cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collective bargaining, competitiveness and employment in the United States

This paper discusses collective bargaining in the United States over matters of job security, employment creation, and firm competitiveness. It first points out that US policy on economic issues is oriented toward facilitating the operation of markets; therefore, there is almost no public policy toward job security, employment creation, and competitiveness on which collective bargaining can build. Within the collective bargaining system, government policy merely enables unions and employers bargain over job security, employment creation, and firm competitiveness; it neither requires it nor even encourages it. Incidence of such use of collective bargaining thus varies by industry, with occasional use for competitiveness, but rare use for job creation. An exception is the automobile assembly industry, which is highlighted.
Improved reliability of free-space optical mesh networks through topology design

We propose a method for the topology design of free-space optical (FSO) mesh networks in order to enhance network reliability under a defined degree constraint of each FSO node. The methodology presented enlarges the minimum angle between adjacent links at each node. Simulation results show that, compared to other methods, the proposed algorithm not only provides a higher connectivity and lower delay for FSO networks but also makes the constructed FSO networks more tolerant in a dynamic environment.
Detecting target velocity and location using a novel optoelectronic sensing system

We propose a cost-effective, compact, and robust optoelectronic sensing system for measuring ballistic impact velocity and distribution of the projectile motion. The key elements consisted of this system are four photo-gates hybridized by compound one-dimensional prism array and analog/digital electronic components. The number of light sources and photodetectors used in a photo-gate was reduced to one pair of that. The time interval passing each pair can be measured precisely (~10 -8 s). The average velocity and location of projectile are carried out according the measured time intervals. The system can precisely measure the velocity of a bullet as it leaves a gun barrel and the velocity toward the trajectory outside the firearm. Furthermore, the system uses a commonly found low-powered laser pointer as light source. Compared with other optoelectronic sensing systems that use high-powered lasers, our system is both economical and safe.
Ultrastructure of complex carbohydrates of rodent and monkey ependymal glycocalyx and meninges.

The surfaces of the brain offer metabolic and mechanical support to the underlying parenchyma. Mouse, rat, and monkey brains were fixed by immersion in a glutaraldehyde fixative or glutaraldehyde with cetylpyridinium chloride, followed by block staining for complex carbohydrates using alcian blue with OsO4 postfixation, or OsO4 postfixative solution containing ruthenium red, or alcian blue and then ruthenium red-OsO4 treatment. The ependyma in these species had a glycocalyx extending into the ventricular fluid as a finely filamentous network when stained with alcian blue or with alcian blue followed by ruthenium red-OsO4. Mice in the middle age range had stained material in this glycocalyx resembling the hyaluronic acid reported in the ocular vitreous body. Similar material was seen in the arachnoidal space of these mice and in the inner connective tissue matrix of the dura mater. Both the mouse and monkey had a cell-free zone, termed the inner dural matrix zone, between the thick fibrous dura and its innermost cellular layer. This zone contained filamentous and globular alcian blue-stained material. The complex carbohydrates of the mouse ependymal glycocalyx and inner dural matrix zone underwent changes developmentally. Aged rats were injected intraventricularly with latex beads, which, along with extravasated erythrocytes, were seen to adhere to the ependymal glycocalyx. A similar adhesion of erythrocytes was seen in the mouse and monkey ependymal glycocalyx and in the filamentous network of the mouse and monkey inner dural matrix zone. The ependymal glycocalyx, formed in part of complex carbohydrates, is much thicker than previously demonstrated. Some activities related to the ependymal lining of the ventricles, including the movement of cells or particles, the penetration of metabolites or serum-protein fractions (e.g., immunoglobulins), and cell-surface hydration, probably depend in part on complex carbohydrates that provide a sticky, electrically negative, hydrophilic environment. The complex carbohydrates in the inner dural matrix zone might provide mechanical buffering. Complex carbohydrates in the arachnoidal space may help to maintain a loose tissue that needs not only to be hydrated, but also to be open enough to provide cerebrospinal fluid circulation.
Final density of states fluctuations in the energy range 0 ⩽ e < 20 eV and work function variations (Δφ) for O/W(100) studied in situ with angular resolved secondary electron spectroscopy (ARSES)

Abstract Angular resolved secondary electron spectroscopy and work function measurements have been used to study the interaction of clean W(100) with oxygen in the coverage range from zero up to 1.2 monolayers. Adsorption of oxygen onto W(100) followed by annealing produces an anomalous behavior in the intensity of secondary electrons emitted normal to the surface in the final state energy range 0 ⩽ E ⩽ 20 eV above vacuum level. Reconstruction appears at all coverages depending on annealing temperature and annealing times. The intensity of the emitted secondary electrons — measured always at room temperature — is strongly dependent on both coverage and position of the adsorbate atoms lateral and normal to the W(100) surface. The energy position of surface induced features varies only slightly with annealing temperatures whereas the intensity of secondary electrons as a function of final state energy changes drastically. The weak variation in energy is affected by the band structure of the clean substrate. The changes in intensity can be explained in terms of interference effects between directly and indirectly scattered electrons from the adsorbate/substrate interface. Moreover strong correlation with electron stimulated desorption is observed.
Correlates of in-hospital deaths among hospitalizations with pulmonary embolism: findings from the 2001-2008 National Hospital Discharge Survey.

