cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microbially induced sedimentary structures in Archean sandstones: A new window into early life

Abstract Until now, the most valuable information on the early life on the Archean Earth derived from bacterial fossils and stromatolites preserved in precipitated lithologies such as chert or carbonates. Also, shales contain complex biomarker molecules, and specific isotopes constitute an important evidence for biogeneicity. In contrast, because of their low potential of fossil preservation, sandstones have been less investigated. But recent studies revealed a variety of ‘microbially induced sedimentary structures — MISS’ that differ greatly from any other fossils or sedimentary structures. ‘Wrinkle structures’, ‘multidirected ripple marks’, ‘biolaminites’, and other macrostructures indicate the former presence of photoautotrophic microbial mats in shallow-marine to tidal paleoenvironments. The MISS form by the mechanical interaction of microbial mats with physical sediment dynamics that is the erosion and deposition by water agitation. The structures occur not only in Archean tidal flats, but in equivalent settings throughout Earth history until today. MISS are not identified alone by their macroscopic morphologies. In thin-sections, the structures display the carpet-like fabrics of intertwined filaments of the ancient mat-constructing microorganisms. Geochemical analyses of the filaments proof their composition of iron minerals associated with organic carbon. In conclusion, microbial mats colonize sandy tidal settings at least for 3.2 Ga years. Therefore, Archean sandstones constitute an important archive for the exploration of early life.
Endrin and malathion toxicity to flagfish (Jordanella floridae)

Endrin and malathion effects on survival, growth, and reproduction of flagfish were determined in a flow-through system. Endrin chronic effects on first-generation growth and reproduction occurred only at 0.3 microgram/L, the highest concentration tested. The mean endrin residues in the first-generation fish at 65 days were about 15,000 times the water concentration in all concentrations tested. Malathion concentrations of 31.5 microgram/L and 24.7 microgram/L, the highest concentrations tested, had detrimental effects on first-generation survival. During the same period malathion concentrations as low as 10.9 microgram/L significantly affected growth. Neither insecticide, at the concentrations tested, had any detectable effects on the second generation during a 30-day exposure period. Acute toxicities to juvenile fish were also determined in the same flo-through system. The 96-hr LC50's were 0.85 microgram/L for endrin and 349 microgram/L for malathion.
Frontiers of fundamental tribological research

This review summarizes recent advances in the area of tribology and the challenges to achieve a molecular level understanding of friction and wear and makes specific recommendations towards attaining such a fundamental understanding. This document represents the results of a two-day workshop, sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation, at which participants were charged with defining the outstanding challenges in obtaining a fundamental understanding of friction and wear, thus assisting the National Science Foundation in the effective allocation of resources to address these challenges.
Different Molecular Phenotypes of LQT2-Linked hERG1a Mutations in the Same Amino Acid

The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) encodes the pore-forming α-subunits that underlie the cardiac rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr). Patients with mutations of hERG1a channels are associated with type 2 long QT syndrome (LQT2), and more than 500 mutations, predominantly missense mutations, have been identified in hERG1a channels. In vitro, hERG1a mutations cause reduced hERG current (IhERG) by several mechanisms, including nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, channel protein trafficking-deficiency, abnormal channel gating and abnormal ion permeation. Two independent LQT2 clinical cases have reported hERG nucleotide mutations for tyrosine at amino acid 475 (ΔY475 and Y475C), yet the mechanisms for altered IhERG are not known. In this study, we heterologously expressed WT and these LQT2 mutations in HEK 293 cells and characterized their biochemical and biophysical properties, and additionally we studied two engineered mutations Y475F and Y475A that substitute structurally different amino acids. Western blot analysis of WT, ΔY475, Y475F and Y475A showed 135 and 155kDa protein bands, whereas Y475C showed only the 135kDa protein band, suggesting that Y475C is trafficking-deficient. Whole-cell patch clamp experiments showed that the V1/2 of the activation relation for ΔY475 shifted negatively to −29.8 ± 1.4 mV compared to WT, Y475F and Y475A (−12.4 ± 2.3, −9.3 ± 0.4 and −14.6 ± 0.4 mV, respectively). At −50 mV, Y475A and ΔY475 hERG deactivated faster compared to WT, whereas Y475F has little effect on channel deactivation kinetics. The data suggest that, 1) multiple mutations in a single amino acid exert strikingly different molecular phenotypes, 2) Y475C results in reduced IhERG due to a protein trafficking-deficient mechanism, 3) ΔY475 results in reduced IhERG due to an abnormal channel gating mechanism, and 4) the aromatic side chain of Y475 appears to modulate hERG1a channels deactivation properties.
Effects of Nf2 Missense Mutations on Schwannomin Interactions

