cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Heterogeneity, Political Competition, and Redistributive Demands: The Role of Programmatic Linkages

This paper examines the influence of ethnic heterogeneity on preferences for redistribution of income. I find that ethnic heterogeneity does not always influence support for or against redistribution, even when large income differences may exist between ethnic groups. Instead, support for redistribution only become a function of ethnic heterogeneity when there are incentives for parties to link the issue of redistribution with social identity. These incentives are more likely to arise when parties link programmatically with the electorate over the issue of redistribution. In order to remain electorally viable in a programmatic environment, right-wing parties must link redistribution with ethnic identities in order to prevent citizens from voting solely on the basis of individual pocketbook concerns. I find that it is generally in countries with highly programmatic linkages over redistribution that ethnic identity has predicts attitudes for redistribution.
Hair Iron Content: Possible Marker to Complement Monitoring Therapy of Iron Deficiency in Patients with Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Measurements of the concentration of iron in hair from 10 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and from 10 healthy controls showed that the iron concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in patients before iron intake than in controls. Three weeks after beginning iron treatment, the hair iron concentrations were found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.68; P < 0.05) to reticulocyte counts. Changes in the hair iron concentrations were accompanied by similar changes in the concentrations of the markers most commonly used to diagnose and monitor iron deficiency. The results suggest that quantification of hair iron may be useful to complement evaluations of the body iron status.
Microaggressions and Hmong American Students

This research identifies how anti-immigrant sentiment and racism, which have historically been reflected and transmitted through nativist language policies and school curriculum, affect second-linguistic-generation Hmong Americans—not via overtly xenophobic and discriminatory acts but via subtle yet hurtful racial microaggressions. Interviews with 19 Hmong American college students from diverse regions in California show that participants experienced the following racial microaggressions: Objectification and Assumed Inadequacy. Such microlevel experiences, as shaped and structured by macrolevel processes, ultimately affected Hmong Americans’ views on Hmong cultural communication practices and heritage language.
Prophages and bacterial genomics: what have we learned so far?

Epigraph There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. Mark Twain 1883 Life on the Mississippi Summary Bacterial genome nucleotide sequences are being completed at a rapid and increasing rate. Integrated virus genomes (prophages) are common in such genomes. Fifty-one of the 82 such genomes published to date carry prophages, and these contain 230 recognizable putative prophages. Prophages can constitute as much as 10–20% of a bacterium's genome and are major contributors to differences between individuals within species. Many of these prophages appear to be defective and are in a state of mutational decay. Prophages, including defective ones, can contribute important biological properties to their bacterial hosts. Therefore, if we are to comprehend bacterial genomes fully, it is essential that we are able to recognize accurately and understand their prophages from nucleotide sequence analysis. Analysis of the evolution of prophages can shed light on the evolution of both bacteriophages and their hosts. Comparison of the Rac prophages in the sequenced genomes of three Escherichia coli strains and the Pnm prophages in two Neisseria meningitidis strains suggests that some prophages can lie in residence for very long times, perhaps millions of years, and that recombination events have occurred between related prophages that reside at different locations in a bacterium's genome. In addition, many genes in defective prophages remain functional, so a significant portion of the temperate bacteriophage gene pool resides in prophages.
Interdatacenter Job Routing and Scheduling With Variable Costs and Deadlines

To reduce their operational costs, datacenter (DC) operators can schedule large jobs at DCs in different geographical locations with time- and location-varying electricity and bandwidth prices. We introduce a framework and algorithms to do so that minimize electricity and bandwidth cost subject to job indivisibility, deadlines, priorities, and DC resource constraints. In doing so, we provide a way for DC operators to predict their operational costs for different DC placements and capacities, and thus make informed decisions about how to expand their DC network. Our distributed algorithm uses estimated job arrivals and day-ahead electricity prices to optimize over sliding time windows. We demonstrate its effectiveness on a Google DC trace and investigate the effects of different cost and performance criteria. The algorithm leverages heterogeneous job resource requirements and routing and scheduling flexibility: even deadline and indivisibility constraints yield little cost increase, though they significantly improve job completion times and localization at only one DC, respectively. We show that our algorithm reduces the cost much more than optimizing only electricity, only bandwidth, or a combination of resource costs and job completion times.
The Evidence Base for Platelet Function Testing in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Clopidogrel therapy significantly reduces cardiovascular events in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)1,2 and in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI),3 yet cardiovascular events, including stent thrombosis, continue to occur after PCI despite the ischemic benefit conferred by clopidogrel. Minimizing the incidence of stent thrombosis is a central goal for stent manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies, and practicing interventional cardiologists, and professional societies have formally recommended prolonged thienopyridine therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation in the absence of randomized controlled clinical trials.4 A growing body of data supports the contention that the level of platelet reactivity on clopidogrel therapy (“on-treatment” platelet reactivity) is an independent risk factor for ischemic and thrombotic events post-PCI and that the intensification of platelet inhibition may improve outcomes in at-risk patients. The introduction of point-of-care and clinical laboratory-based platelet function assays has made it feasible to consider the routine evaluation of on-treatment platelet reactivity in the patient undergoing PCI.5,6 The current data set provides clinicians with a strong scientific rationale for the use of platelet function assays in daily practice. Response by Kalyanasundaram and Berger on p 283 Clopidogrel is a prodrug that requires biotransformation into an active metabolite to exert its inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. Approximately 85% of absorbed clopidogrel is hydrolyzed by esterases in the gut into an inactive form, and the remainder is converted into an active metabolite by the hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) system through a 2-step oxidative process.7 The active metabolite irreversibly binds and antagonizes the P2Y12 ADP receptor for the life of the platelet. The platelet inhibitory response to clopidogrel varies substantially among patients according to ex vivo measurements,8 with many patients having persistently high platelet reactivity despite clopidogrel treatment. Genetic polymorphisms that affect the catalytic activity …
Romantic Historicism and the Afterlife

