cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why Trade Deficits Don't Matter

This paper takes the position that trade deficits are irrelevant from a policy perspective and that any attempt to reduce them is counterproductive and violative of individual rights. Hardly a day goes by that the media do not mention some international trade problem such as the trade deficit. The general tenor of the story is usually that trade deficits are bad for the U.S. national economy, with the implied or express conclusion that something should be done to reduce them. The choice of terms used to describe trade -- voluntary exchange -- makes it sound like trading with foreigners results in disaster: we are being "invaded" with foreign goods; foreign goods are "flooding" the market; foreigners are "dumping" their products. Senator Donald Reigle has been quoted as saying: "The continuing Japanese attack on our basic industries is another Pearl Harbor. The time has come to close America's door to the flood of Japanese imported products."(Ekelund and Tollison, 875)
When Social Worlds Collide: Charting the Intersection of Social Media and Courseware/Course Management Systems

Today's pre-college students have been immersed in Social Media Systems (SMS) that mediate their everyday interactions. Before students arrive at college they are using typically using blogs, wikis, forums, social connection systems, digital asset sharing systems, and even community game systems to stay connected. When students reach college, their social networks change in both their function and structure. Institutional emphasis is placed upon Course ware/ Course Management Systems (C/CMS) to augment lecture, classroom and discussion section experiences. While a C/CMS may share similarities with their favorite SMS, students do not always experience the same level of social engagement from them as they do with the tools they use outside of the academic experience. This paper examines how students perceive SMS, examines what students consider SMS, and addresses feature differences between SMS and C/CMS mechanisms.
Pulsational Instability and the Origin of Planetary Nebulae

The calculations that will be discussed in this paper were undertaken to determine if plausible theoretical arguments could be found to indicate that planetary nebulae represent the stage in the evolution of a star immediately before it becomes a white dwarf. The model for the formation of a planetary nebula that will be described may also be applicable for more massive stars than have been studied. However, since it is known that some population-II stars become planetary nebulae and since there is evidence that evolved population-II stars are less massive than 1 M ⊙ (Christy, 1966; Hayashi et al.,1962; Faulkner, 1966; Faulkner and Iben, 1966; Schwarzschild and Harm, 1966) only stars whose masses are less than 1 M ⊙ have been studied.
One session of flooding as treatment for conditioned avoidance responding in humans: effect of individualization of treatment duration.

Summary.-An avoidance response was conditioned to three stimuli (tone, vibrator, and light) presented in serial order. Following conditioning, each group of subjects underwent a different treatment procedure. Group 1 received a completely individualized flooding procedure distributed over multiple trials. Duration of the conditioned stimulus presencations was individualized by making them contingent upon termination of conditioned suppression, and duration of the treatment session by termination of conditioned avoidance. The Group 2 flooding procedure was completely non-individualized, massed into one trial and yoked to Group 1 to control for the amount of exposure to each of the conditioned stimuli and the duration of treatment sessions. Group 3 experienced non-individualized duration of treatment, individualized conditioned stimulus presentations discributed over trials and controlled for the duration of che treatment session and the distribution of trials. Analysis indicated that individual ized duration of the flding session utilizing a measure of anxiety dissipation significantly hastened the extinction of avoidance responses. Implications for the effective practice of implosive therapy were discussed. Although implosive therapy was introduced by Stampfl in 1957, it was not until 1967 that the essentials of the new therapy were formally presented with an account of its theoretical origins (Stampfl & Levis, 1967). According to Stampfl and Levis cues (sights, sounds, smells, etc.) associated with the occurrence of the avoidance response are arranged on an Avoidance Serial Cue Hierarchy according to the extent to which they are thought to be associated with the original conditioning experience. These cues are presented to the client to be imagined. Morganstern ( 1973) states that "During implosive therapy the patient is instructed to lose himself in the part that he is playing and live the scenes that the therapist describes with genuine emotion and affect. At each stage of the process an attempt is made by the therapist to attain a maximum level of anxiety evocation from the patient by embellishing the scenes with the most horrifying and unrealistic images. When a high level of anxiety is achieved, the patient is held at this level until he implodes--a spontaneous reduction in the anxiety-inducing value of the cues (Stampfl & Levis, 1967). This procedure is continued until a significant diminution in anxiety has resulted." Rachman ( 1969), underscoring the necessity for maximal arousal of anxiety during implosive therapy, points out that since the client's fear was This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Associa
Autonomic dysfunction is common in HIV and associated with distal symmetric polyneuropathy.

