cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficiency and competition in the long run: The survival of the unfit

Abstract In a dynamic contest the current incumbent competes against a randomly assigned entrant in a private value all pay auction each period. We focus on equilibria where the beliefs about the incumbent's type and the employed strategies are stationary. We show that inefficient types survive, even if the entrants arrive very frequently, because the entrant plays more aggressively than the incumbent, allowing a low type entrant to win against a high type incumbent. In an example we show that if the incumbent is challenged more often, then the equilibrium type of the incumbent is higher on average. When the value of the prize is the same for all players (the case studied in the public choice literature), the equilibrium rent of the bidders is fully dissipated as the incumbent is challenged infinitely often. The technical contribution lies in showing the existence of stationary equilibrium in an incomplete information game.
The All Sky Monitor For The X-Ray Timing Explorer

The All Sky Monitor (ASM) for the X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE), whose purpose is to record a photometric history of known objects and to detect and locate transient objects, is discussed. This instrument uses the multiple pinhole approach to avoid photon starvation for good photometric capability together with good angular resolution and an excellent capability for locating transients. While the XTE ASM does not have the ideal imaging qualities of the uniformly redundant array-based designs, it is simpler to build and requires a modest telemetry bandwidth; since the ASM is intended for detection, location, and photometry of discrete point sources, imaging is of secondary importance.
International Collaboration in Library Digitization: Experiences from the Southeast Asia Digital Library Project

Started in 2005, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Southeast Asia Digital Library, http://sea.lib.niu.edu/, based at Northern Illinois University (NIU) Libraries, is an intern...
Dielectric polarization and strain behavior of Ba(Ti0.92Zr0.08)O3 single crystals

Abstract The ferroelectric polarization and strain behavior was studied for Ba(Ti 0.92 Zr 0.08 )O 3 single crystals with a rhombohedral symmetry at room temperature. The anisotropic dielectric spectra obtained from different orientation cuts showed suppression of permittivity maximum ( e max ) with increasing frequencies. However, no significant T c -shift with increasing frequencies was observed. The polarization data obtained from the hysteresis loops measured in a wide temperature range indicated a relaxation-like behavior as the remnant polarization exists much beyond T c . The unipolar strain level is 0.17% at 55 kV/cm and the piezoelectric strain coefficient d 33 ∼850 pC/N measured for the 〈001〉 oriented Ba(Ti 0.92 Zr 0.08 )O 3 single crystals are promising values in a lead-free material for the piezoelectric transducer applications.
Successful strategies for recruiting African Americans to prevention trials

In 1992, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center instituted a multifactorial recruitment and retention strategy, including 1) policies promoting institution-wide cultural competence; 2) study specific recruitment plans implemented by a team of recruiter, public communication specialist, nurse study coordinator, computer specialist, and principal investigator; 3) a management plan using regular team meetings, a computerized tracking system, and volunteer feed back for quality improvement; and 4) reduction of barriers to participation coupled with positive reinforcement incentives. Recruitment methods included 1) radio/television/newsprint ads; 2) presentations at churches, social organizations, and work sites; 3) health fair screening; 4) direct mail; and 5) word of mouth. The results of this strategy are that, in 1995, there were 5456 volunteers for research trials conducted at the Pennington Center, 58% of whom were African Americans. Although investigators and their immediate research team members may profit from specific recruiting techniques, the commitment of the institution to minority recruitment is an essential element of success. Cancer 1998;83:1833-1835. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Writing the garden in the age of humanism: Petrarch and Boccaccio

Abstract In an effort to trace the ongms of the Italian Renaissance garden, scholars have often given considerable attention to humanistic literature. Petrarch, in particular, is considered to be the first lover of the art of gardens, mainly because of the sensitivity towards the seduction of landscape that emerges from his writings. This view has been so quickly accepted by subsequent studies that Petrarch' s uneasy and ambivalent relationship to the beauty of nature has rarely been acknowledged. Also, the urge to find an absolute origin for the art of Renaissance gardens, and the belief that this origin has been found in Petrarch, has led scholars to overlook an important distinction: the one between gardens and natural landscape, that is, between gardens and — to use a less anachronistic phrase — the locus amoenus. In fact, if every garden is a locus amoenus, in the sense of a pleasing place, not every locus amoenus is a garden. Also, garden historians' interest in Petrarch derives from the fact that h...
Time-Parallel Simulation with Compressed History

In this paper, we introduce a compressed history method which promises a significant speedup of time-parallel simulation of wireless ad hoc networks simulation. We replace the warmup interval discussed in [2,11,13] with a shorter and/or simpler simulation interval. We present an implementation of time-parallel simulation, with the compressed history as the warmup method. A series of experiments indicate a good concordance between the results of the simulations and the predicted findings.
Emotional Intelligence: New Insights and Further Clarifications

