cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategy, organization structure and success in the lodging industry

Abstract Has Hyatt's success been the result of the way it has structured its organization? Research evidence has accumulated indicating that the way an organization is structured can have profound effects on its performance. Should every lodging organization adopt the same type of structure? Probably not! However, determining the appropriate organizational structure for a lodging organization requires considerable thought and analysis. The results of some of the more compelling research findings relative to the factors that affect the structuring of an organization and the relationship between organizational strategy, structure and effectiveness are examined. Some of these concepts are then applied in an analysis of the structure of three different lodging organizations.
Biological control: Implications of the analogy between the trophic interactions of insect pest-parasitoid and snail-trematode systems

Abstract An analogy between the tropic interactions of insect pest-hymenopterous parasitoid and snail-larval trematode systems is proposed. The goal of most agricultural pest management programs is increase in production of a plant crop, the deleterious agent is an herbivorous insect pest, the controlling agent, a parasitoid. Other parasitoid species may or may not have a significant effect on the control of the host by the key mortality factor. In snail—schistosome systems the goal is reduction of worm burdens in human populations, removed in space and time from the snail-sporocyst interaction; the deleterious agent is the schistosome, trophically equivalent to the hymenopterous parasitoid. Therefore, control may be achieved through competitive displacement of the schistosomes by other larval trematodes having superior intrinsic competitive abilities and better searching efficiencies at low host densities. Hyperparasites, sciomyzid Diptera and Daubaylia may also play a role in this view of schistosomiasis control. The Hassell-Varley parasite quest theory is applied to larval trematodes. The inversely proportional relationship between the area of discovery and miracidial density when logarithmically transformed is further evidence for the dynamic similarity of snail-trematode and insect-parasitoid systems. Other applications of the generally accepted principles of insect pest biological control to a medically important trematode indicate that (1) schistosome population control, not eradication, is the appropriate goal of public health programs, (2) the criteria for implementation and success of such programs must be in terms of the relationship between medical injury and the frequency distribution of worms in humans, and (3) a good biological control agent is likely to have a high searching efficiency at low host densities, kill more than one snail host, be highly host specific, be scarce when successful, reside in regions were schistosomiasis is negligible as a medical problem.
On control problems with bounded state variables

Abstract : Identifiers: Problem solving. Control problems are studied in which constraints that are independent of the control are imposed on the state variables. Necessary conditions that hold along an optimal trajectory are derived in a relatively simple fashion from known results in the calculus of variations. These results had been obtained by Gambrelidze in a different fashion.
Metabolites in safety testing: metabolite identification strategies in discovery and development

The publication of the FDA MIST guidelines in 2008, together with the acknowledged importance of metabolism data for the progression of novel compounds through drug discovery and drug development, has resulted in a renewed focus on the metabolite identification strategies utilised throughout the pharmaceutical industry. With the plethora of existing and emerging technologies available to the metabolite identification scientist, it is argued that increased diligence should be applied to metabolism studies in the early stages of both drug discovery and drug development, in order to more routinely impact chemical design and to comply with the concepts of the MIST guidance without re-positioning the definitive radiolabelled studies from there typical place in late development.Furthermore, these strategic elements should be augmented by a broad and thorough understanding of the impact of the derived metabolism data, most notably considerations of absolute abundance, structure and pharmacological activity, such that they can be put into proper context as part of a holistic safety strategy.The combination of these approaches should ensure a metabolite identification strategy that successfully applies the principles of the MIST guidance throughout the discovery/development continuum and thereby provides appropriate confidence in support of human safety.
Intraluminal Tracheal Stenting for Treatment of Tracheal Narrowing in Three Cats

Objective— To describe the use of intraluminal tracheal stenting in 3 cats with either benign or malignant tracheal obstruction. Study Design— Retrospective clinical study. Animals— Three client-owned cats. Methods— Medical records were reviewed and information regarding signalment, clinical signs, physical examination findings, diagnostic tests performed, treatment, outcome and follow-up were retrieved. Intraluminal tracheal stent placement was performed as previously described in the literature. Results— Three cats received intraluminal tracheal stents for the treatment of tracheal obstruction due to 3 different underlying causes: stricture secondary to traumatic endotracheal intubation, stricture secondary to a previous tracheotomy, and neoplasia. Self-expanding metallic stents of varying sizes were placed, and all cats recovered uneventfully from the procedures. The cat with tracheal neoplasia was euthanized because of pulmonary metastatic disease 6 weeks post-stent placement. The two cats with tracheal obstructions secondary to benign strictures are currently 39 months and 32 weeks post-stent placement, respectively. No complications were noted during the post-stent period in any of the 3 cats. Conclusions— Intraluminal tracheal stenting was easily, safely, and rapidly performed without complications and resulted in immediate improvement in clinical signs in all three cases. None of the cats in this study developed significant stent-associated complications during the study period. Clinical Relevance— Intraluminal tracheal stenting has the potential to be a viable option for the treatment of tracheal obstruction in cats and perhaps for similar disease processes in other veterinary patients.
The frequency of hereditary defective mismatch repair in a prospective series of unselected colorectal carcinomas.