Neurologic complications of HIV are well characterized in the central and peripheral nervous systems but not in the autonomic nervous system, perhaps due to the complexities of measuring autonomic function in medically ill populations. We hypothesized that autonomic dysfunction is common in HIV, can be meaningfully measured with an autonomic reflex screen, and is associated with distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) but not with signs of CNS disease. We also sought to characterize immunovirologic and medical factors associated with autonomic dysfunction. We assessed 102 HIV-infected adults for autonomic dysfunction with a laboratory-based autonomic reflex screen summarized as the composite autonomic severity score (CASS). The total neuropathy score (TNS) was used to quantify DSP based on neurologic interview/examination, quantitative sensory testing, and nerve conduction studies. Autonomic dysfunction was common, with a CASS ≥ 3 in 61 % of participants, of whom 86 % were symptomatic. Greater CASS abnormalities demonstrated univariate association with increasing TNS, age, viral load, hypertension, and use of medications (particularly anticholinergics), but not with antiretrovirals, current/nadir CD4+ count, HIV duration, metabolic factors, or signs of CNS disease. The TNS was the only significant predictor of the CASS in multivariate analysis; anticholinergic medications were marginally significant. This study demonstrates that autonomic dysfunction is common and frequently symptomatic in HIV and that an autonomic reflex screen, adjusted for anticholinergic medication, is useful in its assessment. Association of autonomic dysfunction with DSP suggests common factors in their pathogenesis, and autonomic neuropathy may be part of the spectrum of HIV-associated peripheral nerve pathologies.
FURTHER RESULTS ON THE FLOW OF A MAXWELL FLUID THROUGH AN ABRUPT CONTRACTION

Abstract We report new finite element simulations of creeping flow of an upper-convected Maxwell fluid through a sudden planar contraction whose re-entrant corner is defined by a circular arc of small radius. A series of finite element meshes is used, with increasing resolution near the rounded corner. The latter is approximated by either C 0 or C 1 finite element mappings. We find that a limit point in the numerical solution family emanating from the Newtonian result is responsible for the loss of convergence of the iterative scheme beyond some critical value of the Weissenberg number We . The location of the limit point in We -space is not very sensitive to rather extensive mesh refinement, and is virtually invariant to the choice of either C 0 or C 1 discretizations of the rounded corner. These results suggest that the limit point is an intrinsic property of the Maxwell fluid. No definitive conclusion can be drawn, however, for the numerical solutions obtained at values of We close to the limit point show spurious wiggles near the corner.
A decision-theoretic approach to screening and selection with common random numbers

The article describes some recently-proposed procedures that identify the best simulated system when common random numbers are used. The procedures are based on a Bayesian average-case analysis, rather than a worst-case indifference zone formulation. The procedures allow decision makers to focus on reducing either the expected opportunity cost loss associated with potentially selecting an inferior system, or the probability of incorrect selection. Numerical experiments indicate that the new procedures outperform two existing procedures with respect to several criteria for a well-known selection problem.
Power electronic transformer with reduced number of switches: Analysis of input clamp circuit and a modulation strategy to eliminate input snubber requirement

This paper presents an analysis of the protective snubber circuits in a high frequency transformer (HFT) linked three phase ac/ac power conversion system with reduced number of switches. This topology provides single stage power conversion with bidirectional power flow capability and input power factor correction. This topology is important because of reduced number of switches in the voltage source side (usually the high voltage side). The presence of non-ideal leakage inductance in transformer windings necessitates the use of a snubber circuit for the safe commutation of leakage energy. A new modulation technique is proposed in order to reduce the protection requirements in the source side. This topology with the proposed control technique has been analyzed and simulated. The simulation results confirm the analysis and predicted advantages.
Crystal structures of human CtBP in complex with substrate MTOB reveal active site features useful for inhibitor design.

The oncogenic corepressors C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP) 1 and 2 harbor regulatory d-isomer specific 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (d2-HDH) domains. 4-Methylthio 2-oxobutyric acid (MTOB) exhibits substrate inhibition and can interfere with CtBP oncogenic activity in cell culture and mice. Crystal structures of human CtBP1 and CtBP2 in complex with MTOB and NAD+ revealed two key features: a conserved tryptophan that likely contributes to substrate specificity and a hydrophilic cavity that links MTOB with an NAD+ phosphate. Neither feature is present in other d2-HDH enzymes. These structures thus offer key opportunities for the development of highly selective anti-neoplastic CtBP inhibitors.
TREM-1, MDL-1, and DAP12 expression is associated with a mature stage of myeloid development.

Abstract The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM-1) and the myeloid DAP12-associating lectin (MDL-1) are two recently identified receptors which associate non-covalently with DAP12 to form receptor complexes involved in monocytic activation and inflammatory response. In this study, we investigated whether the expression of TREM-1 , MDL-1 , and DAP12 correlated with myelomonocytic differentiation. Northern and RT-PCR revealed a strong expression of TREM-1 , MDL-1 , and DAP12 in peripheral blood-derived CD14 + mature monocytes in contrast to undifferentiated bone marrow CD34 + stem cells, and in the differentiated versus undifferentiated U937 cells. TREM-1 and MDL-1 RNA expression was also more elevated in adult than fetal tissues and in normal than malignant cells. These findings suggest that the TREM-1/DAP12 and MDL-1/DAP12 signaling pathways are features of mature differentiated myelomonocytic cells. In addition, expression of an alternative mRNA TREM-1 splice variant ( TREM-1sv ) was detected that might translate into a soluble receptor with potential as a regulator of myeloid activation.
Research in progress: fun versus productivity and intentions to use ICT's in Bolivia.

