cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Reasons for the Use of the Line‐Item Veto in Southern States

This study analyzes reasons given for the individual use of line-item vetoes by the governors of Southern states from 1973–1992 in light of historical changes in gubernatorial roles in state budgetary processes. The original purpose of the line-item veto was to defend executive budget estimates and prevent unconstitutional expenditure. However, reasons for its use have evolved along with changes in state budgetary processes. Thus, the line-item veto is used most of the time today not only to defend executive budget estimates and prevent unconstitutional expenditures, but also to protect gubernatorial policy prerogatives and occasionally control overall state spending. Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, it is seldom used against pork-barrel expenditure. Much more common is the occasional intensive use of the line-item veto by particular governors over specific policy-related disagreements with state legislatures.
Saving Lives and Saving Deaths

When it is not possible to save a life, I have learned and have begun to teach how to save a death—to help a patient preserve comfort and dignity despite overwhelming illness and to help a family u...
Designer diatom episomes delivered by bacterial conjugation

Eukaryotic microalgae hold great promise for the bioproduction of fuels and higher value chemicals. However, compared with model genetic organisms such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, characterization of the complex biology and biochemistry of algae and strain improvement has been hampered by the inefficient genetic tools. To date, many algal species are transformable only via particle bombardment, and the introduced DNA is integrated randomly into the nuclear genome. Here we describe the first nuclear episomal vector for diatoms and a plasmid delivery method via conjugation from Escherichia coli to the diatoms Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira pseudonana. We identify a yeast-derived sequence that enables stable episome replication in these diatoms even in the absence of antibiotic selection and show that episomes are maintained as closed circles at copy number equivalent to native chromosomes. This highly efficient genetic system facilitates high-throughput functional characterization of algal genes and accelerates molecular phytoplankton research.
Mapping the spin-dependent electron reflectivity of Fe and Co ferromagnetic thin films

Spin Polarized Low Energy Electron Microscopy is used as a spin dependent spectroscopic probe to study the spin dependent specular reflection of a polarized electron beam from two different magnetic thin film systems: Fe/W(110) and Co/W(110). The reflectivity and spin-dependent exchange-scattering asymmetry are studied as a function of electron kinetic energy and film thickness, as well as the time dependence. The largest value of the figure of merit for spin polarimetry is observed for a 5 monolayer thick film of Co/W(110) at an electron kinetic energy of 2eV. This value is 2 orders of magnitude higher than previously obtained with state of the art Mini-Mott polarimeter. We discuss implications of our results for the development of an electron-spin-polarimeter using the exchange-interaction at low energy.
Electric fields in the heart in internal defibrillation

The automatic implantable defibrillator delivers a shock directly to the heart. Optimal strategies for delivering these shocks were determined by studying a three-dimensional computer model of the electric fields produced by internal defibrillation electrodes. A finite-element technique was used to determine energy and current distribution in the heart for electrode configurations typically in use clinically. The model provides useful data on regional current and energy distributions. >
Local interaction strategies and capacity for better care in nursing homes: a multiple case study

To describe relationship patterns and management practices in nursing homes (NHs) that facilitate or pose barriers to better outcomes for residents and staff. We conducted comparative, multiple-case studies in selected NHs (N = 4). Data were collected over six months from managers and staff (N = 406), using direct observations, interviews, and document reviews. Manifest content analysis was used to identify and explore patterns within and between cases. Participants described interaction strategies that they explained could either degrade or enhance their capacity to achieve better outcomes for residents; people in all job categories used these ‘local interaction strategies’. We categorized these two sets of local interaction strategies as the ‘common pattern’ and the ‘positive pattern’ and summarize the results in two models of local interaction. The findings suggest the hypothesis that when staff members in NHs use the set of positive local interaction strategies, they promote inter-connections, information exchange, and diversity of cognitive schema in problem solving that, in turn, create the capacity for delivering better resident care. We propose that these positive local interaction strategies are a critical driver of care quality in NHs. Our hypothesis implies that, while staffing levels and skill mix are important factors for care quality, improvement would be difficult to achieve if staff members are not engaged with each other in these ways.
Ankle Bracing and the Neuromuscular Factors Influencing Joint Stiffness

Abstract Context: Health care professionals commonly prescribe external stabilization to decrease the incidence and severity of ankle sprains. The mechanism for this decrease is not clearly underst...
Effect of vegetation on soil moisture sensing observed from orbiting microwave radiometers

