cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms for critical-current degradation in NbTi and Nb 3 Sn multifilamentary wires

Critical currents of NbTi and Nb 3 Sn multifilamentary wires have been studied in magnetic fields to 9 T as a function of mechanical load applied at 4 K. Degradation of the critical current in NbTi is limited to about 30% with the effect becoming large only at strains above ∼ 1%. The change in critical current with strain is much larger in Nb 3 Sn, commencing at strains of 0.1 to 0.3%. For both superconductors, the first 20 to 30% decrease in critical current is almost totally reversible. A number of possible explanations of the observed degradation are considered, including filament breakage, heat generation by mechanical creep, degradation of the stabilizing matrix, and defect formation in the superconductor itself. Results of experiments to test the source of degradation are reported. Evidence for microcrack damage in the Nb 3 Sn reaction layer has been found and it is suggested that defect size variations on the order of a coherence length (∼ 5 nm) can account for the reversibility of the degradation as well as low-strain enhancement effects.
Gastric intramucosal pH and multiple organ injury: impact of ischemia-reperfusion and xanthine oxidase.

ObjectivesTo determine if gastric intramucosal pH is affected by hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion. We additionally proposed to determine if changes in gastric mucosal hydrogen ion concentration are associated with liver and lung injury following hepatoenteric ischemia-reperfusion. Finally, we hypo
Neuropsychiatric side effects of HCV therapy and their treatment: focus on IFNα-induced depression

Psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, and substance-use disorders (SUDs) are common comorbidities in patients who have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Patients who are infected with HCV who are treated with interferon alfa (IFNalpha) are also at significant risk for IFNalpha-induced depression (incidence, ~20-30%) and other neuropsychiatric side effects that can affect treatment adherence, require dose reduction or discontinuation, and impact patient quality of life adversely. Because psychiatric illness and SUD comorbidities are so common, patients who have hepatitis C should be screened for these disorders. If these disorders are present, patients should be referred to a mental health care provider for appropriate treatment before therapy with IFNalpha is considered. Having a comanagement model of care that involves mental health care providers should help identify appropriate candidates for IFNalpha therapy. If preexisting depression responds to antidepressant treatment IFNalpha therapy can then be initiated. Patients who have other active psychiatric disorders can probably be offered IFNalpha therapy safely with appropriate monitoring and management involving a mental health care professional; however, there is a paycity of research in this area, and the few published studies have small sample sizes. If depression develops during IFNalpha therapy, most patients respond to treatment with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, often allowing patients to continue receiving IFNalpha therapy. In addition to screening patients and treating those who have psychiatric disorders before IFNalpha therapy is started, early recognition of psychiatric disorders and neuropsychiatric side effects during IRNalpha therapy through continued screening and monitoring, with appropriate management, can potentially maximize HCV treatment adherence and possibly improve antiviral therapy outcomes.
Phylogeny of bird-grasshopper subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and the evolution of locust phase polyphenism

Locust phase polyphenism is an extreme form of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity in which solitary and cryptic grasshoppers can transform into gregarious and conspicuous locusts in response to an increase in local population density. We investigated the evolution of this complex phenotypic plasticity in a phylogenetic framework using a morphological phylogeny of Cyrtacanthacridinae, which contains some of the most important locust species, and a comprehensive literature review on the biology and ecology of all known members of the subfamily. A phylogenetic analysis based on 71 morphological characters yielded a well-resolved tree and found that locust phase polyphenism evolved multiple times within the subfamily. The literature review demonstrated that many cyrtacanthacridine species, both locust and sedentary, are capable of expressing density-dependent color plasticity. When this color plasticity was divided into two smaller components, background coloration and development of black pigmentation, and when these plastic traits were optimized on to the phylogeny, we found that the physiological mechanisms underlying this plasticity were plesiomorphic for the subfamily. We also found that different locust species in Cyrtacanthacridinae express both similarities and differences in their locust phase polyphenism. Because locust phase polyphenism is a complex syndrome consisting of numerous plastic traits, we treat it as a composite character and dissected it into smaller components. The similarities among locust species could be attributed to shared ancestry and the differences could be attributed to the certain components of locust phase polyphenism evolving at different rates. © The Willi Hennig Society 2007.
A single-phase 5-level inverter with FACTS capability using modular multi-level converter (MMC) topology

Renewable energy systems have become a major part of the modern power systems. Clearly, to connect renewable energy systems to the main grid, a power inverter is needed. There are two major topologies for renewable energy inverters, namely conventional two-level topology and multi-level topology. The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is one of the most advanced multi-level topologies that have gained increasing attention recently. In addition to an inverter in a renewable energy system, capacitor banks or STATCOMs are needed to compensate the reactive power of the grid. In this paper a novel single-phase MMC-based inverter with STATCOM capability for grid connection is proposed. The proposed inverter is designed for grid-connected wind turbines in the mid-sized range. In the proposed control strategy, active and reactive power is controlled by the power angle and the modulation index, respectively. The function of the proposed inverter is to transfer active power to the grid as well as keeping the power factor of the local grid constant at a target power factor regardless of the incoming active power from the renewable energy source, especially from a wind turbine. Generally, the main goal of this paper is to present a new inverter with FACTS capability in a single unit without any additional cost. The simulations have been done in MATLAB/Simulink for a 5-level inverter. A scaled prototype model of the proposed inverter has been built and tested to verify the simulation results.
Penetration in spot GTA welds during centrifugation

