cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimates of Parameters of a Kyle-Type Model around Earnings Announcements

Using NYSE TAQ data, we compute MLEs of the primitive parameters of a Kyle-type model, including the variance of fundamentals given only public information, the variance of errors in private signals, and the variance of uninformed liquidity trading (noise). An out of sample test shows that the Kyle-type model we use is a good candidate for describing the setting generating our data. Given rational behavior, our overall pattern of estimates suggests that earnings announcement windows are not periods with "more" public information but periods with "different" public information. Liquidity noise is higher within an earnings announcement window. The variance of beliefs given only public information is also higher within an earnings announcement window, in line with the Fischer-Stocken (2004) argument that agents with more ability and opportunity to manipulate a disclosure cause the disclosure to be more variable. The variance of private information error is smaller in an event window, consistent with greater information acquisition to try and interpret a public announcement. We also document that Kyle's is higher in an event window, showing an overall increase in information asymmetry. We also find that abnormal trading volume in an event window is driven primarily by a greater diffuseness of beliefs given public information alone, and even more so, liquidity noise, and is not significantly related to acquisition of private information.
Metal-Catalyzed Reactions of Organic Compounds

It is the purpose of this chapter to describe the various ways by which metal ions and metal complexes may catalyze reactions of organic compounds. Descriptions of reaction pathways and the mechanisms involved will be illustrated by examples of organic compounds present in foods or closely related compounds.
Chemical and Enzymatic Evidence for the Participation of a 2-Carboxy-3-ketoribitol-1,5-diphosphate Intermediate in the Carboxylation of Ribulose 1,5-Diphosphate

Abstract The hypothesis that 2-carboxy-3-ketoribitol-1,5-diphosphate (3-keto-CRDP) is an intermediate in the enzymatic carboxylation of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is supported by the finding that 2-carboxyribitol-1,5-diphosphate (CRDP), a structural analogue of 3-keto-CRDP, is a potent inhibitor of ribulose diphosphate carboxylase (Siegel, M. I., and Lane M. D., (1972) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 48, 508). The present investigation shows that 3-keto-CRDP, prepared chemically from CRDP, undergoes nonenzymatic, as well as enzymatic, cleavage to yield 2 molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate. Catalytic oxidation (100% oxygen, platinum on carbon catalyst, 0°) of 2-[14C]carboxyribitol-1,5-diphosphate in 10 mm MgCl2 gives rise to the predicted 3-keto and 4-keto derivatives which were characterized by reduction with [3H]NaBH4 and periodate degradation. Divalent magnesium ion which binds stoichiometrically to CRDP and alters its NMR spectrum is absolutely required for this catalytic oxidation at 0°. One of the oxidation products, 2-[14C]carboxy-3-ketoribitol-1,5-diphosphate—the proposed intermediate in the enzymatic carboxylation reaction—is an unstable β-keto acid and decarboxylates spontaneously to 14CO2 and a pentose diphosphate. Chemically synthesized 2-[14C]carboxy-3-ketoribitol-1,5-diphosphate also undergoes spontaneous hydrolytic cleavage at 25° and pH 9, giving rise to 1 molecule of d-3-phosphoglycerate and 1 molecule of l-3-phosphoglycerate, the unlabeled d isomer arising from carbon atoms 3, 4, and 5 and the 14C-labeled l-isomer from the carboxyl group and carbon atoms 1 and 2 of 2-[14C]carboxy-3-ketoribitol-1,5-diphosphate. The hypothesis that 3-keto-CRDP is an intermediate in the enzymatic carboxylation of d-ribulose 1,5-diphosphate is substantiated by the finding that chemically synthesized 3-keto-CRDP is cleaved by ribulose diphosphate carboxylase giving rise to 3-phosphoglycerate of unknown absolute configuration. Since enzymatic carboxylation leads to the formation of 2 molecules of d-3-phosphoglycerate, it is suggested that the carboxylase directs the stereochemistry of cleavage of 3-keto-CRDP.
Assessing Community Health Needs in a Rural Area: Determining Best Practices to Meet New Affordable Care Act Requirements

We conducted a review of the peer-reviewed literature focused on conducting community health needs assessments and highlighted the necessary steps to conduct a community health needs assessment in a rural community. From the literature review, we identified three steps necessary— establishing partnerships, using a mixed methods approach, and disseminating results—to successfully conduct a needs assessment that fitted the definition of the Affordable Care Act. These three steps have been used as a guide for developing a protocol for conducting a community health needs assessment in Meadville, PA. We detail our preliminary project protocol here.
Sexuality in Europe: Cold War cultures 1945???1965