The microwave radiometric measurements made by the Skylab 1.4 GHz radiometer and by the 6.6 GHz and 10.7 GHz channels of the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer were analyzed to study the large-area soil moisture variations of land surfaces. Two regions in Texas, one with sparse and the other with dense vegetation covers, were selected for the study. The results gave a confirmation of the vegetation effect observed by ground-level microwave radiometers. Based on the statistics of the satellite data, it was possible to estimate surface soil moisture in about five different levels from dry to wet conditions with a 1.4 GHz radiometer, provided that the biomass of the vegetation cover could be independently measured. At frequencies greater than about 6.6 GHz, the radiometric measurements showed little sensitivity to moisture variation for vegetation-covered soils. The effects of polarization in microwave emission were studied also.
Struggle over the Soviet Future: Science Education versus Vocationalism during the 1920s

Scholars have documented how Bolshevik activists recognized the centrality of education as the means of inculcating in young citizens new Soviet values. However, what, exactly, constituted those "Soviet" values was still hotly contested during the 1920s. This contest was most vehemently waged in the crucial but understudied arena of science education. A close look at those disputes provides a new understanding of factional politics within the People's Commissariat of Education (Narkompros), revealing fundamental fault lines that divided not only non-Bolshevik progressive educators from Bolsheviks but also Bolsheviks from each other.' Because the Soviet leadership claimed legitimacy on the basis of the "scientific" nature of Marxist doctrine, the nature of "science" became central grounds for dispute. The Lysenko Affair is most widely known, but Soviet science was politicized far earlier. In the 1920s the debate was not between valid science and know-nothing anti-science, but rather between two different views of the nature of science. For one party, the heirs of the progressive educational movement of the tsarist era, science was an open system that pursued knowledge of the universe for its own sake, and inculcated in its students a "democratic" questioning of received "truths." For them, science most of all taught children to think independently and critically, and it instilled in them a wide-ranging curiosity about the universe. For their opponents, radical Marxists of a Stalinist bent, science was a source of"certain" knowledge, valuable only because it provided a means of manipulating the material world. For them, science taught schoolchildren how to achieve the technical goals the Soviet leadership had established.
Incorporation of Trivalent Cations in Crystalline Potassium Chloride

DIVALENT metal halides such as calcium chloride, dissolved in alkali halide crystals, increase the ionic conductivity1 and give rise to additional bands (the Z bands) in the absorption spectra of coloured alkali halides2. For some time there has been speculation concerning the possibility of incorporating trivalent cations and the effect of such additions on electrical and optical properties.
Composite-cavity-mode approach to single-mode semiconductor-laser feedback instabilities

A semiconductor laser in an external high-quality cavity is analyzed using a composite-resonator-eigenmode description of two coupled resonators. Laser threshold and lasing frequency are studied for various cavity lengths and coupling-mirror transmissions controlling the amount of light feedback into the laser. The results are valid for all values of coupling. Pronounced mode hopping is predicted, which leads to dramatic laser-frequency shifts for small variations of the external cavity length.
Thermal Expansion Kinetics: Method to Measure Permeability of Cementitious Materials, IV. Effect of Thermal Gradients and Viscoelasticity

When a porous material that is saturated with liquid is heated, the liquid expands much more than the solid phase. If the permeability is low, then the liquid may not be able to escape as it expands, so it expands within the pores and causes dilatation of the body. In that case, by analyzing the kinetics of dilatation during a change in temperature, it is possible to extract the permeability. Previous papers have examined the behavior of an elastic or viscoelastic (VE) porous solid subjected to a thermal cycle slow enough to avoid internal temperature gradients. However, for cementitious samples, the sample size must be large enough that thermal gradients are likely. In this paper, we show that the effect of the gradient can be readily incorporated into the analysis of experimental data. For cement paste, experiments reveal that VE relaxation has a greater influence on the results than the gradient in temperature.
GEL FILTRATION OF NATIVE AND MODIFIED PIG SERUM LIPOPROTEINS

Abstract Total lipoproteins were isolated from pig blood serum and further separated into individual classes of very low-density (VLDL), low-density (LDL) and high-density (HDL) lipoproteins by preparative centrifugation in NaBr solutions. The same classes were obtained by gel filtration of the total lipoproteins on Biogel A 50 m (agarose gel) and were eluted in the order VLDL, LDL and HDL. LDL emerged as a single broad assymmetrical peak. Its initial and final portions were enriched in the subclasses LDL1 and LDL2, respectively. Gel filtration separated partially delipidated LDL into three zones. The first to emerge contained large aggregates, the intermediate and final zone (which eluted in the same volume as LDL) contained several ultra-centrifugally distinguishable components. Partially delipidated VLDL emerged in about the same volume as HDL.
"Landlocked" Salmon and Early Holocene Lacustrine Adaptation in Southwestern Maine