Background: Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE) are responsible for substantial mortality, morbidity, and impaired health-related quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlates of in-hospital deaths among hospitalizations with a diagnosis of PE in the United States. Methods: By using data from the 200122008 National Hospital Discharge Survey, we assessed the correlates of in-hospital deaths among 14,721 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of PE and among subgroups stratified by age, sex, race, days of hospital stay, type of admission, cancer, pneumonia, and fractures. We produced adjusted rate ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals using log-linear multivariate regression models. Results: Regardless of the listing position of diagnostic codes, we observed an increased likelihood of in-hospital death in subgroups of hospitalizations with ages 50 years and older (aRR=1.8228.48), less than 7 days of hospital stay (aRR=1.4321.57), cancer (aRR=2.1022.28), pneumonia (aRR=1.7922.20), or fractures (aRR=2.18) (except for first-listed PE), when compared to the reference groups with ages 1249 years, 7 days or more of hospital stay, without cancer, pneumonia, or fractures while adjusting for covariates. In addition, we observed an increased likelihood of in-hospital death for first-listed PE in hospitalizations of women, when compared to those of men (aRR=1.45). Conclusions: The results of this study provide support for identifying, developing, and implementing effective, evidencebased clinical assessment and management strategies to reduce PE-related morbidity and mortality among hospitalized PE patients who may have concurrent health conditions including cancer, pneumonia, and fractures.
Retrograde venous cardiac perfusion for myocardial revascularization: an experimental evaluation.

Abstract This study evaluates cardiac function in dogs during retrograde perfusion through the coronary sinus. Five hearts perfused retrograde in an ex vivo apparatus demonstrated rapid and marked increases in weight and perfusion pressure, became hemorrhagic, and contracted poorly within one hour. Five similarly perfused hearts treated with phenoxybenzamine experienced no increase in weight or perfusion pressure and maintained good color and contractions for up to one hour. Five additional hearts treated with phenoxybenzamine did not develop hemorrhage, edema, increased weight, or increased perfusion pressure but could maintain the systemic circulation for only brief periods after 15 minutes of intermittent cardiopulmonary bypass support. We conclude that cardiac viability can be maintained with retrograde perfusion enhanced with alpha blocking agents. However, hearts so perfused cannot maintain adequate systemic pressure. The data suggest that extensive myocardial revascularization through the retrograde venous route would be ineffective.
Prediction of the High-Reynolds-Number Flow over a Two-Dimensional Bump

Large eddy simulation (LES) has been applied to prediction of the high-Reynolds-number boundary layer flowing over a bump. Approximate boundary conditions were used in the LES to model the wall layer in which the instantaneous wall stress is correlated with the velocity at the first layer of grid points. Two formulations of the approximate boundary conditions were employed. In the first formulation, a constrained relation was used in which the mean wall shear stress is specified a priori either from experimental measurements or from a separate solution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. In the second formulation, an unconstrained relation, which is based on an instantaneous power-law velocity profile, was used. Calculations were also performed in which the wall stress was computed directly, i.e., as if the near-wall flow were resolved. In the region resolved by the LES, the strong distortions of the mean flow, stream wise fluctuations, and turbulent shear stress are reasonably well predicted, and the relatively rapid recovery downstream of the trailing edge is also captured. However, neither LES nor RANS reproduces the plateau in skin friction measured upstream of the bump summit (attributed to early relaminarization in the experiments). LES predictions of the mean flow and turbulence intensities using the dynamic eddy viscosity model are relatively insensitive to the particular formulation of approximate boundary conditions. However, in calculations without a subgrid model, LES predictions exhibit large errors compared to experiments, and the quantitative levels of such errors are also sensitive to the choice of wall-layer model.
Progress In Optical Parametric Oscillators

It is pointed out that tunable coherent sources are very useful for many applications, including spectroscopy, chemistry, combustion diagnostics, and remote sensing. Compared with other tunable sources, optical parametric oscillators (OPO) offer the potential advantage of a wide wavelength operating range, which extends from 0.2 micron to 25 microns. The current status of OPO is examined, taking into account mainly advances made during the last decade. Attention is given to early LiNbO3 parametric oscillators, problems which have prevented wide use of parametric oscillators, the demonstration of OPO's using urea and AgGaS2, progress related to picosecond OPO's, a breakthrough in nanosecond parametric oscillators, the first demonstration of a waveguide and fiber parametric amplification and generation, the importance of chalcopyrite crystals, and theoretical work performed with the aim to understand the factors affecting the parametric oscillator performance.
TOR-dependent control of autophagy: biting the hand that feeds

