cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Severe hypernatremia in deceased liver donors does not impact early transplant outcome

Background There may be an increased risk of primary nonfunction in livers procured from donors with hypernatremia. The purported mechanism for this effect is undefined. This study analyzes early graft function for donor livers procured from patients with severe hypernatremia. Methods The organ procurement records for 1013 consecutive deceased liver donors between 2001 and 2008 were reviewed. Both peak and terminal serum sodium levels were categorized as (1) severe for a level 170 mEq/L or higher, (2) moderate for 160 to 169 mEq/L, and (3) normal for less than 160 mEq/L. Outcomes included 30-day posttransplant alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin, primary nonfunction, and 30-day and 1-year graft survival. Results Within the severe hypernatremia group, there were 142 (peak) and 50 (terminal) donors, whereas the moderate group had 233 (peak) and 162 (terminal) donors. The study groups did not differ in recipient age, model for end-stage liver disease score, steatosis, and ischemia times for the peak or terminal serum sodium groups. The differing levels of hypernatremia severity did not differ importantly, for peak or terminal serum sodium, in posttransplant alanine aminotransferase or total bilirubin, or the risk of intraoperative death and primary nonfunction. Thirty-day and 1-year graft survival did not demonstrate a negative impact from donor hypernatremia. Conclusions Posttransplant measures of early liver function and risk of failure, up to 1-year posttransplant, did not differ significantly based on peak or terminal donor serum sodium levels. These results suggest that donor serum sodium level likely has little clinical impact on posttransplant liver function.
A new model of technological learning for Russia

Today's Russian economy is relatively open to trade and investment but remains largely isolated from any inflows of foreign scientific and technological knowledge. Continued technological isolation undermines the competitiveness of Russian civilian exports and pushes its economy and politics back to its old orientation toward oil and military industries. Helping Russia to integrate with the global knowledge economy can help prevent this undesirable scenario. Depending on the level of indigenous scientific and technological capacity in its particular industries, Russia would be well advised to rely on the ‘creative-cooperative’, ‘autonomous’ or ‘active FDI-dependent’ models of national technological learning practiced by the most advanced and the fast-learning developing countries. We use a new technique of analysis and visualization developed by one of us (TS), building on earlier work by the late Sanjaya Lall (2000) to discuss the choice of strategies that Russia has on its way to economic diversification. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Flow cytometric assessment of homeostatic aging of reticulocytes in rats.

Objective The purpose of this work was to develop a flow cytometry method of obtaining RNA-thiazole orange signal distribution of reticulocytes (RET) from bone marrow aspirates and determine the distribution of age for RET in the blood and bone marrow. Methods The thiazole orange (an RNA dye) and LDS-751 (a DNA dye) composition was used to separate RET from other cell populations. LDS 751 was used to separate red blood cells (RBC) from nucleated cells. The differentiation between mature RBC and RET was done by means of the presence of residual RNA. It also served as a marker of age of RET. In vitro changes of the fluorescence signal of the RET population allowed us to obtain the unique relationship between the signal and the age for an individual cell and was used to transform the in vivo signal distribution into the age distribution. Results The determination of age was not possible due to the lack of knowledge of the RET signal distribution at birth. Instead, a relative time (RT) that a RET needs to become a mature RBC was used. The RT distribution of RET in blood and bone marrow was determined. The RT that an average RET spends in the blood is 0.43 days and ranges from 0 to 1.1 days. The time an average RET in bone marrow needs to become a mature RBC, is 1.36 days. The RET born with the highest signal needs about 1.8 days to become a mature RBC. About 37% reticulocytes die in the circulation. Conclusions In summary, the thiazole orange staining can be used for determination of the RET age distribution. However, only the RT distribution can be determined. The proposed method was successfully applied to characterize in vivo aging of blood and bone marrow RET.
Measuring the level of teacher concerns over microcomputers in instruction

The attitudes and concerns of teachers regarding the use of innovation, such as microcomputers in instruction, will determine whether or not the innovation becomes permanently institutionalized into the curriculum. In this study the concerns of 495 teachers from three large suburban school districts regarding the use of microcomputers in instruction are measured using the Stages-of-Concerns Questionnaire (SoCQ), based upon seven stages-of-concern about educational innovations [4]. The teachers in this study were all involved in their first year of microcomputer use in instruction as part of the official curriculum of their school districts. The resulting composite profiles show a high level of personal concern characterized as a nonuser profile, regardless of computer training, years of teaching experience, or level of use of the microcomputers. Reasons for this phenomenon and suggestions for ways to alleviate it are described.
Design of a Screw Test Fixture via Computer-Aided Engineering

Biomet Microfixation is a biomedical engineering company specializing in craniomaxillofacial products. One of their main products is the manufacturing of screws. The current method of testing the pullout strength of the screws has been under investigation and it was determined that a new screw test fixture must be designed. The new method would exert an axial load to the screw adhered to a substrate. The design process for developing the fixture followed an iterative process including brainstorming, developing conceptual drawings, three dimensional computer-aided modeling, and computer-aided drafting. The final design was a three part device that allowed for easy and quick testing of the axial pullout strength of multiple screws. The design has been approved and is soon to be manufactured and utilized.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The roots of science policy

