cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rehydration and Sensory Properties of Dehydrated Russet Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) Using Microwave Vacuum, Heated Air, or Freeze Dehydration

Russet potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) dehydrated by microwave-vacuum (MVD), heated air (HAD), and freeze drying (FD) were compared by measuring color, texture, rehydration properties, and sensory properties. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images were taken to observe cell damage in the dried potatoes. The MVD potatoes remained intact following rehydration and retained suitable textural and color properties based upon sensory evaluation. The FD potatoes became friable and lost color. Sensory panelists preferred MVD, FD, and HAD in that order. MVD can provide consumers with a dehydrated product that has characteristics similar to or better than those dried by HAD or FD.
Histology of the human hypophysis in thyroid disease-hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and cancer.

RECENT experiments on laboratory animals (1–4) show that thyroid deficiency will induce hyperplasia of a specific cell type in the adenohypophysis, which is presumed to be the source of thyrotropic hormone (TSH). This paper is a study of the human hypophysis in thyroid deficiency, thyrotoxicosis and cancer of the thyroid, in an attempt to see if any particular cell can be linked with TSH production in man and what changes, if any, are induced by various therapeutic procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS Differential counts were performed on all hypophyses which were stained by the periodic-acid Schiff reaction and an Orange G counterstain. This technique differentiates six cell types as follows: 1. Normal basophils. These are densely granulated, intensely Schiff positive cells (Figs. 1–6). 2. Acidophils. These are densely granulated, Schiff negative cells which stain brightly with Orange G (Figs. 4 and 6). 3. Amphophils. These are more sparsely granulated, weakly Schiff positive cells which may vary considerabl...
Statistical theory of pion-nucleus reactions in the (3, 3) resonance energy region

Abstract A statistical theory of pion-induced nuclear reactions is presented, and developed for application in the energy region of the Δ(1232) πN resonance. The dynamical picture is based on three types of channels: π-scattering channels, Δ-channels, and absorption channels. The statistical assumptions lead to a transport equation for the Δ in the nuclear target, from which the inclusive cross sections for inelastic scattering and absorption of pions may be obtained. The theory is more general than various semiclassical approaches, but can be shown to go over to a Boltzmann-like equation in the appropriate limits.
Nanodiamond Reinforced PLLA Nanocomposites for Bone Tissue Engineering

Nanodiamond (ND) is an attractive nanomaterial for reinforcement of biopolymers due to the ND’s superior mechanical and chemical properties, and low biotoxicity. A novel composite material has been produced for bone scaffolds utilizing the biodegradable polymer poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and octadecylamine-functionalized nanodiamond (ND-ODA). Composites were prepared by admixing to a PLLA/chloroform solution chloroform suspension of ND-ODA in concentration range of 0–10% (w/w). The dispersion of ND-ODA evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows uniform distribution of ND-ODA in PLLA matrix. The composites were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC analysis of the composites showed no significant thermal behavior changes with the addition of ND-ODA into the polymer. Biomineralization test shows that ND-ODA can enhance the mineral deposition on scaffolds. Improved mechanical properties and good biocompatibility with enhanced biomineralization combined suggest that ND-ODA/PLLA might have potential applications for bone tissue engineering.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Contrasts Between Phagocyte Antibiotic Uptake and Subsequent Intracellular Bactericidal Activity.

An ideal antibiotic for therapy of infections due to facultative intracellular organisms would enter phagocytes readily and kill intracellular bacteria. We have examined the consequences of antibiotic uptake by human polymorphonuclear lymphocytes (PMN) on intraphagocytic bactericidal activity, using antibiotics which differ markedly in their ability to enter PMN. After ingestion of Staphylococcus aureus, PMN were evaluated in regard to uptake of antibiotics and survival of intraphagocytic bacteria in the presence or absence of these drugs. Except for erythromycin, the uptake of which was slightly decreased, the entry of tested antibiotics into PMN was increased or unchanged after ingestion of S. aureus. Clindamycin and erythromycin, which achieved high cellular levels in PMN, failed to produce a significant reduction in viable intraphagocytic S. aureus during 3 h of antibiotic exposure. In contrast, rifampin, which was concentrated severalfold by phagocytes, was able to kill intracellular staphylococci. Gentamicin and penicillin G penetrated PMN rather poorly. However, while gentamicin demonstrated efficient intraphagocytic killing of bacteria, penicillin had no intracellular effect during the 3-h incubation period. These observations document that the ability to enter phagocytes is only one of the factors which determine the intracellular antibacterial activity of an antibiotic.
Identification and characterization of a negative regulatory element within the epidermal growth factor receptor gene first intron in hormone-dependent breast cancer cells.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibits an inverse correlation with estrogen receptor (ER) expression in the majority of breast cancers, predicting a poor response to endocrine therapy and poor survival rate. Inappropriate overexpression of EGFR in breast cancer is associated with a more aggressive phenotype. Transcriptional regulation is the major regulatory mechanism controlling EGFR overexpression in breast cancer cells. We have identified a region within the first intron of the EGFR gene that mediates transcriptional repression of EGFR gene expression in ER +/low EGFR expressing but not in ER−/high EGFR expressing breast cancer cells. Utilizing transient transfections of homologous and heterologous promoter-reporter constructs, we localized optimal repressive activity to a 96 bp intron domain. The 96 bp fragment displayed differential DNA-protein complex formation with nuclear extracts from ER + vs. ER− breast cancer cells. Moreover, factors interacting with this intron negative regulatory element appear to be estrogen-regulated. Consequently, our results suggest that we have identified a potential mechanism by which maintenance of low levels of EGFR expression and subsequent EGFR upregulation may be attributed to the loss of transcriptional repression of EGFR gene expression in hormone-dependent breast cancer cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 85: 601–614, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Introduction: Access and Contestation: Women’s Performance in Early Modern England, Italy, France, and Spain

