cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Telecommunications Law And Policy

This new casebook in telecommunications law grew out of Thomas Krattenmaker's earlier casebook of the same title. Like Krattenmaker's two editions, this book not only examines the fundamentals of telecommunications regulation but also engages in advanced analysis of the key constitutional, administrative, and economic issues that arise in the various telecommunications settings. While building on Krattenmaker's foundation, the Benjamin/Lichtman/Shelanski text is an entirely new book. It covers new subjects -- for example, the text now includes case studies of digital television and low-power FM radio; a full chapter on direct broadcast satellite service; a chapter on telecommunications mergers; and several chapters on the Internet and advanced services regulation more generally. The book also covers familiar topics but in significantly greater depth. The telephone and cable materials, for example, have been expanded and completely rewritten, emphasizing key economic concepts that are carefully explained and then tied to the relevant legal and policy issues. In short, the new book mirrors the sweeping changes that have occurred in the field in recent years, yet maintains enough of Tom's original structure that faculty who have used the earlier two editions should find it easy to integrate the new text into the course they already love to teach. The authors have prepared a new teacher's manual, much longer than that previously available and filled with interesting questions and detailed suggestions for class discussion. The new manual also includes summaries of important aspects of the material, answers to questions posed in the book, and a host of model materials including syllabi and sample examinations. These materials should be useful to experienced and new teachers alike.
Activation of Protein Kinase D1 in Mast Cells in Response to Innate, Adaptive, and Growth Factor Signals

Little is known about the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase D (PKD)1 in mast cells. We sought to define ligands that activate PKD1 in mast cells and to begin to address the contributions of this enzyme to mast cell activation induced by diverse agonists. Mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) contained both PKD1 mRNA and immunoreactive PKD1 protein. Activation of BMMC through TLR2, Kit, or FcepsilonRI with Pam(3)CSK(4) (palmitoyl-3-cysteine-serine-lysine-4), stem cell factor (SCF), and cross-linked IgE, respectively, induced activation of PKD1, as determined by immunochemical detection of autophosphorylation. Activation of PKD1 was inhibited by the combined PKD1 and protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor Go 6976 but not by broad-spectrum PKC inhibitors, including bisindolylmaleimide (Bim) I. Pam(3)CSK(4) and SCF also induced phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27, a known substrate of PKD1, which was also inhibited by Go 6976 but not Bim I in BMMC. This pattern also extended to activation-induced increases in mRNA encoding the chemokine CCL2 (MCP-1) and release of the protein. In contrast, both pharmacologic agents inhibited exocytosis of beta-hexosaminidase induced by SCF or cross-linked IgE. Our findings establish that stimuli representing innate, adaptive, and growth factor pathways activate PKD1 in mast cells. In contrast with certain other cell types, activation of PKD1 in BMMC is largely independent of PKC activation. Furthermore, our findings also indicate that PKD1 preferentially influences transcription-dependent production of CCL2, whereas PKC predominantly regulates the rapid exocytosis of preformed secretory granule mediators.
So Close and Yet So Far: Construal Level Moderates Cultivation Effects

The cultivation effect is well established: The more media we consume, the more our worldviews come to reflect the mediated world. Several advancements have been made in the past decade exploring the processes underlying the effect. Importantly, the judgments are often heuristically based (Shrum, 2001, 2009), with relevance of the media information an important moderator of this process. Mental construal level, in which people are considered to be thinking on a relatively concrete (psychologically close, specific) level or a relatively abstract (psychologically distant, general) level, may influence these cognitive processes. The present studies find that mental construal level (concrete or abstract) moderates the classic cultivation effect for first-order judgments. Specifically, concrete construal encourages the cultivation effect with a stronger relationship between media consumption and violence prevalence estimates, but abstract construal reduces the effect. Comparison to a control condition in Exper...
Determinants of child stunting in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan: an in-depth analysis of nationally representative data

Stunting is associated with poor survival and development in children. Our analysis identifies the factors most significantly associated with child stunting in Bhutan using a nationally representative sample of 2085 children 0–23 months old. We find that 27.5% of children were stunted and almost half (42.6%) of the stunted children were severely stunted. Children's mean height-for-age z-score deteriorated significantly with age (from −0.23 in infants 0–5 months old to −1.60 in children 18–23 months old) and levels of severe stunting were significantly higher among boys. Multivariate regression analysis indicates that children from the Eastern/Western regions had a 64% higher odds of being stunted than children from the Central region (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.29–2.07); similarly, children from the two lower wealth quintiles had 37% higher odds of being stunted than children from the two upper wealth quintiles (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.00–1.87). Children whose mothers received three or fewer antenatal care visits during the last pregnancy had a 31% higher odds of being stunted (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.01–1.69) while children whose mothers did not receive antenatal care from a doctor, nurse or midwife had a 51% higher odds of being stunted (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.18–1.92). Recommended complementary feeding practices tended to be associated with lower odds of stunting, particularly in the first year of life. Specifically, children who were not fed complementary foods at 6–8 months had about threefold higher odds of being severely stunted than children who were fed complementary foods (OR 2.73; 95% CI 1.06–7.02).
Generating Student Interest In Physics: Using Relevant And Exciting Curriculum Additions

