cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of the Impact of Anti-corruption Provisions within Multilateral Institution Loan Agreements

At the firm level, bribery and corruption can substantially distort international trade by giving unfair advantages to potentially less-competitive firms, allowing bribe recipients to rely on personal enrichment rather than quality to assess the market. At the state level, bribery and corruption can similarly distort the market by skewing the delivery of goods and services to the government in favor of corrupt firms. Anti-bribery laws exist at the state and multilateral level in many instances, but these laws have limited reach and suffer weak enforcement in many countries. Some laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, have been applied extraterritorially through evidence of a U.S. nexus. But many firms avoid scrutiny by focusing on domestic transactions, including those with their own government institutions. Two mechanisms have arisen recently to enhance the push for broad acceptance and enforcement of anti-bribery laws. These include trade agreements and multilateral loan agreements. Many trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, include strict anti-bribery provisions applicable to member nations. These often promote fairness in sourcing and procurement and, accordingly, trade and investment. Likewise, loan agreements from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank include rigid anti-corruption policies and investigative and enforcement offices that can debar contractors across a number of multilateral institutions, risking millions in loans to countries in need. Both of these mechanisms apply incentives and disincentives to encourage compliance with principles of fairness and transparency in doing business. Much has been written about anticorruption provisions in trade agreements already. In this paper, I will address the application of anti-bribery and anti-corruption provisions in the context of multilateral loan agreements entered into by multilateral development banks (MDBs), specifically focused on those facilitated by the Inter-American Development Bank for Latin American countries. I will explain the applicable policies and enforcement of those provisions and provide an analysis of their effect on levels of trade and corruption in recipient countries.
A general framework of digitization risks in international business.

Digital global connectivity offers multinational enterprises new opportunities, but it also brings unique risks, an area not yet well examined in international business. This article presents an organizational information-processing framework, which elucidates what (risk types and sources), how (risk assessing and managing), and whom (vulnerable firms) these risks relate to, in a dialectical manner that seeks to combine theoretical insights and managerial actions. We focus on three types of risks (digital interdependence, information security, and regulatory complexity) that MNEs uniquely face, and explain within-country and cross-country risk drivers. We document variances among MNEs in exposure to these risks, proposing that information flow intensity, geographic diversity, international strategy, and global platform participation carry strong implications on the firm’s risk exposure and response. Finally, this framework offers actions essential for MNEs, individually and collectively, to manage digital risks, emphasizing processes of building and deploying digital intelligence in pursuit of transnational resilience for cross-border activities that become increasingly digitally connected.
Varying-coefficient regression analysis for pooled biomonitoring

Human biomonitoring involves measuring the accumulation of contaminants in biological specimens (such as blood or urine) to assess individuals exposure to environmental contamination. Due to the expensive cost of a single assay, the method of pooling has become increasingly common in environmental studies. The implementation of pooling starts by physically mixing specimens into pools, and then measures pooled specimens for the concentration of contaminants. An important task is to reconstruct individual-level statistical characteristics based on pooled measurements. In this article, we propose to use the varying-coefficient regression model for individual-level biomonitoring and provide methods to estimate the varying-coefficients based on different types of pooled data. Asymptotic properties of the estimators are presented. We illustrate our methodology via simulation and with application to pooled biomonitoring of a brominated flame retardant provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Lexical selection in bilingual language production: Evidence from a picture-naming task

Abstract The goal of this study is to examine whether bilingual speakers can inhibit one language while naming pictures in the other. In two picture-word interference task experiments, Spanish-English and English-Spanish bilinguals named pictures in Spanish. We used language-neutral (nonword) interfering stimuli to probe the phonological activation of the nontarget language (English). Three different interfering stimulus conditions were presented: nonwords phonologically related to the Spanish picture name (Phono-Spanish), nonwords phonologically related to the English picture name (Phono-English) and phonologically unrelated nonwords (Unrelated). When participants named pictures in Spanish (Experiment 1), facilitation was found for both groups in the Phono-Spanish condition. No interference was found in the Phono-English condition for either group. From this result and the results of a control experiment in which participants named pictures in English (Experiment 2), we argue that under some circumstances, bilinguals are able to effectively inhibit the nontarget language during language production.
Allele-specific gene regulation by KDM6A

KDM6A demethylates the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 and thus plays an important role in developmental gene regulation. KDM6A expression is female-biased due to escape from X inactivation, suggesting that this protein may play a role in sex differences. Here, we report that maternal and paternal alleles of a subset of mouse genes are differentially regulated by KDM6A. Knockouts of Kdm6a in male and female embryonic stem cells derived from F1 hybrid mice from reciprocal interspecific crosses resulted in preferential downregulation of maternal alleles of a number of genes implicated in development. Moreover, the majority of these genes exhibited a maternal allele expression bias, which was observed in both reciprocal crosses. Promoters of genes downregulated on maternal but not paternal alleles demonstrated a loss of chromatin accessibility, while the expected increase in H3K27me3 levels occurred only at promoters of genes downregulated on paternal but not maternal alleles. These results illustrate parent-of-origin mechanisms of gene regulation by KDM6A, consistent with histone demethylation-dependent and -independent activities.
Who Trusts the Trial Courts, To What Extent, and Why?