Induction of autophagy in response to starvation is a highly conserved ability of eukaryotic cells, indicating a crucial and ancient role of this process in adapting to nutrient conditions. The target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway is major conduit for such signals, and in most cell types TOR activity is necessary and sufficient to suppress autophagy under favorable growth conditions. Recent studies have begun to reveal how TOR activity is regulated in response to nutritional cues, and are shedding new light on the mechanisms by which TOR controls the autophagic machinery. In addition, a variety of signals, stressors and pharmacological agents that induce autophagy independent of nutrient conditions have been identified. In some cases these signals appear to have been spliced into the core TOR pathway, whereas others are able to bypass the control mechanisms regulated by TOR. Increasing evidence is pointing to an important role for both positive and negative feedback loops in controlling this pathway, leading to an emerging view that TOR signaling not only regulates autophagy but is also highly sensitive to cellular rates of autophagy and other TOR-dependent processes.
Determination of number of dedicated OR's and supporting pricing mechanisms for emergent surgeries

Inefficient management of emergent surgeries in hospitals can, in part, be attributed to a lack of rigorous analysis appropriate to capturing the underlying uncertainties inherent to this process and a pricing mechanism to ensure its financial viability. We develop a non-preemptive multi-priority queueing model that optimally manages emergent surgeries and supports the resource allocation decision-making process. Specifically, we utilize queueing and discrete event simulation to develop empirical models for determining the required number of emergent operating rooms for a hospital surgical department. We also present algorithms that estimate the appropriate pricing for patient surgeries differentiated by priority level given the patient demand and the resources reserved to meet this demand.
Effect of benzo[a]pyrene on Friend virus leukemogenesis, CFU-S viability, and induction of humoral immunity.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BP) potentiated the induction of leukemia by low doses of Friend virus in SJL/J mice if injected 2 days before the virus. BP also reduced the viability of hematopoietic stem cells (CFU-S) within this time interval but had little effect on the induction of humoral immunity (the PFC response).
The role of foundations in informing policymakers

In an era when health policymaking is a cacophony of conflicting agendas and the media's focus is constantly shifting, how does a private foundation that is committed to producing valuable health policy information place that material into the hands of people most in need of it? And what measures should a foundation employ to determine whether its communication efforts are achieving this effect? These questions have become more important for a number of foundations that award most of their grants for health-related purposes and have concluded that providing information to health policymakers and the media should be a major priority of their organization.
Boundary Layer and Wake Region Simulation for Low Reynolds Number Flows Around Bluff Bodies Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Two and three-dimensional flows around solid boundaries are interesting and important subjects to both scientists and engineers. Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) is a relatively new computational method to simulate fluid flows by tracking the collision, advection and propagation of mesoscopic fluid particles. LBM is originated from the Cellular automata combined with kinetic theory and the Boltzmann equation. The method solves the explicit finite difference scheme lattice Boltzmann equations which are second order in space and first order in time. LBM does not attempt to solve the Navier-Stokes equations directly, however, it obeys them. The two-dimensional flows around square and circular cylinders are simulated with uniform and nonuniform grid structures using LBM. The boundary-layer growth and wake region physics are captured with small scale details, and the results are discussed in comparison with the available references for Reynolds numbers between 50 and 350. The compatibility of the method to simulate a flow around ship-shaped geometries and a combination of objects is also provided.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Generalizability analysis for performance assessments of student achievement or school effectiveness

Evidence of the uncertainty attached to school and individual scores is required to avoid over interpretation of results. Generalizability analysis provides in the standard error a suitable indicator of uncertainty. Assessments depart from traditional measurements in ways that require extensions and re interpretatons of generalizability analysis. The authors find, for example, that in many analyses the variance component interpreted as Pupil x Task interaction actually arises in part from instability in pupil performance. It is necessary to recognize in the school-level analysis that pupils are nested in classes and schools. Whether to treat the population of a school's pupils as infinite or as limited to the student body assessed also requires careful consideration.
Determination of a non-peptide oxytocin receptor antagonist in human plasma by automated pre-column derivatization and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive and selective method for the determination of 1-(((7,7-dimethyl-2(S)-(2(S)-amino-4-(methylsulfonyl) butyramido)-bicyclo[2.2.1]-heptan-1(S)-yl) methyl) sulfonyl) - 4 - (2 - methyl-phenyl)-piperazine (L-368,899) in human plasma is described. The method is based on liquid-liquid extraction followed by automated pre-column chemical derivatization of the primary amino group of the drug and an internal standard with 2,3-naphthalene dicarboxaldehyde and N-acetylcysteamine to form fluorescent benzo[f]isoindole derivatives. The derivatives are separated from endogenous interferences using column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and quantified with fluorescence detection (FD). The derivatives were initially injected onto a Zorbax SB-CN column and “heart cut” onto a Waters SymmetryTM C8 column for final separation prior to fluorescence detection. The assay in human plasma has been validated in the concentration range of 1 to 25 ng/mL. The performance of the HPLC-FD assay was evalua...
Cyclohexyl ester as a new protecting group for aspartyl peptides to minimize aspartimide formation in acidic and basic treatments

