cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Practical and Intrinsic Predictability of Multiscale Weather and Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves during the Active Phase of an MJO

AbstractThrough a series of convection-permitting regional-scale ensembles based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, this study investigates the predictability of multiscale weather and convectively coupled equatorial waves during the active phase of a Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) event over the Indian Ocean from 12 October to 12 November 2011. It is found that the practical predictability limit, estimated by the spread of the ensemble perturbed with realistic initial and boundary uncertainties, is as much as 8 days for horizontal winds, temperature, and humidity for scales larger than 2000 km that include equatorial Rossby, Kelvin, inertia–gravity, and mixed Rossby–gravity waves. The practical predictability limit decreases rapidly as scale decreases, resulting in a predictable time scale less than 1 day for scales smaller than 200 km. Through further experiments using minute initial and boundary perturbations an order of magnitude smaller than the current realistic uncertainties, the...
Infrared absorption spectrum of phenanthrene in an argon matrix

Abstract The far-to-mid infrared absorption spectrum of phenanthrene (C14H10) has been measured in an argon matrix at 5 K. Thirty-two fundamental bands have been observed; one is detected for the first time (ν54) and eight are observed for the first time at temperatures below room temperature (ν43, ν42, ν66, ν65, ν21, ν63, ν18 and ν55). The relative intensities of these 32 bands have been obtained; seven (ν42, ν66, ν65, ν21, ν18, ν55, ν54) are measured for the first time and two (ν43, ν63) are measured for the first time below room temperature.
Corrosion of Post-Tensioned Tendons with Deficient Grout, Part 2: Segregated Grout with Elevated Sulfate Content

Corrosion failure of post-tensioning (PT) tendons with pre-packaged thixotropic grout has been documented in Florida bridges. Analysis of the deficient grout in Florida PT bridges, where severe corrosion developed, indicated elevated sulfate ion concentration, high pore water pH, low chloride ion content, and enhanced moisture content. Limited information is available on the corrosion behavior of PT strand in grout materials with elevated sulfate ion content. In this work, the corrosion performance of steel strands embedded in deficient grout was evaluated. The deficient grout was cast in large scale test assemblies that would represent geometry and material conditions found in Florida bridges, where PT strand corrosion occurred. Large scale mock up tendons (developed by the modified inclined tube [MIT] test) of about 4.57 m long were cast using expired grout materials, excess of 15% water, and sulfate ion concentrations to create deficiencies and corrosion conditions in the grout environment. Corrosion m...
Growth and Physiological Responses of Oak, Pine and Shrub Seedlings to Edge Gradients in a Fragmented Mexican Montane Oak Forest

Recovery of dry deciduous oak forests in highly fragmented landscapes in the Mixteca Alta, where much of the original forest cover had been converted to agricultural crops or pasture production for long time periods prior to abandonment in recent decades, will likely occur extremely slowly because of the severe climatic constraints on oak regeneration. Conservation efforts should target the protection of areas that are recovering from grazing and other chronic human disturbances, in order to maximize the potential of oak seedlings to successfully establish during favorable periods with adequate rainfall. Recovery of oak forests on the landscape may be enhanced through more active management practices such as planting oak seedlings having well-developed root systems, and targeting open areas of sparse tree and shrub cover.
Cost-effectiveness of the Adjuvanted Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine in Older Adults.

Importance The live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine (ZVL) is recommended for immunocompetent adults 60 years or older, but the efficacy wanes with age and over time. A new adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine (HZ/su) has higher efficacy but might be more expensive. The choice of vaccines depends on their relative values. Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of HZ/su. Design, Setting, and Participants Markov decision model with transition probabilities based on the US medical literature. Participants were immunocompetent adults 60 years or older. Data were derived from participant groups ranging in number from less than 100 to more than 30 000 depending on the variable assessed. The study dates were July 1 to 31, 2017. Exposures No vaccination, ZVL (single dose), and HZ/su (2-dose series) vaccine administered at different ages. Main Outcomes and Measures Total costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated. Results Based on randomized clinical trial data, at a price of $280 per series ($140 per dose), HZ/su was more effective and less expensive than ZVL at all ages. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios compared with no vaccination ranged from $20 038 to $30 084 per QALY, depending on vaccination age. The finding was insensitive to variations in most model inputs other than the vaccine price and certain combinations of low adherence rate with a second dose and low efficacy of a single dose of HZ/su. At the current ZVL price ($213 per dose), HZ/su had lower overall costs than ZVL up to a price of $350 per 2-dose series. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, HZ/su had 73% probability of being cost-effective for 60-year-olds at $50 000 per QALY. Conclusions and Relevance Under conservative assumptions, at a price of $280 per series ($140 per dose), HZ/su would cost less than ZVL and has a high probability of offering good value.
Imaging skeletal muscle volume, density, and FDG uptake before and after induction therapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim To assess whether changes in body composition could be assessed serially using conventional thoracic computed tomography (CT) and positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging in patients receiving induction chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods CT-based skeletal muscle volume and density were measured retrospectively from thoracic and lumbar segment CT images from 88 patients with newly diagnosed and untreated NSCLC before and after induction chemotherapy. Skeletal muscle 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy- d- glucose (FDG) uptake was measured from PET/CT images from a subset of patients (n=42). Comparisons of each metric before and after induction chemotherapy were conducted using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data. The association between clinical factors and percentage change in muscle volume was examined using univariate linear regression models, with adjustment for baseline muscle volume. Results Following induction chemotherapy, thoracic (–3.3%, p=0.0005) and lumbar (–2.6%, p=0.0101) skeletal muscle volume were reduced (adiposity remained unchanged). The proportion of skeletal muscle with a density Conclusion Changes in body composition can be measured from routine thoracic imaging. During chemotherapy skeletal muscle volume and metabolism are altered; however, there was no impact on survival in this retrospective series, and further validation in prospective, well-controlled studies are required.
Recognizing Freeform Digital Ink Annotations

