cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consumers' Priorities for Flame Retardant Protection

Although home economists and members of the textile industry recognize the needfor con sumer feedback, limited information is available regarding consumer reactions to flame retardant fabrics (FRF). The concept of the tradeoffs of other fabric and garment characteristics necessary to provide FRF has been virtually ignored. In this report, we com pared consumers' priorities for flame retardant protection (FRP) with and without tradeoffs of other fabric and garment characteristics. A mail survey was made of a stratified systematic sample of residents in an urban area in South Louisiana. Data analysis, using summed scores from the 104 usable responses, revealed a highly significant difference in the women's priorities for FRP with and without tradeoffs of other garment and fabric characteristics. More of the women were willing to trade off aesthetic than performance characteristics, and more of them were willing to trade off at least one of the ten listed characteristics to have FRP in personal wear than to have it in outer wear. The exploratory findings were used to suggest ideas for future hypothesis testing. Apparently consumers respond differently when a product charac teristic is presented alone and in combination with other characteristics. Therefore, we believe that the concept of tradeoffs should be included in future investigations.
Deposition of Strontium and Calcium in Snail Shell

The relative effects of strontium and calcium concentrations in the environment on their uptake and incorporation into snail shell were investigated. /sup 45/Ca and /sup 85/Sr were used as tracers and specific activities were used to determine deposition. Data are presented in tables and graphs. Deposition of both calcium and strontium in the snail shell depended primarily on the respective concentrations of these elements in the immediate environment. A slight effect of strontium on calcium deposition was observed. There was found to be a minimum strontium deposition for various combinations of strontium and calcium in the environment. It was concluded that strontium uptake is more closely associated with environmental strontium concentrations than with calcium concentrations.
Management of migraine headache in the emergency department

Headache is one of the more common reasons for adults to visit an emergency department. Most of these visits are for primary headache disorders, most commonly migraine headache. The authors discuss management options for patients presenting to the emergency department with prolonged, severe, or refractory migraine headaches. Particular attention is given to parenteral treatments and protocols that would not be options as an outpatient. The epidemiology, investigation, and outpatient management of migraine headache are discussed in other articles in this issue.
DEPLETION WIDTH AND CAPACITANCE TRANSIENT FORMULAS FOR DEEP TRAPS OF HIGH CONCENTRATION

We derive expressions for the depletion width and capacitance transient applicable to traps which may be deep and of high concentration. The new results are compared with those obtained from the commonly used formulas, and also from an exact analysis. Experimental deep level transient spectroscopic data for EL2 in GaAs are in good agreement.
Unitization: a lesson in collective action from the oil industry for aquifer governance

Unitization is the joint operation of oil or gas reservoirs by all the owners of rights in the separate tracts overlying the reservoirs. “Pooling” is sometimes referred to as unitization. Unitization as employed in the oil industry is designed to be collectively beneficial. Unitization of aquifers is a pro-market approach that could be used as one means to mitigate the inefficiency of a possession or use-based system of groundwater resources, minimize damage to the storage characteristics of aquifers, promote groundwater exploration and development in underutilized areas and prevent disputes instead of resolving conflicts over the utilization of aquifers.
Brain specific autoantibodies in murine models of systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract Autoantibodies which bind to integral membrane proteins of brain were tested for their ability to bind to cross-reactive antigens on non-neural tissue. Both brain specific autoantibodies and antibodies which bind to cross-reactive antigens were found. There were two types of brain reactive autoantibodies which could not be adsorbed by non-neural tissue. One type was adsorbable by crude cell membrane preparations of brain. The second type was reactive against integral membrane proteins of brain, but not adsorbable by any of the crude membrane preparations tested. Autoantibodies of the first type reacted against integral membrane proteins with apparent molecular weights of 75, 70, 62, 50, 27, 24 and 20 kDa, as determined by gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. As in previous studies, a diversity of brain reactive autoantibodies were found. The greatest numbers and strongest banding patterns were seen in the autoimmune strains of mice. The non-autoimmune strain displayed these autoantibodies at much lower levels. These results are the first to find brain specific autoantibodies, from autoimmune mice, against integral brain membrane antigens. The data support the idea that there is a sub-population of brain reactive autoantibodies which are involved in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric manifestations in immunologic disorders, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus.
Role of reducing agents, adrenal glands, and pituitary glands on the conversion of folic acid to citrovorum factor.

