cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racking Up the Money: A Solution to the Ongoing Battle between Rico and the Revenue Rule

The Revenue Rule, a common law rule from British court systems, prevents foreign countries from bringing claims in the United States to enforce or adjudicate tax claims that did not happen in the United States. The Supreme Court in Pasquantino v. United States held that Canada’s right to collect imported liquor taxes was not barred by the Revenue Rule. However, the 2nd Circuit in European Community v. RJR Nabisco Inc., ruled the European Union and Colombia could not recover lost tax money or enforcement costs from cigarette smuggling under RICO because of the Revenue Rule. The European Community petitioned the Supreme Court. After accepting the Community’s petition, the Court reversed and remanded the case back to the 2nd Circuit to be reheard in light of Pasquantino. The 2nd Circuit did not change its ruling citing Pasquantino as a criminal case brought by the U.S. government. With no distinction between criminal and civil RICO cases in current jurisdiction, this comment seeks to provide a solution to the split between the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court. This comment argues in favor of limitations being placed on the Revenue Rule so that it can never trump RICO claims in United States courts. In the alternative it argues if limitations cannot be placed upon the Revenue Rule then the only option is abolition. Lastly this comment provides that if limitations and abolition are not the answer, then foreign countries should appeal to the United States government to bring the RICO claims on their behalf.
Jazz Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment

Jazz Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment teaches fundamental concepts of jazz improvisation, highlighting the development of performance skills through embellishment techniques. Written with the college-level course in mind, this introductory textbook is both practical and comprehensive, ideal for the aspiring improviser, focused not on scales and chords but melodic embellishment. It assumes some basic theoretical knowledge and level of musicianship while introducing multiple techniques, mindful that improvisation is a learned skill as dependent on hard work and organized practice as it is on innate talent. This jargon-free textbook can be used in both self-guided study and as a course book, fortified by an array of interactive exercises and activities: musical examples performance exercises written assignments practice grids resources for advanced study and more! Nearly all musical exercises—presented throughout the text in concert pitch and transposed in the appendices for E-flat, B-flat, and bass clef instruments—are accompanied by backing audio tracks, available for download via the Routledge catalog page along with supplemental instructor resources such as a sample syllabus, PDFs of common transpositions, and tutorials for gear set-ups. With music-making at its core, Jazz Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment implores readers to grab their instruments and play, providing musicians with the simple melodic tools they need to "jazz it up."
Analysis of a mathematical model of immune response to fungal infection.

Fungi are cells found as commensal residents, on the skin, and on mucosal surfaces of the human body, including the digestive track and urogenital track, but some species are pathogenic. Fungal infection may spread into deep-seated organs causing life-threatening infection, especially in immune-compromised individuals. Effective defense against fungal infection requires a coordinated response by the innate and adaptive immune systems. In the present paper we introduce a simple mathematical model of immune response to fungal infection consisting of three partial differential equations, for the populations of fungi (F), neutrophils (N) and cytotoxic T cells (T), taking N and T to represent, respectively, the innate and adaptive immune cells. We denote by $$\lambda _F$$ the aggressive proliferation rate of the fungi, by $$\eta $$ and $$\zeta $$ the killing rates of fungi by neutrophils and T cells, and by $$N_0$$ and $$T_0$$ the immune strengths, respectively, of N and T of an infected individual. We take the expression $$I=\eta N_0 + \zeta T_0 - \lambda _F$$ to represent the coordinated defense of the immune system against fungal infection. We use mathematical analysis to prove the following: If $$I>0$$ , then the infection is eventually stopped, and $$F \rightarrow 0$$ as $$t \rightarrow \infty $$ ; and (ii) if $$I<0$$ then the infection cannot be stopped and F converges to some positive constant as $$t\rightarrow \infty $$ . Treatments of fungal infection include anti-fungal agents and immunotherapy drugs, and both cause the parameter I to increase.
Mathematical Models of Colonization and Persistence in Bacterial Infections

This chapter focuses on mathematical models of colonization and persistent bacterial infections. It reviews the modeling method and the state of the field and then focuses on three key areas where modeling has, and will continue to have, an impact: the ecology of the indigenous microflora and its plasmids, Helicobacter pylori colonization, and host-pathogen interactions with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mathematical models of host-pathogen dynamics are formulated on the basis of specific assumptions regarding the system's components and their interactions. Models of persistent viral infections, namely, human immunodeficiency virus (HlV)-host models, also have a successful recent history. H. pylori induces chronic gastric inflammation that results in peptic ulcer disease or gastric cancer in a small set of infected persons. This high ratio of mucus-living to adherent bacteria, although characteristic, is not necessary for colonization, as low concentrations of H. pylori may be present in the mucus during persistence. Incorporation of the dynamic host response into a model of H. pylori colonization is critical if one understands the initial features of the interactions between microbe and host, as well as the phenomena that permit persistence to develop. If we consider long-term associations between bacteria and humans a question of bacterial ecology, such as persistent infections or the homeostasis of an indigenous microflora, it becomes more logical to consider mathematical approaches to understanding these associations, as modeling has long been used by ecologists.
Investigation of magnetically smart films applied to correct the surface profile of light weight X-ray optics in two directions

