cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of exchanging large blocks of power between unsynchronized grids by purely electromechanical means

Conventional wisdom says that a solid state AC/DC/AC conversion system must be used between tie points of nonsynchronized grid systems or synchronized grid systems for which the phase angle difference is too large. In a previous paper by the author (see IEEE Trans. Power Deliv., vol.14, no.1 1999), a method is described for solving the large phase angle problem in synchronized systems. Necessary design criteria are given. The method allows control of power flow in either direction and uses only variable linear elements. This paper shows that it is practical to design an electromechanical machine to control power flow in either direction at a tie between either synchronized or unsynchronized grids such as the East and West grids of the United States. The technology is simple, state of the art, and even allows direct ties between 50 and 60 Hz systems, a feature perhaps of value in other parts of the world. Work described is both theoretical and experimental.
The Rights-Based Approach to Intellectual Property and Access to Medicine: Parameters and Pitfalls

Access to essential medicines is a fundamental component of the human right to adequate health. In the face of global pandemics, rising drug costs continue to attract a great deal of attention and have opened up a space for the broader conversation around the interaction of states’ human rights obligations with their international financial commitments, particularly in the realm of trade and intellectual property. Patent protections can interfere with access to medicine in critical ways, resulting in a “global drug gap” wherein novel drugs are often inaccessible to most of the world’s population. It has been suggested that the human right to health offers a valuable framework for addressing this gap. This Paper will appear in a forthcoming collection entitled “Balancing Wealth and Health: Global Administrative Law and the Battle over Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines in Latin America” (Rochelle Dreyfuss and Cesar Rodriguez Garavito, eds.). It analyzes the parameters and pitfalls of a rights-based approach to access to medicines, focusing on the work of international human rights bodies, mechanisms, and procedures on the question of balancing intellectual property and human rights. Part I outlines both the broad and specific parameters of the rights-based approach to intellectual property and access to medicine, while Part II addresses the impediments and obstacles to implementing such an approach in practice. These obstacles arise in connection to key inter-related deficits in international human rights law around the issues of legitimacy, accountability, and domestic capacity. The Paper concludes that the full and equitable realization of the right to adequate health depends greatly on the capacity and political inclination of domestic actors to enforce international norms.
Enhanced toxicity for mice of combinations of antibiotics with escherichia coli cells or salmonella typhosa endotoxin.

Enhanced lethality for BALB/c mice has been observed after the administration of Salmonella typhosa endotoxin with either actinomycin D, cycloheximide, or nogalamycin. The dose of actinomycin D required to kill half of the mice (LD50) was 0.8 mg/kg in normal animals, 0.35 mg/kg in mice administered 0.08 mg of endotoxin per kg, and 0.28 mg/kg in mice administered 0.2 mg of endotoxin per kg. The LD50 of endotoxin in normal mice was 12 mg/kg and in mice given 0.4 mg of actinomycin D per kg was 0.067 mg/kg. The LD50 of actinomycin D in mice administered 1.8 × 108 live Escherichia coli cells per kg or 1.8 × 109 heat-killed E. coli cells per kg was reduced to 0.4 mg/kg. The LD50 of cycloheximide was 181 mg/kg in normal animals and 28 mg/kg in mice administered 4 mg of endotoxin per kg. The LD50 of endotoxin in mice given 120 mg of cycloheximide per kg was 0.02 mg/kg. Enhanced lethality due to various combinations of cycloheximide and endotoxin was abolished by pretreatment of mice with endotoxin. The LD50 of nogalamycin was 21 mg/kg in normal mice and 13 mg/kg in mice receiving 1 mg of endotoxin per kg.
Lysine substitutions near photoactive cofactors in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center have opposite effects on the rate of triplet energy transfer