Many Romantic poets were fascinated by the idea that a special historical sense could hear the cultural difference of remote epochs in the sound of the sea or of the wind. This essay traces that fascination back to late-eighteenth-century attempts to imagine a new kind of secular afterlife that fused nature and history, thereby combining the permanence of a natural process with the consoling collectivity of social existence. The most influential parts of James Macpherson’s Ossianic poems were the ostensibly archaic ghosts who literalized Enlightenment fantasies about this form of historical immortality. In poems by William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Felicia Hemans, historical sensations function as intimations of immortality and as signs of culture’s primacy over other forms of class distinction. The essay closes by suggesting that late-twentieth-century film and literary criticism continue to promise their audiences a similar kind of earthly immortality. (TU)
Effect of rice plants on nitrification-denitrification loss of nitrogen under greenhouse conditions

Rice is unique among cereal crops in its ability to tolerate the anaerobic environment of waterlogged soils, but little is known about the influence of these plants on nitrogen loss by nitrification-denitrification. This problem was approached by loss of urea-N in cores with and without rice plants, using the acetylene inhibition method. Considerably greater denitrification was observed for surface-applied urea as compared to subsurface application in all cases. Regardless of the application point, however, the planted system yielded greater N2O+N2 accumulation in the first two days than from the nonplanted soil. After 4–6 days from fertilization no difference was observed in denitrification loss between planted and nonplanted systems. Inorganic NH4+ levels were observed to decrease rapidly in planted soils. Initial enhancement of gaseous N accumulation may occur because of the oxidized rice-root rhizosphere, however the appreciable denitrification in non-planted soil suggests that other N loss mechanisms are more important than the losses occurring in the root rhizosphere.
Antibiotic prophylaxis for percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy and gastrojejunostomy insertion in outpatients with head and neck cancer.

Purpose To determine the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis on the postprocedural infection rate after fluoroscopically guided percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy and gastrojejunostomy with gastropexy performed as an outpatient procedure in ambulatory patients with head and neck cancer. Materials and Methods Medical and imaging records of all outpatients with head and neck cancer referred for gastrostomy or gastrojejunostomy from February 2003 to November 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. A 14-F percutaneous gastrostomy was inserted through the anterior abdominal wall after T-fastener gastropexy. Fifty-seven patients (36 men; mean age, 57.2 years; age range, 17–76 y) had 53 percutaneous radiologic gastrostomies and four percutaneous radiologic gastrojejunostomies. Mean follow-up was 27 weeks (range, 4–62 weeks). Thirty-seven patients received antibiotic prophylaxis with 1 g cefazolin intravenously and twice-daily cephalexin 500 mg for 5 days orally or via gastrostomy ( n = 35) or clindamycin 600 mg intravenously and 600 mg twice daily orally or via gastrostomy for 5 days ( n = 2). Results Ten minor postprocedural complications occurred in 8 patients (14%). There was a 15% peristomal infection rate ( n = 3) in patients who did not receive antibiotic prophylaxis; none occurred in those who received antibiotic prophylaxis. There were significantly fewer infections in the group that received antibiotic prophylaxis ( P = .039). No major complications or deaths occurred. Conclusions Administration of prophylactic antibiotics for percutaneous radiologic gastrostomy placement reduces peristomal infection in patients with head and neck cancer.
Low‐Income Parents and the Public Schools

This article addresses the responses likely to be received by low-income parents from teachers and staff in their children’s public schools in the United States. A review of the relevant literature reveals that teachers and school administrators tend to subscribe to the dominant beliefs that low-income parents do not care about their children’s schooling, are not competent to help with homework, do not encourage achievement, and do not place a high value on education. This article presents examples of such middle-class bias in the words and actions of individual teachers, and research findings that tend to contradict these stereotypes. The barriers that exist for low-income parents in interacting with the schools are discussed, and suggestions are offered for ways in which schools can recognize and respect the standpoint and potential contributions of these parents.
Burst noise in phototransistor optical isolators