The commentaries on my target article expand on it in many useful and enlightening ways, and some provide a glimpse at important new research. The commentaries also point to a few issues raised in the original article that require clarification or elaboration. In this response, I begin by recalling the “big idea” that initially led to interest in emotional intelligence (EI) as a concept, which is that success in life and work depends on more than just the basic cognitive abilities measured by IQ tests. I then clarify what I mean by emotional and social competence (ESC): It is not a single, unitary psychological construct but rather a very broad label for a large set of constructs. After considering whether we really need the ESC concept, I discuss whether the single, comprehensive definition of EI that I proposed in the target article is the best one in light of alternatives suggested in some of the commentaries. Next, I return to the issue of measurement and note new ideas and suggestions that emerge in the commentaries. I conclude by considering the question of how much EI or ESC adds conceptually or predictively to IQ or personality.
Risk of arterial embolization in 224 patients awaiting cardiac transplantation

Abstract Of patients awaiting cardiac transplantation, 10% to 20% die before a donor heart becomes available. Embolization of left ventricular thrombus is a source of morbidity and mortality in this population. To define the incidence and possible risk factors for systemic arterial embolization, we examined the frequency of arterial embolic events and their relatiion to clinical, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic variables in 224 consecutive outpatients awaiting cardiac transplantation (left ventricular ejection fraction 0.20 ± 0.07 and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension 76 ± 11 mm). Over a follow-up period of 301 ± 371 days, during which 82 (37%) patients received warfarin, arterial embolization occurred in 6 (3%) patients, 1 of whom was receiving and 5 of whom were not receiving warfarin (difference not statistically significant). The risk of embolization was not statistically different in patients with atrial fibrillation, previous embolization, or left ventriulcar thrombus on transthoracic echocardiogram, regardless of warfarin therapy. Cumulative risk of sudden death was similar for patients with or without achocardiographically documented left ventricular thrombus. Nonfatal bleeding complications associated with warfarin therapy occurred in 2 (2%) patients. Thus in patients who are awaiting cardiac transplantation and who receive anticoagulation therapy for left ventricular thrombus, atrial fibrillation, or previous arterial embolization, the incidence of clinically detectable arterial embolization is low despite severe ventricular dilatation. Embolization is not likely a major cause of sudden death or morbidity in this population.
The Reference Interview in Archival Literature

This essay reviews the two major strands of modern archival writing about reference. The first stresses the importance of subject-finding aids; the second relies on traditional forms of archival retrieval. In recent years, each has emphasized the gains to be achieved by using new technology. However, the literature seems to be missing a crucial step: the continued, or even increased, importance of the reference interview in a technological environment. This essay raises issues for research about archival reference and calls for improved education for archivists in negotiating the reference interview.
FALL IN NOCTURNAL SERUM MELATONIN DURING PREPUBERTY AND PUBESCENCE

Morning (7:30 AM to 10:00 AM) and nighttime (11:00 PM to 1:00 AM) serum melatonin concentrations were measured in 89 children, adolescents, and young adults. Morning levels (generally 0-20 pg/ml) did not change with sexual maturation or with age. Nighttime levels decreased significantly both with sexual maturation and with age. Nighttime serum melatonin fell from 195 +/- 24 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM) in prepubertal children younger than 7 years of age, to 119 +/- 23 pg/ml in prepubertal children aged 7 years or older, to 49 +/- 4 pg/ml in young adults (puberty stage V). Similarly, nocturnal serum melatonin levels fell from 210 +/- 35 pg/ml in the youngest age group (ages 1-5) to 133 +/- 17 in children aged 5-11 years and to 46 +/- 4 in young adults. Nocturnal plasma concentrations of luteinising hormone measured at various stages of puberty tended to vary inversely with those of melatonin (r = -0.35). Past difficulties in demonstrating a relation between gonadal maturation and human pineal function may have reflected the use of insufficiently sensitive or specific melatonin assays, or serum sampling only during daytime, or the initiation of sample collection when subjects were already too old.
Experimental band dispersions Ekalong three main symmetry lines of LaB6 using angle-resolved photoemission from one crystal surface

Abstract Accurate valence band dispersions E k of LaB6 have been determined along three main symmetry lines ΓM, ΓX, and XM using one single crystal (001) surface by a simple new photoemission technique of general utility. Using direct interband transitions, E k dispersions are mapped out by suitably scanning polar emission angle and the photon energy. Detailed results agree well with recent Xα-APW energy band calculations.
Comparison of different sample preparation techniques in TEM observation of microstructure of INCONEL alloy 783 subjected to prolonged isothermal exposure.