Convective flow during arc welding processes mainly depends on electromagnetic force, Marangoni force, and buoyancy force. The Marangoni flow (caused by surface tension gradient,dγ/dT)and the buoyancy driven flow are the major factors in controlling weld penetration in austenitic stainless steels, such as types 304 and 316. Alloys 304 and 316 were subjected to a 7 s spot gas-tungsten arc (SGTA) welding at 1 g (g = 9.8 m/s2)and 5 g accelerations. The welds at 5 g were performed on Clarkson University’s multigravity research welding system (MGRWS). The cross sections of the fusion zones were polished/etched, and their depth (D)and width (W)were measured to ± 0.025 mm. It was determined that the depth/width ratio (D/W)of the welds decreased as the acceleration increased from 1 to 5 g. This result indicates that increase in buoyancy driven flow will produce wider but shallower welds during SGTA welding.
Preschoolers' Competence with a Peer: Relations with Attachment and Peer Experience.

LIEBERMAN, ALICIA F. Preschoolers' Competence with a Peer: Relations with Attachment and Peer Experience. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 1277-1287. 40 3-year-olds participated in a short-term longitudinal study assessing the relationship between peer competence and 2 antecedent variables, the security of the attachment relationship with the mother and the amount of experience with peers. Security of attachment was assessed through a home visit, the laboratorybased "strange situation,"and a standardized maternal-attitude scale. The mother's report was used to estimate amount of experience with peers. Peer competence was assessed from the subjects' behavior in a familiar laboratory playroom with an unfamiliar same-age, same-sex playmate. Security of attachment as assessed at home was highly positively correlated with peer experience. Partial correlations showed that security of attachment was correlated only with nonverbal measures of peer competence, whereas peer experience was correlated only with verbal measures. It was concluded that security of attachment and peer experience were related to different aspects of peer competence. A separate analysis showed that maternal attitudes toward the child's expression of aggression and freedom to explore were significantly correlated with the measures of peer competence.
Resistance in Lactuca spp. to Microdochium panattoniana (lettuce anthracnose)

Four hundred and forty-nine lines of Lactuca spp. were screened for resistance to an isolate of Microdochium panattoniana. Eighty-seven lines were resistant. Forty-four lines were then screened for resistance to four isolates; twelve groups of lines were identified on the basis of their pattern of resistance. A differential set of lines was used to analyse nine further isolates; this revealed five races of M. panattoniana. Salad Bowl was the only cultivar found to be resistant to three races. A line of L. saligna, UC83US1, was the only line found to be resistant to all the isolates tested.
Modulation of myocardial mitochondrial mechanisms during severe polymicrobial sepsis in the rat.

Background: We tested the hypothesis that 5-Hydroxydecanoic acid (5HD), a putative mitoKATP channel blocker, will reverse sepsis-induced cardiodynamic and adult rat ventricular myocyte (ARVM) contractile dysfunction, restore mitochondrial membrane permeability alterations and improve survival. Methodology/Principal Findings: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (350–400 g) were made septic using 400 mg/kg cecal inoculum, ip. Sham animals received 5% dextrose water, ip. The Voltage Dependent Anion Channels (VDAC1), Bax and cytochrome C levels were determined in isolated single ARVMs obtained from sham and septic rat heart. Mitochondria and cytosolic fractions were isolated from ARVMs treated with norepinephrine (NE, 10 mmoles) in the presence/absence of 5HD (100 mmoles). A continuous infusion of 5HD using an Alzet pump reversed sepsis-induced mortality when administered at the time of induction of sepsis (240%) and at 6 hr post-sepsis (220%). Electrocardiography revealed that 5HD reversed sepsis-induced decrease in the average ejection fraction, Simpsons+m Mode (53.562.5 in sepsis and 69.261.2 at 24 hr in sepsis+5HD vs. 79.961.5 basal group) and cardiac output (63.361.2 mL/min sepsis and 79.363.9 mL/min at 24 hr in sepsis+5HD vs. 85.861.5 mL/min basal group). The treatment of ARVMs with 5HD also reversed sepsis-induced depressed contractility in both the vehicle and NE-treated groups. Sepsis produced a significant downregulation of VDAC1, and upregulation of Bax levels, along with mitochondrial membrane potential collapse in ARVMs. Pretreatment of septic ARVMs with 5HD blocked a NE-induced decrease in the VDAC1 and release of cytochrome C. Conclusion: The data suggest that Bax activation is an upstream event that may precede the opening of the mitoKATP channels in sepsis. We concluded that mitoKATP channel inhibition via decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced release of cytochrome C provided protection against sepsis-induced ARVM and myocardial contractile dysfunction.
Clifford Geertz and Peter Berger on Religion: Their Differing and Changing Views

