cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signs of Progress in Gene Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy Also Warrant Caution

AAV-based vectors have emerged as plausible candidates for clinical gene transfer to muscle, but they present several challenges in the context of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). These include the need to “miniaturize” an extremely large therapeutic gene, the development of strategies for effective regional and systemic vector delivery to a tissue mass the size of the musculature, and the avoidance of immune-mediated elimination of transgene in a degenerative disease. Leveraging previous progress on gene miniaturization,1 in this issue of Molecular Therapy a multidiscliplinary team of investigators provides important new perspectives on vector delivery2 and an affiliated group of investigators from the same institution report on a safety trial intended to expedite translational studies of the immune response to a transgene.3 The collaboration achieved thus far will require a future marriage of these three avenues of research to help set the stage for clinical efficacy with gene therapy for Duchenne and other muscular dystrophies. Nevertheless, important new questions arise about the potential escalation of risk to research participants in which a large volume of tissue is transduced with even a subtly immunogenic vector, and the advances presented in the two articles bring such bioethical concerns to center stage for discussion by the broader research community.
Computational modeling of forced flow laser chemical vapor deposition

Laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) utilizes a laser to localize a CVD reaction. The process involves complex physical interactions within a very small spatial region. Experimental investigations into the dynamics of the LCVD process are limited by spatial and resolution capabilities of instrumentation. Models are developed herein using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT, that incorporate heat transfer, fluid flow, and species transport in a single integrated modeling environment. The models are used to study the carbon deposition process. Insight is gained into the relationships among the process parameters and the deposition rates and deposition rate profiles. Phenomena such as thermal diffusion and the relative importance of mass convection and mass diffusion are explored. A designed set of model cases is executed and the results are used to develop a simple polynomial expression for relating experiment conditions to deposit attributes.
Motion and ranging sensor system for through-the-wall surveillance system

A portable Through-the-Wall Surveillance System is being developed for law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and military use. The Motion and Ranging Sensor is a radar that operates in a frequency band that allows for surveillance penetration of most non-metallic walls. Changes in the sensed radar returns are analyzed to detect the human motion that would typically be present during a hostage or barricaded suspect scenario. The system consists of a Sensor Unit, a handheld Remote Display Unit, and an optional laptop computer Command Display Console. All units are battery powered and a wireless link provides command and data communication between units. The Sensor Unit is deployed close to the wall or door through which the surveillance is to occur. After deploying the sensor the operator may move freely as required by the scenario. Up to five Sensor Units may be deployed at a single location. A software upgrade to the Command Display Console is also being developed. This software upgrade will combine the motion detected by multiple Sensor Units and determine and track the location of detected motion in two dimensions.
Modulation of cultured pulmonary microvessel and arterial endothelial cell barrier structure and function by serotonin.

Abstract Pulmonary microvessel endothelial cell and pulmonary artery endothelial cell monolayers in tissue culture were treated with serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) alone or in conjunction with histamine, bradykinin, the thromboxane analog U-46619, and the actin modulating agent cytochalasin B. After agent treatment, cross-sections through endothelial cell (EC) monolayers were examined by light microscopy and the percentage and widths of intercellular openings were quantitated. To correlate structural changes in the endothelial barrier with an alteration in permeability, EC monolayers cultured on micropore filters were assayed for transit of Evan's blue albumin (EBA) following treatment with vasoactive mediators. 5-HT was found to decrease the patency of endothelial junctions by up to 94%, compared to untreated monolayers, and to prevent or reverse the appearance of interendothelial gaps induced by histamine, bradykinin, U-46619, and cytochalasin B. The 5-HT effect was dose and time dependent, with a maximal increase in junctional apposition observed at a concentration of 10 −6 M for 30 min. This response was significantly blocked by the 5-HT antagonists LSD and ketanserin. The formation or reduction of interendothelial gaps by histamine, bradykinin, and U-46619 and by 5-HT, respectively, was positively correlated to changes in monolayer permeability to EBA. These results suggest that pulmonary edema caused by inflammatory mediators in part may be a consequence of transient increases in pulmonary EC junctional gaps, and that 5-HT may contribute to the homeostatic maintenance of endothelial barrier integrity.
A Formalism for Program Translation

A formalism for representing sequences or networks of program translations and compiler translations is described. The formalism is shown to be capable of (a) concisely and clearly representing the overall tasks of assemblers and preprocessors, (b) checking for similarities or equivalences among translation networks, and (c) reducing translation networks to smaller entities.
A simple mean–dispersion model of ambiguity attitudes