A comprehensive analysis of somatic and germline mutations related to DNA mismatch–repair (MMR) genes can clarify the prevalence and mechanism of inactivation in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). In the present study, 257 unselected patients referred for CRC resection were examined for evidence of defective DNA MMR. In particular, we sought to determine the frequency of hereditary defects in DNA MMR in this cohort of patients. MMR status was assessed by testing of tumors for the presence or absence of hMLH1, hMSH2, and hMSH6 protein expression and for microsatellite instability (MSI). Of the 257 patients, 51 (20%) had evidence of defective MMR, demonstrating high levels of MSI (MSI-H) and an absence of either hMLH1 (n=48) or hMSH2 (n=3). All three patients lacking hMSH2, as well as one patient lacking hMLH1, also demonstrated an absence of hMSH6. DNA sequence analysis of the 51 patients with defective MMR revealed seven germline mutations—four in hMLH1 (two truncating and two missense) and three in hMSH2 (all truncating). A detailed family history was available for 225 of the 257 patients. Of the seven patients with germline mutations, only three had family histories consistent with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. Of the remaining patients who had tumors with defective MMR, eight had somatic mutations in hMLH1. In addition, hypermethylation of the hMLH1 gene promoter was present in 37 (88%) of the 42 hMLH1-negative cases available for study and in all MSI-H tumors that showed loss of hMLH1 expression but no detectable hMLH1 mutations. Our results suggest that, although defective DNA MMR occurs in ∼20% of unselected patients presenting for CRC resection, hereditary CRC due to mutations in the MMR pathway account for only a small proportion of patients. Of the 257 patients, only 5 (1.9%) appear to have unequivocal evidence of hereditary defects in MMR. The epigenetic (nonhereditary) mechanism of hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation appears to be responsible for the majority of the remaining patients whose tumors are characterized by defective DNA MMR.
A randomized trial of vaginal prostaglandin E2 gel and dinoprostone vaginal insert for induction of labor at term

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether dinoprostone vaginal insert (Cervidil) can ripen the cervix and induce labor more effectively and safely than a hospital-prepared intravaginal gel. Methods: Three hundred thirty-six patients undergoing cervical ripening for induction of labor at term were randomly assigned to receive either Cervidil insert or a hospital-formulated prostaglandin E2 gel. Bishop scores were evaluated before and after administration of the ripening agent, and charts were subsequently reviewed for labor characteristics, mode of delivery, and complications of labor and delivery. Results: Cervical ripening as measured by a change in Bishop score was significantly better in those patients receiving Cervidil than those receiving the gel (3.54 vs 2.29, P < .0001). Although duration of labor was similar between the two groups, those receiving Cervidil were less likely to require oxytocin stimulation (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29–0.91). Though the Cervidil group had a lower cesarean section rate than the gel group, the difference did not achieve statistical significance (25.4% vs 33.8%, P = .089). Complication rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusions: Cervidil insert is superior to intravaginal gel in ripening the cervix and inducing labor, with no increase in morbidity. It has not been shown to have a significant effect on duration of labor or mode of delivery.
Effect of feeding in 30-day bioaccumulation assays using Hyalella azteca in fluoranthene-dosed sediment

Current protocols for conducting freshwater sediment bioaccumulation tests recommend that food not be added to exposures, whereas toxicity tests require food addition. To determine effects of adding food on exposure, 30-d sediment exposures were conducted with Hyalella azteca to sediment dosed with four fluoranthene concentrations. Accumulation was significantly greater in fed versus nonfed animals at all dose levels after 96 h of exposure and continued to be greater after 30 d in the low dose levels. At sediment concentrations above 478 nmol/g dry weight, survival of unfed animals dropped to 34% after 30 d. After 30 d of exposure, growth and reproduction were observed in fed animals exposed to sediment 10-d studies reported in the literature using sediment with comparable organic carbon concentrations. Samples of sediment in exposure breakers taken from the sediment-water interface (flocculant layer) and 1 to 2 cm below the interface had large differences in fluoranthene and organic carbon concentrations. The concentration of fluoranthene was 2 to 10 times greater in the flocculant layer, the area inhabited by H. azteca, compared to the deeper sediment. These data raise questions concerning the interpretation of standard toxicity and bioaccumulation tests when food is routinely added.
Experiments on geometric effects of 90-degree vertical-upward elbow in air water two-phase flow

