cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oak conservation maintains native grass stands in an oak woodland-annual grassland system

Mediterranean oak woodlands serve as working landscapes and biodiversity hotspots. These landscapes have undergone dramatic land conversion, which continues to threaten their conservation. Shifting focus from traditional management practices to a balance of conservation and production goals is a key challenge on working landscapes, and evaluating potential tradeoffs and synergies among goals will be a critical first step. California’s oak woodlands have undergone marked transformations via removal of Quercus douglasii and other woody plants to enhance forage production. Within the annual grass-dominated matrix, Q. douglasii likely functions as a foundation species—providing potential habitat for native plants, such as Nassella pulchra. Via a cross-sectional survey, we examined spatial occurrence of N. pulchra relative to Q. douglasii trees across three cattle-grazed fields, which had previously undergone vegetation manipulation. We hypothesized that Q. douglasii trees provide spatial niches for N. pulchra, with bunchgrass densities declining with greater distances from Q. douglasii stems. Plots (n = 712) were located along northern/southern transects of 89 trees. N. pulchra densities and site characteristics were surveyed in 2002 and 2005. Generalized linear mixed model regression analysis revealed a significant plot position by community type interaction: N. pulchra densities significantly declined with increasing distance from target trees at grassland sites; this trend was apparent at savanna sites and no trend was observed at woodland sites, which were likely under the influence of neighboring trees. Information on native species relationships can be utilized by managers to balance agricultural production and native species conservation goals across working landscapes.
Christian perspectives on politics

In this revised and expanded edition of Christian Perspectives on Politics, J. Philip Wogaman updates his comprehensive discussions on the interaction of Christian ethics and American politics. Wogaman clearly and fairly analyzes the long-standing debate about Christianity and politics and then constructs his own approach, all the while addressing the perennial political issues that continue to be of importance today.
Structure Study of Cellulose Fibers Wet-Spun from Environmentally Friendly NaOH/Urea Aqueous Solutions

In this study, structure changes of regenerated cellulose fibers wet-spun from a cotton linter pulp (degree of polymerization approximately 620) solution in an NaOH/urea solvent under different conditions were investigated by simultaneous synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). WAXD results indicated that the increase in flow rate during spinning produced a better crystal orientation and a higher degree of crystallinity, whereas a 2-fold increase in draw ratio only affected the crystal orientation. When coagulated in a H2SO4/Na2SO4 aqueous solution at 15 degrees C, the regenerated fibers exhibited the highest crystallinity and a crystal orientation comparable to that of commercial rayon fibers by the viscose method. SAXS patterns exhibited a pair of meridional maxima in all regenerated cellulose fibers, indicating the existence of a lamellar structure. A fibrillar superstructure was observed only at higher flow rates (>20 m/min). The conformation of cellulose molecules in NaOH/urea aqueous solution was also investigated by static and dynamic light scattering. It was found that cellulose chains formed aggregates with a radius of gyration, Rg, of about 232 nm and an apparent hydrodynamic radius, Rh, of about 172 nm. The NaOH/urea solvent system is low-cost and environmentally friendly, which may offer an alternative route to replace more hazardous existing methods for the production of regenerated cellulose fibers.
Motion control of Tetrahymena pyriformis cells with artificial magnetotaxis: Model Predictive Control (MPC) approach

The use of live microbial cells as microscale robots is an attractive premise, primarily because they are easy to produce and to fuel. In this paper, we study the motion control of magnetotactic Tetrahymena pyriformis cells. Magnetotactic T. pyriformis is produced by introducing artificial magnetic dipole into the cells. Subsequently, they can be steered by using an external magnetic field. We observe that the external magnetic field can only be used to affect the swimming direction of the cells, while the swimming velocity depends largely on the cells' own propulsion. Feedback information for control is obtained from a computer vision system that tracks the cell. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we construct a discrete-time model for the cell dynamics that is based on first principle. Subsequently, we identify the model parameters using the Least Squares approach. Second, we formulate a model predictive approach for feedback control of magnetotactic T. pyriformis. Both the model fitness and the performance of the feedback controller are verified using experimental data.
SOLUTION AND SOLID STATE STUDIES OF SOME NEW SILICON AND GERMANIUM COMPOUNDS STABILIZED BY TRIDENTATE LIGANDS

Abstract The preparation and studies of novel heterocyclic compounds, containing silicon or germanium, is described. All of them incorporate the 2,6-bis(dialkylaminomethyl)-4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)phenyl tridentate ligand (Structures 1 – 2, Scheme. 1 Download : Download high-res image (64KB) Download : Download full-size image Scheme. 1 . A general synthetic sequence for the preparation of compounds 3 – 7. ) as a main substructure. The report furnishes sets of experimental data that further clarify the actual solution and solid state structures of these new molecules with potentially hypervalent silicon or germanium centers. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Anatomical and functional differentiation of superior laryngeal nerve fibers affecting swallowing and respiration.

