin:NADP + oxidoreductase. PS II-PK was successfully resolved from photosystem II cores and shown to be active in the absence of cytochrome complex.
Phase I study of monoclonal antibody-ricin A chain immunoconjugate Xomazyme-791 in patients with metastatic colon cancer.

The immunoconjugate XMMCO-791/RTA consists of ricin A chain bound to a murine monoclonal antibody MoAb 791T. This monoclonal antibody (MoAb) binds to a glyco-protein of 72 kD, which is expressed on human colorectal carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, and osteogenic sarcoma. XMMCO-791/RTA was tested in a P
Edge technique: a new method for atmospheric wind measurements with lidar

The edge technique is a powerful new method for the measurement of small frequency shifts which allow high accuracy measurement of atmospheric winds (0.2 to 1 m/sec) with high vertical resolution (10 m) using currently available technology.
A protein-bound form of thioacetamide in liver nucleoli.

Abstract The cellular distribution of 35S from 35S- thioacetamide was determined in rabbit liver subcellular fractions following its in vivo administration. Of the various fractions isolated, only the nucleolar fraction contained 35S counts that were insoluble in 10% trichloroacetic acid but soluble in trichloroacetic acid if the fraction was treated with trypsin but not RNase or DNase. These results demonstrate that a protein bound form of thioacetamide is present in the nucleolus following in vivo administration of this drug.
Norepinephrine concentrations in brains and hearts of hyperreactive septally lesioned rats

Abstract It was observed that hyperreactive septally lesioned rats have no significant alterations in concentrations of brain norepinephrine. Heart norepinephrine concentrations of septally lesioned animals showed a significant decrease ( p
Waterborne adenovirus: A risk assessment

Adenoviruses have been detected in raw sewage throughout the world and are associated with a number of human illnesses but their occurrence and pathogenicity have not been well studied. A risk assessment approach was used to determine their significance as a waterborne pathogen. There are 47 types of adenoviruses and the diseases resulting from infections include conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, acute and chronic appendicitis, exanthematous disease, bronchiolitis, acute respiratory disease, and gastroenteritis (types 40 and 41). Adenovirus is considered to be only second to rotavirus in terms of its significance as a pathogen of childhood gastroenteritis. Adenovirus infections are usually acute and self-limiting with a greater severity of illness occurring in the immunocompromised (e.g. AIDS patients and transplant recipients). They are reported to be more resistant to inactivation by UV than enteroviruses and are sometimes detected at higher levels in polluted waters. There are documented outbreaks of conjunctivitis due to adenovirus types 3 & 4 associated with swimming in contaminated recreational waters. Based on the data obtained from human dose-response studies, the exponential model [P i = 1 -exp(-rN); r = 0.4172] was chosen for this risk assessment. Annual risks of infection in drinking water for adenovirus at average levels of 1/1,000L to 1/100L ranged from 8.3/10,000 to 8.3/1,000, respectively. Using monitoring data from a recreational water, risks were calculated to be as high as 1/1,000 for a single exposure.
Sequences within the Spinach curly top virus virion sense promoter are necessary for vascular-specific expression of virion sense genes

Sequences necessary for activity of the Spinach curly top virus virion sense promoter have been identified within an 84 bp region upstream of two transcription start sites located at nt 252 and 292. RNAs initiating at these sites are expressed at equivalent levels in SCTV-infected Arabidopsis and from promoter-reporter constructs. The promoter is capable of directing expression of all three virion sense genes, although not to the same degree. While CP and V3 expression are similar, expression of V2 is elevated. The promoter is active in transient leaf infusion assays in the absence of C2. In Nicotiana benthamiana plants the promoter is active in vascular tissue and under no conditions did we detect promoter activity in the mesophyll. This is in contrast to begomoviruses where the virion sense promoter is dependent on AL2, a positional homolog of C2, and the promoter is functional in both vascular and mesophyll tissue.
Catecholaminergic regulation of Na-K-Cl cotransport in pigmented ciliary epithelium: differences between PE and NPE.

