cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The NAFTA Agreement and Labor Force Projections: Implications for the Border Region

There have been numerous studies which evaluate the impact of NAFTA on employment, immigration, the environment and other areas of concern. However, one key area has received little attention: the linkage between the potential effect of growth and change in the Mexican labor force and the presence of a North American Free Trade Zone. The linkage is in both directions. The success or failure of NAFTA will be fundamentally affected by the size, age, education and job skills of the Mexican labor force. Moreover, the Mexican labor force will be affected by NAFTA. In particular, the number, type and location of job opportunities over the next several decades will be determined, at least partially, by the success or failure of NAFTA. This article contains an analysis of projections of the Mexican labor force in relation to the recently enacted NAFTA agreement. We begin with a discussion of the NAFTA agreement, concentrating on its labor force implications in Mexico and the U.S. During this discussion, we pay particular attention to the implications of our analysis on the border region. We then present the projections of the Mexican labor force, looking at alternative assumptions for fertility, international migration and economic activity rates. While our primary focus is on the Mexican labor force, projections of the U.S. labor force need to be considered also. Finally, the policy implications of the projected labor force changes under alternative NAFTA scenarios will be considered.
Progressive clinical evaluation tools based on the Quality and Safety Education in Nursing competencies

Despite integrating innovative teaching strategies in the classroom, nurse educators continue to struggle with evaluating students’ ability to provide safe, competent patient-centered care in the clinical setting. Members of the baccalaureate research and evaluation committee developed a set of Clinical Performance Evaluation Tools incorporating the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for each of the Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) competencies. Remedia- tion strategies for each course were addressed with a separate tool, the Clinical Performance Remediation (CPR) Tool. The tools also include a section regarding professionalism. This manuscript describes the process and outcome for creating an evaluation tool that blended an effective combination of QSEN’s core competencies, the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, and the Nicholls State University baccalaureate program’s conceptual model. The tools were piloted spring of 2012. Nursing programs can enhance evaluation of students’ clinical performance by incorporating the newly developed clinical performance evaluation tools.
Empirical evaluation of the influence of side chains on the conformational entropy of the polypeptide backbone

Changes in amino acid side chains have long been recognized to alter the range and distribution of phi, psi angles found in the main chain of polypeptides. Altering the range and distribution of phi, psi angles also alters the conformational entropy of the flexible denatured state and may thus stabilize or destabilize it relative to the comparatively conformationally rigid native state. A database of 12,320 residues from 61 nonhomologous, high resolution crystal structures was examined to determine the phi, psi conformational preferences of each of the 20 amino acids. These observed distributions in the native state of proteins are assumed to also reflect the distributions found in the denatured state. The distributions were used to approximate the energy surface for each residue, allowing the calculation of relative conformational entropies for each residue relative to glycine. In the most extreme case, replacement of glycine by proline, conformational entropy changes will stabilize the native state relative to the denatured state by -0.82 +/- 0.08 kcal/mol at 20 degrees C. Surprisingly, alanine is found to be the most ordered residue other than proline. This unexpected result is a result of the high percentage of alanines found in helical conformations. This either indicates that the observed distributions in the native state do not reflect the distributions in the denatured state, or that alanine is much more likely to adopt a helical conformation in the denatured state than residues with longer side chains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Coenzyme Q10 and cognition in atorvastatin treated dogs

Statins have been suggested to protect against Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, however, we reported that aged dogs that underwent chronic statin treatment exhibited cognitive deficits compared with age matched controls. In human studies, blood levels of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) decrease with statin use. CoQ10 is important for proper mitochondrial function and is a powerful antioxidant, two important factors for cognitive health in aging. Thus, the current study tested the hypothesis that CoQ10 levels in the serum and/or parietal cortex are decreased in statin treated dogs and are associated with poorer cognition. Six aged beagles (>8 years) were administered 80 mg/day of atorvastatin for 14.5 months and compared with placebo-treated animals. As predicted, serum CoQ10 was significantly lower in statin-treated dogs. Parietal cortex CoQ10 was not different between the two groups. However, poorer cognition was correlated with lower parietal cortex CoQ10. This study in dogs suggests that serum CoQ10 is reduced with atorvastatin treatment. CoQ10 levels in brain may be linked to impaired cognition in response to atorvastatin, in agreement with previous reports that statins may have a negative impact on cognition in the elderly.
Copper-free click conjugation of methotrexate to a PAMAM dendrimer platform.

Abstract The synthesis of a generation 5 (G5) poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer platform having cyclooctyne ligands that were subsequently be used for a copper-free Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (click reaction) with azido modified methotrexate is described. The G5 PAMAM dendrimer was first partially (70%) acetylated and then coupled with 20 cyclooctyne ligands through amide bonds. The remaining primary amine groups on the dendrimer surface were neutralized by acetylation. The platform was then ‘clicked’ with different numbers (5, 10, and 17) of γ-azido functionalized methotrexate. The copper-free click reactions were stoichiometric with excellent yields.
Malic enzyme and malate dehydrogenase activities in rat tracheal epithelial cells during the progression of neoplasia.

