cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linguistic Adaptive Critics for tuning fuzzy controllers

In this paper we demonstrate the use of Linguistic Adaptive Critics (LACs) for the design of fuzzy control systems. This technique is related to Adaptive Critic based Approximate Dynamic Programming as developed and applied in the neurocontrol context. We have previously shown how such techniques can be conveniently generalized to fuzzy controllers or neuro-fuzzy hybrids. We demonstrate LACs by designing a temperature controller for a simple water bath system.
Differential sensitivity to humidity of daily photosynthesis in the field in C3 and C4 species.

Net photosynthesis was measured under field conditions in Maryland, U.S.A. on several days in the C4 species Amaranthus hybridus and Portulaca oleracea, and the C3 species Chenopodium album. Two similar fully exposed canopy leavesof the same specieswere measured each day, following ambient patterns of air temperature and irradiance. One leaf of the pair was exposed to air at the ambient humidity, while the other leaf was exposed to wetter air, such that the leaf to air water vapor pressure difference was 0.5 to 0.6 of that of the leaf at ambient humidity. Daily totals of net photosynthesis were consistently higher for leaves at increased humidity in C. album, with a mean ratio of 1.17. In contrast, daily totals of net photosynthesis in the two C4 species were at most 1.06 times higher for leaves at increased humidity, with a mean ratio of 1.03. Leaf conductance to water vapor increased as water vapor pressure differences decreased in C. album and A. hybridus. In A. hybridus increased sub-stomatal CO2 concentrations resulting from increased humidity only slightly increased net photosynthesis.
New rural poverty: The tangled web of environmental protection and economic aid in southern Mexico

SUMMARY Scholars, especially those located in Latin America, argue for a new rurality, one that entails changed rural-urban relations and decreasing reliance by rural residents on small-scale farming. Based on an examination of the impacts of three subsidy programs aimed at residents living near Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, I suggest these changes reinforce a continued rural poverty. The programs include a series of “conservation-development” initiatives whose architects hoped would decrease the pressure slash-and-burn farmers placed on area forests. In addition, residents of this area participated in agricultural and school subsidies. I compare the relative impact of all these programs on household incomes and consider both the opportunities for social capital these programs represented and their role in the purported “new rurality.”
Paradoxically high adiponectin and the healthy obese phenotype in obese black and white 16-year-old girls.

Although adiponectin is correlated inversely with obesity, some obese adults without metabolic complications of obesity have paradoxically high adiponectin. Therefore, we assessed adiponectin risk factor relations in 133 obese 16-year-old school girls from a cohort of 448, focusing on paradoxically high adiponectin-risk in obesity and the healthy obese phenotype. Median adiponectin (11.9 mg/L) in nonobese girls (body mass index [BMI] 2 ) was selected as a cutpoint to identify high adiponectin in obese girls. Of 90 black and 43 white obese girls (BMI ≥ 24.6), 25 black (28%) and 13 white (30%) girls had paradoxically high adiponectin (>11.9). The 38 obese girls with adiponectin >11.9 versus the 95 obese girls with adiponectin ≤11.9 had higher median high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (54 vs 46 mg/dL, P = 0.0007) and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) (181 vs 164 mg/dL, P = 0.011) and had lower insulin (14 vs 20 uU/mL, P = 0.0006). In the 133 obese girls, through stepwise regression, the adiponectin category (>11.9, ≤ 11.9 mg/L) was a significant independent positive determinant of HDL cholesterol (partial r 2 = 8.4%, P = 0.001), ApoA1 (partial r 2 = 4.1%, P = 0.025), and it was associated inversely with fasting serum insulin (partial r 2 = 5.4%, P = 0.0074). By stepwise logistic regression in the 133 obese girls, the adiponectin category (high vs low) was a significant inverse explanatory variable for metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 0.20, 95% confidence intervals 0.04–0.95, P = 0.043). We conclude that paradoxically high adiponectin is associated with the healthy obese phenotype in obese adolescent black and white girls.
Trends in Per Capita Consumption of Dairy Foods

Abstract The dairy industry of California will be confronted with numerous challenges in the 1980s as a result of inflation, increasing energy costs, changes in government regulations, and shifts in food consumption patterns of consumers. Information concerning past trends in consumption of dairy foods and milk fat is essential to planning future directions for the industry. In recent years, consumption per capita of fluid milk products has declined significantly, but cheese consumption has expanded markedly. On balance, there has been essentially no change in the per capita utilization of milk fat and milk solids-not-fat. Milk fat in all dairy foods except butter now accounts for only 12% of total dietary fat according to “disappearance data”. There are inconsistencies between disappearance data obtained by economists and data obtained by nutritionists relating to actual food intake by consumers. Consumption of milk and dairy foods is influenced by pricing which, in turn, is influenced by Federal and State dairy programs, particularly the Commodity Credit Corporation price support program.
Interpersonal Communication: Theoretical Perspectives, Future Prospects

