cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sisters of women with premature ovarian failure may not be ideal ovum donors

Abstract Objectives: To determine whether the sisters of women with premature ovarian failure (POF) showed a response to gonadotropin stimulation comparable to that of anonymous ovum donors. Design: Historical cohort study. Setting: Records of 228 consecutive ovum recipients in an academic assisted reproductive technology program. Patient(s): Criteria for inclusion were oocyte recipients age ≤ 40 years, FSH >18 mIU/mL (conversion factor to SI unit, 1.00), and/or failure to respond appropriately to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Seventy-nine recipients were classified on the basis of whether they received oocytes from anonymous donors (group I, n=66) or sister donors (group II, n=13). Main Outcome Measure(s): Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation response, pregnancy rates (PRs), and implantation rates. Result(s): The ages of the donors to groups I and II were comparable (31.1 ± 16.7 versus 29.8 ± 7.2 years), but those in group II exhibited a higher baseline FSH level (12.8 ± 2.1 versus 8.6 ± 5.8 mIU/mL). Group II versus I had a relative risk of 5.1 for cancellation (4 of 13 [30.8%] versus 4 of 66 [6.1%], respectively). In completed cycles of groups I and II, respectively, there was no difference in serum E 2 on the day of hCG administration (2,356 ± 826 versus 1,847 ± 843 pg/mL; conversion factor to SI unit, 3.671), number of oocytes retrieved (25 ± 14 versus 22 ± 13), number of embryos transferred (4.4 ± 2.1 versus 4.0 ± 1.0), spontaneous abortion rate (22.7% versus 25.0%), PR (35.5% versus 36.4%), and implantation rate (16.2% versus 16.4%). Conclusion(s): There is an increased cancellation rate and, consequently, an overall trend toward decreased ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation in the sisters of patients with POF. Despite these factors, the implantation rates and PRs of embryos derived from patients reaching retrieval were similar to those from anonymous donors. We recommend counseling women with POF that their sisters may not be ideal ovum donors.
Representing diasporic masculinities in post-9/11 era: the tragedy versus the comedy

In the post-9/11 era, North American mainstream writers, critics, artists, and scholars while trying to understand the complexities of Islam, Muslim men, and their relationship to North America have created hegemonic discourses about Islam and Muslim masculinity. Diasporic writers such as Zarqa Nawaz, in her sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie, and Mohsin Hamid, in his novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, however, offer representations of masculinity that contest such hegemonic discourses about Muslims and reconstruct the Muslim man’s identity. Hamid and Nawaz each represent masculinities differently. Hamid’s tragic approach in his novel alienates readers because it has branded messages that create fear of the homegrown terrorists. The sitcom, on the other hand, provides laughter and has the power to deflect that fear. Humour works as a powerful strategy here for nonviolent resistance to oppression. It also breaks down cultural barriers and promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Through her us...
The Brazilian Economy: Growth and Development

Preface Historical Perspective Introduction and Overview Historical Perspective Early Industrial Growth The Post-World War II Industrialization Drive: 1946-61 Stagnation and Boom: Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s From Adjustment to External Shocks to the Debt Crisis: 1973-85 The Resurgence of Inflation in Brazil: 1974-86 The Decline and Fall of Brazil's Cruzado Brazil's Drifting Economy: Stagnation and Inflation During 1987-93 The Illusion of Stability: The Brazilian Economy Under Cardoso Contemporary Issues The External Sector: Trade and Foreign Investments Brazil's Extended Public Sector: Its Changing Role and Privatization The Banking System: Privatization and Restructuring Regional Imbalances The Performance of Agriculture Environmental Aspects of Brazil's Development Health in Brazil's Development Process Structural Changes in Brazil's Industrial Economy, 1960-80 Bibliography Index
A qualitative and quantitative analysis of skilled forelimb reaching impairment following intracerebral hemorrhage in rats

The Montoya staircase test is commonly used to measure skilled forelimb reaching ability in a number of brain injury and disease models, but little has been done to characterize the precise nature of the impairments observed after stroke. The present study used slow motion video-recording to analyze staircase reaching performance both qualitatively and quantitatively, and to precisely determine the components of fine forelimb motor function that are disturbed in the collagenase model of hemorrhagic stroke. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to reach for pellets in the staircase task, and subjected to either striatal hemorrhage induced by microinjections of bacterial collagenase or sham surgery. Reaching performance was recorded and examined before surgery, and 2 and 4 weeks later. Impaired animals made fewer attempts and retrieved less pellets than did shams, especially from the lower steps. Interestingly, impaired animals were less able to retrieve a pellet even when the forepaw made contact with it. Detailed qualitative analysis determined that significant disturbances were most prominent in components of skilled reaching that involved fine manipulation of the distal muscles, especially the wrist and digits. While some components of the reaching impairment were found to partially recover at 4 weeks post-surgery, the impairments in these distal motor movements persisted and there was no significant improvement in overall success. These results suggest that the collagenase model of intracerebral hemorrhage produces a functional impairment that most severely affects fine control of the distal forelimb and paw.
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SELF-REPORTED LANGUAGE LEARNING BEHAVIORS AND THEIR RELATION TO ACHIEVEMENT

