cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Information Mitigate Behavioral Gaps Due to Market Inexperience? Evidence from a Field Experiment

In this paper, we evaluate the effect of price information on consumer search and purchasing behavior. We collect detailed individual-level purchasing and search data on 2,449 consumers in the UNC-Chapel Hill textbook market. A random subset of these consumers are provided with information about the price of their assigned textbooks from various retailers before the semester begins. We use these data to compare the search and purchasing outcomes of consumers who receive information from their instructors (treatment group) with outcomes of consumers who do not receive this information (control group). We find that (i) information leads to more online search activity and online purchases, (ii) the informational treatment reduces the gap in online search behavior between consumers across experience levels, and (iii) the treatment increases take-up of the textbook at the extensive margin. Additionally, we solicit beliefs about the price distribution of general textbooks from the same participants and find that although the treatment helps inexperience consumers update on the mean of the textbooks, they do not update their beliefs about the distribution of prices.
Dancing with My Drone

This chapter brings attention to subject-object relationships in recreational drone use through the lenses of science and technology studies, feminist theory and media psychology. Drawing from interviews and auto-technographic work, I illustrate some of the affective entanglements and agential negotiations inherent to this aerial play. Camera drones serve as relational, evocative, and animated artefacts imbued with personal meaning. By illuminating how users address, describe, and interact with drones, I bring attention to human-drone figurations for a nonreductive analysis of what relations and affects come into play. Drawing on the metaphor of dancing, I argue that in such processes of affective association, agential negotiation, spatial intervention, and communicative disruption, user and drone are entangled as mobile companions.
The Limits of Code Deference

Using smart contract technology, entrepreneurs have created technical structures that allow their users to access novel financial services that operate without legally addressable counterparties and enable groups of people to act collectively to affect rights to digital assets. We call these various structures “decentralized ventures.” These decentralized ventures enable transactions among their participants in accordance with rules created and enforced by their code; human participants in these decentralized ventures interact with the venture, and sometimes with each other, using smart contracts. Smart contracts, however, may be flawed or behave in unexpected ways. What happens when a smart contract defect or error harms a decentralized venture participant? Some participants may sue, seeking damages, to reverse the smart contract outcome, or to enjoin the venture’s ongoing operation. Litigation over smart contract outcomes may disrupt—if not destroy—decentralized ventures and may have widespread unintended negative effects upon the rights and property of other decentralized venture participants and on third parties. Many decentralized ventures attempt to prevent their participants from suing over smart contract outcomes by requiring that their human participants defer to and agree to be bound to the outcome of smart contract execution. We call this concept “code deference.” Code deference is critical to the orderly operation of decentralized ventures but has received little attention in the legal literature. This article examines legal and technical attempts to impose code deference on human users of certain types of decentralized ventures. It addresses strategies observed in practice, ranging from generalized obfuscation and on-system dispute resolution, to waivers and contractual covenants not to sue. And it examines other proposed strategies not yet observed in practice. It is likely, however, that, absent significant legal reform, no approach based in code or in law can prevent a lawsuit over a smart contract outcome. While absolute code deference may never be achievable, code deference attempts should be viewed as mechanisms to rebalance incentives by increasing the opportunity costs for a decentralized venture participant to sue over a smart contract outcome and providing efficient alternatives to litigation. Even with inherent limitations, code deference provisions may functionally create code deference in all but a narrow set of circumstances. Effective incentives toward code deference move participants in decentralized ventures closer to the ideal of systems that allow parties to transact using rules created and enforced by code rather than rules created and enforced by a legal system.
Exercise 24: Monoclonal Antibody Production

Monoclonal antibodies recognize and react with a single epitope on an antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are produced by a single B cell lineage i.e. a single clone of B cells propagated in culture. This is in contrast to polyclonal antibodies that recognize several different epitopes on a single antigen. The ability to prepare monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized biology and medicine. The unique specificity of the individual antibodies makes them particularly useful for mapping antigen epitopes. Monoclonal antibodies are routinely prepared by the fusion of immune Balb/c mouse spleen cells with non-lg secreting myeloma cells of Balb/c origin, using polyethylene glycol. The antigen used for mouse immunizations does not have to be pure. The resulting hybrids, i.e. hybridomas are cultured in selective media consisting of HAT (Hypoxanthine, Aminopterin and Thymidine). The myeloma cells are deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) or thymidine kinase (TK) and preferably non antibody producing (lg) The spleen cells are HGPRT, TK+, Ig+. The components of the HAT medium suppress the growth of the parental myeloma cells and the spleen cells cannot survive indefinitely in culture. However, the hybridomas can grow in the presence of HAT and grow indefinitely. Hypoxanthine and thymidine are used in the salvage pathway, while aminopterin blocks DNA synthesis by the denovo pathway so that cells have to use the salvage pathway for DNA synthesis. The spent culture supernatants from the growing hybrids are screened for antibody production using ELISA assays or IFA. Antibody producing hybridomas are diluted and cloned to obtain single antibody producing cells. The clones are propagated and expanded in culture or grown as ascites in pristane-primed Balb/c mice for monoclonal antibody production. Mammalian expression host cells such as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are used to express recombinant monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic use. Recombinant DNA encoding immunoglobulin heavy and light chain genes is transfected into CHO cells through electroporation or the use of lipofectin.
Roll-to-Roll Dry Transfer of Large-Scale Graphene.