Most benign brain tumors are associated with loss of the Nf2 gene tumor suppressor product schwannomin/merlin. Interactions between schwannomin fragments have given rise to hypotheses of in vivo schwannomin folding and dimerization. Previously, we showed that schwannomin with missense mutations L360P, L535P, and Q538P alters interaction with betaII-spectrin and Hrs. Using yeast two-hybrid tests of interaction, we now show the effects of 11 Nf2 missense mutations on schwannomin self-interaction as well as schwannomin interaction with Hrs isoforms 1 and 2, betaII-spectrin, and p110. Missense mutations L46R and K364I significantly decreased affinity of schwannomin for binding all interacting proteins. The schwannomin L46R mutation may result in a complex conformational change that alters folding and denies betaII-spectrin access to an intact binding site in the C-terminal half of schwannomin. We show that unique inter- and intramolecular interactions occur for schwannomin isoform 2, suggesting that this schwannomin isoform has unique functional properties compared to schwannomin isoform 1.
Automatic performance model synthesis from hardware verification models

Performance models are typically written by hand for a new model or assembled piece-meal from the prior simulation code of an old model. In either case, many man-months of work may be required to write the new model and validate design details against a prior or current design. In reality, the majority of information about the performance of the design already exists in the design structure of either the old hardware model or the new model or both. To harvest this information and eliminate the significant duplicate coding and validation efforts, we propose that a performance model be automatically synthesized from a prior or current hardware design using a bottom-up, design-oriented approach. We demarcate the performance-critical boundaries of the design and perform backward-trace cone analysis to identify logic to include in the performance model. We then abstract specific components for design changes and expend modeling effort only on the few functions relevant to a particular design study. Engineering effort then becomes focused on workload selection and quality, defining and projecting new designs, and assessing design tradeoffs and sensitivities - the small set of tasks with the highest potential to improve design performance.We present a case-study that shows that even the simplest proposed transformations on a high-performance IBM L2 cache design result in a simulation speedup of 3.9, with evidence that an order of magnitude speedup can be obtained using a few additional modeling abstractions.
Integration of fuzzy linguistic information in language comprehension

Abstract To successfully understand a natural language utterance, a person must simultaneously consider information about its perceptual, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic structure. At each of these levels of analysis, the linguistic information is continuously but systematically variable. It is argued that in order to cope with and, in fact, exploit this continuous information requires fuzzy propositional representations of linguistic knowledge. Such a fuzzy propositional theoretical framework is proposed and models of several specific language processing components are developed and empirically evaluated within this framework. The model system incorporates many of the major principles of current cognitive psychological theory and extends them into the fuzzy domain.
A study of a C function inliner

Although the inline expansion of subprograms has often been cited as a method for improving a program's execution time, few available compilers perform the operation, and fewer still perform it without requiring explicit direction from the programmer. The authors have written a tool called INLINER, which is a source-to-source filter that automatically performs inline expansion of C functions in a module. With this tool, the effect of inlining was investigated using a set of programs on several machines. The authors' findings are presented, including an instance (unrelated to the size of the inlined executable) in which inlining can diminish a program's performance, and evidence that the size of the inlined executable does not, in practice, prove to cause problems.
Alkyl halides in conjunction with inorganic salt for the initiation of the polymerization and graft copolymerization of heterocycles

When certain alkyl halides react with suitable inorganic salts in the presence of a heterocyclic monomer, polymerization ensues. Appropriate alkyl halides include allylic, tertiary, and benzylic chlorides, bromides, and possibly iodides. If the halide is a small organic molecule, a homopolymer is formed; if it is a polymer halide, a graft copolymer results. Soluble silver salts with counterions such as SO3CF3−, BF4−, PF6−, SbF6−, and ClO4− are most suitable, but LiPF6 and NaClO4 can also be used. So far, nine heterocycles have been polymerized by this method, e.g., tetrahydrofuran, 7-oxabicyclo[2·2·1]heptane, propylene oxide, styrene oxide, dioxolane, trioxane, e-caprolactone, and thietane. To date, no effort has been made to optimize conditions for each monomer, but the preliminary data suggest that many of the expected side reactions are operative. Graft copolymers have been prepared from seven backbones: poly(vinyl chloride), neoprene, chlorinated EPDM, chlorobutyl rubber, bromobutyl rubber, chlorinated butadiene, and chlorinated butadiene-styrene copolymer. In the most thoroughly examined cases with polytetrahydrofuran as the grafted copolymer and silver triflate as the inorganic salt, current data indicate that no unreacted backbone remains and no homopolymer forms. With some of the other monomers, homopolymer is formed in addition to graft during the grafting process.
Charge Transfer Equilibria Between Diamond and an Aqueous Oxygen Electrochemical Redox Couple