Rates of triplet energy transfer have been investigated by time-resolved pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in mutant photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) from both Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides and R. capsulatus. Mutant RCs of both species harbor lysines in place of native residues of the L subunit at position 178 or 181 near monomeric bacteriochlorophyll BB. Analysis of kinetic measurements acquired throughout a range of temperatures demonstrated an increased rate of triplet transfer in the L178Ser ! Lys (‘‘L178K’’) mutant RCs and a decreased rate in the L181Phe ! Lys (‘‘L181K’’) mutant RCs from both species relative to their respective wild types. Activation energies extracted from Arrhenius plots suggest that triplet transfer in the L178K mutant RC is nearly isoenergetic with wild-type transfer while triplet transfer in the L181K mutant RC requires significantly less activation energy. This latter finding is counter to the observation of slower triplet transfer in the L181K mutant RC. Preliminary structural data offer evidence for direct ligation between the L181 lysine side chain and the central magnesium of BB, but the side chain of L178K is disordered. Our spectroscopic data suggest that these lysine substitutions elicit opposing changes in the relative geometric orientation of BB and that subtle changes in the protein environment can have dramatic and opposing effects on the rates of the photoprotective triplet energy transfer reaction. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Toward Philosophy of Science's Social Engagement

In recent years, philosophy of science has witnessed a significant increase in attention directed toward the field’s social relevance. This is demonstrated by the formation of societies with related agendas, the organization of research symposia, and an uptick in work on topics of immediate public interest. The collection of papers that follows results from one such event: a 3-day colloquium on the subject of socially engaged philosophy of science (SEPOS) held at the University of Cincinnati in October 2012. In this introduction, we first survey the recent history of philosophy of science’s social involvement (or lack thereof) and contrast this with the much greater social involvement of the sciences themselves. Next, we argue that the field of philosophy of science bears a special responsibility to contribute to public welfare. We then introduce as a term of art “SEPOS” and articulate what we take to be distinctive about social engagement, with reference to the articles in this collection as exemplars. Finally, we survey the current state of social engagement in philosophy of science and suggest some practical steps for individuals and institutions to support this trajectory.
The Biology of the Book-Louse, Troctes Divinatoria, Mull

The book-louse, a more or less cosmopolitan insect, was definitely brought to the attention of the author several years ago by the finding of heavy infestations in corn meal. Samples of this infested meal were placed in small wide-mouthed glass stoppered jars. After a period of six months or so the jars were fairly teeming with book-lice in various stages of growth. A careful study of the specimens proved that they were all of one species, Troctes divinatoria Mull. This source of material has furnished specimens for the life history studies considered in this paper, and the paper is written with special emphasis on the use of the book-louse in classes in Entomology.
Low-energy optical absorption in α-U metal*

Optical absorption measurements with polycrystalline α-uranium between 0.15 and 2.0 eV at near-normal incidence and 4.2 K revealed structure at 0.34, ∼0.77, and ∼1.3 eV. These results are in contrast with those for other actinides where the low energy reflectance was reported to be featureless.
Electroencephalographic, behavioral, and c-fos responses to acute domoic acid exposure.

Abstract Domoic acid, a potent excitotoxic analogue of glutamate and kainate, may cause seizures, amnesia, and sometimes death in humans consuming contaminated shellfish. Continuous behavioral observations and recordings of the electrocorticogram (ECoG, via bipolar, epidural electrodes) were obtained from nonanesthetized rats for 2 h after intraperitoneal injection with either saline, 2.2, or 4.4 mg/kg of domoic acid. Rats were then sacrificed for c- fos immunohistochemistry. Fast Fourier transformation (FFT) of the ECoG data to obtain the voltage as a function of frequency indicated that the lower frequency bands (theta, 4.75–6.75 Hz and delta, 1.25–4.50 Hz) were the first to respond, with a significant elevation by 30 min after the high dose of domoic acid. The lower dose of domoic acid also caused a significant elevation of ECoG voltage, but not until later in the session. Sixty minutes after dosing, the behavioral biomarkers of “ear scratching” and “rearing, praying” (RP) seizures became significantly elevated in the high-dose rats. The low-dose rats showed no significant alterations in behavior at any time during the session. In postmortem brains obtained immediately after the sessions, c- fos was activated in the anterior olfactory nucleus by both the low and high doses of domoic acid. However, only the high dose increased c- fos immunoreactivity in the hippocampus, affecting both the granule and pyramidal neurons. These data indicate that electroencephalographic and c- fos responses can be obtained at a dose of domoic acid that fails to activate the behavioral response most commonly used as a bioassay for this marine toxin: ear scratching with the ipsilateral foot.
ADVANCES IN RITZ VECTOR IDENTIFICATION