As physics teachers at the collegiate level, we are faced with the difficulty of lack of interest in science among non-science majors. An example of this occurred in a conceptual physics course at West Virginia University, where we taught mostly students attending the education college. A poll taken of the class found 62% of the students wrote they did not want to teach science. A difficulty presented by this is that the students, who are mostly aspiring elementary level teachers, will go into the teaching field with a lack of enthusiasm toward teaching science. It is our goal then to excite these students, and all students, towards science and therefore exhibit eagerness when applying their knowledge in the classroom and elsewhere. One method for accomplishing this is to give these students hands-on, relevant, stimulating, and interesting curriculum in a laboratory environment. We have created several alterations to the course that succeed in meeting these goals and have proven to truly excite the students toward physics and science in general.
A process for organizational learning

The authors explain a process they have enacted several times for facilitating so called "organizational learning". They show how the process is based on the authors' current understanding of the concept referred to as organizational learning. Finally, they advocate future participatory action research whereby organizational learning theory is tested and modified through the design, enactment, and observation of further processes; these processes, in turn, should be designed based upon current understandings of organizational learning. >
Simultaneous Model Selection via Rate-Distortion Theory, With Applications to Cluster and Significance Analysis of Gene Expression Data

High-dimensional data are prevalent across many application areas, and generate an ever-increasing demand for statistical methods of dimension reduction, such as cluster and significance analysis. One application area that has recently received much interest is the analysis of microarray gene expression data. The results of cluster analysis are open to subjective interpretation. To facilitate the objective inference of such analyses, we use flexible parameterizations of the cluster means, paired with model selection, to generate sparse and easy-to-interpret representations of each cluster. Model selection in cluster analysis is combinatorial in the numbers of clusters and data dimensions, and thus presents a computationally challenging task. In this article we introduce a model selection method based on rate-distortion theory, which allows us to turn the combinatorial model selection problem into a fast and simultaneous selection across clusters. The method is also applicable to model selection in signifi...
Thickness sensitivities in the CICE sea ice model

Abstract Passive microwave satellite observations of ice extent and concentration form the foundation of sea ice model evaluations, due to their wide spatial coverage and decades-long availability. Observations related to other model quantities are somewhat more limited but increasing as interest in high-latitude processes intensifies. Sea ice thickness, long judged a critical quantity in the physical system, is now being scrutinized more closely in sea ice model simulations as more expansive measurements become available. While albedo is often the first parameter chosen by modelers to adjust simulated ice thickness, this paper explores a set of less prominent parameters to which thickness is also quite sensitive. These include parameters associated with sea ice conductivity, mechanical redistribution, oceanic heat flux, and ice–ocean dynamic stress, in addition to shortwave radiation. Multiple combinations of parameter values can produce the same mean ice thickness using the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model, CICE. One of these “tuned” simulations is compared with a variety of observational data sets in both hemispheres. While deformed ice area compares well with the limited observations available for ridged ice, thickness measurements differ such that the model cannot agree with all of them simultaneously. Albedo and ice–ocean dynamic parameters that affect the turning of the ice relative to the ocean currents have the largest effect on ice thickness, of the parameters tested here. That is, sea ice thickness is highly sensitive to changes in external forcing by the atmosphere or ocean, and therefore serves as a sensitive diagnostic for high-latitude change.
Strategies for recruiting African American men into prostate cancer screening studies.

Background: Recruitment for research and clinical trials continues to be challenging. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and disproportionately affects African American men; thus, effective recruitment strategies are essential for this population. Objectives: The aim of this study was to focus on innovative and effective recruitment strategies for research on prostate cancer with minorities. Methods: A systematic description is provided of the recruitment efforts for a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study of African American men's experiences in decision making on whether to have a prostate cancer screening. Results: Seventeen African American men were enrolled from rural Central Virginia. Recruiting strategies were targeted on places where African American men usually are found but that are rarely used for recruitment: barbershops, community health centers, and churches. Word of mouth was also used, and most of the participants (n = 11) were reached through this method. Discussion: Recruitment efforts have been noted to be particularly challenging among minorities, for numerous reasons. Making minority recruitment a priority in any research or clinical trial is essential in gaining a representative sample. Word of mouth is a powerful tool that is often forgotten but should be looked at in further detail.
Monolithic quantum-well-tunable laser based on optical beam steering and area-selective intermixing