Abstract Several characterizations of ambiguity aversion decompose preferences into the expected utility of an act and an adjustment factor, an ambiguity index, or a dispersion function. In each of these cases, the adjustment factor has very little structure imposed on it, and thus these models provide little guidance as to which function to use from the infinite class of possible alternatives. In this paper, we provide a simple axiomatic characterization of mean–dispersion preferences which uniquely determines a subjective probability distribution over a set of possible priors and which uniquely identifies the dispersion function. We provide an algorithm for determining this subjective probability distribution and the coefficient in the dispersion function from experimental data. We also demonstrate that the model accommodates ambiguity aversion in the Ellsberg paradox.
Retinal structure in the smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis: General description and light microscopy of giant ganglion cells

Giant ganglion cells (GGC) were demonstrated in retinas of adult dogfish by Golgi impregnation, reduced silver and vital methylene blue staining. All GGC have large, flattened perikarya, and dendrites which radiate in a single horizontal plane of the inner synaptic (plexiform) layer. They are identifiable as ganglion cells by their axons, which after a tortuous initial course enter the nerve fiber layer. We divide the GGC into three varieties: (1) ordinary, with perikarya in the layer of ganglion cells and nerve fibers, and with dendrites radiating in the inner (proximal) one-fourth of the inner synaptic layer; (2) displaced or Dogiel's cells, with perikarya in the amacrine cell layer and dendrites radiating in the outer (distal) one-fourth of the inner synaptic layer; and (3) intermediate, with both perikarya and dendritic trees at intermediate levels in the inner synaptic layer. Only the ordinary and displaced GGC in the ventral portion of retinas stained with methylene blue were studied in detail. Cells of both types are arranged in irregular patterns with perikarya about 0.8–1.0 mm apart. Dendrites of the ordinary GGC spread within an elliptical field having a major axis of about 1.7 mm (2.0 mm max) and a minor axis of about 1.5 mm (1.7 mm max). The major axis is vertical in the eye. Dendrites of the displaced GGC spread within a circular field having a diameter of about 1.9–2.0 mm (2.2 mm max). Quantitative comparison of the dendritic trees of ordinary and displaced GGC shows that they differ also in details of dendritic morphology, the dendrites of the ordinary GGC being on the average more numerous and highly branched but shorter than those of the displaced GGC. Ordinary and displaced GGC, therefore, comprise distinct populations which must be presumed to differ functionally. For both ordinary and displaced GGC, the dendritic density and, therefore, the total available postsynaptic surface per unit retinal area decline exponentially with distance from the center to the edge of the dendritic tree. In contrast, the sensitivity to light is constant throughout the receptive field centers of comparable diameter which have been analysed in parallel electrophysiological studies. While the diameters of the largest ganglion cell dendritic fields and receptive field centers are similar, therefore, more detailed correlations of structure and function cannot be made at present.
Influence of Specimen-Specific Trabecular Anisotropy on QCT-Based Finite Element Analyses of Lumbar Vertebra

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based finite element (FE) models provide better predictions of vertebral strength compared to traditional methods currently used in clinical diagnosis [1]. In QCT-based FE models, the intra- and inter-specimen variations in trabecular anisotropy are often ignored, despite evidence that the biomechanical behavior of the vertebra depends on the architecture of the vertebral trabecular bone [2]. A realistic representation of the specimen-specific, trabecular anisotropy in the FE models of vertebrae would potentially improve predictions of vertebral failure. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the importance of incorporating specimen-specific, trabecular anisotropy for QCT-based FE predictions of vertebral stiffness and deformation patterns. The major aims of this study were (a) to compare the QCT-based FE results obtained with a constant, anisotropic, material model (the “generic-anisotropic” model) for trabecular bone to those obtained with a specimen-specific, anisotropic, material model and (b) to study the influence of degree of anisotropy (DA) on the FE predictions of vertebral stiffness.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Decay estimates for Schrödinger equations

We prove global existence and optimal decay estimates for classical solutions with small initial data for nonlinear nonlocal Schrodinger equations. The Laplacian in the Schrodinger equation can be replaced by an operator corresponding to a non-degenerate quadratic form of arbitrary signature. In particular, the Davey-Stewartson system is included in the the class of equations we discuss.
A plastic operation of the breast with flexible adaptation

Abstract A new operation for the reconstruction of the breast along anatomic lines and position, is described. It is indicated after the removal of large benign tumors, in the correction of abnormally pendulous or hypertrophied breasts, and in the adjustment of asymmetry of the mammary glands without disturbance of physiologic function.
Theory and Taxonomy of Sectoral, Distributional, and Spatial Policies:

