cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Panning for Gold

Most tourists who engage in gold panning find gold which is worth less than their price of admission to the gold mine. From a tax standpoint, they have nondeductible, personal losses. Those precious few who find gold which is worth more than their price of admission should not have taxable income unless or until they sell the gold to a third party. Due to the valuation and allocation difficulties inherent in measuring basis and amount realized, there should be no realization event when the gold is panned. Alternatively, the gold panning activity can be viewed as producing tax free, imputed income, at least until the later sale event.
Vitamin B6 treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus: Studies of blood glucose and plasma insulin

Thirteen women with late pregnancy gestational diabetes mellitus were tested with an intravenous glucose tolerance test and both blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were measured. Each woman was then treated with 100 mg. of vitamin B6 per day for 2 weeks and the intravenous glucose tolerance test was then repeated. There was a statistically significant improvement in the glucose tolerance curve after the vitamin B6 treatment, with a lowering of blood glucose levels at all points on the curve except for the 5 minute value. This glucose effect occurred despite an unchanged or lowered plasma insulin level. These results suggest that a relative deficiency in vitamin B6 is associated with some cases of gestational diabetes mellitus and that the replacement of this vitamin improves the metabolic state. The low vitamin B6 levels appear to alter metabolic pathways which result in a lowering of the biologic activity of endogenous insulin.
Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Older Veterans: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

OBJECTIVES: To compare influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates of older veterans with those of nonveterans and to compare vaccination rates of veterans who receive care at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers with those of veterans who do not. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. SETTING: United States and territories. PARTICIPANTS: Persons aged 65 and older who participated in the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. MEASUREMENTS: Telephone survey of sociodemographics factors, including veteran status and VA care, health and behavioral characteristics, and influenza and pneumococcal vaccine use. RESULTS: Thirty percent of adults aged 65 and older were veterans, and 21% of veterans reported receiving care at VA health facilities. Veterans, especially VA users, were older and described poorer self-perceived health than nonveterans. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates were higher for veterans than for nonveterans (74% vs 68% and 68% vs 63%, respectively, P<.001 for both) and for VA users than non-VA users (80% vs 72% and 81% vs 64%, respectively, P<.001 for both). For veterans, VA care was independently associated with influenza (odds ratio (OR)=1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.5–2.2) and pneumococcal (OR=2.4, 95% CI=2.0–2.9) vaccine use after adjusting for sociodemographics factors, perceived health status, diabetes mellitus, asthma, and smoking. Current smoking and black race were independent predictors of low influenza vaccine uptake. CONCLUSION: VA care was associated with improved influenza and pneumococcal vaccine coverage, although vaccination rates for all elderly veterans fell short of Healthy People 2010 goals. Increased efforts to reach undervaccinated groups, particularly blacks and smokers, are warranted.
Fugitive Justice: Runaways, Rescuers, and Slavery on Trial – By Steven Lubet

Hauling a slave into court was commonplace; from 1850 until the Civil War, alleged fugitives were hauled before federal magistrates nearly two hundred times (5). However, making an owner appear to ...
Constrained Pole Placement by Linear Quadratic Modification

A noniterative method is introduced that will enable the designer to find an optmal one step state feedback controller. The controller will place the eigenvalues of the closed loop system in a specified disk.
Chapter 36 Equilibrium analysis with non-convex technologies

Publisher Summary This chapter surveys the state of the art regarding the Arrow–Debreu model of a Walrasian economy, consisting of a finite number of agents and commodities where one assumes perfect information, complete markets, no market imperfections, such as externalities, public goods, or non-convexities in consumption or production; firms are price-taking profit maximizers, and households are price-taking utility maximizers. In such a world, the basic properties of the classical Arrow–Debreu model consist of the existence of competitive equilibria, the first and second welfare theorems, the computation of equilibria, and the local uniqueness and finiteness of equilibria. The chapter discusses that it is useful to adopt Walras' original conception of a competitive equilibrium as a solution to a (nonlinear) system of equations. Convexity plays an essential role in Scarf's analysis, both in the derivation of the market excess demand function from optimizing behavior on the part of agents and in the existence of a fixed-point that follows from Brouwer's theorem. Scarf's algorithm and its generalizations are the primary means of doing comparative statics in general equilibrium models. Computable general equilibrium models have replaced activity analysis and input–output analysis as the basic method of analyzing tax policy in national economies or trade policies among nations.
Inductive noise reduction at the architectural level

