cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Balance of Payments Constraint and Inflation

This paper describes briefly the main alternatives to the dominant neoclassical theories of inflation, according to which inflation is always a monetary phenomenon. The model develops a cost-push approach, in which raising costs are mainly related to external constraints. Distributive conflict inflation is possible, but is not explored, in order to highlight the novelty of the model. Not only inflation is seen as resulting from balance of payments crises, but fiscal crises also are the result of the initial balance of payments crises within this framework. Fiscal deficits, and all other excess demand pressures, are absent, so that high levels of inflation are compatible with an economy that is bellow full employment, and stabilization is independent of fiscal adjustments.
Ultrasonic computed tomography considerations in the NDE of solid materials

A research effort was carried out to assess the feasibility of utilizing ultrasonic computed tomography (UCT) to determine quantitatively the porosity content and distribution within various test specimens. Index of refraction (or velocity) tomography, as opposed to attenuation tomography, was used because of the many complications encountered when using the latter and its inherent inconsistency in determining porosity content. It is demonstrated that, with suitable measures taken to account for beam refraction and other related effects, ultrasonic tomography could indeed be used for porosity location and quantification. >
Transfection of Mammalian Cells Using Block Copolypeptide Vesicles

An arginine-leucine block copolypeptide (R60 L20 ) is synthesized, which is capable of forming vesicles with controllable sizes, able to transport hydrophilic cargo across the cell membrane, and exhibit relatively low cytotoxicity. The R60 L20 vesicles also possess the ability to deliver DNA into mammalian cells for transfection. Although the transfection efficiency is lower than that of the commercially available transfection agent Lipofectamine 2000, the R60 L20 vesicles are able to achieve transfection with significantly lower cytotoxicity and immunogenicity. This behavior is potentially due to its stronger interaction with DNA which subsequently provides better protection against anionic heparin.
Carbonyl sulfide: an alternate substrate for but not an activator of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase.

Carbonyl sulfide, a competitive inhibitor of ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase with respect to CO2 (Laing, W. A., and Christeller, J. T. (1980) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 202, 592-600), is an alternate substrate. Thiocarboxylation was monitored by mass spectrometry as the stoichiometric consumption of carbonyl sulfide. The product, 1-thio-3-phosphoglycerate, was identified by 13C NMR and UV absorption spectroscopy and measured by enzymic conversion to thiolactate, coupled to the oxidation of NADH. The expected stoichiometry of thiocarboxylation was confirmed. The maximal rates of thiocarboxylation for the spinach and Rhodospirillum rubrum enzymes were close to the maximal rates of carboxylation for these two enzymes. Both enzymes favored CO2 over carbonyl sulfide (with Mg2+ as metal ion) by a factor of about 110. Thiocarboxylation could only be demonstrated with enzymes carbamylated with CO2. Incubation of the carbamylated E.ACO2.Mg complex with excess carbonyl sulfide caused the displacement of the activator carbamate. The thiocarbamylated enzyme was catalytically incompetent and did not form a stable quaternary complex with 2'-carboxyarabinitol bisphosphate. Incubation of the thiocarbamylated enzyme with excess CO2 resulted in the displacement of the thiocarbamate, the re-formation of the carbamylated E.ACO2.Mg complex and the restoration of catalytic competence. Computergraphic simulation of the thiocarbamylated quaternary complex indicated unfavorable van der Waals interactions associated with the thiocarbamate.
Size and shape in biology.

Arguments based on elastic stability and flexure, as opposed to the more conventional ones based on yield strength, require that living organisms adopt forms whereby lengths increase as the ⅔ power of diameter. The somatic dimensions of several species of animals and of a wide variety of trees fit this rule well. It is a simple matter to show that energy metabolism during maximal sustained work depends on body cross-sectional area, not total body surface area as proposed by Rubner (1) and many after him. This result and the result requiring animal proportions to change with size amount to a derivation of Kleiber9s law, a statement only empirical until now, correlating the metabolically related variables with body weight raised to the ¾ power. In the present model, biological frequencies are predicted to go inversely as body weight to the ¼ power, and total body surface areas should correlate with body weight to the ⅝ power. All predictions of the proposed model are tested by comparison with existing data, and the fit is considered satisfactory. In The Fire of Life, Kleiber (5) wrote "When the concepts concerned with the relation of body size and metabolic rate are clarified, . . . then compartive physiology of metabolism will be of great help in solving one of the most intricate and interesting problems in biology, namely the regulation of the rate of cell metabolism." Although Hill (23) realized that "the essential point about a large animal is that its structure should be capable of bearing its own weight and this leaves less play for other factors," he was forced to use an oversimplified "geometric similarity" hypothesis in his important work on animal locomotion and muscular dynamics. It is my hope that the model proposed here promises useful answers in comparisons of living things on both the microscopic and the gross scale, as part of the growing science of form, which asks precisely how organisms are diverse and yet again how they are alike.
Comparing groups on latent variables: A structural equation modeling approach

Structural equation modeling (SEM) provides a dependable framework for testing differences among groups on latent variables (constructs, factors). The purpose of this article is to illustrate SEM-based testing for group mean differences on latent variables. Related procedures of confirmatory factor analysis and testing for measurement invariance across compared groups are also presented in the context of rehabilitation research.
Selective determination of a group of organic compounds in complex sample matrixes by LC/MIMS with on-line immunoaffinity extraction.