A monolithic tunable laser on a quantum well (QW) structure is demonstrated by integrating an optical beam-steering section with an area-selectively intermixed QW gain section. Wavelength tuning is achieved by guiding an amplified optical beam over an optical gain medium that consists of three laterally adjacent regions containing a quantum well that has been selectively intermixed to varying extents. The laser light output can be tuned over a total of a 17-nm wavelength range by separately injecting electrical current pulses to each of the two parallel contacts in the steering region and to the optical amplifier contact.
Dynamics of tumor oxygenation, CD31 staining and transforming growth factor-β levels after treatment with radiation or cyclophosphamide in the rat 13762 mammary carcinoma

PURPOSE: Tumors are dynamic tissues that undergo marked molecular, biochemical, and physiologic changes in response to cytotoxic anticancer therapies. Understanding the changes in tumor oxygenation and transforming growth factor-beta expression may allow improved treatment regimens to be developed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The effects of a single dose of radiation therapy (20 Gy) or a single dose of chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, 250 mg/kg) on several molecular and physiologic parameters of the rat 13762 mammary carcinoma growing subcutaneously in female Fischer 344 rats were explored. RESULTS: Treatment of the tumor-bearing animals with 20 Gy of radiation killed about two logs (99%) of the 13762 tumor cells, and treatment with cyclophosphamide (250 mg/kg) killed about 1.5 logs (95%) of the 13762 tumor cells. Hypoxia, as determined by a pO2 electrode, initially decreased in the tumors of treated animals until 6 h. posttreatment and then increased, so that 24 h. after administration of the radiation therapy or the chemotherapy the number of intratumoral vessels as determined by CD31 staining increased until about 24 h after cytotoxic therapy. Transforming growth factor-beta1, measured by radioimmunoassay, peaked in the serum between 6 h and 18 h and again between 72 h and 96 h after radiation therapy and peaked in the tumor at 24 h and again at 72 h after radiation therapy. The first serum peak after cyclophosphamide was 3 h after drug injection, with second peaks at 36 h and 48 h after drug administration. In the tumor, transforming growth factor-beta1 peaked between 6 h and 8 h after drug administration and again 36 h and 72 h after drug. Apoptosis was maximal 6 h after 20 Gy and 24 h after cyclophosphamide. Vascular endothelial growth factor was also increased in tumors after cytotoxic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These changes in the tumor physiologic status are sufficient to protect the tumor from a second cytotoxic insult administered days afterwards and to result in a restructuring of the tissue.
Small Punch Testing and Application in Power Generation Industry

The Small Punch (SP) test technique is an innovative, powerful technique based on tests using miniaturized specimens. At present, it is the only existing method capable of providing experimental characterization of service exposed materials of components. It is non invasive and provides direct measured material properties. It provides a significant technology capability that facilitates assessing power plant operating equipment for structural integrity and operational condition. The SP Testing facility supported by the in situ sampling for test specimens provides utility members an attractive option to interrogate equipment for making run/inspect/repair/replace decisions. It is supported by EPRI Software, NDE and Metallography facilities, to define guidelines for components life assessment cross the sector, serving both utilities, and constructors. It addresses the industrial need for personalized material and welds data required for: - lifing of plant, consumed life and residual life of components, - convenience of repairing, replacing, life of the new welds on old components, - cost of component deterioration, cost of normal service, - characterizations and qualifications of blade repairs, of coating materials-methods, - fast determination of new casts strength produced by Electron Beam. The sampling and test facility provides low temperature test data including transition temperature and fracture toughness (KIc , JIc ) measurements with minimal empiricism, to a high-temperature material property data including tensile, creep and creep rupture properties. The materials used for components in power generation industry are presented along with the test facility and specific applications in the subject field.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Effects of Elastic Anisotropy on the Anomalous Yield Behavior of Cubic Ordered Alloys

The positive temperature dependence of yield stress in certain L12 and B2 alloys, e.g. Ni3Al and β′-CuZn, is analyzed on the basis of the nature of dislocation dissociations predicted by anisotropic elasticity theory. In the case of Ni3Al, the torque due to the tangential component of the elastic interaction between two superpartials is a major driving force for either the cross-slip pinning model or the force couplet model. The corresponding torque term is relatively unimportant in the B2 structure. The core transformation of individual superpartials may be important for the anomalous increase of yield stress in β′-CuZn.
RVS Uncooled Sensor Development for Tactical Applications