Ninety undergraduate students enrolled in Foreign language courses in French, Spanish and German were asked to respond to a questionnaire concerning their engagement in certain selected learning behaviors culled from recent literature on good language learners. The data reported by the students are described and analyzed according to level of language course, and language. They are also related to student's grades and instructors' evaluations of students' progress, effort and voluntary classroom participation. The main finding is that there is some evidence for a link between certain behaviors and student achievement. However, links between learning behavior and achievement seem dependent on course level and methodology, and suggest the possibility of a learning behavior/treatment interaction.
The deaquation reactions of some metal salt hydrates at elevated pressures

Abstract The deaquation reactions of BaCl 2 ·2H 2 O, BaBr 2 ·2H 2 O and CoCl 2 ·6H 2 0 were studied by the thermal analysis techniques of thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis (DTA), and electrical conductivity in the pressure range from one to 170 atm. In general, the effect of pressure on the TG curves increased the T i and T f values and also the reaction interval, (T t —T i ). The DTA curves exhibited splittings into multiple peaks as a result of the increased pressure. These splittings were interpreted as due to the evolution of a liquid water phase followed b
Innate and adaptive immunity and the pathophysiology of psoriasis

Psoriasis is considered to be a genetically programmed disease of dysregulated inflammation, which is driven and maintained by multiple components of the immune system. The pathologic collaboration between innate immunity (mediated by antigen-presenting cells and natural killer T lymphocytes) and acquired immunity (mediated by T lymphocytes) results in the production of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors that contribute to the inflammatory infiltrate seen in psoriatic plaques. This overview of the pathophysiology of psoriasis describes these events, and recent developments that have contributed to our understanding of the role of immune function in psoriasis. These developments include the creation of useful animal models and identification of new receptors and lymphocyte subtypes that may participate in the development of this chronic disease.
Citizens, politicians, and party cartellization: Political representation and state failure in post–industrial democracies

This paper critiques what can be interpreted as an application of the literature on state failure in current political economy and political science to the changing role of political parties in advanced post-industrial democracies, Katz and Mair's theory of cartel parties. It develops an alternative set of hypotheses about the dynamics of parties and party systems with the objective to clarify empirical terms according to which rival propositions can be tested. Specifically, the paper rejects three propositions in the theory of cartel parties and advances the following alternatives. First, party leaders are not divorced from their members and voting constituencies, but become ever more sensitive to their preferences. Second, inter-party cooperation generates a prisoner's dilemma in the competitive arena that ultimately prevents the emergence of cartels. Ideological convergence of rival parties has causes external to the competitive arena, not internal to it. Third, conventional parties cannot marginalize or coopt new challengers, but must adjust to their demands and electoral appeals. The age of cartel parties, if it ever existed, is not at its beginning, but its end.
THE UPTAKE OF IODATE BY MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON1

Several studies have suggested that phytoplankton play a role in the iodine cycle. Using a short-term incubation technique for determining the uptake of iodate by phytoplankton, cultures of Thalassiosira oceanica Hasle, Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve, Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) Hay and Mohler, and Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher were found to be capable of assimilating iodate at rates ranging from 0.003 to 0.24 nmol IO3−·μg chlorophyll a−1·h−1. The kinetics for the uptake of iodate can be modeled, and the similarity between the model and experimental results suggests that there is a steady state between iodate uptake and release of dissolved iodine from the cells, presumably in the form of iodide. Two experiments were conducted in the Sand Shoal Inlet of the Cobb Bay estuary (37°15′N, 75°50′W). The uptake of iodate was 0.26 and 0.08 nmol IO3−·μg chlorophyll a−1·h−1 during high and low tide, respectively. Using field estimates based on measured levels of iodate in the estuary, we estimate that phytoplankton can take up as much as 3% of the ambient pool of iodate on a daily basis and the entire pool in about 1 month. Thus, phytoplankton can be a significant component of the global iodine cycle by mediating changes in the speciation of iodine in the marine environment.
A Case Study: the Model of Shared Control as a Secondary Prevention Strategy with an Elderly Alcohol Abuser

Substance use disorders in the elderly have been termed the “hidden addiction.” While alcohol misuse and abuse is less visible in older persons than in younger ones, it is nevertheless a problem. In addition, people age 65 and older represent about 17% of the population and are the fastest growing segment of our society.1 It is estimated that 10% of the population age 65 years and older are alcoholics and 50% of the hospital admissions for this age group are related to alcohol.2 An analysis of nationwide Medicare billing data indicates that elderly people are hospitalized more often for alcohol-related problems than for heart attacks.3 Addiction experts say that 15% of Americans over the age of 65 will develop alcohol problems when they retire or when their spouses die.4 Widowers over the age of 65 are at the greatest risk for alcoholism.5 With the advancement of the “baby boomers’ into their elder years, health professionals will see more elderly patients with drug- and alcohol-related problems.
Determinants of Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality in Restaurants

