cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
City Mouse, Country Mouse: The Persistence of Community Identity

This paper analyzes how people define their relation to different forms of community. Interviews with 77 Californians revealed that respondents either chose a community identity as a city person, suburbanite, small-town person, or country person, or rejected such identification as meaningless, stigmatizing, constraining, or a source of identity conflict. Those who identify express a sense of belonging, based on ties of sentiment, interest, value, or knowledge. They also use community imagery to interpret self: Self-designated city people, for instance, characterize themselves as active, liberal, city-wise; small-town people, as friendly, family-oriented, less materialistic, unpermissive; country people, as easy-going, independent, practical, ordinary, outdoor folk; suburbanites, as people of the middle ground. This rich, complex pattern of community identification suggests the limited value of traditional sociological images of community decline and placelessness.
Scattering of a transversely confined Neumann beam by a spherical particle.

Various properties of an electromagnetic wave whose spherical multipole expansion contains only Riccati–Neumann functions are examined. In particular, the novel behavior of the beam phase during diffractive spreading is discussed. When a Neumann beam is scattered by a spherical particle, the diffraction and external reflection portions of the scattering amplitude constructively interfere for large partial waves. As a result, a set of rapidly decreasing beam shape coefficients is required to cut off the partial wave sum in the scattering amplitudes. Because of its strong singularity at the origin, a Neumann beam can be produced by a point source of radiation at the center of a spherical cavity in a high conductivity metal, and Neumann beam scattering by a spherical particle can occur for certain partial waves if the sphere is placed at the center of the cavity as well.
Individual cow risk factors for clinical lameness in lactating dairy cows

Abstract A case-control study investigating relationships between clinical lameness and individual-cow (within herd) risk factors was performed in 17 Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy herds. Cases were defined as lactating cows found lame by either of two observers during farm visits in the summer of 1989 and spring of 1990 using a uniform scoring system. A single control cow (matched by herd, season, parity, and stage of lactation) was selected for each case at each visit. Assessments of body weight, body condition, dorsal claw angles, and limb lesions were made for each case and control animal. Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed positive associations between prevalent clinical lameness and heavier body weight, lower body condition score, and shallower slope of rear lateral claw angle. Lesions associated with clinical lameness included non-tarsal rear limb superficial swellings, abnormal hoof overgrowth (including corkscrew claw), and limb lacerations. Superficial tarsal swellings, intra-synovial tarsal swellings, and carpal swellings were not associated with clinical lameness.
Assessment of a fluorescence-enhanced optical imaging system using the Hotelling observer.

This study represents a first attempt to assess the detection capability of a fluorescence-enhanced optical imaging system as quantified by the Hotelling observer. The imaging system is simulated by the diffusion approximation of the time-dependent radiative transfer equation, which describes near infra-red (NIR) light propagation through a breast phantom of clinically relevant volume. Random structures in the background are introduced using a lumpy-object model as a representation of anatomical structure as well as non-uniform distribution of disease markers. The systematic errors and noise associated with the actual experimental conditions are incorporated into the simulated boundary measurements to acquire imaging data sets. A large number of imaging data sets is considered in order to perform Hotelling observer studies. We find that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Hotelling observer (i) decreases as the strength of lumpy perturbations in the background increases, (ii) decreases as the target depth increases, and (iii) increases as excitation light leakage decreases, and reaches a maximum for filter optical density values of 5 or higher.
Accuracy Issues with Route Choice Data Collection by Using Global Positioning System

Advancements in global positioning system (GPS) technology now make GPS route choice data collection for travel diary studies and other transportation applications a reality. Opportunities abound for increased quantities of data, for improved quality of data, and for new data elements that were once considered too burdensome or expensive to capture. For example, automated travel diaries can electronically capture trip purpose, origin and destination location names, and driver and passenger names at the push of a button. An accompanying GPS receiver can accurately capture origin and destination locations, departure and arrival times, as well as trip lengths and travel routes. This wealth of data can be used to validate or calibrate travel demand models, for in-vehicle information systems analysis, and for modeling mobile source emissions across a given network. These data collection and processing advancements do have their costs, however. In fact, care and caution should be exercised when GPS technologies...
The synthesis and study of some N-dihydroxypropyl derivatives.

