cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dollar spot and brown patch fungicide management strategies in four creeping bentgrass cultivars

New creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.) cultivars should be thoroughly evaluated for disease resistance and fungicide application strategies for inclusion in integrated pest management plans. Our objectives were to evaluate dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Bennett) and brown patch (Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn) severity, and turf quality of L-93', Penncross', Providence', and Crenshaw' creep-ing bentgrass managed using preventive, curative, and weather model-based fungicide application strategies. This field study was conducted on a sand-based putting green in Manhattan, KS, from 1997 through 1999. Nonfungicide-treated L-93 exhibited greatest resistance to dollar spot; Penncross and Providence were intermediate; and Crenshaw was most susceptible. Crenshaw exhibited greater brown patch susceptibility than other cultivars in 1998, but was similar to L-93 in 1999. Greater flexibility in imposing a disease control strategy was afforded by using a disease-resistant (i.e., L-93), rather than a disease-susceptible (i.e., Crenshaw) cultivar. Dollar spot was controlled in L-93 using preventive fungicide applications on 14- or 28-d intervals, preventive low-rate applications of chlorothalonil (tetrachloroisophthalonitrile, 3.5 kg a.i. ha -1 ) every 7 d, or a curative fungicide application when an increase in the disease was observed. In Crenshaw, only the 14-d preventive fungicide regime effectively controlled dollar spot. Considering all cultivars across the 3-yr period, fewer fungicide applications were made using a curative (n = 11-17) than a preventive (n = 30) strategy. The curative strategy was effective when dollar spot, but not when brown patch was the primary disease.
Sex-Specific Differences in Expression of Histone Demethylases Utx and Uty in Mouse Brain and Neurons

Although X inactivation is thought to balance gene expression between the sexes, some genes escape inactivation, potentially contributing to differences between males and females. Utx (ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat gene on X chromosome) is an escapee gene that encodes a demethylase specific for lysine 27 of histone H3, a mark of repressed chromatin. We found Utx to be expressed higher in females than in males in developing and adult brains and in adult liver. XX mice had a higher level of Utx than XY mice, regardless of whether they had testes or ovaries, indicating that the sexually dimorphic gene expression was a consequence of the sex chromosome complement. Females had significantly higher levels of Utx than males in most brain regions except in the amygdala. The regional expression of the Y-linked paralogue Uty (ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat gene on Y chromosome) was somewhat distinct from that of Utx, specifically in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (high Uty) and the amygdala (high Utx), implying that the two paralogues may be differentially regulated. Higher expression of Utx compared with Uty was detected in P19 pluripotent embryonic carcinoma cells as well as in P19-derived neurons. This transcriptional divergence between the two paralogues was associated with high levels of histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation at the Utx promoter and of histone H4 lysine 16 acetylation throughout the gene body, which suggests that epigenetic mechanisms control differential expression of paralogous genes.
PTSD symptomatology and readiness to quit smoking among women with serious mental illness

Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a risk factor for tobacco addiction. The majority of research on PTSD and smoking has been conducted with men, particularly combat veterans, and little is known about the association among women. In a clinical sample of women civilian smokers with serious mental illness (SMI), we examined the prevalence of PTSD symptomatology and associations with physical and mental health functioning, co-occurring substance use, nicotine dependence, and readiness to quit smoking.
Distinct Neurogenomic States in Basal Ganglia Subregions Relate Differently to Singing Behavior in Songbirds

Both avian and mammalian basal ganglia are involved in voluntary motor control. In birds, such movements include hopping, perching and flying. Two organizational features that distinguish the songbird basal ganglia are that striatal and pallidal neurons are intermingled, and that neurons dedicated to vocal-motor function are clustered together in a dense cell group known as area X that sits within the surrounding striato-pallidum. This specification allowed us to perform molecular profiling of two striato-pallidal subregions, comparing transcriptional patterns in tissue dedicated to vocal-motor function (area X) to those in tissue that contains similar cell types but supports non-vocal behaviors: the striato-pallidum ventral to area X (VSP), our focus here. Since any behavior is likely underpinned by the coordinated actions of many molecules, we constructed gene co-expression networks from microarray data to study large-scale transcriptional patterns in both subregions. Our goal was to investigate any relationship between VSP network structure and singing and identify gene co-expression groups, or modules, found in the VSP but not area X. We observed mild, but surprising, relationships between VSP modules and song spectral features, and found a group of four VSP modules that were highly specific to the region. These modules were unrelated to singing, but were composed of genes involved in many of the same biological processes as those we previously observed in area X-specific singing-related modules. The VSP-specific modules were also enriched for processes disrupted in Parkinson's and Huntington's Diseases. Our results suggest that the activation/inhibition of a single pathway is not sufficient to functionally specify area X versus the VSP and support the notion that molecular processes are not in and of themselves specialized for behavior. Instead, unique interactions between molecular pathways create functional specificity in particular brain regions during distinct behavioral states.
Application specific integrated circuit design on a PC platform

Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are most commonly designed on high end computer platforms, such as the SUN workstation. This paper describes a cost-effective method of designing ASICs on PCS. With the rapidly increasing power of the PC, and the ease of communication through the Internet, today it is possible to run some of popular VLSI CAD packages at a much lower cost. Today, at the University of Southern Mississippi the software package MAGIC has been used for that purpose on PC based stations. This paper starts with an overview of ASIC design on PC platforms and its impact on industry and academia. The software and hardware requirements and the techniques needed to acquire VLSI capabilities on a PC are examined. This is followed by a comparison of the available VLSI software in the market and its suitability for the class environment.
Branchial Na+−K+-ATPase activity during osmotic adjustments in two freshwater euryhaline teleosts, tilapia (Sarotherodon mossambicus) and orange chromid (Etroplus maculatus)

Effects of osmotic stress on the branchial Na+−K+-ATPase activity in two freshwater euryhaline teleosts (the tilapia Sarotherodon mossambicus Peters and the orange chromid Etroplus maculatus Bleeker) were studied. Direct transfer from fresh water to salt water with a salinity of 35‰ S caused extensive mortality in tilapia. Of the remaining four saltwater concentrations (4.375, 8.75, 17.5, and 26.25‰ S), the higher two increased the enzyme activity significantly in the first week without affecting it further during the remaining seven weeks of acclimation. The lower two concentrations failed to elicit any significant change. In the case of orange chromid, all three salt-water concentrations (4.375, 8.75, and 17.5‰ S) which the fish survived produced a more significant and extensive change in the enzyme activity, which continued to rise during the entire acclimation period. Employing a procedure of gradual transfer, tilapia and orange chromid were successfully adapted to saltwater concentrations of up to 61.25 and 35‰ S, respectively. In this experiment, almost each successive increase in salinity elevated the enzyme activity further, but the total change in both species was considerably less extensive than might be expected from the direct transfer study. When the freshwater fish were transferred to identical concentrations of pure NaCl or whole ocean salt, the former produced a relatively greater change in the enzyme activity in tilapia. No such difference was seen in orange chromid. During reacclimation of the saltwater-adapted fish to fresh water, the enzyme activity began to decrease immediately in both species, but remained above the freshwater control levels at the end of eight weeks.
Use of the Gamow Bag by EMT-Basic Park Rangers for Treatment of High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema and High-Altitude Cerebral Edema

As part of an emergency medical system protocol, national park service rangers certified at the level of an emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) are taught to recognize and treat high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema. In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, this is done with the assistance of physician on-line medical control as a backup. High-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema are both potentially fatal altitude illnesses that can be particularly problematic in the backcountry, where evacuation may be delayed. We report a case of high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema occurring at moderate altitude that was successfully treated by park rangers with the Gamow Bag.
The catalytic mechanism of EPSP synthase revisited.

Recent analysis of EPSP synthase by solid-state NMR has led to the postulation of a new enzyme reaction pathway and raised once again the question of an intermediate species covalently bound to the enzyme [Studelska, D., McDowell, L., Espe, M., Klug, C., and Schaefer, J. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 15555−15560]. Therefore, we have reexamined the mechanism of the reaction catalyzed by EPSP synthase and analyzed the reaction products formed under the conditions used in preparing samples for solid-state NMR. Single-turnover experiments were carried out using both [1-14C]- and [32P]PEP showing the formation and decay of the previously proposed tetrahedral intermediate species on a time scale comparable with the disappearance of substrate and formation of product, thus unequivocally establishing the kinetic competence. The possible presence of a covalently bound enzyme intermediate species was also investigated, using SDS−PAGE and Centricon concentration analysis of the quenched reaction samples. No covalently bou...
Attribution of disaster losses.

In his Viewpoint “Insurance in a climate of change” (12 Aug., p. [1040][1]), E. Mills suggests that changes in climate have been responsible for some part of the trend in recent decades of increasing damage related to extreme weather. This claim is not supported by the peer-reviewed literature,
Design CO2 and Illumination Wireless Sensor Modules for Intelligent Energy-Saving System

This study was focused on the constructing an intelligent energy-saving system combining the brand-new wireless communication techniques and green energy conception based on four energy-consumption indicators provided by Energy Bureau of Taiwan so as to produce high economic products as well as explore the methods how to get to the goal about peoplesi¦ energy-saving by automation despite of non-auto with much careless of people.
Does Celecoxib Have a Role in the Treatment of Patients with Colorectal Cancer