This essay reviews major questions and recent developments in the field of early modern women and performance; it also introduces the eight essays for the special issue.
On a Conjecture of C. A. Micchelli Concerning Cubic Spline Interpolation at a Biinfinite Knot Sequence.

Abstract It is shown that if the knot sequence t:= ( t i ) −∞ ∞ satisfies (i) for some m ϵ ¦ 1, (3 + √5) 2 ) , m −1 ⩽ lim r inf i t i+r−1 − t i+r t i+1 − t i ⩽ lim r sup i t i+r+1 − t i+r t i+1 − t i ⩽ m and (ii) m t := sup |i−j|⩽1 t i+1 − t i t j+1 − t j ≤ ∞ then for any given bounded sequence y e m ( Z ) there exists exactly one bounded cubic spline s with knots t i such that s ( t i ) = y i for all i e Z .
Properties of extracellular polysaccharides from Rhizobium

Abstract Extracellular polysaccharides from Rhizobium were separated into type I, isolated by precipitation with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and type II, obtained by adding potassium hydroxide to the solution when no type I material was present. Total carbohydrate as glucose in the polysaccharides ranged from 21 to 92% and glucuronic acid, from 0 to 22%. Small quantities of nitrogen always remained in the samples after purification. Specific rotation values showed a wide range from −90 to +150°. Reduced specific viscosities ranged from 600 to 66,000 cm 3 /g. Paper chromatographic analyses of 14 polysaccharides showed a difference between the types I and II products, particularly in the concentrations of glucose and mannose. Where several cultures within one group were tested, no direct relationships appeared evident between host legume and constituent sugars. Column electrophoretic separation of six poly-saccharides gave glucose (63–86%), galactose (14–20%), mannose (0–13%), and glucuronic acid (0–10%). Characterization results indicated as many differences within a single host legume group as between groups, suggesting that polysaccharide analysis has limited value as a diagnostic tool for classification of the Rhizobium .
Glycoprotein gene relocation in rabies virus

Unlike vesicular stomatitis virus, rabies virus glycoprotein gene has not been successfully relocated closer to promoter-proximal regions by reverse genetics. Here we describe an efficient system for the Evelyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth (ERA) rabies virus with the glycoprotein gene switched with the matrix protein gene, creating a reshuffled virus ERAgm (gene order N-P-G-M-L). With the aid of an autogene plasmid, the T7 RNA polymerase containing a nuclear location signal from the SV40 large T antigen facilitated virus recovery. The rearranged ERAgm rabies virus replicated as well as the parental ERA (gene order N-P-M-G-L) virus, reaching 10(9) ffu/ml in infected BSR cells. The altered glycoprotein gene position in viral genome presented an alternative way to study the pathogenicity of rabies virus. This also provides a potential novel method for rabies vaccine development.
Competing order scenario of two-gap behavior in hole-doped cuprates

Angle-dependent studies of the gap function provide evidence for the coexistence of two distinct gaps in hole-doped cuprates, where the gap near the nodal direction scales with the superconducting transition temperature ${T}_{c}$, while that in the antinodal direction scales with the pseudogap temperature. We present model calculations which show that most of the characteristic features observed in the recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) as well as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) two-gap studies are consistent with a scenario in which the pseudogap has a nonsuperconducting origin in a competing phase. Our analysis indicates that, near optimal doping, superconductivity can quench the competing order at low temperatures, and that some of the key differences observed between the STM and ARPES results can give insight into the superlattice symmetry of the competing order.
Photographs of historical figures and events in geophysics wanted

The AGU History of Geophysics Committee is beginning a project to depict the history of geophysics through an ongoing photographic display at AGU meetings. The photographs will feature notable events and people within the geosciences. The committee welcomes submissions of photographic prints that would complement the collection. Candid shots are preferred, but portraits are appreciated as well. Please send a black and white copy of the print, or send the original and the committee will make a copy and return it to you. Funds are available to reproduce a limited amount of material. The photo should be accompanied by a listing of the people involved, the location, and the approximate date the photograph was taken. Please send prints to Suzanne Lyons, IGPP, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093-0225 USA.
Procedures of the human factors center at San Jose