Annotations on digital documents have clear advantages over annotations on paper. They can be archived, shared, searched, and easily manipulated. Freeform digital ink annotations add the flexibility and natural expressiveness of pen and paper, but sacrifice some of the structure inherent to annotations created with mouse and keyboard. For instance, current ink annotation systems do not anchor the ink so that it can be logically reflowed as the document is resized or edited. If digital ink annotations do not reflow to keep up with the portions of the document they are annotating, the ink can become meaningless or even misleading. In this paper, we describe an approach to recognizing digital ink annotations to infer this structure, restoring the strengths of more structured digital annotations to a preferable freeform medium. Our solution is easily extensible to support new annotation types and allows us to efficiently resolve ambiguities between different annotation elements in real-time.
Does Mossy Fiber Sprouting Give Rise to the Epileptic State

Many patients with temporal lobe epilepsy display structural changes in the seizure initiating zone, which includes the hippocampus. Structural changes in the hippocampus include granule cell axon (mossy fiber) sprouting. The role of mossy fiber sprouting in epileptogenesis is controversial. A popular view of temporal lobe epileptogenesis contends that precipitating brain insults trigger transient cascades of molecular and cellular events that permanently enhance excitability of neuronal networks through mechanisms including mossy fiber sprouting. However, recent evidence suggests there is no critical period for mossy fiber sprouting after an epileptogenic brain injury. Instead, findings from stereological electron microscopy and rapamycin-delayed mossy fiber sprouting in rodent models of temporal lobe epilepsy suggest a persistent, homeostatic mechanism exists to maintain a set level of excitatory synaptic input to granule cells. If so, a target level of mossy fiber sprouting might be determined shortly after a brain injury and then remain constant. Despite the static appearance of synaptic reorganization after its development, work by other investigators suggests there might be continual turnover of sprouted mossy fibers in epileptic patients and animal models. If so, there may be opportunities to reverse established mossy fiber sprouting. However, reversal of mossy fiber sprouting is unlikely to be antiepileptogenic, because blocking its development does not reduce seizure frequency in pilocarpine-treated mice. The challenge remains to identify which, if any, of the many other structural changes in the hippocampus are epileptogenic.
Process Forecasting, Modeling, and Control of Time-Dependent Systems

There are two major applications of neural networks for process forecasting, modeling, and control of time-dependent processes: (1) process optimization; and (2) adaptive process control. Modeling chemical and biological processes using conventional techniques is often difficult because the processes are very nonlinear and complicated. For example, many chemical processes have a large number of reacting components and follow very complex reaction mechanisms. The neural network approach provides a method to develop a dynamic model that accounts for the instabilities and unsteady-state operating conditions that often occur in chemical systems. The neural networks used for data compression and data filtering are divided into the two main categories: signal-processing networks and image-processing networks. The most commonly used neural network for signal processing is the auto-associative back-propagation network. Other architectures used in data compression are learning-vector-quantization networks, self-organizing map networks, and recirculation networks. Developing traditional models based on first principles is typically very time-consuming, and it is difficult to achieve accurate results with them.
Deregulation and the Marketing of Airline Carriers

No student of the hospitality industry can long be insensitive to the role of air transportation in creating much, though by no means all, of the "place demand" for his industry. This article confines itself to a discussion of the impact of deregulation on carriers in the industry and discusses implications for the
Review of Kecskes, Istvan, ed. (2017) Explorations into Chinese as a second language

This article reviews Explorations into Chinese as a second language by Istvan Kecskes 9783319540269
Neuroprotective effects of TRPA1 channels in the cerebral endothelium following ischemic stroke