A methodology for reducing ground bounce in typical microprocessors and image processing architectures has been described. As we approach gigascale integration, chip power consumption is becoming a critical system parameter Deactivating idle units provides needed reductions in power consumption. However it introduces inductive noise that can limit voltage scaling. The paper introduces an architectural approach for reducing this inductive noise by providing gradual activation and deactivation of functional blocks. This technique provides a 2/spl times/ reduction in ground bounce current on a 16 bit ALU simulated in SPICE, while reducing simulated SPEC95 performance by less than 5% on a typical superscalar architecture. It has also been demonstrated to be effective for image processing SIMD architectures.
Panic symptoms and elevated suicidal ideation and behaviors among trauma exposed individuals: Moderating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Panic attacks (PAs) are highly prevalent among trauma exposed individuals and have been associated with a number of adverse outcomes. Despite high suicide rates among trauma exposed individuals, research to date has not examined the potential relation between panic symptoms and suicidal ideation and behaviors among this high risk population. The current study tested the association of panic with suicidal ideation and behaviors among a large sample of trauma exposed smokers. Community participants (N=421) who reported a lifetime history of trauma exposure were assessed concurrently for current panic, suicidal ideation and behaviors, and psychiatric diagnoses. Those who met criteria for a current panic disorder diagnosis were removed from analyses to allow for the assessment of non-PD related panic in line with the recent addition of the PA specifier applicable to all DSM-5 disorders. FINDINGS indicated that panic symptoms were significantly associated with suicidal ideation and behaviors beyond the effects of depression and number of trauma types experienced. Further, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnostic status significantly moderated this relationship, indicating that the relationship between panic and suicidal ideation and behaviors is potentiated among individuals with a current PTSD diagnosis. This investigation suggests that panic symptoms may be a valuable clinical target for the assessment and treatment of suicidal ideation and behaviors among trauma exposed individuals. Language: en
Eg5 steps it up

Understanding how molecular motors generate force and move microtubules in mitosis is essential to understanding the physical mechanism of cell division. Recent measurements have shown that one mitotic kinesin superfamily member, Eg5, is mechanically processive and capable of crosslinking and sliding microtubules in vitro. In this review, we highlight recent work that explores how Eg5 functions under load, with an emphasis on the nanomechanical properties of single enzymes.
The Lunar Opposition Effect: A Test of Alternative Models☆

We test the hypotheses that the lunar opposition effect is due to shadow-hiding, coherent backscatter, or some combination of the two phenomena. Hapke's photometric model is extended to include975726description of the coherent backscatter opposition effect. The model was fit simultaneously toV-filter (λ = 0.55 μm) whole-disk photometry of the Moon over many phase angles (2° ≤ α ≤ 143°) and to disk-resolved observations of the lunar surface over a broad range of incidence, emission, and phase angles. The shape of the Moon's opposition surge is accurately represented by the combination of a narrow coherent-backscatter peak whose effect is most strongly defined at α < 2° and a very broad shadow-hiding peak, best defined over α < 20°. The relative angular widths of the shadow-hiding and coherent backscatter contributions can be used to estimate the grain sizes most important for scattering at small phase angles. Scatterers with sizes comparable to the wavelength of light are required for coherent backscattering and are present in the smallest size fraction of lunar soil, but are predicted only for a model in which coherent backscatter causes the narrow component and shadow-hiding the wide one. The amplitude of the shadow-hiding opposition effect measures grain transparency and our solution implies that the lunar regolith particles responsible for the shadow-hiding contribution behave like opaque grains, consistent with complex structure of lunar regolith particles at much larger scales than those which control the coherent backscatter contribution. Most other airless planetary surfaces exhibit opposition surges whose broad components also appear to be caused by shadow-hiding. We propose that the submicron sized grains that control coherent backscatter do not contribute to the shadow-hiding opposition surge because the minute shadows cast by these grains are illuminated by their own forward-scattered light. We suggest that coherent backscatter cannot be responsible for the broad component of the Moon's opposition surge because such forward scattered light would illuminate all particle shadows and thereby eliminate the shadow-hiding contribution.
Assessing mentoring in organizations: an evaluation of commercial mentoring instruments

The purpose of this article is to inform readers about the types of instruments available for assessing and improving mentoring in organizations. Extensive review of the psychological, business and medical literature was conducted to identify commercially published, practitioner‐oriented instruments. All of the instruments that were identified – including the Alleman mentoring activities questionnaire, Mentoring in the moment, Mentoring skills assessment, and Principles of adult mentoring scale – are evaluated herein. Each instrument’s target audience, raters, subscales, response options, psychometric properties, and relative strengths and weaknesses are described. Although these instruments are reported to be used extensively, evidence of their validity is not always available. This review presents information that, in combination with first‐hand inspection of the instruments, should enable practitioners to differentiate between instruments that may be a fit for their needs from those that are not. Furth...
BRAF somatic mutations in malignant melanoma and melanocytic naevi.