The work performed at the Human Factors Center located at IBM's development facility in San Jose, California, is representative of human factors work being done by groups of human factors specialists throughout IBM. A few of the projects that the Center was involved with are described as examples to show how human factors concerns are studied in the development of products and systems. The examples were selected to indicate the broad nature of the problems studied and include hardware and software areas. The complete scientific techniques used in the projects are not discussed in this paper so that the focus of discussion will be on the nature, scope, and methodology of the human factors work, The computing and data collection systems used for human factors tests are briefly discussed.
A phase I trial of pharmacologic modulation of irinotecan with cyclosporine and phenobarbital

The anticancer agent irinotecan has been demonstrated to improve the survival rate in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Its usage has been limited by severe toxicity. To modulate irinotecan pharmacokinetics and reduce the prevalence of severe toxicity, patients were treated with cyclosporine (INN, ciclosporin) and the irinotecan dose was increased from 25 to 72 mg/m2 weekly. Phenobarbital was then added, allowing dose escalation to 144 mg/m2. Dose-limiting toxicities were neutropenia and diarrhea. Irinotecan was well tolerated at the recommended phase II dose of 120 mg/m2, with a 6% prevalence of grade 4 neutropenia and an 18% prevalence of grade 3 diarrhea. Cyclosporine increased 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) by 23% to 630% and reduced irinotecan clearance by 39% to 64% when compared with historical controls. Phenobarbital increased irinotecan clearance by 27% (P < or =.001) and reduced SN-38 AUC by 75% (P < or =.001) when compared with patients treated with cyclosporine alone. Five partial responses were observed. Pharmacokinetic modulation of irinotecan with cyclosporine and phenobarbital has been demonstrated; further studies are necessary to evaluate whether this strategy improves the therapeutic index.
Cerebrospinal fluid levels of oxytocin in Prader-Willi syndrome: a preliminary report.

Abstract Background: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterized by mental retardation, appetite dysregulation, and a high risk for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Microscopic abnormalities of the hypothalamus have been described in PWS, and oxytocin has been implicated in both appetite regulation and OCD. Methods: Oxytocin and arginine vasopressin (AVP) were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid of 5 subjects with PWS (2 male, 3 female) and in 6 normal control subjects (all female). Results: CSF oxytocin was elevated in PWS (9.2 ± 3.9 pmol/L) as compared to normal control subjects (5.1 ± 0.9 pmol/L, p = 0.045), a finding that was more significant when excluding male subjects from analysis ( p = 0.02). AVP was not significantly different between the groups as a whole. Conclusions: These data provide further evidence for hypothalamic and oxytocinergic dysfunction in PWS. The associations between oxytocin, appetite regulation, and obsessive compulsive symptomatology in PWS warrant further investigation.
Long-term healing of photodynamic therapy: treatment of experimental intimal hyperplasia

A study was performed to determine whether intimal hyperplasia can be chronically inhibited and the artery wall integrity maintained after cells are depleted from the artery with photodynamic therapy. Utilizing chloroaluminum sulfonated phthalocyanine or saline for control, limited balloon injury of the common carotid artery was performed before irradiation with 675 mm laser light. Results demonstrated carotid inhibition of intimal hyperplasia in PDT treated arteries without aneurysm formation or artery dilatation. By 4 weeks there was reendothelialization of the intima of the PDT arteries and repopulation of the adventitia with myofibroblasts. This data was encouraging in that PDT can chronically inhibit intimal hyperplasia without precipitating a weakness in the arterial wall.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Extrusion blow molding of microcomposites based on thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers and polypropylene

This work is concerned with the extrusion blow molding of bottles from pellets of polypropylene (PP) containing pregenerated microfibrils of thermotropic liquid crystal polymers (TLCPs), referred to as microcomposites. The TLCPs used are HX6000 and Vectra A950. The microcomposites are produced by drawing strands of PP and TLCPs generated by means of a novel mixing technique and pelletizing the strands. The work was undertaken in an effort to improve on the properties observed for in situ composites in which the TLCP fibrils are generated in elongational flow fields that occur in polymer processing operations and to determine if TLCP reinforced bottles could be produced by extrusion blow molding of microcomposites. In situ composites usually exhibit highly anisotropic mechanical properties and the properties do not reflect the full reinforcing potential of the TLCP fibers. Factors considered include the effect of TLCP concentration and in situ composite strand properties on the mechanical properties and anisotropy of bottles made from microcomposites. Specifically, strands having three different draw ratios are used to produce bottles at 10 and 20 wt% TLCP. Increasing the in situ composite strand modulus is shown to cause an increase in both the machine and transverse direction moduli of the composite bottles. The mechanical properties of the bottles increase with increasing TLCP composition. Finally, the machine and transverse direction properties are not balanced in the composite bottles produced in this study (degrees of anisotropy ranging from 1.5 to 1.8). The mechanical anisotropy is probably the result of a low blow up ratio (2) in the bottles and the TLCP fibers being oriented primarily in the machine direction due to the shear flow in the die.
The Impact of Year-Round Schooling on Academic Achievement: Evidence from Mandatory School Calendar Conversions