While early Holocene sites are rare in northeastern North America, and by implication early Holocene populations were relatively low, Middle Archaic sites (7000–9000 BP) are particularly abundant in the “Lakes” region of southwestern Maine and southeastern New Hampshire. Since sea level in this region (western Gulf of Maine) was as much as 50 m below present at that time, site abundance in the “Lakes” region may be explained by an unusual set of conditions which allowed populations of anadromous fish to develop earlier than elsewhere. Data from the Sebago Lake region of southwestern Maine suggest the development of a subsistence regime in Middle Archaic times based on intensive exploitation of anadromous fish, turtles, and aquatic mammals. In addition, it is likely that “landlocked” salmon populations became established at this time, resulting in a diverse, abundant, and stable resource base that supported sedentary encampments, particularly near outlets to important spawning grounds.
Correlated magnetic noise in global networks of gravitational-wave detectors: Observations and implications

One of the most ambitious goals of gravitational-wave astronomy is to observe the stochastic gravitational-wave background. Correlated noise in two or more detectors can introduce a systematic error, which limits the sensitivity of stochastic searches. We report on measurements of correlated magnetic noise from Schumann resonances at the widely separated LIGO and Virgo detectors. We investigate the effect of this noise on a global network of gravitational-wave detectors and derive a constraint on the allowable coupling of environmental magnetic fields to test mass motion in gravitational-wave detectors. We find that while correlated noise from global electromagnetic fields could be safely ignored for initial LIGO stochastic searches, it could severely impact Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, KAGRA, as well as third-generation detectors.
PR_b-targeted PEGylated liposomes for prostate cancer therapy.

In recent years, there has been considerable effort in designing improved delivery systems by including site-directed surface ligands to further enhance their selective targeting. The goal of this study is to engineer α5β1-targeted stealth liposomes (nanoparticles covered with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)) that will bind to α5β1-expressing LNCaP human prostate cancer cells and efficiently release the encapsulated load intracellularly. For this purpose, liposomes (with and without PEG2000) were functionalized with a fibronectin-mimetic peptide (PR_b) and delivered to LNCaPs. The amount of PEG2000 and other liposomal components were characterized by 1H NMR, and the amount of peptide by the bicinchoninic acid protein assay. Fibronectin is the natural ligand for α5β1, and a promising design for a fibronectin-mimetic peptide includes both the primary binding site (RGD) and the synergy site (PHSRN) connected by a linker and extended off a surface by a spacer. We have previously designed a peptide-amphiphile, PR_...
Synthetic Nanomotors in Microchannel Networks: Directional Microchip Motion and Controlled Manipulation of Cargo

We illustrate the use of catalytic nanowire motors for directional motion and microscale transport of cargo within microfluidic channel networks. The CNT-based synthetic nanomotor can propel a large cargo load at high speeds through predetermined paths and junctions of the microchannel network. The magnetic properties of the nickel-containing nanomotors offer controlled cargo manipulations, including en-route load, drag, and release. Such use of synthetic nanomachines can lead to chemically powered versatile laboratory-on-a-chip devices performing a series of tasks simultaneously or sequentially.
The Conversion of the Chumash Indians: An Ecological Interpretation

A 17-year period during which interaction occurred between the Chumash and Spanish colonizers is the focus of the study. Significant variation in subsistence and interactive patterns during this period is identified. The baptismal rite that marked the transition from native villager to mission Indian is interpreted in relation to the environmental and subsistence realities faced by both the Chumash and Spanish.
REALIZATION AND THE FORMULATION OF PHYSICALISM

Twenty years ago, Richard Boyd suggested that physicalism could be formulated by appeal to a notion of realization, with no appeal to the identity of the non-physical with the physical. In (Melnyk 2003), I developed this suggestion at length, on the basis of one particular account of realization. I now ask what happens if you try to formulate physicalism on the basis of other accounts of realization, accounts due to LePore and Loewer and to Shoemaker. Having explored two new formulations of physicalism, I conclude that my 2003 formulation remains the most promising.
Lessons learned from the first application of the DeBakey VAD Child: An intracorporeal ventricular assist device for children

We report and describe the design and the first clinical implantation of the DeBakey ventricular assist device (VAD) Child, a pediatric intracorporeal left ventricular assist device, in a 6-year-old girl. The risk-benefit of novel technologies in advanced heart failure and the lessons learned by our experience are important to consider in hopes that other centers (where this device is now available) may benefit.
Strike Lengths: Correcting for Prestrike Announcements and the Ratio of Bargaining Size to Firm Size

Anticipating the duration of a labor strike can be vital for both sides of the dispute, as well as outside observers. The methods of a pair of studies using Canadian data are surveyed to analyze labor strikes in the United States from 1992 to 2008. Corrections are made for strikes with predetermined lengths (“one-day” strikes and the like), whose durations are more a function of the prior announcements than of other factors, such as number of employees striking and macroeconomic conditions. Strikes are found to be generally shorter when the striking unit represents a larger portion of the firm’s total workers, a proxy for its bargaining power. This ratio provides a better understanding of the strike dynamics (including expected length) than do sheer bargaining unit size or sheer firm size.
Gamma rate theory for causal rate control in source coding and video coding