The recovery of citrovorum factor present in the urine of male rats receiving folic acid is enhanced both by in vitro addition of ascorbic acid to the collection bottles and by in vivo stomach tube feeding of ascorbic acid. In vitro addition of glutathione or homocysteine produces the same increase in the recovery of citrovorum factor in the urine as that obtained with ascorbic acid while added cysteine is less effective. Adrenalectomy lowers the urinary excretion of preformed citrovorum factor by male rats receiving folic acid but does not affect the bulk of the citrovorum factor activity present in urine in the form of a heat-labile compound (N10 formyltetrahydrofolic acid). Hypophysectomy lowers the urinary excretion both of preformed citrovorum factor and of the heat-labile precursor. Administration of beef-growth hormone to the hypophysectomized rats almost doubles the excretion of citrovorum factor in male rats receiving folic acid. However, administration of adrenocorticotropic or thyrotropic hormo...
Structural mechanisms of inflammasome assembly

Inflammasomes are supramolecular signaling complexes that activate a subset of caspases known as the inflammatory caspases, an example of which is caspase 1. Upon stimulation by microbial and damage-associated signals, inflammasomes assemble to elicit the first line of host defense via the proteolytic maturation of cytokines interleukin-1β and interleukin-18, and by induction of pyroptotic cell death. Inflammasome assembly requires activation of an upstream sensor, a downstream effector and, in most cases, an adaptor molecule such as apoptosis-associate speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC). Depending on whether ASC is required, inflammasomes can be categorized into ASC-dependent and ASC-independent inflammasomes. Here, we review current understandings of the structures of inflammasomes, as probed using traditional structural methods, as well as biochemical, biophysical and single-molecule methods. The key structural scaffold for inflammasome assembly is composed of filaments of Pyrin domains and caspase recruitment domains (CARD) in the sensor, adaptor and effector components. Nucleated polymerization appears to govern the ordered assembly process from activation of a Pyrin domain-containing sensor such as AIM2 by dsDNA or NLRP3 by extracellular particulates, to recruitment of the Pyrin domain and CARD-containing adaptor ASC, and finally to activation of CARD-containing caspase 1. The underlying filamentous architecture of inflammasomes and the cooperativity in the assembly may explain the 'all-or-none' response in inflammasome activation. Inflammasomes are tightly regulated by a number of cytosolic inhibitors, which may change the morphology and assembly kinetics of inflammasomes. Biochemical and cellular studies suggest that Pyrin domain and CARD filaments possess prion-like properties in propagating inflammasome activation within and between cells.
Enhancing Human Systems Change Learning from an NTL® Workshop and Field Applications

It has become commonplace to examine the externalities of leadership development, emphasizing the need for new skills and abilities such as establishing strategic vision, developing collaborative t...
Analysis of the androgen response of 23 patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia: the value of chromosomal studies in predicting response and survival.

The responses of 23 patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM) to androgen therapy were studied. Various clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed for their value in determining response to therapy and length of survival. Fifty-seven percent of patients responded, as determined by a sustained increase in hematocrit within three months of therapy which thus eliminated the need for transfusions. Chromosome study of the abnormal hemic population was the best predictor of response: 92% of patients with normal chromosomes responded, while 78% of patients with chromosomal abnormalities did not. Responders had a mean survival time of five and a half years from the time of diagnosis as compared with two years for the nonresponders. The degree of thrombocytopenia, suppression of the ferrokinetic, and lack of activity in axial skeleton on bone marrow scans indicated severely compromised hemopoiesis in the nonresponders. The results suggest that in some patients with AMM, more extensive cytogenetic alterations in the abnormal hematopoietic cells result in an inability to respond to androgen therapy and that the chromosome study is the test most accurate for predicting the outcome of therapy. Cancer 49:308-313, 1982.
Congenital incudostapedial anomalies in adult stapes surgery: a case-series review

Abstract Objectives The management of developmental anomalies of the ossicular chain and otic capsule in stapes surgery tests the otologist's diagnostic skills and flexibility in technique and prosthesis choice. We review our experience in managing various incudostapedial developmental anomalies discovered during middle ear exploration for suspected otosclerosis in adult patients. Design A retrospective case-series review was used. Setting The study was set at a military tertiary referral center. Patients and other Participants A review of 185 stapes procedures yielded 8 cases of identified congenital anomalies of the stapes or incudostapedial complex including congenital absence of the oval window with malformed incus and stapes, columellar-type stapes with promontory fixation, stapes superstructure fixation to the fallopian canal, and malformed incus with stapes superstructure fixation to the promontory. Interventions The developmental anatomy and surgical technique in each case were reviewed. The surgical technique used in each case varied depending on the specific ossicular abnormality found and whether both the stapes and incus were affected. Main outcome measures Comparison of preoperative and postoperative audiometric testing results was performed. Results All 8 ears (7 patients) that underwent a stapes procedure for either an isolated congenital stapes anomaly or a combined incudostapedial anomaly had a favorable hearing outcome, with 7 ears improving to within 10-dB and 1 ear to within 13-dB air-bone gap on postoperative audiometry. Conclusions Despite unanticipated findings of congenital anomalies of the stapes and incus during middle ear exploration for conductive hearing loss, a flexible management approach can lead to successful hearing outcomes.
Identifying Differentially Functioning Items in the NTE Core Battery.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the Mantel-Haenszel statistic as a methodology for identifying differentially functioning items on the NTE Programs Core Battery tests. Retrospective analyses of data collected over a three-year period are reported for Black/White, Hispanic/White, and female/male comparisons. The three tests that comprise the Core Battery are included in the analyses—Communication Skills, General Knowledge, and Professional Knowledge. Data concerning the replicability of the results, the number of items identified as differentially difficult, and the characteristics of the test questions associated with differential difficulty are discussed. Replicability of DIF values from two administrations based on correlational data was modest to high, with greatest replicability found in the largest samples. Although the replicability is modest to high when considering all the items, the results are less consistent when only the items identified as showing differential difficulty are considered. Generally, 6 to 9 percent of the items were identified as being differentially difficult per comparison, with a greater number of items flagged in the female/male analyses than in the Black/White or Hispanic/White analyses. There was little overlap among the items flagged in the three different analyses. Although analyses suggested some content characteristics that may be related to differential item functioning, the findings should be considered exploratory due to the small number of items studied and the post hoc nature of the sample. Also, the findings should not be assumed to apply to populations other than NTE test takers.
Fitness costs of warfare for women