Boc-Asp(OcHex) and Boc-Glu(OcHex) were synthesized and used in solid phase peptide synthesis. cHex ester is stable to TFA, cleavable by HF and minimizes aspartimide formation and α,β-rearrangement of aspartyl peptides in acid and particularly in base.
The arrangement of proteins in the human erythrocyte membrane

Abstract When the iodination of intact human erythrocytes was catalyzed by the enzyme lactoperoxidase, only a single stroma protein was iodinated. This protein component thus appears to be the only protein component exposed on the exterior of the human erythrocyte surface. The apparent molecular weight of this membrane protein is 90,000, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Teratogenic effects of the endothelin receptor antagonist L-753,037 in the rat

The studies presented in this paper were undertaken to investigate the effects of L-753,037, a balanced endothelin receptor antagonist with similar affinity for the ET(A) and ET(B) receptors (Ki = 0.03 to 0.12 nM and 0.1 to 3.33 nM, respectively), when administered to pregnant female rats by oral gavage, on the development, growth, maturation, and reproductive performance of the F1 generation. Following embryonic exposure to L-753,037, profound craniofacial, cardiovascular, and viscerocranial malformations were noted in the F1 generation. All of the affected organs are derived, in part, from cranial neural crest cells predominantly originating from the posterior midbrain through the hindbrain and destined for the pharyngeal arches. In contrast, cranial structures derived from the paraxial mesoderm (i.e., basisphenoid) were of normal shape and size. There were no apparent effects on enteric neural crest cell derivatives. Based on the phenotype of affected fetuses and their similarity to fetuses with gene knockouts of ET-1 or the ET(A) receptor, the observed alterations are considered to be a pharmacologically mediated class effect on cranial neural crest cells. The phenotype observed suggests that ET(A) receptor antagonism may have specific effects on cranial neural crest cell migration and/or proliferation.
Evidence for valence fluctuations in CeAs

Anomalous temperature and pressure dependences for the /sup 75/As Knight shift in CeAs are interpreted within the framework of Hirst's model for fluctuating valence. A 30-K-wide peak in the density of states, located 85 K below E/sub F/, is inferred from the analysis. The area under the peak represents 1% of the Ce/sup 3 +/ valence, but due to the nature of the hyperfine interaction this is less than the actual number of electrons which would be involved in the fluctuation from Ce/sup 3 +/ to Ce/sup 4 +/.
Kinds of convergence and improved convergence of conforming finite element solutions in plate bending

Abstract By use of a variational principle, a mathematical means of deriving the convergence criteria for the trial displacement functions employed in the finite element method for plate bending is presented. The nature of the convergence of the finite element solution for a displacement field satisfying required convergence criteria is discussed. On the basis of uniform convergence of the approximate displacement to its exact value, the authors propose a practical method of improving the convergence of approximate finite element solutions and a scheme of selecting the finite element size such that the resulting error stays within prescribed accuracy.
Issues of consistency and effectiveness in coping with daily stressors

Abstract The multiplist approach to personality assessment was used as a general framework to examine daily stressors and ways subjects coped with those stressors. A broad range of behaviors (coping strategies), settings (contexts), occasion (25 to 30 episodes), and respondents (25 professional women in Study 1 and 28 college men in Study 2) were used for a thorough system of description, measurement, and evaluation of coping with daily stress in the naturalistic contexts in which coping occurs. At the individual and group level, general patterns of coping strategies were described, and the relationships between consistency in coping and effectiveness were investigated. Results show that the majority of subjects were consistent in their use of coping strategies, particularly when context was taken into account, and that for the professional women, but not the college men, effectiveness was positively correlated with consistency in coping.
Use of diazotized di-iodosulfanilic acid to localize the protein components in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes

Abstract Evidence is presented which indicates that radioiodine labelled diazotized di-iodosulfanilic acid is a useful nonpermeant probe for the localization of the protein components in the vesicles formed from fragmented skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. The data obtained suggest that a high molecular weight (∼172,000 daltons) protein component or components and the (Ca ++ + Mg ++ )-ATPase are located on or near the external surface of these vesicles and that calsequestrin and related Ca-binding proteins are either buried within the membrane structure or located on the internal surface of the vesicle.
The Effects of Resonance Delocalization and the Extent of p System on Ionization Energies of Model Fluorescent Proteins Chromophores