The outcome of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) has steadily improved with the addition of several novel agents. However, chemotherapy is associated with significant toxicities such as diarrhea and bone marrow suppression. Celecoxib has been associated with decreased gastrointestinal toxicity and improved chemotherapy tolerance in preclinical in vivo models, resulting in its investigation in CRC clinical trials. These trials failed to show any improvements in efficacy or reduction in chemotherapy-induced toxicity. This article summarizes relevant preclinical and clinical investigations of celecoxib in CRC.
Multiple-Aminoglycoside-Resistant Mutants of Bacillus subtilis Deficient in Accumulation of Kanamycin

Three classes of spontaneous multiple-aminoglycoside-resistant (mar) mutants of Bacillus subtilis were isolated by plating on a low (1.2 mug/ml) concentration of kanamycin sulfate and were found to be resistant also to low concentrations of paromomycin, neomycin and gentamicin. The three classes could be distinguished one from another by their degree of cytochrome deficiency, respiration deficiency, and susceptibility to kanamycin lethality. A fluctuation test showed that the mutations were spontaneous and not induced by the conditions of selection. Representative strains from two classes of mutants (mar-2 and mar-3) accumulated aminoglycoside very poorly in comparison with the parent strain, whereas a strain of the third class (mar-1) inactivated aminoglycoside present in the growth medium. The mar-3 strain studied (aroD163) had previously been shown to be a menaquinone auxotroph (Farrand and Taber, 1973) and to be deficient in amino acid uptake (Bisschop et al., 1975). Such mutants, which are resistant to low concentrations of aminoglycosides, may be of use in elucidating the biochemical and genetic bases of certain bacterial transport systems.
Studies on the serum proteins of the x-irradiated rat.

Abstract Total body x-irradiation resulted in diminished concentrations of albumin and γ-globulin and in a rise in the β-globulin ratio of rat serum. Similar changes took place in animals which were protected from a lethal dose of x-rays by the injection of l -cysteine. However, the increase in the β1- to β2-globulin ratio was less marked and did not persist in the sera of the protected animals. Neither the α- and β-globulin areas of sera from starved, x-irradiated rats were as low as those of starved controls. X-irradiation may result in the formation of abnormal α- and β-globulin or else it may cause the proteins to be metabolized abnormally. The x-ray-induced decrease in serum albumin is probably due to inanition, but the lowered γ-globulin content of serum seems to be caused primarily by the exposure to x-rays.
Oil prices and world inflation

Abstract In this paper we attempt to address the nature of the causal relationships between oil prices and U.S. inflation. We use a procedure developed by Granger to assess “causality” or, more precisely stated, “informativeness.” Our results confirm that higher oil prices have increased the U.S. WPI. Our results also support OPEC's contention that their price increases have in part been a result of worldwide inflation.
The PR interval and cardiac resynchronization therapy outcomes: Considering confounding, mediation, and effect modification

a c c Once thought to be a predominately benign finding on the 12-lead electrocardiogram, growing evidence suggests that a prolonged PR interval may portend a poor prognosis, whether it be an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in the general population or worse heart failure outcomes in patients with structural heart disease. Theoretically, cardiac resynchroniation therapy (CRT) might be an effective way to combat hese adverse effects as it can shorten the atrial-ventricular elay without the potential detrimental effects of right ventriclar pacing. This presupposes, however, that the prolonged PR nterval actually causes the adverse outcomes that have been bserved—an assumption that previous association studies ave been unable to prove. If CRT, in fact, improved outcomes n those with a prolonged PR interval, this could result in a aradigm shift that could be readily adapted. Observational tudies will be the key in determining whether sufficient evience exists to justify a major, resource-intensive, clinical trial o definitively test this hypothesis. Therefore, when encounterng such observational studies, we must carefully and critically ssess the strength of the evidence. In this issue of HeartRhythm, Olshansky et al provide a econdary analysis of the Comparison of Medical Therapy, acing, and Defibrillation in Heart Failure (COMPANION) rial, a multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial omparing CRT with optimal medical therapy (OPT). Olhansky et al found that in those randomized to OPT, a prolonged PR interval ( 200 ms) was associated with a 41% greater hazard (hazard ratio 1.41) of the primary outcome of all-cause mortality or heart failure hospitalization after adjusting for multiple potential confounders (P 04). In contrast, a prolonged PR interval was not associated ith a statistically significant difference in outcomes in the RT group after multivariable adjustment (hazard ratio .88, P .17). These disparate findings between the 2 roups are certainly consistent with the notion that CRT ay negate the adverse effects of a prolonged PR interval. he authors went on to the next appropriate step and per-
Experimental and theoretical study of the surface resonances on the (100) faces of W and Mo