A major challenge for graphene applications is the lack of mass production technology for large-scale and high-quality graphene growth and transfer. Here, a roll-to-roll (R2R) dry transfer process for large-scale graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition is reported. The process is fast, controllable, and environmentally benign. It avoids chemical contamination and allows the reuse of graphene growth substrates. By controlling tension and speed of the R2R dry transfer process, the electrical sheet resistance is achieved as 9.5 kΩ sq-1 , the lowest ever reported among R2R dry transferred graphene samples. The R2R dry transferred samples are used to fabricate graphene-based field-effect transistors (GFETs) on polymer. It is demonstrated that these flexible GFETs feature a near-zero doping level and a gate leakage current one to two orders of magnitude lower than those fabricated using wet-chemical etched graphene samples. The scalability and uniformity of the R2R dry transferred graphene is further demonstrated by successfully transferring a 3 × 3 in2 sample and measuring its field-effect mobility with 36 millimeter-scaled GFETs evenly spaced on the sample. The field-effect mobility of the R2R dry transferred graphene is determined to be 205 ± 36 cm2 V-1 .
Persönlichkeitsstörungen im „Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders“

Im Mai 2013 wurde von der Amerikanischen Psychiatrischen Gesellschaft in San Francisco die funfte Version des Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) vorgestellt. Die Hoffnung, dass mit einer neuen Klassifikation der Personlichkeitsstorungen auch psychodynamische Kriterien wieder starker in die Klassifikation Eingang finden wurden, hat sich nicht erfullt. Die neuen psychodynamisch fundierten Kriterien wurden lediglich als zukunftige Perspektiven in ein besonderes Kapitel aufgenommen.
The Academy Replies

Dr. Davis9 letter raises issues that are real but not new. Pediatrics, like most other journals sponsored by medical organizations, has been supported by a combination of subscription and advertising income since its beginning. The change in advertising policy in the last two years is an effort to continue to obtain the same kind of support from advertising income that has been possible in the past. Dr. Davis chooses to interpret financial data supplied at his request to indicate a profit to the Academy in the publication of the journal Pediatrics.
Rapid, directional RNA-seq library preparation kits for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded RNA

Rapid, directional RNA-seq library preparation kits for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded RNA
MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CELLS AND TISSUES AT THE MICRO SCALE

Cell-substrate interactions are relevant for a number of biological and clinical applications e.g. to determine the effectiveness of medical implants. Cells are natural transducers that respond to and sense signals originating in their microenvironment. One important cell signaling mechanism is known as chemo-mechanical transduction. This refers to the use of external mechanical cues to initiate internal biochemical cellular processes and vice versa. One key factor to characterize and understand these interactions is the evaluation of the mechanical forces present at the cell-substrate interface. Recent advances in the micro and nanotechnology fields have allowed the development of new tools for the measurement of cellular and tissue forces. These tools have provided a means to study extremely low cellular and subcellular forces (pN-μN) as well as detailed small-scale tissue mechanics. This paper will review some of the most significant approaches to characterize the mechanical properties of cells and tissues at the micro-scale. Material properties, device fabrication, and design issues will be discussed. Resumen— Las interacciones celula-sustrato juegan un papel fundamental en gran numero de aplicaciones biologicas y clinicas. Las celulas son transductores naturales que sensan y responden a senales en su entorno fisiologico. Uno de los mecanismos mas importantes empleados en la caracterizacion de interacciones celulares es la transduccion quimico-mecanica, la cual se basa en la implementacion de senales externas que se aplican a la celula con el fin de inducir diversos procesos bioquimicos al interior de esta y viceversa. Los avances alcanzados en el campo de la micro y nanotecnologia han permitido el desarrollo de nuevas herramientas para medir fuerzas a nivel celular o incluso sub-celular (pN-μN), y dilucidar la mecanica de los tejidos en la escala micrometrica. La presente revision literaria describe algunos de los micro-dispositivos empleados actualmente para caracterizar las propiedades mecanicas de las celulas y tejidos en la micro-escala.
Vitamin D deficiency and frailty in older Americans.

