THE 2001 SUPERMARKET PANEL ANNUAL REPORT

The Supermarket Panel collects data annually from individual supermarkets on store characteristics, operations, and performance. It was established in 1998 by the Food Industry Center as the basis for ongoing study of the supermarket industry. The Panel is unique because the unit of analysis is the individual store and the same stores are tracked over time. This makes it possible to analyze the processes by which new technologies, business practices, and competitive forces are changing the industry. The 2001 Supermarket Panel consists of 563 stores selected at random from the nearly 32,000 supermarkets in the U.S. or invited to participate through their affiliation with IGA. These 563 stores are located in forty-seven states and the District of Columbia. They are a representative cross section of the industry, including stores from all formats that belong to ownership groups ranging from single stores to the country's largest chains.Agribusiness, Industrial Organization, Marketing,

Underground nuclear power plant siting

This study is part of a larger evaluation of the problems associated with siting nuclear power plants in the next few decades. This evaluation is being undertaken by the Environmental Quality Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology in conjunction with The Aerospace Corporation and several other organizations. Current efforts are directed toward novel approaches to siting plants within the State of California. This report contains the results of efforts performed by The Aerospace Corporation to provide input information to the larger evaluation relative to underground siting of large central station nuclear power plants. Projections of electric power demand in California and the country as a whole suggest that a major increase in generating capacity will be required. The problem is complicated beyond that of a large but straightforward extension of capital investment by increased emphasis on environmental factors combined with the early stage of commercial application and regulation of nuclear power sources. Hydroelectric power generation is limited by the availability of suitable sites, and fossil fueled plants are constrained by the availability of high quality fuels and the adverse environmental and/or economic impact from the use of more plentiful fuels. A substantial increase in the number of nuclear power plants is now under way. This source of power is expected to provide the maj or portion of increased capacity. Other power sources such as geothermal and nuclear fusion are unlikely to satisfy the national needs due to technical problems and the lack of a comprehensive development program. There are several problems associated with meeting the projected power demand. Chief among these is the location of acceptable and economic plant sites. Indeed a sufficient number of sites may not be found unless changes occur in the procedures for selecting sites, the criteria for accepting sites, or the type of site required. Placement of a nuclear plant underground has been suggested as an alternative to present siting practices. It is postulated that the advantages of underground siting in some situations may more than compensate for added costs so that such facilities could be preferred even where surface sites are available. By virtue of greater safety, reduced surface area requirements, and improved aesthetics, underground sites might also be found where acceptable surface sites are not available. Four small European reactors have been constructed partially underground but plans for large size commercial plants have not progressed. Consequently, the features of underground power plant siting are not well understood. Gross physical features such as depth of burial, number and size of excavated galleries, equipment layout, and access or exit shafts/tunnels must be specified. Structural design features of the gallery liners, containment structure, foundations, and gallery interconnections must also be identified. Identification of the nuclear, electrical, and support equipment appropriate to underground operation is needed. Operational features must be defined for normal operations, refueling, and construction. Several magazine articles have been published addressing underground concepts. but adequate engineering data is not available to support an evaluation of the underground concept. There also remain several unresolved questions relative to the advantages of underground siting as well as the costs and other possible penalties associated with this novel approach to siting. These include the degree of increased safety through improved containment; the extent and value of isolation from falling objects, e. g. aircraft; the value of isolation from surface storms and tidal waves; the value of protection from vandalism or sabotage; the extent by which siting constraints are relieved through reduced population-distance requirements or aggravated by underground construction requirements; and the value to be placed upon the aesthetic differences of a less visible facility. The study described in this report has been directed toward some of these questions and uncertainties. Within the study an effort has been made to identify viable configurations and structural liners for typical light water reactor nuclear power plants. Three configurations are summarized in Section 3. A discussion of the underground gallery liner design and associated structural analyses is presented in Section 4. Also addressed in the study and discussed in Section 5 are some aspects of containment for underground plants. There it is suggested that the need for large separations between the plant and population centers may be significantly reduced, or perhaps eliminated. Section 6 contains a brief discussion of operational considerations for underground plants. The costs associated with excavation and lining of the underground galleries have been estimated in Section 7. These estimates include an assessment of variations implied by different seismic loading assumptions and differences in geologic media. It is shown that these costs are a small percentage of the total cost of comparable surface plants. Finally, the parameters characterizing an acceptable underground site are discussed in Section 8. Material is also included in the appendices pertaining to foreign underground plants, span limits of underground excavations, potential siting areas for underground plants in the State of California, pertinent data from the Underground Nuclear Test Program, and other supporting technical discussions