Our goal is to improve initially fabricated X-ray optics figures by applying a magnetic field to drive a magnetic smart material (MSM) coating on the non-reflecting side of the mirror. The consequent deformation of the surface should be three-dimensional. Here we will report on the results of working with a glass sample of 50x50x0.2 mm that has been coated with MSMs. The coated glass can be deformed in 3 dimensions and its surface profile was measured under our Zygo NewView white light interferometer (WLI). The driving magnetic field was produced via a pseudo-magnetic write head made up of two permanent magnet posts. The magnet posts were moved about the bottom of the glass sample with a 3-d computer controlled translation stage. The system allowed four degrees of freedom of motion, i.e., up and down, side to side, back and forth, and rotation of the posts (3.175 mm diameter) about the vertical axis to allow us to change the orientation of the magnetic field in the (horizontal) plane of the sample. We established a finite element analysis (FEA) model to predict deformations and compare with the observed results in order to guide the application of the magnetically controlled MSMs to improve the future X-ray optics figures.
Muscle tension, skin conductance, and finger pulse volume: Asymmetries as a function of cognitive demands

Abstract Previous studies of physiological asymmetries induced by cognitive tasks have focused on a single physiological measure at a time and have failed to relate physiological asymmetries to levels of performance on the asymmetry-inducing tasks. The present study recorded surface muscle tension (EMG), skin conductance (SC), and finger pulse volume (FPV) from the left or right sides of 28 right-handed college students during two left- (Verb Memorization and Lyric Recitation) and two right-hemispheric tasks (Facial Memorization and Humming). EMG and FPV asymmetries as a function of tasks were discovered, with the directionalities of these asymmetries consistent for both left- and right-hemispheric tasks. EMG was shown to be reduced and FPV increased on the side contralateral to the hemisphere required for task-related processing. The consistency between these findings and predictions by Walley and Weiden (1973) and Kahneman (1973) are discussed. No significant SC asymmetry as a function of tasks was observed. It was found that factor variates obtained from principle components analyses of physiological measures recorded from the left or right sides during Verb Memorization and Facial Memorization were marginally successful in predicting verb and facial recognition performance.
Outage capacity in CDMA systems using receive antenna diversity and fast power control

In this paper, we analyze the outage capacity improvements in multi-cellular code division multiple access (CDMA) systems using receive antenna diversity and fast power control schemes that can track multipath fading. The channel is modelled as slowly varying Rayleigh fading with lognormal shadowing and path loss. Closed form expressions are obtained for the outage capacity of the system by approximating the total intercell and intercell interference distributions. We show that by controlling the power level of a user at the output of the diversity combiner and imposing the condition that the user denies transmission when in deep fade, the average intercell interference level of the system is significantly reduced. As a result of this reduction, we demonstrate both analytically and through simulations that the outage capacity of the system is improved more than the linearity with increasing number of antenna elements.
A Methodological Flaw in Tracy's Revisionist Theology

What is remarkable about David Tracy's Blessed Rage for Order is the absence of what Bernard Lonergan has designated as the specifically theological principle: conversion. The present writer regards this absence as a flaw, despite the ambiguity of “conversion” in general and of Lonergan's use of the term in particular. An attempt at clarification is made, showing how “conversion” can operate as Lonergan intends. In contrast, the methodologically self-conscious style of the proposed revisionist theology appears to be self-defeating.
The Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA): Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity

In this paper the refinement and psychometric properties of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) are described. Results from a sociodemographically diverse birth cohort sample of 1,235 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 36 months are presented. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized Internalizing, Externalizing, Regulatory, and Competence domains as well as the 17 individual scales that comprise the ITSEA. Findings for 3 additional indices useful in identifying significant psychopathology are presented. Subgroup analyses revealed structural invariance and expected mean level differences across both child sex and 6-month age bands. Child sex differences emerged for some problem and most competence scales, with boys rated as higher on Activity/Impulsivity and girls rated higher on Anxiety and most Competence scales. All competence scores increased across age groups. Problem behaviors showed a more mixed developmental pattern. Test-retest and interrater reliability were acceptable. Associations between the ITSEA and independent evaluator ratings and parental ratings of child behavior problems, temperament, and parental distress support the validity of the instrument.
Corporate Entrepreneurship and the Pursuit of Competitive Advantage