We present an experimental and theoretical study of the surface resonances on the (100) faces of W and Mo. From our experimental study, utilizing both angle-resolved photoemission with use of synchrotron radiation and angle-integrated photoemission, as well as field emission, we have documented the following properties of these surface resonances: (i) There are three occupied bands of surface resonances in the surface Brillouin zone. They are located about 0.2, 0.6, and 3.3 (0.3, 0.8, and 4.2) eV below the Fermi level for Mo (W). The dispersion is at most 0.3 eV for each band of surface resonances. (ii) The first band of resonances [at 0.2 (0.3) eV] is mainly ${d}_{{z}^{2}}$ in orbital character. It forms the well-known "surface-state" peak in the field-emission spectra. (iii) The second band of resonances is primarily composed of ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ and ${d}_{zx,zy}$ orbitals. It results in a shoulder below the "surface-state" peak in both the field-emission and angle-integrated photoemission spectra. Its photoemission intensity is zero at normal exit. (iv) The third band of resonances is similar to the first one and also made up of ${d}_{{z}^{2}}$ and $s$ orbitals. (v) As far as we can tell, many-body effects are not required to explain any aspect of the photoemission results from these resonances. The experimental data are compared to our calculation of the ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$- and orbital-resolved surface density of states, which uses a nonrelativistic tight-binding Green's-function scheme. The variations of the photoemission cross sections from these surface resonances are discussed in some detail and are shown to be determined by both macroscopic (i.e., the behavior of the electric field in the surface region, e.g., the reflection effects on the polarization vector) and microscopic (i.e., the details of the final-state band structure) effects.
The Damage Done: Cocaine Methods in Detroit

This paper reports on the cocaine consumption methods used in a sample of 241 arrestees detained in the central city jail, Detroit, Michigan. It categorizes and describes their expressed cocaine methods, reports their relative rank, and evaluates their prevalence and rank variations by sex. The data are derived from interview sessions with volunteers, conducted in situ under conditions of anonymity, and without compensation. The paper reports specific rank-orders, notes that there is variation by gender, and determines that the variation is significant for Chi-square at greater than .001. Some implications of these findings are discussed. I seen the needle and the damage done The little part of it in everyone…. Neil Young
Mechanisms underlying heightened risk taking in adolescents as compared with adults

Self-report surveys and behavioral tasks indicate greater risk-taking behavior in adolescents as compared with adults. However, the underlying causes of these behavioral differences remain unclear. The present study examined the possibility that adolescents may be more susceptible to immediate positive and negative outcomes than adults. We compared the behavior of adolescents and adults on a modified version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (Lejuez et al., 2002). The task required that participants press a button to "inflate" a series of balloons on a computer screen. Balloons inflated until either the participant released the button ("saved" balloons) or the balloon "burst." Accumulated points increased as the duration of the buttonpress increased; however, simultaneously, the likelihood that the balloon would burst also increased. Adolescents inflated balloons to a larger size prior to saving them than adults did, suggesting relatively higher levels of risk taking, although the adolescents' behavior was not uniformly risk prone. Further, in comparison with adults, behavior in adolescents was more influenced by whether a balloon was saved or had burst on the preceding trial, suggesting that sensitivity to immediate consequences is one mechanism that underlies the observed difference in risk taking.
Projector-basis technique and Car-Parrinello scaling in mixed-basis, linearized-augmented-plane-wave, and extended linearized-augmented-plane-wave electronic-structure methods.

It is shown that by exploiting auxiliary or projector-basis functions as a local representation of plane waves, highly efficient implementations of several band-structure techniques can be obtained. Examples are nonlocal pseudopotential methods with (1) plane-wave and (2) mixed (plane waves plus local orbitals) basis sets, and the all-electron (3) linearized-augmented-plane-wave and (4) extended linearized-augmented-plane-wave methods. The computation in all of the proposed techniques scales as N 2 ln(N), where N is the number of atoms in the unit cell. Early calculations are presented for the plane-wave and mixed-basis approaches
The function and transposition of lining bodies in developing avian oocytes.

Oocytes, ranging from 0.2 mm to 35 mm in diameter, from White Leghorn hens have been examined. Large numbers of pinocytotic vesicles can be observed in all stages of development. Three categories of specialized organelles can be seen. Examples are: cytoplasmic and macrobodies, oocyte bodies, and lining bodies. In early development the lining body lies in the follicle cell subjacent to the plasma membrane. It consists of a densely staining basal layer, 150 A thick, to which 200–250 A knobs are attached. The dense layer can be resolved into five sublayers. The knobs exhibit RNase sensitivity comparable to that of cytoplasmic ribosomes. During development of the oocyte, the lining bodies are transposed to the region between the oocyte and follicle cell and begin to penetrate the oocyte. The lining body becomes the advancing tip of a follicular projection and is encased by follicle cell and oocyte plasma membrane. During later stages of development, yolk sphere material is deposited outside the tip of the projection between the oocyte and follicle cell plasma membranes. With further development the lining body is pinched off and the intercellular space is markedly enlarged to form the mature yolk sphere. It is suggested that the early stages of yolk sphere protein synthesis are mediated and regulated by lining bodies.
Prevention of endomyometritis by local application of antibiotic solution during cesarean section

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated a reduction in the incidence of endomyometritis by using irrigation with 1000 ml of saline as a diluent at cesarean section. In this study 2 gm of cefoxitin sodium in 20 ml of saline solution was used for local application to the uterus and abdominal wound in 100 patients undergoing emergency cesarean section; results were compared to those in 100 patients who received no antibiotic at operation. Six patients in the treatment group developed endomyometritis as opposed to 33 in the untreated group (p
The Temperature Variation of the Compressibility of Molten Sodium.