Women World Leaders: Comparative Analysis and Gender Experiences

Research suggests that executive political office poses additional and different political challenges for women than legislative office. Yet, a few dozen women have attained their nations’ highest executive office. Surprisingly little research has been devoted to the experiences of these women world leaders. This study builds profiles of the women world leaders in the modern era and analyzes their backgrounds and political experiences in an effort to both identify commonalities among the women leaders and assess the challenges they faced on account of their sex

Two PTP receptors mediate CSPG inhibition by convergent and divergent signaling pathways in neurons

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase σ (PTPσ) and its subfamily member LAR act as transmembrane receptors that mediate growth inhibition of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). Inhibition of either receptor increases axon growth into and beyond scar tissues after CNS injury. However, it is unclear why neurons express two similar CSPG receptors, nor whether they use the same or different intracellular pathways. We have now studied the signaling pathways of these two receptors using N2A cells and primary neurons derived from knockout mice. We demonstrate that both receptors share certain signaling pathways (RhoA, Akt and Erk), but also use distinct signals to mediate CSPG actions. Activation of PTPσ by CSPGs selectively inactivated CRMP2, APC, S6 kinase and CREB. By contrast LAR activation inactivated PKCζ, cofilin and LKB1. For the first time, we propose a model of the signaling pathways downstream of these two CSPG receptors. We also demonstrate that deleting both receptors exhibits additive enhancement of axon growth in adult neuronal cultures in vitro. Our findings elucidate the novel downstream pathways of CSPGs and suggest potential synergy of blocking their two PTP receptors.This work was supported by research grants to SL from NIH (1R01NS079432, 1R21NS066114 and 1R01EY024575) and Shriners Research Foundation (SHC-86300-PHI and SHC-86200-PHI-16), and to MES from NIH (1R01NS092876) and Shriners Research Foundation (SHC-85400)

Leg muscle volume during 30-day 6-degree head-down bed rest with isotonic and isokinetic exercise training

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to compare the effect of two modes of lower-extremity exercise training on the mass (volume) of posterior leg group (PLG) muscles (soleus, flexor hallucis longus, tibialis posterior, lateral and medial gastrocnemius, and flexor digitorum longus) on 19 men (ages 32-42 years) subjected to intense dynamic-isotonic (ITE, cycle ergometer, number of subjects (N) = 7), isokinetic (IKE, torque egrometer, N = 7), and no exercise (NOE, N = 5) training for 60 min/day during head-down bed rest (HDBR). Total volume of the PLG muscles decreased (p less than 0.05) similarly: ITE = 4.3 +/- SE 1.6%, IKE = 7.7 +/- 1.6%, and NOE = 6.3 +/- 0.8%; combined volume (N = 19) loss was 6.1 +/- 0.9%. Ranges of volume changes were 2.6% to -9.0% (ITE), -2.1% to -14.9% (IKE), and -3.4% to -8/1% (NOE). Correlation coefficients (r) of muscle volume versus thickness measured with ultrasonography were: ITE r + 0.79 (p less than 0.05), IKE r = 0.27 (not significant (NS)), and NOE r = 0.63 (NS). Leg-muscle volume and thickness were highly correlated (r = 0.79) when plasma volume was maintained during HDBR with ITE. Thus, neither intensive lower extremity ITE nor IKE training influence the normal non-exercised posterior leg muscle atrophy during HDBR. The relationship of muscle volume and thickness may depend on the mode of exercise training associated with the maintenance of plasma volume

Review of Evidence For Environmental Causes of Uveal Coloboma

Uveal coloboma is a condition defined by missing ocular tissues and is a significant cause of childhood blindness. It occurs from a failure of the optic fissure to close during embryonic development and may lead to missing parts of the iris, ciliary body, retina, choroid, and optic nerve. Because there is no treatment for coloboma, efforts have focused on prevention. While several genetic causes of coloboma have been identified, little definitive research exists regarding the environmental causes of this condition. We review the current literature on environmental factors associated with coloboma in an effort to guide future research and preventative counseling related to this condition