In 2007,22 Wake County, North Carolina traditional calendar schools were switched to year-round calendars, spreading the 180 instruc tional days evenly across the year. This paper presents a human capi tal model to illustrate the conditions under which these calendars might affect achievement. We then exploit the natural experiment to evaluate the impact of year-round schooling on student achievement using a multi-level fixed effects model. Results suggest that year round schooling has essentially no impact on academic achievement of the average student. Moreover, when the data are broken out by race, we find no evidence that any racial subgroup benefits from year-round schooling. (JEL H75,121,128, J24)
Ultrafast Curve Crossing Dynamics through Conical Intersections in Methylated Cyclopentadienes

We explored the curve crossing dynamics of 1,2,3,4-tetramethyl-cyclopentadiene (TMCPD) and 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethyl-cyclopentadiene (PMCPD) upon {pi} {yields} {pi}* excitation to the 1B{sub 2} state using time-resolved, resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization mass and photoelectron spectroscopy. Upon excitation with a femtosecond laser pulse at 267 nm, the energy relaxation pathway is observed by a time-delayed probe pulse at 400 nm, which ionizes the molecule through Rydberg states that reveal the momentary state of the molecule in the photoelectron spectra. We observe that the initially populated 1B{sub 2} state decays to the 2A{sub 1} surface in 135 fs in TMCPD and 183 fs in PMCPD, followed by a crossing to the ground state 1A{sub 1} surface on 57 and 60 fs time scales for TMCPD and PMCPD, respectively. The spectroscopic signatures of the 2A{sub 1} states are clearly revealed in the two-photon ionization photoelectron spectra. In both systems we observe that the ground states are recovered completely, indicating that no new molecular structures are created on the time scale of the experiment.
Photoperiodic control of antler cycles in deer. II. Alterations in amplitude

Deer native to temperate zones grow new antlers each year in synchrony with the annual photoperiodic cycle. When the amplitude of this cycle is reduced from normal winter and summer solstices (at 42° latitude) of nine and fifteen hours to as little as eleven and one-half and twelve and one-half hours (equivalent to about 9° latitude), sika deer still tend to grow antlers on schedule, even when that schedule is accelerated. Deer exposed to days of constant length for prolonged periods of time fail to replace their antlers when the light:dark ratio is 12L/12D. When held on unchanging short (8L/16D) or long (16/8D; 24L/OD) days, however, they continue with their antler cycles at irregular intervals averaging about 85% of the siderial year. These results are interpreted in terms of an inherent circannian rhythm, the duration of which can be adapted to the frequency of the prevailing photoperiodicity, but which reverts to approximately a year on constant long or short days and disappears altogether on simulated equatorial photoperiods.
Nickel(II) and cobalt(II) complexes of primary alkyl amides

Abstract The complexes of propionamide, n-butyramide, isobutyramide, and trimethylacetamide with nickel(II) and cobalt(II) have been investigated. On the basis of analytical data the formula [ML6]X2 was assigned for X  NO3− and ClO4−, while the formula [CoL6][CoCl4] was assigned for the cobaltous chloride complexes. The electronic spectra of the perchlorate complexes were studied and the ligand field parameters determined. Evidence for coordination through the oxygen is also presented and discussed.
Using a remote sensing field experiment to investigate flux-footprint relations and flux sampling distributions for tower and aircraft-based observations

Abstract During a remote sensing field experiment conducted in the Southern Great Plains in 1997 (SGP97), tower and aircraft-based flux observations were collected over one of the main study sites in central Oklahoma. This is an agricultural region and contains primarily grassland/pasture and winter wheat, which was recently harvested leaving a significant number of fields either as wheat stubble or plowed bare soil. Multi-spectral data obtained by aircraft provided high-resolution (30 m) spatially-distributed vegetation cover and surface temperature information over the study area. The spatial variations in these surface states strongly affect the partitioning of surface fluxes between sensible and latent heat. These data, together with coarser resolution (5 km) satellite data, are used in a remote sensing-based energy balance modeling system that disaggregates flux estimates from 5 km to 30-m resolution. The resulting high-resolution flux maps provide a means for evaluating whether tower and aircraft-based flux measurements sample a full range in flux conditions for this landscape. In addition, this remote sensing-based modeling system can be used to investigate the influence of variability in these key surface states on tower and aircraft measurements through flux-footprint modeling. Under the light wind and unstable conditions that existed during the observations, highest correlation between aircraft and modeled estimated heat and water vapor fluxes were obtained using different flux-footprint estimates. More specifically, the source area for heat was estimated to be much closer to the aircraft flight line than for water vapor.
Innovation in Japan: What Role for University Spin-offs?

