cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resonance Raman spectra of iron(II) and ruthenium(II) complexes with perdeuteriated 2,2′-bipyridine

Resonance enhanced Raman spectra are reported for the complexes M(bpy-d8)32+[MFe(II), Ru(II)] and Ru(bpy-d8)2Cl2, where bpy-d8 is perdeuteriated 2,2′-bipyridine. Correlations are made with the corresponding resonance enhanced modes of the hydrogen containing compounds for the spectra obtained in resonance with the visible metal to ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption bands. In particular, the effect of in-plane CH(D) deformation modes on the resonance active vibrations is discussed.
An animal model for the study of genetic predisposition in the pathogenesis of middle ear inflammation.

Objectives Chronic otitis media with effusion (COME) is the most prevalent inflammatory disease in children and is associated with numerous adverse long-term sequelae. Many factors have been associated with an increased risk of developing COME, one of which may be a genetic predisposition to the disease. To study the role that genetics play in the pathogenesis of COME, we used an animal model to compare the middle ear inflammatory responses in two different strains of rats (Lewis and Fisher). Methods In earlier studies, we demonstrated that exposure of the middle ear to endotoxin caused early extensive exudation and, later, goblet cell hyperplasia and mucin hypersecretion. In the present study, the animals were divided into six groups. In each group the animals were given transtympanic injection with gram-positive bacterial cell wall product (peptidoglycan-polysaccharide [PG-PS]). The middle ear bullae were studied at 1 week and 3 weeks after infection, and after systemic reinfection. Comparisons were made of the quantity of mucin exudate by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by histological evaluation of the middle ear epithelial thickness. Results Our data demonstrate a statistically significant difference in middle ear inflammation and effusion formation between the two genetically different strains of rats. Conclusions These data support the hypothesis that the middle ear response to PG-PS may be genetically determined and therefore suggest that genetic predisposition may play a role in the pathogenesis of COME.
Stimulation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan production by chondrocytes in monolayer.

Chondrocytes in monolayer undergo morphological and biochemical changes which culminate in the establishment of cartilage nodules in vitro. Chondroitin sulfate or heparin, added to the culture media of these cells, stimulates the production of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan over the entire period of culture with a maximum effect during the log phase of growth. In addition, a lag of 2–3 hours is required before an increase in sulfate incorporation into polysaccharide is observed. The responsiveness of chondrocytes is influenced by several factors, such as cell density, conditioned media and enzyme treatment. Furthermore, puromycin abolishes the endogenous as well as the stimulated synthesis, demonstrating the necessity for core protein synthesis in both synthetic processes. Addition of j3-D-xylosides (which presumably act as initiators of chondroitin sulfate polysaccharide synthesis) and chondroitin sulfate, concurrently, stimulate sulfate incorporation to levels higher than either agent alone, indicatin...
Factors Contributing to the Properties of Fluoropolymer Barrier Films

Films of poly(1,1-dihydropentadecafluorooctyl methacrylate) (PFOMA) cast from fluorinated solvents are inert and not wetted by most organic liquids. They are widely used as barrier film in such applications as confining lubricants to miniature bearing raceways or preventing creep onto critical nonlubricated electric relay contact points. The quality of the films, e.g. thickness, surface texture, and resistance to liquid lubricants, is described in terms of their relation to the formulation variables of the PFOMA-solvent system. Aspects which contribute to optimization of the barrier film properties and the relevance of solvent thermodynamic properties are discussed. Presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 9–12, 1977
Influence of the application of three different elicitors on soybean plants on the concentrations of several isoflavones in soybean seeds

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a rich source of isoflavones that are often affected by biotic and abiotic factors. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of various concentrations of three natural elicitors applied at different soybean growth stages on isoflavone content and to compare the efficiency of several solvent systems in isoflavone extraction and quantification. The isoflavones extracted from R96-3444 soybean using eight solvent systems were separated, identified, and quantified by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure. The soybean plants were sprayed with salicylic acid, methyl salicylate, or ethyl acetate at 0, 10-6, 10-3, and 10-1 M at R1 (blooming) or R4 (full pods) growth stage. Results showed that 10-3 M ethyl acetate sprayed at the R1 stage significantly increased total isoflavone content and the levels of some individual isoflavones in soybean seeds. With all the elicitors that were tested, concentration was a more important factor than applicati...
Orthodontic soft-tissue parameters: A comparison of cone-beam computed tomography and the 3dMD imaging system