A Patron for Pure Science: The National Science Foundation's Formative Years, 1945–57. By J. Merton England. National Science Foundation, Washington DC: 1983. Pp.443. $5.
The Pharmacist's Personal and Professional Integrity

The pharmacist's duty to dispense emergency contraception may be approached as a legal, policy, and regulatory issue; as an ethical issue; or as an empirical question. Card (2007) elects to analyze...
Monopoly power and monitoring: A test using the Gonzalez and Mehay model

In summary, the audit opinion is a control technique that behaves as expected in a GM model. An unqualified opinion seems to be an effective device that is associated with reduced levels of public expenditures. Higher spending is associated with qualified opinions. One interpretation of this result is the use of strategic bureaucratic roadblocks to limit the effectiveness of the audit.
Arfaptin 1, an ARF-binding protein, inhibits phospholipase D and endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi protein transport

Class I ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are essential for coatomer and clathrin coat assembly and vesicular transport in the Golgi apparatus. However, little is known about the in vivo regulation of ARF actions. Recently we cloned arfaptin 1, a 39 kDa protein that binds active, GTPγS-liganded ARF and translocates with it to Golgi membranes. Here we show that phorbol ester-stimulated phospholipase D (PLD) activity is inhibited in arfaptin 1-overexpressing NIH 3T3 cells and that arfaptin 1 inhibits ARF activation of Golgi-associated PLD. Since PLD activity is thought to play a role in regulating vesicular transport in the secretory pathway, we determined the rate of glycosylation of vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein as a measure of protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum through the Golgi apparatus. Arfaptin 1 overexpression was found to decrease the rate of this reaction approximately two-fold. These data suggest that arfaptin 1 is a regulator of ARF action in the Golgi apparatus.
Infant and mother-infant play and the presence of the television

Abstract Forty-eight middle-class mothers answered questionnaires about their 11-through 18-month-old infants' typical television watching and interest, the frequency and duration of their independent play with toys and dyadic play with and without toys, and whether the television was typically on or not on in the room at the time. Mothers reported that most infants had little interest in and spent little time actively watching television. However, mothers reported the television was typically turned on in the room at least half the time during independent play with toys for 44% of infants and during dyadic play with toys for 53% of infants. These findings provide evidence relevant to researchers' and practitioners' concerns regarding the potential negative impact of television's presence on infant development, mother–child interaction, and the ecological validity of observational research methods involving play or interactions in the absence of a television.
Electrophysiological characteristics of chick embryo sympathetic neurons in dissociated cell culture

Abstract Intracellular recordings were obtained from 400 neurons in low-density dissociated cell cultures of 11-day chick embryo paravertebral sympathetic ganglia. Both the passive and active electrical membrane properties of the cultured neurons resembled those previously found with in vivo preparations of sympathetic neurons. Active responses (spikes) were elicited by depolarizing stimuli in about 60% of the cells tested. Spontaneous electrical activity was not observed. The generation of spikes was blocked in the presence of 3 × 10 −7 M tetrodotoxin. Active responses could be evoked from the cultured neurons within 3 days after plating. Neither the proportion of electrically excitable cells nor their membrane properties appeared to change as a function of the period of culture (3 days to 3 weeks). Depolarizing responses were elicited from the cultured neurons by the iontophoretic application of acetylcholine. These findings indicate that the cultured sympathetic neurons display a number of differentiated electrical properties. This behavior is expressed in the absence of normal excitatory synaptic inputs or postsynaptic target tissues and with little interaction with non-neuronal cells.
Effects of the anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, on newly-hatched blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, and other routinely tested estuarine crustaceans

This study describes the use of newly hatched larvae of Callinectes sapidus (blue crab) in a 48-h acute toxicity test and compares their sensitivity to two other estuarine crustaceans (Mysidopsis bahia and Palaemonetes pugio) commonly used for evaluation of effects of potentially toxic materials. C. sapidus larvae were twice as sensitive to sodium dodecyl sulfate as ≤ 24-h post-release M. bahia, and five times more sensitive than ≤ 24-h-old P. pugio larvae. We found the blue crab toxicity test to be simple, rapid and accurate and it provides low variability and high reproducibility. Since the data indicate high sensitivity of this commercially important species to a reference toxicant and the potential impact on its survival during a critically sensitive developmental stage, we propose future research further evaluating C. sapidus as a potential toxicity test species.
Defibrillation efficacy using two low-profile endocardial electrodes.