Clifford Geertz, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, Robert Bellah, Peter Berger, and Erik Erikson offer a distinctively contemporary social scientific approach to religion. Yet the differences among them are as important as the similarities. While all six maintain that religion serves to make sense of life, they differ sharply over the form sense takes and over how sense is forged. The cases of Geertz and Berger illustrate these differences. Moreover, the views of the six have themselves changed, as again the cases of Geertz and Berger illustrate. Earlier Geertz is concerned most with the effect of religion on society; later Geertz, with its effect on the individual. Earlier Geertz “explains” religion; later Geertz “interprets” it. Earlier Berger disapproves of both the effect of religion and the justification offered for religion; later Berger approves of both. Earlier Berger argues that the social sciences cannot assess the truth of religion; later Berger, that they can.
An unusual case of adnexal infantile hemangioma

A four-year-old girl, a known case of infantile hemangioma of the left lower lid, presented, because of progressive rapid growth of the tumor, with episodes of spontaneous bleeding. Multiple local injections of a mixture of triamcinolone and betamethasone sodium phosphate were used with unsatisfactory results. Surgical excision of the lesion provided adequate cosmetic and physiologic control.
MEASUREMENTS ON FULLY WETTED AND VENTILATED RING WING HYDROFOILS

Force measurements and visual observations were made in a water tunnel on fully wetted and ventilated flows past a family of conical ring wings having a flat plate section geometry. The diameter-chord ratio was varied from one to three, and the total included cone angle was 12 degrees. The fully wetted flows all exhibited separation from the leading edge except for the largest diameter-chord ratio, a result which was in agreement with previous work. The effect of ventilation is to reduce markedly the lift curve slope. Pressure distribution measurements were also made under ventilating conditions for one member of this series. The effect of ventilation over only a portion of the circumference of the ring was also briefly investigated. Large cross forces were developed by such ventilation and some comparisons are made between this method of obtaining control forces and more conventional methods.
The developmental appearance of α-bungarotoxin binding sites on rodent spinal cord neurons in cell culture

Abstract [125I]α-Bungarotoxin specifically binds to a subpopulation of rodent spinal cord neurons in vitro. Binding first becomes apparent between 1 and 2 weeks in culture and then increases dramatically after 3 weeks. Similarly, cell suspensions from freshly dissociated embryonic spinal cords do not bind toxin whereas cell suspensions from 1 week old neonates demonstrate specific binding of [125I]α-bungarotoxin. In vitro, binding is inhibited more effectively in the presence of nicotinic rather than muscarinic agents. Autoradiography of [125I]α-bungarotoxin binding to 4-week-old cultures revealed a uniform labeling pattern over cell somas and processes. Although the relation of toxin binding to functional acetylcholine receptors is not known, the appearance of toxin binding sites may have some developmental significance for the maturation of cholinergic transmission or the maintenance of synaptic connections.
Passing the Baton: Helping Your Successor to Succeed

Abstract When most CIOs transition from one information technology group to that of another company, they seldom think about what happens to their old group once they leave. Instead, the outgoing CIO begins focusing on the challenges of the new situation. A true act of leadership, however, is to consider how to help one's replacement to hit the ground running.
Life History and Demographic Parameters of Dacus latifrons (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The Malaysian fruit fly, Dacus taufrons (Hendel), is the most recent fruit-infesting tephritid to become established in Hawaii. This species was reared in our laboratory on pepper, Capsicum annum L., a commonly infested host in Hawaii. At a constant temperature of 26.6°C duration of preadult development was 21 days. Mortalities of 19, 30, and 16% were recorded for the egg, larval, and pupal stages, respectively. Mean total eggs per female oviposited in pepper was 256.2 and mean female longevity 64.1 days. With a mean generation time of 48.1 days and a net reproductive rate of 61.1, intrinsic rate of increase was 0.09, a value lower than that of other Dacus species in Hawaii.
Partial-wave analysis and baryon spectroscopy⋆

We continue to update our PWA of fundamental reactions as new data become available. Of primary interest to the N* program are πN elastic scattering and the photo- and electroproduction of pions. Other photo-reactions are more model dependent, but may reveal resonances coupling weakly to πN final states. We also mention recent results from nucleon-nucleon elastic scattering, which have a less well-known connection to experimental programs proposing to extract N* properties from complete experiments.
Postcare Recommendations for Emergency Department Wounds

Diligent posttreatment wound care management undoubtedly will improve wound outcome and patient satisfaction. There are limited recommendations in the literature to guide management plans. Nevertheless patients must receive specific instructions to complete wound care. These instructions should include whether a dressing is indicated, which dressing should be used, the duration of use, and the method of application. The plan must explain clearly the reasons for returning for further medical attention, for follow-up, for routine removal of sutures/staples, and an earlier return for possible concerns of infection or dehiscence. Preprinted discharge instruction sheets are useful, and illustrations can be helpful.
A Macroeconomic Approach to Teaching Supply-Side Economics