Considerable effort has been expended on explaining the high and steady level of trust enjoyed by the US Supreme Court despite its intervention into some of the most controversial issues of our time. The possession of “diffuse support,” a reservoir of goodwill unrelated to the outcome of specific court decisions, and the Court’s ability to conceal its decision-making process from public view have emerged as prominent explanations. Trial courts have neither advantage. Trust in trial courts is shaped by three characteristics: their identity with a locality, pervasive and persuasive fictional depictions of how courts operate, and the personal contact most Americans have had with trial courts. Direct experience is of particular significance. People with direct court experience look at trial courts differently than those without. But the consequences of court experience for trust are not straightforward, being shaped by the specific details of what transpired. Jurors, for example, are more trusting in courts if they served on a criminal rather than a civil jury, which in turn depends on specific factors that affect the quality of trial deliberations. Perceived procedural justice is the main predictor of trust in trial courts, with the effect being considerably stronger for those able to draw upon personal court experience. Personal experience also suppresses the influence of exposure to media-provided information about trial courts, while perceived procedural justice explains why levels of trust in trial courts differ among racial and ethnic groups. All in all, when explaining trust in trial courts, the devil is in the details of what happens in the courthouse and the medium through which information on the courts is obtained. This makes trial courts a challenging subject for students of trust in public institutions.
Does the Threat of Litigation Explain Insider Selling and Earnings Management in Distressed Firms

The paper provides evidence that the threat of litigation influences managers' accounting and insider trading choices in firms experiencing deteriorating financial performance. We analyze the two-year period preceding technical default for 462 firms during 1983-1997. Our sample firms have deteriorating performance during this period (abnormal returns of -27.5%) and, as in DeFond and Jiambalvo (1994), we find upwards earnings management in the year preceding default (Year -1), but not in the year of default (Year 0). We find that debt contracts and insider selling incentives independently contribute to the Year -1 earnings management. Our tests that examine the timing of the measurement of insider selling relative to earnings management reveal that: (1) managers manage Year -1 earnings upwards when they engage in abnormal levels of selling in Year -1, consistent with earnings management distancing the sale of stock from the revelation of bad news, and (2) managers refrain from managing Year -1 earnings when they trade closer to the event of default (in Year 0). These two distinct patterns suggest that the threat of litigation matters to managers of firms with deteriorating performance. Our finding that contemporaneous insider selling is associated with upwards earnings management should be of interest to researchers who study, and professionals who oversee (e.g., directors, auditors, and regulators) management in firms with deteriorating performance.
The Role of the Family in the Success of Disadvantaged Gifted Learners.

This study used the case study approach with fifteen “disadvantaged” gifted adolescents. The students completed questionnaires, and follow-up interviews were conducted with the students and at least one parent. The importance of families as a source of encouragement and support was noted by all the students. In addition to families, schools played an important role in acknowledging and encouraging abilities. The question remains open as to how these students will traverse the next stage of their talent development.
Completely Randomized Design

The completely randomized designCompletely Randomized Design (CRD) is the simplest type of experimental design. Three characteristics define this design: (1) each individual is randomly assigned to a single treatment condition, (2) each individual has the same probability of being assigned to any specific treatment condition, and (3) each individual is independently assigned to treatment conditions. Keywords: experimental design; randomization; analysis of variance
Statehouse Democracy: Public Opinion and Policy in the American States

The importance of public opinion in the determination of public policy is the subject of considerable debate. Whether discussion centres on local, state or national affairs, the influence of the opinions of ordinary citizens is often assumed yet rarely demonstrated. Other factors such as interest group lobbying, party politics and developmental, or environmental, constraints have been thought to have the greater influence over policy decisions. Professors Erikson, Wright and McIver make the argument that state policies are highly responsive to public opinion, and they show how the institutions of state politics work to achieve this high level of responsiveness. They analyse state policies from the 1930s to the present, drawing from, and contributing to, major lines of research on American politics. Their conclusions are applied to central questions of democratic theory and affirm the robust character of the state institution.
Deoxycytidine Triphosphate Deaminase: Characterization of an Escherichia coli Mutant Deficient in the Enzyme