Despite decades of studies on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT's) and almost as many decades of research on national cultural variables around the world, the people of Bolivia may be among the least studied on both counts. This research in progress provides a brief overview of our research that seeks to begin closing this gap. This study applies the technology acceptance model and individual espoused cultural values using a societal sample of 1129 Bolivian respondents seeking to understand how computers and Internet are being accepted by users in a country where many conditions of ICT development such as infrastructure, electronic commerce or electronic government have been only moderately established.
Strengthening senior tax credit programs in Massachusetts.

Summary In the last decade, property taxes have increased, creating a financial burden on senior homeowners. In Massachusetts, senior property tax credit programs have arisen to address this problem, as well as to provide cost-effective volunteer assistance for municipal departments, offer seniors meaningful work that otherwise would not have been attempted, and foster involvement in municipal government among seniors. The success of the programs in retaining senior homeowners in the community remains to be evaluated. Program specifics are detailed, policy options are considered, and recommendations are made to strengthen existing programs and assist replication.
Deterministic wave model for short-crested ocean waves: Part I. Theory and numerical scheme

Abstract A directional hybrid wave model (DHWM) has been developed for deterministic prediction of short-crested irregular ocean waves. In using the DHWM, a measured wave field is first decomposed into its free-wave components based on as few as three point measurements. Then the wave properties are predicted in the vicinity of the measurements based on the decomposed free-wave components. Effects of nonlinear interactions among the free-wave components up to second order in wave steepness are considered in both decomposition and prediction. While the prediction scheme is straightforward, the decomposition scheme is innovative and accomplished through an iterative process involving three major steps. The extended maximum likelihood method is employed to determine the directional wave spreading; the initial phases of directional free-wave components are determined using a least-square fitting scheme; and nonlinear effects are computed using both conventional and phase modulation methods to achieve fast convergence. The free-wave components are obtained after the nonlinear effects being decoupled from the measurements. Variety of numerical tests have been conducted, indicating that the DHWM is convergent and reliable.
Comment on "Phase Transition in the Two-Dimensional Ferromagnet"

It is shown that the decoupling procedure used by Mubayi and Lange leads to the onset of antiferromagnetic short-range order in ferromagnetic systems. This defect occurs in both two- and three-dimensional lattices and occurs over a temperature range that includes the supposed transition temperatures. Any conclusions drawn about the behavior of the systems over this temperature range, including the existence of a transition, must, therefore, be regarded as questionable.
The regularity of the cauchy integral and related operators on lipschitz hypersurfaces

We study the regularity of the higher dimensional Cauchy integral operator and of other closely related operators in terms of the weighted Sobolev-Besov spaces L p,s(∂Ω) on the Lipschitz hypersurface in ∂Ω and some appropriate weighted Hardy spaces on the non-smooth domain Ω in
Bathymetry Estimates in the Southern Oceans from SEASAT Altimetry

A 70-day Seasat altimeter set, where altitude was determined by the delay of a radar signal before return, was high pass filtered to obtain bathymetric data on the southern ocean. Variations were estimated over cross-track passages over the same points, and longer wavelength effects were removed to reveal the shorter wavelength geoid features. Edge effects near land, subtle geoid structure features at continental margins, smaller boundary seas, and lakes were preserved by the high pass filter, which involved substracting a constant height from each 6 x 6 deg square region. A volcanic origin was indicated for the nearly continuous Louisville Ridge, which had a major elongate plateau or positive gravity anomaly located just eastward and running east-west. A large Conrad Ridge was found in the Indian Ocean, compared to previous charts. The Indian Ocean was also found to contain more rises and plateaus than previously mapped.
Monoterpenoid and morphological differentiation within Pinus cembroides

Wood of Pinus cembroides from 232 trees sampled in 23 localities throughout its range in the United States and Mexico has been analysed for monoterpenes. With a few exceptions the trees of the continental populations from the state of Hidalgo northward produced α-pinene as the main monoterpene. The majority of trees of the southern populations (subsp. orizabensis) from the state of Puebla and adjoining regions of the neighboring Veracruz and Tlaxcala produced 3-carene in appreciable amounts. The population from Baja California (subsp. lagunae) produced monoterpenes of the sabinene family (thujene, sabinene, γ-terpinene, terpinolene and p-cymene) as the main constituents. The variations in morphological characters, including number of needles per fascicle, number of stomatal rows in needles, number of resin canals in needles, as well as other characters of the internal needle morphology, needle length and thickness, needle retention, thickness of seed shells, bark and cone characteristics, rate of growth and cotyledon number either paralleled or did not contradict the chemical variations. The evolution of the southern populations (subsp. orizabensis) into a separate group most likely resulted from geographic separation and climatic differences, while the evolutionary separation of the Baja California trees (subsp. lagunae) was connected with northwestern movement of the California coastal region from Miocene onward and the formation of Sierra Madre Occidental resulting in separation of this population from the mainland populations by the gap of the Gulf of California and the coastal mountain ranges.
Multiobjective evolutionary design of steel structures in tall buildings

