cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
II-deoxysteroid-induced spectral responses in adrenal gland microsomes

Abstract 1. 1. Evidence derived both from spectrometric and incubation studies shows that microsomes prepared by contemporary methods of differential centrifugation exhibit appreciable mitochondrial-like activity. This is particularly demonstrable in incubation studies where the addition of the mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 reductase system (which is soluble and is extracted from the system by conventional produres) markedly increases II β-hydroxylation. The presence of significant quantities of mitochondrial-like cytochrome P-450 in microsomal preparations offers explanations for spectral responses to various steriod substrates observed in microsomal preparations. Induced difference spectra occur in these preparations both with II -deoxysteroid and 21-deoxysteroid substrates. 2. 2. The magnitude of spectral response induced by androstenedione in microsomal preparations is markedly different in comparison to that induced by II -deoxycorticosterone. Androstenedione induces the greatest absorption minimum at 420 nm. After inducing the maximal spectral response possible with II -deoxycorticosterone, subsequent addition of androstenedione results in a deepening of the absorption minimum at 420 nm. This suggests that androstenedione, which serves as a substrate for II β-hydroxylation, responds with both mitochondrial and microsomal cytochrome P-450 moieties in these preparations. The former seems likely associated with the II β-hydroxylation reaction, the latter remains unexplained.
Annotation and analysis of low-complexity protein families of Anopheles gambiae that are associated with cuticle.

We have characterized four new families of homologous genes of the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, all of which include members shown by previous work to be cuticular in nature. The CPLCG, CPLCW, CPLCP, and CPLCA families (where CPLC is ‘cuticular protein of low complexity’) encode proteins with a high proportion of low-complexity sequence. We have also annotated the An. gambiae Tweedle genes, a family of cuticular protein genes first described in Drosophila, and additional ungrouped An. gambiae cuticular proteins identified by proteomics. Our annotations reveal multiple gene-family expansions that are specific to Diptera or Culicidae. The CPLCG and CPLCW families occur within a large and dynamic tandem array on chromosome 3R that includes sets of concertedly evolving genes. Most gene families exhibit two or more different expression profiles during development.
Current–voltage and imaging of TiSi2 islands on Si(001) surfaces using conductive-tip atomic force microscopy

Using conducting tip atomic force microscopy (c-AFM), we have measured the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of individual submicron islands of TiSi2 on Si(100) surfaces, and we have developed an imaging approach that distinguishes the electrical properties of the islands. The Schottky barrier height (SBH) of the submicron TiSi2 islands was deduced from the I–V measurements. The results indicate that there is a significant variation of SBH among the islands on the same surface. The measurements employ a conventional AFM with a heavily B-doped diamond tip to obtain the current–voltage relations. In contact mode AFM, electrical signals are extracted independently from the topographic image. In addition, we have modified the imaging method to probe the local electrical properties of a surface with regions of different conductivity. Using a lock-in technique both phase and amplitude images were obtained, and the resultant image is essentially a map of the differential surface conductivity. Using this meth...
The Stoics and Legal Conservatives: Strange Bedfellows or Just Strange Fellows?

Empathy is back in the judicial spotlight. In 2009, President Obama became ensnared in a political, legal, and philosophical thicket by announcing that his ideal replacement for Justice David Souter would decide cases on the basis of empathy. As a result, in 2010, in explaining his nomination of Elena Kagan to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, Obama carefully avoided the word ‘empathy’, but the Confirmation Hearings as well as various media outlets nonetheless fixated on the term, focusing on whether Justices should use empathy to guide their decision-making and whether Kagan satisfies this standard. Although the 2010 debate over empathy was contentious, it was not as fierce as it had been the previous year, when ‘conservatives... responded that, given free rein, [empathy] can lead judicial reasoning astray’, amounting to nothing less than the dismantling of the rule of law.
Clinical trials of interferons in multiple sclerosis what have we learned

Although multiple sclerosis (MS) is generally believed to be an immune-mediated disease, conventional therapy with ACTH, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs is unsatisfactory. Aside from their unpredictable therapeutic effects, these agents are potentially hazardous and can only be given for short periods of time. There is an urgent need for less toxic yet effective immunotherapy, that that can be administered early in the disease and continued indefinitely. Clinical trials of the interferons (IFNs) have not only led to a promising new approach to treatment, but have also stimulated basic research in the immunological mechanisms of underlying disease activity. Administration of IFN-gamma promotes exacerbations of MS, whereas recombinant IFN-beta has been shown, in controlled clinical trials, to suppress them. Other ongoing studies are likely to provide further information about its long-term therapeutic value. More importantly, laboratory studies performed in conjunction with these clinical trials have provided fresh insights into the pathogenesis of MS by revealing immunoregulatory mechanisms in which endogenous IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and other cytokines appear to play central roles. The 'Decade of the Brain' may therefore see answers both to the therapeutic dilemma of MS, and to more basic questions about the function of IFNs and other cytokines in activation and regulation of the disease process.
Special Kähler–Ricci potentials and Ricci solitons