Abstract. Wilhelm-Leen ER, Hall YN, deBoer IH, Chertow GM. (Stanford University School of Medicine; University of Washington; Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA). Vitamin D deficiency and frailty in older Americans. J Intern Med 2010; 268: 171–180. Objective. To explore the relation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and frailty. Frailty is a multidimensional phenotype that describes declining physical function and a vulnerability to adverse outcomes in the setting of physical stress such as illness or hospitalization. Low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are known to be associated with multiple chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, in addition to all cause mortality. Design. Using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III), we evaluated the association between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and frailty, defined according to a set of criteria derived from a definition previously described and validated. Subjects. Nationally representative survey of noninstitutionalized US residents collected between 1988 and 1994. Results. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency, defined as a serum concentration <15 ng mL−1, was associated with a 3.7-fold increase in the odds of frailty amongst whites and a fourfold increase in the odds of frailty amongst non-whites. This association persisted after sensitivity analyses adjusting for season of the year and latitude of residence, intended to reduce misclassification of persons as 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficient or insufficient. Conclusion. Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with frailty amongst older adults.
The 133-kDa N-terminal domain enables myosin 15 to maintain mechanotransducing stereocilia and is essential for hearing

The precise assembly of inner ear hair cell stereocilia into rows of increasing height is critical for mechanotransduction and the sense of hearing. Yet, how the lengths of actin-based stereocilia are regulated remains poorly understood. Mutations of the molecular motor myosin 15 stunt stereocilia growth and cause deafness. We found that hair cells express two isoforms of myosin 15 that differ by inclusion of an 133-kDa N-terminal domain, and that these isoforms can selectively traffic to different stereocilia rows. Using an isoform-specific knockout mouse, we show that hair cells expressing only the small isoform remarkably develop normal stereocilia bundles. However, a critical subset of stereocilia with active mechanotransducer channels subsequently retracts. The larger isoform with the 133-kDa N-terminal domain traffics to these specialized stereocilia and prevents disassembly of their actin core. Our results show that myosin 15 isoforms can navigate between functionally distinct classes of stereocilia, and are independently required to assemble and then maintain the intricate hair bundle architecture.
The modulation contrast microscope: principles and performance

SUMMARY The modulation contrast microscope produces an image of high contrast and resolution. The image has a three-dimensional appearance wherein a rounded object appears dark on one side, bright on the other with grey in between against a grey background. The performance features are optical sectioning, directionality, high resolution and control of contrast and coherence. A bright field microscope is converted to the modulation contrast microscope by adding the modulator, a special amplitude filter, in the objective. A slit aperture part of which is polarized is placed before the condenser. Below this is a rotatable polarizer. The modulator processes light from opposite gradients oppositely, that is brighter for one and darker for the other; thereby preserving the sign. The diffraction theory has been extended to show that gradient image intensity is the intensity of the zero order and when modified by the modulator creates a high contrast image. The modulation contrast microscope is simple and easy to adjust. It is useful in reflected and transmitted light systems, with plastic and glass vessels as well as in combination with fluorescence systems and polarization techniques. There is virtually no limit to the type of specimen that can be studied.
Proliferative arrest and cell cycle regulation in CD8+CD28− versus CD8+CD28+ T cells

Abstract CD8 + CD28 − T cells have been characterized by oligoclonal expansions, impaired proliferative responses, but preserved cytotoxicity and reduced telomeres. To examine this subset further and define the underlying mechanisms of proliferation arrest, we investigated several features of this cell type compared with CD8 + CD28 + controls. We analyzed expression of various activation markers, thymidine incorporation upon activation, T-cell receptor (TCR) ζ-chain phosphorylation, cell cycle characteristics, and cell cycle related gene expression. Flow cytometry revealed higher expression of CD11b, CD29, CD57, and CD94, and lower expression of CD25 in CD8 + CD28 − compared with CD8 + CD28 + T cells. Sorted CD8 + CD16 − CD28 − cells exhibited decreased phosphorylation of the TCR ζ-chain in three of four probands. Proliferation of these T cells was impaired, even when activated with mitogens that bypass TCR signaling. Cell cycle profiles demonstrated a lower percentage of cycling cells and significantly higher levels of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p16 INK4a in the CD28 − subset compared with the CD28 + control. These observations suggest that expanded CD8 + CD28 − T cells in normal elderly individuals have reduced proliferation concomitant with increased p16 INK4a expression. Defects in TCR signaling were associated with altered TCR ζ-chain phosphorylation.
Fatigue wear mechanism of alumina, simulated by synchronized biaxial repeated identations

The role of fatigue as a prominent factor in alumina ceramic wear during repeat pass sliding was investigated. A new experimental technique, consisting of synchronized biaxial (normal and tangential) repeated loading of a sphere on a flat plate, was developed to impose the stress cycling conditions of repeat pass sliding with various equivalent levels of friction. No large-scale material removal through macro-scale (greater than apparent contact diameter or many-grain diameter) crack linkage was observed. Material removal occurred by micro-scale (grain-size or smaller) fragmentation in a fatigue mode. Three different wear stages were seen, i.e. asperity-scale fragmentation, loosening of grain at the crack opening edges, and grain break-out by bridging of the series cracks that form at the trailing edge of contact.
On simple modules over Leavitt path algebras