Abstract Noise measurements were performed on several commercially available optical isolators in order to examine the signal detection limits of typical devices. It was found that, in general, optical isolators are very noisy devices exhibiting all of the common types of noise usually found in bipolar junction transistors. A large number of devices exhibited burst noise which dominated their low-frequency noise performance. Experimental data indicates that the source of burst noise is the phototransistor detector. A comparison of experimental data to existing burst noise theory is presented.
The critical multitype branching process in random environment

Abstract Consider a population of particles of k different types. Each particle is capable of producing new particles of the different types by branching. The branching process is developing in a random environment (RE) that changes stochastically from generation to generation. This change in the environment affects the probability distribution of the reproduction of the different particles. We let Nm have random components equal to the number of particles in the mth generation of each type 1 to k, respectively. Also, let Λ be the first moment matrix for the Nm process in RE. Assume that Λ is positively regular. It follows that Λ has an eigenvalue ϱ∗ of maximum modulus and corresponding right eigenvector v. In a recent article [1], the authors proved that when ϱ∗ = 1, Nmv converges to a random variable W with probability one, under a further restriction on Λ. This result was used by the authors to show that for the ordinary k-type branching process, with no random environment, the Spitzer–Joffe [5] result of convergence to zero in probability of the population could be extended to almost sure convergence. In this article, we give a sufficient condition for the almost sure extinction of the critical k-type branching process in RE. We make special note that when our model is collapsed to the ordinary k-type process, the restriction imposed on the matrix Λ by Spitzer and Joffe is no longer required, thus providing a condition for extinction for the entire class of positively regular matrices with ϱ∗ = 1.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN ATTEMPTS TO BAN REORIENTATION THERAPIES

The purpose of this article is to identify the ethical issues in efforts to ban reorientation therapies. The 3 primary arguments cited in the literature in favor of such a ban are discussed: (a) homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness, (b) those who request change do so because of internalized homophobia, and (c) sexual orientation is immutable. The authors present 3 arguments in favor of providing reorientation and related services: (a) respect for the autonomy and self-determination of persons, (b) respect for valuative frameworks, creeds, and religious values regarding the moral status of same-sex behavior, and (c) service provision given the scientific evidence that efforts to change thoughts, behaviors, and feeling-based sexual orientation can be successful.
ISPO-2013 Review. A Guest Editorial for a Special Edition of the Journal SILICON

The 9th International Workshop on Silicon-Based Polymers was held at the A. N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INEOS RAS) in Moscow on September 22-25, 2013. The workshop was chaired by Prof. Aziz M. Muzafarov, Director of INEOS RAS and a Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The International Advisory Board was composed of academic and industrial scientists from the USA, UK, Poland, Japan, Germany, Russia and France. The Local Organizing Committee was ably led by the workshop secretary, Aleksandra (Sasha) Bystrova. Previous workshops had been held in Ishikawa (Japan), Canterbury (UK), Troy (USA), Honolulu (Hawaii), Montpellier (France), Busan (Korea), and Lodz (Poland). Several of these meetings were held in conjunction with other relevant meetings. This 9th workshop was immediately followed by the XII Andrianov Conference “Organosilicon Compounds, Synthesis, Properties, Applications”. The working language of the Andrianov conference was Russian whereas that of the workshop was English. The workshop was sponsored by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Dow Corning Corporation, Wacker Chemie AG, and Springer Science+Business Media. Although the weather was somewhat inclemental, the Russian hospitality was as warm as ever. Delegates had the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the Kremlin as well as a visit inside Lomonosov University, the largest of the Stalin-era skyscrapers known as the Seven Sisters. Another highlight was the conference dinner as we cruised down the Moscow River. The technical program consisted of 13 invited lectures, 14 oral talks and 42 posters. The topics of the
Base d'harmonie: A Scene from Eighteenth-Century French Music Theory

(1994). Base d'harmonie: A Scene from Eighteenth-Century French Music Theory. Journal of the Royal Musical Association: Vol. 119, No. 1, pp. 60-90.
Preparatory Training, States of Goal Orientation, and Mentoring Relationship Effectiveness

We used an online academic-advising program to examine the effects of preparatory training designed to elicit high states of learning-goal orientation and low states of avoid goal orientation. Results indicate that training was effective in some cases for manipulating states of goal orientation. The training did not directly affect behaviors as anticipated; however, perceptions of partner behaviors showed effects. Moreover, learning-goal orientation was related to advisee postprogram academic self-efficacy. Thus, individuals working with such mentoring programs should consider implementing goal-oriented preparatory training programs to increase mentoring relationship effectiveness.
Occurrence and distribution in Rhode Island of Hunterellus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), a wasp parasitoid of Ixodes dammini