This paper contains a presentation of a theory and a taxonomy explaining relationships among policies in three spheres—sector, distribution, and space. Based on a juxtaposition of competing approaches of the liberal and radical schools, the theoretical analysis is seen to suggest the dominance of sectoral policies and the complementary role of others, particularly spatial policies. In order to define the interdependencies among policies in practical terms, a relational taxonomy is presented. Last, a procedure of taxonomical analysis is prescribed as a normative guideline for policymaking.
Dimensional Reduction in Space-times Admitting Killing Vectors

Abstract We present a systematic method for performing dimensional reduction on theories constructed in (d+n)-dimensional space-times with torsion, which admit n Killing vectors. For one and two commuting Killing vectors, the field content of the corresponding (d+1)-and (d+2)-dimensional theories is completely worked out.
CHANGES IN ACCESSIBILITY TO EMPLOYMENT IN AN URBAN AREA: MILWAUKEE, 1927–1963

Data from transportation studies are used to examine changes in accessibility to employment opportunities in the Milwaukee urban area from 1927 to 1963. Low-status areas of the city tended to experience the greatest decreases in employment accessibility compared with other parts of the urban area. Furthermore, increasing levels of employment accessibility were associated with greater amounts of new housing, whereas decreases in housing vacancies and population occured in areas with declining accessibility to employment.
Highly-tunable nickel cobalt oxide as a low-temperature P-type contact in organic photovoltaic devices

We report on the investigation of nickel cobalt oxide (NixCo3−xO4) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition as hole-transport interlayers (HTL) in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Films of 7 nm thickness were grown under various oxygen deposition pressures (pO2) in the range of 2–200 mTorr. We explore both bulk and surface properties of these thin films. The workfunction (ϕ) for each of the films was statistically similar (∼4.7 eV), regardless of pO2. There was not a strong dependence of the power conversion efficiency (η) on the conductivities of the HTLs varying between 0.009 - 10 S/cm. The observed differences in OPV efficiencies (ranging from 1.16 to 2.46%) were correlated to the near surface chemical composition of the NixCo3−xO4 HTL, as observed by differences in the relative surface hydroxyl concentration. The critical role of the near-surface composition of the HTL at the HTL/organic interface was further explored by modifying the hydroxyl concentration using an oxygen plasma treatment. This treatment mitigated the impact of surface hydroxyl coverage, demonstrating either identical or increased values for ϕ and η, regardless of initial pO2 in the creation of the NixCo3−xO4 HTL. To further explore this we also employed a phosphonic acid surface modification agent on the HTL, increasing ϕ to 5.2 eV producing the best η value of 3.4%, equivalent to the PEDOT:PSS control devices. These results indicate that nickel cobalt oxide is a promising p-type oxide for carrier-selective interlayers in organic solar cells; however, for this to be fully realized the specific surface chemistry at the oxide/polymer interface must be controlled to increase ϕ and optimize device performance.
Whole food or processed food or mutated recombinant protein

Diverse therapeutic strategies for food allergy are under investigation including food allergen-specific and non-specific approaches. Allergen-specific approaches include immunotherapy with native food allergens, immunotherapy with mutated recombinant allergens, and diets containing extensively heated milk or egg. Native allergen immunotherapy can be administered via oral, sublingual, subcutaneous, or epicutaneous route. Oral immunotherapy trials with native food allergens such as milk, peanut, or egg reported that approximately 50-75% of the treated subjects reached and tolerated the maintenance dose. Failure of desensitization occurred in about 10-20% of the treated subjects and might be associated with the most severe and likely permanent food allergy phenotype, as opposed to the successful desensitization and tolerance that might be associated with a transient clinical phenotype and higher chances of spontaneous resolution of food allergy. Food allergens can be altered to decrease their allergenicity and lower the risk of acute adverse reactions. Immunotherapy with mutated recombinant peanut proteins, which have decreased IgE-binding activity, co-administered within heat-killed E.coli to generate maximum immune response had a strong protective effect in the mouse model of peanut anaphylaxis. This vaccine is being currently evaluated in the phase I clinical trials in adults with peanut allergy. Heating and processing changes food protein conformation and affects how food proteins are digested and transported via the gut barrier. Extensively heated (baked) milk and egg are tolerated by approximately 70% of the milk or egg allergic children. Diets containing extensively heated (baked) milk and egg represent an alternative approach to food oral immunotherapy and are already changing the paradigm of strict dietary avoidance for food-allergic patients.
Violent crime, mobility decisions, and neighborhood racial/ethnic transition