This paper presents a theoretical exploration of the construct of corporate entrepreneurship. Of the various dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurial orientation identified in the literature, it is...
Noise propagation from attenuation measurements into PET emission reconstructions

Approximations are presented for calculation of the covariance, mean estimator gradient, impulse response, and bias of three types of penalized "maximum likelihood" estimators when measured attenuation data is used. The three estimators examined are: (1) the conventional penalized maximum likelihood objective for emission tomography; (2) joint maximum likelihood estimation of emission intensity and attenuation; and (3) a "robust" maximum likelihood model where the additional variance introduced by the attenuation measurements is compensated through the use of a shifted Poisson model. Resulting limiting expressions for the covariance are shown to be the same for all methods as the measurement noise approaches zero.
Health Insurance and Health-Care Utilization of U.S.-Born Mexican-American Children†

Objectives. We document and model health insurance coverage and health-care utilization of very young, U.S.-born Mexican-American children relative to their non-Hispanic white and black counterparts. Methods. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and multivariate regression methods. Results. Based on descriptive and multivariate analyses, the findings show that compared to non-Hispanic white children, Mexican-American children have lower rates of health insurance coverage and less health-care utilization. Mexican-American children born in the United States to foreign-born mothers utilize health care the least and are much more likely to be fully uninsured compared to other children. Conclusion. The early health advantage of Mexican-origin children at birth runs the risk of being compromised by the time they reach age three as a result of poor access to healthcare. Greater health insurance coverage for Mexican-American children and, in particular, Mexican-American children of immigrants is needed.
Suvren in brain-injured children.

Summary Forty hyperkinetic children with patterns of organic brain damage were treated with a new type of “mental drug”, Suvren. Dosage varied from 100 to 250 mg. daily for periods of 3 to 17 months. Twenty-three patients showed striking improvement in action and behavior. No significant toxic reactions or untoward side effects were demonstrated. Our results indicate that Suvren isa safe and useful chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of hyperactive children with brain damage.
Generation annealing kinetics of interface states on oxidized silicon activated by 10.2-eV photohole injection

Analysis of the generation and annealing kinetics of U‐shaped and peaked donorlike interface density of states (DOS’s) are reported. The U‐shaped interface DOS appears to be related to oxygen deficiency or silicon dangling bonds formed during oxidation and it does not anneal after 50 h at 25 C but anneals rapidly (minutes) above 300 C in hydrogen containing ambients, suggesting Si‐H bond formation during anneal. The U‐shaped DOS reappears following a first‐order kinetics when 10.2‐eV photogenerated holes are injected into the oxide, suggesting that these Si‐H bonds are broken by hole capture and dissolved hydrogen molecules are formed. As many as three donorlike interface DOS peaks above Si midgap are also generated by the 10.2‐eV photoholes following a first‐order kinetics, and they appear to be related to excess oxygen or oxygen dangling bonds formed at the interface during oxidation. These donor DOS peaks anneal out in less than 50 h at 25 C following a second‐order annealing kinetics, suggesting that ...
Videodisc technology: teaching underserved populations about infant feeding.

In order to expand the available health education on infant feeding a program was designed using videodisc technology that is interactive with the user. This article discusses the formatting of the videodisc program the equipment that is necessary and the investigation the analyzed the effectiveness and user friendliness of the system. The program was designed after a study that examined infant feeding methods of a larger group of Hispanic women on the US-Mexico border area. The videodisc system provides a story line of a woman beginning with feeding preparations during the prenatal period and follows her and her baby through the 1st year of development. Of 51 field tested mothers all found the program educational and 1/2 of them were able to go completely through the program with no prompting from any people. The user needs to only touch the computer screen to reply to each of the computers questions for the computer prompts to work. Almost 1/2 of the subjects had family members view the videodisc with them and all recommended it for use inducing asking for other child care related to pico.
Coronary artery flow monitoring following coronary interventions

Coronary guidewires with ultrasound transducer tips are commercially available and are appropriately sized for use in coronary interventions. These guidewires permit monitoring of coronary flow before, during and after the interventions. The measured flow signal contains valuable information regarding the quality and the stability of the final result. After completion of the procedure, monitoring the trend in average velocity over several minutes can reveal subtle alterations in flow that may presage abrupt closure. Abnormal or unstable flow patterns also may help predict lesions that might develop recurrences in the weeks and months after successful procedures.
Ribosomal Route to Small Molecule Diversity