The present method for the determination of the adiabatic compressibility of molten sodium depends in the first instance upon the measurement of the velocity of propagation of a short train of ultra-high frequency compressional acoustic waves in the material. This figure is then combined with the best available value of the density to yield the compressibility, on the assumption that the rigidity of the liquid is zero. The wave trains are produced and detected by a piezoelectric transducer, and the resultant signal is exhibited on the screen of an oscilloscope whose sweep circuit is time-calibrated to permit the measurement of the transit time of a train over a known path length in the medium. A novel acoustic interferometer is employed, with which small changes in velocity can be measured with high precision. The velocity of compressional waves in molten sodium at the freezing point, 97.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, is 252,600\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}500 cm/sec, and its temperature coefficient remains constant at the value -52.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3 cm/sec \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C at least to 545\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The adiabatic compressibility is 16.85\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ cgs at 97.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, and its temperature coefficient increases from 0.012\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ cgs at this temperature to 0.013\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ cgs at 545\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The relations between these quantities and other elastic and thermal properties of solid and liquid sodium are discussed.
Periodic maps on Poincaré duality spaces

Let T be a homeomorphism of odd prime period p on an oriented integral Poincar6 space X 2". The main theorem of this paper is an analogue in this context of the Atiyah-Singer-Segal G-Signature Theorem. It computes the Witt class of the Zp quadratic form arising from the fixed set F in terms of the orthogonal (or symplectic, if n is odd) representation of T* in H"(X2")/Tor. We shall also prove a similar theorem for circle actions. Our proofs owe much to the paper of Bredon [5]. As Bredon has noted, these theorems yield new information even for differentiable actions on certain non-closed manifolds. Before precisely stating our principal results, we need some assumptions and definitions. Blanket Assumptions. All spaces are assumed to be Hausdorff and to have finite covering dimension. In order that (~ech and singular cohomology will agree, all integral Poincar6 spaces, integral Poincar6 pairs, and the doubles of these pairs are assumed to be HLC [6]. 9
Stimulation of the globus pallidus in Parkinson's disease.

In 62 patients undergoing posteroventral pallidotomy (PVP) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, we have demonstrated significant (p 0.01) elimination of akinetic features and other symptoms during intraoperative stimulation trials in areas anterior to the PVP target (n = 30). Stimulation in anterior pallidal regions frequently resulted in an immediate reversal of akinetic states despite enforced abstinence of medications. The beneficial effects were achieved with as little as 0.25 V at 100 Hz. Stimulation at the PVP target site (n = 32) resulted in insignificant changes (p 0.05).
The effects of progressive wealth redistribution on an economy's development performance

Abstract With the exception of studies concerning the effects of land reform programs on total agricultural output, there has been a lack of studies on how changes in the distribution of wealth may effect an economy's development performance. The objective of this study is to fill this gap and to show that under certain conditions progressive wealth redistribution can lead to an increase in an economy's rate of growth. A model is presented that incorporates portfolio behavior and financial markets into a two-sector input-output model. Model simulations are utilized to show that the major condition under which redistribution is favorable to growth is that the lower wealth group have a smaller marginal propensity to accumulate consumer durables than the upper wealth group.
On-line measurement of contact pressure distribution at tool–workpiece interfaces in manufacturing operations

Abstract A new method is proposed for determining the contact pressure distribution (CPD) between the tool and the workpiece in sheet metal forming processes. Contact pressure is measured at discrete points at the tool–workpiece interface by sensors that are structurally embedded beneath the tooling surface. An analytical framework is developed for determining the pressure values between the sensing points through the construction of continuous CPD maps. This is achieved using the Thin Plate Spline (TPS) surface generation method, which creates temporal snapshots of the CPD during a forming process. The effectiveness of this technique is illustrated for a panel stamping operation.
The significance of transient changes in trabecular bone remodeling activation