BRAF somatic mutations are frequently found in primary and metastatic melanomas and melanocytic naevi. Commonly found BRAF mutants stimulate constitutive RAF/MEK (mitogen-activated ERK-activating kinase)/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway activation and act as transforming oncogenes
The Shifting Tides of Empires: Using GIS to Contextualize Population Change Within the Landscape of Seventeenth to Nineteenth-Century Mani, Greece

This study investigates the changing social landscape of the Mani Peninsula, Greece, from 1618 to 1829. Five primary sources of population data are combined in a GIS database, and spatial analyses are used to track patterns in population and settlement distribution. The results show that the preparations for war in Mani led to population loss, settlement fracturing, and a heightened potential for physical and visual connection. The processes of imperial conquest and resistance left a different imprint upon the Maniate landscape than in other parts of the Ottoman Empire, where settlements were occasionally relocated into more mountainous terrain for increased protection.
Advancement of uterine secretion of prostaglandin E2 by treatment with progesterone and transfer of asynchronous embryos.

Effects of treatment with progesterone early after estrus and the age of the blastocyst in the uterus on day-6 postestrus on uteroovarian venous concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) during days 7–12 postestrus were examined. At estrus, 24 ewes were assigned randomly to 1) mating with fertile rams and daily injections of progesterone from days 1–3 postestrus, 2) mating with fertile rams and daily injections of vehicle from days 1–3 postestrus, 3) no mating, injection of progesterone from days 1–3 postestrus and transfer of a day-10 blastocyst into the uterus on day-6 postestrus, and 4) no mating, injection of vehicle from days 1–3 postestrus and transfer of a day-10 blastocyst into the uterus on day-6 postestrus. PGE2 increased beginning on day 8 in progesterone-treated ewes that received a day-10 blastocyst on day-6 postestrus, but did not increase until day 12 in mated ewes with confirmed pregnancy. PGE2 remained at basal concentrations in mated progesterone-treated ewes (with a day-6 blastocyst on ...
Androgen regulation of FLICE-like inhibitory protein gene expression in the rat prostate.

In hope of eventually identifying defects in human prostatic neoplasias that render them insensitive to anti-androgen therapy, we have examined the regulation of components of ligand-induced cell death pathways during castration-induced regression of the prostate. Rat prostates were obtained after surgical castration with or without subsequent androgen replacement. The mRNA levels of genes encoding components of the apoptotic pathway were measured from individual prostates. Whole prostates 1-10 days after castration did not show a significant change in mRNA levels encoding either Fas or FasL, which some studies suggest are necessary for regression to occur. However, the mRNA encoding a catalytically inactive cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease (caspase) analog, FLICE-like inhibitor protein (FLIP), decreases during the first day following castration. In the most apoptotically responsive ventral lobe of the rat prostate, the reduction in FLIP mRNA levels is evident within 12 h of castration. The mRNA levels of the principal target of FLIP inhibition, caspase-8, do not change during the period preceding the onset of detectable DNA fragmentation. Androgen administration to castrated rats reverses prostate regression, and restores FLIP mRNA to normal levels. By acting as an inhibitor of caspase-8, FLIP may protect prostatic epithelium from apoptosis. Androgen withdrawal, by reducing FLIP mRNA levels, might leave the cells vulnerable to as yet unidentified cell death signals.
Increased cerebral blood flow after leukapheresis for acute myelogenous leukemia

Leukapheresis is often considered in the management of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with hyperleukocytosis and its sequelae, including myocardial infarction, pulmonary complications, and stroke. It is utilized on the assumption that leukapheresis improves blood rheology. We present a woman with AML and a history of meningioma encasing her left internal carotid artery. She presented with hyperleukocytosis and symptoms of ischemia. As her white blood cell continued to rise despite initiation of hydroxyurea therapy, she underwent leukapheresis emergently. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound demonstrated increased flow velocities in the left internal carotid and the right middle cerebral arteries, which normalized after leukapheresis. This is the first documentation that leukapheresis, in combination with hydroxyurea, improves cerebral hemodynamics in a patient with AML.
Shear-enhanced microfiltration of microalgae in a vibrating membrane module

The performance of a vibratory shear-enhanced membrane process for dewatering of freshwater microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris, has been studied. Chlorella vulgaris is a potential renewable feedstock for biofuel and bioproduct production. The efficient dewatering of the algal biomass is crucial for scale-up and sustainable design. This dynamic filtration system achieves high shear rates desirable for microfiltration by high-frequency torsional oscillations of the membrane unit. A 0.05 µm (nominal pore size) polyethersulfone microfiltration membrane was evaluated for the separation of suspended algae (0.5–100 g/L). The effect of process parameters such as trans-membrane pressure, surface shear rate, and solute concentration on permeate flux was evaluated and quantified. Algal biomass mixtures were dewatered with high algae rejections for all studies. The effect of trans-membrane pressure on permeate flux showed a classic pattern of a pressure-controlled region at lower pressures transforming to a mass transfer gel layer-controlled region at higher pressures, with quicker transitions at higher algae feed concentrations. The shear rate at the membrane surface was varied by changing the vibrational frequency of the unit. Permeate flux values observed in dynamic filtration mode, compared to those in cross-flow filtration (CFF) mode, were greater by a factor of 4.2–4.9. This process could provide a greener alternative to conventional mechanical and thermal separation systems, as high values of permeate flux and separation efficiency can be maintained with an energy consumption of 1.6 kWh/m3 of water removed.
Tunable control of antibody immobilization using electric field

