cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in hamster brain membranes: pharmacological characteristics and regional distribution

Studies in a variety of seasonally breeding mammals have shown that melatonin mediates photoperiodic effects on reproduction. Relatively little is known, however, about the site(s) or mechanisms of action of this hormone for inducing reproductive effects. Although binding sites for [3H]melatonin have been reported previously in bovine, rat, and hamster brain, the pharmacological selectivity of these sites was never demonstrated. In the present study, we have characterized binding sites for a new radioligand, 2-[125I]iodomelatonin, in brains from a photoperiodic species, the Syrian hamster. 2-[125I]Iodomelatonin labels a high affinity binding site in hamster brain membranes. Specific binding of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin is rapid, stable, saturable, and reversible. Saturation studies demonstrated that 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binds to a single class of sites with an affinity constant (Kd) of 3.3 +/- 0.5 nM and a total binding capacity (Bmax) of 110.2 +/- 13.4 fmol/mg protein (n = 4). The Kd value determined from kinetic analysis (3.1 +/- 0.9 nM; n = 5) was very similar to that obtained from saturation experiments. Competition experiments showed that the relative order of potency of a variety of indoles for inhibition of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding site to hamster brain membranes was as follows: 6-chloromelatonin greater than or equal to 2-iodomelatonin greater than N-acetylserotonin greater than or equal to 6-methoxymelatonin greater than or equal to melatonin greater than 6-hydroxymelatonin greater than or equal to 6,7-dichloro-2-methylmelatonin greater than 5-methoxytryptophol greater than 5-methoxytryptamine greater than or equal to 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine greater than N-acetyltryptamine greater than serotonin greater than 5-methoxyindole (inactive). Compounds known to act at serotonergic, adrenergic, or dopaminergic receptors were either inactive or relatively ineffective as compared to melatonin. These results suggest that 2-[125I]iodomelatonin is a selective, high affinity probe for identifying melatonin receptor binding sites in rodent brain.
Selection rule for E1 transitions

It is pointed out that an often used model selection rule for E1 transitions in light nuclei is invalid. Some aspects of observed E1 transition strengths in light nuclei are discussed.
Supporting Young Children’s Efforts toward Peacemaking: Recommendations for Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators are in a unique position to provide peace education to young children and have been called to do so by their professional organizations. This article is intended to support early childhood educators in these endeavors by providing an overview of young children’s conceptions of peace, war, and peacemaking strategies. In addition, a theoretical framework for assessing young children’s conceptions of peacemaking is presented and recommendations for encouraging young children in their peacemaking efforts are suggested.
Do animals on the farm and in the home reduce the risk of pediatric atopy

Recent evidence suggests that proximity to pets and farm animals early in life may decrease the risk of developing atopy. Studies investigating the etiology of atopy and asthma have been especially challenging due to difficulties in ascertaining and classifying incident cases. Nevertheless, cross-sectional and cohort studies described in this paper reported across various populations, among children and adults, tended to demonstrate inverse associations between the presence of indoor cats and dogs or frequent exposure to livestock during the first years of life and sensitization to pet and pollen allergens, hay fever, and to a lesser degree, asthma. The biological mechanisms of this protection is unknown, as are the factors associated with pet keeping and livestock farming that may play a role. In the meantime, it appears that counseling prospective parents that avoidance of exposure to animals in the first years of life will prevent atopy may not be sage advice.
Expert communication link management: overview and progress

Consider the downsizing of our forces, the increasing complexity of our tactical platforms, and the ever widening array of communication options and the conclusion is inevitable. The need for automated support to reduce communication-related workload is critical to continued task force effectiveness. In a previous era, communication management expertise resided solely in the form of human experts. These experts flew with the pilots, providing the most effective means of communication in real time; they have since been removed from a great number of platforms due to force downsizing and real estate value in the cockpit. This burden has typically been shifted to the pilot, providing another set of tasks in an environment which is already far too taxing. An Expert Communication Link Manger (ECLM) is required -- a trusted, reliable assistant which can determine optimal link, channel, and waveform data for the communication requirements at hand and translate those requirements transparently into communication device control. Technologies are at hand which make ECLM possible; the mixture of these elements in the correct proportions can provide a capable, deployable, and cost effective ECLM in the near term. This paper describes specific applied ECLM research work in progress funded by the USAF under a four year effort. Operational objectives, technical objectives, a reference design, and technical excursions within the broad ECLM scope will be discussed in detail. Results of prototypes built to date in the area of communication inference from speech understanding, dynamic adaptive routing, and packet switching networks in the tactical environment will be presented.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Relationship Between Pregnancy Block and Infanticide in House Mice (Mus Musculus Domesticus) During Lactational Pregnancy