The wasp Hunterellus hookeri Howard parasitizes several species of ixodid ticks including Ixodes dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman & Corwin, the vector of Lyme disease spirochetes, Borrelia burgdorferi, in the northeastern United States. We detected the occurrence and evaluated the distribution of this wasp parasitoid in populations of I. dammini in Rhode Island. There has been no intentional introduction of a tick parasitoid recorded anywhere in Rhode Island; yet, we found this wasp at one of the six study sites (Prudence Island), where it parasitized 21 ( n = 243) and 17% ( n = 284) of nymphal I. dammini collected during 1988 and 1989, respectively. The proportion of nymphs parasitized was greatest during May (46%) and was less in June (18%), July (18%), and August (11%). In Rhode Island, the wasp was only found parasitizing ticks at the site with the highest (by a factor of 2) tick population, confirming similar observations in Massachusetts and New York. It is suggested that establishment as well as the distribution of H. hookeri depends upon a superabundant deer tick population. The usefulness of this parasitoid as a biological control agent is yet unknown.
Relationship of mycotoxins to swine reproductive failure.

4. Cordy DR, Knight HD: 1978, California goats with a disease resembling enzootic ataxia or swayback. Vet Pathol 15: 179185. 5. Fell BF: 1987, The pathology of copper deficiency in animals. In: Copper in animals and man, ed. Howell J McC, Gawthome JM, vol. 2, pp. l-28. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 6. Howell J McC, Pass DA: 1981, Swayback lesion and vulnerable periods of development. In: Trace element metabolism in man and animals, ed. Gawthome JM, pp. 298-301. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, German Federal Republic. 7. Lewis G, Terlecki S, Parker BNS: 1974, Observations on the pathogenesis of delayed swayback. Vet Rec 95:313-316. 8. Lofstedt J, Jakowski R, Sharko P: 1988, Enzootic ataxia and caprine arthritis/encephalitis virus infection in a New England goat herd. J Am Vet Med Assoc 193:1295-1298. 9. Puls R: 1988, Mineral levels in animal health, pp. 70-87. Sherpa International, BC, Canada. 10. Sanders DE: 1983, Copper deficiency in food animals. Compend Cont Ed Pract Vet 5:404-410. 11. Sullivan ND: 1985, The nervous system. In: Pathology of domestic animals, ed. Jubb KVF, Kennedy PC, Palmer N, vol. 1, pp. 270-272. Academic Press, New York, NY. 12. Suttle NE: 1986, Copper deficiency in ruminants; recent developments. Vet Rec 119:519-522.
Luminescent centers in doped crystals of CsMgI3: Energy storage and thermoluminescence

Abstract The double salt, CsMgI 3 , appears to be a semiconductor with a wide band gap (4.8 ev). The introduction of trivalent impurities (Sc 3+ , In 3+ , Ce 3+ , Gd 3+ , Ho 3+ , Er 3+ and Tm 3+ ) results in luminescent centers which are excited by irradiation at energies slightly below the band gap. When irradiated at low temperatures the doped crystals store energy and show a pronounced thermoluminescence.
Calcium requirement for 5-hydroxytryptamine-indueed maturation of Spisula oocytes

Summary 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) triggers dissolution of the germinal vesicle (GVBD) in Spisula oocytes suspended in artificial sea water (ASW) but not in Ca2+-free ASW. The maturation-inducing potency of 5-HT increases with increasing concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ up to 50% of natural SW content (9.27 mM). Of the various Ca2+ channel antagonists tested, verapamil was the most potent blocker of 5-HT-induced maturation. 5-HT stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake revealed a lag period of two min followed by an accelerated uptake. The 5-HT agonists, 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT1A) and c(-methyl-5-HT (5-HT2), stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake by Spisula oocytes. The 5-HT antagonist, mianserin, and the Ca2+ channel antagonist, verapamil, blocked 5-HT-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake. Taken together, the present results suggest that an early action of 5-HT on Spisula oocytes is to promote gating of Ca2+ channels.
Caffeine and agricultural pesticide concentrations in surface water and groundwater on the north shore of Kauai (Hawaii, USA)

Caffeine has been associated with wastewater pollution in temperate and subtropical locations, but envi- ronmental caffeine concentrations in tropical locations have not been reported. The objectives of this study were to measure caffeine and agricultural pesticide (carbaryl, metalaxyl, and metribuzin) concen- trations in environmental waters on the tropical north shore of Kauai (Hawaii, USA) and assess whether patterns in caffeine concentration were consistent with a wastewater caffeine source. Groundwater, river, stream and coastal ocean samples were collected in August 2006 and February 2007. Caffeine was detected in all August 2006 samples and in 33% of February 2007 samples at concentrations up to 88 ng L
Multiple sclerosis: Circulating antigen‐reactive lymphocytes