On a manifold of dimension at least six, let (g, τ) be a pair consisting of a Kahler metric g which is locally Kahler irreducible, and a nonconstant smooth function τ. Off the zero set of τ, if the metric \({\widehat{g}=g/\tau^{2}}\) is a gradient Ricci soliton which has soliton function 1/τ, we show that \({\widehat{g}}\) is Kahler with respect to another complex structure, and locally of a type first described by Koiso, and also Cao. Moreover, τ is a special Kahler–Ricci potential, a notion defined in earlier works of Derdzinski and Maschler. The result extends to dimension four with additional assumptions. We also discuss a Ricci–Hessian equation, which is a generalization of the soliton equation, and observe that the set of pairs (g, τ) satisfying a Ricci–Hessian equation is invariant, in a suitable sense, under the map \({(g,\tau) \rightarrow (\widehat{g},1/\tau)}\) .
Probabilistic model of nonlinear penalties due to collision-induced timing jitter for calculation of the bit error ratio in wavelength-division-multiplexed return-to-zero systems

We introduce a fully deterministic, computationally efficient method for characterizing the effect of nonlinearity in optical fiber transmission systems that utilize wavelength-division multiplexing and return-to-zero modulation. The method accurately accounts for bit-pattern-dependent nonlinear distortion due to collision-induced timing jitter and for amplifier noise. We apply this method to calculate the error probability as a function of channel spacing in a prototypical multichannel return-to-zero undersea system.
Information communication technologies: usages and preferences of generation Y students and meeting professionals.

Researchers have been investigating the meeting and convention industry for many years. Recently, attention has been given to the attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders who represent the different generations. Generations’ views on information communication technology, in particular, are now of interest to academics and industry practitioners. The present study considers the preferences and usages of information communication technologies by Generation Y students and meeting professionals. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Findings confirm similarities and differences between the groups.
Induction of p97MAPK expression regulates collagen mediated inhibition of proliferation and migration in human squamous cell carcinoma lines.

The ability of cancer cells to proliferate abnormally and invade surrounding tissue is among the most important features of the malignant phenotype. The mechanisms by which the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade regulates these phenotypes have been investigated for many years. Activated GTP bound Ras binds the upstream protein kinases Raf-1 and B-Raf. The MAPK kinases 1 and 2, known as MKK or MEK, are phosphorylated and activated by Raf. MEKs phosphorylate the extracellular signal regulated kinases ERK1 and ERK2. A unique member of the MAPK family is p97 MAPK , the human homolog of rat ERK3. p97 MAPK is ubiquitously expressed but whether its cellular functions are different from ERK1 and ERK2 is unknown. p97 MAPK is highly expressed in human cancer cell lines. In the present study, expression of p97 MAPK was unique among the ERK family in that its expression was induced when human carcinoma cell lines are plated on type IV collagen. This increased expression correlated with slower cancer cell proliferation on collagen compared to plastic tissue culture dishes. Overexpression of p97 MAPK was sufficient to inhibit cellular proliferation with concomitant changes in cell cycle regulatory protein expression. p97 MAPK also inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion by decreasing Racl expression but not that of matrix metalloproteinase 9 which is regulated by other ERKs. These data represent the first reported function of p97 MAPK in human cancer cells.
Recording heads: write heads for high-density magnetic tape

A review of the performance requirements for the writing components of high density tape recording heads is given in the context of multichannel linear tape head arrays. A brief tutorial of head operation is given. This is followed by a discussion of pole materials and head array architectures. Technical advances which have led to increases in data rate and recording density are identified.
A strategic theory of international environmental assistance

Over the past three decades multilateral financial aid has become an important institutional arrangement enabling environmental cooperation between developed and developing countries. However, previous research suggests that financial institutions are largely ineffective in achieving environmental goals. I show that financial assistance can be successful in increasing recipients’ contributions to environmental programs, thereby promoting environmental protection. This positive impact of aid, I argue, should be attributed to the effects of donor-recipient interactions that can alter incentives of recipient governments and induce their cooperation rather than to capacity building through inflows of aid. I study environmental assistance by first developing a game-theoretic model of strategic interaction between the donor and aid recipients. To avoid a common methodological problem of misspecification and to unify theory with empirical testing, I then derive a strategic statistical model and conduct empirical...
A demographic examination of societal views regarding corporate social responsibility in the US forest products industry