Numerous studies have observed a positive cross-sectional relationship between the size of racial/ethnic minority groups and crime and posited that this relationship is entirely due to a causal effect of minorities on crime rates. We posit that at least some of this relationship might be due to the opposite effect: neighborhood crime increases the number of racial/ethnic minorities. This study employs a sample that allows nesting housing units within census tracts in a number of cities to test the effect of violent crime rates on residential mobility. We find that racial/ethnic transformation occurs due to two effects: first, white households are more likely to exit neighborhoods with higher rates of violent crime than are African American households. Second, whites are significantly less likely to move into a housing unit in a tract with more violent crime, particularly if this violent crime rate is increasing. On the other hand, African American and Latino households are more likely to enter neighborhoods with higher levels of violent crime. And Latinos are particularly likely to enter neighborhoods experiencing an increasing level of violent crime over the previous four years.
Life in a diverse oral community – Strategies for oxidative stress survival

Background: While the oral cavity harbors more than 680 bacterial species, the interaction and association of selected bacterial species play a role in periodontal diseases. Bacterial species including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia, a consortium previously designated as the ‘red complex’ is now being expanded to include other new emerging pathogens that are significantly associated with periodontal disease. Highlight: In addition to novel mechanisms for oxidative resistance of individual species, community dynamics may lead to an overall strategy for survival in the inflammatory environment of the periodontal pocket. Complex systems controlled by response regulators protect against oxidative and nitrosative stress. Conclusion: The combination of these multifaceted strategies would provide a comprehensive defense and support system against the repetitive host immune response to promote microbial persistence and disease.
Atomic data and spectral line intensities for Ni XXI

Electron impact collision strengths, energy levels, oscillator strengths and spontaneous radiative decay rates are calculated for Ni XXI. The configurations used are 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 4), 2s2p(sup 5), 2p(sup 6), 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 3)3s, and 2s(sup 2)3p(sup 3)3d giving rise to 58 fine-structure levels in intermediate coupling. Collision strengths are calculated at five incident energies, 85, 170, 255, 340, and 425 Ry. Excitation rate coefficients are calculated by assuming a Maxwellian electron velocity distribution at an electron temperature of log T(sub e)(K)=6.9, corresponding to maximum abundance of Ni XXI. Using the excitation rate coefficients and the radiative transition rates, statistical equilibrium equations for level populations are solved at electron densities 10(exp 8)-10(exp 14) per cubic centimeter. Relative spectral line intensities are calculated. Proton excitation rates between the lowest three levels have been included in the statistical equilibrium equations. The predicted intensity ratios are compared with available observations.
Parental murder and suicide: post-traumatic stress disorder in children.

TOPIC. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) dingnosed in a 9-year-old who zuitnessed her parents' rnurdcr and suicidr. PURPOSE. To provide a historical ovmiezu of PTSD irz children in general and to discuss one case study irz particular. SOURCES. Personal obseniations and experiences, and a review of both classic and corztsnpora y literature in child psychiatry and developnental psychology. CONCLUSIONS. Supportiue psychotherapy for a traumatized child zoith clinical supmision for the caregiver showed evidence of the recovery process in one PTSD case study.
Teaching and learning in cyberspace

From both a technological and educational perspective, cyber education creates a multitude of challenges for students and instructors. Both novice and experienced computer users alike must master the use of Internet tools quickly, while also working to overcome conceptual misunderstandings about the technology and its root metaphors. The technology also makes commenting on student documents cumbersome but does have the benefit of creating a digitized record of students' writing processes, while also allowing for the online publication of students' work. Other benefits include more active learning and better interactive collaboration. Preliminary assessments further indicate that, despite critics' concerns about the rigor and quality of distance learning, for a variety of technical and social reasons, student work is equal to and sometimes better than that of on-campus students.
Secondary Syphilis Presenting as Cutaneous T‐Cell Lymphoma in an HIV‐Positive Patient

We present the case of an HIV-positive 38-year-old Caucasian male with a history of fevers, chills, and disseminated nonpruritic erythematous papules that began on his abdomen. An initial skin biopsy revealed a lymphohistiocytic infiltrate at the dermoepidermal junction, exocytosis of atypical lymphocytes, and minimal spongiosis. Immunohistochemistry showed increased CD8-positive cells but only scattered CD30-positive cells. PCR analysis demonstrated T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangement. RPR, blood and tissue cultures were all negative. The patient was thought to have a cytotoxic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Over time, the lesions progressed to the palms and soles and the patient remained febrile. Repeat biopsy demonstrated a lichenoid interface dermatitis with a superficial and deep perivascular, interstitial, and periadnexal lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and the formation of epithelioid granulomas throughout the dermis. The epidermis showed blurring of the dermoepidermal junction, spongiosis, and exocytosis of lymphocytes and neutrophils. Few spirochetes were demonstrated by Steiner stain. Repeat RPR and FTA-Abs serologies were positive. The patient was diagnosed with late secondary syphilis and was successfully treated with benzathine penicillin. This case demonstrates that atypical lymphoid infiltrates can simulate mycosis fungoides in an HIV-positive patient with secondary syphilis and also reiterates that syphilis is a great mimicker of other entities.
Rapid evolution of a coadapted gene complex: evidence from the Segregation Distorter (SD) system of meiotic drive in Drosophila melanogaster.