Circulating lymphocyte populations were examined in 85 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 26 of whom showed exacerbations; 48 patients with other neurological diseases (OND); 14 patients suffering from psychiatric disorders; and 2 normal subjects. The study involved the assay of early (active, high-affinity rosetting) T-cells, myelin basic protein (MBP)-reactive early T-cells, late (total, 24-hour rosetting) T-cell levels were significantly lower in MS (p less than 0.01) than in OND subjects. Exacerbations in MS were usually accompanied by further decreases in early T-cells. The lower levels of early T-cells in MS and their fluctuations are believed to reflect disease activity. MBP-reactive early T-cells were more frequently increased in MS (75% of cases) than OND (50%), and while this might be indicative of increased sensitization against myelin antigens, it was found not to be an MS-specific phenomenon.
Metamodelling for cycle time-throughput-product mix surfaces using progressive model fitting

A simulation-based methodology is proposed to map the mean of steady-state cycle time (CT) as a function of throughput (TH) and product mix (PM) for manufacturing systems. Nonlinear regression models motivated by queueing analysis are assumed for the underlying response surface. To ensure efficiency and control estimation error, simulation experiments are built up sequentially using a multi-stage procedure to collect data for fitting the models. The resulting response surface is able to provide a CT estimate for any TH and any PM, and thus allows the decision maker to instantly investigate options and trade offs regarding their production planning.
Self-diffusion in liquid sodium at constant volume and constant pressure

Abstract The self-diffusion coefficient of liquid sodium has been determined in the temperature range melting point to 300°C, under both constant pressure and constant volume conditions. The experimental technique is described in detail and current theories are reviewed in the light of the results obtained. None of the theoretical approaches is entirely correct in predicting the experimentally observed data. This is probably because there is more than one diffusion process operative in the liquid. It is, however, concluded that models of the fluctuation type most accurately describe observed conditions. The critical fluctuation concept is thought not to be applicable.
Left ventricular dysfunction is associated with cerebral grey matter injury: an in-vivo brain MRI segmentation study.

Abstract Background and purpose Patients with heart failure often experience cognitive deficits. The relationship between systolic function and cerebral gray matter injury is unclear. Methods An automated program SIENAX (v2.2) was used to extract brain volume and for segmentation of grey and white matter in subjects with low left ventricular ejection fraction ( Results 14 cases with low left ventricular ejection fraction and 14 age-matched controls were evaluated. A modest correlation between grey matter volume and low left ventricular ejection fraction was demonstrated (r = 0.51, p = 0.06), not seen with white matter volumes. The mean grey matter volume was 507.4 ± 166.3 ml in the low left ventricular ejection fraction group and 541.3 ± 167.2 ml in the control group (p = 0.57). Conclusion Low left ventricular ejection fraction may lead to cerebral grey matter injury. Larger studies including multi-modal MRI and neuropsychological assessments are warranted to explore potential mechanisms.
Charge transport kinetics in organic bulk heterojunction morphologies: Mesoscale Monte Carlo simulation analysis

Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to analyze the significance of morphology domains on charge transport dynamics in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Mesoscale simulation was performed using first reaction method with exponential charge carrier lifetime. Current density vs voltage characteristics were obtained for evenly distributed, graded and ordered morphologies. It was observed that assuming 100% exciton dissociation graded morphology resulted better power conversion efficiency than evenly distributed morphology due to improvement in fill factor (FF).
Strategic management of oil spills: some lessons from the Exxon Valdez disaster

Analyse technico-economique de la gestion des marees noires provoquees par des deversements de petrole, a travers l'exemple de l'Exxon Valdez
Fluoxetine inhibits K(+) transport pathways (K(+) efflux, Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransport, and Na(+) pump) underlying volume regulation in corneal endothelial cells.

We have studied regulatory volume responses of cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells (CBCEC) using light scattering. We assessed the contributions of fluoxetine (Prozac) and bumetanide-sensitive membrane ion transport pathways to such responses by determining K+ efflux and influx. Cells swollen by a 20% hypo-osmotic solution underwent a regulatory volume decrease (RVD) response, which after 6 min restored relative cell volume by 98%. Fluoxetine inhibited RVD recovery; 20 μm by 26%, and 50 μm totally. Fluoxetine had a triphasic effect on K+ efflux; from 20 to 100 μm it inhibited efflux 2-fold, whereas at higher concentrations the efflux first increased to 1.5-fold above the control value, and then decreased again. Cells shrunk by a 20% hyperosmotic solution underwent a regulatory volume increase (RVI) which also after 6 min restored the cell volume by 99%. Fluoxetine inhibited RVI; 20 μm by 25%, and 50 μm completely. Bumetanide (1 μm) inhibited RVI by 43%. In a Cl−-free medium, fluoxetine (50–500 μm) progressively inhibited bumetanide-insensitive K+ influx. The inhibitions of RVI and K+ influx induced by fluoxetine 20 to 50 μm were similar to those induced by 1 μm bumetanide and by Cl−-free medium. A computer simulation suggests that fluoxetine can interact with the selectivity filter of K+ channels. The data suggest that CBCEC can mediate RVD and RVI in part through increases in K+ efflux and Na-K-2Cl cotransport (NKCC) activity. Interestingly, the data also suggest that fluoxetine at 20 to 50 μm inhibits NKCC, and at 100–1000 μm inhibits the Na+ pump. One possible explanation for these findings is that fluoxetine could interact with K+-selective sites in K+ channels, the NKC cotransporter and the Na+ pump.
Scholarly Ethics and Courtroom Antics: Where Researchers Stand in the Eyes of the Law.

