cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Product cycle, Wintelism, and cross‐national production networks for developing countries: China’s telecom manufacturing industry as a case

Focusing on the telecom manufacturing industry in China as a case, this paper contends that the existing literature needs to be expanded. Product cycle theory could be applied to explain multinational corporations’ strategies of importing and localizing their products in developing countries in order to take advantage of lower labor costs and to break barriers to the local markets. However, rapid technology changes have limited the power of traditional product cycle theory while favoring the “dynamic adding‐and‐dropping” product cycle. Meanwhile, the success of “Wintelism” and the maturity of cross‐national production networks in the global market have significant impacts on developing countries’ indigenous industries. Indigenous manufacturers start to take advantage of their strength in the distribution and production value‐chain and to outsource their weaknesses to Western corporations. This model of “reversed cross‐national production networks” represents a feasible industrialization path with great potential to enable indigenous manufacturers to emerge as competitors in advanced Western markets as well as less developed markets.
Changes in the subcellular distribution of cardiac catecholamines in dogs dying in irreversible haemorrhagic shock.

THE work of Schlossberg and Sawyer1 has established the fact that the reactivity of the sympatho adrenal system of an animal is involved in stress situations such as severe loss of blood. Indeed, vasoconstriction due to increased peripheral sympathetic tone and elevation of circulating catecholamines resulting from the stimulation of the adrenal medulla by the sympathetic centres are outstanding signs of hypovolemic hypotension. In experimental haemorrhagic shock increased blood-levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine have most recently been reported by Greever and Watts2 and Walker and co-workers3,4.
Guam amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-parkinsonism-dementia linked to a plant excitant neurotoxin

The decline in the high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, parkinsonism, and Alzheimer-type dementia among the Chamorro population of the western Pacific islands of Guam and Rota, coupled with the absence of demonstrable viral and hereditable factors in this disease, suggests the gradual disappearance of an environmental factor selectively associated with this culture. One candidate is seed of the neurotoxic plant Cycas circinalis L., a traditional source of food and medicine which has been used less with the Americanization of the Chamorro people after World War II. Macaques were fed the Cycas amino acid beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, a low-potency convulsant that has excitotoxic activity in mouse brain, which is attenuated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. These animals developed corticomoto-neuronal dysfunction, parkinsonian features, and behavioral anomalies, with chromatolytic and degenerative changes of motor neurons in cerebral cortex and spinal cord. In concert with existing epidemiological and animal data, these findings support the hypothesis that cycad exposure plays an important role in the etiology of the Guam disease.
Particulate calcium carbonate in New England shelf waters: result of shell degradation and resuspension*

Aragonite and calcite needles, 30–500 μm long, were found to be prominent visual components throughout the water column in some areas of the New England (northeastern U.S.A.) continental shelf during winter months. Further investigation showed these‘needles’to be laths derived from the degradation of mollusc shells which were resuspended from bottom sediments during winter storms. Such degradation and subsequent transport/dissolution of carbonate particles may help explain why the terrigenous 'starved’shelf sediments off New England contain such small amounts of calcium carbonate.
Correlation of PET standard uptake value and CT window-level thresholds for target delineation in CT-based radiation treatment planning.

Purpose: To develop standardized correlates of [ 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) standard uptake value (SUV) to computed tomography (CT)-based window and levels. Methods and Materials: Nineteen patients with non–small-cell lung cancer who underwent imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and CT were selected. A method of standardizing SUV within CT planning software was developed. A scale factor, determined by a sensitivity calibration of the PET scanner, converts voxel counts to activity per gram in tissue, allowing SUVs to be correlated to CT window and levels. A method of limiting interobserver variations was devised to enhance "edges" of regions of interest based on SUV thresholds. The difference in gross tumor volumes (GTVs) based on CT, PET SUV ≥ 2.5, and regions of 40% maximum SUV were analyzed. Results: The mean SUV was 9.3. Mean GTV volumes were 253 cc for CT, 221 cc for SUV ≥ 2.5, and 97 cc for SUV40%Max. Average volume difference was −259% between ≥2.5 SUV and CT and −162% between SUV40%Max and CT. Percent difference between GTV ≥ 2.5 SUV and SUV40%Max remained constant beyond SUV > 7. For SUVs 4–6, best correlation among SUV thresholds occurred at volumes near 90 cc. Mean percent change from GTVs contoured according to CT (GTV CT) was −260% for GTV2.5 and −162% for GTV40%Max. Using the SUV40%Max threshold resulted in a significant alteration of volume in 98% of patients, while the SUV2.5 threshold resulted in an alteration of volume in 58% of patients. Conclusions: Our method of correlating SUV to W/L thresholds permits accurate displaying of SUV in coregistered PET/CT studies. The optimal SUV thresholds to contour GTV depend on maximum tumor SUV and volume. Best correlation occurs with SUVs >6 and small volumes 7, differences between the SUV threshold filters remain constant. Because of variability in volumes obtained by using SUV40%Max, we recommend using SUV ≥ 2.5 for radiotherapy planning in non–small-cell lung cancer.
Response of a rotorcraft model with damping non-linearities