Abstract Given an arbitrary graph E and any field K, a new class of simple modules over the Leavitt path algebra L K ( E ) is constructed by using vertices that emit infinitely many edges in E. The corresponding annihilating primitive ideals are also described. Given a fixed simple L K ( E ) -module S, we compute the cardinality of the set of all simple L K ( E ) -modules isomorphic to S. Using a Boolean subring of idempotents induced by paths in E, bounds for the cardinality of the set of distinct isomorphism classes of simple L K ( E ) -modules are given. We also obtain a complete structure theorem about the Leavitt path algebra L K ( E ) of a finite graph E over which every simple module is finitely presented.
Configuration of Glutamic Acid Isolated from Proteins of Pig and Chick Embryo Tissues

SummaryProteins obtained from the embryonic tissues of chicks and pigs have been hydrolyzed, and the glutamic acid hydrochloride obtained from the hydrolysates examined in the polarimeter. The glutamic acid hydrochloride isolated was entirely the 1(+) variety.
PLEASURE AS UNCONSTRAINED MOVEMENT IN RENAISSANCE LITERARY AESTHETICS

In this essay I show that the pleasure provided by the poem as an imaginary landscape, as evidenced in rhetorical theory (Quintilian's analysis of varietas in Virgil's Georgics ), and in exemplary poems by Du Bellay ('Romae descriptio') and Ronsard ('Elegie a Louis Des Masures'), can be identified as that of unconstrained movement. Aristotle's definition of pleasure as unimpeded activity of our natural faculties in the Nicomachean Ethics captures the aesthetic attraction yielded by descriptive variety and links it to the ethical. Poussin's heroic landscape painting is an avatar of this neoclassical, humanist pleasure.
Influence of alternate nostril breathing on heart rate variability in non-practitioners of yogic breathing.

Background: Long-term alternate nostril breathing (ANB) has been shown to enhance autonomic control of the heart by increasing parasympathetic modulation. However, there is no information on the immediate effects of ANB on autonomic control compared to paced breathing (PB) at the same rate in individuals who are inexperienced with yogic breathing. Aim: To examine cardiac autonomic modulation following ANB in comparison to that following PB in individuals who were inexperienced in ANB. Materials and Methods: Twenty healthy individuals (22.3 ± 2.9 years) with no prior experience with ANB engaged in 30 min of both ANB and PB which were preceded and followed by 5 min of normal breathing (PRE, post-ANB, and post-PB, respectively). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed during all conditions. HRV was reported as spectral power in the total (lnTP), low-(lnLF), and high-frequency (lnHF) ranges and were natural log (ln) transformed. Results: Analysis of covariance revealed lnTP, lnLF and lnHF were greater during both post-ANB and post-PB compared to PRE (P Conclusions: These data suggest that there was an immediate increase in cardiac autonomic modulation following ANB and PB without a shift in autonomic balance in individuals inexperienced with yogic breathing. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation to investigate the autonomic effects of ANB in this population and also to compare the effects of ANB and PB at the same respiratory rate.
Nanoparticles for dewetting suppression of thin polymer films used in chemical sensors

Addition of fullerenes (C60 or buckyballs) to a linear polymer has been found to eliminate dewetting when a thin (∼50 nm) film is exposed to solvent vapor. Based on neutron reflectivity measurements, it is found that the fullerenes form a coherent layer approximately 2 nm thick at the substrate – polymer film interface during the spin-coating process. The thickness and relative fullerene concentration (∼29 vol%) is not altered during solvent vapor annealing and it is thought this layer forms a solid-like buffer shielding the adverse van der Waals forces promoted by the underlying substrate. Several polymer films produced by spin- or spray-coating were tested on both silicon wafers and live surface acoustic wave sensors demonstrating fullerenes stabilize many different polymer types, prepared by different procedures and on various surfaces. Further, the fullerenes drastically improve sensor performance since dewetted films produce a sensor that is effectively inoperable.
A participatory systems approach to modeling social, economic, and ecological components of bioenergy

Abstract Availability of and access to useful energy is a crucial factor for maintaining and improving human well-being. Looming scarcities and increasing awareness of environmental, economic, and social impacts of conventional sources of non-renewable energy have focused attention on renewable energy sources, including biomass. The complex interactions of social, economic, and ecological factors among the bioenergy system components of feedstock supply, conversion technology, and energy allocation have been a major obstacle to the broader development of bioenergy systems. For widespread implementation of bioenergy to occur there is a need for an integrated approach to model the social, economic, and ecological interactions associated with bioenergy. Such models can serve as a planning and evaluation tool to help decide when, where, and how bioenergy systems can contribute to development. One approach to integrated modeling is by assessing the sustainability of a bioenergy system. The evolving nature of sustainability can be described by an adaptive systems approach using general systems principles. Discussing these principles reveals that participation of stakeholders in all components of a bioenergy system is a crucial factor for sustainability. Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) is an effective tool to implement this approach. This approach would enable decision-makers to evaluate bioenergy systems for sustainability in a participatory, transparent, timely, and informed manner.
Extremity hyperinsulinemia stimulates muscle protein synthesis in severely injured patients.

