cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Islam and the Prayer Economy: History and Authority in a Malian Town

Benjamin F. Scares. Islam and the Prayer Economy: History and Authority in a Malian Town. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2005. xiv + 306 pp. Maps. Photographs. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. $29.95. Paper. Islam and the frayer Economy is an ethnographic and historical study of Muslim society among the people of Nioro, a town in western Mali near the border with Mauritania, which the French colonial administrator Paul Marty once described as a "veritable boulevard" of Islam in the region (58). Benjamin F. Soares has drawn upon extensive fieldwork in Mali and archival research in France and Dakar to produce this nuanced and smoothly written study of Muslim leadership, practice, and culture in this community from the nineteenth century to the present. He argues that in the postcolonial period Nioro has witnessed the growth of a "prayer economy" driven most powerfully by the town's major Sufi leaders, representing the Hamawiyya and Tijaniyya orders. He explains, "The prayer economy is, in effect, an economy of religious practice in which people give gifts to certain religious leaders on a large scale in exchange for prayers and blessings" (153). The book's title notwithstanding, discussion of the prayer economy forms only a small part of Soares's story. It would be more accurate to describe the book, instead, as an analysis of the complex social, political, and economic mechanics of Islam in Nioro that situates this locality within the broader frameworks of Mali, West Africa, the former French empire, and the world. Historically Nioro served as an important center for the Saharan trade with West Africa; during the nineteenth century it served as a capital for the state formed by al-Hajj 'Umar Tall; and during the twentieth century it was an Islamic pilgrimage center. Yet if Nioro has become "a relatively small and economically marginal town in Mali" ( 11 ), it is neither somnolent nor isolated today. Soares mentions that during the early stages of his fieldwork in the 1990s, he met Nioro Muslims who had relatives in countries such as France, Oman, and Thailand, or who later moved there themselves. Likewise, the Islam of Nioro, as Soares presents it, has been a culture in constant motion. In this sense the town is surely representative of Mali as a whole. For while Islam has been present in the region's trading centers for more than a millennium, Islam became the religion of the overwhelming majority only during the twentieth century. Soares rejects an earlier model of anthropological scholarship, represented by the works of Ernest Gellner, which portrayed Muslim societies as either "traditional" or "modern," "orthodox" or "heterodox," and which assumed that rising levels of education and urban living would lead away from "folk" practices and toward a religion grounded in a scholarly and textual mode. Instead Soares approaches Islam as a series of "interrelated practices" and examines Muslim practices vis-a-vis Sufism and what he calls the "esoteric sciences," which include geomancy, divination, and the use of amulets. …
Multiple effects of phorbol esters in the rat spinal dorsal horn

Spinal cord slice preparation and intracellular recording techniques were used to examine the effects of phorbol esters on the sodium- and calcium-dependent action potentials, the excitatory synaptic transmission, the basal (resting) and the dorsal root stimulation-evoked release of 9 endogenous amino acids, including glutamate and aspartate, and the responsiveness of the rat dorsal horn neurons to excitatory amino acids (glutamic, kainic, quisqualic, and N-methyl-D-aspartic). 4-beta-Phorbol-12, 13-dibutyrate and 4-beta-phorbol-12, 13-diacetate produced minor alterations in membrane potential and resistance, but they broadened the sodium-dependent action potential and reduced the duration of the calcium-dependent action potential. In addition, phorbol esters caused a marked and long-lasting increase in the amplitude and the duration of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) evoked in dorsal horn neurons by orthodromic stimulation of a lumbar dorsal root. Phorbol esters produced a brief increase in the basal and electrically evoked release of endogenous excitatory (glutamic, aspartic) and inhibitory amino acids (glycine, GABA). In addition, the rates of release of alanine, serine, and threonine were also elevated. In the presence of TTX, phorbol esters selectively enhanced, in a reversible manner, the depolarizing responses of dorsal horn neurons to N-methyl-D-aspartic acid and L-glutamate but not the responses to kainic or quisqualic acids. The potentiation of the NMDA response was blocked by APV, a specific NMDA receptor antagonist. Thus, phorbol esters appear to enhance excitatory synaptic transmission in the rat spinal dorsal horn slice preparation by acting both at pre- and postsynaptic sites. Phorbol esters could potentiate excitatory synaptic transmission by acting predominantly at a postsynaptic site (NMDA receptor), since the duration of the increased responsiveness of dorsal horn neurons to glutamate and NMDA correlates better with the enhancement of EPSPs than with the increased release of the stimulation-evoked glutamate and aspartate. The increased release of endogenous amino acids is consistent with a presynaptic (terminal) site of action, but it could also be explained by enhanced interneuronal activity. Although our results suggest that in the rat spinal dorsal horn protein kinase C may have a role in controlling the release of putative excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and may also be involved in the regulation of postsynaptic NMDA receptors, the identity of endogenous substance(s) participating in these effects is presently unknown.
Analysis of Unguyed Spar-Trees