Abstract Malic enzyme and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activities were radio-metrically assayed in digitonin fractionated normal primary cultures (NPC), preneoplastic selected primary cultures (SPC) and tumor-derived primary cultures (TPC) of rat tracheal epithelial cells. Carcinogen-altered SPC and TPC selectively grow in the absence of pyruvate, which is required by NPC for survival. Mitochondrial-containing particulate fractions from TPC and especially SPC had markedly higher levels of NADP + -dependent malic enzyme than NPC in the presence or absence of pyruvate. This suggests that induction of mitochondrial malic enzyme activity occurs early in the progression of neoplasia. Malic enzyme activities in the soluble fractions from the various populations were not distinctly different. In contrast, particulate-bound MDH activity was higher in NPC and SPC than TPC in most cases, indicating a decrease in this enzyme late in tumorigenesis.
Geogenic sources of benzene in aquifers used for public supply, California.

Statistical evaluation of two large statewide data sets from the California State Water Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (1973 wells) and the California Department of Public Health (12 417 wells) reveals that benzene occurs infrequently (1.7%) and at generally low concentrations (median detected concentration of 0.024 μg/L) in groundwater used for public supply in California. When detected, benzene is more often related to geogenic (45% of detections) than anthropogenic sources (27% of detections). Similar relations are evident for the sum of 17 hydrocarbons analyzed. Benzene occurs most frequently and at the highest concentrations in old, brackish, and reducing groundwater; the detection frequency was 13.0% in groundwater with tritium 1600 μS/cm, and anoxic conditions. This groundwater is typically deep (>180 m). Benzene occurs somewhat less frequently in recent, shallow, and reducing groundwater; the detection frequency was 2.6% in groundwater...
The impact of an international field study on students’ learning and consumer ethnocentrism

Utilising the consumers’ ethnocentric tendencies scale (Shimp and Sharma, 1987), undergraduate US business students participating in an international field study course were measured on their consumer ethnocentric tendencies before and after travel to Europe. Contrary to past research, this exploratory study suggests that students became slightly more ethnocentric regarding their attitudes towards foreign-made products after the travel experience. However, measures of student attitudes towards study abroad and learning outcomes were quite positive, indicating that a short international field study is a valuable experience for students who might not otherwise have the option to travel abroad.
Increasing seed protein content enhances seedling emergence and vigor in wheat

Abstract Deep seeding of wheat, a common practice when soil moisture is deficient, causes poor seedling emergence and stand establishment. We investigated whether increasing seed protein content by nitrogen fertilization of parental plants might increase emergence rate and vigor of winter wheat seedlings from deep‐planted seeds. Four seeding depths, three cultivars, and three seed protein contents were compared in different soil mixtures and fertility regimes. Under all treatments, emergence rate and dry weight of seedlings markedly decreased as seeding depth was increased. Increasing protein content of seeds sometimes, but not always, increased seedling emergence rate and commonly increased seedling dry weight regardless of soil mixture or fertility regime. Differences were greatest at 4.8‐ and 12‐cm seeding depths; seedlings failed to emerge from 16‐cm depth under any treatments. We concluded that increasing seed protein content by nitrogen fertilization of parent plants is an economic and efficacious m...
Solute transport across a contact interface in deformable porous media

A finite element formulation of neutral solute transport across a contact interface between deformable porous media is implemented and validated against analytical solutions. By reducing the integral statements of external virtual work on the two contacting surfaces into a single contact integral, the algorithm automatically enforces continuity of solute molar flux across the contact interface, whereas continuity of the effective solute concentration (a measure of the solute mechano-chemical potential) is achieved using a penalty method. This novel formulation facilitates the analysis of problems in biomechanics where the transport of metabolites across contact interfaces of deformable tissues may be of interest. This contact algorithm is the first to address solute transport across deformable interfaces, and is made available in the public domain, open-source finite element code FEBio (http://www.febio.org).
Integration and interdisciplinarity: concepts, frameworks, and education

Humans face enormous and growing ecological and social problems. Knowledge and methods of inquiry are necessary to understand and address these problems. Although this seems obvious, arguments rage over which methods are reliable and whose perspectives and epistemology (disciplinary or otherwise) are best suited to address problems. To compound matters, knowledge is fragmented in its organization, classification, production, and use in academe, in the professions, and in society. A practical conceptualization of interdisciplinarity in the interests of integration is needed to address the multiple perspectives, epistemologies, and fragmentation inherent in these problems. Here, we offer a conception of integration that fosters an interrelated dynamic system of healthy people, society, and nature. Next, we look at “knowledge”—its classification, levels, and challenges. Following that, we review a model of integration almost a century old that has been abstracted into a practical, interdisciplinary meta-framework that organizes both diagnostics and prescriptive inquiry. Finally, educating about integration is a subject of central concern in many colleges and universities today, one that we discuss in terms of goals, student competence, educational designs, practical challenges, and how to address them. Our entire endeavor is couched in terms of the overarching goal of seeking the common interest of human dignity in healthy environments for all.
Software Components for Object-Oriented Database Systems