A graphical approach shows that in order for the tax revenue to increase, following a reduction in the marginal rate, the increase of aggregate supply must be greater the lower the price level elasticity of aggregate demand.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF TWO ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURES

ABSTRACT This study examined the cultures of two entrepreneurial firms, ABC Advertising Agency and JIM Media Management. Results indicated that ABC's creative culture was attributed mainly to idea clashes among account executives, copywriters and artists. In addition, other factors that contributed to creativity revolved around a flexible and unstructured work environment which provided employees with autonomy, work variety, and job security. As for JIM, its co-operative culture was due to management's high concern for people and performance, an effective personnel selection and placement process, equitable rewards, tasks with “pooled” and “sequential” interdependence, and person/job congruence.
Neuroendocrine control of seasonal plasticity in the auditory and vocal systems of fish

Seasonal changes in reproductive-related vocal behavior are widespread among fishes. This review highlights recent studies of the vocal plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, a neuroethological model system used for the past two decades to explore neural and endocrine mechanisms of vocal-acoustic social behaviors shared with tetrapods. Integrative approaches combining behavior, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroanatomy, and gene expression methodologies have taken advantage of simple, stereotyped and easily quantifiable behaviors controlled by discrete neural networks in this model system to enable discoveries such as the first demonstration of adaptive seasonal plasticity in the auditory periphery of a vertebrate as well as rapid steroid and neuropeptide effects on vocal physiology and behavior. This simple model system has now revealed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying seasonal and steroid-driven auditory and vocal plasticity in the vertebrate brain.
Retrace error evaluation on a figure-measuring interferometer

A micro-refractive lens figure error measurement is performed at the confocal position with the interferometer in reflection mode. The wavefront in the interferometer reflecting from the test surface inherently has aberrations at some level, and reflection from an imperfect test surface further deviates the wavefront and adds to the interferometer aberrations. The interferometer aberration causes each ray of light to reflect off the test lens and back into the interferometer at a different angle. Consequently, the ray takes a different path back through the interferometer and therefore accumulates a different aberration. The result is a re-trace error which increases with the test lens surface curvature and becomes significant in the micro-optic range. The dependence of test part radius on micro-lens figure-error-measuring interferometer wavefront bias data was confirmed both experimentally and by software simulation. Results clearly indicate that the re-trace error increases with test lens surface curvature. The fact that re-trace errors depend on the radius of the test part implies that when calibrating the instrument even with a perfect artifact, the calibration is nominally valid only when measuring parts with the same approximate radius as the calibration artifact. A compact micro-interferometer useful for measuring several properties of micro-lenses including figure error, was developed to verify this phenomenon. The instrument has the capability of measuring micro-lenses with radii of curvature between 150 μm and 3 mm.
Back to the Future: How Transportation Deregulatory Policies Foreshadow Evolution of Communications Policies

The legal regulatory regimes for communication technologies evolve with technological, economic, and social change. This article asserts that, in the United States, the evolution of the legal regulatory regimes for the communications sector is following a trajectory breathtakingly similar to that already traversed by the transportation sector. As both sectors provide infrastructures essential to the nation and share similar economic attributes of networks, technological evolution within each has generated many of the same core issues. By recognizing this historical reality, we can tap valuable experience in transportation policy to better inform prospective policy change in communications. In this way, future communications policy need not be radical—whether intentionally or unintentionally—nor totally untested, thereby enhancing its potential for sustainability.
Cutaneous lesions heralding disseminated cytornegalovirus infection

Direct cutaneous involvement has been only rarely recorded in cases of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in compromised hosts, and in most instances has been found at autopsy as part of widely disseminated disease. In only one previous report has an antemortem diagnosis of CMV infection been made by skin biopsy. We present a case in which cutaneous manifestations heralded disseminated CMV infection and skin biopsy provided a diagnosis of CMV infection before the onset of systemic symptoms. (J AM ACAD DERMATOL 7:545-548, 1982.)
Effect of pH on Corrosion Inhibition of Steel by Polyaspartic Acid

Abstract Polyaspartic acid, a polymeric form of aspartic acid (C4H7NO4), was examined as a corrosion inhibitor for steel as a function of pH, temperature, and hydrodynamic conditions. The temperatu...
Early operant learning is unaffected by socio-economic status and other demographic factors: a meta-analysis.