Abstract Pigmented (PE) and nonpigmented (NPE) ciliary epithelial cells comprise the ciliary epithelium, the site of aqueous humor formation in the eye. In man, catecholamines increase the rate of aqueous humor formation, but the mechanism underlying these effects is not understood. Recent evidence suggests that Na-K-Cl cotransport plays a central role in blood-to-aqueous chloride transport across ciliary epithelium in cow and rabbit. We therefore investigated whether catecholamines stimulate Na-K-Cl cotransport in human PE cells. Na-K-Cl cotransporter protein was detected as a 170 kDa protein band on immunoblots. Immunofluorescence microscopy detected cotransporter on the basolateral membranes of the PE layer of ciliary epithelium from a human donor. Cotransporter immunofluorescence was also detected in cultured PE cells. Na-K-Cl cotransport activity measured as ouabain-insensitive bumetanide-sensitive86Rb uptake was stimulated by isoproterenol 1.6-fold, with an EC50 = 28 n M and maximal stimulation at 1 μ M . Other transport mechanisms involved in86Rb uptake were not affected. Stimulation by 1 μ M isoproterenol was blocked by 10 n M ICI 118,551, a β2-specific receptor antagonist, whereas the receptor subtype-specific antagonists yohimbine (α2), prazosin (α1) and atenolol (β1) were ineffective. Norepinephrine stimulation (EC50 = 280 n M ) was also blocked by ICI 118,551. Dopamine stimulated Na-K-Cl cotransport 1.6-fold with an EC50 = 14 μ M . The dopamine effect could not be blocked by 10 μ M SCH 23390, a D1-antagonist, but was abolished by ICI 118,551. Forskolin and CPT-cAMP stimulated Na-K-Cl cotransport 1.79- and 1.71-fold, respectively, whereas the inactive forskolin analogue 1,9-dideoxyforskolin had no effect. However, high concentrations of the PKA inhibitors PKI amide 14–22 and KT 5720 were needed to inhibit both PKA activity in cell lysates and isoproterenol stimulation of cotransport. This finding may indicate the presence of a novel PKA isoform in PE cells. Inhibitors of other protein kinases, including myosin light chain kinase, protein kinase G, calmodulin-dependent kinase and tyrosine kinase, were without effect on stimulated Na-K-Cl cotransport. When EC50s for catecholaminergic stimulations of Na-K-Cl cotransport in PE were compared to those in NPE, values within five-fold of one another were seen for isoproterenol and norepinephrine. In contrast, dopamine was 28-fold more potent in NPE than in PE. The data suggest that both PE and NPE possess β2adrenergic receptors, but only NPE cells possess dopamine D1 receptors linked to Na-K-Cl cotransport.
MINING AND CHANNEL RESPONSE

ABSTRACT Gold and silver mining activities in the Central City District, Colorado, caused severe disruption of the landscape. Central City is typical of mountain mining towns with clearly defined periods of discovery and settlement, bonanza, investment, development, and, finally, decline. Arroyos and gullies developed on many valley floors as responses to increases in channel tractive force from 1 dyne before settlement to 8 dynes during the mining period. The spatial distribution of energy and force has been substantially altered by human activities. Threshold values of erosive force were surpassed in response to changes in general basin vegetation cover, valley floor vegetation, channel slope, width, and roughness. Landscape stability, which depends on the relationship of the distribution of energy to the material landscape, has been reestablished in some basins in the Central City area. In other cases, several decades may be required before a balance between force and resistance is reached.
Agricultural site productivity: principles derived from long-term experiments and their implications for intensively managed forests.

Abstract Long-term agricultural field experiments provide relevant information for questions being asked about the sustainability of managed forests, particularly as management regimes become more intensive. In this paper, concepts and criteria related to sustainable site productivity are reviewed and findings from a range of long-term agricultural field experiments are evaluated. Based on this evaluation, the following site productivity principles are identified: (1) soil organic matter is the link between most management systems and sustainable site productivity; (2) nutrient deficiencies can be corrected; (3) soil texture is a key variable affecting soil organic matter and site productivity; (4) return of crop residues enhances soil organic matter and site productivity; and (5) productive cropping systems have environmental benefits. While technological advances have proven to be highly successful for enhancing long-term crop yields, they also have the potential to mask underlying declines in site productivity. This hypothesis needs to be rigorously tested. Agricultural field experiments show that crop productivity can be sustained for long time periods when appropriate management approaches are applied. Management requirements to achieve sustainability differ, however, depending on site-specific edaphic and climatic characteristics and the needs of the crop. Site productivity principles derived from agricultural field studies are also highly relevant to sustaining site productivity of managed forests. Several characteristics of managed forests should be considered when extrapolating conclusions from agricultural experiments. These include harvest removals of biomass and nutrients, residue type and distribution, management and system characteristics, and soil types used. Many characteristics associated with even intensively managed forests are sought as goals of conservation cropping systems and should contribute toward sustaining long-term site productivity.
Opto-electrical properties of Ti-doped In2O3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract By ablating titanium containing In 2 O 3 target with a KrF excimer laser, highly conducting and transparent films on quartz were obtained to investigate the effects of growth temperature and oxygen pressure on the structural, optical and electrical properties of these films. We find that the transparency of the films depends more on the growth temperature and less on the oxygen pressure. Electrical properties, however, are found to be sensitive to both the growth temperature and oxygen pressure. We report in this paper that a growth temperature of 500 °C and an oxygen pressure of 7.5 × 10 −7 bar lead to titanium-doped indium oxide films which have high mobility (up to 199 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ), low resistivity (9.8 × 10 −5 Ω cm), and relatively high transmittance (∼88%).
Direct inhibitory effect of atriopeptin III on renin release in primate kidney