Gamma rate theory for rate control.Gamma rate function and rate gamma function.New performance metric for evaluating video coding algorithms. The rate distortion function in information theory provides performance bounds for lossy source coding. However, it is not clear how to causally encode a Gaussian sequence under rate constraints while achieving R-D optimality. This problem has significant implications in the design of rate control for video communication. To address this problem, we take distortion fluctuation into account and develop a new theory, called gamma rate theory, to quantify the trade-off between rate and distortion fluctuation. The gamma rate theory implies that, to evaluate the performance of causal rate controls in source coding, the traditional R-D metric needs to be replaced by a new GRD metric. The gamma rate theory identifies the trade-off between quality fluctuation and bandwidth, which is not known previously. To validate the gamma rate theory, we design a rate control algorithm for video coding; our experimental results demonstrate the utility of the gamma rate theory in video coding.
ESR studies of cobalt dioxygen complexes containing pentadentate schiff base ligands

Abstract Dioxygen complexes prepared in solution from high-spin cobalt(II) precursors have been investigated using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. These compounds differ from other adducts studied in this manner since they contain linear pentadentate Schiff base ligands. Comparisons are made with dioxygen complexes containing tetradentate ligands. Differences in the spectra of these compounds are attributed to differences in the mode of bonding and the arrangement of the ligand about the metal. Both spin polarization and delocalization are considered in the explanation of the spectra of cobalt-superoxo adducts.
Influence of the Temperature Dependence of the NaI(Tl) Decay Time Constant on NaI(Tl) Detector Applications

Pulse shape discrimination is used in important NaI(Tl) detector applications, such as, Phoswich applications, particle separation, and pile-up suppression. These applications utilizing only pulse height spectra gated by a PSD window can be compromised by temperature excursions in the detector. We present measurements of the NaI(Tl) decay time constant over the range 0°C - 24°C. A temperature variation of ~5 nsec/°C was measured. The implications of the temperature variation on detector performance are discussed.
Persistence of impaired functioning and psychological distress after medical hospitalization for men with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the persistence of impaired healthrelated quality of life (HRQL) and psychological distress associated with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders in a longitudinal sample of medically hospitalized male veterans.
649 Hypozincemia in Growing Premature Singleton and Twin Infants

Serial serum zinc (Zn) concentrations were measured from birth to a mean age of 16 weeks in 17 well, AGA, singleton, premature infants (mean GA=30 wks., mean B.W.=1253gms.) and compared to serum Zn concentrations in 4 sets of premature twins (mean GA=30 wks., mean individual B.W.=1104gms.) who were followed to a mean age of 18 weeks. All infants were fed standard infant formulas. Average weekly daily weight gain, linear growth, caloric, protein, and Zn intake were not significantly different between the two groups. Serum Zn concentrations measured in the first 72 hrs. of life averaged 170μg/dl in the singleton infants and 144μg/dl in the twins (p=.3). Hypozincemia (serum Zn <70μg/dl) is common in the growing premature infant. The premature twin is at particular risk, however, for the development of marked hypozincemia (serum Zn <50μg/dl) during the first 5 months of life. Inadequate Zn content of infant formulas, poor Zn absorption and/or decreased body stores may all be contributory.
Understanding Data-Driven Decision Support Systems

It is important for managers and Information Technology professionals to understand data-driven decision support systems and how such systems can provide business intelligence and performance monitoring. Data-driven DSS is one of five major types of computerized decision support systems and the features of such systems vary across specific implementations. Different development packages also impact the capabilities of data-driven DSS and hence criteria for evaluating data-driven DSS development software are important to understand. Overall, this article builds on an historic foundation of prior decision support systems theory.
A case control study of falling incidents among the hospitalized elderly

Falling incidents among the hospitalized elderly were investigated using a case/control methodology to identify high-risk individuals. The medical records of all patients who had a reported fall (N = 173) in 1978 in one geriatric facility were compared with the records of a random sample of patients without a reported fall (N = 339). The significant risk factors were male sex, urinary incontinence within 48 hours prior to the fall, and psychoactive medication 12 hours prior to the fall. It was concluded that some patients may have a greater tendency to fall than others and suggestions for exploring future means of prevention are presented.
Environmental liability reform and privatization in Central and Eastern Europe