Introduction Orthodontists rely heavily on soft-tissue analysis to determine facial esthetics and treatment stability. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the equivalence of soft-tissue measurements between the 3dMD imaging system (3dMD, Atlanta, Ga) and the segmented skin surface images derived from cone-beam computed tomography. Methods Seventy preexisting 3dMD facial photographs and cone-beam computed tomography scans taken within minutes of each other for the same subjects were registered in 3 dimensions and superimposed using Vultus (3dMD) software. After reliability studies, 28 soft-tissue measurements were recorded with both imaging modalities and compared to analyze their equivalence. Intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess interexaminer and intraexaminer repeatability and agreement. Summary statistics were calculated for all measurements. To demonstrate equivalence of the 2 methods, the difference needed a 95% confidence interval contained entirely within the equivalence limits defined by the repeatability results. Results Statistically significant differences were reported for the vermilion height, mouth width, total facial width, mouth symmetry, soft-tissue lip thickness, and eye symmetry. Conclusions There are areas of nonequivalence between the 2 imaging methods; however, the differences are clinically acceptable from the orthodontic point of view.
Cultural heritage tourism on Peru's north coast

Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the impact of cultural heritage tourism in North Coast Peru on local communities and artists, in particular, on efforts to use the burgeoning interest in pre-Inca cultures to involve local communities in the development of tourism. A number of studies have explored the connection between archaeology, cultural heritage, and tourist development in Peru and Latin America. While North Coast Peru is an area rich in pre-Inca cultural heritage, many residents near the impressive archaeological sites are in need of an improved quality of life and more economic development opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews with site directors, local development personnel, government officials, and artists as well as observations of relevant tourist-related sites and events, conducted by the author during 2011-2012 in the North Coast cities of Trujillo and Chiclayo. Findings – The so-called “new archaeology” plays an im...
Profiles of Work Function Shifts and Collective Charge Transfer in Submonolayer Metal–Organic Films

Vacuum level shifts Δ(d) at metal–organic (m–O) interfaces indicate the formation of surface dipoles for film thickness d ≤ dML up to a monolayer (ML). Shifts or profiles Δ(θ) of submonolayer films are nonlinear in the coverage θ = d/dML ≤ 1, which points to cooperative interactions between adsorbed molecules. Adsorption with weak nonspecific bonding is modeled as charge transfer (CT) between molecules M and localized surface states S of the metal. The dipole μ0 of ions S−M+ or S+M− gives upper bounds for the vacuum level shift ϕ0 and dipole–dipole repulsion V0 at θ = 1. Partial CT ρ(θ) < 1 is found self consistently and accounts for published profiles Δ(θ) of representative planar and nonplanar molecules with dML∼ 4 and ∼10 A. Initial adsorption at θ ∼ 0 has considerable ionic character, ρ(0) ∼ 1/2, that decreases to ρ(1) ∼ 1/10 at θ = 1. Planar molecules with small μ0 and V0 have slightly nonlinear profiles while molecules with large μ0 and V0 have highly nonlinear Δ(θ). Collective CT is a phenomenological model for m–O interfaces with nonspecific bonding. The CT model is contrasted to fixed dipoles on the surface, to calculations of Δ(1) and to simulations of sub-ML films.
Direct quantification of negatively charged functional groups on membrane surfaces

Abstract Surface charge plays an important role in membrane-based separations of particulates, macromolecules, and dissolved ionic species. In this study, we present two experimental methods to determine the concentration of negatively charged functional groups at the surface of dense polymeric membranes. Both techniques consist of associating the membrane surface moieties with chemical probes, followed by quantification of the bound probes. Uranyl acetate and toluidine blue O dye, which interact with the membrane functional groups via complexation and electrostatic interaction, respectively, were used as probes. The amount of associated probes was quantified using liquid scintillation counting for uranium atoms and visible light spectroscopy for the toluidine blue dye. The techniques were validated using self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols with known amounts of charged moieties. The surface density of negatively charged functional groups of hand-cast thin-film composite polyamide membranes, as well as commercial cellulose triacetate and polyamide membranes, was quantified under various conditions. Using both techniques, we measured a negatively charged functional group density of 20–30 nm −2 for the hand-cast thin-film composite membranes. The ionization behavior of the membrane functional groups, determined from measurements with toluidine blue at varying pH, was consistent with published data for thin-film composite polyamide membranes. Similarly, the measured charge densities on commercial membranes were in general agreement with previous investigations. The relative simplicity of the two methods makes them a useful tool for quantifying the surface charge concentration of a variety of surfaces, including separation membranes.
A New Spin Probe of Protein Dynamics: Nitrogen Relaxation in 15N−2H Amide Groups

15N spin relaxation data have provided a wealth of information on protein dynamics in solution. Standard R1, R1ρ, and NOE experiments aimed at 15N[1H] amide moieties are complemented in this work by HA(CACO)N-type experiments allowing the measurement of nitrogen R1 and R1ρ rates at deuterated 15N[2D] sites. Difference rates obtained using this approach, R1(15N[1H]) − R1(15N[2D]) and R2(15N[1H]) − R2(15N[2D]), depend exclusively on dipolar interactions and are insensitive to 15N CSA and Rex relaxation mechanisms. The methodology has been tested on a sample of peptostreptococcal protein L (63 residues) prepared in 50% H2O−50% D2O solvent. The results from the new and conventional experiments are found to be consistent, with respect to both local backbone dynamics and overall protein tumbling. Combining several data sets permits evaluation of the spectral density J(ωD + ωN) for each amide site. This spectral density samples a uniquely low frequency (26 MHz at a 500 MHz field) and, therefore, is expected to b...
Variability in Traffic Flow Quality Experienced by Drivers: Evidence from Instrumented Vehicles