Ritz vectors represent an alternative to mode shapes as suitable basis vectors for n-dimensional system analysis. In numerical studies, these vectors have been shown to offer superior performance in model reduction and time simulations. They also appear to be more sensitive to structural damage than traditional mode shapes. An approach to extract Ritz vectors from measured dynamic data has been developed, and the measured Ritz vectors have been shown to be identical to those obtained using analytical procedures. However, the identification process did not consider the effects of noise in the measured data or the presence of structural damping. In this paper, a new Ritz vector identification algorithm is developed which accounts for the presence of damping. It is shown for the case of proportional or modest structural damping that the new algorithm is able to recover the undamped Ritz vectors from damped structural responses. To address the issue of noise, the first Ritz vector accuracy indicator is develo...
Vibrational circular dichroism measurements of ligand vibrations in haem and non-haem metalloenzymes

We have measured the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of the stretching vibrations of azide and cyanide ligated to the Fe3+ atoms of haemoglobin (Hb) and myoglobin (Mb). The antisymmetric azide-stretch of the low-spin haems have an anomalously large g-value of ca. -1 x 10(-3). In contrast, CN- has a g-value of ca. +2.4 x 10(-3). We also show, for the first time, that a significant VCD occurs for the azide ligand antisymmetric stretches of non-haem proteins; we measure a g-value of ca. -1 x 10(-4) for azide bound to haemerythrin. We have examined the mechanism of the VCD phenomenon by: (1) reconstituting Mb with haems substituted such that they insert differently in the haem pocket; (2) replacing the Fe3+ with Mn3+; (3) examining proteins where replacements occur for E-7 His and E-11 Val distal amino acids close to the haem and (4) examining an Mb mutant where the proximal F-8 His is replaced by Gly, and where an imidazole ligand inserts into the resulting crevice and binds to the haem in a way similar to that of the proximal histidine in the native protein. The VCD anisotropy appears insensitive to the haem substituent replacements used in this study. Exchange of the E-7 distal His or the E-11 Val has a dramatic effect on the g-value. Exchange of the F-8 proximal His reverses the sign of the g-value for the azide complex, but not for the cyanide complex. The work to date indicates that VCD has the potential to become a sensitive technique for examining the structure of metalloenzymes. Work is needed to determine the mechanism giving rise to the large g-values and to correlate the VCD spectrum with the metalloenzyme structure at the active site.
A double-blind evaluation of gabapentin on alcohol effects and drinking in a clinical laboratory paradigm.

Introduction: There has been increasing interest in the use of anticonvulsant agents in the treatment of alcoholism. Anticonvulsant agents have mostly been evaluated as an alternative to benzodiazepines in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. Among the advantages of using anticonvulsant agents in this capacity is their purported lack of interaction with alcohol (i.e., interactions that could increase psychomotor deficits, cognitive impairment, and increase intoxication). This is particularly important in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal and relapse prevention in outpatients. Unfortunately, these untoward clinical interactions between anticonvulsants and alcohol in alcoholic patients have not been thoroughly assessed. The current clinical laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the anticonvulsant gabapentin in alcoholic subjects. In addition, the ability of gabapentin to reduce alcohol craving and consumption was evaluated. Methods: Thirty-five non-treatment–seeking alcoholic subjects were enrolled in a subacute human laboratory study and received double-blind treatment with up to 1,200 mg of gabapentin (n=18) or placebo (n=17) for 8 days. The safety and tolerability of gabapentin were monitored in the natural environment during the first 5 days of medication treatment and during a free-choice limited access consumption paradigm following an initial drink of alcohol in a bar–lab setting on Day 7. Results: There was no overall effect of gabapentin on drinking or craving; however, it was tolerated (e.g., mood and sedation) as well as placebo over 5 days of natural drinking. During the bar–lab drinking session, there were no differences in subjective high or intoxication between subjects treated with gabapentin or placebo. Discussion: This study provides initial evidence that the anticonvulsant gabapentin is safe if used in conjunction with alcohol consumption in alcoholic individuals. Further study is needed with this and other lab models to determine the utility and safety of gabapentin in the treatment of alcoholism.
Preoperative intervention does not affect esophageal muscle histology or patient outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic Heller myotomy