Japanese public authorities are concerned that Japanese industry is losing its competitive advantage in high technology industries. Moreover, there is a strong concern about the hollowing out of the local industrial basis during a period where the population is ageing and there is a need for the development of new fiscal resources locally. Public authorities still count on large companies to be the main source of innovation. However, the economic model of innovation and product development has reached its limit. For the first time since the 1950s there is a strong belief that innovative start-ups in manufacturing industries and/or having R&D activities that can lead to possession of high value patents need to play an important role in the industrial structure. The perception exists that Japan lost its competitiveness with the USA (and is likely to have similar problems also with China and India in the coming years) precisely because it had fallen behind in terms of creating the type of R&D-oriented compan...
A Parallel Givens Tridiagonalization Stratagem Using Scattered Column Decomposition

Astratagem is given to reduce a real symmetric matrix A of order n into a tridiagonal form by the Givens method on a concurrent machine where N processors are used. Although the basic algorithm is inherently serial, the concurrency can still be exploited by a special decomposition scheme: scattered column decomposition. The steps in the serial and the parallel algorithms are identified, and the execution times evaluated. Expressions for efficiency and speedup are given. The results show that the stratagem has high efficiency provided that s, the number of columns assigned to a processor, is large enough and the ratio of the time required to transmit one number between processors to the time required to carry out a floating point arithmetic operation is small enough.
Mortality associated with nosocomial infections: Analysis of multiple cause-of-death data

Nosocomial infection mortality is an important problem, with estimates of magnitude placing it among the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. This is a preliminary study to determine the potential usefulness of death certificate data in providing information about the frequency of nosocomial infections and their association with other conditions listed as underlying or contributing causes of death. Multiple cause-of-death data were examined for 1988, to identify the number and characteristics of persons dying with nosocomial infections. The mortality rate associated with nosocomial infections found on death certificates was 3.83 per 100,000 person-years. This method needs to be validated by further work. Because nosocomial infections are a contributing rather than an underlying cause of death, multiple-cause mortality data may provide another way to estimate the magnitude of this problem.
Deep Trichophyton Rubrum Infection in the Immunocompromised Host: an Entity Distinct from Majocchi’s Granuloma

A 64-year-old white male presented with a three-month history of multiple crusted erythematous nodules on the lower legs. The patient was immunosuppressed on prednisone and tacrolimus secondary to liver transplant. Biopsy revealed a fibrinopurulent crust overlying an interstitial, non-follicular oriented, neutrophilic infiltrate within the dermis. PAS and GMS positive septate hyphae were present within the stratum corneum while yeast-like forms with pseudohyphal projections, suggestive of Blastomyces dermatitidis, were found within the dermis. There was no evidence of follicular rupture or granulomatous inflammation. Subsequent culture grew Trichophyton rubrum confirming the diagnosis of deep dermatophytosis. This case illustrates several histologic differences in deep dermatophyte infection in the immunocompromised host from invasive dermatophyte infection, Majocchi’s granuloma, occurring in the immunocompetent patient. In the immunocompromised patient there is typically the following: no evidence of fungal invasion via a ruptured hair follicle, suppurative inflammation as opposed to granulomatous inflammation, and atypical fungal forms consisting of swollen hyphae and round, yeast-like, arthroconidia, as opposed to the slender hyphae seen in Majocchi’s granuloma. In addition, because of the clinical appearance of the lesions, immunocompromised state of the patients, and atypical fungal forms seen on biopsy, an initial diagnosis of systemic mycosis is often incorrectly made.
Fetal Progression of Ebstein’s Anomaly

A fetal echocardiogram was performed at 20 weeks gestational age because of maternal diabetes mellitus and a family history of congenital heart disease. This initial echocardiogram showed mild tricuspid regurgitation originating close to the septum and more apical than usual (Figure 1A). A follow-up fetal echocardiogram at 27 weeks gestational age clearly demonstrated displacement …
Combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the inositol trimethylsilyl ethers and acetate esters

Each of the inositol diastereomers have been subjected to low resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as their hexa-O-trimethylsilyl (TMSi) ethers and as their hexaacetyl esters. The TMSi ethers of the inositols each possess a unique spectrum consisting of the same ions occurring with remarkable variation in intensity. This variation, which is much greater with the inositol TMSi ethers than in the spectra of the inositol acetates, is presumably an expression of the stereochemistry of each isomer exaggerated by the bulky TMSi groups. Using TMSi-d9, labeling as well as ring labeling with deuterium we identified several fragment ions which are characteristic of the cyclitols. The spectra of the TMSi inositols are compared with the spectra of other TMSi carbohydrates. Two main series of fragmentation processes are observed in the inositol hexaacetates. With the aid of acetyl-d3 labeling each of these series were found to divide into two more pathways consisting of ions of the same m/e values but of different structures. These pathways are compared with similar pathways observed in other acetyl carbohydrates. A method is described for the direct conversion of TMSi ethers to acetate esters which has potential usefulness in natural product studies.
Potential of Deshi Cattle of lndia for Dairy Production

Abstract There were 1,405 lactation records of 336 cows at the Central Livestock Research-cum-Breeding Station, Haringhata, India from 1958 to 1968 used to estimate the potential dairy merit of Deshi cattle. This breed is native to northeast India and one of the smallest breeds in India (mature females 200kg and males 250kg). Averages and standard deviations for milk yield (exclusive of that suckled), age of first calving, calving interval, lactation length, days open, and days dry were 412±178kg, 44.5±6.8 months, 419±90 days, 264±81 days, 135±86 days, and 139 ± 80 days. Mortality, culling, and retention rates for females from birth to first calving were 24, 27, and 49%. Lactation number, season of calving, and death of calf early in lactation had significant effects on milk yield. Repeatabilities of milk yield, lactation length, calving interval, dry period, and days open were .42, .19, .21, .03, and .23 with corresponding heritabilities .64, .19, .09, .19, and .27. Heritability for age of first calving was .84. Confounding by some environmental effects probably biased heritability estimates upward. Potential genetic improvement of milk yield by mass selection was estimated at 8% per year. Contemporary Jersey×Deshi crosses exceeded Deshi for milk yield, age of first calving, lactation length, calving interval, and days open by ×923kg, −15 months, +41, −84, and −96 days. Atleast one generation of crossing with European breeds is recommended over mass selection of Deshi.
Light Evokes Rapid Circadian Network Oscillator Desynchrony Followed by Gradual Phase Retuning of Synchrony

Circadian neural circuits generate near 24-hr physiological rhythms that can be entrained by light to coordinate animal physiology with daily solar cycles. To examine how a circadian circuit reorganizes its activity in response to light, we imaged period (per) clock gene cycling for up to 6 days at single-neuron resolution in whole-brain explant cultures prepared from per-luciferase transgenic flies. We compared cultures subjected to a phase-advancing light pulse (LP) to cultures maintained in darkness (DD). In DD, individual neuronal oscillators in all circadian subgroups are initially well synchronized but then show monotonic decrease in oscillator rhythm amplitude and synchrony with time. The small ventral lateral neurons (s-LNvs) and dorsal lateral neurons (LNds) exhibit this decrease at a slower relative rate. In contrast, the LP evokes a rapid loss of oscillator synchrony between and within most circadian neuronal subgroups, followed by gradual phase retuning of whole-circuit oscillator synchrony. The LNds maintain high rhythmic amplitude and synchrony following the LP along with the most rapid coherent phase advance. Immunocytochemical analysis of PER shows that these dynamics in DD and LP are recapitulated in vivo. Anatomically distinct circadian neuronal subgroups vary in their response to the LP, showing differences in the degree and kinetics of their loss, recovery and/or strengthening of synchrony, and rhythmicity. Transient desynchrony appears to be an integral feature of light response of the Drosophila multicellular circadian clock. Individual oscillators in different neuronal subgroups of the circadian circuit show distinct kinetic signatures of light response and phase retuning.
The Effect of Infrastructure on Water-Related Diseases in Rural African Communities

Water-related diseases are still a leading cause of death in developing countries. Though the relationship between water-related disease mortality rates and water sanitation and hygiene measures is well documented, the means to provide proper water and sanitation treatment remain elusive. This paper examines the effect of hard infrastructure on water-related disease rates and proposes that building infrastructure is the best way to reduce the prevalence of water-related disease in rural African villages. It examines the history of sanitation infrastructure in developed countries as well as why similar measures are difficult to implement in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper analyzes three rural African countries’ sanitation infrastructure systems (Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland) to recommend best practices in rural African villages. Recommendations for future infrastructure systems are given as well as how governments can best implement those systems to reduce water-related disease mortality rates.
Effect of cholesterol on structural and mechanical properties of membranes depends on lipid chain saturation

The effects of cholesterol on membrane bending modulus K(C), membrane thickness D(HH), the partial and apparent areas of cholesterol and lipid, and the order parameter S(xray) are shown to depend upon the number of saturated hydrocarbon chains in the lipid molecules. Particularly striking is the result that up to 40% cholesterol does not increase the bending modulus K(C) of membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine lipids with two cis monounsaturated chains, although it does have the expected stiffening effect on membranes composed of lipids with two saturated chains. The B fluctuational modulus in the smectic liquid crystal theory is obtained and used to discuss the interactions between bilayers. Our K(C) results motivate a theory of elastic moduli in the high cholesterol limit and they challenge the relevance of universality concepts. Although most of our results were obtained at 30 degrees C , additional data at other temperatures to allow consideration of a reduced temperature variable do not support universality for the effect of cholesterol on all lipid bilayers. If the concept of universality is to be valid, different numbers of saturated chains must be considered to create different universality classes. The above experimental results were obtained from analysis of x-ray scattering in the low angle and wide angle regions.
Qualitative evaluation of a PID controller for autonomous mobile robot navigation implemented in an FPGA card

