cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding barite and gypsum precipitation in upland acid-sulfate soils: An example from a Lufkin Series toposequence, south-central Texas, USA

Abstract Although low-temperature barite precipitation has been previously documented in soils and paleosols, pedogenic barite precipitation remains poorly understood. This study characterizes the micromorphology, elemental trends, and stable isotope geochemistry of sulfates in a barite-bearing soil (Lufkin Series) toposequence using optical microscopy, XRD, ICP-MS, and stable S and O isotope data. Synthesized data indicate that fluctuating redox processes and microbial activity resulting from epiaquatic and evaporative conditions lead to the precipitation of sulfates in the Lufkin soils. Stable sulfur and oxygen isotopes indicate that the primary source of sulfur is the partial dissolution of jarosite during microbial sulfate reduction. Barium-rich parent material provides adequate barium for barite precipitation. Barium is mobilized and concentrated in Btg horizons ~ 100–160 cm below the surface. The presence of humic acids in profiles lower on the landscape prevents barite precipitation and drives the precipitation of gypsum between saturated, anoxic conditions (November to May) and drier, more oxic conditions (May to November). Barite precipitation is a slow, punctuated process. Micromorphological data reveal that barite precipitates first along evacuated macropores and then in the adjacent matrix. In general, optimal conditions for pedogenic barite precipitation in upland wetland acid-sulfate soils are: 1) warm soil temperature that supports active sulfur-reducing and sulfur oxidizing microbes; 2) distinct wet/dry seasons that allow alternating redox conditions; 3) low-gradient landscape; 4) parent material that contains barium- and sulfur-rich constituents; and 5) a long-lived, stable landscape.
The effect of pinealectomy on the pattern of prolactin secretion in conscious freely moving male rats.

Plasma prolactin (Prl) titers were determined by radioimmunoassay in conscious, freely moving male rats which had either had sham operations or had been pineal-ectomized. Values were determined during
When customers are members: Customer retention in paid membership contexts

This article seeks to gain an understanding of how members’ characteristics relate to lapsing behavior in paid membership contexts. Literatures such as social identity theory are used to propose hypotheses that are tested using a hazard rate model on archival data pertaining to 7,798 members of an art museum. The results indicate that the hazard of lapsing is lowered with increasing duration, participation in special interest groups whose goals are related to those of the focal organization, gift frequency, and increasing interrenewal times. Conversely, members who have downgraded their membership level in the past, those who have participated in special interest groups whose goals are unrelated to those of the focal organization, and those who received their membership as a gift are more likely to lapse.
Developmental regulation of GAP-43, glutamine synthetase and β-actin mRNA in rat cortical astrocytes

Abstract Steady-state levels of mRNA encoding growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), glutamine synthetase (GS) and β-actin were measured during development of neonatal rat cortical astrocytes in primary culture. GAP-43 mRNA and protein decreased rapidly during the first 2 weeks and slowly thereafter. In contrast, GS mRNA increased approximately 3-fold during the first 2 weeks and reached maximum by day 15. Actin mRNA first increased up to 8 days and decreased thereafter reaching a constant amount by 15 days, similar to the initial low value. Thus, GAP-43, GS and β-actin mRNA levels are differentially regulated during development of astrocytes in primary culture. Because the patterns of expression of astrocytic markers GS and GFAP (shown previously) in vitro and in vivo are similar to each other, primary cultures of astrocytes may be an excellent system for investigating mechanisms of developmental regulation of these genes.
From the Match to the Torch: New Progress Against an Old Adversary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a medical problem of significant worldwide importance. Millions of patients are severely affected worldwide, and healthcare costs range in the billions of dollars per year. The importance of this illness and its effect on the world population have recently been emphasized in the report of the international consortium called the Gold Initiative. This group has now published several updates to their original report. The following monograph summarizes this important disease process and review recent research in this significant area of clinical medicine.
Evaluation of P300-Based Brain-Computer Interface in Real-World Contexts

Despite recent advances in brain-computer interface (BCI) development, system usability still remains a large oversight. The goal of this study was to investigate the usability of a P300-based BCI system, P300 Speller, by assessing how background noise and interface color contrast affect user performance and BCI usage preference. Fifteen able-bodied participants underwent a 2 (low and high interface color contrast) × 3 (low, medium, and high background noise level) within-subjects design experiment, in which participants were asked to type six 10-character phrases in the P300 Speller paradigm. The overall accuracy in the study was 80.2%. Participants showed higher accuracy, higher information transfer rate, bigger amplitude, and smaller latency in the high interface color contrast condition than in the low contrast condition. Participants had better performance in the noisy condition than in the quiet condition, but the background noise effects were not statistically significant in the present study. Thes...
LONG-TERM CHANGES IN FLOW REGIME AND FISH ASSEMBLAGE COMPOSITION IN THE GUADALUPE AND SAN MARCOS RIVERS OF TEXAS