The legacy of severe environmental degradation inherited by the new Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies requires liability reform to aid the cleanup of existing pollution sources and create incentives for future environmental risk reduction. The paper analyzes a host of liability approaches to meet these goals, given economic and institutional characteristics specific to the CEE nations, and explores the impact of environmental liability rules on privatization and foreign investment. A principal conclusion of the analysis is that, for a host of efficiency-based reasons, liability should not be retroactively applied to the new owners of privatized firms. Also, the paper advocates the use of national liability funds to finance the cost of existing liabilities, while highlighting dangers associated with their use. In addition to the desirability of alternative privatization mechanisms, the paper also analyzes altemative liability rules to govern prospective environmental hazards.
Quantum-chemical and lattice-defect hybrid approach to the calculation of defects in metals

A hydrid theoretical approach is presented for the calculation of the properties of localized defects in solids. The method involves treating the electronic structure for the cluster of atoms immediately surrounding the defect from a quantum-mechanical point of view. Specifically, the Hartree-Fock method is employed here with appropriate pseudopotentials for the core electrons. The longer-range elastic distortions of the lattice are treated atomistically using two-body potentials and the lattice-defect method. The total energy of the system, including both the electronic energy of the cluster and the lattice-relaxation energy, is solved selfconsistently. In this paper, the method is applied to a helium interstitial atom in fcc Ni. The hybrid calculations are compared with several two-body lattice-defect calculations as well as with quantum-chemical cluster calculations. The activation energy for diffusion along a $〈110〉$ direction is found to be 0.43 eV which is in reasonable agreement with the \ensuremath{\sim} 0.34-eV experimental value of Thomas, Swansiger, and Baskes. The hybrid method eliminates the need to define a two-body interaction between the defect particle and the host atoms while incorporating both electronic redistribution and lattice distortion.
Bilayer lipid membrane‐based electrochemical biosensors

This paper presents a brief review on the bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) system and its potential applications as a chemical/biosensor. The applications reviewed include substrate-enzyme complexes, antigen-antibody-complement interactions, electrochemical assay of drugs, as well as light-sensitive BLMs for optical sensors. Suggestions for improvements in the development of BLM-based electrochemical biosensors for the clinical setting are also presented.
MAP kinase mediates growth factor-induced nuclear translocation of estrogen receptor α

Abstract In addition to mediating the classical transcriptional effects of estrogen, estrogen receptors (ERs) are now known to regulate gene expression in the absence of estrogen by ligand-independent activation pathways, and to mediate the rapid, non-genomic effects of estrogen as well. ERs have been shown to associate with the cell membrane, and recent studies demonstrate that this subpopulation of membrane-associated ER mediates the rapid effects of estrogen. To date, however, little is known regarding the pathways that regulate the distribution of the ER between the nuclear and membrane fractions. In the current study, we demonstrate membrane localization of transiently transfected ERα in human vascular smooth muscle cells, and translocation of ERα from the membrane to the nucleus in response to both estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent stimulation. Mutational analyses identified serine 118 as the critical residue regulating nuclear localization following estrogen-independent stimulation, but not following estrogen stimulation. Induction of nuclear localization of ERα by estrogen-independent, but not estrogen-dependent stimulation was blocked by both pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation. Furthermore, constitutive activation of MAP kinase resulted in nuclear translocation of ERα. These overexpression studies support that MAP kinase-mediated phosphorylation of ERα induces nuclear localization of the ER in response to estrogen-independent, but not estrogen-dependent stimulation, demonstrating stimulus-specific molecular pathways regulate the nuclear localization of the ER. These findings identify a previously unrecognized pathway that regulates the intracellular localization of the ER, and represent the first demonstration that the distribution of the ER between membrane and nuclear compartments is regulated by physiologic stimuli.
Silica encapsulated heterostructure catalyst of Pt nanoclusters on hematite nanocubes: synthesis and reactivity

A three-step method was employed to synthesize monodispersed silica encapsulated composite nanostructures with Pt nanoclusters (<1 nm) densely deposited on the surface of core hematite nanocubes by photoreduction of platinum salt, Pt/α-Fe2O3@SiO2. The nanostructured composite is an active catalyst for the reverse water–gas shift reaction and stable up to 600 °C.
Regional association-based fine-mapping for sodium-lithium countertransport on chromosome 10.