Freeway operating conditions are typically evaluated on the basis of the level-of-service (LOS) concept, which is defined according to traffic density, a macroscopic traffic parameter. Although density may provide general estimates of current traffic conditions, it generally fails to communicate the variability in the quality of traffic flow experienced by individual drivers. This variability may be caused by factors that are not effectively captured by density, such as travel lane, vehicle position within a platoon, and characteristics of roadway geometry. This paper investigates the variability of traffic flow quality as indicated by measurements of speed and acceleration noise (standard deviation of acceleration) on the basis of field data obtained from instrumented vehicles equipped with Global Positioning System devices. The microscopic measures observed from individual vehicles are compared with density-based LOS, which are calculated with data from the Atlanta, Georgia, traffic-monitoring system. The comparison indicates that under the same LOS condition, drivers may experience significant differences in the quality of traffic flow. In addition, the comparison indicates that drivers under different density-based LOS conditions may experience a similar level of traffic flow quality. The variability generally becomes larger as traffic conditions worsen.
Fatal cerebral air embolus complicating multimodality treatment of esophageal cancer

A 38-year-old woman with clinical T3N1M0 esophageal adenocarcinoma received an institutional protocol of induction chemotherapy, esophagectomy, and consolidation chemoradiotherapy. Three months after treatment, she had an acute mental status change develop and grand mal seizures. Intracranial imaging demonstrated massive cerebral air emboli, and a rapidly fatal neurologic deterioration ensued. At autopsy, a nonmalignant 0.5-cm gastric conduit to the left atrial fistula was identified. This case illustrates a rare, but fatal, late benign complication of aggressive therapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer.
Base-station assisted device-to-device communications for high-throughput wireless video networks

We propose a new scheme for increasing the throughput of video files in cellular communications systems. This scheme exploits (i) the redundancy of user requests as well as (ii) the considerable storage capacity of smartphones and tablets. Users cache popular video files and — after receiving requests from other users — serve these requests via device-to-device localized transmissions. We investigate what is the optimal collaboration distance, trading off frequency reuse with the probability of finding a requested file within the collaboration distance. We show that an improvement of spectral efficiency of one to two orders of magnitude is possible, even if there is not very high redundancy in video requests.
Fixational eye movement correction of blink-induced gaze position errors.

Our eyes move continuously. Even when we attempt to fix our gaze, we produce “fixational” eye movements including microsaccades, drift and tremor. The potential role of microsaccades versus drifts in the control of eye position has been debated for decades and remains in question today. Here we set out to determine the corrective functions of microsaccades and drifts on gaze-position errors due to blinks in non-human primates (Macaca mulatta) and humans. Our results show that blinks contribute to the instability of gaze during fixation, and that microsaccades, but not drifts, correct fixation errors introduced by blinks. These findings provide new insights about eye position control during fixation, and indicate a more general role of microsaccades in fixation correction than thought previously.
Cartilage: Biomimetic Study of the Extracellular Matrix

Cartilage is a complex biological tissue that exhibits gel-like behavior. Its primary biological function is providing compressive resistance to external loading and nearly frictionless lubrication of joints. In this study, we model cartilage extracellular matrix using a biomimetic system. We demonstrate that poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA) hydrogels are robust biomaterials exhibiting mechanical and swelling properties similar to that of cartilage extracellular matrix. A comparison is made between the macroscopic behavior of PVA gels and literature data reported for cartilage.
Long Distance/Duration Trajectory Optimization for Small UAVs

This paper presents a system for autonomous soaring flight by small and micro uninhabited aerial vehicles. It combines a prediction of wind field with a trajectory planner, a decision-making block, a low-level flight controller and sensors such as Global Positioning System and air data sensors to enable exploitation of atmospheric energy using thermals, wave, and orographic lift or dynamic soaring. The major focus of this research is on exploiting orographic (i.e. slope or ridge) lift to enable long duration, long distance flights by a small autonomous uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV). This paper presents a methodology to generate optimal trajectories that utilize the vertical component of wind to enable flights that would otherwise be impossible given the performance constraints of the UAV. A point mass model is used to model the aircraft and a polynomial function which includes both horizontal and vertical variations in wind speed is used to model the wind field. Both vehicle kinematic and minimum altitude constraints are included. Results for a test case (crossing the Altoona Gap in Pennsylvania’s Bald Eagle Ridge) are presented for both minimum time and maximum final energy trajectories.
Late Quaternary sedimentation in the western equatorial Atlantic