Insulin has a well-recognized anabolic effect on muscle protein, yet critically ill, severely injured patients are often considered “resistant” to the action of insulin. The purpose of this study w...
Introduction to entertainment media use

This chapter addresses considerations related to and potential contributions of entertainment media use in student affairs learning contexts.
Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rule of Scandal in Japan and the United States. By Mark D. West

Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rule of Scandal in Japan and the United States. By Mark D. West. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2006. Pp. viii+368. $45.00 cloth. West offers a colorful as well as penetrating account of the making of Japanese scandals. Using the United States as a baseline for comparison and analyzing cases from all realms of public life (business, entertainment, politics, sports, religion, and education), he argues compellingly that law, social organization, and culture combine to determine the logic of scandal in Japan. The book does an excellent job of showing how Japanese law affects the social and legal dynamics of high-profile cases. Significant factors at work here are the organization of Japanese prosecutors, lack of whistle-blowing protection, lax white-collar crime enforcement, underdeveloped (by Western standards) sexual harassment laws, and ambiguities in sex norms. Strict defamation laws are particularly important. Truth does not constitute a defense in Japan, and there is no requirement of malice or economic harm. Damage to honor suffices. As a result, public officials are fairly protected against moral attacks. But since damages awarded by courts are low, the press does not always mince its words; thus many scandals are played out in the form of defamation cases. The bifurcated structure of the Japanese media also has a bearing on scandal activity. Elite media constitute a closed world operating through exclusive press clubs, whose members tend to shy away from scandal both because of high-mindedness and because of their dependence on the elite of the nation. The weeklies and the television wide-shows, in contrast, revel in raunchy and irreverent coverage. For instance, the sex story about the adulterous relationship between Japanese Prime Minister Uno and a geisha was rebuffed by the elite press in 1989, but it was made public by a weekly. A particularly perspicuous chapter compares the pragmatics of public apology in Japan and United States. Among other things, West finds that individual apologies in Japan are often made for the benefit of groups and that they rarely adopt the trope of religious redemption, as is often the case in America. What is more, the apologizers are often chosen by the organization or group that the scandal implicates. The book takes on a good deal of common wisdom about Japan. We find, for instance, that the Japanese are fairly litigious. Japanese politicians and celebrities routinely have recourse to law to defend their honor. West reports that 741 defamation complaints were filed in Japan during 2004. …
Effects of short-term feeding by adults of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) on shelled maize

Abstract Laboratory tests were performed to determine the damage caused by adults of Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) feeding on shelled maize. Adults when fed at densities of 25, 50, or 100 on 200 maize kernels for 10–40 days did not preferentially feed on the endosperm or the germ and damaged both. Fifty or 100 adults of P. truncatus feeding on 100 g of maize for 10–40 days caused substantial damage resulting in decreased weight and kernel germination. Kernel damage, grain weight loss, and germination after 40 days of adult feeding was about 5–8, 6–8, and 68–72%, respectively. Adult survival during the 40-day period decreased linearly with time at the rate of 1.5 and 1.3% of adults/day at adult densities of 50 and 100, respectively. Fifty adults of P. truncatus when fed on 100 g of maize for 20 days at 75% r.h. caused significantly greater kernel damage and grain weight loss at 30°C than at 25 or 35°C. However, adult survival at the three temperatures was similar. Though P. truncatus develops less effectively on shelled maize than maize on the cob, our results suggest that a short period of adult feeding could result in substantial grain damage.
VARIATION IN GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A NATIONWIDE ANALYSIS

Mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has significantly declined nationwide due to various reasons. Data regarding geographic variation in mortality is however limited. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) between the years 2000-2010, patients with primary diagnosis of AMI was
Competitive rights, competitive claims: land access in post‐war Mozambique

This article examines the complex struggles for land in Mozambique before and after its civil war and how these dynamics may undermine the country's fragile peace process. It notes that dubious government activities and official unwillingness to confront land tenure reform issues are exacerbating an already confusing situation marked by competitive and overlapping land claims. Drawing upon field research throughout the country, it reveals that in the past three years, government agencies have been haphazardly distributing land rights to new and returning private national and foreign enterprises as well as to government officials through privatisation of the vast state farm sector, reactivation of former colonial titles, and granting of concessions. It is estimated that as of May 1994 40 million hectares of land, more than half of Mozambique's total area, have been granted in concessions or ‘sold’ to commercial enterprises. This practice is leading to the emergence of a new category of post‐war displaced f...
Judges and Statutes: Essays on Agent Orange

