cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical properties of measures of between-group income differentials☆

Abstract A variety of statistical measures have been used to analyze interdistributional income inequality. Two recently introduced measures indicate a much larger secular change in the black–white income differential than the currently used measures. In order to understand this phenomenon both the theoretical properties of and empiric results obtained from five measures are given. It is shown that the new measures are more sensitive to the type of change that actually occured than the usual measures which were designed to detect a shift in location.
Effective Skeptical Arguments

Peter Murphy has argued that effective skeptical scenarios (those that can power a prima facie compelling skeptical argument) all have the following feature: the subject involved in the scenario does not know that some ordinary proposition is true, even if the proposition is true in the scenario. So the standard “false belief” conception of skeptical scenarios is wrong, since the belief of the targeted proposition need not be mistaken in the scenario. Murphy then argues that this observation engenders a problem for skeptical arguments: they require the KK principle. We respond to this criticism on behalf of the skeptic in our paper.
Vector reduction methods for arithmetic pipelines

Vector reduction arithmetic accepts a vector as input and produces a scalar output. This class of vector operations forms the basis of many scientific computations. In a pipelined processor, a feedback loop is required to reduce vectors. Since the output of the pipeline depends on previous outputs, improper control of the feedback loop will destroy the benefit from pipelining. A generalized computing model is proposed to schedule the activities in a vector reduction pipeline. Two new vector reduction methods, symmetric and asymmetric, are proposed and analyzed for pipelined processing. These two methods compare favorably with the known recursive reduction method in achieving higher pipeline utilization and in eliminating large memory for intermediate results. An interleaving method is proposed to reduce multiple vectors to multiple scalars in a single arithmetic pipeline. The pipeline can be fully utilized by interleaved multiple vector processing.
The effect of mercuric chloride and certain sulfhydryl compounds on the changes in optical density of suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sodium, potassium, and sodium-potassium buffers.

Abstract The decrease with time in the optical density of suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was measured in sodium, potassium, and sodium-potassium phosphate buffers. Mercuric chloride after a short interval accelerates the decrease in sodium and sodium-potassium buffers but inhibits the decrease in potassium buffer. Mercaptoethylamine inhibits the decrease in sodium and to a greater extent in sodium-potassium buffers but has no effect in potassium buffer. It is active only in the oxidized form. Cysteine slightly accelerates the decrease in all three buffers and partially antagonizes the effect of mercaptoethylamine. It is active only in the reduced form. Mercaptoethylamine has no effect on the oxidation of succinate. Cysteine inhibits it. Mercaptoethylamine inhibits the induction of the enzyme for the oxidation of benzoate, and cysteine does this less effectively.
Modulation of the Period of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation by the Solar Cycle

The authors examine the mechanism of solar cycle modulation of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) period using the Two-and-a-Half-Dimensional Interactive Isentropic Research (THINAIR) model. Previous model results (using 2D and 3D models of varying complexity) have not convincingly established the proposed link of longer QBO periods during solar minima. Observational evidence for such a modulation is also controversial because it is only found during the period from the 1960s to the early 1990s, which is contaminated by volcanic aerosols. In the model, 200- and 400-yr runs without volcano influence can be obtained, long enough to establish some statistical robustness. Both in model and observed data, there is a strong synchronization of the QBO period with integer multiples of the semiannual oscillation (SAO) in the upper stratosphere. Under the current level of wave forcing, the period of the QBO jumps from one multiple of SAO to another and back so that it averages to 28 months, never settling down to a constant period. The “decadal” variability in the QBO period takes the form of “quantum” jumps; these, however, do not appear to follow the level of the solar flux in either the observation or the model using realistic quasi-periodic solar cycle (SC) forcing. To understand the solar modulation of the QBO period, the authors perform model runs with a range of perpetual solar forcing, either lower or higher than the current level. At the current level of solar forcing, the model QBO period consists of a distribution of four and five SAO periods, similar to the observed distribution. This distribution changes as solar forcing changes. For lower (higher) solar forcing, the distribution shifts to more (less) four SAO periods than five SAO periods. The record-averaged QBO period increases with the solar forcing. However, because this effect is rather weak and is detectable only with exaggerated forcing, the authors suggest that the previous result of the anticorrelation of the QBO period with the SC seen in short observational records reflects only a chance behavior of the QBO period, which naturally jumps in a nonstationary manner even if the solar forcing is held constant, and the correlation can change as the record gets longer.
Edgeworth series for collision energy loss and multiple scattering

Abstract The Edgeworth expansion is used to go beyond the usual Gaussian approximation for collision energy loss and multiple scattering. Monte Carlo algorithms based on the expansion are presented. Comparisons of the Edgeworth expansion with exact results of Vavilov and Moliere are shown. A simple model which attempts to include correlations between energy loss and angular distribution is proposed and illustrated with an example.
Parameters of Electric Field Waveforms Produced by Positive Lightning Return Strokes