Abstract A correlated histological and physiological study was carried out on the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve of the adult cat. Reconstruction of the compound action potential from the fiber distribution (myelinated fibers, 1.3–12.8 μm) resulted in a three-component waveform. Recording from the superior laryngeal nerve while stimulating the internal laryngeal nerve at maximum intensities (14.8T) resulted in a three-component action potential (first potential, 63.6–70.6 m/sec; second, 28.5–31.1 m/sec; third, 12.5–14.2 m/sec). At lower currents, sufficient to inhibit respiration and evoke swallowing, a two-component action potential occurred (first potential, 38.9–41.4 m/sec; second, 11.0–14.9 m/sec). Stimulation at 3/sec inhibited respiration (3.2T) and evoked swallowing (8.4T) after the maximum amplitude of the first potential was attained and below the threshold for the second, longer latency potential (9.8T). Stimulation at 30/sec inhibited respiration (2.0T) and evoked swallowing (2.7T) at lower thresholds than at 3/sec. Correlation of the reconstructed and recorded action potentials suggested that less than 25% of the fibers (5.0–12.8 μm) of the internal larygeal nerve (group II, A-alpha) elicited these reflexes, while more than 75% of the internal laryngeal nerve fibers (group III, A-delta) were not recruited in these reflexive responses.
A new approach to routing with dynamic metrics

We present a new routing algorithm to compute paths within a network using dynamic link metrics. Dynamic link metrics are cost metrics that depend on a link's dynamic state, e.g., the congestion on the link. Our algorithm is destination-initiated: a destination initiates a global path computation to itself using dynamic link metrics. All other destinations that do not initiate this dynamic metric computation use paths that are calculated and maintained by a traditional routing algorithm using static link metrics. Analysis of Internet packet traces show that a high percentage of network traffic is destined for a small number of networks. Because our algorithm is destination-initiated, it achieves maximum performance at minimum cost when it only computes dynamic metric paths to these selected "hot" destination networks. This selective approach to route recomputation reduces many of the problems (principally route oscillations) associated with calculating all routes simultaneously. We compare the routing efficiency and end to-end performance of our algorithm against those of traditional algorithms using dynamic link metrics. The results of our experiments show that our algorithm can provide higher network performance at a significantly lower routing cost under conditions that arise in real networks. The effectiveness of the algorithm stems from the independent, time-staggered recomputation of important paths using dynamic metrics, allowing for splits in congested traffic that cannot be made by traditional routing algorithms.
Boards of Directors: A Review and Research Agenda:

Boards of directors have been the subject of extensive conceptualization and empirical research. We review literature addressing boards of directors from the perspective of the control, service, and resource dependence roles that directors are hypothesized to fulfill, with particular focus on that research reported after the Zahra and Pearce (1989) compendium. We also discuss a number of methodological and conceptual elements which complicate the aggregation of research in this area of inquiry.
Stress-strain characteristics and tensile strength of unembalmed human tendon

Abstract In an effort to determine more accurately the physical characteristics of human tendon, stress-strain and tensile strength studies were performed on tendons removed from amputated lower limbs. The tendons of M. extensor digitorum longus, M. extensor digitorum brevis, M. extensor hallucis longus, M. flexor digitorum longus and M. flexor hallucis longus were used in the studies. Tensile strength of the extensor tendons averaged 13,392 psi while that of the flexor tendons was less, with an average of 10,944 psi. These results indicate that, of the tendons tested, the extensors are about 20 per cent stronger than the flexors. The stress-strain data were analyzed by a computerized statistical method utilizing a multiple-regression analysis employing as many as 8 variables. All stress-strain curves shown were derived by this method. The difference in stiffness previously reported to exist between embalmed flexor and extensor tendons was not manifest in the present study. However, in the range from 0 to 3·0 per cent strain, thought by many to be the normal physiologic range, extensors and flexor tendons were seen to react differently to stress. The flexors initially exhibited greater strain per unit stress and gradually became stiffer, the stress-strain curves exhibiting an upward concavity. The extensors were initially stiffer, gradually responding with more strain per unit stress, and the stress-strain curve was slightly concave downward. The stress-strain curves of unembalmed flexor and extensor tendons as calculated in the present study are reminiscent of the curves previously reported for embalmed extensor tendons.
Agricultural Retrenchment Revisited: Issue Definition and Venue Change in the United States and European Union

The case of agriculture in the United States and the European Union indicates that retrenchment opportunities wax and wane. In the first half of the 1990s, both the U.S. and the EU instituted significant farm policy reforms. But as the 1990s came to an end, subsidies in both countries increased as policymakers became less enthusiastic about reducing benefits for farmers. This variability highlights the shortcomings of current political science explanations of retrenchment: the literature has yet to explain why policy change occurs in some circumstances but not others. In this paper, I employ the concepts of issue definition and venue change in order to explain why the United States and the European Union fluctuate in their capacity to reduce farm subsidies. I argue that, in agriculture, retrenchment advocates must redefine the issue of subsidies in a manner that highlights the negative externalities associated with farm policy. Second, retrenchment advocates must also exploit opportunities for strategic venue change so that policy decisions in agriculture do not rest solely with those who benefit from the status quo. By adding the concepts of issue definition and venue change to studies of retrenchment, we gain a better understanding of the conditions that make policy change possible, as well as an account of the mechanism through which retrenchment takes place.
Monitoring of microfloor vibrations in a new research building