Judges characteristically ignore or deny the choices they make when statutes surround or underlie a case. The statute based claims of veterans exposed to Agent Orange provide both an opportunity to unearth the questions that now determine outcome and to suggest what those questions should be. Asking the questions proposed, judges would determine the extent to which uncertainty and thus real choice cannot be reduced, evaluate the potential for interaction between court and legislature on the issue, and reach the underlying value choices that are unavoidably theirs and that determine outcome.
Meeting Reports: Synchrotron Imaging of Biominerals Highlights New Results and Challenges

Biominerals, the mineralized tissues of animals, plants, and microorganisms, have inspired humanity with their properties and forms since prehistory. Bones and shells have been used for tools, for currency, for symbolic objects and for art in every culture. Both the fascination and the importance that biominerals present for science are made clear in Darwin’s nineteenth-century writings, and in D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson’s 1917 On Growth and Form, with its memorable cover illustration of the multi-chambered calcium carbonate nautilus shell. Biomineralization is now a field of study in its own right.
New subcategories of class IV lupus nephritis: are there clinical, histologic, and outcome differences?

Background: The International Society of Nephrologists and Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) classification of lupus nephritis proposes a controversial subclassification of class IV lupus nephritis into IV-segmental (IV-S) and IV-global (IV-G). Methods: A retrospective analysis of a biopsy-proven cohort of patients with lupus nephritis using the ISN/RPS classification was performed. Results: The prevalence of class IV was 47% in the cohort of 70 patients with lupus nephritis. Of 33 patients with class IV lupus nephritis, 11 patients had class IV-S and 22 patients had class IV-G. There were no significant differences in age, sex, and ethnicity in the 2 groups. Greater serological activity (lower C4 level) was observed in the IV-S group, whereas serum creatinine levels and diastolic blood pressures were significantly greater in the IV-G group. Hematocrit levels, significant proteinuria (urine protein ≥3+), duration of systemic lupus erythematosus, and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index were similar in the 2 groups. Histologically, combined lesions with segmental endocapillary proliferation and fibrinoid necrosis were significantly more frequent in the IV-S group. The percentage of glomeruli with cellular crescents also was greater in the IV-S group, but the difference was not significant. Wire loops were more common in the IV-G group. Transformation to IV-G was observed in 2 of 3 specimens from repeated biopsies available in the IV-S group; greater than 50% of the IV-G group had both segmental and global glomerular involvement. No significant difference was detected in outcomes in the 2 groups after average follow-ups of 38 and 55 months in the IV-S and IV-G groups, respectively. Conclusion: A clinical and prognostic distinction between IV-S and IV-G remains to be proven.
Path dependence and the Korean alphabet

Abstract The paper examines the history of the Korean Alphabet as a possible case of third degree path dependence. The Korean Alphabet, a system of writing invented in the mid-15th century superior to the one then in use, was largely neglected for nearly 500 years and finally adopted as the official script in the mid 20th century. The neglect of the superior writing system seems due to a combination of second degree path dependence and institutional barriers that did not permit competition. The processes by which the alphabet later became official are consistent with the view.
The role of intentional forgetting in employee selection.

Abstract The authors examined the effects of forbidden information on the employee-selection process. They presented the participants with 4 applicants for the position of cashier-stockperson. One of the applicants (the Target Applicant) provided a mixture of forbidden and job-relevant information; the remaining applicants gave no forbidden information. Some of the participants were told before they reviewed the applicants what types of information were to be considered as forbidden, and they were instructed to disregard any such information in the applications. The remaining participants were not aware of the presence of the forbidden information, nor were they instructed to disregard such information. The participants who were instructed to disregard the forbidden information rated the Target Applicant more favorably than did those who were not aware of its presence. Moreover, those in the disregard condition recalled less of the forbidden information and more of the job-relevant information about the T...
Comparative TE modal analysis and extended parameter calculations of magnetron-wall waveguide for gyro-peniotron applications