A mutant of Escherichia coli, previously shown to contain abnormal nucleoside triphosphate pools, was found to be defective in its ability to synthesize thymidine nucleotides. The defect is not in the enzyme thymidylate synthetase but in deoxycytidine triphosphate deaminase, an enzyme that supplies deoxyuridine monophosphate, the substrate for thymidylate synthetase.
Detecting buzz from time-sequenced document streams

This paper presents a formal method of detecting emerging and changing interests that appear in document streams arriving continuously over time. Examples of such document streams include email, news articles, and Web logs (or blogs). We utilize the temporal information associated with documents in the streams and discover emerging issues and topics of interest and their change by detecting buzzwords in the documents. Buzzwords are terms that occur with strong momentum for a relatively short period of time. Our approach for buzz detection is based on the notion of "burst of activities" proposed by Kleinberg [2002]. The burst of activities is modeled using a weighted automaton. We propose an algorithm to discover buzzwords of high intensity measured by their momentum and relative duration of the bursts. The method is applied and validated on a stream of blog postings and we report the experiment results.
Viscosity and conformation of calf thymus histones

The gross conformation of the four main histone fractions was determined from viscosity measurements in aqueous solutions and in solutions containing inorganic electrolytes. In distilled water the histones behaved like flexible linear polyelectrolytes, i.e. the reduced specific viscosity increased with dilution exponentially. In the presence of acid or salts, the viscosity decreased and the normal linear dependence of the reduced specific viscosity on concentration was observed. The viscosity of the very lysine-rich Fraction 1 (which is also relatively rich in proline) was much higher than that of the other histone fractions. Phosphate and sulfate ions were more effective in diminishing the viscosity of aqueous solutions of the Fraction 1 than chloride or acetate ions. Die Konfiguration von vier Histonfraktionen wurde untersucht, indem die Viskositat ihrer wassrigen Losungen mit und ohne Elektrolytzusatz bestimmt wurde. Die reduzierte spezifische Viskositat der verdunnten wassrigen Losungen erhohte sich exponentiell mit wachsender Verdunnung, d.h., die Histone verhielten sich wie flexible lineare Polyelektrolyte. In Gegenwart von Salz oder Saure wurde die Viskositat erniedrigt, und es wurde die normale lineare Abhangigkeit von der Konzentration beobachtet. Die Viskositat der Fraktion F 1, die hohen Lysin- und Prolingehalt aufweist, war hoher als die Viskositat der anderen Fraktionen. Phosphat- und Sulfationen erniedrigten die Viskositat der wassrigen Fraktion F 1 viel starker als Chlorid- oder Acetationen.
Free-space quantum-key distribution

A working free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) system has been developed and tested over a 205-m indoor optical path at Los Alamos National Laboratory under fluorescent lighting conditions. Results show that free-space QKD can provide a secure real-time key distribution between parties who have a need to communicate secretly.
Electrical imaging of the heart

We give an overview of "cardiac electrical imaging", which is a generalization of the ECG in which more information is acquired by using a larger array of electrodes to record a sequence of "electrical images". These image sequences can be measured noninvasively on the body surface or invasively on or in the heart muscle itself. Here we briefly discuss the motivation for cardiac electrical imaging, we describe some relevant background electrophysiology to indicate how cardiac electrical imaging can provide information about the heart' s health, and then we give an overview of the technical challenges that arise in displaying, representing, and analyzing these image sequences.
Incidence of developmental defects at the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL).

Abstract Bioassay data from Teratology , Vol. 1 (1968) through Vol. 40 (1990), were utilized which were sufficient to establish no observed adverse effect levels (NOAEL's) for 120 experiments on 93 developmental toxicants in animals. The observed incidence (risk) at the NOAEL was calculated as the proportion of affected fetuses minus the proportion affected in the control animals. This calculation did not require any dose-response modeling. Data were primarily from experiments on rats and mice with a few studies on rabbits and hamsters. There did not appear to be differences in riks at the NOAEL among these four species. For each experiment, the risk at the NOAEL was tabulated for all of the adverse effects which shared the same NOAEL. Since the observed risk at the NOAEL for either dead/resorbed or abnormal fetuses exceeded 1% in about one-fourth of the cases, this suggests that a benchmark dose with a risk on this order would eliminate the higher risks and serve as a basis for establishing reference doses. If the lower confidence limit on a benchmark dose is used in place of the NOAEL, better experimental designs with more animals would result in tighter confidence limits, giving larger (less stringent) reference doses than poorer experiments.
Geologic research in support of sustainable agriculture

The importance and role of the geosciences in studies of sustainable agriculture include such traditional research areas as, agromineral resource assessments, the mapping and classification of soils and soil amendments, and the evaluation of landscapes for their vulnerability to physical and chemical degradation. Less traditional areas of study, that are increasing in societal importance because of environmental concerns and research into sustainable systems in general, include regional geochemical studies of plant and animal trace element deficiencies and toxicities, broad-scale water quality investigations, agricultural chemicals and the hydrogeologic interface, and minimally processed and ion-exchange agrominerals. We discuss the importance and future of phosphate in the US and world based on human population growth, projected agromineral demands in general, and the unavailability of new, high-quality agricultural lands. We also present examples of studies that relate geochemistry and the hydrogeologic characteristics of a region to the bioavailability and cycling of trace elements important to sustainable agricultural systems.
Anatomical evidence for segregated focal groupings of efferent cells and their terminal ramifications in the cerebellothalamic pathway of the monkey.