Hypoxia and ischemia are linked to oxidative stress, which can activate the oxidant-sensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel in cerebral artery endothelial cells, leading to vasodilation. We hypothesized that TRPA1 channels in endothelial cells are activated by hypoxia-derived reactive oxygen species, leading to cerebral artery dilation and reduced ischemic damage. Using isolated cerebral arteries expressing a Ca2+ biosensor in endothelial cells, we show that 4-hydroxynonenal and hypoxia increased TRPA1 activity, detected as TRPA1 sparklets. TRPA1 activity during hypoxia was blocked by antioxidants and by TRPA1 antagonism. Hypoxia caused dilation of cerebral arteries, which was disrupted by antioxidants, TRPA1 blockade and by endothelial cell-specific Trpa1 deletion (Trpa1 ecKO mice). Loss of TRPA1 channels in endothelial cells increased cerebral infarcts, whereas TRPA1 activation with cinnamaldehyde reduced infarct in wildtype, but not Trpa1 ecKO, mice. These data suggest that endothelial TRPA1 channels are sensors of hypoxia leading to vasodilation, thereby reducing ischemic damage.
Associations of Pre- and Postdiagnosis Diet Quality With Risk of Mortality Among Men and Women With Colorectal Cancer

PurposeDietary patterns, indicators of overall diet quality, are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence but less consistently with mortality among CRC survivors. We prospectively evaluated associations of diet quality pre- and postdiagnosis with risk of mortality among men and women with CRC.Patients and MethodsIn the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort, 2,801 participants were cancer free at baseline in 1992/1993 and subsequently diagnosed with invasive, nonmetastatic CRC during follow-up through June 2013. Pre- and postdiagnosis diet data were available for 2,671 and 1,321 participants, respectively, among whom 1,414 and 722 died. Concordance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), American Cancer Society nutrition guidelines (ACS-score), prudent, and Western dietary patterns was used to evaluate diet quality.ResultsExtreme scoring group comparisons showed that prediagnosis ACS-score was inversely associated with all-cause (hazard ratio high v low [HRHighvLow], 0.78; ...
Plutonium Fuel Technology, Part III: Nuclear Criticality Safety Considerations in LWR (Pu,U)O2 Fuel Fabrication

The nuclear criticality safety aspects of light water reactor (Pu,U)O2 fuel fabrication have been reviewed. Conclusions are as follows: 1. Criticality safety limitations will present a major design challenge in those parts of the plant where plutonium and plutonium-uranium solutions are processed. In particular, the requirement of large vessel volume to achieve homogeneous plutonium-uranium blending will be complicated by the restrictive criticality safety limits necessary on vessel dimensions. Special vessel design, such as annular geometry, and fixed nuclear poisons are possible innovations to overcome this problem.2. Once the PuO2 and UO2 are mixed and in dry powder form, plant throughput should proceed at a reasonable rate and criticality safety will not necessarily limit operations.3. In dry operations, radiation protection limitations are likely to be more restrictive than criticality safety limitations. In other words, criticality safety limits will not be determining factors for process control, s...
Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity at presentation in Pakistan

e17002 Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity (SCCOC) is characterized by marked geographical differences in frequency and site distribution. Pakistan is situated within the high risk z...
Biomedical Applications of MXenes

The rapid pace of innovation in the fields of biomedicine and nanotechnology has generated a wide variety of novel nanomaterial-based platforms for biomedical applications. Based on the nanometer-thin two-dimensional planar morphology, the high effective surface area, the abundant surface chemistry, and the favorable physicochemical properties, there is a growing interest on exploring the potentials of MXenes at the interface with living systems. In this chapter, we review the state of the art and discuss the promise of MXenes for biomedical applications. Specifically, we first describe the properties of MXenes that make them particularly attractive and review the recent developments, with specific focus on the areas of biosensing, cancer theranostics, and antimicrobial treatments. Finally, we discuss the biocompatibility of MXenes based on the findings that have been reported so far.
VARIABLE LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION ON MULTIGATED RADIONUCLIDE IMAGING ANALYZED BY DIFFERENT SOFTWARE PACKAGES IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER

Baseline and serial multigated acquisition (MUGA) scans are an established method for assessing left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) in oncology patients. The purpose of the study was to explore the interchangeability of 2 commercially available software on evaluation of LV EF. 210 MUGA
Conference Report: DATA ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION SYMPOSIUM Gaithersburg, MD May 12-13, 1992.

