cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The vanadium pentafluoride-hydrogen fluoride system and reactions of vanadium pentafluoride with hydrazinium difluoride

Abstract Vanadium pentafluoride dissolves in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride to give clear 3·3 M solutions at saturation. Raman spectra of such solution show that no ionization occurs, but that the vanadium pentafluoride is strongly solvated to give a species of unknown composition. The solutions are non-conducting. Reactions with hydrazinium difluoride give mixtures with the major product vanadium tetrafluoride and a minor component of an unstable dark brown solid which is probably hydrazinium (+2) hexafluorovanadate(IV). Vanadium tetrafluoride is stable at room temperature but begins to disproportionate above 150°. Single crystal studies shaw that it is orthorhombic with a = 9·35, b = 5·33 and c = 5·16 A .
Resolving Resolvases: The Final Act?

The Holliday junction (HJ) is a central intermediate in homologous recombination. Ip et al. (2008), in a recent issue of Nature, have identified a new subclass of the Rad2/XPG family of nucleases with the hallmark of symmetrical cleavage of HJ substrates to produce nicked duplex products.
Early pancreas organogenesis. Morphogenesis, tissue interactions, and mass effects.

The midgut region and adjacent tissues of mouse embryos acquire the ability to form exocrine pancreas tissue in vitro at about the 8-somite stage. By 10 somites a region of the gut itself can be identified as the precursor of the pancreas. The endoderm of this area apparently becomes committed or determined by about 15 somites, since at that time it can form exocrine acini when combined with mouse salivary mesoderm. These alterations occur at stages before condensed pancreatic mesoderm is present or before outgrowth of the pancreas diverticulum occurs. The beginning of pancreatic morphogenesis is marked by appearance of a broad-based upswelling from the dorsal gut. The base of this evagination gradually constricts to give rise to the pancreatic duct. These, and results on the distribution of mesodermal and endodermal cells during early organogenesis, are discussed in relation to the concept that a primary commitment or determination phase is followed by a secondary support phase during which nonspecific mesodermal input is sufficient to permit tissue growth. The role of such growth, as reflected in epithelial mass, was also investigated. Precocious appearance of zymogen granules or amylase is not evoked by even a 24-fold increase in mass of primitive mouse pancreatic epithelium. On the other hand, fractionation of growing epithelia, with resultant decrease in tissue mass, leads to postponement of overt differentiation. Once cells have reached a specific chronological age, they differentiate if left in an undisturbed tissue mass for about 2–3 days. Under such circumstances, differentiation can occur in extraordinarily small tissue masses. Mass per se is not the critical factor leading to cessation of mitosis and commencement of over cytodifferentiation. Operationally, the cells must be sufficiently mature and must be undisturbed, in the sense of not being stimulated to continue dividing, if differentiation is to occur.
Molecular cloning and functional characterization of the zebrafish ATP-gated ionotropic receptor P2X3 subunit

We describe a P2X subunit cloned from the zebrafish (Danio rerio) that is an orthologue of the mammalian P2X3 subunit. Like the mammalian P2X3, this receptor desensitizes rapidly in the presence of agonist. However, it differs in that αβ-meATP is a much less potent agonist than ATP and the antagonist TNP-ATP is not active at low nanomolar concentrations. Similar to the rat P2X3 subunit, the zebrafish subunit forms hetero-oligomeric assemblies with the rat P2X2 that possesses a phenotype distinct from either parent. This novel clone will provide an important basis for future experiments investigating the structure/function relationships of P2X subunit domains.
Variation in School Health Policies and Programs by Demographic Characteristics of US Schools, 2006

To understand the relationship between demographic characteristics of schools and school health policies and programs, this study analyzed data from the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000. SHPPS 2000 provides nationally representative data on eight components of school health. Data were collected from school faculty and staff using onsite, computer-assisted personal interviews, then linked with extant data on school characteristics. Results from a series of regression analyses indicated that the presence of most policies and programs examined differed according to school type (public, private, or Catholic), urbanicity, school enrollment size, per-pupil expenditure, percentage of White students and, among high schools, percentage of college-bound students. No one type of school, however, was more likely than another type to have all key aspects of a school health program in place. Regardless of school characteristics, all schools are capable of implementing quality school health programs.
Fabrication of composite x-ray masks by micromilling