This paper presents a new quantitative and qualitative approach for the design and implementation of a PID controller for autonomous mobile robot navigation. The paper also presents a simple and inexpensive method of designing, implementing, and evaluating the performance of the PID controller. The PID controller was first designed and simulated in Simulink. Then a FPGA card was used to build the PID controller in combination with a Basic Stamp microcontroller that is mainly used to perform I/O processing, sensor fusion, and data acquisition tasks. Finally, the performance of the PID controller, used to control the robot's navigation, was evaluated in real environment situations using a rubric. Results demonstrated that the proposed approach provides a simplified and inexpensive method to design, implement, and evaluate the performance of controllers for mobile robot applications.
Analysis of Oncogene and Tumor Suppressor Gene Alterations in Pediatric Malignant Astrocytomas Reveals Reduced Survival for Patients with PTEN Mutations

Although common among adult intracranial neoplasms, pediatric malignant astrocytomas (PMAs) comprise a relatively small proportion of the brain tumors that occur in children. The scarcity of such cases generally requires that molecular analyses of PMAs are based on the utilization of paraffin-embedded material, and here we have used 39 such specimens to examine the incidence and prognostic significance of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene alterations (including amplifications of EGFR, CDK4, and MDM2 as well as inactivating mutations of CDKN2A, TP53, and PTEN) in these tumors. In general, the frequency of alteration for the genes we have studied fell within ranges that have been reported for adult astrocytomas. However, EGFR amplification, which is usually observed in approximately 40% and 15% of adult grade 4 and grade 3 astrocytomas, respectively, was not detected in any member of this series. With regard to prognosis, PTEN mutations were significantly associated with decreased survival among grade 3 and grade 4 PMA patients, a potentially important observation because neither patient age nor tumor malignancy grade was correlated with outcome for these individuals. In total, our data suggest at least one significant distinction between the genetic etiology of pediatric and adult astrocytomas and additionally reveal that analysis of PTEN mutations in PMA patients may be useful in the differential diagnosis of these tumors.
Weil Sequences: A Family of Binary Sequences with Good Correlation Properties

We describe a family of binary sequences, called Weil sequences, which have prime length. The sequences are derived from the single quadratic-residue-based Legendre sequence using a "shift-and-add" construction. The Weil sequences have correlation sidelobes bounded by 2radicp + 5, where p is the length. Thus they are asymptotically within a factor of two of the Welch bound. The sequences are optimally balanced when p is congruent to 3 modulo 4, and well-balanced otherwise. The family size is (p-1)/2
Stateside: A North American Perspective on Radical Orthodoxy

Books reviewed in this article: Graham Ward, Cities of God John Milbank and Catherine Pickstock, Truth in Aquinas
Élégance, complexité et subtilités de la formalisation des plans expérimentaux

La formalisation des plans d’experience par la relation de croisement (...*...) et d’emboitement (... ) est une particularite francaise dans l’enseignement de la methodologie experimentale. Nous soulignons, dans une premiere partie, que cette formalisation presente de nombreux avantages par rapport a la notation anglo-saxonne. En effet, elle decrit l’organisation d’un plan experimental de maniere tres economique, grâce a sa syntaxe elegante. Cependant, cette formalisation n’a pas reussi son exportation. Son enseignement devrait, donc, etre systematiquement accompagne du systeme anglo-saxon (en contre-partie, souvent peu connu des etudiants) seul preconise pour la soumission d’articles dans des revues a comite de lecture hors de la France. Cette note methodologique insiste egalement, dans une seconde partie, sur le fait que l’enseignement de la formalisation des plans experimentaux devrait, toutefois, etre fonde sur l’analyse de ses inconvenients, sur la complexite de la relation d’emboitement et sur l’analyse d’une erreur, liee a la convention concernant l’indexation des facteurs. Pour resumer, la formalisation des plans d’experience est une notation appreciable, qui doit continuer a etre enseignee, a condition d’etre accompagnee du systeme anglo-saxon et a condition d’en comprendre la complexite et les subtilites qu’elle recele.
The centennial of the Gibbs-Konovalov rule for congruent points

One hundred years ago, Konovalov developed and tested the rule that at a congruent transformation the phase boundary reaches an extremum. An important equation for the slopes of phase boundaries, derived by Gibbs five years earlier, provides the underlying theoretical basis for the rule, which is still commonly ignored. Applications of the Gibbs-Konovalov equation to congruent transformations, retrograde solubility, phase boundary inflections, and solid-liquid equilibrium are discussed.
The Stochastic Gabor Function Enhances Bandwidth In Finite-Difference-Time Domain $S$ -Parameter Estimation

This paper introduces the stochastic Gabor function, an excitation waveform that can be used for finite-difference time-domain S-parameter estimation. The stochastic Gabor function is a Gaussian function modulated by uniformly distributed noise; it has wide frequency spectrum representation regardless of the stimuli pulse length. The stochastic Gabor function was studied in the time-frequency domain and was compared to Gaussian and Gabor stimuli functions with the same length. As shown by frequency concentration measurements, the stochastic Gabor function is least compact in the sample frequency phase plane. Numerical results obtained by using a multilayer stripline indicate that the stochastic Gabor function provides convergence and stability similar to those provided by the Gabor and Gaussian functions, but produces a much wider frequency band response when used as a pointwise hard voltage source stimulus
Checkpoint activation regulates mutagenic translesion synthesis