Abstract Service quality has been an issue of importance to managers and academic researchers in a variety of service industries. Most approaches to this topic have utilized a variety of multiitem questionnaires (for example, SERVQUAL) to measure consumer perceptions of service quality. Such approaches have some weaknesses including: A common set of items are assumed to apply to all settings; and, all items are assumed to be equally important in influencing consumers' evaluations of quality. Conjoint analysis is used to overcome these limitations. Using a set of attributes derived from consumers and using consumers' measures of the relative importance of these attributes it is found that consumers do show a differential ranking of the different attributes of restaurants. Those wishing to measure consumer preferences of service industries, such as restaurants, need to understand how consumers evaluate service variables before making changes in existing service mixes.
Differential electron capture mass spectral response of pentafluorobenzoyl derivatives of platelet activating factor alkyl chain homologs

The electron capture mass spectrometric response of pentafluorobenzoyl ester derivatives of platelet-activating factor alkyl chain homologs has been found to be inversely proportional to their alkyl chain length. This phenomenon was observed when either the gas chromatograph or direct insertion probe was utilized for sample introduction. A similar differential response was also obtained for a series of fatty alcohols, analyzed as pentafluorobenzoyl esters. These studies demonstrate that multiple standard curves must be prepared for analysis of platelet-activating factor and related lipids in order to obtain accurate quantification.
Bee venom phospholipase A2 is recognized by the macrophage mannose receptor.

A high affinity and a specific binding site for bee venom PLA2was found on the surface of J774E macrophages. The binding sites for bee venom PLA2are entirely different from the binding sites for pancreatic and snake venom PLA2as revealed by competition experiments. Binding and uptake of bee venom PLA2by J774E macrophages was shown to be competed by mannose–BSA, glucose–BSA,N-acetylglucosamine–BSA, but not by galactose-BSA, indicating that the binding of bee venom PLA2is probably mediated by macrophage mannose receptor. An affinity labeling experiment revealed that the bee venom PLA2specifically binds to a single polypeptide with a mass of ∼180 kDa. Moreover, the affinity labeled protein component, i.e., the binding site, was not detected in the presence of excess mannose-BSA, suggesting that mannose-BSA and the bee venom PLA2bind to the same site on macrophages. These observations were further supported by the binding of bee venom PLA2to cells which are known to express the mannose receptor and by specific binding of bee venom PLA2to the purified mannose receptor. These data confirm that bee venom PLA2binding to macrophages is mediated through the mannose receptor.
Carbon coated textiles for flexible energy storage

This paper describes a flexible and lightweight fabric supercapacitor electrode as a possible energy source in smart garments. We examined the electrochemical behavior of porous carbon materials impregnated into woven cotton and polyester fabrics using a traditional printmaking technique (screen printing). The porous structure of such fabrics makes them attractive for supercapacitor applications that need porous films for ion transfer between electrodes. We used cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to study the capacitive behaviour of carbon materials using nontoxic aqueous electrolytes including sodium sulfate and lithium sulfate. Electrodes coated with activated carbon (YP17) and tested at ∼0.25 A·g−1 achieved a high gravimetric and areal capacitance, an average of 85 F·g−1 on cotton lawn and polyester microfiber, both corresponding to ∼0.43 F·cm−2.
DOES DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL ENHANCE DELINQUENT INVOLVEMENT? RESULTS FROM A LARGE-SCALE NATIONAL PROBABILITY SAMPLE*

This study seeks to improve on previous research on the relationship between dropping out of school and later involvement in delinquency. Using data from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the analysis addresses two problems with prior studies in this area: (1) By controlling for many variables that may account for observed dropout-delinquency associations, it is possible to explore the possibility that the relationship may be spurious. (2) By examining the effects of different reasons for dropping out, the study avoids the assumption that dropouts are a homogeneous group. Results indicate that the effect of dropping out of school on later offending is more complicated than previous research leads one to believe. In addition, dropping out does not always enhance the likelihood of a person's later delinquent involvement.
Present status and future needs of free-space optical interconnects

Abstract Over the last decade significant progress in optoelectronic devices and their integration techniques have made free-space optical interconnects (FSOI) one of the few physical approaches that can potentially address the increasingly complex communication requirements at the board and chip levels. In this paper, we review the advances made and discuss future research directions needed to bring FSOI to the realm of practice.
Molecular Epidemiology of Outbreaks of Viral Gastroenteritis in New York State, 1998–1999