This paper describes efforts at monitoring microfloor vibrations in a newly-constructed research building. This building is intended to house a variety of delicate precision scientific instruments with performances that are deleteriously affected by even small floor vibrations. The building is five stories with welded steel construction. Upon completion of the construction, the initial occupants anecdotally complained of excessive floor vibrations. This resulted in an effort to measure the vibrations and to reduce them at their sources, including the mechanical systems for the building. The measurements are compared with industry standards and with measurements taken at nearby reinforced concrete buildings. The success of efforts at reducing the vibrations due to the mechanical systems of the building are also assessed.
Norman Geschwind (1926–1984)

Abstract On Sunday 4 November 1984 Norman Geschwind awoke indisposed. In spite of a feeling of malaise he worked in the morning and attended a concert in the afternoon with his wife Pat. Early that same evening he collapsed without warning, struck by a massive myocardial infarction. Thus ended, unexpectedly and prematurely, at age 58, the life of one of the most remarkable men of science in the post-war era. Death caught him at the absolute peak of his intellectual powers, vigorous and active. The world of the neurological sciences lost one of its most unique, captivating and influential figures.
Influence of Flow Pattern in a Plate-Type Heat Exchanger on the Contribution to Lethal Effect of Warm-up and Cool-down Periods, ,

Abstract The lethality contribution of the heat-up and cool-down times of three plate-type heat exchangers was evaluated relative to the thermal destruction of Staphylococcus aureus in milk. The results showed that a high-temperature short-time unit with parallel flow of heating liquid and milk had a lethal contribution less than a pasteurizer with series flow.
Stability of Sociometric Assessment: Implications for Uses as Selection and Outcome Measures in Social Skills Training.

Abstract One-year stability of a frequently used sociometric classification system (Coie, Dodge, & Coppotelli, Developmental Psychology 18, 555–570, 1982) was investigated with a sample of elementary-age children in Grades K-4. Scores upon which sociometric classifications were based were moderately stable, but sociometric status was unstable over the 1-year interval. Reclassification rates for extreme groups (rejected, neglected, controversial, and popular) ranged from 10% to 30%, neglected status being the most stable and controversial status the least stable. The sociometric classification system investigated showed unacceptably high false-positive and false-negative reclassification rates, the controversials being most susceptible to false-positive identification and popular children the most susceptible to false-negative identification. Stability coefficients of sociometric scores were judged to be too low for use as dependent measures in evaluating the long-term effects of social skills training programs. These findings are discussed in relation to statistical artifacts of the classification procedure and the use of sociometric procedures for selection and outcome measures in social skills training programs.
Electronic bumper stickers: the content and interpersonal functions of messages attached to e-mail signatures:

The two-phase study reported here examined the content and communication function served by electronic bumper stickers (EBSs). EBSs consist of the sayings that are included in an e-mail signature file following personal identifiers such as one's name, phone number, and postal address. In the first phase, 334 EBSs were gathered and content analyzed into one of five message categories. In order of frequency (greatest to smallest frequency) they were: wisdom, humor, advice, religious, and socio-political commentary. In the second phase, open-ended responses from 134 EBS users were coded into one of six motives for interpersonal communication (Rubin et al., 1988). The relationship between one's motive for using an EBS and the content of one's EBS was not statistically significant. The implications of EBSs and e-mail use for mediated communication competence are considered.
MIXED NONLINEARITY AND DOUBLE SHOCKS IN SUPERFLUID HELIUM

We examine weak second-sound waves in He II at temperatures and pressures near one of the zeros of the Khalatnikov steepening parameter Γ. An extension of the reductive perturbation scheme of Taniuti & Wei is employed to derive the cubic Burgers’ equation governing these waves. It is shown that mixed nonlinearity may occur in disturbances in which the local value of Γ remains strictly positive or strictly negative. Further new results include expressions for the shock speed, shock structure and the conditions under which the shock thickness increases, rather than decreases, with strength. The fundamental existence conditions for temperature shocks are also delineated and related to the shock disintegration process observed in experimental studies.
Hormone therapy and platelet function

There is evidence that platelets from women are hyperreactive compared to platelets from men, that endogenous estrogen regulates platelet reactivity, that estrogen therapies modulate platelets response to agonists, and that estrogen acts directly on platelets in a non-genomic manner. A greater understanding of the complex physiology and pharmacogenetic effects of sex hormones and their receptors on hemostasis will be important for the most rational management of patients using hormone therapy.
Synthesis and Reactivity of (Tricarbonyl)(1-ethoxycarbonyl-2-methylpentadienyl)iron(1+) Cation