An important aspect for the development of micromanufactured components and systems is to reduce the time and cost required to reach the prototype stage. At present, this development typically spans several years. Any fabrication approach which would reduce the cost and time-to-prototype would allow for the more rapid development of design concepts and the more rapid evolution of the design cycle. Direct fabrication of masks for X-ray lithography, by mechanical micromilling, is one potential avenue for rapid, lower cost development. The key process requirements for the fabrication of a typical X-ray mask involves the selection of both substrate and absorber materials. The substrate must provide a mechanically stable support for the patterned absorber without introducing excessive attenuation of the X- ray flux that ultimately reaches the resist surface. Frame supported, thin membranes (such as SiC, C, Si 3 N 4 , Si) are most often used as well as low atomic number bulk materials (Be). The choice of elemental composition and thickness for the absorber will be largely determined by the resist sensitivity and the X-ray wavelength used. Many process steps are required in order to define the final absorber pattern geometry and will generally involve either additive or subtractive processes. Mechanical micromilling techniques may be used with either a single bulk material which serves the dual role of both substrate and absorber or with a composite structure consisting of a thin gold layer deposited on a thick, low atomic number bulk substrate. Single material masks of aluminum and graphite have been investigated. A composite mask of graphite with a thin layer of sputtered gold has also been investigated. The paper will report on the developmental work for both types of masks and will give results for synchrotron X-ray exposure using these masks. Problems associated with using micromilling as an X- ray mask fabrication method will also be presented.
Abdominal impalement from motor vehicle crash.

A 21-year-old unrestrained male driver was impaled by a 2 15.2 cm wooden board that penetrated the car during a motor vehicle collision (Fig 1). Oral and intravenous contrast-enhanced computed tomogram (CT) showed the board overlying the expected location of the left common iliac artery and vein, which were not visualized as discrete contrast-containing structures (Fig 2). The right common iliac artery and vein were clearly identified. There was no evidence of extravasation. Surgical exploration following proximal arterial control demonstrated transection of the left common iliac vein, intimal injury of the left common iliac artery with thrombosis extending into the right common iliac artery, and large leftflank and right groin wounds. Significant venous bleeding occurred following removal of the board. Impalement injuries are an uncommon subset of penetrating injuries, in which an elongated object penetrates and remains imbedded in the patient. 1 Impalements usually occur in construction accidents or in motor vehicle crashes. 2 Fortunately impalement victims do not always sustain serious injuries to critical structures, as the impaling object frequently displaces organs rather than penetrating them. However, critical vascular injuries may be tamponaded by the impaling object. Recognition of these injuries before surgery is essential in identifying sites of potentially severe bleeding during removal of the object. The path of the impaling object is sometimes challenging to understand, especially when the impalement occurs in 1 position while hospital evaluation and imaging occurs in another (ie, a driver sitting in a car with flexed hips vs a supine patient). Such position differences may also make surgical extraction of the impaled object difficult. Once the spine has been cleared, flexion or extension of the patient may ease removal of the object, which is otherwise under tension in the supine patient. The impaled object should only be removed in the operating room, not in the field. In this case, the board both transected and tamponaded the left common iliac vein. Significant venous bleeding occurred after intraoperative removal of the board. Removal of the board in the field would likely have resulted in exsanguination. In thefield, external portions of the impaled object can be separated from the patient with appropriate tools, such as saws or acetylene torches. Transporting the patient with external stabilization of the impaling object will minimize its’ movement. These same principles should be considered when imaging the patient, and creative
An Algorithm for Finding the Exact Significance Levels of r × c Contingency Tables

Abstract An algorithm is presented for calculating the exact permutation significance value for r × c contingency tables. In general, the algorithm does not require the total enumeration of all tables consistent with the given marginals. As a result, it is faster than existing algorithms.
The effect of Surgical Care Improvement Project measures on national trends on surgical site infections in open vascular procedures

Objective The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) is a national initiative to reduce surgical complications, including postoperative surgical site infection (SSI), through protocol-driven antibiotic usage. This study aimed to determine the effect SCIP guidelines have had on in-hospital SSIs after open vascular procedures. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was retrospectively analyzed using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, diagnosis codes to capture SSIs in hospital patients who underwent elective carotid endarterectomy, elective open repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and peripheral bypass. The pre-SCIP era was defined as 2000 to 2005 and post-SCIP was defined as 2007 to 2010. The year 2006 was excluded because this was the transition year in which the SCIP guidelines were implemented. Analysis of variance and χ 2 testing were used for statistical analysis. Results The rate of SSI in the pre-SCIP era was 2.2% compared with 2.3% for carotid endarterectomy ( P = .06). For peripheral bypass, both in the pre- and post-SCIP era, infection rates were 0.1% ( P = .22). For open, elective AAA, the rate of infection in the post-SCIP era increased significantly to 1.4% from 1.0% in the pre-SCIP era ( P Conclusions Implementation of SCIP guidelines has made no significant effect on the incidence of in-hospital SSIs in open vascular operations; rather, an increase in SSI rates in open AAA repairs was observed. Patient-centered, bundled approaches to care, rather than current SCIP practices, may further decrease SSI rates in vascular patients undergoing open procedures.
An Exploration of Gender, Client History, and Functioning in Wilderness Therapy Participants

