cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The hearing aid effect in 2013.

Background: The hearing aid effect is the term used to describe the assignment of negative attributes to individuals using hearing aids. The effect was first empirically identified in 1977 when it was reported that adults rating young children with and without hearing aids assigned negative attributes to the children depicted with hearing aids. Investigations in the 1980s and 1990s reported mixed results related to the extent of the hearing aid effect but continued to identify, on average, some negative attributes assigned to individuals wearing hearing aids. Purpose: The specific aim of this research was to investigate whether the hearing aid effect has diminished in the past several decades by replicating the methods of previous studies for testing the hearing aid effect while using updated devices. Research Design: Five device configurations were rated across eight attributes. Results for each attribute were considered separately. Study Sample: A total of 24 adults judged pictures of young men wearing various ear level technologies across 8 attributes on a 7-point Likert scale. Five young men between ages 15 and 17 yr were photographed wearing each of five device configurations including (1) a standard-sized behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid coupled to an earmold with #13 tubing, (2) a mini-BTE hearing aid with a slim tube open-fit configuration, (3) a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid that could not be seen because of its location in the ear canal, (4) an earbud, and (5) a Bluetooth receiver. Data Collection and Analysis: The 24 raters saw pictures of each of the 5 young men with each wearing one of the 5 devices so that devices and young men were never judged twice by the same observer. All judgments of each device, regardless of the young man modeling the device, were combined in the data analysis. The effect of device types on judgments was tested using a one-way between-participant analysis of variance. Results: There was a significant difference on the judgment of age and trustworthiness level among the five devices. However, our post hoc analysis revealed that only two significant effects were present. People wearing a completely-in-the-canal aid (nothing visible in the ear) were rated significantly older than people wearing an earbud, and people wearing the standard-size BTE with earmold were rated significantly more trustworthy than people who wore the Bluetooth device. Conclusions: It was hypothesized that the hearing aid effect would be diminished in 2013 compared with data reported in the past. This proved to be the case, as no hearing aid condition was rated as more negative than any of the non–hearing aid device conditions. In fact, models wearing the standard-size BTE with earmold were rated as more trustworthy than models wearing the Bluetooth device. The standard-sized BTE with earmold condition is the configuration that can be directly compared with previous research because similar devices were used in those studies. These results indicate that the hearing aid effect has diminished, if not completely disappeared, in the 21st century.
Underrepresented Minority High School and College Students Report STEM-Pipeline Sustaining Gains After Participating in the Loma Linda University Summer Health Disparities Research Program

An urgent need exists for graduate and professional schools to establish evidence-based STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) pipeline programs to increase the diversity of the biomedical workforce. An untapped yet promising pool of willing participants are capable high school students that have a strong STEM interest but may lack the skills and the guided mentoring needed to succeed in competitive STEM fields. This study evaluates and compares the impact of the Loma Linda University (LLU) Summer Health Disparities Research Program on high school (HS) and undergraduate (UG) student participants. The primary focus of our summer research experience (SRE) is to enhance the research self-efficacy of the participants by actively involving them in a research project and by providing the students with personalized mentoring and targeted career development activities, including education on health disparities. The results of our study show that our SRE influenced terminal degree intent and increased participant willingness to incorporate research into future careers for both the HS and the UG groups. The quantitative data shows that both the HS and the UG participants reported large, statistically significant gains in self-assessed research skills and research self-efficacy. Both participant groups identified the hands-on research and the mentor experience as the most valuable aspects of our SRE and reported increased science skills, increased confidence in science ability and increased motivation and affirmation to pursue a science career. The follow-up data indicates that 67% of the HS participants and 90% of the UG participants graduated from college with a STEM degree; for those who enrolled in graduate education, 61% and 43% enrolled in LLU, respectively. We conclude that structured SREs can be highly effective STEM strengthening interventions for both UG and HS students and may be a way to measurably increase institutional and biomedical workforce diversity.
ATXN7L3 and ENY2 Coordinate Activity of Multiple H2B Deubiquitinases Important for Cellular Proliferation and Tumor Growth

Histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub1) is centrally involved in gene regulation. The deubiquitination module (DUBm) of the SAGA complex is a major regulator of global H2Bub1 levels, and components of this DUBm are linked to both neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Unexpectedly, we find that ablation of USP22, the enzymatic center of the DUBm, leads to a reduction, rather than an increase, in global H2bub1 levels. In contrast, depletion of non-enzymatic components, ATXN7L3 or ENY2, results in increased H2Bub1. These observations led us to discover two H2Bub1 DUBs, USP27X and USP51, which function independently of SAGA and compete with USP22 for ATXN7L3 and ENY2 for activity. Like USP22, USP51 and USP27X are required for normal cell proliferation, and their depletion suppresses tumor growth. Our results reveal that ATXN7L3 and ENY2 orchestrate activities of multiple deubiquitinating enzymes and that imbalances in these activities likely potentiate human diseases including cancer.
Secretory granule calcium loss after isolation of rat alveolar type II cells