The cyanobactin ribosomal peptide (RP) natural product pathway was manipulated to incorporate multiple tandem mutations and non-proteinogenic amino acids, using eight heterologous components simultaneously expressed in Escherichia coli. These studies reveal the potential of RPs for the rational synthesis of complex new small molecules over multiple-step biosynthetic pathways using simple genetic engineering.
The Triumph of Rhetoric Over Policy: Gubernatorial Politics in the American South, 1967–1972

Despite the wealth of research on the office of governor since the 1960s, studies of the rhetorical/symbolic power of the office are not commonplace. As a result, an incomplete picture of the office emerges, a problem magnified in the South, a region with an exceptionally rich oral tradition. Southern gubernatorial performance from 1967–1972 concerning the issue of school integration provides an excellent opportunity to examine an era where gubernatorial rhetorical opportunities assume center-stage in explaining governor-constituent relations. An examination of four southern governors reveals that executives in this period fulfilled their integration campaign pledges not in a literal policymaking sense, but through the political rhetoric, alliances, and general racial tone adopted by their administrations. This finding highlights the importance of gubernatorial symbolism and suggests that gubernatorial power is not rooted solely in the institution, but in the cultural and political environment as well.
Integrin αvβ3 Mediates Chemotactic and Haptotactic Motility in Human Melanoma Cells through Different Signaling Pathways

Distinctions between chemotaxis and haptotaxis of cells to extracellular matrix proteins have not been defined in terms of mechanisms or signaling pathways. Migration of A2058 human melanoma cells to soluble (chemotaxis) and substratum-bound (haptotaxis) vitronectin, mediated by αvβ3, provided a system with which to address these questions. Both chemotaxis and haptotaxis were completely inhibited by treatment with RGD-containing peptides. Chemotaxis was abolished by a blocking antibody to αvβ3 (LM609), whereas haptotaxis was inhibited only by approximately 50%, suggesting involvement of multiple receptors and/or signaling pathways. However, blocking antibodies to αvβ5, also present on A2058 cells, did not inhibit. Pertussis toxin treatment of cells inhibited chemotaxis by >80%, but did not inhibit haptotaxis. Adhesion and spreading over vitronectin induced the phosphorylation of paxillin on tyrosine. In cells migrating over substratum-bound vitronectin, tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin increased 5-fold between 45 min and 5 h. Dilutions of anti-αvβ3 that inhibited haptotaxis also inhibited phosphorylation of paxillin (by ∼50%) and modestly reduced cell spreading. In contrast, soluble vitronectin (50-100 μg/ml) did not induce tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin. The data suggest that soluble vitronectin stimulates chemotaxis predominantly through a G protein-mediated pathway that is functionally linked to αvβ3. Haptotaxis is analogous to directional cell spreading and requires αvβ3-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin.
Rule-based monitoring and steering of distributed scientific applications

This paper presents the design, prototype implementation and experimental evaluation of DIOS++, an infrastructure for enabling rule based management and control of distributed scientific applications. DIOS++ provides: 1) abstractions for enhancing existing application objects with sensors and actuators for runtime interrogation and control, access policies to control accesses to sensors/actuators and rule interfaces, and rule agents to enable autonomic monitoring and steering; 2) a hierarchical control network that connects and manages the distributed sensors and actuators, enables external discovery, interrogation, monitoring and manipulation of these objects at runtime, and facilitates dynamic and secure definition, modification, deletion and execution of rules for autonomic application management and control. The framework is currently being used to enable autonomic monitoring and control of a wide range of scientific applications including oil reservoir, compressible turbulence and numerical relativity simulations.
A new selective colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ and Cu2+ based on a thiourea featuring a pyrene unit.

A new artificial receptor 1 was developed, and its chromogenic and fluorogenic behaviors toward various metal ions were investigated. Receptor 1 shows exclusively responses toward Hg(2+) and Cu(2+) ions. It selectively senses Hg(2+) and Cu(2+) ions through two different color changes in aqueous solution (DMSO/H(2)O=4/1) and also distinguishes them from other metal ions. In addition, receptor 1 also exhibits pronounced enhancements of the fluorescence, which can visually be discernible by an orchid fluorescence in the presence of Hg(2+) ions and a strong blue fluorescence in the presence of Cu(2+) ions.
Refractory anaemia with excess of blasts terminating as Ph1 negative chronic myeloid leukaemia

A case of refractory anaemia with excess of blasts ( RAEB ) terminating with clinical and haematological picture of Ph1 negative chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is reported. It is suggested that the same abnormal clone of cells is responsible for the initial picture of the RAEB and the terminal CML picture.
On the usage of qualitative reasoning as an approach towards enterprise modelling

