cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of surfactant components by cultured type II cells from human lung

Abstract We examined the effect of monolayer culture on surfactant phospholipids and proteins of type II cells isolated from human adult and fetal lung. Type II cells were prepared from cultured explants of fetal lung (16–24 weeks gestation) and from adult surgical specimens. Cells were maintained for up to 6 days on plastic tissue culture dishes. Although incorporation of [ methyl - 3 H]choline into phosphatidylcholine (PC) by fetal cells was similar on day 1 and day 5 of culture, saturation of PC fell from 35 to 26%. In addition, there was decreased distribution of labeled acetate into PC, whereas distribution into other phospholipids increased or did not change. The decrease in saturation of newly synthesized PC was not altered by triiodothyronine (T 3 ) and dexamethasone treatment or by culture as mixed type II cell/fibroblast monolayers. The content of surfactant protein SP-A (28–36 kDa) in fetal cells, as measured by ELISA and immunofluorescence microscopy, rose during the first day and then fell to undetectable levels by the fifth. Synthesis of SP-A, as measured by [ 35 S]methionine labeling and immunoprecipitation, was detectable on day 1 but not thereafter. Levels of mRNAs for SP-A and for the two lipophilic surfactant proteins SP-B (18 kDa) and SP-C (5 kDa) fell with half-times of maximally 24 h. In contrast, total protein synthesis measured by [ 35 S]methionine incorporation increased and then plateaued. In adult cells, the content of SP-A and its mRNA decreased during culture, with time-courses similar to those for fetal cells. We conclude that in monolayer culture on plastic culture dishes, human type II cells lose their ability to synthesize both phospholipids and proteins of surfactant. The control of type II cell differentiation under these conditions appears to be at a pretranslational level.
Web Services based SOA for Next Generation Telecom Networks

Summary form only given. Network operators are now on a journey towards a next generation network (NGN) built on horizontal "planes", moving away from traditional vertical structure networks for fixed voice and data communication networks. IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) is a part of wider network transformation to next generation (NG) networks. The IMS core network has a common IP based transport plane and a common signalling or control plane, and it can be accessed by different access networks. IMS provides a control layer based on an end-to-end based session initiation protocol (SIP) that can control a session and remain agnostic of the access network. This innovation in the telecom industry where more intelligence is moving to the edge, can be closely linked to another innovation in the IT industry, where applications are being rendered as re-usable components, or services as we may refer to them. Such components, when made available on the Web are referred to as Web services. IBM's service enablement solution in the NGN space is based on three strategic tenets. First of all, it makes use of the common IP transport plane and the Web services realization mechanism as a backbone for composite services within a single session. This would help network operators to generate revenue in a converged telecom network. Secondly, it uses Web services to automate the entire lifecycle of a service. This leads to automation of the service delivery platform (SDP), which in turn allows third party application providers to deploy services by using the services exposed by network provider. Finally, as premium composite services are deployed to the end user, he/she would have a higher quality of experience (QoE). IMS provides a per-subscriber control of QoS as part of QoE. As the subscriber uses various composite services, the IMS ability to control QoE/QoS, becomes a huge differentiator for IMS over just uncontrolled access over the Internet. In other words, IMS QoE encompasses QoS, enhanced GUI and IMS composite service, and not be just the experience of using the composite service. This paper discusses how IBM's SDP solution leverages SOA principles and uses a Web services based platform to implement composite services, addressing all stages of the service lifecycle - service creation, service deployment, service delivery and service management. We shall also discuss how this platform has been implemented in AT&T, USA
The case for pathologist ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

O ne of the questions considered at the ‘‘National Cancer Institute (NCI) Thyroid Fine Needle Aspiration State of the Science Conference’’ held October 22 through 23, 2007, is whether ultrasound guidance should be used during the fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy of a thyroid nodule. I would like to make the case that the answer to the question of ultrasound-guided FNA (USGFNA) is ‘‘absolutely yes,’’ if the pathologist has a strong clinical interest and desire to improve his patients’ care. This answer is given from the point of view of an experienced FNA pathologist who, for a while, resisted ultrasound (US) technology. After all, if, in 20 years of practice, I had consistently obtained seemingly fully diagnostic samples by physical examination and manual FNA sampling, what then could US add? However, after only a few months of using US in my clinic, I quickly came to understand that US imaging does improve patient care. US imaging greatly augments the physical assessment of the thyroid, which often only vaguely reflects the underlying anatomic reality. Moreover, USGFNA allows for precise and selective needle placement during the biopsy. If a pathologist already has the experience, dexterity, and passion to perform a quality biopsy via traditional methods and to make quality smears, then, he or she can easily learn to perform USGFNA on some or all cases. Although formal training is optimal and will be detailed below, the basic technique can be acquired from hands-on training, often provided by the US equipment manufacturer as a condition of sale. Also, many of us who have already incorporated US guidance into our practices will gladly tutor our colleagues in the techniques during visits to the clinic. In addition, practice US phantoms are wonderfully uncomplaining practice objects on which the pathologist can sharpen his US guidance skills until the motions are automatic. A phantom is a commercially available object constructed of rubber and plastic in the form of a body part, such as a breast, that contains US detectable objects of varying sizes, shapes, and depths. Examples include the Blue Phantom (available at: http://www.bluephantom.com/) and the Ultra/Phonic BP Breast Phantom (available at: http://www. pharminnovations.com). Early in my US self-training, I would come I greatly appreciate the assistance of Mr. David Geller in editing this article.
Implementation and Analysis of Networked Radar Refractivity Retrieval