This paper presents initial results of a study on the application of evolutionary multiobjective optimization methods in the design of the steel structural systems of tall buildings. In the paper, a brief overview of the state-of-the-art in evolutionary multi-objective optimization in structural engineering is provided. Next, conceptual design of steel structural systems in tall buildings is overviewed and the representations of steel structural systems used in the paper are discussed. Furthermore, Emergent Designer, a unique evolutionary design tool developed at George Mason University, is briefly described. It is an integrated research and design support tool which applies models of complex adaptive systems to represent engineering systems and to analyze design processes and their results. The paper also presents the results of several multi-objective structural design experiments conducted with Emergent Designer in which steel structural systems in tall buildings were optimized with respect to their total weight and maximum deflection (two-objective minimization problem). The goal of these experiments was to determine feasibility of evolutionary multi-objective optimization of steel structural systems of tall buildings as well as to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the results with the previous findings obtained with single-objective evolutionary optimization methods. Finally, initial research conclusions are presented as well as promising research directions.
Computerized tomography (CT) localized stereotactic craniotomy for excision of a bacterial intracranial aneurysm.

BACKGROUND The treatment of bacterial intracranial aneurysms include long-term antibiotic therapy and surgical clipping or resection. Direct surgical approaches to these aneurysms are often complicated by their peripheral location. METHODS We report the use of a computerized tomography (CT) localized stereotactic craniotomy for the excision of a ruptured peripheral bacterial intracranial aneurysm. RESULTS The Leksell Steiner-Lindquist microsurgical guide, with its fiberoptic helium-neon laser, allowed for rapid isolation of the distal aneurysm with minimal cerebral dissection. Since the inflammatory lesion was well demonstrated on postcontrast CT scan, this modality, rather than angiography, was used for localization. CONCLUSIONS In the future, stereotactic craniotomy may facilitate aggressive surgical therapy for infectious aneurysms previously thought not suitable for direct operative approach.
The Use of Life Style Segmentation to Determine if CATV Subscribers Are Really Different

The primary purpose of this study was to identify those characteristics of life style which differentiate and segment subscribers of CATV from non-subscribers. The hypothesis which was assessed by the research study can be stated as: There is no significant difference in the life style of cable television subscribers and non-subscribers. The Mann-Whitney U Test was utilized to statistically determine if there existed any significant difference between these two groups and indicated support for the above-mentioned hypothesis. The results indicate that the life style segmentation technique is a viable research tool and can be quite useful in many ways to a manager in the rapidly growing cable television industry.
Satellite communications and the Internet: implications for the outer space treaty

Abstract The speedily expanding Internet is in the process of transforming the technological, economic, and policy bases for nation-state regulation of telecomunications, including space-based satellite networks. Deployment of the packet-switched Internet has accelerated the liberalization of telecommunications markets and has led to far-reaching regulatory restructuring and policy shifts regarding state ownership and control of networks and information flows. As space-based GMPCS networks become integral parts of the globalizing Internet infrastructure, the state-centric legal paradigm requiring state “authorization and continuing supervision” of space activities by “non-govermental entities” stipulated under Article VI of the OST and associated treaties forming the outer space legal regime will be called increasingly into question. 1 This paper examines the technological, economic/trade, and security issues that question whether the existing state-centric paradigm for regulating Internel-based GMPCS satellite systems will remain in legal phase with emerging liberalized regulatory regimes for terrestrial Internet-based infractructures.
Separating between-and within-cluster covariate effects by using conditional and partitioning methods

Summary. We consider the situation where the random effects in a generalized linear mixed model may be correlated with one of the predictors, which leads to inconsistent estimators. We show that conditional maximum likelihood can eliminate this bias. Conditional likelihood leads naturally to the partitioning of the covariate into between- and within-cluster components and models that include separate terms for these components also eliminate the source of the bias. Another viewpoint that we develop is the idea that many violations of the assumptions (including correlation between the random effects and a covariate) in a generalized linear mixed model may be cast as misspecified mixing distributions. We illustrate the results with two examples and simulations.
The Patient’s Health History Form: How Healthy Is It?