Abstract This study investigates the geometric effects of a 90-degree vertical-upward elbow on local two-phase flow-parameters in an air–water system, and develops an experimental database for interfacial area transport modeling. The experimental facility is constructed from 5.08 cm inner diameter acrylic pipes and includes vertical and horizontal sections interconnected by a 90-degree vertical glass elbow. The elbow has a radius of curvature of 15.24 cm and is installed at L / D = 63 from the inlet. A four-sensor conductivity probe is used to measure time-averaged local two-phase flow parameters including: void fraction, bubble velocity, interfacial area concentration, and bubble frequency at ten axial locations along the test section. It is observed that the bubbles moving through the vertical-upward elbow are entrained by the secondary flow leading to a bimodal distribution in bubbly flow conditions. For the flow conditions investigated within the study, this bimodal distribution occurs regardless of the bubble distribution upstream of the elbow. It is found that the change in bubble distribution downstream of the elbow is strongly correlated to the dissipation of the elbow effects. Furthermore, the dissipation characteristics as well as the length of dissipation region for the vertical-upward elbow are found to be a strong function of the liquid-phase flow rate.
Stereoscopic Imaging of Transverse Detonations in Diffraction

Diffraction of gaseous detonations has received considerable attention for many years, yet there is limited understanding of the failure and initiation phenomena due to the complex coupling between the combustion and the fluid dynamics. A variety of optical techniques such as streak imaging, open shutter photography, high-speed schlieren imaging, and, more recently, planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) has been used to visualize the diffraction process in detonations. To overcome the integrating nature of visualization techniques and also allow for sooted foil records, many diffraction experiments in the past were carried out in narrow channels, studying detonation transition from planar to cylindrical geometry. The experimental investigation on spherically diffracting detonations described in this paper uses stereoscopic image reconstruction of the transverse detonations. The aim is to obtain further insight into the transverse detonations, which are the re-coupling phenomena identified to occur in the critical diffraction regime following a re-initiation event. The 3D reconstruction technique visualizes the transverse detonation as defined by the volume in space with high luminosity. The reconstruction technique is based on gradients, in contrast to those techniques based on target points as used, for example, in 3D particle image velocimetry. Together with a simultaneously obtained schlieren image, the location of the transverse detonation could be determined to be just below the shock surface.
Early Cretaceous overprinting of the Mesozoic Daqing Shan fold-and-thrust belt by the Hohhot metamorphic core complex, Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract The Early Cretaceous Hohhot metamorphic core complex (mcc) of the Daqing Shan (Mtns.) of central Inner Mongolia is among the best exposed and most spectacular of the spatially isolated mcc’s that developed within the northern edge of the North China “craton”. All of these mcc’s were formed within the basement of a Late Paleozoic Andean-style arc and across older Mesozoic fold-and-thrust belts of variable age and tectonic vergence. The master Hohhot detachment fault roots southwards within the southern margin of the Daqing Shan for an along-strike distance of at least 120 km. Its geometry in the range to the north is complicated by interference patterns between (1) primary, large-scale NW-SE-trending convex and concave fault corrugations and (2) secondary ENE-WSW-trending antiforms and synforms that folded the detachment in its late kinematic history. As in the Whipple Mtns. of California, the Hohhot master detachment is not of the Wernicke (1981) simple rooted type; instead, it was spawned from a mid-crustal shear zone, the top of which is preserved as a mylonitic front within Carboniferous metasedimentary rocks in its exhumed lower plate. 40 Ar– 39 Ar dating of siliceous volcanic rocks in basal sections of now isolated supradetachment basins suggest that crustal extension began at ca. 127 Ma, although lower-plate mylonitic rocks were not exposed to erosion until after ca. 119 Ma. Essentially synchronous cooling of hornblende, biotite, and muscovite in footwall mylonitic gneisses indicates very rapid exhumation and at ca. 122–120 Ma. Contrary to several recent reports, the master detachment clearly cuts across and dismembers older, north-directed thrust sheets of the Daqing Shan foreland fold-and-thrust belt. Folded and thrust-faulted basalts within its foredeep strata are as young as 132.6 ± 2.4 Ma, thus defining within 5–6 Ma the regional tectonic transition between crustal contraction and profound crustal extension.
The Feminization of American Culture: Through the Glass, Partly

(1978). The Feminization of American Culture: Through the Glass, Partly. The Review of Education: Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 335-343.
Adolescents Who Witness Community Violence: Can Parent Support and Prosocial Cognitions Protect Them From Committing Violence?