The N-dihydroxypropyl derivatives of sulfathiazole, saccharin, and phenobarbital have been prepared by the reaction between both the sodium and the silver salts of the imides with glyceryl-α-chlorhydrin. Attempts at crystallization from various solvents failed to yield crystalline material. The influence of silver hydroxide and copper powder on the yield of product from the above reaction was determined The solubilities of the dihydroxypropyl derivatives in water were studied.
Commodity Prices and Money: Lessons from International Finance

Many commodity prices have been falling rapidly recently. As of Thursday, 31 July 1984 the Journal of Commerce's Index for Raw Industrial Materials had declined 10% relative to March and 20% relative to its peak value in 1980. In the current lull between political conventions this counts as something of a hot topic in Washington. Some "supply-siders" like Alan Reynolds (from Jude Wanniski's firm Polyconomics) are warning that the large decline in commodity prices is signalling a general deflation throughout the economy, and the possibility of widespread defaults reminiscent of the 1930s. Congressman Jack Kemp wants the Federal Reserve Board to adopt a monetary policy rule that would automatically expand whenever commodity prices are low, as now, and automatically contract whenever commodity prices are high, as in the late 1970s. There has even been talk about embodying such a monetary rule as a plank in the Republican Party platform in Dallas this month. Seldom before have steel scrap, cotton, and hides seemed so glamorous. My topic today is the determination of the prices of basic commodities, everything from agricultural commodities to the gold and other metals so precious to the supply-siders.
Audience Need for Orientation and Media Effects

Using data from a political campaign study conducted in Syracuse, New York, this article tests Blumler's argument that audience motives should be considered in uses and gratifications studies which seek to predict media influence processes. The primary research question addressed here is whether the general cognitive motive of need for orientation (a combination of political interest and uncertainty) is a better predictor of media exposure- media effects relationships than are individual political gratifications, par ticularly the surveillance gratifications. The findings tend to support Blum ler's (1979) proposal that we need to turn to basic audience orientations to predict and explain media influence processes. They also suggest that perhaps future studies of media uses and effects should move toward more general measures of audience motives and away from the more specific gratification measures which have been employed in past uses and gratifi cations studies
Gelation of Egg Yolk

SUMMARY A study of the effects of freezing and thawing on egg yolk showed that there was a rapid increase in viscosity (25°C) during the first few hours of storage at −10° and −14°C. The effectiveness of sucrose and of sodium chloride as inhibitors was determined, and the influence of urea on the viscosity of native and of frozen and thawed yolk was investigated. Paper electrophoresis indicated that freezing and thawing caused electrophoretic changes of the yolk lipoproteins.
Epitaxial graphene: dry transfer and materials characterization

ABSTRACT Epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on the carbon-face of Si C has been shown to exhibit higher carrier mobilities in comparison graphene grown via most other methods, while also remaining amenable to wafer-scale growth and fabrication. The ability to transfer large area (>mm 2 ), continuous graphene films to arbitrary substrates while maintaining the electrical and structural integrity of the film is desirable. We demonstrate the dry transfer of EG from the C-face of 4H-SiC onto SiO 2 , GaN and Al 2 O 3 substrates using thermal release tape both with and without a PMMA backing layer. Van de r Pauw devices fabricated from C-face EG that were transferred to SiO 2 and sapphire exhibited similar Hall effect mobilities, with an approximate three-fold reduction in carrier density when compared to devi ces fabricated on as-grown material. Raman spectroscopy illustrated that the optimized transfer process did not adversely affect the material quality, while XPS was used to both determine the transfer efficiency as well as to observe the presence of atomic silicon within the as-grown EG films. This latter obser vation may provide insight into the identity of the native dopant within these materials and/or a point defect th at could be limiting carrier mobility.
Gαq Inhibits Cardiac L-type Ca2+ Channels through Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Cardiac myocyte contractility is initiated by Ca2+ entry through the voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC). To study the effect of Gαq on the cardiac LTCC, we utilized two transgenic mouse lines that selectively express inducible Gαq-estrogen receptor hormone-binding domain fusion proteins (GαqQ209L-hbER or GαqQ209L-AA-hbER) in cardiac myocytes. Both of these proteins inhibit phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling, but GαqQ209L-AA-hbER cannot activate the canonical Gαq effector phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ). L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L) density measured by whole-cell patch clamping was reduced by more than 50% in myocytes from both Gαq animals as compared with wild-type cells, suggesting that inhibition of the LTCC by Gαq does not require PLCβ. To investigate the role of PI3K in this inhibitory effect, ICa,L was measured in the presence of various phosphoinositides infused through the patch pipette. Infusion of PI 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) into wild-type myocytes did not affect ICa,L, but it fully restored ICa,L density in both Gαq transgenic myocytes to wild-type levels. By contrast, PI 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) or PI 3,5-bisphosphate had no effect. Infusion with p110β/p85α or p110γ PI3K in the presence of PI(4,5)P2 also restored ICa,L density to wild-type levels. Last, infusion of either PTEN, a PI(3,4,5)P3 phosphatase, or the pleckstrin homology domain of Grp1, which
Transmutation of Tungsten in Fusion and Fission Nuclear Environments

The amount and type of gaseous and metallic transmutants produced in tungsten (W) when used as a plasma-facing armor in magnetic (MFE) and inertial (IFE) confinement fusion systems were determined ...
BATHTUB FUNCTIONS AND BURN-IN