Abstract The surface-layer moisture field can be obtained by estimating the refractive index of air, measured in parts per million, and is referred to as refractivity. A technique to estimate the refractivity by using radar has been demonstrated experimentally using the measured change in phase from stationary ground targets. Recently, a new network-based algorithm was proposed within the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) as an alternative approach, especially when dealing with multiple radars. That work presented the algorithm and applied it to purely simulated data. The research presented here provides more detail and takes the new networked radar approach to the next level by independently validating and demonstrating the output with data collected during a refractivity field experiment in Colorado during the summer of 2006. The practical aspects of implementing the network-based algorithm are presented along with a more complete mathematical representation. The results...
Thermal transitions in freeze-dried carrot and its cell wall components

Abstract Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the glass transition temperature, T g and a sub- T g event in freeze-dried carrot material and different carrot cell wall components, at moistures ranging from 0% to 20% (w.w.b.). Two glass transition temperatures were detected in the freeze-dried carrot material associated with two phases: a sugar-rich phase and a cell wall-rich phase. The water distribution in the different phases is also important and sorption isotherms of freeze-dried carrot and different cell wall components were determined and compared with published results produced on sugar, pectins and cellulose. For the insoluble carrot cell wall materials, a single T g was detected which increased in the order: a Ca 2+ bound pectin-free residue, an esterified pectin-free residue and a cellulose-rich residue. In all cases T g increased with decreasing moisture. Additionally, a sub- T g endothermic event was observed in all the materials which disappeared on rescanning, consistent with results published on ageing of other biopolymers. The T g of the different cell wall residues was modelled, using the Gordon–Taylor and Kwei equations. The latter showed that water–biopolymers interactions are less prominent in the cellulose-rich cell wall residue, shown by a negative value of q .
Preparation of a non-immunogenic arginase by the covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol.

Abstract Methoxypolyethylene glycol of 5000 daltons (PEG) was attached covalently to bovine liver arginase using 2,4,6-trichloro-s-triazine as the coupling agent. The conjugate (PEG-arginase), with PEG attached to 53% of the amino groups, retained 65% of its original enzymatic activity. Mice were injected intravenously with arginase or PEG-arginase for periods of one to three months. The blood-circulating life of PEG-arginase was greatly extended over that of arginase. The half-life of injected arginase at day 30 was less than 1 h, whereas that of the PEG-enzyme was 12 h. Antisera from mice injected with native arginase reacted against arginase but not against PEG-arginase when tested by immunodiffusion. Antisera from animals injected with PEG-arginase reacted neither with native arginase nor PEG-arginase. The data indicate that arginase modified by PEG has been rendered both non-immunogenic and non-antigenic when tested in mice. The injection of PEG-arginase into mice did not induce tolerance toward the native enzyme. Injected PEG-arginase, in the presence of precipitating antibody directed against native arginase, circulated at the same level as in virgin animals. The attachment of PEG to arginase altered its kinetic properties.
Widespread haploidy in monokaryotic cells of mature basidiocarps of Armillaria bulbosa, a member of the Armillaria mellea complex

Abstract Fluorescence microspectrophotometric measurements of 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-stained DNA in 12 nuclear cycle stages of Armillaria bulbosa favor a two diploidization-two haploidization life cycle hypothesis for this species. Measurements of gill trama, pileus hyphae, and stipe hyphae indicate that the monokaryotic nuclei of these basidiocarp tissues are all haploid. Because the haploid basidiocarp presumably develops from an earlier diploid stage, it is considered likely that the haploidization leading to the production of the basidiocarp results in a genetic mosaic.
Thermodynamic modeling of aqueous ionic liquid solutions and prediction of methane hydrate dissociation conditions in the presence of ionic liquid