Patterns of termination of the cerebellothalamic pathway were investigated using anterograde tracing techniques. The thalamic projections from each of the deep cerebellar nuclei are topographically organized in two and possibly in three dimensions. First, the caudo-rostral cerebellar nuclear dimension is mapped onto the mediolateral dimension within the cell-sparse ventral lateral thalamic region (VPLo, VLc, VLps, and nucleus X). By correlating this topographic ordering with the previously established lamellar organization of the cell-sparse thalamic region39,64, a somatotopy is inferred within the deep cerebellar nuclei, with caudal body parts represented anteriorly and rostral body parts represented posteriorly in each nucleus. A second topography consists of the mapping of the mediolateral dimension of the dentate and interpositus nuclei onto the ventrodorsal dimension of the lamellae in the thalamus. Since the thalamic connections with motor cortex predict a somatotopic organization with distal body parts ventral and axial parts dorsal in thalamus, each cerebellar nucleus should, therefore, represent axial body parts laterally and distal parts medially. A third mapping dimension is shown for the dentatothalamic projection : dorsal parts of the dentate nucleus project posteriorly within the cell-sparse thalamic region, and ventral parts project anteriorly. The significance of this as regards representation of the body is not known. Subsidiary foci of terminations within the cellsparse thalamic region are visible following tritiated amino acid injections into each of the deep cerebellar nuclei. Following dentate injections these foci appear as anteroposteriorly elongated, rod-like aggregations of terminations which are similar to the rod-like aggregations of thalamocortical relay cells which have been demonstrated following focal injections of horseradish peroxidase into the motor cortex39. The interpositothalamic and the fastigiothalamic terminations are elongated and appear as focal clusters in all planes of section. The interpositothalamic clusters are distributed within posterodorsally curving planar sheets. An anterograde double labeling technique, using a combination of the autoradiographic technique with the axonal degeneration technique, was used to investigate the interrelations of the terminations from different nuclei and from different parts of the same nucleus. Rods from different parts of the dentate nucleus terminate independently of one another. Dentatothalamic rods and interpositothalamic clusters, though interdigitating within the same thalamic region, do not overlap. This topographic and modular organization of the cerebellothalamic pathway suggests that the cerebellar input may reflect both the somatotopic and the columnar organization of the motor cortex.
New developments in molecular simulation

This special issue is a selection of 14 papers reflecting the new developments in the field of molecular simulation in the chemistry and chemical engineering community. The topics discussed in this...
Developing youth workers: Career ladders for sector stability

Abstract Youth development principles advocate for supporting young people, while the staff who work with them face chronic issues like heavy workloads and poor support which are linked to job turnover. Prior quantitative research has presented college-based training as a best practice to professionalize and stabilize the youth workforce. Career ladders that are credit-bearing offer youth workers a stackable credential, as well as an entree into higher education for their personal and professional growth. This article presents case studies to understand qualitatively why and how experiences in higher education result in job promotion and professional retention. Case studies of three urban youth workers reveal insights into their perceived supports and impact of participation, as well as how they overcame barriers and connected learning to working. These emergent themes connect career ladders with professional tenure to inform workforce development and research in this sector. Recommendations based on findings are highlighted for practitioners.
The need for an increased use of small and mini‐livestock in integrated smallholder farming systems 1

Producing protein through crop cultivation requires less land than through animal husbandry. Consequently, it is often thought that there is no room for animal husbandry on the very small farms as found in China and Indonesia. Indeed, on farms smaller than 0.5 ha, large ruminants are very rare and mini‐livestock are also not common. Most proteins required in the family diet are thus obtained from leguminous plant products, notably beans and soya products such as soya milk, tofu and tempe. Until recently it was assumed that plant proteins, when consumed in a balanced diet, can fully meet human nutritional requirements, and that animal proteins are not needed. Recent research has shown, however, that in developing countries, unbalanced vegetarian diets regularly lead to nutritional problems, notably those caused by micro‐nutrient and vitamin deficiencies. Consumption of small amounts of animal products can overcome these problems. Under certain circumstances there may be ecological niches available for live...
Creating a multi-discipline gaming curriculum: avoiding mistakes, missteps, and growing pains