The controlled immobilization of proteins on solid-state surfaces can play an important role in enhancing the sensitivity of both affinity-based biosensors and probe-free sensing platforms. Typical methods of controlling the orientation of probe proteins on a sensor surface involve surface chemistry-based techniques. Here, we present a method of tunably controlling the immobilization of proteins on a solid-state surface using electric field. We study the ability to orient molecules by immobilizing IgG molecules in microchannels while applying lateral fields. We use atomic force microscopy to both qualitatively and quantitatively study the orientation of antibodies on glass surfaces. We apply this ability for controlled orientation to enhance the performance of affinity-based assays. As a proof of concept, we use fluorescence detection to indirectly verify the modulation of the orientation of proteins bound to the surface. We studied the interaction of fluorescently tagged anti-IgG with surface immobilized IgG controlled by electric field. Our study demonstrates that the use of electric field can result in more than 100% enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio compared with normal physical adsorption.
Chemokines and renal disease

Chemokines are low molecular weight inflammatory cytokines with chemoattractant properties as their major biologic effect. They are classified into at least two families. C-X-C chemokines (alpha subfamily) act primarily on neutrophils, while C-C chemokines act preferentially on monocytes. Chemokine receptors are G protein-coupled receptors that form a family of structurally and functionally related proteins. Chemokines are induced in cells and tissue in response to proinflammatory cytokines. They are produced by glomerular, tubular interstitial, and blood vessel cells. There is good evidence that chemokines contribute to neutrophil and mononuclear cell infiltration in glomeruli and interstitium. Their expression is increased in renal disease, and neutralization studies using antibodies in vivo demonstrated a role for certain chemokines in mediating renal pathology and proteinuria. Interleukin-8, RANTES, and monocyte chemotactic peptide are the best-studied chemokines in the kidney. Development of specific antibodies and receptor antagonists should help establish the precise role of these mediators in renal disease. Important therapeutic implications may result from this work.
Growth inhibition and apoptosis due to restoration of E2A activity in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Two models have been proposed for the molecular mechanism by which the Tal1 oncogene causes T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The activation model suggests that Tal1 as heterodimers with the E2A transcription factor activates the expression of oncogenes. The inhibition model postulates that Tal1 interferes with the tumor-suppressing function of E2A. In the Jurkat T cell line, originally derived from a patient with T-ALL, Tal1 is complexed with E2A proteins and the transcriptional activity of E2A is very low. When E2A activity was restored by expressing an E2A–Tal1 fusion protein, E-T/2, the Jurkat cells underwent growth arrest and subsequently apoptosis, thus supporting the inhibition model and suggesting that E2A loss may contribute to leukemic progression.
Susceptibility of a new world monkey (Aotus trivirgatus) to an old world simian malarial parasite (Plasmodium knowlesi)

Abstract Blood induced infections with a strain of Plasmodium knowlesi have been established in Aotus trivirgatus monkeys. To date we have completed 6 serial passages in intact Aotus monkeys starting with a fresh blood infection. Aotus monkeys were also easily infected with parasitized blood frozen at −70°C. for up to 11 weeks. The course of P. knowlesi infection in most of the Aotus monkeys was similar to that occurring in rhesus monkeys.
Age-related Changes in the Cellular Level of Amylase and Protein Synthesis in the Rat Parotid Gland

Age-related changes in the cellular content of secretory proteins and protein synthesis were studied in parotid glands of rats of various ages. The secretory protein content (determined by measuring the level of α-amylase activity) and the synthesis of proteins (assayed by the rate of incorporation of 3H-leucine into acid-insoluble proteins) decline with increasing age. Morphological and radioautographic studies of the gland indicate that the decline in protein synthesis is due to the reduction in the ability of secretory cells to synthesize proteins.
Determining coastal mixing rates using radium isotopes

Abstract Coastal waters contain elevated dissolved activities of four radium isotopes. These elevated activities arise through desorption of Ra from particle surfaces and the input of submarine groundwaters enriched in Ra. The input of Ra near the coast is balanced by a flux of each Ra isotope toward the open ocean. Two of the Ra isotopes decay almost completely before they reach the edge of the continental shelf; the other two decay hardly at all. These differences in decay rates provide a powerful constraint on models of water movement and mixing on the shelf. These models are used to assess the factors that control the export of radium. Understanding the factors that control the export of radium allows an assessment of physical processes that regulate fluxes of other dissolved constituents in the coastal ocean. In this paper I use observations that were made during vertically stratified conditions in the South Atlantic Bight. Offshore transects of the long-lived 226Ra and 228Ra indicate that eddy diffusion controls their distributions within 50 km of shore. The short-lived 223Ra and 224Ra distributions in this region yield an eddy diffusion coefficient of 360–420 m2 s−1. The offshore fluxes of 226Ra and 228Ra derived from their across-shelf activity gradients and the eddy diffusion coefficient require a substantial volume of groundwater discharge to balance Ra removal.
Testing the satisficing version of the political business cycle 1905–1984