This paper analyzes the computational requirements of enterprise modelling, presents a reasoning framework, and reports about a prototype implementation. Enterprise modelling studies complex systems which are normally only partially known, and focuses on studying the qualitative properties of the underlying system, and thus differs from traditional quantitative approaches. Various modelling approaches from computer science and management science are discussed with respect to their suitability for enterprise modelling. Qualitative reasoning is identified as a promising basis to develop a computational framework for enterprise modelling. A rules-constraints-method of reasoning with imprecise knowledge, which is essentially an interval-based version of difference equations, is proposed as a powerful and versatile tool for enterprise modelling. As an illustrative example, a model of a business organization, derived from the concept of a financial statement, is developed and simulated.
Halobenzenes as sensitizers for the radiation‐induced polymerization of styrene

Halogenated benzenes, carbon tetrachloride, and other compounds have been used to sensitize the gamma-ray-induced polymerization of styrene. Benzene and fluorobenzenes are about equally effective, while the data from solutions of mono- and dihalogenated benzenes indicate that the order of increasing sensitivity to radiation is: fluorobenzenes < chlorobenzenes < bromobenzenes < iodobenzenes. One halogen is less effective than two, and the ortho isomers are more effective than the meta and para. The relations between the G values for radical production in the solutions and the electron fractions of solvent are linear only for benzene and the monohalogenated aromatics. With very highly halogenated benzenes and carbon tetrachloride, the departure from linearity is very marked. Significant sensitization is observed at very low electron fractions with the highly halogenated materials, except with hexafluorobenzene, which appears to be very stable to radiation. The generalizations concerning the effects of the kind and number of substituents in mono- and dihalogenated benzenes are not valid for more highly halogenated benzenes. Much of the curvature observed at high concentrations of carbon tetrachloride is apparently due to changes in the rate constants as the monomer concentration is changed. At low concentrations this is not the case with carbon tetrachloride and presumably also with the other highly halogenated materials. Various reaction mechanisms are considered, and one is advanced that reproduces many of the important features of the observed data.
Access to Attitude-Relevant Information in Memory as a Determinant of Attitude-Behavior Consistency

Abstract This research examined whether access to attitude-relevant beliefs and prior experiences mediates the relation between attitudes and behavior. Subjects' opinions toward preservation of the environment and their recall of preservation-related beliefs and experiences were assessed during the first experimental session. Approximately 2 weeks later, subjects were contacted at home and asked to sign and circulate proenvironment petitions and were asked to participate in a recycling project. Subjects' responses to the petition request and the number of weeks they recycled were assessed, and an aggregate behavioral index was formed from these measures. The results revealed that subjects with relatively high levels of access were likely to act in a manner consistent with their opinions; those in favor of preservation recycled, signed, and agreed to circulate the petitions, whereas those less favorable were not as likely to do so. Subjects with relatively little access demonstrated little attitude-behavior consistency.
Lovastatin Content of Commercially Available Red Yeast Rice Supplements

Red yeast rice is a commonly used supplement in North America, primarily promoted for lowering cholesterol. The fermentation process for producing red yeast rice naturally produces a small concentration of lovastatin and related compounds. The authors evaluated label information and contacted manufacturers to inquire about lovastatin content in 117 commercially available red yeast rice supplement products. Only 14% of the products evaluated included information about lovastatin content on the label. More than 80% of the products had no information on the label and the manufacturer was not able or willing to provide any information about lovastatin content. Many consumers who choose to take red yeast rice choose to do so in order to avoid conventional prescription medications such as statin drugs. Most of these consumers do not realize that red yeast rice can contain the prescription drug lovastatin. Red yeast rice manufacturers often do not disclose to consumers that these products contain lovastatin.
Water Sorption of Acid-Doped Polyaniline Solid Fibers: Equilibrium and Kinetic Response

Measurements are reported for the sorption equilibrium and transport of water into commercially produced polyaniline solid fibers from a 50% relative humidity air stream at ambient pressure of ∼0.1 MPa and 300 K. The data have been collected using a single solid fiber morphology, PANION, but with different acid dopants used to change the polyaniline from its emeraldine base (insulating), PANI-EB, to the emeraldine salt form (conducting), PANI-ES. The sorption process was well described by unsteady Fickian diffusion into an infinite cylinder. The rates and equilibrium capacities depended on the acid dopant utilized, but did not vary monotonically with the anion size or the acid strength. The measured adsorption/desorption water capacities varied between 20 and 75 (mg of H2O)/(g of dry polymer), depending on the anion dopant. The BF4- and H2PO4- doped fibers had the highest capacities. When the mass loading was recalculated on a (H2O molecule/polymer repeat unit) basis, most doped fibers had a capacity of ∼...
Information salience and the discovery of hidden profiles by decision-making groups: A “thought experiment”☆