Recently mated female house mice separated from their mates and exposed to unfamiliar (strange) males often undergo pregnancy disruption. A favored explanation for this phenomenon, known as pregnancy block, is that it has evolved as a female counterresponse to potential infanticide by males. Curiously, pregnancy block is believed not to occur during lactational pregnancy, even though that lactational pregnancy is thought to be common in house mice. We examined the potential for male-induced pregnancy block to occur during lactational pregnancy in female mice after lactation disruption by both male infanticide (Expt 1) and litter removal (Expt 2). Strange males were paired with females that had both recently given birth to a first litter and potentially been reimpregnanted by the original stud male during postpartum estrus. Hence, some of the females' second litters were sired by the stud males and pregnancy block could then be detected as a drop in the delivery rate of such litters among these experimental females relative to control females that were not exposed to strange males. Pairs remained housed together until after a second litter was born. Thus, we were also able to measure the influence of prolonged heterosexual cohabitation on infanticide by strange males towards subsequent litters. If, as some have found, non-sexual contact with a pregnant female suppresses male infanticide, then the importance of male infanticide as an explanation for pregnancy block is further drawn into question. When strange males were introduced to lactating dams approximately one and a half days postpartum (Expt 1), male infanticide effectively halted lactation. However, none of these females subsequently showed pregnancy block. In contrast, when strange males were introduced to dams approximately one day postpartum and lactation was interrupted even earlier (Expt 2), pregnancy block did occur. There was no evidence for a cohabitation-induced reduction of male infanticide in either experiment; most strange males initially categorized as infanticidal subsequently killed females' second litters, provided they had not sired those litters. Despite the lack of cohabitation effects on male infanticide, because pregnancy block may only occur under restricted conditions during lactational pregnancy, the role of male infanticide in shaping the evolution of pregnancy block may be less straightforward than previously thought.
Ethical issues in the perioperative management of neurologic patients

The perioperative care of patients who have diseases of the nervous system provides the setting for challenging ethical issues. In the preoperative period, these issues include obtaining informed consent for surgery and its complications, surrogate decision making for the neurologically incapacitated patient, the use of advance directives for medical care, and the temporary suspension of do-not-resuscitate orders during the perioperative period. During postoperative care, ethical issues include establishing and communicating prognosis in patients who are brain damaged, a trial of therapy when prognosis remains uncertain, surrogate consent and refusal of life-sustaining therapy in the neurologically impaired patient, and the management of brain death.
Tousled-like kinase in a microbial eukaryote regulates spindle assembly and S-phase progression by interacting with Aurora kinase and chromatin assembly factors

The Tousled-like kinases are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins implicated in DNA repair, DNA replication and mitosis in metazoans and plants. Their absence from the yeasts and other eukaryotic `microbes9 suggests a specific role for them in the development of multicellular organisms. In this study, two closely related Tousled-like kinase homologs, TLK1 and TLK2, were identified in Trypanosoma brucei , a unicellular protozoan parasite. Only TLK1 plays an essential role in cell growth, and a deficiency in TLK1 led to an enrichment of S-phase cells, defective spindle formation and aberrant chromosome segregation. Although both TLK proteins localize to the nucleus, only TLK1 also concentrates in the spindle poles during mitosis. Both TLK proteins are phosphorylated by the Aurora kinase (AUK1), and both can autophosphorylate and phosphorylate histone H3 and the chromatin assembly factors Asf1A and Asf1B in vitro, but only TLK1 is autophosphorylated and capable of oligomerizing and interacting with AUK1, Asf1A and Asf1B in vivo. These discrepancies between the two TLK proteins can be attributed to minor differences between their N- and C-terminal sequences. In summary, TLK1 cooperates with Aurora kinase to regulate spindle assembly and chromosome segregation, and it performs a role in DNA replication probably by regulating histone modification in trypanosomes.
Selling financial services: the effect of consumer product knowledge and salesperson commission on consumer suspicion and intentions

This research examines how consumers’ subjective product knowledge affects the way they interpret salesperson compensation within the financial services industry. Data from a nationwide panel of consumers show that higher product knowledge consumers become highly suspicious and lower purchase intentions when salesperson commission rates fall outside of the latitude of acceptance (Study 1). Study 2 results, however, demonstrate a reversal of these effects by showing that compensation–recommendation consistency is an important moderator in financial salesperson interactions. In addition, the study describes boundaries of the suspicious mindset that underlies consumer responses to sales information. Theoretical and practical implications of the finding are discussed, as are future research directions.
Do Expert Informational Intermediaries Add Value? Evidence from Auditors in Microcap Initial Public Offerings