In 1993 the author, then a Ph.D. candidate in sociology, was jailed for 159 days after refusing to violate the American Sociological Association’sCode of Ethics provisions prohibiting the sharing of confidential research data with law enforcement authorities. This article discusses theCode, presents the facts of the case, answers critics of the author’s and the ASA’s stance, summarizes an attorney’s analysis of researcher’s rights in the eyes of the law, and concludes by urging sociologists to seek federal legislation protecting them and their work product from intrusions by public and private institutions.
Computing the isotropic discrepancy of point sets in two dimensions

An algorithm is developed for computing the isotropic discrepancy of an arbitrary set of points in the unit square.
Carrier Transport and Lateral Conductivity in Nanocrystalline Silicon Layers

We have studied carrier transport and lateral electrical properties of nanocrystalline Si layers containing size controlled Si nanocrystals. Using results from direct current (dc) and alternating current (ac) conductivity measurements, the charging of Si nanocrystals and Coulomb blockade effect are discussed.
Photogeneration of Hydrogen from Water Using an Integrated System Based on TiO2 and Platinum(II) Diimine Dithiolate Sensitizers

Two platinum(II) diimine dithiolate complexes, Pt(dcbpy)(met) (1) and Pt(dcbpy)(bdt) (2) (dcbpy = 4,4‘-dicarboxyl-2,2‘-bipyridine; met = cis-1,2-dicarbomethoxyethylene-1,2-dithiolate; bdt = 1,2-benzenedithiolate) were used as sensitizers for platinized TiO2 (TiO2/Pt), and systems composed of 1/TiO2/Pt and 2/TiO2/Pt were found to generate hydrogen from aqueous protons and a sacrificial electron donor, triethanolamine (TEOA), under visible light irradiation. Turnover numbers reached 84 after 95 h of irradiation for the first system and 72 after 73 h of irradiation for the second. Additional photolyses with light of wavelength longer than 455 nm showed that the systems are photostable with no loss of activity. Parallel experiments with Pt(diimine)(met) and Pt(diimine)(bdt) complexes that do not bind to TiO2 reveal that attachment of the sensitizer to TiO2 is essential for effective hydrogen generation.
New Antipoverty Drugs, Vaccines, and Diagnostics: A Research Agenda for the US President's Global Health Initiative (GHI)

On May 5, 2009, the Obama Administration announced its intention to launch an ambitious United States governmental strategy for global health [1–3]. The US Global Health Initiative (GHI) proposes US$63 billion over 6 years (FY 2009–FY 2014), US$10.5 billion annually on average, approximately 70% of which would be spent on the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) [1]. If appropriated each year by Congress, the GHI would represent a significant response to calls by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies for the US government (USG) to invest US$15 billion annually on development assistance for global health by 2012 [3]. In its current form, most of GHI is devoted to direct implementation of existing treatments and preventive interventions for the ‘‘big three diseases,’’ i.e., HIV/ AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, especially the delivery of antiretroviral drugs and other prevention measures, antimalarial drugs and bednets, and direct observed therapy, respectively, as well as other critical interventions to improve maternal and child health and strengthen health systems [1,3]. There is also an unprecedented commitment to provide treatments for the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with US$65 million committed in FY2010 for rapid impact packages and related measures targeting the seven most common NTDs, which comprise the most prevalent infections affecting the world’s poor [4–8].
Hepcidin, a Urinary Antimicrobial Peptide Synthesized in the Liver *

Cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides are abundant in animal and plant tissues involved in host defense. In insects, most are synthesized in the fat body, an organ analogous to the liver of vertebrates. From human urine, we characterized a cysteine-rich peptide with three forms differing by amino-terminal truncation, and we named it hepcidin (Hepc) because of its origin in the liver and its antimicrobial properties. Two predominant forms, Hepc20 and Hepc25, contained 20 and 25 amino acid residues with all 8 cysteines connected by intramolecular disulfide bonds. Reverse translation and search of the data bases found homologous liver cDNAs in species from fish to human and a corresponding human genomic sequence on human chromosome 19. The full cDNA by 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends was 0.4 kilobase pair, in agreement with hepcidin mRNA size on Northern blots. The liver was the predominant site of mRNA expression. The encoded prepropeptide contains 84 amino acids, but only the 20–25-amino acid processed forms were found in urine. Hepcidins exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans,Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus nigerand antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and group B Streptococcus. Hepcidin may be a vertebrate counterpart of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides produced in the fat body of insects.
Charting New Waters: Collaborating for School Improvement in U.S. High Schools