RVS has made a significant breakthrough in the development of an athermal (TECless) 640 x 480 uncooled sensor with a unit cell size of 17 μm x 17 μm, and performance approaching that of the 25μm arrays. The sensor design contains a highly productized FPA and is designed to achieve excellent sensitivity (low NETD and low spatial noise) with good dynamic range. The improved performance is achieved through bolometer structure improvements, innovative ROIC design, and flexible, low power electronics architecture. We will show updated performance and imagery on these sensors, which is currently being measured at <50mK, f/1, 30 Hz. Pixel operability is greater than 99 % on most FPAs, and uncorrected responsivity nonuniformity is less than 3% (sigma/mean). The combination of reduced FPA pixel size and improved effective thermal sensitivity enhances performance by providing smaller, lighter-weight systems via reduced optics size. Or, alternatively, increased range via enhanced pixel resolution without increasing mass (maintaining optical size). We will also show the advancements made in our uncooled common architecture electronics in terms of reduced power and size for man-portable and missile applications.
Self-Calibrating Microfabricated Iridium Oxide pH Electrode Array for Remote Monitoring

The goal of this work is the development of microfabricated electrochemical sensing systems for environmental, industrial, and security applications requiring long-term unattended operation. The specific advantages of the microfabrication approach include the capability not only to miniaturize the size of the sensor platform but also to create an intelligent design including features such as redundant sensing electrodes, on-chip reference and auxiliary electrodes, and in situ electrode regeneration/calibration. The model system targeted here involves continuous pH monitoring in drinking water at solid-state iridium oxide electrodes. The microchips utilized consist of a flow-through silicon platform (1 cm × 1.2 cm) containing patterned gold electrodes onto which iridium oxide has been deposited electrochemically. To simulate drinking water detection scenarios, sensors are integrated into a flow system. Microfabricated designs include as many as 11 equivalent pH electrodes whose performance was evaluated fo...
How children with autism extend new words

Purpose How do children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) extend a noun to the category of objects it labels? Given their tendency to perceive locally, their extensions might be too narrow. Given their social-communicative deficits and a context in which the knowledge of a social-communicative partner promotes narrow extensions, their extensions might be too broad. Method We tested these predictions by comparing 25 high-functioning school-aged children with ASD to 29 age-matched peers with typical development (TD) in a task that required extraction of commonalities of object referents and use of social-communicative context to support the category inference. Results The children with ASD readily extended a given noun to multiple exemplars, thereby demonstrating tacit knowledge that words label categories and the ability to override local perceptual biases they might have. However, unlike their peers with TD, those who had concomitant weaknesses in semantic and syntactic language ability formed broad ca...
Identification of possible Quaternary deformation in the northeastern Mississippi Embayment using quantitative geomorphic analysis of drainage-basin asymmetry

To investigate neotectonism in the Mississippi Embayment east of the New Madrid seismic zone, we identified geomorphic domains that show evidence of ground tilting during Quaternary time. Transverse basin profiles were converted to two-dimensional vectors that denote channel position with respect to basin divides. These basin-asymmetry vectors record the net direction and degree of lateral migration of trunk streams. More than 2500 vectors were measured and spatially averaged within 400 km 2 bins. This field of 300 mean vectors delineates several domains that show preferred directions of stream migrations possibly driven by ground tilting. The timing of stream migration was interpreted using across-valley distributions of Quaternary alluvial terraces. Comparison of our mean vector field with subsurface structures suggests that some domain boundaries may be related to reactivated faults. Late Quaternary activity is suggested for two northeast-striking faults of the southeastern Reelfoot Rift margin. We acquired two seismic profiles showing near-surface faulting beneath scarps that follow the domain boundary associated with one of these northeast-striking faults (Big Creek fault zone). Reelfoot thrust seismicity ends on the south against this fault, suggesting that the rift margin has dextral slip accommodating northeastward movement of the thrust hanging wall. Our vector field also suggests late Quaternary movement on the Reelfoot thrust and on two other northwest-striking faults, here termed the Hatchie River fault and the Wolf River fault. Several other weak domains may imply minor elements of neotectonism. Our results demonstrate that morphometric analysis of drainage-basin asymmetry can be an effective reconnaissance tool within neotectonic settings.
Prognostic significance of erythropoietin expression in human endometrial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Erythropoietin (Epo), which is induced by hypoxia, controls erythropoiesis and protects neurons from hypoxic damage. Hypoxia in malignant disease is associated with invasion, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. The authors recently demonstrated hypoxia-stimulated expression of Epo and Epo receptor (EpoR) in human breast and cervical carcinomas, suggesting a role for autocrine Epo signaling in the hypoxic adaptations of carcinomas. METHODS The authors characterized the expression of Epo, EpoR, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR) by immunohistochemical methods using endometrial carcinoma samples from 107 women and benign endometrial samples from 59 women in various phases of the menstrual cycle. They then analyzed potential correlations of Epo and EpoR immunostaining and clinicopathologic tumor features with outcome. RESULTS In benign endometrial tissue samples, Epo and EpoR expression increased over the course of the cycle, with the highest levels observed in the late secretory phase. Epo expression in benign endometrial samples showed a negative correlation with ER and PR expression. The authors found Epo and EpoR expression in 95.3 % and 100% of endometrial carcinoma samples, respectively. Increased EpoR, but not Epo, expression in tumors was associated with advanced-stage disease, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, and loss of ER expression. Increased Epo expression was observed in perinecrotic tumor regions in a pattern similar to the HIF-1α expression pattern. Increased Epo expression was significantly associated with adverse clinical outcome on both univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Hypoxia-inducible autocrine Epo signaling in endometrial carcinoma may contribute to tumor progression and increased aggressiveness. Increased Epo expression in endometrial carcinomas may be an independent prognostic and/or predictive factor. Cancer 2004. Published 2004 American Cancer Society.
Jonathan Edwards: A New Departure in Eschatology