Abstract INCONEL alloy 783 was annealed and aged following the standard heat treatment procedure. One set of specimens was then isothermally exposed at 500 °C for 3000 h. Mechanical properties were measured at room temperature and 650 °C, and the results showed the prolonged exposure increased the strength and decreased elongation of alloy 783. The microstructures of as-produced and exposed material were examined using optical microscope, SEM and TEM, respectively. Three techniques, jet electro-polishing, ion milling, and focused ion beam, were employed to prepare the TEM samples to observe the variation of microstructure of alloy 783 due to isothermal exposure. TEM images of samples prepared by different methods were analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the jet electro-polishing technique allows the detail microstructure of alloy 783 subjected to different treatments to be well revealed, and thereby the TEM images can be used to explain the enhancement of strength of alloy 783 caused by isothermal exposure.
Collaborations for success: high school to college transitions

Purpose – The paper seeks to provide an overview of innovative high school to college collaborations and initiatives at Kent State University Library. These collaborations and initiatives may serve as models and resources for future academic library high school to college programs.Design/methodology/approach – New and innovative collaborations and initiatives aimed at fostering successful high school to college student transitions are discussed.Findings – Provides overview of the K‐12 educational environment in Ohio, the collaborative environment, and opportunities for outreach and collaborative information literacy programming with high schools. Discusses new and innovative initiatives, lessons learned and provides practical considerations.Practical implications – This paper may serve as a guide and point out considerations and resources to both academic and high school libraries interested in exploring, expanding or establishing high school to college transition programming.Originality/value – Academic ...
ELECTRONIC CORRELATIONS AND ELECTRON-PHONON COUPLING IN C60

We study a model of a single molecule of C60 to obtain an understanding of the interplay between the electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in these molecules. In particular, we calculate the intramolecular phonon spectrum, infrared intensities, and the Raman intensities. We also find that when correlation effects are sufficiently strong, the Jahn-Teller distortion of the doubly charged molecule is suppressed. Thus, if the correlation effects are strong, the superconductivity in doped C60 cannot be mediated by intra-molecular Jahn-Teller phonons.
Antibodies to synthetic peptides based on band 3 motifs react specifically with Plasmodium falciparum (human malaria)-infected erythrocytes and block cytoadherence.

Rabbit polyclonal and mouse monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) prepared against synthetic peptides patterned on exofacial loops 3 (amino acids 546-555) and 7 (821-834) of the human anion transport protein band 3 inhibited the cytoadherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to C32 amelanotic melanoma cells. Mabs directed against exofacial loop 4 (amino acids 628-642) did not inhibit adherence to a significant degree. The murine Mabs recognized only P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes suggesting that the epitopes of loops 3, 4 and 7 are normally cryptic in uninfected erythrocytes
Comparison of the intubating laryngeal mask airway versus laryngoscopy in the Bell 206-L3 EMS helicopter.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study is to compare intubation success rate and time to intubation for the intubating laryngeal mask airway (I-LMA) versus direct laryngoscopy (DL) using a manikin model during a simulated in-flight scenario. Setting The setting for the study was a University hospital-based air medical program. Methods This was a prospective, randomized, crossover trial. Eight nurses and 7 paramedics were randomly assigned to perform 3 intubations with either the I-LMA or DL first and then 3 intubations using the alternate technique. Descriptive statistics, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of means, and Fisher's Exact test were conducted for comparisons. Results Fifteen set-ups and 45 intubations were performed with each technique. Previous experience was 74 mm (95% CI 64-84) with DL and 18 mm (95% CI 9-27) with the I-LMA. Set-up time was 33 seconds (95% CI 26-40) for DL and 40 seconds (95% CI 29-50) for I-LMA. Time to intubation was 12 seconds (95% CI 10-14) for DL and 39 seconds (95% CI 31-48) for I-LMA. Success rate was 100% for DL and I-LMA placement and 98% for intubation through the I-LMA. Crew rated difficulty of DL 13 mm (95% CI 6-20), placing the I-LMA 23 mm (95% CI 13-32), and intubating through the I-LMA 17 mm (95% CI 10-24). Conclusion Intubation success was very high for both DL and the I-LMA, despite less flight crew experience with the I-LMA. Total time to intubation was longer with the I-LMA but still less than 1 minute. The flight crews considered both techniques easy to perform. The I-LMA appears to be a useful adjunct for airway management in the Bell 206-L3 helicopter.
Tips of the trade: street vendors and the state in Barbados, West Indies

Presents findings from a case study into official attempts to change street vending into an “appropriate” form for tourists in Barbados. Suggests this has had a negative effect ont he vendors. Focuses on a market relocation scheme and shows how the image and the reality of street vending have clashed in a way which has harmed many of the vulnerable vendors.
Change in erythropoietin pharmacokinetics following hematopoietic transplantation.