This article explored differences by gender in client mental health history, presenting issues, and current functioning among adolescents in wilderness therapy. The study used a random sample of 401 youth in wilderness therapy programs, utilizing data from archival psychological evaluations conducted during wilderness treatment. Results showed that females were more likely to have participated in outpatient treatment prior to a wilderness therapy program. Additionally, analysis indicated that females were more likely than males to participate in self-harming behaviors and suicide attempts. Males were more likely to have been significantly involved with criminal activity prior to treatment. Analysis provided a deeper understanding of the current population of wilderness therapy participants in an effort to inform current wilderness therapy practices. It is imperative for clinicians to have a better understanding of gender differences when considering wilderness therapy as a treatment option.
Sixteenth-century soil carbon sequestration rates based on Mexican land-grant documents

A significant gap in our understanding of global change involves the linkages between historical land-use and land-cover change (LULCC), Holocene terrestrial carbon (C) pool fluxes, and climate change. To address that research problem, this method uses land grants for sheep ranches awarded in early colonial (1521–1620 CE) Mexico to quantify the amount of land converted from cropland to pastureland. Soil is the largest terrestrial C pool, and converting cropland to pastureland significantly increases soil C sequestration rates, thereby reducing atmospheric C. The land grants and associated archival documents contain location-specific information about soils, vegetation, hydrology, and other variables that make it possible to map the ranches in a Geographic Information System (GIS) and quantify LULCCs and terrestrial C pools over time and space. The results demonstrate the utility of such archival documents to research on Holocene global change, indicate that LULCC during Mexico’s colonial period increased ...
Spectral observations of polar mesospheric summer echoes at 33 cm (450 MHz) with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar

Abstract In this paper, we report on multi-beam spectral observations of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) at 450 MHz (Bragg scattering wavelength of ∼ 33 cm ) carried out with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) located near Fairbanks, Alaska. The observations presented in this paper occurred with auroral particle precipitation, which enhanced the otherwise low nighttime D-region ionization. The observations indicate two classes of spectra associated with PMSE at this frequency: a relatively rare, “broad” class of spectra that seems to be particularly turbulent with spectral widths (root mean square velocity fluctuations) of 6–7 m/s, and the more common “narrow” spectra, with spectral widths close to 1 m/s. The results are discussed in terms of the turbulence scattering theory of PMSE. Using the theories of Rapp and Lubken [2003. On the nature of PMSE: electron diffusion in the vicinity of charged particles revisited. Journal of Geophysical Research 108, 8437, doi: 10.1029/2002JD002857 ], we find that neutral turbulence together with enhancement of the Schmidt number by the presence of charged ice can indeed explain the observations, even at these small scales. The echoes are likely associated with large charged ice particles (a few 10 s of nanometers in radius). The narrowest echoes, while seemingly resulting from relatively modest neutral turbulence, thus acquire long diffusion times which allow them to drift with the background winds for tens of seconds, possibly explaining the predominance of these narrow-width echoes.
Selective expression of presenilin 1 in neural progenitor cells rescues the cerebral hemorrhages and cortical lamination defects in presenilin 1-null mutant mice.

Mice with a null mutation of the presenilin 1 gene ( Psen1 –/– ) die during late intrauterine life or shortly after birth and exhibit multiple CNS and non-CNS abnormalities, including cerebral hemorrhages and altered cortical development. The cellular and molecular basis for the developmental effects of Psen1 remain incompletely understood. Psen1 is expressed in neural progenitors in developing brain, as well as in postmitotic neurons. We crossed transgenic mice with either neuron-specific or neural progenitor-specific expression of Psen1 onto the Psen1 –/– background. We show that neither neuron-specific nor neural progenitor-specific expression of Psen1 can rescue the embryonic lethality of the Psen1 –/– embryo. Indeed neuron-specific expression rescued none of the abnormalities in Psen1 –/– mice. However, Psen1 expression in neural progenitors rescued the cortical lamination defects, as well as the cerebral hemorrhages, and restored a normal vascular pattern in Psen1 –/– embryos. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that Psen1 expression in neural progenitor cells is crucial for cortical development and reveal a novel role for neuroectodermal expression of Psen1 in development of the brain vasculature.
Histochemical properties of skeletal muscle fibers in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

The response of rat gastrocnemius muscle fibers to chronic streptozotocin-diabetes was studied. Transverse sections of this muscle from normal and diabetic rats were histochemically assayed for reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide-diaphorase, myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase, mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities. Cross-sectional areas of the fiber types were measured, and fiber capillarization and populations estimated. Chemically-induced diabetes appeared to have little effect on the metabolic or morphological properties of slow-twitch fibers. However, a general dedifferentiation occurred in the 2 fast-twitch fiber populations. There was a loss of oxidative potential in the fast-twitch-oxidative-glycolytic fibers, and a significant decrease in size in the fast-twitch-glycolytic fibers. No change in the proportions of slow- and fast-twitch fibers in the muscles of diabetic rats occurred. It is concluded that hypoinsulinism has differential effects on the 3 fiber types in heterogeneous rat skeletal muscle, and that slow-twitch fibers are least affected by the diabetic condition.
Using radial basis functions to approximate battery differential capacity and differential voltage