The current revival of interest in both Jonathan Edwards and eschatology points up the fact that there has been no deliberate effort to bring these two subjects together. The only previous attempt to treat Edwards' doctrine of the last things is that by Frank Hugh Foster, in a series of articles on “The Eschatology of the New England Divines.”1 Unfortunately, the title promises more than the discussions afford; because Foster's interest is confined almost entirely to the problem of Universalism, his section on Edwards treats only of the doctrine of eternal punishment and serves to perpetuate the common notion that the great Puritan was little more than a preacher of damnation.
Recursion Theory and the Lambda-Calculus

A semantics for the lambda-calculus due to Friedman is used to describe a large and natural class of categorical recursion-theoretic notions. It is shown that if e 1 and e 2 are godel numbers for partial recursive functions in two standard ω -URS's which both act like the same closed lambda-term, then there is an isomorphism of the two ω -URS's which carries e 1 to e 2 .
The Family Therapist's Role in Treating Families in Rural Communities: A General Systems Approach.

In this article the author demonstrates how concepts derived from General Systems Theory can be used to understand and treat families living in impoverished, isolated rural communities in the South. The very nature of the communities described in this paper requires the therapist to modify, sometimes radically, his/her approach to treatment and forces the clinical practitioner to think of intervention in terms of the larger rural community of which the identified patient families are only subcomponents. Working in such communities makes one realize that interventions frequently will have to be directed at the community system as a whole if community rules are to be modified and second-order change is to be brought about. If the therapist treats only those families and groups which have been identified as deviant by the community, he/she runs the risk of becoming one whose main function is to preserve the community's homeostatic balance. Guidelines for gaining admittance into the community and for bringing about changes are discussed in a case example.
Client and therapist perspectives on the influence of low vision and chronic conditions on performance and occupational therapy intervention.

Objective We explored how vision loss and comorbid chronic conditions influence occupational therapy intervention by gathering perspectives from occupational therapists treating clients with low vision and from older adults with low vision. Method We surveyed 59 occupational therapists on the frequency of comorbidities in their clients and their influence on low vision intervention. Eight older adults with low vision participated in in-depth interviews and observations on the influence of low vision and comorbidities on their occupational performance. Conclusions reflect data analysis from both methods. Results The occupational therapists modified low vision interventions to address the added effect of each comorbidity. Modifications included more treatment sessions, home visits, referrals to other professions, and provision of strategies to address comorbidities. The older adults viewed vision loss as a stronger influence than comorbidities on independence in daily occupations. Conclusion Both vision loss and comorbidities influence occupational performance, supporting the need for interventions to address both conditions.
Expression of the thrombopoietin gene in tissues from healthy dogs.

Summary Thrombopoietin (THPO) is the major cytokine that regulates megakaryopoiesis and platelet production. Several human and murine studies have demonstrated that THPO is primarily synthesized in the liver, but the kidney, spleen and bone marrow are also sites of expression. The aim of this study was to determine THPO mRNA levels in a range of canine tissues by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Samples of bone marrow (n = 5), liver (n = 10), lung (n = 10), renal cortex (n = 10), renal medulla (n = 5) and spleen (n = 10) were obtained from 10 healthy, hound-cross dogs aged 6–8 months. The highest THPO mRNA levels were found in the liver, followed by the bone marrow, spleen, lung and kidney. There was a 13-fold difference in expression between liver and kidney. The bone marrow showed high levels of THPO mRNA in the absence of disease. The liver and bone marrow are likely to be the major sites of THPO production in the dog.
Comparison of Phosphorus Concentrations in Coastal Plain Watersheds Served by Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems and a Municipal Sewer Treatment System