Morphological change and lamellar body loss suggests that alveolar type II cells rapidly de- or redifferentiate after several days of primary culture. To determine whether type II cells or lamellar body compositional changes precede these obvious morphological changes, we examined the in situ elemental composition of lamellar bodies and type II cells from intact lung and at different times after isolation using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Isolated cells were prepared by standard methods and plated on either tissue culture plastic or kept in suspension with stirrer flasks. Cell pellets obtained at 0, 3, 24, and 48 h after isolation were rapidly frozen, and thin freeze-dried cryosections were prepared and examined cold in a transmission electron microscope equipped for EPMA. Eight to ten type II cells from each of three to four different preparations for each time period were analyzed. A rapid, progressive, and sustained fall in lamellar body calcium and sulfur content occurred by 48 h of primary culture, suggesting rapid alteration in calcium and protein metabolism by type II cells and/or lamellar bodies after isolation. Also, marked changes in type II cell cytoplasmic Na and K occurred in freshly isolated cells, with incomplete normalization by 48 h. Culture on laminin-enriched Matrigel for 1 wk increased both lamellar body calcium or sulfur content, but 100 nM dexamethasone had no effect. Lamellar body calcium accumulation appears to be a very sensitive index of differentiated type II cell function.
Na+-K+-ATPase α-subunit containing Q905-V930 of gastric H+-K+- ATPase α preferentially assembles with H+-K+-ATPase β

Amino acids N886-A911 of the rat Na + -K + -ATPase α 3 -subunit were replaced by the corresponding region (Q905-V930) of the rat gastric H + -K + -ATPase α-subunit. The chimera (NGH26) was expressed in yeast with the rat Na + -K + -ATPase β 1 -subunit (rβ 1 ), the rat H + -K + -ATPase β-subunit (HKβ), the chimeric β-subunit NHβ 1 (containing the carboxy-terminal ectodomain of HKβ), or the chimeric β-subunit HNβ 1 (containing the carboxy-terminal ectodomain of rβ 1 ). Increased resistance to trypsin digestion indicated that NGH26 preferentially assembled with HKβ and NHβ 1 rather than with rβ 1 or HNβ 1 Ouabain binding also indicated that more functional complexes were assembled when NGH26 was expressed with HKβ or NHβ 1 These results suggest that the sequence Q905-V930 interacts with the HKβ-subunit on the extracellular side of the cell membrane. The NGH26+HKβ complex is less stable than α 3 +HKβ when heated and also has a lower binding affinity for ouabain [dissociation constant (K d ) = 63 nM] compared with α 3 +rβ 1 or α 3 +HKβ (K d = 5-10 nM). In contrast, the NGH26+NHβ 1 complex is thermally as stable as α 3 +Rβ 1 complexes, and its ouabain binding affinity (K d = 10 nM) is the same as the wild type. These results indicate that the amino acids Q905-V930 of the rat gastric H + -K + -ATPase α-subunit preferentially associate with the extracellular domain of H + -K + -ATPase β-subunit to form functional pump complexes and that the cytoplasmic and/or transmembrane region of the β-subunit influences the stability of the αβ complexes.
Effects of pore design on mechanical properties of nanoporous silicon

Abstract Nanoporous silicon has been emerging as a powerful building block for next-generation sensors, catalysts, transistors, and tissue scaffolds. The capability to design novel devices with desired mechanical properties is paramount to their reliability and serviceability. In order to bring further resolution to the highly variable mechanical characteristics of nanoporous silicon, here we perform molecular dynamics simulations to study the effects of ligament thickness, relative density, and pore geometry/orientation on the mechanical properties of nanoporous silicon, thereby determining its Young's modulus, ultimate strength, and toughness as well as the scaling laws versus the features of interior ligaments. Results show that pore shape and pattern dictate stress accumulation inside the designed structure, leading to the corresponding failure signature, such as stretching-dominated, bending-dominated, or stochastic failure signatures, in nanoporous silicon. The nanostructure of the material is also seen to drive or mute size effects such as “smaller is stronger” and “smaller is ductile”. This investigation provides useful insight into the behavior of nanoporous silicon and how one might leverage its promising applications.
Lower-limb dynamics and clinical outcomes for habitually shod runners who transition to barefoot running