1Judith J. Newton and Frankie E. Spiclman, eds., Data Administration: Management and Practice, Proceedings of the First DAMA Symposium, NIST Special Publication 500-159, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, October, 1988. 2Judith J. Newton and Frankie E. Spielman, eds., Data Administration: Standards and Techniques, Proceedings of the Second Annual DAMA Symposium, NISTIR 90-4292, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, April 1990. 3Judith J. Newton, Mary Lou Melley, and Holly Higgins, eds., Managing Data: From Vision to Reality, Proceedings of the Fourth Annual DAMA Symposium, NISTIR 4843, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, May 1992.
Shunting away from transradial arterial access

Due to its increased safety and decrease in significant vascular complications and bleeding events, the use of the radial artery for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasing. Transradial access (TRA), however, is not without consequence. TRA arteries when used for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are associated with decreased graft patency rates. Here we comment on a case report in which a patient developed a clinically significant arteriovenous fistula following TRA treated with surgical ligation. We offer insights on the increased use of the radial artery in both PCI and CABG.
Fabrication of amyloid nanofiber matrices by electrospinning

Abstract Amyloid fibrils are self-assembling proteins that can be used as biomaterials due to their molecular and hierarchical structure, making them resilient to mechanical conditioning. Similar to amyloid fibrils, naturally derived proteins and short peptides can be fabricated into thin fibers which can be used for various biomedical applications. Techniques such as self-assembly, wet-spinning, and electrospinning can be used to fabricate protein fibers. Even though self-assembly and wet-spinning have been used to successfully produce protein fibers, these techniques provide limited control over fiber morphology. Electrospinning is a versatile method for spinning synthetic and natural polymers. It produces fibrous matrices with high porosity, interconnectivity, and volume to mass ratio. This chapter will summarize the basic principle behind electrospinning, parameters that can be optimized to produce fibrous matrices with specific morphology, and examples of proteins such as silk fibroin, collagen, and albumin that have been electrospun for applications such as tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, and biosensors.
Energy Storage System Control Strategy for Restraining Overvoltage Caused by Switching Non-Load Power Transmission Lines

During the switching operation of the non-load power transmission lines, the undisired switching overvoltage issue is inevitable, causing grid voltage oscillations, waveform distortion and other phenomena at the end of the non-load power transmission lines, and even lead to the insulation breakdown, all above phenomena probably make the power transmission failure. To avoid the above harmful cases, the formation mechanism of the undisired switching overvoltage issue caused by switching non-load power transmission lines is first analyzed in detail. Based on this mechanism analysis, the energy storage system (ESS) based overvoltage suppression method and corresponding ESS voltage command synthesis algorithm are developed. The method can quickly and effectively restrain the voltage change rate and reduce the voltage difference between the initial value and the steady state value of the power transmission lines, so that the line voltage during the switching operation can be kept within the safety limit range. Finally, a simulation model was built by using MATLAB/Simulink software, and the simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed overvoltage suppression strategy.
War Clubs in Southern California: an Interdisciplinary Study of Blunt Force Weapons and Their Impact

Previous studies on violence have focused on patterns of trauma based on bioarchaeological studies of human remains or on architectural features such as palisades, towers, and protected locations. Artifacts used as weapons in conflict have received less attention. Most weapons, particularly war clubs, were made wholly of organic materials that decompose, resulting in low visibility in the archaeological record that creates a challenge for reconstructing their form and potential specialized role in conflict. Using an interdisciplinary approach, historically recorded use of clubs was linked with precontact evidence of blunt force trauma to better understand the usage of different types of war clubs found in southern California. War clubs were recreated with replicative experimentation and then tested in biomechanical experiments to measure lethality and to record likely patterns of associated trauma. Patterns of trauma recorded in experiments were representative of trauma patterns seen in pre-contact/proto-historic case studies. As the presence of war clubs in warfare is well-documented across Indigenous North America, this framework for testing tactics and types of weapons permits cross-cultural comparisons to better inform the practices and impact of weapons in human conflict and violence.
Downward Causation Defended

This paper defends the notion of downward causation. I will seek to elucidate this notion, explain why it is a useful way of thinking, and respond to criticisms attacking its intelligibility. My account of downward causation will be in many respects similar to the account recently advanced by Ellis. The overall framework I will adopt is the interventionist treatment of causation I have defended elsewhere: X causes Y when Y changes under a suitable manipulation of (intervention on) X. When X is at a higher “level” than Y this allows for the possibility of downward causation from X to Y. True claims of downward causation must meet certain additional conditions, some of which have already been discussed by Ellis. These include (1) the condition that X must have a homogenous effect on Y in the sense that the effect of X on Y must be the same regardless of how X is “realized” at lower levels. In addition, (2) the most plausible examples of downward causation will involve causes X, that in a sense that I will try to specify, are capable of being manipulated by macro-level interventions that have a coordinated or organized impact on them, as when one manipulates the temperature of a gas by placing it in a heat bath.
An Immuno-Cardiac Model for Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation in COVID-19 Hearts.