BACKGROUND Increased erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport (SLC) has been observed in patients with essential hypertension. Consistent evidence of genetic linkage was shown for SLC on chromosome 10, and a region of interest was localized between 26 and 56 Mb. METHODS This study surveyed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 54 genes that reside in the region of interest, and investigated their association with SLC and blood pressure. These SNPs were genotyped in 1,133 non-Hispanic white individuals from 255 pedigrees comprising the second phase of the Rochester Family Heart Study. The variance-components-based genetics software package SOLAR was used for evaluating whether an SNP contributed to a significant fraction of the trait heritability. RESULTS Of the 77 SNPs surveyed in this study across the region of interest, four SNPs were associated with SLC (P < 0.04), five SNPs were associated with blood pressure (P < 0.04), and two SNPs in mannose-binding lectin 2 (MBL2) were associated with both phenotypes. In general, the pairwise linkage disequilibrium among the genotyped SNPs was low. CONCLUSIONS This fine-mapping survey of genetic variation in a linkage region of interest provides overall support for association-mapping for SLC on chromosome 10. Genes significantly associated with systolic blood pressure and/or SLC in these families will be prioritized for future studies.
Space-charge limitations for different injection schemes at the Brookhaven relativistic heavy-ion accelerator complex

Abstract Two different ion source choices for the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) are discussed from the point of view of intensity limitations to be expected from early space-charge beam blowup effects. Simple scaling considerations indicate that such effects will be more difficult to mitigate for a proposed high-charge state EBIS-ion-source-RFQ-Linac system and single-turn AGS Booster injection as compared to the existing negative ion source — Tandem Van de Graaff multi-turn injection scheme, making it questionable whether present intensities will be matched or exceeded. Also, some presently possible avenues to larger intensities wouldn't be available with the new system. New ion sources should be planned as complements — not substitutes — for the present system because large heavy-ion facilities, in general, require multiple injectors and because RHIC, the largest of them all, will have an injector complex that will also serve other applications.
Regulation of pp60c‐src synthesis in rat hippocampal slices by in vitro ischemia and glucocorticoid administration

Corticosteroids, released from the adrenal gland in response to stress, bind to receptors that act as transcription factors to alter gene expression and, subsequently, protein synthesis. Using [35S]-methionine-cysteine incorporation to measure protein synthesis in hippocampal slices incubated under ischemic conditions, synthesis of 60 kDa and 78 kDa proteins decreases 4 hr after in vivo administration of corticosterone to rats. The former protein has been identified by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation to be the proto-oncogene, pp60c-src. In the absence of prior glucocorticoid administration, ischemic conditions increase the amount of immunoreactive pp60c-src in membranes of hippocampal slices. Chronic exposure to elevated titers of glucocorticoids has been demonstrated to result in cell loss as well as in reduced neuronal plasticity and regeneration. Given the involvement of pp60c-src in synaptic plasticity and cell growth, glucocorticoid-mediated reduction in its synthesis is a potential molecular marker for stress-induced alterations in brain function. J. Neurosci. Res. 65:340–345, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Density functional calculations of enthalpies of hydrogenation, isomerization, and formation of small cyclic hydrocarbons

Abstract Density functional molecular orbital calculations using a high-level basis set on cyclic hydrocarbons (C≤5) make less severe demands on computer resources than the G2 family of ab initio calculations, and give results that are only slightly less accurate than G2. We present results for B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) calculations at the MP2(full)/6-31G(d) geometry on 30 cyclic and eight acyclic hydrocarbons having two, three, four, or five carbon atoms. The arithmetic mean absolute deviation from 26 experimental results for Δ f H 298 is 2.1 kcal mol −1 .
It Cuts Both Ways: Workers, Management and the Construction of a “Community of Fate” on the Shop Floor in a Mexican Garment Factory

Most studies of lean production are based on surveys of managers. This article examines the labor process under lean production at a high-end garment factory in Central Mexico through ethnographic research, consisting of nine months of work at the factory, and in-depth interviews with 25 managers and 26 workers. I found that implementation of lean production is a complex organizational and social phenomenon. I argue that besides a focus on quality, just-in-time production and flattened hierarchies, lean production is based on a management-sponsored "community of fate" ideology. In this case study, the "community of fate" ideology constructed by managers – with its discourse of loyalty and sacrifice and its buttressing corporate welfare programs – convinced workers to extend their physical, intellectual and emotional labor to the firm. What managers failed to fully understand was that in workers' eyes, the "community of fate" belief also tied the firm to the workers. When management reneged on this social pact, workers not only resisted management's efforts to regain control over the shop floor, but also actively used the team system to thwart the firm's economic viability. In the end, instead of controlling workers, lean production facilitated worker radicalization and mobilization.
Acute yohimbine increases laboratory-measured impulsivity in normal subjects

Background State-dependent changes in impulsivity may be related to norepinephrine. To examine possible relationships between norepinephrine and acute changes in impulsivity, we measured effects of yohimbine, which increases norepinephrine release by blocking alpha-2 noradrenergic receptors, on laboratory-measured impulsivity in healthy subjects without psychiatric or substance-use disorders. Methods Impulsivity was assessed using the Immediate and Delayed Memory Tasks (IMT-DMT), derived from the Continuous Performance Test, before and after placebo or two doses of yohimbine, given 4 days apart. Blood pressure was monitored, and psychiatric symptoms were measured using self-rated visual analog scales. Results Yohimbine was associated with a dose-related increase in impulsive IMT commission errors, with an increase of > 50% relative to baseline at the higher dose. The activation factor of the Internal State Scale was increased at the same dose. Conclusions These results are consistent with increased impulsivity in normal subjects given yohimbine, possibly related to increased norepinephrine.
Target finding time for microtubules in a confined geometry