Research to date has focused on fitness costs that coalitional aggression imposes on men and how these may have shaped male cognitive design. This study investigated whether warfare may have shaped female cognitive design by identifying fitness costs that lethal raiding imposes on women and determining how widespread these fitness costs are across a sample of forager and forager-horticulturalist societies. To this end, archaeological and ethnographic accounts of lethal raiding were used to generate a list of fitness costs suffered by women in warfare. Five costs were identified: woman killed, woman captured, offspring killed, mate killed/captured, and adult male kin killed/captured. A cross-cultural sample of forager and forager-horticulturalist oral traditions was then surveyed for the presence of these costs. Results suggest that lethal raiding has recurrently imposed fitness costs on women, and that female cognitive design bears reexamination in terms of the motivational and decision-making mechanisms that may have evolved in response to them. This study differs from previous studies of lethal raiding by addressing the lack of comparative research on the fitness costs of warfare for women, by examining a wider range of fitness costs, and by using oral tradition as a database.
A 5-hydroxytryptamine-like mode of anorectic action for 6-chloro-2-[1-piperazinyl]-pyrazine (MK-212).

The mechanism of the reduction in food consumption elicited by 6-chloro-2-[1-piperazinyl]-pyrazine (MK-212) administered systemically was investigated in the rat. (+/-)-Fenfluramine and (+)-amphetamine were included in some studies for comparative purposes. 2 Pretreatment with methergoline, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) antagonist, reduced the magnitude of the anorectic effect of 1.5 and 3 mg/kg of MK-212, while the anti-5-HT agents, cyproheptadine and cinanserin, were likewise effective against the 3 mg/kg dose. 3 Xylamidine, an antagonist of 5-HT that penetrates poorly into the central nervous system, completely blocked the decrease in food intake caused by 5-HT administered peripherally, while not antagonizing an equianorectic dose of MK-212. 4 Reduction of brain 5-HT by intraventricular injection of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine, intraperitoneal administration of p-chloroamphetamine or placement of a lesion in the region of the median raphe nucleus diminished the anorectic response to 3 mg/kg of MK-212. The anorectic effect of amphetamine was reduced by p-chloroamphetamine or lesion in the raphe, but not by 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine. The decrease in food consumption produced by 1.5 mg/kg of MK-212 was antagonized by prior treatment with p-chloroamphetamine, but not by 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine. 5 Haloperidol, which blocks receptors for dopamine, antagonized the anorexigenic effect of amphetamine, but was ineffective in offsetting the action of MK-212, 3 mg/kg. 6 Pretreatment with chlorimipramine to inhibit the 5-hydroxytryptaminergic uptake mechanism did not affect the anorectic response to 3 mg/kg of MK-212, whereas the response to fenfluramine was diminished. 7 The results indicate that the anorectic action of MK-212 involves a 5-HT-like component which is more evident at the higher dose level of the compound. The anorexigenic property of MK-212 may depend, at least partly, upon the integrity of 5-HT-containing neurones in the central nervous system.
Ethnic Diversity, Segregation, and Inequality: A Structural Model of Ethnic Prejudice in Bosnia and Croatia