The title cation was prepared in two steps from the known (ethyl 3-methyl-6-oxo-2,4-hexadienoate)Fe(CO)3. Reation of the cation with NaBH3CN, methyl cuprate, phthalimide, water, PPh3, or malonate anions gave predominantly the products from nucleophilic attack at the C5 pentadienyl carbon.
An ultrastructural description of glutamate-like immunoreactivity in the rat cerebellar cortex

This study provides the first ultrastructural description of glutamate-like immunoreactive neurons and processes in the cerebellar cortex of the rat. Glutamate-like immunoreactivity was seen in parallel fibers, granule cell perikarya, Purkinje cell dendrites, and mossy fiber glomeruli. These data support previous studies that have suggested that granule cells may use glutamate as a neurotransmitter. However, not all granule cells or all parallel fibers were glutamate-like immunoreactive, suggesting that some granule cells may use transmitters other than glutamate. The presence of glutamate-like immunoreactivity in mossy fibers supports the hypothesis that some cerebellar afferent systems may use glutamate as a neurotransmitter.
Rapid transport of fucosyl glycoproteins to nerve endings in mouse brain.

— Mice were injected intracerebrally with mixtures of [3H]fucose and [14C]gluco-samine, and incorporation into macromolecules in various subcellular fractions of brain was studied at 1, 2, 3 and 4 h after administration of the precursors. There was a lag of several hours between the incorporation of [3H]fucose into the glycoproteins of the whole brain fractions and of that into the soluble and particulate glycoproteins of the nerve ending fractions. In contrast, no lag was observed between the incorporation of [14C]glucosamine into the macromolecules of the whole brain fractions and of that into the soluble macro-molecules of the nerve ending fraction. We conclude that fucosyl glycoproteins of the nerve ending fraction were synthesized in the nerve cell bodies and transported to nerve endings by rapid axoplasmic transport, whereas a substantial proportion of the glucosamine in the soluble macromolecules of the nerve ending fraction was incorporated by the nerve endings themselves. In addition, our evidence indicates that cyclobeximide inhibited fucose incorporation into brain glycoproteins by inhibiting the synthesis of acceptor proteins rather than fucosyl transferase.
TURBO CODE TERMINATION AND INTERLEAVER CONDITIONS

Conditions on interleavers that force the constituent encoders of a turbo encoder to the all-zero state with a single tail are derived. An algorithm that allows for termination with different constituent encoders or a predetermined interleaver is also presented.
UV resonance line dayglow emissions on Earth and Jupiter

Atomic resonance line emissions have been used to probe the structure and composition of the upper regions of planetary atmospheres. In this paper the similarities and differences for some emissions of importance in the atmospheres of Earth and Jupiter are examined. For each planet both a conservative resonance line and a line for which there is a considerable branching ratio are considered. On Earth examples of important conservative and nonconservative resonance emissions are OI 1304 A and OI 989 A, respectively. Both of these features are excited by photoelectron impact on atomic oxygen. The OI 1304-A triplet has an additional source due to resonant scattering of the solar OI 1304-A emission feature. These emissions are typically observed from a much different perspective than corresponding emissions from other planets, usually from inside the atmosphere, at substantial line-center optical depths. On Jupiter the brightest conservative resonance line is HI 1216A (Lyman α), while HI 1026 A (Lyman β) is an example of an important nonconservative resonance line. In this paper, models are presented for the intensities of these features as would be seen from a distance of several planetary radii, using the same geometry of observation for both Earth and Jupiter. The variations of the line-integrated emissions across the disk and near the limb of each planet are examined in detail. Line profiles for the emissions near the limb and at disk-center are also examined. The models reveal the importance of including inhomogeneities and temperature variations of the atmospheres in scattering models, and indicate that outer planet emissions previously interpreted as “electroglow” may be solely due to resonant scattering of solar emissions.
Streets of Promise, Streets of Sorrow: Kobayashi Takiji and the Proletarian Movement

In this article I read the public space and streetscapes of early-Shōwa Tokyo through the lens of proletarian writers. I use the conceptual tools provided by cultural geographers, in particular the concept of emotional geography. Activists of the late 1920s co-opted the streets to distribute leaflets and engage in other forms of agitation. Through their actions they attempted to reinscribe the meaning of the streets, extending even to the ceremonial plazas laid out to showcase imperial power. The risks and exhilarations of such activity are vividly recounted in works including Tokunaga Sunao's ‘The Sunless Street', Sata Ineko's poem ‘Leafleting', and Kobayashi Takiji's posthumously published novella, ‘The Life of a Party Member'. Takiji's novella details the dangerous cat-and-mouse game underground activists played as they worked on behalf of the illegal Communist Party and dodged the surveillance of the secret police.
Focal basal perfusion defects: An unusual location of ischemia after coronary artery bypass grafting