Abstract As corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes an increasingly mainstream proposition for business organizations, it is becoming increasingly important to develop sector-specific knowledge as well as to explore different aspects of this concept. Adopting an issues management approach, we have discussed that understanding perceptions and expectations of various demographic segments about business performance along relevant social and environmental issues is a research gap in the broader field of CSR. This is particularly true for forest products industry in the US where there is very little research done in the field. For filling this gap, data was collected from the residents within the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Results indicate that varying degrees of differences exist in different demographic categories (gender, education level, place of residence, and age). These results have important implications for the US forest products sector, especially as companies formulate their socio-environmental strategy and communication.
Regulation of oxytocin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid in the ventromedial hypothalamus by testosterone and its metabolites

Oxytocin receptor (OR) binding in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is regulated by testosterone (T) and its metabolites, estrogen (E2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Previous studies have reported that OR binding increases in the VMH in castrated male rats when they are replaced with T or E2 compared to that in vehicle-treated animals. DHT alone had no effect on OR binding, but when given in combination with E2 appeared to have a synergistic effect. This study was designed to determine whether these effects of steroid hormones on OR binding in the VMH are associated with changes in OR messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Male rats were castrated or sham operated and given T propionate (TP), E2 benzoate (EB), DHT plus EB, or an oil vehicle. OR mRNA was assessed using a rat complementary RNA OR probe and in situ hybridization techniques. OR binding to tissue slices was quantified autoradiographically using an OR antagonist, [125I]d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2,Thr4,Tyr-NH2(9)] ornithine vasotocin. These experiments showed that TP and EB increased both OR mRNA and OR binding in the VMH significantly above levels in vehicle-treated animals. However, animals given both EB and DHT exhibited significantly lower OR mRNA expression and OR binding in the VMH compared to those in animals treated with TP or EB alone. These data indicate that increases in VMH OR binding in response to gonadal steroids are accompanied by changes at the mRNA level that correspond well in magnitude and direction with those in the OR-binding sites.
The rapid and automatic combination of proton MRSI data using multi-channel coils without water suppression

The use of multi-channel coils can efficiently increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of magnetic resonance spectroscopy data if the signals from multiple channels are optimally combined. Combining multi-channel signals requires proper alignment of the phases of the signals from each of the elements of the coil and then accurately weighting the summation of those signals. We present a procedure for acquiring proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data using an eight-channel coil without water suppression and a rapid and robust method that uses unsuppressed water signal as a reference both for aligning the phases and for weighting the summation of signals that originate in the multiple coil elements. We use both computer simulation and in vivo proton MRSI data to demonstrate the advantages of our method for optimizing the SNR of the combined signal compared with the SNRs of signals that were acquired either using a standard volume head coil or using an eight-channel coil with a metabolite signal as the reference for combination.
A One-Way Random Effects Model for Trimmed Means.

The random effects ANOVA model plays an important role in many psychological studies, but the usual model suffers from at least two serious problems. The first is that even under normality, violating the assumption of equal variances can have serious consequences in terms of Type I errors or significance levels, and it can affect power as well. The second and perhaps more serious concern is that even slight departures from normality can result in a substantial loss of power when testing hypotheses. Jeyaratnam and Othman (1985) proposed a method for handling unequal variances, under the assumption of normality, but no results were given on how their procedure performs when distributions are nonnormal. A secondary goal in this paper is to address this issue via simulations. As will be seen, problems arise with both Type I errors and power. Another secondary goal is to provide new simulation results on the Rust-Fligner modification of the Kruskal-Wallis test. The primary goal is to propose a generalization of the usual random effects model based on trimmed means. The resulting test of no differences among J randomly sampled groups has certain advantages in terms of Type I errors, and it can yield substantial gains in power when distributions have heavy tails and outliers. This last feature is very important in applied work because recent investigations indicate that heavy-tailed distributions are common. Included is a suggestion for a heteroscedastic Winsorized analog of the usual intraclass correlation coefficient.
Evaluation of experimental blunt and penetrating hepatobiliary trauma by sequential peritoneal lavage.