Eutrophication related to excess phosphorus (P) loadings continues to be an important issue for watersheds in North Carolina and other regions. Identifying the contributing sources of P in nutrient-sensitive waters is important for improving water quality. Prior studies have indicated that onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWS) can be a contributing source of P to surface waters, but more information is needed regarding their contribution relative to other wastewater treatment technologies. The goal of this study was to determine if P concentrations in groundwater and surface water were significantly different in a coastal plain watershed served by OWS in comparison to a watershed served by a municipal sewer system (MWS). Groundwater P concentrations were monitored at ten residential sites (five5 OWS and five MWS) once during each season (four times), and stream P concentrations and watershed exports were monitored monthly for 1 year (August 2011–August 2012). Groundwater in the OWS watershed had higher P concentrations than the MWS watershed. Stream P concentrations and P exports were also elevated in the OWS watersheds. However, the OWS were more efficient at reducing P prior to surface water discharge than the wastewater treatment plant that served the MWS watershed. The site-scale and watershed-scale P treatment efficiencies of OWS were between 73 and 99 %, whereas P treatment efficiency for the wastewater treatment plant was 54 %. While the OWS were efficient at reducing P concentrations and loads, OWS were still significant sources of P exports from the studied watershed. Potential contributions of P from OWS should be included in watershed nutrient management strategies along with other known sources such as agriculture and urban runoff if the strategies are to be considered comprehensive.
Suppressed Autophagy Flux in Skeletal Muscle of an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Mouse Model

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neuron and skeletal muscle atrophy. Accumulation of abnormal protein inclusions is implicated in motor neuron degeneration in ALS. Autophagy, an intracellular process targeting misfolded proteins and damaged organelles for lysosomal degradation, plays crucial roles in survival and diseased conditions. Efforts were made to understand the role of autophagy in motor neuron degeneration and to target autophagy in motor neuron for ALS treatment. However, results were quite contradictory. Skeletal muscle comprises around 40% of whole-body lean mass and is substantially affected in ALS. Possible autophagy defects in skeletal muscle may also complicate the results. Here, we examined autophagy activity in skeletal muscle of an ALS mouse model G93A. Through overexpression of a fluorescent protein LC3-RFP, we found a basal increase in autophagosome formation in G93A muscle during disease progression when the mice were on a regular diet. As expected, an autophagy induction procedure (starvation plus colchicine) enhanced autophagy flux in skeletal muscle of normal mice. However, in response to the same autophagy induction procedure, G93A muscle showed significant reduction in the autophagy flux. Immunoblot analysis revealed that increased cleaved caspase-3 associated with apoptosis was linked to the cleavage of several key proteins involved in autophagy, including Beclin-1, which is an essential molecule connecting autophagy and apoptosis pathways. Our data suggest that the cytoprotective autophagy pathway is suppressed in G93A skeletal muscle and this suppression may link to the enhanced apoptosis during ALS progression. The abnormal autophagy activity in skeletal muscle likely contributes muscle degeneration and disease progression in ALS.
Knowledge and society

The question of the nature of our knowledge of society has recently been raised in an interesting form by Peter Winch in his monograph, The Idea of a Social Science, and debated in recent issues of Inquiry by A. R. Louch and Winch himself. In this paper I attempt to contribute to this discussion by attacking the problem of the nature of the empirical bases of social scientific knowledge, the main point in dispute between Winch and Louch. I try to construct an argument to show that in specifying the ‘data’ of social science, we have to introduce an element of ‘interpretive understanding’ which radically alters the meaning of the term ‘empirical base’ in social scientific contexts, thus supplementing Winch's argument in his reply to Louch. At the same time, my argument shows, I believe, that this view of the nature of social science does not lead to any arbitrary restrictions on the methods of research pursued by social scientists, as is sometimes imagined. What the argument leads to is the conclusion that ...
When pharmacodynamics trump costs: an antimicrobial stewardship program's approach to selecting optimal antimicrobial agents.

Abstract Background Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is increasingly challenging because of escalating resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship programs provide guidance for clinicians regarding use of the most appropriate antimicrobial at the right dose, duration, and route in addition to being cost-effective. Optimizing antimicrobial therapy by using pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic principles such as extending time above the MIC is 1 stewardship strategy to reduce antimicrobial resistance. Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate our current dosing strategy for cefepime and the formulary carbapenem (imipenem) compared with meropenem and doripenem to determine the best dosing strategy for achieving maximal pharmacodynamic activity against an institution-specific population of P aeruginosa isolates. Methods Consecutive, nonduplicate, blood (n = 39) or bronchial alveolar lavage (n = 25) isolates of P aeruginosa from adult, hospitalized (2009–2010) critically ill patients underwent MIC testing by using broth microdilution. A pharmacokinetic model was developed and used with Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the ability of imipenem, meropenem, doripenem, and cefepime to achieve optimal bactericidal activity as varying doses infused over standard infusions (SIs; 0.5–1 hour) or prolonged infusions (PIs; 3–4 hours). A regimen was defined as optimal if the cumulative fraction response (CFR) was ≥90%. Results None of the imipenem regimens modeled as SI or PI achieved a CFR ≥90%. Meropenem at 1 to 2 g q8h PI achieved a CFR ≥90%. Doripenem 0.5, 1, or 2 g q8h PI achieved a CFR ≥90%. The only cefepime regimen that achieved a CFR ≥90% was 2 g q8h PI. Overall susceptibility rates to P aeruginosa were highest with cefepime (91%), followed by meropenem (83%), doripenem (78%), and imipenem (72%). Our antimicrobial stewardship programs recommended switching from imipenem to doripenem 0.5g q8h PI, which was 36% more costly in drug acquisition costs. Cefepime dosing was increased from 2 g q12h SI to 2 g q8h PI, a 52% increase in drug acquisition cost. Conclusions Antimicrobial stewardship programs should consider pharmacodynamic modeling to select the optimal dosing strategies to guide therapy in an era of escalating antimicrobial resistance. Using the percent susceptibility alone can be misleading and ultimately the most expensive if the patient fails to respond.
Embodied meaning and negative priming