6. Donaldson RM, Raphael MJ. Missing coronary artery: review of technical problems in coronary arteriography resulting from anatomical variants. Br Heart J 1982;47:62-70. Chaitman BR, Lesperance J, Saltiel J, Bourassa MG. Clinical, angiographic, and hemodynamic findings in patienti with anomalous origin of the coronary arteries. Circulation 1976; 52122-31. Liberthson RR, Dinsmore RE, Fallon JT. Aberrant coronary artery origin from the aorta: report of 18 patients. Review of literature and delineation of natural history and management. Circulation 1979;59:748-54. Roberta WC, Siegel RJ, Zipes DP. Origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva and its functional consequences: analysis of 10 necropsy patients. Am J Cardiol 1982;49:863-8. Brandt III B, Martins JB, Marcus ML. Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva. N Engl J Med 1983;309:596-8. King III SB, Douglas Jr JS. Coronary arteriography and angioplasty. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 198541.
RACE, ETHNICITY, THREAT AND THE LABELING OF CONVICTED FELONS*

Florida law allows judges to withhold adjudication of guilt for persons who have either pled guilty or been found guilty of a felony. This provision may apply only to persons who will be sentenced to probation, and it allows such individuals to retain all civil rights and to truthfully assert they had not been convicted of a felony. This paper examines the effects of race and Hispanic ethnicity on the withholding of adjudication for 91,477 males sentenced to probation in Florida between 1999 and 2002. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling is used to assess the direct effects of defendant attributes as well as the cross-level interactions between race, ethnicity and community level indicators of threat, such as percentage black and Hispanic and concentrated disadvantage. Our results show that Hispanics and blacks are significantly less likely to have adjudication withheld when other individual and community level factors are controlled. This effect is especially pronounced for blacks and for drug offenders. Cross-level interactions show that concentrated disadvantage has a substantial effect on the adjudication withheld outcome for both black and Hispanic defendants. The implications of these results for the conceptualization of racial/ethnic threat at the individual, situational and social levels are discussed.
Theory of microemulsions with spherical drops. I: Phase diagrams and interfacial tensions in gravity-free systems

Abstract A theory of microemulsions containing spherical drops has been used to develop ternary phase diagrams and to predict interfacial tensions between phases for oil-water-surfactant systems. Various conditions ranging from those where the surfactant is rather hydrophilic to those where it is rather hydrophobic have been investigated. A novel feature of the theory is a method for determining the chemical potential of the surfactant in a microemulsion phase. This scheme makes it possible to determine the conditions for microemulsion inversion from water-continuous to oil-continuous behavior and to calculate the compositions of the two microemulsions in equilibrium at the inversion point. Predicted phase behavior and interfacial tensions are in general agreement with experimental results except that inversion is abrupt instead of gradual near the so-called optimal conditions.
Review of superconducting booster linacs

Abstract Several superconducting boosters have been built and more are planned or under construction. These all use a number of independently phased resonators to permit acceleration of a wide variety of ion masses. For heavy ions, vhf frequencies are involved, and operation of the superconductors at 4.3 K, the normal boiling point of He, is practical. (Because fundamental losses in superconductors depend on frequency, some electron accelerators using much higher frequencies require colder resonators.) For boosters the resonator technology has evolved toward the use of quarter wave resonators with straight loading arms. The superconducting material is either niobium or lead. The latter is deposited as a film on copper, while the former may be sheet metal, may be bonded to copper, or may be (in principle) applied as a film on copper. The trade-offs involved and the successes of the various techniques are discussed. The rf must be controlled accurately both with regard to amplitude and phase. Because of the high unloaded Q of the resonators, additional loading is provided at some temperature well above that of the superconductor, in order to increase the bandwidth to a manageable point. Most boosters provide active control of phase by shifting the driving phase, although at least one system uses a frequency switching technique. Cross talk between independent resonator control systems must be avoided. The cryogenic systems have evolved toward a system based on a large helium refrigerator using turbine expansion and providing gas cooling to heat shields. Conservative design provides excess capacity beyond the expected requirements of the accelerator. Cryogenic distribution must be done carefully to avoid losses, and the system should be designed with capacity to match that of anticipated upgrades of the refrigerator. Most boosters use an approximately periodic focusing system with radial phase advance near 90° per unit cell. At Legnaro, however, waist to waist focusing is planned between diagnostic boxes placed between each cryostat. The pertinent operating parameters of boosters that are presently operating, are under construction, and are planned are presented.
Nanodevices that explore the synergies between PDCs and carbon nanotubes