Unguyed spar-trees are commonly used as a part of skyline cable logging systems. Finite Element Analysis is a robust method for determining spar-tree design load that can include virtually any field condition likely to be encountered. The results of Finite Element Analysis over a range of spar-trees similar in size to those typically found in second-growth Douglas-fir stands indicates that (1) some existing guidelines for use of unguyed spar-trees do not correspond to expected field behavior, and (2) lateral loads of a magnitude found in skyline cable yarding systems dominate the structural behavior of unguyed spar-trees. However, the Euler Buckling load which has been used as a guide to spar-tree capacity, may serve to normalize the results of Finite Element Analysis in such a way that simple linear relationships can be used to estimate spar-tree capacity.
Molecular Diagnostics on Microfabricated Electrophoretic Devices: From Slab Gel- to Capillary- to Microchip-based Assays for T- and B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorders

Background: Current methods for molecular-based diagnosis of disease rely heavily on modern molecular biology techniques for interrogating the genome for aberrant DNA sequences. These techniques typically include amplification of the target DNA sequences followed by separation of the amplified fragments by slab gel electrophoresis. As a result of the labor-intensive, time-consuming nature of slab gel electrophoresis, alternative electrophoretic formats have been developed in the form of capillary electrophoresis and, more recently, multichannel microchip electrophoresis. Methods: Capillary electrophoresis was explored as an alternative to slab gel electrophoresis for the analysis of PCR-amplified products indicative of T- and B-cell malignancies as a means of defining the elements for silica microchip-based diagnosis. Capillary-based separations were replicated on electrophoretic microchips. Results: The microchip-based electrophoretic separation effectively resolved PCR-amplified fragments from the variable region of the T-cell receptor-g gene (150 ‐ 250 bp range) and the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (80 ‐140 bp range), yielding diagnostically relevant information regarding the presence of clonal DNA populations. Although hydroxyethylcellulose provided adequate separation power, the need for a coated microchannel for effective resolution necessitated additional preparative steps. In addition, preliminary data are shown indicating that polyvinylpyrrolidone may provide an adequate matrix without the need for microchannel coating. Conclusions: Separation of B- and T-cell gene rearrangement PCR products on microchips provides diagnostic information in dramatically reduced time (160 s vs 2.5 h) with no loss of diagnostic capacity when compared with current methodologies. As illustrated, this technology and methodology holds great potential for extrapolation to the abundance of similar molecular biology-based techniques. © 1999 American Association for Clinical Chemistry
Transport Mechanisms and Quality Changes During Frying of Chicken Nuggets—Hybrid Mixture Theory Based Modeling and Experimental Verification

Hybrid mixture theory (HMT) based 2-scale fluid transport relations of Takhar coupled with a multiphase heat transfer equation were solved to model water, oil and gas movement during frying of chicken nuggets. A chicken nugget was treated as a heterogeneous material consisting of meat core with wheat-based coating. The coupled heat and fluid transfer equations were solved using the finite element method. Numerical simulations resulted in data on spatial and temporal profiles for moisture, rate of evaporation, temperature, oil, pore pressure, pressure in various phases, and coefficient of elasticity. Results showed that most of the oil stayed in the outer 1.5 mm of the coating region. Temperature values greater than 100 °C were observed in the coating after 30 s of frying. Negative gage-pore pressure (p(w) p(g)) in the hydrophilic matrix causes p(w) < p(g), which further results in negative pore pressure. The coefficient of elasticity was the highest at the surface (2.5 × 10(5) Pa) for coating and the interface of coating and core (6 × 10(5) Pa). Kinetics equation for color change obtained from experiments was coupled with the HMT based model to predict the color (L, a, and b) as a function of frying time.
Reinterpretation of lower Mesozoic rocks on the Chilkat Peninsula, Alaska, as a displaced fragment of Wrangellia

The southern Chilkat Peninsula is underlain by low-grade metamorphic rocks consisting of a thick unit of greenstone, in part of Carnian age, that is locally overlain by an attenuated section of calcareous sedimentary rocks and chart of latest Carnian to late Norian age and a thick flysch unit of Jurassic and/or Cretaceous age. The Triassic part of this sequence has previously been inferred to be part of the Taku terrane. However, its lithology, age, fossils, and regional distribution indicate that it is probably a sliver of Wrangellia that was offset from the eastern Alaska Range to its present position by at least 350 km dextral displacement on the Denali fault.
An Improved Synthesis of (+)-2-Tropinone