Dynamic instability of microtubules may reach the steady state with exponentially growing or decaying length distribution in a confined geometry such as a cell-like environment. In this brief commu...
A hybrid redesign of Newton observers in the absence of an exact discrete-time model

Abstract We study the Newton observer design, developed by Moraal and Grizzle, when the exact discrete-time model of the sampled-data plant is not known analytically. We eliminate the dependence on this exact model with a “hybrid” reconstruction that makes use of continuous-time filters to produce the numerical value of the exact model. We then implement the Newton method with finite-difference and secant approximations for the Jacobian. Despite the continuous-time filters, the proposed hybrid redesign preserves the sampled-data characteristic of the Newton observer because it only employs discrete-time measurements of the output. It also offers flexibility to be implemented with nonuniform, or event-driven, sampling. We finally study how a line search scheme can be incorporated in this hybrid Newton observer to enlarge the region of convergence.
Osteoblast function in myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most frequent cancer to involve the skeleton and results in purely osteolytic lesions that rarely heal. MM bone disease is responsible for some of the most devastating complications of MM. The marrow microenvironment plays a key role in MM bone disease as well as in the initiation, expansion and chemoresistance of MM cells. How this microenvironment becomes so supportive of MM, and the contribution and interaction of the various components of the microenvironment to enhancing MM growth are only beginning to be understood. However, it is clear that suppression of osteoblast activity plays a key role in the bone destructive process as well as progression of the tumor burden in myeloma. The impairment of osteoblast activity in MM results primarily from blockade of osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitors to mature osteoblasts. MM patients have low to normal levels of bone formation markers, such as alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin in the setting of increased bone resorption. In contrast, MM patients without bone lesions display balanced bone remodeling with increased osteoclastogenesis and normal or increased bone formation rates. Both soluble factors and cell-to-cell contact between MM cells and osteoblast progenitors are responsible for the suppression of osteoblast differentiation in MM. In this article, the mechanism responsible for osteoblast suppression will be reviewed, and the effects of novel bone anabolic agents on myeloma bone disease will be discussed.
Dietary fat and semen quality among men attending a fertility clinic

Background The objective of this study was to examine the relation between dietary fats and semen quality parameters. Methods Data from 99 men with complete dietary and semen quality data were analyzed. Fatty acid levels in sperm and seminal plasma were measured using gas chromatography in a subgroup of men (n = 23). Linear regression was used to determine associations while adjusting for potential confounders. Results Men were primarily Caucasian (89%) with a mean (SD) age of 36.4 (5.3) years; 71% were overweight or obese; and 67% were never smokers. Higher total fat intake was negatively related to total sperm count and concentration. Men in the highest third of total fat intake had 43% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62-14%) lower total sperm count and 38% (95% CI: 58-10%) lower sperm concentration than men in the lowest third (P(trend) = 0.01). This association was driven by intake of saturated fats. Levels of saturated fatty acids in sperm were also negatively related to sperm concentration (r= -0.53), but saturated fat intake was unrelated to sperm levels (r = 0.09). Higher intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats was related to a more favorable sperm morphology. Men in the highest third of omega-3 fatty acids had 1.9% (0.4-3.5%) higher normal morphology than men in the lowest third (P(trend) = 0.02). Conclusions In this preliminary cross-sectional study, high intake of saturated fats was negatively related to sperm concentration whereas higher intake of omega-3 fats was positively related to sperm morphology. Further, studies with larger samples are now required to confirm these findings.
Characterization of excitatory and inhibitory neuron activation in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex following palatable food ingestion and food driven exploratory behavior

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in aspects of executive function, that include the modulation of attentional and memory processes involved in goal selection. Food-seeking behavior has been shown to involve activation of the mPFC, both during the execution of strategies designed to obtain food and during the consumption of food itself. As these behaviors likely require differential engagement of the prefrontal cortex, we hypothesized that the pattern of neuronal activation would also be behavior dependent. In this study we describe, for the first time, the expression of Fos in different layers and cell types of the infralimbic/dorsal peduncular and prelimbic/anterior cingulate subdivisions of mouse mPFC following both the consumption of palatable food and following exploratory activity of the animal directed at obtaining food reward. While both manipulations led to increases of Fos expression in principal excitatory neurons relative to control, food-directed exploratory activity produced a significantly greater increase in Fos expression than observed in the food intake condition. Consequently, we hypothesized that mPFC interneuron activation would also be differentially engaged by these manipulations. Interestingly, Fos expression patterns differed substantially between treatments and interneuron subtype, illustrating how the differential engagement of subsets of mPFC interneurons depends on the behavioral state. In our experiments, both vasoactive intestinal peptide- and parvalbumin-expressing neurons showed enhanced Fos expression only during the food-dependent exploratory task and not during food intake. Conversely, elevations in arcuate and paraventricular hypothalamic fos expression were only observed following food intake and not following food driven exploration. Our data suggest that select activation of these cell types may be required to support high cognitive demand states such as observed during exploration while being dispensable during the ingestion of freely available food.
Molding transactional data into decision making information in the medical industry: the case of Laberman General Hospital