An on-line immunoaffinity extraction with liquid chromatography/membrane introduction mass spectrometry (IAE/LC/MIMS) method for the determination of BTEX compounds in complex sample matrixes is described. This method uses an immunoaffinity column (1 mm i.d. × 20 mm) for on-line sample cleanup and enrichment, a 5-μm C18 trapping column (2 mm i.d. × 20 mm) for analyte focusing, a 3-μm C18 analytical column (3.2 mm i.d. × 100 mm) for separation, and a membrane introduction mass spectrometer for quantitation. The immunoaffinity column was evaluated in terms of binding capacity, recovery, and enrichment factor. The method was optimized for the determination of BTEX compounds in a mixture of 30 volatile organic compounds, which showed no matrix interference and a dramatic improvement of the detection limit over that of the LC/MIMS method (up to 474-fold). This method was also used for the determination of BTEX compounds in several gasoline-contaminated water samples, and the results were compared with the EPA ...
Search at different price levels: the impact of knowledge and search cost

Studies the impact of search cost and prior knowledge on consumer search at different price points in a market price distribution for telecommunications products. In an experiment it is found that buyers search differently on premium price products than they do on moderate and low price products, and that this behavior depends on the search costs of the purchase situation and the knowledge of the buyer involved. The results suggest a number of implications for marketers on the role of premium priced brands, ranging from product line pricing strategy to information communication strategy.
C5a Receptor Oligomerization I. DISULFIDE TRAPPING REVEALS OLIGOMERS AND POTENTIAL CONTACT SURFACES IN A G PROTEIN-COUPLED RECEPTOR

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), stimulated by hormones and sensory stimuli, act as molecular switches to relay activation to heterotrimeric G proteins. Recent studies suggest that GPCRs form dimeric or oligomeric structures, a phenomenon that has long been established for growth factor receptors. The elucidation of the domains of GPCRs that mediate receptor association is of critical importance for understanding the function of GPCR oligomers. Using a disulfide-trapping strategy to probe the intermolecular contact surfaces, we demonstrate cross-linking of C5a receptors in membranes prepared from both human neutrophils and stably transfected mammalian cells that is mediated by a cysteine in the second intracellular loop. To explore other surfaces that might be involved in the oligomerization of C5a receptors, we constructed receptors with individual cysteines in other intracellular regions. C5a receptors with a cysteine in the first intracellular loop or the carboxyl terminus displayed the fastest kinetics of dimer formation, whereas an intracellular loop 3 cysteine displayed minimal cross-linking. Since the rate of disulfide trapping reflects the proximity of sulfhydryl groups, assuming similar accessibility and flexibility, these results imply a symmetric dimer interface that may involve either transmembrane helices 1 and 2 or helix 4. However, neither model can account for the ability of the native cysteine in the second intracellular loop to mediate efficient crosslinking. Based on these observations, we propose that C5a receptors form higher order oligomers (i.e. tetramers) or clusters in the membrane.
Transient combustion response of homogeneous solid propellant to acoustic oscillations in a rocket motor

Interactions between acoustic waves and the transient combustion response of a double-base homogeneous propellant in a rocket motor have been analyzed numerically. The analysis extends the previous work on gas-phase flame dynamics to include the coupling with condensed-phase processes. Consequently, a more complete description of propellant combustion response to imposed acoustic oscillations can be obtained. Emphasis is placed on the near-surface flame-zone physiochemistry and its coupling with unsteady propellant burning in an oscillatory environment. The formulation treats complete conservation equations and the finite-rate chemical kinetics in both the gas-phase and subsurface regions. The instantaneous propellant burning rate is predicted as part of the solution. Various distinct features of unsteady heat release arising from propellant combustion response in a motor with forced oscillations are studied systematically. As in the pure gas-phase dynamics of the previous case, the dynamic behavior of the luminous flame plays a decisive role in determining the motor stability characteristics. However, the propellant combustion response may qualitatively modify the temporal evolution of heat-release distribution in the luminous flame and as a result exerts a significant influence on the global stability behavior. The primary flame structure adjacent to the propellant surface is usually little affected by flow oscillation. This may be attributed to the large thermal inertial of the condensed phase, which tends to restrain the temperature variation in the near-surface zone in the present study of laminar flows. The situation with a turbulent flow may be drastically different, as turbulence may penetrate directly into the, primary flame and substantially change the local flame dynamics and transport phenomena.
The British Way in Counter-Insurgency, 1945–1967

The British Way in Counter-Insurgency, 1945–1967 David French Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2011 x + 283 pp., ISBN: 978-0-19-958796-14 (£65.00 hardback) In our twenty-first-century discussions o...
Anionic rearrangements of organosilicon compounds

In comparison to the rearrangements of carbonium ions so long known and well studied in organic chemistry, anionic rearrangements have been much less thoroughly explored'. Recently, we have found that certain anionic rearrangements proceed with unprecedented speed when the migrating group is an organosilicon moiety. The realization of the very high mobility of silyl substituents in anionic rearrangements opens a new area of organometallic chemistry, and at the same time offers a highly useful technique for the study of anionic rearrangements generally.
PCP and violent crime: the people vs. peace.