The tropane ring system (8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane) is an important substructure in a number of natural products and synthetic compounds of biological and medicinal importance. As a result of the significance of the tropane ring system, the development of new synthetic methodology for the preparation of useful tropane precursors for the construction of more complex molecules continues to be an important field of study.1-11 (+)-2-Tropinone (1) has long been recognized as a useful precursor in the preparation of many compounds of potential and actual biological interest.12,13 Unfortunately, 1 is not as readily available as themeso-derivative 3-tropinone (2).10,14-17 (+)-2-Tropinone (1) has classically been prepared by the degradation of (-)-cocaine.15 However, the degradation process can be tedious and only affords a moderate overall yield of 1. Alternatively, multigram quantities of the racemic compound ((-1) can be prepared by a variety of methods.9,10,15,16
Liquid-like (transition) layer on ice

Abstract The concept of a liquid-like layer on ice even below the freezing point of water has become of increasing importance, because it can account for the surprising surface properties of ice. This concept has a very interesting history involving many famous scientists of the last century such as Faraday, Lord Kelvin, J. Thomson, Helmholtz, and Tyndall. Actually, an appreciable amount of research was carried out on ice about 100 years ago. A survey of the concept of the liquid-like layer covering approximately the last hundred years will be given here.
How do conditional moments of stable vectors depend on the spectral measure

Let (X1,X2) be an α-stable random vector with 0 < α < 2, not necessarily symmetric. Its distribution is characterized by a finite measure Γ on the unit circle called the spectral measure. It is known that if Γ satisfies some integrability condition then the conditional moment E[∥X2∥p∥X1] can exist for some values of p greater than α. This paper provides a sufficient condition on Γ for the existence of the conditional moment E[∥X2∥p∥X1] involving the maximal range of possible p's, namely p < 2α + 1.
MPA as management education

The central theme of this article is that we have not adequately addressed the question of teaching management. The academic community has done a better job of preparing persons for technical/professional positions in personnel, budgeting and policy analysis. This failure to address the problem of teaching management leaves students (particularly mid-career students) without a foundation for understanding their role as managers. Given that so many MPA students aspire to be managers, it is time we faced this failure and sought means to correct it. The article suggests a framework to understand and promote public management education. The central argument is to direct management education toward those factors which reflect the public values which underlie the concept of governance. Toward that end public management education must reflect three elements: 1) the political and ethical foundations of publicness, 2) the examination of the practice of management in public organizations, and 3) the skills needed t...
Finding rectilinear least cost paths in the presence of convex polygonal congested regions

This paper considers the problem of finding the least cost rectilinear distance path in the presence of convex polygonal congested regions. We demonstrate that there are a finite, though exponential number of potential staircase least cost paths between a specified pair of origin-destination points. An upper bound for the number of entry/exit points of a rectilinear path between two points specified a priori in the presence of a congested region is obtained. Based on this key finding, a ''memory-based probing algorithm'' is proposed for the problem and computational experience for various problem instances is reported. A special case where polynomial time solutions can be obtained has also been outlined.
Viscoelastic Properties of Aorta From Oscillatory Pressure Tests

Aorta is the largest and most important artery in the body due to its role in conveying all of the oxygenated blood to smaller branches and ultimately to all of the organs in the body. Knowing its mechanical characteristics and material properties is a basic stage in almost all studies on aorta e.g. evaluating the effect of aging and disease, design and manufacturing of compatible stents and traumatic aortic rupture. Since blood vessels are non-homogeneous, non-linear viscoelastic materials and can experience large deformations, a unique formulation that can describe their mechanical behavior under various loading conditions has not been developed yet. Several previous studies looked into modeling of the blood vessels at large deformation, but the models developed did not include the time dependency of the material [1,2]. In this work, we characterized the material properties of aorta under biaxial oscillatory loading at large deformations taking into account its time dependency. A viscoelastic model was developed to describe the relationship between the inflation and pressure.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Assessment of the seasonal usage of the lower Pascagoula River estuary by Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi)

Summary The Pascagoula watershed likely offers the greatest possibility for the survival of the Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, within Mississippi. Thus, understanding and preserving the connectivity between distant habitats in this region plays a major role in protecting and managing such anadromous fish populations. The focus of this project was to determine the within-river routes Gulf sturgeon take through the lower Pascagoula River downstream of the point where it splits (river kilometer 23) into two distinct distributaries. Sixty days were sampled throughout a two-year period with a total effort of 81 947 net-meter-hours and eight Gulf sturgeon were captured, ranging from 74 to 189 cm FL and weighing from 3.6 to 52.6 kg. Using an array of automated telemetry receivers, acoustically tagged Gulf sturgeon movements were monitored within the lower river and associated estuary. Estimated residence times (days) suggest Gulf sturgeon appear to prefer the eastern distributary upriver from Bayou Chemise as the primary travel corridor between freshwater habitats and marine feeding grounds. The western distributary mouth was more highly used by Gulf sturgeon during both seasonal migrations between upriver and offshore habitats. Thus, the western distributary appears to represent the main entrance point utilized by Gulf sturgeon to the Pascagoula River watershed and should be protected as the eastern distributary mouth has been altered from a natural marsh edge to one of hardened surfaces.
[Comment on “Unknowns about climate variability render treaty targets premature”] Time to act is now

While I can agree with several of Singer's points, I think his discussion distorts and confuses by ignoring the more important questions to be asked. What the United States can or should do about the buildup of greenhouse gases is much more of an ethical, moral, and economic issue than one that can be answered by science alone, and thus, is rightly being decided by political processes rather than by scientific committees. We do know much more about the question of climate change from greenhouse gases than we did 20 years ago when the issue first became of major concern. Indeed, it would take thousands of pages to put down in full all the details of what we now know; and such a description would also require hundreds of pages to say what we still don't know. The past Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports have been carefully crafted, albeit heavily abbreviated, summaries of our current scientific understanding. It is fairly certain that in another 20 years our scientific understanding will be yet much more improved, but there will also still be many important unknowns.
Second Law Analysis of Heat Exchangers

This paper further explores the topic of an ideal heat exchanger, which is still an open question. It is shown that the minimization of entropy production or exergy destruction should not be an objective in heat exchanger design. It is further proven that heat exchanger effectiveness does not correlate with irreversibility. A new performance measure, entropy flux, is introduced and a general expression for its evaluation is presented. It is shown that entropy flux captures many desirable attributes of heat exchangers. For a given effectiveness, a single stream heat exchanger has the absolute maximum entropy flux, and for capacity ratios greater than zero, counterflow has the highest entropy flux, parallel flow the lowest, and the shell and tube heat exchangers are somewhere in between.
Interchange Reconnection and Coronal Hole Dynamics

We investigate the effect of magnetic reconnection between open and closed field, (often referred to as "interchange" reconnection), on the dynamics and topology of coronal hole boundaries. The most important and most prevalent 3D topology of the interchange process is that of a small-scale bipolar magnetic field interacting with a large-scale background field. We determine the evolution of such a magnetic topology by numerical solution of the fully 3D MHD equations in spherical coordinates. First, we calculate the evolution of a small-scale bipole that initially is completely inside an open field region and then is driven across a coronal hole boundary by photospheric motions. Next the reverse situation is calculated in which the bipole is initially inside the closed region and driven toward the coronal hole boundary. In both cases we find that the stress imparted by the photospheric motions results in deformation of the separatrix surface between the closed field of the bipole and the background field, leading to rapid current sheet formation and to efficient reconnection. When the bipole is inside the open field region, the reconnection is of the interchange type in that it exchanges open and closed field. We examine, in detail, the topology of the field as the bipole moves across the coronal hole boundary, and find that the field remains well-connected throughout this process. Our results imply that open flux cannot penetrate deeply into the closed field region below a helmet streamer and, hence, support the quasi-steady models in which open and closed flux remain topologically distinct. Our results also support the uniqueness hypothesis for open field regions as postulated by Antiochos et al. We discuss the implications of this work for coronal observations. Subject Headings: Sun: corona Sun: magnetic fields Sun: reconnection Sun: coronal hole
A Permease-Oxidase Complex Involved in High-Affinity Iron Uptake in Yeast

Iron must cross biological membranes to reach essential intracellular enzymes. Two proteins in the plasma membrane of yeast—a multicopper oxidase, encoded by the FET3 gene, and a permease, encoded by the FTR1 gene—were shown to mediate high-affinity iron uptake. FET3 expression was required for FTR1 protein to be transported to the plasma membrane. FTR1 expression was required for apo-FET3 protein to be loaded with copper and thus acquire oxidase activity. FTR1 protein also played a direct role in iron transport. Mutations in a conserved sequence motif of FTR1 specifically blocked iron transport.
Making social science research applicable: The case of agricultural extension research in Egypt