Botox injection and pneumatic dilation are common therapies for achalasia. We sought to determine the impact of these preoperative therapies on esophageal muscle histology and outcomes after laparoscopic Heller myotomy. A total of 73 consecutive patients had esophageal muscle biopsies taken from the gastroesophageal junction at the time of myotomy between November 1998 and November 2001. Muscle fibrosis was graded by a senior pathologist who was blinded to preoperative treatments and postoperative outcomes. Patients graded their dysphagia and heartburn symptoms before and after myotomy and graded their outcomes at follow-up. Patients were grouped according to the preoperative endoscopic treatment (dilation, Botox, both, or neither) and the groups were compared. Preoperative therapy did not correlate with esophageal fibrosis or postoperative outcomes, and the degree of esophageal muscle fibrosis was not predictive of outcome. Symptom scores improved significantly for dysphagia (4.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.6 +/- 1.6) and heartburn (2.3 +/- 1.8 vs. 1.5 +/- 1.4) irrespective of preoperative therapy or fibrosis. Overall, excellent or good outcomes were obtained in 92% of patients at follow-up of 15.7 months +/- 14.4. Successful outcomes are highly probable after laparoscopic Heller myotomy regardless of preoperative interventions. The amount of fibrosis in the esophageal muscle is not related to preoperative intervention and is not predictive of outcomes.
Transformation of phosphomolybdates into an active catalyst with potential application in hydroconversion processes

Abstract Conversion of phosphomolybdates under typical hydroprocessing conditions were investigated since they are known to be transformed into active catalysts for hydroconversion processes. This paper reports the reaction of phosphomolybdic acid (PMA), nickel phosphomolybdate (NiPM), cobalt phosphomolybdate (CoPM) and potassium phosphomolybdate (KPM) in He, H 2 and H 2 S–H 2 at temperatures up to 450°C. The phosphomolybdates sulfided at 300, 350, 400 and 450°C were analyzed by FT-IR, Raman, XRD and XPS. These phosphomolybdates are stable in both He and H 2 until they lose their crystalline water. However, in the presence of H 2 S, sulfur is incorporated into the structure rapidly. Although sulfur incorporation up to 300°C is low, it increases considerably as the sulfidation temperature increases. The S/Mo ratios in the sulfided materials show that sulfur uptakes into the structures are less than two for PMA, NiPM and CoPM whereas it was 2.1 for KPM at a sulfidation temperature of 450°C. Spectroscopic analyses suggest that the products from the sulfidation of phosphomolybdates may be NiO or CoO, MoS 2 , P 2 O 3 or K 4 P 2 O 7 and a molybdenum oxide (MoO x ) or a molybdenum oxysulfide (MoO x S y ), The oxidation state of Mo decreased to 3.8+, 4.8+, 4.6+ and 5.4+ at 300°C, and 3.8+, 4.2+, 4.2+ and 4.4+ at 450°C for the sulfided PMA, NiPM, CoPM and KPM materials, respectively. Results indicate that the active catalyst in hydroconversion processes does not resemble the Keggin anion. The active catalysts may be a mixed oxisulfides and some bulk metal sulfides.
Numerical simulations of intense charged-particle beam propagation in a dielectric wake-field accelerator

The propagation of an intense electron beam through a long dielectric tube is a critical issue for the successful demonstration of the dielectric wake-field acceleration scheme. Due to the head-tail beam breakup instability, a high-current beam cannot propagate long distances without external focusing. In this paper we examine the beam handling and control problem in the dielectric wake-field accelerator. We show that, by using an externally applied focusing and defocusing channel around the dielectric tube, a 150-MeV, 40-nC beam can be controlled and will propagate up to 5 m without significant particle losses for the proposed 15.6-GHz dielectric structures. We have also studied the case of a 100-nC beam propagating in a 20-GHz dielectric structure. Particle dynamics of the accelerated beam is also studied. Our results show that for typical dielectric wake-field accelerator structures, the head-tail instability of the accelerated beam can be conveniently controlled in the same way as the drive beam. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
With or against nature? IVF, gender and reproductive agency in Athens, Greece.

Based on ethnographic research in Athens, this paper argues that in vitro fertilization (IVF) in urban Greece does not so much make explicit the social construction of nature, as has been argued of the US and UK, but is accommodated into a prior understanding of ‘‘nature’’ as socially realized. Calling upon an ethic of maternal sacrifice, Athenian women see themselves taking charge of a natural process, often correcting damage done to them by nature. A sense that adults should produce children in order to realize their natures and be completed as women and men also poses particular, and gendered, ethical questions of fertility technologies: is this a proper way of realizing nature? While those who successfully use IVF depict assisted conception as ‘‘a natural’’ and ‘‘proper way of reproduction,’’ some fear that others will view their child as abnormal. Contests over ‘‘normal’’ reproduction are articulated to a tradition/modernity dichotomy which Athenians discuss through an idiom of maturity. Believing that Greek society is not always mature enough to understand how natural IVF really is, couples turning to IVF follow one of the two strategies: to educate others or to completely hide it. Both groups want to guard against a view of IVF—in the terms of this volume—as a kind of ‘‘reproduction gone awry.’’ r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effective treatment of spontaneous metastases derived from a poorly immunogenic murine mammary carcinoma by combined dendritic–tumor hybrid vaccination and adoptive transfer of sensitized T cells

Curative immunotherapy against spontaneous metastases of poorly immunogenic tumors has been difficult to demonstrate, but it is highly relevant to clinical disease conditions. The 4T1 mammary carcinoma shares many characteristics of human mammary cancer. Here, mice with 4T1 spontaneous metastases were treated effectively with a combination of dendritic (DC)-tumor hybrid vaccination and adoptive transfer of tumor-draining lymph node-derived immune T cells. This strategy significantly prolonged survival and cured some mice. In this model, the combined immunotherapy induced a dramatic increase of T cells in the lung where metastases were located and in the spleen where tumor was not present. The mechanism of increasing numbers of T cells is likely attributed to the ability of DC-tumor hybrids to stimulate vigorous proliferation of adoptively transferred T cells rather than to promote their infiltration into tumor-harboring and lymphoid organs. Taken together, the combined approach may be useful for clinical development of cancer immunotherapy.
Ka-band high efficiency asymmetric MMIC power combiner for space communications

A novel Ka-band (32.05 + 0.25 GHz) high efficiency asymmetric waveguide four-port combiner for coherent combining of two monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers having unequal outputs has been successfully designed, fabricated and characterised. The measured combiner efficiency is greater than 90%, the return loss greater than 18 dB and isolation greater than 22 dB. Applications considered are NASA's space communications systems needing 8-15 W of RF power.
Photorespiration stoichiometry in leaves estimated by combined physical and stereochemical methods: Allowance for isomerase-catalyzed 3H losses in ribulose bisphosphate regeneration

We showed previously [K.R. Hanson and R.B. Peterson (1986) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 246, 332-346] that under steady-state photosynthetic conditions the fraction of ribulose bisphosphate oxidized and the fraction of glycolate carbon photorespired (the stoichiometry of photorespiration) may be estimated in leaves by a combination of physical and stereochemical methods. The calculations assumed that when (3R)-D-[3-3H1,3-14C]glyceric acid is supplied to illuminated leaf discs the only loss of 3H from the combined photosynthetic and photorespiratory system is the result of glycolate oxidase action; i.e., the isomerase-catalyzed losses in the regeneration of ribulose bisphosphate are negligible. The present study of tobacco leaf discs under zero-photorespiration conditions (low O2 and high CO2 concentrations), and also of maize leaf discs, shows that some 3H losses occur (between 8 and 13% of the 3H at C-1 of ribulose 5-phosphate). The calculated loss varied moderately with temperature but did not vary when the flux of ribulose bisphosphate formation was altered by changing the irradiance. The calculated loss under zero-photorespiration conditions, therefore, may be used to calculate ribulose bisphosphate and glycolate partitioning under other conditions. Earlier experiments on the influence of O2 and CO2 concentrations of temperature on the partitioning of ribulose bisphosphate and glycolate have been reexamined. The loss corrections decreased all values for the fraction of ribulose bisphosphate oxidized and increased all values for the stoichiometry of photorespiration. Essentially all stoichiometry values were above the theoretical lower limit of 25%. The previous conclusion that the stoichiometry of photorespiration substantially exceeds 25% at higher O2 concentrations and higher temperatures is unchanged. The results with maize leaf discs implied that there is very little oxidation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate under normal-air conditions; i.e., photorespiration is indeed suppressed, not merely hidden, by efficient refixation of CO2.
Time, Revolution, and Prescriptive Right in Hume's Theory of Government

Hume's theory of government and allegiance falls into two parts. In its better known segment Hume explains the conjectural origin of government in general as a convention necessary to enforce the rules of justice and provide other public goods, and he grounds the general duty of allegiance on the utility of government in making stable social life possible. To his credit, however, Hume goes on to give separate treatment to the topic of what he terms the ‘objects of allegiance”, or rules for assessing the legitimacy of particular political regimes or rulers. Given the general desirability of government and of obedience to it, we might nevertheless ask what entitles the particular government in existence to rule over us; more pressingly, there might be competing claimants to this position. What standards should guide our decision about where our allegiance is due when there is more than one alternative?
Developmental Trajectories of Acculturation: Links With Family Functioning and Mental Health in Recent-Immigrant Hispanic Adolescents

The present study was designed to examine acculturative changes, and their effects on mental health and family functioning, in recent-immigrant Hispanic adolescents. A sample of 302 Hispanic adolescents was assessed five times over a 2½-year period. Participants completed measures of Hispanic and U.S. practices, collectivist and individualist values, and ethnic and U.S. identity at each time point. Baseline and Time 5 levels of mental health and family functioning were also assessed. Latent class growth analyses produced two-class solutions for practices, values, and identifications. Adolescents who increased over time in practices and values reported the most adaptive mental health and family functioning. Adolescents who did not change in any acculturation domain reported the least favorable mental health and family functioning.
Biomass and Production of Benthic Microalgal Communities in Estuarine Habitats