What made sexual conservatism popularly appealing after the continent-wide carnage of World War II? Many factors converged. Guilt, fear, exhaustion, immeasurable loss, an elemental longing for stability and security in the wake of deprivation and disaster: all were contributory. So was sincere pleasure in daily calm ordinariness. But so too were the elaborate stratagems employed by postwar political and religious leaders to reinterpret the meaning of the recent apocalyptically horrendous past. The Cold War era would be one of great contradiction in the West: rising prosperity, but also ongoing ambivalence about pleasure as an end in itself. Skepticism about women's rights and the rights of sexual minorities was pervasive. Activists seeking to transform popular attitudes and to change laws were few; it would take many years before both the social context and the ways of thinking about sexuality changed enough for a framework based on the principles of privacy and consent to be in the ascendant.
Radionuclide Inventory Calculations for the Materials Test Station

Radionuclide inventory calculations support design and accident analysesfor the Materials Test Station (MTS). MTS is a spallation source facility being designed to irradiate reactor fuels and materials in a fast neutron spectrum. Calculated radionuclide inventories are used to provide decay heat input to cooling system design, decay radiation source terms for hot cell design, and material-at-risk input to accident analyses. CINDER'90 is a transmutation code that uses MCNPX-calculated spallation product yields and neutron fluxes to calculate residual nuclide concentrations based on irradiation history. The code also calculates decay heat and photon spectra for the resulting radionuclide inventories. A total activity of 2 ×10 17 Bq is created during MTS operation. Decay heat is an important factor since in loss of primary cooling scenarios, this heat must be removed. The major sources at shutdown are 3000 W for the tungsten target plates and 6000 W for fuel pins being irradiated. Decay photon spectra result in unshielded dose rates that hot cell design must accommodate on the order of 1000 Sν/h. The MTS design includes lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) coolant. For accident analysis 210 Po activity in the LBE is a significant concern. The calculated 210 Po activity following 2.5 yr of operation is 2 × 10 14 Bq. Radionuclide inventory calculations are important for MTS design. The CINDER'90 code is a valuable tool for this purpose.
Small choroidal melanoma with monosomy 3.

Purpose: To report a patient with small juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma with chromosome 3 monosomy treated with I 125 plaque and transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT). A 64-year-old Caucasian male presented with painless blurred vision of the left eye. Ocular examination disclosed a small juxtapapillary choroidal melanocytic tumor with overlying subretinal fluid and orange pigment. Ultrasound showed an elevated choroidal mass of 2 mm thickness with low reflectivity on A-scan and hollowness on B scan, consistent with a small choroidal melanoma. The patient was treated with plaque I 125 radiotherapy combined with one session of TTT. Genetic testing of the tumor cells obtained by fine needle aspiration biopsy showed chromosome 3 monosomy. At 1 year after treatment, the tumor was regressed with resolution of subretinal fluid and 20/40 visual acuity. A small choroidal melanoma can manifest monosomy of chromosome 3, a known predictive factor for the development of systemic metastasis.
Application of Thin Layer, Ion Exchange and High Performance Liquid Chromatography to Separate Pharmacologically Active Components of an African Arrow Poison of Plant Origin

Abstract We have applied thin layer chromatography (TLC), ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate and identify the pharmacologically active components of an african arrow poison of plant origin. On the basis of Rf values obtained from TLC, the active components of the toxin are unlike d-tubocurarine, atropine and, scopolamine. Dowex 1 × 2 IEC of 630 mg of crude toxin on a 2.5″ × 33″ column with step gradient elution (NaCl, 0.1 - 1. OM and NaOH, 0.1M) led to the identification of three distinct peaks. When the components of each of the three peaks were subjected to HPLC, the results confirmed the homogeneity of each of the isolated peaks except for the third peak which was a doublet.
Political Advertising Effects and America's Racially Diverse Newest Voting Generation

Because of historical structural barriers to their participation, minority groups have been characterized in past studies as less participatory, less efficacious, and more cynical than racial and ethnic majority voters. This study examines minority youth voters in terms of attitudes and feelings toward political candidates, channels of political information, and feelings of efficacy and cynicism through advertising experiments conducted across the United States. There was little effect on minority voter cynicism after exposure to ads, suggesting that young minorities find candidates believable, credible, and trustworthy. Peers are identified as the most significant source of information in these groups, making interpersonal communication a major change agent for young minority voters.
Dexfenfluramine, Fluoxetine, and Weight Loss Among Female Carbohydrate Cravers