Abstract The relation between SES (socioeconomic status) and academic achievement in school-aged children is well established; children from low SES families have more difficulty in school. However, few studies have been able to establish a link between SES and learning in infancy, and thus the developmental onset of SES effects remains unknown. The limited studies that have been conducted to explore the link between SES and learning in infancy have generated mixed results; some demonstrate a link between SES and learning in infants as young as 6–9 months ( Smith, Fagan, & Ulvund, 2002 ) while others do not. Further, studies examining the genetic as well as environmental contributors to learning in infancy and early childhood suggest that the effect of SES is likely cumulative and that as children develop, the effect of a low SES environment will become more pronounced ( Tucker-Drob, Rhemtulla, Harden, Turkheimer, & Fask, 2011 ). Using aggregated data from 790 infants collected across 18 studies, we examined the contribution of SES and other demographic factors to learning of an operant kicking task in 2–4-month-old infants in a meta-analysis. Results indicated that, at least with respect to operant conditioning, an infant is an infant; that is SES did not affect learning rate or ability to learn in infants under 4-months of age. SES effects may therefore be better characterized as cumulative, with tangible effects emerging sometime later in life.
Uranium in Challis Volcanic Field, Idaho: ABSTRACT

Recorded uranium production and known resources in the Challis Volcanics and the Challis-related epizonal silicic plutons of Eocene age are small, but the potential resource is moderately high. Former production was from arkosic conglomerates and sandstones at the base of the Challis Volcanics in Stanley basin and from a scheelite deposit on the contact of the Summit Creek stock. Uranium mineralization also occurs in water-laid rhyodacite pumice-rich tuffs, in the Twin Springs pluton, in the Beaverhead stock, and in shear zones in the Castro granite. The Challis Volcanics are potash-rich, calc-alkaline rocks and, in general, are not known to be enriched in uranium. However, numerous highly differentiated silicic intrusions that acted, in part, as feeders to the closing phases of Challis volcanism are rich in uranium and thorium. These intrusions range from rhyolite, rhyodacite to granite, and from plugs, domes, dikes, stocks, to batholiths. Exploration in the Challis field should be concentrated in areas of silicic tuffs and breccias or in arkosic beds that occupy depressions in pre-Challis basement or volcanic-tectonic subsidences. Few such structures are known because detailed mapping of the field is incomplete; one exception is a trap-door graben that contains the uranium-rich arkoses of Stanley basin. Mineralized indicators of uranium are hematite staining, disseminated pyrite, and opaline silica alteration. Radioactive anomalies in present-day valleys can result from the fixation of uranium in organic-rich bogs or from accumulations of coarse detritus from granitic plutons. End_of_Article - Last_Page 769------------
PALEONTHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SACRIFICIAL VICTIMS AT THE PYRAMID OF THE MOON, MOCHE RIVER VALLEY, NORTHERN PERU

En 1995-96, las excavaciones dirigidas por Steve Bourget, de la Universidad de Anglia del Este (Inglaterra), recuperaron los restos esqueletales de mas de 60 adolescentes y adultos jovenes masculinos que fueron sacrificados cerca del 500 D.C., en la Huaca de la Luna, en el Valle del Rio Moche, costa norte del Peru. Este trabajo presenta los datos del analisis de los restos esqueletales, incluyendo informacion de las caracteristicas demograficas de las victimas, evidencia de trauma curada y trauma perimortem, e indicadores tafonomicos. De particular interes son los varios ejemplos de lesiones en proceso de cicatrizacion al momento de la muerte, asi como evidencias de mutilacion, desmembramiento, y descarnamiento de alguna de las victimas. Los patrones observados en las lesiones antemortem y perimortem son usados para interpretar los eventos que produjeron este deposito
The effect of suspended clay on ciliate population growth rates

SUMMARY 1 Renewed batch cultures of three algivorous and one bacterivorous ciliate showed that ciliate reproductive rates increase with increasing food concentration up to an asymptote. Maximum rm values for Strobilidium gyrans, Bursaridium difficile and Euplotes eurystomus feeding on the cryptomonad alga Rhodomonas minuta were 0.87, 0.86 and 0.45 day-1, respectively, while Paramecium aurelia feeding on the bacterium Enterobactor aerogenes had an rm of 0.40 day-1. B. difficile had a food threshold (rm= 0) of 0.38 μg Cml-1 and P. aurelia had a threshold of 1.6μg Cml-1. 2 The presence of suspended fine (particle size <1 μm) and coarse (particle size 1–2μm) clay suppressed the half maximum reproductive rate of the ciliate Strobilidium gyrans by up to 69% but had no effect on B. difficile, E. eurystomus or P. aurelia. Populations of ciliates unaffected by clay may be released in situations where suspended particles negatively affect their metazooplankton predators and competitors.
Cancer mortality and environmental temperature in the United States

Abstract Age-adjusted death-rates from several types of cancer were correlated for nine census divisions of the United States with the temperature index (mean annual temperature+range). Mortalities from many types of cancer were negatively correlated with temperature index and positively correlated with both per-caput income and physician/ population ratio. It is suggested that geographical differences in cancer mortality could be associated with both artefacts and indirect causative factors, rather than reflecting a direct environmental effect on cancer risk, and that such differences require careful interpretation.
Sex-Role Messages vis-a-vis Microcomputer Use: A Look at the Pictures.