One problem in the management of agricultural research is the integration of research and extension. The links between research and extension are tenuous for many reasons, including institutional and administrative factors that thwart collaboration; geographic isolation of extension staff; differences in status, prestige and educational attainment between extension workers and researchers; and motivational issues impeding stronger ties between extension and research personnel. This article argues that the problem with much research intended for extension audiences is that it is supply driven and not demand driven. Using a social science research unit within the Agricultural Research Center of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture as a case study, this article analyses the research produced by the unit and assesses its potential usefulness for extension. It then attempts to show why it does not reach this potential. Among the reasons are that the researchers lack experience and background in rural issues and agricultural extension; research results lag behind extension's need for the information; and there is no plan to disseminate the results to the extension community after research is completed. The article offers some suggestions for overcoming such barriers, including involving extension in the design of research projects and holding seminars on research results after projects are completed; changing the incentives for researchers to do more applied research; and diversifying the methods and disciplines used to conduct the research.
Membrane mass spectrometer inlet for quantitation of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important physiological and biochemical messenger that may be involved in endogenous carcinogenesis and cell toxicity via formation of N-nitroso compounds or direct DNA damage by nitrosating agents arising from the reaction of NO with O2. To study the reaction of NO with O2 in model systems and the formation and disappearance of NO in more physiological systems such as cell cultures, we adapted and optimized a membrane mass spectrometer inlet specifically for such analyses. The inlet consisted of Silastic tubing inserted into a Swagelok 'tee', which was attached to the mass spectrometer via the tuning probe. Kinetics of NO disappearance can be followed under electron impact conditions until NO2 interferes via the formation of NO+ during fragmentation of NO2+. The aqueous NO concentration for minimum detection was determined to be 1.4 microM. The inlet response time to step changes in aqueous NO concentrations was 7.0 s, fast enough to permit real-time measurements of aqueous NO changes upon addition of O2. Finally, the depletion of aqueous NO was observed in the presence of O2. The relative steady state responses of inlets designed for gas or aqueous samples, and their relative response times, are explained by an analysis based on mass transfer theory.
Kinetics of the molybdate and tungstate catalyzed oxidation of iodide by hydrogen peroxide

Abstract Several studies of the Mo(VI) and W(VI) catalyzed reaction of H2O2 with various substrates have been documented previously. The experiments described herein attempt to settle some apparent contradictions in these reports. Specifically, the oxidation of I− with H2O2 in the presence of molybdate or tungstate ion in an acid solution was studied. The rate law for this system was found to be ratei=kcat[MoO4 2−][I−]+kuncat[H2O2][I−] with values of kcat=3.87 M−1 s−1 and kuncat of 9.5×10−3 M−1 s−1 (at 22.8°C). The values of ΔH≠ for the molybdate catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions were found to be 39.4 and 56.8 kJ mol−1, respectively. Similarly, the value of kcat was found to be 32.7 M−1 s−1 and ΔH≠ was found to be 41.1 kJ mol−1 (at 21.8°C) for the same system catalyzed with tungstate rather than molybdate.
Utility experience with developing a smart grid roadmap

Utilities are actively developing plans for the future information and communication infrastructure that will support a more intelligent power system. This panel session contribution describes the roadmap development process being used by utilities to define the technologies that will be part of the smart grid and the migration path from the existing infrastructure.
Electronic correlations and unusual superconducting response in the optical properties of the iron chalcogenide FeTe 0.55 Se 0.45

The in-plane complex optical properties of the iron-chalcogenide superconductor ${\text{FeTe}}_{0.55}{\text{Se}}_{0.45}$ have been determined above and below the critical temperature ${T}_{c}=14\text{ }\text{K}$. At room temperature the conductivity is described by a weakly interacting Fermi liquid; however, below 100 K the scattering rate develops a frequency dependence in the terahertz region, signaling the increasingly correlated nature of this material. We estimate the dc conductivity ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\text{dc}}(T\ensuremath{\gtrsim}{T}_{c})\ensuremath{\simeq}3500\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}400\text{ }{\ensuremath{\Omega}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ and the superfluid density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s0}\ensuremath{\simeq}9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}\text{ }{\text{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$, which places this material close to the scaling line ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s0}/8\ensuremath{\simeq}8.1{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\text{dc}}{T}_{c}$ for a BCS dirty-limit superconductor. Below ${T}_{c}$ the optical conductivity reveals two gap features at ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{1,2}\ensuremath{\simeq}2.5$ and 5.1 meV.
Live imaging of cell extrusion from the epidermis of developing zebrafish

Homeostatic maintenance of epithelial tissues requires the continual removal of damaged cells without disrupting barrier function. Our studies have found that dying cells send signals to their live neighbors to form and contract a ring of actin and myosin that ejects it out from the epithelial sheet while closing any gaps that might have resulted from its exit, a process termed cell extrusion1. The optical clarity of developing zebrafish provides an excellent system to visualize extrusion in living epithelia. Here we describe a method to induce and image extrusion in the larval zebrafish epidermis. To visualize extrusion, we inject a red fluorescent protein labeled probe for F-actin into one-cell stage transgenic zebrafish embryos expressing green fluorescent protein in the epidermis and induce apoptosis by addition of G418 to larvae. We then use time-lapse imaging on a spinning disc confocal microscope to observe actin dynamics and epithelial cell behaviors during the process of apoptotic cell extrusion. This approach allows us to investigate the extrusion process in live epithelia and will provide an avenue to study disease states caused by the failure to eliminate apoptotic cells.
The importance of Internet standards and other topics

Open industrial standards in telemetry integration are important in creating a standard for open data transport and liberating data in a 3-tier architecture. Telemetry integration can be applied to many diverse applications such as pipeline (oil, gas, and water), energy and utilities (electricity, gas, oil, and water), process control, and factory automation. MQ telemetry is a protocol specification published and freely available on the Web. MQ telemetry, an "open" protocol jointly developed by IBM and Arcom Control Systems, is a lightweight wire transport for publish and subscribe over TCP/IP with various assurances of delivery. Security considerations in encryption, non-repudiation, entitlement, payload level, protocol level, and connection level should be carefully noted. MQ telemetry is currently working with a range of device and gateway manufacturers to enable products for the MQ telemetry transport.
Controller design for time lag systems via a quadratic criterion

Theoretical results on the optimal control of linear time lag systems with respect to a quadratic criterion are shown to provide a practical feedback controller design procedure. A computational procedure is given for obtaining a stable linear feedback controller. A comprehensive illustration is given of the application of the quadratic criterion results to the design of a feedback controller for a chemical process having transport lag.
Stem nematode counteracts plant resistance of aphids in alfalfa, Medicago sativa.

Plants are exploited by a diverse community of insect herbivores and phytopathogens that interact indirectly through plant-mediated interactions. Generally, plants are thought to respond to insects and pathogens through different defensive signaling pathways. As plants are selected for resistance to one phytophagous organism type (insect vs. pathogen) in managed systems, it is not clear how this selection may affect community interactions. This study examined the effect of nematode-resistant varieties on aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) suppression, and then determined how infection by the stem nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci, mediated ecological effects on aphids and on plant defense proteins. Four alfalfa (Medicago sativa) varieties were selected with resistance to nematodes only (+,−), aphids only (−,+), nematodes and aphids (+,+), and susceptibility to nematodes and aphids (−,−). Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to isolate the effect of nematode infection and aphid abundance on each variety. We found that varieties resistant to nematode, regardless of aphid resistance, had the lowest aphid counts, suggesting possible cross-resistance. Aphid abundance, however, increased when plants were exposed to nematodes. Resistant varieties were associated with elevated saponins but these compounds were not affected by insect or pathogen feeding. Concentrations of peroxidases and trypsin inhibitors, however, were increased in nematode resistant varieties when exposed to nematodes and aphids, respectively. The patterns of plant defense were variable, and a combination of resistance traits and changes in nutrient availability may drive positive interactions between nematodes and aphids aboveground.
Gas-phase folding and unfolding of cytochrome c cations.

Abstract Water is thought to play a dominant role in protein folding, yet gaseous multiply protonated proteins from which the water has been completely removed show hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange behavior similar to that used to identify conformations in solution. Indicative of the gas-phase accessibility to D2O, multiply-charged (6+ to 17+) cytochrome c cations exchange at six (or more) distinct levels of 64 to 173 out of 198 exchangeable H atoms, with the 132 H level found at charge values 8+ to 17+. Infrared laser heating and fast collisions can apparently induce ions to unfold to exchange at a higher distinct level, while charge-stripping ions to lower charge values yields apparent folding as well as unfolding.
Further explorations of perceptual speed abilities in the context of assessment methods, cognitive abilities, and individual differences during skill acquisition.

Measures of perceptual speed ability have been shown to be an important part of assessment batteries for predicting performance on tasks and jobs that require a high level of speed and accuracy. However, traditional measures of perceptual speed ability sometimes have limited cost-effectiveness because of the requirements for administration and scoring of paper-and-pencil tests. There have also been concerns about the validity of previous computer approaches to administering perceptual speed tests (e.g., see Mead&Drasgow, 1993). The authors developed two sets of computerized perceptual speed tests, with touch-sensitive monitors, that were designed to parallel several paper-and-pencil tests. The reliability and validity of the tests were explored across three empirical studies (N = 167, 160, and 117, respectively). The final study included two criterion tasks with 4.67 and 10 hours of time-on-task practice, respectively. Results indicated that these new measures provide both high levels of reliability and substantial validity for performance on the two skill-learning tasks. Implications for research and application for computerized perceptual speed tests are discussed. Language: en
Self‐similar slip pulses during rate‐and‐state earthquake nucleation

For a wide range of conditions, earthquake nucleation zones on rate- and state-dependent faults that obey either of the popular state evolution laws expand as they accelerate. Under the “slip” evolution law, which experiments show to be the more relevant law for nucleation, this expansion takes the form of a unidirectional slip pulse. In numerical simulations these pulses often tend to approach, with varying degrees of robustness, one of a few styles of self-similar behavior. Here we obtain an approximate self-similar solution that accurately describes slip pulses growing into regions initially sliding at steady state. In this solution the length scale over which slip speeds are significant continually decreases, being inversely proportional to the logarithm of the maximum slip speed V_(max), while the total slip remains constant. This slip is close to D_c(1−a/b)^(−1), where D_c is the characteristic slip scale for state evolution and a and b are the parameters that determine the sensitivity of the frictional strength to changes in slip rate and state. The pulse has a “distance to instability” as well as a “time to instability,” with the remaining propagation distance being proportional to (1−a/b)^(−2) [ln(V_(max)Θ_(bg)/D_c)]^(−1), where Θ_(bg) is the background state into which the pulse propagates. This solution provides a reasonable estimate of the total slip for pulses growing into regions that depart modestly from steady state.
Arginine and Lysine Aminopeptidase Activities in Chromaffin Granules of Bovine Adrenal Medulla: Relevance to Prohormone Processing