In 2007-2008, 52 positive cloud-to-ground flashes containing 63 return strokes (52 first, 10 second, and 1 third) were recorded at the Lightning Observatory in Gainesville, Florida. The U.S. National Lightning Detection Network located 51 (96%) of the positive return strokes at distances of 7.8-157 km from the field measuring station and correctly identified 48 (91%) of them as cloud-to-ground discharges. In this study, parameters of positive return-stroke electric field and electric field derivative waveforms are examined. The geometric mean (GM) value of initial electric field peak normalized to 100 km for 48 strokes is 18 V/m. The GM peak electric field derivative normalized to 100 km for 27 strokes is 9.0 V/m/μs. The GM zero-to-peak risetime and 10-to-90% risetime for 62 strokes are 6.9 μs and 3.4 μs, respectively, and the GM slow front duration is 5.0 μs. The GM zero-crossing time for 42 strokes is 45 μs and the GM opposite polarity overshoot for 33 strokes is 13% of the peak. These characteristics are compared with those of negative return strokes in Florida found in the literature.
Depolarization field effect on dielectric and piezoelectric properties of particulate ferroelectric ceramic-polymer composites

The effects of depolarization field on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of ferroelectric ceramic particle-filled polymer-matrix composites are investigated at the underlying domain level. Phase field modeling and simulation reveals that the macroscopic properties of the composites are dominated by depolarization field effect, which depends on the arrangement and alignment rather than the size or internal grain structure of the ferroelectric particulates. It is found that 0–3 particulate composites with random dispersion of ferroelectric particles behave essentially like linear dielectric rather than ferroelectric materials, and domain-level analysis reveals the physical mechanism for lack of domain switching or hysteresis as attributed to strong depolarization effect. Thus, without effective reduction or elimination of the depolarization field, the composites cannot benefit from the functional fillers regardless of their superior properties. In order to exhibit the desired ferroelectric behaviors, it necessitates continuous ferroelectric phase connectivity in the composites.
Fine Mapping of the GLC1K Juvenile Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Locus and Exclusion of Candidate Genes

Purpose: Primary open-angle glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. We previously identified a region on chromosome 20p12 associated with juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) that was designated GLC1K. The aim of this study is to refine the boundaries of the GLC1K region and to screen selected candidate genes located within the refined region for biologically significant mutations. Methods: Four JOAG families (44 individuals) with linkage to GLC1K were used for this study. Informative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers located throughout the previously defined region were used for haplotype analysis. Four candidate genes within the refined region were screened for biologically significant mutations using direct genomic sequencing: bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2); phospholipase C beta 1 (PLCB1); phospholipase C beta 4 (PLCB4); and BTB POZ domain containing 3 (BTBD3). Results: Haplotype analysis identified a new critical interval of 12.7 Mb using a combination of SNPs and microsatellite markers. This analysis extended the region of GLC1K from D20S846 to rs6081603 in affected individuals, and the region was further reduced to 9 Mb if unaffected recombinant individuals were included in the analysis. Biologically significant DNA sequence variants were not identified in the BMP2, PLCB1, PLCB4, or BTBD3 genes in these families. Conclusions: Using recombinant breakpoint mapping and haplotypes based on a combination of SNP and microsatellite markers, the GLC1K region has been reduced to a maximum of 12.7 Mb and a minimum of 9 Mb. Four genes that are located within the refined region with attractive ocular expression and function have been excluded as causative genes for JOAG.
Toward Efficient Improvements in Resuscitation for Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest is the “cessation of cardiac mechanical activity, as confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation.”1 If deaths due to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) are separated from deaths due to other cardiovascular causes, OOHCA is the third-leading cause of death in the United States.2 Moreover, there are considerable opportunities to improve outcomes after OOHCA, because there is a more than 5-fold regional variation in survival after OOHCA. Approximately 25% of cardiac arrest patients treated by emergency medical services providers have a first recorded rhythm of ventricular fibrillation, which is usually responsive to defibrillation. Moreover, early provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation to maintain blood flow or defibrillation to restore mechanical activity is a critical component of effective treatment of OOHCA.3 Article see p 623 The American Heart Association has promulgated the concept of training and equipping targeted groups to perform timely rhythm analysis and defibrillation in the event that a person has cardiac arrest at a location in which large numbers of people congregate, a concept know as public access defibrillation.4 The rationale for doing so includes the fact that approximately one fourth of OOHCAs occur in public locations; OOHCA is often witnessed by laypeople; laypeople available on the scene can perform defibrillation while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical services providers; and improvements in technology have increased the portability, ease of use, and safety of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). A large randomized trial demonstrated that training and equipping lay volunteers to recognize OOHCA and then perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use an AED within 3 minutes of event identification was medically effective5 and cost-effective.6 Although …
Production of Hepatitis B Virus by Stably Transfected Monocytic Cell Line U-937: A Model for Extrahepatic Hepatitis B Virus Replication