When professional learning communities (PLCs) are developed to promote the academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs), the results can benefit not only ELLs but the whole school. This article examines the ventures of three high schools that implemented PLCs as part of a Title III National Professional Development Project. The authors highlight the research on the effectiveness of PLCs and offer an operational definition for envisioning PLCs. Case studies of the three high school teams illustrate different cycles of inquiry and help readers understand how the emergence and development of professional teams improve the instruction and learning of ELLs. Using principles of effective PLCs as a framework, the authors share the challenges and successes of each team. The article concludes that effective PLCs are focused by a commitment to improve learning, informed by recognized principles, structured by the norms and inquiry processes that team members establish, and guided by school leaders who support teams and help them envision goals worth pursuing.
Transition metal and metal oxide catalysed gasification of carbon by oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide

Abstract The oxygen transfer mechanism is examined for transition metal and metal oxide catalysed carbon gasification by oxygen, water, and carbon dioxide. The mechanism appears valid for the C-O 2 reaction due to the availability of weakly bound oxygen in the bulk metal oxide or on the surface of a metal oxide or a metal in an oxygen atmosphere. In water and carbon dioxide atmospheres, only oxygen strongly bound to the metal or metal oxide is present, resulting in negligible activity for carbon gasification through this mechanism. When the catalyst is present as a reduced metal, a different mechanism for catalysed gasification involving direct breakage of carbon-carbon bonds by the metal is suggested.
Non-linear summation at an identified synapse inAplysia

The degree of non-linear summation of postsynaptic potentials at the RC1-R15 synapse inAplysia californica was determined. Two independent methods were used to reduce the size of the postsynaptic potential: voltage clamp of the postsynaptic potential and pharmacologic blockade of the postsynaptic receptors. Results from both methods demonstrate that non-linear summation is significant at this synapse. The non-linear correction formula of Stevens22 produces a reasonable compensation of measured EPSP amplitudes for the contribution of non-linear summation. The experiments also provide additional evidence that all of the variations in EPSP amplitude seen at this synapse21 are due to changes in the number of postsynaptic channels opened and not due to changes in the non-synaptic membrane properties of R15.
The impact of sex and contraceptive therapy on the plasma and intracellular pharmacokinetics of zidovudine.

Objectives Zidovudine remains part of combination antiretroviral therapy. Pharmacological studies rely on quantitation of active triphosphates in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This study evaluated the impact of female sex and contraceptive therapy on zidovudine plasma and intracellular pharmacokinetics and the impact of contraceptive therapy on HIV viral load. Methods Serial plasma and intracellular zidovudine pharmacokinetics following oral and intravenous dosing were determined in 18 men and 20 women treated with zidovudine. Women could repeat pharmacokinetics assessment following 2 months oral or injectable contraceptive therapy. Zidovudine plasma and intracellular mono-, di- and triphosphate concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Plasma and cervical viral loads were determined preceding and following 2 months of contraceptive therapy in women. Results Men exhibited higher area under the concentration versus time curve for intracellular zidovudine and zidovudine-monophosphate following oral and intravenous dosing and higher zidovudine triphosphate following oral dosing. There was no difference between men and women in plasma zidovudine parameters. Furthermore, contraceptive therapy had no effect on zidovudine plasma or intracellular pharmacokinetics or on plasma or cervical HIV-1 RNA levels. Conclusions Using an optimized pharmacokinetic design, this study indicated men exhibit significantly higher zidovudine-monophosphate and zidovudine-triphosphate exposure following zidovudine oral administration, having implications for drug toxicity and overall tolerance of zidovudine therapy. The lack of an effect of contraceptive therapy on zidovudine pharmacokinetics is surprising in light of previous pharmacokinetic studies for drugs eliminated primarily through glucuronidation. Contraceptive therapy had no effect on plasma or cervical viral load, results consistent with previous findings.
ASPHYXIA, FORMULA FEEDING AND BACTERIAL COLONIZATION INCREASE PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 ENZYME ACTIVITY AND mRNA LEVELS IN THE INTESTINE OF NEWBORN RATS|[dagger]| 1132