Widespread ethnic prejudice is an incomplete explanation for the development of war in the former Yugoslavia. However, high levels of prejudice in ethnic enclaves played an important role in increasing ethnic tensions and facilitating the outbreak of war. The purpose of this article is to explain county differences in average levels of ethnic prejudice in Bosnia and Croatia prior to the wars of national separation. We focus on structural characteristics of counties, such as ethnic diversity, economic conditions, and ethnic segregation and inequality, to explain county differences in average levels of prejudice. We also consider the possibility that compositional differences among counties (e.g., differences in average levels of education) explain county differences in ethnic prejudice. We combine survey data and county-level census data collected immediately prior to the wars of national separation and use hierarchical linear modeling techniques to analyze these data. Results suggest that ethnic diversity and ethnic occupational segregation decrease ethnic prejudice while ethnic economic inequality increases ethnic prejudice. Thus, structural characteristics account for some of the county differences in average levels of prejudice. County compositional differences, however, explain a majority of the county variation in ethnic prejudice. These results provide important clues to the origins of pockets of intense ethnic prejudice within diverse societies.
Heat-Exchanger Deposition in an Inverted Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage Operation. Part 1. Inorganic and Organic Analyses of Deposit Samples

Heat-exchanger fouling is a severe operational problem in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) processes. In an effort to better understand which species are prone to deposit and gain insights into means for mitigating SAGD heat-exchanger deposition, analyses were performed on a series of heat-exchanger deposit samples from an inverted SAGD operation in Canada. Deposit samples were obtained from each of five heat-exchanger banks used in the operation of the facility: exchangers heating the produced raw bitumen reverse emulsion coming from the wells (two exchanger banks in series) and exchangers cooling separated produced water leaving the high-temperature separator (HTS) (three exchanger banks in series). The separated produced water leaving the facility HTS was also analyzed. The analyses focused on determining the overall inorganic and organic elemental compositions, as well as providing general information on the type of chemical species predominately present. The analyses performed on the deposits ...
Item selection methods for increasing test homogeneity

A number of methods for increasing test homogeneity by item selection are discussed. Exact selection conditions which will maximize obtained homogeneity as measured by KR - 20 and KR - 21 are derived, and an application is given. Since they require only item count data, the selection conditions are economical to apply.
Pain and heart failure: Unrecognized and untreated

Background: Although evidence exists to support the presence of pain in advanced stages of heart failure (HF), the pain experience in the early phases of this progressive disease is poorly documented, and therefore, poorly understood. The current study was conducted to: 1) examine the prevalence of pain in cohort of patients with chronic HF (New York Heart Association class I–IV); and 2) determine the relationship between pain and QOL.Methods and results: Data were obtained from 300 patients (mean age 54.2 ± 12.7 years; 72% male; 65% Caucasians; time since HF diagnosis 4.6 ± 4.8 years). Two-thirds of the patients (67%) reported some degree of pain; the prevalence of pain increased as functional class worsened (p < .009). Differences in QOL outcomes for patients experiencing pain vs. no pain were statistically significant for physical and overall QOL. Pain accounted for 20% of the variance in QOL (p < .001) even after adjusting for age, gender, and functional class.Conclusions: Our findings suggest pain is...
Effects of sleep and sleep loss on immunity and cytokines.

Sleep is hypothesized to be a restorative process that is important for the proper functioning of the immune system. Severity of disordered sleep in depressed- and alcoholic subjects correlates with declines in natural- and cellular immunity and is associated with alterations in the complex cytokine network. Sleep loss has a role in mediating these immune changes as experimentally induced partial night sleep deprivation replicates the kind of sleep loss found in clinical samples and induces a pattern of immune alterations similar to that found in depressed- and alcoholic patients. Despite evidence that sleep and sleep loss have effects on immune processes and nocturnal secretion of cytokines, the clinical significance of these immune changes is not known. Moreover, in view of basic evidence of a reciprocal interaction between sleep and cytokines, further research is needed to understand whether alterations in cytokines contribute to disordered sleep in patient populations.
Miners with Clinically Important Declines in FEV1: Analysis of Data from the U.S. National Coal Study

Abstract Several previous studies, including the U.S. National Study of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (NSCWP), have demonstrated a loss of FEV1 over time that is related to occupational dust exposure in miners. However, much of the variation in loss of FEV1 in the mining cohorts studied remains unexplained. This study sought to identify individual miners with clinically important FEV1 declines and investigate risk factors for the declines. Subjects were chosen from NSCWP longitudinal cohorts. All miners with at least 6 years follow up (N = 5900) were grouped into strata based on age, height, smoking status, gender, and initial FEV1. Within these strata, pairs of miners were selected whose annual rate of FEV1 decline differed by more than 60 ml/y, and 344 pairs were entered into the analysis. Miners with high rates of decline were assigned to the study group; those with low rates of decline served as referents. On the initial questionnaire, study miners had more cough and phlegm than referents (p < 0.01). A...
A Natural Approach to the Teaching of Verb Forms and Function in Spanish.