Undoped, high-quality diamond is, under almost all circumstances, one of the best insulators known. However, diamond covered with chemically bound hydrogen shows a pronounced conductivity when exposed to air. This conductivity arises from positive-charge carriers (holes) and is confined to a narrow near-surface region. Although several explanations have been proposed, none has received wide acceptance, and the mechanism remains controversial. Here, we report the interactions of hydrogen-terminated, macroscopic diamonds and diamond powders with aqueous solutions of controlled pH and oxygen concentration. We show that electrons transfer between the diamond and an electrochemical reduction/oxidation couple involving oxygen. This charge transfer is responsible for the surface conductivity and also influences contact angles and zeta potentials. The effect is not confined to diamond and may play a previously unrecognized role in other disparate systems.
Megalodicopia hians in the Monterey submarine canyon: Distribution, larval development, and culture

Abstract The exclusively deep-sea ascidian family Octacnemidae comprises several genera in which the oral siphon has hypertrophied to form two large lips which create an “oral hood” capable of capturing motile prey. Megalodicopia hians is typical of this carnivorous family and has been reported to prey upon small epibenthic crustaceans. Distribution of M. hians in the Monterey Canyon system (36°45′N, 122°00′W) (California) was determined with remotely operated vehicles. M. hians was found sparsely to depths of at least 3800 m throughout the canyon; however, abundance was greatest within the oxygen-minimum zone (400–800 m). Eggs, sperm, and recently fertilized embryos were obtained repeatedly from adults returned to the laboratory in vivo, indicating that this species free-spawns routinely. Overall egg diameter (ovum plus chorion, plus follicle cells) was 175–190 μm—considerably smaller than previously reported for this species. Embryonic development at temperature and oxygen concentrations equivalent to the oxygen-minimum zone was 2–4 d and, embryos gave rise to typical phlebobranch “simple” tadpole larvae. Larval period was extremely variable, and settlement/metamorphosis occurred up to 3 months post-hatching. These results are discussed within the context of settlement-site selection and fertilization ecology of the species.
Explaining the 2004 Decrease in Minority Stock Ownership

Prior literature has examined minority stock market participation and found that it increased rapidly throughout the 1990’s and into the early 2000’s. However, in 2004 after stock prices had suffered decline, Black and Hispanic market participation fell off sharply. This paper uses the NLSY 79 a panel data set to examine whether the diminished likelihood of Black and Hispanic 2004 market participation is due to race or variation in cognitive ability and investor experience. We find that IQ and investor experience subsume all racial effects in the likelihood of 2004 market participation.
Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age

Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age. By Matthew A. Baum. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. 344p. 19.95 paper.Most research aimed at understanding television's influence on citizens' knowledge and attention to current events has focused on network news. Yet hard news constitutes only a small fraction of TV programming. The television day is filled with shows that come under the rubric of “soft news”—running the gamut from celebrity gossip to late-night comedy, afternoon talk shows, and prime-time magazines. Matthew Baum's book fills an important gap in political communication research. Baum asks what people learn about hard news from soft news programs. He argues that watching soft news programs gets people who would otherwise have little interest in foreign affairs to pay attention to international crises.
Simulation, simplicity, and selection: an evolutionary perspective on high-level mindreading

In this paper, I argue that a natural selection-based perspective gives reasons for thinking that the core of the ability to mindread cognitively complex mental states is subserved by a simulationist process—that is, that it relies on non-specialised mechanisms in the attributer’s cognitive architecture whose primary function is the generation of her own decisions and inferences. In more detail, I try to establish three conclusions. First, I try to make clearer what the dispute between simulationist and non-simulationist theories of mindreading fundamentally is about. Second, I try to make more precise an argument that is sometimes hinted at in support of the former: this ‘argument from simplicity’ suggests that, since natural selection disfavours building extra cognitive systems where this can be avoided, simulationist theories of mindreading are more in line with natural selection than their competitors. As stated, though, this argument overlooks the fact that building extra cognitive systems can also yield benefits: in particular, it can allow for the parallel processing of multiple problems and it makes for the existence of backups for important elements of the organism’s mind. I therefore try to make this argument more precise by investigating whether these benefits also apply to the present case—and conclude negatively. My third aim in this paper is to use this discussion of mindreading as a means for exploring the promises and difficulties of evolutionary arguments in philosophy and psychology more generally.
Effect of prenatal administration of haloperidol, risperidone, quetiapine and olanzapine on spatial learning and retention in adult rats.