Recent advances in the design and application of redox-active fluorescent proteins (FPs) stimulated an interest in the electronic structure of the ionized/electron-detached FP chromophores. Here, we report the results of a computational study of the electron-detached and ionized states of model chromophores of green and red FPs. We focus on the analysis of the effects of the phenolate OH group position (ortho, meta, and para) on relative energies of the chromophores in the ground as well as in the ionized/detached electronic states. We found that, similarly to the green chromophore, the red chromophores with the OH group in meta position have lower vertical detachment energies (DE) and greater ionization energies relative to the ortho and para forms. Moreover, the effect is stronger for the red anionic chromophores. The differences in DE in meta species relative to their para counterparts are 0.47 and 0.25 eV for the red and green chromophores, respectively. The observed trends are due to a combined effect of resonance stabilization and the electronegativity of the acylimine group in the red chromophores. The analysis is supported by the computed charge and spin density delocalization patterns. V C 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Absorption and scattering coefficient estimation with asymptotic apparent optical properties

In deep, homogeneous waters with no internal sources at a particular wavelength, the vertical profiles of the reflectance R(z) and the downward diffuse attentuation coefficient Kd(z) approach asymptotic values that are inherent optical properties (IOPs) of the water. The apparent optical properties R(z) and Kd(z) are obtained from the upward and downward monospectral irradiance measurements Eu(z) and Ed(z) that are commonly available to optical oceanographers. Given a specific scattering phase function, there are unique correlations between these asymptotic IOPs and the absorption and scattering coefficients a and b that can be derived from the radiative transfer equation. Here we evaluate a method for first determining the asymptotic IOPs from Eu(z) and Ed(z) and then using the correlations to estimate the absorption and scattering coefficients a and b. At depths near the asymptotic radiance regime, both R(z) and Kd(z) can be fitted to a three-parameter model that sometimes helps in the determination of the asymptotic IOPs. A good estimation of a can be obtained from the asymptotic IOPs even when the scattering phase function is unknown; however, estimates of b are highly dependent on the assumed phase function.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Performance of a new immunochromatographic assay for detection of adenoviruses in children

Background: Adenoviruses are a prominent cause of respiratory, ocular, gastrointestinal, and disseminated diseases in healthy and immunocompromised children. An accurate rapid diagnostic assay may impact clinical decision-making. Objectives: Evaluate the performance of a new rapid assay for detection of adenoviruses directly in pediatric clinical specimens. Study design: The rapid assay was performed on adenovirus culture-positive original samples and on an equal number of culture-negative samples matched by patient age and specimen type. Discrepant results were resolved using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Results: 200 adenovirus culture-positive and 200 adenovirus culture-negative samples were evaluated from 315 different patients. Overall sensitivity was 55% and specificity was 98.9%. The assay was most sensitive in children 5 years old and younger and most specific in respiratory samples. Conclusions: The rapid assay was highly specific for detecting adenovirus infections in children. However, since this rapid assay had only moderate to low sensitivity, samples with negative rapid assay results should have additional testing for adenovirus performed by either viral culture or PCR.
Characterization of dielectric-coated, metal mirrors using surface plasmon spectroscopy.

The surface plasmon spectroscopy (SPS) technique is used in the characterization of dielectric-coated metal mirrors. Experiments performed on a MgF2-coated aluminum mirror indicate good agreement between SPS and ellipsometry techniques for the determination of coating thickness. In addition, the optical constants of aluminum obtained from the same experiment agree well with values presented in the literature. Advantages of SPS are that it is a simple procedure providing a high degree of accuracy, and only a single measurement is required to yield both the film thickness and the complex permittivity of the substrate.
The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur : implications and prospects for success : essays

With the security situation in Darfur remaining grim, the international community passed United Nations Security Resolution 1769 that authorised a more robust peacekeeping force. This article addresses the security concerns motivating the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), highlights the mandate and implications of the force, and compares the potential command and control issues to the experiences of the Somalia intervention in the 1990s. It closes by analysing the prospects for success of the intervention and offering some limited recommendations on ways to mitigate the risks associated with the peacekeeping effort.
Some Notes on Scriptores Rei Rusticae

Hall explores "Scriptores Rei Rusticae," which signifies a grouping of Cato, Varro, and Columella in their works on agriculture; and to these should be added, for this article, the thirteenth century author Pietro de' Crescenzi. The Library of Rutgers University is fortunate in possessing some early editions of these writers, several of them excellent examples of German, Italian, and Polish book illustrators' art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
GeoGrid: A Scalable Location Service Network