Abstract Objectives Recent investigations have revealed lower vertical loading rates and knee energy absorption amongst experienced barefoot runners relative to those who rear-foot strike (RFS). Although this has led to an adoption of barefoot running amongst many recreational shoe runners, recent investigations indicate that the experienced barefoot pattern is not immediately realized. Therefore, the purpose this investigation was to quantify changes in lower-extremity dynamics and clinical outcomes measures for habitually shod runners who perform a transition to barefoot running. Design & Participants We examined lower-extremity dynamics and clinical outcomes for 26 RFS shod runners who performed an 8-10 week transition to barefoot running. Setting Runners were evaluated at the University of Southern California's Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory. Main Outcome Measures Foot-strike patterns, vertical load rates, and joint energetics were evaluated before and after the transition using inverse dynamics. Clinical assessments were conducted throughout the transition by two licensed clinicians. Results Eighteen of the 26 runners successfully completed the transition: 7 maintained a RFS, 8 adopted a mid-foot strike (MFS), and 3 adopted a forefoot strike (FFS) during novice barefoot running. Following the transition, novice MFS/FFS runners often demonstrated reversions in strike-patterns and associated reductions in ankle energetics. We report no change in loading rates and knee energy absorption across transition time points. Importantly, there were no adverse events other than transient pain and soreness. Conclusions These findings indicate that runners do not innately adopt the biomechanical characteristics thought to lower injury risk in-response to an uninstructed barefoot running transition.
Book review: Connectionist Symbol Processing edited by Geoffrey Hinton (MIT/Elsevier Press) and High-Level Connectionist Model edited by John A. Barnden and Jordan B. Pollack (Advances in Connectionist and Neural Computation Theory Volume 1 John A. Barnden, series editor Ablex Publishing Corporation)

Some people see the AI community as split into two camps, the connectionist camp, which advocates massively parallel neural networks, and the symbolic camp, which insists that intelligence requires symbols. Both of these books accept this split and try to bridge it. Ever since Minsky and Papert's book, Perceptrons [6] which showed that single layer linear threshold units could not calculate parity, those in the connectionist camp have bristled at the success, albeit limited, of the symbolic camp.
INFINITE MEDIUM NEUTRON WAVE PROPAGATION. II. NUMERICAL RESULTS FOR WATER AND GRAPHITE.

Abstract Numerical results based upon a Fourier transform approach for solving the infinite medium neutron wave propagation problem are presented for water and graphite. Critical frequencies and the frequency range over which continuum modes dominate the flux solutions have been calculated and the importance of an adequate treatment of cross section properties is demonstrated. A discussion of the experimental implications of the results also is presented.
Where are We? Critical Race Theory in Education 20 Years Later

This article explores the territory that has been covered since the publication of Ladson-Billings and Tate's 1995 article, “Toward a Critical Race Theory in Education.” We organize our review of t...
Integration of an anti-parallel pair of Schottky barrier diodes in millimeter wave mixers

This paper discusses the development of a monolithic GaAs anti-parallel pair of Schottky barrier diodes, and its integration into a G-band (183 GHz) subharmonically pumped mixer. The diodes’ IV characteristics are equivalent to those of the best whisker contacted diodes, and are well matched due to the design of the fabrication process. The performance of the prototype mixer is comparable to that of a similar mixer with whisker contacted diodes. This monolithic design is ideally suited for space applications at millimeter and submillimcter wavelengths.
Crosses to Bear: Searching for Symbolism and Meaning in Edgefield Pottery

Ten years ago, Joe Joseph submitted a manu script, "A Bakongo Cosmogram in Edgefield," for consideration for publication in Historical Archaeology. I was a brash young associate editor who had recently been granted tenure at East Carolina University, so due to my proxim ity to the site in question, the manuscript was assigned to me. I sent it out to three reviewers and quickly received two positive responses. The third response was highly critical, but in a constructive way. Given the conflicting views on the topic (all of which appeared valid), I sug gested that this might make a good forum topic for the journal. The editor at the time, Ronn Michael, was game, but Joe was more interested in a stand-alone article, and chose to revise and resubmit the study. Life and work intervened and the manuscript was shelved until now. Joe is presently the editor of Historical Archaeology, and has come to appreciate my prescience. He finished the revisions to his manuscript and asked me to moderate this as a published forum. Identifying a group qualmed to discuss the topic was not a problem. Two of the original reviewers, Leland Ferguson and Carl Steen, agreed to comment on the newly revised article. Chris Fennell and Grey Gundaker, both of whose research focuses on the African diaspora, were pleased to join the discussion. The plan was not so much to critique Joe's article, but to use it as springboard to explore African influence on Southern folk pottery. Joe s premise in the lead article is that cross marks found on pottery produced around Edge field, South Carolina, are African in origin and serve to preserve that ethnic connection. Was this in implicit example of resistance to assimilation, i benign reminder of past lifeways, or a symbol af deeply held religious beliefs in a creolized culture? Joe is not certain, but feels that there Chris Fennell accepts Joseph s basic prem ise and goes on to explore the reasons for the placement of these cross marks, suggesting that they were a subtle form of resistance. Leland Ferguson, whose ground-breaking work Uncom mon Ground inspired Joseph's interpretations, hedges a bit. He claims that archaeologists may never understand the full meaning of the marks, but the more we pursue the topic, the closer we will come. The study itself serves to shake up stereotypical views of the past and leave us open to alternative explanations. Carl Steen, on the other hand, says: Phooey! He doesn't pretend to know what the cross marks mean, but feels the evidence better supports a Christian or Native American iconography, or they may simply represent owner/maker marks. In any event, more research is called for before making any interpretation. The final forum discussant, Grey Gundaker, agrees that more research is needed, and that it should begin with a better understand ing of what the cosmograms meant to the people that inscribed them.
THE EFFECT OF TEACHING IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES ON STUDENT EVALUATION IN STATISTICAL METHODS COURSES