Abstract The linearized equations of motion of a helicopter in contact with the ground have solutions which can be linearly stable or unstable, depending on the system parameters. The present study includes physical non-linearities in the helicopter model. This allows one to determine if a steady-state response exists and, if so, what the frequency and amplitude of the oscillations will be. In this way, one can determine how serious the linearly unstable operating regime is and whether destructive oscillations are possible when the system is in the linearly stable regime. The present analysis applies to helicopters having fully articulated rotors.
Dynamics and transport of sulfur dioxide over the Yellow Sea during TRACE-P

[1] Fast time resolution (>1 Hz) sulfur dioxide (SO2) measurements were obtained using an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer with isotopically labeled internal standard on the NASA Wallops P-3B during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution Over the Pacific (TRACE-P) field experiment. The high time resolution for SO2 allowed a view into the dynamics of SO2 transport, including the effects of clouds. Two missions along 124.5°E from the vicinity of Taiwan to the northern Yellow Sea near the Korean peninsula were flown on consecutive days with quite different weather conditions. Although the winds on both flights were westerly to northwesterly, the SO2 concentrations were markedly different in vertical and horizontal distributions. Together with turbulence measurements and other high rate data on the P-3B, we have assessed how cloud processing and atmospheric dynamics may have caused the differences in the SO2 distributions. Below 2 km, SO2 layers of a few hundred meters depth were often isolated from the mixed layer. The relatively slow process of entrainment limited loss of SO2 to the marine mixed layer. When compared to 3-D model results of SO2 along the flight track, the in situ SO2 data showed that the model poorly represented the SO2 distribution along the flight track for the cloudy day, while the model gave a reasonably good representation of the in situ data during the clear air flight. On the clear air flight day, the model achieved a closer representation of the SO2 distribution, but it overestimated the SO2 concentrations just above the well-mixed boundary layer. The deviations between the observations and the model appear to be related the treatment of the boundary layer dynamics.
Conceptual modeling in the classroom

The conceptual model is the focal point of the process of database design. All activities either converge upon or emanate from the conceptual model. All structures, through mappings either into or out of the conceptual model, must be to some extent compatible with it. Students generally find it difficult to manage the complexity surrounding the conceptual model, its development and usage. This article describes one approach to overcoming this difficulty through an exercise in conceptual modeling and shows some of the results of this approach.
The path to adoption for children of color

Abstract Objective: This article focuses on the path to adoption for children involved in the public child welfare system. Method: Descriptive and event history analyses were conducted of 1,550 children who had been removed from their homes and placed in out of home care in the child welfare system in Kansas and have adoption as a goal. Results: African American children consistently took longer to reach significant milestones, including adoption placement and finalization. Conclusion: African American children are over-represented throughout the progression from substantiated abuse to adoption. Future research in other states should focus on whether this trend is unique to Kansas or applicable in other states. Additionally, efforts should be devoted to investigating the social, psychological, cultural, and systemic factors contributing to this differential treatment. Finally, there is a dire need to develop and evaluate interventions targeted at meeting the specialized needs of African American children in this system.
Some New Chromosome Numbers in the Mesembryanthemae

1. Chromosome numbers are listed for forty-nine species and varieties not previously studied cytologically.2. Two of the species studied are polyploids and the others are diploids.3. Chromosome numbers are listed for seven genera of which chromosome numbers have not previously been reported.
Childhood adversity and neural development: deprivation and threat as distinct dimensions of early experience

A growing body of research has examined the impact of childhood adversity on neural structure and function. Advances in our understanding of the neurodevelopmental consequences of adverse early environments require the identification of dimensions of environmental experience that influence neural development differently and mechanisms other than the frequently-invoked stress pathways. We propose a novel conceptual framework that differentiates between deprivation (absence of expected environmental inputs and complexity) and threat (presence of experiences that represent a threat to one's physical integrity) and make predictions grounded in basic neuroscience principles about their distinct effects on neural development. We review animal research on fear learning and sensory deprivation as well as human research on childhood adversity and neural development to support these predictions. We argue that these previously undifferentiated dimensions of experience exert strong and distinct influences on neural development that cannot be fully explained by prevailing models focusing only on stress pathways. Our aim is not to exhaustively review existing evidence on childhood adversity and neural development, but to provide a novel framework to guide future research.
CIGARETTE SMOKING AND RENOVASCULAR HYPERTENSION