Genesis is a software system generator for database management systems that relies exclusively on as-is large scale component reuse. We briefly review the general model of software components on which Genesis is based and also discuss some component libraries for relational database systems in terms of this model. We then explain how we have evolved Genesis and its libraries to be able to synthesize object-oriented database systems. We study a subproblem of creating "self-tuning" software systems by examining the performance of selected components for object-oriented database systems.
Nucleotide homologies in genes encoding members of the S100 protein family.

Members of the S100 protein family exhibit a unique pattern of cell/tissue-specific expression and approx. 50% similarity at the amino-acid level. The cDNAs encoding many of these proteins from a variety of species are now available making a comparison of these family members at the nucleotide level possible. With few exceptions, family members exhibited less nucleotide identity than amino-acid similarity. Furthermore, the pattern of divergence calculated on the basis of nucleotide identity did not always agree with that calculated on the basis of amino-acid similarity. The majority of sequence diversity occurred in the nontranslated regions suggesting that these regions may be involved in directing the expression of particular members of the family to specific cell types. When comparisons of individual family members were made across species, the following order of species diversity was observed: rat/mouse < human/bovine < porcine < rabbit/avian < Xenopus laevis. The structure of the gene loci encoding these proteins was remarkably conserved both within family members of a given species as well as in individual family members from different species. Although there appears to be great diversity in the 5′ flanking regions of these genes, members of the family share at least one common potential regulatory element — the S100 protein element. Thus, membership in the S100 family could be ascertained on the basis of gene organization and the presence of an SPE. Although functional data are limited, the available data indicate that the regulation of the expression of S100 family members is complex and involves both positive and negative regulatory elements. Additional nucleic acid sequences and complimentary functional studies will be required to dissect the mechanisms which target the expression of the members of this family to specific cell types during development.
Automatic frequency-domain synthesis of multiloop control systems

A computerized algorithm to facilitate the automatic synthesis of time-invarian t linear compensation for highly complex multiloop control systems is discussed. Performed in the frequency domain to attain desired open-loop frequency response characteristics, the algorithm is applicable equally to continuous-ti me systems in the S domain and sampled data systems in the W or Z domains. It is executed by a digital computer program, AUTO, which uses a gradient-search algorithm to select the coefficients of multiloop feedback compensation transfer functions. These coefficients provide an open-loop frequency response, optimum in the sense that its deviation from the one desired is minimal in the weighted leastsquares sense. The selection of a method for incrementing compensation parameters that alleviates "ridge following" convergence problems is discussed, as are the geometric properties of the least-squares cost function itself. Examples of cost function geometries are presented to provide insight into their nature.
Osteoclast populations in congenital 0steopetrosis: Additional evidence of heterogeneity

Abstract Osteopetrosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by excessive accumulation of skeletal mass due to a reduction in bone resorption. The pathogenesis of osteopetrosis is reduced osteoclast function. Reports of osteoclast numbers in several mammalian mutations exhibiting osteopetrosis have shown them to be increased, decreased, or normal in numbers. The present investigation quantitated the osteoclast populations and examined the cytology of osteoclasts by light microscopy in calvarial and tibial sites in one rabbit and two mouse mutations and compared them with their normal littermates. Our observations show that osteoclast numbers are, depending: on the particular mutation, increased, decreased, or comparable to those found in normal littermates. In each mutation, however, osteoclasts fail to exhibit the cytoplasmic vacuolization next to bone surfaces seen in normal osteoclasts. These data provide additional evidence of heterogeneity in the congenital mammalian osteopetroses and suggest that these mutations may be significant sources of new information about the biology of osteoclasts.
An Improved p Chart Based on the Wilson Interval

AbstractThe p chart is one of the most widely used control charts for monitoring the percentage of nonconforming products. However, it is widely known that the false alarm rate of the conventional Shewhart-type p chart depends on the values of p (Bernoulli parameter) and n (sample size), and it often deviates from its target level. To improve on the conventional Shewhart-type p chart, we propose an alternative chart based on the Wilson confidence interval. We compare the proposed method with the existing methods. Through extensive computational simulation studies, we show that the proposed method outperforms other existing methods.
HIGH MORTALITY IN SCREENED PATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL MITRAL REGURGITATION AWAITING MITRACLIP PROCEDURE