Abstract There is now good evidence that carbon nanotubes can be coated uniformly with a very thin, perhaps even a monolayer, of a polymer-derived ceramic (SiCN) by a simple process of soaking the nanotube surfaces with the liquid precursor followed by pyrolysis. The ceramic coating bonds the nanotubes to one another, which suppresses time-dependent creep that is present without the ceramic bonding. In this article we address the influence of the ceramic coating on two functional properties of carbon nanotube structures—the electrolytic supercapacitance and electrochemico-mechanical actuation. The results, when expressed as the equivalent surface capacitance of carbon sheets, are quite unexpected. The ceramic coating appears to increase the surface capacitance of the nanotube structure. The actuation induced by capacitive charging is also shown to be somewhat enhanced, although the principal influence of the coating is to suppress the drift of the actuation seen in unbonded carbon nanotube structures. It is inferred that the thickness of the SiCN coating amounts to approximately one monolayer of coverage of the nanotubes.
Regional myocardial blood flow and coronary vascular reserve in unanesthetized ponies during pacing-induced ventricular tachycardia☆

To examine the effects of tachycardia on coronary circulation, transmural distribution of myocardial blood flow (MBF, 15-micron diameter radionuclide-labeled microspheres) was studied in six healthy adult ponies at rest (heart rate = 60 +/- 7 beats . min-1), during ventricular pacing at 150 and 200 beats . min-1, as well as with ventricular pacing at 250 beats . min-1 before and during maximal coronary vasodilatation (iv adenosine infusion; 4 mumole . kg-1 . min-1). Mean aortic pressure and cardiac output were unchanged from control values with ventricular pacing. Whereas ventricular pacing at 150 and 200 beats . min-1 resulted in a progressive uniform increase in transmural MBF and well-maintained endo:epi perfusion ratio, pacing at 250 beats . min-1 did not result in a further increase in MBF compared to pacing at 200 beats . min-1 and the left ventricular (LV) subendocardial:subepicardial (endo:epi) perfusion ratio was significantly less than 1.00 (0.87 +/- 0.05). Blood flow to the LV papillary muscles and subendocardium was significantly less than that recorded at 200 beats . min-1. The LV endo:epi perfusion ratio with ventricular pacing at 250 beats . min-1 during adenosine infusion resulted in a decrease in mean aortic pressure (63% of control value) and a marked further reduction in blood flow to the LV papillary muscles as well as the LV subendocardium, while MBF increased dramatically in the LV subepicardium compared to values observed during ventricular pacing at 250 beats . min-1 alone. This resulted in a LV endo:epi perfusion ratio of 0.39 +/- 0.09. By contrast, transmural right ventricular (RV) MBF increased significantly and the RV endo:epi perfusion ratio was well maintained. These data demonstrate that coronary vasomotion functions to maintain LV subendocardial blood flow in the pony myocardium at a heart rate of 200 beats . min-1, while at 250 beats . min-1 exhaustion of coronary vasodilator reserve in the deeper layers limits further increase in MBF.
Airborne traffic surveillance systems: video surveillance of highway traffic

Timely information about highway traffic conditions is very important for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other relevant agencies. Such live information would be very important when traffic incidents or accidents occur. An aerial view is the best for traffic situations, particularly over highways. Unmanned aircraft equipped with video cameras and/or other sensors may be able to deliver the necessary information through video images with relatively low operational costs and risks to human life. ATSS (Airborne Traffic Surveillance System), a project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, attempts to make this vision a reality. This paper describes how the University of Florida research team implemented a system for ATSS from the ground up, using unmanned aerial vehicles, digital video encoding, and transmission of data and multimedia video streams over FDOT's microwave IP networks.
Generalizability of the Differential Coursework methodology: Relationships between self-reported Coursework and performance on the ACT-COMP exam

If the assessment of student outcomes is to be successful in improving the quality and effectiveness of American higher education, measures of student achievement must be linked to the characteristics of academic programs. The Differential Coursework Patterns Project (DCPP), directed by Dr. James Ratcliff at Iowa State University, appears to offer a method of linking outcomes measures to program data. However, questions must be raised about the generalizability of this method. The results of this study suggest that the differential coursework methodology may be used effectively with at least two different measures of educational outcomes. Moreover, this methodology can be used with coursework data gathered either through transcript analysis or students' self-reports. The results of this study also indicate that the choice of statistical techniques may not be generalizable. The techniques selected should be determined by the nature of the institution, the types of outcomes measures used, and the configuration of the data.
Creative accounting in the age of Philip II? Determining the ‘just’ rate of interest

Deficit financing, revenue projections and interest rates in Spanish Naples provide the context to reflect upon the exigencies of debt resolution, the illusions of mathematical certainty and the perils of temporizing in political decision-making. ‘Creative accounting’ explores the micro-history of an equation, which provided the mathematical rationale to lower Spanish interest rates to 3·3 per cent and to resolve the controversy over the ‘just’ rate of interest. In an attempt to generate revenues during the Spanish financial crisis of the 1570s that surrounded Philip II's second bankruptcy in Castile, Philip's Castilian accountants devised a proposal to suspend the hearth census in the Kingdom of Naples for fifteen years in exchange for a prepayment at discount. An analysis of the mathematics of the discount schedule raises questions about early modern economic realities. Changes in the significance of figures and quantitative relationships, like changes in the meaning of words, reveal the mental processes used to represent economic fact and to construct solutions to economic difficulties even in the midst of crises.
Regulating Chemicals: Law, Science, and the Unbearable Burdens of Regulation