Peritoneal lavage, when used in the standard way to detect hemoperitoneum, gives no information regarding site or nature of injury. We think that it would be useful for the surgeon to be more able to characterize intra-abdominal injuries preoperatively, and that this may be possible by extending the scope and duration of the technique of peritoneal lavage. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the use of sequential peritoneal lavage with extended chemical analysis to precisely define the nature and extent of hepatobiliary trauma in an animal model. Thirty-six dogs were divided randomly among one control and four experimental groups in which sham laparotomy, blunt thoracoabdominal trauma, direct laceration of the liver, liver laceration plus bowel perforation, and gallbladder perforation were carried out. Sequential peritoneal lavage was performed over a six-hour experimental period with simultaneous serum and lavage samples analyzed for red and white blood cells, bile, and enzyme activity (GOT, GPT, and alkaline phosphatase) at four test intervals up to six hours post injury. Our results demonstrate that enzyme activity is easily detectable in lavage effluent after blunt hepatic injury but not after penetrating trauma, and seems to correlate with the extent of hepatocellular disruption. Lavage white cell counts in excess of those anticipated for hemorrhage alone are present only in association with an inflammatory stimulus other than blood or bile. A lavage-to-serum-bilirubin ratio of one or more can be expected after gallbladder or extrahepatic biliary perforation. This information may be valuable in the emergency assessment of the trauma patient.
Single cylinder penile prosthesis

The single cylinder penile prosthesis is a viable procedure. It has many advantages. Its success depends on the careful selection, counseling, and follow-up of the patients and their partners.
Immune Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy

Management of immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy can be a complex and challenging task and may be complicated by fetal-neonatal thrombocytopenia. Although fetal intracranial hemorrhage is a rare complication of immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy, invasive studies designed to determine the fetal platelet count before delivery are associated with greater risk than that of fetal intracranial hemorrhage and are discouraged. Moreover, the risk of neonatal bleeding complications does not correlate with the mode of delivery, and cesarean section should be reserved only for obstetric indications.
Cloud, radiation, and photon path length distributions

Photon path length distributions provide insights of radiative transfer through various cloudy conditions, substantially improving our understanding of where water vapor absorbs solar radiation as both the water vapor and radiation is modulated by clouds.
Preliminary Investigations Into the Design and Manufacturing of Fully Compliant Layered Mechanisms (FCLMs)

The relatively new technology of additive manufacturing (also known as “3-D printing” or “rapid prototyping”) presents some intriguing possibilities for the design of compliant mechanisms. This paper introduces a new category of compliant mechanisms — Fully Compliant Layered Mechanisms (FCLMs) — that rely on additive manufacturing to produce mechanisms with complex geometry. An FCLM is a fully compliant mechanism whose geometry requires two or more links to cross over one another to achieve a desired motion. The need to have crossing links requires the mechanism to have multiple layers. Such a mechanism is fairly easy to produce using additive manufacturing systems, but the more brittle materials associated with additive manufacturing also impose some limitations on the design of FCLMs. This paper presents an overview of some of these limitations along with approaches that are being developed to solve the challenges of using additive manufacturing in the production of compliant linkages. The focus is on lumped compliant mechanisms with key challenges that include: the selection of a proper joint type; the layering of the compliant mechanism; and the stability of the mechanism. Beam type joints such as a spiral joint are found to be suitable for use with additive manufacturing. These joints have some lateral instability which can be reduced by proper layering and structural reinforcements in the mechanism. These joints also pose the potential for increased parasitic motion, which can be minimized by joint design approaches. Preliminary ideas are presented for the solution of these problems along with some needs for future development.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
CCN5: biology and pathophysiology

CCN5 is one of six proteins in the CCN family. This family of proteins has been shown to play important roles in many processes, including proliferation, migration, adhesion, extracellular matrix regulation, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, fibrosis, and implantation. In this review, we focus on the biological and putative pathophysiological roles of CCN5. This intriguing protein is structurally unique among the CCN family members, and has a unique biological activity profile as well.
Elevation of amylolytic activity in the parotid glands of hypophysectomized rats by hormonal replacement therapy.

Amylolytic activity and nitrogen content were studied in the parotid glands of hypophysectomized rats treated with a combination of somatotropin, thyroxine and corticosterone (STC) in order to determine the efficacy of STC in restoring to normal the lowered enzyme content of the gland that occurs after pituitary ablation. Hypophysectomy caused a reduction in parotid gland weight and in amylolytic activity and nitrogen content, when considered in relation to a unit weight of the gland, the total glandular weight or the body weight. Administration of STC restored the body weight, parotid gland weight, amylolytic activity and nitrogen content per unit weight of the gland, and the total amylolytic activity, to values not significantly different from those of nonhypophysectomized control rats. Treatment of hypophysectomized rats with STC elevated the total nitrogen content of the gland above the level observed in nonhypophysectomized controls. On the basis of these and previous observations, it was inferred th...
An Electron Microscope Study of Intranuclear Inclusions in Mouse Liver and Hepatoma