This paper develops a test of the satisficing version of the political business cycle. Previous tests have focused on maximizing models of political behavior and are not sufficiently general to test for satisficing behavior. Using annual U.S. data for the period 1905 to 1984, we find evidence supporting the satisficing version of the political business cycle model, but we reject the maximizing version. In accordance with the satisficing hypothesis, we find that increasing inflation or unemployment and decreasing monetary base growth in the third year of a presidential term are followed typically by reversals during the election year.
What's the code?: automatic classification of source code archives

There are various source code archives on the World Wide Web. These archives are usually organized by application categories and programming languages. However, manually organizing source code repositories is not a trivial task since they grow rapidly and are very large (on the order of terabytes). We demonstrate machine learning methods for automatic classification of archived source code into eleven application topics and ten programming languages. For topical classification, we concentrate on C and C++ programs from the Ibiblio and the Sourceforge archives. Support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are trained on examples of a given programming language or programs in a specified category. We show that source code can be accurately and automatically classified into topical categories and can be identified to be in a specific programming language class.
Photoelectrochemical cells based on electron-transfer quenching of excited states

Photolysis at 453 nm (+-10 nm) of a solution containing Ru(bpy)/sup 2 +/ (5 x 10/sup -5/M), where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, and Co(C/sub 2/O/sub 4/)/sub 3//sup 2 -/ (2 x 10/sup -3/M) in 1.0N H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, including a platinum electrode, was studied. The potential increased exponentially as Ru(bpy)/sub 3//sup 3 +/ was produced, and after a few seconds reached a limiting value of 1.015 V. Correcting for light absorbance, nearly identical results were obtained at 405, 500, and 546 nm. The initial slopes of the potential curves were dependent on the absorbance of the solution as well as on the output of the irradiating lamp. Long term stability of the cell was limited by the slow oxidation of oxalic acid by Ru(bpy)/sub 3//sup 3 +/. The stored chemical redox energy in the cell was withdrawn as a current during and following photolysis by connecting the cell with a salt bridge to a solution containing Fe/sup 2 +/ and Fe/sup 3 +/ (0.001M) in 1N H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ and a platinum gauge electrode. Steady currents as high as 60 ..mu..A at a light intensity of 1.5 x 10/sup -9/ einsteins/s were observed for 15 m or longer. Significant dark currentsmore » were observed when irradiation was stopped--expected for diffusion limited photocurrents. A value of 0.82 +- 0.02 was calculated for the quantum yield for Fe/sup 3 +/ production for 3m photolysis. The yield decreased with longer irradiation times (0.74 for 6m), since the increasing production of oxalic acid begins to compete effectively for Ru(bpy)/sub 3//sup 3 +/.« less
Neurogenic vasodilation in human skeletal muscle: possible role in contraction-induced hyperaemia.

Whether or not neurally mediated vasodilation contributes to the rise in skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise in humans remains unknown. Such a mechanism might serve as an important 'feed-forward' regulatory signal causing blood flow to rise prior to the development of a metabolic demand. Research in animal species has identified three neurally mediated vasodilating mechanisms with the potential to increase skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise. These include sympathetic vasodilator nerves, the potential for substances released by motor nerves to evoke vasodilation and the possibility of an 'intrinsic' vasodilator nerve system within the walls of blood vessels. In humans, sympathetic vasodilator nerves are present in several vascular beds (e.g. cutaneous). However, more recent information suggests that the human skeletal muscle is not innervated by this class of nerves. Along these lines, the vasodilator response to exercise is unaffected by sympathectomy or by blockade of the traditional transmitters associated with neurally mediated vasodilation. The possibility that spillover of substances released from motor neurones evokes vasodilation is provocative. For example, acetylcholine could produce both skeletal muscle contraction via nicotinic receptors and vasodilation via endothelial muscarinic receptors. However, in many species including humans, atropine has no effect on exercise hyperaemia. While the concept of an 'intrinsic' vasodilator pathway within the walls of the skeletal muscle vascular bed is fascinating, limited information is available on this mechanism in animals and none is available in humans. Taken together, the current information suggests that neurally mediated vasodilating mechanisms may not exist in human skeletal muscle. Additionally, even if such mechanisms exist, they do not play an obligatory role in governing the rise in muscle blood flow during exercise in humans.
Communication patterns that define the role of the university-level tutor

This study considers how communication patterns shape the university tutor role. A combination of ethnographic observations and interviews were used to determine the communication behaviors of university tutors and tutees, which help to define what is, otherwise, an ambiguous role. Specifically, the communicative behaviors engaged in by tutors are relational questioning, content questioning, content explaining, and relational disclosure. Drawing on a relational perspective of communication, the uniqueness of the tutoring role, in comparison to other personal and educational roles, is discussed.
The effects of soman, in vivo and in vitro, on aldolase activity.