Publisher Summary Federer (1980) has defined effective teaching, from the student perspective, as maximum student assimilation of the subject matter of a course, within the constraints of credit hours and workload requirements. Teaching improvement activities involve teaching skills, student characteristics, and subject content. To clarify improvement in teaching effectiveness, this chapter discusses teaching improvement. Teaching improvement is the modification of existing instructional strategies and teaching behavior to create a better learning environment for the students. As teaching improvement is a continual process, a systematic design of instruction evaluated at periodic intervals would maximize the use of time and effort. The chapter highlights the clinical process developed at the University of Massachusetts, involving collaboration with a teaching consultant to collect and analyze data about teaching performance and to develop, implement, monitor, and assess instructional improvement strategies.
Recent Advances in Sulfonylurea Herbicides

The sulfonylurea herbicides were discovered in 1975 and immediately set a new standard for chemical weed control. The subsequent worldwide development effort has led to the commercialization of 18 different active ingredients in over a dozen major crops, and additional development candidates have been announced. Some of the reasons for the rapid commercial acceptance of sulfonylurea herbicides include their exceptionally low application rates (often a factor of 10–100 times lower than conventional herbicides), favorable environmental and toxicological properties, and compatibility with the trend towards postemergence weed control.
The Robustness of Two-Sided Tolerance Limits for Normal Distributions

The robustness of two-sided tolerance limits for normal distributions is examined based on a computer simulation in which the Student's t and gamma distributions are used as generating models. Results indicate that the normal tolerance limits are sensit..
When Too Much Is Too Little: Evaluating the Italian Startup Act

Public policies aimed at incentivizing the birth and growth of start-up ecosystems in developed countries have so far produced mixed results, and the vast majority have resulted in wasting taxpayers’ money. This failure is the result of mechanically importing policies that have worked in other countries without understanding (1) the real economic goal of start-up policies and (2) how to adopt strategies that have worked elsewhere to the local context. Countries should promote start-ups not because they are a “nice to have” but because, if done right, start-ups can boost the innovation content of an economy and spur economic growth. Governments indeed have a role to play but must target innovation, or they are wasteful. Applying this framework to the Italian 2012 Startup Act, the author finds the effort has not yet produced good results and propose some solutions.
Assessing the Needs of Rural Counselor Supervisors in Texas

This study explored the needs of rural counselor supervisors (LPC-Ss) in Texas. Fifty participants responded to an online survey consisting of Likert-type items and free-response questions. Rural s...
A Place for Place in Federal Tax Law

This essay — which is based on remarks at the 42nd annual Ohio Northern University Law Review Symposium — examines the place of place-based provisions in federal tax law. It uses the opportunity zone provisions in the December 2017 tax law as a springboard for considering the successes and (mostly) failures of previous efforts at place-based taxation, and then goes on to imagine possibilities for more productive place-based tax policies. One possibility is to use past location as an indicator for ability to pay. A second is to set different rate structures in different geographic areas (i.e., more progressive rate structures in high-income areas and less progressive rate structures in low-income areas) in order to encourage residential integration. A third is to treat place of upbringing as an asset in a comprehensive inheritance tax regime. Although the opportunity zone provisions show place-based taxation at its worst, the essay concludes that the promise of place-based taxation should not yet be written off entirely.
Experimentally measured phonon spectrum of microtubules

Microtubules are self-assembled protein cylinders with important mechanical roles inside living cells. Here we present an experimental method to measure the transversal collective dynamic modes of taxol stabilized microtubules in vitro. We treat the microtubule as a lattice of particles interacting with harmonic potentials and we use Fourier decomposition of the shape of the microtubule under excitation from thermal energy. We report the phonon spectrum due to these modes in MHz frequencies and the sound velocity is in the order of mm s−1.
A Machine-Learning Approach for Semantic Matching of Building Codes and Building Information Models (BIMs) for Supporting Automated Code Checking