Components which have bathtub shapes are reasonable candidates for burn-in in the sense that if these components are exposed to standard or elevated operating conditions for a short period of time, they tend to improve. In this paper we study the principle which states that burn-in should occur at or before the point at which a bathtub-shaped failure function starts increasing. To this end we develop three sign change results which characterize bathtub-shaped failure rates. These results are used to show that if a failure rate function is bathtub-shaped, then various other related functions have bathtub or upside-down bathtub shape. Finally, we give a framework for determining when the above principle holds.
Measuring and modeling systematic risk in factor pricing models using high-frequency data

This paper demonstrates how high-frequency data may be used in more effectively measuring and modeling the systematic risk(s) in factor pricing models. Based on a 7-year sample of continuously recorded US equity transactions, we find that simple and easy-to-implement time series forecast for the high-frequency-based factor loadings in the three-factor Fama–French model gives rise to more accurate factor representations and improved asset pricing predictions when compared to the conventional monthly rolling regression-based estimates traditionally employed in the literature, in turn resulting in more efficient ex post mean-variance portfolios. As such, the methodology proposed in the paper holds the promise for important new insights concerning actual real-world investment decisions and practical situations involving risk management.
Location of Salmonella typhimurium During Incubation and Hatching of Inoculated Eggs

Location of Salmonella during hatching of broiler chicks was studied in three experiments. Unincubated, fertile hatching eggs heated to 42 C were inoculated by immersion for 15 min in a 16 C physiological saline solution containing approximately 1 x 10(5) cfu/mL of a nalidixic acid-resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium. All eggs were sanitized externally by wiping with a paper towel wet with 70% ethanol. When incubating eggs were transferred to a hatcher, each was placed in a closed paper bag to minimize cross-contamination. Unhatched eggs were sampled by cutting away the shell over the air cell, sanitizing the inner air cell membrane with 70% ethanol, and removing the contents through the membrane. Shells and membranes were crushed and mixed in 10 mL buffered peptone (BP). Yolks were dissected out, dipped in 70% ethanol, and mixed with 10 mL BP. Embryos or chicks and all surrounding fluid were rinsed in 100 mL BP. A total of 172 eggs was sampled. Shells and membranes were 100% Salmonella-positive 30 min after inoculation, but only 38% were positive after 17 to 21 days of incubation. No chick rinses were positive before pipping, but 15% were positive after pipping. Yolk samples were 2% positive before pipping versus 8% after pipping. A majority of chicks hatching from positive shells and membranes were Salmonella-negative.
Excimer laser ablation for valvular angioplasty in pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum.

Background and Objectives The prognosis for infants with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum (PA/IVS) is poor and they present a major management challenge. Mechanical penetration of the atretic pulmonary valve is an applicable option for decompression of the right ventricle and optimization of left ventricular function. The utilization of laser energy for debulking and vaporization of the atretic valve tissue is a relevant approach due to the potential for controlled, precise mode of energy distribution. Study Design/Patients and Methods A 4-month-old female with PA/IVS whose failure to thrive was accompanied by critical hemodynamic abnormalities received successful percutaneous pulmonary valve plate ablation by a 0.9 mm pulsed-wave ultraviolet excimer laser catheter (308 nm wavelength, fluence 50 mJ/mm2; 30 Hz). A “step-by-step” lasing technique was applied whereby the tip of the emitting laser catheter is advanced ahead of a guide wire that serves mainly as support for positioning of that catheter. Results Adequate penetration of the atretic tissue enabled introduction of balloon dilations resulting in patency of the atretic valve, decompression of the right ventricle, improved right and left ventricular hemodynamics, and oxygenation. To further investigate the effect of excimer laser energy on atretic valvular tissue this laser was applied in a specimen of heart from an infant who died because of PA/IVS. Histopathologic examination of the irradiated tissue revealed no laser-induced injury to the pulmonary valve. Conclusions Thus, laser ablation and penetration of an atretic pulmonary valve is feasible and safe. The penetration of the atretic valve with the laser catheter enables subsequent introduction of various sizes balloon dilations. The application of available laser sources for treatment of congenital heart diseases is reviewed. Lasers Surg. Med. 35:327–335, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hydrogen-bonded intermediates and transition states during spontaneous and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the carcinogen (+)-anti-BPDE

Understanding mechanisms of (+)-anti-BPDE detoxification is crucial for combating its mutagenic and potent carcinogenic action. However, energetic-structural correlations of reaction intermediates and transition states during detoxification via hydrolysis are poorly understood. To gain mechanistic insight we have computationally characterized intermediate and transition species associated with spontaneous and general-acid catalyzed hydrolysis of (+)-anti-BPDE. We studied the role of cacodylic acid as a proton donor in the rate limiting step. The computed activation energy (ΔG‡) is in agreement with the experimental value for hydrolysis in a sodium cacodylate buffer. Both types of, spontaneous and acid catalyzed, BPDE hydrolysis can proceed through low-entropy hydrogen bonded intermediates prior to formation of transition states whose energies determine reaction activation barriers and rates.
Rural Employment and Rural-Urban Population Shifts: Discussion