Abstract The typical antipsychotic haloperidol and atypical antipsychotics olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone were administered to pregnant Sprague–Dawley dams in the drinking water from Days 8 to 18 of gestation. When the offspring reached adulthood (2 months), spatial learning and short-term retention were examined using the radial arm maze. Results showed that prenatal administration of haloperidol, risperidone and quetiapine impaired learning but only haloperidol and risperidone disrupted short-term retention.
A rational model of the surface swept by a curve

This paper shows how to construct a rational Bezier model of a swept surface that interpolates N frames i.e., N position/orientation pairs of a fixed rational space curve cs and maintains the shape of the curve at all intermediate points of the sweep. Thus, the surface models an exact sweep of the curve, consistent with the given data. The primary novelty of the method is that this exact modeling of the sweep is achieved without sacrificing a rational representation for the surface. Through a simple extension, we also allow the sweeping curve to change its size through the sweep. The position, orientation, and size of the sweeping curve can change with arbitrary continuity we use C2 continuity in this paper. Our interpolation between frames has the classical properties of Bezier interpolation, such as the convex hull property and linear precision.
Debt targets and fiscal sustainability in an era of monetary independence

This paper investigates how to achieve flexibility in fiscal policy without sacrificing credibility or independence in monetary policy. The idea is to create a framework that generates fewer conflicts between policies but greater discipline within them. We assume an independent central bank and restraints on national fiscal policies. Using a theoretical model, we examine the consequences of assigning leadership to fiscal policies in order to exploit the implicit (but rule based) coordination available under standard transmission mechanisms and to allow priorities and targets to differ between policy makers. This works best when leadership takes the form of a debt rule (with hard or soft targets) to precommit fiscal policies over the longer term; but monetary independence to guarantee the credibility and discipline in the short term policies. Compared to the uncoordinated policies operating in Europe, inflation biases and debt/deficit ratios are both lower for no loss in output volatility. That matches the experience of the UK, an economy whose empirical reaction functions show fiscal leadership. On a wider sample of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the gains from debt targeting are estimated at 2–4% of gross domestic product.
How is charge transport different in ionic liquids and electrolyte solutions

In this article we show that, analyzed in a barycentric reference frame, the deviation in conductivity measured directly from impedance experiments with respect to that estimated indirectly from NMR diffusion experiments has different origins in electrolyte solutions and pure salts. In the case of electrolyte solutions, the momentum conservation law is satisfied by solvent + ions. Instead, in a molten salt or ionic liquid momentum conservation must be satisfied solely by the ions. This has significant implications. While positively correlated motion of ions of opposite charge is a well justified explanation for the reduction in impedance conductivity in the case of electrolyte solutions, it is not so in the case of ionic liquids and molten salts. This work presents a set of equations that in the case of ionic liquids and molten salts can be used to obtain from direct measurements of impedance and NMR the distinct part of the diffusion coefficient matrix in the barycentric reference frame. In other words, ...
Building space operations resiliency with a multi-tier mission architecture

A variety of naturally occurring (e.g., solar activity) and other (e.g., deliberate attack, residual space object impact) risk factors exist for orbital, aerial and ground-based assets. This paper provides an overview of multiple different risk sources to spacecraft. It then provides an overview of the multi-tier mission/operations architecture. The various types of craft that can participate are discussed as are prospective deployment patterns. Next, a mission plan for a high-resiliency sensing mission is presented. Finally, the paper concludes by considering next steps for testing this designed-forresilience multi-tier architecture.
Simulation of Char Dust Combustion Inside a Pyroscrubber Downstream of a Petroleum Coke Calcining Kiln

A pyroscrubber is a furnace used in the petroleum coke calcining industry to recover energy from the carbonaceous contents, including char dust and hydrocarbon volatiles of the exhaust gas from the calcination kiln. The combusted hot gases are used to generate steam and produce electricity, so it is important to optimize the pyroscrubber performance to produce high-grade combusted gases to generate steam but with minimal emissions. A previous study employed the locally-homogeneous flow (LHF) model to study rhe means to improve combustion efficiency and reduce emissions. In the LHF model, the inter-phase exchange rates of mass, momentum and energy are assumed to be infinitely fast, so the dispersed phase (char dust) can be simplified as the gas phase, and the complex two-phase flow is then treated as a single-phase flow. In this study, LHF model is replaced with a solid particle combustion model by incorporating both finite-rate heterogeneous and homogeneous combustion processes. Results reveal that the particle combustion model generates much higher local flame temperature (2200K) than in LHF model (1800K). All char particles are burned before or in the high-bay area. Total energy output of the case with particle combustion model is 92% of the LHF model. Furthermore, motivated by the potential energy saving from removing the air blower power supply, this study further investigates the possible benefit of running the pyroscrubber with the ventilation doors open. Three cases with different combinations of air injections and door opening have been studied. Results show that the gas flow is stably stratified with a large amount of the entrained cold air moving at the bottom of the chamber and the hot combusted gas moving through the top. With bottom doors completely open, sufficient air can be drawn into the pyroscrubber without the need of blowing air in, but the combustion gases will be overcooled making this practice unfavorable from the energy saving point of view.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Performance analysis of buffered banyan networks under nonuniform traffic

This paper presents a new analytic model for buffered Banyan networks. The new model is the most general one in the current literature, and allows the traffic pattern, the buffer size, and the switch size as input parameters among other things. The main motivation of the development of the new model was to provide an analytical tool to evaluate the performances of buffered Banyan networks under nonuniform traffic patterns, which mostly remained unknown except for some very limited cases. With the new model, we measured network performances for several important memory access patterns occurring in the parallel loop execution in multiprocessors. The performance results and the implications of the results on data storage schemes are discussed.
Some unifying principles in Ramsey theory