The late Quaternary terrigenous sediments of the continental margin and abyssal plains of the western equatorial Atlantic consist predominantly of hemipelagic silty clay rich in organic detritus with interbeds of redeposited silts and sands; deposition was cyclic and was controlled by glacial-interglacial climatic fluctuations. The redeposited beds are graded, as much as several metres in thickness, and were episodically deposited by turbidity currents and related mass flows. Although the terrigenous component of the hemipelagic sediments was also transported to abyssal depths via gravity-controlled bottom flows, the pelagic component (foraminifera) of these sediments indicates that accumulation occurred relatively slowly (5 to >30 cm/10 3 yr) and continuously for periods of as much as 100,000 yr. Thus some near-bottom process (other than simple downslope flow), such as redistribution and deposition by contour-following bottom currents, apparently was responsible for deposition of the hemipelagic sediment; however, evidence for such contour-current deposition is sparse. The hemipelagic and redeposited sediments were continuously deposited during relatively long intervals (∼90,000 yr) of low sea level that accompanied the Wisconsin and previous glacial phases. During these intervals the continental shelf was emergent, and river sediments were discharged directly into submarine canyons from where they could easily be transported downslope to the continental margin and abyssal plains. In contrast, during the relatively short intervals (5,000 to 20,000 yr) of high sea level that accompanied the Holocene, beginning of the Last Interglaciation (125,000 to 115,000 yr B.P.), and beginning of previous interglacial phases, the locus of river sedimentation migrated landward across the continental shelf. The low gradient and great width of the shelf plus strong longshore currents prevented seaward movement of sediment beyond the innermost shelf. Thus terrigenous sedimentation was briefly, but completely, halted throughout the entire basin and only pelagic sediments were deposited.
Elastoplastic Transverse Properties of a Unidirectional Fibre Reinforced Composite

An approximate theoretical study is made to predict the overall transverse elastoplastic properties of a unidirectional fibre reinforced composite. Based on the simplest deformation theory of plasticity, the overall transverse polyaxial elastoplastic constitutive equations for an incompressible composite are obtained. A simple formula is suggested to evaluate the average stress in the fibres. Furthermore, with the prediction of the overall transverse elastic moduli of a compressible composite, the overall transverse uniaxial stress-strain curve for a compressible composite in the entire elastic-plastic range is obtained. A detailed example is given for a Boron-Aluminum composite. Comparison is made with the experimental and theoretical work done by General Dynamics and Adams respectively.
Occurrence of HLA Types in H. Influenzae Type B Disease

We have studied 50 Caucasoid children under 7 years of age with Haemophilus influenzae b disease. Half of the patients (Group A) had invasive disease shown by positive blood and/or spinal fluid culture. The other half (Group B) had noninvasive disease characterized by fever, nasopharyngitis, negative blood culture, and positive throat culture. Age, number of other siblings under 12 years old in the family, immune response, antibody production and genetic markers were compared in the two groups. Significant difference between the two groups was only seen in their genetic markers. HLA-B12 was present in 52% of Group A patients as opposed to 16% in Group B patients (P less than .01). HLA-Bw40 was present in 24% of group B patients and absent in all Group A patients (P less than .01). These findings would suggest that susceptibility and resistance towards developing invasive type b disease may be genetically determined.
Applying Learning Principles to Remedial Spelling Instruction.

Three learning principles relevant for teaching spelling to LD children are discussed, and the application of each to remedial teaching is described.
Assessing the Value of the OpenOrbiter Program’s Research Experience for Undergraduates

This article presents an assessment of the benefits gained by undergraduate students who participated in the OpenOrbiter Small Spacecraft Development Initiative. It provides an overview of the program and its learning objectives, as they apply to undergraduate students. It compares the learning impact between students who participated and those who assumed leadership roles. Qualitative assessment with regard to benefits is also discussed. The article extrapolates from these results to identify program elements that were particularly instrumental in delivering the positive benefits discussed. Finally, future work is discussed.
Analyzing ultra-large-scale code corpus with boa

Analyzing the wealth of information contained in software repositories requires significant expertise in mining techniques as well as a large infrastructure. In order to make this information more reachable for non-experts, we present the Boa language and infrastructure. Using Boa, these mining tasks are much simpler to write as the details are abstracted away. Boa programs also run on a distributed cluster to automatically provide massive parallelization to users and return results in minutes instead of potentially days.
Temporal evolution of gene expression in rat carotid artery following balloon angioplasty