This investigation evaluated the role of Norwalk-like virus (NLV) and other viruses (rotavirus, enteric adenovirus, and enterovirus) in 11 outbreaks of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis that occurred in multiple settings in a span of 18 months in New York State. To determine the etiology of illness, patients' stool specimens were analyzed with a combination of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nucleotide sequencing, cell culture, and ELISA diagnostic techniques. NLV was detected from all of these outbreaks, with an overall detection rate of 64% (51 of 79) for all specimens tested. Repeated attempts to isolate other viral pathogens were unsuccessful. Phylogenetic analysis of a subset of 27 specimens from these outbreaks showed the presence of both genogroup I and genogroup II NLVs. A spectrum of different nucleotide sequences were detected, demonstrating interoutbreak sequence variation and unrelated infections. NLV is a significant causative agent of diarrhea outbreaks in New York State.
Abstract 3403: E-cadherin and vimentin patterns by immunohistochemistry identify epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes in lung adenocarcinoma

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Purpose: To examine markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) defining epithelial-like (EPT) and mesenchymal-like (MES) phenotypes and correlate these with outcomes, in addition to other EMT markers. This study examined 33 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) who underwent surgical resection and later at disease progression received erlotinib. Experimental Design: All slides with tumor from resection specimens were reviewed (mean 4.8/case; range 1-9). Tumors were histologically subtyped according to recent IASLC classification. Tumor budding was graded per Ueno et al. (2002). A block containing the invasive front was selected for IHC staining with antibodies to e-cadherin (ECAD), vimentin (VIM), β-catenin (α-CAT), and SNAI1. Pattern-specific staining was evaluated at the invasive tumor front: E-cadherin-membranous, vimentin-cytoplasmic, α-CAT-membranous, SNAI1-nuclear, cytoplasmic. Complete circumferential membranous staining for e-cadherin was scored as present/absent; other markers were scored by the Allred system (0-8). PFS and OS were calculated from time of diagnosis to disease progression or death. Results: Two distinct phenotypes were identified with ECAD and VIM: EPT showing preserved membrane ECAD staining with low VIM (≥4) (N=19) and MES showing weak/absent membrane ECAD staining with high VIM (Δ5) (N=10). Median PFS for EPT group was 4.2 mo vs MES 1.6 mo; median OS for EPT group 15.5 mo vs 6.5 mo. These differences were not statistically significant. No association was found between high grade tumor budding and EPT vs MES phenotype p=0.221). Membranous α-CAT expression and nuclear SNAI1 expression showed a statistically significant correlation with EPT vs MES (β-catenin mean score 7.8 vs 6.1, p=0.0184) and (nuclear SNAI1 mean score 7.3 vs 6.1, p=0.0364). Conclusions: Epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes can be identified by IHC for e-cadherin and vimentin. These phenotypes correlate with other EMT markers β-catenin and SNAI1 but not with tumor budding. Although differences in median PFS and OS were seen between the two groups, the number of cases is too small to identify a statistically significant difference. The results do support the rationale for defining EPT and MES groups for prognosis in a larger group of early-stage surgically resected patients. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3403. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3403
The Dynamics of Positivism in the Study of Public Administration: A Brief Intellectual History and Reappraisal

This article explores the development of three features of positivism from the 1800s to the present: the unity of science, the verification criterion of meaning, and the empiricist observation language. The development of these features is demonstrated in the mid-20th century public administration (PA) literature and in the self-reflective literature of the last three decades. Contemporary positivism has been substantially moderated: The verification criterion of meaning has been abandoned, but the unity of science remains a presupposition, and the empiricist observation language remains an important tool. By presenting this intellectual history, some clarity may be added to the philosophical discourse in PA.
EGFR inhibitors in the treatment of lung cancer.

EGFR therapy – a result which was also found in the two large placebo controlled randomized trials with erlotinib (BR-21) and gefitinib (ISEL) [4, 6]. Thus, other factors, e.g. molecular biomarkers, are needed for an optimal selection of NSCLC patients to EGFR TKI treatment rather than clinical/demographic factors including age. Unfortunately, this series of cases does not present any biomarker data. However, from other studies we know that certain biomarkers predict clinical benefit from the EGFR TKI [7]. Most consistently associated with prolonged survival has been an increased EGFR gene copy number detected by FISH, which can easily be tested on paraffin embedded diagnostic material [8, 9]. Thus, this test can easily be performed without any extra physical ‘cost’ also in elderly NSCLC patients. The current series of elderly NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib as 1st line therapy is very encouraging and should lead to further studies of erlotinib as 1st line therapy in this group of patients, as it is most likely better tolerated than conventional chemotherapy – especially in this patient category. Treatment of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been debated for years. Over the recent years evidence has grown that also this group of patients benefits from chemotherapy. The treatment toxicity has been acceptably tolerated, but the co-morbidity in this patient population has been significant [1–3]. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), i.e. erlotinib and gefitinib, have demonstrated significant clinical effect in patients with advanced NSCLC after previous chemotherapy and erlotinib treatment resulted in prolonged survival [4]. However, the role of erlotinib as 1st line therapy has not yet been established and results from ongoing studies are pending. The series of cases presented by Dr. Reck in this issue of ONKOLOGIE [5] demonstrates very clearly that erlotinib might be useful as 1st line therapy in elderly NSCLC patients. All patients had adenocarcinoma histology, however, a clinical effect was also seen in a patient with a heavy smoking history. This finding is interesting and demonstrates that clinical factors like gender and smoking status are not sufficient for selecting patients to
‘He was a Real Baby with Baby Things’: A Material Culture Analysis of Personhood, Parenthood and Pregnancy Loss