The three papers in this series focus on why we have had a rural shift in population growth or "rural turnaround." The Hoch paper suggests that the movement of people into rural areas is a rational choice based on economic criteria, even though the rationality may not be readily apparent. The Dillman paper indicates that individuals' nonmonetarily motivated residential location preferences are a very important force in settlement patterns. These preferences may be contradictory to prevailing economic signals. The Edwards paper discusses our conceptual tool-kits to understand and analyze these types of trends, and the obstacles to testing empirically these conceptual ideas. The papers fail to address what effect the gas shortage and gas prices will have on the marginal rural in-migrant. How strong is the desire to live in a bucolic setting? How many people remaining in metro areas are going to move to adjacent areas or even nearby exurban developments? They did not move before under more favorable conditions. With
In situ studies on the breakdown ofNymphoides peltata (Gmel.) O. Kuntze (Menyanthaceae); Some methodological aspects of the litter bag technique

Thein situ breakdown ofNymphoides peltata (Gmel.) O. Kuntze has been studied with special attention for methodology by: (1) using fresh and pre-dried material to establish the influence of pre-drying on breakdown and losses of nutrient stocks during decomposition; (2) enclosing different amounts of material in litter bags; (3) using litter bags with different mesh sizes, and (4) placing litter bags in water (floating leaves, petioles), on the sediment (long shoots) and in the hydrosoil (short shoots, roots). Of the material incubated in water, the floating leaves decomposed at a faster rate than the petioles, while the long shoots had the slowest breakdown. In the sediment the short shoots disappeared at a faster rate than the roots. By incubating the same morphological structure, both in the water and the sediment it appeared that the rate of breakdown was faster in the upper layers of the sediment. Pre-dried plant parts showed in water a larger initial weight loss than normal senescent plant parts, while in the sediment dried plant parts had a significantly slower loss of mass than the freshly incubated structures. Losses of nutrient stocks during decomposition were also markedly altered by pre-drying the material. When a larger amount ofNymphoides material was enclosed in the bags a tendency of a faster decay could be demonstrated. Macro-invertebrates colonized the litter bags with the 0.5 mm mesh size but usually could not-enter the 0.25 mm mesh size bags. The browsing of the detritivores did not result in a faster disappearance of organic matter, but organic matter must have been transported into the bags resulting in a larger amount of remaining organic matter when compared with the 0.25 mm mesh size bags.
Amorphous and nanocrystalline Mg2Si thin-film electrodes

Mg{sub 2}Si films, prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), were amorphous, as prepared, and nanocrystalline following annealing. Their micro-structure and electrochemical characteristics were studied by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electrochemical cycling against lithium. HRTEM analysis revealed that some excess Si was present in the films. The more amorphous thinner film exhibited excellent cyclability. However, when the film becomes crystalline, the irreversible capacity loss was more significant during the initial cycling and after *50 cycles. Interpretations of the superior stability of the amorphous films are examined.
Comments on the structure of ancient wisdom

The awe-inspiring Structure of Ancient Wisdom sets the scenario for images of drowned cities of the past, cities that have sunk into the depth, while their dreamer looks through the lucid water of flickering lights refracted by passing ripples. Are these deep structures related to Chomsky’s deep structures, Durkheim’s collective representations, Jung’s archetypes, and the Freudian unconscious? The question is embedded into a feeling that the structure of ancient wisdom must satisfy some (cosmic) extracognitive needs of our nature and that the stunning quality of this wisdom may be due to its Pythagorean desire of expressing ‘being’ in numbers. Deciphering and interpreting this numerical language is very much like looking into the mirror and seeing a stranger whom we should have known better. Let me be more specific. Halving or doubling the string length of a harp and hearing the change in pitch by an octave is self-tuning. Whenever changes in a self-referential creature’s sensations are accounted for by its (voluntary) movements-and vice versaa sensory/motor closure ensues and recursion enters the picture (H. v. Foerster).+ The re-entrant form is the meaning of this eigenbehavior (F. Varela). Making a sensory/motor closure by halving or doubling the string brings the sensible world environment into existence-the sound of a higher or lower octave (seemingly from ‘out there’)-although ‘environment’ is for H. Maturana only a means for closure. Let me explain this in Maturana’s own words: ‘If an observer were to stand ln a synaptic cleft, and if while observing the preand post-synaptic surfaces he were to describe the transfer properties of the system thus obtained in terms of input and output relations, he would describe an open neuronal network (or environment), in which the postsynaptic membrane constitutes the sensory surface and the presynaptic membrane the effector (motor) surface. We create the world in which we live by living it and the logic of our description is isomorphic with the operation of the living system’. But we are a closed system, continues Maturana, ‘like a pilot in the cockpit who’s instrumental flight at zero visibility consists only in maintaining and adjusting dial readings’ for flight and fight, food, sex and sleep, the dial readings for repression, denial, sublimation, and so forth. Only those perceptions may be adjusted or controlled, I submit, for which there exists a corresponding proper behavior-in both man and plane.
Sex Roles and Dirty Word Usage: A Review of the Literature and a Reply to Haas.