Various automated code compliance checking (ACC) systems have been developed and used to check the compliance of building information models (BIMs) with building codes, to reduce the time, cost, and errors of the code compliance checking process. All these systems require some form of code-BIM matching – matching of the concept representations in the codes to those in the BIMs – which is a difficult task. Traditionally, semantic matching was conducted in a highly-manual manner. To address this problem, more recently, a limited number of efforts have proposed fully automated semantic matching methods, which mostly rely on matching annotations and/or rules developed by domain experts. Despite their relatively good performance, these methods are by nature difficult to generalize or scale up (e.g., the matching rules need to be updated, modified, or extended when switching from one type of code to another). There is, thus, a need for semantic matching approaches that are more generalizable and scalable. To address this need, this paper proposes a new, machine learning-based approach to automatically match the building-code concepts and relations to their equivalent concepts and relations in the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The proposed approach consists of five primary tasks: (1) prepare and process the training and testing data; (2) automatically identify the domain word embeddings by learning from a large corpus of building-code text and generate the final semantic representations by combining the domain and general word embeddings; (3) match the building-code concepts to the IFC elements; (4) match the building-code relations to the IFC relations; and (5) evaluate the performance of the proposed approach using accuracy. The proposed approach was implemented and tested on a number of chapters from the 2009 International Building Code (IBC) and the Champaign 2015 IBC Amendments. The preliminary results show that the proposed approach achieved an accuracy of 77% for matching building-code concepts to IFC elements, and 78% for matching building-code relations to IFC relations, indicating promising semantic matching performance.
Supporting Instructors to Provide Emotional and Instructional Scaffolding for English Language Learners through Biosensor-based Feedback

Delivering a presentation has been reported as one of the most anxiety-provoking tasks faced by English Language Learners. Researchers suggest that instructors should be more aware of the learners' emotional states to provide appropriate emotional and instructional scaffolding to improve their performance when presenting. Despite the critical role of instructors in perceiving the emotional states among English language learners, it can be challenging to do this solely by observing the learners? facial expressions, behaviors, and their limited verbal expressions due to language and cultural barriers. To address the ambiguity and inconsistency in interpreting the emotional states of the students, this research focuses on identifying the potential of using biosensor-based feedback of learners to support instructors. A novel approach has been adopted to classify the intensity and characteristics of public speaking anxiety and foreign language anxiety among English language learners and to provide tailored feedback to instructors while supporting teaching and learning. As part of this work, two further studies were proposed. The first study was designed to identify educators' needs for solutions providing emotional and instructional support. The second study aims to evaluate a resulting prototype as a view of instructors to offer tailored emotional and instructional scaffolding to students. The contribution of these studies includes the development of guidance in using biosensor-based feedback that will assist English language instructors in teaching and identifying the students' anxiety levels and types while delivering a presentation.
Strong-Coupling Features Due to Quasiparticle Interaction in Two Dimensional Superconductors

I calculate the effect of interactions among superconducting quasiparticles in two-dimensional(2D) a superconductor at T=0. The strength of the effective interaction among the quasiparticles is essentially given by the screened Coulomb interaction which has strength at low frequency because of the gapless nature of the plasmon. This is in contrast to three dimensions where the effective interaction has negligible weight at frequencies $\sim \Delta$, the superconducting gap. The quasiparticle interactions give rise to strong-coupling effects in experimental quantities which are beyond the conventional Eliashberg treatment of superconductivity. The present calculation offers an explanation of why these effects are much larger in 2D than in 3D superconductors and, in particular, why the analogous strong-coupling effects due to quasiparticle interactions are seen in data on the quasi-2D cuprate superconductors. the strong-coupling features seen in data on the cuprates are discussed in light of the present calculation.
Effects of Imperfect Interfaces on Acoustic Transmission and Diffraction

Contact between the surfaces of a fatigue crack is developed by a variety of mechanisms [1,2], including plastic deformation, sliding of the two faces with respect to one another or the collection of debris such as oxide particles [3]. Consequently, certain characteristic effects occur when the crack is illuminated by an elastic wave. When no contacts are present, a singularity exists in the elastodynamic fields at the crack tip, leading to a set of diffracted fields emanating from the tip. The presence of the contacts modifies the tip diffracted fields and allows energy to be directly transmitted through the crack, requiring modifications in the non-destructive evaluation techniques to detect or size the crack.
Informing Academic Writing Pedagogy through the Study of Phrase-frames