ABSTRACT The hypothesis that improved energy delivery and defibrillation efficacy can be achieved by using two widely separated endocardial electrodes and a cutaneous patch electrode was explored by positioning two 6.5 F electrodes (NuMed, Hopkinton, New York) with 5 cm platinum-iridium coils in the right ventricular apex (RVA) and the right ventricular outflow (RVO) in eight dogs. In another 12 dogs, an additional electrode was positioned in the RVA. A cutaneous patch (P) was placed at the cardiac apex. Biphasic pulses were delivered, the first pulse (6 ms) positive, the second negative (2 ms). The leading edge of the second was equal to the trailing edge of the first. RVO – /P + and RVA-RVO – /P + were compared with RVA – /P + at a constant voltage setting required to achieve a 60% probability of success (P 60 ) for RVA – /P + . At a constant voltage output, the probability of success for RVA-RVO – /P + was significantly higher (81%) than RVO – /P + (60%) or RVA – /P + (67%) (p – /P + (9.9 ± 2.3 amps) than for either RVA-RVO – /P + (8.7 ± 1.9 amps) or RVO – /P + (9.0 ± 2.0 amps) (p – /P + (66 ± 12 Ω ) than for RVA – /P + (75 ± 12 Ω ) and RVO – /P + (72 ± 9.6 Ω ) (p – /P + was compared to RVA-RVA – /P + , the probability of success was higher for RVA-RVO – /P + (93%) than RVA-RVA – /P + (77%) (p – /P + was superior to all other configurations at P 20 , P 50 , P 70 , P 80 and P 90 (p 90 , there was no significant difference between RVA-RVA – /P + and RVA-RVO – /P + . This study suggests that at constant voltage settings, current or voltage gradients are more favorably distributed using two widely separated internal electrodes (cathode) and a cutaneous patch (anode). This is probably a result of improved energy distribution and is probably independent of the electrode surface area effect.
Increased purine nucleotide cycle activity associated with dietary zinc deficiency

Abstract Rat muscle 5′-AMP aminohydrolase (EC 3.5.4.6), adenylosuccinate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.4), and adenylosuccinate lyase (EC 4.3.2.2) activities were elevated 50–60% in zinc-deficient weanling rats when compared with restricted-fed zinc supplemental control rats. In addition, the activities of these enzymes were increased by 50–100% when zinc-deficient rats were compared with ad libitum -fed controls. There was no significant difference in total muscle protein or total muscle zinc among the three groups of animals. This increased activity of the purine nucleotide cycle may be responsible for the recently observed increase in blood ammonia in zinc-deficient rats when compared to controls.
The sampling of critical, unshared information in decision-making groups: the role of an informed minority

A collective information sampling model and observations of discussion content suggest that decision-making groups often fail to disseminate unshared information. This paper examines the role that a fully-informed minority may play in facilitating the sampling and consideration of unshared information. University students read a mystery and then met in four-person groups to discuss the case. When critical clues were unshared among three members before discussion, a fully informed fourth member (informed minority) promoted the discussion of these critical clues when participants thought the mystery had a demonstrably correct answer (solve set) but not when they thought the clue may have been insufficient to solve definitively the case (judge set). None the less, under both solve and judge sets, the informed minority increased the likelihood that the group would identify the correct suspect. Social combination, information sampling, and minority influence interpretations of the results are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Niemann-Pick C Variant Detection by Altered Sphingolipid Trafficking and Correlation with Mutations within a Specific Domain of NPC1

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a fatal, autosomal recessive lipidosis characterized by lysosomal accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and multiple neurological symptoms, such as vertical supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, progressive ataxia, and dementia. More than 90% of cases of NPC are due to a defect in Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1), a late endosomal, integral membrane protein that plays a role in cholesterol transport or homeostasis. Biochemical diagnosis of NPC has relied on the use of patient skin fibroblasts in an assay to demonstrate delayed low-density lipoprotein (LDL)–derived cholesterol esterification and a cytological technique—filipin staining—to demonstrate the intracellular accumulation of cholesterol. A small percentage of patients, referred to as “NPC variants,” present with clinical symptoms of NPC but show near-normal results of these biochemical tests, making laboratory confirmation of NPC disease problematic. Here, we demonstrate that NPC-variant fibroblast samples can be detected as sphingolipid storage disease cells, using a fluorescent sphingolipid analog, BODIPY-lactosylceramide. This lipid accumulated in endosomes/lysosomes in variant cells preincubated with LDL cholesterol but targeted to the Golgi complex in normal cells under these conditions. The reproducibility of this technique was validated in a blinded study. In addition, we performed mutation analysis of the NPC1 gene in NPC variant and “classical” NPC cell samples and found a high incidence of specific mutations within the cysteine-rich region of NPC1 in variants. We also found that 5 of the 12 variant cell samples had no apparent defect in NPC1 but were otherwise indistinguishable from other variant cells. This is a surprising result, since, in general, ∼90% of patients with NPC possess defects in NPC1. Our findings should be useful for the detection of NPC variants and also may provide significant new insight regarding NPC1 genotype/phenotype correlations.
Influence of deletion of t cell receptor vβ genes on the theiler's virus model of multiple sclerosis