Generalisation naturelle d'une grande partie de la theorie qualitative de Ramsey. Caracterisation de certaines structures associees
The density matrix of scattered particles

The derivation of the expression for the density matrix of scattered particles in terms of that of the incident ones, taking different impact parameters into account, shows that under well-specified and realistic conditions, the final density matrix is of the same kind as the initial one. Thus the final mixed state after a collision can be used directly as the initial mixed state in a subsequent collision. Contrary to a recent claim by Band and Park, there are no “fundamental difficulties with quantum mechanical collision theory.”
Syntheses of new poly (arylene vinylene) analogues: Poly (4,7‐benzofuran vinylene) and poly (4,7‐benzothiophene vinylene)

The reaction of bis(4,7-tetrahydrothiopheniomethyl) benzofuran dibromide with aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide leads to a water-soluble polyelectrolyte which can be film cast and thermolytically eliminated to give poly(4,7-benzofuran vinylene) (PBFV). Subjection of bis(4,7-tetrahydrothiopheniomethyl) benzothiophene dibromide to the same reaction sequence gives poly(4,7-benzothiophene vinylene) (PBTV). UV-VIS studies show that PBFV has a band gap of 2.76 eV, while PBTV has a band gap of 2.92 eV. These polymers are members of a new class of conjugated poly (arylene vinylene)s, in which heterocyclic pseudoaromatic rings are fused onto a poly(1,4-phenylene vinylene) backbone. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A nondestructive method for determining the spring constant of cantilevers for scanning force microscopy

The spring constant of microfabricated cantilevers used in scanning force microscopy (SFM) can be determined by measuring their resonant frequencies before and after adding small end masses. These masses adhere naturally and can be easily removed before using the cantilever for SFM, making the method nondestructive. The observed variability in spring constant—almost an order of magnitude for a single type of cantilever—necessitates calibration of individual cantilevers in work where precise knowledge of forces is required. Measurements also revealed that the spring constant scales with the cube of the unloaded resonant frequency, providing a simple way to estimate the spring constant for less precise work.
Diabetes, Cognitive Function, and the Blood-Brain Barrier

From a complications standpoint, diabetes mellitus is a disease of the vasculature. Diabetics face a considerably higher risk of developing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Both large and small blood vessels are susceptible to alterations from diabetes. Endothelial cell dysfunction associated with small vessel (known as microangiopathy) is a primary factor in the development and progression of diabetes-related disabilities, including blindness, kidney failure, and peripheral neuropathy. Recent clinical evidence show that people with diabetes have increased incidences of vascular dementia, ventricular hypertrophy, lacunar infarcts, hemorrhage, and may be a predisposing factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, the effects of diabetes mellitus on the cerebral microvascular are still largely unknown. This communication will review the relationship between diabetes mellitus and changes in cognition with a particular focus on how alterations in blood-brain barrier structure and function may play a long term role in worsened cognitive abilities.
How to refrain from answering Kripke’s puzzle

In this paper, I investigate the prospects for using the distinction between rejection and denial to resolve Saul Kripke’s puzzle about belief. One puzzle Kripke presents in “A Puzzle About Belief” poses what would have seemed a fairly straightforward question about the beliefs of the bilingual Pierre, who is disposed to sincerely and reflectively assent to the French sentence “Londres est jolie”, but not to the English sentence “London is pretty”, both of which he understands perfectly well. The question to be answered is whether Pierre believes that London is pretty, and Kripke argues, of each answer, that it is unacceptable. On my proposal, either answer to the question is to be rejected, but neither answer is to be denied, using the resource of partially-defined predicates. After demonstrating how this serves as a solution to the puzzle, I illustrate some philosophical motivations—independent of Kripke’s puzzle—for adopting a view on which belief is a partially defined predicate. I conclude that there are decent prospects for the proposed response to Kripke’s puzzle.
Timing of furrow irrigation termination for determinate soybean on clay soil

Irrigation commencing at or near beginning bloom (R1) and continuing during reproductive development of determinate soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grown in the southern USA in dry years increases seed yield. The number of irrigations between the first and last irrigation event can influence the direct costs of irrigation; however, the optimum time to stop irrigation in relation to crop maturity has not been identified. 'Leflore' (1987-1990) and 'A5980' (1988-1990) determinate cultivars were grown on Sharkey clay (very-fine, montmorillonitic, nonacid, thermic Vertic Haplaquept) at Stoneville, MS, to determine the effect of timing of last furrow irrigation on seed yield, yield components, yield increase, and net returns [...]
Simvastatin preserves the ischemic-reperfused myocardium in normocholesterolemic rat hearts.