Second Language Development (SLD) research has investigated aspects of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) to understand how English language learners (ELLs) develop linguistic faculties related to language production, especially in academic writing (Biber & Gray, 2010; Biber, Gray & Ponpoon, 2011; Kyle & Crossley, 2018; Lu & Ai, 2015). Contributing to the current body of SLD research, this study addresses complexity in expert academic argumentative essays by investigating language at the phrasal level through phrase-frames (PFs). Phrase-frames are fixed or semi-fixed syntactic structures with a variable slot that might be considered another measure of syntactic complexity. This study aimed to identify if native and non-native expert writers in the Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers (MICUSP) displayed significant differences in their use of these frames concerning their predictability, variability, and function. Results of the study indicated expert academic writers in this corpus use highly variable, highly unpredictable structures which confirm the complexity, elaboration, and explicitness unique to the academic register. Understanding of these register features through the identified PFs was used to develop sample pedagogical materials to promote more complex writing in academic genres.
Struggle over Germany: II. Austria and confederal representation

What do we call it? The political unit we are now discussing had a long and powerful history but no secure name. The most accurate designation over the longest period would be dynastic, not territorial: It was ruled from the thirteenth to the twentieth century by the Habsburg family. Throughout, the Habsburgs ruled hereditary territories in present-day Austria, their capital being Vienna. Hence “Austria” is an acceptable shorthand designation for this state. But it became a Great Power by virtue of massive feudal and dynastic expansion. From 1438 on, Habsburgs were elected continuously as Holy Roman (i.e., German) emperors, giving them a German leadership role. Marriage alliances coupled with fortunate deaths led to two extraordinary enlargements. In the west, Burgundy, Flanders, and Spain fell into Habsburg hands; in the east, the crowns of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia did the same. Most of the west could not be held, but the eastern gains of 1526–7 were retained until the end. In 1760, the Habsburgs held these possessions (save for Silesia, lost to Prussia) plus Belgian Flanders and part of northern Italy. They also gained from Polish dismemberment and Ottoman decline. Most of the empire was now non-German, and in 1806, Francis I proclaimed himself emperor of Austria, abandoning his German imperial title (of which Bonaparte had just deprived him). But Hungary and Bohemia were kingdoms with their own institutions, including assemblies, called diets.
What factors drive polyethylene wear in total knee arthroplasty? : results of a large retrieval series.

Aims Wear of the polyethylene (PE) tibial insert of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) increases the risk of revision surgery with a significant cost burden on the healthcare system. This study quantifi...
Shortened treatment duration of glucocorticoid-induced skin atrophy in rats

Abstract: Glucocorticoids (GCs) belong to the most widely used anti-inflammatory drugs at all. However, their topical use is limited by their side effect potential, with skin atrophy being the most prominent one. Thus, determining the atrophogenic potential of novel compounds is of importance for drug development. Currently, the most frequently performed model in the base and pharmaceutical research is the hr/hr rat model of GC-induced skin atrophy that lasts for 19 days. In this study, we analysed statistically skin atrophy experiments retrospectively to ascertain (i) the earliest time-point, at which skin atrophy is significantly induced; and (ii) whether the differences between the GC treatment groups change until the end of the experiment. We show here that the treatment duration of rat skin atrophy models might be reduced to 5 days for economical and ethical reasons.
A series of novel 6-substituted 2-amino-4-oxopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine antifolates specifically transported by folate receptors and targeting the de novo purine biosynthesis pathway

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 3288 A major obstacle in the therapy of cancer involves an inability to selectively target tumor cells while inflicting minimal toxicity toward normal tissues. Cellular uptake of folates and antifolates by tissues and tumors is primarily by the ubiquitously expressed reduced folate carrier (RFC). The high affinity folate receptors (FRs), FRα and FRβ, are another mode of folate uptake and are considered potential targets for selective tumor targeting, since most normal tissues do not express FRs whereas tumors such as ovarian and endometrial carcinomas express high levels of FRα and acute myeloid leukemias express FRβ. We generated a series of isogenic Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines that expressed human RFC, or human FRα or FRβ. When assayed for drug activity with a series of 6-substituted 2-amino-4-oxopyrrolo[2,3- d ]pyrimidine antifolates with 3, 4, 5, or 6 carbon bridge substitutions (designated 2, 3, 4, or 5, respectively), there was negligible activity toward RFC-expressing CHO cells. However, we detected remarkably potent (i.e., nM) activities for the analogs toward CHO cells that expressed FRα and FRβ. Nearly identical results were obtained with FRα-expressing KB and IGROV1 human tumor cells. In proliferation assays, growth inhibition was maximal for compounds 2 and 3, and decreased for compounds 4 and 5. A dose-dependent inhibition of KB cell colony formation was also seen. The pyrrolopyrimidine antifolates were poor substrates for RFC, as reflected in competitive inhibition assays with 3H-methotrexate. Analogs 2-5 were all high affinity ligands for FRα and FRβ, whereas the 2 carbon bridge analog (compound 1) bound poorly. Adenosine and 4-amino-5-carboxyamide reversed growth inhibition, suggesting that glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) formyl transferase (GARFTase) was the primary intracellular target for the 6-substituted pyrrolopyrimidine series. This was confirmed by assays with recombinant murine GARFTase using 10-formyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid as formyl donor, and by in situ assays that measured 14C-formyl GAR accumulation from 14C-glycine. The combined properties of selective FR targeting and GARFTase inhibition are unprecedented and our results suggest a distinctive structure-activity profile for the 6-substituted pyrrolopyrimdine analogs involving the length of the methylene bridge between the pyrrolopyrimidine and p-aminobenzoate moieties, with 3 or 4 methylenes as optimal.
Young Associates in Trouble