(1980). PCP and Violent Crime: The People vs. Peace. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 12, PCP: Problems and Prevention. Selected Proceedings of the National PCP Conference 1979+K2, pp. 317-330.
Methods for the selection of tagging SNPs: a comparison of tagging efficiency and performance

There is great interest in the use of tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) to facilitate association studies of complex diseases. This is based on the premise that a minimum set of tSNPs may be sufficient to capture most of the variation in certain regions of the human genome. Several methods have been described to select tSNPs, based on either haplotype-block structure or independent of the underlying block structure. In this paper, we compare eight methods for choosing tSNPs in 10 representative resequenced candidate genes (a total of 194.2 kb) with different levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in a sample of European-Americans. We compared tagging efficiency (TE) and prediction accuracy of tSNPs identified by these methods, as a function of several factors, including LD level, minor allele frequency, and tagging criteria. We also assessed tagging consistency between each method. We found that tSNPs selected based on the methods Haplotype Diversity and Haplotype r2 provided the highest TE, whereas the prediction accuracy was comparable among different methods. Tagging consistency between different methods of tSNPs selection was poor. This work demonstrates that when tSNPs-based association studies are undertaken, the choice of method for selecting tSNPs requires careful consideration.
Response confidence and the Ponzo illusion.

The number of longer line judgements and the ratings of confidence in these judgements were significantly higher when the comparison line was located near the apex of the Ponzo wedge but only confidence ratings were affected by the orientation of the wedge (ns = 24 men, 24 women). Differences between the two measures suggest that perceptual and nonperceptual processes may be involved in the illusion.
Optimal utilization of extended hepatic grafts.

Orthotopic liver transplantation has emerged as the standard treatment for end-stage liver disease. In the United States, the number of listed patients has tripled in the last two decades. Organ availability during the same period has plateaued at approximately 6000 grafts annually, resulting in a fivefold increase in wait-list mortality. The problem is not specific to the United States; European and Asian registries report similar shortages. Donor pool expansion strategies such as the use of living donors, cadaveric split livers, and “extended criteria donors”; (ECD) are being pursued. Used judiciously, ECD grafts provide an opportunity for addressing the shortage. Although there is no universally accepted definition of ECD, the term generally refers to donor factors predisposing recipients to poor initial graft function and/or increased long-term risk. These factors include advanced donor age, hypernatremia, prolonged warm ischemic time, pressor requirement, and donation after cardiac death. The transplant community is scrutinizing all factors to evaluate the degree of risk they impart on the recipient and the extent to which grafts can be “matched”; to maintain acceptable outcomes. We review the importance of selected factors and the impact of a “matching”; strategy to minimize recipient risk while optimizing graft use.
Proton magnetic relaxation studies of mixed phosphatidylcholine/fatty acid and mixed phosphatidylcholine bimolecular bilayers.

Abstract High resolution proton spin-lattice relaxation times ( T 1 ), spin-spin relaxation times ( T 2 ) and resonance linewidths were measured above the gel-to-liquid crystal trasition temperature ( T m ), in phosphatidylcholine bilayers possesing various degrees of intramolecular motional anisotropy at the level of various alkyl chain proton groups. The experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that coupled trans-gauche isomerizations along the chains can be responsible for the anisotropic motion of phosphatidylcholine proton groups in bilayer membranes (Horwitz, A.F., Horsley, W.J. and Klein M.P. (1972) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S. 69, 590). Systematic serie of structural perturbations of the bilayer were achieved in mixed phosphatidylcholine/fatty acid and in mixed phosphatidylcholine bilayers where the degree of motional anisotropy of the chains' proton groups was gradually reduced by progressively increasing the chain length disparity of the two components. The systematic T 1 and T 2 variations observed in these systems were interpreted on the basis of the Woessner's treatment for computing the relaxation times of a spin pair reorienting randomly about an axis which, in turn, tumbles randomly (Woessner, D.E.(1962) J. Chem. Phys. 36, 1). The results confirmed in a qualitative sense the original hypothesis made by Horwitz et al. The time-averaged structural interpretations suggested by the magnetic relaxation studies are in agreement with low-angle X-ray diffraction results obtained below T m . In addition, the T 1 values evaluated at various temperatures in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles incorporated with either 2H-labeled or unlabeled palmitic acid chains indicated that the average intermolecular contribution to the spin-lattice relaxation rate of the proton groups of the phosphatidylcholine chains appears comparable to the intramolecular term at temperatures moderately higher than T m , but becomes less and less important as the temperature is further increased above the thermal transition.
The fracture resistance of layered DRA materials: Influence of laminae thickness