Riverine flow regimes are naturally dynamic, but become increasingly homogenized following anthropogenic flow alteration. Loss of dynamism disrupts naturally occurring structuring mechanisms within the associated biotic communities, at times causing shifts in composition. Here we considered how stream fish assemblages in two Central Texas rivers changed after alteration of flow regime by either construction of a mainstem, deep storage reservoir or flood-retaining structures. Following impoundment, number of large and small floods increased from 0.81 to 1.07 floods per year (FPY) in the upper Guadalupe River, decreased from 0.84 to 0.42 FPY in the lower Guadalupe River and decreased from 0.87 to 0.7 FPY in the San Marcos River. Historical ichthyofauna data ranging from 1938 to 2006 were used to assess changes in assemblage composition and species abundance. Assemblages did not differ in the upper Guadalupe River (Bray–Curtis index = 37.4%; ANOSIM global R = 0.079, p = 0.08), but did differ in the lower Guadalupe River (25%; global R = 0.409, p < 0.01) and San Marcos River (27%; global R = 0.19, p < 0.01). In general, habitat generalist species dominated assemblages during periods of reduced flood frequencies (i.e. drought of record; following impoundment), whereas regionally endemic species (N = 3) and substrate and broadcast spawning species (N = 5) declined (b1 < 0; α = 0.05). Based on the results from this study, managing flows in the lower Guadalupe River to mimic historical timing of flood pulses might attenuate contemporary disruption of natural assemblage composition. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fluorescence lifetimes of mode 61 in deuterobenzenes: fine structure in the decay lifetime spectrum

Abstract We report measurements of the fluorescence lifetimes of vibrational level 61 in the first excited singlet state of several deuterobenzenes. In the lower-symmetry compounds, where 6a1 and 6b1 are not degenerate, the higher energy level always has the longer fluorescence lifetime, consistent with results of earlier studies of lifetimes of nominally degenerate benzene vibrational levels. Using perturbation theory arguments, we suggest an explanation which can account for the higher-lying component of a pair of split levels having the longer lifetime.
Components of Understanding in Proportional Reasoning: A Fuzzy Set Representation of Developmental Progressions

The development of proportional reasoning was examined using a temperature mixture task. Each individual's task understanding was assessed by components measuring understanding of various principles of the task. Age differences were found in the mean component scores. More important, different patterns of components were found depending on whether the task was presented numerically or nonumerically. Component patterns also depended on whether the task was presented such that subjects predicted the outcome of combining 2 containers of water at different temperatures (prediction task) or such that subjects inferred 1 of the 2 initial temperatures given the final temperature (reverse task). The results show the importance of distinguishing between intuitive knowledge and formal computational knowledge of proportional concepts and provide a new perspective on how intuitive and computational knowledge are related during development. Finally, the results also led to a new conceptualization of developmental levels as categories with fuzzy boundaries. Under this conceptualization, individuals can have different degrees of membership in “fuzzy developmental levels.” This new concept preserves individual differences but also describes the sequence of development.
Sulfur speciation and sulfide oxidation in the water column of the Black Sea

Abstract We have applied sulfur speciation techniques to understand the chemistry and cycling of sulfur in Black Sea waters. The only reduced dissolved inorganic sulfur species detected (above the low minimum detection limits of the voltammetric methods employed) in the water column was hydrogen sulfide. The maximum concentration of sulfide (423 μ M) is similar to previous reports. Using a cathodic stripping square wave voltammetry (CSSWV) method for nanomolar levels of sulfide, we determined the precise boundary between the “free” hydrogen sulfide (sulfidic) zone and the upper (oxic/suboxic) water column at the two stations studied. This boundary has apparently moved up by about 50 m in the past 20 years. Our results help demonstrate three chemically distinct zones of water in the central basin of the Black Sea: (1) the oxic [0–65 m], (2) the anoxic/nonsulfidic [65–100 m] and (3) the sulfidic [>100 m]. Sulfide bound to metals (“complexed” sulfide) is observed in both the oxic and anoxic/nonsulfidic zones of the water column. This supports previous studies on metal sulfide forms. From the electrochemical data, it is possible to estimate the strength of the complexation of sulfide to metals (log K = 10 to 11). Thiosulfate and sulfite were below our minimum detectable limit (MDL) of 50 nM using CSSWV. Elemental sulfur (MDL 5 nM) was detected below the onset of the hydrogen sulfide zone (90–100 m) with a maximum of 30–60 nM near 120 m. The sulfur speciation results for the Black Sea are lower by one order of magnitude or more than other marine systems such as the Cariaco Trench and salt marshes. New HPLC techniques were applied to detect thiols at submicromolar levels. The presence of thiols (2-mercaptoethylamine, 2-mercaptoethanol, N -acetylcysteine and glutathione) is correlated with the remineralization of organic matter at the oxic and anoxic/nonsulfidic interface. Water samples collected from the upper 50 m of the sulfidic zone showed significant sulfide oxidation on storage onboard ship even though they were filtered (0.2 μ m) and handled to exclude oxygen contamination. Chemical additives such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, hydroxylamine and ascorbic acid prevented or retarded the sulfide loss. Thiosulfate and azide did not inhibit sulfide loss. These studies suggest an anaerobic chemical oxidation of sulfide rather than a biological oxidation on stored and filtered samples.
A climatological Study of the Atmospheric Circulation in the Southern Hemisphere during the IGY, Part I: 1 July 1957–31 March 1958