Abstract Heterosegmented statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT) is developed to model the thermodynamic properties of aqueous imidazolium ionic liquid solutions. A set of transferable parameters is obtained, and in general, the model well represents the density, the activity coefficients, and the osmotic coefficients of aqueous ionic liquid solutions. This heterosegmented SAFT, coupled with the Van der Waals and Platteeuw theory for hydrate phase, is also found to well predict the methane hydrate dissociation conditions in the presence of imidazolium ionic liquids and well captures the roles of pressure, anion type, alkyl length of the cation, and ionic liquid concentration on the hydrate inhibition performance of the ionic liquids.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of O 1s and Si 2p lines in films of SiOx formed by electron beam evaporation

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were made of the line shapes and binding energies of the O 1s and Si 2p lines in films of the SiOx system prepared by electron beam evaporation. Stoichiometries were in the range 0 < x < 2. The spectra contain principally two Si 2p peaks which change in amplitude and move to higher energies in a continuous manner as a function of x. The O 1s peak is a single line which shifts in a non-linear manner as a function of x. The results for films with 0.9 < x < 2 are consistent with a mixture of silicon clusters and silicon-centered tetrahedra deficient in oxygen, silicon-centered tetrahedra conforming to the random bond model (RBM), and forms of oxygen other than bridging oxygen such as peroxy bonding, molecular oxygen or OH. The films with x < 0.9 appear to be composed of silicon clusters and silicon-centered tetrahedra richer in oxygen than would be expected on the basis of the RBM. In these films the non-bridging oxygen content would be greatly diminished.
Survey of chloropropanols in soy sauces and related products.

A survey of soy sauces and related products available in the USA was conducted to determine the levels of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) in these products. Fifty-five retail samples were purchased and analysed for 3-MCPD. 3-MCPD determinations were made according to a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method validated by a collaborative trial. Eighty-five per cent of the samples analysed contained greater than the detection limit of 0.005 ppm (μg g−1) for 3-MCPD. Thirty-three per cent contained greater than 1 ppm; the highest level was 876 ppm 3-MCPD. Thirty-nine of the samples analysed for 3-MCPD also were analysed for 1,3-DCP by using a modified method developed and validated in-house. Fifty-six per cent of the samples analysed for 1,3-DCP contained greater than the detection limit of 0.055 ppb (ng g−1) for 1,3-DCP; the highest level was 9.8 ppm 1,3-DCP. Products manufactured in Asia contained the highest chloropropanol levels.
Spectral-Function Sum Rules and the Sugawara Model

We investigate the implications of Sugawara's theory of currents for the properties of the vector and axialvector spectral functions ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{V}$ and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{A}$. Using only the requirement of Lorentz invariance of the equal-time commutators of the components of the stress-energy tensor, we show that in order that the theory be nontrivial, the integrals $\ensuremath{\int}d{m}^{2}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{V,A}({m}^{2})$ involved in Weinberg's second sum rule must diverge. This in turn enables us to predict the asymptotic behavior of the total cross section for the process ${e}^{+}+{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{hadrons}$, and is a rigorous consequence of the nontrivial Sugawara model. Our arguments, unlike Dashen and Frishman's, apply for the $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ version of the Sugawara model as well.
Mutagenicity of a Glutathione Conjugate of Butadiene Diepoxide

The mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of the important commodity chemical 1,3-butadiene are attributed to the epoxide products. We confirmed our previous work showing that expression of rat glutathione (GSH) transferase 5-5 enhances the mutagenicity of butadiene diepoxide in Salmonella typhimurium TA1535. A GSH−butadiene diepoxide conjugate was isolated and fully characterized by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance as S-(2-hydroxy-3,4-epoxybutyl)GSH. The conjugate had a t1/2 of 2.6 h (pH 7.4, 37 °C) and was considerably more mutagenic than butadiene diepoxide or monoepoxide in S. typhimurium. We propose that the GSH conjugate may be a major species involved in butadiene genotoxicity, not a detoxication product.
Moral prejudice and aesthetic deformity : Rereading hume's of the standard of taste

Twenty years ago, a philosopher reassessing Hume's aesthetics wrote that his essay "Of the Standard of Taste" had been underrated.1 Twenty years later, Hume's essay occupies a prominent place in philosophical aesthetics, particularly among philosophers concerned with Hume's suggestion that moral considerations are relevant to the evaluation of art.2 Despite the proliferation of philosophers who cite Hume-whether as ally or foe-in debates over moralism in art criticism, however, we still lack an adequate account of Hume's own moralist aesthetics.3 Thus, although Hume's essay on taste may no longer be underrated, I believe that some problems raised by the essay's endorsement of a moralist aesthetics remain misunderstood. I hope to illuminate Hume's moralist aesthetics by pursuing one such problem. The problem, which I call the moral prejudice dilemma, arises when one attempts to square an account of the "freedom from prejudice" that Hume requires of true aesthetic judges with what he says about the relevance of moral considerations to the evaluation of art. I introduce and then attempt to disarm the dilemma by offering an interpretation of Hume's aesthetic point of view and drawing attention to the taxonomy of prejudices by which he justifies the true judge's moralism. The result is a reading of the essay that distinguishes Hume's aesthetic point of view from his moral point of view while defending the plausibility of assigning a moral dimension to aesthetic evaluation.
TAE226 inhibits human neuroblastoma cell survival.