There is a paucity of data of patients with severe functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) not treated with surgery. There is no data supporting surgery affects outcome in FMR. The MitraClip is a less invasive procedure, which may improve survival. As off September 2012, all consecutive FMR patients
Effect of stoichiometry and alloying on the peak effect in CeRu2

Abstract We report the effects of variation of the CeRu stoichiometry and substitutions of Co for Ru and Nd for Ce in polycrystalline samples of the type II superconductor CeRu 2 . A magnetic study of the normal and superconducting state properties of these compounds was made, including the ‘peak effect’ (PE) enhancement of the critical current density J c that occurs between a field H i and the upper critical field H c2 in the superconducting mixed state. The width of the PE region ( H c2 − H i )/ H c2 as well as the magnitude of the pinning are correlated with the supeconduting critical temperature in the substituted alloys, but are not sensitive to material parameters such as the electronic mean free path. These results suggest that the PE in CeRu 2 is of conventional origin, instead of arising from an exotic mixed state such as the spatially nonuniform Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. The superconducting H  T phase diagrams for the alloys in the substitution study are also presented.
Nonperturbative solution construction of nonlinear field equations

A recently developed nonperturbative method of solution construction of nonlinear field equations is used to find particular solutions of the φ4 field equations. The method preserves the intrinsic nonlinearity of the theory.
Assurance protocols and small Web retailers

Many Web areas are in an early technological period of rapid evolution and intense competitive selection. Nowhere is this truer than with electronic commerce. While much is being considered today for business-to-business transactions, the Web also represents a marvelous opportunity for small retail establishments. However, the needs of small establishments differ from those of larger firms. In particular, customer assurance is very important. Several assurance protocols are examined for their utility to small retail sellers on the Web. One new possibility involves using bankcard records to build assurance ratings.
Early determinants of H2O2-induced endothelial dysfunction

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can stimulate nitric oxide (NO(*)) production from the endothelium by transient activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). With continued or repeated exposure, NO(*) production is reduced, however. We investigated the early determinants of this decrease in NO(*) production. Following an initial H(2)O(2) exposure, endothelial cells responded by increasing NO(*) production measured electrochemically. NO(*) concentrations peaked by 10 min with a slow reduction over 30 min. The decrease in NO(*) at 30 min was associated with a 2.7-fold increase in O(2)(*-) production (p < 0.05) and a 14-fold reduction of the eNOS cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4), p < 0.05). Used as a probe for endothelial dysfunction, the integrated NO(*) production over 30 min upon repeated H(2)O(2) exposure was attenuated by 2.1-fold (p = 0.03). Endothelial dysfunction could be prevented by BH(4) cofactor supplementation, by scavenging O(2)(*-) or peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), or by inhibiting the NADPH oxidase. Hydroxyl radical (()OH) scavenging did not have an effect. In summary, early H(2)O(2)-induced endothelial dysfunction was associated with a decreased BH(4) level and increased O(2)(*-) production. Dysfunction required O(2)(*-), ONOO(-), or a functional NADPH oxidase. Repeated activation of the NADPH oxidase by ROS may act as a feed forward system to promote endothelial dysfunction.
New Rail Hubs Along High-Speed Rail Corridor in California: Urban Design Challenges

High-speed rail (HSR) will link California's first-tier cities to one another and to second-tier cities; this innovation may increase both mobility and accessibility in an unprecedented way. The system is also expected to have important physical impacts on station-adjacent neighborhoods and station cities, but to date, limited research exists to guide public policy efforts directing development around HSR stations. The urban design variables that may influence urban change in the context of HSR remain largely understudied. A state agency, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CaHSRA), is charged with designing and managing the implementation of the HSR network, while local station cities will be responsible for development around their stations. Although CaHSRA has issued general urban design guidelines for cities, more urban design guidance is necessary to address the specificities of local contexts. Most Southern California cities have not yet started station-area planning, and the few that have are...
Composition of the Wax Particles and Surface Wax of Adult Whiteflies: Aleuroplatus coronata, Aleurothrixus floccosus, Aleurotithius timberlakei, Dialeurodes citri, Dialeurodes citrifolii, and Parabemisia myricae

Abstract The external lipids produced by adult whiteflies consisted of “wax” particles adhering to body hairs and of surface lipids, largely wax esters. The wax particles of each species were composed of a mixture of long-chain aldehydes and long-chain alcohols of the same carbon numbers, the major chain lengths being C30, C32, or C34. C34 was the dominant chain length in Aleurothrixus floccocus , Dialeurodes citri , Dialeurodes citrifolii , and Parabemisia myricae , C30 in Aleuroplatus coronata , and C32 in Aleurotithius timberlakei . The major wax esters in the cuticular surface lipids were C40 and C42 in A. timberlakei , C42 in A. coronta , C42 and C44 in A. floccosus , D. citri , and D. citrifolii , C44 in P. myricae and Aleyrodes singularis , and C46 in Aleurodicus dugesii . Other chain lengths occurred in lower proportions. Hydrocarbons, largely n -alkanes, were minor components of the surface lipids.
Is international management of tuna necessary