Abstract Time sections of monthly average zonal geostrophic wind at sea level and 500 mb in the Southern Hemisphere confirm that the strongest zonal westerlies usually are found in summer, but since the westerlies expand over a bigger area in the colder part of the year their average relative angular momentum is greater in winter than in summer. For the earth as a whole the westerly relative angular momentum at sea level and 500 mb is greater in January than in July. The highest frequency of surface fronts in the Southern Hemisphere forms a belt round the hemisphere in middle latitude in summer and coincides with the strongest zonal wind at sea level and 500 mb, and with the steepest temperature gradient in the lower half of the troposphere. In winter there are two separate zones of highest frequency of fronts. The frequencies of sea level highs, lows and cyclogenesis plotted as a function of latitude have their peaks in three different latitudes zones so arranged that the peak frequency of highs is farth...
Two new scales for integrative medical education and research: confidence in providing calm, compassionate care scale (CCCS) and self-efficacy in providing non-drug therapies (SEND) to relieve common symptoms ☆

Abstract Introduction Training in integrative medicine aims to promote compassionate, patient-centered care, including non-pharmaceutical therapies to reduce common symptoms. Although specific competencies have been identified, few tools are available to assess clinician confidence in providing integrative care. We evaluated two instruments to address this gap. Methods We assessed face validity with focus groups. We assessed internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and convergent validity in a survey of 213 health professionals, correlating the new instruments to each other and to standard measures of mindfulness, compassion, empathy, training, and practice. Results The two measures each had 10 items with scores ranging from 0 to 100, and had good face validity. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for the calm, compassionate care scale (CCCS) and 0.95 for self-efficacy in providing non-drug therapies to relieve common symptoms (SEND). Scores for CCCS were significantly correlated with measures of mindfulness, compassion, empathic concern, and perspective-taking as well as training and practice (p Conclusion These two new tools, CCCS and SEND, have good psychometric properties and may be useful to educators and researchers evaluating clinicians’ confidence in providing calm, compassionate care and self-efficacy in using non-drug therapies to relieve common symptoms.
Materials challenges for terrestrial thin-film photovoltaics

The terrestrial photovoltaics market has been dominated from the beginning by crystalline silicon and by cast multicrystalline silicon. Continuing improvements in materials quality and innovative designs are responsible for keeping silicon solar cells at a market share of about 85%. However, in the past two years, thin-film solar modules based on amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium diselenide have gained a strong foothold in the market, particularly in the United States and Europe. This article will briefly review the status of silicon solar cells and then discuss developments, opportunities, and materials challenges in thin-film solar cells.
Regional expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the kidney stimulated by lipopolysaccharide in the rat

The renal medulla contains more mRNA of the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) than the cortex, which may be important in preventing ischaemic injury, since blood flow and tissue oxygen tension are normally low in this region. We examined the effects of the bacterial endotoxin E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on renal function and regional expression of iNOS in male Sprague-Dawley rats. In six rats, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) were 0.95 ± 0.09 ml min−1 g−1 and 3.36 ± 0.20 ml min−1 g−1, respectively, and decreased significantly to 0.35 ± 0.09 and 1.74 ± 0.54 ml min−1 g−1, respectively, 1 h after administration of LPS. In an additional seven rats, GFR and ERPF were 0.91 ± 0.07 and 2.97 ± 0.30 ml min−1 g−1, respectively, 18 h after LPS administration; these values were similar to those in control rats. In all rats, arterial pressure was stable throughout all study periods. In control rats, immunoblot analysis revealed expression of the iNOS protein in the cortex and more pronounced expression in the medulla. In rats studied 18 h after LPS treatment, there was a striking increase in the iNOS expression in the outer medulla. Immunohistochemical examination in the LPS-treated rats showed limited iNOS immunostaining in the cortex, localised to the vascular endothelium and macula densa; however, intense and widespread staining was noted in the tubular and vascular structures of the outer medulla. These findings demonstrated a differential constitutive expression of iNOS protein in different regions of the rat kidney, and marked augmentation of iNOS expression in the outer medulla by LPS.
International evidence on investment and fundamentals

Abstract If a firm's costs of installing capital are not quadratic, then its optimal investment is not a linear function of fundamentals, such as the returns and costs of capital. This study specifies a model in which a firm may face fixed, linear, and convex costs of investing, and estimates the resulting investment function using firm-level data from 11 countries. The evidence suggests important nonlinearities, consistent with the presence of fixed or other non-quadratic costs, in the relationship between investment and fundamentals for most countries. These findings are statistically signficant at the level of the firm, and economically significant when aggregated by country.
The GRM Face of Chondromyxoid Fibroma