This presentation provides an overview of the state of theorizing about interpersonal communication phenomena. Although communication researches have frequently chosen to guide their inquiries by employing theories generated by those whi till the research soil in lands of cognate disciplines, this review is restricted to theories that have been devised by those who identify themselves primarily as communication researches. Moreover, the emphasis is on theories that seek to explain some aspect of communicative conduct. It is possible to organize theoretical activity within the interpersonal communication domain into at least six areas. The first of these concerns the verbal and nonverbal adjustments and adaptations that individuals make during face-to-face interaction. Theories falling into the second area focus on message production processes. The third area includes theories that feature uncertainty as an organizing construct. The fourth area subsumes theories generated to explain various aspects of deceptive communication. The fifth category encompasses dialectical theories. Finally, the growth of new communication technologies that defy traditional distinctions between interpersonal and mass communication has promoted considerable interest in comparisons between face-to-face and computer-mediated social interaction.
EQUILIBRIA IN BANACH LATTICES WITHOUT ORDERED PREFERENCES

This paper establishes a very general result on the existence of competitive equilibria for exchange economies (with a finite number of agents) with an infinite-dimensional commodity space. The commodity spaces treated are Banach lattices, but no interiority assumptions on the positive cone are made; thus, the commodity spaces covered by this result include most of the spaces considered in economic analysis. Moreover, this result applies to preferences which may not be monotone, complete, or transitive; preferences may even be interdependent. Since preferences need not be monotone, the result allows for non-positive prices, and an exact equilibrium is obtained, rather than a free-disposal equilibrium.
An inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase, stress-induced p21Waf-1/Cip-1, mediates hepatocyte mito-inhibition during the evolution of cirrhosis.

During the evolution of cirrhosis, there is a relative decrease in volume percentage of hepatocytes and a relative increase in biliary epithelial cells and myofibroblasts. This is recognized histopathologically as a ductular reaction and leads to gradual distortion of the normal hepatic architecture. The final or decompensated stage of cirrhosis is characterized by a further decline in hepatocyte proliferation and loss of functional liver mass that manifests clinically as ascites, encephalopathy, and other signs of liver failure. In this report, we tested the hypothesis that p21-mediated hepatocyte mito-inhibition accelerates the evolution of cirrhosis using an established mouse model of decompensated biliary cirrhosis, p21-deficient mice, and liver tissue from humans awaiting liver replacement. Despite the same insult of long-term (12-week) bile duct ligation, mice prone to decompensation showed significantly more oxidative stress and hepatocyte nuclear p21 expression, which resulted in less hepatocyte proliferation, an exaggerated ductular reaction, and more advanced disease compared with compensation-prone controls. Mice deficient in p21 were better able than wild-type controls to compensate for long-term bile duct ligation because of significantly greater hepatocyte proliferation, which led to a larger liver mass and less architectural distortion. Mito-inhibitory hepatocyte nuclear p21 expression in humans awaiting liver replacement directly correlated with pathological disease stage and model of end-stage liver disease scoring. In conclusion, stress-induced upregulation of hepatocyte p21 inhibits hepatocyte proliferation during the evolution of cirrhosis. These findings have implications for understanding the evolution of cirrhosis and associated carcinogenesis. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270-9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2005.)
Glycoalkaloids in tissue culture of Solanum species. Dehydrocommersonine from cultured roots of Solanum chacoense

Abstract Dehydrocommersonine, a newly described glycoalkaloid, was isolated from root tissue initiated from a callus culture of Solanum chacoense . Tuber tissue of this plant introduction line did not contain commersonine or its dehydro compound. Callus of S. chacoense and three cultivars of Solanum tuberosum that failed to initiate roots were devoid of glydoalkaloids. Callus of S. tuberosum varieties Merrimack and Wauseon which had developed some roots were found to contain solanine and chaconine.
Robust adaptive terrain-relative navigation

Terrain-Relative Navigation (TRN) is a technique for localizing a vehicle in GPS-denied environments. TRN augments a dead-reckoned solution with continuous position fixes based on correlations with a pre-stored map. In underwater applications TRN accuracy on the order of 3m has been demonstrated, however convergence to incorrect solutions has been observed when operating for extended periods over featureless terrain. Specifically, the TRN filter can become overconfident in an incorrect position fix. Previous work by the authors introduced an adaptive technique for mitigating over-confidence in uninformative terrain. Specifically, the algorithm exponentially down-weights the probabilities with a factor α between zero and one, based on the estimated terrain information. This paper focuses on understanding the source of false fixes in uninformative terrain, and uses this insight to develop the method behind the adaptive technique. This paper shows that the cause of false fixes using standard TRN weighting in information-poor regions is the assumption that the terrain is uncorrelated. It also introduces a method to analyze the probability of false peaks using the standard TRN measurement weighting. This analysis is an extension of work in the statistics community on robust adjusted likelihood ratios, and is used to bound the probability of large false peaks. The resulting robust, adaptive technique is capable of realtime operation and its effectiveness is demonstrated in simulation and with field data from MBARI AUV runs over flat terrain in Monterey Bay.
Long-term Follow-up of Ectopic Intracardiac Greenfield Filter