Haas reported on sex differences in male and female speech, noting that little evidence exists to distinguish between males' and females' use of dirty words. A careful review of the literature reveals numerous empirical studies of the comparative use of dirty words. Profanity and obscenity, although somewhat difficult to control, have been and can be submitted to laboratory study. Documentation of this phenomenon requires a contextual approach, wherein various sociolinguistic factors (speaker-listener characteristics, social-physical setting, and the intent of the message) should be accounted for in both laboratory and field studies. A comparison of laboratory and field data is certainly in order for convergent validation of the process.
Highly reliable oxide VCSELs manufactured at HP/Agilent Technologies

We discuss the reliability of the oxide VCSELs made by Agilent Technologies (formerly part of Hewlett Packard). Measurements of operating temperature in fiber optic modules are given; these temperatures are higher than generally assumed. General challenges with oxide VCSEL reliability are introduced, and different types of failures are discussed. Long-term oxide VCSEL lifetest results are presented, along with observations about the thermal and current acceleration models. Production monitoring strategies are discussed, and the basic degradation phenomenology is briefly shown.
Selected physiologic and drug effects on serum uric acid levels in an elderly population.

A total of 2,923 elderly subjects were studied to determine the relationship between obesity, hypertension, thyroid disease, renal function, alcohol consumption, selected drugs, and the serum uric acid level. Comparison of the serum uric acid levels with indices of obesity demonstrated a strong correlation in normotensive (p less than .0001) and hypertensive (p less than .001) subjects. The serum creatinine level, when used alone, was not a reliable indicator of renal function. Of the drugs evaluated, diuretics had the most pronounced effect upon the serum uric acid level.
Use of a probiotic for the culture of larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas Thunberg)

Abstract Additions of bacteria (strain CA2) as a food supplement to xenic larval cultures of the oyster Crassostrea gigas consistently enhanced growth of larvae during different seasons of the year. Bacterial enhancement of larval growth occurred when either Isochrysis galbana (ISO), I . aff. galbana (T-ISO) or Pseudoisochrysis paradoxa (VA-12) were used as algal foods. Additions of CA2 bacteria at 10 5 cells ml −1 to cultures of algal-fed larvae increased larval growth, the proportion of larvae that set to produce spat, and the subsequent size of spat. A lower proportion of slow-growing larvae in populations receiving additions of CA2 bacteria compared with populations of larvae fed only algae, suggests a bacterial nutritional contribution to larval growth. Manipulation of bacterial populations present in bivalve larval cultures is a potentially useful strategy for the enhancement of oyster production.
Lowering extracellular sodium or pH raises intracellular calcium in gastric cells.

The dependence of cytoplasmic free [Ca] (Ca i ) on [Na] and pH was assessed in individual parietal cells of intact rabbit gastric glands by microfluorimetry of fura-2. Lowering extracellular [Na] (Na o ) to 20mm or below caused a biphasic Ca i increase which consisted of both release of intracellular Ca stores and Ca entry across the plasma membrane. The Ca increase was not blocked by antagonists of Ca-mobilizing receptors (atropine or cimetidine) and was independent of the replacement cation. Experiments in Ca-free media and in Na-depleted cells indicated that neither phase was due to reversal of Na/Ca exchange. The steep dependence of the Ca i increase on Na o suggested that the response was not due to lowering intracellular [Na] (Na i ). The effects of low Na o on Ca i were also completely independent of changes in intracellular pH (pH i ). Ca i was remarkably stable during changes of pH i of up to 2 pH units, indicating that H and Ca do not share a cytoplasmic buffer system. Such large pH excursions required determination of the pH dependence of fura-2. Because fura-2 was found to decrease its affinity for Ca as pH decreased below 6.7, corrections were applied to experiments in which large pH i changes were observed. In contrast to the relative insensitivity of Ca i to changes in pH i , decreasing extracellular pH (pH o ) to 6.0 or below was found to stimulate release of intracellular Ca stores. Increased Ca entry was not observed in this case. The ability of decreases in Na o and pH o to stimulate release of intracellular Ca stores suggest interactions between Na and H with extracellular receptors.
Abundance of West Nile Virus Mosquito Vectors in Relation to Climate and Landscape Variables

ABSTRACT: It is currently unclear if the potential for West Nile virus transmission by mosquito vectors in the eastern United States is related to landscape or climate factors or both. We compared abundance of vector species between urban and suburban neighborhoods of Henrico County, VA, in relation to the following factors: temperature, precipitation, canopy cover, building footprint, and proximity to drainage infrastructure. Mosquitoes were collected throughout the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons and tested for West Nile virus (WNV) in pools of 10–50. Test results of mosquito pools were compared to average site abundance from 37 sites in Henrico County, VA; abundance was then examined in relation to ecological variables. Urban infrastructure was positively correlated with the abundance of Culex pipiens L./ Cx. restuans, and our findings implicate combined sewer overflow systems as large contributors to Culex vector populations. No measure of urbanization examined in our study was correlated with Aedes albo...
Regulation of basal promoter activity of the human thiamine pyrophosphate transporter SLC44A4 in human intestinal epithelial cells