Abstract Simulations using the DISCUSS model of group decision making assessed the impact of having highly salient unshared information on groups' discovery of hidden profiles. A hidden profile exists when group members individually receive only part of the information favoring a superior decision alternative, but the group collectively can pool this unshared information to identify the superior option. Stasser and Titus (1985, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 48 , 1476–1478) found that their groups often failed to pool unshared information and did not discover the option supported by their collective knowledge. The simulation results demonstrated that this failure will likely occur across various group sizes and information loads. Moreover, advocacy during discussion interferes with the discovery of a hidden profile. Enhancing the salience of unshared information had relatively little impact except for smaller (four-person) groups whose members adopted an impartial, fact-finding approach (nonadvocacy) to discussion. Also, making unshared information salient when members received the information before discussion was more critical than making it salient when items were selected for discussion.
DNA SYNTHESIS ON ØX174 TEMPLATE DAMAGED BY PROFLAVINE and LIGHT TREATMENT

— Onprimed–0X174 single-stranded DNA photosensitized in the presence of proflavine, Escherichia coli DNA polymerase terminates DNA synthesis at the nucleotide preceding a guanine residue. This chain termination is visualized on a DNA sequencing gel. Our results show that (i) the major targets of the action of proflavine in the DNA are the guanine residues, (ii) there seems no preferential alteration of some residues and (iii) the rate of alteration is very high. We show that the loss of infectivity of 0X174 mediated by the photodynamic action of proflavine can be explained by a block in the DNA polymerisation reaction.
Extreme growth phenotypes of trees are caused by differences in energy metabolism

Abstract Rapid and slow growth phenotypes of same-age-trees can result from differences in genetic growth potential due to differences in the metabolic properties of the phenotypes or by differences in the match between their metabolic characteristics and environmental factors. In this study, paired rapid and slow growing trees from two species were examined to define physiological properties that determine the growth rate differences. Because plant structural biomass production depends on energy production via aerobic respiratory metabolism, respiration rate and energy use efficiencies of the rapid and slow growing trees were compared. Growth rates were calculated for each tree from the measurements of metabolic heat rates and CO2 production rates of meristems as functions of temperature. The rates of metabolic heat and CO2 production by respiration were higher, the energy use efficiency was higher, and the rate of storing chemical energy in structural biomass (calculated growth rate) was higher in the large trees than in the small trees, showing that the respiratory metabolic properties define growth rate differences. Ratios of calculated growth rates of large and small trees varied with temperature. Therefore, classification of trees into rapid growth or slow growth phenotypes is dependent upon growth temperature and the match between metabolic characteristics and environment. These findings suggest that respiratory parameters may be used in identifying trees most suitable for rapid growth in a given environment.
Midwater food web in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica

The trophic structure of the midwater ecosystem of McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica in February, 1983 was examined through diet analysis of 35 species of zooplankton and micronekton. Ten feeding groups were suggested through cluster analysis. The two largest clusters consisted of small-particle grazers and omnivore generalists; the eight remaining clusters were of carnivores specializing on one or several types of metazoan prey. Diet composition often shifted with ontogeny and though exceptions occurred, diet diversity usually increased either during early growth or throughout development. Comparison with a krill-dominated area along the Antarctic Penisula (Croker Passage) indicated that species common to the two areas occupied approximately the same trophic position. Biomass in McMurdo Sound was much lower than in Croker Passage and large-sized particle grazers such as krill and salps were trophically less dominant in McMurdo Sound. Krill in Croker Passage in the fall entered the midwater food web primarily as detritus (molts); in McMurdo Sound it was mostly as live furcilia. Sampling in McMurdo Sound was during a plankton bloom and calculations of grazing rates suggest that much of the primary production settled through the water column uneaten.
Gas sensing based on surface oxidation/reduction of platinum-titania thin films. II. The role of chemisorbed oxygen in film sensitization

Abstract The role of chemisorbed oxygen in further sensitizing thin Pt TiO 2−x sensing films to H2 and C3H6 exposure is discussed. The interaction of these oxygen sensitized films with H2 and C3H6 is investigated with resistance measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. The Pt TiO 2−x sensing films are prepared by evaporation of 65 A Pt 65 A Ti with subsequent oxidation. Activation of these films for gas sensing occurs with a reduction step at 750 K followed by a final oxidation step at 900 K. The Pt TiO 2−x films in their activated state are composed of metallic platinum and titania in a discontinuous island structure. The Pt TiO 2−x films are quite sensitive to oxygen exposure in the 550–700 K range. A 10−5 O2 exposure for 1000 s at 660 K causes a threefold increase in the film resistance. The oxygen exposure enhances the resistivity response of the Pt TiO 2−x films to reducing gases such that resistance decreases in the 20 to 60% range are observed following hydrogen or propylene in the 10−5 mbar range. XPS measurements indicate that the gas induced resistance changes are not caused by concomitant changes in the concentration of bulk oxygen vacancies and that the average composition of the sensing films remains quite stable. Thermal desorption studies confirm that extended oxygen exposure in the 550–700 K range results in the incorporation of adsorbed and surface lattice oxygen which can be removed by reaction with reducing agents.
“Animal-Like, Sensor-Based Robot Motions: Learning From Nature”—An Interdisciplinary Project for Rising Sophomores at Lehigh University