The traits that drive success are varied and enigmatic. The same can be said of rare tumors, which defy deep characterization because of their scarcity. But as technologies have become more intricate and sensitive, rare tumors have begun to reveal their secrets—for example, chondromyxoid fibroma. This rare benign cartilaginous tumor causes pain and limitations in movement and is treated with surgical resection. Recurrence rates are high, but we do not know why. Several groups have identified recurrent chromosome-6 rearrangements associated with these fibromas, but the precise molecular underpinnings that drive tumor development have remained elusive. Now, Nord and colleagues use an array of sophisticated molecular tools to identify the culprit gene responsible for driving tumorigenesis. Using single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays, the authors first found—in tumors from two different patients—deletions in the long arm of chromosome 6, with a distal breakpoint immediately upstream of the gene that encodes metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 ( GRM1 ). Subsequent whole-genome mate-pair sequencing detected genomic rearrangements around the GRM1 region in tumors from all four patients analyzed with this method. Invariably, these rearrangements recombined the complete coding region of GRM1 with a swapped promoter region of one of several partner genes, including COL12A1 , TBL1XR1 , and BCLAF1 , which encode a collagen, a signaling protein, and a transcriptional repressor, respectively. The investigators predicted that these rearrangments would lead to up-regulated expression of transcripts that include the rearranged coding region of GRM1 . This hypothesis was confirmed by means of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments that demonstrated a more than 100-fold increase in GRM1 expression (up to 1400-fold in some cases) in 18 of 20 chondromyxoid fibromas as compared with a control group of 174 mesenchmyal (non–chondromyxoid fibroma) tumors that were analyzed. GRM1 belongs to a family of genes that encodes G protein–coupled glutamate receptors, all of which are well known to be involved in neurological and psychiatric disorders. This study provides direct evidence for the importance of abnormal glutamate signaling in the pathogenesis of non-neurological tumors and establishes GRM1 overexpression as a specific driver event in the formation of chondromyxoid fibromas. Whether metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 will serve as a biomarker or a therapeutic target for this disease remains an enigma to be unraveled. K. H. Nord et al ., GRM1 is upregulated through gene fusion and promoter swapping in chondromyxoid fibroma. Nat. Genet. 10.1038/ng.2927 (2014). [[Abstract] ][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abstract/ng.2927.htm
Fabrication of YMnO3 Films: New Candidate for Non-Volatile Memory Devices

We have proposed ReMnO 3 (Re:rare earth) thin films, as a new candidate for nonvolatile memory devices. In this paper, we try to fabricate (0001) oriented YMnO 3 films on (111)MgO, (0001)ZnO:Al/(0001) sapphire and (111)Pt/(111)MgO using rf magnetron sputtering. We succeed in obtaining (0001) epitaxial YMnO 3 films on (111) MgO and (0001)ZnO:Al/(0001)sapphire substrate, and polycrystalline films on (111)Pt/(1 11)MgO for the first time. Electrical property of the bottom electrode (ZnO:Al) changes with varying the deposition condition of YMnO 3 films. However, we find an optimum deposition condition of ZnO:Al film such that it functions as a bottom electrode even after YMnO 3 film deposition. The dielectric properties of the epitaxial and polycrystalline YMnO 3 films are almost the same. The YMnO 3 films show leaky electrical properties. This may be caused by a change in the valence electron of Mn from 3+.
Social Judgments of Warmth and Competence Drive Object Evaluation

The current research investigated whether the two fundamental dimensions of social perception - warmth and competence - are applied to judgments of non-social, inanimate objects (e.g., furniture, equipment). Moreover, this work identifies key visual elements that drive object perceptions along these two dimensions. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that objects with curved-shapes are associated with warmth, whereas angular-shapes are associated with competence. Study 3 showed that viewing a company logo with different contour shapes influenced competence versus warmth perceptions of that company. Finally, Studies 4 and 5 demonstrated that activating a mental focus on competence versus warmth through a manipulation of power led people to prefer angular versus curved shaped objects. Together, these findings identify basic visual determinants of warmth and competence associations, and demonstrate how an object's shape systematically affect perceptions and preferences. More broadly, this research supports the noti...
Learning from Others

In his article “U.S.-style universities for Germany?” (News & Comment, 19 June, p. [1826][1]), Martin Enserink describes Germany's movement toward infusing private (partially public-supported) universities into its existing traditional higher education structure. This infusion may eventually
Simulation of Dairy Best Management Practices Using the AGNPS Model

ABSTRACT Agricultural nonpoint sources of nutrients and sediment threaten the quality of the Cane Creek Reservoir, a Piedmont North Carolina water supply lake, in the absence of detailed monitoring, the Agricultural NonPoint Source Pollution Model (AGNPS) was used to predict water runoff and the delivery of dissolved and sediment-attached nitrogen and phosphorus to stream tributaries to the lake. The findings of the distributed parameter modeling study included four dairy watersheds (53 to 195 ha) and were part of a management plan developed to protect the impoundment from further degradation. Annual total nitrogen and total phosphorus export predictions for entire farms ranged from 1.0 to 3.7 and 0.7 to 1.8 kg · ha−1 for current conditions. Simulated exports of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were between 0.9 to 3.1 and between 0.4 to 1.6 kg · ha−1 due to best management practices (BMPs) installed. In addition, simulation studies of smaller areas such as individual pastures, cropland fields, and feed...
Equilibrium‐conditions in debris‐laden streams