Background—Ischemia followed by reperfusion in the presence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) results in cardiac contractile dysfunction as well as cardiomyocyte injury. These deleterious effects are due in large part to endothelial dysfunction leading to the upregulation of cell adhesion molecules and subsequent neutrophil-endothelium interaction. At clinically relevant doses, simvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has been shown to lower serum cholesterol levels and normalize endothelial cell function. We wanted to test the effects of simvastatin on neutrophil-mediated cardiac dysfunction in a controlled model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Methods and Results—This study examines the effects of simvastatin in a neutrophil-dependent isolated perfused rat heart model of ischemia (I) (20 minutes) and reperfusion (R) (45 minutes) injury. Administration of simvastatin 25 μg/rat improved coronary flow and preserved left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) and dP/dtmax, indexes of cardiac con...
Government involvement and financial service intensity: a comparative study of three business incubators in China

Drawing on interview and archival data collected from three business incubators in China, we conducted an in depth study of Chinese business incubators to assess the impact of varying levels of government involvement on the nature of financial services provided by the incubator to its incubatee clients. Financial services were classified on a spectrum of low to medium to high intensity based on the depth of incubator involvement and level of risk. We found an inverse relationship between the two key variables ? the lower the government involvement the greater the financial service intensity and vice versa. Managerial and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Implementation of Two-dimensional DMO On the Cray X-MP Using Multitasking And AQ10

The program takes advantage of the inherent parallelism characteristics of the DMO algorithm by having each one of the four Cray CPUs transform independently constant offset slices (multitasking). The movement of slices in and out of the main memory is done through circular buffers using AQIO. The synchronization between the I/O processor and the tasks is done in two different ways, by using busy wait and by using signals.
Characterization of polypeptide neurotoxins from the venom of Bungarus caeruleus.

Abstract The venom of the krait Bungarus caeruleus has been fractionated into several components. Two of the basic components were highly toxic to mice and had significant levels of phospholipase A activity. These components appear to be similar in their action to the presynaptic neurotoxin β-bungarotoxin. Two other components were toxic to mice and also reduced the rate of α-bungarotoxin binding to the purified acetylcholine receptor: These components appear to be postsynaptic neurotoxins similar to α-bungarotoxin. Two acidic components displayed A-type phospholipase activity and perturbed the carbamylcholine binding properties of acetylcholine receptor-rich membrane preparations.
Action Research and School Counseling: Closing the Gap between Research and Practice:

Action research can be a valuable resource for strengthening the link between theory and practice in school counseling. Action research emphasizes practitioner action for change in conjunction with rigorous reflection on practice and careful gathering and analysis of data. This article presents background information on action research as well as the case for the relevance of action research to the situation that school counseling now faces as an emerging profession.
Comparison of Tetrahymena and Pimephales Toxicity Based on Mechanism of Action

The toxicity data of 256 chemicals tested in both the 96-h Pimephales promelas mortality assay and the 2-d Tetrahymena pyriformis growth inhibition assay were evaluated using quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs). Each chemical was a priori assigned a mode of action of either narcoses or soft electrophilicity. Narcoses were separated into nonpolar narcosis, polar narcosis, monoester narcosis, diester narcosis, amine narcosis, and weak acid respiratory uncoupling based on the presence or absence of specific toxicophores. Toxicity of each narcotic mechanism was initially regressed against the 1-octanol-water partition coefficient (log K(ow)). The slopes of these log K(ow) based QSARs were observed to ascertain whether a relationship exists between the value of the slope and the reactivity of the mechanism of action. With both the fish and ciliate data nonpolar narcosis was the least reactive mechanism. It was followed by the other reversible narcoses. The soft electrophile mode was separated into the specific molecular mechanisms of: SN2 reactors, Schiff-base formers, Michael-type addition, or proelectrophilicity (precursors to Michael-type addition chemicals). These mechanisms were represented structurally by the nitrobenzenes, aldehydes, polarized alpha-beta unsaturates (e.g., acrylates and methacrylates), and acetylenic alcohols, respectively. Electrophilic toxicity was not correlated with hydrophobicity. QSARs based on molecular orbital (MO) quantum chemical descriptors were used to improve the predictability of the electrophilic mechanisms. Relevant descriptors include average superdelocalizability (Svna) for the nucleophilic addition of the nitrobenzene; atom x and y acceptor superdelocalizability (Ax); and bond order (Bx y) for the Michael-type addition of the acrylates; and log K(ow) and atom x net charge (Qx) for the Schiff-base forming aldehydes. The pertinent descriptors for proelectrophiles were log K(ow) and Svna. Principal differences between the QSARs for the two biological endpoints were observed for the ester narcoses, proelectrophiles, and Schiff-base forming aldehydes.
Association between body mass index, skinfold thickness and blood pressure in 12-year-old children.