Greenfield filter inferior vena cavai interruption is an effective approach for pulmonary embolism prophylaxis. Serious complications, however, have been documented following migration of these filters. We report a case of Greenfield filter migration to the right side of the heart. Evaluation of these filters, as well as indications for retrieval, are discussed.
The Effect of Charter School Legislation on Market Share

Many proponents of school choice use the claim of the market’s capability to enhance efficiency and improve performance to call for its expansion. But no markets are perfectly competitive, and the local market for public goods is filled with institutional arrangements that make it differ from the neoclassical ideal. In this paper, we look at a particular institution—the provisions of charter school legislation—and assess how it affects the ability of charter schools to gain market share. Using data from the 36 states that had passed charter legislation by 2000, and controlling for a variety of other factors, we estimate a model of the effects of various provisions in the charter laws on charter school market share. We find that two such provisions, one concerning the sponsorship of charters and another their funding sources, appear to have a strong effect on the market share of charter schools.
Antibodies specific for the φ29 terminal protein inhibit the initiation of DNA replication in vitro

The phi 29 DNA-terminal protein serves as a primer for the initiation of DNA replication by covalently binding the first nucleotide in the DNA chain. Two distinct antibodies were used for functional analysis of this protein. One antibody was raised against sonicated phi 29 DNA-protein complex isolated from phage virions (anti-TP). The other antibody was raised against a conjugate of bovine serum albumin and a synthetic peptide corresponding to the carboxy-terminal of the phi 29 terminal protein (anti-gp3C), which was predicted from the nucleotide sequence of phi 29 DNA. Both antibodies react with native phi 29 terminal protein as determined by immunoprecipitation and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Both antibodies specifically inhibit the complex-forming reaction between the phi 29 terminal protein and dAMP, the first nucleotide of phi 29 DNA.
Computer studies of spin and energy transport in one-dimensional Heisenberg magnets

We have studied the dynamics of the classical Heisenberg chain at finite and infinite temperatures by computer simulation of an array of 4000 spins. The evaluation of the spin-spin and energy-energy wave-vector- and time-dependent correlation functions out to time $10{J}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ made it possible to determine the spin and energy diffusion constants. At infinite temperature we find ${D}_{S}=(1.33\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10)JS{a}^{2}$ and ${D}_{E}=(3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1)JS{a}^{2}$. Values of ${D}_{S}$ have also been determined, with less precision, for ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions at temperatures $\frac{{k}_{B}T}{|J|}=1.0 \mathrm{and} 0.5$. Our results are compared with various theoretical estimates. In addition, we calculate the time-dependent spin and energy self-correlation functions.
Concentration and Application Order Effects of Sodium Benzoate and Eugenol Mixtures on the Growth Inhibition of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces Bailii

: Growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zygosaccharomyces bailii cells was monitored in the presence of sodium benzoate and eugenol alone or combined. The two antimicrobials’ concentration, addition order, and timing were varied to determine and quantify any additive inhibitory effect on the yeasts. The yeast growth was also followed in the presence of ethanol, which served as solubilizer, at pertinent concentrations. The growth patterns are depicted as adjusted optical density compared with time curves. They all had sigmoid shape, described mathematically by a shifted logistic model that had an almost perfect fit to the data. The model's 3 parameters accounted for the curve's asymptote, the location of its inflection point and slope, which are rough measures of the overall growth level and its degree of suppression, the time to reach the peak growth rate and its retardation, and the overall growth rate, respectively. Maximum growth inhibition was achieved when the sodium benzoate and eugenol were administered together or alone in full dose. When each was administered alone but in 2 half dose additions, their efficacy dropped. When they were used together but added sequentially with a 24 h pause, their administration order had a noticeable effect on the treatment's efficacy, which depended on their respective concentrations. These observations are presented in a slightly modified version of the “hurdle” ideogram. They suggest that sequencing the administration of antimicrobials can be a simple tool to probe their mode of activity and quantify their efficacy. Practical Application: Reducing the amount of additives in foods is a goal pursued by many branches of the food industry. In microbial growth suppression, a promising way to accomplish such a reduction is through the administration of 2 or more antimicrobials, preferably natural, exploiting their synergism. To search for effective combinations, in respect to type and concentration, one needs an insight into their mode of activity. Sequencing their administration, as demonstrated with 2 antimicrobials and 2 common yeasts that are involved in beverage spoilage, has offered a simple way to probe into certain aspects of the effect of antimicrobial combinations on microorganisms. The presented algebraic growth model enables to quantify, separately, the growth overall suppression, its retardation, and lowering its peak rate. The proposed modified version of the “hurdles paradigm” helps to visualize the differences in the antimicrobials’ general mode of activity and how it is affected by their sequencing.
A robust PID-type Fuzzy Logic Controller for variable speed motor drives