Erythropoietin (EPO), a 34-kDa glycoprotein hormone, has a dominant action in the regulation of erythrocyte production.1 EPO exerts its biological effect in stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitors by binding to specific cell-surface receptors (EPO-Rs) that are in greatest abundance on erythroid progenitors located primarily in the bone marrow.2 EPO-Rs are also located on virtually all non-hematopoietic tissues and have diverse additional biologic effects.3 There is a paucity of information regarding which organ(s) and tissue(s) are important in EPO metabolism and elimination. Previous in vivo studies demonstrated that the kidney and liver exert no measurable effect on EPO in vivo elimination.4–6 Erythropoietic tissues in rats, e.g., bone marrow and spleen, have also been shown to rapidly metabolize EPO with tissue uptake and clearance directly correlated with the number of erythroid colony-forming units.7 These pre-clinical in vivo studies are supported by in vitro studies demonstrating that EPO is rapidly degraded by ligand-specific EPO-R erythroid progenitors,8,9 and by clinical studies in anemic patients with hypoplastic marrows manifesting high serum EPO levels relative to their hemoglobin (Hb) levels.10–12 In adults, EPO has demonstrated nonlinear pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior, with EPO clearance decreasing as the administered EPO dose increases.12–14 The half-life of EPO ranges from 4 to 8 h in healthy adults given therapeutic doses of EPO.13 In very-low-birth-weight premature infants, EPO also manifests nonlinear PK behavior, with clearances approximately threefold greater than adults.15 Notably premature and term infants also manifest proportionally greater red marrow space than children and adults.16 Together, these observations indicate that in vivo EPO’s PK behavior is nonlinear—perhaps related to the limited number of EPO-Rs located on the finite, but expandable, number of bone marrow erythroid progenitors. In this study, we hypothesized that EPO clearance decreases following myeloablative therapy in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients and subsequently increases following marrow reconstitution. To test our hypothesis, sequential EPO PK studies were performed under four distinct bone marrow conditions anticipated to differ in their erythroid activity as follows: (1) pre-bone marrow myeloablation baseline; (2) post-ablation/pre-transplant when erythroid progenitors would be absent; (3) early post-transplant pre-engraftment when erythroid progenitors would be starting to become reestablished; and (4) late post-transplant full engraftment recovery when erythroid progenitors are fully reestablished. This study design provides an opportunity to demonstrate the extent that the bone marrow may exert an important effect on EPO elimination in humans, recognizing that final proof will rely on additional mechanistically based studies yet to be done.
Gender and Public Policy in Europe: An Introduction

The past decade has witnessed a series of both empirical and scholarly developments in the study of gender and public policy in Europe. The papers in this special issue present new theoretical arguments and empirical findings, and provide a state-of-the-art analysis of feminist comparative policy across a range of issue areas, including reconciliation of work and family, reproductive rights, political representation, diversity policies, sexual harassment and gender mainstreaming. Taken together, the studies point to the multi-level nature of gender equality policies in contemporary Europe, to the complex and shifting determinants of successful feminist policies and to the maturation of feminist comparative policy as a field of study.
Effect of specimen size on work-of-fracture measurements

It has been suggested that work-of-fracture, which quantifies the ability of a material to resist fracture, is dependent on specimen size. This experiment compared work-of-fracture, calculated as energy per unit area, for different specimen sizes of Plexiglas®, bovine tibial bone and aluminum. Three different geometrically similar cross sections were tested for each material for a total of 54 specimens. Work-of-fracture was measured by loading a notched beam (triangular cross section) in three-point bending at a constant deformation rate. The energy necessary to cause fracture was measured from a load-deformation curve. Specimen fracture area was determined using macrophotography. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine weight percent calcium of bone specimens and quantitative light microscopy was used to determine fractional void area. Analysis of variance showed no effect of specimen size on work-of-fracture for aluminum or Plexiglas speciments (p > 0.05). A significant difference was found, however, between the large (area = 11.7 ± 1.9 mm2) and small (area = 3.48 ± 0.68 mm2) bone specimens and between the medium (area = 5.89 ± 0.69 mm2) and small (area = 3.48 ± 0.68 mm2) bone specimens. No correlation was found between work-of-fracture and either calcium content (r2 = 0.128) or fractional void area (r2 = 0.0713). The mean work-of-fracture values found are as follows: aluminum, 59.8 ± 13.7 kJ m−2; Plexiglas, 0.620 ± 0.074 kJ m−2; bone (area 5.89 ± 0.69 mm2−11.7 ± 1.9 mm2), 9.72 ± 1.93 kJ m−2 and bone (area 3.48 ± 0.68 mm2), 5.48 ± 1.79 kJ m−2.
Altered respiration and proton permeability in liver mitochondria from genetically dystrophic mice.

Abstract Liver mitochondria from dystrophic mice respire at lower rates than do those from normal littermates. Defective respiration is associated with relative exclusion of anions from the mitochondrial interior and with greatly diminished permeability to protons. Similar membrane alterations could, in principle, account for the pathology observed in muscle from these animals.
The Heyrons of London: A Study in the Social Origins of Geoffrey Chaucer