Conversion of prohormones and neuropeptide precursors to smaller, biologically active peptides requires specific proteolytic processing at paired basic residues, which generates intermediate peptides with NH2 and COOH termini extended with Lys or Arg residues. These basic residues are then removed by aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase activities, respectively. Among the proteases involved in prohormone processing, the basic residue aminopeptidase activity has not been well studied. This report demonstrates arginine and lysine aminopeptidase activities detected with Arg-methylcoumarinamide (Arg-MCA) and Lys-MCA substrates in neurosecretory vesicles of bovine adrenal medulla [chromaffin granules (CG)], which contain endoproteolytic processing enzymes co-localized with [Met]enkephalin and other neuropeptides. These arginine and lysine aminopeptidase activities showed many similarities and some differences. Both arginine and lysine aminopeptidase activities were stimulated by the reducing agent beta-mercaptoethanol (beta-ME) and inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, suggesting involvement of reduced cysteinyl residues. The arginine aminopeptidase activity was stimulated by NaCl (150 mM), but the lysine aminopeptidase activity was minimally affected. Moreover, characteristic beta-ME/NaCl-stimulated Arg-MCA cleaving activity and beta-ME-stimulated Lys-MCA cleaving activity were detected only in CG and not in other subcellular fractions; these findings indicate the localization of these particular basic residue aminopeptidase activities to secretory vesicles. The arginine and lysine aminopeptidase activities showed pH optima at 6.7 and 7.0, respectively. Km(app) values for the arginine and lysine aminopeptidase activities were 104 and 160 microM, respectively. Inhibition by the aminopeptidase inhibitors bestatin, amastatin, and arphamenine was observed for Arg-MCA and Lys-MCA cleaving activities. Inhibition by the metal ion chelators indicated that metalloproteases were involved; Co2+ stimulated the arginine aminopeptidase activity but was less effective in stimulating lysine aminopeptidase activity. In addition, the lysine aminopeptidase activity was partially inhibited by Ni2+ and Zn2+ (1 mM), whereas the arginine aminopeptidase activity was minimally affected. These results demonstrate the presence of related arginine and lysine thiol metalloaminopeptidase activities in CG that may participate in prohormone processing.
Toward a theoretical basis for estimating programming effort

The measurement of static properties of small algorithms yield data which, when combined with suitable assumptions, provide an equation for estimating the time required to program them. This equation, which contains no arbitrary constants, is tested against a small data sample, and the results do not invalidate the hypothesis.
Results from a Survey of Medical Residents’ Attitudes about Unions

A study was conducted to evaluate medical residents' attitudes toward unionization and to measure issues a residency union might pursue. Medical residents are in a transitory state between graduate student and working professional, giving them little voice in the workplace. It is possible that medical residents could be the next “niche” area for unions seeking to grow their membership. A Web-based survey was e-mailed to residents throughout the country. There were 578 responses, with residents strongly desiring health and malpractice insurance as well as free parking. The results also showed that although 82 percent would consider joining a union, only a third would help organize and form that union. Given these conflicting results, the unionization of medical residents would require new organizing techniques geared specifically for these employees.
Using Sequential Context for Image Analysis

This paper proposes the sequential context inference (SCI) algorithm for Markov random field (MRF) image analysis. This algorithm is designed primarily for fast inference on an MRF model, but its application requires also a specific modeling architecture. The architecture is composed of a sequence of stages, each modeling the conditional probability of the labels, conditioned on a neighborhood of the input image and output of the previous stage. By learning the model at each stage sequentially with regards to the true output labels, the stages learn different models which can cope with errors in the previous stage.
Separation of thorium from lanthanides by solvent extraction with ionizable crown ethers.