A robust PID-type Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) for speed control of DC motors is proposed. Its performance is compared with that of a proportional integral (PI) controller under various load conditions to analyze set point tracking capabilities, disturbance rejection, and step response. Both control strategies (FLC and PI) were designed and simulated using Matlab's Fuzzy Logic Toolbox and Simulink. The simulation results have also been validated through real-time implementation using dSpace controller. It was found that the proposed fuzzy logic controller demonstrates smoother step response with minimal overshoot, greater disturbance rejection capabilities, and faster settling time than the commonly used PI controller.
A study of the linear interpolation used in the analytical tetrahedron method

Abstract A test of the accuracy of the linear interpolation used in the analytical tetrahedron method has been carried out with the two different dispersion relations. It was found that although the interpolation is suitable for spectral functions, it is not reliable for quantitative study of the Fermi wavevectors and Fermi surface cross sections. Also a comparison with the star-averaged linear interpolation is made.
A World in Emergence: Notes Toward a Resynthesis of Urban-Economic Geography for the 21st Century

The argument in this paper is that we now need to move beyond the theoretical horizons of postfordism and to seek out a sui generis description of contemporary capitalism and its urban-economic geography. Three major characteristics of today's capitalism are singled out as exerting major impacts on the geographical reconstruction of the world as we know it: (1) digital technologies, (2) the new division of labor, and (3) the deeply intensifying role of knowledge and human sensibility in the labor process. The implications of these phenomena for urban form and regional development are discussed, with special reference to the cognitive-cultural economy of large cities. Recent transformations of the interstitial spaces between these cities are also considered. The argument goes on to place all of these issues in a wider spatial and organizational context in which the world is represented as a multifaceted, multitiered system of spatial convergence and differentiation. Some of the broad cultural and political...
Comment on "A Variable Counter Design Technique"

In Renschler's short note1 the variable counter (Fig. 3) and divide-by-N counter (Fig. 4) could be simplified in terms of the number of logic elements involved and the total cost to implement.
Efficacy of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Patients With Locally Recurrent or Advanced Inoperable Breast Cancer

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally recurrent or advanced inoperable breast cancer. Patients and Methods Twenty patients treated between 2009 and 2013 were reviewed from a prospectively collected database. All patients had symptomatic recurrent or advanced breast cancer and had been deemed not to be ideal operative candidates. Treatment consisted of external beam radiotherapy to the primary tumor in the breast or regional lymph nodes, or both, concurrent with either capecitabine, paclitaxel, or cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy. The grade of acute and late toxicity was evaluated, as was response to treatment, overall survival (OS), and local relapse-free survival (LRFS). Results Of the 20 patients, 9 (45%) presented with primary disease and 11 (55%) had recurrent disease. A total of 11 (55%) patients had evidence of metastatic disease. The overall clinical response rate was 100%, with a clinical complete response (CR) observed in 65% of patients and a clinical partial response (PR) observed in 35% of patients. At a median follow up of 25.3 months, 2-year LRFS was 73% and 2-year OS was 80%. Local control was significantly better in patients with an initial diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 0.139; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.014-0.935) and in those who had not had previous in-field radiation (HR, 0.011; 95% CI, 0.005-0.512). The only grade ≥ 3 toxicity was acute dermatologic events (30%) and late dermatologic (15%) events. Conclusion Concurrent CRT with capecitabine, paclitaxel, or cisplatin/etoposide for recurrent or advanced inoperable breast cancer is well tolerated with impressive clinical response rates and durable local control.
Improved Ruggedness for Membrane-Based Amperometric Sensors Using a Pulsed Amperometric Method

This paper introduces a new approach to the use of membrane-based amperometric sensors which is expected to improve the ruggedness of these sensors significantly relative to the steady-state method in common use. In this new method, the fixed-voltage source used with the conventional steady-state method is replaced by a pulsed-voltage source. Unlike the fixed-source approach, which yields steady-state currents corresponding to large differences between analyte concentrations inside and outside the isolating membrane, the pulsed-source approach permits measurement of currents corresponding to near-equilibrium conditions between solutions inside and outside the membrane. Because the measured currents correspond to near-equilibrium conditions, results are expected to be virtually independent of variables that affect rates of mass transport to and across the membrane. The new approach is evaluated using the “oxygen electrode” as a model system. Results obtained using the new method are compared with results o...
Curvature-induced symmetry lowering and anomalous dispersion of the G-band in carbon nanotubes