The challenges of regulating industrial chemicals remain unresolved in the United States. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 was the first legislation to extend coverage to the regulation of industrial chemicals, both existing and newly registered. However, decisions related to both law and science that were made in passing this law inevitably rendered it ineffectual. Attempts to fix these shortcomings have not been successful. In light of the European Union's passage of innovative principles and requirements for chemical regulation, it is no longer possible to deny the opportunity and need for reform in US law and practice.
Neurl4 contributes to germ cell formation and integrity in Drosophila

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) form at the posterior pole of the Drosophila embryo, and then migrate to their final destination in the gonad where they will produce eggs or sperm. Studies of the different stages in this process, including assembly of germ plasm in the oocyte during oogenesis, specification of a subset of syncytial embryonic nuclei as PGCs, and migration, have been informed by genetic analyses. Mutants have defined steps in the process, and the identities of the affected genes have suggested biochemical mechanisms. Here we describe a novel PGC phenotype. When Neurl4 activity is reduced, newly formed PGCs frequently adopt irregular shapes and appear to bud off vesicles. PGC number is also reduced, an effect exacerbated by a separate role for Neurl4 in germ plasm formation during oogenesis. Like its mammalian homolog, Drosophila Neurl4 protein is concentrated in centrosomes and downregulates centrosomal protein CP110. Reducing CP110 activity suppresses the abnormal PGC morphology of Neurl4 mutants. These results extend prior analyses of Neurl4 in cultured cells, revealing a heightened requirement for Neurl4 in germ-line cells in Drosophila.
The significance of calf thrombi after total knee arthroplasty

We reviewed the records of 1257 patients having 1625 total knee arthroplasties; all had pre-operative and postoperative perfusion lung scans and postoperative venograms which were classified as showing no thrombi, calf thrombi or proximal thrombi. Patients with calf thrombi were found to have a significantly greater risk for both symptomatic and asymptomatic pulmonary embolism compared with patients with no venographic thrombi. There were positive lung scans in 6.9% of patients with calf thrombi compared with 2.0% of patients with negative venograms (p < 0.001). Symptomatic pulmonary embolism occurred in 1.6% of patients with calf thrombi compared with 0.2% of patients with negative venograms (p = 0.034). The risk of pulmonary embolism was not significantly different between patients with treated proximal thrombi, and those with calf thrombi. Patients who develop deep-vein thrombosis despite prophylaxis are at increased risk for pulmonary embolism; these patients should receive treatment, or undergo follow-up studies to detect proximal propagation.
Reductive evolution and the loss of PDC/PAS domains from the genus Staphylococcus

Background: The Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain represents a ubiquitous structural fold that is involved in bacterial sensing and adaptation systems, including several virulence related functions. Although PAS domains and the subclass of PhoQ-DcuS-CitA (PDC) domains have a common structure, there is limited amino acid sequence similarity. To gain greater insight into the evolution of PDC/PAS domains present in the bacterial kingdom and staphylococci in specific, the PDC/PAS domains from the genomic sequences of 48 bacteria, representing 5 phyla, were identified using the sensitive search method based on HMM-to-HMM comparisons (HHblits). Results: A total of 1,007 PAS domains and 686 PDC domains distributed over 1,174 proteins were identified. For 28 Gram-positive bacteria, the distribution, organization, and molecular evolution of PDC/PAS domains were analyzed in greater detail, with a special emphasis on the genus Staphylococcus. Compared to other bacteria the staphylococci have relatively fewer proteins (6–9) containing PDC/PAS domains. As a general rule, the staphylococcal genomes examined in this study contain a core group of seven PDC/PAS domain-containing proteins consisting of WalK, SrrB, PhoR, ArlS, HssS, NreB, and GdpP. The exceptions to this rule are: 1) S. saprophyticus lacks the core NreB protein; 2) S. carnosus has two additional PAS domain containing proteins; 3) S. epidermidis, S. aureus ,a ndS. pseudintermedius have an additional protein with two PDC domains that is predicted to code for a sensor histidine kinase; 4) S. lugdunensis has an additional PDC containing protein predicted to be a sensor histidine kinase. Conclusions: This comprehensive analysis demonstrates that variation in PDC/PAS domains among bacteria has limited correlations to the genome size or pathogenicity; however, our analysis established that bacteria having a motile phase in their life cycle have significantly more PDC/PAS-containing proteins. In addition, our analysis revealed a tremendous amount of variation in the number of PDC/PAS-containing proteins within genera. This variation extended to the Staphylococcus genus, which had between 6 and 9 PDC/PAS proteins and some of these appear to be previously undescribed signaling proteins. This latter point is important because most staphylococcal proteins that contain PDC/PAS domains regulate virulence factor synthesis or antibiotic resistance.
Right-wing hegemony and immigration: How the populist far-right achieved hegemony through the immigration debate in Europe