An electron microscope study of intranuclear inclusions which occur in giant cells in a transplantable mouse hepatoma and in enlarged liver cells in mice fed a diet containing bentonite demonstrates that these inclusions are formed by invaginations of the nuclear envelope, and corroborates a previous histochemical study which revealed that the contents of the inclusions are of cytoplasmic origin. In the hepatoma cells the intranuclear inclusions are abundant, small, and situated close to the border of the nucleus, and there are wide openings from the cytoplasm into the invaginations whose contents include lipid droplets, ergastoplasm, and structurally normal mitochondria. In the enlarged liver cells the inclusions are fewer in number, generally much larger than those in the hepatoma, hence they extend deeper into the nucleus, and the interior is continuous with the cytoplasm through only a small opening. Some normal ergastoplasm is present within the inclusions but all other constituents are abnormal. Both normal and degenerating mitochondria occur in the cytoplasm but only degenerating ones are found within the inclusions. Both types of inclusions arise in greatly enlarged cells in which an attempt is made to maintain the normal nuclear surface/nuclear volume ratio by the development of the invaginations of the nuclear envelope.
Crystal structure of putidaredoxin, the [2Fe-2S] component of the P450cam monooxygenase system from Pseudomonas putida

Stability of the [2Fe-2S]-containing putidaredoxin (Pdx), the electron donor to cytochrome P450cam in Pseudomonas putida, was improved by mutating non-ligating cysteine residues, Cys73 and Cys85, to serine singly and in combination. The increasing order of stability is Cys73Ser/Cys85Ser>Cys73Ser>Cys85Ser>WT Pdx. Crystal structures of Cys73Ser/Cys85Ser and Cys73Ser mutants of Pdx, solved by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing using the [2Fe-2S] iron atoms to 1.47 A and 1.65 A resolution, respectively, are nearly identical and very similar to those of bovine adrenodoxin (Adx) and Escherichia coli ferredoxin. However, unlike the Adx structure, no motion between the core and interaction domains of Pdx is observed. This higher conformational stability of Pdx might be due to the presence of a more extensive hydrogen bonding network at the interface between the two structural domains around the conserved His49. In particular, formation of a hydrogen bond between the side-chain of Tyr51 and the carbonyl oxygen atom of Glu77 and the presence of two well-ordered water molecules linking the interaction domain and the C-terminal peptide to the core of the molecule are unique to Pdx. The folding topology of the NMR model is similar to that of the X-ray structure of Pdx. The overall rmsd of Calpha positions between the two models is 1.59 A. The largest positional differences are observed for residues 18-21 and 33-37 in the loop regions and the C terminus. The latter two peptides display conformational heterogeneity in the crystal structures. Owing to flexibility, the aromatic ring of the C-terminal Trp106 can closely approach the side-chains of Asp38 and Thr47 (3.2-3.9 A) or move away and leave the active site solvent-exposed. Therefore, Trp106, previously shown to be important in the Pdr-to-Pdx and Pdx-to-P450cam electron transfer reactions is in a position to regulate and/or mediate electron transfer to or from the [2Fe-2S] center of Pdx.
Detection of Warfare Agents in Liquid Foods Using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay

: The brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) was used for rapid and non-specific detection of biological and chemical warfare agents at concentrations considerably below that which will cause harm to humans. Warfare agents detected include T-2 toxin, trimethylsilyl cyanide, and commercially available pesticides such as dichlorvos, diazinon, dursban, malathion, and parathion. The assay was performed by introducing 50 μL of milk or orange juice contaminated with each analyte into vials containing 10 freshly hatched brine shrimp nauplii in seawater. This was incubated at 28 °C for 24 h, after which mortality was determined. Mortality was converted to probits and the LC50 was determined for each analyte by plotting probits of mortality against analyte concentration (log10). Our findings were the following: (1) the lethal effects of toxins dissolved in milk were observed, with T-2 toxin being the most lethal and malathion being the least, (2) except for parathion, the dosage (based on LC50) of analyte in a cup of milk (200 mL) consumed by a 6-y-old (20 kg) was less than the respective published rat LD50 values, and (3) the BSLA was only suitable for detecting toxins dissolved in orange juice if incubation time was reduced to 6 h. Our results support the application of the BSLA for routine, rapid, and non-specific prescreening of liquid foods for possible sabotage by an employee or an intentional bioterrorist act. Practical Application: The findings of this study strongly indicate that the brine shrimp lethality assay can be adapted for nonspecific detection of warfare agents or toxins in food at any point during food production and distribution.
State recovery in Internet transactions