Do expert informational intermediaries add value? We address this question by examining the informativeness of the audit report contained in the prospectus associated with a firm's initial public offering (IPO). At the time of the IPO, there is a relative lack of information to facilitate the establishment of equity values, suggesting that the information provided by outside “experts” (e.g., auditors, underwriters) is particularly important. In this article we study small, non-venture-backed IPOs, a segment of the market with the poorest long-run performance and where the prestigious audit firm is often the sole (if any) expert present. We find that the pre-IPO opinions of larger auditors are more predictive of post-IPO negative stock delistings. Of particular note, the opinions of the national-tiered firms are comparably predictive to those of the Big 6, though this finding emerges only after we consider the selectivity-based differences in the clients that hire these national firms. Our findings also indicate that, for larger auditors the presence of a pre-IPO going-concern opinion is more strongly associated with first-year stock returns and that larger auditors are more likely to give such opinions to their distressed clients. Overall, we address a deficiency in the literature relating to “the paucity of evidence on the value of auditor opinions to investors” (Healy and Palepu [ 2001 p. 415]).
Hsp90–Sgt1 and Skp1 target human Mis12 complexes to ensure efficient formation of kinetochore–microtubule binding sites

The formation of functional kinetochores requires the accurate assembly of a large number of protein complexes. The Hsp90–Sgt1 chaperone complex is important for this process; however, its targets are not conserved and its exact contribution to kinetochore assembly is unclear. Here, we show that human Hsp90–Sgt1 interacts with the Mis12 complex, a so-called keystone complex required to assemble a large fraction of the kinetochore. Inhibition of Hsp90 or Sgt1 destabilizes the Mis12 complex and delays proper chromosome alignment due to inefficient formation of microtubule-binding sites. Interestingly, coinhibition of Sgt1 and the SCF subunit, Skp1, increases Mis12 complexes at kinetochores and restores timely chromosome alignment but forms less-robust microtubule-binding sites. We propose that a balance of Mis12 complex assembly and turnover is required for the efficient and accurate assembly of kinetochore–microtubule binding sites. These findings support a novel role for Hsp90–Sgt1 chaperones in ensuring the fidelity of multiprotein complex assembly.
Optofluidic lasers for DNA mutation detection

We report the progress in developing optofluidic lasers to detect DNA mutations with unprecedented specificity. Rapid and direct differentiation between the target DNA and its point mutations is demonstrated using molecular beacons and intercalating dyes.
Diethylstilbestrol effect on the in vitro synthesis of progesterone in the bovine corpus luteum.

The ability of diethylstilbestrol to influence the synthesis of progesterone in the bovine corpus luteum was investigated. Slices of tissue were incubated with several concentrations of diethylstilbestrol and an exogenous TPNH source. No exogenous precursors of progesteione were added. At concentrations greater than 0.01 μM, diethylstilbestrol inhibited progesterone synthesis up to 37% when TPN plus glucose-6-phosphate was used as the TPNH source. Diethylstilbestrol did not inhibit progesterone synthesis when TPNH or isocitric acid plus TPN was used in place of TPN and glucose-6-phosphate. Analysis for 20-hydroxypregn- 4-en-3-one, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, testosterone, estradiol and estrone showed that the decrease in progesterone content was not a result of increased metabolism to any of these products. These results indicated that physiologically significant concentrations of diethylstilbestrol are capable of decreasing progesterone synthesis by inhibiting bovine corpus luteum glucose-6-phosphate dehyd...
Axiological issues in rhetorical inquiry

This essay explores the ancient and necessary connection between axiology and rhetoric toward the end of formulating a sound basis for the renewal of the humane tradition of rhetoric. The author describes a “value perspective” from which to approach the problem of renewing the humane tradition of rhetoric, examines the leading axiological issues in rhetorical inquiry, and argues for the adoption in rhetoric of a value stance associated with the classic ideal of “the good life in the good society.” That stance, the author concludes, derives from eight enduring values which define the dual demands of the “right” and the “good"—demands the ancients summed up under the headings of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Microbialitic structures in Storr's lake, San Salvador island, Bahama islands

The water level in two-meter-deep Storr's Lake, San Salvador Island, fluctuates annually in response to rainfall, groundwater recharge, and evaporation. Although sea water flows in through conduits at high tide and lake waterflows out at low tide, daily lake-level fluctuations have not been observed. Lake water salinity of as little as 38,500 ppm to as great as 93,500 ppm has been measured; water in the lake is density-stratified. Several different microbialitic structures exist in Storr's Lake in well-established zones that apparently are controlled, in large part, by water depth. Thrombolitic microbialites around the lake margin are exposed annually above temporary water levels for intervals of many weeks or months. Crumbly stromatolitic microbialites up to 15 cm tall form an adjacent zone lakeward from the thrombolites; they may be partially emergent above water for extended periods. Next lakeward is a zone of flat-topped, irregular, hard stromatolitic microbialites developed on hard substrates of varying depth but whose tops are impressive in their uniform depth; these structures apparently are never emergent. In deepest water throughout much, but not all, of the central portion of Storr's Lake are columnal stromatolitic structures ranging from 10 to at least 70 cm in height whose tops are consistently 40-50 cm beneath the inferred minimum lake level. Between these columnal structures and ubiquitous throughout the lake beneath water depths of 20-30 cm is an organic ooze as much as 1 m thick that is covered by a soft but coherent alga layer. INTRODUCTION
Chronic cold stress alters the basal and evoked electrophysiological activity of rat locus coeruleus neurons.