Abstract The effect of changes in laminae thickness on the fracture toughness of layered discontinuously reinforced aluminum (DRA) materials tested in the crack divider orientation was studied. Toughness was measured on monolithic DRA materials and layered DRA materials consisting of two layers of DRA materials and one layer of monolithic aluminum. The fracture toughness of the individual DRA laminae was not significantly affected by changes in thickness over the thickness regime presently used in the layered DRA materials, consisting of alternating layers of DRA and a monolithic aluminum alloy. The initiation toughness of the layered DRA materials was found to be independent of both the DRA layer thickness and the aluminum ligament thickness, but greater than that of a monolithic DRA material. The crack growth resistance of the layered DRA materials was evaluated and was found to increase proportionally with the aluminum ligament thickness. The toughness improvements possible in layered DRA materials are summarized while the effects of changes in laminae thickness on the subsequent toughness are discussed via a consideration of the effects of constrained plasticity on the flow and fracture of the constituents.
Reduced Leptin Levels in Starvation Increase Susceptibility to Endotoxic Shock

Malnutrition compromises immune function, reducing resistance to infection. We examine whether the decrease in leptin induced by starvation increases susceptibility to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced lethality. In mice, fasting for 48 hours enhances sensitivity to LPS. Decreasing the fasting-induced fall in leptin by leptin administration markedly reduced sensitivity to LPS. Although fasting decreases basal leptin levels, LPS treatment increased leptin to the same extent as in fed animals. Fasting increased basal serum corticosterone; leptin treatment blunted this increase. Fasting decreased the ability of LPS to increase corticosterone; leptin restored the corticosterone response to LPS. Serum glucose levels were decreased in fasted mice and LPS induced a further decrease. Leptin treatment affected neither basal glucose nor that after LPS. LPS induced a fivefold greater increase in serum TNF in fasted mice, which was blunted by leptin replacement. In contrast, LPS induced lower levels of interferon-gamma and no differences in interleukin-1beta in fasted compared to fed animals; leptin had no effect on those cytokines. Furthermore, fasting increased sensitivity to the lethal effect of TNF itself, which was also reversed by leptin treatment. Thus, leptin seems to be protective by both inhibiting TNF induction by LPS and by reducing TNF toxicity.
Dependency preservation in semantic databases

A simple semantic or object-based data model is considered, which includes objects and object identifiers, classes and class hierarchies, attributes ranging over atomic values. Transactions are composed from five, basic operators manipulating objects. Preservation of functional and acyclic inclusion dependencies by transactions is studied in such a context of semantic databases and update transactions. It is shown to be decidable whether a given transaction preserves a given set of functional dependencies, or acyclic inclusion dependencies, or both functional and acyclic inclusion dependencies. Time complexity (with respect to the sizes of transactions and database schemas) for testing preservation is also discussed. It turns out that the problem is co-NP-complete in the simplest cases where there is only one nontrivial dependency and transactions consist of only creations and deletions of objects. It implies that the problem is at least co-NP-hard in general.
A comparison study of different excitation wavelengths to determine the relative content of key biomolecules in breast cancer and breast normal tissue

Fluorescence profiles from breast cancer and breast normal tissue samples with excitation wavelengths at 280 nm and 340 nm were obtained using the conventional LS-50 Perkin-Elmer spectrometer. Fluorescence ratios from these tissue samples, demonstrated by emission peaks at 340 nm, 440 nm and 460 nm and likely representing tryptophan and NADH, show increased relative content of tryptophan in malignant samples. Double ratio (DR) techniques were used to measure the severity of disease. The single excitation double ratio (Single-DR) method utilizes the emission intensity peaks from the spectrum acquired using a single excitation of 280 nm; while the dual excitation double ratio (dual-DR) method utilizes the emission intensity peaks from the spectra acquired using an excitation of 280 nm and 340 nm. Single-DR and dual-DR from 13 patients with breast carcinoma were compared in terms of their efficiency to distinguish high from low/intermediate tumors. Similar results were found with both methods. Results suggest that dual excitation wavelengths may be as effective as single excitation wavelength in calculating the relative content of biomolecules in breast cancer tissue, as well as for the assessment of the malignant potential of these tumors.
Enhanced human lysozyme production by Kluyveromyces lactis K7 in biofilm reactor coupled with online recovery system