Rationale: While respiratory failure is a frequent and clinically significant outcome of COVID-19, cardiac complications are a common feature in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and are associated with worse patient outcomes. The cause of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients is not yet known. Case reports of COVID-19 autopsy heart samples have demonstrated abnormal inflammatory infiltration of macrophages in heart tissues.Objective: Generate an immuno-cardiac co-culture platform to model macrophage-mediated hyper-inflammation in COVID-19 hearts and screen for drugs that can block the macrophage-mediated inflammation. Methods and Results: We systematically compared autopsy samples from non-COVID-19 donors and COVID-19 patients using RNA-seq and immunohistochemistry. We observed strikingly increased expression levels of CCL2 as well as macrophage infiltration in heart tissues of COVID-19 patients. We generated an immuno-cardiac co-culture platform containing human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) and macrophages. We found that macrophages induce increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis in CMs by secreting IL-6 and TNF-α after SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Using this immuno-cardiac co-culture platform, we performed a high content screen and identified ranolazine and tofacitinib as compounds that protect CMs from macrophage-induced cardiotoxicity. Conclusions: We established an immuno-host co-culture system to study macrophage-induced host cell damage following SARS-CoV-2 infection and identified FDA-approved drug candidates that alleviate the macrophage-mediated hyper-inflammation and cellular injury.
Cultural Politics and State Patronage in Postcolonial Senegal

This paper studies the State's interventions in the definition and orientation of Senegalese national culture and arts since independence from French colonization. The colonial legacy, the larger ideological struggles of negritude and pan-Africanism are argued here to impinge upon the ways cultural politics is shaped and set to evolve. Leopold Sedar Senghor's negritude advocacy and Abdoulaye Wade's early pan African project have been at the center of how political decisions on culture and the arts have received greater support and unifying vision, in contrast to other administrations, either beset by economic austerity (Abdou Douf's regime) or more inclined to creative industries (current Macky Sall's regime). Therefore the lack of ideologies that transcend national borders in the second and the fourth presidency are indicative of the State's distanced interventions in the realm of cultural politics. Placing the emphasis on museums and on the two world festivals of 1966 and 2010, I demonstrate how political regimes in power continue to patronize or un-patronize the ways in which cultural institutions are managed and articulated in Senegal. I further suggest that this dialectics of State patronage and lack of patronage will largely be determined by the existence or absence of broader transnational incentives, such as tourism, world heritage, etc.
Club cells are the primary source of pIgR in small airways

Background: Loss of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) is common in COPD small airways and likely contributes to disease progression. We hypothesized loss of SIgA results from reduced numbers of cells expressing pIgR, a chaperone protein needed for SIgA transcytosis, in the COPD small airway epithelium. Methods: pIgR-expressing cells were defined and quantified at single-cell resolution in human airways using RNA in-situ hybridization, immunostaining, and single-cell RNA sequencing. Complementary studies in mice utilized immunostaining, primary murine tracheal epithelial cell (MTEC) culture, and transgenic mice with club or ciliated cell-specific knockout of pIgR. SIgA degradation by human neutrophil elastase or secreted bacterial proteases from non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) was evaluated in vitro. Results: Club cells are the predominant cell type responsible for pIgR expression in human and murine airways, but neither loss of pIgR-expressing club cells or reduced pIgR expression in individual cells fully explains loss of SIgA in the airways in patients with advanced COPD. In contrast, we found that neutrophil elastase and NTHi-secreted proteases degrade SIgA in vitro. Interpretation: Club cells are the dominant cell type responsible for pIgR expression and thus play a key role in the maintaining the secretory IgA immunobarrier. However, neither a loss of club cells or reduced pIgR expression within individual cells fully accounts for loss of SIgA in COPD.
Learning processes, public and stakeholder engagement: Analyzing responses to Colorado’s extreme flood events of 2013

Abstract In early fall of 2013 in the Front Range of Colorado, several communities experienced intense rainfall over a three-day period, exceeding annual average precipitation rates. Extensive damage occurred to roads, infrastructure, parks, river corridors, homes and business throughout the region. Across the U.S. and in other nations, as population increases in flood-prone areas, flood risks and vulnerability are increasing as well. Successful response to extreme events may be due to policy learning—changes of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and goals – in response to new information and experiences. This learning can at times lead to adaptation of local policies to increase the resilience of communities faced with risk from extreme events. The extent of policy learning may depend on how communities engage with stakeholders and the public in post-disaster recovery. Using a comparative in-depth case study approach of seven Colorado communities, this study examines how communities actively engage stakeholders and the public in decision processes after an extreme event.
Raymond G. Roble Receives 2013 William Bowie Medal: Citation

The accomplishments of Dr. Raymond G. Roble in the area of upper atmospheric physics, chemistry, and dynamics have revolutionized the field and have produced significant impacts on other areas, including planetary atmospheres and atmospheric electricity. Ray embodies the imperative of unselfish cooperation in research.
Electron-microscopic observations on preterminal fibers in the oculomotor nucleus of the cat