Abstract Movements of skipjack and yellowfin tuna are reassessed in this article and it is shown that long-distance movements are the exception rather than the rule for these species and that for countries with large economic zones, stocks may be considered resident. Under current economic conditions, unregulated fisheries will not over-exploit skipjack tuna nor seriously overexploit yellowfin. International cooperation in regulating harvests is probably not required for these two species, particularly where economic zones are large. However, international cooperation in the research and collection of catch statistics is necessary since it will be quite difficult for an individual country to evaluate trends in the fishery.
Productivity of Pre-Vascular Continental Biota Inferred from the Fe(CO3)Oh Content of Goethite

CHEMICAL weathering of rocks by CO2—an important process in the carbon cycle—may have been affected by the appearance of vascular plants during the Silurian period (438–408 Myr ago), because of the enhanced efficacy of these plants in promoting weathering1. The magnitude of this effect is uncertain, however2–4. One key issue is the concentration of CO2 in soils, generated by microbial respiration; this is itself in part a function of soil productivity. We showed recently5 that the CO2 partial pressure in a Late Ordovician soil was 5.6 times that in the atmosphere; Keller and Wood6 have shown, however, that soil CO2 concentrations can be high even for low levels of microbial respiration, as a result of slow diffusion of respired CO2 out of the soil. Here we present an analysis of the Fe(CO3)OH component of goethite (FeOOH) in an Upper Ordovician oolitic ironstone which underwent tropical chemical weathering 440 Myr ago7,8. These data allow us to extract an estimate of the CO2 flux from the soil profile. The high rate that we obtain implies that the productivity of pre-vascular biota was similar to that in modern soils. Thus, attempts to model atmospheric CO2 concentrations over Phanerozoic 9–12 time need not assume that pronounced productivity changes accompanied the development of vascular plants.
On Convergence Properties of Algorithms for Unconstrained Minimization

Soit f une fonction convexe sur R n pour laquelle il existe une suite de points ou les valeurs de la fonction sont bornees inferieurement et les gradients convergent vers zero. Il est possible que f soit non bornee inferieurement pour n>1
Isolation and characterization of four alternate c-erbB3 transcripts expressed in ovarian carcinoma-derived cell lines and normal human tissues

ErbB-3 is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB) family. In addition to the previously reported 6.2 kb full-length and 1.4 kb truncated c-erbB3 transcripts, we have observed a 1.7 kb c-erbB3 human transcript in Northern blots that specifically hybridizes to a probe of the extracellular domain of the receptor. Using 3'-RACE we have isolated four novel c-erbB3 cDNA clones of 1.6, 1.7, 2.1 and 2.3 kb from a human ovarian carcinoma-derived cell line. All four alternate transcripts are synthesized by readthrough of an intron and use of an alternative polyadenylation signal within this intron. Identical c-erbB3 transcripts are expressed in normal human placental tissues. Expression of these alternate transcripts is tissue-specific as indicated by Northern blot and RNase protection analyses. Fibroblasts transfected with expression vectors carrying these alternate c-erbB3 cDNA clones stably express truncated ErbB-3 products. Three of these four cDNA clones express a receptor product that is secreted. Immunoprecipitation analysis of primary cultures of human ovarian carcinomas also demonstrate the expression of a 90 kDa ErbB-3 related protein that is secreted. Furthermore, we demonstrate conservation of the exon-intron junctions between members of the erbB gene family in those regions of the gene encoding the extracellular domain. This gene structure is also conserved in the c-erbB1 homologues of Drosophila and C. elegans. Growth regulatory roles for related truncated ErbB products recently have been reported. It is, therefore, possible that the products of these four alternate c-erbB3 transcripts may also play important growth regulatory roles in normal and transformed cells.
An Experimental Study of Routing Metrics in 802.11n Wireless Mesh Networks

In the recent past, link quality-based routing metrics, such as ETX and ETT, have been shown to significantly outperform the traditional hopcount metric in legacy 802.11a/b/g wireless mesh networks (WMNs). The new 802.11n standard introduces a number of enhancements at the MAC/PHY layers (MIMO technology, channel bonding, frame aggregation, and more aggressive modulation and coding schemes) marking the beginning of a new generation of 802.11 radios. In this paper, we conduct one of the first experimental studies of the performance of link quality-based routing metrics in a 21-node indoor 802.11n WMN. Our study reveals that the gains of link quality-based metrics over the hopcount metric in legacy 802.11 WMNs do not carry over in 802.11n MIMO WMNs. We analyze the causes of this behavior and make recommendations for the design of new routing metrics in 802.11n WMNs.
Expression and Function of the Calcium-Sensing Receptor in Juxtaglomerular Cells