A retrospective cohort study to investigate the association between smoking and renal artery stenosis compared 71 patients with documented renovascular hypertension and 308 age-matched control patients with essential hypertension. 94% (30/32) of men and 74% (29/39) of women with renal artery stenosis had smoked cigarettes compared with only 43% (64/150) of men and 41% (65/158) of women in the control group. This striking relation was true for both patients with fibromuscular disease (71% smokers; 15/21) and patients with atherosclerotic lesions (88% smokers; 44/50). All renal artery stenosis groups had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures than the relevant control group. When the groups were stratified according to blood pressure, there were significantly more smokers in the renal artery stenosis group at every level of blood pressure.
The driving forces of sustainability

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an integrative model for how commitment to sustainability emerges at the organizational, functional, and individual levels within organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted through a multi‐site, comparative case study using three large corporations with exemplary sustainability standings. Key employees from each organization were interviewed. Interview transcripts and sustainability reports were analyzed using discourse analysis, and a constructivist approach to grounded theory was used to build a model for how sustainability emerges at the organizational, functional, and individual levels.Findings – Within the corporations studied, different perspectives toward sustainability exist. At the organizational level, senior leadership defines sustainability and establishes an integrated culture by aligning sustainability with business purposes and driving sustainability priorities through the organization. At the functional level, managers assume...
Towards the security and privacy analysis of patient portals

Clinical information systems (CIS) significantly influence the quality and efficiency of health care delivery. However, CIS are complex environments that integrate information technologies, human stakeholders, and patient-specific data. Given the sensitivity of patient data, federal regulations require healthcare providers to adopt policy, as well as technology, protections for patient data. Ad hoc system design and implementation of CIS can cause unforeseen and unintended privacy and security breaches. The introduction of model-based design techniques combined with the development of high-level modeling abstractions and analysis methods provide a mechanism to investigate these concerns by conceptually simplifying CIS without losing expressive power. This work introduces the Model-based Design Environment for Clinical Information Systems (MODECIS) - a graphical design environment that assists CIS architects in formalizing CIS systems as well-defined services. MODECIS leverages Service-Oriented Architectures to create realistic system models at an abstract level. By modeling CIS using abstractions, we enable the analysis of legacy architectures, as well as the design and simulation of, future CIS. We present the feasibility of MODECIS via modeling certain functions, such as the authentication process of the MyHealth@Vanderbilt patient portal.
Rate–quality tradeoff MPEG video encoder

Abstract This paper will address a video coding scheme which controls the video subjective quality with bit-rate constraint. In the paper, a video quality measure based on block-based features which has a high correlation with subjective test experiments is presented first. Four block-based features (the average of DFT differences, the standard deviation of DFT differences, the mean absolute deviation of wepstrum differences, and the variance of UVW differences) are extracted from the input and output video sequences and fed into a four-layer backpropagation neural network that has been trained by subjective testing. These features were selected out of a much larger set of candidate features, based on their combined ability to predict observer assessments of image quality. The quality measure is then introduced into the design of a rate–quality tradeoff MPEG encoder which is based on the non-convex quality and bitcount functions at the macroblock level. The relationships between one macroblock's quality, a frame's quality and overall quality have also been addressed. The proposed rate–quality tradeoff scheme has a higher, and also a more consistent, quality measure than the MPEG2 Test Model 5 scheme. The objective quality, as measured by the signal-to-noise ratio is also improved, and the variations in the signal-to-noise ratio and bit-rate from frame to frame are reduced. The results have also been validated by a subjective test experiment. The proposed rate–quality tradeoff scheme opens a different video encoding arena compared to the traditional rate–distortion encoding scheme.
Supplemental oxygen attenuates the increase in wound bacterial growth during simulated aeromedical evacuation in goats

Background Bacterial growth in soft tissue and open fractures is a known risk factor for tissue loss and complications in contaminated musculoskeletal wounds. Current care for battlefield casualties with soft tissue and musculoskeletal wounds includes tactical and strategic aeromedical evacuation (AE). This exposes patients to a hypobaric, hypoxic environment. In the present study, we sought to determine whether exposure to AE alters bacterial growth in contaminated complex musculoskeletal wounds and whether supplemental oxygen had any effect on wound infections during simulated AE.
Synthesis of Bifunctional Polymer Nanotubes from Silicon Nanowire Templates via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

As a way to control the surface properties of nanowires and nanotubes, we present a method for growing polymer from the surface of silicon/silica core/shell nanowires. After modification of nanowire surfaces with polymer initiators, Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) was used to grow methacrylate polymer chains from the surface. The resulting structures were characterized by SEM, TEM, and EELS. After etching the silicon cores, the resulting polymer-coated nanotubes will have hydrophilic silica cores with hydrophobic polymer shells.
Fiber taper collection of photoluminescence at 1.54 µm from erbium doped silicon nitride photonic crystal cavities

Photoluminescence at 1.54 µm from Er-doped silicon nitride embedded in silicon photonic crystal cavities was extracted with 2.5× greater collection efficiency compared to free space emission, with loaded Q values of up to 98% of the intrinsic Q.
Precocious Prosociality: Why Do Young Children Help?