Abstract Patterns of in vitro renal renin release and the ability of atriopeptin to directly inhibit renin release have been examined in the rat, rabbit, and dog, but have been unstudied in the primate kidney. Accordingly, we examined renin release from superficial renal cortical slices of the squirrel monkey (Samiri sciuresus). The average age of the 5 animals was 10.2±2.5 yr at the time of study. Renin release was stimulated significantly by the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol in concentrations of 10−5M (1.67-fold) and 10−4M (1.84-fold). Isoproterenol-induced renin release was inhibited by atriopeptin III (ANP, 2×10−8M) and the adenylate cyclase inhibitor dideoxadenosine (DDA, 10−5M). Similarly, the incubation of the superficial cortical slices with arachidonic acid (10−3M) resulted in a 4-fold increase in tissue renin release which was blocked by the calcium ionophore A23187 (17×10−6M) and ANP; interestingly, DDA did not block arachidonic acid-induced renin release. These results suggest that ANP exerts a direct inhibitory effect on B-adrenergic and arachidonic acid-induced renin release in the primate kidney. Further, the inhibitory action of A23187 on renin release suggests, as in other species, an integral role for intracellular calcium in the renin release process. These patterns of renin release in primate kidney are similar to those observed in the rodent kidney in vitro.
Evolution of Nonlinear Alfven Waves in Streaming Inhomogeneous Plasmas

Nonlinear evolution equation for Alfven waves, propagating in streaming plasmas with nonuniform densities and inhomogeneous magnetic fields, is obtained by using the reductive perturbation technique.
Assessing child maltreatment risk in the recently divorced parent-child relationship

Reports of single-parent-child relationships characterized by child maltreatment have increased in recent years. The present paper discusses Belsky's child maltreatment/parenting model concerning parenting and the etiology of this problem. The model may serve as a source of conceptual unification of this risk in single-parent homes. It is proposed that the model also may have heuristic value in identifying highest risk single-parent families who warrant intervention.
Lowering of the breakdown voltage of silicon dioxide by asperities and at spherical electrodes

Abstract The paper examines the assumption that asperites and corners in electrodes can be preferential sites for electrical breakdown of silicon dioxide capacitors. It was assumed for this purpose that asperities can be approximated by spherical surfaces, and the breakdown voltage was then calculated at such asperities. Calculations showed that the breakdown voltage of a planar silicon dioxide capacitor can be lowered by one half to two thirds by asperities, when their radius is less than about one half of the oxide thickness. Such a decrease in the breakdown voltage is widely observed in polysilicon oxide capacitors. The effect of asperities is alleviated by a trapped electron charge, which can increase the breakdown voltage significantly. The spherical asperity model accounted for the breakdown voltages observed on a wide range of polysilicon oxide capacitors with oxide thickness varying from 45 to 820 nm. The radius of asperities responsible for breakdown in these experiments was roughly estimated 25–35 nm.
Afferent pathways in the innervation of the ventricle of a prosobranch gastropodBusycon canaliculatum

1. Stretch applied to the ventricle, or contraction of the heart, sets up afferent activity (presumably of a sensory nature), in the cardiac nerve ofBusycon canaliculatum. Such afferent activity, elicited by either mechanical or electrical stimuli, can be traced through the pseudoganglion, the cardiac nerve, and the visceral ganglia to the parietal-visceral connectives. 2. In response to the induced afferent activity, efferent activity appears and can be recorded from a teased-out intracardiac branch of the cardiac nerve. 3. Section of the cardiac nerve distal to the visceral ganglia may lead to an increase in amplitude of compound peaks in the extra- or intraventricular cardiac nerve. 4. Electrical activity ceases in the intraventricular branches of the cardiac nerve, after severing the cardiac nerve distal to the pseudoganglion. 5. The pseudoganglion is possibly a reflex center for the intraventricular branches of the cardiac nerve, but there is an inhibitory central influence on the reflexes. The inhibitory influence is probably exerted by the visceral ganglia.
Birth Order, Sex, and Complexity-Simplicity: An Attempt at Replication