Accurate measures of intertidal benthic microalgal standing stock (biomass) and productivity are needed to quantify their potential contribution to food webs. Oxygen microelectrode techniques, used in this study, provide realistic measures of intertidal benthic microalgal production. By dividing a salt-marsh estuary into habitat types, based on sediment and sunlight characteristics, we have developed a simple way of describing benthic microalgal communities. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare benthic microalgal biomass and production in five different estuarine habitats over an 18-mo period to document the relative contributions of benthic microalgal productivity in the different habitat types. Samples were collected bimonthly from April 1990 to October 1991. Over the 18-mo period, tall Spartina zone habitats had the highest (101.5 mg chlorophyll a (Chl a) m−2±6.9 SE) and shallow subtidal habitats the lowest (60.4±8.9 SE) microalgal biomass. There was a unimodal peak in biomass during the late winter-early spring period. The concentrations of photopigments (Chl a and total pheopigments) in the 0–5 mm of sediments were highly correlated (r2=0.73 and 0.88, respectively) with photopigment concentrations in the 5–10 mm depth interval. Biomass specific production (μmol O2 mg Chl a−1 h−1) was highest in intertidal mudflat habitats (206.3±11.2 SE) and lowest in shallow subtidal habitats (104.3±11.1 SE). Regressions of maximum production (production at saturating irradiances) vs. biomass (Chl a) in the upper 2 mm of sediment by habitat type gave some of the highest correlations ever reported for benthic microalgal communities (r2 values ranged from 0.43 to 0.73). The habitat approach and oxygen microelectrode techniques provide a useful, realistic ranged from 0.43 to 0.73). The habitat approach and oxygen microelectrode techniques provide a useful, realistic method for understanding the biomass and production dynamics of estuarine benthic microalgal communities.
The radiosensitivity of gymnosperms II. On the nature of radiation injury and cause of death of Pinus Rigida and P. Strobus after chronic gamma irradiation

Abstract Various measurements of and observations on the effects of chronic gamma irradiation of Pinus rigida and P. strobus were made and analyzed. Pinus rigida was exposed for a period of 17–18 years and P. strobus for 7 years. Both species show severe inhibition of growth leading to ultimate death of some trees at daily exposure rates of 6 R/day and lower. At the end of the exposure periods, average length of mature needles of trees receiving the higher exposure rates was less than one-half that of needle lengths of unirradiated trees. The reduced growth of branches and needles and premature shedding of needles yielded a greatly reduced amount of photosynthetic tissue, resulting in small sparse crowns. Such trees had a characteristic appearance similar to that in non-irradiated trees growing under highly unfavorable conditions. In ten-year-old P. strobus trees exposed to about 6 R/day for 7 years, the dry weight of needles on surviving trees was reduced by 75 per cent over controls. In P. strobus exposure rates of 1–2 R/day resulted in a statistically significant (at the 5 per cent level) increase in tree height and mature needle length. Needle dry weight also showed an increase at low exposures though these data were not subjected to statistical analysis. The growth habit and aging process of unirradiated trees competing for raw materials and space within a forest community were compared to the syndrome of chronically irradiated P. rigida and P. strobus trees. The authors propose that the slow decline and eventual death of chronically irradiated trees as well as unirradiated ones growing under other conditions of stress probably result from slow starvation, brought about by a critical reduction in the amount of photosynthetic tissue.
Weed macaques: The evolutionary implications of macaque feeding ecology

Patterns of feeding ecology among the living macaques conform poorly with recognized phyletic distinctions within the genus because there is an important ecological division which cross-cuts phyletic groupings. This division, between weed species and non-weed species, is based on the differing abilities of macaques to tolerate and even prosper in close association with human settlements. Based on available information about their ecology in the wild, we tentatively assign macaque species to these two categories. Finally, we consider the implications of our argument for scenarios of the initial spread of the macaques.
Rulers and Rules Reassessing the Influence of Regime Type on Electoral Law Formation

Previous efforts to understand the creation of political institutions in newly democratizing states have largely ignored the importance of regime types in explaining institutional development. Howe...
A miniature piezoelectric polymer transducer for in vitro measurement of the dynamic contact stress distribution.