Human monocytic cell line U-937 was transfected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome. Transfected cells releasing HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV e antigen (HBeAg) into the culture supernatant were cloned and further characterized. The HBV genomes were present in these cells in both chromosomally integrated and episomal forms. Intracellular replicative intermediates of HBV DNA and HBV-specific RNA transcripts of 3.6 and 2.2 kb were also detected. Viral DNA was present in the culture supernatant in viral particles with the buoyant densities of mature HBV virions. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of 22-nm spherical HBsAg particles, and Western blot analysis detected pre-S1 and -S2 antigens in particles in the culture supernatant. HBV DNA in U-937 cells was found to be positively regulated by corticosteroids, interleukin-1 beta, and transforming growth factor-1 beta. The stably transfected cell clones can be used to study HBV replication and its regulation in cells of bone marrow origin and to investigate the influence of HBV on the function of cells of the immune system.
Teams as Learners: A Research-Based Model of Team Learning

Organizational literature heralds the value of team learning but does not provide a research-based description of it. This article describes a model of team learning that was derived empirically from case studies in two companies, one with a cross section of employees in a petrochemical company and the second in a data-processing unit that had been reorganized into self-managed teams in a manufacturing company. The authors draw conclusions about changes in learning processes, conditions, and perceptions of time and explore research implications regarding human dynamics.
Effect of tween surfactants on methanogenesis and microbial reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene

The effect of nine Tween surfactants (polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters) on methanogenesis and the microbial reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was examined using three anaerobic, HCB-dechlorinating mixed cultures, one glucose fed and two lactate fed, that were derived from contaminated estuarine sediments. The two lactate-fed cultures differed significantly in their metabolic activity, especially with respect to the rate and extent of HCB reductive dechlorination. The objective of the study was to screen and select biologically compatible surfactants for use in subsequent research on surfactant-enhanced bioavailability of sorbed-phase chlorinated organic contaminants. Addition of the Tween surfactants resulted in lower rates of methanogenesis and HCB dechlorination compared with the control (i.e., surfactant-free culture) for both the glucose-fed culture and the lactate-fed culture, which exhibited a high metabolic activity. Tween-61 and -65 exhibited the lowest inhibition of HCB dechlorination at initial surfactant concentrations of 200 and 1,000 mg/L. On the other hand, the Tween surfactants, especially Tween-81 and -85, enhanced the rates of both methanogenesis and HCB dechlorination when the low metabolic activity lactate- fed culture was used. The observed rate enhancements may be attributed to bacterial cell membrane modification by the surfactants. Attempts to correlate methanogenesis rates to surfactant properties (such as the hydrophile-lipophile balance number, fatty acid carbon chain length, and the number of ethylene oxide groups) were not successful. In general, increased surfactant concentrations resulted in lower rate and extent of HCB dechlorination. Although HCB dechlorination was completely inhibited at a surfactant concentration of 1,000 mg/L, the extent of methanogenesis was not affected. Results from this study demonstrate that despite compositional similarities among the Tween surfactants, their effects on biological activities, such as methanogenesis and reductive dechlorination, can differ significantly.
Metabolomic profiling of schizophrenia patients at risk for metabolic syndrome.

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are commonly used to treat schizophrenia. However, SGAs cause metabolic disturbances that can manifest as metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a subset of patients. The causes for these metabolic disturbances remain unclear. We performed a comprehensive metabolomic profiling of 60 schizophrenia patients undergoing treatment with SGAs that puts them at high (clozapine, olanzapine), medium (quetiapine, risperidone), or low (ziprasidone, aripiprazole) risk for developing MetS, compared to a cohort of 20 healthy controls. Multiplex immunoassays were used to measure 13 metabolic hormones and adipokines in plasma. Mass spectrometry was used to determine levels of lipids and polar metabolites in 29 patients and 10 controls. We found that levels of insulin and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were significantly higher ( p < 0.005) in patients at medium and high risk for MetS, compared to controls. These molecules are known to be increased in individuals with high body fat content and obesity. On the other hand, adiponectin, a molecule responsible for control of food intake and body weight, was significantly decreased in patients at medium and high risk for MetS ( p < 0.005). Further, levels of dyacylglycerides (DG), tryacylglycerides (TG) and cholestenone were increased, whereas α-Ketoglutarate and malate, important mediators of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, were significantly decreased in patients compared to controls. Our studies suggest that high- and medium-risk SGAs are associated with disruption of energy metabolism pathways. These findings may shed light on the molecular underpinnings of antipsychotic-induced MetS and aid in design of novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the side effects associated with these drugs.
Biosynthesis and Functions of Mycothiol, the Unique Protective Thiol of Actinobacteria