The consumption of excess calories as carbohydrates (CHO)-rich, protein-poor snacks characterizes the overeating of obese CHO cravers, premenstrual women, patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and former smokers. This specific appetite for CHOs may involve brain serotonin, as the synthesis and release of this neurotransmitter can increase following consumption of CHO-rich foods. To examine whether weight loss produced by serotoninergic drugs involves a selective reduction in CHO intake, obese females who consumed at least 30% of their daily calories from CHO-rich snacks were treated with dexfenfluramine ([DF] 15 mg b.i.d.); fluoxetine ([FL] 20 mg t.i.d.); or placebo (PL) for 12 weeks. Weekly weight loss for 25 of 29 PL completers was 0.22 kg ± 0.06 (mean ± SEM); for 21 of 28 DF completers, 0.56 ± 0.08 kg; and for 18 of 30 FL completers, 0.58 ± 0.09 kg (PL < DF = FL; p = .039). Seven FL subjects, 2 PL subjects, and 1 DF subject withdrew from the study due to side effects; other withdrawals were due to intercurrent illness or personal problems. Prior to treatment, subjects consumed over 40% of their daily CHO intake from snacks. Both of the drugs selectively decreased CHO snack intake (p < 0.05); DF, but not FL, also decreased meal CHO intake (p < .025). These results suggest that weight loss following treatment with serotoninergic drugs may relate to a selective decrease in CHO appetite.
Immunosuppression prior to marrow transplantation for sensitized aplastic anemia patients: Comparison of TLI with TBI

Abstract From May 1980 through July 1986, 26 patients with severe aplastic anemia, sensitized with multiple transfusions of blood products, were treated on either of two immunosuppressive regimens in preparation for bone marrow transplantation from a matched donor. There were 10 patients treated with total body irradiation (TBI), 200 cGy/fraction × 4 daily fractions (800 cGy total dose), followed by cyclophosphamide, 60 mg/kg/d × 2 d. An additional 16 patients were treated with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) [or, if they were infants, a modified TLI or thoracoabdominal irradiation (TAI)], 100 cGy/fraction, 3 fractions/d × 2 d (600 cGy total dose), followed by cyclophosphamide, 40 mg/kg/d × 4 d. The extent of immunosuppression was similar in both groups as measured by peripheral blood lymphocyte depression at the completion of the course of irradiation (5% of initial concentration for TBI and 24% for TLI), neutrophil engraftment (1010 for TBI and 1516 for TLI), and time to neutrophil engraftment (median of 22 d for TBI and 17 d for TLI). Marrow and peripheral blood cytogenetic analysis for assessment of percent donor cells was also compared in those patients in whom it was available. 2/2 patients studied with TBI had 100% donor cells, whereas 6/11 with TLI had 100% donor cells. Of the five who did not, three were stable mixed chimeras with ≥70% donor cells, one became a mixed chimera with about 50% donor cells, but became aplastic again after Cyclosporine A cessation 5 mo post-transplant, and the fifth reverted to all host cells by d. 18 post-transplant. Overall actuarial survival at 2 years was 56% in the TLI group compared with 30% in the TBI group although this was not statistically significant. No survival decrement has been seen after 2 years in either group. There was less long-term morbidity in the TLI group compared with TBI although the numbers of surviving patients are small. With no difference in engraftment or survival, it is suggested that, for sensitized severe aplastic anemia patients, who are to receive a non-T cell-depleted marrow from a matched donor, prudent cytoreduction should include a fractionated, moderate dose irradiation regimen with maximum organ sparing, that is either TLI or TAI.
The ethnosurvey in theory and practice.

This article describes a research approach designed to overcome the limitations of federal immigration statistics and to illuminate the social processes underlying aggregate patterns of migration. The principal weaknesses of existing data sources are that they underenumerate and imperfectly measure undocumented migration; they do not reflect the widespread circularity of modern international movements; they omit variables central to the immigration process; and their cross-sectional collection and tabulation precludes the analysis of immigration as a dynamic process. The ethnosurvey is a research design that ameliorates these problems through 5 specific design features: multimethod data collection representative multisite sampling multilevel data compilation life history collection and parallel sampling. The ethnosurvey design is illustrated by its recent application to study Mexican migration to the US and empirical evidence is presented to show how it corrects the limitations of federal data on immigration. In spite of its advantages the ethnosurvey does have several drawbacks. It is costly and requires a substantial investment of professional time. Rather than emphasizing breadth of information as does a representative sample survey the ethnosurvey attempts to gather detailed information through intensive analysis of particular communities. The ethnosurvey because of its costs and professional demands is hard to implement within a representative sampling framework. For these reasons the ethnosurvey is best seen as a supplement to other sources of immigration data providing specialized information on the social processes that underlie the aggregate patterns revealed in national statistics. However promising results obtained in applying the ethnosurvey to study immigration suggest that it may profitably be applied to investigate other longitudinal social processes as well such as status attainment occupational mobility and residential mobility.
ACIDIC ELECTROLYZED WATER PROPERTIES AS AFFECTED BY PROCESSING PARAMETERS AND THEIR RESPONSE SURFACE MODELS