To determine the role of TCR Vβ genes in a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), we studied Theiler's virus infection in congenic mice with deletion of TCR Vβ chromosome. Congenic mice expressing the Vaβ [50% deletion of TCR Vβ] or Vcβ 70% deletion of TCR Vβ] haplotype were generated in mice resistant [B10 (H-2b)], intermediate [B10.K (H-2k), B10.RIII (H-2r)] or susceptible [B10.S (H-2s), and B10.Q (H-2q)] to Theiler's virus induced demyelination. Deletion of TCR Vβ genes (Vaβ or Vcβ) did not convert B10 or B10.K congenic mice to susceptibility. In contrast, congenic B10.RIII-Vcβ developed prominent demyelination and 10-to 100-fold increase in virus-antigen expression in spinal cord compared to B10.RIII mice. No effect on the extent of demyelination was observed in B10.S-Vaβ, B10.S-Vcβ or B10.Q-Vcβ mice. These experiments illustrate the critical interactions between MHC, TCR, and background genes in susceptibility to immune-mediated disease.
Statistical analysis of 10+ years field exposed c-Si modules performance degradation

In our previous study 1 , visual inspections and infra-red (IR) scanning were performed on about 2,000 modules that have been operating under the dry and hot Arizona climate for 10 - 17 years. Most of these modules were installed on 1-axis trackers and grid-connected; and some were installed on a fixed latitude tilt rack in a standalone system. The modules were inspected against a list of historically known field failure modes, but restricted to those that could be visually observed or through IR. An analysis of the data revealed both positive and negative correlations between the failure modes. Failure chains could be constructed from those correlations; such as (1) Discoloration of encapsulant – cell discoloration, and (2) Delamination – broken/chipped cells. This study focuses on modules installed on 2-axis trackers between 8 and 13 years. Statistical degradation analysis is performed on power output data collected throughout the exposure period. The electroluminescence imaging and a more thorough IR scanning are performed on limited (available) samples to complement the visual inspection data from the previous study. This paper also looks into the correlation between those inspection results and the performance degradation data. The objective of this paper is twofold: (1) to present a statistical analysis result of degradation data for field exposed crystalline silicon modules installed on 2-axis trackers between 8 and 13 years. The analysis should provide reliability prediction for up to 30 years of field operation. (2) To investigate the correlation between performance degradation and inspection data. Inspections include visual observations, IR scanning, and electroluminescence imaging.
Utilization of autopsy RNA for the synthesis of the nucleocapsid antigen of a newly recognized virus associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome

Abstract A newly recognized hantavirus was recently found to be associated with an outbreak of acute respiratory illness in the southwestern United States. The disease, which has become known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, has an unusually high mortality (64%). Virus isolation attempts have been unsuccessful thus far, resulting in a lack of homologous antigen for use in diagnostic assays. For this reason, a molecular approach was initiated to produce recombinant homologous antigen. The virus nucleocapsid (N) protein was selected, since N has been shown to be a sensitive antigenic target in other hantavirus systems. The N protein open reading frame of the virus S genome segment was synthesized from frozen autopsy tissue by polymerase chain reaction amplification, followed by cloning and expression in Hela cells (vaccinia-T7 RNA polymerase system) and Escherichia coli . N protein-expressing Hela cells served as excellent antigens for an improved indirect immunofluorescence assay. Use of the E.coli -expressed N protein in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay improved the sensitivity and specificity when compared with heterologous antigens used previously. Preliminary analysis also indicates that the higher sensitivity could result in earlier detection of infected persons. These data demonstrate that even in the absence of a virus isolate, the necessary homologous antigen can be produced and can serve to improve the detection and diagnostic capabilities needed to combat this newly recognized fatal respiratory illness in the United States.
A Simulation-Oriented Regional Econometric Model

This paper concerns the structure and application of an econometric model of the Pittsburgh region. A distinction is drawn between forecasting models and those to be used for policy simulation. With this in mind, a simulation-oriented model based on annual data is specified and applied.
Optical trapping of hydrosomes

We demonstrate on-demand production and optical manipulation of submicron-sized hydrosomes, water drops in an immiscible medium. We use optical trapping techniques to induce the controlled fusion of multiple drops and study the dynamics of small amounts of reagent encapsulated within the hydrosomes.
The Utilization of Simple Nitrogenous Compounds such as Urea and Ammonium Bicarbonate by Growing Calves