It is becoming increasingly clear that the debate on Islam and Muslim immigrants has moved into the center of European political discourse. The increasing volume of publications about the role of I...
Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Land Use for Local Governments

Over the last two years a number of state level initiatives in New York have been announced and enacted to address sustainable development and climate change. For example, Governor Paterson issued a series of executive orders: requiring a new State Energy Plan (which was adopted in December 2008); setting a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050 and calling for the creation of a climate action plan (the draft plan is scheduled for release for public comment in November 2010; and creating an interagency committee on sustainability and green procurement. In addition, he signed into law a number of new programs including: the Green Residential Building Grant Program, the Green Jobs – Green New York Program, the Municipal Sustainable Energy Loan Act, and improvements to net metering. While these and other State-level programs are vital to achieving emissions reductions goals and promoting sustainable communities, New York’s cities, towns, and villages have also been at work trying to develop and implement strategies to curb emissions. Municipalities are choosing to adopt clear statements and action items in their comprehensive land use plans, and they are creating climate change or sustainability task forces and developing strategies. Local governments are also enacting regulations to promote green building and alternative energy development. This article introduces the ways in which local governments have taken the lead in mitigating and preparing for climate change, focusing on the manner in which local governments have incorporated climate change concerns into the local land development regime.
Techniques for GIS modeling of coastal dunes

Coastal dunes present a unique problem to coastal scientists because of the dynamic nature of most coastal dune systems. Coastal dunes can change shape quickly and frequently due to storm-generated winds and waves. Prevailing winds can transport significant amounts of sand throughout the dune system. Topographic and volumetric changes in a 150×40 m site on the Outer Banks of North Carolina were assessed through a series of monthly field surveys conducted over a 1-year period from May 1997 to May 1998. This paper discusses the Geographic Information System (GIS) methodology used for data acquisition and analysis and presents one methodology developed to measure 3-D dune morphodynamics using a 2-D and 3-D GIS. It serves as a guide for other coastal researchers who may have limited surveying or GIS experience. Issues concerning sampling routine, data density and grid cell size are discussed. The methodology followed results in the production of a grid of interpolated elevation values that can be represented in a variety of ways, including as topographic maps, digital elevation models (DEM) or two-dimensional cross-sections of the dune system. The grid from the May 1998 survey is subtracted from the May 1997 grid to obtain elevation change information that in turn can be represented graphically. The results of the analysis show that volumetric change over the 1-year period was dominated by erosion along the seaward face of the dune. The monthly surveys show that this erosion was the result of two northeasters in January and February 1998. The loss of volume is partially compensated for by accumulation to the rear of the foredune ridge, primarily in locations where blowouts facilitate aeolian transport of sediment from the beach. The implication is that the dune system is eroding rapidly due to storm activity. It also suggests that there is a mechanism for offsetting some of the volumetric loss through aeolian transport into the dune system.
Effect of Monensin on Response of Chicks to Deficient and Toxic Levels of Dietary Selenium

Two experiments were conducted to determine if monensin affects tissue deposition of selenium (Se) and influences the response of broiler chicks to either deficient or toxic levels of this element. In the first experiment, adding Se with or without monensin to a semipurified basal diet (containing .06 mg Se/kg) significantly increased body weight, plasma thyroxine, plasma Se, liver Se, and reduced incidence of exudative diathesis. Plasma triiodothyronine was not significantly affected. There were no significant interactions between monensin and Se in any of the parameters. Monensin did not modify the Se deficiency or affect the tissue deposition of Se. In a second experiment, broiler chicks were fed diets containing levels of Se from 0 to 5 ppm with and without monensin. The higher levels of Se significantly reduced body weight, reduced feed efficiency, and increased liver deposition of Se. A significant interaction between monensin and Se was observed for hepatic selenium content. At the highest dietary Se level, chicks fed monensin deposited less Se in the liver than chicks fed no monensin. The chick apparently differs from sheep in this regard, because a marked increase in whole blood Se was reported in lambs from ewes fed diets supplemented with monensin.
EARNINGS AND WOMEN'S RETIREMENT SECURITY

As the U.S. population ages, traditional sources of retirement income will likely fall short of what is needed to maintain pre-retirement living standards for many individuals. The issue of retirement security is especially important for women, because even today nearly 30 percent of single women, who represent a majority of households at older ages, are classified as poor or near-poor. One solution to the retirement security challenge is for women to work more during their lifetimes and to stay in the workforce longer as they age. By and large, those who continue to work until their mid-60s or beyond do not end up poor. The question is explored in this study is what determines women's labor force activity at older ages and what determines when they retire. Only by understanding these levers is it possible to make changes that are likely to encourage stronger labor force participation, and thus greater retirement security, for women.