Abstract Kluyveromyces lactis K7 is a genetically modified microorganism, which is proposed to produce the human lysozyme commercially. Up to now, human lysozyme production with this strain was improved by the application of biofilm reactor with plastic composite supports compared to the suspended-cell bioreactor. The goal of this study was to further enhance the human lysozyme production with a simultaneous fermentation in biofilm reactor and online recovery system. For the adsorption of human lysozyme, various percent ratios (wt/v) of silicic acid: fermentation broth as the absorbent, temperature, and pH of the fermentation broth were evaluated, whereas temperature, pH, sodium dodecyl sulfate, NaCl, and ethanol concentrations in the eluent were evaluated for the desorption of the human lysozyme from absorbent. The results demonstrated that the best adsorption (95.6% adsorption) was obtained at 25 °C, pH 4, and 25% silicic acid: fermentation broth volume ratio and the best desorption parameters were determined as 25 °C, pH 6.2, and 5% (wt/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate with 1 M NaCl and 20% (v/v) ethanol as eluent among tested variables. Four repetitive desorption process yielded up to 98% desorption. Finally, the simultaneous fermentation and online recovery system improved the production of human lysozyme to 280.4 U/mL, which is a 63% improvement compared to the biofilm bioreactor without the online recovery system. Therefore, this approach is not only enhanced the human lysozyme production, but also allowed the recovery process simultaneously with fermentation.
Health Care Teams Administering the School's Athletic Training Program

Providing adequate health care for its athletes is an important part of a school's program. How to administer such a program is the focus of this article. The author outlines the importance of each person on the health care team.
The thermodynamics of hydrogen–vacancy interactions in aluminum

Abstract The thermodynamic properties of Al–H solid solutions containing lattice vacancies have been discussed using an approach in which the grand canonical ensemble is used to elucidate the behavior of the Al–VAC–H system in Fermi–Dirac statistics. Calculations have been presented and compared for specific models in which H-atoms act both as a simple interstitial species and forms either decorated vacancies or substitutional defects. Vacancy concentrations concomitant to different levels of hydrogenization are calculated and approximate penetration curves for the ingress of vacancies from the metal surface are presented.
Can a fashion brand be social?: The role of benefits of brand community within social network sites

Social network sites (SNS) are at the center of social media marketing efforts to engage customers and promote fashion brands. In particular, a growing number of fashion firms implement brand communities via various SNSs, such as Facebook, in order to develop meaningful interactions and relationships with their customers. This study identifies the specific benefits perceived by consumers of fashion brand communities embedded in an SNS (BSNS) and examines the impacts of these benefits on consumers' brand relationships and brand loyalty. After qualitative exploration of the community to understand the practice of BSNS, a quantitative method was utilized to test the hypothesized relationships. The results provide general support for the positive effect of BSNS benefits on outcome variables. Practical managerial suggestions and theoretical implications are provided.
Rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase. Amino- and carboxyl-terminal studies.

Abstract Amino-terminal analysis of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase (ATP:pyruvate 2- O -phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.40) failed to detect the presence of any free amino-terminal residues. Acetyl group analysis demonstrated the presence of between 3.7 and 4.0 mol of acetyl groups per mol of enzyme. The acetylated amino-terminal residue was isolated from pronase digests of the enzyme and identified as N -acetylserine. Quantitative recovery experiments indicated that all acetyl residues are found at the amino termini. Carboxyl-terminal analyses using the tritium exchange method suggested the presence of a blocked carboxylterminal residue, supporting previous hydrazinolysis and carboxypeptidase studies.
Polysomes of Cultured Normal and Leukaemic Lymphocytes: Response to Phytohaemagglutinin

Summary. Polysome OD260 profiles of glass column separated normal and leukaemic lymphocytes were studied. Contaminating RBC were haemolysed with NH4Cl prior to culture. Post-mitochondrial supernatants from lymphocytes ruptured by nitrogen cavitation were analysed in a scaled-down sucrose gradient procedure. Normal lymphocytes responded to phytohaemagglutinin stimulation in a few hours with increases in all classes of polysome OD260 absorbances from the low levels found in both normal and leukaemic unstimulated lymphocytes. Leukaemic lymphocytes which responded to PHA showed delays in both polysome formation and blast-cell production. With leukaemic lymphocytes the degree of responsiveness to PHA and the amount of polysome OD260 produced were inversely related to the level of the peripheral WBC counts. Incorporation of [14C]-amino acids at polysomes in both intact cells and in cell free reactions increased with PHA stimulation and blast-cell production. With both normal and leukaemic lymphocytes increased [14C]amino acid incorporation was related to increase in polysome OD260. There was no evidence that leukaemic polysomes when formed were defective.
School-Based Accountability and the Distribution of Teacher Quality across Grades in Elementary School.