Calcium-sensing receptors sense and translate micromolar changes of extracellular calcium into changes in intracellular calcium. Renin, a component of the renin-angiotensin system, is synthesized by, stored in, and released from the juxtaglomerular cells through a cAMP-dependent pathway. Increased intracellular calcium inhibits the adenylyl cyclase isoform type V, cAMP formation, and renin release from juxtaglomerular cells. We hypothesized that calcium-sensing receptors are expressed in juxtaglomerular cells and mediate changes in intracellular calcium and renin release. To test this we used primary cultures of isolated mouse juxtaglomerular cells in which we ran RT-PCR, Western blots, and immunofluorescence. RT-PCR showed a positive band at the expected 151 bp consistent with calcium-sensing receptor. Western blots showed a 130- to 150-kDa band confirming the calcium-sensing receptor in juxtaglomerular cells. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy using 2 different antibodies against the calcium-sensing receptor in juxtaglomerular cells showed positive fluorescence in the juxtaglomerular cells, which also had positive labeling for renin. To test whether calcium-sensing receptors regulate renin release, juxtaglomerular cells were incubated with a calcium-sensing receptor agonist, the calcimimetic cinacalcet-HCl, at concentrations of 50 and 1000 nmol/L in 0.25 mmol/L of calcium medium. Cinacalcet-HCl decreased juxtaglomerular cell cAMP formation to 47.3+/-6.8% and 44.2+/-9.7% of basal, respectively (P<0.001), and decreased renin release from 541.9+/-86.2 to 364.6+/-64.1 (P<0.05) and 279.6+/-56.9 (P<0.005) ng of angiotensin I per milliliter per hour per milligram of protein, respectively. We conclude that juxtaglomerular cells express the calcium-sensing receptor and that their activation leads to inhibition of adenylyl cyclase-V activity, decreasing cAMP formation and suppressing renin release.
Some properties of a non-negative quantum-mechanical distribution function

We consider the distribution function obtained by smoothing the original distribution function, defined in an earlier publication, with a ground-state harmonic oscillator wave function. We derive its time dependence and show that, in par- ticular, the field-free result does not correspond to the classical result. We point out that the non-negative property of the smoothed function follows immediately from the fact that the integral of the product of two of the original distribution functions is equal, except for a factor 2πh, to the transition probability between the two states they represent.
CROSSROADS---Microfoundations of Performance: Balancing Efficiency and Flexibility in Dynamic Environments

Our purpose is to clarify the microfoundations of performance in dynamic environments. A key premise is that the microfoundational link from organization, strategy, and dynamic capabilities to performance centers on how leaders manage the fundamental tension between efficiency and flexibility. We develop several insights. First, regarding structure, we highlight that organizations often drift toward efficiency, and so balancing efficiency and flexibility comes, counterintuitively, through unbalancing to favor flexibility. Second, we argue that environmental dynamism, rather than being simply stable or dynamic, is a multidimensional construct with dimensions that uniquely influence the importance and ease of balancing efficiency and flexibility. Third, we outline how executives balance efficiency and flexibility through cognitively sophisticated, single solutions rather than by simply holding contradictions. Overall, we go beyond the caricature of new organizational forms as obsessed with fluidity and the simplistic view of routines as the microfoundation of performance. Rather, we contribute a more accurate view of how leaders effectively balance between efficiency and flexibility by emphasizing heuristics-based “strategies of simple rules,” multiple environmental realities, and higher-order “expert” cognition. Together, these insights seek to add needed precision to the microfoundations of performance in dynamic environments.
Of deck chairs, suits, and quiz shows [Internet]

Should marketing-based, centralized management and control be forced on to a distributed and fundamentally anarchic network? It seems that those responsible for representing the public interest-specifically the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-appear surprisingly uninterested in examining whether the public is currently being well-served by the existing Internet architecture. No-one seems to be asking the real National Information Infrastructure (NII) decision-makers the awkward questions on the public's behalf. >
REFINING THE ROLE OF CERROS DE TRINCHERAS IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA SETTLEMENT

AbstractCerros de trincheras in northern Sonora and southern Arizona have traditionally been interpreted as short-term, defensive refuges. This paper reviews recent evidence concerning the functions of such sites by focusing on survey, mapping, and excavation results gained over the past 12 years at several Tucson Basin cerros de trincheras. This evidence suggests that the Tucson Basin sites, and probably other cerros de trincheras as well, were not used as emergency defensive retreats. They instead were used for a variety of activities during the Hohokam early Classic period. The largest and most complex sites apparently were habitation villages, supporting hillside and hill summit pit houses and masonry rooms, large and small stone terraces, and massive, walled compounds. Artifacts and other evidence indicate that some of the terraces apparently were used for cultivation, and that the compounds may have accommodated ceremonies. Symbolic aspects of cerros de trincheras, particularly the highly visible te...
The Cultural Genogram Key to Training Culturally Competent Family Therapists