A radically different approach to the teaching of verb form and function is proposed. The acquisition of the ability to use verb forms in communicative situations is seen as a gradual process facilitated by involving the student in Affective Acquisition Activities of various sorts rather than through traditional cognitive grammar-focused ‘explanation-practice-application’ paradigms. One affective acquisition activity model, the Association Model, is proposed to focus the student on verb acquisition. In this model the students learn the meaning of a large number of verbs in a single form before they learn to control a person-number paradigm. In addition, it is proposed that forms be taught according to communicative need, i.e., the substitution of semantic criteria for grammatical ones. In particular, the student will not learn paradigmatic forms, but rather will acquire certain tense forms before other person-number forms. A teaching order is proposed.
A High Heat Flux Facility Design for Testing of Advanced Hydrocarbon Fuel Thermal Stability

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Prop ulsion Directorate is developing higher energy density hydrocarbon fuels for application in reusable liquid rocket engines . For increased performance and operability, next generation engines will require better thermal stability understand ing of hydrocarbo n fuels under high heat fluxes . Of the existing thermal stability test rig s, none ha ve the ability to accurately simulate the high heat flux conditions that will exist in the cooling channels of these new high -pressure hydrocarbon engines . To design and te st fuels to meet the high reliability and reusability requirements proposed for these engines , the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Edwards AFB has designed the High Heat Flux Facility (HHFF) using experience gained from past thermal stability test rig experiments . In order to design a facility capable of simulating the higher heat fluxes expected in the channels, CFD++, a Metacomp Technologies Inc. computational fluid dynamics software suite, was employed to optimize the design prior to manufacture . Conjugate heat transfer calculations were performed in a single computational domain containing the copper heater block and the fluid channel of the new test rig design . The parameters of interest during each experiment will be heat transfer coefficient, degree of coking and corrosion in the channel, and pressure drop as a function of heat flux, wall temperature, Reynolds number, channel material, fuel composition and pressure . AFRL’s HHFF will be an important tool for facilitat ing the development and tran sition of new advanced hydrocarbon fuels .
On the allergen in human dander

Abstract 1.1. The existence of allergy to human dander is an established fact. 2.2. The clinical significance of this fact remains to be investigated. 3.3. Our present knowledge warrants only the conclusion that this allergy is often associated with atopic dermatitis; that while in some cases it may possibly be of etiological significance, in many other cases it is, quite possibly, merely a concomitant, subclinical sensitivity. 4.4. The experimental data here presented suggest that the human dander allergen is present also in scales of seborrheic dermatitis, but absent in numerous other scales and other materials. 5.5. The significance of these findings in relation to some problems of seborrheic dermatitis is discussed briefly.
Sex and the Single Splice

Drosophila male courtship offers a unique experimental system to uncover the molecular and neural basis of genetically preprogrammed behavior. In this issue of Cell, Demir and Dickson (2005) and Stockinger et al. (2005) demonstrate that this behavior relies on a single splicing of the fruitless transcript, and on a specific olfactory-based neuronal circuit.
Assessing seasonal changes in carbonate parameters across small spatial gradients in the Northeastern Chukchi Sea

Abstract Observations of the marine carbonate system were made in 2010 in the northeastern Chukchi Sea to constrain the seasonal progression of carbonate mineral saturation states (Ω) throughout the water column and determine the air–sea flux of carbon dioxide (CO2). As sea ice retreats from the Chukchi Shelf, primary production consumes dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the euphotic zone causing pH and carbonate mineral saturation states to increase. Throughout the summer and early autumn months of 2010, saturation states for calcite and aragonite ranged from 2.5 to 4.0 and 1.5 to 2.5, respectively, well about the saturation horizon of 1.0. Much of the organic matter produced during the bloom was vertically exported from the relatively small study area leading to an uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere of at least 340,000 kg-C. The exported organic matter settled near the bottom and was remineralized back into DIC, causing concentrations to increase sharply, particularly in autumn months, driving down pH to as low as 7.75 and suppressing the concentrations of important carbonate minerals to the point that aragonite became undersaturated. The data showed a definitive seasonal progression of this process with aragonite becoming partially undersaturated along the bottom in September, and broadly undersaturated in October. While carbonate saturation states would naturally be suppressed by the high rates of export production and the accumulation of DIC near the bottom, the penetration of anthropogenic CO2 into the water column (ocean acidification) has caused these observed undersaturations, which will likely expand as CO2 levels in the atmosphere continue to rise in the coming decades.
Network-Centric Buffer Cache Organization

A pass-through server such as an NFS server backed by an iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) storage server only passes data between the storage server and NFS clients. Ideally it should require at most one data copying operation on sending or receiving, as in normal IP routers. In practice, pass-through servers actually incur multiple data copying operations because they are implemented using a layered architecture where each layer has its own internal data representation. This paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel network-centric buffer-caching scheme called NCache that minimizes data copying overhead in pass-through servers without requiring significant changes to their existing implementation. By organizing the data being passed or cached in a network friendly format, NCache is able to eliminate all unnecessary data copying. The key innovation in NCache is that it exploits the fact that pass-through servers do not interpret data, by replacing physical copying with logical copying in a way transparent to existing software. This transparency enables NCache to be easily portable to many operating systems. The authors have successfully built a Linux-based NCache prototype that can be applied to in kernel NFS and static Web servers. Empirical performance measurements collected from this prototype show that by reducing the CPU load associated with data copying, NCache is able to provide up to 92% improvement in throughput for NFS server and up to 47% for Web server
The Influence of Federal Spending on Presidential Elections