The work of streams is highly important in several fields of geology. Streams remove rock-debris from the sites of weathering and transport it to flood-plains, lakes, and ocean, where it is deposited to form new rocks. And during this erosion, transportation, and deposition, streams carve out and build up land-forms, such as mountains, valleys, and plains. Because of these multifold results of stream-activity, geologists have long been interested in the processes of stream-work. Fifty-six years ago, Gilbert formulated the major principles of stream-work and land-sculpture in a paper (G. K. Gilbert, Report on the geology of the Henry Mountains, U.S. Geog. and Geol. Sur. of the Rocky Mountain Region, pp. 99–150, 1877) which still, from the geological viewpoint, stands as the classic of the subject. The essence of Gilbert s ideas is the concept of graded streams—the concept that, either by cutting down their beds or by building them up with sediment, streams tend always to make for themselves channels and slopes that, over a period of years, will transport exactly the load of sediment delivered into them from above.
S3S63 Terminal Ynamides: Synthesis, Coupling Reactions and Additions to Common Electrophiles.

Abstract Ynamides consist of a polarized triple bond that is directly attached to a nitrogen atom carrying a sulfonyl, an alkoxycarbonyl, an acyl, or another electron withdrawing group. The triple bond polarization renders ynamides broadly useful building blocks with synthetic opportunities that go far beyond traditional alkyne chemistry. The versatile reactivity of ynamides in cycloadditions, cycloisomerizations, regioselective additions with various nucleophiles or electrophiles, ring-closing metathesis, and many other reactions has been investigated in detail during the past decades. A common feature of these methods is that the triple bond is consumed and either cleaved or transformed to a new functionality. The wealth of reports on these ynamide reactions is in stark contrast to the dearth of carbon–carbon bond formations that leave the triple bond of terminal ynamides intact. The recent introduction of effective synthetic methods for the preparation of terminal ynamides has set the stage to fully explore the synthetic potential of this intriguing class of compounds. This digest Letter summarizes the most effective routes to terminal ynamides and the current state of selective nucleophilic addition, substitution, and coupling reactions, including the first examples of asymmetric synthesis.
Fault features extraction for bearing prognostics

Over the past years, investigation on condition-based maintenance (CBM) technique on bearing has been conducted. Bearing diagnostics and prognostics are the important aspects in CBM. A key to the success of using vibration data for bearing fault diagnostics and bearing lifecycle prognostics is a quantified relationship between bearing damage and bearing fault features. To establish such a quantitative relationship, effective signal processing techniques to extract bearing fault features from vibration signals are needed. This paper describes a newly developed fault feature extraction method for bearing prognostics. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated with two real bearing run-to-failure test datasets: one collected under normal operating conditions and another one under abnormal operating conditions. Experimental results show that the bearing fault features extracted using both traditional vibration analysis methods and the proposed method give clear bearing heath degradation trend for the dataset collected under normal operating conditions. However, for the data collected under abnormal operating conditions, bearing fault features obtained using traditional vibration analysis methods fail to show the bearing health degradation trend while the fault features extracted using the proposed method give consistent bearing degradation trends.
Observation of the interfacial-field-induced weak antilocalization in InAs quantum structures

We have studied low-temperature magnetoconductance and observed weak antilocalization in an AlSb/InAs/AlSb quantum-well structure. The spin-orbital field deduced from the antilocalization data is found to be insensitive to photoinduced changes in the carrier density, suggesting that the interfacial-field-induced rather than the crystal-field-induced spin splitting is the predominant cause of the spin-orbital scattering. We also find a significant enhancement of spin-orbital scattering in ZnTe/InAs/AlSb structures which can be explained by the structural asymmetry, thereby confirming the dominant role of the interfacial field.
Spectral representation of the resolvent of a discrete operator

Let T be a discrete linear operator in a Hilbert space H with spectrum σ(T) = λii = 1∞, let Rλ(T) denote the resolvent of T, and let Pi denote the projection of H onto the generalized eigenspace N((γi,I − T)mj) along R((γi, I − T)mj), where mi is the ascent of the operator λiI − T. In this paper it is shown that Rγ = ∑∞i=1∑mjj=1(−Ni)j−1Pi(γ − γ)j+∑∞j=0(γo − γ)jRγ0(T∞)j+1(I− P∞) in B(H) for all λ ϵ ϱ(T), where Ni is the restriction of λiI − T to is the restriction of T to N((γi,I − T)mj), T∞ D(T)⋃⋃∞i=1R((γiI−T)mj), P∞=∑∞i=1Pi (strong convergence), and λ0 is a fixed but arbitrary point in C. This spectral representation is valid provided there exists M > 0 such that ∥∑i = 1N Pi ∥ ⩽ M, N = 1, 2, …, and generalizes results that apply to self-adjoint, normal, and spectral operators. The results of this paper are applied to represent the resolvent of a differential operator L in L2[0, 1] having infinitely many eigenvalues with ascent mi = 2 and are also applied to represent the resolvent of an operator T with P∞≠I.
Efficacy of vaccination for Mycobacterium avium with whole cell and subunit vaccines in experimentally infected swine