This article explores the ways members of pregnancy loss support groups in the US use material culture to deal with the ‘realness problem’ of miscarriage, stillbirth, and early infant death. I examine goods purchased or made for the child-to-be during pregnancy; goods given from the child-to-be during the pregnancy; goods given to, or in the memory of, the ‘baby’ after its death; and things acquired to memorialize the child within the family. Through the buying, giving, and preserving of things, women and their social networks actively construct their babies-to-be and would-have-been babies as ‘real babies’ and themselves as ‘real mothers’, worthy of the social recognition this role entails.
Finding Barriers with Minimum Number of Sensors in Wireless Sensor Networks

It is one of the major application categories for wireless sensor networks to detect intruders entering protected areas. Early research has studied the problem of barrier coverage for intruder detections. However, it is an open problem to set up the sensor barriers with the minimum number of sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks. It is a critically important problem, and its solution can be widely utilized in the sensor barrier deployment. In this paper, we present a complete solution to this minimum-node barrier coverage problem. Our algorithm works in an asynchronous and distributed fashion for protected areas of any size and any shape. In our algorithm, each node is only required to communicate to its neighbors and is not necessary to be homogeneous or to know its location. For a deployment of n sensors, the new approach has O(n²log(n)) message and time complexities. Our algorithm is the first and the best to provide a distributed solution to the minimum-node barrier coverage problem in asynchronous wireless sensor networks.
Women's Evaluations of Their Labor and Delivery Nurses

Objective To document women's evaluations of their labor and delivery nurses. Design An exploratory, qualitative study using open-ended, intensive, tape-recorded interviews. Setting Postpartum unit of a 400-bed midwestern hospital, except for two interviews in the women's homes. Participants Sixty-one Lamaze-prepared, married, multigravidae, aged 21-37years. Results Ninety percent of the women evaluated their nurses favorably, 10% unfavorably. Nurses were evaluated favorably because of their positive participation (80%), acceptance (78%), information giving (75%), encouragement (65%), presence (53%), and competence (7%). Conclusions Although technical competence is important, manner, provision of supportive care, and acceptance of each woman as a unique human being may be a nurse's most important characteristics.
Expression, Purification, and Properties of the Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Homologous Carboxyl-terminal Domain of Rat 10-Formyltetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase

Abstract The liver cytosolic enzyme, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (FDH) (EC 1.5.1.6) catalyzes two reactions: the NADP+-dependent oxidation of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate and CO2 and the NADP+-independent hydrolysis of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate and formate. The COOH-terminal domain of the enzyme (residues 420-902) is about 48% identical to a family of NAD-dependent aldehyde dehydrogenases (EC 1.2.1.3), and FDH possesses aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. We expressed the COOH-terminal domain (residues 420-902) of FDH in insect cells using a baculovirus expression system. The recombinant protein was released from insect cells to the culture medium and was purified from the medium by a two-step procedure: precipitation with 35% saturated ammonium sulfate followed by chromatography on hydroxyapatite. The purified COOH-terminal domain displayed aldehyde dehydrogenase activity similar to that of native FDH but had neither dehydrogenase nor hydrolase activity toward folate substrates. Aldehyde dehydrogenase activity of the COOH-terminal domain and FDH was independent of the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol while 10-FDDF dehydrogenase activity of FDH occurred only in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. The COOH-terminal domain existed as a tetramer showing that the sites for oligomerization of subunits in native FDH resides in this domain. Using titration of tryptophan fluorescence, it was found that the COOH-terminal domain bound NADP+ to the same extent as FDH (Kd 0.2 and 0.3 μM, respectively) but did not bind folate. Both FDH and its COOH-terminal domain also bound NAD+ (Kd 11 and 16 μM, respectively) as measured by fluorescence titration. Both proteins were able to catalyze the aldehyde dehydrogenase reaction utilizing NADP+ or NAD+, but the Km for NAD+ was three orders higher than that for NADP+ (2 mM and 1.5-2.0 μM, respectively). The concentration of NAD+ required for the reaction was high compared with the physiological level of NAD+, suggesting that the reaction does not occur in vivo NAD+ at physiological concentrations stimulated the aldehyde dehydrogenase reaction performed by FDH or its COOH-terminal domain using NADP+.
ON THE COEXISTENCE OF PHONON AND NON-PHONON (PLASMON) MECHANISMS IN NEW HIGH Tc SUPERCONDUCTORS

An analysis of recent experimental data shows that high Tc is due to the coexistence of phonon and non-phonon mechanisms.
The impact of media attention, family history, politics and maturation on women's decisions regarding hormone replacement therapy.