After menopause, bone turnover is increased due to an increase in the activation of bone remodeling basic multicellular units (BMUs). The importance of changes in BMU activation to bone histomorphometry data and bone volume has not received adequate attention by many skeletal researchers. Therefore, the influence of BMU activation on the above parameters was modeled by way of computer simulation, and the results were compared to data from published post-menopausal bone loss studies. Using control theory concepts, the increase in BMU activation after menopause was modeled as a zero-, first-, or underdamped (oscillatory) second-order transient BMU activation response to the step input: the decline in estrogen. A computer simulation was developed to model the influence of these three transient BMU activation responses on quantitative histological surface parameters and bone volume. The transient BMU activation responses doubled the number of active BMUs. All three types of transient BMU activation responses produced a rapid 5% decline in bone volume due to increased remodeling space. Oscillations in bone volume and histologic surface parameters over time, similar in nature to those seen in studies of ovariectomized animals, were predicted by the simulation for the oscillatory activation response examined, underdamped second order. An oscillatory BMU activation response may explain some of the transient events during menopause. The increased coherence of BMUs created by such a response may increase the likelihood of trabecular perforations. the inherent nature of an oscillatory activation response may cause its detection to be overlooked and bone remodeling data to be misinterpreted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Value of Reputation in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking (and the Related Roles of Regulation and Market Efficiency)

This article explores the roles of reputation, efficient capital markets, and capital market regulation in preserving and creating economic value. Each of these three mechanisms serves as a substitute for the other two, with each playing a role in maintaining the credibility and reliability of markets. While efficient markets and effective regulation are market-wide phenomena that affect all firms, reputation is a firm-specific corporate asset. Companies develop reputational capital by treating customers and counterparties fairly (while forgoing the temptation to achieve short-term profits at their expense). At the same time, companies seeking access to the capital markets but lacking a reputation must typically employ reputational intermediaries. Investment banks, credit rating agencies, accounting firm s, law firms, and organized stock exchanges have all served as reputational intermediaries at various times during the last 200 years. One contributor to the recent financial crisis was a kind of experimentation by some reputational intermediaries with an opportunistic and two-tiered “customer differentiation” strategy in which some customers were treated very well, while others were treated with little or no regard for their legitimate expectations as to how they would be treated. This strategy has proved to be a failure, imposing significant costs on those organizations as well as their customers. The available substitutes for reputation, capital market effciency and effective regulation, did not provide sufcient offsetting protection for investors. While the two-tiered “customer differentiation” strategy has failed, the central message of the economic theory of reputation remains intact. This message is that a company's reputation is a valuable asset that must be preserved to ensure the future of the organization. For all financial intermediaries that rely heavily on their reputations when selling their products and services, the author recommends large and continuous investment in maintaining those reputations. For investment banks in particular—a group whose reputations have held up reasonably well—the author suggests that they continue to view their role as reputational intermediaries as a core part of their businesses.
Complex-valued contour meshing

An isovalue contour of a function of two complex variables defines a surface in four-space. We present a robust technique for creating polygonal contours of complex-valued functions. The technique, contour meshing, generalizes well to larger dimensions.
Effect of transmitter turn-off time on transient soundings

Abstract A general procedure for computing the effect of non-zero turn-off time on the transient electromagnetic response is presented which can be applied to forward and inverse calculation methods for any transmitter-receiver configuration. We consider in detail the case of a large transmitter loop which has a receiver coil located at the center of the loop (central induction or in-loop array). For a linear turn-off ramp of width t 0 , the voltage response is shown to be the voltage due to an ideal step turn-off averaged over windows of width t 0 . Thus the effect is similar to that obtained by using averaging windows in the receiver. In general when time zero is taken to be the end of the ramp, the apparent resistivity increases for a homogeneous half-space over a limited time range. For time zero taken to be the start of the ramp the apparent resistivity is affected in the opposite direction. The effect of the ramp increases with increasing t 0 and first-layer resistivity, is largest during the intermediate stage, and decreases with increasing time. It is shown that for a ramp turn-off, there is no effect in the early and late stages. For two-layered models with a resistive first layer ( ρ 1 > ρ 2 ), the apparent resistivity is increased in the intermediate stage. When the first layer is more conductive than the second layer ( ρ 1 ρ 2 ) and the layer thickness is comparable or greater than the loop radius, similar results are obtained; however, when the layer is thin compared to the loop radius the apparent resistivity is initially decreased and then increases as time increases. Examples are presented which illustrate the strong influence of the geoelectrical section on the turn-off effect. Neglecting the turn-off ramp will affect data interpretation as shown by field examples; the influence is the greatest on near-surface layer parameters.
Tree Fitting: Topological Recognition from Ordinary Least-Squares Edge Length Estimates