Summary.-Birth order, sex, and preference-for-complexity data were obtained from 119 Ss in order to test four hypotheses derived from the findings of several studies reported by Eisenman. Only one of these hypotheses concerning birth order and sex differences for complexity preference was statistically supported, though other differences were in the hypothesized directions. Mean complexity scores and correlations of the complexity measure with sex and birth order were widely discrepant with those reported in earlier studies by Eisenman. The presence of marked differences between the present population and those sampled by Eisenman may account for the discrepancies. Eisenman has reported several studies demonstrating consistent relationships with complexity-simplicity preference and the demographic variables of birth order and sex. The general finding has been a birth order-sex interaction, with firstborn males preferring more complexity than later-born males (Eisenman, 1967a, 1967b, 1968a; Eisenman & Robinson, 1967); for the opposite sex the reverse has been found, with later-born females preferring more complexity than firstborn women (Eisenman, 1967a, 1967b, 1968b). Also, females have been found to prefer a higher level of complexity than males (Eisenman, 196713, 1968a, 1968b; Eisenman & Johnson, 1969), and, in general, later-borns prefer more complexity than firstborns (Eisenman, 1968b). In view of the substantial correlation coefficients Eisenman has reported (cf. Eisenman, 1968b), the following study was an attempt to replicate these findings in a population different from those with which Eisenman has conducted his investigations. The hypotheses in the present study, which were generated from Eisenman's work, were (a) that firstborn males prefer more complexity than later-born males, (b) chat later-born females prefer more complexity than firstborn females, (c) that females prefer more complexity than males, and (d) that laterborns (in general, disregarding sex) prefer more complexity than firstborns. METHOD
Operation-dependent maintenance scheduling in flexible manufacturing systems

Abstract In highly flexible and highly integrated manufacturing systems such as semiconductor manufacturing, the dynamic interactions between equipment condition, operations executed on the tools and product quality necessitate joint decision-making in maintenance scheduling and production operations. To address these problems, we devise an integrated decision-making policy optimizing a customizable objective function that takes into account operation-dependent degradation models and production target. Optimization was achieved using a metaheuristic method based on the results of discrete-event simulations of operations of the underlying manufacturing system. The method was applied to optimization of maintenance on a generic cluster tool routinely utilized in semiconductor manufacturing. The results show that operation-dependent maintenance decision-making outperforms the case where maintenance decisions are made without considerations of operation-dependent degradation dynamics.
Evaluation of the thermal performance of a roof-mounted radiant barrier in residential buildings: Experimental study

The objective of this study is to examine the reduction in heating and cooling loads that may be attributed to the use of attic radiant barrier and to identify environmental parameters that influence this reduction. To this end, an experimental study was conducted in Zachary, Louisiana for 8 months on two houses built in the same manner and instrumented with thermocouples to measure the temperature in each hour and each layer of the roof. Results showed that an attic radiant barrier can reduce energy loads from 8% to 25% depending on the climatic conditions. Among the evaluated climatic parameters, ambient air temperature had the greatest effect on the ceiling heat flux.
Fracture healing and lipid mediators

Lipid mediators regulate bone regeneration during fracture healing. Prostaglandins and leukotrienes are well-known lipid mediators that regulate inflammation and are synthesized from the Ω-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid. Cyclooxygenase (COX-1 or COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) catalyze the initial enzymatic steps in the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, respectively. Inhibition or genetic ablation of COX-2 activity impairs fracture healing in animal models. Genetic ablation of COX-1 does not affect the fracture callus strength in mice, suggesting that COX-2 activity is primarily responsible for regulating fracture healing. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is performed clinically to reduce heterotopic ossification, although clinical evidence that NSAID treatment impairs fracture healing remains controversial. In contrast, inhibition or genetic ablation of 5-LO activity accelerates fracture healing in animal models. Even though prostaglandins and leukotrienes regulate inflammation, loss of COX-2 or 5-LO activity appears to primarily affect chondrogenesis during fracture healing. Prostaglandin or prostaglandin analog treatment, prostaglandin-specific synthase inhibition and prostaglandin or leukotriene receptor antagonism also affect callus chondrogenesis. Unlike the Ω-6-derived lipid mediators, lipid mediators derived from Ω-3 fatty acids, such as resolvin E1 (RvE1), have anti-inflammatory activity. In vivo, RvE1 can inhibit osteoclastogenesis and limit bone resorption. Although Ω-6 and Ω-3 lipid mediators have clear-cut effects on inflammation, the role of these lipid mediators in bone regeneration is more complex, with apparent effects on callus chondrogenesis and bone remodeling.
Business Improvement Districts in Pennsylvania: Implications for Democratic Metropolitan Governance