This paper presents GeoGrid, a geographical location service overlay network system, for providing scalable location-based services to a large and growing number of mobile users. GeoGrid is designed as a decentralized and geographical location aware overlay network and provides system-level facilities and optimizations for balancing load in the presence of node heterogeneity, dynamically moving hot-spots (location queries), and unpredictable rate of node join, departure and failure. GeoGrid uses geographical mapping of nodes to regions and geographical proximity based routing to take advantage of the similarity between physical and network proximity. Furthermore, GeoGrid exploits multiple opportunities for dynamic workload adaptation in the presence of static hotspot queries and moving hotspot queries. Its dynamic load balancing algorithms can efficiently utilize the heterogeneous capacities of end systems and balance both the location query workload and the routing workload. Our initial prototype development and experimental study demonstrate that GeoGrid can effectively reduce the workload imbalance by an order of magnitude.
Bacterium-induced CXCL10 secretion by osteoblasts can be mediated in part through toll-like receptor 4.

Two common pathogens known to cause bone infection, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, were investigated to determine their abilities to induce chemokine expression in cultured mouse and human osteoblasts. While these cells are responsible for bone formation, we were surprised to find that they could respond to bacterial infection by upregulating expression of the chemokine CXCL10 (IP-10). However, there were significant differences in the abilities of the gram-negative bacterium Salmonella and the gram-positive bacterium S. aureus to induce expression of CXCL10. Reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses showed high levels of Salmonella-induced CXCL10 mRNA and protein expression, respectively, whereas the osteoblast response to S. aureus was significantly less. Consistent with these findings, Salmonella-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but not S. aureus-derived peptidoglycan, could induce expression of CXCL10. An antibody against toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) could block the LPS-induced CXCL10 production, demonstrating the functional expression of TLR4 by osteoblasts. Despite the inducible nature of TLR2 mRNA expression by bacterium-infected osteoblasts, peptidoglycan failed to stimulate CXCL10 secretion. Immunofluorescent staining of bacterium-infected calvaria (i.e., skull bone) demonstrated the presence of CXCL10 in osteoblasts. The fact that osteoblasts did not express CXCR3 mRNA, whereas T lymphocytes can express high levels of this receptor, suggests that osteoblast-derived CXCL10 may recruit T lymphocytes to the sites of bone infections.
Desulfurative fluorination using nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate and pyridinium poly(hydrogen fluoride)

Abstract Nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate in conjunction with pyridinium poly(hydrogen fluoride) has been found to be excellent desulfurative fluorination reagent. In NO+BF4−/PPHF system, mono-fluorides and gem-difluordes have been obtained in high yields from the corresponding phenylsulfides and dithiolane derivatives, respectively.
Evidence of dispersal limitation in soil microorganisms: isolation reduces species richness on mycorrhizal tree islands.

Dispersal limitation plays an important role in a number of equilibrium and nonequilibrium theories about community ecology. In this study we use the framework of island biogeography to look for evidence of dispersal limitation in ectomycorrhizal fungal assemblages on ''tree islands,'' patches of host trees located in a non-host vegetation matrix. Because of the potentially strong effects of island area on species richness and immigration, we chose to control island size by sampling tree islands consisting of a single host individual. Richness on tree islands was high, with estimates ranging up to 42 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi associating with a single host individual. Species richness decreased significantly with increasing isolation of tree islands, with our regression predicting a 50% decrease in species richness when tree islands are located distances of ;1 km from large patches of contiguous forests. Despite the fact that fungal fruit bodies produce large numbers of spores with high potential for long-distance travel, these results suggest that dispersal limitation is significant in ectomycorrhizal assemblages. There were no discernible effects of isolation or environment on the species identity of tree island fungal colonists. In contrast to the highly predictable patterns of tree island colonization we observed in a previous study on early successional forests, we suggest that over longer time periods the community assembly process becomes more dominated by stochastic immigration and local extinction events.
LIBERTY AND LAETRILE: IMPLICATIONS OF RIGHT OF ACCESS*

The whole problem of Laetrile is this: that people want to take it, but it does them no good. And in that simple fact, given that Laetrile is known as a drug, there lies a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the two guiding values of American life from its beginnings. The values are Liberty and Welfare: in the twentieth century they have reached an equipoise of influence and respect; and the outcome of the Laetrile controversy may be not only a sign but a determining factor in the eventual assignment of priority between them. For this reason the issue is of compelling interest to contemporary social philosophy, and analysis of the issue in the terms of the categories of that discipline may serve to indicate some of the intellectual consequences of the options before us. I happen to think that the analysis suggests the advisability of a course of action with regard to Laetrile; I will present and defend that conclusion in the latter half of the paper.
Child-centered behaviors of caregivers with 12-month-old infants: Associations with passive joint engagement and later language