Abstract We use North Carolina data to explore whether the quality of teachers in the lower elementary grades (K–2) falls short of teacher quality in the upper grades (3–5) and to examine the hypothesis that school accountability pressures contribute to such quality shortfalls. Our concern with the early grades arises from recent studies highlighting how children's experiences in those years have lasting effects on their later outcomes. Using two credentials-based measures of teacher quality, we document within-school quality shortfalls in the lower grades, and show that the shortfalls increased with the introduction of No Child Left Behind. Consistent with that pattern, we find that schools responded to accountability pressures by moving their weaker teachers down to the lower grades and stronger teachers up to the higher grades. These findings support the view that accountability pressure induces schools to pursue actions that work to the disadvantage of children in the lower grades.
Impact of a Service-Learning Project on Student Success in Allied Health Microbiology Course

Education research shows many benefits of involving students in service learning. However, designing service-learning projects for science courses such as microbiology can be problematic. This article describes an effective, easily adapted project design that gets allied-health microbiology students to apply classroom knowledge towards educating the general public about infectious diseases.
Assessment of aliphatic–aromatic copolyester biodegradable mulch films. Part II: Laboratory simulated conditions

In a previous paper, we demonstrated that the main mechanism of degradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) biodegradable mulch films when exposed to field conditions was crosslinking due to the photodegradation from solar radiation. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of crosslinking on the biodegradability of PBAT samples. PBAT films were subjected to UV photodegradation in laboratory simulated conditions to investigate the effects of crosslinking and other major changes in the structure and mechanical properties of the films. Crosslinking caused the films to become more brittle and produced a reduction of the tensile strength and percent elongation. Besides the crosslinking degradation mechanism, chain scission also occurred in the samples. After 45 d of biodegradation test, the non-crosslinked PBAT sample reached 60% of mineralization. However, the percent mineralization was reduced when samples were crosslinked. The percent mineralization of samples with 10%, 30%, 50%, and 70% gel content was 36%, 43%, 21%, and 24%, respectively. Our results indicate that crosslinking is a key process underlying the degradation of the PBAT film and did affect the biodegradability of the films, since the samples with greater amount of gel content generally showed less percent mineralization in the biodegradation tests.
Music Induced Tourism: Strategic Use of Indigenous Music as a Tourist Icon

ABSTRACT This paper utilizes a site sacralization model to examine the strategic use of music as a tourism promotional tool. Perceptions of Cajun music are used in multiple regression analysis to identify non-native prime prospects for a promotional campaign to induce travel to Southwest Louisiana. Findings are discussed in the context of strategic objectives, and future research ideas are proposed.
KTP-532 laser ablation of urethral strictures

In 1988, the KTP-532 laser was used to ablate a series of benign urethral strictures. Rather than using a single incision, as in urethrotomy, strictures were treated with a 360$DEG contact photoradiation. Thirty-one males, average age 53.2 years, received 37 treatments. Six patients underwent a second laser treatment. Stricture etiology was commonly iatrogenic (32%), traumatic (16%), and post-gonococcal (10%). Stricture location included mainly bulbar (49%), membranous (20%), and penile (12%) areas. The surgical technique consisted of a circumferential ablation followed by foley catheter placement (mean 10 days). Follow-up on 29 of 31 patients ranged from 1 to 16 months (mean 9.7) Complete success occurred in 17 patients (59%) who had no further symptoms or instrumentation. Partial success was seen in 6 patients (20.5%) with symptoms but no stricture recurrence. Six patients (20.5%) failed therapy requiring additional surgery or regular dilatations. No complications were encountered. Although longer assessment is required, KTP-532 laser ablation of urethral strictures appears efficacious.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A hetero-photoautotrophic two-stage cultivation process to improve wastewater nutrient removal and enhance algal lipid accumulation

Abstract A hetero-photoautotrophic algal growth model was studied for improved wastewater treatment and low cost algal biofuel feedstock production. The microalga, Auxenochlorella protothecoides UMN280, was grown heterotrophically on concentrated municipal wastewater and then autotrophically with CO 2 supplementation (air, 1% and 5%, respectively). Strain UMN280 was harvested by self-sedimentation after the heterotrophic stage and the supernatant was aerated with different levels of CO 2 to facilitate autotrophic growth in the second stage. The maximal biomass concentration and lipid content at the first and second stages reached 1.12 g/L and 28.90%, and 1.16 g/L and 33.22%, respectively. The nutrient removal efficiencies for total phosphorus, ammonia, nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand at the end of the two-stage cultivation were 98.48%, 100%, 90.60% and 79.10%, respectively. The above process can be used to treat organic-rich wastewaters (e.g. industrial and animal manure wastewaters) to achieve the dual purpose of low-cost wastewater treatment and biofuel feedstock production.
Membranous basal cell adenoma of the hypopharynx.

• A membranous basal cell adenoma arose from the minor salivary glands in the hypopharynx of a 62-year-old man. Features distinguishing the membranous variant from other forms of basal cell adenoma include the following: (1) abundant reduplicated basement membrane material, (2) the presence of sialomucincontaining cells, and (3) the lack of distinct encapsulation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a basal cell adenoma of the hypopharynx, and the first report of the membranous variant in a minor salivary gland. ( Arch Otolaryngol 1983;109:774-777)
CAROTENOID TRANSFORMATIONS IN RIPENING APRICOTS AND PEACHES