The present study examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and skinfold thickness (SFT) with blood pressure (BP) in 12-year-old children in Shandong, China. A total of 920 (464 boys and 456 girls) 12-year-old students participated in this study. All subjects were divided into four groups (BMI < 25th, 25th ≤ BMI < 50th, 50th ≤ BMI < 75th, and BMI ≥ 75th) according to the percentile of BMI and into four groups (SFT < 25th, 25th ≤ SFT < 50th, 50th ≤ SFT < 75th, and SFT ≥ 75th) according to the percentile of SFT, respectively. Comparisons of BP among different groups were made by one-way ANOVA. High BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 95th and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 95th percentile for age and gender. BMI and SFT were all significantly (P < 0.001) and positively related to SBP and DBP in both boys and girls. The prevalence of high BP in each group is rising with the percentiles of BMI and SFT in both boys and girls. Conclusion: There is a strong positive relationship between BMI, SFT, and BP in 12-year-old children; the present findings emphasize the importance of preventing excess BMI and SFT in order to prevent future-related problems such as hypertension in children and adolescents.
The ‘Non-Americanisation’ of European Law

Legal changes stimulated by economic liberalisation and European Union governance have led some observers to speak of the ‘Americanisation’ of European law. Focussing on the dynamics of legal change and resistance in European member states, this article questions the extent of trans-Atlantic legal convergence, noting six important differences between European and American law that are unlikely to disappear.
The Dimensionality of the Maslach Burnout Inventory across Small Business Owners and Educators.

Abstract This study tested the dimensionality of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) by comparing three factor structures (i.e., a one-factor structure, a three-factor structure, and a higher order factor structure) in two diverse samples. The comparison of the LISREL measurement models was extended by a series of measurement invariance tests. Additionally, constructs related to burnout had a pattern of correlations to the three MBI dimensions that was similar across the two samples. In aggregate, the analyses suggested that the three-factor structure of the MBI is the most plausible model. By using a sample of small business owners, the current research contributed to existing knowledge on the MBI by establishing the dimensionality and generalizability of the MBI beyond human service occupations.
Transverse electromagnetic form factor in /sup 12/C

We calculate the contribution from the convection current to the recently measured transverse form factor of the /sup 12/C 2/sup +/ level at 4.44 MeV. The convection current dominates for small momentum transfer and is determined by the B (E2). In this region, theory agrees with experiment. At intermediate momentum transfer, agreement with experiment is only possible assuming a coherent sum of the convection current and magnetization density contributions.
Decreased leukotriene B4 synthesis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from male patients with diabetes mellitus

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) synthesis and release by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) from 17 male patients with type I diabetes mellitus was decreased (407.1 +/- 55.6 vs 709.4 +/- 62.7 ng/30 X 10(6) cells/10 min, mean +/- SE, p less than 0.001) as compared with 17 normal subjects matched for sex and age. There was an inverse correlation (r = -0.50, p less than 0.04) between LTB4 synthesis and plasma glucose concentration in the diabetic patients. The same correlation (r = -0.71, p less than 0.01) was observed in three diabetic patients studied weekly for one month. Because LTB4 is a potent chemoattractant and stimulates PMNL function, the defect in its synthesis may contribute to the predisposition to infections in the diabetic patient.
Growth equations: A general equation and a survey of special cases

Abstract Although growth in its various manifestations has been studied for centuries and although there are a large number of well-established growth “laws,” that work is almost entirely empirical and lacks a theoretical foundation with which macroscopic aspects of growth might be related to underlying, microscopic determinants. Recent work on the analysis of complex systems, however, has provided just such a foundation. It has been shown that an important class of complex systems can be accurately described by a formalism involving simple nonlinear approximations. This formalism leads naturally to a general growth equation in differential form for complex systems. The survey of well-established growth equations presented here demonstrates that each of these is a special case of the general growth equation.
Understanding stencil code performance on multicore architectures

Stencil computations are the foundation of many large applications in scientific computing. Previous research has shown that several optimization mechanisms, including rectangular blocking and time skewing combined with wavefront- and pipeline-based parallelization, can be used to significantly improve the performance of stencil kernels on multi-core architectures. However, the overall performance impact of these optimizations are difficult to predict due to the interplay of load imbalance, synchronization overhead, and cache locality. This paper presents a detailed performance study of these optimizations by applying them with a wide variety of different configurations, using hardware counters to monitor the efficiency of architectural components, and then developing a set of formulas via regression analysis to model their overall performance impact in terms of the affected hardware counter numbers. We have applied our methodology to three stencil computation kernels, a 7-point jacobi, a 27-point jacobi, and a 7-point Gauss-Seidel computation. Our experimental results show that a precise formula can be developed for each kernel to accurately model the overall performance impact of varying optimizations and thereby effectively guide the performance analysis and tuning of these kernels.
Art, Parody, Politics, and the Production of dele jegede's Intellectual Space

This article reviews Aderonke Adesola Adesanya and Toyin Falola's Art, Parody and Politics which explores dele jegede's pioneering work on the impact of art on imagination, representation, identity...
Survey of El Paso physicians' breast and cervical cancer screening attitudes and practices.