This longitudinal study investigated the effects of witnessing violence on committing violence among diverse urban middle school students (11-15 years old) over a 1-year period (N=1,599). It examined parent support and prosocial cognitions as moderators that might interact with one another in buffering adolescents from the effects of witnessing violence. The study also explored gender and ethnicity differences across these protective processes. According to the results, both average and high levels of parent support may offer male adolescents who witness violence protection against committing subsequent acts of violence. Adolescent females who witness violence appear to be uniquely protected from committing acts of violence if they have highly prosocial cognitions. Applications to resilience and competency models are discussed.
Electrocapillary Piston Motion and a Prototype of Phase-Manipulating Micromirror

In this paper we study the piston motion of a mercury droplet that is confined in a metal-plated micro-hole. This droplet is actuated by the electrocapillary effect and large displacements of up to 250μm are achieved with very low voltages (2V). We use a high-speed camera (10,000frames/s) to capture the piston motion and we find the resonance frequency is ~45Hz. The mercury droplet geometry in equilibrium state is analyzed based on Laplace equation and volume conservation. A mathematical model is developed and predicts a resonant frequency of mercury droplet and the value is found to be 119Hz. A prototype of piston-motion micromirror is also demonstrated in the experiment, with frequency of 400Hz and amplitude of ~8μm at 2V.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
On-Line Flank Wear Estimation Using an Adaptive Observer and Computer Vision, Part 1: Theory

The problem of developing a reliable on-line flank wear measurement system is treated using the integration of an adaptive observer, based on cutting force measurement, and computer vision. In this part of the paper, the theoretical basis and design of the integrated method is presented. Implementation issues are discussed in Part 2 of the paper along with experimental results. The flank wear is modeled as the summation of two unmeasurable states in a nonlinear dynamic system realized in state space equation form. The inputs to the system are the feed, the cutting speed, and the depth of cut (i.e., the cutting conditions) and the output is the cutting force. Based on a simplified version of this flank wear model, an adaptive observer is designed by combining the observer technique and the recursive least squares parameter estimation algorithm. The designed adaptive observer indirectly measures the flank wear and simultaneously estimates one unknown model parameter, using measurements of the cutting force and the cutting conditions. The adaptive observer is integrated with a computer vision system which can directly measure the flank wear with good accuracy. In the integrated system, the adaptive observer is intermittently calibrated using direct flank wear measurements via computer vision. In this part of the paper, the integrated method is presented without referring to any specific computer vision technique. However, a computer vision technique is developed in Part 2 of the paper for an experimental evaluation of the proposed method. The fundamental idea behind the proposed integrated method is that a less accurate indirect flank wear measuring method (i.e., the adaptive observer) is intermittently calibrated by a more accurate direct measurement method (i.e., computer vision).
Discrete size series of CdSe quantum dots: A combined computational and experimental investigation

Ab initio computational studies were performed for CdSe nanocrystals (NCs) over a wide variety of sizes ranging from 8 to 150 atoms in conjunction with recent experimental work. The density functional based calculations indicate substantial relaxations. Changes in coordination of surface atoms were found to play a crucial role in determining the NC stability and optical properties. While optimally (threefold) coordinated surface atoms resulted in stable closed-shell structures with large optical gaps, sub-optimal coordination gave rise to lower stability and negligible optical gaps. These computations are in qualitative agreement with recent chemical etching experiments suggesting that closed shell NCs contribute strongly to photoluminescence quantum yield while clusters with nonoptimal surface coordination do not.
Reverberation mapping for basin‐wide bathymetric surveys

Abstract Research conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory in low‐frequency, long‐range underwater reverberation has led to an acoustic operation and processing technique that is applicable to basin‐wide bathymetric surveying. The technique uses 23‐kg explosive sources and a commercial seismic array receiver to obtain topographic reverberation data covering radial distances of more than 500 nautical miles (NM). After filtering and beam forming, the processing provides spatial stabilization of beams and averaging over multiple shots to correct for left‐right ambiguities. The resulting product is a plot of the locations of major topographic reverberators over entire basin areas. The processing technique has been applied to data collected in two tests conducted in a Pacific basin northeast of New Zealand. Processing and averaging of more than 200 explosive shots from each test produced maps covering more than 1 million sq NM. In addition to identifying the locations of all major known topographic features,...
Back to Cyber School

When it comes to K-12 education, should public dollars be used to make individuals or investors rich? Cyber charters do fill an important role for certain students, but more sophisticated forms of oversight are needed to regulate this burgeoning industry.
Waves generated by pulsed electron beams

Abstract During the Spacelab-2 flight of July, 1985, electron beams (1 keV, 100 mA) square-wave modulated at ELF and VLF were emitted from the space shuttle. The wave fields generated by the beam were monitored by a free-flying sub-satellite at distances up to 300 m perpendicular to the beam. The amplitude of the magnetic and electric fields were modulated by the spin of the satellite. This modulation allows the study of the wave polarization. Results for a 7 min duration beam sequence in which the beam was pulsed at 1.22 kHz are presented and compared with recent predictions for wave-fields stimulated by ideal helical electron beams propagating in a magnetized plasma. It is found that the predicted magnetic field amplitude of the first harmonic of the beam pulsing frequency (below the lower hybrid frequency) is in agreement with observations, however, the predicted and the observed polarizations are entirely different. For the higher harmonic components (above the lower hybrid frequency), theory predicts order of magnitude larger magnetic field amplitudes than observed. It is concluded that the theory does not adequately model the full distribution of the radiating current.
Traumatic injuries of the female external genitalia and their association with urological injuries.