Do voters reward presidents for increased federal spending in their local constituencies? Previous research on the electoral consequences of federal spending has focused almost exclusively on Congress, mostly with null results. However, in a county- and individual-level study of presidential elections from 1988 to 2008, we present evidence that voters reward incumbent presidents (or their party's nominee) for increased federal spending in their communities. This relationship is stronger in battleground states. Furthermore, we show that federal grants are an electoral currency whose value depends on both the clarity of partisan responsibility for its provision and the characteristics of the recipients. Presidents enjoy increased support from spending in counties represented by co-partisan members of Congress. At the individual level, we also find that ideology conditions the response of constituents to spending; liberal and moderate voters reward presidents for federal spending at higher levels than conservatives. Our results suggest that, although voters may claim to favor deficit reduction, presidents who deliver such benefits are rewarded at the ballot box.
Electoral Instability and the American Party System

Students of American politics, particularly those at the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan, have uncovered significant evidence of stability in the American electorate. This stability stems directly from the demonstrated importance of party identification in explaining the vote. Party identification has been viewed as a relatively enduring link between the individual and the political system.' To some, however, the emphasis on stability seems to inhibit a systematic analysis of electoral dynamism.2 This omission is unfortunate, because even the casual observer finds abundant evidence of considerable fluidity in the American electorate. For example, California, where party registration heavily favors the Democrats, was represented by two Republican Senators from 1962-68. In 1966 Californians overwhelmingly elected as Governor a Republican who was also a political novice. In the space of a generation states like Vermont and New Hampshire, famed for Republican ideology and tradition, have emerged as competitive electoral areas. The "Solid South," strong supporter of the New Deal a generation ago and still heavily Democratic on the state and local level, fluctuates widely in Presidential politics, now fragmenting over Eisenhower, now shifting heavily to Goldwater, now fragment-
Medically diagnosed infections and risk of childhood leukaemia: a population-based case–control study

Background Previous studies on the association between childhood infections and childhood leukaemia have produced inconsistent results, likely due to the recall error/bias of infection data reported by the parents. The current study used a population-based and record-based case-control design to evaluate the association between childhood leukaemia and infections using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Methods In all, 846 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and 193 acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients newly diagnosed between 2000 and 2008, aged >1 and Results Having any infection before 1 year of age was associated with an increased risk for both childhood ALL (odds ratio = 3.2, 95% confidence interval 2.2-4.7) and AML (odds ratio = 6.0, 95% confidence interval 2.0-17.8), with a stronger risk associated with more episodes of infections. Similar results were observed for infections occurring >1 year before the cases' diagnosis of childhood leukaemia. Conclusions Children with leukaemia may have a dysregulated immune function present at an early age, resulting in more episodes of symptomatic infections compared with healthy controls. However, confounding by other infectious measures such as birth order and day care attendance could not be ruled out. Finally, the results are only relevant to the medically diagnosed infections.
Characterization of calpain II in the retina and photoreceptor outer segments

Calpain II was purified to apparent homogeneity from bovine neural retinas. It was found to be biochemically similar to brain calpain II, purified by the same procedure, with respect to: subunit mobility in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; Ca2+ sensitivity; inhibition by calpeptin and other cysteine protease inhibitors; and optimal pH. Semithin cryosections were immuno-labeled with antibodies specific for the catalytic subunit of calpain II. Calpain II was detected in most layers of the retina, with the most pronounced label present in the plexiform layers (synaptic regions) and the photoreceptor outer segments. In dark-adapted retinas, the label was distributed throughout the outer segments. In light-adapted retinas, outer segment labeling was concentrated in the connecting cilium, and the inner segments were labeled. A partially pure preparation of calpain II from isolated rod outer segments was found to have the same biochemical characteristics as calpain II prepared in the same way from the whole retina. The enzyme was distributed fairly evenly between the cytosolic and cytoskeletal fractions of isolated rod outer segments. Immunoblots of the rod outer segment cytoskeleton were used to determine the susceptibility of known components of the actin-based cytoskeleton to proteolysis by calpain II in vitro. Actin was not proteolyzed at all, alpha-actinin was only slowly degraded, but myosin II heavy chain was rapidly proteolyzed. Actin filaments have been shown previously to be associated with myosin II and alpha-actinin in a small domain within the connecting cilium, where they play an essential role in the morphogenesis of new disk membranes. The localization of calpain II in the connecting cilium after light exposure, combined with the in vitro proteolysis of myosin II, suggests that calpain II could be involved in light-dependent regulation of disk membrane morphogenesis by proteolysis of myosin II.
Malaysian Higher Education: Captive or Post-Western?