Human prosociality is marked by the versatility with which we help across various contexts. New research highlights that this capacity emerges early in human ontogeny. In this article, I review evidence showing that young children's helping is both flexible and robust, based upon inferential social-cognitive capacities and prosocial motivations. Then I discuss the possible evolutionary function of helping skills as an early-emerging trait. I use evolutionary theory and anthropological evidence to support the hypothesis that children's helping affects adult subsistence in traditional societies and argue that evolution thus might have favored an early developmental onset of these behaviors.
ViArray standard platforms: Rad-hard structured ASICs for digital and mixed-signal applications

Sandia's radiation-hardened ViArray standard platforms use via-configurable circuits to create quick-turn, low-cost structured ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). Via-configurable technology enables performance similar to standard-cell ASICs, but with low-volume costs approaching that of programmable logic devices. Due to their significantly lower development cost and shorter production times, ViArray ASICs are rapidly replacing custom ASICs in Sandia's high-reliability digital and analog applications. This paper describes the Eiger ViArray platform, which is optimized for general-purpose digital applications, and the Whistler ViArray platform, which is optimized for mixed-signal instrumentation and state-of-health applications.1 2 3
Neuropsychological function and psychosocial deficit in adolescents with chronic neurological impairment

Research on childhood chronic illness suggests that children with brain-related conditions show elevated risk for psychosocial maladjustment. This study explored how neuropsychological dysfunction might contribute to such maladjustment in adolescents with chronic neurological impairment. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessments were conducted with 31 impaired adolescents and 16 contrast subjects with negative neurologic histories. Groups were balanced on age, socioeconomic status, and race. Psychosocial functioning was assessed via the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Woodcock-Johnson achievement, and work history. The neurological group demonstrated lower scores on almost all neuropsychological indices, more internalizing symptoms, and lower reading and math achievement. Memory continued to distinguish the two groups when IQ was controlled. Neuropsychological indices showed strong relationships to psychosocial adjustment, but these were not independent of IQ. Findings point to the broad effects of neuropsychological dysfunction on psychosocial adjustment in neurologically impaired adolescents but do not support the contribution of specific neuropsychological domains as opposed to a general ability factor.
Wireless network security

The need for ubiquitous network access and services is fueling tremendous growth of wireless technologies, networks, and applications. Mobile and wireless devices are being increasingly used for a variety of applications including multimedia, information search and retrieval, entertainment, social, business, and medical applications, and sensing and actuation, among others. However, the broadcast nature of wireless communications, wireless device mobility and resource limitations, have given rise to newer security challenges. An understanding of these challenges and potential solutions is necessary for designing secure wireless and mobile systems and applications and, at the very least, for increasing user awareness. In this tutorial, we will first describe security tools, including the cryptographic ones, and then elaborate how these tools can be used to secure wireless networks. Specifically, we will examine security vulnerabilities and solutions related to authentication, private communication, anonymity, and jamming. We will strengthen the concepts we cover with examples from WiFi networks, cellular networks, mobile ad hoc networks, and wireless sensor networks. We will also present some of the commonly deployed wireless security standards.
Folate-targeted chemotherapy

The folate receptor (FR) is a confirmed tumor-associated antigen that binds folate and folate-drug conjugates with very high affinity and shuttles these bound molecules inside cells via an endocytic mechanism. Using folate (or an analog thereof) as the ligand, a wide variety of drug payloads can be delivered to FR-positive cells, ranging from small radioactive imaging agents up to large DNA-containing formulations. For therapeutic purposes, attachment of small molecular weight, highly potent agents to folate is a novel approach. As such, this review will outline the manner in which folate-drug conjugates are screened preclinically, it will summarize published activity data of various conjugates, and it will also highlight some newly emerging animal data from novel compounds that are currently under preclinical investigation.
Perceptions of the Ability to Export Nonresidential Property Tax Burdens

This article reexamines the question of the perceived burdens from taxes on residential property within the context of a single median voter model. It provides a means of testing whether the estimated fraction of nonresidential property perceived to be exported is different from either zero or unity and focuses on testing the correct functional form of the demand relationship. Given the functional form implied as preferred by Box-Cox transformations, it finds no statistically significant evidence that less than 100% of nonresidential taxes are perceived as exported.
SU‐GG‐T‐94: An Automated Tool for Determining Output Factor for Electron CutOuts