AbstractPurpose: To date trauma to the female external genitalia has been incompletely characterized. At our institution a large number of such patients have been identified and many had associated urological injuries. We characterize these injuries and their association with urological injuries.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the charts of all female patients presenting with trauma to the genitalia unrelated to parturition between 1991 and 1996. Type and mechanism of injury, associated injuries and blood transfusion requirements were noted. Vaginal injuries were classified as complex (greater than 3 cm., multiple or involving deeper structures) or simple (all others).Results: We identified 20 women a mean 20.7 years old with traumatic injuries to the genitalia, including motor vehicle accidents in 6, injury from consensual intercourse in 5, sexual assault in 4 and other penetrating injuries in 5. There were 15 patients with vaginal injuries (complex in 8 and simple in 7) and vulvar injuries in 5. Six ...
Knowledge representing schemes for planning

An investigation of recent development of planning systems is performed, with emphasis on issues of knowledge representation, and the possible solutions for representing the effects of actions are pointed out.
The uniform behaviour of electric quadrupole transition probabilities from first 2+ states in even-even nuclei☆

The gamma transition probabilities from the first 2/sup +/ states of even-even nuclei, T/sub gamma / (21 yields 0), are shown to exhibit a uniform behavior from A = 12 to 240. These transition probabilities are approximately proportional to E/sup 4/, where E is the energy of the transition. No discontinuity in this relation is evident as the boundaries between deformed and spherical nuclei are crossed. Therefore, it is not possible on the basis of T (21 yields 0) alone to distinguish a collective vibrational from a collective rotational first 2/sup +/ state. (H.D.R.)
An Independent Assessment of the Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) Proposed Method of Earthquake Prediction

The Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR) method is a proposed technique to predict earthquakes that was first put forward by Yin (1987). LURR is based on the idea that when an area enters the damage regime, the rate of seismic activity during loading of the tidal cycle increases relative to the rate of seismic activity during unloading in the months to one year preceding a large earthquake. Since earth tides generally contribute the largest temporal variations in crustal stress, it seems plausible that earth tides would trigger earthquakes in areas that are close to failure (e.g., Vidaleet al., 1998). However, the vast majority of studies have shown that earth tides do not trigger earthquakes (e.g., Vidaleet al., 1998; Heaton, 1982; Rydeleket al., 1992). In this study, we conduct an independent test of the LURR method, since there would be important scientific and social implications if it were proven to be a robust method of earthquake prediction. Smith and Sammis (2004) undertook a similar study and found no evidence that there was predictive significance to the LURR method. We have repeated calculations of LURR for the Northridge earthquake in California, following both the parameters of X.C. Yin (personal communication) and the somewhat different ones of Smith and Sammis (2004). Though we have followed both sets of parameters closely, we have been unable to reproduce either set of results. Our examinations have shown that the LURR method is very sensitive to certain parameters. Thus it seems likely that the discrepancies between our results and those of previous studies are due to unaccounted for differences in the calculation parameters. A general agreement was made at the 2004 ACES Workshop in China between research groups studying LURR to work cooperatively to resolve the differences in methods and results, and thus permit more definitive conclusions on the potential usefulness of the LURR method in earthquake prediction.
Ticagrelor was more effective than clopidogrel, with no increase in major bleeding in acute coronary syndromes

Source Citation Wallentin L, Becker RC, Budaj A, et al. Ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes. N Engl J Med. 2009;361:1045-57. 19717846
APPLICANT REACTIONS TO THE INITIAL EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW: EXPLORING THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

Prior studies of the simultaneous effects of recruiting practices and job attributes on applicant reactions to the initial employment interview offered consistent support for a job attributes effect, but limited support for a recruiting practices effect. The present study, using a preinterview-postinterview design, found that recruiting practices significantly affected all measures of student applicants' reactions to campus interviews. Recruiters had a greater effect on perceptions of the job itself than on perceptions of other job attributes. However, likelihood of job acceptance–the applicant reaction that was conceptually closest to job choice–was still mostly unaffected by recruiting practices. Further research examining the effect of recruiting practices on applicant responses throughout the recruitment process is recommended.
Nonphysician Placement of Arterial Catheters: Experience With 500 Insertions

To improve availability of arterial line placement, we developed a nonphysician protocol for respiratory therapists to insert arterial catheters. In our experience with more than 500 catheter insertions, in which placement lasted from I to 20 days, superficial infection occurred in 5 percent of patients and a major complication occurred in only 1 patient. These results show that specially trained nonphysician personnel can insert arterial catheters safely when following a protocol. Similar reallocation of existing resources should increase patient care while decreasing patient care cost in most settings.
Another twist in the transforming growth factor β-induced cell-cycle arrest chronicle