An aging population, a more medically complex patient base and concerns about infectious diseases have complicated dentistry in the past decade—making a thorough health history more important than ever. A survey comparing dental university health history forms with those used by some general practitioners is presented.
Low dark current far infrared detector with an optical cavity architecture

Abstract Here we report designs for performance improvements of homojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP) detectors for different far infrared regions. A design is given to reduce dark current to about 10 e /s for a 300 μm cut-off detector at 1.3 K, at a bias field of 500 V/cm by adjusting the thickness of the intrinsic layer to eliminate tunneling component. The intrinsic region thickness and the bottom contact are used to obtain an optical cavity effect thus increasing the absorption to almost 100%. Increased responsivity due to the optical cavity effect is experimentally verified by using three detector structures, with three different cavity structures.
Developing Teacher Epistemological Sophistication about Multicultural Curriculum: A Case Study

Abstract Teachers are significant curriculum decision makers in their classrooms. How does teachers' thinking about curriculum develop in the context of teacher education coursework, and how might an analysis of a novice teacher's learning to think more complexly inform teacher education pedagogy? This article presents a case study of a 2nd-year teacher who was in a graduate-level Multicultural Curriculum Design course, which was designed to develop the complexity with which teachers understand and plan curriculum. Data—which included student papers, a reflective journal, classroom observation of the teacher, and an interview—are analyzed using a rubric that differentiates novice, developing, and accomplished teachers' thinking about multicultural curriculum.
Inhibition of hepatic mixed function oxidase activity by propyl gallate

Abstract Propyl gallate was found to inhibit microsomal benzpyrene hydroxylase activity and demethylase activity with ethylmorphine, aminopyrine or benzphetamine as a substrate. The extent of inhibition with different substrates varied with the age and diet of the animals. The benzpyrene hydroxylase activity of the microsomes of the 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats was shown to be less susceptible to propyl gallate inhibition. Propyl gallate does not inhibit the NADPH-dependent reduction of cytochrome P-450; therefore, the site of inhibition is not on NADPH-cytochrome c reductase as suggested previously. Propyl gallate interacts with cytochrome P-450 to produce a positive absorption peak around 420 nm, and it may also interfere with the binding of a type I substrate, benzphetamine. It inhibits ethylmorphine demethylation by a noncompetitive mechanism and aminopyrine demethylation by a mixed mechanism. The mode of propyl gallate inhibition and the implications of these observations are discussed.
Training designers to think about thinking

Instructional products can be characterized as reaching three different levels of achievement: (1) students remember the information presented; (2) students can apply conceptual classification schemes, can apply rules, or can follow procedures; (3) students can discover how conceptual and rule-governed structures work. While memory is often a useful outcome, it does not imply the ability to use the knowledge. Ability to think at an adult level is an increasingly called-for outcome, especially among science educators, an outcome that calls for new ways of designing instruction. Designs that enable students to apply conceptual schemes and rules do not foster thinking skill development. The pursuit of efficiency and content coverage in instructional products will have to be sacrificed in some cases in order to train students in thinking skills.
Amyloid-Independent Mechanisms in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis

Despite the progress of the past two decades, the cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and effective treatments against it remain elusive. The hypothesis that amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are the primary causative agents of AD retains significant support among researchers. Nonetheless, a growing body of evidence shows that Aβ peptides are unlikely to be the sole factor in AD etiology. Evidence that Aβ/amyloid-independent factors, including the actions of AD-related genes, also contribute significantly to AD pathogenesis was presented in a symposium at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Here we summarize the studies showing how amyloid-independent mechanisms cause defective endo-lysosomal trafficking, altered intracellular signaling cascades, or impaired neurotransmitter release and contribute to synaptic dysfunction and/or neurodegeneration, leading to dementia in AD. A view of AD pathogenesis that encompasses both the amyloid-dependent and -independent mechanisms will help fill the gaps in our knowledge and reconcile the findings that cannot be explained solely by the amyloid hypothesis.
Cholesteryl ester hydrolytic activity of rat liver plasma membrane

Cholesteryl ester hydrolyzing activity of rat liver plasma membranes was studied using acetone-dispersed [4-14-C] cholesteryl oleate as substrate. In contrast to whole liver homogenates which displayed ample activity at both acid (4.5) and neutral (6.2-7.4) pH, purified plasma membrane fractions contained little activity at neutral pH as compared to acid pH. Moreover, rate-zonal sucrose density-gradient centrifugation patterns of plasma membrane rich fractions suggested a specific association with plasma membrane only in the case of the acid activity. These findings suggest that in vivo hepatic cell surface membranes contain little or no cholesteryl ester hydrolytic activity at extracellular pH. They support the possibility that plasma lipoprotein cholesteryl esters enter hepatic parenchymal cells prior to hydrolysis.
Automated technique for design of NoC with minimal communication latency

Many embedded SoC architectures require minimal on-chip communication latency and jitter. Further, each communication transaction is expected to display some jitter in its start time due to dynamic events. The paper presents a novel synthesis technique that generates an optimized NoC architecture composed of best effort traffic class routers. The technique minimizes both the average packet latency and jitter in the presence of transaction initiation jitter. In comparison to an existing approach the designs generated by our technique demonstrated 41% reduction in average latency, 39% reduction in standard deviation of latency, identical power consumption and 24% increase in router resources.
A New Name for Mutilla Dimidiata Lepeletier, with a Redescription of the Type Specimen.