Segregation Distorter (SD) is a system of meiotic drive found in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Males heterozygous for an SD second chromosome and a normal homologue (SD(+)) produce predominantly SD-bearing sperm. The coadapted gene complex responsible for this transmission advantage spans the second chromosome centromere, consisting of three major and several minor interacting loci. To investigate the evolutionary history of this system, we surveyed levels of polymorphism and divergence at six genes that together encompass this pericentromeric region and span seven map units. Interestingly, there was no discernible divergence between SD and SD(+) chromosomes for any of these molecular markers. Furthermore, SD chromosomes harbored much less polymorphism than did SD(+) chromosomes. The results suggest that the SD system evolved recently, swept to appreciable frequencies worldwide, and carried with it the entire second chromosome centromeric region (roughly 10% of the genome). Despite its well-documented genetic complexity, this coadapted system appears to have evolved on a time scale that is much shorter than can be gauged using nucleotide substitution data. Finally, the large genomic region hitchhiking with SD indicates that a multilocus, epistatically selected system could affect the levels of DNA polymorphism observed in regions of reduced recombination.
Where is the pleasure in that? Low hedonic capacity predicts smoking onset and escalation

Introduction Hedonic capacity is a dispositional ability to experience pleasure in response to stimuli that are typically rewarding. The ability to derive pleasure from natural reinforcers has been relatively overlooked as a risk factor for adolescent smoking. The present study sought to provide initial evidence for a relationship between hedonic capacity and adolescent smoking onset and escalation. Methods The sample was composed of 1,106 adolescents participating in a prospective longitudinal survey study of adolescent health behaviors. Variables were measured via self-report every 6 months for 4 waves of data spanning 18 months. We hypothesized that adolescents with lower hedonic capacity may be less responsive to natural reinforcers and therefore be prone to take up and rely on smoking as a reinforcer. Results A two-part latent growth curve model indicated that adolescents low in hedonic capacity were over two and a half times more likely to have smoked a cigarette in the past month at age 15.5 years (odds ratio = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.08-6.45) and to show a 90% increase (β = 0.9, z = 2.28, p = .02) in the rate of smoking escalation every 6 months across the following 18 months compared with adolescents with high hedonic capacity. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence implicating hedonic capacity as a risk factor for adolescent smoking initiation and progression. Adolescents low in hedonic capacity may be an important population to target for smoking prevention and smoking cessation efforts possibly through behavioral skills to enhance pleasure derived through natural reinforcers.
Need for lifestyle intervention: how to begin.

The metabolic syndrome is the fastest growing disease entity in the world. Prevention and effective treatment emphasize lifestyle intervention, including healthful diet, physical activity, and pharmacologic agents to target specific risk factors. Weight loss improves all aspects of the metabolic syndrome and is a primary intervention target. Effective weight management also helps prevent the development of the metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle change strategies—including setting reasonable goals, raising awareness, confronting barriers to change, managing stress, cognitive restructuring, preventing relapse, and providing support—are the keys to long-term success.
Core formation in asteroids

The chemical and physical aspects of metal segregation in asteroids are considered. Evidence for the existence of metallic cores in asteroids, meteorite parent bodies, and planetesimals and for the amount of melting required to form cores is reviewed, and the physics of metal segregation is discussed. These considerations lead to the conclusion that about 50 percent of melting is required for metal to drain away and form a core. It is pointed out that such high amounts of melting were not always attained in asteroids, indicating that many asteroids might consist of partially differentiated silicates and metallic masses that did not segregate to a core. It is suggested that S asteroids might represent such partially differentiated bodies.
Bioavailability of herbs and spices in humans as determined by ex vivo inflammatory suppression and DNA strand breaks

Objective: The aim of this work was to determine the bioavailability of herbs and spices after human consumption by measuring the ability to protect lymphocytes from an oxidative injury and by examining the impact on inflammatory biomarkers in activated THP-1 cells.Methods: Ten to 12 subjects in each of 13 groups consumed a defined amount of herb or spice for 7 days. Blood was drawn from subjects before consumption and 1 hour after taking the final herb or spice capsules. Subject serum and various extractions of the herbs and spices were analyzed for antioxidant capacity by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) analysis or by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH). Subject peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in medium with10% autologous serum were incubated with hydrogen peroxide to induce DNA strand breaks. Subject serum was also used to treat activated THP-1 cells to determine relative quantities of 3 inflammatory cytokine (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-1α [IL-1α], and IL-6) mRNAs...
Modeling fluvial erosion on regional to continental scales