Purpose: To provide streamlined methods for quickly and accurately determining the output factor for irregularly shaped electron cutouts. Measurement on a linear accelerator of output factor for electron cutouts is a time consuming physics task. Existing methods that calculate output factor for shaped apertures are approximations based on cutout length and width, or require a printed version of a cutout shape for either manual measurement or scanning and digitizing. Methods and Materials: An integrated spreadsheet and database provides several options for output factor determination: a measured value or an approximation based on cutout length and width may be used, an image based database containing previously measured cutouts can be searched, or the electron cutout shape contour can be imported electronically from the Philips Pinnacle3treatment planning system, and the output factor calculated without further user interaction. For the last option, a weighted sector‐integration based algorithm is used that employs polar coordinates and does not require either the calculation of the intersection of equispaced vectors with the block contour or the repeated rotation of the contour. A set of measurements taken for a variety of energies, electron cone sizes, and circular cut out diameters is used to generate a standard output factor table for the sector integration approach. Results: The output factor calculations were tested on a set of cutouts for electron boost treatments. Comparison of measured and calculated output factors are presented. Conclusion: In a busy clinic environment, measurement of output factors for electron cutouts is time burden on physics staff, so automated methods of calculation that involve a minimum of staff time while preserving accuracy have proved valuable in our clinics.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and non-surgical weight loss interventions

RESULTS: For both men and women LRYGB and LAGB were cost-effective at less than $25,000/QALY when evaluating the full range of BMI and estimates of adverse outcomes, weight loss and costs. For base-case scenarios in men (age 35, BMI 40) the ICER was $11,604 per QALY for LAGB, compared to $18,543 per QALY for LRYGB. For base-case scenarios in women (age 35, BMI 40) the ICER was $8,878 per QALY for LAGB, compared to $14,680 per QALY for LRYGB. The ICER of LAGB was lower than that of LRYGB for all base-cases and across the full range of variables tested. For certain subgroups (e.g. younger patients with higher BMI) LAGB was a dominating strategy.
Characterization of the expression and inheritance of potato leafroll virus (PLRV) and potato virus Y (PVY) resistance in three generations of germplasm derived from Solanum etuberosum.

Potato virus Y (PVY) and potato leafroll virus (PLRV) are two of the most important viral pathogens of potato. Infection of potato by these viruses results in losses of yield and quality in commercial production and in the rejection of seed in certification programs. Host plant resistance to these two viruses was identified in the backcross progeny of a Solanum etuberosum Lindl. somatic hybrid. Multiple years of field evaluations with high-virus inoculum and aphid populations have shown the PVY and PLRV resistances of S. etuberosum to be stably expressed in two generations of progeny. However, while PLRV resistance was transmitted and expressed in the third generation of backcrossing to cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L. subsp. tuberosum), PVY resistance was lost. PLRV resistance appears to be monogenic based on the inheritance of resistance in a BC3 population. Data from a previous evaluation of the BC2 progeny used in this study provides evidence that PLRV resistance was partly conferred by reduced PLRV accumulation in foliage. The field and grafting data presented in this study suggests that resistance to the systemic spread of PLRV from infected foliage to tubers also contributes to the observed resistance from S. etuberosum. The PLRV resistance contributed by S. etuberosum is stably transmitted and expressed through sexual generations and therefore would be useful to potato breeders for the development of PLRV resistant potato cultivars.
A systematic approach to defining the germline gene counterparts of a mutated autoantibody from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective. To define the germline counterparts of potentially highly mutated autoantibodies in disease states. Methods. We developed a systematic approach by first characterizing a rearranged Ig gene and its upstream flank, and then designing suitable primers to amplify specifically the putative germline counterpart. Results. We identified and characterized the germline counterpart of a rheumatoid factor heavy chain variable region. Conclusion. We showed unequivocally that the heavy chain of a rheumatoid factor, derived from synovial tissue, has 4 replacement mutations from the corresponding germline gene. The technique allows quick assessment of the degree of somatic mutation in many autoantibodies, and thus can help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms for the induction and sustained production of such antibodies in patients.
Higher Yet Suboptimal Chlamydia Testing Rates at Community Health Centers and Outpatient Clinics Compared With Physician Offices

To assess chlamydia testing in women in community health centers, we analyzed data from national surveys of ambulatory health care. Women with chlamydial symptoms were tested at 16% of visits, and 65% of symptomatic women were tested if another reproductive health care service (pelvic examination, Papanicolaou test, or urinalysis) was performed. Community health centers serve populations with high sexually transmitted disease rates and fill gaps in the provision of sexual and reproductive health care services as health departments face budget cuts that threaten support of sexually transmitted disease clinics.
Characterization of 3-D collagen hydrogels for functional cell-based biosensing.