Abstract We examined the in vivo and in vitro effects of soman on aldolase activity. Male rats were killed at 4, 6, 9 and 12.5 min after subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of 90 mug kg soman. At 4 min after treatment, aldolase activity was inhibited 55–90% compared to control in cerebral cortex, brainstem, midbrain and cerebellum; and up to 50% of control in diaphragm and muscle. By 12.5 min, aldolase activity in all areas had returned to control levels except in the diaphragm, which still exhibited 36% inhibition. In vitro activity of rabbit muscle aldolase was not inhibited by 10−3 M soman. In contrast, diisopropylfluorophosphonate (DFP, 10−3–10−2M) acted as a competitive inhibitor of aldolase activity in vitro. The results suggest that in vivo, soman effects on aldolase activity are transitory. Any long-lasting effects of soman on aldolase activity may occur only in the periphery, and not in the central nervous system.
The social environment and neurogenesis in the adult Mammalian brain.

Adult neurogenesis – the formation of new neurons in adulthood – has been shown to be modulated by a variety of endogenous (e.g., trophic factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones) as well as exogenous (e.g., physical activity and environmental complexity) factors. Research on exogenous regulators of adult neurogenesis has focused primarily on the non-social environment. More recently, however, evidence has emerged suggesting that the social environment can also affect adult neurogenesis. The present review details the effects of adult–adult (e.g., mating and chemosensory interactions) and adult–offspring (e.g., gestation, parenthood, and exposure to offspring) interactions on adult neurogenesis. In addition, the effects of a stressful social environment (e.g., lack of social support and dominant–subordinate interactions) on adult neurogenesis are reviewed. The underlying hormonal mechanisms and potential functional significance of adult-generated neurons in mediating social behaviors are also discussed.
Educational Vouchers: Regulating Their Efficiency and Effectiveness

there has been no true test of vouchers, we are left to examine the advocates' predictions in the light of historical and contemporary knowl­ edge about schooling in America. The public schools have evolved to their current form to accommodate various forces: legislative desire for financial accountability, state inter­ est in prescribing minimal equity and quality standards, interest group pressures, and more. The forces have shaped a school system that serves public and personal in­ terests through a bureaucratic (somewhat centralized, somewhat uniform) apparatus. To believe that the forces that have shaped Amer­ ican education will disappear with the introduction of vouchers is naive. Indeed, some underlying pressures will be exacerbated by vouchers. Hence, we must antici­ pate that these forces will generate legislation, regulation, and bureaucratization intended by the political system to control education. The unknown factor is the extent to which market accountability will substitute for bureaucratic account­ ability in the political system. Against this unknown factor must be arrayed another unknown. How much more (or less) will the political system regulate private providers than it has its publicly elected providers?
Nonnative English speaker performance on the Basic English Lexicon (BEL) sentences.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine sentence-recognition performance for a large, diverse group of nonnative speakers of English on the recently developed Basic English Lexicon (BEL) s...
Photographic observation of a natural fifth-order rainbow

A photograph has been obtained of a natural fifth-order (quinary) rainbow. The photograph was acquired on 8 August 2012 with a digital camera and a polarization filter to maximize contrast of the rainbows with the background. The quinary rainbow, together with its first supernumerary, appears in a contrast-enhanced version of the photograph as broad green and blue-violet color bands within Alexander’s dark band between the primary and secondary rainbows. The red band of the quinary rainbow is obscured by the much brighter secondary rainbow. A comparison with a numerical simulation using the Debye series confirms that the color bands of the quinary rainbow appear at the expected location. The numerical simulation produces a good match with the photograph for a droplet radius of 0.46 mm. The green band of the quinary rainbow is even faintly discernible in the unprocessed photograph, suggesting that under exceptional viewing conditions the green band of the quinary rainbow may be observed visually with the aid of a polarization filter.
Sources of fine urban particulate matter in Detroit, MI