One hundred and ninety-eight primary care physicians in El Paso, Texas, were surveyed for their practices and attitudes concerning breast and cervical cancer screening. The response rate was 83%. For women 40–49 years old, 77% of respondents stated that they ordered a screening mammogram at least every two years. For women 50–74 years old, 73% said they ordered an annual screening mammogram. For women 75 years and older, 61% stated they ordered an annual screening mammogram. For women 40 years or older, 89% of respondents said they performed annual or more frequent clinical breast examinations. Eighty-four percent of respondents stated they ordered a Pap smear every 1–3 years, both for pre- and post-menopausal women. The most common reasons given for not ordering or doing a breast or cervical screening exam were patient refusal, knowledge that other doctor performs exam, high price, inadequate insurance, patient not under regular care, do not see patient for gynecologic care, and patient being seen for different reason. Seventy percent of respondents do vaginal smears on women who have had a total hysterectomy for a benign condition, and 38% use a cytobrush for endocervical sampling. Respondents were generally more comfortable with their ability to do Pap smears (72% comfortable, 1% uncomfortable) than they were in performing clinical breast examinations (52% comfortable, 4% uncomfortable). Obstetricians and gynecologists were more likely than other physicians to do vaginal smears, use a cytobrush, and feel comfortable with their Pap smear technique.
West Nile Virus—Associated Encephalitis in Recipients of Renal and Pancreas Transplants: Case Series and Literature Review

Although West Nile fever is mild in the vast majority of infected persons, there is growing evidence that the disease may be more severe in the immunocompromised population. We describe 3 recipients of kidney or pancreas transplants who developed West Nile fever, 2 of whom had meningoencephalitis. As is the norm when treating serious infections in transplant recipients, a reduction of immunosuppression was pursued for these patients. Despite the severe nature of the disease in 2 patients, all recovered from the disease. The time course of neurologic recovery in the 2 patients with meningoencephalitis is highlighted. We also review the literature on West Nile fever in organ transplant recipients. In areas where West Nile virus is endemic, one must have a high index of suspicion for the illness when dealing with fever in transplant recipients.
Root Cause Analysis: Using Theory of Constraints Application to Measure the Impact of Employee Demographics on the Adoption of Information Technology Equipment

This paper uses Theory of Constraints (TOC) improvement questions to measure how employees' demographics influence their adoption of various Information Technology Equipments (ITEs) in organisations. Survey questions in the form of a Likert scale are prepared to address these possible effects. The number of total participants was 216 and they were from two universities: Argosy University, Atlanta campus; and Brigham Young University, Provo campus. The research question for this study asked how the factors of age, gender, race, and education level positively or negatively influence employees' attitudes toward ITE adoption at their place of employment. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationships and the Kruskal–Wallis and the Mann–Whitney U tests were used to compare the independent groups. The results suggested that there was a correlation among age, race and education level and indicated that age negatively correlates with employees' level of comfort with ITE use. There was a statistically significant difference at the 0.01 level between White and Black participants.
Spectrophotometric determination of irrigant extrusion using passive ultrasonic irrigation, EndoActivator, or syringe irrigation.

Abstract Introduction Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) irrigation is critical to endodontic success, and several new methods have been developed to improve irrigation efficacy (eg, passive ultrasonic irrigation [PUI] and EndoActivator [EA]). Using a novel spectrophotometric method, this study evaluated NaOCl irrigant extrusion during canal irrigation. Methods One hundred fourteen single-rooted extracted teeth were decoronated to leave 15 mm of the root length for each tooth. Cleaning and shaping of the teeth were completed using standardized hand and rotary instrumentation to an apical file size #40/0.04 taper. Roots were sealed (not apex), and 54 straight roots (n = 18/group) and 60 curved roots (>20° curvature, n = 20/group) were included. Teeth were irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl by 1 of 3 methods: passive irrigation with needle, PUI, or EA irrigation. Extrusion of NaOCl was evaluated using a pH indicator and a spectrophotometer. Standard curves were prepared with known amounts of irrigant to quantify amounts in unknown samples. Results Irrigant extrusion was minimal with all methods, with most teeth showing no NaOCl extrusion in straight or curved roots. Minor NaOCl extrusion (1–3 μL) in straight roots or curved roots occurred in 10%–11% of teeth in all 3 irrigant methods. Two teeth in both the syringe irrigation and the EA group extruded 3–10 μL of NaOCl. Conclusions The spectrophotometric method used in this study proved to be very sensitive while providing quantification of the irrigant levels extruded. Using the PUI or EA tip to within 1 mm of the working length appears to be fairly safe, but apical anatomy can vary in teeth to allow extrusion of irrigant.