Several studies of acidic electrolyzed (EO) water demonstrated the efficacy of EO water for inactivation of different foodborne pathogens and reported on the chemical species present in EO water. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of production parameters (voltage, NaCI concentration, flow rate, and temperature) on the properties of EO water and to model the complex reactions occurring during the generation of EO water. At 0.1% salt concentration, EO water was produced at 2, 10, and 28 V. However, due to high conductivity of the electrolyte at 0.5% salt concentration, the voltage applied across the cell was limited to 7 V. The electrolyte flow rate was set at 0.5, 2.5, and 4.5 L/min. For pH and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), NaCI concentration was the most significant factor followed by voltage, electrolyte flow rate and temperature, respectively. However, in the case of residual chlorine, flow rate was relatively more important than voltage. Response surface methodology yielded models to predict EO water properties as functions of the process parameters studied, with very high coefficients of determination (R 2 = 0.872 to 0.938). In general, the higher the NaCI concentration and voltage, the higher the ORP and residual chlorine of EO water. Increased electrolyte flow rate will produce EO water with lower ORP and residual chlorine due to the shorter residence time in the electrolytic cell.
An information architecture based on publish/subscribe messaging

Cyberinfrastructures such as the TeraGrid often have information systems based on querying. While this pull-style information system is appropriate in some circumstances, there are many other circumstances where a push-style is more appropriate. This paper describes an information system based on push-style publish/subscribe messaging and evaluates the suitability of this approach.
Design of integrated optical source of polarization-entangled photon pairs

The phase-matching for frequency-degenerated parametric fluorescence in tunneling-coupled channel waveguides is analyzed. Type-II downconversion with individual photons appearing in different output channels allows for generation of polarization-entangled states well suited for quantum information processing applications.
On the functional symmetry of nucleoside transport in mammalian cells.

Abstract The transport of uridine and thymidine has been examined in HeLa cells, in Novikoff rat hepatoma cells and in human erythrocytes, with the purpose of comparing influx, efflux and isotopic exchange at chemical equilibrium. The results support the following conclusions: (i) In all three cell types influx and efflux are comparable; (ii) HeLa and Novikoff cells show no trans -effect, while erythrocytes show a 5-fold trans -stimulation; (iii) a single kinetic entity accounts for nucleoside transport in HeLa and Novikoff cells - no parallel routes of permeation with K m μ M were detected. For the cultured cells, the flux data conform to the kinetic model of a single, carrier-mediated transport system symmetrical with respect to direction, and with equal mobilities of substrate-loaded and empty carrier.
Cultural Considerations in Facilitating Coping to a Father's Illness and Bereavement in a Latino Child

As the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States steadily increases, with the Latino population currently being the largest minority group, increasing cultural knowledge and sensitivity is essential. The provision of culturally sensitive health care has been shown to increase clients' adherence to treatment and improve satisfaction with care. Therefore, it is necessary for clinicians to comprehensively assess clients' cultural values and beliefs and to integrate these practices in planning and implementing psychotherapy. This case discusses five common Latino cultural values and their potential role in the relationship between the clinician and the client or family. The treatment of a young Latino child, who is coping with his father's terminal illness and then bereaving his death, is presented. This case attempts to provide an example of culturally sensitive mental health care by recognizing the influence of a family's cultural background in psychotherapy and illustrating the integration of cult...
Structure and Thermodynamic Aspects of Macrobicyclic Polyether—Metal Ion Interactions

The crystals structure of a K+-diptychand-I5CS-18C6 iodide complex has been determined from X-ray data. The complexed bicyclic molecule crystallizes in the triclinic space group PĪ with a = 9.99S(4) A, b = 10.097(4) A, c = 13.72S(6) A, α = 90.12(3)°, β = 93.62(4) °, γ = 97.S6(3)°. The structure was solved using heavy atom methods and refined to R = 0.032 for 3262 independent reflections. In the crystal structure, the K + lies between the two crown ether rings, and is coordinated by the nine donor atoms of the ligand molecule. The complexation properties of the ligand with K + and Na + were studied by titration calorimetry in 90% (v/v) MeOH/H20 solution. The studies indicate the formation of 1 : 1 ligand: metal ion complexes in both solid state and solution.
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its Receptors: Role in Airway Inflammation and Remodeling

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), a simple bioactive phospholipid, is present in biological fluids such as plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). It appears to have both pro- and anti-inflammatory roles in inflammatory lung diseases. Exogenous LPA promotes inflammatory responses by regulating the expression of chemokines, cytokines, and cytokine receptors in lung epithelial cells. In addition to the modulation of inflammatory responses, LPA regulates cytoskeleton rearrangement and confers protection against lung injury by enhancing lung epithelial cell barrier integrity and remodeling. The biological effects of LPA are mediated through its cell surface G-protein coupled LPA1–7 receptors. The roles of LPA receptors in lung fibrosis, asthma, and acute lung injury have been investigated using genetically engineered LPA receptor deficient mice and there appears to be a definitive role for endogenous LPA and its receptors in the pathogenesis of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. This review summarizes recent reports on the role of LPA and its receptors in the regulation of lung epithelial inflammatory responses and remodeling. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Advances in Lysophospholipid Research.
In Situ Tem Analysis of TiSi2 C49-C54 Transformations During Annealing

In situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations of TiSi 2 C49-to-C54 phase transformations were recorded on video tape and photographic negatives, and transformation front velocities (v TF ) were measured from the data. The samples studied in this work include: C49-TiSi 2 blanket films and 0.2 μm wide, 7 mm long lines on undoped poly-Si and 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long lines on either B- or As-doped poly-Si. The in situ TEM analysis showed that blanket TiSi 2 films on undoped poly-Si fully transformed at 830°C and had an average v TF of 0.5 ± 0.2 μm/s. The transformation occurred from a sparse nucleation density of ˜0.1 site/μm 2 . The 0.2 μm wide lines transformed at temperatures greater than 885°C, and the average v TF was 1.1 ± 0.2 μm/sec. Agglomeration started for both the blanket film and the 0.2 μm wide lines at temperatures above 900°C. In situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of C49-TiSi 2 on B- and As-doped poly-Si showed that blanket films completely transformed to C54-TiSi 2 at T = 835–843°C, but 0.13 μm wide, varying length lines did not fully transform, even when rapid thermal annealed to 1025°C. From in situ TEM analysis of 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long C49-TiSi 2 lines on B-doped poly-Si, a distinct transformation was not observed. Instead, the lines slowly agglomerated, and electron diffraction of the agglomerated regions showed that the film had transformed to C54-TiSi 2 . An individual line either 1) completely transformed and agglomerated or 2) remained as C49-TiSi 2 and did not agglomerate. Approximately 85% of all lines transformed. In situ TEM analysis of 0.13 μm wide, 10 μm long lines of C49-TiSi 2 on As-doped poly-Si also showed an indistinct transformation to the C54 phase along with agglomeration, and 100% of the lines transformed.
The invisible women: Caregiving and the construction of AIDS health services

In health services research about the utilization by and financing of health services for people with AIDS, women kin as caregivers virtually disappear and the sacrifices made by women kin become socially invisible. Any role that women play is subsumed under the rubric “community care.” The health services perspective is contrasted with the lived realities of caregiving by women kin as documented in data from a “needs assessment” of people with AIDS which the New Jersey Department of Health commissioned and then disregarded. The disregarding of women's caregiving is part of larger hegemonic processes that maintain concealed structures of domination.
Super resolution of time-lapse seismic images

We present results of an on-going project to assess the applicability in reflection seismology of emerging super resolution techniques pioneered in digital photography. Our approach involves: (1) construction of a forward model connecting low resolution seismic images to high resolution ones, and (2) solution of a Tikhonov-regularized ill conditioned optimization problem to construct a high resolution image from several lower resolution counterparts; the high and low resolution images derived, respectively, from dense and sparse seismic surveys.
Unit cell and space group of SrPbO3

Abstract SrPbO 3 is orthorhombic with a = 5.8595 ± 5, b = 5.9568 ± 5, and c = 8.3253 ± 6 A . The probable space group is Pbnm .
In vitro biotransformation of dimethylarsinic acid and trimethylarsine oxide by anaerobic microflora of mouse cecum analyzed by HPLC-ICP-MS and HPLC-ESI-MS

The capacity of the anaerobic microflora from a mouse cecum to metabolize dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV) and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) was examined in an in vitro assay system containing cecal contents in modified VPI buffer. Samples were incubated under anaerobic conditions at 37 °C for up to 24 hours and metabolic products were analyzed by HPLC-ICP-MS and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Under these conditions, DMAV was thiolated to dimethylthioarsinic acid (DMTAV) and dimethyldithioarsinic acid (DMDTA). The identities of DMTAV (m/z 154), DMDTA (m/z 170), and trimethylarsine sulfide (TMAS, m/z 152) were confirmed with HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Three chromatographic separations were utilized to verify the lack of co-elution prior to quantification by ICP-MS. The predominant arsenical in reaction mixtures at 24 hours was DMDTA. The presence of TMAS in reaction mixtures after a six hour incubation implies a metabolism route from DMAV to TMAS possibly via reduction to dimethylarsinous acid, methylation to yield TMAO, and thiolation to TMAS. Addition of TMAO to in vitro assay systems containing cecal contents demonstrated that TMAO was almost quantitatively converted to TMAS within one hour. These combined results indicate that ingested arsenicals can undergo substantial metabolism mediated by the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. Finally, metabolism of arsenicals occurring before absorption across the gastrointestinal barrier could be a modifier of exposure and dose.
The Transition from Natural-Convection-Controlled Freezing to Conduction-Controlled Freezing