GEOFFREY CHAUCER'S grandmother Mary had three husbands. The second, Robert Chaucer, a London vintner, gave to the poet his surname and his descent from a line of Ipswich taverners, sometimes called Malyn.2 The third, Richard Chaucer, also a vintner of London, brought up Geoffrey's father John Chaucer in the wholesale wine trade. The first, John Heyron the younger of London, by whom Mary had a son Thomas Heyron, a vintner,3 seems to have been a pepperer by trade. He and his son certainly exerted a powerful, albeit indirect, influence upon the environment of Geoffrey Chaucer in childhood, if not in later life also. The identity of Mary Chaucer's first husband with John Heyron the younger of London is proved by her dealings with land at Ashwell in Hertfordshire and Edmonton in Middlesex and by the descent to her son Thomas of two London tenements which had belonged to this John Heyron. At Ashwell, John Heyron had a leasehold house and garden which he surrendered to the Abbot of Westminster, as lord of the manor, after the lessor under whom he held had been hanged for felony. The Abbey accountants long associated the tenement with his name, and in 1306, his widow, Mary, joined her second husband Robert Chaucer in releasing it to the Abbot, describing it as held by her former husband, John Heyron of London.4 The land at Edmonton lay on the normal route by which the Abbot's corn was taken from Ashwell to London and Westminster, being first carted to Ware and thence down the River Lea past Enfield and Edmonton. In January, 1305, Robert Chaucer and Mary sued out a writ concerning ten acres of her land at Edmonton, claiming that her former husband, John Heyron, had let them to Ralph the Clerk of Edmonton against her will. The parties agreed in 1307 that Ralph should retain the land in exchange for 100 s.5 The tenements of which the descent proves the identity of Mary's husband, John Heyron of London, with John Heyron the younger, son to a Thomas Heyron, citizen and pepperer, lay on either side of that stretch of Watling Street which ran eastwards from the church of St Mary Aldermary to the corner where Soper Lane entered the street from the north. The northern tenement (A) was divided by the parish boundary between St. Mary and St. Antolin (or Antony,
Toward amide-linked RNA mimics: total synthesis of 3'-C branched uridine azido acid via an ene-iodolactonization approach.

A novel synthesis of 3‘-C branched uridine azido acid has been accomplished by a sequence of stereoselective ene and iodolactonization reactions. Compared to traditional routes that start from carbohydrates, the present methodology is more flexible and can be further optimized by incorporation of novel future developments of synthetic chemistry. Because the key chemistry does not involve the 3‘-C substituent, our route is a general approach to 3‘-C alkyl nucleoside analogues.
Soil bioretention protects juvenile salmon and their prey from the toxic impacts of urban stormwater runoff

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), or low impact development, encompasses a diverse and expanding portfolio of strategies to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff on natural systems. Benchmarks for GSI success are usually framed in terms of hydrology and water chemistry, with reduced flow and loadings of toxic chemical contaminants as primary metrics. Despite the central goal of protecting aquatic species abundance and diversity, the effectiveness of GSI treatments in maintaining diverse assemblages of sensitive aquatic taxa has not been widely evaluated. In the present study we characterized the baseline toxicity of untreated urban runoff from a highway in Seattle, WA, across six storm events. For all storms, first flush runoff was toxic to the daphniid Ceriodaphnia dubia, causing up to 100% mortality or impairing reproduction among survivors. We then evaluated whether soil media used in bioretention, a conventional GSI method, could reduce or eliminate toxicity to juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as well as their macroinvertebrate prey, including cultured C. dubia and wild-collected mayfly nymphs (Baetis spp.). Untreated highway runoff was generally lethal to salmon and invertebrates, and this acute mortality was eliminated when the runoff was filtered through soil media in bioretention columns. Soil treatment also protected against sublethal reproductive toxicity in C. dubia. Thus, a relatively inexpensive GSI technology can be highly effective at reversing the acutely lethal and sublethal effects of urban runoff on multiple aquatic species.
Chemical looping gasification of solid fuels using bimetallic oxygen carrier particles – Feasibility assessment and process simulations

Abstract The chemical looping gasification (CLG) process utilizes an iron-based oxygen carrier to convert carbonaceous fuels into hydrogen and electricity while capturing CO2. Although the process has the potential to be efficient and environmentally friendly, the activity of the iron-based oxygen carrier is relatively low, especially for solid fuel conversion. In the present study, we propose to incorporate a secondary oxygen carrying metal oxide, i.e. CuO, to the iron-based oxygen carrier. Using the “oxygen-uncoupling” characteristics of CuO, gaseous oxygen is released at a high temperature to promote the conversion of both Fe2O3 and coal. Experiments carried out using a Thermal-Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) indicate that a bimetallic oxygen carrier consisting of a small amount (5% by weight) of CuO is more effective for coal char conversion when compared to oxygen carrier without copper addition. ASPEN Plus® simulations and mathematical modeling of the process indicate that the incorporation of a small amount of copper leads to increased hydrogen yield and process efficiency.
A family of fibrinogen-binding MSCRAMMs from Enterococcus faecalis