While the number of game development programs has grown drastically over the past 5 years, there is still relatively little information on the development and rapid growth of these programs. At Drexel University, game development has grown from a few unrelated, area-specific courses to now be a truly multi-discipline, multi-course sequence which unifies the foundation skills of several departments and colleges across the university. Yet there have been numerous challenges and changes during the 4-year creation of this sequence. This paper documents the growth of our program and the problems that we encountered and our solutions for addressing them in a hope to provide a roadmap for other institutions.
Generating pairs and group actions

Abstract An action of a finite group on a closed 2-manifold is called almost free if it has a single orbit of points with nontrivial stabilizers. It is called large when the order of the group is greater than or equal to the genus of the surface. We prove that the orientation-preserving large almost free actions of G on closed orientable surfaces correspond to the Nielsen equivalence classes of generating pairs of G. We classify the almost free actions on the surfaces of genera 3 and 4, find the large almost free actions of the alternating group A 5 , and give various other examples.
Establishing intracranial brain tumor xenografts with subsequent analysis of tumor growth and response to therapy using bioluminescence imaging

Transplantation models using human brain tumor cells have served an essential function in neuro-oncology research for many years. In the past, the most commonly used procedure for human tumor xenograft establishment consisted of the collection of cells from culture flasks, followed by the subcutaneous injection of the collected cells in immunocompromised mice. Whereas this approach still sees frequent use in many laboratories, there has been a significant shift in emphasis over the past decade towards orthotopic xenograft establishment, which, in the instance of brain tumors, requires tumor cell injection into appropriate neuroanatomical structures. Because intracranial xenograft establishment eliminates the ability to monitor tumor growth through direct measurement, such as by use of calipers, the shift in emphasis towards orthotopic brain tumor xenograft models has necessitated the utilization of non-invasive imaging for assessing tumor burden in host animals. Of the currently available imaging methods, bioluminescence monitoring is generally considered to offer the best combination of sensitivity, expediency, and cost. Here, we will demonstrate procedures for orthotopic brain tumor establishment, and for monitoring tumor growth and response to treatment when testing experimental therapies.
In Situ Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Electrochromic Reactions of Tungsten Trioxide Films

This paper reports on thin WO{sub 3} films which are transparent in the oxidized state and colored in the reduced state. These changes in optical properties are associated with compositional variations of the material. Changes in vibrational intensities of W{double bond}O, W{emdash}O, and W{double bond}O{emdash}H bonds in the electrochromic WO{sub 3} film were detected by an in situ FTIR technique at various stages of reduction (coloration). The absorbance due to O{emdash}H stretching and bending vibrations was found to increase during the electrochemical reduction of the film, indicating the incorporation of water into the film along with the formation of H{sub x}WO{sub 3} bronze during coloration. The absorbance due to W{double bond}O vibration decreased while that due to W{emdash}O vibration increased during reduction. These observations suggest that during the coloration process W{double bond}O bonds break and new W{emdash}O bonds form in the film, and thus, provide direct evidence for the electrochromic reaction. O{sub 2}W{double bond}O + xH{sup +} + xe{sup {minus}} {leftrightarrow} O{sub 2}W{emdash}O{emdash}H{sub x}.
Antigen presentation by epidermal Langerhans cells: loss of function following ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in vivo.

Abstract The antigen presenting capacity of cells derived from the skin of normal and ultraviolet (UV) light-irradiated mice has been investigated. Cells were obtained by a method developed in this laboratory that involves preliminary treatment of whole skin sections with trypsin followed by enzymatic digestion of skin fragments with collagenase. The resulting cell population is generally 80% viable and contains 5–8% I-A+ cells (Langerhans cells) by immunofluorescence using an FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibody. It was found that cells prepared in this manner, when haptenated with trinitrophenyl (TNP), induced significant delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions in syngeneic recipients in numbers as low as 4 × 10 6 . Priming could be accomplished by subcutaneous and intraperitoneal but not intravenous administration of the coupled cells. This was evident in normal as well as in UV-treated recipients. In contrast, TNP-coupled cells obtained from UV-irradiated mice, while capable of inducing DTH responses in normal recipients, failed to induce DTH reactivity in UV-treated mice. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes obtained from the above groups of mice revealed the presence of suppressor cell activity in UV-treated mice given UV-derived epidermal cells. I-A+ cells are detectable in epidermal preparations from UV-treated mice but at quantitatively lower levels than in normal skin samples. The functional differences in antigen presentation and generation of suppressor cells by UV versus normal epidermal cells provides evidence for a severe defect in antigen handling by such cells in the UV-treated host.
Remarks on the thorium cycle