To address the growing demand for functional cell-based assay technologies with accelerated drug discovery applications, we have proposed the use of human neuroblastoma cells (IMR-32) immobilized in three-dimensional (3-D) collagen hydrogel matrices. The gel protects weakly adherent cells from fluid mechanical forces while providing a more physiologically relevant 3-D environment. Hydrogels made up of collagen, between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/ml, exhibited mechanical stability adequate to withstand fluid mechanical forces (<0.11 mN) typical of automated commercial fluid transfer equipment. Collagen-entrapped cells visualized with the aid of confocal microscopy and a potentiometric-sensitive dye, TMRM, exhibited round morphology in comparison to flat morphology typical of cells in two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer cultures. Morphological differentiation characterized by neurite extension and cell aggregation was observed for both 2-D and 3-D cultures. Differentiated IMR-32 cells failed to develop a resting membrane potential typical of excitable cells. Free intracellular calcium was monitored with Calcium Green-1. Depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx was only observed with differentiated 3-D cells unlike 2-D cells, where calcium flux was observed in both differentiated and undifferentiated cells. Taken together, the results revealed that collagen hydrogels (0.5 mg/ml collagen) were suitable structural supports for weakly adherent cells. However, for voltage-dependent calcium channel function applications, further investigations are needed to explain the difference between 2-D monolayer and 3-D collagen-entrapped cells.
Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide from Vibrio cholerae O139

The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Vibrio cholerae O139 was deacylated with KOH. The following structure of the oligosaccharide resulting from this treatment was established on the basis of monosaccharide and methylation analyses, 1H, 13C and 31P 1D and 2D NMR experiments and 1D analogues of 3D NOESY-TOCSY and 3D TOCSY-NOESY experiments. [formula: see text] 'C' is a beta-L-threo-hex-4-enuronopyranosyl residue. Hep is L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, QuiN is 2-amino-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose, GlcN is 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose, Glc is D-glucose, Fru is D-fructose, and Kdo is 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid. All sugars are pyranoses except fructose which is furanosidic. The fructose residue was localised after deacylation of the LPS with anhydrous hydrazine, methylation, acid methanolysis, and remethylation using deuterated iodomethane. The elucidation of this structure allowed for a direct comparison to the previously determined structure for Vibrio cholerae O1 lipid A-core region. The two structures are almost identical, and, therefore, this study is consistent with the genetic data for the biogenesis of strain O139 from O1. Furthermore, the identification of a structural analogue to the capsular polysaccharide of O139 in the outer core of the LPS in conjunction with the identification of colitose as a constituent of the LPS, provides additional evidence that the O-antigen and capsular polysaccharide of this strain may share the same repeat unit.
Equating Minimum-Competency Tests: Comparisons of Methods

The 1986 scores from Florida's Statewide Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II), a minimum-competency test required for high school graduation in Florida, were placed on the scale of the 1984 scores from that test using five different equating procedures. For the highest scoring 84 % of the students, four of the five methods yielded results within 1.5 raw-score points of each other. They would be essentially equally satisfactory in this situation, in which the tests were made parallel item by item in difficulty and content and the groups of examinees were population cohorts separated by only 2 years. Also, the results from six different lengths of anchor items were compared. Anchors of 25, 20, 15, or 10 randomly selected items provided equatings as effective as 30 items using the concurrent IRT equating method, but an anchor of 5 randomly selected items did not
Alcohol Administration Attenuates LPS-Induced Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in Kupffer and Hepatic Endothelial Cells

This study investigates the effects of in vivo ethanol (primed infusion, causing 170-190 mg% plasma alcohol for 12 hours) and/or LPS (12 hours after injection of E. coli LPS 1 mg/kg bw.) on the mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS II) in hepatic cells measured by competitive PCR technique, and on hepatic release of reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI, NO2- + NO3-). Perfused livers from alcohol- or saline-infused animals did not release measurable amounts of RNI. Under these conditions small amounts of NOS II mRNA were expressed in Kupffer and endothelial cells, while it was not detectable in parenchymal cells. LPS treatment along with markedly elevating hepatic RNI release increased NOS II mRNA levels by 35- and 200-fold, in endothelial and Kupffer cells, respectively. LPS injection and alcohol infusion to the same animal decreased hepatic RNI release by about 70% and almost completely inhibited the LPS-induced, elevated NOS II mRNA in Kupffer or endothelial cells. No similar changes were observed in the parenchymal cells. These data suggest that the primary target of in vivo LPS in upregulating hepatic NO release are the nonparenchymal cells. Furthermore, alcohol inhibits the LPS-induced response which may influence immune-related hepatic function.
Rapid separation of liposomes using ultrafiltration

In order to make effective use of liposomes in studying biological systems, rapid and efficient methods are needed to separate liposomes from their unencapsulated contents. The method of partition ultrafiltration was used to monitor the release of a radioactive marker, tritium-labelled cytosine arabinoside (3H-Ara-C), from temperature-sensitive liposomes. Other physical techniques, dialysis, chromatography and ultracentrifugation, were also employed, and their effectiveness for separating 3H-Ara-C from the liposomes was studied. The results show that ultrafiltration is superior to the other physical techniques examined.
Outcomes and Use of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients Treated in Virginia, 2009-2014

Background Reports of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for second-line medications to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remain limited.
Developing our intellectual resources for the 21st century: Educating the gifted.