Summary 1.Two separate experiments involving the utilization of urea and ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen with 10 growing calves have been conducted. 2.The experiments indicate definitely that such nitrogen can be used for at least a partial supply of protein nitrogen. The most probable explanation is the production of protein by bacterial cell multiplication in the rumen and later digestion in the fourth stomach and intestine. Apparently most efficient utilization occurs when some soluble sugar such as corn molasses is fed in the ration. 3.With urea nitrogen constituting 43 per cent of the nitrogen of the ration the growth rate was but slightly less than that secured with a ration containing 66 per cent of its nitrogen as casein nitrogen. This does not imply that urea nitrogen in the ration used is superior to casein nitrogen. 4.Where casein nitrogen constituted 43 per cent of the total nitrogen of the ration, as in the case of animal No. 2, the growth rate over a period of 16 weeks was 1.5 pounds daily as compared with 1.3 pounds daily for the comparable level of urea nitrogen. 5.The nitrogen of ammonium bicarbonate was also utilized. 6.Analysis of the tissues at the end of the experiment indicated that the increments in weight with urea or ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen were of normal composition with a protein content similar to that of the casein fed animal. Extractable non-coagulable nitrogen was no greater in the leg tissues of the urea or ammonium bicarbonate animal than in the tissues of the casein animal.
EVOLUTION OF C3 AND C4 PLANTS ALONG AN ENVIRONMENTAL MOISTURE GRADIENT: PATTERNS OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN HAWAIIAN SCAEVOLA AND EUPHORBIA SPECIES

The endemic Hawaiian species of Scaevola and Euphorbia grow in a wide variety of native habitats and exhibit a wide range of variation in photosynthetic responses. Light-saturated photosynthetic capacities range from 12.0 to 24.7 ,umol CO2 m-2 s-l in the Scaevola species and from 18.2 to 51.4 ,umol C°2 m-2 st in the Euphorbia species. Within each genus, differences in light-saturated photosynthetic capacity are paralleled by differences in mesophyll and leaf conductances to CO2. Within each habitat, the C4 Euphorbia species exhibits a significantly higher photosynthetic capacity and a significantly higher mesophyll conductance than the corresponding C3 Scaevola species. These differences are greatest in the dry scrub habitat and least in the wet forest habitat. One photosynthetic characteristic that exhibits little variation among the species within each genus, yet that exhibits a consistently large difference between the species within each habitat, is photosynthetic water-use efficiency. The C4 Euphorbia species possess water-use efficiencies that are 2-3 l/2 times as high as those of the C3 Scaevola species, regardless of whether these species are native to very dry or very wet habitats. At present, the ecological significance of this large inherent difference in photosynthetic water-use efficiency is unknown. Indeed, it appears that neither photosynthetic pathway has imposed any major inherent constraints on the ability of the Scaevola and Euphorbia species to diversify into a wide variety of
Highly Oriented Boron Nitride

PYROLYTIC graphite deposited on a hot target1 has been found to have a structure with highly oriented crystallites2. We have now prepared, similarly, by vapour phase pyrolysis and deposition on a hot target, a boron nitride the structure of which also has a high degree of orientation of its crystallites. Utilizing boron-bearing gases and regulating the parameters of the treatment, we have been able to control the deposit of the pyrolytic boron nitride.
A variational-inequality approach to stochastic boundary value problems with inequality constraints and its application to contact and elastoplasticity

SUMMARY This paper is concerned with stochastic boundary value problems (SBVPs) whose formulation involves inequality constraints. A class of stochastic variational inequalities (SVIs) is defined, which is well adapted to characterize the solution of specified inequality-constrained SBVPs. A methodology for solving such SVIs is proposed, which involves their discretization by projection onto polynomial chaos and collocation of the inequality constraints, followed by the solution of a finite-dimensional constrained optimization problem. Simulation studies in contact and elastoplasticity are provided to demonstrate the proposed framework. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimation of the phosphorus requirement of weanling pigs fed supplemental phytase

Abstract Studies were conducted with crossbred weanling pigs to determine the level of phosphorus needed to be fed when a maize–soyabean meal–whey diet was supplemented with exogenous phytase (Natuphos™). In Trial 1, phytase was added at 1200 phytase units (PTU) kg −1 as phosphorus decreased. The control diet in Phase I (0–14 days) contained 7.3 g kg −1 phosphorus and in Phase II (14–28 days) contained 6.5 g kg −1 phosphorus. Dietary phosphorus was calculated to decrease by 0.8, 1.6 or 2.4 g kg −1 when phytase was supplemented. Chromic oxide was added for estimation of apparent absorption of phosphorus. Performance was optimum when 5.7 and 4.8 g kg −1 phosphorus (analysed levels) were fed with 1200 PTU kg −1 phytase in Phases I and II, respectively. The lowest dietary phosphorus levels did not reduce performance for the overall 28-day period. Apparent phosphorus digestibility was increased by phytase in Phase I when 5.7 g kg −1 phosphorus was fed compared to the control diet and in Phase II when 6.0 g kg −1 phosphorus was fed with phytase. Faecal phosphorus excretion decreased in both phases as dietary phosphorus decreased. Faecal phosphorus excretion was minimized at the lowest phosphorus level with no decrease in performance. The estimated requirement for dietary phosphorus, as determined by the NLIN procedure, is 5.0 g kg −1 in Phase I and 4.3 g kg −1 in Phase II when 1200 PTU kg −1 is used. In Trial 2, phytase was supplemented at 500 PTU kg −1 when phosphorus was decreased in the diet. The control diet contained 6.6 and 6.0 g kg −1 phosphorus in Phases I and II, respectively, and phosphorus was calculated to decrease by 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g kg −1 when phytase was added. Daily gain decreased when 5.0 g kg −1 phosphorus was fed in Phase I and when 4.6 or 4.2 g kg −1 (analysed levels) phosphorus was fed in Phase II with 500 PTU kg −1 . Faecal phosphorus excretion decreased as dietary phosphorus decreased, but there were no treatment effects on apparent phosphorus digestibility. The dietary phosphorus requirement was estimated to be 5.7 and 5.0 g kg −1 in Phases I and II, respectively, when phytase is fed at 500 PTU kg −1 . At the present recommendation of 500 PTU kg −1 in starter feed, phosphorus can be decreased by 0.10 g kg −1 . However, higher levels of phytase are needed to actually increase apparent phosphorus digestibility.
The mediating role of inclusion: A longitudinal study of the effects of leader–member exchange and diversity climate on job satisfaction and intention to leave among child welfare workers