Members of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily of cytokines are important regulators of many fundamental cellular and developmental processes, including cell fate determination, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis (1). TGF-β also harbors a paradoxical dual role in tumorigenesis. During early tumor development, TGF-β has tumor-suppressor-like activity because of its ability to inhibit cell-cycle progression and tumor growth. However, many late-stage, dedifferentiated tumor cells become refractory to the growth inhibition mediated by TGF-β, either because of genetic loss of TGF-β signaling components or downstream perturbation of the signaling pathway (2). In addition, late-stage tumors often display increased TGF-β expression (3), which is thought to enhance the motility and metastasis potential of these cells (4). Furthermore, although TGF-β is a potent growth inhibitor to most normal epithelial cells, it can also stimulate the proliferation of some fibroblastic cell lines, such as NIH 3T3 (5). The molecular mechanisms underlying the basis of these differential responses to TGF-β have not been elucidated. However, in this issue of PNAS, Bhowmick et al. (6) have now shed some light on an important clue of alternative signaling pathways involved in TGF-β-mediated growth regulation. By analyzing the paradoxical effects of TGF-β on epithelial cells versus fibroblasts, Bhowmick et al. (6) have uncovered a TGF-β growth-inhibitory pathway that links RhoA/p160ROCK to Cdc25A and at least partially explains the different response of epithelial cells and fibroblasts to TGF-β. TGF-β signals through a heteromeric transmembrane complex composed of two type I and two type II receptor serine/threonine kinases (Fig. 1) (7). On TGF-β binding, the type I and type II receptors are brought together, resulting in the activation of the dormant kinase activity of the type I receptor. The activated type I receptor then propagates …
Wages and hazardous working conditions

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new empirical test for the existence of wage premiums paid to workers who are exposed to dangerous or unhealthy working conditions. Prior empirical studies have encountered problems with omitted ability data, omitted working conditions data and measurement error. The empirical model presented in this paper uses a difference specification to eliminate bias from omitted ability data. By assuming that all hazardous working conditions are measured by a single endogenous unobserved variable, this empirical model also eliminates bias due to omitted working conditions and measurement error. The empirical model is estimated using the 1973–7 version of the Quality of Employment Survey. The unique data in this survey facilitate estimation of a model in which working conditions are assumed to be unobservable. Using a two-stage technique for consistent and efficient estimation, the empirical results reported in this paper show that a compensating difference for hazardous work...
Mantraps: Men at Work in Pietro Di Donato’s Christ in Concrete and Thomas Bell’s Out of This Furnace

Whether we want it there or not, for most of us work squats at the center of life. It consumes our time and energy and to a large extent determines our experience in every other activity of living. When we are out of work, the lack of it and the search for it takes its place as the dominant condition. One of the continuing uses of literature has been to counteract that dominance, to provide a form of imaginative vacation to other lives and other places governed not by work but by love, perhaps, or mystery, or nature. Yet there has also been a strand of literature which centrally engages the subject of work in order to explore the effects of its centrality in our lives. This perspective is particularly clear in the literature of those people, including poor European immigrants to industrial America, for whom the job was especially long and hard and never enough to quite support a family for whom, in other words, work was inescapable, a palpable force to be wrestled with every day. They sought in their writing to understand the meaning of this force: what they got out of work, what it took out of them; how the relations of work got this way, how they might be different. Mariolina Salvatori, in a 1982 MELUS article, has studied the meaning and status of women's work in novels of immigrant life.1 In particular, she finds a tendency in certain novels for the "public sphere" of men's work to eclipse the private and domestic labor of women which, she argues, was equally important to the family's survival. Salvatori movingly describes the psychic and emotional cost of performing essential and exhausting labor without its being recognized as such. I want here to offer a complement to her study by examining men's relationships to their "public sphere" work, in two of the novels she discusses. For while it is clear from these novels that men's commitment to work and the breadwinner role is oppressive to women and marginalizes their labor, the effect of that commitment can be seen as scarcely less destructive to the men themselves.
Electron spin resonance absorption spectrum of CO2- molecule-ions in single crystal calcite

An electron spin resonance absorption spectrum due to CO2 - molecule-ions has been observed at 3 cm wavelength in single crystals of optical grade calcite. The spectrum exhibits orthorhombic symmetry with both the 12C and 13C isotopically substituted CO2 - molecule-ions having the same g-tensor components given by gzz = 2·00161, gxx = 2·00320 and gyy = 1·99727, where z refers to the carbonate-ion C-O bond direction, x the crystal [111] direction and y the direction perpendicular to these two. The CO2 - molecule-ions are located at carbonate-ion sites with their planes parallel to those of carbonate-ions and with their two-fold symmetry axes parallel to the z direction. The hyperfine structure tensor components associated with the 13C isotope are Azz = 177·28 oe, Axx = 134·62 oe, and Ayy = 131·69 oe.
Sinulaflexiolides A−K, Cembrane-Type Diterpenoids from the Chinese Soft Coral Sinularia flexibilis

A bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical examination of the soft coral Sinularia flexibilis resulted in the isolation and characterization of sinulaflexiolides A−K (1−11), along with sinulariolone (12), 5-dehydrosinularolide (13), capillolide (14), sinulariolide (15), 5,8-epoxy-9-acetoxysinulariolide (16), flexibilide (17), dihydroflexibilide (18), and the enantiomer of 14-deoxycrassin (19). Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic (IR, MS, 2D NMR) data analysis and by comparison with spectroscopic data reported in the literature. Sinulaflexiolides D and E showed selective inhibitory activity against the gastric gland carcinoma cell line BGC-823 at 8.5 and 0.12 μM, respectively.
Light and architecture

It is quite natural for new schools of thought in design, decoration, and architecture to originate in continental Europe. The atmosphere, background, and tradition of the larger cities are all conducive to this end. Within the last half century, or even since the beginning of the 20th century, our very habits of living have undergone remarkable changes. The mechanical element in the production of all sorts of objects has come to the foreground. Speed of transportation has greatly increased. With mass production, things formerly considered luxuries have become necessities and the spirit of the age such as to make a new school of architecture and decoration come into being. The recent war, demanding practically all the thought and energy of the entire world, made it impossible for even the artist to sit back and dream of his problems. After the close of the war there was a brief period of reconstruction, but by about 1924, clever minds began to evolve a new school of decoration. For want of a better name, this has been termed “art moderne.”
Racial and Ethnic Economic Inequality: The International Record

International racial and ethnic economic inequality is examined. The international record shows disparity across nations and regions, between racial and ethnic groups within countries, and within groups in the same country. Subalternate racial and ethnic populations, whether in the majority or minority, suffer remarkably similar economic outcomes across the globe. Institutional racism and cultural discrimination affect subcultures and different classes in multiple ways. In every country, those who get the short stick continue to face poor prospects for economic inclusion and justice.
Self-reported Sex Partner Dates for Use in Measuring Concurrent Sexual Partnerships: Correspondence Between Two Assessment Methods

Although prevalence of concurrent sexual partnerships is increasingly investigated as a driver of HIV epidemics, its measurement varies and its role in transmission dynamics remains contested. Relying on different methods of obtaining self-reported partnership histories may lead to significant differences in prevalence. This study examined the reliability of two methods for assessing dates of sex and the implications for measuring concurrent sexual partnerships. We conducted a cross-sectional reliability study using self-reported survey data from 650 women ages 18-65 years, recruited online nationwide for human papillomavirus natural history studies from 2007 to 2012. Intermethod reliability of first and last sex with the most recent partner was assessed using weighted kappa. Intraclass correlation coefficient was estimated for intramethod reliability across two consecutive questionnaires administered 4 months apart. Point prevalence of concurrent sexual partnerships at 6 months prior to the questionnaire date was similar between the two question formats (10.5 % for categorical and 10.9 % for continuous). The range between the minimum and maximum cumulative prevalence for 12 months was larger when using the categorical questions (17.0-29.6 % compared to 27.6-28.6 % using the continuous questions). Agreement between the two question formats was moderate for the date of first sex with the most recent partner (κ = 0.56, 95 % CI 0.48-0.64) and almost perfect for the date of last sex (κ = 0.93, 95 % CI 0.91-0.94). Longitudinal agreement for date of first sex was high for the continuous date question (ICC = 0.89, 95 % CI 0.86-0.92). Results of this reliability study can be used to inform the design of future studies of concurrent sexual partnerships and their association with HIV.
Connecting the dots: linking nitrogen cycle gene expression to nitrogen fluxes in marine sediment mesocosms.

Connecting molecular information directly to microbial transformation rates remains a challenge, despite the availability of molecular methods to investigate microbial biogeochemistry. By combining information on gene abundance and expression for key genes with quantitative modeling of nitrogen fluxes, we can begin to understand the scales on which genetic signals vary and how they relate to key functions. We used quantitative PCR of DNA and cDNA, along with biogeochemical modeling to assess how the abundance and expression of microbes responsible for two steps in the nitrogen cycle changed over time in estuarine sediment mesocosms. Sediments and water were collected from coastal Massachusetts and maintained in replicated 20 L mesocosms for 45 days. Concentrations of all major inorganic nitrogen species were measured daily and used to derive rates of nitrification and denitrification from a Monte Carlo-based nonnegative least-squares analysis of finite difference equations. The mesocosms followed a classic regeneration sequence in which ammonium released from the decomposition of organic matter was subsequently oxidized to nitrite and then further to nitrate, some portion of which was ultimately denitrified. Normalized abundances of ammonia oxidizing archaeal ammonia monoxoygenase (amoA) transcripts closely tracked rates of ammonia oxidation throughout the experiment. No such relationship, however, was evident between denitrification rates and the normalized abundance of nitrite reductase (nirS and nirK) transcripts. These findings underscore the complexity of directly linking the structure of the microbial community to rates of biogeochemical processes.
Design of a low cost underwater robotic research platform