The eight articles in this special section examine several issues that define current research in gifted education
Direct observations of the (1×2) surface reconstruction on the Pt(110) plane

The reconstruction of the Pt(110) plane from an ordered (1 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 1) surface to an ordered (1 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 2) surface has been directly observed for the first time. The (1 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 1) surface, produced by field evaporation at 78 K, reconstructed at temperatures above 310 K. Field-ion images show clearly that the reconstructed surface consists of alternate missing rows of atoms. The transition was observed for clusters as small as five atoms, implying that the reconstructed surface is stabilized by shortranged, atomic interactions.
Actinic detection of EUVL mask blank defects

We report the design and initial experimental results of an actinic inspection system for extreme ultraviolet lithography mask blank defect detection. Initial bright-field and dark- field results demonstrate sensitivity to submicron size phase defects.
Tapping the Memory in Archaeological Metals

Over the last twenty years, there has been a discernable increase in the number of scholars who have focused their research on metal production, working and use in antiquity, a field of study which has come to be known as archaeometallurgy. Materials scientists and. conservators have worked primarily in the laboratory while archaeologists have conducted fieldwork geared to the study of metal technology in a cultural context with laboratory analysis as one portion of the interpretive program.
Effects of sevin on development of experimental estuarine communities.

The composition of animal communities developing from planktonic larvae in aquariums containing sand and flowing estuarine water was altered in the presence of the carbamate insecticide Sevin (carbaryl). Treatments were control and concentrations of Sevin that averaged 1.1, 11.1, and 103 μg/l; each treatment was replicated 8 times. Animals that colonized aquarium sand were collected in a 1‐mm mesh sieve after 10 wk of exposure. Mollusks, arthropods, annelids, and nemerteans were the numerically dominant phyla. The average number of species per aquarium was significantly less (α = 0.05) in aquariums containing 11.1 or 103 μg/l than in those containing 1.1 μg/l or in control aquariums. The abundant clam Ensis minor grew significantly less in length at the higher concentrations of Sevin. The amphipod Corophium acherusicum was particularly affected; significantly fewer were found at all concentrations than in the control aquariums. A marked increase in the abundance of the annelid Polydora ligni in aquariums ...
Rapid Separation of Tl+ and Pb2+ from Various Binary Cation Mixtures Using Dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 Incorporated into Emulsion Membranes

Abstract Relative transport rates of metal cation nitrates (Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, Ag+, Tl+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, and Pb2+) in a water-toluene-water emulsion membrane system were measured. The toluene component contained the surfactant Span 80 and the crown ether dicyclohexano-18-crown-6. The aqueous receiving phase contained Li4P2O7. When each metal cation was individually present in the aqueous source phase, metal extraction was complete within 10 min with the order of extraction being Tl+ > Cs+ > Ag+ > Rb+ > K+ ≥m Na+ and Pb+ > Ca2+ > Sr2+ > Ba2+ for uni-and bivalent cations, respectively. Significant extraction was found for all cations except Na+, K+, and Ba2+. Some metal ions were concentrated nearly 10-fold in a 10-min period. Relative transport rates were determined when binary cation mixtures of either Tl+ or Pb2+ were present at equal concentrations with each of the remaining metal ions in the source phase. Tl+, when present with either Na+, Cs+, or Rb+, was selectively extracted from the source phase....
A Synthesis of γ-Ketocarboxylic Acids and its Application in the Preparation of Benzo [B]Furans

Abstract The aldol addition-pinacol rearrangement sequence starting with 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)cyclobutene and a ketal or acetal provides facile entry into a series of substituted 1,3-cyclopentadiones.2 This, combined with the known propensity for 1,3-diketones to undergo cleavage reactions, affords a useful sequence for the synthesis of γ-ketocarboxylic acids: Application of this sequence is demonstrated in a new synthesis of 2,3-dihydrobenzo [b] furan (ergo, benzo[b] furan).
Nature and nurture in dormancy: dissolved oxygen, pH, and maternal investment impact Bythotrephes longimanus resting egg emergence and neonate condition

Bythotrephes longimanus (Onychopoda: Cercopagidae), an invasive zooplankter in North America, requires suitable habitat to satisfy its planktonic and resting stages, which occupy the pelagia and se...
CARBON-SELENIUM BOND CLEAVAGE BY A RHODIUM COMPLEX