Microbiota of the large intestine synthesize considerable amount of vitamin B1 in the form of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). There is a specific high-affinity regulated carrier-mediated uptake syste...
Gurleya sokolovi sp. n., a microsporidian parasite of the water mite Limnochares aquatica (Linnaeus) (Acarina: Hydrachnellae), and a note on a gregarine infection in the same mite

Abstract A new microsporidian, Gurleya sokolovi sp. n., is described from the water mite Limnochares aquatica (Linnaeus). The protozoan invades the hemocytes and adipose tissue of the host, and is highly pathogenic. The spores of G. sokolovi are pearlike in shape. Fresh spores are 6.9 to 7.5 μ long and 3.5 to 4.4 μ wide; fixed and stained spores are 4.5 to 6.6 by 1.9 μ. The striking feature in the development of G. sokolovi is the maturation of four out of eight sporoblasts produced from each sporont during the spore formation. This phenomenon has a specific geometric scheme. The other four sporoblasts in each pansporoblast degenerate but their nuclei are seen well at all stages of muration of the pansporoblasts. The phylogenetic significance of this phenomenon will be discussed in this paper. During the summer of 1960 the population of L. aquatica was 100% infected in various streams at Peterhoff, Soviet Union. In June and July, 1966, out of 150 examined mites only two females were infected by G. sokolovi. Spores of G. sokolovi were observed en masse in the body of metacercariae of an unidentified trematode probably belonging to the subfamily Plagioporinae Manter, that inhabited the body cavity of L. aquatica. An unidentified gregarine developing in the gut wall of L. aquatica was also recorded.
Maximality of the cycle code of a graph

The cycle code of a graph is the binary linear span of the characteristic vectors of circuits. We characterize the graphs whose cycle codes are maximal for the packing problem, based on characterizing the graphs whose girth is at least 12(n−c) +1 where n and c are the numbers of vertices and connected components.
Hepatitis delta virus RNA in serum of patients with chronic delta hepatitis.

We studied 28 patients with chronic delta hepatitis for the presence of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) RNA in serum. The hot start polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, in which the reaction begins at 60–80° C, showed a higher sensitivity than conventional PCR reaction. Additionally, the presence of hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections were determined by PCR. HDV RNA was detected in 26 patients (93%), HBV DNA in 22 (79%), and HCV RNA in only one. Detection of HDV RNA correlated very well with detection of hepatitis delta antigen by immunostaining in the liver. In six patients HDV RNA was detectable despite the absence of HBV DNA in serum, suggesting that high levels of HBV are not required for HDV replication. Of 29 control patients with chronic hepatitis B without antibody to HDV, none had detectable HDV RNA, while all had HBV DNA in serum. Detection of HDV RNA with PCR proved highly sensitive and specific, demonstrating that virtually all patients with chronic HDV infection had ongoing viral replication.
Discontinuous Galerkin method for a class of elliptic multi-scale problems

In this paper we develop a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for solving a class of second-order elliptic multi-scale problems. The main ingredient of this method is to use a non-polynomial multi-scale approximation space in the DG method to capture the multi-scale solutions using coarse meshes without resolving the fine-scale structure of the solution. We perform analysis on the approximation, stability and error estimates, and provide numerical results to demonstrate the proposed method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social policy considerations of occupational health standards: the example of lead and reproductive effects.

Abstract Social policy considerations of occupational health standards are examined, with a specific look at the case of lead exposure and its effects on reproduction. Because the lead standard will be the first to take into account the full range of reproductive effects—and the resulting social, political, and legal issues—it may be precedent setting and could serve as a paradigm for future standards. Historical evidence on the adverse reproduction effects of lead is provided. In addition, data from scientific studies on the effects of lead on both males and females, as well as on the fetus, the nursing infant, and the young child, are also presented. Industry and government responses to the conclusions of these studies are discussed, as well as the social and ethical implications of their current policies regarding protection of the work force. Possible options for the adoption of the lead standard are given, which are considered unacceptable by the author because they discriminate against certain working groups or ignore the evidence at hand and allow for the continuation of unacceptably high levels of lead exposure. An alternate approach is preferred, and it is suggested that such an approach is appropriate for evaluating other toxins in the workplace, as well.
Natural Convection Along Slender Vertical Cylinders With Variable Surface Heat Flux

Heat transfer by natural convection along a vertical cylinder has been analyzed rather extensively by many investigators using different solution methods. The major restriction to most of these studies is that the solutions are valid only for cylinders with small surface curvature, that is, for cylinders whose diameters are not small. To data no analysis seems to have been presented for natural convection along slender vertical cylinders under the variable surface heat flux condition, and this has motivated the present study as a supplement to the solution of the problem with variable wall temperature.
Oncology healthcare providers’ pivotal role in smoking cessation and relapse prevention