The fluvial system is a major concern in modeling landform evolution in response to tectonic deformation. Three stream bed types (bedrock, coarse-bed alluvial, and fine-bed alluvial) differ in factors controlling their occurrence and evolution and in appropriate modeling approaches. Spatial and temporal transitions among bed types occur in response to changes in sediment characteristics and tectonic deformation. Erosion in bedrock channels depends upon the ability to scour or pluck bed material; this detachment capacity is often a power function of drainage area and gradient. Exposure of bedrock in channel beds, due to rapid downcutting or resistant rock, slows the response of headwater catchments to downstream baselevel changes. Sediment routing through alluvial channels must account for supply from slope erosion, transport rates, abrasion, and sorting. In regional landform modeling, implicit rate laws must be developed for sediment production from erosion of sub-grid-scale slopes and small channels.
The ecology of the Tamar estuary. VII. Observations on the interstitial salinity of intertidal muds in the estuarine habitat of Nereis diversicolor

The polychaete Nereis diversicolor F. O. Muller is one of the most characteristic elements of the brackish-water fauna of north-western Europe, and inhabits an extremely wide range of salinities. As a background for comparative physiological studies of chloride regulation in worms from different parts of the geographical range, the writer has attempted to describe the salinities and the variations in salinity endured by populations of N. diversicolor in eco-logically distinct and geographically well separated areas. Three principal environments have been studied:
Examining ERP correlates of recognition memory: evidence of accurate source recognition without recollection.

Abstract Recollection is typically associated with high recognition confidence and accurate source memory. However, subjects sometimes make accurate source memory judgments even for items that are not confidently recognized, and it is not known whether these responses are based on recollection or some other memory process. In the current study, we measured event related potentials (ERPs) while subjects made item and source memory confidence judgments in order to determine whether recollection supported accurate source recognition responses for items that were not confidently recognized. In line with previous studies, we found that recognition memory was associated with two ERP effects: an early on-setting FN400 effect, and a later parietal old–new effect [late positive component (LPC)], which have been associated with familiarity and recollection, respectively. The FN400 increased gradually with item recognition confidence, whereas the LPC was only observed for highly confident recognition responses. The LPC was also related to source accuracy, but only for items that had received a high confidence item recognition response; accurate source judgments to items that were less confidently recognized did not exhibit the typical ERP correlate of recollection or familiarity, but rather showed a late, broadly distributed negative ERP difference. The results indicate that accurate source judgments of episodic context can occur even when recollection fails.
Summary of losses in magnetic materials

Current concepts of the physical origin and mechanisms of losses in magnetic materials are reviewed under three traditional categories: hysteresis losses, eddy-current or dielectric losses, and residual losses. The phenomenological Landau-Lifshitz equation is used to quantitatively express the various manifestations of the residual losses. Possible physical mechanisms contributing to the phenomenologically introduced Landau-Lifshitz damping term are qualitatively discussed.
Interaction of the Heavy and Light Chains of Cardiac Myosin Subfragment-1 With F-Actin

Abstract The interaction of the heavy chain (HC) and the light chain (cdLC1) of cardiac S1 (cdS1) with F-actin was studied by cross-linking, Western blotting, and fluorescence polarization methods. Incorporation of cdLC1 in cross-linked products was examined by Western blots using the primary antibody against 71-74 residues of cdLC1. Cross-linking with zero-length, water-soluble reagent yielded three products with apparent molecular masses of 150, 160, and 210 kD. Like in the case of cross-linking of skeletal S1 with actin, these complexes included only HC of S1 and actin. The composition of the products were as follows: 150 kD, one HC of S1 cross-linked through a primary site (on the C-terminal of the 20-kD fragment) to the N-terminus of actin; 160 kD, one HC of S1 cross-linked through a secondary site (on the 50 kD fragment) to the N-terminus of actin; and 210 kD, one HC of S1 cross-linked through primary and secondary sites to two actins. Four additional products with apparent molecular masses of 66, 1...
Curse or Cure? China, Africa, and the Effects of Unconditioned Wealth