Mycobacterium avium infections are a common problem in large swine producing states and cause substantial financial losses at slaughter inspection due to carcass condemnation. Once the infection is established in a swine herd it is difficult to effectively prevent or eliminate the disease. Previous mouse studies in our laboratory suggested that Macrophage Inhibitory Factor-A3 (MIF-A3) is a virulence factor of M. avium and potential antigen for vaccine development. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of a killed 'whole cell' M. avium serovar 2 bacterin and conjugated MIF-A3 subunit vaccine in preventing infection and disease in swine challenged with virulent M. avium serovar 2. Gross and microscopic pathology, acid-fast staining, culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the M. avium specific insertion sequence IS902 were utilized in evaluation. Results indicated that neither vaccine prevented infection in challenged animals; however, a 47% reduction in severity of disease was found in swine vaccinated with the 'whole cell' M. avium serovar 2 bacterin. Reduction in severity of disease was not detected in animals vaccinated with the subunit MIF-A3 vaccine.
A discriminant analysis of the relationship between IS charging systems and organizational variables

Abstract This research demonstrates that factors in the organizational environment can play an important part in influencing the choice of an appropriate approach for charging IS costs. The two basic approaches of chargeback and non-chargeback for charging IS costs are chosen for analysis. It is hypothesized that organizations using chargeback systems will differ from organizations using non-chargeback systems along a set of organizational dimensions. A discriminant model is developed using data collected from IS managers who responded to a questionnaire survey. This model is effective in distinguishing between organizations that use chargeback and those that use non-chargeback approaches.
Lipids of ripening tomato fruit and its mitochondrial fraction

Abstract The lipid composition of tomato fruit and its mitochondrial fraction were examined at various stages of fruit ripeness. Phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, monogalactosyl diglyceride, digalactosyl diglyceride and phosphatidyl inositol were found to be the major lipids of tomato pericarp at all stages of ripeness. Mitochondrial lipids resembled those of the parent tissue except for the absence of monogalactosyl diglyceride and a greater percentage of diphosphatidyl glycerol and phosphatidic acid. Changes in the lipid-protein ratio of mitochondria were noted with ripening.
Global optimization techniques for automatic parallelization of hybrid applications

This paper presents a novel technique to perform global optimization of communication and preprocessing calls in the presence of array accesses with arbitrary subscripts. Our scheme is presented in the context of automatic parallelization of sequential programs to produce message passing programs for execution on distributed machines. We use the static single assignment (SSA) form for message passing programs as the intermediate representation and then present techniques to perform global optimizations even in the presence of array accesses with arbitrary subscripts. The focus of this paper is in showing that, using a uniform compilation method both at compile-time and at run-time, our framework is able to determine the earliest and the latest legal communication point for a certain distributed array reference even in the presence of arbitrary array addressing functions. Our scheme then heuristically determines the final communication point after considering the interaction between the relevant communication schedules. Owing to combined static and dynamic analysis, a quasi-dynamic method of code generation is implemented. We describe the need for proper interaction between the compiler and the run-time routines for efficient implementation of optimizations as well as for compatible code generation. All of the analyses is initiated at compile-time, static analyses of the program is done as much as possible, and then the run-time routines take over the analyses while building on the data structures initiated at compile time. This scheme has been incorporated in our compiler framework which can use uniform methods to compile, parallelize, and optimize a sequential program irrespective of the subscripts used in array addressing functions. Experimental results for a number of benchmarks on an IBM SP-2 show up to around 10-25% reduction in total run-times in our globally-optimized schemes compared to other state-of-the-art schemes on 16 processors.
A digital library for health sciences educators: the Health Education Assets Library (HEAL)

Health sciences educators have the need but neither the time nor the resources to create and index digital multimedia materials suitable for use in educational settings. The primary mission of the Health Education Assets Library (HEAL) is to address this need by providing health sciences educators with free access over the Internet to high--quality multimedia materials, including such items as images, videos, and animations The project team is working with other organizations to establish an international network of distributed databases containing high--quality teaching resources in a variety of health sciences--related subject areas HEAL's resources are freely available on the Web for use by health sciences faculty, students, and staff, as well as patients and their families. The digital library includes interfaces for searching, downloading, contributing, and browsing through materials. A custom metadata schema based on the Educause Instructional Management Systems (IMS) standard has been extended by HEAL to include additional health sciences--related elements Intellectual property issues are handled through the use of the Creative Commons set of licenses; most commonly, contributors grant free use of the library's resources for non--commercial purposes with clear attribution. The HEAL project has attracted the interest of over sixty organizational and individual partners, and by February 2004 there were over 4000 registered users. The collection is growing as new partner collections are being added by the end of late 2004, the national multimedia repository/referatory created by the HEAL team at www.healcentral.org will offer health sciences educators access to a large, diverse collection of health science materials appropriate for use in a variety of educational settings.
Membrane dipole potentials, hydration forces, and the ordering of water at membrane surfaces