341 ISSN 1758-1966 10.2217/LMT.13.37 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Lung Cancer Manage. (2013) 2(5), 341–343 An accumulating body of research documents the myriad of potential negative health consequences for cancer patients who continue to smoke. For lung cancer patients, these outcomes may include an increased risk of developing a second primary tumor [1], cancer recurrence [2] and decreased survival [3]. Additional acute effects of continued smoking include worse wound healing, increased risk of infection and a reduced cancer treatment efficacy [4]. Research also suggests that cancer patients who smoke have a reduced quality of life [5]. Given the strong evidence demonstrating the negative effects of smoking on cancer outcomes, there is a critical need to address smoking cessation and smoking relapse prevention in the oncology setting. A recent survey by the National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers revealed that fewer than half of the respondents reported having an employee dedicated to providing tobacco treatment services [6]. With a few exceptions, the resources and treatment models for smoking cessation across cancer centers are currently inadequate [7]. Given the limited resources of many cancer hospitals, such as the absence of a sufficient number of tobacco treatment specialists on staff, one important avenue for improving cancer patient outcomes is to consider the unrealized potential of healthcare providers for influencing smoking behavior. Indeed, there has been a growing recognition of the essential role that health providers can play. In fact, in a recently launched national media campaign by the Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC (GA, USA), the widely disseminated Tips from Former Smokers (TIPS) campaign directly encourages the involvement of physicians with the tagline, ‘Talk with your doctor for help’. The goal behind this initiative is to encourage both patients and providers to engage in more frequent conversations about smoking cessation [8]. Healthcare provider influence on health behaviors such as smoking may be particularly potent in the oncology setting for several reasons. First, cancer represents a time of uncertainty during which patients seek provider support and guidance [9]. Second, the oncology setting presents a unique opportunity to provide patients with tailored information regarding health risks and recommended behavior change related to their current cancer diagnosis and treatment and, specifically, to frame quitting
Rapid Analysis of Abietanes in Conifers

Diterpene resin acids are major constituents of conifer oleoresin and play important roles in tree defense against insects and microbial pathogens. The tricyclic C-20 carboxylic acids are generally classified into two groups, the abietanes and the pimaranes. The abietanes have conjugated double bonds and exhibit characteristic UV spectra. Here, we report the analysis of abietanes by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using multiwavelength detection to optimize quantification of underivatized abietic, neoabietic, palustric, levopimaric, and dehydroabietic acids. The utility of the method is demonstrated with methanol extracts of white spruce (Picea glauca) phloem, and representative concentrations are reported.
Evaluation, validity, and values

Abstract With increasing frequency, readers are being exposed to ever broader interpretations of these three terms as they appear together. In recent years, validity has found increasingly diverse interpretation not only in evaluation, but in all areas of inquiry. In addition, the notion of values has generated heated debate in terms of its expression and incorporation into evaluation inquiry. Credibility versus validity, transferability versus generalizability, value-free versus value-laden. In the plethora of terms, one is left wondering, what does it all mean? A brief discussion of current issues affecting evaluation is followed by an investigation of the concepts of “validity” and “values”, and their role in the calculus of these issues.
The paradoxical results of corporate conflict

The prevailing view of modern theorists is that conflict is increasingly perceived as legitimate, inevitable, and even desirable under certain organizational and environmental conditions. Katz claims that without conflict a company would have few problems, hardly any stimulation, and little incentive for constructive effort. In fact, the organization would soon see its own dissolution! If this is true, then a dynamic and healthy organization must be in a state of continuous conflict of varying degrees. The purpose of this paper is to examine the constructive and destructive consequences of that organizational conflict.
Effect of lamotrigine on depressive symptoms in adult patients with epilepsy

In this investigation, the effects of lamotrigine versus placebo on depressive symptoms in patients with epilepsy were prospectively assessed. This investigation was a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in which adult patients received adjunctive lamotrigine (n=32) or placebo (n=38) for a 7-week dose escalation phase, followed by a 12-week maintenance phase, for primary generalized tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures. Mood symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-II), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the Cornell Dysthymia Rating Scale-Self-Report (CDRS). Mean (SD) BDI-II scores at screening reflected mild depressive symptoms and were similar between groups (lamotrigine 18.3 (12.1), placebo 16.8 (12.0)). At the end of the maintenance phase, mean (SD) improvement from baseline was greater with lamotrigine than placebo with respect to BDI-II score (lamotrigine 8.9 (7.6), placebo 1.7 (8.5), P=0.01) and POMS total score (lamotrigine 32.0 (30.4), placebo 6.5 (32.3), P=0.03) and numerically greater with lamotrigine than placebo for CDRS score (lamotrigine 7.3 (7.8), placebo 4.1 (13.9), P=0.50). Among the subset of patients with at least mild depression (BDI-II score10), mean improvement from baseline was numerically, but not statistically significantly, greater with lamotrigine (11.5, n=13) than placebo (3.1, n=18) (P=0.054). Median percentage reductions in seizure frequency were significantly greater with lamotrigine than placebo during the escalation phase, the maintenance phase, and the escalation and maintenance phases combined for PGTC seizures and all generalized seizures. However, improvement in seizure frequency was not correlated with improvement in mood (r=0.1, P=ns). Compared with placebo, lamotrigine improved mood symptoms independently of seizure reduction in patients with generalized seizures. Lamotrigine may be useful in treating patients with epilepsy and comorbid depressive symptoms.
Phase-independent Product Indicators For AVO Reconnaissance