The use of thorium and neutrons to make U-233 would provide energy for many thousands of years. Thorium is more abundant than uranium and U-233 is the best fissile material for thermal neutron reactors. Four approaches to the use of thorium are worth developing: heavy water moderated reactors with conversion ratios greater than 0.9, such as modified CANDU with lower cost of separating D2O and U-235; molten salt breeder reactors, from which fission products and excess fuel may be continuously removed; fusionfission hybrids that produce adequate tritium and excess neutrons for sustenance and U-233 production in a subcritical thorium U-233 blanket; and by fission-initiated-thermo nuclear explosions in cavities in salt beds one mile below the earth's surface yielding U-233 from the excess neutrons and thorium and decontaminated steam for power production.
Spatial chirp in ultrafast optics

Abstract Spatial chirp is a common spatio-temporal effect, but its parameterization is currently unsatisfactorily vague. In this paper, we propose and compare two definitions of spatial chirp, which we call “spatial dispersion” and “frequency gradient.” The appropriate definition to use depends on the application. For Gaussian beams and pulses, the relationship between the two definitions is found to be analogous to that between the definitions of temporal chirp in the time and frequency domains.
Determination of uranium at microgram levels by derivative polarography

Abstract The incremental method of derivative polarography has been applied to the low-level analysis of uranium in acetate-buffered EDTA electrolyte. Optimum conditions are shown for the rapid determination of 2 × 10 −6 M uranium in the presence of 0.01 M bismuth and of 5 × 10 −6 M uranium in the presence of 0.01 M molybdenum, with a precision ⩽ 2% and without prior separation. Uranium in amounts ⩽ 10 μg may be detected in a 10 4 -fold excess of bismuth. The method has been used successfully for the analysis of a bismuth alloy containing 0.1 % of uranium.
Stiffness Comparisons Between Adventitia, Media and Full Thickness Specimens From Human Atherosclerotic Carotid Arteries

Arteries display highly nonlinear, anisotropic material behavior and can be considered to be a layered composite of fiber oriented materials composed of three layers: intima, media and adventitia. The intima does not affect the material properties of the artery. Thus, the mechanical properties of an artery result from the combined interaction of the media and adventitia with each layer displaying different material properties. It has been widely accepted that atherosclerosis changes the material properties of the arterial wall. However, little experimental data exists relating the properties of the media and adventitia of atherosclerotic vessels to the overall properties of the artery. Knowledge of the properties of human atherosclerotic tissues is essential for an improved understanding the effects of atherosclerosis and also for creating more accurate computational models for predicting the effects of the disease [1]. A prior study of bovine carotid arteries determined the properties of the adventitia and media using a deductive method [2]. This paper focuses on directly measuring and comparing the stiffness of paired samples of adventitia, media and full thickness specimens from human atherosclerotic carotid arteries.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The function of Glu338 in the catalytic triad of the carbamoyl phosphate synthetase amidotransferase domain

Abstract The synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate by the mammalian multifunctional protein, CAD, involves the concerted action of the 40 kDa amidotransferase domain (GLN), that hydrolyzes glutamine and the 120 kDa synthetase (CPS) domain that uses the ammonia, thus produced, ATP and bicarbonate to make carbamoyl phosphate. The separately cloned GLN domain has very low activity due to a reduction in kcat and an increase in Km but forms a hybrid complex with the isolated Escherichia coli CPS subunit. The hybrid has full glutamine-dependent catalytic activity and a functional interdomain linkage. The mammalian-E. coli hybrid was used to investigate the functional consequence of replacing His336 and Glu338, two residues postulated to participate in catalysis as part of a catalytic triad. The mutant mammalian GLN domains formed stable complexes with the E. coli CPS subunit, but the catalytic activity was severely impaired. While the His336Asn mutant does not form measurable amounts of the γ-glutamyl thioester, the steady state concentration of the intermediate with the Glu338Gly mutant was comparable to the wild type hybrid because both the rate of formation and breakdown of the thioester are reduced. This result is consistent with the postulated role of Glu338 in maintaining His336 in the optimal orientation for catalysis and suggests a mechanism for the GLN CPS functional linkage.
Light Bulb Presentations in a Mathematics for the Liberal Arts Course.

Abstract Encouraging students to make independent discoveries is an effective way to get them excited about mathematics, and sharing their triumphant moments (their light bulb moments) helps to spread this excitement to their peers. A Mathematics for the Liberal Arts course is a perfect venue for the sharing of light bulb moments, as it helps to correct the negative impression of mathematics that many of these students have.
Immunologic aspects of rejection.