Abstract Here, we report rich and new resonant Raman and infrared (IR) spectral features for several sub-nanometer diameter single wall carbon nanotubes (sub-nm SWCNTs) samples grown using chemical vapor deposition technique operating at different temperatures. We find that the high curvature in sub-nm SWCNTs leads to (i) an unusual S-like dispersion of the G-band frequency due to perturbations caused by the strong electron–phonon coupling, (ii) an activation of diameter-selective intermediate frequency modes that are as intense as the radial breathing modes (RBMs), and (iii) a clear observation of the IR modes. Furthermore, an analytical approach which includes the effects of curvature into the overlap integral and the energy gap between the van Hove singularities is discussed. Lastly, we show that the phonon spectra for sub-nm SWCNTs obtained from the molecular dynamic simulations which employs a curvature-dependent force field concur with our experimental observations.
An illness-induced conditioned aversion in domestic chicks: one-trial learning with a long delay of reinforcement.

Four experiments were run to determine whether 10-day-old domestic chicks would acquire a one-trial illness-induced aversion to the visual and/or taste properties of an unfamiliar liquid. Immediately following a 1-hr exposure to a novel green sucrose solution, experimental subjects were injected with 0.2 M LiCl and control animals with normal saline. Results of a two-jar preference test (green sucrose, uncolored water) 24 hr later demonstrated that chicks which drank green sucrose prior to LiCl treatment developed a strong aversion to this solution. Controls displayed no preference. Chicks trained and/or tested without the color cue (uncolored sucrose) failed to show a conditioned taste aversion. These findings indicate that, for chicks, an association between a visual (color) cue and subsequent illness is readily established; a taste—illness association could not be demonstrated. When the sucrose taste cue was eliminated and only the color stimulus was available, LiCl-treated and control animals alike exhibited an apparent aversion to the green water (or preference for uncolored water). Thus, taste properties may account for control subjects' willingness to drink the original green sucrose solution. The long-delay avoidance learning demonstrated by LiCltreated chicks appears to be mediated by the visual, not the gustatory, cue.
Do We Share a Book? The Sunday Lectionary and Jewish-Christian Relations

This paper analyzes the role that the Sunday Lectionary, revised after Vatican II, plays in the Catholic Church’s presentation of Jews and Judaism. The presentation of Jews and Judaism in the current Lectionary is clearly a vast improvement over what preceded it. However, there is still much work to be done in order to bring the Lectionary in line with official Catholic teachings on the Old Testament and the Jews. The recent document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible (2001), provides a new and authoritative impetus to reconsider the selection of Old Testament texts and their relationship to Gospel texts in the Lectionary. The article argues that continued Lectionary reform â specifically with regard to the Old Testament lections â would improve Jewish-Christian relations in the long term.
Mammary origin of rat milk ribonuclease

Abstract 1. 1. When assayed under a variety of ionic conditions rat milk RNAase activity was highest under added Ca2+ while the serum enzyme was highest in no added ion, suggesting that milk was higher in the mammary-specific, Ca2+ -stimulated, RNAase than was the serum of lactating rats. 2. 2. The acrylamide gel electrophoresis results demonstrated that milk RNAase differed from serum RNAase both in distribution and ionic preference; all milk RNAase species strongly preferred Ca2+ while serum RNAase species had no ionic preference. 3. 3. The Sephacryl S200 separation accentuated these differences by showing that 98% of the total milk RNAase activity was Ca2+ -stimulated and clustered in a region of higher molecular weight than the serum enzyme which again had no ionic preference. 4. 4. From these results, we conclude that the vast majority of milk RNAase molecules are not transported by the serum, but must originate in the alveolar cells.
Cell broadband engine processor: design and implementation

The Cell Broadband Engine™ (Cell/B.E.) processor was developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM engineers to deliver a high-speed, high-performance, multicore processor that brings supercomputer performance via a custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) implementation. To achieve its goals, the Cell/B.E. processor uses an innovative architecture, new circuit design styles, and hierarchical integration and verification techniques. The Cell/B.E. processor design point was also targeted at high-volume manufacturing. To meet high-volume manufacturing requirements, the chip was designed so that it could be completely tested in less than 26 seconds. In addition to the above items, the Cell/B.E. processor was designed with the "triple design constraints" of maximizing performance while minimizing area and power consumed. The initial application was targeted at real-time systems that require high-speed data movement for both on-chip and off-chip transfers. This application also required very high speed compute and real-time response processes.
Cadmium and mercury cause an oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction

We investigated the ability of cadmium and mercury ions to cause endothelial dysfunction in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell monolayers. Exposure of monolayers for 48 h to metal concentrations greater than 3-5 microM produced profound cytotoxicity (increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage), a permeability barrier failure, depletion of glutathione and ATP and almost complete inhibition of the activity of key thiol enzymes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). In contrast, metal concentrations less than 1-2 microM induced increases in glutathione and thiol-enzyme activities with minimal changes in LDH leakage, barrier function and ATP content. At shorter incubation times (24 h or less), high concentrations of cadmium caused glutathione induction rather than depletion. Thus, oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by lower concentrations of the metal ions stimulate compensatory responses, including increased synthesis of glutathione, which presumably preserved the activity of key thiol enzymes, however these responses were not sustainable at higher metal ion concentrations. We conclude, while high concentrations of heavy metals are cytotoxic, lower concentration induce a compensatory protective response, which may explain threshold effects in metal-ion toxicity.
A rapid enzyme lmmunofiltration technique using monoclonal antibodies to serotype herpes simplex virus

A rapid enzyme immunofiltration technique using monoclonal antibodies to serotype herpes simplex virus is described. It requires only a single tube culture showing viral cytopathology and can accommodate multiple specimens in a single assay. The monoclonal antibodies confer absolute specificity and the use of horseradish peroxidase-conjugated staphylococcal protein A or antiglobulin permits easy visual interpretation of the results following the 2-3 hour assay. Although it is possible that an occasional wild strain of HSV might escape recognition by monoclonal antibody, this potential problem has not been observed among the more than 500 clinical isolates tested to date, all of which have yielded an unequivocal result.
A Novel Endoscopic Technique for Failed Nasogastric Tube Placement.

Direct visualization of the nasopharynx gives the otolaryngologist a unique advantage for addressing difficult nasopharyngeal anatomy. One common situation is being consulted to assist when the blind placement of a nasogastric tube has failed. A novel technique for managing a patient with a nasogastric tube embedded in the adenoid remnant is described with illustrations. The atraumatic method is easily employed by a resident armed with a portable nasolaryngoscope and plain suture. By using a repeated pull-through technique, the nasogastric tube can be guided past difficult nasopharyngeal anatomy and into a position from where it can be advanced into the patient’s esophagus.
Challenges facing crossover youth: An examination of juvenile-justice decision making and recidivism.

Although a substantial amount of research documents the increased likelihood of maltreated youths to engage in delinquency, very little is known about them once they cross into delinquency. These youths are often referred to as “crossover youth,”“dual jurisdiction,” or “dually involved” youth, and based on a growing amount of research, it appears these youths face a number of challenges. They have significant educational problems, high rates of placement changes and high rates of substance abuse and mental health problems, and when they enter the juvenile justice system, they are more likely to stay longer and penetrate deeper into the system then their nonmaltreated counterparts. Using data from Los Angeles County (N= 581), the purpose of this study is to identify what characteristics among a crossover population are more likely to result in receiving harsher dispositions and higher recidivism rates.
A Business Centric End-to-End Monitoring Approach for Service Composites

Enterprise applications today are composed of multiple independently executing services and processes that collectively provide a solution to a business problem. These composite applications contain a heterogeneous collection of services that execute in a variety of runtimes making them difficult to manage while maintaining a business centric point of view, as opposed to a service point of view. This paper introduces a business centric monitoring framework to bridge the gap between the business and service levels in complex business applications. Our technical approach focuses on using business information invariants to define one or more monitor sets in order to relate service activity to business composite execution. We apply this framework to enable end-to-end monitoring of composite business applications. In this paper we present an initial prototype of our business centric monitoring approach using monitor sets for monitoring a simple loan application composite implemented on IBM’s WebSphere Business Modeler, Process Server and Business Monitor. Our prototype implementation demonstrates the convenience, effectiveness and ease of design and deployment of our monitoring solution to attain a single end-to-end business centric view of a collection of heterogeneous services executing together. Our work also exposes potential challenges as we extend this work to support more powerful end-to-end monitoring.
Behaviour and Opinions Concerning a Mandatory Newspaper Recycling Programme: a Statistical Correlation Analysis

Source-separation recycling of municipal waste is becoming increasing popular in the USA and Canada, but little is known concerning the behaviour and opinions of residents subject to recycling programmes. Residents of a Pennsylvania county subject to a mandatory newspaper recycling programme in 1985 were surveyed in 1986 concerning their behaviour and opinions with respect to that programme. Survey responses were analysed by Pearson correlation and other statistical methods. Among the conclusions of that analysis are the following: The use of drop-off sites did not decrease recycling rates; Newspaper publicity can increase recycling rates; Larger households required more time than smaller for recycling compliance; Willingness to recycle additional materials decreases as time spent on current recycling activities increases.
Promises and Limitations of Mendelian Randomization for Evaluation of Biomarkers