Training programs committed to the development of culturally competent family therapists must discover ways to raise cultural awareness and increase cultural sensitivity. While awareness involves gaining knowledge of various cultural groups, sensitivity involves having experiences that challenge individuals to explore their personal cultural issues. This article outlines how the cultural genogram can be used as an effective training tool to promote both cultural awareness and sensitivity. To meet the demands of a changing world, it will be imperative for family therapy training programs to devote greater attention to preparing culturally competent therapists. Unfortunately, current efforts to prepare culturally competent therapists are skewed heavily toward promoting cultural “awareness” while neglecting the importance of cultural “sensitivity.” This occurs primarily through the use of multicultural training models that rely heavily on providing trainees with multicultural content, with far less emphasis upon promoting meaningful multicultural experiences. Although it is beneficial for trainees to receive exposure to content highlighting the unique aspects of various cultural groups, it is rare that such knowledge readily translates into sensitivity. The content-focused approach to multicultural education overemphasizes the characteristics of various cultural groups while ignoring the importance of the trainees’ perceptions of and feelings toward their respective cultural backgrounds. As a result, trainees are rarely challenged to examine how their respective cultural identities influence understanding and acceptance of those who are both culturally similar and dissimilar.
A systematic approach to continuous graph labeling with application to computer vision

The discrete and continuous graph labeling problem are discussed. A basis for the continuous graph labeling problem is presented, in which an explicit connection between the discrete and continuous problems is made. The need for this basis is argued by noting conditions which must be satisfied before solutions can be pursued in a formal manner. Several cooperative solution algorithms based on the proposed formulation and results of the application of these algorithms to the problem of extracting line drawings are presented.
Homologous chromosome pairing.

Commonly accepted precepts are challenged : (1) that homologous chromosome pairing is normally mediated by nuclear envelope attachment sites; (2) that crossover site establishment awaits synaptic completion; and (3) that it is the function of the synaptonemal complex to hold homologues in register so that equal crossing over can occur, and perhaps to provide machinery for the crossover process. Although these views may eventually be shown to be true, it is felt that currently available evidence does not warrant their full acceptance, and that alternatives should be considered. As examples of alternatives the following ideas, with some supporting evidence, are suggested: (1) homologous chromsome pairing (in non-haplont organisms) may be accomplished by chance meeting of homologue segments (followed by establishment of invisible, elastic connectors) at congression for a mitotic metaphase (in many cases perhaps the premeiotic mitosis); (2) crossover sites may be established before, during, or immediately following initiation of synapsis; and (3) the synaptonemal complex may somehow function in the crossover process at the inception of its formation, but its complete deployment throughout each normal bivalent may serve some other role, such as mediation of the binding of sister chromatids apparently required for chiasma maintenance until anaphase I.
Proceedings of Consensus Conference on Simultaneous Liver Kidney Transplantation (SLK)

A consensus conference sponsored by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), American Society of Transplantation (AST), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and American Society of Nephrology (ASN) convened to examine simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLK). Directors from the 25 largest liver transplant programs along with speakers with recognized expertise attended. The purposes of this conference were to propose indications for SLK, to establish a prospective data registry and, most importantly, to recommend standard listing criteria for these patients. Scientific registry of transplant recipients data, and single center data regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) in conjunction with liver failure as a basis for SLK was presented and discussed. The consensus was that Regional Review Boards (RRB) should determine listing for SLK, as with other MELD exceptions, with automatic approval for: (i) End-stage renal disease with cirrhosis and symptomatic portal hypertension or hepatic vein wedge pressure gradient >/= 10 mm Hg (ii) Liver failure and CKD with GFR /= 2.0 mg/dL and dialysis >/= 8 weeks (iv) Liver failure and CKD and biopsy demonstrating > 30% glomerulosclerosis or 30% fibrosis. The RRB would evaluate all other requests to determine appropriateness.
Left Ventricular Pressure-Volume Relations and Performance as Affected by Sudden Increases in Developed Pressure

Left ventricular performance in the isolated dog heart was observed in a preparation in which left ventricular pressure and volume could be monitored continuously while the ventricle contracted isobarically by compressing air into a large chamber. By suddenly reducing the orifice connecting the ventricle to the chamber a constant load was imposed on the ventricle, abruptly forcing it to develop pressure in systole. This pressure increased over the ensuing 3 minutes while both the load and the end-diastolic pressure remained constant, implying that the sudden development of pressure by the ventricle was attended by a positive inotropic effect, otherwise known as homeometric autoregulation. Further studies showed this positive inotropic effect to be a function of the magnitude of the abrupt increase in systolic pressure and the time course of the experiment. β-adrenergic receptor blockade with propranolol decreased but did not abolish this effect. Infusion of norepinephrine did not enhance it. Increases in ...
Uni-directional cube-connected cycles