To perform under water robotic research requires specialized equipment. A few pieces of electronics atop a set of wheels is not going to cut it. An underwater research platform must be waterproof, reliable, robust, recoverable and easy to maintain. It must also be able to move in 3 dimensions. Finally it must be able to navigate and avoid obstacles. To purchase such a platform can be very expensive. However, for shallow water, a suitable platform can be built from mostly off the shelf items at little cost. This paper describes the design of one such underwater robot including various sensors and communications systems that allow for swarm robotics.
Fourier transform resampling: theory and application [medical imaging]

One of the most challenging problems in medical imaging is the development of reconstruction algorithms for nonstandard geometries. This work focuses on the application of Fourier analysis to the problem of resampling or rebinning. Conventional resampling methods utilizing some form of interpolation almost always result in a loss of resolution in the tomographic image. Fourier Transform resampling (FTRS) offers potential improvement because the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the process behaves like an ideal low pass filter. The MTF, however, is nonstationary if the coordinate transformation is nonlinear. FTRS may be viewed as a generalization of the linear coordinate transformations of standard Fourier analysis. Simulated MTFs were obtained by projecting point sources at different transverse positions in the flat fan beam detector geometry. These MTFs were compared to the closed form expression for FTRS. Excellent agreement was obtained for frequencies at or below the estimated cutoff frequency. The resulting FTRS algorithm is applied to simulations with symmetric fan beam geometry, an elliptical orbit and uniform attenuation, with a normalized root mean square error (NRME) of 0.036.. Also, a Tc-99m point source study (1 cm dia., placed in air 10 cm from the COR) for a circular fan beam acquisition was reconstructed with a hybrid resampling method. The FWHM of the hybrid resampling method was 11.28 mm and compares favorably with a direct reconstruction (FWHM: 11.03 mm).
Interviewing the incarcerated offender convicted of sexually assaulting the elderly

Sexual assault is considered one of the most terrible crimes committed against the elderly, particularly as they are noted to be among the most innocent and vulnerable of populations. To better understand offender motivation and related behaviors, this article presents suggestions that are possible guidelines for forensic interviews, including an examination of potential methods for obtaining cooperation to optimize a truthful and accurate disclosure of offenders' crimes for research purposes.
Relationship Between the Pituitary Gland and the Corticosteroid-Binding Globulin in the Rat

Changes in corticosteroidbinding globulin (CBG) activity of rat serum were measured by multiple equilibrium dialysis at 37 C. Adrenalectomy in male and female rats increased, and in adrenalectomized animals the administration of corticosterone or cortisol decreased CBG activity; cortisol was 5 times more potent than corticosterone. The increase in CBG activity after adrenalectomy was not observed in animals which were both adrenalectomized and hypophysectomized. The injection of estradiol into intact male rats resulted in a 43% increase in CBG activity over noninjected controls; similar injections into either hypophysectomized or hypophysectomized- adrenalectomized animals did not alter the binding activity. An increase in the ACTH level by either unilateral adrenalectomy or by injection of ACTH into hypophysectomized- adrenalectomized animals did not affect the CBG activity. The results suggest that the pituitary gland is necessary for the increase in CBG activity observed after adrenalectomy or after es...
Does Naturally Acquired IgG Antibody to Cell Wall Polysaccharide Protect Human Subjects against Pneumococcal Infection

Antibody to the non-serotype-specific cell wall polysaccharide (CWPS) of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been said to confer a degree of non-serotype-specific protection against pneumococcal infection. The hypothesis underlying the present study was that if this antibody is protective, relatively higher levels are likely to be detected in patients who are colonized by pneumococci but do not have infection, those who have febrile bronchitis but do not have pneumonia, and those who have pneumococcal pneumonia but are not bacteremic. Mean IgG reactive with CWPS by ELISA in 15 healthy young adults was 43.9 micrograms/ml and in 126 randomly selected hospital patients of all ages was 41.9 micrograms/ml. In subjects with chronic bronchitis with or without known pneumococcal carriage, mean anti-CWPS IgG was 87.7 micrograms/ml. In three groups of patients (3 with acute purulent tracheobronchitis, 13 with nonbacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia, and 14 with S. pneumoniae bacteremia) at the time of admission, mean antibody levels were essentially identical, 104.9-110.1 micrograms/ml. The data suggest that naturally present anti-CWPS IgG does not protect against the evolution of acute pneumococcal infection from colonization to acute purulent bronchitis, from bronchitis to pneumonia, or from pneumonia to bacteremia.