In frontier areas of exploration far removed from well control, the phase of seismic data is often in question. Nevertheless, it is still desirable to rapidly indicate and classify the anomalous amplitude variations with offset (AVO) that might be present, in a manner that is independent of the phase. This paper introduces three such AVO “product” indicators: A B∗, B∗ A and (AB∗), where A and B are the analytic AVO intercept and gradient, and “ ” represents the error in predicting one of these from the other. Each of these indicators is phase independent, has zero mean and is sensitive to different classes of anomalies. These classes can be compared with those which are expected based on regional compaction curves for different lithologies and fluids. After a discovery of hydrocarbons is made, the product indicators may be calibrated with known reservoir properties to estimate hydrocarbon volumes, and to assist in the planning of field development.
Assessing Natural Resource Management Challenges in Senegal Using Data From Participatory Rural Appraisals and Remote Sensing

Summary This study demonstrates that there is a relationship between socioeconomic problems in parts of West Africa and remote-sensing-derived environmental information about the region (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), net primary production (NPP), and gridded rainfall data). Further, it finds that using both remotely sensed data and site-specific information from participatory rural appraisal (PRA) reports enables an improved understanding of natural resource management problems in the region. The study uses 100 PRA reports as sources of data on socioeconomic and natural resource management problems in Senegal and The Gambia. Utilizing a binary variable to extract semi-quantitative information from the reports, the study examines 10 PRA tools for their usefulness.
SnapShot: Lung cancer models.

from endogenous locus. Viral cre delivery via adenoviral or lentiviral inoculation (intranasal or intratracheal).Adenocarcinoma spectrum histology (i.e., in situ and invasive neoplasia) in lung; metastasis not reported.K-ras somatic mutations identified in ~20%-30% of lung adenocarcinomas. Mouse models of the oncogenic K-ras allele have been used in preclinical studies of cisplatin resistance and combination targeted therapies.K-ras
A DISCRETE RELAXATION METHOD FOR SOLVING MULTI-COMPONENT DISTILLATION PROBLEMS

A computational method for solving multi-component distillation problems is presented, where the steady state composition profiles of a column are determined by solving the vapor-liquid equilibrium problem for each stage sequentially to convergence. The Rachford-Rice equation is solved for each stage and the calculations are continued until the column temperature profile converges to the steady state solution. The computational efficiency of this method is found to be comparable to the relaxation method in which the differential equations describing the transient behaviour of the column are solved. The advantages of the method presented here are its conceptual simplicity and its ease to program.
Supercooled and glassy water

The anomalous properties of cold and supercooled water, such as the fact that at sufficiently low temperatures it becomes more compressible and less dense when cooled, and more fluid when compressed, have attracted the attention of physical scientists for a long time. The discovery in the 1970s that several thermodynamic and transport properties of supercooled water exhibit a pronounced temperature dependence and appear to diverge slightly below the homogeneous nucleation temperature inspired a large number of experimental and theoretical studies. Likewise, an important body of work on glassy water has been stimulated by experiments, starting in the mid-1980s and continuing to this date, which suggest that vitreous water can exist in at least two apparently distinct forms. A coherent theory of the thermodynamic and transport properties of supercooled and glassy water does not yet exist. Nevertheless, significant progress towards this goal has been made during the past 20 years. This article summarizes the known experimental facts and reviews critically theoretical and computational work aimed at interpreting the observations and providing a unified viewpoint on cold, non-crystalline, metastable states of water.
HCF notch predictions based on weakest-link failure models

Abstract Weakest-link models for the prediction of the high cycle fatigue (HCF) limit stress of notched components were investigated. The models employed surface area elements in the high-stress region surrounding the root of a notch. Statistical descriptions of unnotched specimen experimental data were developed using Weibull distributions and median ranking, and incorporated into some of the weakest-link notch formulations. The predictions from each of the failure models were compared to the experimental 106 cycle fatigue limit stresses. The fatigue limit stresses were estimated using a step-loading technique at stress ratios from R=−1 to 0.8, for five geometries (elastic stress concentration factors of Kt=2.0, 2.8 and 4.1) of circumferentially notched Ti–6Al–4V specimens. The methods were shown to be modestly successful, although data obtained at R=−1 and R>0.65 could not be correlated well with data at intermediate values of R.