Abstract As part of the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Development Program, lithium-ion cells of various sizes and chemistries are aged with periodic reference performance tests to ascertain degradation rates. The reference tests include a very slow discharge and charge based on a constant current equal to 1/25th of the rated capacity to elucidate the true electrochemical capacity of the cell. A differential analysis of these data helps to identify the individual kinetic and thermodynamic contributions of the anode and cathode. However, differential curves are very noisy, and previous smoothing methods included simple data reduction and moving averages. This paper introduces an alternative method of finding the differential voltage and differential capacity curves based on radial basis functions. The voltage profile is fit with a number of Gaussian curves, and the resulting model is differentiated. This approach also has the added advantage of assessing model uncertainty based on a bootstrap analysis. The radial basis function method was successfully applied to various lithium-ion chemistries tested under the Advanced Technology Development Program. The resulting differential capacity and differential voltage curves are generally smoother than the corresponding curves found by previous methods and also show little variance, indicating a good model fit. These results imply that the radial basis function technique is a more robust tool for assessing differential data.
The Role of Indentation Depth on the Measured Hardness of Materials

Ultra micro-indentation tests on Ni and Cu samples showed increasing hardness with decreasing penetration depth over a range from 200 to 2000 nm. The results suggest increased strain hardening with decreased indentation depth. To establish that this is a real material effect, a series of tests were conducted on amorphous materials, for which strain hardening is not expected. The hardness of Metglas® was found to be independent of depth. A simple model of the dislocation densities produced under the indenter tip describes the data well. The model is based on the fact that the high density of dislocations expected under a shallow indentation would cause an increase in measured hardness. At large depths, the density of geometrically necessary dislocations is sufficiently small to have little effect on hardness, and the measured hardness approaches the intrinsic hardness of the material.
In vivo tyrosine hydroxylation rate in retina: effects of phenylalanine and tyrosine administration in rats pretreated with p-chlorophenylalanine

p-Chlorophenylalanine was administered to rats to inhibit hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase activity. Two days later, phenylalanine injection was noted to produce substantial increases in serum phenylalanine levels, and relatively modest increments in serum tyrosine levels. Rats injected with p-chlorophenylalanine 2 days earlier showed a normal light-induced activation of retinal tyrosine hydroxylase activity in vivo, measured as dihydroxyphenylalanine accumulation following pharmacologic inhibition in vivo of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase activity. In addition, tyrosine injection into p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats in the light produced anticipated increments in retinal tyrosine hydroxylation rate, showing the enzyme to be functionally normal. The acute administration of phenylalanine (62.5–500mg/kg i.p.) to p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats produced dose-related increments in retinal phenylalanine. In vivo tyrosine hydroxylation rate in retina was normal at all doses below 300mg/kg. However, at the highest dose (500 mg/kg), when retinal phenylalanine levels were almost 5-times normal, tyrosine hydroxylation rate consistently fell (to about half-normal values). These results demonstrate that very large elevations in tissue phenylalanine levels do not stimulate tyrosine hydroxylation in vivo, and that at extremely high levels phenylalanine inhibits tyrosine hydroxylation rate.
Isolated, giant cerebellopontine angle craniopharyngioma in a patient with Gardner syndrome: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report the case of a 29-year-old man with Gardner syndrome and an isolated, giant cerebellopontine angle craniopharyngioma. Our description of this patient is only the second case report of a craniopharyngioma arising primarily in the cerebellopontine angle. Clinical presentation: The patient presented with a 1-year history of progressive neurological impaitment and headache. On the basis of the patient's history of multiple dermal fibromas, a cranial osteoma, familail adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a total abdominal colectomy, and an adenomua of the ampulla of Vater, we diagnosed the patient's condition as Gardner syndrome. Intervention: Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large cerebellopontine angle tumor, which was removed through a suboccipital retromastoid craniotomy. The pathological features were those of an adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma. The patient has done weel postoperatively and has no new neurological deficits. A careful retrospective review of the preoperative imaging shows that this tumor was located exclusively in the posterior fossa and was not an extension of a sellar, suprasellar, or clival craniopharyngioma. Conclusion: We present the second reported case of FAP and craniopharyngioma. There is no known genetic link between FAP and craniopharyngioma. Now that the patient has manifested a primary tumor of the central nervous system with FAB, it is unclear wheter he should be classified as having Turcot syndrome. For this patient, we recommended vigilant follow-up imaging and forgoing external beam radiotherapy unless there is a documented recurrence of his craniopharyngioma.
Transketolase and transaldolase activities in regenerating epithelium during wound healing