With the expansion of Web sites to include business functions, a user's typical interaction with a Web site is a multi-step process. Sudden disconnection can cause significant losses, in both time and energy, since the user typically must restart from scratch on reconnection. This paper describes a framework for thinking about such interactions using new twists on familiar ideas from database systems: long transactions and recovery.
The complete canonical piecewise-linear representation: functional form for minimal degenerate intersections

In this paper, we develop a functional form for canonical piecewise-linear (CPWL) functions defined over a minimal degenerate intersection of order k. This type of intersection is known to be the building block of CPWL representations. Accordingly, the representation proposed is the main component in a general CPWL representation and constitutes the first functional form that is valid in a domain that has arbitrary dimension and is subdivided by a generic partition.
IPE’s Darwin on Globalization and Technology

The Making of a Digital World: The Evolution of Technological Change and How It Shaped Our World. By Joachim K. Rennstich. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan, 2008. 260 pp., $74.95 hardcover (ISBN-10: 1403974489). Joachim K. Rennstich's book, The Making of a Digital World , offers insight into globalization from a theoretical international political economics perspective. The author argues that the global world system is the result of an ongoing evolutionary (rather than a revolutionary) process that can be traced historically and that the role of technology in the current stage is primarily facilitating geographic reach. Rennstich proposes a theoretical construct to address underlying puzzles: how did globalization come to be? Is it a spontaneous phenomenon, or can its genesis be traced throughout history? Is the role of technology in globalization causal or proximal, and are the technology changes of the twentieth century evolutionary or uniquely revolutionary? The primary argument of The Making of a Digital World is that the status of the world stage at any given point is the result of an evolutionary process that can be traced through history. Chapter 2 begins by exploring the literature surrounding historical evolutionary processes. Rennsitch begins his study by examining the nature of the evolutionary process posited by George Modelski and William Thompson (Modelski and Thompson 1996). The evolutionary world politics framework (EWP), as it is called in the study, separates history into leadership cycles. Each cycle represents a particular state's leadership in two definitive economic sectors. The leading technologies in each leadership wave are termed “technological styles” and resemble Thomas Kuhn's idea of scientific paradigms (Kuhn 1962). The leading state begins as the leader in one economic sector and, through a process of organizational learning, is able …
Finite verb morphology and phonological length in the speech of children with specific language impairment

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) usually differ from younger peers in their use of grammatical morphemes pertaining to tense and agreement. The word-final consonant status of many of these morphemes has prompted researchers to verify that the children under study are capable of producing these consonants in monomorphemic words (e.g. hand, box). However, such a measure does not ensure that the children with SLI are capable of producing words of sufficient length to support grammatical morpheme use. To examine the possible influence of this factor, we employed Ingram's phonological mean length of utterance (PMLU) as the basis for matching a group of preschoolers with SLI and younger typically developing peers. The children's use of tense/agreement morphemes was then determined. The findings indicated that despite the comparable PMLUs of the two groups, the children with SLI were more limited in their use of tense/agreement morphology than the younger peers.
SIR 2003 film panel case 5: massive hemorrhage from portal vein disruption.

A 45-year-old morbidly obese woman underwent a Whipple procedure for resection of an ampullary adenocarcinoma. Two days later, she returned to the operating room for repair a disruption of her pancreatico-jejunal anastomosis. Her subsequent postoperative course was complicated by wound dehiscence, intraperitoneal abscess, and an enterocutaneous fistula which were all managed with percutaneous drainage tubes. Three weeks after her original surgery, she developed melena and bloody output from her percutaneous and surgically placed drainage tubes. A Tc-99m tagged red-blood cell scan (Fig 5.1) and visceral arteriography (Fig 5.2) were performed. The patient was taken back to the operating room where exploration was attempted, but hampered by dense adhesions. No active bleeding site was identified and the hemorrhage stopped without specific intervention. Four days later, hemorrhage recurred and visceral arteriography was repeated. Again, no bleeding site was identified. At the request of the referring surgeon, vasopressin infusion was initiated at a rate of 0.4 U/min and the bleeding stopped. Three days after completion of the vasopressin infusion, massive bleeding recurred. Visceral arteriography was repeated (Fig 5.3).
Physical modeling of the step recovery diode for pulse and harmonic generation circuits

A simple charge-controlled switching model describes most fundamental aspects of the step recovery diode. However, it is shown that switching speed and the associated loss are related to the width of the i layer and to the doping level. A switching model appropriate for general computer use is given, and examples of its application are shown in pulse and harmonic generator circuits.
Fault-tolerant multiprocessor system routing using incomplete diagnostic information