Summary: Mycothiol (MSH; AcCys-GlcN-Ins) is the major thiol found in Actinobacteria and has many of the functions of glutathione, which is the dominant thiol in other bacteria and eukaryotes but is absent in Actinobacteria. MSH functions as a protected reserve of cysteine and in the detoxification of alkylating agents, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and antibiotics. MSH also acts as a thiol buffer which is important in maintaining the highly reducing environment within the cell and protecting against disulfide stress. The pathway of MSH biosynthesis involves production of GlcNAc-Ins-P by MSH glycosyltransferase (MshA), dephosphorylation by the MSH phosphatase MshA2 (not yet identified), deacetylation by MshB to produce GlcN-Ins, linkage to Cys by the MSH ligase MshC, and acetylation by MSH synthase (MshD), yielding MSH. Studies of MSH mutants have shown that the MSH glycosyltransferase MshA and the MSH ligase MshC are required for MSH production, whereas mutants in the MSH deacetylase MshB and the acetyltransferase (MSH synthase) MshD produce some MSH and/or a closely related thiol. Current evidence indicates that MSH biosynthesis is controlled by transcriptional regulation mediated by σB and σR in Streptomyces coelicolor. Identified enzymes of MSH metabolism include mycothione reductase (disulfide reductase; Mtr), the S-nitrosomycothiol reductase MscR, the MSH S-conjugate amidase Mca, and an MSH-dependent maleylpyruvate isomerase. Mca cleaves MSH S-conjugates to generate mercapturic acids (AcCySR), excreted from the cell, and GlcN-Ins, used for resynthesis of MSH. The phenotypes of MSH-deficient mutants indicate the occurrence of one or more MSH-dependent S-transferases, peroxidases, and mycoredoxins, which are important targets for future studies. Current evidence suggests that several MSH biosynthetic and metabolic enzymes are potential targets for drugs against tuberculosis. The functions of MSH in antibiotic-producing streptomycetes and in bioremediation are areas for future study.
Influence of induced disease states on the disposition kinetics of imidocarb in goats

Disposition kinetics of imidocarb, an antiprotozoan drug, was studied in normal and febrile dogs. Fever was induced using E. coli endotoxin and Trypanosama evansi. The concentration of imidocarb in body fluids were measured by spectrophotometry. The disposition kinetics of imidocarb in normal and febrile dogs can be adequately described by a two-compartment open model. The result of the study indicate that fever of different etiologies affected the disposition kinetics of imidocarb differently. Plasma concentrations of imidocarb were higher than normal during endotoxin-induced fever and lower during trypanasoma-induced fever. The apparent volume of distribution, Vd (area), and the steady-state volume of distribution, Vd (ss), were significantly lowered in endotoxin induced febrile dogs than in normal dogs. However, the above kinetic parameters as well as volume of central compartment, V, and the body clearance, C1B, were significantly higher (P<0.01) in dogs during Trypanosoma induced fever than in normal animals, although the plasma concentrations were substantially reduced during the febrile reaction. The micro-constants were also affected differently by fever of different etiology. Nevertheless, half-life of imidocarb remained unaffected during the two febrile conditions. The present study also indicates that the influence of fever on pharmacokinetics should be considered beyond the plasma concentrations and half-like of the drug itself. The pathophysiology of the disease and not just the febrile state should be considered when evaluating the influence of disease conditions on the disposition kinetics of a drug.
Detecting Moderator Effects Using Subgroup Analyses

In the analysis of prevention and intervention studies, it is often important to investigate whether treatment effects vary among subgroups of patients defined by individual characteristics. These “subgroup analyses” can provide information about how best to use a new prevention or intervention program. However, subgroup analyses can be misleading if they test data-driven hypotheses, employ inappropriate statistical methods, or fail to account for multiple testing. These problems have led to a general suspicion of findings from subgroup analyses. This article discusses sound methods for conducting subgroup analyses to detect moderators. Multiple authors have argued that, to assess whether a treatment effect varies across subgroups defined by patient characteristics, analyses should be based on tests for interaction rather than treatment comparisons within the subgroups. We discuss the concept of heterogeneity and its dependence on the metric used to describe treatment effects. We discuss issues of multiple comparisons related to subgroup analyses and the importance of considering multiplicity in the interpretation of results. We also discuss the types of questions that would lead to subgroup analyses and how different scientific goals may affect the study at the design stage. Finally, we discuss subgroup analyses based on post-baseline factors and the complexity associated with this type of subgroup analysis.
High Frequency Current and Field Fluctuations in a Magnetized Plasma

The current density and electric field fluctuations at frequencies much above the ion plasma frequency are derived for a non-relativistic plasma of arbitrary density, using the Klimontovich approach. Both longitudinal and transverse components of the interaction forces between the electrons are taken into account. The error introduced by neglecting the transverse component is discussed.
Evaluation and management of anemia in older individuals