Distance methods play a central role in the field of phylogeny reconstruction, providing fast, efficient algorithms which yield reliable trees. A leading method in this field is the minimum evolution (ME) method, which selects the topology whose size is minimized when edge lengths have been selected for each topology via an ordinary least-squares (OLS) criterion. Vach and Degens (1991) have demonstrated that this OLS solution can be found by constraining edge lengths for a given topology such that average distances across each split in the tree metric equal those of the input metric. In this work we consider the vector space of tree metrics with regard to a basis generated by split average distances. This algebraic structure leads us to a conjecture regarding the edge weights of OLS tree fitting. We conjecture that if we fit a tree metric to an incorrect topology, the incorrectness will be detectable via a negative length assignment to one of the edges corresponding to a split in the test topology which is not shared by the true topology. This conjecture is proven for topologies sufficiently close to the true topology, and simulations suggest that it may be true in a more general case. We consider the durability of this topological signal in the presence of noisy sampling.
Pt hybrid catalysts containing HY zeolite and sulfate-promoted zirconia or acidic/mesoporous silicaalumina for the conversion of n-octane

Abstract Pt hybrid catalysts containing Y zeolite as main component and sulfate-promoted zirconia or acidic/mesoporous silicaalumina as co-catalyst show enhanced activity in the hydroisomerization/ydrocracking of n-octane. This synergistic effect is due to the surface acidic and textural properties of the co-catalyst. The best co-catalyst must have a high surface acidity, a large surface area and an open pore system. The best Pt hybrid catalyst had the Pt species homogeneously spread over the three components of the catalyst.
Materials science and fabrication techniques in the entertainment industry: A collaboration between fine arts and engineering

The College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts at UNLV are collaborating in the creation of an interdisciplinary program in Entertainment Engineering and Design. In one of the first classes that has been offered in the program, the students learn materials science fundamentals through applications in basic fabrication techniques. Combining traditional lecture sessions from engineering and studio sessions from fine arts, the students work in teams on projects derived from the entertainment industry. This paper describes the format of the course, the projects that the students are assigned and how the course will fit into the overall curriculum of the new program.© 2006 ASME
A simple theoretical model for condensed-phase equilibria based on a hard-sphere equation-of-state and its applications

Abstract Detailed knowledge of solid–liquid phase transitions is not only of academic interest but is also important for industrial-process applications, such as the use of high-pressure crystallization as a separation method. In previous reports, we have studied solid–liquid phase equilibria of several binary-systems containing aromatic compounds, using our unified solid–liquid–vapor equation-of-state (EOS), and demonstrated that our EOS method can be successfully applied to such systems. However, the procedure of analyses is rather complicated and not necessarily straightforward. In this report, we develop a much simpler model for condensed-phase behaviors. The model is based on our previously reported hard-sphere EOS. Successful applications to real compound systems are demonstrated.
Human diploid cell culture rabies vaccine (HDCV) and purified chick embryo cell culture rabies vaccine (PCECV) both confer protective immunity against infection with the silver-haired bat rabies virus strain (SHBRV)

Abstract The demonstration of extensive differences in the antigenic makeups of the silver-haired bat rabies virus (SHBRV) and canine rabies virus (COSRV) strains raised concerns as to whether current licensed rabies vaccines are sufficiently protective against SHBRV. NIH mouse protection test results show that both the human diploid cell culture rabies vaccine (HDCV) and the purified chicken embryo cell rabies vaccine (PCECV) protected against lethal infection with SHBRV as well as the canine rabies strain COSRV. However, in this investigation, the potencies of both vaccines in mice were found to be significantly higher for COSRV than for SHBRV. The in vivo protection data are confirmed by in vitro virus neutralizing antibody (VNA) test results which demonstrate that mice immunized with HDCV or PCECV develop significantly higher VNA titres against COSRV than against SHBRV. In contrast, VNA tests of sera from individuals immunized with HDCV or PCECV showed that humans, as opposed to mice, develop significantly higher VNA titres against SHBRV than against COSRV. These data suggest that HDCV and PCECV will protect humans against infection with the silver-haired bat rabies virus strain in addition to canine rabies virus strains.
Patterns and Controls of Hurricane-Caused Forest Damage: A Landscape-Scale Analysis of Treefall Direction Following Hurricane Katrina∗

To clarify broad-scale patterns and controls of treefall directionality from Hurricane Katrina, we examined fall directions across a 4,500 km2 landscape mosaic in southern Mississippi using georeferenced, planar-rectified aerial photographs. Analyses using directional statistics, measures of local spatial autocorrelation, and general linear modeling indicated that treefall was significantly directional for nearly all of our locations and constrained primarily by mesoscale surface wind directions and landscape setting. None of our plots exhibited fall angles consistent with damage caused by wind reversals following the passage of the storm or by microbursts or tornadoes spawned by the hurricane. When coupled with results from other studies focused on hurricane-caused damage, these results suggest that it is possible to develop empirical, landscape-scale models of wind impacts or stand vulnerability using basic site information (e.g., topography, soils), biotic conditions (e.g., land cover, forest attribute...
SAR moving target imaging using sparse and low-rank decomposition