SUMMARY –β-Carotene was the dominant pigment of apricot tissue and accumulated rapidly during ripening; however, in peach tissue, β-carotene along with lutein and violaxanthin were synthesized in almost equal amounts during the ripening process. In the latter tissue small amounts of zeaxanthin were detected mid-point in the ripening sequence. Peach and apricot tissue incorporated [2-14 C] mevalonic acid into β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and also into violaxanthin in peach tissue. Incorporation of [2-14 C] mevalonic acid into the above carotenoids was greatest during the initial stages of ripening in the peach and then declined with senescence especially in the xanthophylls lutein and violaxanthin.
Pseudopotential calculation of the Raman tensor for homopolar semiconductors

Abstract A pseudopotential calculation of the first derivative of the electronic polarizability with respect to an atomic displacement for diamond, silicon, and germanium is presented. The values of these derivatives, which govern the intensity of the first order Raman effect in the corresponding crystals, are - 1.82 A 2 for diamond, 6.73 A 2 for silicon, and 40.53 A 2 for germanium. The dependence of the polarizability derivative for silicon on the frequency of the incident light has also been calculated.
Expression ofβ-galactosidase and luciferase in insect cell lines infected with a recombinant AcMNPV

An AcMNPV recombinant (Ac-gal-luc) carrying theβ-galactosidase and luciferase genes under the control of the p10 and polyhedrin promoters, respectively, was used to study expression in nine insect cell lines. All AcMNPV-permissive cell lines expressed both reporter genes with the coleopteran cell line,Anthonomus grandis (AGE), producing the highest concentrations ofβ-galactosidase (5.0×106 pg/ml) and luciferase (2.67×103 pg/ml). Both enzymes were detected as early as 12 h postinoculation in lysate samples of the AGE cell line.Helicoverpa armigera (HA), a nonpermissive cell line, expressedβ-galactosidase at 72 h postinoculation at a concentration of 3.5×103 pg/ml. However, expression of luciferase was not detected. Expression of luciferase andβ-galactosidase was also not detected in the nonpermissiveHelicoverpa zea (HZ) cell line.
The Proper Use of Self-Report Questions in Effective Measurement of Health Outcomes

Outcomes research often relies on the use of general population survey data. The recent efforts to employ cognitive science theory in the development of data collection instruments has led to the establishment of new questionnaire design research methods. Intensive cognitive techniques are used in laboratory interviews to develop and pretest self-report survey questions with the goal of reducing nonsampling response error. This article presents the theoretical and applied approach used in the cognitive laboratory to study the ways people respond to surveys, and offers guidelines for improving self-report survey questions.
Sensitivity of infrared sea surface temperature retrievals to the vertical distribution of airborne dust aerosol

Abstract Sea surface temperature retrievals using the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer are highly sensitive to cloud cover and coarse mode aerosol particles such as dust. Operationally, techniques are used to flag contaminated retrievals; however, these techniques are less precise in removing dust-contaminated values. A commonly stated metric of quality for SST daytime retrievals is 0.5 °C; thus dust contents that produce errors greater than this value should be of concern. Here we report on significant correlation between potential SST error and observed aerosol optical depths (AOD) that was found in the tropical region dominated by Saharan dust. Utilizing a radiative transfer model with variable dust contents and typical vertical distributions, errors greater than the desired 0.5 °C accuracy are observed for dust AODs as low as 0.05. Errors of over 1 °C occur with 0.25 AOD. Analysis of the AERONET data from Cape Verde, which includes the Saharan Air Layer off the west coast of Africa, reveals that 90% of the days during the boreal summer are found to have AOD amounts that correspond to error greater than 0.5 °C. We found that a correction accurate within 0.25 °C requires a mean accuracy of 0.1 AOD and proper vertical placement of the dust layer within 250 m. While empirical SST retrievals often have some measure of climatological dust contamination built into them, this work shows that typical variability in dust loadings is a non-trivial error source against SST retrieval goals.
Studies on the effects of alloxan and streptozotocin induced diabetes on lipid metabolism in the isolated perfused rat lung

Abstract The effects of experimentally induced diabetes on the conversion of glucose to lipid in the isolated perfused rat lung were examined. Alloxan diabetes and streptozotocin diabetes reduced the incorporation of glucose into the neutral lipid and phospholipid fractions of the lung to a rate less than 40% of that observed in normal animals. This phenomenon appears to be related to insulin deficiency as lungs from diabetic rats treated for one week with insulin were capable of incorporating glucose at a rate comparable to that observed in normal animals. While insulin in vivo altered lipid metabolism in perfused lung, in vitro insulin had no demonstrable effect on lipid metabolism in the perfused lung, an indication that the effects of the hormone may be long term rather than short term. These data indicate that pulmonary lipid metabolism may be regulated by the action of insulin.
Structure-Function Relationships in Membrane Segment 5 of the Yeast Pma1 H+-ATPase