Abstract Due to increasing diversity among clients and workers in the public child welfare] sector, it is essential to understand how workforce diversity can be channeled into positive organizational outcomes. Using theories of symbolic interaction, reference groups, and social identity, we tested a conceptual model of the relationships between diversity characteristics, leader–member exchange, diversity climate, perception of inclusion, and job satisfaction and intention to leave among public child welfare workers. The current study used two waves of data from 363 employees of a large urban public child welfare agency in the western United States. Path analysis results indicate that leader–member exchange and diversity climate have a positive effect on job satisfaction through inclusion, and that a positive organizational diversity climate can lower intention to leave through both inclusion and job satisfaction. Findings illustrate how organizational climates of diversity and inclusion affect both job satisfaction and intention to leave, providing insight into organizational factors that can be targeted for workplace interventions.
Coordinated expression of cell death genes regulates neuroblast apoptosis

Properly regulated apoptosis in the developing central nervous system is crucial for normal morphogenesis and homeostasis. In Drosophila, a subset of neural stem cells, or neuroblasts, undergo apoptosis during embryogenesis. Of the 30 neuroblasts initially present in each abdominal hemisegment of the embryonic ventral nerve cord, only three survive into larval life, and these undergo apoptosis in the larvae. Here, we use loss-of-function analysis to demonstrate that neuroblast apoptosis during embryogenesis requires the coordinated expression of the cell death genes grim and reaper, and possibly sickle. These genes are clustered in a 140 kb region of the third chromosome and show overlapping patterns of expression. We show that expression of grim, reaper and sickle in embryonic neuroblasts is controlled by a common regulatory region located between reaper and grim. In the absence of grim and reaper, many neuroblasts survive the embryonic period of cell death and the ventral nerve cord becomes massively hypertrophic. Deletion of grim alone blocks the death of neuroblasts in the larvae. The overlapping activity of these multiple cell death genes suggests that the coordinated regulation of their expression provides flexibility in this crucial developmental process.
Admittance spectroscopy of thin-film photovoltaics

We propose a phenomenological theory of admittance characterization of diode structures with resistive electrodes, including photovoltaic cells and Schottky junctions. The concept of decay length is introduced which describes how far an ac signal propagates through the resistive electrode in the lateral direction. The measured capacitance and conductance strongly depend on the decay length and the electrode configuration of the device. We show that properly arranged admittance circuitry and adequate characterization allow one to extract much more information from the data than previously believed.
In-plant material buffer sizes for pull system and level-material-shipping environments in the automotive industry

Traditionally automotive assembly plants operate with at least two weeks of frozen vehicle orders enabling them to calculate the amount of material needed for the next two weeks. Implementing a pull system between the plant and its customers, and level-material-shipping between the plant and its suppliers, changes the amount of material buffer needed within the assembly plant. The pull system eliminates the frozen vehicle-order schedule, without which plants cannot calculate the material needed, but must use inventory to buffer the line from random demand. Level-material-shipping, a just-in-time principle that provides suppliers with a constant shipping schedule, forces plants to use material inventory to buffer the line from un-level demand for parts resulting from un-level production or an un-level model mix. We model these effects to derive formulas for the buffer needed to provide a given service level in the face of demand variability, un-level production, and un-level model-mix.
Regional econometric income forecast accuracy

Econometric prediction accuracy for personal income forecasts is examined for a region of the United States. Previously published regional structural equation model (RSEM) forecasts exist ex ante for the state of New Mexico and its three largest metropolitan statistical areas: Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe. Quarterly data between 1983 and 2000 are utilized at the state level. For Albuquerque, annual data from 1983 through 1999 are used. For Las Cruces and Santa Fe, annual data from 1990 through 1999 are employed. Univariate time series, vector autoregressions and random walks are used as the comparison criteria against structural equation simulations. Results indicate that ex ante RSEM forecasts achieved higher accuracy than those simulations associated with univariate ARIMA and random walk benchmarks for the state of New Mexico. The track records of the structural econometric models for Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe are less impressive. In some cases, VAR benchmarks prove more reliable than RSEM income forecasts. In other cases, the RSEM forecasts are less accurate than random walk alternatives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is the Border Really That Wide