Mcl-1 Antisense Therapy Chemosensitizes Human Melanoma in a SCID Mouse Xenotransplantation Model

It is well established that high expression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL can significantly contribute to chemoresistance in a number of human malignancies. Much less is known about the role the more recently described Bcl-2 family member Mcl-1 might play in tumor biology and resistance to chemotherapy. Using an antisense strategy, we here address this issue in melanoma, a paradigm of a treatment-resistant malignancy. After in vitro proof of principle supporting an antisense mechanism of action with specific reduction of Mcl-1 protein as a consequence of nuclear uptake of the Mcl-1 antisense oligonucleotides employed, antisense and universal control oligonucleotides were administered systemically in combination with dacarbazine in a human melanoma SCID mouse xenotransplantation model. Dacarbazine, available now for more than three decades, still remains the most active single agent for treatment of advanced melanoma. Mcl-1 antisense oligonucleotides specifically reduced target protein expression as well as the apoptotic threshold of melanoma xenotransplants. Combined Mcl-1 antisense oligonucleotide plus dacarbazine treatment resulted in enhanced tumor cell apoptosis and led to a significantly reduced mean tumor weight (mean 0.16 g, 95% confidence interval 0.08–0.26) compared to the tumor weight in universal control oligonucleotide plus dacarbazine treated animals (mean 0.35 g, 95% confidence interval 0.2–0.44) or saline plus dacarbazine treated animals (mean 0.39 g, 95% confidence interval 0.25–0.53). We thus show that Mcl-1 is an important factor contributing to the chemoresistance of human melanoma in vivo. Antisense therapy against the Mcl-1 gene product, possibly in combination with antisense strategies targeting other antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members, appears to be a rational and promising approach to help overcome treatment resistance of malignant melanoma

Exosomal Lipid Biomarkers of Oligodendrocyte Pathology to Predict Scoliosis in Children with Cerebral Palsy

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral Palsy (CP), the most common cause of disability in children, is phenotypically heterogeneous. Approximately 20% of cases develop severe scoliosis. A pathological hallmark of CP is periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), which is due to dysmyelination, suggesting the possibility of a lipidomic abnormality. Risk factors for CP include perinatal hypoxia, prematurity, multiple gestation, ischemia, infection, and maternal alcohol consumption. There is evidence for low serum levels of omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acids in CP patients, and separately in idiopathic scoliosis. Many effects of free fatty acids (FFAs) are mediated via specific G protein-coupled free fatty acid receptors (FFARs), which play essential roles as nutritional and signaling molecules. FFAs, including ω-3, and their receptors are involved in the development and metabolism of oligodendrocytes (OLs), and are critical to myelination. Thus, the cases of CP that will develop severe scoliosis might be those in which there is a deficiency of ω-3, FFARs, or other lipidomic abnormality that is detectable early in the plasma. If so, we might be able to predict scoliosis and prevent it with dietary supplementation. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from four groups of patients at the Philadelphia Shriners Children\u27s Hospital (SCH-P): 1) patients with CP; 2) severe scoliosis (\u3e40o); 3) CP plus scoliosis; and 4) non-impaired controls stratified by age (2-18 yrs), gender, and race/ethnicity, under an IRB-approved protocol. Serum proteins and RNA were purified, and OL-derived exosomes (OL-Es) isolated, using myelin basic protein (MBP) as a late OL marker. Protein was used for the detection of MBP and FFAR by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and by flow cytometry. RNA was assayed by digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) for OL markers and FFAR expression. RESULTS: FFAR and MBP proteins were downregulated in each of the three patient groups compared to controls, and this difference was greatest in both patients with CP plus scoliosis. CONCLUSION: Altogether, MBP and FFAR levels were reduced in OL-Es from both children with CP plus scoliosis. The lipid abnormalities specific to CP with scoliosis were concentrated in OLs. Our data might i) suggest therapeutic targets to reduce dysmyelination and scoliosis in CP, ii) predict which children are at risk for developing scoliosis, iii) lead to therapeutic trials of fatty acids for CP and other dysmyelinating neurological disorders