Anemia is a very common and sometimes unrecognized clinical diagnosis in the elderly. In addition to the symptoms attributable to anemia itself, anemia may point towards the existence of underlying nutritional deficiencies, inflammatory conditions or chronic diseases. In particular, chronic kidney disease and its associated anemia remain underdiagnosed in older individuals. A calculated creatinine clearance should be carried out to identify individuals with chronic kidney disease. The consequences of anemia in the elderly include physical deconditioning, disability and increased mortality. The importance of an accurate diagnosis and classification of anemia is critical, as therapeutic interventions can improve levels of hemoglobin and thus quality of life in elderly patients. These positive outcomes for treating anemia, such as improved quality of life, decreased hospitalization and decreased mortality, demand that a hemoglobin concentration of less than 12 g/dl should be investigated and treated whenever...
The paralanguage of caregiving: Baby talk to the institutionalized aged.

A field study was conducted at a nursing home to (a) obtain descriptive information on the speech environment of the institutionalized elderly and (b) provide speech samples with which to conduct judgment studies on the paralinguistic features of caregiver communication. Three kinds of speech were differentiated: baby talk, speech to the elderly that was not in baby talk, and speech between caregivers, which was assumed to be normal adult speech. Over 22% of the sentences were reliably categorized as baby talk speech. Caregivers' ratings of the characteristics of the care receivers did not predict the amount of baby talk that was directed toward individual care receivers. In Judgment Study 1, content-filtered baby talk was identified as speech to children regardless of the actual status, adult or child, of the target. In Judgment Study 2, content-filtered speech samples were rated on four dimensions: comfort, pleasantness, irritation, and arousal. Baby talk was rated positive, adult speech received intermediate ratings, and non-baby-talk was rated negative. The findings suggest that baby talk is a speech register conveying affection, and it is proposed that non-baby-talk to the elderly is an "institutional" register denoting and promoting dependency.
Low Frequency Oscillation in Turbulent Convection

: Large fluid systems such as the atmosphere of the Earth or the convection zone of the Sun are no doubt turbulent, but contain considerable organization on many scales. Not all of these scales are directly forced; some arise as a result of internal arrangements of energy and momentum, giving rise, in the Earth's atmosphere, to such phenomena as the atmospheric jet streams. This paper is about an investigation of large-scale organization that arises in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection. We report on observations of low-frequency oscillations in the Rayleigh number (R) range 107-108, with Prandtl number (Pr) equal to seven. It has been known that for convecting layers with large aspect ratio A (where A is the ratio of fluid layer width to depth), a steady large-scale flow sets in at R= 2× 106. Tilted transient plumes embedded in this flow, and maintaining it through Reynolds stresses, drift in one direction along the bottom of the layer, and in the opposite direction along the top. At a fixed point near the bottom or top boundary, there is a variability associated with the passage of these plumes. We call this the high-frequency variability. A new kind of organization is observed for 107 < R < 108; clusters of transient tilted plumes travel in a horizontal direction as coherent units. These clusters are separated from each other by quiescent zones with almost no plumes. Now at a fixed point near the bottom boundary, there is a low-frequency variability associated with the passage of clusters, as well as the high frequency variabilty from the passage of plumes within the cluster. Quantitative information on this low-frequency oscillation derived from space-time portraits and from temperature-time series is described. A mathematical model of the low-frequency oscillation is presented.
Positive Business Responses to the New Deal: The Roots of the Committee for Economic Development, 1933–1942

The bitter opposition of businessmen to the New Deal in its early stages is well known. Not so well known, however, are the efforts of a few business leaders to maintain constructive communication with the President and his advisers. Professor Collins traces these efforts, from the early stages during which both groups labored in mutual distrust, through the remarkable transformation in which such strong business personalities as Beardsley Ruml, William Benton, and Paul Hoffman helped persuade a deeply conservative Franklin D. Roosevelt to adopt compensatory deficit spending as a means to recovery. Finally, he shows that World War II marked not the end but a continuation of these positive efforts by businessmen to adapt to the new philosophy, and led directly to the founding of the Committee for Economic Development.
αβTCR+ Cells Are a Minimal Fraction of Peripheral CD8+ Pool in MHC Class I-Deficient Mice

MHC class I molecules play a role in the maintenance of the naive peripheral CD8 + T cell pool. The mechanisms of the peripheral maintenance and the life span of residual CD8 + cells present in the periphery of β 2 -microglobulin-deficient (β 2 m −/− ) mice are unknown. We here show that very few CD8 + cells in β 2 m −/− mice coexpress CD8β, a marker of the thymus-derived CD8 + T cells. Most of the CD8α + cells express CD11c and can be found in β 2 m/RAG-2 double-deficient mice, demonstrating that these cells do not require rearranged Ag receptors for differentiation and survival and may be of dendritic cell lineage. Rare CD8α + CD8β + cells can be detected following in vivo alloantigenic stimulation 2 wk after the adult thymectomy. Selective MHC class I expression by bone marrow-derived cells does not lead to an accumulation of CD8β + cells in β 2 m −/− mice. These findings demonstrate that 1) thymic export of CD8 + T cells in β 2 m −/− mice is reduced more severely than previously thought; 2) non-T cells expressing CD8α become prominent when CD8 + T cells are virtually absent; 3) at least some β 2 m −/− CD8 + T cells have a life span in the periphery comparable to wild-type CD8 + cells; and 4) similar ligands induce positive selection in the thymus and survival of CD8 + T cells in the periphery.
Fluid Ethnicity and Ethnic Transcendence in Multiracial Churches