Mendelian randomization provides a theoretically powerful approach to account for unmeasured confounding variables in the evaluation of relationships of biomarkers with disease outcomes. First proposed by Katan as a way to distinguish whether low cholesterol concentrations were a cause of cancer or a consequence of carcinogenesis (1), the approach seeks to capitalize on the random assignment of genotypes at meiosis in a methodologic strategy that mimics that of a randomized trial. A main strength of the approach is that whereas a biomarker typically varies throughout a person’s life in response to diverse and unmeasured lifestyle and age-related biologic processes, the genotypes are fixed at birth and their associations with the biomarker are apparently lifelong. An additional strength is the accuracy of genotyping, unlike many other risk factors that change with time and are measured with substantial error. However, several types of confounding can influence the results of a Mendelian randomization study, causal inference in observational research requires caution, and the interpretation of null Mendelian randomization studies is challenging, especially in the common situation of a weak association between the gene and the biomarker. Fig. 1⇓ illustrates the approach of Mendelian randomization in the setting where interest focuses on the relationship of concentrations of a biomarker B with the subsequent occurrence of a disease D, and information is available on a polymorphism at a genetic locus associated with B. One often seeks to quantify the association of B with D that is independent of known relationships of other risk factors, C, that are correlated with B. If all risk factors for D are measured accurately and their relationship with D is correctly specified, then a standard analytic approach, such as a stratified analysis or a regression model (e.g., a logistic regression model), can obtain the correct adjusted estimate of the …
If he can do it, so can they: Exposure to counterstereotypically successful exemplars prompts automatic inferences.

After incidental exposure to Blacks who succeeded in counterstereotypical domains (e.g., Brown University President Ruth Simmons, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison), participants drew an automatic inference that race was not a success-inhibiting factor in modern society. Of note, participants� automatic inferences were not simply guided by their explicit reasoning (i.e., their beliefs about what these exemplars signify about the state of race relations). Studies 1�3 demonstrated the basic automatic inference effect and provided evidence that such effects unfolded automatically, without intention or awareness. Study 4 replicated the effect in non-race-related domains. Subsequent studies examined what features of exemplars (Studies 5 and 6) and inference makers (Studies 7 and 8) prompt automatic inferences. Study 5 suggested that counterstereotypically successful exemplars prompt racism-denying inferences because they signal what is possible, even if not typical. Study 6 demonstrated that when these exemplars succeed in a stereotypical domain (e.g., Blacks in athletics), similar automatic inferences are not drawn. Those most likely to draw automatic inferences are people predisposed to approach the world with inferential thinking: participants dispositionally high in need for cognition (Study 7) or experimentally primed to think inferentially (Study 8). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
Cluster Interactions and Thermodynamic Properties of Al-Transition Metal alloys

Recent interest in Al-transition metal alloys is motivated both by their desirable technological properties1 and by their basic scientific interest, including recently discovered phenomena such as icosahedral phase formation.2 To perform calculations of the properties of these alloys at an atomistic level, it is necessary to ascertain the basic physical mechanisms underlying bonding and ordering. In this paper we study these mechanisms by calculating cluster interactions describing atomic rearrangements on a fixed underlying fcc lattice. We then use these interactions to analyze the systematics of heats of formation, solid solubilities, and structural preferences in Al-transition metal alloys.
Linguistic Anthropology: Units of participation

A common thread across the human sciences in the nineteenth and twentieth century has been the conceptualization of human behavior as a series of interacting and yet autonomous systems, each of which can be further divided into smaller and smaller components. As we saw in chapters 5 and 6, in linguistics this trend has meant the decomposition of human discourse into sentences, phrases, words, morphemes, phonemes, and distinctive features. This work has given us a more sophisticated understanding of the complexity of human speech, its different layers, and some of the ways in which the different layers feed into each other, but it has not answered the question of how speakers manage to connect the smaller units of language to the larger entities such units participate in. The approaches discussed in the last two chapters are attempts to come to grips with this problem by connecting linguistic forms with either individual acts or sequences of acts. In this chapter, I will expand the discussion presented in those chapters by exploring other units of analysis. The running theme this time will be “participation.” Participation – to be discussed here as both a dimension of human interaction and a perspective of analysis – is a concept that draws from a variety of schools within linguistics, anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Sociolinguists have tended to focus on participation as an issue between the individual and larger reference groups or aggregates such as networks (Milroy 1980; Milroy and Milroy 1985) and speech communities (Hudson 1980; Labov 1966; Romaine 1982; Walters 1988).
OBSERVER TRAINING REVISITED: A COMPARISON OF IN VIVO AND VIDEO INSTRUCTION

We compared the effects of 2 observer-training procedures. In vivo training involved practice during actual treatment sessions. Video training involved practice while watching progressively more complex simulations. Fifty-nine undergraduate students entered 1 of the 2 training conditions sequentially according to an ABABAB design. Results showed that the 2 training methods produced almost identical scores on a posttraining observational test; however, the video method required fewer training sessions to complete.
The ecology of an online education site in professional communication