This study investigates three aspects of social communication in 12-month-old infants and their caregivers: (a) caregiver conversational style, (b) caregiver gesture, and (c) infant engagement. Differences in caregiver behavior during passive joint engagement were associated with language outcomes. Although total mean duration of infant time in passive joint engagement was negatively associated with later language, caregiver contingent comments (CCCs) addressed to infants during passive joint engagements related to language learning. CCC utterances were found to co-occur with gesture, suggesting that CCC is an inherently multimodal conversational style. The positive association between CCCs during passive joint engagements and later language suggests that caregiver behavior is important, even at times when infants are not actively engaged with the caregiver.
Scratching the Surface Spinning Time and Identity in Hip-Hop Turntablism

The article explores hip-hop turntablism as a response to the constricted roles offered to racialized Americans in commercial music culture. Drawing on postcolonial theory and critical musicology, the article looks at the means by which turntablists such as DJs Qbert and Kuttin Kandi confront internal forms of American cultural imperialism. More than ornamental fixtures for mainstream rap artists, turntablists are soloists with a range of specialized techniques through which they combine recordings into new works (mixing, beat-juggling) and pull expansive timbral sequences from the vinyl (scratching). These processes enable a broad spectrum of sounds and references, opening the door for turntablists to play with memory and with imperial narratives of progress. In performance, turntablists blur external racial definitions while paradoxically reinforcing subnational communities. In addition, because they appropriate commercial recordings and use primarily independent means of production and distribution, turntablists subvert a market powered by a handful of multinational companies.
Methods for measurement of intracellular magnesium: NMR and fluorescence.

Accurate and reproducible methods for the measurement of cytosolic free magnesium ion concentration, Mgj, are required in order to assess its physiologic role. This review covers two methods, in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fluorescence spectroscopy, which have provided useful means for the determin�ation of Mgj. The first section contains a general discussion of the extraction of Mgj values from NMR or fluorescence data for magnesium ion chelators. Subsequent sections cover the use of endogenous NMR magnesium chelators, exogenous NMR Mgj indicators, and fluorescent Mgj indicators. Two recent reviews (2, 15) covered Mgj determinations based on ATP measurements, but did not cQver more recently developed fluorinated or fluorescent indicators. Other methods are covered in References 2 and 34. With the availability of new Mgj indicators, our understanding of the role of magnesium in metabolic regulation and in the etiology of disease will un­ doubtedly increase in the near future.
Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Promotes Clearance of Pneumococcal Colonization

Human genetic polymorphisms associated with decreased expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) have been linked to the risk of community-acquired pneumonia. Because Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and nasal carriage is a precursor to invasive disease, we explored the role of MIF in the clearance of pneumococcal colonization in a mouse model. MIF-deficient mice (Mif(-/-)) showed prolonged colonization with both avirulent (23F) and virulent (6A) pneumococcal serotypes compared with wild-type animals. Pneumococcal carriage led to both local upregulation of MIF expression and systemic increase of the cytokine. Delayed clearance in the Mif(-/-) mice was correlated with reduced numbers of macrophages in upper respiratory tract lavages as well as impaired upregulation of MCP-1/CCL2. We found that primary human monocyte-derived macrophages as well as THP-1 macrophages produced MIF upon pneumococcal infection in a pneumolysin-dependent manner. Pneumolysin-induced MIF production required its pore-forming activity and phosphorylation of p38-MAPK in macrophages, with sustained p38-MAPK phosphorylation abrogated in the setting of MIF deficiency. Challenge with pneumolysin-deficient bacteria demonstrated reduced MIF upregulation, decreased numbers of macrophages in the nasopharynx, and less effective clearance. Mif(-/-) mice also showed reduced Ab response to pneumococcal colonization and impaired ability to clear secondary carriage. Finally, local administration of MIF was able to restore bacterial clearance and macrophage accumulation in Mif(-/-) mice. Our work suggests that MIF is important for innate and adaptive immunity to pneumococcal colonization and could be a contributing factor in genetic differences in pneumococcal disease susceptibility.
The Role of Nucleation Surfaces in the Texture Development of Magnesium Oxide During Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

Both the structure and the type of the nucleation surface play a key role in texture development of IBAD MgO films. We have examined these features in Al2O3 and Y2O3 thin films using two different types of deposition methods, atomic layer deposition (ALD) and electron beam evaporation (EBE). Examination of EBE Al2O3 with in situ reflected high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) films reveals the presence of a nanocrystalline structure that remains unchanged after and is insensitive to ion irradiation with 750 eV argon ions. In contrast, ALD Al2O3 examined with the same method reveals a featureless image that appears amorphous. Use of the ALD Al2O3 film can result in well-textured films with reasonable in-plane mosaic spread values (~ 14°) without process optimization. Similar results were obtained on ALD and EBE Y2O3 films, although, the EBE Y2O3 appeared amorphous in the RHEED even before exposure to the ion beam. The ALD Y2O3 film resulted in an in-plane texture of ~ 10°. Finally, bare silicon substrates were examined. It was found that even with the native oxide remaining on its surface, the silicon underneath was amorphized by the ion beam and provided a suitable surface for the deposition of biaxial textured MgO with an in-plane texture of ~ 7° FWHM.
Karl Marx's Intellectual Roots in John Locke