Assumptions of racial essentialism lead to inadequate analysis of multiracial churches. Instead, acknowledging ethnic identity as a negotiated phenomenon encourages a richer investigation of how congregational participation stimulates and redefines a person's racial and ethnic identity. The malleability of ethnic identity is such that it is often obscured in favor of other aspects of self. Ethnographic analysis of two multiracial churches, Mosaic and Oasis, indicates that particularistic ethnic affiliations recede when otherworldly, value-rational interests are emphasized. Ethnic transcendence occurs when members adopt a shared identity based on a uniquely congregational understanding of what it means to be a properly religious person (a proper “Christian,”“Jew,”“Muslim,”“Buddhist,” etc.). In short, the distinctive accomplishment of multiracial congregations is the cultivation of an inclusive religious identity that overrides divisive aspects of ethnic identity. Moreover, recognizing the varying salience of racial and ethnic identity evokes greater caution regarding what can be assumed when researchers apply the label “multiracial” to congregations.
Effect of exercise on insulin receptor binding and kinase activity in skeletal muscle

Insulin action in skeletal muscle is markedly enhanced for several hours after an acute bout of exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine the possible involvement of the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor in mediating these effects. Red and white muscles were removed from rats either at rest or following a treadmill run (45 min at 18 m/min), and insulin receptors were isolated in partially purified form. Basal and insulin-stimulated receptor kinase activity was higher in red than in white muscle, in agreement with previous studies (J. Biol. Chem. 261: 14939-14944, 1986). There was no effect of exercise on insulin binding, basal and insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation, or basal and insulin-stimulated exogenous kinase activity, in either red or white muscle. Similar data were obtained when phosphatase inhibitors were used during receptor isolation. The structure of insulin receptors isolated from the muscle of exercised and control rats was similar as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of affinity cross-linked insulin receptors. We conclude that enhanced insulin action in muscle during the postexercise state is not related to increased kinase activity of the insulin receptor.
Rural Health Promotion: Bailiwick for Social Work

A variety of factors have prompted increasing interest in prevention in health care practice in this country. In describing a rural health promotion project in which a social worker played a key role, this article illustrates how social work practitioners can bring their many skills to bear in efforts to promote health.
Ideological Bias in Democracy Measures

In this paper I show that, unlike what previous research has led us to believe, we cannot make any claims about the nature of the ideological biases that contaminate existing democracy measures. For instance, I show that the Freedom House data, often believed to have a conservative bias, may actually have a liberal bias instead. I do that by replicating previous research on the subject (Bollen and Paxton 2000) but replacing real- world data by simulated data in which I manipulate democracy levels and the ideological biases of hypothetical raters. The results of these Monte Carlos show that even though we can confidently assert the existence of bias in some democracy measures we cannot say anything about which measures are biased or in what ways.
Abstract 177: Hemodynamics and Anatomic Evaluation of Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations Using Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry

Introduction: Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) have a high lifetime risk of hemorrhage; however treatment carries a significant risk of morbidity/mortality. Wall Shear Stress (WSS) and other hemodynamic parameters are shown to be altered in patients with symptomatic AVMs. Analysis of hemodynamics may have value in stratifying patients into different risk groups to prioritize treatment. We have recently implemented PC-VIPR, a phase contrast MRA technique that can acquire whole brain angiograms with scan time of 5 minutes with velocity data. PC-VIPR has sufficient spatial resolution for both hemodynamic analysis and assessment of anatomic features such as Spetzler-Martin grading. Materials & Methods: 10 patients with AVMs were scanned using PC-VIPR; WSS and vessel diameter in vessels feeding the AVMs and in normal contralateral vessels were calculated using PC-VIPR velocity data using automated B-spline interpolation. Spetzler-Martin grading was performed by an experienced neuroradiologist. Results: Patients with an asymptomatic presentation or mild symptoms (n=4) had no significant difference in WSS between ipsilateral feeding vessels and normal contralateral vessels (1.555 N/m2 vs 1.494, p=0.31), and showed significant vessel dilation in feeding vessels when compared to normal contralateral vessels (4.57 mm vs 3.66, p=0.005) while patients presenting with hemorrhage, severe headaches/seizures, or focal neurologic deficits (n=6) had significantly higher WSS in feeders compared to contralateral vessels (1.607 N/m2 vs 1.146, p=0.003) but the increase in vessel dilation was not statistically significant. (4.34 vs 3.84, p=0.11) Spetzler-Martin grading was performed in all patients and correlated with grading performed via digital subtraction angiography in all cases. Discussion: In this study we demonstrate that both hemodynamic analysis and Spetzler-Martin grading can be obtained non-invasively in patients with AVMs using PC-VIPR. Variation in WSS between feeders and normal vessels appeared to relate to the clinical presentation of the patient. Figure 1a shows a WSS map of a patient with mild stable symptoms demonstrating similar WSS in feeders compared to contralateral vessels, Figure 1b shows a WSS map of a patient presenting with hemorrhage with higher WSS in feeders compared to contralateral vessels. Several reports suggest high WSS in AVM feeders stimulates compensatory dilation, normalizing WSS. Hemodynamic analysis using PC-VIPR may have value in risk stratification by identifying patients in which compensation has not yet occurred, with increased risk of hemorrhage. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Technology outreach