A purposeful sample of 21 well-educated European American women (42-53 years) were interviewed to explore how women make decisions about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for natural menopause. Menopausal status included women who were premenopausal (n = 1), perimenopausal (n = 11), menopausal (n = 4), and postmenopausal (n = 5). Participants were grouped into 3 categories: taking or in favor of taking HRT (n = 6), undecided (n = 10) and stopped taking or opposed to taking HRT (n = 5). The impact of media attention was an important influence on women's thoughts and decisions-whether in favor, undecided, or opposed-particularly in conjunction with risk factors based on family history and what other family members were doing. Women in favor of taking HRT were interested in short-term symptomatic relief as well as prevention of disease in old age. Women who were undecided cited the scientific confusion in the media as contributing to their reticence about making a decision. The unprecedented number of magazi...
A rapid method for qualitative assay of both neomycin phosphotransferase II and β-glucuronidase activities in transgenic plants

A rapid and efficient method for assaying both NPT II and GUS activities was developed. In this method, which is modified from that of McDonnell et al. (1987), and Jefferson (1987), no sample processing procedures such as grinding and centrifugation are necessary. Cut plant tissues (leaves) or intact calli or cells expressing the genes of interest are placed in wells of a microtiter plate containing reaction mixture, and after incubation the reaction mixture is directly used for both NPT II and GUS assays. For the NPT II assay, aliquots of the reaction mixture are blotted onto Whatman P81 paper through a manifold, and the product of the reaction is detected by autoradiography. For GUS activity, aliquots or the rest of the reaction mixture are observed for fluorescent emission under a hand-held UV light or read in a fluorimeter after adding stop buffer to the reaction mixture. This method is the simplest, cheapest, and quickest assays for NPT II and GUS reported to date, and is extremely efficient and suitable for assaying small amounts of samples (as little as 0.3 mg tissue), such as in transient expression assays, or for the quick screening of large numbers of samples, such as in studies of gene inheritance in transgenic plants. In our laboratory, it has been used successfully in assaying NPT II activities for transient and stable gene expression in transformed protoplasts, calli, and leaf tissues of various transgenic plants. It has also been used for detecting both NPT II and GUS activities in transgenic rice plants, in which more than 400 samples could be assayed per day per person.
Parody and Ironic Juxtaposition in Toru Takemitsu’s Music for the Film, Rising Sun (1993)

Toru Takemitsu created music for more than a hundred films, but only one was for a major Hollywood studio, Rising Sun (1993) with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. In his music for Rising Sun, Toru Takemitsu contrasts and juxtaposes exotic, popular, and modernist musical elements to depict the cinematic drama in ways that are analogous to procedures that have been noted in dramatic music by Debussy, Stravinsky, and Messiaen, composers Takemitsu is known to have admired. At the same time, Takemitsu references traditional Japanese music, American jazz, and musical genres of the crime drama and film noir to construct a musical narrative of evocative color, irony, and dark humor. Rising Sun is based on a Michael Crichton novel that was criticized as a reactionary statement against Japanese economic aggression. This study shows how Takemitsu’s compelling music ironically projects the themes of economic warfare and cultural division in the film while also providing resistance through a subtle projection of his own humanistic worldview. The considerable changes that director and screen co-writer, Philip Kaufman made in adapting the novel dramatically alter the underlying social/political implications in the story. The analysis examines how this transformation from the original story is communicated through cultural codes embodied in preexisting music layered in the soundtrack along with Takemitsu’s originally composed textures, by artists including Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Latino rappers Cypress Hill, and the seventies New Wave band, the B-52s.
A dialogue on Metasystem transition

The theory of metasystem transitions is reviewed in the form of a dialogue; a discussion of underlying epistemology is also included. Metasystem transition is the formation of a new level of control, when systems of a certain kind become integrated as subsystems of an emerging metasystem. The main tenet of the theory is that the major steps of evolution—both biological and cultural—are metasystem transitions at various system levels. Metasystem transitions are thus seen as quanta of evolution. From this viewpoint we describe the past of the Universal Evolution and try to see its future. Our discussion is divided into these sections: Epistemology, Metasystem transition, Evolution, The Human Being, and The future of the world.
Novel MOSFET devices for RF circuits applications

In this paper, a novel Schottky tunneling source MOSFET utilizing the concept of gate controlled Schottky barrier tunneling has been examined and successfully demonstrated. Much better short channel immunity in terms of smaller DIBL, reduced threshold roll-off and increased output resistance has been confirmed. Excellent ROUT and gain as compared to conventional SOI-FET are demonstrated. To further improve the performance, smaller Schottky barrier height junction is preferred. Toward this end germanium based transistor is very attractive. Germanium channel devices are also explored for their enhanced transconductance performance. The development of GeOI substrates for control of SCE and reduction of parasitic resistance for improvement of ION is presented. These two devices are promising candidates for the system-on-chip applications
Public policies as specification errors