Data from the speciation trends network (STN) was used to evaluate the amount and temporal patterns of particulate matter originating from local industrial sources and long-range transport at two sites in Detroit, MI: Allen Park, MI, southwest of both Detroit and the areas of heavy industrial activity; Dearborn, MI, located on the south side of Detroit near the most heavily industrialized region. Using positive matrix factorization (PMF) and comparing source contributions at Allen Park to those in Dearborn, contributions made by local industrial sources (power plants, coke refineries, iron smelting, waste incineration), local area sources (automobile and diesel truck) and long range sources of PM(2.5) can be distinguished in greater Detroit. Overall, the mean mass concentration measured at Dearborn was 19% higher than that measured at Allen Park. The mass at Allen Park was apportioned as: secondary sulfate 31%, secondary nitrate 28%, soil 8%, mixed aged sea and road salts 4%, gasoline 15%, diesel 4%, and biomass burning 3%. At Dearborn the mass was apportioned as: secondary sulfate 25%, secondary nitrate 20%, soil 12%, mixed aged sea and road salts 4%, gasoline 20%, diesel 8%, iron and steel, 5%, and mixed industrial 7%. The impact of the iron and steel, soil, and mixed aged sea and road salt was much higher at the Dearborn site than at the Allen Park site, suggesting that close proximity to a local industrial complex has a direct negative impact on local air quality.
Intracardiac Ultrasound-Guided Approaches for Managing Heart Rhythm Disorders

Heart rhythm disorders (atrial and ventricular arrhythmias) result in significant morbidity and mortality. Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting more than two million Americans, responsible for one-third of all strokes in patients over 65 years of age, and costing $9 billion annually to manage.1 Another 300,000 Americans die of sudden cardiac death each year, mainly due to ventricular tachyarrhythmias that cause intractable, extremely rapid heartbeats.2 Since current pharmacological therapy for managing cardiac arrhythmias is often ineffective and can even be proarrhythmic, treatment has emphasized non-pharmacological therapies such as ablation, pacing and defibrillation. Effectively managing complex cardiac arrhythmias during electrophysiology studies hinges on several factors including: 1) developing catheter mapping techniques to identify causes and details of arrhythmias; 2) integrating anatomical imaging methods to connect the arrhythmias with underlying cardiac structure; 3) targeting non-pharmacological therapies to abolish arrhythmias; and 4} advancing diagnostic methods to elucidate the effects of therapy. This report is a brief review of recent translational research conducted in collaboration with scientists at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center and Baylor College of Medicine to address some of these issues.
The Use of Teams in an Undergraduate Management Program

The popular management literature reports an increasing emphasis on the use of teams by business firms. Moreover, corporate recruiters often remark that they are looking for college graduates who can work effectively in teams and understand management processes. This article describes the operation of a two-course undergraduate management program in which students gain experience working as managers, subordinates, and peers in team settings. The program has been in existence for more than 25 years and has been well received by both students and employers.
Opportunism in Inter-firm Exchanges in Emerging Markets

This article develops a theoretical model of opportunism in inter-organizational exchanges in emerging markets. I decompose opportunism into ‘strong form’ (contractual norm violation) and ‘weak form’ (relational norm violation), and suggest that strong form tends to be more observable, measurable and remediable than weak form and its adverse effect on cooperation tends to be stronger but less enduring than weak form. I address how external uncertainty, a multidimensional concept that includes market volatility, legal unprotectability, information unverifiability and regulatory variability, along with internal uncertainty that reflects dyadic tensions such as goal disparity, resource misfit, cultural dissimilarity and bargaining asymmetry, together affect exchange members' opportunism. This is followed by further discussions on conditions under which firms will opt for strong form or weak form opportunism in the face of such external and internal uncertainties. I suggest that suppressing forces against opportunism necessitates not only economic ordering, such as contractual mechanisms and structural mechanisms, but also social ordering, such as relational mechanisms and justice mechanisms. I expect that economic ordering is more effective in resisting strong form opportunism while social ordering is more forceful in curtailing weak form opportunism.
Structure and Elastic Properties of Networks Formed by Random Cross-Linking of Star Polymers

The topology of networks formed by random cross-linking of star polymers having A arms is investigated. It is shown that simple relationships exist between the molecular weight Mc between junctions, the number average molecular weight Mn of the primary star arms, the cycle rank ζ, the total number density μ/Vo of junctions, and the average junction functionality φav for regular networks having no defects other than chain ends. The revised Flory-Erman theory treating entanglements as restrictions on junction fluctuations is used to predict moduli and swelling equilibrium properties of cis-polyisoprene networks prepared from 3-arm and 4-arm polymers of varying Mn.
The tunneling frequencies of CD4 and CHD3 adsorbed on graphite and on MgO

Abstract The tunneling frequencies of CD 4 and CHD 3 in monolayer films adsorbed on the surface of graphite and the surface of MgO (100) have been computed. Large splittings between groups of tunneling states are computed for CHD 3 when it is adsorbed on these surfaces.
Reinforced variation and selection