Summary form only given. Technology transfer available at universities and federal laboratories, how to assess that technology, and why it is of vital importance to American global competitiveness have been examined. >
NUMERICAL MODELING OF EVAPORATION PROCESS IN POROUS MEDIA FOR GAS TURBINE APPLICATIONS

A simplified numerical model for analyzing the evaporation processes in porous media for gas turbine applications has been developed. Evaporation of a pointwise -injected kerosene spray in a carbon -carb on porous medium is considered. The computational model consists of a two -dimensional domain of dimensions 20.32x4.04 cm. A control -volume based discretization method is adopted to solve the governing equations. The porous medium offers resistance to th e flow of air -fuel mixture and is modeled as a momentum sink. Non -Darcy flow in porous medium is considered and the viscous and inertial contributions are evaluated using a modified Ergun equation. The transient and conduction flux terms in the energy eq uation are modified to account for the heat transfer in porous medium. Energy feedback from combustion porous media is also simulated using a source term. The effects of porous medium temperature, fuel flow rate, air inlet temperature and porous medium g eometry on the evaporation of spray have been analyzed. For the size under consideration, a porous medium heat source of 642 W is required to achieve 97 % complete evaporation for an air inlet temperature of 473 K. The concentration of fuel vapor is foun d to be higher in the core region due to the nature of point injection. Simulations using different flow rate conditions show that a stronger heat source, in turn higher energy feed back, is required to attain complete vaporization. Approximately a 62 % stronger heat source is required when the fuel flow rate is increased from 0.24 to 0.48 mg/s. The increase in air inlet temperature is found to accelerate the evaporation process. At higher air inlet temperatures (573 K), the fuel is vaporized as soon as it gets injected. Evaporation characteristics are not found to vary much with porous medium geometry, as the porous medium is modeled as a momentum sink. Thermal effects of porous media are found to be more dominant in this study.
Analysis of health resources allocation among prefecture Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Guangdong province

Objective :To measure health resources allocation among prefecture Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDCs)in Guangdong province and to provide evidence for rational allocation of health resources. Methods :Employee structure and financial investment were analyzed by descriptive method. The equality of health resources allocation of CDCs,such as human resources,financial investment,instruments and equipment were measured by Gini coefficient. Results :Most of the employees were 30 to 49 years old,accounting for 69.5% of the total. Twenty-nine percent of employees had work experience of 10 to 19 years,32.4% and 28.3% of employees held primary and secondary professional title,respectively. Undergraduates accounted for 37.9% of all employees. The prefecture CDCs in Pearl River Delta regions had the highest score of personnel comprehensive quality with 7.75 points. A total of 70.17% of equipment with the value of over ten thousand RMB were allocated in Pearl River Delta region. The government financial subsidy was made up of 59.54% of gross revenue of 9 prefecture CDCs in Pearl River Delta region and 50.27% of other 12 prefecture CDCs. Gini coefficients of employees,equipment with the value of over ten thousand RMB and financial subsidy in prefecture CDCs were 0.234,0.390 and 0.536 in accordance with population distribution and it was over 0.4 based on geographic distribution. Gini coefficient of senior personnel in accordance with population or geographic distribution was0.4 or more. Conclusion :In Guangdong province,employee structure of prefecture CDCs was described as energetic type. The health resources in Pearl River Delta region were better than those in other areas. Health resources were allocated more equitably relative to population distribution than to regions. The allocation of human resources was fairer than that of equipment. The key problem of health resources allocation was inequity of financial subsidy.
Jane Smiley’s Academic Carnival: Rooting for Ethics at Moo U.