Accurate determination of the magnetron-wall waveguide modal content is approached by examining the waveguide transverse cutoff constant (for which no closed-form analytic solution is known). The method of solution involves dividing the waveguide into two regions, an inner (circular) region and an outer (slot) region, assuming a constant electric field at the common interface, and equating the impedance functions at the interface. Computer calculations include large ratios of outer-to-inner wall radii (20:1), normalized slot angles between 0.01 and 0.99, a variable number of vanes (2-30), and higher-order modes that have not been previously reported. Mode numbering of the higher-order modes is also considered. The TE mode spectrum is plotted as a function of waveguide geometry. A waveguide model was built, and frequency resonances were measured. Resonances were correlated using a scanning filter computer program and used to calculate the modal cutoff frequencies. Experimental data agree with calculated values to within 1.25, 0.57, 0.49, and 2.48% for the four modes detected thus far. Results for lowest-order modes agree with those of other investigators to within about 5% or better in most instances. >
Phospholamban Binds with Differential Affinity to Calcium Pump Conformers

To investigate the mechanism of regulation of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) by phospholamban (PLB), we expressed Cerulean-SERCA and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-PLB in adult rabbit ventricular myocytes using adenovirus vectors. SERCA and PLB were localized in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and were mobile over multiple sarcomeres on a timescale of tens of seconds. We also observed robust fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from Cerulean-SERCA to YFP-PLB. Electrical pacing of cardiac myocytes elicited cytoplasmic Ca2+ elevations, but these increases in Ca2+ produced only modest changes in SERCA-PLB FRET. The data suggest that the regulatory complex is not disrupted by elevations of cytosolic calcium during cardiac contraction (systole). This conclusion was also supported by parallel experiments in heterologous cells, which showed that FRET was reduced but not abolished by calcium. Thapsigargin also elicited a small decrease in PLB-SERCA binding affinity. We propose that PLB is not displaced from SERCA by high calcium during systole, and relief of functional inhibition does not require dissociation of the regulatory complex. The observed modest reduction in the affinity of the PLB-SERCA complex with Ca2+ or thapsigargin suggests that the binding interface is altered by SERCA conformational changes. The results are consistent with multiple modes of PLB binding or alternative binding sites.
Ekman layers in the Southern Ocean: spectral models and observations, vertical viscosity and boundary layer depth

Abstract. Spectral characteristics of the oceanic boundary-layer response to wind stress forcing are assessed by comparing surface drifter observations from the Southern Ocean to a suite of idealized models that parameterize the vertical flux of horizontal momentum using a first-order turbulence closure scheme. The models vary in their representation of vertical viscosity and boundary conditions. Each is used to derive a theoretical transfer function for the spectral linear response of the ocean to wind stress. The transfer functions are evaluated using observational data. The ageostrophic component of near-surface velocity is computed by subtracting altimeter-derived geostrophic velocities from observed drifter velocities (nominally drogued to represent motions at 15-m depth). Then the transfer function is computed to link these ageostrophic velocities to observed wind stresses. The traditional Ekman model, with infinite depth and constant vertical viscosity is among the worst of the models considered in this study. The model that most successfully describes the variability in the drifter data has a shallow layer of depth O(30–50 m), in which the viscosity is constant and O(100–1000 m2 s−1), with a no-slip bottom boundary condition. The second best model has a vertical viscosity with a surface value O(200 m2 s−1), which increases linearly with depth at a rate O(0.1–1 cm s−1) and a no-slip boundary condition at the base of the boundary layer of depth O(103 m). The best model shows little latitudinal or seasonal variability, and there is no obvious link to wind stress or climatological mixed-layer depth. In contrast, in the second best model, the linear coefficient and the boundary layer depth seem to covary with wind stress. The depth of the boundary layer for this model is found to be unphysically large at some latitudes and seasons, possibly a consequence of the inability of Ekman models to remove energy from the system by other means than shear-induced dissipation. However, the Ekman depth scale appears to scale like the climatological mixed-layer depth.
Handling-induced delay and downstream movement of adult chinook salmon in rivers

Abstract We provide evidence that adult chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha handled in riverine studies migrate differently upon release from their uncaptured peers. Adults with radio transmitters were released into the Kenai River, Alaska in July 1996 and 1997 while migrating chinook salmon were counted with split-beam sonar. Of known upstream migrants, 72% in 1996 and 46% in 1997 dropped downstream at least 3 km and typically delayed their upstream migration by 4–5 d with some delaying beyond 30 d. In contrast, at most 9% of migrants counted with the sonar were moving downstream. Delay, mortality rates, rates of transmitter failure, and capture rates in downstream fisheries were similar to statistics from other studies. No evidence was found to link downstream movement and delay to size, sex, or migratory timing of chinook salmon. Handling-induced behavior will bias estimated transit times and can bias abundance estimates from capture–recapture experiments, but should not bias estimates of migratory timing or distribution of spawning chinook salmon within a watershed.
Function and innervation of the locus ceruleus in a macaque model of Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea

A body of knowledge implicates an increase in output from the locus ceruleus (LC) during stress. We questioned the innervation and function of the LC in our macaque model of Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, also known as Stress-Induced Amenorrhea. Cohorts of macaques were initially characterized as highly stress resilient (HSR) or stress-sensitive (SS) based upon the presence or absence of ovulation during a protocol involving 2 menstrual cycles with psychosocial and metabolic stress. Afterwards, the animals were rested until normal menstrual cycles resumed and then euthanized on day 5 of a new menstrual cycle [a] in the absence of further stress; or [b] after 5 days of resumed psychosocial and metabolic stress. In this study, parameters of the LC were examined in HSR and SS animals in the presence and absence of stress (2 x 2 block design) using ICC and image analysis. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of catecholamines; and the TH level was used to assess by inference, NE output. The pixel area of TH-positive dendrites extending outside the medial border of the LC was significantly increased by stress to a similar degree in both HSR and SS animals (p<0.0001). There is a significant CRF innervation of the LC. The positive pixel area of CRF boutons, lateral to the LC, was higher in SS than HSR animals in the absence of stress. Five days of moderate stress significantly increased the CRF-positive bouton pixel area in the HSR group (p<0.02), but not in the SS group. There is also a significant serotonin innervation of the LC. A marked increase in medial serotonin dendrite swelling and beading was observed in the SS + stress group, which may be a consequence of excitotoxicity. The dendrite beading interfered with analysis of axonal boutons. However, at one anatomical level, the serotonin-positive bouton area was obtained between the LC and the superior cerebellar peduncle. Serotonin-positive bouton pixel area was significantly higher in HSR than SS animals (p<0.04). There was no change in either group after 5 days of moderate stress. The ratio of serotonin/TH correlates with ovarian estrogen production with a sensitivity x stress interaction. Therefore, it appears that the serotonin system determines stress sensitivity and the NE system responds to stress. We hypothesize that elevated NE with low serotonin functionality ultimately leads to stress-induced infertililty. In contrast, high serotonin functionality maintains ovulation in the presence of stress even with elevated NE.
Frequency of swing-segment stenosis in referred dialysis patients with angiographically documented lesions.

Background The segment of the vein mobilized for arterial anastomosis in the creation of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the swing segment. This segment may experience turbulent flow and altered shear mechanical stress that result in stenosis. We sought to determine the frequency of stenotic lesions in the swing segment. Study Design Case series. Settings & Participants From January 31, 2003, to June 30, 2005, records of all patients referred to an outpatient hemodialysis vascular access center for AVF dysfunction were reviewed (n = 484). Of these, 278 patients had angiographically documented stenosis (any degree of luminal narrowing) on their first visit. Outcomes & Measurements Distribution of stenoses in different segments of the AVF. Swing-segment stenoses were classified as proximal (outflow into axillary vein system), distal or juxta-anastomotic (adjacent to the anastomosis), and the cephalic arch. Results Overall prevalence of angiographically documented swing segment stenosis (proximal, distal or juxta-anastomotic, and cephalic arch) was 45.7% (127 of 278 patients), whereas the remaining stenoses (151 of 278 patients) were distributed among the puncture zone, arterial, arterial anastomosis, and central veins. The most frequent location of the swing-segment stenosis was juxta-anatomosis (63%; 80 of 127 patients), followed by cephalic arch (19%; 24 of 127 patients) and proximal swing segment (18%; 23 of 127 patients). The distribution of swing-segment stenosis (n = 127) was equivalent among the various fistulas (brachial-cephalic, 35.4%; radial-cephalic, 33.9%; and brachial-basilic, 30.7%). Eighty-three percent of swing-segment stenoses were significant (>50% luminal narrowing) and underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, with a 93% success rate. Limitations Retrospective nature of the study and potential selection bias. Conclusion In our population, swing-segment stenosis is the most common lesion in dysfunctional AVFs; juxta-anastomotic stenosis is the predominant lesion independent of fistula type. Whether the occurrence of swing-segment stenosis is caused by mobilization of the vein during surgery is not clear.
Adjuvant effect of diphtheria toxin after mucosal administration in both wild type and diphtheria toxin receptor engineered mouse strains

The finding that murine and simian cells have differential susceptibility to diphtheria toxin (DTx) led to the development of genetically engineered mouse strains that express the simian or human diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) under the control of various mouse gene promoters. Injection of DTx into DTR engineered mice allows for rapid and transient depletion of various cell populations. There are several advantages to this approach over global knockout mice, including normal mouse development and temporal control over when cell depletion occurs. As a result, many DTR engineered mouse strains have been developed, resulting in significant insights into the cell biology of various disease states. We used Foxp3(DTR) mice to attempt local depletion of Foxp3+ cells in the lung in a model of tolerance breakdown. Intratracheal administration of DTx resulted in robust depletion of lung Foxp3+ cells. However, DTx administration was accompanied by significant local inflammation, even in control C57Bl/6 mice. These data suggest that DTx administration to non-transgenic mice is not always an immunologically inert event, and proper controls must be used to assess various DTx-mediated depletion regimens.