Abstract The endothelial cell is a likely candidate for the site of rejection in allograft or xenograft cardiac transplantation. Any or all of the cell surface molecules on donor endothelium could be a site for recipient antibody-mediated lysis. Lymphokines affect a variety of changes on endothelial cells, ranging from changes in cell morphology to the de novo synthesis of HLA antigens, to the expression of endothelium-specific antigens. Increases in free C1q and its subsequent binding to endothelium could cause nonantibody mediated complement activation with subsequent cell lysis. Injury of vascular cells by mediators secreted by anaphylatoxin-activated PMNs or mast cells could lead to endothelial death. A combination of these processes may account for the final organ failure in cardiac transplantation.
WISC-R Verbal and Performance Abilities of Native American Students Referred for School Learning Problems.

This study was designed to determine if three diagnostic groups of Navajo children differed on intellectual dimensions as measured by the WISC-R. Subjects had been previously diagnosed by state certified professionals and were identified as nonhan dicapped (NH) (N = 113), educationally disadvantaged.(ED) (N = 189), and learning disabled (LD) (N = 150). NH group means on all WISC-R variables were significantly higher than the LD group means. The ED and the LD group means were similar on the verbal measures, but the LD group scores were lower than the ED group scores on performance measures. The NH group demonstrated intellectual abilities and deficits similar to those reported for other primary-grade Navajo children who had not been referred for suspected handicapping conditions.
Comparative effectiveness research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects millions worldwide. It is America’s third leading cause of death, and results in significant morbidity and cost. Although many therapies exist and are being developed to alleviate symptoms and decrease morbidity and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, most have only been studied in placebo-controlled efficacy studies in highly selected populations. Comparative effectiveness and translational research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will require the development of infrastructures to support collaboration between researchers and the stakeholders who generate, disseminate and use new knowledge. Methodologies need to evolve to both prioritize research questions and to conduct collaborative comparative effectiveness research studies. Given the impracticality of testing every clinical intervention in comparative pragmatic trials for comparative effectiveness research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we advocate expanding methodology that includes the use of observational databases with serially performed effectiveness analyses and quasi-experimental designs that include following healthcare changes longitudinally over time to assess benefit, harm, subgroups and cost.
Differential inhibition of human colon cancer cells by structurally similar flavonoids of citrus

A number of studies in the recent years have evaluated the anti-proliferative activity of flavonoids. Although certain studies investigated the structure-activity based on the phenotypic assays, no study has correlated the flavonoids structure with the ability to alter gene/protein expression. Present study was focused to understand the structure-function relationship of citrus flavonoids in terms of their ability to alter the gene expression in the colon adenocarcinoma cells. Eight structurally related flavonoids found in citrus were evaluated for their ability to inhibit colon cancer (SW480) cells, as well as change the expression of apoptosis related genes/proteins. Apigenin and quercetagetin demonstrated most significant inhibition of cell proliferation with 63.6% and 45.7% inhibition of cell growth at 200μM after 48h of incubation, respectively. The cell death was also confirmed by images of fluorescently tagged cells. Furthermore, up-regulation of Bax/Bcl2 protein ratio as well as activation of Caspase3 at 200μM at 48h confirmed the induction of apoptosis by apigenin and quercetagetin. In addition, results suggest that the change in Bax/Bcl2 ratio by apigenin and quercetagetin seems to be due to their ability to alter the expression of bax and bcl2 transcription. Results of the currents study suggest that among the citrus flavonoids, double bond between C2 and C3 and hydroxyl group at C3, C6 are highly decisive for the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction ability. Taken together, these results demonstrate that among the major flavonoids of citrus, apigenin and quercetagetin have potent anti-cancer activity through inducing apoptosis in SW480 human colon cancer cells.
Scientists: you really need to get out of the lab more

There is no rulebook for how to be a scientist−advocate, but that shouldn't stop researchers from engaging with the broader community. In fact, it's an essential part of being a good steward of your science.
Preparative separation of nucleated cells from human bone marrow

A comparison has been made between the separation of nucleated cells from human bone marrow aspirates by high mol.wt polymers and the buffy coat techniques.
A COMPARISON OF THERMODYNAMIC LOSS MODELS APPLIED TO THE J-79 TURBOJET ENGINE

The objective of this paper is to clarify the relationships between various work loss figures of merit that have been proposed for application to gas turbine propulsion. The intent is to provide a working comparison by way of a pedagogical example using the J-79 turbojet engine. The results of this analysis are then used to draw inferences as to what applications each work potential figure of merit is best suited. Finally, a general "work exclusion principal" is suggested as a guide to which of the various loss figures of merit is most appropriate for a given application. Nomenclature *†
Accumulation of intraepithelial mast cells with a unique protease phenotype in TH2-high asthma