We have compared hydration forces, electrical dipole potentials, and structural parameters of dispersions of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC) to evaluate the influence of fatty acid carbonyl groups on phospholipid bilayers. NMR and x-ray investigations performed over a wide range of water concentrations in the samples show, that in the liquid crystalline lamellar phase, the presence of carbonyl groups is not essential for lipid structure and hydration. Within experimental error, the two lipids have identical repulsive hydration forces between their bilayers. The higher transport rate of the negatively charged tetraphenylboron over the positively charged tetraphenylarsonium indicates that the dipole potential is positive inside the membranes of both lipids. However, the lack of fatty acid carbonyl groups in the ether lipid DHPC decreased the potential by (118 +/- 15) mV. By considering the sign of the potential and the orientation of carbonyl groups and headgroups, we conclude that the first layer of water molecules at the lipid water interface makes a major contribution to the dipole potential.
Many-dimensional expansion of the eden model

Abstract The Eden model of cluster growth is studied in two versions by expansion in inverse powers of dimension. The mean square distance between points is found for large n to be 〈R 2 〉 ≅ 2 ln n((1 + 3 2d + 30 4d 3 + 536 8d 3 ) in version A, and 2 ln n(1 + 6 2d + 65 4d 2 ) in version B, and probably remains logarithmic in n to all orders in d, showing that the limits n → ∞ and d → ∞ do not commute. The crossover is located at ln n ∼ d. A resummation at ln n ⪢ d yields an alternating series of terms ∼ln n. (n( d ln n) d 2 ) s which are certainly large enough to account for the compact sphere value ∼dn 2 d . Exact results are given for the Cayley tree and the Bethe lattice.
SU-E-T-10: Streamlining and Automating Dosimetric Analysis for Treatment Planning System and Linac QA

Purpose: To streamline and automate analysis of dosimetry checks for treatment planning system (TPS) commissioning, and TPS and linac QA, through scripts. Methods: A dosimetric analysis tool was developed using scripts written in Python language. A “standard” dosimetry dataset, ideally data measured for commissioning and/or verification of linac and TPS using a water scanning system, is generated and structured into an Excel spreadsheet. Annual dosimetry measurements, made with water a scanning system, are converted to the same format; measurements with a 2D ion chamber array (Matrixx) are kept in their original format in a separate folder. Plans for the same setup geometries are generated, or existing plans recalculated, and associated 3D dose files are exported in DICOM format into proper folders. Python scripts cycle through the planned DICOM dose files, match the information (beam energy, field size, SSD, depth) in the DICOM header with the data in the Excel files, or in the Matrixx data files, extract relevant dosimetric data from the 3D dose files (PDDs, profiles, output factors), compare to measurement using an in‐house developed gamma analysis routine and display the results in a pdf file (profiles, PDDs, planar dose distributions) or tabulate in an Excel sheet (output factors, absolute doses for reference geometries, wedge factors). For points failing the gamma analysis default passing criteria, an optimization is done to iteratively find at which tolerance levels these points pass for further evaluation. Results: Using our dosimetric analysis software, a test analysis of planned and measured dosimetric data for TPS commissioning of photon and electron beams was completed in about half hour, once data were converted into the proper format. Conclusion: Scripts written in Python facilitate more comprehensive analysis of dosimetric data for TPS and linac commissioning/QA. Streamlining the data analysis through scripts increases efficiency by reducing repetitive manual tasks.
Hyperdense renal mass: unusual CT appearance of a benign renal cyst.

The following case report documents the unique manifestation of a solidified renal cyst as a homogeneously hyperdense renal mass on computed tomography. Surgical and pathologic verification of this benign lesion are discussed.
Quantal transmission: not just for neurons

Glia have moved into the spotlight as participants in synaptic signaling. Recent work by Bergles and colleagues extends this active role by showing that oligodendrocyte precursors cells (OPCs) in the hippocampus receive functional glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Synaptic signaling in these cells could provide a mechanism for activity-dependent modulation of OPC proliferation and differentiation.
Hemoglobin switching in Rana/Xenopus erythroid heterokaryons: Factors mediating the metamorphic hemoglobin switch are conserved