The article explores problems of modernisation and national identity in the developing world, with Malaysian higher education as the empirical site. Noting that developing nations and their university personnel are often held in the condition of what Alatas (1974) famously called ‘the captive mind’, it examines the steps taken in Malaysia to overcome this. After theorising forms of Western hegemony in the intellectual life of developing countries (diffusion, dependency, captive mind) and an outline of the history of Malaysian higher education, the authors present the findings of extended interviews with ten senior administrators and academic faculty from Malaysian universities. There have been significant attempts to break from the captive mindset, for example language policies, and centres for regional studies. The continuing issue for countries like Malaysia is how to modernise economy, society, education and knowledge while sustaining and advancing the national project: how to combine development with ...
Gap junctions - from cell to molecule.

Gap junctions were first defined morphologically as specialized contacts between cells that mediate the direct exchange of small molecules needed to coordinate behavior of multicellular systems. As a functional entity, they have evolved independently three times, if one includes plasmodesmata in
Comparative study on proteinase R, T, and K from Tritirachiam album limber

Proteinase R and T purified from Tritirachiam album limber were characterized in comparison with proteinase K using circular dichroism (CD), enzyme activity, thermal melting, and sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). CD analysis suggested that these three proteins possess some beta-sheet structure, with little alpha-helix except for proteinase R which showed about 14% alpha-helix. SDS-PAGE and gel filtration in 0.1% SDS indicated that proteinase T and K are resistant to SDS-induced unfolding similar to subtilisin. Thermal denaturation experiments showed the melting temperature for proteinase T to be 67 degrees and that for proteinase K to be 65 degrees in the absence of Ca2+, with higher melting temperatures in the presence of Ca2+. However, the enzyme activities of proteinase T and R were significantly lower than those of proteinase K.
‘Finding the Through-line’: A Portrait of an Innovative Creative Writing Organisation

This creative nonfiction essay uses portraiture, a method developed by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, to examine the ways in which Grub Street, a creative writing organization for adults in Boston, USA, acts a support for adults' learning, growth, and development. In addition, this essay situates the organization within a broader context of nonprofit organizations designed to give voice and empowerment through writing especially to those who are traditionally underserved. Through the identification of themes such as finding a “through-line” or narrative to one's own writing, and by extension to one's own life, this work suggests that the same organization can have at times quite different meanings for its participants, but nonetheless unites them in the desire to integrate life and thought into creating one's best work.
Prototyping of cerebral vasculature physical models

Background: Prototyping of cerebral vasculature models through stereolithographic methods have the ability to accurately depict the 3D structures of complicated aneurysms with high accuracy. We describe the method to manufacture such a model and review some of its uses in the context of treatment planning, research, and surgical training. Methods: We prospectively used the data from the rotational angiography of a 40-year-old female who presented with an unruptured right paraclinoid aneurysm. The 3D virtual model was then converted to a physical life-sized model. Results: The model constructed was shown to be a very accurate depiction of the aneurysm and its associated vasculature. It was found to be useful, among other things, for surgical training and as a patient education tool. Conclusion: With improving and more widespread printing options, these models have the potential to become an important part of research and training modalities.
Driving Records Before and During Methadone Maintenance

We compared the motor vehicle driving records of 104 former heroin users during 1 year of heroin use before admission to methadone maintenance with their records during 1 year after admission while they were maintained on methadone. We found a statistically significant increase in convictions for speeding from the year on heroin to the year on methadone, but no significant change in convictions for negligent collision, other moving violations, driving without a license, and in accidents. The results suggest that heroin users have slightly better driving records on heroin than they do on methadone, possibly because on heroin they drive with special care to avoid arrest. The frequency with which our subjects were involved in accidents did not differ significantly from that of all Texas licensed drivers. On the basis of this study we recommend no restriction of the driving privilege of persons maintained on methadone.
Lectures on Black Holes and the AdS3/CFT2 Correspondence

We present a detailed discussion of AdS_3 black holes and their connection to two-dimensional conformal field theories via the AdS/CFT correspondence. Our emphasis is on deriving refined versions of black hole partition functions that include the effect of higher derivative terms in the spacetime action as well as non-perturbative effects. We include background material on gravity in AdS_3, in the context of holographic renormalization.
A foot pad dermatitis in turkey poults associated with soybean meal.