Purpose. Neuroblastoma is one of the most devastating pediatric solid tumors and is unresponsive to many interventions. TAE226 is a novel small molecule FAK inhibitor. We investigated the effects of TAE226 on neuroblastoma cells in vitro. Materials and Methods. Human neuroblastoma cell lines were treated with varying concentrations of TAE226. Following treatment, cell viability, cell cycle, and apoptosis were evaluated. Results. Treatment of human neuroblastoma cell lines with TAE226 resulted in a concentration dependent decrease in FAK phosphorylation, decrease in cellular viability, cell cycle arrest, and an increase in apoptosis. Conclusions. Targeting FAK provides potential therapeutic options for the treatment of neuroblastoma and deserves further investigation.
Assessment of active and passive restraint during guided reaching after chronic brain injury.

We report the use of a mechatronic device for assessing arm movement impairment after chronic brain injury. The device, called the “Assisted Rehabilitation and Measurement Guide,” is designed to guide reaching movements across the workspace, to measure movement and force generation, and to apply controlled forces to the arm along linear reaching paths. We performed a series of experiments using the device in order to identify the contribution of active muscle and passive tissue restraint to decreased active range of motion of guided reaching (i.e., “workspace deficits”) in a group of five chronic, spastic hemiparetic, brain-injured subjects. Our findings were that passive tissue restraint was increased in the spastic arms, as compared to the contralateral, nonparetic arms. Active muscle restraint, on the other hand, was typically comparable in the two arms, as quantified by measurements of active arm stiffness at the workspace boundary during reaching. In all subjects, there was evidence of movement-generated weakness, consistent with a small contribution of spasticity to workspace deficits. These results demonstrate the feasibility of mechatronic assessment of the causes of decreased functional movement, and could provide a basis for enhanced treatment planning and monitoring following brain injury. © 1999 Biomedical Engineering Society.
An extension of the Modigliani-Miller theorem to stochastic economies with incomplete markets and interdependent securities

Abstract The Modigliani-Miller theorem is shown to hold in a general model of a multiperiod, stochastic economy with incomplete markets and perfect foresight. In the model, firms are allowed to trade all available securities; thus, share prices and dividends become fully interdependent. Also, several mechanisms of corporate control are considered, including value maximization and shareholder voting. It is demonstrated that firms have no incentive to trade securities in equilibrium; further, any such trading does not alter the set of equilibrium allocations. This is done by establishing that agents are able to adjust their own portfolios and neutralize corporate policy.
Behavioral Science in Medical Education: An Updated Bibliography:

Holmes, et al. in 1979 compiled 125 studies in a bibliography of behavioral science in undergraduate and graduate education. Since 1979, 75 additional studies of behavioral science in medical education have been identified. The current updated bibliography contains 200 entries. Foreign medical journals, Index Medicus, and Psychological Abstracts were reference sources for the bibliography.
Adjuvant external beam radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy in the management of gallbladder carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the outcome of patients with gallbladder cancer who received postoperative concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: Curative resection followed by adjuvant combined modality therapy with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and chemotherapy was attempted in 21 consecutive gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) patients at the Mayo Clinic from 1985 through 1997. All patients received concurrent 5-fluorouracil during EBRT. EBRT fields encompassed the tumor bed and regional lymph nodes (median dose of 54 Gy in 1.8–2.0-Gy fractions). One patient received 15 Gy intraoperatively after EBRT. A retrospective analysis was performed for the end points of local control, distant failure, and overall survival. Results: After maximal resection, 12 patients had no residual disease on pathologic evaluation, 5 had microscopic residual disease, and 4 had gross residual disease. One patient had Stage I disease, and 20 had Stage III–IV disease. With median follow-up of 5 years (range: 2.6–11.5 years), 5-year survival for the entire cohort was 33%. The 5-year survival rate of patients with Stage I–III disease was 65% vs. 0% for those with Stage IV disease ( p p = 0.002). The median survival was 0.6, 1.4, and 5.1 years for patients with gross residual, microscopic residual, and no residual disease, respectively ( p = 0.02). The 5-year local control rate for the entire cohort was 73%. Two-year local control rates were 0%, 80%, and 88% for patients with gross residual, microscopic residual, or no residual disease, respectively ( p 54 Gy (microscopic residual, 3 patients; gross residual, 1 patient; negative but narrow margins, 2 patients) vs. 65% for the 15 who received a lower dose (3, gross residual; 2, microresidual; 10, negative margins). Conclusion: Patients with completely resected (negative margins) GBC followed by adjuvant EBRT plus 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy had a relatively favorable prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 64%. These results seem to be superior to historical surgical controls from the Mayo Clinic and other institutions, which report 5-year survival rates of approximately 33% with complete resection alone. Both tumor stage and extent of resection seemed to influence survival and local control. More aggressive measures using current cancer therapies and integration of new cancer treatment modalities will be required to favorably impact on the poor prognosis of patients with Stage IV or subtotally resected GBC. Additional investigation leading to earlier diagnosis is warranted, because most patients with GBC present with advanced disease.
Effect of structural relaxation on the electrical resistivity of Pd82−xVxSi18 amorphous alloys☆

Abstract The dependence of the resistivity-temperature and resistivity-structural relaxation behavior of amorphous Pd82−xVxSi18 alloys on Vanadium content, 0≦x≦6, was investigated. The temperature coefficient of resistivity at constant volume decreases with x, going from positive to negative at x≈4, while the resistivity change due to structural relaxation (πrelaxed - πunrelaxed) increases with x, going from negative to positive at x≈2. This behavior is shown to be consistent with the Ziman theory.
Report of stroke-like symptoms predicts incident cognitive impairment in a stroke-free cohort.

Objective: The present study characterizes the relationship between report of stroke symptoms (SS) or TIA and incident cognitive impairment in the large biracial cohort of the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study. Methods: The REGARDS Study is a population-based, biracial, longitudinal cohort study that has enrolled 30,239 participants from the United States. Exclusion of those with baseline cognitive impairment, stroke before enrollment, or incomplete data resulted in a sample size of 23,830. Participants reported SS/TIA on the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-free Status at baseline and every 6 months during follow-up. Incident cognitive impairment was detected using the Six-item Screener, which was administered annually. Results: Logistic regression found significant association between report of SS/TIA and subsequent incident cognitive impairment. Among white participants, the odds ratio for incident cognitive impairment was 2.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.81, 2.39) for those reporting at least one SS/TIA compared with those reporting no SS/TIA. Among black participants, the odds ratio was 1.66 (95% confidence interval: 1.45, 1.89) using the same modeling. The magnitude of impact was largest among those with fewer traditional stroke risk factors, particularly among white participants. Conclusions: Report of SS/TIA showed a strong association with incident cognitive impairment and supports the use of the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-free Status as a quick, low-cost instrument to screen for people at increased risk of cognitive decline.
Development of CMU Direct-Drive Arm II

The CMU Direct Drive Arm II (DD II) is the second direct-drive arm designed and constructed at the Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. It is an electric 6 degree-of-freedom robot, in which all of the joints are of direct drive construction. Featuring high performance Samarium Cobalt magnet brushless DC motors and light weight aluminum construction, the robot has been designed to have a minimum payload of 2.5 Kg with a maximum transit time of 1 second (corresponding to tip speeds of 4 m/sec). High resolution pancake resolvers are mounted directly to the joint shafts for very accurate feedback. Static accuracy is ±0.1 mm. Taking advantage of the dynamic simplicity inherent in direct drive design, the controller is capable of dynamic force compensation in real-time. Such a controller can accurately follow a trajectory at very high speeds. In this paper we discuss the design of this new arm, particularly our solutions to the difficulties of practical implementation of direct drive.
Ecosystem engineering varies spatially: a test of the vegetation modification paradigm for prairie dogs

Colonial, burrowing herbivores can be engineers of grassland and shrubland ecosystems worldwide. Spatial variation in landscapes suggests caution when extrapolating single-place studies of single species, but lack of data and the need to generalize often leads to ‘ model system ’ thinking and application of results beyond appropriate statistical inference. Generalizations about the engineering eff ects of prairie dogs ( Cynomys sp.) developed largely from intensive study at a single complex of black-tailed prairie dogs C. ludovicianus in northern mixed prairie, but have been extrapolated to other ecoregions and prairie dog species in North America, and other colonial, burrowing herbivores. We tested the paradigm that prairie dogs decrease vegetation volume and the cover of grasses and tall shrubs, and increase bare ground and forb cover. We sampled vegetation on and off 279 colonies at 13 complexes of 3 prairie dog species widely distributed across 5 ecoregions in North America. Th e paradigm was generally supported at 7 black-tailed prairie dog complexes in northern mixed prairie, where vegetation volume, grass cover, and tall shrub cover were lower, and bare ground and forb cover were higher, on colonies than at paired off -colony sites. Outside the northern mixed prairie, all 3 prairie dog species consistently reduced vegetation volume, but their eff ects on cover of plant functional groups varied with prairie dog species and the grazing tolerance of dominant perennial grasses. White-tailed prairie dogs C. leucurus in sagebrush steppe did not reduce shrub cover, whereas black-tailed prairie dogs suppressed shrub cover at all complexes with tall shrubs in the surrounding habitat matrix. Black-tailed prairie dogs in shortgrass steppe and Gunnison ’ s prairie dogs C. gunnisoni in Colorado Plateau grassland both had relatively minor eff ects on grass cover, which may refl ect the dominance of grazing-tolerant shortgrasses at both complexes. Variation in modifi cation of vegetation structure may be understood in terms of the responses of diff erent dominant perennial grasses to intense defoliation and diff erences in foraging behavior among prairie dog species. Spatial variation in the engineering role of prairie dogs suggests spatial variation in their keystone role, and spatial variation in the roles of other ecosystem engineers. Th us, ecosystem engineering can have a spatial component not evident from single-place studies.
Electrochemical treatment of simulated copper CMP wastewater using boron doped diamond thin film electrodes-a feasibility study

The overall goal of this research was to develop a single treatment process that will economically treat wastewater generated during chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) processing of integrated circuits. Present treatment technologies require multiple steps, are expensive, and generate secondary waste streams requiring further treatment or disposal. This research investigated the feasibility of electrochemical treatment of CMP wastewater using boron doped diamond (BDD) film electrodes. BDD electrodes were selected for their absence of catalytic activity for water electrolysis and their high stability under anodic polarization. Cyclic voltammetry and constant potential batch deposition experiments were performed to study removal of Cu/sup 2+/ ions at BDD cathodes. Galvanostatic oxidation experiments were performed to study removal of citrate and benzotriazole from aqueous solutions. For all conditions tested, Cu/sup 2+/ removal was mass transfer limited. Average Faradaic current efficiencies for removing Cu/sup 2+/ from solutions with initial concentrations between 15 and 50 mg/L ranged from 43% to 87%. The oxidation experiments showed that citrate could be completely oxidized to CO/sub 2/ and that its rate of oxidation was independent of the current density under the conditions tested. In contrast, rates of benzotriazole oxidation were proportional to the current density. Based on the results, a novel, flow-through electrochemical reactor capable of simultaneously removing metal ions and organic additives in a single pass has been proposed.
Why the poor do not expropriate the rich: an old argument in new garb

We consider a political economy with two partisan parties; each party represents a given constituency of voters. If one party (Labour) represents poor voters and the other (Christian Democrats) rich voters, if a redistributive tax policy is the only issue, and if there are no incentive considerations, then in equilibrium the party representing the poor will propose a tax rate of unity. If, however, there are two issues - tax policy and religion, for instance - then this is not generally the case. The analysis shows that, if a simple condition on the distribution of voter preferences holds, then, as the salience of the non-economic issue increases, the tax rate proposed by Labour in equilibrium will fall - possibly even to zero - even though a majority of the population may have an ideal tax rate of unity. © 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Time and intensity coding at the hair cell's ribbon synapse.

The activity of individual afferent neurones in the mammalian cochlea can be driven by neurotransmitter released from a single synaptic ribbon in a single inner hair cell. Thus, a ribbon synapse must be able to transmit all the information on sound frequency, intensity and timing carried centrally. This task is made still more demanding by the process of binaural sound localization that utilizes separate computations of time and intensity, with temporal resolution as fine as 10 μs in central nuclei. These computations may rely in part on the fact that the response phase (at the characteristic frequency) of individual afferent neurones is invariant with intensity. Somehow, the ribbon synapse can provide stronger synaptic drive to signal varying intensity, without accompanying changes in transmission time that ordinarily occur during chemical neurotransmission. Recent ultrastructural and functional studies suggest features of the ribbon that may underlie these capabilities.
Creating Quality Improvement Culture in Public Health Agencies

Objectives. We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts.Methods. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007–2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture.Results. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvem...
Making Sense of Sibling Responsibility for Family Caregiving

As the population in the United States and around the globe ages, families are faced with decisions about caregiving for elderly parents. Research suggests that daughters often take on these stressful caregiving responsibilities, with varying levels of help from siblings. In this article, we examine these sibling relationships within the caregiving context, considering the ways in which siblings negotiate the division of tasks for elderly parents and make sense of siblings who provide little help in caregiving activities. Our content analysis of interviews with 25 family caregivers indicated that there was little negotiation of caregiving tasks. Furthermore, family caregivers make sense of sibling participation in caregiving in three ways. First, some caregivers account for caregiving as an individual activity for which they are especially suited. Second, some caregivers see caregiving as stemming from values about family life, but excuse nonparticipant siblings by defining them as outside family boundari...
On-line dynamic bandwidth allocation for VBR video transmission

To guarantee quality of service (QoS), the requirements for video transmission, such as delay and cell loss rate (CLR), are very stringent. These constraints are difficult to meet if high network utilization is desired. In this paper, online dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms, in which the bandwidth is adjusted based on the current frame size, are proposed to improve the bandwidth utilization. When the bandwidth deviation is large enough, a bandwidth re-negotiation process is triggered. Compared with a constant bit-rate (CBR) service, network utilization can be improved significantly for the same CLR. In general, to achieve a very low CLR and high bandwidth utilization, the re-negotiation frequency may become high. Algorithms which have been proven to be effective in reducing the re-negotiation frequency while keeping the bandwidth utilization at a reasonable level are also proposed.
Sarmiento, author of a nation

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1811-1888) was one of the most important and controversial figures in Latin American history. Diplomat, statesman, educator, visionary and president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874, he also produced two avowed masterpieces of Spanish prose - "Facundo" and "Recuerdos de Provincia". He saw himself as the standard-bearer of European liberalism in Spanish America and the architect of a nation built on its ideals. Almost all of the great shapers of intellectual life in Latin America have had to reckon with his visions of culture and progress. This collection of 22 essays by pre-eminent interpreters of Latin American culture tackles the paradox of the Sarmiento legacy - his ambitious attempt to reshape Argentina into a modern, export economy society set against his unrivalled position at the centre of Spanish-American letters - and shows the ways in which the political and literary projects are inextricably linked.
Portable neon purification system

This paper describes the principle design features of a portable neon purification system and the results of the system performance testing. Neon gas replaces air in the Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector without using vacuum, in experiment E781(SELEX) at Fermilab. The portable neon purification system purifies neon gas by, first purging air with CO{sub 2}, freezing the CO{sub 2}, then cryoadsorbing the remaining contaminants. The freezer removes carbon dioxide from a neon gas mixture down to a maximum concentration of 500 parts-per-million (ppm). The charcoal bed adsorber removes nitrogen from neon gas down to a maximum concentration of 100 ppm. The original RICH vessel was designed to hold vacuum but its photomultiplier tube plates were not.
Redistribution of Ion Implanted Hydrogen in Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Films

The effect of implanted hydrogen on the resistivity of polycrystalline silicon films has been investigated. The observed reduction in resistivity due to hydrogen is most pronounced for lightly doped films, and is accentuated by a 450°C anneal. An increase in Hall mobility is also observed. The pre-implant resistivity is completely recovered by annealling at 600°C. Diffusion of hydrogen at low temperatures is monitored by local resistivity changes detected with spreading resistance measurements.
Connecting social psychology to the experience of others through a nonfiction book analysis: New wine in an old bottle

This article evaluates a writing assignment in which students read a non-fiction book that they chose from a list provided by their instructor, identified examples of social psychological phenomena, and fully explained how those examples fit social psychology concepts. This novel twist on a traditional assignment yielded surprisingly robust benefits. Across four samples from two universities and two instructors, students indicated that the assignment furthered their learning beyond other aspects of the course by helping them apply social psychology to "real life" situations that were beyond their own particular experiences. The results suggested that allowing students to choose the book that they would read promoted enjoyment of the assignment. Informal discussion with students, including those who rarely read books for pleasure, indicated that many students took pride in reading a book of their own choosing that they actually enjoyed. Almost all students recommended the continued use of the assignment for future courses. Variations on the assignment that could be utilized by instructors in other psychology courses and other academic disciplines are discussed.
Mobile WiMAX throughput and delay measurements in railroad environment

The railroad industry in North America is heavily involved in improving the broadband wireless connectivity of their railroad operations. We propose our approach of establishing a Mobile WiMAX test bed as a part of our collaborations with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for investigating the performance of current and upcoming broadband wireless technologies in a railroad environment. The focus is on studying the impact of mobility on the wireless system throughput for moving trains at high velocities. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive measurement that will assist others in understanding Mobile WiMAX performance and guiding future network deployment. In this paper, we describe details of our test bed and discuss test results obtained from our laboratory and test bed. Based on our measurements, we can achieve a throughput of approximately 2.8 Mbps downlink and 2 Mbps uplink with the most robust modulation scheme, a maximum distance of 7.5 kilometers, and a speed of 60 mph, making Mobile WiMAX a promising candidate for large-scale deployments in environments such as the railroad industry.
Friendships Influence Hispanic Students' Implicit Attitudes toward White Non-Hispanics Relative to African Americans.

This study examined the role of Hispanic students' friendships with White non-Hispanics (n-Hs) and African Americans (AAs) in predicting implicit and explicit prejudices toward these groups. Participants (N = 73) completed implicit and explicit attitude measures and a friendship questionnaire. Friendships were associated with implicit attitudes such that participants with more White n-H than AA friends exhibited implicit favoritism for White n-Hs. Friendships did not influence explicit attitudes. The authors discuss findings relative to the unique contributions Hispanic samples make to research on the contact hypothesis, systems justification, and environmental association models of implicit attitudes.
Decreased Adenylate Cyclase Activity and Expression of Gsα in Human Myocardium After Orthotopic Cardiac Transplantation

We studied several aspects of guanine nucleotide-stimulated adenylate cyclase function in patients after orthotopic cardiac transplantation. In 28 patients, adenylate cyclase activity was measured in endomyocardial biopsy samples obtained just before and at monthly intervals after cardiac transplantation. In biopsies obtained > or = 6 months after transplantation, basal adenylate cyclase activity was decreased by 67% (n = 12; P < .05), GTP gamma S-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was decreased by 78% (n = 12; P < .05), Mn+2+forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was decreased by 80% (n = 8; P < .05), and Mn+2-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity (a measure of activity of the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase) was decreased by 83% (n = 8, P < .05). Western blot analysis demonstrated that 6 months after cardiac transplantation, the level of Gs alpha protein was decreased by 61 +/- 12% (n = 8; P < .001). There was no change in the level of Gi alpha as assessed by pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation (n = 4; P = NS). With the use of the quantitative polymerase chain reaction, a 50 +/- 10% (n = 6; P < .001) reduction in the steady-state level of Gs alpha mRNA was observed. There was no change in the level of mRNA for Gi-3 alpha. Thus, after orthotopic cardiac transplantation in humans, guanine nucleotide-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity is decreased in parallel with decreased levels of Gs alpha protein and mRNA.
On modern DNS behavior and properties

The Internet crucially depends on the Domain Name System (DNS) to both allow users to interact with the system in human-friendly terms and also increasingly as a way to direct traffic to the best content replicas at the instant the content is requested. This paper is an initial study into the behavior and properties of the modern DNS system. We passively monitor DNS and related traffic within a residential network in an effort to understand server behavior--as viewed through DNS responses?and client behavior--as viewed through both DNS requests and traffic that follows DNS responses. We present an initial set of wide ranging findings.
An autoradiographic study of the organization of the efferet connections of the hippocampal formation in the rat

The efferent connections of the hippocampal formation of the rat have been re-examined autoradiographically following the injection of small quantities of 3H-amino acids (usually 3H-proline) into different parts of Ammon's horn and the adjoining structures. The findings indicate quite clearly that each component of the hippocampal formation has a distinctive pattern of efferent connections and that each component of the fornix system arises from a specific subdivision of the hippocampus or the adjoining cortical fields. Thus, the precommissural fornix has been found to originate solely in fields CA1-3 of the hippocampus proper and from the subiculum; the projection to the anterior nuclear complex of the thalamus arises more posteriorly in the pre- and/or parasubiculum and the postsubicular area; the projection to the mammillary complex which comprises a major part of the descending columns of the fornix has its origin in the dorsal subiculum and the pre- and/or parasubiculum; and finally, the medial cortico-hypothalamic tract arises from the ventral subiculum. The lateral septal nuclei (and the adjoining parts of the posterior septal complex) constitute the only subcortical projection field of the pyramidal cells in fields CA1-3 of Ammon's horn. There is a rostral extension of the pre-commissural fornix to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the nucleus accumbens, the medial and posterior parts of the anterior olfactory nucleus, the taenia tecta, and the infralimbic area, which appears to arise from the temporal part of field CA, or the adjacent part of the ventral subiculum. The projection of Ammon's horn upon the lateral septal complex shows a high degree of topographic organization (such that different parts of fields CA1 and CA3 project in an ordered manner to different zones within the lateral septal nucleus). The septal projection of “CA2” and field CA3 is bilateral, while that of field CA1 is strictly unilateral. In addition to its subcortical projections, the hippocampus has been found to give rise to a surprisingly extensive series of intracortical association connections. For example, all parts of fields CA1, CA2 and CA3 project to the subiculum, and at least some parts of these fields send fibers to the pre- and parasubiculum, and to the entorhinal, perirhinal, retrosplenial and cingulate areas. From the region of the preand parasubiculum there is a projection to the entorhinal cortex and the parasubiculum of both sides. That part of the postsubiculum (= dorsal part of the presubiculum) which we have examined has been found to project to the cingulate and retrosplenial areas ipsilaterally, and to the entorhinal cortex and parasubiculum bilaterally.
The Method of Least Squares

As was seen in Chapter 3, an equation of the form AX = Y, in which A and Y are matrices with the same number of rows, may have have a unique solution X, but may also have many solutions or none at all. The method of least squares is a method of choosing a “best” solution in cases where there are many, and a method of choosing a “best approximation” to a solution when there is no actual solution. As will be shown in this chapter, there is a matrix B associated with A-we will call it the mate of A-with the property that X = BY is the best choice for a solution of AX = Y (even when there is no solution) in a very specific sense. The mate of A is defined in Section 3. First, the notion of the transpose of a matrix and a few properties of transposes need to be explained.