Abstract In vivo extracellular single-unit recording techniques revealed that chronic cold stress significantly alters both the basal and the evoked electrophysiological activity of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus of the anaesthetized rat. Following 17–21 days of chronic cold exposure (5°C), the single-unit activity of histologically-identified locus coeruleus neurons in chloral hydrate-anaesthetized rats was recorded and analysed in terms of their basal firing rate and pattern of spike activity, as well as their response to footshock stimulation. There was no significant difference in the incidence of spontaneously active cells/electrode track between cold-stressed rats and control rats. However, the basal spike activity of locus coeruleus cells recorded from cold-stressed rats differed significantly from that of control rats along two dimensions: i) they displayed significantly higher basal firing rates (mean=1.88 Hz vs 1.20 Hz, respectively); and ii) they frequently exhibited spontaneous burst-firing activity that was not observed in control rats (observed in 15/17 cold-stressed rats vs 1/26 control rats). The evoked spike activity of locus coeruleus cells in cold-stressed rats also differed significantly from that of control rats along two dimensions: i) they were more likely to respond to footshock stimulation (mean=90.3% vs 74.4%, respectively); and ii) these responses were more likely to consist of multispike bursts of action potentials (mean=8 bursts/50 stimulations vs 1 burst/50 stimulations, respectively). These results indicate that alterations in the electrophysiological activity of noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons may contribute to the phenomenon of stress-induced sensitization of norepinephrine release that is thought to underlie some of the neuropathological changes that accompany long-term stress.
Defect properties and diffusion in silver halides

Abstract Recent results on the study of diffusion of several important cation and anion solutes in single-crystal AgBr and AgCl are discussed in the framework of defect properties established by earlier work which is briefly reviewed. The study of Ag+ diffusion in AgBr—AgI mixed crystals shows a monotonic increase in the diffusivity and a decrease in the activation enthalpy for diffusion with an increase in the iodide component. This may result from the decrease in the formation enthalpy for Frenkel defects with an increase in the elastic strain introduced by the oversized iodide ions. The surprisingly large enhancement of electrical conductivity and diffusivity of Ag+ in AgCl-Al2O3 composites is found to be due to the space charge effect and short-circuit diffusion at the grain boundary.
Cognitive biases and corrective techniques: proposals for improving elicitation procedures for knowledge-based systems

Expert system output is only as good as the expert judgments on which the system is based. One component of expertise may be defined as the ability to distinguish casual from random occurrence. Judgments of expert and novice alike have been shown to reflect systematic biases in comparison with normative statistical logic. These biases may be important where accuracy, consistency, and coherence are important attributes of the required judgment. Several biases and their cognitive origins are discussed in the context of building knowledge-based systems for wildland fire control. Preliminary guidelines are offered for recognizing and correcting biases during the knowledge-elicitation process.
μ-(Pyrimidine) (triethylenetetraaminehexaacetato)diruthenate(II, III); nearly class I behaviour for a mixed-valence complex with polyaminopolycarboxylate ligand donors

The pyrimidine-bridged [Ru 2 II (ttha)]2− complex [2, pym, 2] has been prepared and characterized in solution by several spectral methods. The mixed-oxidation state species [2, pym, 3] undergoes dissociation of the RuIII-pym bond. However, electrochemical methods have been used to determine a corrected comproportionation constant K′c=5.7, for [2, pym, 3] prior to dissociation. Similar evaluations have been carried out with [Ru(hedta)]2(pz)− (K′c=190) and [Ru(hedta)]2(pym)− (K′c=22.7). Comparison with literature data reveals a decrease in stability for the mixed-valence species in a polyaminopolycarboxylate ligand environment compared to a pentaammine ligand environment. This effect is attributed to the role of the carboxylate anionic donors in stabilizing RuIII, giving virtually isolated valence properties for these mixed-oxidation state binuclear ruthenium polyaminopolycarboxylate complexes (virtual class I behaviour).
Comments on "Pole-Zero Modeling and Classification of Phonocardiograms"