Abstract Transketolase and transaldolase activities, of the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, were determined under optimal assay conditions by fluorometric methods in migrating and differentiating (maturing) epithelium during wound healing. Migrating epithelium demonstrated minor alterations in the activities of transketolase and transaldolase during the first 3 days of wound healing, whereas differentiating epithelium, following wound closure on Day 4, exhibited a 50 to 60% increase in the activities of both enzymes at Days 7 and 10 postwounding.
The Use of Angiotensin in the Assessment of Left Ventricular Function in Fixed Orifice Aortic Stenosis

Catheterization of the left heart permits sophisticated assessment of the mechanical problem in aortic stenosis. Selection of patients for surgical repair requires an additional judgment regarding the contractile state of the left ventricle. Angiotensin has recently been used to study the function of the unobstructed left ventricle by imposing controlled pressure loads on both compensated and failing human hearts. The present study was designed to determine whether angiotensin might be of value in characterizing left ventricular function in the presence of aortic stenosis. Accordingly, controlled amounts of the drug were infused during transseptal left heart catheterization in 12 patients in whom fixed obstruction to left ventricular outflow was the sole mechanical fault. Observations were made before and during a series of stepwise increments in systemic systolic pressure. The following information was obtained: cardiac rate, stroke volume, peripheral vascular resistance, left ventricular systolic and end-diastolic pressures, brachial arterial systolic and diastolic pressures, aortic gradient, left ventricular stroke work, systolic ejection period, and aortic valve area. Left ventricular function curves were constructed by relating stroke work to diastolic filling pressure. Rises in brachial systolic pressure exceeded rises in left ventricular systolic, regularly diminishing the gradients. Elevations in systemic arterial pressure consistently elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, indicating that angiotensin can be used to impose a pressure load on the left ventricle despite the interposition of fixed obstruction. In an attempt to gain further information on the mechanical and myocardial factors that coexist in aortic stenosis, three types of observations were made regarding the hemodynamic response of the left ventricle to the graded pressure loads: (1) the directional changes in stroke volume accompanying the increments in ventricular stress, (2) the magnitude of the increase in left ventricular systolic pressure accompanying a given increment in diastolic filling pressure, and (3) the relation between ventricular end-diastolic pressure and stroke work (ventricular function curves). Although the individual responses did not uniformly distinguish mechanical from myocardial influences, when stroke volume, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and ventricular function curves were taken together, a clearer impression of the behavior of the left ventricle emerged. Such information may prove useful in view of the practical need to assess ventricular adequacy in aortic stenotic patients considered for corrective surgery.
The Rise and Fall of Rule by Poland's Best and Brightest

Introduction: the intelligentsia and its ethos DURING POLAND'S PERIOD OF TRANSITION from the initial 1989 electoral contest up to the 1991 parliamentary campaign, the intelligentsia component of the collapsing Solidarity coalition made three bids to achieve political domination. The aim of this paper is to explore the nature of these bids for power and the role that they played in the transition. The importance of the intelligentsia for the development of Polish society notwithstanding, attempts to define the milieu precisely have always been problematic. Although works that focused on defining some specific subcomponent of this extremely diverse milieu did offer a partial portrait, nonetheless, such an approach traditionally posed the danger of 'not seeing the forest for the trees'. Namely, focusing, for example, on either some element of the 'old', 19th century intelligentsia, or later, its artistic, technical, academic, Polish-Jewish, Eastern,
Social-welfare based task allocation for multi-robot systems with resource constraints

This paper aims to propose a distributed task allocation algorithm for a team of robots that have constraints on energy resources and operate in an unknown dynamic environment. The objective of the allocation is to maximize task completion ratio while minimizing resource usage. The approach we propose is inspired by the social welfare in economics that helps extend the combined operational lifetime of the team by balancing resource consumptions among robots. This social welfare based task allocation method positions a robot team appropriately in preparedness for dynamic future events and enables to achieve the objectives of the system flexibly depending on the application context. Our simulation-based experiments show that the proposed algorithm outperforms a typical market-based approach in various scenarios.
The Sources of Pension Reforms in Western Europe: Domestic Factors, Policy Diffusion, or Common Shock?

Existing research has linked the adoption of pension reforms to demographic pressures, party ideology, and the diffusion of social policy ideas. We argue that pension policy change in Western Europe is also related to the “shock” of European Monetary Union (EMU). We use a Spatial Autoregressive Probit model with event-history features to test whether the decision to reform can be best explained by domestic factors, diffusion dynamics, or similar exposure to a common shock. We find that EMU made pension reform more likely for low and moderately indebted countries in the early 1990s but delayed reform in the late 1990s. Demographic pressures and policy diffusion also mattered for reform adoption, but not more than the EMU shock.
Revenue Authorities: Issues and Problems in Evaluating Their Success

Revenue authorities (RAs) have been adopted by some countries as an alternative delivery model for improved revenue administration. They are sometimes seen as a possible solution to problems such as low rates of tax compliance, ineffective tax administration staff, and corruption. The paper discusses RAs as a governance model, from the perspective of revenue administration and the almost universal desire to improve performance and compliance with the law. It compiles and analyses features of the model, examines reasons why revenue authorities were established, and explores the extent to which countries have evaluated the success of the model. It also assesses countries' own perceptions about how this model may have contributed to tax administration reform. Further, the paper discusses data collection difficulties in carrying out an assessment using econometric analysis, and the problem of attributing changes in performance to a particular governance model. The paper concludes that while there are subjective perceptions among countries with revenue authorities that their model has led to improved revenue administration and has spurred modernization, there is no objective analysis that countries with RAs have performed better in this regard than countries without RAs.
An asymmetric distribution of lakes on Titan as a possible consequence of orbital forcing

A set of lakes filled or partially filled with liquid hydrocarbon and empty lake basins have been discovered in the high latitudes of Saturn's moon Titan. These features were mapped by the radar instrument on the Cassini orbiter. Here we quantify the distribution of the lakes and basins, and show a pronounced hemispheric asymmetry in their occurrence. Whereas significant fractions of the northern high latitudes are covered by filled and empty lakes, the same latitudes in the southern hemisphere are largely devoid of such features. We propose that in addition to known seasonal changes, the observed difference in lake distribution may be caused by an asymmetry in the seasons on Titan that results from the eccentricity of Saturn's orbit around the Sun. We suggest that the consequent hemispheric difference in the balance between evaporation and precipitation could lead to an accumulation of lakes in one of Titan's hemispheres. This effect would be modulated by, and reverse with, dynamical variations in the orbit. We propose that much like in the Earth's glacial cycles, the resulting vigorous hydrologic cycle has a period of tens of thousands of years and leads to active geologic surface modification in the polar latitudes.
Basal level transcriptional regulation of the human angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene.

Abstract The peptide hormone angiotensin II regulates a variety of physiological responses which are mediated by its interaction with high affinity G protein-coupled receptors localized on the surface of target cells. To gain insights into the transcriptional regulation of the human angiotensin II type 1 receptor (hAT 1 R) gene, we have isolated 1 kb of the 5′-flanking sequence of this gene. Expression constructs containing various 5′-deletions of the hAT 1 R promoter region, fused upstream to the luciferase reporter gene, were transiently transfected into H295-R, HEC-1B and A549 cells. It was demonstrated that a 145 bp sequence within the promoter region was required for basal level expression of the hAT 1 R gene in all of the three cell lines investigated. Computer analysis indicated the existence of numerous putative transcription factor binding sites in this region. Further detailed deletion data suggested essential transcription factor binding sites between −98 and −79 bp. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that four protein–DNA complexes were formed within the −98 to −79 bp region of the hAT 1 R gene when incubated with H295-R cell nuclear extract. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments showed that a putative Sp1 binding site was critical for the basal level expression of the hAT 1 R gene.
Effective quantum electrodynamics hamiltonians: A tutorial review

A “with-pair, no-retardation” relativistic many-electron Hamiltonian, that is, effective quantum electrodynamics (eQED) Hamiltonian, can be constructed both algebraically and diagrammatically, in a bottom-up fashion without recourse to QED itself. It describes all virtual pair effects due to the instantaneous Coulomb/Gaunt/Breit interaction and is compatible with all wave function or density functional based correlation methods. As such, it serves as the basis for “with-pair relativistic quantum chemistry”, which is an extension of the traditional “no-pair relativistic quantum chemistry.” Regardless of the numerical significance of the (nonradiative) virtual pair effects, such an extension represents a conceptually important step for going beyond the no-pair approximation that has been prevailing in relativistic electronic structure calculations of molecular systems. Due to the short range nature, the effective potential Q describing electron vacuum polarization (EVP) and self-energy (ESE) can be fitted into a model operator, which can be included in variational self-consistent field calculations. The subsequent treatments of electron correlation and properties can then be simplified greatly. That is, the major QED effects, including EVP and ESE as well as the Coulomb/Gaunt/Breit screenings of them, can be obtained with little overhead over standard no-pair calculations. It can hence be envisaged that “molecular QED” will soon emerge as a new and exciting field for ultrahigh precision calculations of molecular spectroscopies and dynamics. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Driving plug-and-play models with data from web services: A demonstration of interoperability between CSDMS and CUAHSI-HIS

There has recently been an increased focus within the earth science community on integration of data and modeling resources. Two examples of projects in this area are the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) and the Hydrologic Information System (HIS) project of the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI). The primary focus of CSDMS is on modeling, specifically on approaches and tools that allow scientists to construct a simulation model as a configuration of linked, interchangeable model components. The primary focus of the HIS is on data, specifically on approaches and tools that allow scientists to easily access and integrate data from different data providers. The synergies between these two projects are obvious as both data and models are needed to support scientific analysis and natural resource management. For this reason, we have explored a means for providing interoperability between the CSDMS and the HIS. In the approach presented here, the HIS web services are used within the CSDMS modeling framework to search and download hydrologic data that can then be easily fed into CSDMS model components. The result of the work is a CSDMS component able to query, download, and provide plug-and-play access to HIS data directly within the CSDMS modeling framework. This approach therefore provides a means for leveraging large sets of scientific data within a sophisticated modeling framework.
Potential effect of cytokines on transgene expression in primary fibroblasts implanted into the rat brain.

Fibroblasts genetically modified with retroviral vectors fail to demonstrate long-term transgene expression upon implantation into the body. Although the mechanisms behind this phenomenon have not been elucidated, one likely cause is the response of the host to the graft. For example, genetically modified fibroblasts grafted into the brain are surrounded by activated microglia and astrocytes. The apparent inflammatory response can last for several weeks. In addition, the center of the graft is typically infiltrated with macrophage-like cells that appear to reside continuously within the graft. This proximity of inflammatory cells to the graft suggests that these cells may somehow influence transgene expression. In the current study, an in vitro model was used to test the effect cytokines [transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)] that are typically released by peripheral macrophages, activated microglia and/or astrocytes have on long-terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transgene expression in primary fibroblasts. Our data demonstrate that these cytokines can significantly reduce the steady-state level of proviral mRNA. The amount of proviral mRNA returned to control levels within 24 h if the cytokines were removed. In addition, the down-regulation of proviral mRNA levels could be prevented if the cells were incubated with dexamethasone (25 μM) concurrent with the introduction of cytokines. These data demonstrate that cytokines can down-regulate LTR-driven transgene expression in primary fibroblasts maintained in culture. This interaction may be a major reason why transduced cells do not demonstrate long-term transgene expression in vivo.
Natural Field Spread of Mild and Severe Isolates of Citrus Tristeza Virus in Florida

The effectiveness of five different aphid control regimes in delaying movement of mild and severe isolates of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) into a CTV-free sweet orange scion on sour orange rootstock block was monitored annually for 5 years, using severe isolate-specific and isolate-nonspecific monoclonal antibodies. The average percentage of trees infected with a severe isolate of CTV was 32, 32, 20, 25, and 28 for trees treated with Temik, Temik + Meta-Systox R (MSR), MSR, stylet oil, or no aphid control, respectively, at the conclusion of the experiment (5 years). These percentages were not significantly different (P ≤ 0.05). The average percentage of trees infected only with mild isolates was 13, 10, 7, 7, and 17 for the above treatments, respectively. The infection with mild isolates was significantly greater (P ≤ 0.05) with no aphid control than with stylet oil or MSR treatments.
Sentence processing: Evidence against the serial, independent stage assumption

The assumption that the processing stages involved in sentence comprehension are serially and independently executed was tested in two separate experiments using two new sentence types. One experiment was a sentence-picture verification task, the other was not. In Experiment I, subjects viewed sentences such as “It's false that the dots are red” and indicated, by pressing the appropriate response key, which of two colors would make the sentence true. In Experiment II, subjects verified sentences such as “It isn't true that the dots aren't red” against pictures of colored dots. On the strength of Sternberg's additive factor method, present findings challenge the validity of the serial, independent stage assumption, and results are alternatively discussed in terms of a capacity sharing model.
Radiation characteristics of a corrugated horn antenna

A corrugated horn antenna is modeled using the three-dimensional FDTD method. The computed E-plane radiation pattern shows a good agreement with those measured and calculated using the MoM published in the literature. The H-plane radiation pattern and the cross-polarization patterns for both E- and H-plane are also obtained since the corrugated horn is calculated by a three dimensional model. The radiation characteristics for various frequencies have also been analyzed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 34: 83–84, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10379
Performance of chip-level differential detection with phase noise

Chip-level differential encoding/detection of direct-sequence spread-spectrum signals has been shown to improve receiver robustness in the presence of oscillator frequency offsets and fast fading channels. These gains are achieved at the expense of SNR performance in an AWGN channel, with spreading factor governing the tradeoff. This paper explores the performance of chip-level differential detection in the presence of oscillator phase noise. It is shown that phase noise mitigation is an additional benefit of chip-level differential detection, with higher spreading factors permitting the use of lower-cost, noisier oscillators. Simulations of a DS/SS BPSK system illustrate the relationship between phase noise tolerance and spreading factor, and a simple analytical model is derived for efficient evaluation of systems with high spreading factor.
Vicarious Learning: The Influence of Modeling on Organizational Behavior