Abstract Electron microscopy of myelinated fibers in main lateral cell groups of the cat oculomotor nucleus reveals the majority to have diameters of les than 3 μm, with more than one-half less than 1 μm in diameter. The values of the ratio g (axon diameter/total fiber diameter) range between 0.58 and 0.88, with a mean of 0.74. There is no definite relation between g and fiber diameter. The morphological data are consistent with physiological data on preterminal conduction velocities in the oculomotor nucleus, and extend the dimensional analysis of myelinated fibers in gray matter, which has previously been confined to lower vertebrates, to the mammalian central nervous system.
Does genomic imprinting contribute to valproic acid teratogenicity

Reciprocal outcrosses and backcrosses were made between strains of mice with different susceptibilities to valproic acid (VPA) teratogenicity. Relatively resistant C57BL/6J (C) and more susceptible SWV (S) strains of mice produced F1 hybrids in which the female parent was C and the male parent was S (CS-F1) as well as the reciprocal with S dams and C sires (SC-F1). Each was backcrossed to each strain, producing 8 types of backcross matings: CS x C, SC x C, CS x S, SC x S; C x CS, C x SC, S x CS, S x SC (for all matings dams are listed first). At 8d:12 +/- 5h of gestation, a teratogenic dose, 600 mg/kg, of aqueous VPA was injected ip into the dams. Fetuses were examined on gestation day (gd) 18 for abnormality, mortality, litter size, and weight. Genomic imprinting (imprinting) is a phenomenon at least in part involving hyper- or hypomethylation of bases in DNA, which is believed to determine whether or not the imprinted gene will be expressed. Imprinting has been reported to occur differentially in the male and female for a number of gene loci. Thus, in crosses between strains with differing susceptibility to VPA, if imprinting is occurring, the susceptibility of a fetus might be predicted to be disproportionately influenced by susceptibility of its grandparents. Significant differences in frequency (%) of occurrence of exencephaly in progeny of all backcrosses with F1 dams consistent with those expected for imprinting were found in the present study (CS-F1x C = 21.8 +/- 3.9%, SC-F1x C = 10.8 +/- 3.2%, P < 0.03; CS-F1x S = 14.8 +/- 3.1%, SC-F1x S = 6.3 +/- 2.3%, P < 0.03). SWV dams revealed the same pattern (S x SC-F1 = 50.0 +/- 8.3%, S x CS-F1 = 37.1 +/- 4.7%, P < 0.04). Differences in prenatal mortality also consistent with genomic imprinting occurred in backcrosses with pure-line SWV dams (S x SC = 64.4 +/- 8.0%, S x CS = 30.5 +/- 4.5%, P < 0.001). Fetal weight was reduced in a manner consistent with imprinting in backcrosses involving SWV (S x SC = 0.50 +/- 0.18 g, S x CS = 0.96 +/- 0.05, P < 0.01). Three of four of the parameters investigated showed differences in some of the backcrosses of reciprocal F1's consistent with those expected if genomic imprinting were occurring.
Relationship of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to Maternal Smoking During and After Pregnancy

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. However, the relationship between tobacco exposure during infancy and SIDS is unknown. The examination of infants whose mothers smoked only after pregnancy will help determine the relationship between passive cigarette exposure during infancy and SIDS risk. This case-control analysis used data on normal birth weight (> or = 2500 g) infants included in the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey, a nationally representative sample of approximately 10,000 births and 6000 infant deaths. Infants were assigned to one of three exposure groups: maternal smoking during both pregnancy and infancy (combined exposure), maternal smoking only during infancy (passive exposure), and no maternal smoking. SIDS death was determined from death certificate coding. Logistic regression was used to adjust for potentially confounding variables. Infants who died of SIDS were more likely to be exposed to maternal cigarette smoke than were surviving infants. Among black infants the odds ratio was 2.4 for passive exposure and 2.9 for combined exposure. Among white infants the odds ratio was 2.2 for passive exposure and 4.1 for combined exposure. After adjustment for demographic risk factors, the odds ratio for SIDS among normal birth weight infants was approximately 2 for passive exposure and 3 for combined exposure for both races. These data suggest that both intrauterine and passive tobacco exposure are associated with an increased risk of SIDS and are further inducement to encourage smoking cessation among pregnant women and families with children.
On the Portfolio Properties of Real Estate in Good Times and Bad Times1

Motivated by the theoretical results on strategic asset allocation, we examine the gains in portfolio performance when investors diversify into different asset classes, with particular focus on the timeliness of such gains. Although the various asset classes we analyze yield significant gains in portfolio performance, even in the presence of short-sales constraints, the timeliness of the gains differs considerably across the asset classes. Our key result is that real estate and commodities and precious metals are the two asset classes that deliver portfolio gains when consumption growth is low and/or volatile, that is, when investors really care for such benefits. Our analysis highlights an important metric by which to judge the attractiveness of an asset class in a portfolio context, namely the timeliness of the gains in portfolio performance. Further, our results on the performance of real estate in both good times and bad times suggest that the typical institutional allocation to real estate may underweight the role of the asset class in a diversified portfolio context.
Charles Chesnutt's Southern Black Jew: Rena Walden's Masquerade in The House Behind the Cedars