This paper analyzes cross-border price behavior in a three-dimensional sample of US and Canadian retail prices. Unit-root tests reveal that a majority of the cross-border relative price series are stationary and that short-run cross-border price differences are eliminated at average speeds comparable to those for intranational prices. Cross-border convergence is not absolute; the long-run international price differences average two to three times their intranational counterparts. Moreover, gravity-type equations reveal a border effect that is sizable but considerably smaller than earlier estimates. These results suggest that, while significant, the Canada–US border may not be the formidable barrier portrayed in previous studies.
Role of muscle tone in peristalsis in guinea-pig small intestine

We investigated the involvement of muscle tone and circular muscle (CM) contraction in peristalsis in isolated guinea-pig small intestine. A segment of jejunum (approximately 13 cm) was mounted into a three chambered partitioned bath. Peristaltic waves were initiated in the oral chamber either by: (1) infusing fluid into the oral end of the jejunum; the ejected fluid was diverted via a cannula from reaching the intermediate and anal chambers, or by (2) intraluminal balloon distension of the empty oral segment. Tension of the circular muscle was measured in all three chambers. Peristaltic waves elicited by fluid infusion were evoked at an abrupt threshold. In contrast, peristaltic waves elicited by distension could be graded in amplitude according to stimulus intensity. Peristaltic waves evoked in an empty intestine exhibited similar propagation velocities to peristaltic waves associated with fluid propulsion. Nifedipine (200-400 nM) added to the intermediate chamber to block muscle contraction did not prevent peristaltic waves elicited by either stimulus from propagating into the anal chamber, although their amplitude was attenuated. Nifedipine to the site of stimulation (oral chamber) abolished peristaltic waves generated by either stimulus. Tetrodotoxin (1-2 microM), or a low Ca2+-high Mg2+ solution to the intermediate chamber abolished the propagation of peristalsis from the oral to anal chambers. In conclusion, graded peristaltic waves can occur in an empty intestine. Therefore peristalsis is not necessarily an "all-or-none" phenomenon. Peristalsis depends on the spread of nervous activity along the bowel, rather than the reactivation of neural circuits caused by displacement of fluid in the lumen. However, local muscle tone and contraction are important for the initiation and maintenance of peristaltic propagation.
Low doses of the NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801, PEAQX, and ifenprodil, induces social facilitation in adolescent male rats

Adolescents display high levels of interactions with peers relative to other age groups, with these interactions further enhanced by ethanol under some circumstances. Understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these high levels of social interactions is important given that alcohol use is initiated during adolescence and adolescents tend to report drinking for social reasons. Given that ethanol's effects are associated in part with functional antagonism of the NMDA receptor system, the current experiment explored the role of NMDA antagonists for facilitating adolescent social behavior. Adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were challenged acutely with either the non-competitive NMDA antagonist, MK-801 (0.01, 0.03mg/kg), the NR2A antagonist, PEAQX (1.25, 3.75mg/kg) or the NR2B antagonist, ifenprodil (0.75, 2.25mg/kg) 30min prior to a 10-min social interaction test. All compounds generally increased overall social activity (i.e., sum of social investigation, contact behavior, and play), with ifenprodil also significantly enhancing play and social contact behaviors. Although the frequencies of peer-directed social behaviors were typically greater following administration with these NMDA antagonists, social preference, indexed via the number of crossovers to the side with the partner relative to crossovers away, was significantly reduced in MK-801 and PEAQX-treated rats. None of these changes were associated with concomitant alterations in overall locomotor activity under these test circumstances. These data support the suggestion that the increases in social interactions observed in adolescents following acute ethanol may be driven in part by NMDA receptor antagonism - particularly of the NR2B subunit - given that ifenprodil stimulated social behavior in a manner similar to that produced by low doses of ethanol.
Linagliptin, a dipeptidylpeptidase 4 inhibitor, ameliorates indomethacin-induced enteropathy via GLP-2 pathway

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is an intestinotrophic hormone secreted from enteroendocrine L cells. We have reported that dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibition prevents formation and promotes h...
Removal of a hydrophobic domain within the mature portion of a mitochondrial inner membrane protein causes its mislocalization to the matrix.