Background Previously, we found that mast cell tryptases and carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3) are differentially expressed in the airway epithelium in asthmatic subjects. We also found that asthmatic subjects can be divided into 2 subgroups ("T H 2 high" and "T H 2 low" asthma) based on epithelial cell gene signatures for the activity of T H 2 cytokines. Objectives We sought to characterize intraepithelial mast cells (IEMCs) in asthma. Methods We performed gene expression profiling in epithelial brushings and stereology-based quantification of mast cell numbers in endobronchial biopsy specimens from healthy control and asthmatic subjects before and after treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). We also performed gene expression and protein quantification studies in cultured airway epithelial cells and mast cells. Results By means of unsupervised clustering, mast cell gene expression in the airway epithelium related closely to the expression of IL-13 signature genes. The levels of expression of mast cell genes correlate positively with lung function improvements with ICSs. IEMC density was 2-fold higher than normal in subjects with T H 2-high asthma compared with that seen in subjects with T H 2-low asthma or healthy control subjects ( P = .015 for both comparisons), and these cells were characterized by expression of tryptases and CPA3 but not chymase. IL-13 induced expression of stem cell factor in cultured airway epithelial cells, and mast cells exposed to conditioned media from IL-13–activated epithelial cells showed downregulation of chymase but no change in tryptase or CPA3 expression. Conclusion IEMC numbers are increased in subjects with T H 2-high asthma, have an unusual protease phenotype (tryptase and CPA3 high and chymase low), and predict responsiveness to ICSs. IL-13–stimulated production of stem cell factor by epithelial cells potentially explains mast cell accumulation in T H 2-high asthmatic epithelium.
Trapping and detection of ions generated in a high magnetic field electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer

The trapping and detection parameters employed with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer that is interfaced to a high magnetic field electrospray ionization (ES11 source are presented. ES1 occurs at atmospheric pressure in a 1.5-T field, and FTICR detection occurs 25 cm away at 3.0 T in either one of two cells separated by a conductance limit and maintained at pressure differentials of 5 × 105 and 2 × 107 torr, respectively. The continuous electrospray ion current traversing the high- and low-pressure cells is 350 and 100 pA, respectively. Retarding grid studies at the high-pressure cell indicate electrospray ion kinetic energies are controllable from less than an electronvolt to more than 10 eV. These kinetic energies are a function of desolvating capillary-skimmer assembly distance and the skimmer potential. Efficient accumulation of injected ions is accomplished only when the trap-plate potential matches the ion kinetic energy. If this condition is satisfied, the trapped ion cell fills to the ion space charge limit within a few hundred milliseconds. It is concluded that even at the high pressures used, the primary trapping mechanism cannot be solely collision dependent because the rate of ion accumulation is independent of background pressure. However, optimized FTICR excitation conditions for peptides and proteins in the mass range from 103 to more than 106 kDa are found to vary strongly with pressure; this is attributed to large mass- and charge-dependent differences in ion-molecule collision frequency.
Effect of methoxyl content of pectin on the properties of high-solids gels

The maximum pH at which high-solids pectin gels can form, decreases with decreasing methoxyl content. It is about 3.5 for purified pectins containing 10–11% methoxyl and about 2.9 for pectins containing around 5% methoxly, providing alkali or, possibly, acid is used as the catalyst. Pectins de-esterified in situ by citrus pectinesterase form gels at maximum pH values near those for untreated pectins. The pH maximum is not markedly influenced by molecular weight or concentration of the pectin. No optimum pH value was observed in the moduli-vs.-pH curves. The modulus of rigidity of pectin gels is related to the molecular weight of the pectin. Measurement of the moduli of rigidity is rapid, reliable, and appears to be amenable to use in industrial work. The modulus of elasticity in compression can be related to that in shear if a Poisson ratio of 0.5 is assumed when small deformations are observed.
Genetic analysis of tomato golden mosaic virus: ORF AL2 is required for coat protein accumulation while ORF AL3 is necessary for efficient DNA replication

Tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) is a geminivirus whose genome is divided between two DNA components, designated A and B. The TGMV genome contains six open reading frames (ORFs) which can encode proteins of greater than 10 kDa. We have used a protoplast transfection system to determine the effects of viral proteins, as defined by these ORFs, on the accumulation of viral DNA in infected cells. The accumulation of cost protein was also examined in leaf discs. Our results indicate that mutations in ORFs AR1 and AL2 do not affect viral double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) levels, although AR1 and AL2 mutants accumulate only small amounts of single-stranded viral DNA (ssDNA). In contrast, a large reduction in both ss- and dsDNA levels is observed when a mutation is introduced into ORF AL3. Mutations within either of the two DNA B ORFs do not affect DNA replication. The AL3, BR1, and BL1 mutants are capable of synthesizing coat protein; however, coat protein is not detected in leaf discs inoculated with AR1 or AL2 mutants. Testable models are proposed to explain the influence of AL2 protein on coat protein accumulation and to account for the stimulation of viral DNA synthesis mediated by the AL3 gene product.