This study explored the pictoral representation of men, women, boys, and girls in popular computer magazines through content analysis. Issues of three mass market computer magazines (total pages =2,637) were analyzed to determine numbers of men, women, boys, and girls illustrated; roles in which they were portrayed; and whether they were shown using the computer actively, standing by while others used the computer, or rejecting the computer. Many stereotypic portrayals were found: Men appeared in illustrations almost twice as often as women; women were overrepresented as clerical workers and sex objects, while men were overrepresented as managers, experts, and repair technicians. Women were shown significantly more often in a passive role vis-a-vis computers. In mixed-sex illustrations, men were most often shown in the position of authority. Only women were shown rejecting the computer or portrayed as sex objects. Also included are observations regarding the effects of stereotypic portrayals on women/girls and suggestions for further research.
Application of MassSQUIRM for Quantitative Measurements of Lysine Demethylase Activity

Recently, epigenetic regulators have been discovered as key players in many different diseases 1-3. As a result, these enzymes are prime targets for small molecule studies and drug development 4. Many epigenetic regulators have only recently been discovered and are still in the process of being classified. Among these enzymes are lysine demethylases which remove methyl groups from lysines on histones and other proteins. Due to the novel nature of this class of enzymes, few assays have been developed to study their activity. This has been a road block to both the classification and high throughput study of histone demethylases. Currently, very few demethylase assays exist. Those that do exist tend to be qualitative in nature and cannot simultaneously discern between the different lysine methylation states (un-, mono-, di- and tri-). Mass spectrometry is commonly used to determine demethylase activity but current mass spectrometric assays do not address whether differentially methylated peptides ionize differently. Differential ionization of methylated peptides makes comparing methylation states difficult and certainly not quantitative (Figure 1A). Thus available assays are not optimized for the comprehensive analysis of demethylase activity. Here we describe a method called MassSQUIRM (mass spectrometric quantitation using isotopic reductive methylation) that is based on reductive methylation of amine groups with deuterated formaldehyde to force all lysines to be di-methylated, thus making them essentially the same chemical species and therefore ionize the same (Figure 1B). The only chemical difference following the reductive methylation is hydrogen and deuterium, which does not affect MALDI ionization efficiencies. The MassSQUIRM assay is specific for demethylase reaction products with un-, mono- or di-methylated lysines. The assay is also applicable to lysine methyltransferases giving the same reaction products. Here, we use a combination of reductive methylation chemistry and MALDI mass spectrometry to measure the activity of LSD1, a lysine demethylase capable of removing di- and mono-methyl groups, on a synthetic peptide substrate 5. This assay is simple and easily amenable to any lab with access to a MALDI mass spectrometer in lab or through a proteomics facility. The assay has ~8-fold dynamic range and is readily scalable to plate format 5.
Uncertainty analysis of the two-microphone method

Accurate duct acoustic propagation models are required to characterize and subsequently reduce aircraft engine noise. The boundary conditions for these models ultimately rely on accurate measurements of the acoustic impedance for candidate nacelle liners. The standard two-microphone method is widely used to estimate acoustic impedance but does not provide uncertainty estimates that are essential for data quality assessment and model validation. A systematic framework is presented in this paper to propagate the experimental 95% confidence interval uncertainty estimates in the measured quantities to the calculated acoustic impedance data using the two-microphone method for small and large input uncertainties. One method is an analytical, small-perturbation technique using multivariate statistics. This method provides useful analytical scaling information. A second Monte Carlo method is utilized to validate the analytical multivariate method. Both methods are applied to the two-microphone method for simulated data representative of sound-hard and sound-soft acoustic materials. The results indicate that for realistic experimental parameters, the uncertainty in the input measurements results in nonlinear perturbations. Therefore, the small-perturbation technique fails and the Monte Carlo method should be used to obtain uncertainty estimates. Furthermore, the nonlinear perturbations also distort the output statistical distributions of the calculated acoustic impedance and reflection coefficient, which results in significant deviation from Gaussian behavior. The distortion is a function of the acoustic impedance of the specimen itself. Finally, the Monte Carlo method is applied to experimental data for a ceramic tubular specimen and compared to the multivariate results to demonstrate the implementation and usefulness of the technique.
EPAM-like models of recognition and learning

A description is provided of EPAM-III, a theory in the form of a computer program for simulating human verbal learning, along with a summary of the empirical evidence for its validity. Criticisms leveled against the theory in a recent paper by Barsalou and Bower are shown to derive largely from their misconception that EPAM-III employed a binary, rather than n-ary branching discrimination net. It is shown that Barsalou and Bower also failed to understand how the recursive structure of EPAM-III eliminates the need to duplicate test nodes that are used to recognize subobjects, and how the possibility of redundant recognition paths controls the sensitivity of EPAM to noticing order. EPAM is also compared briefly with other theories of human discrimination and discrimination learning, including PANDEMONIUM-like systems and dataflow nets.
Online blogs: teaching the cultural aspects of international business

This paper reports on the use of online blogs to promote student participation in the learning of the cultural aspects of international business. The focus is to report on a course that was conducted with forty‐two Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile. Examples from student posts, comments, and projects in the blog suggest an increased participation and interaction among the members of the class and a successful implementation of the blog features.
Resident and tourist preferences for stormwater management strategies in Oahu, Hawaii