Long-Evans rats were reinforced for generating variable sequences of four left (L) and right (R) leverpress responses. If the current sequence, for example, LLRR, differed from each of the preceding five sequences, then a food pellet was provided. Otherwise, there was a brief time-out. After the rats were generating a variety of sequences, one sequence was concurrently reinforced whenever it occurred, that is, an “always-reinforced” contingency was superimposed. The frequency of that sequence increased significantly from the variable baseline (Experiment 1). The “difficulty” of the always-reinforced sequence influenced the extent to which its frequency increased—“easy” sequences increased greatly, but “difficult” ones increased not at all (Experiment 2, and a replication with pigeons in Experiment 3). However, when reinforcement for baseline variability was systematically decreased while a difficult sequence was always reinforced, that sequence slowly emerged and attained relatively high levels (Experiments 4 and 5). Thus, a technique for training even highly improbable, or difficult-to-learn, behaviors is provided by concurrent reinforcement of variation and selection.
But That Is Unfair Professor: Using a Grade Structure to Help Students Understand Income Quintiles

Abstract Economic instructors exploring issues of income disparities will often be facing students who are apathetic towards the topic. Although income disparities have grown in the US, the university experience is still overwhelmingly dominated by students coming from middle and upper class families who will rarely have personal experiences with poverty which may be part of the reason why so many students lack interest. By suggesting that a flat uniform grade distribution system will be used in the class, students often become frightened by the inevitable outcome that a large percent of the class will automatically receive low grades. This emotional reaction can then be used as an anchoring point for students to recognize the inevitability of poverty with respect to capitalist systems. This method almost always provokes heated and interesting classroom conversations and forces many students to rethink the issue of income inequality in the US.
Satisfaction with care among patients with diabetes in two public health care systems.

Objectives We compared patient satisfaction among adults with diabetes treated in a Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system with the satisfaction of patients treated in a county-funded health care system. We also examined whether satisfaction differences reflected differences in the process of patient care. Design Cross-sectional telephone survey of patients recruited from outpatient clinics. Subjects Five hundred and thirty eight adults, including 310 patients from 4 VA clinics and 228 patients from 2 county clinics. Measures Overall satisfaction with care and satisfaction with 6 separate dimensions of care were measured using the Employee Health Care Value Survey. Results VA patients were more satisfied than were county patients overall and with 5 of 6 dimensions of their care. These differences increased when we adjusted for patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. VA patients reported more diabetes counseling and shorter waiting times to see their doctor. Each of these self-reported process measures was positively correlated with satisfaction and, when taken into account, reduced the differences in satisfaction between the two systems. However, even when we controlled both for patient characteristics and the process of care, VA patients still were more satisfied than were county patients with their care overall as well as with their access to care, communication with providers, and the quality of their health outcomes. Conclusions In this study, VA patients with diabetes were more satisfied with their health care than were county patients. Perceived diabetes-related counseling and shorter waiting times contributed to differences between the systems in patient satisfaction but did not explain them completely.
Ground Oats as a Substitute for Wheat Bran and Wheat Middlings in Rations for Chicks

Abstract GROUND corn, wheat bran, and wheat middlings are commonly used to make up a large part of the ration for starting chicks. At times it may be economical, provided the efficiency of the ration is not less-ened, to substitute oats or wheat for the wheat by-products and, in some cases, for a part or all of the corn. Increasing facilities for grinding grains on the farm are making it practical in many cases for farmers to use ground grains rather than grain by-products in their poultry rations. In order to obtain information on the relative value of wheat and oats as a substitute for wheat bran and wheat middlings as well as a substitute for corn in rations for starting chicks a number of experiments have been conducted at this Station. This paper gives the results of trials in which ground oats were substituted for wheat bran and wheat middlings.
The myth of the “A-bomb statement”

The absence of a translation of the so-called “A-bomb statement”, made by an American defence lawyer during the Tokyo War Crimes Trial (1946–1948), from the Japanese trial transcript has been widely cited in the Japanese discourse around the trial, both academic and popular, as resulting from a sudden attempt by the Allied Powers to cover up a reference to the world's first nuclear attack. This article shows that, contrary to the belief held universally in Japan that the courtroom's simultaneous interpreters were abruptly ordered to halt, the absence of a translation of the statement in the Japanese transcript was due to carelessness and to difficulties inherent to simultaneous interpretation. The article also demonstrates that the Japanese version of the statement produced 36 years later was a gross mistranslation, distorting the meaning of the original, and that it remains uncorrected to this day.
On the role of the central nervous system in control of aldosterone secretion

Abstract Neither pineal extracts nor 1-methyl, 6-methoxy tetrahydro carboline stimulated adrenal steroid secretion in the dog. In hypophysectomized, nephrectomized dogs, secretion rates for aldosterone, corticosterone and cortisol fell to very low levels. When hypophysectomized, nephrectomized dogs were subjected to mid-collicular brain section with removal of forebrain, secretion rates for aldosterone, corticosterone and cortisol were significantly higher than those found after hypophysectomy and nephrectomy alone. Aldosterone secretion rose to rates comparable to those found after hemorrhage, caval constriction or salt depletion in intact or hypophysectomized dogs.