The name dimidiata proposed by Lepeletier in the genus Mutilla is preoccupied by Mutilla dimidiata Latreille proposed in 1792. dimidiata Latreille is apparently still unrecognized, although Andre, in Vol. 8: 441 of “Species des Hymenopteres d'Europe and d'Algerie, 1903, suggests the possibility of it being the same as Myrmosa melanocePhala Fabr. In any event, the name dimidiata cannot be used for Lepeletier's species since it had already been used by Latreille. I therefore propose the name orientalis to replace dimidiata Lepeletier, as indicated above.
Injectable Biodegradable Polyurethane Scaffolds with Release of Platelet-derived Growth Factor for Tissue Repair and Regeneration

Purpose The purpose of this work was to investigate the effects of triisocyanate composition on the biological and mechanical properties of biodegradable, injectable polyurethane scaffolds for bone and soft tissue engineering.
Setasedecim fursus n. gen., n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Actinocephalidae: Acanthosporinae) from Ischnura ramburii (Odonata: Zygoptera) in Imperial County, California, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT: Five species of damselflies, Argia sedula, Ischnura ramburii, Enallagma basidens, Enallagma civile, and Enallagma carcunculatum, were collected from Imperial and San Diego counties in California, U.S.A., and were found to collectively host 4 species of actinocephalid gregarines. Setasedecim fursus n. gen., n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Actinocephalidae: Acanthosporinae) is described from the adults of Rambur's forktail Ischnura ramburii (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) from Sunbeam Lake, Imperial County. This genus is distinguished from the existing genera within Acanthosporinae by oocysts bearing a total of 16 spines: 8 equatorial, 2 at each equatorial vertex, terminal spines inserted at each pole, and 1 at each vertex created by polar truncations. The gregarines recovered are referable to the family Actinocephalidae but are taxonomically distinct from its constituent genera. We describe the new taxon and provide new host and locality records for known actinocephalid gregarines.
Real-Life Experience of a Brief Arsenic Trioxide-Based Consolidation Chemotherapy in the Management of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia: Favorable Outcomes With Limited Anthracycline Exposure and Shorter Consolidation Therapy

Abstract Background Anthracyclines have activity against acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) but can cause cardiac toxicity and secondary malignancy. The all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-arsenic trioxide (ATO) combination is an effective noncytotoxic approach for APL. However, its efficacy against high-risk APL (white blood cell count > 10,000/μL) has not been documented. Also, it requires ≥ 8 months to complete therapy. Patients and Methods We report a retrospective analysis of 63 patients with APL given one cycle of ATO-based consolidation chemotherapy. Results The 5-year overall survival, event-free survival, and leukemia-free survival was 93% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82%-97%), 89% (95% CI, 77%-95%), and 92% (95% CI, 80%-97%), respectively. Conclusion These data have confirmed that an abbreviated ATO-based chemotherapy regimen is an effective consolidation therapy for APL, including high-risk APL, and can be completed within 4 months.
Allosteric interactions of the membrane-bound acetylcholine receptor; kinetic studies with α-bungarotoxin

Abstract The specific and irreversible reaction of a snake neurotoxin, α-bungarotoxin, with the acetylcholine receptor of electroplax membrane preparations from Electrophorus electricus proceeds by an initial fast phase followed by a slower one. The fraction of the reaction in the fast phase increases with increasing initial toxin concentrations, while the fraction going slowly decreases correspondingly. Both phases are affected by compounds which initiate or inhibit nerve impulse transmissions. The time course of the reaction can be fitted to the sum of two exponentials. The dependence on initial toxin concentration of the two exponentials, and of the fraction of reaction governed by the exponentials, can be fitted to a minimum reaction mechanism which involves at least two types of toxin binding sites with different dissociation constants and ligand-induced conversion of one type of site into the other. The mechanism is consistent with our previous data which showed that activators and inhibitors of membrane electrical potential changes occupy separate sites, only half of which interact. This type of mechanism has been seen in a number of allosteric regulatory enzymes.
Foliose algal assemblages and deforested barren areas: phlorotannin content, sea urchin grazing and holdfast community structure in the Aleutian dragon kelp, Eualaria fistulosa

In the Aleutian Archipelago, two distinct organizational states of kelp forest communities exist, foliose algal assemblages and deforested barren areas. The canopy-forming kelp Eualaria fistulosa can be found in both states, although it is much less abundant in the deforested state. In contrast, sea urchins also occur in both states, but they are considerably more abundant in the deforested state. This study determined whether the protective phlorotannin content in E. fistulosa sporophylls that originated in foliose algal assemblages would differ from those that originated in deforested areas. We also examined sea urchin grazing rates on these sporophylls to determine whether there were any differences in grazing rates related to the origin of the sporophylls. Next, we determined whether taxon richness and abundance of E. fistulosa holdfast communities would differ depending on the origin of the holdfast. Our results showed that sporophylls that were collected in barren areas generally had higher phlorotannin content than sporophylls found in foliose algal assemblages, although phlorotannin content varied across the study area. Grazing rates on sporophyll tissue and holdfast community structure did not differ between foliose algal assemblages and barren areas. These results show that phlorotannin content is greatest in areas under high grazing pressure and that phlorotannins may possibly protect E. fistulosa and the holdfast communities from being grazed in barren areas.
Distinct in vivo requirements for establishment versus maintenance of transcriptional repression