For the last three summers Lehigh University has sponsored a Research Experience for Undergraduates with support from the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense and Pennsylvania Infrastructure and Technology Alliance. Each year 10–12 rising sophomores were recruited from throughout the US to work with 4–5 graduate students and 2 professors from biological sciences and mechanical engineering. The project’s goal is to create a chemical sensing, mobile robot using a carbon based electronic nose developed by the California Institute of Technology for NASA and principles obtained from observations of the common housefly. To date the project has: developed protocols to train houseflies to approach or avoid a novel chemical stimulus; determined the electronic signature for a pure chemical using principal component analysis; and designed and built chambers for testing the enose and flies. Lab work and lectures are complimented by seminars from professionals in biology, engineering and robotics to expose the students to scientists from research and industry. Assessed by informal interview before and after the project indicated that the students learned basic principles in biology and engineering, and were more likely to enter these fields as a result of their participation in the project.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Spillover effects from government employment

Abstract The indirect effects of government employment on hourly earnings for workers in both the public and private sector are examined using Census data. The proportion of employment in an occupation that is governmental is significantly positive in earnings regressions.
Rapid detection of tuberculosis using droplet-based microfluidics

Tuberculosis is one of the most deadly diseases that kills over one million people each year and infects one-third of the world’s population. The disease is spread by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Owing to its airborne transmission, early diagnosis is critical to the prevention and control of TB. Standard diagnostic methods, acid-fast smear from sputum, often do not become positive until after transmission occurs, which allows the spread of the disease. Culture-based techniques are more sensitive, but take weeks to obtain results because of the extremely slow growth rate of Mtb. In this study a new method to detect indicator enzyme based on the isolation of tubercle bacillus in a large number of picoliter droplets combined with a fluorescent probe has been developed. We use BlaC (an enzyme naturally expressed/secreted by tubercle bacilli) as a marker and a designed BlaC-specific fluorogenic substrates as probes for Mtb detection. We present here a new method to detect the indicator enzyme based on the isolation, digitization and concentration of bacteria samples in a large number of picoliter drops. We show that by controlling the size of the droplets we can control the rate of conversion. Hence rapid increase in signal has been observed as the size of the drops has been decreased. Our vision is that this tool will be able to detect tubercle bacilli in a sensitive, rapid, specific and quantitative manner in vitro at a low cost, particularly in resource limited settings where TB is the most prevalent.
Human Performance Technology and Knowledge Management: A Case Study

As organizations respond to competitive environments and strive to enhance performance, knowledge management (KM) has increasingly become a strategic activity. A KM strategy entails consciously helping people share and put knowledge into action. A key challenge is how to develop and implement KM solutions that provide performance support to knowledge workers and seamlessly integrate KM into business processes. We propose that human performance technology (HPT) provides a systematic framework to help guide KM initiatives. Specifically, HPT provides a holistic view of a knowledge worker's performance environment by considering the complex interdependencies between the organizational context, business processes, and individual performers. Via a case study, we describe and illustrate how HPT guided one organization in its journey to identify the content and structure to best support performance and manage knowledge in a core business process. Based on the case study, we offer lessons for other firms on how HPT can be used to guide KM initiatives.
The power of space in a traditional Hindu city

In the early 1970s I began anthropological studies in Bhaktapur, a city of forty thousand people in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur was identified by its inhabitants as a 'Hindu city' and had been shaped from its founding in the twelfth century as the center of a royal city-state by S?stric and Br?hmanical ideals for such a royal city. The material, social, and cultural structures that resulted shaped Bhaktapur's life and people for many centuries and still domi nated the life of the city at the time of my study.1 I will focus here on one aspect of Bhaktapur, its 'sacralized' urban space, and by noting some contrasts of the city's mode of organization with some quite different communities try to suggest some of the 'peculiar' features of that space and of the Hindu civic order into which it is woven. I will, necessarily, make use of some materials and arguments I have published elsewhere (Levy 1990). I approached my study of Bhaktapur not as an Indologist, but as an anthro pologist, and I perceived and questioned its Hindu order in some traditional anthropological ways. How did that order seem to 'work' for (and against) the community and its inhabitants? How does the community appear when it is compared and contrasted with other kinds of communities? I had just completed studies in Piri, a small, comparatively isolated Polynesian village (Levy 1973). In comparison with Piri, what was greatly striking to me about Bhaktapur was
How Does a Membrane Protein Know What is In and What is Out? Lipids as Topological Determinants