Abstract Treating public policies as computable dynamic general equilibrium model specification errors offers computational and conceptional advantages for comparing models with data. The set of policies calculated to rationalize observed behaviors raises the substantive economic question whether, in any particular market, actual public policies sufficiently coincide with the model's behavior-rationalizing policies, or whether the model offers correct hypotheses about the determinants of demand and supply. As illustrations, public policies are calculated to rationalize, with respect to the stochastic neoclassical growth model, capital market behavior since WWII and labor market behavior in 1929–1950. One conclusion is that capital taxation drives a wedge between consumption growth and the expected pre-tax capital return, in the direction and amount predicted by the theory, and that capital taxation is the major intertemporal distortion in the postwar capital market. Second, a good theory of the Great Depression labor market must explain why measured MRS and MPL diverged so dramatically in 1929–1933 and why the wedge persisted.
Paleozoic and Mesozoic Tectonic Evolution of Central Asia: From Continental Assembly to Intracontinental Deformation

Thirty years ago, the interior of Asia was inaccessible to most Earth scientists, as was much of the relevant literature. Students of continental evolution were frustrated. We knew that Asia, nearly alone among the Earth's continents, had been assembled in relatively recent geological times, but we could only speculate about the processes that led to its assembly. In the past 27 years, Asian and international researchers have improved our understanding. Ideas about continental evolution as diverse as modeling the deforming lithosphere as a thin, viscous sheet; tectonic escape; Altaid style assembly; crustal doubling; orogenic collapse; delamination; the role of ultra-high pressure metamorphism; the role of localized erosion and active deformation on local and continental scales are all being tested in Asia. There is no consensus yet, but the Asian natural laboratory is being used well. We may soon come to know which ideas we should abandon.
Spatio-Temporal Attributes of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases

Human-to-human transmissible pandemics, most notably the Medieval Black Death and Spanish Flu of 1918, have historically resulted in the world’s greatest mortality events. Today, as global transportation networks move people rapidly around the world, there are few barriers to emergent diseases. The mystery of the next great pandemic is not if, but rather when and where it will emerge. Therefore, understanding basic epidemiological attributes of infection, and the highly variable matrix of political, economic, and cultural attributes which affect micro-scale disease transmission, is now more critical than ever. An emergent disease has the capacity to become a deadly global pandemic if optimized for infectivity, lethality, and environmental persistence. Lacking optimization in any one of these broad attributes can lead to a disease that is technically a pandemic with high infectivity, yet exhibits low lethality, such as Swine Flu (H1N1). In addition, a disease could emerge with very high lethality, yet which does not persist in the environment very long outside of a host, nor kills slow enough to allow for a large amount of secondary infections to occur from contact with a primary infected host, similar to the Ebola virus in Sub-Saharan Africa. The spatial dynamics of emergent diseases is also affected by socioeconomic processes such as the built environment, migration, poverty, race, ethnicity, and gender relationships. Yet even with so many variables present, super-spreading events, whereby a few infected individuals secondarily infect a high number of susceptible individuals, can rapidly transmit infectious diseases across very heterogeneous spaces. Today’s global social networks and connectivity are leading toward an enhanced potential for pandemic infections and greater disease virulence as a bio-evolutionary consequence toward pathogenic success.
Wave interactions in a left-handed mushroom structure

Metamaterials and, in particular, left-handed (LH) materials (negative refractive index metamaterials) have drawn considerable attention in the physics and engineering communities over the last five years. This paper presents a synthesis of the refractive characteristics of a mushroom structure, including dispersion diagram, fields distributions, isotropy and refractive index. In addition, it introduces and demonstrates the concept of plane wave to cylindrical wave transformation by way of a parabolically curved RH/LH interface. A practical mushroom implementation of this interface is also discussed.
Preventive Dental Care Among New York City Children, 2009