The success of vascular intervention including angioplasty, stenting, and arterial bypass remains limited by negative remodeling resulted in lumen restenosis. This study was to characterize the global transcription profile reflecting concurrent events along arterial remodeling and neointima formation in a rat carotid artery balloon-injury model. Expression profiling of injured and control common carotid arteries on days 4, 7, 14 post-injury that mark the major pathohistological progression stages of neointimal formation were recorded on high-density oligonucleotide arrays. A subset of genes from microarray-based data was further studied using quantitative real time RT-PCR and in situ hybridization with sequential arterial samples from days 1 to 28 post-injury. The gene-encoded proteins were validated with Western blot. Besides temporal induction of a large cluster of genes over-represented by cell proliferation and macromolecule metabolism gene ontology categories, a fast-evolving inflammation could be demonstrated by the induction of Tgfb and other anti-inflammatory genes (e.g., C1qtnf3 (C1q and tumor necrosis factor related protein 3 (predicted))) and a shift from type 1 to 2 helper T cell response. The most significant signature of the induced neointimal profile is enrichment of genes functionally related to angiogenesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling (e.g., Spp1 (secreted phosphoprotein 1), CD44 (CD44 antigen), and Cxcl12 (chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (stromal cell-derived factor 1)). Some of the genes represent stress-responsive mesenchymal stromal cell cytokines. This study highlighted mesenchymal stromal cell cytokines-driven inflammatory extracellular matrix remodeling, as target processes for potential clinical therapeutic intervention.
Correlation of Cholestasis With Serum Copper and Whole-Blood Manganese Levels in Pediatric Patients

Many institutions reduce or eliminate copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) in parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions when cholestasis develops. Little data exist to support this practice. Fifty-four subjects with known serum Cu, whole-blood Mn, and serum-conjugated bilirubin levels were evaluated in this prospective, observational study. Subjects ranged in weight from 760 g to 65.2 kg. Subjects weighing or =25 kg received a dose of 500 microg/d Cu and 150 microg/d Mn. Cholestasis was defined as a conjugated bilirubin level > or =2 mg/dL. Of the 54 subjects, 20 had cholestasis. Fifteen patients had elevated Cu levels, and 21 had high Mn levels. Seven of the subjects had both high Cu and high Mn levels. The regression model comparing cholestasis as a predictor of high, low, or normal Cu level was not significant (P = .9588). Cholestasis was not a significant predictor of high, low, or normal Mn levels (P = .6533). No correlation between Cu and Mn levels was found. The authors found no significant relationship between conjugated serum bilirubin levels > or =2.0 mg/dL, serum Cu, and whole-blood Mn levels. They found insufficient evidence to support the practice of dosing Mn from a Cu level or vice versa. They recommend obtaining Cu and Mn levels on all pediatric patients who develop cholestasis prior to adjusting parenteral doses and at regular intervals for all long-term PN patients.
Growth in children with clefts: serial hand-wrist x-ray evidence.

Objective: Serial hand-wrist x-rays were assessed for Tanner-Whitehouse 2 skeletal ages of children with cleft palate, unilateral cleft lip and palate, and bilateral cleft lip and palate. The skeletal ages were compared by cleft type to see whether growth delay might explain the small body size for age and delayed maturation sometimes seen elsewhere in children with clefts. Design: This is a retrospective study of serial x-rays collected between 1950 and 1968 at the Philadelphia Growth Center. The author was blind to age, sex, and diagnosis while reading these films. Participants: These x-rays were taken as part of routine auxological evaluation of the normality of growth status. Main Outcome Measures: Distributions of skeletal age patterns in advance of or delayed from chronological age and frequencies of clinically significant deviant patterns are presented. Conclusions: Boys and girls with cleft palate show different maturational patterns, supporting a sex influence on the etiologies of at least some o...
Reducing the risk of transmitting genital herpes: advances in understanding and therapy.

ABSTRACTBackground: This review considers the epidemiology and impact of genital herpes, discusses how herpes simplex virus‐2 (HSV‐2) is transmitted, and reviews data on methods of reducing the risk of HSV transmission.Scope: Information for the paper was identified through multiple PubMed searches. Information in the section on interventions was identified through PubMed searches using several pairs of key words (herpes and transmission, herpes and treatment, herpes and antiviral, herpes and valacyclovir, herpes and famciclovir, herpes and acyclovir, herpes and condom, herpes and clinical trial). The searches, conducted in January 2005, did not have date limits. Papers were selected for inclusion based on the author's judgment of their relevance to the topic of the review.Findings: An estimated 45 million persons in the United States have genital herpes infection, and new infections occur at a rate of approximately one million per year. Approximately 85% to 90% of infections are unrecognized and therefor...
Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR in carcinogenesis and metastasis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained massive attention in recent years as a potentially new and crucial layer of gene regulation. LncRNAs are prevalently transcribed in the genome, but their roles in gene regulation and disease development are largely unknown. HOX antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a lncRNA located in the HOXC locus, has been shown to repress HOXD gene expression and promote breast cancer metastasis. Mechanistically, HOTAIR interacts with and recruits polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and regulates chromosome occupancy by EZH2 (a subunit of PRC2), which leads to histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation of the HOXD locus. Moreover, HOTAIR is pervasively overexpressed in most human cancers compared with noncancerous adjacent tissues. This review summarizes the studies on the HOTAIR lncRNA over the past 6 years.
The Perils of Polarization: Economic Performance in the Postcommunist World

Perhaps the most striking feature of the postcommunist transformation is the tremendous variation in rates of economic growth across countries. To account for these differences, this article develops an alternative to the J-curve and partial reform views that currently dominate discussions of the politics of economic reform. This approach treats economic performance as a political struggle between excommunist and anticommunist factions engaged in a war of attrition over economic and political resources. Using a pooled time-series analysis of economic growth across twenty-five postcommunist countries for the period 1990–98, it finds that political polarization between ex-communist and anticommunist factions has had a devastating effect on economic growth. Where these competing factions have had roughly equal power and have struggled over the economic rules of the game—as in Bulgaria or Ukraine—economic growth has been slow. In contrast, where either excommunist or anticommunist factions have dominated the political scene—as in Estonia or Uzbekistan—economic performance has been much better. In addition, economic growth has followed the electoral calendar in polarized countries. As elections approach and the odds of a change in economic policy increase, growth rates have plummeted in polarized countries. These findings have implications for studies of the postcommunist transformation, the political business cycle, and the politics of economic reform more generally.
New World Revision of the Termite Genus Procryptotermes (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae)

All known species of New World Procryptotermes are defined and distribution records revised. Two new species, P. hesperus from Cuba and the Bahamas, and P. leewardensis from the Leeward Islands, are described along with a redescription of P. corniceps (Snyder) from the central Antilles. New records for the recently described P. edwardsi Scheffrahn are given along with a key to imagos and soldiers of New World Procryptotermes.
Exuberant Ca2+ Signaling in Neutrophils: A Cause for Concern

Under inflammatory conditions after burn/trauma injuries, circulating neutrophils are frequently hyperactive, contributing to excessive superoxide production and related tissue damage. Although normal neutrophil activation is cooperatively controlled by Ca2+-independent and Ca2+-linked signaling pathways, exuberant Ca2+-linked signaling appears to cause neutrophil hyperactivation in the injury conditions.
Simulation of Photosynthesis, a Resource for Energy

Artificial devices that mimic the photosynthetic pathway are of interest as a fuel source. A basic concept in the design of such devices is the use of dyes to photosynthesize electron transfer reactions that produce chemical species capable of oxidizing and reducing water. A fundamental limitation accompanying the photodecomposition of water involves back reactions of the intermediary redox species, whereby the potential energy of the photochemical process is degraded. The introduction of interfaces as kinetic barriers to overcome this limitation is discussed. One type of interface is generated with water-in-oil microemulsions. A photo-induced transfer of electrons and protons from the aqueous phase to the organic phase of a water-in-oil microemulsion is sensitized by the tris(2,2′-bipyridine)Ru(2+) complex. EDTA dissolved in the aqueous compartments is oxidized and dimethyl-aminoazobenzene dissolved in the continuous oil phase is reduced. The electron transfer process is mediated by benzylnicotinamide, an acceptor located at the interface of the system. The second type of interface discussed is generated with lipid bilayer membrane vesicles. An amphiphilic tris(2,2′-bipyridine)Ru(2+) complex that is incorporated into the walls of phospholipid vesicles photosensitizes the oxidation of EDTA dissolved in the inner aqueous compartments of the vesicle suspension and the reduction of viologens dissolved in the aqueous phase. Intentionally added membrane-bound electron and proton carriers are not required for electron transport across the vesicle walls. Mechanisms for electron transport are considered.
Behavior Modification in Quality Control

Combined attitude change and operant conditioning procedures to improve operative worker performance were investigated. Results indicate no attitude change, no quality change, quantity improvement,...
The Phytophagous Insect Fauna of Milk Thistle In Southern California

A diverse assemblage of phytophagous insects representing 6 orders, 24 families, and more than 47 species fed or reproduced on milk thistle, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner (Compositae), in southern California. Most of the insects attacking this introduced annual weed were polyphagous, ectophagous, sap- or foliage-feeding species; over half were economic species. Milk thistle apparently is relatively free of deleterious insect injury to its roots, stems, and reproductive parts in southern California. This preintroduction survey of its insect fauna provided reasonable assurance that species known to attack it in its native Europe were not already present, prior to undertaking additional surveys of its insect enemies and specificity studies of candidate biological control agents in the Mediterranean area.
Estimating Optical Turbulence in the Atmosphere Utilizing the Inherent Vertical Scaling Characteristics of Temperature Fields

We propose a novel framework for the estimation of Cn2 in the atmosphere. This framework only requires coarse-resolution temperature and pressure profiles as input. Observations from a field campaign over Hawaii are used for validation.
Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Immunization in Changning District of Shanghai in 2006