Primary functions of lipids are to define barrier properties of membranes and provide a scaffold within which membrane proteins are organized. Using a genetic approach to alter the phospholipid composition of the Escherichia coli coupled with biochemical approaches to monitor topological organization of membrane proteins, dependence of lactose permease (LacY) on phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) for proper orientation with respect to the plane of the membrane was determined. Assembly of LacY in the absence of PE results in topological inversion of its N-terminal half, which is largely reversed by post-assembly synthesis of PE. Replacement of PE by the foreign lipids phosphatidylcholine, monoglucosyl diacylglycerol, or diglucosyl diacylglycerol, which exhibit similar properties to PE, restores proper topology thereby supporting common functions for lipids with diverse structures. Topology of LacY in membranes lacking PE is dependent on a connecting flexible hinge region in order for the two halves of LacY to independently respond to the lipid environment. Final topology is determined after LacY exits the translocon by long-range and short-range interactions between the net charge of extra-membrane domains and the net charge density of the phospholipid bilayer surface. PE appears to dampen the translocation potential of acidic residues in normally cytoplasmic domains in favor of the cytoplasmic retention potential of basic residues. Thus a primary role for PE is to allow the presence of acidic residues in the cytoplasmic domains of membrane proteins for functional purposes without affecting protein topological. The topologies of two amino acid permeases (PheP and GabP) unrelated to LacY are also topologically sensitive to membrane lipid composition strongly indicating that lipid environment is a significant determinant of final topological organization of multiple membrane proteins. Supported in part by NIGMS R37-GM20478.
Low dead-space syringes for preventing HIV among people who inject drugs: promise and barriers.

Purpose of reviewThis review examines evidence regarding the differential effects of high dead-space syringes (HDSS) and low dead-space syringes (LDSS) on HIV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID). It also identifies areas for additional research and examines potential barriers to interv
'Causal relation between spasticity, strength, gross motor function, and functional outcome in children with cerebral palsy: a path analysis'.

SIR–In their recent article 1 Kim and Park fail to deal with the entirety of Dr Lance’s classical definition of spasticity. 2 His carefully drafted statement documented the consensus of the 1979 symposium of 44 actively engaged neurological investigators (including me): ‘Spasticity is a motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes (‘muscle tone’) with exaggerated tendon jerks, resulting from hyperexcitability of the stretch reflex, as one component of the upper motor neuron syndrome. This did not preclude discussion of other features of the upper motor neuron syndrome resulting from release of flexor reflexes, such as flexor spasms, or the negative symptoms such as the pattern of weakness and loss of dexterity caused by withdrawal of the influence of descending motor pathways.’ 2 Thus spasticity is not a subjective symptom like headache or diplopia. It is rather an objective observation of the professional examination, like a cardiac murmur or a dilated pupil. There is abundant evidence that the truly disabling negative symptoms, often more impaired dexterity than strength, are directly correlated with the degree of disconnection of the target motor neuron population from the complexly integrated control of forebrain and hindbrain nerve structures. This loss of fine control and force is neither augmented by antagonist muscle stretch reflexes 3 or improved by systemic medication, fusimotor blockade, 4 or dorsal rhizotomy. 5 Nor is the degree of clumsiness directly correlated with the prevalence of spasticity. 6 The Ashworth Scale has never been more than an amateur parascientific game, with personal impressions of stiffness and absent replicable physical parameters. Recently, Fleuren et al. 7 have gone to the trouble of proving that the Ashworth Scale is worthless. Occam’s razor requires cessation of the senseless and useless demonization of the spasticity epiphenomenon. Absent evidence-based potions, patients should be assisted to practice toward maximal autonomous function.
The analyticity of solutions of the Stefan problem

The Stefan problem of a semi-infinite body with arbitrarily prescribed initial and boundary conditions is studied. One of the objectives of the paper is to investigate the analyticity of the solutions. For this purpose, the prescribed initial and boundary conditions are considered to be series of fractional powers of their arguments. It is found that the exact solutions of the problem for various forms of the initial and boundary conditions can be established in series of parabolic cylinder functions and time t. Existence and convergence of the series solutions are studied and proved. The present solutions include the known exact solutions as special cases. On the basis of the present solutions, the question of the analyticity of solutions of the Stefan problem, raised by Rubinstein in his book, can be answered. Conditions for analyticity of the solutions with various initial and boundary conditions are fully discussed.