Cube connected cycles (CCC), a popular and layout/efficient alternative to hypercube, can emulate the performance of hypercube for many parallel algorithms. Recently, interconnection networks based on simplex links rather than duplex have been proposed. The uni-directional architectures have layout advantages and reduces complexity of each processing element (PE). The authors propose directed cube connected cycles (DCCC) as a uni-directional alternative to CCC. They have developed PE-to-PE routing algorithm for DCCC. A method for porting algorithms (designed to run on bi-directional CCC) to DCCC is provided. The extent of slowdown due to using simplex links is evaluated. They also provide loop embedding on DCCC. DCCC is found competitive to CCC in algorithmic performance though DCCC is much layout inexpensive. >
Evaluation of Bioactive Glass (13-93) Scaffolds with an Oriented Microstructure for Regenerating Load-bearing Bones

Bioactive glass is an attractive scaffold material for use in filling bone defects because of its widely recognized ability to support the growth of bone cells and to bond firmly with hard and soft tissue. Use of bioactive glasses in the form of porous three-dimensional scaffolds for bone repair applications has been receiving considerable interest in recent years. However, bioactive glass scaffolds have been limited to the repair of low-load bone defects because of their low strength. In the present work, porous and strong bioactive glass scaffolds with an oriented microstructure were prepared by unidirectional freezing of camphene-based suspensions, and evaluated for their ability to regenerate bone in a non-healing rat calvarial defect model. Scaffolds of 13-93 glass (53SiO2, 6Na2O, 12K2O, 5MgO, 20CaO, 4P2O5; wt%) with a porosity of 50% and columnar pores of diameter 50–150 μm showed a compressive strength of 47 ± 5 MPa and an elastic modulus of 11 ± 3 GPa. Total bone regeneration in the oriented scaffolds, 18% after implantation for 12 weeks to 24% after 24 weeks, was not significantly different from that in 13-93 scaffolds with a microstructure similar to that of dry human trabecular bone (control group). The results indicated that these oriented bioactive glass (13-93) scaffolds could potentially be used in the regeneration of loaded bone.
A Bayesian Approach to Controlling Percent Defective A Model and Application

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to develop a general model for controlling the percent defective of an ongoing production process. The model is developed in a Bayesian decision theory framework so that, using dynamic programming, optimal (least cost) control decisions can be found. An application of the model to a real world production process is described in detail. The problems of estimating the model parameters are discussed along with some approaches to overcoming the estimation problems. Finally, the optimal control policies for the real world process are presented and are shown to be straightforward and easily implemented.
Improving Accuracy of MAV Pose Estimation using Visual Odometry

We present a system for estimating MAV location and attitude with increased accuracy by coupling GPS/INS telemetry information with visual odometry (VO). An on-board camera provides image data from which VO information can be extracted, providing another source of information about aircraft pose. We present a technique for estimating and propagating the uncertainty associated with VO-based pose estimates, allowing this information to be fused with GPS-based estimates in an extended Kalman filtering framework. We present results demonstrating a substantial increase in accuracy of pose estimates.
Key considerations in the design of an integrated diagnostics test facility

Current inefficiencies in the United States Navy maintenance system have led to an increase in false removal maintenance actions. With the goal of reducing diagnostic ambiguity between multiple Weapons Replaceable Assemblies (WRAs) at the Organizational level of maintenance (O-Level), the Integrated Diagnostics and Automated Test Systems (IDATS) team at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Lakehurst has established an integrated diagnostics test facility where avionics can be operated in an emulated maintenance environment. This paper describes the processes which were used to define, capture, document, and fulfill these requirements. Decisions were driven by these requirements, ranging from construction methods and materials to the selection of test equipment and test programming environment. The procedures followed and decisions made during the formation of this laboratory can serve as lessons learned and help form a road map for future facilities of this type.
Adaptive Allocation of Pilot and Data Power for Time-Selective Fading Channels with Feedback

We consider data transmission through a time-selective (correlated) flat Rayleigh fading channel under an average power constraint. The channel is estimated at the receiver with a pilot signal, and the estimate is fed back to the transmitter. The estimate is used for coherent demodulation, and to adapt the data and pilot powers. We start with a block fading channel in which the channel gain changes according to a Gauss-Markov process. The channel estimate is updated during each coherence block with a Kalman filter, and optimizing the data and pilot powers is formulated as a dynamic program. We then study a continuous limit in which the coherence time tends to zero, and the correlation between successive channel gains tends to one, so that the channel process becomes a diffusion process. In this limit it is shown that the optimal pilot power control policy is "bang-bang", i.e., depending on the current system state (channel estimate and associated error variance) the pilot power is either the maximum allowable, or zero. The associated regions of the state space are illustrated numerically for specific system values. This example shows that the achievable rate with the optimized training policy provides substantial gains relative to constant training power at low SNRs.