Abstract This article discuses the results of an empirical study on the business improvement districts (BID)s in Pennsylvania. As self-assessment districts that have gained economic and political importance in metropolitan areas, BIDs pose challenges for metropolitan governance. This article examines Pennsylvania's BIDs to illustrate these challenges. Pennsylvania is one of the earlier states to legally enable BIDs and it has a wide variety of BIDs: from the wealthiest and most functionally diverse to those with very limited funds and scope. The evolution of the BID laws in Pennsylvania are discussed. Also discussed are the processes of BID creation, continuation, and dissolution; the proliferation of their functions and powers; their revenue sources; and their accountability to local governments and general publics. The findings of the research suggest that multiple theoretical explanations are needed to understand BIDs since they are simultaneously mechanisms of privatized public service delivery and po...
Observations of convergence and uniqueness of node-based bone remodeling simulations

Some investigators have indicated that mathematical theories and computational models of bone adaptation may not converge and that the density solutions from such simulations are dependent on the initial density distribution In this study, two-dimensional finite element models were used to investigate the effect of initial density distribution on the final density distribution produced using a node-based bone remodeling simulation. The first model was a generic long bone, and the second was a proximal femur. For each model, we conducted time-dependent, node-based, linear rate-law bone remodeling simulations. Five initial density conditions were used with the generic long bone and three with the proximal femur. Remodeling simulations were performed, and the largest average nodal density differences at the end of the simulations were 0.000010 g/cm3 and 0.000006 g/cm3 for the generic long bone and proximal femur models, respectively. Results illustrate that, for a given set of loads and a given finite element model, the node-based bone adaptation algorithm can yield a unique density distribution. In conjunction with previous studies, this finding suggests that uniqueness of the density solution is dependent on both the mathematical theory and the computational implementation.
Accuracy of Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI) and Self-Administered Questionnaires for the Assessment of Sexual Behavior

This study examined the accuracy of two retrospective methods and assessment intervals for recall of sexual behavior and assessed predictors of recall accuracy. Using a 2 [mode: audio-computer assisted self-interview (ACASI) vs. self-administered questionnaire (SAQ)] by 2 (frequency: monthly vs. quarterly) design, young women (N =102) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Participants completed baseline measures, monitored their behavior with a daily diary, and returned monthly (or quarterly) for assessments. A mixed pattern of accuracy between the four assessment methods was identified. Monthly assessments yielded more accurate recall for protected and unprotected vaginal sex but quarterly assessments yielded more accurate recall for unprotected oral sex. Mode differences were not strong, and hypothesized predictors of accuracy tended not to be associated with recall accuracy. Choice of assessment mode and frequency should be based upon the research question(s), population, resources, and context in which data collection will occur.
The Use of a Parent Support Group in the Outpatient Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Eating Disorders

Our objective was to measure parents' level of satisfaction and perceived benefits gained from participating in a parent support group as part of an outpatient treatment program. We mailed surveys to 261 parent/guardian participants. Results reflected high satisfaction with the support group. Parents indicated that it assisted them in understanding eating disorders symptoms and treatment and supporting their child struggling with an eating disorder. Additionally, the group was a source of emotional support. Results suggest that inclusion of a parent support group in the outpatient treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders has important implications for parents.
The Contribution of Calcium and Stretch-Activated Tension to Power Generation by Drosophila Indirect Flight Muscle