Abstract DERMATITIS in turkey poults is produced by feeding rations deficient in certain vitamins. A dermatitis characterized by lesions on the corners of the mouth and on the eyelids was observed in poults fed a diet deficient in pantothenic acid (Kratzer and Williams, 1948). A deficiency of riboflavin has also been reported to produce a dermatitis in turkey poults (Lepkovsky and Jukes, 1936), but others have failed to observe this in poults fed diets sufficiently deficient to reduce growth rate (Heuser, 1935; and Patrick et al., 1944). A deficiency of biotin produced a dermatitis which appeared first on the foot pads (Patrick et al., 1942). Patrick et al. (1944) fed a purified diet deficient in either biotin or riboflavin to turkey poults and found that dermatitis was prevented by biotin supplementation but not by riboflavin. On the other hand, McGinnis and Carver (1947) observed a dermatitis in poults fed a diet…
Innovative mechanisms for precision assembly and actuation of arrays of nanowire oscillators.

Bottom-up assembling of Micro/Nano Electromechanical System (MEMS/NEMS) devices from nanoscale building blocks is highly desirable but extremely difficult to achieve. In this work, we report innovative mechanisms for precision assembly and actuation of arrays of nanowire NEMS devices that can synchronously oscillate between two designated positions for over 4000 cycles. The assembly and actuation mechanisms are based on unique magnetic interactions between nanoentities with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and electric-tweezer manipulation, our recent invention. Quantitative analysis of the dynamics of torques involved in the nano-oscillators reveals that the induced electrostatic torques due to the external electric fields between metallic NEMS components play a significant role in the mechanical actuation. These new findings are expected to inspire new in situ assembly and actuation strategies in the general field of NEMS devices such as nanomechanical switches for toggling on/off circuits and na...
Developmental events during the early stages of cerebral cortical neurogenesis in man. A correlative light, electron microscopic, immunohistochemical and Golgi study.

The telencephalic vesicles of early human embryos and fetuses ranging from 6–18 weeks of ovulation age were subjected to correlative light and electron microscopic, immunocytochemical and Golgi analysis. The cellular events that take place during the early stages of cortical neurogenesis are characterized by the early maturation of layer I. The deployment of radial glia, the formation of the glia limitans, the establishment of the pial-glial barrier, and the migration and maturation of Cajal-Retzius cells within the marginal zone (MZ) all take place by 6–7 weeks. Neurons destined to populate the cortical plate (CP) arrive within the MZ by 7–8 weeks of age and appear to divide the MZ into two layers. Progressive compaction of CP neurons and widening of the intermediate zone characterize the next stage. It is suggested that the early establishment of the pial-glial barrier and the early maturation of the layer I are critical to the subsequent growth and development of the CP.
Si–H and Si–C Bond Cleavage Reactions of Silane and Phenylsilanes with Mo(PMe3)6: Silyl, Hypervalent Silyl, Silane, and Disilane Complexes

Mo(PMe3)6 cleaves the Si–H bonds of SiH4, PhSiH3, and Ph2SiH2 to afford a variety of novel silyl, hypervalent silyl, silane, and disilane complexes, as respectively illustrated by Mo(PMe3)4(SiH3)2H2, Mo(PMe3)4(κ2-H2-H2SiPh2H)H, Mo(PMe3)3(σ-HSiHPh2)H4, and Mo(PMe3)3(κ2-H2-H2Si2Ph4)H2. Mo(PMe3)4(κ2-H2-H2SiPh2H)H and Mo(PMe3)3(κ2-H2-H2Si2Ph4)H2 are respectively the first examples of complexes that feature a hypervalent κ2-H2-H2SiPh2H silyl ligand and a chelating disilane ligand, and both compounds convert to the diphenylsilane adduct, Mo(PMe3)3(σ-HSiHPh2)H4, in the presence of H2. Mo(PMe3)4(SiH3)2H2 undergoes isotope exchange with SiD4, and NMR spectroscopic analysis of the SiHxD4–x isotopologues released indicates that the reaction does not occur via initial reductive elimination of SiH4, but rather by a metathesis pathway.
Screening of Transfusion Service Requests by the Blood Bank Pathologist: Impact on Cost Containment

To implement a rational program for use of transfusion services and, simultaneously, to reduce, if possible, expenditure for transfusable blood products, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital Blood Bank, Houston, developed a systematic screening program of all requests for transfusion. Evaluation of the requests included a short review of the patient#x0027;s hemoglobin level, platelet count, coagulation profile, and/or the pertinent transfusion history of the patient and the disease state. This evaluation often prompted the clinical pathologist to provide a nonrequested consultation to assure appropriate transfusion therapy. In four years, these steps reduced transfusion of red blood cells by 18.6%, platelet concentrates by 44.1%, and fresh-frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate by 56.6%, which resulted in a reduction in patient charges of between $700,000 to $800,000 per year. By periodically making rounds with attending physicians and house staff, the blood bank pathologist has an opportunity to reinforce section policies and improve the education of, communication with, and understanding of colleagues and patients.
Anticipating the Neoliberal Nation: Philip Larkin and the Displacement of Englishness

In the name of the will of the people, [… ] the state was partly transformed from an instrument of law into an instrument of the nation. Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism1