cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The mechanism of conversion of rat liver xanthine dehydrogenase from an NAD+-dependent form (type D) to an O2-dependent form (type O).

Abstract Rat liver xanthine dehydrogenase, type D, has been isolated directly from crude extracts as an antibody complex and its properties compared with those of two oxidase forms of the enzyme, heat-treated type O and trypsin-treated type O, also isolated as antibody complexes. The type D antibody complex displays electron acceptor specificities and electron paramagnetic resonance properties characteristic of an NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase whereas the trypsin-treated type O complex behaves as an O2-utilizing oxidase. The heat-treated type O complex displays intermediate behavior. After electrophoresis in dodecyl sulfate-urea-acrylamide gels, type D and heated type O enzymes show single polypeptide bands, each of approximately 150,000 molecular weight. The trypsinized type O also shows one major band but with an approximate molecular weight of 130,000. Purified type D enzyme, when proteolytically treated, is converted to an oxidase with increased mobility on polyacrylamide gels. The 150,000 molecular weight subunit is cleaved into smaller subunits during proteolysis. Treatment with 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) converts the type D enzyme, whether isolated as the purified enzyme or as the immune precipitate, to type O enzyme in a time-dependent manner. Titration of type D and the two type O antibody complexes with 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) reveals that type D and heated type O each has approximately 28 reactive sulfhydryls, whereas the trypsinized type O has only 8 such groups. Many of the free sulfhydryls are vicinal and form disulfide bonds during the conversion to an oxidase by this reagent. Unproteolyzed preparations of type O rat liver enzyme and milk xanthine oxidase are converted to type D enzymes by treatment with dithiothreitol. The converted enzymes display electron acceptor specificities and epr properties characteristic of an NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase molecule.
Is Mission Attachment an Effective Management Tool for Employee Retention? An Empirical Analysis of a Nonprofit Human Services Agency

Nonprofit organizations have been known as mission-driven entities, in which people are attracted by their passion for the mission and remain there to accomplish it. This study tested the traditional assumption of mission orientation among nonprofit employees by replicating Brown and Yoshioka's research on the role of mission attachment as a factor in nonprofit employee retention. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis are generally consistent with Brown and Yoshioka: Human services employees showed a positive attitude toward the agency's mission, but dissatisfaction with working conditions—pay and career advancement—overrode the role of mission attachment in employee retention. However, employees' positive perceptions and strong correlations between nonprofit working conditions and mission attachment suggest that mission can still play a significant role in retaining nonprofit employees by reducing dissatisfaction with pay and career advancement.
Assessing performance measurement in RBV research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate why greater attention to performance measurement is so essential to assessing the meaningfulness and usefulness of the knowledge gained from empirical tests of the resource-based view (RBV). Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the RBV empirical literature and relies on illustrative examples from various industries in order to assess the degree to which the empirical operationalization of the dependent variable in RBV research adheres to its theoretical specification. Findings – This analysis shows that although RBV theorists routinely conceptualize the dependent variable in terms of a firm's performance in direct comparison to the performance of its competitors, or relative performance, the overwhelming majority of empirical studies conducted in the field operationalize the dependent variable in terms of a firm's performance in isolation, or absolute performance. Research limitations/implications – Because significant findings are only mea...
Increased insulin is not required for β2-adrenoceptor-induced increases in mouse brain tryptophan

Abstract The current study tested the hypothesis that β 2 -adrenoceptor-mediated increases in brain tryptophan are caused by increased insulin secretion. Male mice were treated with streptozotocin (40 mg/kg) for 5 days to induce experimental diabetes. Control and diabetic mice were treated with the β 2 -adrenoceptor agonist, clenbuterol (0.1 mg/kg), 1 h before selected brain regions were dissected for analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection for tryptophan content, and plasma was collected for analysis of total and free tryptophan and glucose concentrations. Clenbuterol increased brain tryptophan and plasma glucose and decreased plasma total tryptophan but did not alter plasma free tryptophan. There were no significant differences in brain or plasma tryptophan between control and streptozotocin-treated mice. In a separate experiment, pretreatment of the mice with an insulin antibody did not prevent the clenbuterol-induced increases in brain tryptophan. These results suggest that β 2 -adrenoceptor agonists increase brain tryptophan by a mechanism that does not involve changes in insulin.
Tightly Clustered 11q23 and 22q11 Breakpoints Permit PCR-Based Detection of the Recurrent Constitutional t(11;22)

Palindromic AT-rich repeats (PATRRs) on chromosomes 11q23 and 22q11 at the constitutional t(11;22) breakpoint are predicted to induce genomic instability, which mediates the translocation. A PCR-based translocation-detection system for the t(11;22) has been developed with PCR primers flanking the PATRRs of both chromosomes, to examine the involvement of the PATRRs in the recurrent rearrangement. Forty unrelated carriers of the t(11;22) balanced translocation, plus two additional, independent cases with the supernumerary-der(22) syndrome, were analyzed to compare their translocation breakpoints. Similar translocation-specific junction fragments were obtained from both derivative chromosomes in all 40 carriers of the t(11;22) balanced translocation and from the der(22) in both of the offspring with unbalanced supernumerary-der(22) syndrome, suggesting that the breakpoints in all cases localize within these PATRRs and that the translocation is generated by a similar mechanism. This PCR strategy provides a convenient technique for rapid diagnosis of the translocation, indicating its utility for prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis in families including carriers of the balanced translocation.
Effects of tiled high-resolution display on basic visualization and navigation tasks

Large high-resolution screens are becoming increasingly available and less expensive. This creates potential advantages for data visualization in that more dense data and fine details are viewable at once. Also, less navigation may be needed to see more data. However, little work has been done to determine the effectiveness of large high-resolution displays, especially for basic low-level data visualization and navigation tasks. This paper describes an exploratory study on the effects of a large tiled display with a resolution of 3840x3072 as compared to two smaller displays (1560x2048 and 1280x1024). We conclude that, with finely detailed data, higher resolution displays that use physical navigation significantly outperform smaller displays that use pan and zoom navigation. Qualitatively, we also conclude that use of the larger display is less stressful and creates a better sense of confidence than the smaller displays.
Quantifying the HIV-1 integrase inhibitor raltegravir in female genital tract secretions using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

Understanding the pharmacokinetics of drugs in peripheral body compartments, such as the genital tract, is particularly important in the infectious diseases arena. However, extracting drugs from small volumes of viscous, proteinacious substances like cervicovaginal fluid is particularly challenging. The goal of this study was to develop a method to quantify raltegravir, an HIV-1 integrase inhibitor, in the female genital tract. The method included sample preparation with perchloric acid followed by solid-phase extraction, separation with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and detection with an ultraviolet wavelength of 218 nm. The method was linear from 0.05 to 10.0 mg/L, with minimal endogenous interference. The method was accurate (1.2–11.0% deviation) and precise (1.1–12.6% CV) for both within and between-day analyses. The ability to detect raltegravir in the female genital tract is essential for future investigations of raltegravir as an agent for prevention of HIV acquisition, and this method will be used for clinical studies further evaluating pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic relationships in this body compartment.
Effects of ozone on the cholinergic secretory responsiveness of ferret tracheal glands.

Oxidant air pollutants exacerbate several pulmonary diseases. Inhalation of ozone has been shown to induce airway smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness. Oxidant injury could also affect airway secretory mechanisms. We postulated that oxidant exposure would alter the glycoconjugate secretory function of airway submucosal glands. To test this hypothesis we examined the effects of in vivo ozone exposure on the in vitro secretory responsiveness of ferret tracheal glands. Ferrets were exposed to 1 ppm ozone, 24 hr/day for 3 or 7 days. Following exposure, glandular explants, denuded of surface epithelial cells, were prepared and incubated in medium containing 3H-glucosamine for 18 hr. Basal secretion of labeled glycoconjugates was significantly increased 31% following 3 days of ozone exposure (P
Oxygen isotope ratios in fossil wood cellulose: Isotopic composition of Eocene- to Holocene-aged cellulose

Abstract We measured the δ 18 O of cellulose (δ 18 O cel ) extracted from fossil wood collected at 9 sites in the northern and southern hemispheres as a potential source of information about precipitation δ 18 O (δ 18 O ppt ) in the past and paleotemperatures. The samples had been buried in fluvial sediments for periods of time ranging from ca. 45 million to 250 years. At the oldest localities (high latitude, Eocene- through Pliocene-age sites in Canada and Russia), mean annual temperature (MAT) estimates derived from the modern relationship between MAT and δ 18 O cel are 6–16 °C lower than the MAT estimates derived from other biological proxies. Estimates of Pleistocene and Holocene mean annual temperatures are close to the modern values at those sites. These results are consistent with other recent findings that the MAT/δ 18 O ppt relationship across North America was not constant throughout the Cenozoic. Paleo-δ 18 O ppt estimates derived from fossil cellulose and the modern North American relationship between δ 18 O cel and δ 18 O ppt are within the current annual range of δ 18 O ppt values at all locations. The middle Eocene δ 18 O ppt we determined from arctic cellulose samples (−21.9‰) is consistent with river water δ 18 O determined in two other studies (−19.1‰ to −22‰). These findings provide some evidence that a precipitation δ 18 O signal may be retained in wood cellulose during millions of years of burial, and that latitudinal patterns in δ 18 O ppt may not have changed much during the past 45 Ma. These interpretations depend, of course, on the assumption that the isotopic composition of the cellulose has not changed during burial, an assumption for which it is difficult to gather direct evidence. XRD analysis shows that the crystalline form of the fossil cellulose we used to estimate paleoprecipitation δ 18 O and paleo-MAT is the same as that of modern cellulose, and that the samples are free of quartz and iron oxide contaminants that result in negative errors in measured δ 18 O cel .
The H I Distribution and Dynamics in Two Late-Type Barred Spiral Galaxies: NGC 925 and NGC 1744

We present H I observations of NGC 925 and NGC 1744, two late-type barred spiral galaxies that are quite comparable in mass and optical morphology. NGC 925 is a very asymmetric galaxy with a strong spiral arm in the south and flocculent arms in the north. The rotation curves of the east and west sides of the galaxy are consistent with this asymmetry as well. In addition, NGC 925's dynamical center may be slightly offset (215, or ~1 kpc) from its optical center. The ratio of the H I to optical diameter of NGC 925 is small compared with other galaxies. We detected a ~107 M⊙ H I cloud and streamer, with little or no stellar component, apparently interacting with NGC 925. While the interaction between NGC 925 and the cloud may be responsible for the observed asymmetries, given the weakness of the interaction we postulate that NGC 925 has suffered other gravitational encounters over the past few gigayears. NGC 1744, on the other hand, is an unperturbed galaxy having a textbook example of a velocity field for a disk galaxy. It has a symmetric, albeit weak, spiral structure. Both NGC 925 and NGC 1744 have small streaming motions (~10 km s-1) associated with the bar and spiral arms.
Analysis of Human Leucocyte Deoxyribonucleohistone by Immuno-electrophoresis on Cellulose Acetate

THE internal composition of the nucleus is still unrevealed to a large extent despite many recent advances. The work described here constitutes a new approach to the problem made possible by a combination of histochemistry and immunoelectrophoresis on cellulose acetate membranes. Kohn1 first introduced cellulose acetate as a supporting membrane for zone electrophoresis, and Consden and Kohn2 showed that this material was elegantly suited to the entire process of immunoelectrophoresis. In this laboratory the techniques were found to be easily reproducible3 and are now being used to study the human leukaemic leucocyte, with particular reference to the nucleus.
Endoscopic radial artery harvesting is better than the open technique

Abstract Background Radial arteries are being used more often for coronary artery bypass grafting. A minimally invasive technique was devised for harvesting vessels and compared with the traditional harvesting technique. Methods In a prospective study of 200 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, 100 patients had traditional open radial artery harvesting and 100 underwent endoscopic radial artery harvesting. All patients had a preoperative modified Allen's test with Doppler imaging. The traditional technique involved a longitudinal incision over the radial aspect of the arm from the wrist to the antecubital fossa. The radial artery was dissected subfascially and removed. The endoscopic technique involved a 3-cm incision over the radial aspect of the arm. A vessel loop was placed around the artery and carbon dioxide was insufflated into the wound. The radial artery was dissected to the brachial artery and ligated with an Endo-loop ligature. The branches were divided with bipolar electrocautery and ligated with clips. Patients were evaluated for postoperative pain, bleeding, neuralgias, infection, and any adverse events. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results All 200 radial arteries were successfully harvested and used as grafts. Patients who had undergone endoscopic radial artery harvesting had significantly fewer major complications than patients who underwent the open technique: hematomas (five versus no complications) or wound infections requiring antibiotics (seven versus one complication). The occurrence of major neuralgias that restricted function were also significantly lower postoperatively and 1, 3, and 6 months later (ten versus one, eight versus one, five versus zero, and one versus zero, respectively). Conclusions Endoscopic radial artery harvesting results in good cosmetic results, useable grafts, and minimal neuralgias. Endoscopic radial artery harvesting is better than traditional open radial artery harvesting.
Hierarchical object recognition in Pelvic CT images

This paper introduces a hierarchical method of recognizing bone tissue from regions extracted from Pelvic CT Images. The method allows distinguishing among segmented objects with similar grey level values, such as bone tissue and regions of active hemorrhage. The method addresses the challenge of correctly segmenting and classifying bone as well as assessing presence of active hemorrhage.
Benchmark carbon stocks from old-growth forests in northern New England, USA

Forests world-wide are recognized as important components of the global carbon cycle. Carbon sequestration has become a recognized forest management objective, but the full carbon storage potential of forests is not well understood. The premise of this study is that old-growth forests can be expected to provide a reasonable estimate of the upper limits of carbon storage for similar forest types in comparable site conditions. We sampled old-growth stands in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire to establish benchmark values for carbon storage in the forests of northern New England. Our specific objectives were: (1) develop estimates of carbon stocks in key live and dead biomass carbon pools of hardwood and softwood forests in northern New England, (2) compare these values to other estimates of carbon stocks in old-growth forests, and (3) compare data collected from mature second-growth forests to the old-growth benchmark values. Twelve sites in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were sampled to estimate total carbon stocks in aboveground live and dead biomass, down dead wood, forest floor, and soil to 20 cm. Total carbon stocks averaged 216 t/ha for northern hardwoods and 267 t/ha in softwood sites, with 116 and 125 t/ha in the aboveground live tree biomass for hardwoods and softwoods, respectively. Our results showed old-growth softwood averaged about 25% more carbon than old-growth hardwood, primarily due to the higher carbon amounts in the thick forest floors characteristic of old-growth softwood. Old-growth hardwoods supported live biomass carbon stocks similar to those in mature hardwood stands (about 80–120 years old), although forest floor stocks in old-growth were about twice as high (a non-significant difference). Overall carbon stocks in mature second-growth hardwoods were 89% of those in old-growth stands; this difference was not statistically significant. Additional work is needed in mature second-growth softwoods; data were not available for comparison to the benchmarks. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Optimizing Biofuel Cell Performance Using a Targeted Mixed Mediator Combination

A study of how mediators might interact with the catabolic pathways of yeast was undertaken with a view towards improving the performance of microbial fuel cells. This work suggests that no single mediator is ideally suited to the task, and that a carefully selected mixture of two targeted mediators (Methylene Blue and Neutral Red) might be optimal. To test this hypothesis a yeast-catalyzed microbial fuel cell was built and empirically evaluated under different mediation conditions. The results clearly show that a judicious mix of the two mediators can indeed achieve significantly superior performance, in terms of power-density, than when either mediator is used singly at the same overall concentration.
A space-saving modification of Davidson's eigenvector algorithm

A modification of Davidson's eigenvalue algorithm, based on the conjugate gradient method, is described. This method needs storage only for a few vectors (five to seven, depending on the implementation), making it practical for very large problems where disk storage is the limiting factor, without the necessity of restarting or discarding some expansion vectors. The convergence characteristics of the modified method are essentially identical with those of the original Davidson method if all expansion vectors are retained in the latter.
Thermodynamics and the glass transition in model energy landscapes.

We determine the liquid-state thermodynamics for a model energy landscape corresponding to soft spheres with a mean-field attraction. We consider two approximations, in which the distribution of potential energy minima is either Gaussian or binomial, and for each we calculate the liquid spinodal, binodal, and “effective” glass transition locus. The resulting models provide a unified description of the liquid state across the complete range from low-temperature glassiness to high-temperature instability with respect to the vapor phase.
Fusion of hard and soft control strategies for left ventricular ejection dynamics arising in biomedicine

A model of left ventricular pumping ejection dynamical process of the circulatory system arising in biomedicine is considered with the objective of minimizing the energy requirements of the heart as the sum of the potential energy stored in the tissues and muscles of the heart and that required for pumping the blood through the circulatory system. The resulting third-order, dynamic model is described in terms of state variables of left ventricular volume, and blood pressure in the aorta and one input or control theory, a closed-loop optimal control technique is developed for the system with fixed boundary conditions and a performance index consisting of mixed state and control functions leading to an inverse matrix differential Riccati equation (IMDRE). Further, to improve the closed-loop performance, a soft control strategy such as an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS)-based intelligent technique is used leading to the fusion of hard control such as optimal control and soft control such as ANFIS. The application of this synergetic or hybrid (hard and soft) control strategy to the circulatory system shows a good agreement between the experimental data compared with the proposed, hybrid-control based theoretical results.
Enhancement of Hazy Color Images Using a Self-Tunable Transformation Function

Vision based outdoor mobile systems are very sensitive to infelicitous weather circumstances like hazy and foggy conditions. The acquisition of image frames in such an environment deteriorates the scene contrast and biases the color information. In order to recover the scene details, we propose a new method which takes a nonlinear approach, where the haze pixel intensity is manipulated effectively with a specially designed sine nonlinear function. This function is integrated with the optics based haze model to approximate the enhanced inverse transmission of the scene. The transformation function is composed with a variable parameter, which tunes automatically, to produce desired nonlinear mapping for each pixel while maintaining the local contrast. Unlike other state-of art haze removal techniques, which operates on local regions, proposed method operates on each pixel to eliminate the blocking artifacts and minimizes the processing complexity. Our experimental results with quantitative measures demonstrate that the proposed technique yields state-of-the-art performance on hazy images and is suitable to process a dynamic video scenes captured in adverse weather conditions.
Experimental and numerical investigation of effect of fuel on ion sensor signal to determine combustion timing in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines

AbstractHomogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines offer promise owing to low emissions and high efficiency. However, the control of the combustion process in HCCI engines, specifically the control of the start of combustion (SOC) or ignition timing, remains a challenge. Piezoelectric pressure transducers are used in research engines for determination of the start of combustion; however, these pressure transducers are too expensive and fragile for applications in commercial engines. Recent work by the authors as well as other investigators has shown the potential of inexpensive ion sensors in HCCI engines fuelled with propane or gasoline. However, the working range of ion sensors is limited in HCCI engines owing, in large part, to the fact that the peak cycle temperature in HCCI combustion is quite low (∼ 1700–1900 K). With the guidance of detailed chemical kinetic modelling it is shown that fuels or additives producing a higher concentration of CH radicals will probably produce higher ion con...
Contact Stress Analysis of Spiral Bevel Gears Using Finite Element Analysis

A procedure is presented for performing three-dimensional stress analysis of spiral bevel gears in mesh using the finite element method. The procedure involves generating a finite element model by solving equations that identify tooth surface coordinates. Coordinate transformations are used to orientate the gear and pinion for gear meshing. Contact boundary conditions are simulated with gap elements. A solution technique for correct orientation of the gap elements is given. Example models and results are presented.
Evaluation of the reproducibility of the formetric 4D measurements for scoliosis

Frequent assessment and monitoring of AIS patients is necessary to determine the progression of spinal deformity. Radiographs are used as the standard-of-care for evaluation, but have negative long-term effects. Surface topography is a safer option for assessment in these patients. The Formetric 4D (DIERS, International GmbH of Schlangenbad, Germany) provides fast and radiation-free mages of the spine position using surface topography. The goal of this study was to measure the reproducibility of the Formetric 4D system in measuring trunk dimensions and scoliosis Cobb angles.
The Literacy Myth: literacy, education and demography

“Literacy Myth refers to the belief, articulated in educational, civic, religious, and other settings, contemporary and historical, that the acquisition of literacy is a necessary precursor to and invariably results in economic development, democratic practice, cognitive enhancement, and upward social mobility [...] Literacy in this formulation has been invested with immeasurable and indeed almost ineffable qualities, purportedly conferring on practitioners a predilection toward social order, an elevated moral sense, and a metaphorical ‘state of grace’ [...] Associated with these beliefs is the conviction that the benefits ascribed to literacy cannot be attained in other ways, nor can they be attributed to other factors, whether economic, political, cultural, or individual. Rather, literacy stands alone as the independent and critical variable. Taken together, these attitudes constitute what Graff has called “the Literacy Myth.”
A novel DP4T antenna switch for dual-band WLAN applications

In this paper, we present a novel DP4T antenna switch with very simple control logic and high power handling capabilities for dual-band WLAN applications. The suggested DP4T switch architecture requires only two control lines. The developed DP4T switch exhibits 1.2 to 1.7 dB of insertion loss, and 27/53 dB to 23/37 dB of isolation at 2.4 GHz and 5.25 GHz, respectively. It also demonstrates 31 dBm of input P0.1dB, 35 dBm of input P1dB in 3/0 V operation, as well as better than -62 dBc of 2nd harmonics and -73 dBc of 3rd harmonics response, respectively. The MMICs are developed in a commercial 0.25-/spl mu/m GaAs pHEMT process. This switch architecture is preferable for Si-based processes because substrate vias are not required due to its generic topology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a DP4T RF switch architecture with very simple control logic for dual-band WLAN applications.
An Interpretation of the Sharp Tuning of the Basilar Membrane Mechanical Response

It has been shown (Khanna and Leonard, 1982) that sharply tuned basilar membrane (BM) responses are seen when the trauma produced in opening the cochlea is reduced to a minimum. In these animals, ear canal sound pressure levels (SPL) show a pressure minimum of 2 to 20 dB in the frequency region 10–30 kHz. The purpose of this paper is to show that the sharp BM tuning is independent of SPL minimums. An interpretation of the sharply tuned mechanical response is given. Its origin is in the sharply tuned mechanical response of the stereocilia bundles of the hair cells.
Temperature dependency of coefficient of hygroscopic swelling of molding compound

Many polymer based materials, such as molding compound and underfill, are commonly used in plastic encapsulated packages. In spite of many advantages, most of them, however, are hydrophilic and absorb moisture when exposed to a humid environment. Moisture absorption induces swelling and deformation in a package and leads to failure in some cases. For example, when polymer materials swell upon absorbing moisture, while the adjacent non-polymeric materials, such as lead frame and silicon chip, do not, this induces hygroscopic mismatch stresses in a package [1]. It has been reported that swelling induced stresses are comparable to thermally induced stresses [2]. In this study, a new faster and accurate CHS (coefficient of hygroscopic swelling) measurement method using DIC (Digital Image Correlation) was proposed to measure CHS of molding compound material at various temperatures (between 25°C to 180°C). With this measurement, temperature dependency of CHS was quantified and reported. In addition to DIC, the results were utilized by the combination of TGA (Thermal Gravitational Analysis)/TMA (Thermal Mechanical Analyzer) method and finite element analysis (FEA).
Necessary conditions for weak lower semicontinuity on domains with infinite measure

We derive sharp necessary conditions for weak sequential lower semicontinuity of integral functionals on Sobolev spaces, with an integrand which only depends on the gradient of a scalar field over a domain in . An emphasis is put on domains with infinite measure, and the integrand is allowed to assume the value .
The Influence of Lattice Strain on Single Vacancy and Krypton Atom Diffusion in Uranium Dioxide

Nuclear fuel pins exhibit distortions in the UO2 lattice in response to temperature gradients, defects and the introduction of fission product (FP) gases. These distortions can have a significant influence on the activation barriers associated with fission product gas diffusion. A predictive understanding of this relationship is particularly relevant to anticipating the evolution of fission product gases during rapid temperature transients. Density Functional Theory (DFT) has the capacity to provide a relationship between lattice distortion and FP gas diffusivity by generating estimates of dilation dependent activation energies. As a first step in this direction, the relation between lattice dilation and activation energy for isolated vacancies within an otherwise pristine block of alpha-quartz is quantified, where precise experimental data is readily available. The results lend confidence to the basic approach which is based on a one-shot transition state method, developed to lessen the computational resources required by the full transition state method. This technique is first applied to α-quartz for O vacancy hopping and diamond-Si for Si vacancy hopping. The method is subsequently extended to consider isolated uranium vacancies in UO2. This in turn is further generalized to estimate the activation volume for Kr atoms in UO2. Thus two different types of defects are considered; those of species native to the material and, in the case of UO2, FP gases introduced through the fission process.
Case Study: Nitrogen Cycling on Pasture-Based Dairy Farms

ABSTRACT Most animal waste management plans for pasture-based dairy farms use estimates for the amount of manure produced and the yields of forage removed to design the waste plan. A trial was conducted to demonstrate how dairy producers could document agronomic nutrient application and removal on pasture-based dairy farms. This challenge was fairly complex because grazing animals are constantly harvesting forage and depositing manure. This work was conducted on a 160-head Holstein grazing dairy over 2 yr. The operator received a customized animal waste management plan, calibration of manure-handling equipment, and a detailed farm map. Standing forage was estimated daily, before and after grazing, by using a rising-plate meter, and measurements were recorded. Soil samples were taken at a depth of 30 cm at the end of each growing season (October 1) and tested for nitrates to determine N application residues. Estimated annual standing grass yields ranged from 8,736 to 21,056 kg DM/ha, with a mean of 16,912 kg. This DM was the equivalent of 225 to 659 kg N/ha removed. The dairy producer found this increased level of management rewarding because he had actual data to make decisions. Additionally, this increased management was more profitable. The second-year estimated grass yields increased 19.6% (3,182 kg/ha) in total DM produced over 1 yr. This project successfully demonstrated a new model of tracking N applications and removal in pasture-based dairy farms.
College Scholarships as a Tool for Economic Development? Evidence From the Kalamazoo Promise:

On November 10, 2005, the Kalamazoo Public School District announced that a group of anonymous donors had funded a new college scholarship program for district graduates named the Kalamazoo Promise...
Using LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT and LEJOS in an Advanced Software Engineering Course

This paper describes the benefits of using LeJOS and the Lego Mindstorms NXT set for teaching advanced software development. While Lego Mindstorms has been used in introduction to computer science courses, it is not reported to be widely used in a simulated production environment requiring such things as threading, network communications, and the implementation of command protocols. Additionally, because the Mindstorms NXT system supports Bluetooth communications with multiple devices, it is possible to use this system as the basis for a complex, communicating system requiring multiple software artifacts on different machines.
Remembering Lynn Steen: A Steen-Numeracy Citation Index (2008-2015)

This editorial memorializes Lynn Arthur Steen (1941-2015) with a bibliographic resource that indexes all of his writings (papers, books, edited volumes, and papers contained therein) that are cited in papers in Numeracy. The citation index contains 67 cited works, each accompanied with a list of linked Numeracy papers that cite them. All told, there are 68 such citing papers (called sources); they cite the 67 cited works a total of 290 times and are listed alphabetically in a source index with links. The paired citation and source indexes provide a vehicle for easy browsing by which those familiar with Lynn Steen’s works can easily be refreshed and reminded, while those who are new to QL can quickly come to an understanding of the importance of the concept and get an appreciation of Lynn Steen’s impact on the field. It is worth emphasizing that all of the source papers and many of the cited works are open access. It is hoped that this resource will facilitate hours of happy and thought-provoking reading and a deeper understanding of quantitative literacy.
The Misdirected Debate and the Small Business Stock Exclusion

In this article, Viard argues that the tax policy debate’s misdirected focus on helping small business has weakened the push for marginal tax rate reduction and promoted the rise of inefficient and complex policies, such as the section 1202 small business stock exclusion.
Tax Court Fumbles Substance-Over-Form Ball in Estate of Brown

Tax lawyers are abuzz over Tax Court Judge David Laro’s aggressive application of the substance-over-form doctrine in ACM Partnership v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1997-115. In that case, Judge Laro rejected Colgate-Palmolive’s use of the contingent payment installment sales rules to shelter $100 million of gain. In contrast, Tax Court Judge John O. Colvin recently rejected the Service’s substance-over-form argument in Estate of Brown v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1997-195, thereby permitting control of the Cincinnati Bengals football team to pass to the children of the team’s founder free of over $30 million of estate tax. The decision creates a quasi-business judgment rule in the estate tax - whatever a closely held company and the estate planning advisers of a major shareholder decide to do to shift control of the company to the shareholder’s children seemingly is automatically imbued with a business purpose as long as an unrelated shareholder receives sufficient cash to go along with the transaction. Although the technique may be difficult for other sports plutocrats to replicate, Estate of Brown gives credence in the estate tax context to matters of form rightfully scorned by ACM Partnership in the income tax context.
Linked in: immunologic membrane nanotube networks

Membrane nanotubes, also termed tunneling nanotubes, are F-actin-based structures that can form direct cytoplasmic connections and support rapid communication between distant cells. These nanoscale conduits have been observed in diverse cell types, including immune, neuronal, stromal, cancer, and stem cells. Until recently, little was known about the mechanisms involved in membrane nanotube development in myeloid origin APCs or how membrane nanotube networks support their ability to bridge innate and adaptive immunity. New research has provided insight into the modes of induction and regulation of the immune process of "reticulation" or the development of multicellular membrane nanotube networks in dendritic cells. Preprogramming by acute type 1 inflammatory mediators at their immature stage licenses mature type 1-polarized dendritic cells to reticulate upon subsequent interaction with CD40 ligand-expressing CD4(+) Th cells. Dendritic cell reticulation can support direct antigen transfer for amplification of specific T cell responses and can be positively or negatively regulated by signals from distinct Th cell subsets. Membrane nanotubes not only enhance the ability of immature dendritic cells to sense pathogens and rapidly mobilize nearby antigen-presenting cells in the peripheral tissues but also likely support communication of pathogen-related information from mature migratory dendritic cells to resident dendritic cells in lymph nodes. Therefore, the reticulation process facilitates a coordinated multicellular response for the efficient initiation of cell-mediated adaptive immune responses. Herein, we discuss studies focused on the molecular mechanisms of membrane nanotube formation, structure, and function in the context of immunity and how pathogens, such as HIV-1, may use dendritic cell reticulation to circumvent host defenses.
Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Multiple Sclerosis

This Evidence Connection describes a case report of a woman with an exacerbation of multiple sclerosis (MS), applying the evidence for intervention from the systematic reviews on MS that were conducted in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Evidence-Based Practice Project. The occupational therapy assessment and treatment processes for an inpatient rehabilitation setting are described. Evidence Connection articles provide a clinical application of systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the AOTA's Evidence-Based Practice Project.
Problems and Prospects of Studying Immigrant Adaptation from the 1990 Population Census: From Generational Comparisons to the Process of "Becoming American.".

With the loss of the question on parental birthplace in the 1980 and 1990 censuses, there are serious obstacles to current research on immigrant adaption based on the traditional logic of intergene...
MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL MODELS: I. CANONICAL CORRELATION '

Behavioral researchers are advised to invoke multivariate data models when the data are such that the analysis will produce optimally interpretable results. The complete case for multivariate use, of course, can be found in any number of contemporary multivariate texts, e.g., Cooley and Lohnes (19711, Harris (1975), Monge and Cappella (1980), and Marascuilo and Levin (1983). Unfortunately, writers of textbooks and tehcal articles often surpass the competence of the typical researcher. Answers to the most basic questions may require that he wade through thousands of words with no guarantee that specific questions will be addressed. Here are discussed some of the most frequently asked questions about one model, canonical correlation. While discussion of the basic canonical algorithm would extend this note and duplicate what is available elsewhere, some familiarity with the model is assumed. Source of variables. Carefully chosen variables that theory and research suggest might be related are appropriate. Shotgun empiricism should be avoided. Number ofvariables. Theoretically, there is no limit. Practically, the smaller the number in each of the two sets, the more clear the results are likely to be. The optimum number is ten in each set. Minimum canonical correlation coefficient is set at .30. Number of interprehble roots. Most of the important information is likely to be contained in the first two roots.
Thoracoscopic techniques for the management of intrathoracic metastases. Results.

Background: The authors reviewed a series of 74 patients with cancer metastatic to the chest cavity undergoing thoracoscopic procedures. Indications, feasibility, and outcome of thoracoscopy were analyzed. Methods: Perioperative and survival data on patients undergoing 89 operative thoracoscopic procedures between January 1991 and August 1993 were retrieved from a prospective database. These procedures included pulmonary wedge resection (n= 61), lobectomy (n= 2), pleurodesis (n= 11), pleural biopsy (n= 7), decortication (n= 1), and mediastinal mass resection (n= 2). In 13 cases, combined procedures were performed. Five thoracoscopies were converted to open thoracotomies to facilitate resection. Results: Thoracoscopic pulmonary resections were performed for either diagnostic (n= 45) or curative (n= 18) intent. Diagnostic thoracoscopies were done for lesions in which less invasive biopsy attempts had failed to provide tissue, or that were considered too small for successful percutaneous biopsy. Thoracoscopic diagnostic accuracy was 100%. For the 18 patients undergoing potentially curative resection, mean follow-up is 15.4 months. Sixteen of these patients are currently alive, and eight are free of disease. Five complications related to the procedure included persistent air leak (n= 2), atrial fibrillation (n= 2), and urinary retention (n= 1). Overall hospital stay for thoracoscopic lung resection was 4.6 ± 2.2 days, for converted open thoracotomy 6.8 ± 1.9 days, and for patients undergoing pleurodesis 8.9 ± 5.3 days. Mean chest tube duration after thoracoscopic resection was 2.6 ± 1.6 days. Conclusions: Thoracoscopic procedures are safe, well tolerated, and useful for diagnosis and treatment of selected patients with suitable intrathoracic metastatic disease.
Condition critical: intervening in health-care teams and working relationships: a commentary.

It is widely acknowledged that the delivery of health care has been made more complex by a number of factors including technology, information, organizational arrangements, and the increasing burden of chronic illness. This increase in complexity has underscored the need for more effective teamwork and working relationships among health care providers. Although professional education groups such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have mandated competencies such as “work effectively as a member or leader of a health care team or other professional group” since at least 2007, it is clear from both research and anecdotal accounts that there is still room for significant development in this area.
Surgery nursing of vein endovenous laser therapy combined with foam sclerotherapy in treatment of varicose great saphenous veins

Objective: To investigate surgical nursing techniques of laser intracavity combined foam sclerosing agent injection in treatment of varicosis great saphenous vein.Methods: 78 cases(104 lower extremities) suffered great saphenous vein varicosis were treated with laser intracavity combined foam sclerosing agent injection.A retrospective analysis of surgical nursing were applied.Results: The surgery process in 78 cases with 104 lower extremities was smooth,Non complication occurrence,postoperative recovery were good.Conclusion: The laser intracavity combined foam sclerosing agent injection to varicosis great saphenous vein is simple,safe,effective technique.It improved single treatment of varicose veins.The surgical care to the technology is more perfect and important.
Structure optimum design of double wheel and direct balance pumping-units

The conventional pumping-unit runs unevenly and with high energy consumption.In this paper,we has designed a new double wheel and direct balance pumping-unit,whose main structure is optimized.We have analyzed its running performance and power performance.Analysis shows that the moment maximum are reduced by 37.40% in comparison with the CYJ10-3-53HB pumping-unit.with the negative moment being removed,the effect of power saving is obvious.
Analysis on Technical Line Losses of Power Grids and Countermeasures to Reduce Line Losses

According to measured results of loads in power grids, the distribution and composition of technical line losses of power grids are analyzed by theoretical calculation of line losses. Based on the theoretical calculation results of line losses by State Grid Corporation of China in the year of 2005, the main problems of technical line losses of power grids in China are analyzed and corresponding countermeasures to reduce technical line losses are proposed.
Application of Fuzzy Theory to CDMA Soft Hand-off

Conventional soft hand-off generally uses constant thresholds.If the constant threshold is set too small,then it will occupy more traffic channels;if it is too large,then it will reduce soft hand-off and increase interruption rates of conversation.The application and simulation of the fuzzy theory in soft hand-off thresholds of direct-sequence code-division multiple-access mobile communication systems are studied.The soft hand-off thresholds are considered to depend on two inputs,the number of the remaining traffic channels(CH_(rm))and the number of base stations connected to each mobile station(no_(BS)).The defuzzification scheme uses the weighted average formula and triangular membership functions of T_DROP,CH_(rs)and no_(BS).Simulation shows that fuzzy soft hand-off is more flexible than conventional soft hand-off,because it depends on the system circumstances and gives thresholds dynamically and it yields lower call blocking probability and higher trunk-resource efficiency.
How Do Carrier-carrier Interactions in GaAs Depend on the Carrier Distribution?

Carrier-carrier interactions play an important role in determining the performance of fast electronic and optoelectronic devices. They are also very difficult to model, especially when the carrier distributions are far from equilibrium. The difficulties arise primarily from an inability to treat collective effects such as screening and the formation of plasmons, which play a key role in carrier-carrier scattering processes in semiconductors.1-4 These effects should be influenced by the energy distribution of the carriers.1 As a simple illustration of how the carrier distribution affects the scattering, a hot plasma has been predicted to provide weaker screening than a cold plasma.5 In recent publications,6,7 it was suggested that coherence effects on carrier-carrier interactions should be included when the carriers are generated by subpicosecond laser pulses. Experimentally, there has not yet been a direct quantitative comparison of carrier-carrier scattering rates from electron-hole (e-h) plasmas which have the same density but very different energy distributions, although both thermal8 and non-thermal9,10 carrier distributions have been separately studied.
The units of scientific anthropological origin narratives

Biological anthropology often treats its species as if they were natural, zoological units. While biologists sometimes acknowledge the contested aspects of species, I argue that the taxa in our own ancestry are different from those in zoology more generally, by virtue of their roles as characters or elements in our scientific origin myth.