Marx supposedly represents a radical break from liberal individualist property oriented thinking. In fact however, Marx integrates the best points of a variety of liberal individualists, notably Locke and Rousseau, but also to a lesser extent Aristotle and even Plato. Marx is an extension of, not a break from, mainstream thinkers in Western thought: all Marx's main ideas can be traced to one canonical Western scholar or another. Understanding analytical tools common to both Liberalism and Marxism contextualizes their divergences and allows one to better understand both the successes and failures of Marxism as a critique in practice of liberal state theory.
Comments on "A method of fault simulation based on stem regions

For the original article see ibid., vol.9, no.2, p.212-20 (1990). The commenters show a counterexample for the region extraction algorithm given in the above-mentioned work by F. Maamari and J. Rajski. A four-step region extraction algorithm was given to extract the exit lines of each stem. In steps 1 and 2, primary reconvergent gates (PRGs) and secondary reconvergent gates (SRGs) of the stem are identified. In steps 3 and 4, closing reconvergent gates (CRGs) and exit lines are computed. In step 2, the algorithm does not identify some SRGs which could be exit lines of the stem. As a result, the fault simulation may be incorrect for some faults. The commenters show this case using an example circuit. >
Increased burst size in multiply infected cells can alter basic virus dynamics

Background The dynamics of viral infections have been studied extensively in a variety of settings, both experimentally and with mathematical models. The majority of mathematical models assumes that only one virus can infect a given cell at a time. It is, however, clear that especially in the context of high viral load, cells can become infected with multiple copies of a virus, a process called coinfection. This has been best demonstrated experimentally for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), although it is thought to be equally relevant for a number of other viral infections. In a previously explored mathematical model, the viral output from an infected cell does not depend on the number of viruses that reside in the cell, i.e. viral replication is limited by cellular rather than viral factors. In this case, basic virus dynamics properties are not altered by coinfection.
Poly(vinyl chloride) plasticized with succinate esters: synthesis and characterization

Phthalates pose adverse health effects due to their propensity to leach and the most common, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP), are petroleum-based. Conversely, di-esters, succinates are biobased (produced from fermentation of biomass), biodegradable, and therefore potential sustainable replacements for phthalates. A series of succinates, di-octyl succinate (DOS), di-hexyl succinate (DHS), di-butyl succinate (DBS), and di-ethyl succinate (DES), were mixed with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The interaction of the plasticizer ester carbonyl with PVC shows an average −5 cm−1 shift of the carbonyl absorbance peak energy. The glass transition temperatures (T g), were monitored by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analyses. The T gs of DOS and DHS plasticized PVC were significantly lower than DOP plasticized PVC at a lower percent mass. On the other hand, PVC plasticized with either DBS or DES exhibited a similar trend in lowering the T g as that of DOP plasticized PVC.
Incorporating model uncertainties along with data uncertainties in microbial risk assessment

Much research on food safety has been conducted since the National Food Safety Initiative of 1997. Risk assessment plays an important role in food safety practices and programs, and various dose-response models for estimating microbial risks have been investigated. Several dose-response models can provide reasonably good fits to the data in the experimental dose range, but yield risk estimates that differ by orders of magnitude in the low-dose range. Hence, model uncertainty can be just important as data uncertainty (experimental variation) in risk assessment. Although it is common in risk assessment to account for data uncertainty, it is uncommon to account for model uncertainties. In this paper we incorporate data uncertainties with confidence limits and model uncertainties with a weighted average of an estimate from each of various models. A numerical tool to compute the maximum likelihood estimates and confidence limits is addressed. The proposed method for incorporating model uncertainties is illustrated with real data sets.
Increased Aripiprazole Concentrations in an HIV-Positive Male Concurrently Taking Duloxetine, Darunavir, and Ritonavir

Objective:To report a case of increased aripiprazole concentrations during coadministration with darunavir, ritonavir, and duloxetine.Case Summary:A 43-year-old HIV-positive Hispanic man received darunavir/ritonavir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in addition to aripiprazole and duloxetine for depression and anxiety. A month after the aripiprazole dosage was increased to 50 mg dailry, the patient developed confusion and loss of coordination. Weeks later, he presented to the emergency department with fever, cough, headache, neck stiffness, back pain, and blurred vision and was admitted for possible meningitis. Because symptoms improved with pain control and intravenous fluids during hospitalization, he was discharged within a couple days after admission. One month later he was readmitted for worsening symptoms, and the resulting diagnostic workup showed unremarkable findings except for lymphadenopathy (LAD). This finding was attributed to discontinuing ARTs after his first admission, He was discharged o...