In Moo (1995), Jane Smiley focuses a sharp, satiric eye upon the political machinations and ambitions of the administration and faculty of Moo U., a large midwestern university well known for its agricultural department. Rife with social and scholarly intrigue, Smiley’s narrative admonishes the bankrupt value systems of a powerful institution of higher learning obsessed with its agenda for technological and financial superiority. Smiley allots conspicuous attention to all of the competing voices that comprise Moo U.’s political maelstrom - from the contentious professoriate in the Horticulture and English departments to the institution’s dubious administration, an often bemused and vacant student population, and a giant hog named Earl Butz who resides in an abandoned building in the middle of Moo U.’s campus.
Kinetics of the Olivine→Spinel Transition under High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Results and Geophysical Implications

Magnesium olivine is believed to be the dominant mineral in the upper mantle. It has been demonstrated to transform into a denser structure of the β-phase (modified spinel structure) or the γ-phase (spinel structure) under high pressure and temperature. The olivine→spinel (β- and/or γ-phase) transition in the mantle is believed to mark the major seismic and density discontinuity at approximately 400 km depth. The olivine→spinel transition in down-going slabs may play a vital role in plate dynamics [1,2].
Viktors saga ok Blâvus. Jónas Kristjansson bjó til prentunar: (Riddarasögur II). Handritastofnun Íslands, Reykjavík, 1964. Pp. ccxii + 50.

(1969). Viktors saga ok Blâvus. Jonas Kristjansson bjo til prentunar. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 69-70.
Effect of H 2 O on TDDB for a range of ULK ILD materials with varying damage resistance for robust and weak liners

In this study we look at the correlation between TDDB lifetime, in the presence of intentionally introduced H 2 O and top surface damage for different ILD materials using a robust liner. The activation energy for the movement of loosely bound physi-adsorbed H2O has been obtained using AC loss measurements. We also explore the role of moisture in drawing Cu out of metal lines through an intentionally-fabricated thin/weak liner under prolonged stress at a relatively low voltage. AC loss, I-V, triangular voltage sweep (TVS) and TDDB measurements all provide evidence that Cu is migrating out of the lines into the ILD.
The development of a new range of hydrogen cooled generators

The increased usage of combined cycle plants in power generation has created a market trend for turbine generators of mid range unit size. To remain competitive manufacturers have had to improve the specific output of the machines, leading to increases in the magnetic and electric loadings. Although there has been some improvement in iron loss figures, saturation flux densities have reached a plateau. Consequently output is predominantly controlled by the electric loading, which is in turn limited by the temperatures experienced in the generator. A major contribution to the competitiveness of any design is to use a more effective but simpler ventilation system. In this case indirect cooling of the stator armature winding (heat transfer through the electrical insulation) with hydrogen as the cooling gas, has been employed. The inclusion of radical changes in the design, compared with earlier machines, made it difficult to extrapolate and the alternative of building an evolutionary prototype would have been prohibitively expensive. However, the development was made possible by employing advanced computational techniques including both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) supported by model test rigs as well as operational experience.
An age-period-cohort analysis of obesity and incident esophageal adenocarcinoma among white males

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has increased in recent decades. Increases in incidence have been attributed to changes in the prevalence of risk factors for EAC; however, the extent to which these changes explain increases in EAC incidence has not been studied in detail. We used age-period-cohort analysis to estimate changes in the incidence of EAC among white males by age, time period, and birth cohort. Incidence rates per 100,000 individuals were analyzed from 1973 to 2012. Hierarchical Poisson models were used to estimate age, period, and cohort effects, whereby age-specific incidence rates were nested within periods and cohorts. The prevalence of obesity for each time period and birth cohort was included in the model as a fixed-effect. Incidence increased with advancing age (β = 0.12, P < 0.01). There were significant period and birth cohort effects, although the period effect was much larger than the cohort effect. The period effect decreased dramatically when obesity was included as a fixed effect, while the small cohort effect remained unchanged. Results suggest much of the increase in the incidence of EAC can be attributed to a period effect, which may be due to changes in the prevalence of obesity over time.
Using Real-Time Quantification of Autofluorescence Spectrum Shape to Distinguish between Metabolic Responses Involving Nadh-Utilizing Pathways

In recent studies, autofluorescence measurement of excited-state lifetime or anisotropy decay have revealed multiple forms (e.g., conformations) of intracellular NADH. Because proportions of these forms respond differently to metabolic conditions, the often-used “free” and “protein bound” assignments for NADH may not be adequately descriptive, possibly leading to ambiguities when identifying metabolic state. Here, we describe an accessible method for sensing changes in cellular NADH forms, based on the real-time tracking of UV-excited autofluorescence spectrum shape quantified using spectral phasor analysis. The analytic power of a phasor approach is utilized, testing for whether changes in spectrum shape are consistent with two-state behavior. We show that spectral phasor quantification of spectrum shape can distinguish between metabolic responses induced by the additions of cyanide, glucose, and various alcohols to Saccharomyces cerevisiae suspensions. Controls are presented, evidencing the physiological origins of these spectral responses. The potential for measuring dynamical aspects of metabolic responses, e.g., in relation to Crabtree-positive overflow metabolism and to cellular respiratory activity, is discussed.