Recently,1 the Steiglitz-McBride method was used to identify the two most dominant frequencies in aortic heart sounds from porcine prosthetic heart valves. A quadratic classifier was developed to evaluate valve sounds in a test set. We have corrected computational errors, recomputed their results, and interchanged the training and test sets to yield new results.
Marketing images of gender: A visual analysis

An interpretive method drawing from social psychology, feminist theory and art criticism is developed to analyze contemporary images of gender. Utilizing and expanding upon visual research techniques, a selection of ads from contemporary fashion magazines and catalogs was assembled to illustrate particular themes suggested by research on the representation of gender in advertising. The body‐and what it expresses‐is a site of central concern, and discussion focuses on how female and male bodies are represented in advertising. The conventions of art history, when framed within a social science perspective, offer unique contributions to the study of advertising and gender, well suited for researchers interested in the culture of consumption.
Correlating electronic health record concepts with healthcare process events.

Objective To study the relation between electronic health record (EHR) variables and healthcare process events. Materials and methods Lagged linear correlation was calculated between five healthcare process events and 84 EHR variables (24 clinical laboratory values and 60 clinical concepts extracted from clinical notes) in a 24-year database. The EHR variables were clustered for each healthcare process event and interpreted. Results Laboratory tests tended to cluster together and note concepts tended to cluster together. Within each of those two classes, the variables clustered into clinically sensible groupings. The exact groupings varied from healthcare process event to event, with the largest differences occurring between inpatient events and outpatient events. Discussion Unlike previously reported pairwise associations between variables, which highlighted correlations across the laboratory–clinical note divide, incorporating healthcare process events appeared to be sensitive to the manner in which the variables were collected. Conclusion We believe that it may be possible to exploit this sensitivity to help knowledge engineers select variables and correct for biases.
One-sided L 1 Norm and Best Approximation in One-sided L 1 Norm

Let K be a compact subset of R, μ be a σ-finite positive measure, and f be an integrable function on K. One-sided L 1 norm is introduced, and it is defined as A best approximation of f from a subspace U in this norm and the uniqueness of the best approximation in this norm are discussed.
Learning and organizational effectiveness: A systems perspective

The challenge for leaders today is to create and develop the capability of their organization. Leaders must perceive and manage their organization as a dynamic, open system where learning is the core competence underlying innovation, growth, and sustainability. Creating a culture of learning is the first work of leadership. This article presents a practical framework in which to consider organizational effectiveness, emphasizing the critical role of systems thinking and learning theory in organizational development.
RAPID MICROBIAL GROWTH ON POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYL AND ITS FATE IN CELLS

Nine cultures were examined for growth at 37C in media with different levels of PCB and selected one culture to treat an industrial liquid waste containing high levels of PCB 1248. All the nine cultures grew well in the presence of 100 to 500 μg PCB 1254 mL−1 glucose basal salt broth (GBSB) as well as in tryptic soy broth (TSP) with no significant changes in generation time. The cultures grew well in basal salt agar containing PCB as sole source of carbon. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia liquefaciens strains survived for 75 to 120 min in the presence of 300 to 2000 μg PCB 1254 mL−1 sodium-phosphate buffer (SPB) pH 7.0. The P. aeruginosa cells removed both PCB 1254 and 14C-PCB from SPB and GBSB within 48 h and the percent uptakes were 26 and 39.7%, respectively. The results of the fate and distribution of PCB 1254, including 14C-PCB, in cells of P. aeruginosa, S. liquefaciens, and two Bacillus strains grown in PCB-media showed that more than 50% of the 14C-PCB were in the alcohol and in alcohol-ether soluble fractions (mostly lipids). This was also confirmed after rupturing the P. aeruginosa cells using French pressure and/or lysozyme and fractionation. Both the intrinsic flora and P. aeruginosa strain were used in a bioreactor system for the treatments of 27 and 33 gallons industrial liquid waste containing 150 and/or 800 mg PCB 12481 1−1, respectively, and complete oxidation was achieved, within approximately 150 days and the biological half-life of the PCB was 30 and 15 days, respectively.
TSVs in early layout design exploration for 3D ICs

3D-IC technology discussed in this paper is based on vertical stacking of dies connected by through-silicon-vias (TSV). Vertical stacking helps reducing the wirelength but TSVs occupy space on device layers and their actual positions, arrangement, and physical properties determine the total wirelength. They also introduce thermo-mechanical stress that alters properties of devices that are close to them. Keep-Out-Zone (KOZ) around a single TSV or an island of TSVs is needed to eliminate influence of the thermo-mechanical stress. We use 3D floorplanning tool for early layout design exploration. The KOZ for different shapes and sizes of TSV islands is analyzed and included during floorplanning and TSV impact on wirelength is observed. TSV islands are co-place with circuit blocks to optimize footprint, wirelength and number of TSVs for 3D designs.
Recognizing Essential Product Disks

Theorem 5.14 reduces the problem of computing the Euler characteristic of the guts of M A to counting how many complex EPDs are required to span the I-bundle of the upper polyhedron. Our purpose in this chapter is to recognize such EPDs from the structure of the all-A state graph \({\mathbb{G}}_{A}\). The main result is Theorem 6.4, which describes the basic building blocks for such EPDs.
Local and Landscape Habitat Selection of Nesting Bald Eagles in East Texas

Abstract Throughout their range, Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald Eagle) have experienced dramatic population increases, and breeding productivity has returned to levels observed prior to the impacts of DDT. To effectively manage growing Bald Eagle populations, habitat and anthropogenic characteristics influencing nest-site selection need to be quantified at multiple spatial scales. In this study, we examined local and landscape characteristics and anthropogenic features influencing nest-site selection by Bald Eagles in 3 National Forests in east Texas. On a local scale, Bald Eagles placed nests in large super-canopy coniferous trees, with nest sites surrounded by shorter and smaller trees than random sites. Bald Eagle nest sites were best predicted by basal area on a local level and distance to nearest human habitation on a landscape level, as determined by logistic regression. We suggest that conservation efforts for Bald Eagles in east Texas should include allowing forests to mature and reducing disturba...
A Unified Architecture for Doubly Fed Induction Generator Wind Turbines using a Parallel Grid Side Rectifier and Series Grid Side Converter

With steadily increasing wind turbine penetration, regulatory standards for grid interconnection have evolved to require that wind generation systems ride-through disturbances such as faults and support the grid during such events. Conventional modifications to the doubly fed induction generation (DFIG) architecture for providing ride-through result in limited control of the turbine shaft and grid current during fault events. A DFIG architecture in which the grid side converter is connected in series as opposed to parallel with the grid connection has shown improved low voltage ride through but poor power processing capabilities. In this paper a unified DFIG wind turbine architecture which employs a parallel grid side rectifier and series grid side converter is presented. The combination of these two converters enables unencumbered power processing and robust voltage disturbance ride through. A dynamic model and control structure for this unified architecture is developed. The operation of the system is illustrated using computer simulations.
Tools for transfer

Purpose – Transfer of training is vitally important in today's workplace, where organizations spend millions of dollars on training their employees. The purpose of this study is to identify effective tools for the transfer of training.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted of Midwestern trainers in the USA to identify the three most effective tools for transfer.Findings – A limitation to the research may be that only one area of the USA was used in the survey.Practical implications – Future research might include a survey of trainers throughout the United States and/or in other countries. To ensure that transfer of training occurs, trainers may want to utilize these three tools that have been identified.Originality/value – The paper identifies effective tools for the transfer of training.
Specifications for nerve membrane models

The limitations of models which can generate "action potentials" are discussed and reasons are given for testing all proposed membrane models by comparison with voltage clamp data. Some background information is provided and the voltage clamp methodology reviewed. Many of the membrane electrical characteristics measured by this technique are discussed and some recent observations are given to illustrate the additional data against which models should now be tested. Selected proposals for membrane models are reviewed and compared with one another and with voltage clamp measurements.
The Cross-Ethnic Equivalence of Measures Commonly Used in Mental Health Services Research with Children

The development and validation of culturally competent mental health services requires that culturally equivalent instrumentation be used in evaluations of such services. Unfortunately, cross-ethnic equivalence has rarely been examined for research instruments commonly used with Black and White children. In a sample of 117 juvenile offenders with diagnosed substance abuse or dependence disorders and considerable psychiatric comorbidities, the present study examined the cross-ethnic equivalence of several measures commonly used by services researchers to tap contextual correlates (i.e., parental symptomatology, family relations, peer relations) of serious emotional disturbance in children. Results indicated that associations between these measures and criterion measures of youth' behavior problems and social competence did not vary as a function of ethnicity. Thus, the findings support the cultural equivalence of the measures used in this study; as such, they support the validity of findings from studies t...
Maternal employment and teenage childbearing: Evidence from the PSID

Over the last 30 years, the tenet of promoting self-sufficiency through work has become one of the primary objectives of many social welfare policies in the United States. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the author asks if a mother's work hours influence her daughter's teenage fertility. The findings suggest a negative relationship, with the largest effects for the daughters of mothers who work more than 1,000 hours per year. Results among AFDC recipients suggest that an increase in a mother's work hours from zero to 20 hours per week reduces her daughter's probability of a teen birth by 33 percent. © 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Deep-sea corehead camera photography and piston coring

Abstract The operation of a piston corer, and its effectiveness in taking deep-sea samples, has been studied by mounting cameras and other instruments within a corehead. Analysis of data collected during 63 stations would suggest that during descent the only significant motion of the corer was vertical oscillation. Free-fall and penetration was usually completed in less than 5 seconds, accompanied by rotation of 20° to 60° and a change of about 6° in vertical deviation. A large sediment cloud produced during penetration disturbs the surrounding sediment. While in the bottom, the corer generally remained motionless. Considerable rotation occurs with pull-out and during ascent, with frequent discharges of sediment from the nose of the piston corer. No consistent relationship was found between the length of core recovered and the amount of penetration. The position of the mud-mark appears to be a reliable indicator of the amount of penetration; estimates by extrapolation of the thermal gradient to the sediment surface from heatflow measurements are less reliable. Where comparisons were possible, the piston cores have been shortened and disturbed relative to the pilot cores, and as much as a meter of the upper portion of the piston core may be lost. Bedding dips in the recovered cores correspond poorly to the vertical deviation of the piston corer in the bottom.
Is It Love or Sexual Abuse? Young Adults' Perceptions of Statutory Rape

Adults under age 25 comprise the majority of statutory rape perpetrators, yet we know little about their perceptions of statutory relationships. We assessed 210 (50% male) young adults’ perceptions of statutory rape involving a 15-year-old female adolescent and a male who was either 2, 4, or 6 years older. Across all age gaps, 73.7% of participants felt the relationship should not be a crime. Participants who read about a 4- or 6-year (versus 2-year) age gap perceived the relationship as significantly more of a crime and the older partner as more responsible and in need of legal intervention. Effects were partially mediated by perceptions of the relationship as exploitive. Results suggest a need to educate young adults about statutory rape.
Linear Acceleration Car-Following Model Development and Validation

A linear acceleration car-following model has been developed for realistic simulation of traffic flow in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications. The new model provides continuous acceleration profiles instead of the stepwise profiles that are currently used. The brake reaction times of the drivers are simulated effectively and are independent of the simulation time steps. Chain-reaction times of the drivers are also simulated and perception thresholds are incorporated in the model. The preferred time headways are utilized to determine the simulated drivers' separation during car-following. The features of the model and the realistic vehicle simulation in car-following and in stop-and-go conditions make this model suitable to ITS, especially to autonomous intelligent cruise-control systems. The car-following algorithm is validated at microscopic and macroscopic levels by using field data. Simulated versus field trajectories and statistical tests show very strong agreement between simulation results and field data.
Solid-phase epitaxy of ion-implanted LiNbO 3 for optical waveguide fabrication

A new technique for successfully fabricating high-quality optical waveguides in LiNbO/sub 3/ is reported. A high concentration of Ti is implanted with the substrate at liquid nitrogen temperature and an amorphous, Ti-rich, nonequilibrium phase is produced in the implanted, near-surface region. Subsequent thermal annealing in water-saturated oxygen atmosphere at up to 1000 /sup 0/C initiates solid-phase epitaxial regrowth onto the crystalline substrate. A high-quality single crystalline layer results that is rich in Ti and has excellent waveguiding properties.
Marine predators and persistent prey in the southeast Bering Sea

Predictable prey locations reduce search time and energetic costs of foraging; thus marine predators often exploit locations where prey concentrations persist. In our study, we examined whether this association is influenced by differences among predator species in foraging modes (travel cost, surface feeder or diver) or whether the predator species is a central place forager or not. We examined distributions of two seabird species during their nesting period, the surface-feeding black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and the pursuit-diving thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia), and two baleen whale species, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), in relation to two key prey, age-1 walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and euphausiids (Euphausiidae). Prey surveys were conducted once each year during 2004 and 2006–2010. Concurrent predator surveys were conducted in 2006–2010 (seabirds) and 2008 and 2010 (whales). We compared the seabird and whale foraging locations to where age-1 pollock and euphausiids were concentrated and considered the persistence of these concentrations, where the time-scale of persistence is year (i.e., a comparison among surveys that are conducted once each year). Euphausiids were widespread and concentrations often were reliably found within specific 37 km � 37 km blocks (‘persistent hot spots of prey’). In contrast, age-1 pollock were more concentrated and their hot spots were persistent only on coarser scales (4 37 km). Both seabird species, regardless of foraging mode, were associated with age-1 pollock but not with euphausiids, even though age-1 pollock were less persistent than euphausiids. The higher travel cost central place foragers, thick-billed murres, foraged at prey concentrations nearer their island colonies than black-legged kittiwakes, which were more widespread foragers. Humpback whales were not tied to a central place and mostly were located only where euphausiids were concentrated, and further, often in locations where these concentrations were persistent. Fin whales were associated with locations where age-1 pollock were more likely, similar to black-legged kittiwakes and thick-billed murres, but their association with euphausiids was unclear. Our results suggest that a predator’s foraging mode and their restrictions during breeding affect their response to prey persistence. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Guided data reduction for flow cytometry

A statistical procedure for identifying subpopulations in large samples is discussed in the context of the analysis of flow cytometric data. The PINDEX algorithm is proposed for analyzing such multimodal data. PINDEX is a clustering algorithm which considers the covariance structure of clusters. When such an algorithm is run in a brute force manner, the number of runs required for convergence may involve computation which, for large samples, is prohibitive. A solution to this problem using starting centroids chosen by an expert system is proposed. Sample runs were made using data sets for lymphoid cells; these data sets are of modest dimensionality and contain four subpopulations. The results demonstrate that substantive economy of processing can be achieved by having the expert system provide start-up cluster centroids close to the final coordinates. >
Conscientious Objection and Emergency Contraception

This article argues that practitioners have a professional ethical obligation to dispense emergency contraception, even given conscientious objection to this treatment. This recent controversy affects all medical professionals, including physicians as well as pharmacists. This article begins by analyzing the option of referring the patient to another willing provider. Objecting professionals may conscientiously refuse because they consider emergency contraception to be equivalent to abortion or because they believe contraception itself is immoral. This article critically evaluates these reasons and concludes that they do not successfully support conscientious objection in this context. Contrary to the views of other thinkers, it is not possible to easily strike a respectful balance between the interests of objecting providers and patients in this case. As medical professionals, providers have an ethical duty to inform women of this option and provide emergency contraception when this treatment is requested.
Effect of lung inflation and airway muscle tone on airway diameter in vivo

How normal airway dimensions change with lung volume is of great importance in determining flow limitation during the normal forced vital capacity maneuver as well as in the manifestation of obstructive lung disease. The literature presents a confusing picture, with some results suggesting that airway diameter increases linearly with the cube root of lung volume and others showing a highly nonlinear relation. The effect of smooth muscle contraction on lung-airway interdependence is even less well understood. Recent morphological work explicitly assumes that airway basement membrane is nondistensible, although the lung volume at which this maximal airway size is reached is unknown. With smooth muscle contraction, folding of the epithelium and basement membrane accounts for the changes in luminal area. In this study, we measured the effect of lung inflation on relaxed and contracted airway areas by using high-resolution computed tomography at different transpulmonary pressures, each held for 2 min. We found that fully relaxed airways are quite distensible up to a pressure of 5-7 cmH2O (P < 0.001), where they reach a maximal size with no further distension up to an airway pressure of 30 cmH2O (P = 0.49). Thus relaxed airways clearly do not expand isotropically with the lung. With smooth muscle tone, the airways in different animals responded differently to lung inflation, with some animals showing minimal airway dilation up to an airway pressure of 20 cmH2O and others showing airways that were more easily dilated with lung expansion. However, maximal diameter of these moderately constricted airways was not usually achieved even up to an airway pressure of 30 cmH2O. Thus a transient deep inspiration in vivo would be expected to have only a small effect on contracted airways.
Basolateral dipeptide transport by the intestine of the teleost Oreochromis mossambicus

Transport characteristics of [14C]glycylsarcosine ([14C]Gly-Sar) were measured in herbivorous tilapi (Oreochromis mossambicus) intestinal basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) purified with Percoll gradient centrifugation. Specific activity of the vesicle Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphos- phatase was increased 12-fold, whereas specific activity of the brush-border enzyme alkaline phosphatase was enriched only by 0.8-fold. [14C]Gly-Sar uptake was stimulated by increasing concentrations of extravesicular protons rather than by a transmembrane proton gradient. A transmembrane K+ diffusion potential (inside negative) did not stimulate [14C]Gly-Sar uptake above that observed with short-circuited vesicles. An inwardly directed Na+ gradient had no effect on peptide uptake. Kinetic analysis of basolateral transport rate revealed that the transport occurred by a saturable process conforming to Michaelis-Menten kinetics [Kt [concentration of [14C]Gly-Sar that yielded one-half of maximal influx (Jmax)] = 13.27 +/- 3.80 mM, Jmax = 15,155 +/- 3,096 pmol.mg protein-1.6 s-1]. The basolateral transporter was insensitive to diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP), a specific inhibitor of proton-coupled peptide transport systems. [14C]Gly-Sar influx into tilapia BLMV showed cis-inhibition by several other dipeptides, suggesting that the [14C]Gly-Sar transporter was shared by other peptides too. These observations strongly suggest that the basolateral intestinal dipeptide transporter in herbivorous fishes is distinctly different from either the high- or low-affinity brush-border transporter. It is proton dependent, electroneutral, sodium independent and accepts a wide variety of dipeptides.