This paper discusses the interaction of web-based communication technologies (e.g., threaded discussion groups, synchronous chat forums, and file-exchange systems) with the values and objectives of participants as a type of information ecology in an online technical communication class. Rather than advocating a particular technology or configuration of technologies, the author suggests that instructors develop technology-rich online learning environments in which they and class participants can select mediating technologies that facilitate the purposeful interaction of humans. To do otherwise, the author argues, is to reinforce the potentially dangerous notion that human interactions should simply be ordered around the parameters and capabilities of the most readily available technologies.
The Utility of Forced Expiratory Flow between 25% and 75% of Vital Capacity in Predicting Childhood Asthma Morbidity and Severity

Objectives. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) felt to be an objective measure of airway obstruction is often normal in asthmatic children. The forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF25–75) reflects small airway patency and has been found to be reduced in children with asthma. The aim of this study was to determine whether FEF25–75 is associated with increased childhood asthma severity and morbidity in the setting of a normal FEV1, and to determine whether bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) as defined by FEF25–75 identifies more childhood asthmatics than does BDR defined by FEV1. Methods. The Boston Children’s Hospital Pulmonary Function Test database was queried and the most recent spirometry result was retrieved for 744 children diagnosed with asthma between 10 and 18 years of age between October 2000 and October 2010. Electronic medical records in the 1 year prior and the 1 year following the date of spirometry were examined for asthma severity (mild, moderate, o...
Jointly constructed narratives in classrooms: Co-construction of friendship and community through language

Abstract This article examines the joint construction of narratives in the everyday world of the classroom. Narratives from two ethnographic studies are presented. The preschool narratives illustrate how peer culture, friendship patterns, and identity are socially constituted in and through the discourse practices among members. The fifth grade written narratives illustrate ways in which the students viewed their bilingual class community as jointly constructed through the patterns of interaction and activity of everyday life. Additionally, we present an argument that writing about narratives involves a double narrative process that includes the voice of the researchers and the voices of those involved in the research.
Modified trichrome staining technique of the nerve to determine proximal nerve viability

Normal myelinated fibers are stained "red" by modified trichrome staining of the frozen section of the nerve. We have used this technique for rapid assessment of the anatomical integrity of the proximal nerve stump by identifying well-preserved myelinated fibers. This technique can also identify degenerating and degenerated myelinated fibers, fibrosis, and inflammatory cells. We report three cases in which the practical usefulness of this technique is demonstrated.
Insight into the Recognition, Binding, and Reactivity of Catalytic Metallodrugs Targeting Stem Loop IIb of Hepatitis C IRES RNA

The complex Cu-GGHYrFK-amide (1-Cu) was previously reported as a novel metallotherapeutic that catalytically inactivates stem loop IIb (SLIIb) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) RNA and demonstrates significant antiviral activity in a cellular HCV replicon assay. Herein we describe additional studies focused on understanding the cleavage mechanism as well as the relationship of catalyst configuration to structural recognition and site-selective cleavage of the structured RNA motif. These are advanced by use of a combination of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, melting temperature determinations, and computational analysis to develop a structural model for binding and reactivity toward SLIIb of the IRES RNA. In addition, the binding, reactivity, and structural chemistry of the all-D-amino acid form of this metallopeptide, complex 2-Cu, are reported and compared with those of complex 1-Cu. In vitro RNA binding and cleavage assays for complex 2-Cu show a KD value of 76 ± 3 nM, and Michaelis-Menten parameters of kcat =0.14 ± 0.01 min(-1) and KM =7.9 ± 1.2 μM, with a turnover number exceeding 40. In a luciferase-based cellular replicon assay Cu-GGhyrfk-amide shows activity similar to that of the 1-Cu parent peptide, with an IC50 value of 1.9 ± 0.4 μM and cytotoxicity exceeding 100 μM. RT-PCR experiments confirm a significant decrease in HCV RNA levels in replicon assays for up to nine days when treated with complex 1-Cu in three-day dosing increments. This study shows the influence that the α-carbon stereocenter has for this new class of compounds, while detailed mass spectrometry and computational analyses provide new insight into the mechanisms of recognition, binding, and reactivity.
Trends of distribution in South Bohemia

In the article, we describe some results of marketing research. We explored the situation on the food-market among the consumers in the district Ceske Budějovice. The aims of research were to find the changes of consumer behavior and to describe the main factors, which influence it. We compared, why the consumers do shopping in the retail and in the supermarket. We found that the people more often do the long-term's, shopping in the supermarkets. The main reasons are: lower prices (answered yes 43 % respondents) and time saving (answered yes 26 %). The consumers choose the shop according to the lines, the atmosphere in the shop, the distance and its availability.
South Asian monsoon: Tug of war on rainfall changes

Precipitation associated with the South Asian summer monsoon has decreased by approximately 7% since 1950, but the reasons for this are unclear. Now research suggests that changes in land-cover patterns and increased emissions from human activities have contributed to this weakening, which is expected to continue in the coming decades.