This case is about constructing a data warehouse model for a hospital. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Laberman General Hospital is facing a combination of business analysis and information sharing issues. The hospital is experiencing diminishing profitability and market share. Hospital management cannot analyze the problems and make effective decisions because of their inability to combine data from independent business functions. As a condition of her contract renewal and continued operation of the hospital, the Board of Directors has given the (CEO) one year to reverse these trends. The CEO has decided to focus, among other areas, on marketing. She needs a combination of data from the patient, pharmacy, radiology, and pathology databases. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has 90 days to ascertain the information needed by the CEO's Executive Staff, and to build a data warehouse solution. The case describes strategic marketing decisions in the hospital industry, building the data warehouse logical model, and matching database queries to decisions being made by executive level management.
PRODUCER RETURNS FROM COTTON STRENGTH AND UNIFORMITY: AN HEDONIC PRICE APPROACH

primary emphasis from human judgment to inImplicit (hedonic) producer prices for fiber strument measurements on fiber length, strength uniformity were estimated for the strength, length uniformity, micronaire, and southwest U.S. cotton market using seemingly color (Ethridge et al.). The HVI technology unrelated regression and market sales data generates previously unavailable data on fiber from 1983/84 and 1984/85. Fiber strength and strength and length uniformity, but those length uniformity had significant effects on the characteristics are not yet part of the official price of cotton, but price was less responsive to USDA grading system. The HVI system has both attributes than anticipated. Producer had its greatest use in Texas and Oklahoma, prices were most responsive to fiber length and where more than 90 percent of the cotton was micronaire and least responsive to color and evaluated with this system in 1985. strength. The market at the producer level ap- Cotton price premiums and discounts are pears to be making effective price adjustments reported daily for grade, fiber length, and with respect to factors such as fiber color, trash micronaire, but market values for strength and content, micronaire, fiber length, and location, length uniformity are not reported. Buyers and but strength and length uniformity premiums sellers depend on price knowledge for producand discounts are smaller than those paid by tion and marketing decisions, and until they end users.
Six Month Outcomes of a Primary Care-Based Weight Loss Trial Using a Lay-Trained Counselor.

Background: Obesity remains an important problem in primary health care settings. Intensive counseling from trained nutrition professionals has proven efficacy but is resource intensive. Trials have begun to assess the effectiveness of lower cost counselors. Methods: This paper describes the 6-month outcomes of a high intensity counseling intervention on weight (primary outcome), as well as cardiovascular disease risk factors and health-related quality of life (secondary outcomes). We also sought to assess whetherbaseline characteristics were associated with 6-month weight change. Participants (n=106) had obesity and at least one co-morbid medical condition. The trial used a trained layperson counselor and provided study participants with subsidized access to an evidence-based regimen of portion-controlled foods. Weight change data were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis. Participants who dropped out prior to 6 months were assumed to have regained weight. Results: Average weight loss after 6 months was 7.0 kg, equal to 6.5% of initial weight. Significant improvements were noted in blood pressure, waist circumference, glycemic control, mood, and overall health-related quality of life. Most baseline characteristics were not associated with weight loss after 6 months. Conclusions: An intensive lifestyle intervention, using a trained layperson and portion-controlled foods, produced clinically significant weight loss at 6 months.Improvements were also noted in cardiovascular disease risk factors and in quality of life
Statistical mechanics of extended black objects

We extend the considerations of a previous paper on black hole statistical mechanics to the case of black extended objects such as black strings and black membranes in 10-dimensional space-time. We obtain a general expression for the Euclidean action of quantum black [ital p]-branes and derive their corresponding degeneracy of states. The statistical mechanics of a gas of black [ital p]-branes is then analyzed in the microcanonical ensemble. As in the case of black holes, the equilibrium state is not thermal and the stable configuration is the one for which a single black object carries most of the energy. Again, neutral black [ital p]-branes obey the bootstrap condition and it is then possible to argue that their scattering amplitudes satisfy crossing symmetry. Finally, arguments identifying quantum black [ital p]-branes with ordinary quantum branes of different dimensionality are presented.