Abstract Hawaii's economy relies on its global reputation of its coastal marine environments. This paper studies residents' and tourists' preferences for stormwater quality management strategies related to recreational beaches in Oahu, Hawaii. Using a Choice Experiment approach, we consider Willingness to pay for augmented efforts for Non-Structural and Structural Best Management Practices, Warning and Advisory systems, Testing methods, and Educational efforts. Our results show that Rapid testing and educational efforts are most favored by both residents and tourists. There are few differences in Willingness to Pay for the stormwater strategies among residents and tourists, such that meeting both groups' preferences is possible. Further, based on experts' information on the strategies' proposed costs, all strategies should be pursued by Hawaii's policymakers.
Role of juvenile hormone binding protein in modulating function of JH epoxide hydrolase in eggs of Manduca sexta

Abstract Juvenile hormone (JH) is catabolized primarily by two enzymes, JH esterase (JHE) and JH epoxide hydrolase (JHEH). A JH binding protein (JHBP) may modulate this degradation by ligand sequestration. In this study, the effects of JHBP on the metabolism of JH by JHEH were examined. 1. (1) Purified JHEH from Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera) eggs converted JH to JH-diol four to five times faster than JH-acid was converted to JH-acid-diol in the absence of JHBP. 2. (2) The presence of JHBP dramatically decreased the degradation of JH, but not that of JH-acid. Similar results were obtained by using crude unsolubilized microsomes. 3. (3) The inhibition of JHEH activity by JHBP was due to the formation of a JH-JHBP complex that could be detected at the origin of a silica gel TLC plate. 4. (4) A crude homogenate of newly oviposited M. sexta eggs was incubated with a physiological concentration of JH. JH-acid-diol and JH-acid were found as the major metabolites, and the rate of hydration of JH-acid by JHEH was faster than that of JH. These results suggested that JH was protected from JHEH by cytosolic JHBP as a JH-JHBP complex; in contrast, JH-acid, a poor ligand for JHBP, was efficiently metabolized into JH-acid-diol by JHEH in vivo. Thus, while JH was not efficiently degraded by JHEH in the presence of JHBP, JHEH could nevertheless act as the ultimate scavenger for JH by hydrating JH-acid generated by JHE during embryogenesis in vivo.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with vascular disease

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) have a beneficial effect on oxidative stress, endothelial function, vascular remodelling, and the progression of atherosclerosis in animal experiments independent of their effect on reducing blood pressure. ACEIs have also been shown to decrease cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients with vascular disease.1,2 While these results have been adopted into guidelines, there have been doubts as to whether or not these benefits were due to a reduction in blood pressure and therefore possibly any anti-hypertensive strategy might be equally effective or whether they have an effect independent of blood pressure lowering. The answer to this question has important implications. For example, the COURAGE trial3 suggested that optimum medical therapy, including an ACEI, was as effective in preventing cardiovascular events in patients with mild to moderate coronary artery disease as percutaneous coronary angioplasty. The use of ACEIs in patients with coronary artery disease without other clinical indications for their use such as hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus, however, remains suboptimal. Brugts et al. 4 have analysed the effect of an ACEI-based regimen using individual patient data from across a wide spectrum of vascular diseases from the ADVANCE, EUROPA, … *Corresponding author. Tel: +1 734 9365260, Fax: +1 734 936;5256, Email: bpitt{at}umich.edu
Signalling mechanisms for Toll-like receptor-activated neutrophil exocytosis: key roles for interleukin-1-receptor-associated kinase-4 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase but not Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN-β (TRIF)

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates exocytosis in neutrophils. The signalling molecules involved in the regulation of this mechanism are currently unknown. Using neutrophils from interleukin-1-receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-4- and Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN-beta (TRIF)-deficient mice, we dissected the signalling pathways that control exocytosis. We analysed exocytosis of peroxidase-negative and azurophilic granules by following the mobilization of the beta2-integrin subunit CD11b and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-containing granules, respectively. IRAK-4-null neutrophils showed marked defects in both peroxidase-negative and azurophilic granule exocytosis in response to LPS. In contrast, the exocytic response to LPS of TRIF-deficient neutrophils was not different from that of wild-type cells. No differences were observed in the exocytosis of secretory organelles between IRAK-4-null and wild-type neutrophils when they were stimulated with the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Electron microscopy analysis showed that no morphological abnormalities were present in the granules of IRAK-4-deficient neutrophils, suggesting that the lack of exocytic response to LPS is not attributable to developmental abnormalities. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we found that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) is essential for the exocytosis of all neutrophil secretory organelles in response to LPS. Interestingly, we found that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is essential for azurophilic granule exocytosis but not for the mobilization of other neutrophil granules in response to LPS. Azurophilic granule exocytosis in response to Listeria monocytogenes was dependent on PI3K but not IRAK-4 activity, suggesting that alternative signalling pathways are activated in IRAK-4-deficient neutrophils exposed to whole bacteria. Our results identified IRAK-4, p38MAPK and PI3K as important regulatory components with different roles in the signalling pathways that control Toll-like receptor ligand-triggered neutrophil exocytosis.
Greening of arctic Alaska, 1981-2001