Objective To analyze the adverse events following immunization(AEFI) in Changning District of Shanghai in 2006,evaluate the safety of vaccines,and provide the evidence for establishing the safe monitoring system of standard vaccination.Methods The AEFI cases were collected and reported by the Vaccine Adverse Events Surveillance System(VAESS).The data were classified as nonserious,serious reaction according to the symptoms and medical records.Results In 2006,178 AEFI cases related to 12 kinds of vaccines from 126459 doses of 19 kinds of vaccines.Among the adverse events reported,amount of nonserious and serious events were 166 cases and 12 ases respectively.The most commonyl reported type of non-serious adverse events were low-grade fever and non-serious local reaction.AEFI cases caused by DTP combined vaccine was in the first rank.Supplementary immunization of DTP combined vaccine had more cases of AEFI than routing immunization.Conclusions Establishing and perfecting the standardized VAESS will improve the susceptibility and the utilization rate of data on AEFI.To reduce the AEFI,we should implement vaccination regulations,distinguish contraindications,and introduce safer vaccines.
The Mullan Road: Carving a Passage through the Frontier Northwest, 1859–62. Edited by Paul D. McDermott, Ronald E. Grim, and Philip Mobley

The Mullan Road: Carving a Passage through the Frontier Northwest, 1859–62 . Edited by Paul D. McDermott, Ronald E. Grim, and Philip Mobley. (Missoula: Mountain Press, 2015. x + 286 pp. Illustrations, maps, tables, notes, bibliography, index. $38.00, paper.) The 624-mile Mullan Road was built as a military wagon route linking two frontier forts, Fort Walla Walla on the Columbia and Fort Benton on the Missouri. The War Department allocated a total of $230,000 for the project designed “to be a quicker, more practical alternative for immigrants, troops, and future railroad builders to reach the Pacific Northwest—better than the Old Oregon Trail” (p. 225). Under Lt. John Mullan’s leadership, workers started construction in 1859 and finished in 1862. Because of the Civil War, the administration failed to appropriate additional funds, and the rugged … tomed{at}spiretech.com
Effect of Metacognitive Support on Student Behaviors in Learning by Teaching Environments

We have developed environments that use teaching as a metacognitive, reflective, and iterative process to help middle school students learn about complex processes. We demonstrate that metacognition and self-regulation are crucial in developing effective learners and preparing them for future learning tasks. As evidence, we discuss the impact of metacognitive support on students' learning performance and behavior patterns that promote better learning through self-monitoring.
Data quality between promises and results

Improving the quality of data is a crucial task for business, health, and scientific data. Several data cleaning algorithms have been translated into tools to identify and repair data errors such as outlying values, duplicate records, typos, missing values, and violations of rules in general [1], [2], [3], [4].
Harnessing the Big Data Paradigm for ICME: Shifting from Materials Selection to Materials Enabled Design

As the size of databases has significantly increased, whether through high throughput computation or through informatics-based modeling, the challenge of selecting the optimal material for specific design requirements has also arisen. Given the multiple, and often conflicting, design requirements, this selection process is not as trivial as sorting the database for a given property value. We suggest that the materials selection process should minimize selector bias, as well as take data uncertainty into account. For this reason, we discuss and apply decision theory for identifying chemical additions to Ni-base alloys. We demonstrate and compare results for both a computational array of chemistries and standard commercial superalloys. We demonstrate how we can use decision theory to select the best chemical additions for enhancing both property and processing, which would not otherwise be easily identifiable. This work is one of the first examples of introducing the mathematical framework of set theory and decision analysis into the domain of the materials selection process.
Dustin Hoffman: The Artistic Star

This chapter situates Dustin Hoffman’s incipient star career as a negotiation of tension between appealing to young educated adults and maintaining Hollywood traditions. To an unexamined extent, Hoffman’s performance style and contemporary interviews to the press exerted a considerable influence over what became known as the “Hollywood Renaissance.” Hoffman’s stature as an ethnic everyman, anti-hero, and unlikely star was a determinative signifier in his films, his ancillary discourse, and the movement more generally. As much as any actor, Hoffman established the Rough Rebel star image: not conventionally handsome, white-ethnic, committed to and excelling at performance, careerist, liberal but not radical, and privileging male-male relationships over male-female relationships.
CHAPTER 310 – The Heat-Shock Response: Sensing the Stress of Misfolded Proteins