Experiments were performed to study the transition between freezing controlled by natural convection in the liquid adjacent to a freezing interface and freezing controlled by heat conduction in the solidified material. The freezing took place on a cooled vertical tube immersed in an initially superheated liquid contained in an adiabatic-walled vessel. At early and intermediate times, temperature differences throughout the liquid induce a vigorous natural convection motion which retards freezing, but the temperature differences diminish with time and natural convection ebbs. At large times, the freezing rate is fully controlled by heat conduction in the solidified material. The frozen specimens for short and intermediate freezing times are smooth-surfaced and tapered, while those for large times are straight-sided and have surfaces that are overlaid with a thicket of large discrete crystals. These characteristics correspond respectively to those of natural-convection- controlled freezing and conduction-controlled freezing. At early times, the measured mass of the frozen material is identical to that for natural-convection-controlled freezing and conduction-controlled freezing. At early times, the measured mass of the frozen material is identical to that for natural-convection-controlled freezing. At later times, the frozen mass tends to approach that for conduction-controlled freezing, but a residual deficit remains.
Understanding Institutional Change in International Environmental Regimes

Histories of regime theory often characterize research during the 1980s as being focused on whether regimes matter and, during the 1990s, as being focused more on how they matter and what makes them (in)effective. Today, constructivist theorists of organizational power and principal-agent theorists concerned with the difaculties that agent strategies can create in contracting, though they may agree on little else, are in complete agreement that institutions, once established, are unlikely to persist forever in their initial state. For scholars of international environmental regimes, the need to understand institutional change has taken on even greater urgency, given the rapidly growing web of legal commitments and institutions that have been created in recent decades. While few would lament the global environment’s rise to prominence on the international agenda, it is far from clear what consequences growing institutional proliferation will have for the future of environmental governance. There is good reason for the discipline’s current concern with institutional change. Few scholars are as well placed as Oran Young to comment on these developments. In Institutional Dynamics Young makes the case that we should view environmental and resource regimes through the prisms of complexity and systems theory. Such approaches need not be relegated to the study of naturalphysical systems; Young argues that they are equally valuable for understanding social systems. Accordingly, Young proposes to study institutional change in terms of the various stresses (both internal and external) that confront environ-
Prevalence of enterotoxins and toxin gene profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from a bakery involved in a second staphylococcal food poisoning occurrence

Aims The study objective was to characterize and analyse the distribution of enterotoxins and genes encoding enterotoxins in Staphylococcus aureus strains recovered from the 601 environment and ingredient samples obtained during multiple inspections of a bakery implicated in two separate staphylococcal food poisoning incidents. Methods and Results Staphylococcus aureus isolates were evaluated using serological assays for identification of classical staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) SEA–SEE and polymerase chain reaction for the detection of newly described SE and SE-like enterotoxin genes seg–seu. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis identified thirteen pattern types. During these investigations, a total of 585 environmental swabs and 16 raw ingredient samples were collected by investigators, 85 of which were confirmed to contain Staph. aureus; of those isolates, 95·3% (81/85) harboured enterotoxin genes and 4·7% (4/85) carried newly described SE and SE-like enterotoxin genes in the absence of classical enterotoxins. Conclusions Our research demonstrates the prevalence and diversity of classical SEs and the probable underestimated impact of nonclassical SE and SE-like enterotoxins role in domestic staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks. Significance and Impact of the Study Given the abundance of SEs and SE-like toxins, these findings illustrate the utilization of PCR for enterotoxin gene identification and its significance in outbreak investigations.
PANDA: A case-based system to aid novice designers

PANDA, the Pumper Apparatus Novice Design Assistant, is a case-based design system developed to assist firefighters who wish to design their pumper engines. In contrast to other such systems, PANDA addresses the unique needs of a novice, non-specialist who performs design in a highly specialized domain, where the design is decomposable into elements which each fulfill their own identifiable function. In PANDA we study how to create an interactive case-based design assistant that can understand the needs and desires of a non-specialist designer and can translate them into formal specifications; that can provide assistance by using case-based design methodologies; that can deal with non-functional design criteria such as aesthetics and traditional practices; and that can guide the novice designer by discussing alternatives, tradeoffs, and adaptations. Our prototypical system verifies our methodological approach to supporting novice design activities.
Distributed key management for dynamic groups in MANETs

Most existing solutions to group security in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) rely on a multicast Core Based Tree (CBT) for key distribution. Such solutions, although suitable for systems with low mobility and static characteristics, are unsuitable for dynamic and sparse groups with changing neighborhoods. In this paper, we propose an entirely decentralized key generation mechanism, employing a central trusted entity only during initialization. Using our approach, keys can be established between group members with absolutely no prior communication. The solution relies on threshold cryptography and introduces a novel concept of Node-Group-Key (NGK) mapping. We have provided an extensive analytical model for the computations involved and communication costs and have also provided a lie detection mechanism. Simulation results show appreciable performance improvement and enhanced robustness.
Trans-Spinal Direct Current Stimulation Alters Muscle Tone in Mice with and without Spinal Cord Injury with Spasticity