We report that three (EF0089, EF2505 and EF1896, renamed here Fss1, Fss2 and Fss3, respectively, for Enterococcus faecalis surface protein) of the recently predicted MSCRAMMs (microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules) in E. faecalis strain V583 bind fibrinogen (Fg). Despite an absence of extensive primary sequence homology, the three proteins appear to be related structurally. Within the N-terminal regions of the three enterococcal proteins, we identified pairs of putative IgG-like modules with a high degree of predicted structural similarity to the Fg-binding N2 and N3 domains of the staphylococcal MSCRAMMs ClfA and SdrG. A second N2N3-like segment was predicted in Fss1. Far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that all four predicted N2N3-like regions are composed mainly of β-sheets with only a minor proportion of α-helices, which is characteristic of Ig-like folded domains. Three of the four identified enterococcal N2N3-like regions showed potent dose-dependent binding to Fg. However, the specificity of the Fg-binding MSCRAMMs differs, as indicated by far-Western blots, which showed that recombinant segments of the MSCRAMMs bound different Fg polypeptide chains. Enterococci grown in serum-supplemented broth adhere to Fg-coated surfaces, and inactivation in strain OG1RF of the gene encoding Fss2 resulted in reduced adherence, whilst complementation of the mutant restored full Fg adherence. Thus, E. faecalis contains a family of MSCRAMMs that structurally and functionally resemble the Fg-binding MSCRAMMs of staphylococci.
Orbital Solitary Fibrous Tumor: A Case Series with Review of the Literature

AbstractPurpose: To report the clinical features, patient demographics, management, and outcomes of a series of patients with orbital solitary fibrous tumors (OSFTs) and provide a review of the English literature describing this rare entity.Design: A review of patient demographics, clinical presentations, imaging, histopathology, surgical management, and outcomes were analyzed.Methods: A non-comparative retrospective chart review of the demographics, clinical presentations, imaging, histopathological features, management, and disease outcomes of patients presenting to a tertiary orbital center with a tissue diagnosis of OSFT between 2007–2012 was performed along with a review of the English-language literature.Results: Our study included four male patients, with a mean age of 48 years at referral. The most common presentations included a slowly growing mass, globe displacement, diplopia on extreme gazes, and/or facial disfiguration. All tumors were analyzed with histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Tr...
An evaluation of two implementation strategies for optimizing one-sided atomic reduction

One-sided atomic reduction, also known as the accumulate operation, combines atomically a content of the local buffer with data at remote memory location. This operation has been included in the MPI-2 standard a, MPI/spl I.bar/Accumulate. The current paper discusses two strategies for implementing one-sided atomic reduction called owner-computes and caller-computes. Performance of these two schemes has been investigated on the HP AlphaServer SC45 and HP zx-2600 clusters both equipped with the Quadrics Elan-3 network.
QSAR: hydropathic analysis of inhibitors of the p53-mdm2 interaction.

To date, a number of p53-derived peptides have been evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit the carcinogenic p53–mdm2 interaction. Design of second-generation nonpeptidic compounds requires the reduction of large peptide structures down to small molecules maintaining the proper spatial arrangement of key functional groups. Molecular modeling software exists that can predict and rank intermolecular interactions from the p53–mdm2 complex crystal structure. Such analyses can yield a pharmacophore model suitable as a search query for a 3D chemical database to generate new lead compounds. As preliminary validation of this methodology, the Hydropathic INTeractions (HINT) program has been used to generate noncovalent interaction measurements between reported peptide inhibitors and mdm2. Quantitative structure–activity relationships were developed expressing peptide activity as a linear combination of hydropathic descriptors. In general, HINT measurements accurately modeled the effects of even single-atom alterations of the p53–peptide structure on activity, accounting for 70–90% of variation in experimental inhibition constants. These results surpassed those of a recently described molecular dynamics-based approach and required significantly less computation time. In conclusion, the HINT program can be integrated into the drug design cycle for next-generation p53–mdm2 complex inhibitors with confidence in its ability to simulate this noteworthy protein–protein interaction. Proteins 2001;45:169–175. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Biogeography of the genus Craterocephalus (Teleostei: Atherinidae) in Australia

The genus Craterocephalus is one of the 11 genera within the family Atherinidae. It is the only genus in the family that has undergone an extensive radiation within freshwater habitats. Five species groups are represented within the genus, with 18 species found in Australia, six in New Guinea and one in East Timor. Craterocephalus is the equal fourth most widespread genus in Australian freshwater environments (occurring in 21 out of 31 biogeographic regions), and the most speciose (13 species). This allows identification of broad biogeographic patterns that can later be contrasted with other groups that overlap geographically. Phylogenetic relationships of Craterocephalus were examined using the cytochrome b gene. Results confirmed the monophyly of five species groups, with the marine ‘‘new honoriae” group being basal, suggesting a single invasion of freshwater habitats. The ‘‘capreoli” group and one species, C. munroi represents reversals back into marine/estuarine conditions. The most striking result from this study is the degree of differentiation between species in the separate freshwater groups within Craterocephalus. Despite often occurring sympatrically in river systems, interspecies and population divergences from ‘‘eyresii” and ‘‘stramineus” groups were substantially larger than divergences within ‘‘stercusmuscarum.” Despite being one of the best freshwater groups characterized morphologically within Australia, it is clear that additional morphological work is required to clarify taxonomic problems within Craterocephalus ,a s molecular data suggest some species are synonymous, while others appear to represent multiple unrecognized taxa.
The Spatial Concentration of Southern Whites and Argument-Based Lethal Violence