This article addresses a fundamental question: how is the behavior of states affected by the manner in which they receive financial support? Most policymakers who debate the best ways to improve the lives of people living in the developing world agree that infusions of wealth in one form or another will improve the lives of people in poor countries. Some argue that this wealth should come in the form of aid from wealthy governments, while others argue that market mechanisms are the best approach. Both sides in this debate have devoted too little attention to a critical factor: How are the human rights practices of governments affected by the conditions associated with wealth? China's recent interest in Africa provides a sort of natural experiment in which to consider again the relationship between wealth, the conditions associated with wealth, and state behavior. Economists have long noted an association between economies dominated by sales of natural resources, such as oil or diamonds, and a range of ills, including weak economic development, corruption, and violations of human rights. Similarly, most infusions of foreign aid have had little positive effect on recipient states. This Article draws on scholarship from economics, political science, and human rights to show that China's investments in Africa run the risk of reducing the welfare of local people instead of improving their lives. This Article makes two principal contributions to the literature. First, I show that the conditions associated with wealth determine whether it has a positive or negative effect on the recipient. Some conditions are explicit and aimed at advancing the donor's strategic interests. Much of the aid that flowed from the U.S. during the Cold War was of this type. Other conditions are what I call market conditions, and in this category I include the kind of business climate a government enforces and the kind of social and human rights environment it fosters. Without the right mix of conditions, infusions of wealth can encourage governments to consolidate access to the wealth; centralize decision making regarding the distribution of rents; consume resources too quickly; and ignore the concerns of citizens. The second contribution this Article makes is to show that China's recent investments in Africa amount to unconditioned wealth, and raise a real risk that their effect on local populations will, in the end, be negative. I show that Beijing's investments can have the effect of relieving recipient states of the market pressures that can discipline host governments and reduce the temptation to engage in ill-advised investments, abuse of the local population, or a variety of other socially negative behaviors.
Technical communique: Sampled-data stabilization of linear time-delay systems

Sampled-data feedback control of linear systems governed by differential-difference equations is considered. The sampling introduces time-varying and discontinuous delays in the closed-loop system. A comparison method is used to derive sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system with specified exponential decay rate.
Extending HydroShare to enable hydrologic time series data as social media

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) hydrologic information system (HIS) is a widely-used service oriented system for time series data management. While this system is intended to empower the hydrologic sciences community with better data storage and distribution, it lacks support for the kind of ‘Web 2.0″ collaboration and social-networking capabilities being used in other fields. This paper presents the design, development, and testing of a software extension of CUAHSI9s newest product, HydroShare. The extension integrates the existing CUAHSI HIS into HydroShare9s social hydrology architecture. With this extension, HydroShare provides integrated HIS time series with efficient archiving, discovery, and retrieval of the data, extensive creator and science metadata, scientific discussion and collaboration around the data and other basic social media features. HydroShare provides functionality for online social interaction and collaboration while the existing HIS provides the distributed data management and web services framework. The extension is expected to enable scientists to access and share both national- and lab-scale hydrologic time series datasets in a standards-based web services architecture combined with social media functionality developed specifically for the hydrologic sciences.
Consumption Schedules and the Serial Rule: On the Full Preference Domain

We study the problem of assigning objects to a group of agents, when each agent has ordinal preferences over the objects. We focus on probabilistic methods, in particular, the serial rule, introduced by Bogomolnaia and Moulin (2001). Liu and Pycia (2011) show that for each economy with "full support," the serial rule is the only one satisfying stochastic dominance efficiency and stochastic dominance no-envy (for short, we use the prefix "sd'' for stochastic dominance in other expressions below). We first generalize their results by introducing a weaker restriction on preference profile, which we call "full support on partition.''Given this restriction, we turn to the domain of weak preferences. We provide a characterization of the "extended serial correspondence,'' Proposed by Katta and Sethuraman (2006) as an adaptation of the serial rule. Our main result is on the domain of preferences with strict full Support on partition: for each economy with strict full support on partition, the set of assignment matrices selected by the extended serial correspondence coincides with the set of matrices that are sd-efficient and sd envy-free. The key to these results is to exploit a structural property of ES assignment matrix (Heo, 2011b) and use "preference-decreasing consumption schedules".
Time-Resolved In Situ Measurements During Rapid Alloy Solidification: Experimental Insight for Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals and alloys is becoming a pervasive technology in both research and industrial environments, though significant challenges remain before widespread implementation of AM can be realized. In situ investigations of rapid alloy solidification with high spatial and temporal resolutions can provide unique experimental insight into microstructure evolution and kinetics that are relevant for AM processing. Hypoeutectic thin-film Al–Cu and Al–Si alloys were investigated using dynamic transmission electron microscopy to monitor pulsed-laser-induced rapid solidification across microsecond timescales. Solid–liquid interface velocities measured from time-resolved images revealed accelerating solidification fronts in both alloys. The observed microstructure evolution, solidification product, and presence of a morphological instability at the solid–liquid interface in the Al–4 at.%Cu alloy are related to the measured interface velocities and small differences in composition that affect the thermophysical properties of the alloys. These time-resolved in situ measurements can inform and validate predictive modeling efforts for AM.
Programed-Temperature Preparative Chromatography