Two recent novels portray the substantively unhappy and morally unfulfilling lives of young associates who work long hours in large, elite law firms. As it turns out, their search for love, happiness, and moral purpose is largely in vain. In the rarefied atmosphere of both fictitious firms, the best and the brightest while away their best years doing document reviews, drafting due diligence memoranda that no one will read, and otherwise presiding over legal matters with lots of zeros but precious little intrinsic interest. If this is what large law firm practice is like, the reader is bound to ask why large law firm jobs are so coveted. Is it really all about money?In this review essay, we compare Kermit Roosevelt's and Nick Laird's bleak portrayals with findings from a unique dataset on law firm profitability, prestige, hours worked, and various measures of several associate satisfactions. We also mine the findings of several empirical studies that track the experience of lawyers over time. We observe that higher firm profitability is associated with higher salaries, bonuses, and prestige. Yet, higher profits also have a statistically significant relationship with longer hours, a less family-friendly workplace, less interesting work, less opportunity to work with partners, less associate training, less communication regarding partnership, and a higher reported likelihood of leaving the firm within the next two years. Nonetheless, graduates from the nation's most elite law schools tend to gravitate toward the most profitable and prestigious (and most grueling) law firms. The attraction of the most elite firms may be superior outplacement options. Or perhaps, as both novels intimate, it may stem from a reluctance to make hard life choices.The available empirical evidence suggests that success within the elite law firm environment often entails a difficult array of personal and professional trade-offs. Although we find our empirical data to be informative, the novel may be a particularly effective vehicle for examining the rather existential nature of these choices. Thus, we suspect that the accounts drawn by Roosevelt and Laird will resonate with many elite, large law firm lawyers.In the Shadow of the Law. By Kermit Roosevelt. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2005. Pp. 346. $24.Utterly Monkey: A Novel. By Nick Laird. London & New York: Harper Perennial. 2005. Pp. 344. $13.95.
Discourse Centrality Impacts Gestural Viewpoint

During language use, people often produce gestures in which they take on the role of a character in the story (character viewpoint gestures). They also produce gestures in which they depict events as though observing them from afar (observer viewpoint gestures). Relatively little is known about the factors determining gestural point of view, however. McNeill (1992) has suggested that character viewpoint gestures occur with events that are more central to the narrative, and observer viewpoint gestures with less central events. While this claim is plausible, previous observational attempts to provide support have not taken into account the fact that not all events can be depicted equally well from both points of view. (For example, people are unlikely to use character viewpoint when describing motion over a large space, even though that motion might be quite central.) This study takes a series of events for which both depictions are possible and experimentally manipulates their centrality. Participants read texts and describe them to partners in one of two conditions: discourse central and discourse non-central. Each text contains a target event for which both gestural representations (character and observer viewpoint) are possible. In the discourse central condition, the target event is very central to the story. In the discourse non-central condition, the same event has been made less central. For example, the action might be crucial for achieving a goal in the discourse central condition, but not goal-directed in the discourse non-central condition. Target events are significantly more likely to evoke character viewpoint gestures in the discourse central condition than in the discourse non-central condition, thus providing experimental evidence for McNeill's claim.
Reconceptualizing Cultural Globalization: Connecting the "Cultural Global" and the "Cultural Local"

Scholars generally are in agreement that the pace of globalization is rapidly accelerating. Globalization’s impact, beyond the socio-economic and political discourses, is affecting conceptions of culture and cultural studies, and changing and restructuring spaces, global, national and personal interactions and relationships. The “texts” and artifacts borne of culture—activities, events and our conception thereof are a mechanism for the propagation of culture. Simultaneously Westernization/Americanization impacts local cultures through consumerism, which obfuscates local traditions, knowledge and experiences. This research argues that culture is a dynamic, adaptive concept and practice, “borrowing” liberally from ideological and technological innovations of other cultures and integrating these borrowed aspects into the construction and modification of culture across spatial and geographical divides to ensure particular cultures’ survival. The research shows that the local affects the global, and vice versa. It selects local communication “texts” to show that cultures are not “victims” of globalization or the proliferation of mass media. Cultures actively adopt and integrate globalization’s technological artifacts. Globalization’s positive effects are dynamic and span cultural interactions and permeate structures of authority at personal, national and global levels.
Zinc and Copper Balances in Preterm Infants