This analysis examines how the spatial concentration of Southern whites is associated with white argument-based lethal violence. Using a well-known measure of spatial segregation (V, the adjusted P* index) among Southern-born whites in U.S. counties in 2000, the results reveal that the spatial concentration of Southern-born whites is only moderately correlated with their overall representation within counties. This confirms that the quantity of Southerners in an area is not the same thing as their spatial distribution within that same area. Multivariate negative binomial regression models confirm that white argument homicide rates are higher where white Southerners are more spatially concentrated, a link that is confined to Southern counties. The findings illustrate the important role spatial arrangements may play in producing expressive violence among white Southerners.
Role of histamine in implantation: inhibition of histidine decarboxylase induces delayed implantation in the rabbit.

Implantation in the rabbit occurs between 156-168 h postcoitum (p.c.), and by 175 h p.c. implanting blastocysts cannot normally be flushed intact from the uterine lumen. The effect of an intraluminal injection of DL-a-methylhistidine (DL-a-MH), a specific inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, on implantation in the rabbit was studied. An intraluminal injection of 2.5 mg of DL-aMH at 102 h p.c. interfered with implantation in the rabbit sacrificed at 175 h p.c. Implantation rates were reduced by more than 60% and this was reflected in the increased number of morphologically expanded normal blastocysts which were flushed from the uterine lumen intact. On the other hand, the same treatment did not significantly reduce the number of embryos implanted nor the viability of fetuses when examined on Day 12. However, 4 mg of DL-a-MH drastically reduced the implantation rates as well as the viability of the implanted embryos on Day 12. The intraluminal injections of various doses of L-histidine did not significantly affect the implantation rates or the viability of the fetuses. These results as well as our previous findings suggest that implantation may have been delayed for some time due to inhibition of embryonic histamine synthesis by DL-a-MH.
One‐dimensional hybrid simulations of planetary ion pickup: Techniques and verification

[1] Previously, hybrid simulation techniques using massless fluid electrons and kinetic ions have been successfully applied to study the electromagnetic plasma waves generated by ion pickup in the solar wind, where instability is driven by the large drift velocities of newborn ion populations. For ion pickup at Jupiter and Saturn's magnetospheres where instability is driven by heavy ions with a ring velocity distribution, we show that the one-dimensional hybrid simulation technique can successfully reproduce the behavior of this instability as predicted by linear dispersion theory as well as the important nonlinear wave-particle interactions. The simulated ion cyclotron waves have frequencies near the ion gyrofrequency and are generated as the anisotropic newborn ion ring distribution scatters to a more isotropic configuration. Simulated maximum wave amplitudes and instability growth rates increase with newborn ion density and pickup velocity. For appropriate heavy pickup ion densities and velocities the simulated wave amplitudes are within the range observed by spacecraft.
The Year Bearer's People: repatriation of ethnographic and sacred knowledge to the Jakaltek Maya of Guatemala

In the early decades of this century, ethnographers who believed that the indigenous cultures of the Americas were in imminent danger of extinction undertook a variety of methods to record the vestiges of these cultures. Often carried out in collaboration with the controlling political powers, these ethnographic nonetheless became both instruments of persecution against traditional religious practices and the last records of these practices. One such ethnography, The Year Bearer's People, recorded by Oliver La Farge in 1927, became the only remaining record of this religious ceremony that commemorated the new year and was central to the life of the Jakaltek Maya in the Kuchumatan highland region of Guatemala. In this article, the author recounts the translation of this ethnography and the return of this sacred knowledge to the Maya community.
The New Environmental West

Over the past three decades environmental objectives have emerged in the West with considerable strength and influence to reshape public attitudes. Until World War II agriculture and raw-materials extraction still dominated the region's economic and political views.' But in recent years the West has begun to change rapidly. New residents have brought with them new attitudes toward natural resources. Increasingly, those resources are thought of as an environment to enhance individual and regional standards of living rather than as material commodities alone. An indigenous environmental constitutency has become more vigorous in challenging the previously dominant extractive economy of lumber, grazing, and mining.
An optimization based network reduction method with generator placement

Power system analysis on a large scale system is computationally expensive. Nowadays, due to the transmission and generation expansion and the rise of the renewable resources, the system is becoming larger and denser. Consequently, the burden of the computation is prohibitive. Network equivalence is a technique which can replace the original large and complicated system model by a small and simplified equivalent model. Ward reduction is commonly used by researchers. However, the traditional Ward reduction is not capable to satisfy different study objectives. More critically, the external generator splitting problem limits its use of solving dc OPF problem. In order to improve the flexibility of Ward reduction, this paper proposed a combined optimization based network reduction method which can generate a reduced network model by solving an optimization problem and place the external generators in a robust and accurate way.
Effect of Film-Hole Shape on Turbine-Blade Film-Cooling Performance