We propose a method to image a complex scene with spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) despite the presence of multiple moving targets. Many recent methods use sparsity-based reconstruction coupled with phase error corrections of moving targets to reconstruct stationary scenes. However, these methods rely on the assumption that the scene itself is sparse and thus unfortunately cannot handle realistic SAR scenarios with complex backgrounds consisting of more than just a few point targets. Our method makes use of sparse and low-rank (SLR) matrix decomposition, an efficient method for decomposing a low-rank matrix and sparse matrix from their sum. For detecting the moving targets and reconstructing the stationary background, SLR uses a convex optimization model that penalizes the nuclear norm of the low rank background structure and the L1 norm of the sparse moving targets. We propose an L1-norm regularization reconstruction method to form the input data matrix, which is grossly corrupted by the moving targets. Each column of the input matrix is a reconstructed SAR image with measurements from a small number of azimuth angles. The use of the L1-norm regularization and a sparse transform permits us to reconstruct the scene with significantly fewer measurements so that moving targets are approximately stationary. We demonstrate our SLR-based approach using simulations adapted from the GOTCHA Volumetric SAR data set. These simulations show that SLR can accurately image multiple moving targets with different individual motions in complex scenes where methods that assume a sparse scene would fail.
Proton orbital 1/2/sup -/(521) and the stability of superheavy elements

We present experimental evidence for the identification of the deformed proton orbital ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$- [521] in $^{251}\mathrm{Es}$ and $^{247}\mathrm{Bk}$. The implications of this finding with respect to the stability of superheavy elements in the vicinity of $Z\ensuremath{\approx}114$ are discussed.
Structural and functional properties of myosin associated with the compensatory cardiac hypertrophy in the rabbit.

Abstract Right ventricular hypertrophy was produced in rabbits by pulmonary artery constriction. Measurement of intraventricular pressure, ventricular wet and dry weights and histologic examination of the liver demonstrated substantial hypertrophy with no signs of congestive failure 3 to 6 weeks following constriction. Right ventricular papillary muscle from these hearts exhibited a depressed force-velocity relationship and an increased time to peak tension but otherwise were normal. Myosin prepared from control and hypertrophied hearts was of comparable purity and yield. Quantitative densitometry of SDS polyacrylamide gels showed the light chains of hypertrophy myosin were unchanged in number, molecular weight and stoichiometry. Total protein sulfhydryl content was not different for control and hypertrophy myosins. Calcium-activated ATPase activity of hypertrophy myosin was significantly decreased shen measured at varying ATP concentration. By Lineweaver-Burk analysis, V max of hypertrophy myosin was depressed by 50%, while the apparent K m was 10% lower. When sulfhydryl-dependent ATPase activity was measured as a function of p -chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) concentration, hypertrophy myosin exhibited a normal activation profile. The ATPase activity of hypertrophy myosin was initially depressed by 50% and was significantly reduced at low PCMB concentrations. However the difference was absent at peak activation, suggesting that the SH 1 sulfhydryls were capable of activation by PCMB to the same level as for control myosin. These data were consistent with a subtle conformational change at or near the active site, rather than with a change in the composition of major subunits of myosin from hypertrophied hearts.
Critical thinking in social and psychological inquiry

Yanchar, Slife, and their colleagues have described how mainstream psychology‟s notion of critical thinking has largely been conceived of as “scientific analytic reasoning” or “method-centered critical thinking.” We extend here their analysis and critique, arguing that some version of the one-sided instrumentalism and confusion about tacit values that characterize scientistic approaches to inquiry also color phenomenological, critical theoretical, and social constructionist viewpoints. We suggest that hermeneutic/dialogical conceptions of inquiry, including the idea of social theory as itself a form of ethically motivated human practice, give a fuller account of critical thinking in the social disciplines.
Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Chicken Nuggets Extended with Fermented Cowpea and Peanut Flours

Physicochemical and sensory properties of chicken nuggets extended with flours processed from fermented cowpeas (FCF) and fermented partially defatted peanuts (FPDPF) were investigated. Addition of FCF or FPDPF decreased moisture loss and fat gain. Reductions in protein content of nuggets were 20.2% and 15.8% when, respectively, 20% FCF and 20% FPDPF were added. Regardless of level of FPDPF, nuggets required relatively lower force and energy to shear compared to control nuggets and nuggets extended with FCF. Nuggets extended with FCF and/or FPDPF had higher a* and lower L*, b*, and hue angle values compared to the control. Color of nuggets containing a mixture of 2.5% FCF and 2.5% FPDPF was similar to the control. Addition of 20% FCF or FPDPF caused flavor of nuggets to be unacceptable. The flavor, texture, and overall liking of nuggets containing 5% flour (2.5% FCF and 2.5% FPDPF) were as acceptable as the control nugget. Results from this study indicate that FCF and FPDPF have potential as extenders in ...