Preterm infants are at risk for copper and zinc depletion if sufficient quantities of these nutrients are not provided in a bioavailable form in postnatal life. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of a whey-predominant, 50% medium chain triglyceride formula with relatively high concentrations of zinc and copper would promote the achievement of the in utero accretion rate for zinc and copper in the preterm infant. Two groups of five preterm infants were fed a diet containing 12.5 mg/L of zinc and either 0.9 mg/L or 2.1 mg/L of copper. Seventy-two-hour metabolic balance studies were performed at an average postconceptual age of 34 weeks and an average weight of 1,549 g. All infants were in positive zinc balance and nine of ten achieved the in utero accretion rate for zinc for a 34-week gestation fetus (greater than or equal to 0.432 mg/d). Three infants receiving the high copper formula and two receiving the lower copper formula were in positive copper balance. Two infants from each group achieved the in utero accretion rate for copper for a 34-week gestation fetus (0.088 mg/d). A formula that provides 12.5 mg/L of zinc permits positive zinc balance and zinc retention similar to in utero rates. A formula that provides as much as 2.1 mg/L of copper, however, may not always permit positive copper balance.
Universal Design Research as a New Materialist Practice

In Disability Studies, Universal Design (UD) is a concept that is often borrowed from an architectural or design context to mean an ideology of inclusion and flexibility with a range of applications in education, technology, and other milieus. This paper returns to UD as a design phenomenon, considering knowledge production practices as conditions of possibility for inclusive design. UD appropriates and redefines normalizing research methods, namely anthropometry, that were developed in the 19th century for uses that are contrary to disability rights and justice, such as eugenics, colonialism, and scientific racism. The paper argues that critical disability theory should understand work in UD research and design practice in order to formulate a nuanced, new materialist and historical disability epistemology, particularly in engagements with scientific knowledge. Keywords : Universal Design, accessibility, anthropometry, normate, misfit, 19 th century science, eugenics, new materialism
Particle beam modulation techniques for the generation of subfemtosecond photon pulses in the VUV/soft X-ray range

Abstract In this paper we consider the energy modulation of a short subinterval of an electron bunch at the scale length of visible/UV laser light. Possibilities for converting this modulation into a high-gain FEL-type density fluctuation to produce a coherently-enhanced subfemtosecond radiation pulse in the VUV/soft X-ray range are discussed.
Nanoparticle light scattering on interferometric surfaces

We present a model based on Mie Surface Double Interaction (MSDI) to explore bead-based detection mechanisms using imaging and scanning. The application goal of this work is to explore the trade-offs between the sensitivity and throughput among various detection methods. Experimentally we use thermal oxide on silicon to establish and control surface interferometric conditions. Surface-captured gold beads are detected using Molecular Interferometric Imaging (MI2) and Spinning-Disc Interferometry (SDI).
Issues in Economic Justification for Flexible Manufacturing Systems and Some Guidelines for Managers

Information technology has enabled substantial automation of manufacturing functions by way of computer integrated manufacturing and flexible manufacturing systems. These systems offer many benefits but also require substantial long term capital investment. Traditional cost accounting and capital budgeting techniques fail to fully justify installation of these systems. A substantial quantity of literature in this field is reviewed to come up with the existing state of affairs in manufacturing automation and economic justification of flexible manufacturing systems. Economic justification of flexible manufacturing systems on broader basis than provided by traditional methods appears to be not only desirable but also imperative for manufacturing firms going in for them. Based on literature review, some guidelines have been culled for managers to enable them to invest in these systems on a more rational basis and with more confidence. A bibliography of articles and research papers provides further references and readings to practitioners in this area.
Blood lead and IQ in older children.

In their article about blood lead and IQ in older children, Chen et al. (2005) made the very important observation that IQ (intelligence quotient) in older children correlates better with their current blood lead level than with levels determined at 2 years of age. This observation has enormous public health implications in terms of defining who is at risk of cognitive decrement upon exposure to lead, and challenges the widely held assumption that the effects of lead on neurobehavioral function are exclusively developmental. My colleagues and I (Carpenter et al. 2002) previously studied the effects of gestational and lactational exposure of rats to lead with measurement of long-term potentiation in hippocampal brain slices. Long-term potentiation is an electrophysiological measure of synaptic plasticity that is widely viewed as being at least one component of learning and memory, and it is reduced upon in vivo lead exposure. To our surprise we also found that acute perfusion of low concentrations of lead onto brain slices from control animals resulted in reduction of long-term potentiation, suggesting that the effect is more pharmacologic than developmental. The results of Chen et al. (2005) in humans and our studies in rats suggest that lead causes both developmental and pharmacologic impairment of cognitive function. If this is true, then steps should be taken to prevent exposure to lead and to reduce lead levels in individuals of any age, not just young children.