Abstract Thorium and the lanthanides are extracted by α-(sym-dibenzo-16-crown-5-oxy)acetic acid and its analogues in different pH ranges. At pH 4.5, Th is quantitatively extracted by the crown ether carboxylic acids into chloroform whereas the extraction of the lanthanides is negligible. Separation of Th from the lanthanides can be achieved by solvent extraction under this condition. The extraction does not require specific counteranions and is reversible with respect to pH. Trace amounts of Th in water can be quantitatively recovered using this extraction system for neutron activation analysis. The nature of the extracted Th complex and the mechanism of extraction are discussed.
Measuring bone mineral density with fat–water MRI: comparison with computed tomography

Purpose: To develop a method for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) with MRI, and to validate this method against quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Materials and Methods: A mathematical relationship between signal intensities from proton-density-weighted in-phase images generated by multi-fat-peak T-IDEAL MRI and BMD was derived using a set of calibration standards constructed from various concentrations of hydroxyapatite in water. Using these standards, the relationship between hydroxyapatite concentration and MRI signal intensity was examined. A T-IDEAL protocol was performed on the patella of 5 volunteers and the signal model was used to compute BMD of all voxels of the patella. The BMD data were validated by obtaining QCT scans of the same patella, computing QCT BMD of all voxels, and comparing the MRI and QCT BMD data by performing linear regression analysis on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results: A strong linear correlation between hydroxyapatite concentration of the calibration standards and MRI signal intensities was observed (r = 0.98; P < 0.01). In the patella, BMD measurements (N = 28796 voxels) from the MRI signal model were significantly correlated with those from QCT (r = 0.82; P < 0.001; slope = 1.02; and intercept = −0.26). Conclusion: A standardized phantom consisting of hydroxyapatite and water can be used to accurately quantify BMD in vivo using MRI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:237–242. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
African American men's perspectives on promoting physical activity: "We're not that difficult to figure out!".

African American men report poorer health than do White men and have significantly greater odds for developing chronic diseases partly because of limited physical activity. Understanding how to encourage healthy behaviors among African American men will be critical in the development of effective physical activity messages and programs. Guided by principles of cultural sensitivity and social marketing, this research examined middle-aged and older African American men’s recommended strategies for promoting physical activity to African American men of their age. The authors report results from. 49 interviews conducted with middle-aged (45–64 years) and older (65–84 years) African American men in South Carolina. Four groups of African American men were recruited; middle-aged active men (n = 17), middle-aged inactive men (n = 12), older active men (n = 10), older inactive men (n = 10). Themes related to marketing and recruitment strategies, message content, and spokesperson characteristics emerged and differed by age and physical activity level. Recommended marketing strategies included word of mouth; use of mass media; partnering with churches, businesses, and fraternities; strategic placement of messages; culturally appropriate message framing; and careful attention to selection of program spokespersons. Findings will help in the marketing, design, implementation, and evaluation of culturally appropriate interventions to encourage physical activity among middle-aged and older African American men in the South.
Kinetic Behavior and Mechanism of Inhibition in the Maillard Reaction. III. Kinetic Behavior of the Inhibition in the Reaction Between D‐Glucose and Glycine

SUMMARY —Sodium bisulfite and various other inhibitors were studied as to efficiency and kinetic behavior in the Maillard reaction. One group of compounds (bisulfites and mercaptans) inhibited the reaction step prior to the steady-phase browning step, whereas another group (benzoyl peroxide and disulfides) affected the steady-phase browning step. It is suggested that the inhibitory mechanism is due to attack on intermediates of the Maillard reaction by a reactive form of an inhibitor such as a free radical rather than by the original inhibitor molecule itself. Existing theories on the mechanism of inhibition by sulfites are critically reviewed, and their inadequacy is pointed out.
Glucose transport families SLC5 and SLC50

There are three families of glucose transporters in the human genome, SLC2, SLC5 and SLC50. Here I review the structure and function of the SLC5 and SLC50 genes. The human sodium glucose cotransporter family (SLC5) has 12 human genes expressed in tissues ranging from epithelia to the central nervous system. The functions of all are known based on studies using heterologous expression systems: 10 are tightly coupled plasma membrane Na(+)/substrate cotransporters for solutes such as glucose, myoinositol, and anions; 1 is a Na(+)/Cl(-)/Choline cotransporter; and another is a glucose activated ion channel. The exon organization of most of the genes is similar in that they contain 14-15 exons. However, the choline transporter CHT is encoded in by the 8 exon SLC5A7 gene and the myoinositol SMIT transporter by the 1 exon SLC5A3 gene. Mutations in 3 SLC5 genes produce genetic phenotypes (glucose-galactose-malabsorption, renal glucosuria and hypothyroidism). Members of the SLC5 family are multifunctional membrane proteins in that they also behave as uniporters, urea and water channels, and urea and water cotransporters. The atomic structure of a closely related bacterial homolog has been solved and the structural core is common to six unrelated transporters, e.g. members of the SLC6 family of neurotransporters, and this leads to the conclusion that these work by a similar mechanism. The new SWEET class of glucose uniporters, SLC50, only has only one member in the human genome, SLC50A1. The SWEETs are found mostly in plants where they appear to be responsible for sugar efflux and are targeted by pathogens and symbionts for nutrition.