Standard models of cognition are built from abstract, amodal, arbitrary symbols, and the meanings of those symbols are given solely by their interrelations. The target article (Glenberg 1997t) argues that these models must be inadequate because meaning cannot arise from relations among abstract symbols. For cognitive representations to be meaningful they must, at the least, be grounded; but abstract symbols are difficult, if not impossible, to ground. As an alternative, the target article developed a framework in which representations are grounded in perception and action, and hence are embodied. Recent work (Glenberg & Robertson 1999; 2000; Glenberg & Kaschak 2002; Kaschak & Glenberg 2000) extends this framework to language.
Kruppel-like Factor 4 Regulates Laminin α3A Expression in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Laminin-5, the major extracellular matrix protein produced by mammary epithelial cells, is composed of three chains (designated alpha3A, beta3, and gamma2), each encoded by a separate gene. Laminin-5 is markedly down-regulated in breast cancer cells. Little is known about the regulation of laminin gene transcription in normal breast cells, nor about the mechanism underlying the down-regulation seen in cancer. In the present study, we cloned the promoter of the gene for the human laminin alpha3A chain (LAMA3A) and investigated its regulation in functionally normal MCF10A breast epithelial cells and several breast cancer cell lines. Using site-directed mutagenesis of promoter-reporter constructs in transient transfection assays in MCF10A cells, we find that two binding sites for Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4/GKLF/EZF) are required for expression driven by the LAMA3A promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays reveal absence of KLF4 binding activity in extracts from T47D, MDA-MB 231, ZR75-1, MDA-MB 436, and MCF7 breast cancer cells. Transient transfection of a plasmid expressing KLF4 activates transcription from the LAMA3A promoter in breast cancer cells. A reporter vector containing duplicate KLF4-binding sites in its promoter is expressed at high levels in MCF10A cells but at negligible levels in breast cancer cells. Thus, KLF4 is required for LAMA3A expression and absence of laminin alpha3A in breast cancer cells appears, at least in part, attributable to the lack of KLF4 activity.
Multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of virtual-reality simulator training in acquisition of competency in colonoscopy

Background The GI Mentor is a virtual reality simulator that uses force feedback technology to create a realistic training experience. Objective To define the benefit of training on the GI Mentor on competency acquisition in colonoscopy. Design Randomized, controlled, blinded, multicenter trial. Setting Academic medical centers with accredited gastroenterology training programs. Patients First-year GI fellows. Interventions Subjects were randomized to receive 10 hours of unsupervised training on the GI Mentor or no simulator experience during the first 8 weeks of fellowship. After this period, both groups began performing real colonoscopies. The first 200 colonoscopies performed by each fellow were graded by proctors to measure technical and cognitive success, and patient comfort level during the procedure. Main Outcome Measurements A mixed-effects model comparison between the 2 groups of objective and subjective competency scores and patient discomfort in the performance of real colonoscopies over time. Results Forty-five fellows were randomized from 16 hospitals over 2 years. Fellows in the simulator group had significantly higher objective competency rates during the first 100 cases. A mixed-effects model demonstrated a higher objective competence overall in the simulator group ( P Conclusions Fellows who underwent GI Mentor training performed significantly better during the early phase of real colonoscopy training.
A Ratio Scale Measurement of Conformity

Since the seminal work on conformity, there has been a steady stream of research attempting to isolate individual and situational variables that influence its expression. Most previous studies have...
An extremal problem for sets: a new approach via Bezoutians

Abstract By means of Bezoutians, we give a new and short proof of Alon's theorem: Let X1, …, Xn be n disjoint sets. For 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n and 1 ⩽ j ⩽ h let Aij and Bij be subsets of Xi that satisfy |Aij| ⩽ ri and |Bij| ⩽ si for 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n, 1 ⩽ j ⩽ h, (⋃iAij)∩(⋃iBij)=φ for 1 ⩽ j ⩽ h, (⋃iAij)∩(⋃iBil)≠φ for 1 ⩽ j ⩽ l ⩽ h, then h⩽ ∏ i=1 n ( r i +s i r i ..
Neutrophil Transit Times through Pulmonary Capillaries: The Effects of Capillary Geometry and fMLP-Stimulation