Chapter five of Charles Chesnutt's novel The House Behind the Cedars is devoted exclusively to the detailed description of the mock medieval tournament held annually in the small town of Clarence, North Carolina, where much of the novel is set. As Chesnutt himself points out in his autho rial voice, the mock tournament at Clarence is staged in avowed imitation of the spectacular tournament at Ashby-de-la-Zouch that Sir Walter Scott describes so graphically in his classic romance Ivanhoe.
Small-ring compounds—XXXVIII: Calculations of the relative stabilities of intermediates in the interconversion reactions of cyclopropylcarbinyl, cyclobutyl, and allylcarbinyl derivatives by the LCAO method

The simple LCAO method with corrections for angle strain indicates that bicyclobutonium cations are likely to be more stable than homoallylic cations. The reverse is predicted to be true for the corresponding free-radical and anionic derivatives. The results are in accord with experiment.
The Uses of Lacan in Recent British Romantic Studies

The Uses of Lacan examines romantic literary criticism that engages with Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and shows how this approach has offered new ways to engage with important issues of the period.
Work-Family Identities and Work-Family Conflicts: Exploring the Relationship with Evidence from Utah

Abstract Using survey data from Utah, we examine the direct and indirect effects of individuals' identification with work and family on work-to-family and family-to-work conflict. Our analysis uncovers two notable indirect effects of family identity. For men, identification with the family is associated with job flexibility, which is associated with a decrease in work-to-family conflict. For women, identification with the family is associated with housework satisfaction, which is associated with a decrease in family-to-work conflict. These indirect effects suggest that family identity may play some role in reducing work-family conflict, albeit in different ways for men and women.
γ-Chain Dependent Recruitment of Tyrosine Kinases to Membrane Rafts by the Human IgA Receptor FcαR

We show that the human IgA receptor, FcαR, redistributes to plasma membrane rafts after cross-linking and that tyrosine kinases are relocated to these sites following FcαR capping. We demonstrate by confocal microscopy that FcαR caps in membrane rafts by a γ-chain-independent mechanism but that γ-chain expression is necessary for Lyn redistribution. Immunoblotting of rafts isolated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation demonstrated recruitment of γ-chain and phosphorylated tyrosine kinases Lyn and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase to membrane rafts after FcαR cross-linking. Time-dependent differences in Lyn phosphorylation and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase distribution were observed between cells expressing FcαR plus γ-chain and cells expressing FcαR only. This study defines early FcαR-triggered membrane dynamics that take place before FcαR internalization.
Building on Leavitt's Diamond Model of Organizations: The Organizational Interaction Diamond Model and the Impact of Information Technology on Structure, People, and Tasks.

This empirical study focuses on the impact of an information technology (IT), specifically electronic mail (e-mail), on three basic organization components: structure, people, and tasks. An Organizational Interaction Diamond (OID) model is developed illustrating how each component enables changes in other components interacting with the organization’s internal and external environments. The organizational setting is the administrative structure of a large, public university. The sample population consists of 390 administrators and professional and clerical support staff. Data were collected via a paper questionnaire with a 54 % return rate. E-mail is used to bridge hierarchical boundaries at the middle and departmental levels, but not at the senior level nor across functional boundaries. E-mail usage enables spanning geographical distances and to coordinate people from dispersed organization units. These new network paths co-exist within the traditional hierarchical structure. Senior level administrators reported using e-mail more often per day than lower level administrators, and used it more for horizontal than for vertical communication. E-mail usage increases for uncertain, simple and routine tasks and decreases for ambiguous, complex and non-routine tasks. The interaction among IT use, job categories, and tasks reveals that the media channel selection varies by job category and task types. The perceived importance of using e-mail is highly associated with the frequency of use of e-mail to provide access to various job categories at different organization levels and for different task types. The importance of this research study and the development of the OID model are to demonstrate that IT efforts are opportunities to capitalize on creating new ways of working by redesigning the tasks, changing the roles of individuals, and spanning organizational boundaries.
Synthesis of Epoxides Using Dimethyldioxirane: trans‐Stilbene Oxide

Synthesis of epoxides using dimethyldioxirane: trans-stilbene oxide intermediate: Dimethyldioxirane product: trans-Stilbene oxide Keywords: epoxide formation; oxidation, miscellaneous; oxidation, miscellaneous; assay methods, for dimethyldioxirane; dimethyldioxirane, explosion hazard; dioxirane generator
Media, Markets, and Democracy: Not Toasters: The Special Nature of Media Products