Low-level ectopic expression of the Runt transcription factor blocks activation of the Drosophila melanogaster segmentation gene engrailed (en) in odd-numbered parasegments and is associated with a lethal phenotype. Here we show, by using a genetic screen for maternal factors that contribute in a dose-dependent fashion to Runt-mediated repression, that there are two distinct steps in the repression of en by Runt. The initial establishment of repression is sensitive to the dosage of the zinc-finger transcription factor Tramtrack. By contrast, the co-repressor proteins Groucho and dCtBP, and the histone deacetylase Rpd3, do not affect establishment but instead maintain repression after the blastoderm stage. The distinction between establishment and maintenance is confirmed by experiments with Runt derivatives that are impaired specifically for either co-repressor interaction or DNA binding. Other transcription factors can also establish repression in Rpd3-deficient embryos, which indicates that the distinction between establishment and maintenance may be a general feature of eukaryotic transcriptional repression.
Roles of thermophilic thiosulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea in the biocorrosion of oil pipelines.

Thermophilic sulfide-producing microorganisms from an oil pipeline network were enumerated with different sulfur oxyanions as electron acceptors at 55 oC. Most-probable number (MPN) analysis showed that thiosulfate-reducing bacteria were the most numerous sulfidogenic microorganisms in pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) scrapings. Thiosulfate-reducing and methanogenic enrichments were obtained from the MPN cultures that were able to use yeast extract as the electron donor. Molecular analysis revealed that both enrichments harbored the same dominant bacterium, which belonged to the genus Anaerobaculum. The dominant archaeon in the methanogenic enrichment was affiliated with the genus Methanothermobacter. With yeast extract as the electron donor, the general corrosion rate by the thiosulfate-reducing enrichment (8.43 ± 1.40 milli-inch per year, abbreviated as mpy) was about 5.5 times greater than the abiotic control (1.49 ± 0.15 mpy), while the comparable measures for the methanogenic culture were 2.03 ± 0.49 mpy and 0.62 ± 0.07 mpy, respectively. Total iron analysis in the cultures largely accounted for the mass loss of iron measured in the weight loss determinations. Profilometry analysis of polished steel coupons incubated in the presence of the thiosulfate-reducing enrichment revealed 59 pits over an area of 71.16 mm2, while only 6 pits were evident in the corresponding methanogenic incubations. The results show the importance of thiosulfate-utilizing, sulfide-producing fermentative bacteria such as Anaerobaculum sp. in the corrosion of carbon steel, but also suggest that Anaerobaculum sp. are of far less concern when growing syntrophically with methanogens.
The increasing incidence of malignant gliomas and primary central nervous system lymphoma in the elderly.

Background. Studies indicate that the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in the elderly is increasing, but this may reflect increased case ascertainment due to the introduction of computed tomography (CT) scanning. In addition, tumor histology was not available in these studies. This study was conducted to determine whether the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors in the elderly in Florida is increasing and to verify the histology of these increases. Methods. Using the number of primary malignant brain tumors reported to the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS) when CT scanning was available, incidence rates per 100,000 people were calculated. Incidence density ratios (IDRs) were calculated for 1986–1989 relative to 1981-1984. Results. Tumor incidence at ages 20–64 years increased from 5.7 in 1981–1984 to 5.9 in 1986–1989, with an IDR of 1.05 (not significant). The incidence in those aged 65 years or older rose from 14.8 to 18.3, with an IDR of 1.23 (P < 0.001). The increase was 15% in those aged 65–69, 16% in those 70–74 years, 30% in those 75–79 years, 36% in those 80–84 years, and 254% in those 85 years or older. Indicence density ratios in those aged 65 years or older were 0.92 (not significant) for astrocytoma, 2.7 (p < 0.001) for anaplastic astrocytoma, 1.32 (p < 0.001) for glioblastoma and 3.56 (p < 0.001) for lymphoma. In those aged 65+ the incidence of all cancers rose 7.6% (not significant), and the incidence of pancreatic cancer (another neoplasm that requires CT scanning for diagnosis) rose 0.34% (not significant). Conclusions. The incidence of primary brain tumors in elderly Floridians has increased. This increase is independent of increased case ascertainment associated with the introduction of CT scanning and independent of a general increase of all cancers. The rise in brain tumor incidence is observed in anaplastic astrocytoma, glioblastoma, and lymphoma but not astrocytoma. This study confirms the increase is histologically specific and not due to increased case ascertainment. Further investigation into the etiology of this increase is warranted. Cancer 1995; 76:1634–42.
Microorganisms participate in the construction of manganese nodules