The heat-shock response is an inducible molecular response to physiological, environmental, and biochemical stress conditions that results in the elevated expression of heat-shock genes. Transient exposure to intermediate elevated temperatures or lower levels of chemical and environmental stress has cytoprotective effects against sustained, normally lethal, exposures to stress. This reveals a valuable survival strategy that "a little stress is good." The stress-induced regulation of the heat-shock response in vertebrates occurs by activation of a family of heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs) from an inert state under normal steady-state conditions to a transcriptionally competent DNA-binding state. Recently, evidence has accumulated that heatshock proteins could play important roles in cytoprotection based on observations that overexpression of Hdj-1, Hdj-2, or Hsp70 reduces polyglutamine aggregate formation and prevents cellular degeneration. These observations offer interesting possibilities to develop therapeutic strategies based on activation of the stress response or selectively increasing the levels of individual chaperones.
Photodisintegration of 9 Be

The photoneutron cross section of $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ is calculated using the Dirac model: It is found to have a form that differs somewhat from the standard Breit-Wigner form near threshold. A good fit to the data is obtained.
Ketogenic Diet for Intractable Seizures

The efficacy of the ketogenic diet in 58 children with multiple seizure types resistant to antiepileptic drugs has been evaluated at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Output feedback-based event-triggered control of distributed processes with communication constraints

This work presents a methodology for the design and analysis of an output feedback-based event-triggered networked control system for spatially-distributed processes with uncertain low-order dynamics, a finite number of spatially-distributed output measurements and sensor-controller communication constraints. Based on an approximate finite-dimensional system that captures the infinite-dimensional system's dominant dynamics, a model-based controller is initially designed and implemented. A state observer, with well-characterized state estimation error convergence properties, is also designed and embedded in the sensor to estimate the slow states of the infinite-dimensional system based on the available output measurements. The observer state is used to update the model state at times when sensor-controller communication is permitted. The update is triggered whenever a certain stability threshold on the model estimation error is breached. The threshold is explicitly characterized in terms of the controller and observer design parameters, the model uncertainty and the control actuator and measurement sensor locations. The connections between the developed output-feedback-based event-triggered control approach and the full-state feedback-based strategy are identified and discussed. Finally, the proposed methodology is illustrated using a simulation example.
Varieties described by verbal subgroups

Stewart [1] has given a complete classification of varieties of center-extended-by-metabelian groups of exponent p and class at most p − 1 . We will use this classification as a setting for some general results about join-irreducible varieties of p-groups and to motivate the title of this note. Full proofs will appear elsewhere.
Association of a 2-weeks-on and 1-week-off schedule of sunitinib with decreased toxicity in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

406 Background: Treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) with sunitinib can be associated with toxicity leading to dose reduction. Maintaining adequate sunitinib dosing and avoiding dose interruptions that lower drug levels are essential for optimizing clinical efficacy. Standard sunitinib schedule is 4 weeks of treatment and 2 weeks of rest (schedule 4/2). Empirically in clinical practice, several metastatic RCC patients at The Cleveland Clinic (CCF) have been changed from a 4/2 schedule to a 2 weeks on /1 week off (2/1) schedule after experiencing toxicity in an attempt to maintain daily dose but reduce toxicity. Methods: The medical records of mRCC patients who were changed to a 2/1 schedule of sunitinib at CCF were retrospectively reviewed. Patient toxicity on each schedule was recorded during routine clinic visits and graded according to the Common Toxicity Criteria, version 4.0. Results: 21 patients were identified: 71% male, 78% clear cell histology, and 29% prior systemic therapy. All b...
Complex spatial language improves from 3 to 5 years: The role of prompting and overhearing in facilitating direction giving using Between and Middle

Abstract The primary goal of this study was to specify age-related improvements in young children's use of the complex spatial terms between and middle in response to prompting and overhearing supports. Three- to 5-year-old children described the location of a mouse hidden between two furniture items in a dollhouse. Three prompting conditions (Between Directive, Middle Directive, Nondirective) were compared with two overhearing conditions (Overhearing Between, Overhearing Middle). Children's use of between and middle was much more frequent in response to directive prompting than in response to nondirective prompting or overhearing. Only 4- to 5-year-old children showed some evidence of using middle in response to nondirective prompting and overhearing, demonstrating developmental gains in sensitivity to subtle cues. The secondary goal was to assess young children's production and comprehension of between and middle using tasks suitable for young children and parent report checklists. As expected, children's spatial language showed strong developmental improvement and was related to direction-giving performance.
Breast Cancer Prognosis for Young Patients

Background/aims Breast cancer (BCa) prognostication is a vital element for providing effective treatment for patients with BCa. Studies suggest that ethnicity plays a greater role in the incidence and poor prognosis of BCa in younger women than in their older counterparts. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the association between age and ethnicity on the overall final prognosis. Materials and methods Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) was used to analyze BCa prognosis using Howard University Cancer Center Tumor Registry and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results BCa datasets. Patients were grouped according to their predicted prognosis based on NPI scheme. Results There was no correlation between the younger patients compared to their older counterparts for any of the prognostic clusters. The significance of ethnicity in poorer prognosis for younger age is not conclusive either. Conclusion An extended prognostic tool/system needs to be evaluated for its usefulness in a clinical practice environment.