When we speak of preparative chromatographs we may mean either one or both of two distinctly different types of devices. The first type is a small production plant, a device intended to produce a large quantity of a known component of interest and generally of high value to the user. The second type is more closely related to analytical purposes. In this case, the user will place the sample into a preparative chromatograph for the primary purpose of obtaining a reasonably small but very useful pure fraction for further analysis by analytical chromatography; for use in a mass spectrometer, infrared spectrometer, or other analytical instrument; or for standard means of semimicroanalysis which are commonly available in organic and analytical laboratories. In designing a preparative chromatograph, an instrument company must first decide which type it is to be. If it is to be the first type, then such features as automatic sampling and automatic collection for repetitive handling on an unattended basis must be given primary consideration. On the other hand, if it is to be the second type of instrument, automation of the device is not necessary; since it is probable that the quantity of component which must be prepared will be small, the type of problem to which it will be applied will vary from day to day. The user who is interested in the device on this basis would consider it well worth his time and attention to watch the chromatograph while it is in operation. This fundamental decision will affect the scale and dimensions, and to a large extent the cost, of the equipment.
Bringing it Home: How the Public Utility Commission May Get the Ability to Regulate the Natural Gas Pipelines in PA

Recently it has become apparent that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cannot keep up – let alone the Commonwealth’s own regulatory body, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) – with the booming infrastructure developing in the natural gas industry. State representatives have recognized this problem and have set out to change the way in which the natural gas pipelines are regulated throughout the Commonwealth. In the past there have been attempts to remove jurisdiction from the federal agency and confer jurisdiction on the Commonwealth’s regulatory agency. A new bill by Representative Matthew Baker, R-68 Wellsboro, has successfully made it through the Senate and is now under consideration in the House, which will do just that. The passing of this new legislation will allow PUC to take control over the inspection and enforcement of federal standards in regards to intrastate pipelines. To accomplish this, PUC plans to hire 15 to 20 new inspectors if the legislation passes. This article discusses the failed attempt to place regulatory authority in the hands of the Commonwealth and discuss why Representative Baker’s new bill is the protection the public needs when it comes to the construction and maintenance of pipelines. FERC has the authority to regulate pipelines and the conveyance of natural gas through the Federal Power Act. FERC grants certificates of public convenience to companies to construct gas pipelines. The company then has to acquire an easement or right-of-way through contract with a private party if it plans to construct a pipeline through private property. FERC also authorizes a company to bring an eminent domain suit in a United States District Court for any claimed property that exceeds $3,000. Further, FERC approves the siting and abandonment of pipelines. The federal oversight has been adequate in the past but there is now a clear need to have State and local officials more involved with the increasing mileage of pipeline being proposed throughout the Commonwealth.
Women's perceptions of biases and barriers in their myocardial infarction triage experience

Abstract Objective To examine women's perceptions of their emergency department (ED) cardiac triage experience for myocardial infarction (MI). Background Prompt ED recognition and rapid triage of women is a key component of implementing life-saving interventions for acute MI. Women perceive their symptoms are often ignored by health care providers and not taken seriously. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using focus group methodology. Narrative descriptions were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the Krueger method. Results Content analysis revealed perceptions of support and barriers. Supports included ED providers and ED status. Barriers were time delays, communication issues, and biases based on age and gender. These perceived barriers contributed to women's perceptions of disparate treatment. Conclusions Women with MI perceived multiple barriers to their prompt recognition and treatment. Evaluation of care delivery processes are needed to reduce barriers and facilitate the prompt and accurate treatment of women for MI.
Exploration of the significance of values in the design of educational systems

In recent decades, there has been increased awareness of the need for systemic change in education. In systemic change, it is of the greatest importance that stakeholders examine and clarify their individual values and articulate shared values and state them clearly. This is necessary because values underlie visions, guide choices, decisions, and actions made in the course of design and, eventually, serve as practical tools in evaluating a system and its programs. This study explores the importance of articulating values in the design of educational systems. Given the importance of the clarification of values consented to by stakeholders and the lack of previous in-depth studies, the paper concludes that it is urgent to develop systemic and comprehensive value categories to aid in articulating core values and to serve as guidelines for applying these values in educational systems design.
Options for Aiding Low Income Medicare Beneficiaries

This paper examines ways to improve the Medicare Savings programs, i.e. the Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries Program (QMB) and the Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiaries program (SLMB). These two programs offer fill-in benefits for Medicare to persons with low incomes. While some of the QMB program serves those with Medicaid, the real advantages are for beneficiaries who otherwise would not qualify for support. But participation has remained low in these programs likely because of lack of knowledge by beneficiaries and lack of enthusiasm by some states that administer QMB and SLMB. Among the options examined were efforts to increase participation by eliminating the asset limits and by federalizing the program. (Inquiry 1998 Fall; 35(3): 346-356).