Economics-oriented critics of government intervention in the media realm typically rely on oversimplified economics. Under certain purportedly normal circumstances, the market provides firms with an incentive to produce and sell the product as long as the product's cost (e.g., its cost of production and distribution) is less than the purchaser will pay, that is, as long as marginal costs are less than marginal price. The market thereby leads to a preference-maximizing production and distribution. This I call the “standard model.” The standard model is subject to a host of general critiques mostly related to why the market will fail or will be dysfunctional. As one example of the latter, note that market competition creates an incentive for a market enterprise (e.g., capital holders) to gain power in relation to other resource owners (e.g., labor or other competitors) as much as it creates an incentive to produce goods efficiently . The power struggles between stakeholders, however, are primarily over distribution and do not produce any goods. As such, they waste resources as well as often generating unjust distributions. Of course, no one ever claims that the market works perfectly. Still, despite its problems, many find the standard model relatively adequate, at least enough so that it provides a presumptive reason to rely on “free” markets. For present purposes, I assume that the market generally works relatively well – for example, it effectively and efficiently leads to roughly the right production and distribution of cars or can openers.
Past, present and future of fuzzy control: a case for application of fuzzy logic in hierarchical control

Fuzzy logic control emerged in the mid 1970s as a paradigm for rule based control of dynamic systems, primarily in process type control situations. In the past two decades, and specially in the mid 80s to mid 90s, fuzzy logic control, has been successfully deployed in a broad spectrum of application areas ranging from automatic train operation to flight systems. None the less there remains a great deal of scepticism within the control community as to what the real merits of this paradigm are. We focus on the positive aspect of fuzzy logic control, as well as some significant controversial issues that surround this paradigm. In particular, we contend that while the semantic transparency offered by fuzzy logic enables control engineers to efficiently develop control strategies in application areas marked by low order dynamics with weak nonlinearities, the broader impact of fuzzy logic should be in hierarchically structured systems, perhaps in combination with conventional control techniques. We offer examples of application of fuzzy logic in hierarchical setting and discuss a number of theoretical issues that arise in these settings.
Multiphoton Imaging with a Direct-diode Pumped Femtosecond Ti:sapphire Laser

A direct-diode pumped Ti:sapphire femtosecond oscillator is used to perform multiphoton imaging for the first time.
Effects of the c-axis resistive transition width on the secondary voltage of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−y☆

We have recently reported six-contact-lead measurements of the zero-field resistive transition of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−y single crystals which showed that the secondary voltage, obtained with a “flux-transformer” electrode geometry, exhibited a peak near the transition. To investigate the effects of sample inhomogeneities on this structure, we report here measurements on two crystals of different quality, as evidenced by the measured c-axis transition widths of 0.6 K and 2.0 K, respectively. Both samples yield a secondary voltage peak near the transition, with the higher quality sample displaying a larger peak. We compare the results to a “resistor” model, representing the samples as anisotropic resistive media, and find good agreement with the data above the transition (T≥Tcc). Below the transition, however, the model does not reproduce the behavior observed in both crystals.
Quasi-static extension of shape memory wires under constant load

The transformation of nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory wires under constant load is studied by hanging a mass from the end of the wire and measuring the subsequent elongation. The experimental relationship between the weight of the mass and the elongation rate is compared with the theoretical model of Leo, Shield and Bruno. In displacement controlled experiments this model was shown to predict accurately the rate effects due to heat transfer at austenite-martensite interfaces in the wire. In the load controlled case these rate effects are manifest as a relationship between the elongation rate and the applied load. Very good agreement between the model and the experiments is found in the load controlled case. It is also observed that the load controlled experiments damage the wire when sufficiently large loads are applied.
Best Monotone Approximation Using a Peak Norm

Abstract Monotone approximation relative to peak norms is studied both on an interval and in the discrete case. Existence and some structure results are obtained which demonstrate that peak norm approximation has similar properties to L 1 approximation. In particular, sup's and inf's of best approximants are best approximants (in the discrete case) and a half-above, half-below property is demonstrated.
α-Stabilization by Silyl and Phosphino Substitution

The electron affinity of the bis(dimethylphosphino)methyl radical was measured to be 35.3 ± 0.2 kcal/mol, using electron photodetachment spectroscopy in an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer. Using equilibrium measurements, of bis(dimethylphosphino)methane and bis(trimethylsilyl)methane was determined to be 370 ± 3 and 373 ± 3 kcal/mol, respectively. From measured and known electron affinities and gas-phase acidities, we derive C−H bond dissociation energies: bis(dimethylphosphino)methane, 92 ± 3 kcal/mol, and bis(trimethylsilyl)methane, 95 ± 3 kcal/mol. of trimethylphosphine was bracketed at 383−387 kcal/mol. The α-stabilization effect of silyl and phosphino substitution is large and comparable in size to stabilization by thio and chloro substitution. Possible mechanisms of stabilization are discussed.