Recent experimental evidence has implicated the potent phospholipid inflammatory mediator, platelet activating factor (PAF) in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We have developed a neonatal rat model of NEC using the following risk factors for human NEC; asphyxia (A), bacteria colonization (B), and formula feedings (F) in which the clinical signs and intestinal lesions in the rat model are similar to those of human NEC. PAF production is initiated by the enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2). This experiment measured PLA2 enzyme activity and PLA2 gene transcription in the newborn rat model of NEC. Intestinal PLA2 enzyme activity from 26 stressed (A,B,F) and [Illegible Text] non-stressed, mother-fed control rat pups was assayed by measuring the conversion of a radiolabeled phosphatidylethanolamine substrate to free arachidonic acid. The mean PLA2 enzyme activity for the stressed animals was 90.6 ± 10.6 vs 58.7 ± 7.7 pmol/gm protein/hr for the control pups (p=0.02). Intestinal PLA2 mRNA was identified on Northern blots by hybridizion to a [32P]-labeled PLA2-II cDNA probe. Autoradiographs of the blot were analyzed by phosphoroimaging and the intensity of the hybridization bands quantified. Intestinal samples were studied from 5 stressed (A,B,F) and from 4 non-stressed, mother-fed, newborn rats. Mean PLA2 mRNA activity was increased in the intestine of stressed newborn rats 3.5-fold over that of non-stressed pups (371 ± 107.5 vs 105 ± 52.2 units). The PLA2 enzyme activity and mRNA levels of a given intestine did not correlate with the degree of NEC seen on gross or histologic exam. This experiment suggests that in the newborn rat model these stresses increase PLA2 enzyme synthesis at the level of gene transcription and that the increased PLA2 enzyme activity represents an increase in PLA2 gene activity. The increased PLA2 enzyme activity following exposure to risk factors for human NEC further supports the role of PAF in the pathogenesis of NEC. Supported by NIH grant HD 00999 and a grant from The March of Dimes.
GLOBALIZATION AND THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF TRANSPORT TERMINALS

Abstract Globalization underlines higher levels of integration between different production and distribution systems. It is commonly acknowledged that this process leans on improvements of transport modes and infrastructure, resulting in a space/time collapse. However, it is argued in this paper that the synchronization of transport terminals is the main paradigm shift of the current space/time collapse. Terminals are where transport efficiency is mainly achieved. Empirical evidence is drawn from the strategies of freight and air transport companies.
Median Regression with Censored Cost Data

Because of the skewness of the distribution of medical costs, we consider modeling the median as well as other quantiles when establishing regression relationships to covariates. In many applications, the medical cost data are also right censored. In this article, we propose semiparametric procedures for estimating the parameters in median regression models based on weighted estimating equations when censoring is present. Numerical studies are conducted to show that our estimators perform well with small samples and the resulting inference is reliable in circumstances of practical importance. The methods are applied to a dataset for medical costs of patients with colorectal cancer.
Application of low-cost accelerometers for measuring the operational efficiency of a construction equipment fleet

AbstractMonitoring the operational efficiency of construction equipment offers great opportunities to enhance not only the productivity but also the environmental performance of construction operations. However, existing enabling technologies still suffer from a lack of economic feasibility, as well as technological compatibility with equipment fleets that are outdated or that consist of diverse manufacturers’ models. In this context, this paper examines the feasibility of measuring the operational efficiency of equipment using low-cost accelerometers. Acceleration data in three axes were collected from a real-world operation of excavators that performed various duty cycles. Multiple features were calculated from acceleration data, and several classifiers using these features were tested to classify equipment operation into engine-off, idling, and working modes. An accuracy of over 93% was obtained in the classification of excavators’ operation. This result has demonstrated that the application of low-cos...
Engineering nanoscale phonon and photon transport for direct energy conversion

Abstract Nanostructures have a profound impact on the transport of heat and energy by electrons, phonons, and photons. In this paper, we will discuss some of the nanoscale heat transfer effects on phonon and photon transport and their implications for thermoelectric and thermophotovoltaic energy conversion technologies. For example, low thermal conductivity materials with good electrical properties are required in solid-state refrigerators and power generators to achieve high energy conversion efficiency. Various size effects on carrier transport in nanostructures can be utilized to engineer new structures with improved energy conversion efficiency. The thermal conductivity of superlattices will be used to illustrate the phonon transport characteristics in nanostructures. In another example, we will discuss some nanoscale thermal radiation phenomena, such as interference, tunneling, and surface waves, that can potentially be exploited to improve the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic power generation devices.
Ethics in the use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) promises to be an important advance in the treatment of cardiac arrest. However, ECPR involves ethical challenges that should be addressed as it diffuses into practice. Benefits and risks are uncertain, so the evidence base needs to be further developed, at least through outcomes registries and potentially with randomized trials. To inform decision making, patients’ preferences regarding ECPR should be obtained, both from the general population and from inpatients at risk for cardiac arrest. Fair and transparent appropriate use criteria should be developed and could be informed by economic analyses.
Defect characterization in the short-wavelength regime

The scattering of acoustic waves by different types of spherical defects in a silicon nitride matrix is calculated by using Ying and Truell's scattering theory. The theoretical scattering results are interpreted using a ray tracing approach. Experiments were carried out at a high frequency (150–450 MHz) to characterize defects in silicon nitride. Time and space averaging, Wiener filtering, diffraction, and propagation loss corrections were used to remove the effect of the transducer response and propagation loss in the material from the scattered signal. Our experimental results indicate the presence of a new type of defect in silicon nitride. They give the type and size of voids, cracks, and Si inclusions in good agreement with measurements obtained after sectioning.