Hemoglobin switching, which occurs in all classes of vertebrates as well as in certain invertebrates, is due to developmental regulation of different globin genes which are typically arranged in clustered families. By fusing erythroid cells of different developmental programs, trans-acting factors that regulate this switch in gene expression have been detected [Ramseyer et al. (1989): Dev Biol 133:262-271]. Adult erythroid cells of one anuran species, Xenopus laevis, were fused with tadpole erythroid cells of another frog, Rana catesbeiana, creating developmental erythroid heterokaryons that synthesize adult Rana globin mRNA and hemoglobins. The results show that factors from adult Xenopus erythroid cells are capable of inducing adult Rana globin gene expression in the Rana tadpole erythroid cell nucleus. We have used the cross-induction of adult Rana hemoglobin synthesis in these adult Xenopus/Rana tadpole erythroid heterokaryons to address two practical questions, answers to which may be helpful in isolating developmental stage-specific globin gene regulatory proteins: (1) Are erythroblasts which are actively expressing globin mRNAs and hemoglobins richer in specific globin-inducing activities than other stages of erythroid cellular differentiation? (2) Do mature, circulating erythrocytes still have the activities necessary to mediate the cross-induction of Hb synthesis? The results reported here show that the answers to both questions are affirmative and show that quiescent, fully differentiated adult erythroid cells are still capable of expressing the trans-activator(s). These findings show that factors which mediate the metamorphic hemoglobin switch are conserved between these two genera of frogs. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Strategic Pricing of New Pharmaceuticals

This paper provides empirical evidence on the leading factors affecting the prices of new pharmaceuticals, both at introduction and after 4, 6, and 8 years. Most important is the extent of therapeutic advance embodied in a new product. For drugs which represent important therapeutic gains, launch prices can be two or three times those of existing drugs used for the same purposes, while drugs that largely duplicate the actions of currently available products are typically priced at comparable levels. In addition, the number of branded substitutes has a substantial negative effect on launch prices, which reflects the importance of competitive pressures. Duplicate products thereby play an important economic role in pharmaceutical markets.
Recent progress in protective coatings for molybdenum

Abstract Molybdenum base alloys appear promising for aerospace applications where temperatures encountered are between 2000 and 3000°F. Paramount of the challenges limiting the extensive use of molybdenum base alloys is that of preventing catastrophic air oxidation at elevated temperatures. Protective coatings have been developed for molybdenum base alloys, with the most advantageous coating technique being that of pack cementation. Existing pack cementation techniques do not produce the required coating integrity, and the present research effort was undertaken to obtain a more reliable and reproducible coating system. An extensive screening study of various pack cementation coating systems was made using three general process concepts. Six promising systems were evaluated in detail. A discussion of the six coating systems is presented together with test results under both room and high temperature conditions.
Acoustic characteristics of the Lombard effect from talkers with Parkinson’s disease

Speech production in noise elicits the Lombard effect, characterized by an increase in vocal effort. In talkers with Parkinson’s disease (PD), noisy environments are a stressor to speech production. Recently, the intelligibility of speech from PD talkers speaking in noisy (additive multi-talker babble) and reverberant environments was shown to be more sensitive to both factors than speech from healthy talkers [Kopf et al., ASHA 7387 (2013)]. The current study investigated the acoustic properties of speech and how they change in noise and reverberation for PD talkers compared to healthy talkers. Healthy talkers increased their level and fundamental frequency in additive noisy environments and, to a lesser degree, in reverberant environments. PD talkers also changed their level and fundamental frequency but to a more limited extent compared to healthy talkers. Additional changes in speech production (speaking rate, articulation range, and voice quality) were observed in individual talkers from both groups.
Photo-Leucine Incorporation Reveals the Target of a Cyclodepsipeptide Inhibitor of Cotranslational Translocation

Photoaffinity labeling is a powerful tool to identify protein targets of biologically active small molecules, yet is often limited by the size, chemical properties, and availability of photoreactive groups. We report an improved synthesis of photo-leucine, a diazirine-based photoreactive analogue of leucine, and demonstrate its incorporation into a cyclodepsipeptide inhibitor of cotranslational translocation. Photoaffinity labeling in a crude membrane fraction, followed by “click chemistry” with a rhodamine−azide reporter, enabled the identification of Sec61α, the structural core of the Sec61 translocation channel, as the inhibitor's target.
Planar cell polarity effector gene Fuzzy regulates cilia formation and Hedgehog signal transduction in mouse

Precise planar cell polarity (PCP) is critical for the development of multiple organ systems in animals. A group of core-PCP proteins are recognized to play crucial roles in convergent extension and other PCP-related processes in mammals. However, the functions of another group of PCP-regulating proteins, the PCP-effector proteins, are yet to be fully studied. In this study, the generation and characterization of a mouse mutant for the PCP effector gene Fuzzy (Fuz) is reported. Fuz homozygous mutants are embryonically lethal, with multiple defects including neural tube defects, abnormal dorsal/ventral patterning of the spinal cord, and defective anterior/posterior patterning of the limb buds. Fuz mutants also exhibit abnormal Hedgehog (Hh) signaling and inefficient proteolytic processing of Gli3. Finally, a significant decrease in cilia was found in Fuz homozygous mutants. In conclusion, Fuz plays an important role in cilia formation, Hh signal transduction, and embryonic development in mammals. Developmental Dynamics 238:3035–3042, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.