Abstract We have examined the import and intramitochondrial localization of the precursor to yeast cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va, a protein of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The results of studies on the import of subunit Va derivatives carrying altered presequences suggest that the uptake of this protein is highly efficient. We found that a presequence of only 5 amino acids (Met-Leu-Ser-Leu-Arg) could direct the import and localization of subunit Va with wild-type efficiency, as judged by several different assays. We also found that subunit Va could be effectively targeted to the mitochondrial inner membrane with a heterologous presequence that failed to direct import of its cognate protein. The results presented here confirmed those of an earlier study and showed clearly that the information required to "sort" subunit Va to the inner membrane resides in the mature protein sequence, not within the presequence per se. We present additional evidence that the aforementioned sorting information is contained, at least in part, in a hydrophobic stretch of 22 amino acids residing within the C-terminal third of the protein. Removal of this domain caused subunit Va to be mislocalized to the mitochondrial matrix.
Studies of the Detailed Vortical Structures in a Jet in a Supersonic Crossflow

The results of a study of the detailed vortex structure produced by jet injection into a supersonic crossflow are presented. A combination of experiments and computational fluid dynamics was used to study this flow. The case treated is sonic, heated Helium injection from a circular jet inclined at 30 degrees to a Mach 4 flow at high Reynolds number conditions. The main objective of this work was to determine the Mach number and flow angularity distribution in the supersonic counter-rotating vortex pair (CV P) which forms in the plume of a jet in a crossflow. This vortex pair is a major factor in entrainment and mixing in such a flow and leads to a spatial variation of the gas composition (He air mixture). The feasibility of using a miniature, fast response five-hole conical probe to measure these complex flow characteristics was also demonstrated. The CFD predictions are in agreement with the experimental findings. The current results are part of a research program on supersonic vortex dynamics at Virginia Tech.
Increased serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase of monkeys following oral administration of staphylococcal enterotoxin.

SummarySerum glutamic-oxalacetic acid transaminase activity of monkeys after staphylococcal enterotoxin feeding has been studied. There is an elevation to about 2 to 3 times the prefeeding titer within 6-8 hrs after feeding of the toxin. The observations are discussed on the basis that increased serum transaminase activity is due to release of the enzyme into the circulation by damaged cells.
A Further Caution: It's Innovativeness Overlap

The authors agree with Ostlund that the evidence attesting to innovative overlap across product categories is limited. However, it is not believed that the results of Ostlund's study have expanded this evidence for purposes of either further research or the development of a marketing strategy. Specifically, the authors wish to change (correct) the impressions left by Ostlund's article. It has been shown that the technique used to identify innovators is conceptually weak and methodologically unsubstantiated, and the data analysis is inconsistent. To assist others in their research efforts, more than a cursory discussion of the underlying assumptions and data calculations is warranted. Moreover, prior to identifying generalized innovators, it is suggested that future research efforts focus on the development of a precise definition of innovative behavior and an operational measure for identifying innovators.
Developmental level and concept learning: Interaction of age and complexity

A study utilizing 60 children demonstrated a strong interaction effect between developmental level and problem complexity on trials to solution of a relational concept formation problem. Some S’s from both developmental groups were unable to verbalize the concept even though meeting a “trials correct” criterion of solution.
Urinary excretion of acid mucopolysaccharides by rabbits injected with chelating agents and with chondroitin sulfate.

Summary(1) Introduction of chondroitin sulfate into the blood stream of rabbits was followed by elevated excretion of acid mucopolysaccharides in urine totalling 5-10% of injected amount over 2-4 d...
Inverse Problems in Cardiovascular Mathematics

PROPOSAL The impact of Scientific Computing in Cardiovascular Research has remarkably grown in the last 20 years, with applications ranging from image processing (deblurring, segmentation and registration of medical images) to numerical simulations (blood flow, vessels movement, electrocardiology). This growth has been pushed by the increase of computational power (parallel processing, GPU computing) but also by the improvements in the numerical schemes and approximation techniques used in the solution of these challenging problems. This has made possible to bring Mathematics closer to the doctors, providing new tools and new knowledge that can be used to better understand the condition of a patient and hence take more appropriate decisions on the treatment of their diseases. In order to make Scientific Computing an effective tool for supporting the decision making of doctors (and eventually improve healthcare) it is of paramount importance the assessment of the reliability of mathematical and numerical models in a patient-specific perspective [1]. Even though a work pipeline for numerical simulation on an individual geometry (a specific vessel or the left ventricle) retrieved from medical images is currently well established, there are still several unknown parameters or data required by numerical simulations. They are typically unknown and selected on the basis of non-patient specific criteria. A specific example is the cardiac conductivity as well as the structural parameters for the arterial wall [2]. The precise individual quantification of these parameters is crucial and can take advantage of data obtained by measurement devices. These data generally do not provide a direct estimation of those parameters but can give a patient-specific knowledge to be converted into reliable estimate by means of proper mathematical and numerical techniques of Data Assimilation [3]. A classical example is provided by elastography, where the measurements of displacement induced by a known force applied to a soft tissue lead to an estimation of tissue compliance by solving an inverse elasticity problem [4]. Another case is the compliance of artery estimated by solving an inverse fluid-structure interaction problem [5]. The general framework of Data Assimilation (DA) is the improvement of reliability of numerical models (playing as a sort of background knowledge) by merging simulations and data (that are the foreground knowledge). In the meantime, noise affecting measurements is filtered, with an overall reduction of uncertainty of the numerical process. There are several approaches for performing DA, either based on stochastic arguments or variational formulations [3,6,7].