Recent studies suggest small insects might regulate muscle power output by operating their stretch activated indirect flight muscles (IFM) at less than saturating calcium levels during flight instead of varying the number of muscle fibers recruited. Calcium levels have also been found to correlate with wing beat frequency, suggesting calcium concentration might influence aerodynamic power. To test the effects of calcium concentration on muscle power generation, we used the work loop technique to measure Drosophila indirect flight muscle (IFM) oscillatory power generation under optimal length change parameters. Maximum power was 2.2±0.4 nW/mm3 at pCa = 4.7±0.09. The threshold for muscle power generation occurs at ∼ pCa 6.1, with pCa50 = 5.8±0.05 and the Hill coefficient = 7.2±3.7. Over the steepest portion of the curve, and above the estimated minimum power required for flight, about pCa 6.0 to 5.5, muscle power increases 2.5-fold. We compared the contributions to muscle power from calcium activated isometric tension to the contribution from the tension generated by stretch-activation during flight by imposing a 2.5% ML, 1.5 ms stretch. The pCa50 for calcium activated tension was 6.1±0.05 and Hill coefficient was 4.6±1.3. The pCa50 for stretch activated tension was 5.8±0.07 and Hill coefficient was 3.8±1.3. Following a stretch at pCa 4.5, total isometric tension increased from 2.5±0.3 mN/mm2 to 16.4±1.2 mN/mm2 of which 11.4±1.1 mN/mm2 was contributed by passive elastic elements. As calcium is increased from pCa 6.0 to 5.5, stretch-activated tension contributes 1.0±0.3 mN/mm2 of additional tension while calcium tension contributes 0.4±0.2 mN/mm2. We conclude that if calcium levels vary between pCa 6.0 to 5.5 during flight, then the contribution of stretch tension to additional power is about twice that of calcium tension.
Measurement of Nanomechanical Motion with Precision Sufficient to Detect Zero-Point Motion

We detect the motion of a suspended micro- and nano- mechanical elements, whose fundamental mode of motion has been cooled to within a few 10s of quanta of the ground-state using an ultra-low temperature cryostat.
Farming Patterns, Rural Restructuring, and Poverty: A Comparative Regional Analysis1

This study examines the contentions of two recent perspectives on rural economic organization and their implications for poverty. Building from (1) agrarian political economy and (2) the rural restructuring literatures, we present a comparative regional analysis of how farming patterns and other aspects of economic organization differentially affect poverty in rural areas. Data are based on 2,349 nonmetropolitan U.S. counties for the 1970–1980 period. Nonhired labor-dependent, family-operated farming (smaller and larger family farming) has relatively similar cross-regional effects on rural poverty. The effects of industrialized farming are more spatially variant, suggesting that this type of farming is integrated into regional political economies in different ways than are simple commodity units. However, farming patterns have only a small effect on rural poverty relative to other factors, such as the local employment structure, characteristics of the population, and geographic location. The results of this study highlight the need to move beyond the farm sector to understand both the dynamics of this sector and the socioeconomic consequences of rural restructuring. More broadly, the study underscores the importance of testing general sociological relationships under different spatial (e.g., regional) contexts.
Analysis of redundant systems with random parameters and multiple noisy inputs

This paper establishes a mathematical model and a methodology for analyzing the statistical performance of redundant sensor systems. The particular problem of primary interest is the development of procedures for estimating the expected number of false trips in a mission. The general methods, however, are suitable for a wide variety of applications, including single-string designs. Considered here are the effects of various noise sources and the statistical variations caused by the allowed tolerances on the system parameters.
The New Territorial Imperative

Events during the first decade of the new millennium have contradicted scholarly predictions made in the 1990s about the declining relevance of the sovereign territorial state in international affairs. The state remains the proper primary focus of attention for scholars of international relations because territory remains the ineluctable and ultimate basis for power in the international system. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, states have claimed enormous new territories that have added to the power resources of coastal states. This realist analysis contributes to identification of the likely locations of future interstate wars and a major objective of strategic planners.
ESTABLISHING CRITERION GROUPS FOR EVALUATING MEASURES OF CURIOSITY

CURIOSITY HAS long been considered an im portant attribute, if not always one to be encour aged (4). In recent years it has received in creasing attention because of its relationship to creativity. Most schools of psychology implicit ly or explicitly indicate an awareness of it (2, 7). Curiosity or exploratory behavior of lower animals has been rigorously investigated (3, 6), and some effort has also been made to study curiosity of human beings (1). Although a considerable body of literature has accumulated in which curiosity has been discussed, very few empirical studies have been directly concerned with children's curiosity. One reason for the dearth of investigations involving children may be the lack of instruments with which to measure curiosity. A major problem in developing measures of curiosity is establishing validity. One approach is to identify a group of children of high curiosity and another groupof low curiosity and to see whether proposed measures of curiosity discrim inate between the two groups. Isolating such cri terion groups was the purpose of the present in vestigation.