Muscle tone abnormalities are associated with many CNS pathologies and severely limit recovery of motor control. Muscle tone depends on the level of excitability of spinal motoneurons and interneurons. The present study investigated the following hypotheses: (1) direct current flowing from spinal cord to sciatic nerve [spinal-to-sciatic direct current stimulation (DCS)] would inhibit spinal motor neurons and interneurons, hence reducing muscle tone; and (2) direct current flowing in the opposite direction (sciatic-to-spinal DCS) would excite spinal motor neurons and interneurons, hence increasing muscle tone. Current intensity was biased to be ~170 times greater at the spinal column than at the sciatic nerve. The results showed marked effects of DCS on muscle tone. In controls and mice with spinal cord injuries with spasticity, spinal-to-sciatic DCS reduced transit and steady stretch-induced nerve and muscle responses. Sciatic-to-spinal DCS caused opposite effects. These findings provide the first direct evidence that trans-spinal DCS can alter muscle tone and suggest that this approach could be used to reduce both hypotonia and hypertonia.
Sediment accumulation in lake chicot, Arkansas

Lake Chicot is an oxbow lake located along the western side of the Mississippi River in southeastern Arkansas. A major flood in 1927, levee construction, land use changes from bottomland hardwood to agriculture, a large increase in drainage area, and stream channelization have altered the appearance of contributing watersheds and the lake. The lake often has high suspended sediment concentrations making it undesirable for recreation and aquatic production. As part of a coordinated study to determine changes in the lake, sediment accumulation patterns and rates were determined in Lake Chicot using the137Cs technique. Major sediment accumulation is occurring near the major inlet and along the thalweg of the oxbow. Average sediment accumulation of 1.8 cm/yr since 1963 was measured for twelve samples. Calculations show sediment accumulation is decreasing. This study has shown that the137Cs technique can provide useful planning information for the environmental geologist or reservoir manager. Results of the current study will be used to develop better sediment and water management strategies for Lake Chicot.
The evolution of the “Con Artist”

Abstract A series of game-theoretical models for the evolution of, what in the folk literature has become known as, the "Confidence Artist" is presented. Con artists are assumed to be noncooperators who move between groups and "prey" on naive cooperators. Cooperators learn about con artists by either direct experience or via cultural transmission about the identity (or behavior) of such individuals. Three types of transmission rules about con artists are modeled: 1) transmission rate that is independent of the frequency of con artists in the metapopulation; 2) transmission such that cooperators, with some probability, can learn about particular con artists who have entered their group; and 3) a type of frequency dependent transmission such that cooperators can identify con artists in proportion to their frequency in the metapopulation. In general, cultural transmission works against con artists by 1) decreasing the critical between travel patch travel time to invade a metapopulation of cooperators or 2) decreasing the equilibrial frequency of con artists (compared to the case of no cultural transmission). Depending on the mode of cultural transmission, con artists may exist at relatively high or low frequencies.
Localized testicular infarction masquerading as a testicular neoplasm

Localized testicular infarction appears to represent a relatively uncommon phenomenon. We describe a patient presenting with a testicular mass simulating a neoplasm, who proved to have a localized hemorrhagic infarction.
Branching Out: Communication and Collaboration among Librarians at Multi-Campus Institutions

Communication and collaboration are vital aspects of 21st century librarianship, particularly for librarians in branch and regional settings who are often separated from their system colleagues by both physical distance and administrative structures. For this study, the authors conducted an exploratory survey to examine collaboration, communication, networking behaviors, and perceptions among librarians in multi-campus academic library systems. Results of this investigative study will lead to better understanding of these issues within the profession, suggest possible approaches and solutions for better models of communication and collaboration, and lay the groundwork for future research on these topics.
βArrestin1 Regulates the Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor RasGRF2 Expression and the Small GTPase Rac-mediated Formation of Membrane Protrusion and Cell Motility

βArrestin proteins shuttle between the cytosol and nucleus and have been shown to regulate G protein-coupled receptor signaling, actin remodeling, and gene expression. Here, we tested the hypothesis that βarrestin1 regulates actin remodeling and cell migration through the small GTPase Rac. Depletion of βarrestin1 promotes Rac activation, leading to the formation of multipolar protrusions and increased cell circularity, and overexpression of a dominant negative form of Rac reverses these morphological changes. Small interfering RNA library screen identifies RasGRF2 as a target of βarrestin1. RasGRF2 gene and protein expression levels are elevated following depletion of βarrestin1, and the consequent activation of Rac results in dephosphorylation of cofilin that can promote actin polymerization and formation of multipolar protrusions, thereby retarding cell migration and invasion. Together, these results suggest that βarrestin1 regulates rasgrf2 gene expression and Rac activation to affect membrane protrusion and cell migration and invasion.
Micro- and macroprocesses in text comprehension