The complex Cp*Rh(PMe3)PhH (Cp* = C5Me5) reacts thermally with selenophene to give a C−Se insertion product. X-ray structural characterization shows a planar 6-membered ring containing a localized ...
A comparison of mass conservation methods for air quality models

Mass inconsistency in air quality models (AQMs) can be severe particularly over complex terrain. The vertical winds adjustment is a remedy tool that can maintain the mass conservation in AQMs. We implemented this approach in the Community Multiscale Air Quality model (CMAQ) with two different vertical advection schemes. With the first-order upwind scheme, vertical winds adjustment made mass strictly conserved, while with the Bott's scheme, a higher-order scheme, there were very small errors in the total mass because of the iterative solution for adjustment. Bott's scheme results in better ozone performance than the upwind scheme. However, both vertical winds adjustment methods introduce large trajectory deviations compared to the unadjusted wind fields generated by meteorological models. We then developed a third method with mixed use of vertical winds adjustment and concentration renormalization under different conditions. This method limits the trajectory deviations, introduces some mass conservation errors but at a lesser degree than the renormalization approach.
Barbara A. Greene on how a school board turned itself around

In 1995 a school board approached Barbara Greene, a consultant to nonprofit and public boards, for help. The relations between the board and the superintendent of schools had broken down, and their problems were spilling over into the public arena. Citizens were losing confidence in the ability of the board and the superintendent, and the media was watching and reporting on their every move. Recently, Board Leadership's managing editor, Paula Stacey, talked with Greene about her experience in using the Policy Governance model to help turn around a troubled board.
The effect of cellular discontinuities on the transient subthreshold response of a one-dimensional cardiac model

Previous studies have examined the influence of the gap-junction discontinuity on the steady-state response of a cardiac cable to electrical defibrillation. It is important to understand when steady-state conditions may be assumed. For this reason, the transient, subthreshold behavior of a discontinuous cardiac cable is examined in this study. The behavior of the cable reflects two characteristics: (1) the continuous nature of the entire cable and (2) the isolated behavior of individual cells caused by the junction discontinuity. The results show two effective time constants of activation: a large time constant corresponding to the time constant of a continuous cable of equivalent length, and a small time constant reflecting the rapid activation of an isolated cell. The rapid activation establishes a voltage gradient, across each cell of the cable with one end of the cell hyperpolarized and the opposite end depolarized. This pattern of hyperpolarization and depolarization reaches a maximum value in approximately 3 mu s and may play an important role in the mechanism of defibrillation. >
Salt-sensitive blood pressure in mice with increased expression of aldosterone synthase.

To study the effects of modestly increased expression of aldosterone synthase (AS), we generated mice ( AS hi/hi ) by replacing the 3′ untranslated region of AS mRNA with that from a stable mRNA. AS hi/hi mice on a normal-salt diet had 1.5 times the wild-type AS mRNA in adrenals, although their blood pressure and plasma aldosterone did not differ from wild-type mice. Changes in dietary salt did not affect the blood pressure of wild-type mice, but AS hi/hi mice had ≈10-mm Hg higher blood pressure on a high-salt diet than on a low-salt diet and than wild-type mice on either diet. The AS hi/hi mice on a high-salt diet also had higher plasma aldosterone, lower plasma potassium, and greater renal expression of the α subunit of epithelial sodium channel compared with wild-type mice. The AS hi/hi mice on a high-salt diet also had more water intake and urine volume and less urine osmolality than wild-type mice. On a low-salt diet, AS hi/hi mice maintained normal blood pressure with less activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system than wild-type mice. The AS hi/hi mice also had less water intake and urine volume and higher urine osmolality than wild-type mice. On a medium high-salt diet, AS hi/hi mice were more susceptible than wild-type mice to infusion of angiotensin II, having a higher blood pressure, greater cardiac hypertrophy, and increased oxidative stress. Thus, a modest increase in AS expression makes blood pressure more sensitive to salt, suggesting that genetically increased AS expression in humans may contribute to hypertension and cardiovascular complications in societies with high-salt diets.
Interaction energies between closed‐shell systems: The correlation energy in the random phase approximation

A new expression for the correlation energy of closed-shell systems is presented. This correlation energy, obtained from the random phase approximation, is size consistent, invariant to unitary transformations of degenerate orbitals, and has the important property that at long range it yields the coupled Hartree-Fock dispersion force between interacting systems. Since ordinary second-order many-body perturbation theory, when applied to the same problem, gives uncoupled Hartree-Fock dispersion forces, calculations based on our formula, which still requires only particle-hole two-electron integrals, are expected to lead to significantly improved potential energy curves.