The detailed heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness distributions as well as tile detailed coolant jet temperature profiles on the suction side of a gas turbine blade A,ere measured using a transient liquid crystal image method and a traversing cold wire and a traversing thermocouple probe, respectively. The blade has only one row of film holes near the gill hole portion on the suction side of the blade. The hole geometries studied include standard cylindrical holes and holes with diffuser shaped exit portion (i.e. fanshaped holes and laidback fanshaped holes). Tests were performed on a five-blade linear cascade in a low-speed wind tunnel. The mainstream Reynolds number based on cascade exit velocity was 5.3 x 10(exp 5). Upstream unsteady wakes were simulated using a spoke-wheel type wake generator. The wake Strouhal number was kept at 0 or 0.1. Coolant blowing ratio was varied from 0.4 to 1.2. Results show that both expanded holes have significantly improved thermal protection over the surface downstream of the ejection location, particularly at high blowing ratios. However, the expanded hole injections induce earlier boundary layer transition to turbulence and enhance heat transfer coefficients at the latter part of the blade suction surface. In general, the unsteady wake tends to reduce film cooling effectiveness.
Requirement of PKR Dimerization Mediated by Specific Hydrophobic Residues for Its Activation by Double-Stranded RNA and Its Antigrowth Effects in Yeast

The roles of protein dimerization and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) binding in the biochemical and cellular activities of PKR, the dsRNA-dependent protein kinase, were investigated. We have previously shown that both properties of the protein are mediated by the same domain. Here we show that dimerization is mediated by hydrophobic residues present on one side of an amphipathic alpha-helical structure within this domain. Appropriate substitution mutations of residues on that side produced mutants with increased or decreased dimerization activities. Using these mutants, we demonstrated that dimerization is not essential for dsRNA binding. However, enhancing dimerization artificially, by providing an extraneous dimerization domain, increased dsRNA binding of both wild-type and mutant proteins. In vitro, the dimerization-defective mutants could not be activated by dsRNA but were activated normally by heparin. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unlike wild-type PKR, these mutants could not inhibit cell growth and the dsRNA-binding domain of the dimerization-defective mutants could not prevent the antigrowth effect of wild-type PKR. These results demonstrate the biological importance of the dimerization properties of PKR.
Inhibitory Effect of Hypothalamic Medial Preoptic Area Somatostatin on Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor in the Rat

Possibleinhibitoryeffectsofsomatostatin(SRIF) on GRF were studied by assessing spontaneous GH secretion and GRF content and release in adult male rats depleted of hypothalamic SRIF by anterolateral hypothalamic deafferentation (AHD) or electrolytic lesions in the medial preoptic area (MPO). Plasma GH levels were measured 7 days postoperatively every 20 min in conscious animals with indwelling iv cannulae. Median eminence SRIF was markedly reduced 8 days postoperatively in both AHD and MPO rats, as determined by immunohistochemistry and RIA (P < 0.01). Although GRF immunoreactivity in the median eminence of AHD and MPO animals appeared well preserved immunocytochemically, hypothalamic GRF content by RIA was significantly decreased at 8 days (P < 0.01). Spontaneous GH secretion was pulsatile in sham-operated animals. In contrast, basal GH levels in AHD and MPO animals were markedly elevated (P < 0.01), and secretory pulses were absent. Intravenous injection of specific anti-GRF serum into MPO animals decrea...
Treatment Spillover Effects across Survey Experiments

Embedding experiments within surveys has reinvigorated survey research in general and especially in political science. These designs use random assignment to create true experiments within (typically nationally) representative sample surveys. Thus, they combine the internal validity of experiments with the external validity of national surveys. We investigate whether experimental treatments spill over and effect later experiments in an unintended manner. Using the 1991 Race and Politics survey, we find evidence of experimental spillover. Specifically we find that experiments at the beginning of a survey influence later experiments. We also find (much less) evidence of adjacent experiments affecting subsequent experiments. The paper concludes with a discussion of designs for future research that could aid our understanding of experimental spillover.
Early American Checks and an Example of Their Use

The taxonomy and utility of early American checks are suggested by Dr. Redlich and an example of their use by the customers of Stephen Girard's Bank, 1812–1834, is supplied by Mr. Christman. Readers are encouraged to comment on or supplement this first attempt at the history of an important business instrument.
Dispositional Hope as a Moderator of the Link Between Social Comparison With Friends and Eighth-Grade Students’ Perceptions of Academic Competence:

We examined the link between social comparison with friends and self-perceptions of academic competence during adolescence and how personality may play a role in this link. Participants were 193 eighth-grade students who attended a rural, mid-Atlantic middle school. We used difference scores to measure the extent to which students’ nominated and reciprocated friends had higher academic performance in math and reading than the students themselves. Regression analyses revealed that, as students’ friends had higher math test scores than the students themselves, students’ academic self-competence decreased. For reading, however, a similar result only held for students with higher levels of dispositional hope. The role that hope plays in how students interpret unfavorable social comparisons, and in how they view their academic competence, may not be straightforward. The implications of social comparison may also vary across academic domains.