Membrane segment 5 (M5) is thought to play a direct role in cation transport by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase and the Na+,K+-ATPase of animal cells. In this study, we have examined M5 of the yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase by alanine-scanning mutagenesis. Mutant enzymes were expressed behind an inducible heat-shock promoter in yeast secretory vesicles as described previously (Nakamoto, R. K., Rao, R., and Slayman, C. W. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7940–7949). Three substitutions (R695A, H701A, and L706A) led to misfolding of the H+-ATPase as evidenced by extreme sensitivity to trypsin; the altered proteins were arrested in biogenesis, and the mutations behaved genetically as dominant lethals. The remaining mutants reached the secretory vesicles in sufficient amounts to be characterized in detail. One of them (Y691A) had no detectable ATPase activity and appeared, based on trypsinolysis in the presence and absence of ligands, to be blocked in the E1-to-E2 step of the reaction cycle. Alanine substitution at an adjacent position (V692A) had substantial ATPase activity (54%), but was likewise affected in the E1-to-E2 step, as evidenced by shifts in its apparent affinity for ATP, H+, and orthovanadate. Among the mutants that were sufficiently active to be assayed for ATP-dependent H+ transport by acridine orange fluorescence quenching, none showed an appreciable defect in the coupling of transport to ATP hydrolysis. The only residue for which the data pointed to a possible role in cation liganding was Ser-699, where removal of the hydroxyl group (S699A and S699C) led to a modest acid shift in the pH dependence of the ATPase. This change was substantially smaller than the 13–30-fold decrease in K+affinity seen in corresponding mutants of the Na+,K+-ATPase (Arguello, J. M., and Lingrel, J. B (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 22764–22771). Taken together, the results do not give firm evidence for a transport site in M5 of the yeast H+-ATPase, but indicate a critical role for this membrane segment in protein folding and in the conformational changes that accompany the reaction cycle. It is therefore worth noting that the mutationally sensitive residues lie along one face of a putative α-helix.
Red cell storage: does duration matter?

The report by Solomon et al in this issue of Blood is a welcome addition to understanding the clinical impact of prolonged red cell storage.[1][1] A major advance in blood banking during the past several decades is the ability to successfully preserve red blood cells for up to 42 days. This has
MR imaging of the brain in fat embolism syndrome

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is an uncommon but serious complication of traumatic injury and is frequently diagnostically challenging. In this paper, the authors present four patients who sustained lower extremity long bone injury and who had a normal Glasgow Coma Scale before orthopedic surgical intervention. However, postoperatively, significant neurological deterioration developed in these patients. While cranial computed tomography (CT) obtained immediately after surgery for acutely altered mental status was negative in two of the four patients, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated white and gray matter abnormalities accounting for the impaired neurological status in all cases. MRI findings in conjunction with clinical presentation established the diagnosis in all patients. MRI is indicated in any patient with orthopedic injuries who manifests an unexplained acute alteration in mental status, despite a normal head CT.
Left endocardium segmentation using spatio-temporal Metamorphs

The Metamorphs model is a robust segmentation method which integrates both shape and appearance in a unified space. The standard Metamorphs model does not encode temporal information. Thus it is not effective in segmenting time series data, such as a cardiac cycle from MRI. Furthermore, it needs manual interaction to initialize the model, which is time consuming for temporal data. In this paper, we proposed a model to seamlessly couple both spatial and temporal information together in the Metamorphs method. It is also able to automatically initialize the model instead of manual initialization. We model energy terms as probability maps, then different energy terms can be easily fused by multiplying them together. Temporal Spectral Residual (TSR) is employed to rapidly generate a probability map in temporal data. Compared to traditional Metamorphs, the computational overhead of our model is very light due to the efficiency of the TSR method and the ease of coupling different energy functions by using probability maps. We validate this algorithm in a task of segmenting the left ventricle endocardium from 2D MR sequences, and our method shows performance superior to the traditional Metamorphs.
Designed Autonomic Motion in Heterogeneous Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ)-Gelatin Composites by Synchronicity

Critical technologies from medicine to defense are highly dependent on advanced composite materials. Increasingly there is a greater demand for materials with expanded functionality. The state of the art includes a wide range of responsive composites capable of impressive structural feats such as externally triggered shape morphing. Here a different composite concept is presented, one in which a portion of the constituent materials feed off of ambient energy and dynamically couple to convert it to mechanical motion in a cooperative, biomimetic fashion. Using a recently developed self-oscillating gel based on gelatin and the oscillating Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, a technique is demonstrated for producing continuous patterned heterogeneous BZ hydrogel composites capable of sustained autonomic function. The coupling between two adjacent reactive patches is demonstrated in an autonomic cantilever actuator which converts chemical energy into amplified mechanical motion. The design of heterogeneous BZ gels for motion using a basic finite element model is discussed. This work represents notable progress toward developing internally responsive, bio-inspired composite materials for constructing modular autonomic morphing structures and devices.
Solid waste information management system (SWIMS)

Abstract This paper discusses the development of an online information system, called SWIMS. It contains information concerning waste recycling, energy conversion, and waste and energy conservation in solid waste management programs. SWIMS is produced for Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LaDEQ) on Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) 6410 and 6420 computer. ORACLE Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is used in the design of SWIMS. Functions provided by SWIMS are discussed in detail and information on how to use and maintain this system are also provided.