Cells have evolved checkpoint responses to arrest or delay the cell cycle, activate DNA repair networks, or induce apoptosis after genomic perturbation. Cells have also evolved the translesion synthesis processes to tolerate genomic lesions by either error-free or error-prone repair. Here, we show that after a replication perturbation, cells exhibit a mutator phenotype, which can be significantly affected by mutations in the checkpoint elements Cds1 and Rad17 or translesion synthesis polymerases DinB and Pol. Cells respond to genomic perturbation by up-regulation of DinB in a checkpoint activation-dependent manner. Moreover, association of DinB with chromatin is dependent on functional Rad17, and DinB physically interacts with the checkpoint-clamp components Hus1 and Rad1. Thus, translesion synthesis is a part of the checkpoint response.
Do-ahead replaces run-time: a neural network forecasts options volatility

Compares three methods of estimating the volatility of daily S&P 100 Index stock market options. The implied volatility, calculated via the Black-Scholes model, is currently the most popular method of estimating volatility and is used by traders in the pricing of options. Historical volatility has been used to predict the implied volatility, but the estimates are poor predictors. A neural network for predicting volatility is shown to be far superior to the historical method. >
Automatic Construction of Frame Representations for Spontaneous Speech in Unrestricted Domains

This paper presents a system which automatically generates shallow semantic frame structures for conversational speech in unrestricted domains.We argue that such shallow semantic representations can indeed be generated with a minimum amount of linguistic knowledge engineering and without having to explicitly construct a semantic knowledge base. The system is designed to be robust to deal with the problems of speech dysfluencies, ungrammaticalities, and imperfect speech recognition.Initial results on speech transcripts are promising in that correct mappings could be identified in 21% of the clauses of a test set (resp. 44% of this test set where ungrammatical or verb-less clauses were removed).
QPKI: A QoS-Based Architecture for Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI)

With the ever-increasing growth in E-commerce and other internet applications, the need for secure transactions over the internet is also growing. In particular, more and more applications are demanding security services such as authentication, authorization, accounting, confidentiality, and non-repudiation. Since there is a cost associated with each type of service, the applications are demanding a wide variety of quality-of-service (QoS) provisions so they can pick and choose the services based on the value of their transactions. In this paper, we concentrate on one particular element of the end-to-end internet security: the public-key infrastructure (PKI). In particular, we identify the weaknesses of the current PKI systems in meeting the QoS needs and propose QPKI--a new QoS-based PKI architecture. The architecture includes the concepts of recertification and active certificates. The proposed architecture is shown to be much more flexible and cost-effective than the conventional PKI.
Precision, Repeatability, and Efficiency of Two Canopy-Cover Estimate Methods in Northern Great Plains Vegetation

Abstract Government agencies are subject to increasing public scrutiny of land management practices. Consequently, rigorous, yet efficient, monitoring protocols are needed to provide defensible quantitative data on the status and trends of rangeland vegetation. Rigor requires precise, repeatable measures, whereas efficiency requires the greatest possible information content for the amount of resources spent acquiring the information. We compared two methods—point frequency and visual estimate—of measuring canopy cover of individual plant species and groups of species (forbs vs. graminoids, native vs. nonnative) and plant species richness. These methods were compared in a variety of grassland vegetation types of the northern Great Plains for their precision, repeatability, and efficiency. Absolute precision of estimates was similar, but values generally differed between the two sampling methods. The point-frequency method yielded significantly higher values than the visual-estimate method for cover by individual species, graminoid cover, and total cover, and yielded significantly lower values for broadleaf (forb + shrub) cover and species richness. Differences in values derived by different sampling teams using the same method were similar between methods and within precision levels for many variables. Species richness and median species cover were the major exceptions; for these, the point-frequency method was far less repeatable. As performed in this study, the visual-estimate method required approximately twice the time as did the point-frequency method, but the former captured 55% more species. Overall, the visual-estimate method of measuring plant cover was more consistent among observers than anticipated, because of strong training, and captured considerably more species. However, its greater sampling time could reduce the number of samples and, therefore, reduce the statistical power of a sampling design if time is a limiting factor.
A Case Completion Curriculum for Clinical Dental Education: Replacing Numerical Requirements with Patient-Based Comprehensive Care

The aim of this article is to describe the development and implementation of a case completion curriculum as a new clinical education model for the predoctoral program at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. In this innovative model, students conduct patient-based comprehensive care and complete assigned patient cases on which their performance is assessed, in contrast with a traditional model based on procedural numerical requirements. In our new model, senior tutors, who are full-time faculty members, act as group leaders responsible for patient assignment, treatment planning, monitoring of student performance, and verification of patient care. The number of completed patient cases in this new comprehensive care system increased from a previous average of 12.8 cases per student prior to graduation to 22.8 cases. Additionally, the number of patients who had to be transferred due to outstanding or pending treatment when their student provider graduated or because of students' need to fulfill discipline requirements has decreased from an average of 16.4 to 4.6.