The deformations of neutrophils as they pass through the pulmonary microcirculation affect their transit time, their tendency to contact and interact with the endothelial surface, and potentially their degree of activation. Here we model the cell as a viscoelastic Maxwell material bounded by constant surface tension and simulate indentation experiments to quantify the effects of (N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (fMLP)-stimulation on its mechanical properties (elastic shear modulus and viscosity). We then simulate neutrophil transit through individual pulmonary capillary segments to determine the relative effects of capillary geometry and fMLP-stimulation on transit time. Indentation results indicate that neutrophil viscosity and shear modulus increase by factors of 3.4, for 10 9 M fMLP, and 7.3, for 10 6 M fMLP, over nonstimulated cell values, determined to be 30.8 Pas and 185 Pa, respectively. Capillary flow results indicate that capillary entrance radius of curvature has a significant effect on cell transit time, in addition to minimum capillary radius and neutrophil stimulation level. The relative effects of capillary geometry and fMLP on neutrophil transit time are presented as a simple dimensionless expression and their physiological significance is discussed.
SAGE and coding theory (abstract only)

This is a very brief survey of recent work in SAGE on implementing algorithms to compute with linear block codes. http://www.sagemath.org. SAGE is a mathematical software package similar to the "big M's" (Maple, Mathematica, Magma, and Matlab) but free and open source. Download information and manuals are available at http://www.sagemath.org/. Included in SAGE is the group theory package GAP and GUAVA, GAP's coding theory package. All of GUAVA's functions can be accessed within SAGE.
Effects of dielectric relaxation in electrooptics of nematic cells

Recent experimental and theoretical results that link the phenomenon of dielectric relaxation in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) to their dynamics and fast electro-optical switching are presented. Namely, we illustrate that the dielectric torque acting on the uniaxial nematic liquid crystal depends not only on the present value of the field and the present orientation of the director, but also on the prehistory of these two parameters. The resulting "dielectric memory" effect leads to a spectacular but counter-intuitive effect: director relaxation during the "switch-off" stage can be accelerated if instead of the abrupt vertical back edge, one uses a voltage pulse with a non-instantaneously vanishing back edge. The acceleration effect can be enhanced with a short high voltage pulse at the end of the "switch on" process.
Linking Home to Work: Ethnic Labor Market Concentration in the San Francisco Consolidated Metropolitan Area

Different perspectives have been offered to explain ethnic labor market concentrations. In most studies, however, residential places are seldom included in the research framework. Using data from 5% Public Used Microdata Samples in 2000, this case study of the San Francisco Bay Area reveals that the robust growth of the new economy is dramatically segmenting the geography of employment and thereby the spatial division of labor in each ethnic group. Living arrangements, such as central-city residence and living in coethnic-concentrated-PUMAs, increase the chances of niche employment for most racial/ethnic groups, even after controlling for human capital and certain local context factors. However, there is a "substitution" effect between personal socioeconomic status and location factors. This study argues that living arrangements can provide a mechanism through which personal characteristics, social networking, and ethnic recourses interact with macroeconomic trends, and thus carve out local labor market e...
Engineered polymers for optical interconnects

Specialty optical polymers offer unique solutions based on materials properties that can be engineered to meet specific applications. The development of polymer materials to meet specific requirements for optical interconnects and devices will be described.
Oak-leaf-litter rhizomorphs from Iowa and Texas: calcium oxalate producers.

Unidentified basidiomycete rhizomorphs growing on oak-leaf litter {Quercus alba) in Iowa and in Texas {Quercus gravesii) displayed arrays of crystals associated with their hyphae. X-ray diffraction and birefringence analyses identified the crystals as a mix- ture of calcium oxalate-monohydrate and -dihydrate. The Iowa oak-leaf-litter rhizomorph crystals occurred in two forms: young hyphae displayed either small styloid-like crystals oriented in all directions along the hyphae; or large clusters of elongated styloid-like crys? tals surrounding the hyphae, with individual crystals in each cluster displaying pyramidal ends. Crystals as? sociated with the Texas oak-leaf-litter rhizomorphs consistently covered all of the young hyphae and their tips with either small dagger-like crystals or thin, plate? like crystals whose margins were either smooth or fin- ger-like. Some larger crystal masses were also com- posed of crystals with pyramidal ends. The dagger-like and plate-like crystals were tentatively identified as the monohydrate form based on their higher birefrin? gence, whereas the crystals with pyramidal ends were identified as the dihydrate form based on their shape and lower birefringence. It is not known whether the two crystalline forms associated with the rhizomorphs are a function of the individual rhizomorphs, the litter source, the stage of crystal growth, or the ions present in the surrounding soil/ground water.