THE geographical distribution and formation of manganese nodules have inspired investigation and speculation for more than a 100 years (for example, refs 1 and 2). Although photographs have revealed that some organisms attach themselves to Mn nodules on the deep seafloor (for example, ref. 3), these were apparently epiphytes, not contributing to the formation of the nodules. I now wish to suggest, on the basis of an ultrastructural examination of Mn nodules, that several groups of organisms are active in their construction.
Now I’m Ready: The Impact of a Professional Development Initiative on Faculty Concerns with Program Assessment

This article examines the impact of a faculty professional development effort on the understanding, confidence, and attitudes of education faculty related to program assessment activities. We applied literature on the adoption of innovations, institutional effectiveness, and professional development to a case study of a series of workshops on assessment. The results suggest that faculty members had improved skills and knowledge, understanding, confidence, and attitudes regarding assessment following the workshops. The opportunity for faculty members to collaborate with colleagues on assessment and to develop an understanding of the kinds of supports in place for assessment work were important elements in the gains.
Isoprene/methyl acrylate Diels - Alder reaction in supercritical carbon dioxide

The Diels−Alder reaction between isoprene and methyl acrylate was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide in the temperature range 110−140 °C and the pressure range 95.2−176.9 atm in a 300 cm3 autoclave. The high-pressure phase behavior of the reaction mixture in the vicinity of its critical region was determined in a mixed vessel with a sight window to ensure that all the experiments were performed in the supercritical single-phase region. Kinetic data were obtained at different temperatures, pressures, and reaction times. It was observed that in the vicinity of the critical point the reaction rate constant decreases with increasing pressure. It was also determined that the reaction selectivity does not change with operating conditions. Transition-state theory was used to explain the effect of pressure on reaction rate and product selectivity. Additional experiments were conducted at constant temperature but different phase behaviors (two-phase region, liquid phase, supercritical phase) by adjusting ...
Therapies Targeting Exogenous Cholesterol Uptake: New Insights and Controversies

Exogenous cholesterol uptake involves a complex process in the intestines for the absorption of cholesterol and bile acids. This process is regulated by intestinal nuclear transcription factors such as LXR that affect sterol transporters NPC1L1, ABCG5/G8, and ABCG1, and enzymes such as ACAT-2. Plant sterol/stanols, ezetimibe, and bile acid sequestrants have a variety of effects on these various transporters, and new insights into their mechanism(s) of action have provided a plethora of exciting targets for metabolic diseases, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.
Sex selection and reproductive freedom.

Abstract The emergence of new technologies for determining the sex of children again brings to the forefront the disquieting preference for male offspring evidenced in most societies. After a brief discussion of the cultural underpinnings of this predilection, I examine three societies where the use of selective abortion is well documented: India, South Korea, and China. The relevance of these data for abortion policy in the United States is discussed. Following this is an evaluation of some of the biological, social, and psychological arguments for and against the use of sex selection. The paper then turns to the central question: whether or not the state ought to regulate sex selection, including both pre- and post-conception techniques. After reviewing the arguments in favor of regulation, the essay concludes that regulation would jeopardize the very rights it was designed to protect.
Material Composition Gradients and Protein Release for Tracheal Defect Repair

Windpipe defects result in decreased quality of life for the patient, making breathing, speaking, and swallowing difficult. Disorders of the trachea requiring intervention methods not adequately treated by slide tracheoplasty or cartilage augmentation necessitate the use of prosthetic material to expand the trachea. Furthermore, some donor site morbidity occurs with augmentation techniques and size or shape mismatches are not uncommon. Tissue engineering has the potential to create effective replacement trachea-like tissue for procedures like laryngotracheal reconstruction and may circumvent these problems.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Simple decompression and occasional microsurgical epineurolysis under local anesthesia as treatment for ulnar neuropathy at the elbow

Decompression of the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel will reverse ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in most patients. We believe that operating under local anesthesia has allowed us to identify those few patients who will not respond to simple decompressive surgery. Among the 20 cases of ulnar neuropathy managed in this fashion, intraoperative motor-sensory improvement occurred after simple decompressive surgery in 16. Four patients who failed to improve after cubital tunnel decompression underwent microsurgical epineurolysis immediately thereafter, under the same local anesthetic, with prompt improvement. Local anesthesia and microsurgical epineurolysis seem to be useful adjuncts to simple decompressive surgery for ulnar neuropathy.
Minimize sub-carrier re-allocation overhead in SLICE networks with dynamic traffic

We propose novel sub-carrier (re)allocation approaches to accommodate dynamic traffic while minimizing the reconfiguration cost in SLICE networks, with or without planning based on the traffic prediction.