This study aims to describe the prevalence of preventive dental care among New York City (NYC) children, including disparities by race/ethnicity or poverty and to identify health care utilization factors associated with these outcomes. Data were obtained from the 2009 NYC Child Community Health Survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for preventive dental visits in the past 12 months among children aged 2–12 years (n = 2,435) and receipt of sealants among children aged 6–12 years (n = 1,416). Multivariable logistic regression was used to compute adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). One in four (23.3 %) NYC children aged 2–12 years, including 57.3 % of 2–3-year olds, had no preventive dental visit in the past 12 months. Lack of preventive visits was more prevalent among Asian/Pacific Islander children compared with non-Hispanic white children (aPR 1.42 [95 % CI 1.07–1.89]), and among children living in poorer households compared with wealthier households (aPR 1.47 [95 % CI 1.13–1.92]). Two-thirds (64.5 %) of children aged 6–12 years never had sealants. Compared with non-Hispanic white children, Asian/Pacific Islander (aPR 1.26 [95 % CI 1.01–1.56]), non-Hispanic black (aPR 1.24 [95 % CI 1.06–1.46]), and Hispanic (aPR 1.21 [95 % CI 1.04–1.41]) children were more likely not to have sealants, as were children without a personal health care provider compared with children with a provider (aPR 1.33 [95 % CI 1.14–1.56]). Disparities in preventive dental care exist by race/ethnicity, poverty, and health care utilization. Personal health care providers may improve children’s oral health by linking them to preventive dental care and promoting sealant application.
A Visually Attractive “Interconnected Network of Ideas” for Organizing the Teaching and Learning of Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry

A visually attractive interconnected network of ideas that helps general and second-year inorganic chemistry students make sense of the descriptive inorganic chemistry of the main-group elements is presented. The eight network components include the periodic law, the uniqueness principle, the diagonal effect, the inert-pair effect, the metal–nonmetal line, the acid–base character of metal and nonmetal oxides in aqueous solution, trends in reduction potentials, and dπ–pπ bonding involving elements of the second and third periods. dπ–pπ bonding is advocated for these courses in lieu of an extensive presentation of molecular orbital theory. Each component is given its own colorful icon and a distinctive visual image that is added atop and among the fabric of the periodic table. This colorful, iconographic, and symbolic building process makes it easier to organize the many facets of descriptive inorganic chemistry in a meaningful and memorable manner. When a new group of elements is presented, students can pl...
Combination therapy and the depressed woman

While the question of the relative efficacy of combination pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy vs. either therapy alone has received some research attention within the last 25 years, the authors attempt to narrow the focus of this question by discussing the possibility that combination therapy may be of special value for women with major depression. Theoretical models explaining why combination therapy, in general, might be expected to be more effective are described. The authors then discuss reasons why combination therapy might be a particularly efficacious treatment for depressed women, including greater psychosocial stress prior to and resulting from depression and increased cognitive distortion, both of which are more associated with depression in females. Despite a reasonable theoretical rationale for the superiority of combination in comparison to either monotherapy, examination of the available literature on acute, continuation, and maintenance treatment studies generally failed to find benefits for the use of combination therapy. Similarly, examination of the literature for gender differences among patients treated with combination therapy failed to find a specific benefit of this treatment for women. Possible reasons for these findings and suggestions for future studies are discussed. Depression 3:91–98 (1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Setting minimum performance levels for two-card kanban-controlled lines

The production literature has focused on the problem of setting the number of kanbans to achieve a desired performance level. However, in practice, station supervisors are given the authority to set kanban numbers and the management problem is to find for each station the minimum level of performance required for a desired line production rate. This paper shows how to find minimum performance levels to guarantee production rates independently of the material-handling frequencies used. The advantage of this procedure is that the tradeoff between inventory-holding and material-handling costs can be left up to the station supervisors.
An experimental test of computed responses of bismuth germanate to gamma rays

Abstract Experimental spectra of the γ-rays from 60 Ca, 22 Na, 207 Bi and 137 Cs were used to calibrate and obtain spectra from a 3.17 cm diameter by 0.65 cm thick BGO scintillation spectrometer. These spectra were compared to the results of detailed Monte Carlo simulations. Tables of coefficients for polynomials to give absorption coefficients are presented.
A Prospective Study of Rumination and Depression in Early Adolescence.

In this study, rumination, depression, and gender role were measured in a group of fourth through sixth graders once each year for 3 years. Results supported the primary hypothesis that rumination level would best predict level of depression at each subsequent assessment. No differences were observed between genders on depression or rumination. However, masculineand femniniiie-identified adolescents had higher depression scores than androgynous individuals, and feminineidentified adolescents had the highest rumination scores overall. Links between rumination, depression, inability to distract, and gender role are explored, and possible treatments are discussed.
Length of effectiveness of lindane against attacks by Dendroctonus brevicomis and D. ponderosae in California.

As a 2% diesel oil solution spray, lindane prevented attack by both the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, and the mountain pine beetle, D. ponderosae Hopkins, for 36 months; as a 2% aqueous emulsion it was effective for 22 months.
Equilibrium in Multiphase Polydisperse Fuids

Based on the principle of Gibbs phase equilibrium, three different algorithms are developed for phase equilibrium calculations of polydisperse mixtures. These algorithms are based on (i) the equality of the chemical potentials of components in each phase, (ii) the minimization of the total Gibbs free energy of the system with respect to all the system variables, and (iii) the equilibrium ratios constraint between the phases. All three algorithms demonstrate applicability to mixtures with different mole fraction distribution functions and different equations of state. The results of calculations using the three phase algorithms are compared with the simulated multicomponent hydrocarbon mixture data, and the results are in good agreement.