The social learning theory notion of vicarious learning through modeling can elucidate the phenomenon of behavioral change in organizations. Vicarious learning encompasses attentional, retention, motor reproduction, and motivational processes. If any of these processes is lacking or impaired, the learner is less likely to perform an observed behavior. Whether or not a model is attractive, competent, and successful contributes to the overall probability of that model's behavior being imitated by others. Managers need to use modeling effectively to enhance the achievement of organizational and personal goals. In particular, attention should be given to day-to-day modeling as well as to formal training to effect organizational behavior changes.
The organization and evolution of the Responder satellite in species of the Drosophila melanogaster group: dynamic evolution of a target of meiotic drive.

Satellite DNA can make up a substantial fraction of eukaryotic genomes and has roles in genome structure and chromosome segregation. The rapid evolution of satellite DNA can contribute to genomic instability and genetic incompatibilities between species. Despite its ubiquity and its contribution to genome evolution, we currently know little about the dynamics of satellite DNA evolution. The Responder (Rsp) satellite DNA family is found in the pericentric heterochromatin of chromosome 2 of Drosophila melanogaster. Rsp is well-known for being the target of Segregation Distorter (SD) an autosomal meiotic drive system in D. melanogaster. I present an evolutionary genetic analysis of the Rsp family of repeats in D. melanogaster and its closely-related species in the melanogaster group (D. simulans, D. sechellia, D. mauritiana, D. erecta, and D. yakuba) using a combination of available BAC sequences, whole genome shotgun Sanger reads, Illumina short read deep sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization. I show that Rsp repeats have euchromatic locations throughout the D. melanogaster genome, that Rsp arrays show evidence for concerted evolution, and that Rsp repeats exist outside of D. melanogaster, in the melanogaster group. The repeats in these species are considerably diverged at the sequence level compared to D. melanogaster, and have a strikingly different genomic distribution, even between closely-related sister taxa. The genomic organization of the Rsp repeat in the D. melanogaster genome is complex it exists of large blocks of tandem repeats in the heterochromatin and small blocks of tandem repeats in the euchromatin. My discovery of heterochromatic Rsp-like sequences outside of D. melanogaster suggests that SD evolved after its target satellite and that the evolution of the Rsp satellite family is highly dynamic over a short evolutionary time scale (<240,000 years).
Using annotated outlines to enhance learning [engineering education]

This presentation focuses on the use of the annotated outline wherein outlines are annotated (augmented) with different kinds of significant information, turning the ordinary engineering course outline into a mini-learning-guide. This extra information plays a wider role than the typical notes handed out by instructors. In addition to information that clears up ambiguous or complicated material in the text book, it can take the form of hints on solving homework problems. It can describe types of knowledge, such as definitions, strategies, procedures, rules of thumb, and concepts, and it can describe cognitive processes such as brain storming and synesthesia. An important feature of the annotated outline is that information is identified according to knowledge type, cognitive function, and cognitive process so that students will be able to go beyond meaning to meta-learning. For example, information that takes the form of a procedure is listed as such, and students are instructed on the importance, the purpose, and the limitation of a procedure. Information that describes a sign convention also states why conventions are important in calculations and derivations.
The State of U.S. Federalism, 1999-2000

Federalism has rarely been a key national campaign issue, and the presidential campaign of 2000 was no exception. Although the candidates talked of a key state-local issue-education-it was in the context of the popular concern over the quality of schools, rather than federalism issues of governmental responsibility for education. However, one aspect of federalism was evident in the presidential campaign. The first president of the new millennium may get a chance to name at least one U.S. Supreme Court justice. Given the slim 5-4 majorities on most federalism cases, the appointment or appointments could be pivotal. Meanwhile, in the Congress and state capitols, technology and globalization issues forced a rethinking of traditional intergovernmental fiscal and regulatory functions.
OBSERVATION OF LARGE CP VIOLATION IN THE B-MESON SYSTEM

A measurement of the CP violation parameter sin 2ϕ1 based on a 29.1 fb-1 data sample recorded at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+ e- collider is reported. One neutral B meson is fully reconstructed as a J/ψKS, ψ(2S)KS, χc1KS, ηcKS, J/ψKL or J/ψK*0 decay and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time intervals between the two B meson decay points, we determine sin 2ϕ1 = 0.99±0.14(stat) ±0.06(sys). Since this value is more than 6σ from zero, we can conclude that CP symmetry is violated in the neutral B meson system.