Fault-tolerant routing algorithms in multiprocessor systems utilize diagnostic information in selecting paths for messages. In many situations, only incomplete, or partial, diagnostic information is available for this purpose. The authors present algorithms for achieving two forms of diagnosis, known as k-reachability diagnosis and k-neighborhood diagnosis which provide partial diagnostic information. They compare, both analytically and through experiments conducted on an Intel iPSC/2 hypercube the performance and overhead of these two algorithms. They also present a routing algorithm that successfully routes messages between connected non-faulty nodes in systems of arbitrary topology containing an arbitrary number of faults. The performance of the algorithm is shown to be optimal when k=n-1 and within a factor of two of optimal, in the worst case, when k=1. >
MOSFET dosimeter depth-dose measurements in heterogeneous tissue-equivalent phantoms at diagnostic x-ray energies.

The objective of the present study was to explore the use of the TN-1002RD metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeter for measuring tissue depth dose at diagnostic photon energies in both homogeneous and heterogeneous tissue-equivalent materials. Three cylindrical phantoms were constructed and utilized as a prelude to more complex measurements within tomographic physical phantoms of pediatric patients. Each cylindrical phantom was constructed as a stack of seven 5-cm-diameter and 1-cm-thick discs of materials radiographically representative of either soft tissue (S), bone (B), or lung tissue (L) at diagnostic photon energies. In addition to a homogeneous phantom of soft tissue (SSSSSSS), two heterogeneous phantoms were constructed: SSBBSSS and SBLLBSS. MOSFET dosimeters were then positioned at the interface of each disc, and the phantoms were then irradiated at 66 kVp and 200 mAs. Measured values of absorbed dose at depth were then compared to predicated values of point tissue dose as determined via Monte Carlo radiation transport modeling. At depths exceeding 2 cm, experimental results matched the computed values of dose with high accuracy regardless of the dosimeter orientation (epoxy bubble facing toward or away from the x-ray beam). Discrepancies were noted, however, between measured and calculated point doses near the surfacemore » of the phantom (surface to 2 cm depth) when the dosimeters were oriented with the epoxy bubble facing the x-ray beam. These discrepancies were largely eliminated when the dosimeters were placed with the flat side facing the x-ray beam. It is therefore recommended that the MOSFET dosimeters be oriented with their flat sides facing the beam when they are used at shallow depths or on the surface of either phantoms or patients.« less
Effects of Long-Term Clock Instability on Master-Slave Networks

Two types of master-slave networks are investigated: oneway and two-way master-slave networks. The one-way master-slave System is a generalization of the well-known hierarchical master-slave tree system. The two-way master-slave system is a novel concept. Sufficient stability conditions are given for both network types. After synchronization is achieved, the frequency drift rate of all oscillators in the network approaches the frequency drift rate of the master oscillator. The steady-state frequency differences between the oscillators and their variances are computed for six network configurations of practical interest. A performance comparison for different network connectivities shows that the two-way master-slave system with a star configuration has the best performance.
Improved underwater acoustic communication for AUVs

The results of an R&D project on acoustic communication algorithms are presented, together with a design for advanced acoustic communication systems for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Results from tests in data coding indicate that convolutional data codes that provide an increase in data rate and a reduction in signal energy relative to diversity 4 can be used to combat signal fading. Equalization results provide a baseline for future work to enhance equalization performance in the ocean environment. Synchronization efforts to date have produced an approach to synchronization for underwater acoustics using an extended Kalman filter to incorporate an estimate of the channel impulse response into the synchronization process. The experience gained from this activity has been used to perform the system design of an acoustic communication system for AUVs that can reliably operate at ranges up to 2000 yards at data rates of 1200-4800 bps. >
Social Product Development: Introduction, Overview, and Current Status

Social Product Development is a relatively new concept in the world of product development. While the word means different things to different people, it can generally be described as the use of social computing technologies, tools, and media, influencing the product life cycle at any stage through the use of a defined and qualified crowd with the goal of enhancing the value of communication. Some of the tenants of Social Product Development are crowdsourcing, mass collaboration, open innovation, and cloud-based design and manufacturing. Social Product Development can be categorized into Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 technologies, the distinction being whether the technologies are used to interface with internal (Web 2.0) or external (Enterprise 2.0) entities from the product development enterprise. While the extent of use of these technologies has not been fully characterized yet, there are many examples of their use in industry and their successful results. From these examples, we are able to draw some conclusions about how to successfully implement these technologies into a product development venture. Even as we try to understand how to utilize Social Product Development in its current state, it is important to look toward the future and analyze how the Internet, which makes Social Product Development possible, is changing as to determine how Social Product Development principles will change with it.
PARAPROFESSIONALS' ATTITUDES TOWARD INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION '

The Physical Educators' Perceptions of Inclusion Inventory was administered to 80 paraprofessionals in special education. A Mann-Whitney U analysis indicated a significant difference in scores on knowledge related to inclusion by years of experience working. There was a significant difference between knowledge scores for length of time working but none for scores on perception.
Toxoplasma Actin Is Required for Efficient Host Cell Invasion

Apicomplexan parasites actively invade host cells using a mechanism predicted to be powered by a parasite actin- dependent myosin motor. In the model apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, inducible knockout of the actin gene, ACT1, was re- cently demonstrated to limit but not completely abolish invasion. This observation has led to the provocative suggestion that T. gondii possesses alternative, ACT1-independent invasion pathways. Here, we dissected the residual invasive ability of act1 parasites. Surprisingly, we were able to detect residual ACT1 protein in inducible act1parasites as long as 5 days after ACT1 deletion. We further found that the longer act1parasites were propagated after ACT1deletion, the more severe an invasion defect was observed. Bothfindings are consistent with the quantity of residual ACT1 retained in act1parasites being responsi- ble for their invasive ability. Furthermore, invasion by the act1parasites was also sensitive to the actin polymerization inhibi- tor cytochalasin D. Finally, there was no clear defect in attachment to host cells or moving junction formation by act1para- sites. However, act1parasites often exhibited delayed entry into host cells, suggesting a defect specific to the penetration stage of invasion. Overall, our results support a model where residual ACT1 protein retained in inducible act1parasites facilitates their limited invasive ability and confirm that parasite actin is essential for efficient penetration into host cells during invasion. IMPORTANCE The prevailing model for apicomplexan invasion has recently been suggested to require major revision, based on studies where core components of the invasion machinery were genetically disrupted using a Cre-Lox-based inducible knockout system. For the myosin component of the motor thought to power invasion, an alternative parasite myosin was recently demon- strated to functionally compensate for loss of the primary myosin involved in invasion. Here, we highlight a second mechanism that can account for the surprising ability of parasites to invade after genetic disruption of core invasion machinery. Specifically, residual actin protein present in inducible knockout parasites appears able to support their limited invasion of host cells. Our results have important implications for the interpretation of the apicomplexan invasion model and also highlight significant considerations when analyzing the phenotypes of inducible knockout parasites generated using Cre-Lox technology.
Theoretical formulation for an electrically small microstrip patch antenna loaded with negative index materials

Composite metamaterials that possess simultaneously negative permeability and permittivity, causing them to exhibit a negative index of refraction known, are known as a negative index materials (NIM). An application of NIMs is to increase the power radiated from electrically small antennas. NIMs can also be used to design thin sub-wavelength cavity resonators. We expand on this principle by introducing a method to miniaturize a circular microstrip patch antenna that uses NIM loading. This is accomplished by including two distinct regions inside the cavity of the microstrip patch antenna, one consisting of a NIM and one consisting of a conventional positive index material (PIM). By applying the boundary conditions commonly associated with the cavity model of a patch antenna, a "resonance condition" is found that is dependent only on the permittivities of the two embedded substrate materials.
Non-paretic quadriceps activity influences paretic quadriceps activity post-stroke

Abstract Objective Inappropriate muscle activity is common following stroke. Paretic muscle activation may be influenced by non-paretic volitional activation. We examined the influence of non-paretic quadriceps activation on paretic quadriceps excitability. Methods Individuals with chronic stroke performed bilateral and unilateral (paretic and non-paretic) maximum voluntary isometric contractions. Peak torque and muscle activity were compared between conditions. An instrumented tendon tapper elicited a patellar tendon reflex of the relaxed paretic leg while the non-paretic leg was relaxed and pre-activated. The threshold to elicit a paretic quadriceps response was compared between conditions. Results During the bilateral MVIC, the paretic quadriceps generated less absolute torque, but greater relative torque than the non-paretic side when normalized to the respective unilateral condition ( p p Conclusions Concurrent non-paretic activation resulted in a relative disinhibition of the paretic quadriceps. The paretic limb’s inability to remain inactive during isolated non-paretic contractions implies increased excitation or decreased inhibition of paretic motor pools, although the source remains unknown. Significance Unwanted muscle activity during reciprocal tasks (gait training) may be due to contralateral effects of non-paretic muscle activity.