[1] Here we analyzed a time series of 21-yr satellite data for three bioclimate subzones in northern Alaska and confirmed a long-term trend of increase in vegetation greenness for the Alaskan tundra that has been detected globally for the northern latitudes. There was a 16.9% (±5.6%) increase in peak vegetation greenness across the region that corresponded to simultaneous increases in temperatures. We also examined the changes for four specific vegetation types using an 11-yr finer resolution (1-km) satellite data and found that the temporal changes in peak and time-integrated greenness were greatest in areas of moist nonacidic tundra. These changes in greenness between 1981 and 2001 correspond approximately to a 171 g/m2 (±81 g/m2) increases in aboveground plant biomass for Alaskan tundra. This remotely sensed interpretation is conducted in the absence of long-term biomass records in the region.
An unusual case of otorrhagia.

A 64-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department complaining of headache and bilateral ear pain after falling face first during a syncopal episode. He denied nausea, vomiting, or focal neurological complaints, and was alert and oriented, with blood-tinged fluid—which formed ‘‘halos’’ on the bed sheets—draining from both ears. A brain computed tomography (CT) scan with axial and coronal views was performed due to a concern for basilar skull fracture and was read as negative by the on-duty radiologist (Figure 1). However, review of the study by the emergency physicians/case authors demonstrated bilateral comminuted fractures and dislocations of the mandibular condyles (Figure 2). The patient was admitted to the Oromaxillofacial Surgery service for repair of his injuries and was discharged the following morning. No basilar skull fracture was identified. The patient was well at 30-day follow-up.
Parasite-Induced Th2 Polarization Is Associated with Down-Regulated Dendritic Cell Responsiveness to Th1 Stimuli and a Transient Delay in T Lymphocyte Cycling

The nature of the signals that bias Th effector choice is still not completely understood. Using parasite extracts from pathogens known to induce polarized Th1 or Th2 responses and an in vitro experimental model for priming murine CD4 cells, we demonstrated that splenic dendritic cells (DC), but not B cells, promote Th1/Th2 differentiation of naive CD4 lymphocytes. Th polarization in this system was found not to depend on DC secretion of the polarizing cytokines IL-12/IL-4, but instead correlated with distinct states of DC activation induced by the different parasite preparations. As expected, conditioning of DC for Th1 development was associated with up-regulation of costimulatory molecules and enhanced chemokine production and required intact MyD88 signaling. In contrast, conditioning of DC for Th2 differentiation correlated with down-regulation of many of the same functions and was MyD88 independent. This dampened DC activation was accompanied in the cocultures by a reduction in the frequency of CD4 lymphocytes exiting the first division of the cell cycle. When the latter was mimicked by drug-induced arrest of peptide-primed CD4 cells after the S phase of the first cycle, a marked Th2 polarization was also observed. Together, these findings suggest that the emergence of IL-4-producing CD4 lymphocytes results from a suppression in DC function leading to a temporary delay in initial T cell cycling. The Journal of Immunology, 2004, 173: 2419 ‐2427.
Three Non-Roman Blood Sports

There is more than enough evidence to show that cock-fighting, quail-fighting, and even partridge-fighting were favourite sports among the Greeks (young and old alike), no matter what part of the mediterranean world they inhabited. Whether Romans ever shared these passions is another question altogether. When Saglio contributed his article on cock-fighting to the Dictionnaire des antiquitis grecques et romaines , he limited himself to the transports it caused the Greeks. For this he was reprimanded, obliquely, by Schneider, asserting—but neglecting to support the assertion in detail—that Romans also took a keen interest in Hahnenkampfe . Subsequently, Magaldi set out to prove the existence of formal ludi gallinarii at Pompeii, while Jennison mustered such evidence as could be found for all three forms of avian combat in Rome. Hence, apparently, it has become the communis opinio that Romans shared the Greeks' taste for these ‘raffish’ amusements.
Heterogeneous Floorplanner for FPGA

The current generations of FPGA comprise of many specialized hardware cores, like embedded processors, multipliers, RAMs and FIFOs, along with the regular arrays of reconfigurable logic. On any FPGA device, these embedded cores are located at fixed locations only. This makes the task of floorplanning for the applications with heterogeneous components very difficult. Recently, some researchers have started looking into this problem of heterogeneous floorplanning on FPGA. However, all these work suffer from one fundamental flaw which affects the quality of solutions leading to higher device areas or excessively high runtime. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneous floorplanner for the FPGA, HPlan, which is fast and highly efficient in finding floorplans of variety of resources. We present a case study of a real implementation on Xilinx Virtex device. The proposed floorplanner could effectively implement the design with tight resource constraints whereas the traditional floorplanner could not find a feasible floorplan.