College students read and recalled texts that varied in local (micro-) or global (macro-) processing difficulty. In Experiment 1, 10 theoretically derived text variables, 5 at the micro- and 5 at the macrolevel successfully predicted comprehension efficiency scores. Furthermore, micro- and macrovariables accounted for unique portions of the comprehension variance. For the technical prose passages used in this study, microvariables were better predictors of less skilled readers' performance, whereas macrovariables were better for skilled readers'. In Experiments 2 and 3, lexical and macrostructure difficulty were factorially combined; story recall was determined by both. The factors were additive, however, for high as well as for low ability readers; this was taken to mean that the lexical and macrostructural components of the comprehension system do not rely on the same cognitive resources. It was concluded that in order to explain comprehension, processes at both the micro- and macrolevel must be considered.
Recombinant human hyaluronan synthase 3 is phosphorylated in mammalian cells

Hyaluronan is a ubiquitous component of vertebrate extracellular and cell-associated matrices that serves as a key structural component of skin, cartilage, eyes and joints, and plays important roles in dynamic cellular processes, including embryogenesis, inflammation, wound healing and metastasis. Hyaluronan is synthesized by three homologous hyaluronan synthases designated HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3 that differ in their tissue distribution, regulation and enzymatic characteristics. Some progress has been made in characterizing regulation of HAS transcripts and in distinguishing the enzymatic properties of the various HAS isoforms, but essentially nothing is known about their possible regulation by posttranslational modification. Using [32P]P(i) radiolabelling of a recombinant FLAG (DYKDDDDK) epitope-tagged version of human HAS3 expressed in COS-7 cells, we show that HAS3 is serine-phosphorylated and that this phosphorylation can be enhanced by a number of effectors--most significantly by a membrane-permeable analogue of cAMP. By employing a novel FLAG-tagged phosphorylated reference protein derived from EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein), we were able to estimate the stoichiometry of FLAG-HAS3 phosphorylation. It was approx. 0.11 in unstimulated cells and increased to as much as 0.32 in cells stimulated with 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP.
The Introduction of Information into Neurobiology

The first use of the term “information” to describe the content of nervous impulse occurs in Edgar Adrian's The Basis of Sensation (1928). What concept of information does Adrian appeal to, and how can it be situated in relation to contemporary philosophical accounts of the notion of information in biology? The answer requires an explication of Adrian's use and an evaluation of its situation in relation to contemporary accounts of semantic information. I suggest that Adrian's concept of information can be to derive a concept of arbitrariness or semioticity in representation. This in turn provides one way of resolving some of the challenges that confront recent attempts in the philosophy of biology to restrict the notion of information to those causal connections that can in some sense be referred to as arbitrary or semiotic.
A gene hunting we will go

Two general approaches toward the identification of new genes which may contribute to specific developmental, physiologic, or pathologic processes can be pursued: (1) a strategy of positional cloning or reverse genetics and linkage analysis in which affected individuals or families are studied to identify defective genes, and (2) an immediately focused approach which uses available partial information about a gene to screen cDNA libraries toward the isolation and characterization of the complete gene. The general principles that form the basis of how these two strategies aid the gene hunter in the pursuit of new genes is discussed. The modern day urologist should become familiar with these techniques and the promise they hold for the future diagnosis and treatment of urologic diseases.
Alternative therapies and empowerment of older women

There has been a striking increase in Americans' awareness and use of alternative therapies over the last decade. Women, in particular, have been drawn to explore these unconventional health practices, which include herbal medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, manual therapies, energy healing, and mind-body therapies. From a feminist perspective, the rise in alternative therapies' use in the United States represents a shift in cultural concepts of health from an out-moded patriarchical model which disempowers older women, to a more feminine, holistic model which can reempower older women. Throughout history, older women have developed, applied, and taught the principles and practices of what are now considered alternative healing modalities, in their roles as mothers, expert herbalists, midwives, wise women, and shaman. By becoming familiar with these therapies, older women can increase their control over their health, enhance prevention and self-care, and enjoy a health-care pathway that leads to wholeness in body, mind, and spirit.
Oxygen diffusion rate through the gamma bottle and associated kinetic effects on tomato ketchup

An experiment was performed to measure the oxygen transmission rate through the Gamma squeeze bottle for tomato ketchup and to determine the permeability constant for the Gamma material itself. Another experiment was carried out to study the change in the co lour of ketchup after long-term exposure to an oxygen-rich environment and to establish a minimum acceptable redness level for ketchup as measured by a standard Chroma Meter®. (Minolta Camera Co). The combined results were then used to determine the reaction rate between oxygen and ketchup and to predict the shelf-life for co lour stability of ketchup packaged in the Gamma bottle. The predicted shelf-life is at least 206 days.