Abstract Previous studies of contact pressure measurement between articular surfaces have been mostly limited to static techniques. The purpose of our study was to develop a new dynamic technique for a direct measurement of the local contact stresses, and to apply the new method to an in vitro cadaver study of the patellofemoral joint pressures. The miniature transducer consists of a 2 mm diameter and 28 μm thick piece of piezoelectric polymer film sandwiched between two stainless steel electrodes of similar diameter. A water-resistant capsule consisting of Teflon film and Hysol epoxy was applied around the transducer. The transducer was 3 mm in diameter and 0.7 mm in thickness. A 3 mm well was made at six locations in the patella, corresponding to superior, middle, and inferior regions of both facets. Six transducers were cemented within each well, flush with the articular cartilage. The transducers were calibrated in situ before and after the experiment. The femur was rigidly fixed to the loading apparatus and the tibia was allowed to flex and extend through a 90° range of motion using an Instron and a pulley system connected to the quadriceps tendon. Q angles of 0, 5, 10 and 15° were established by adjusting the direction of the quadriceps tendon. Stresses ranging from 0.1–1.3 MPa were recorded at various locations. These values varied in flexion and extension. An overall decrease in these stresses was noted after tuberosity elevation up to 1.5 cm, following which increased values up to 1.8 MPa were recorded mostly in the superior section. No direct relationship was noted between the altering Q angle and the local patellofemoral pressures. The transducer's calibration coefficients remained similar both before and after the experiment. Piezoelectric polymer transducers provide for a new, reliable and reproducible technique for a direct measurement of the local dynamic contact stresses in the joints.
Crystallographic Data on New Rare Earth-Germanium and Silicon Compounds

DURING an investigation of samarium–germanium compounds of composition near Sm5Ge3, X-ray powder diffraction photographs indicated additional lines which could not be indexed on the basis of the hexagonal unit cell established for Sm5Ge3 by Gladyshevskii1. Investigations of single crystals showed the phase to be orthorhombic and of a new structure-type. An analysis of the crystal structure2 showed the stoichiometry to be Sm5Ge4.
Antibiotic-mediated bacterial filamentation: A potentially important laboratory phenomenon

0196-4399/00 (see frontmatter) © 2007 Elsevier Clinical Microbiology Newsletter 29:3,2007 Introduction We describe the case of a 9-year-old male burn patient who developed Serratia marcescens bacteremia during his hospital course. Two days after empiric antibiotic therapy with piperacillin/ tazobactam, amikacin, and vancomycin was initiated, a blood isolate was identified as S. marcescens susceptible to both the piperacillin/tazobactam and amikacin. Several days later, the patient had not improved clinically, and repeat Gram stain of the organism growing in the liquid medium of a new blood culture bottle revealed long, filamentous, gram-negative rods with hyphal-like features. On subculture, the long filamentous organisms were confirmed as S. marcescens, likely a result of exposure to the β-lactam piperacillin. The initial confusion, due to the filamentous appearance of the organism, could have resulted in inappropriate empiric therapy with a systemic antifungal agent. Microbiology personnel and clinicians should be aware of this potentially important laboratory phenomenon which may occur during initial workup and have an impact on appropriate antimicrobial management.
Estimation of intramolecular cyclization activation energies via isothermal gravimetric analysis: A technical note

Isothermal gravimetric analysis was used to monitor the weight loss of 4 exploratory compounds as an indicator of their solid-state thermal stability. Data obtained from TGA were further processed via a model-free isoconversional method to estimate the activation energy values. These values ranged from 140 to 218 kJ/mol and were inversely related to their corresponding surface areas. Based on their activation energy values, the relative stability of these 4 exploratory compounds can be ranked as C>D>B>A and their formulation development activities can be prioritized.
Metastasis to the central nervous system from colorectal cancer

Eighteen of 78 patients (23%) with metastatic colorectal cancer developed clinically significant metastases to the central nervous system (CNR). The patients developing CNS metastases had a decreased likelihood of associated liver metastases compared to the patients without CNS metastases (22% versus 80%). Pulmonary metastases were present in 55% of patients with CNS lesions and in 25% of those without CNS lesions. Overall survival from diagnosis of the primary tumor was comparable (median, 28 months) for patients with or without CNS lesions. The incidence of CNS metastases was comparable irrespective of Duke stage at presentation. For early lesions (Duke B or C), CNS metastases were associated with a shorter survival (31 versus 42 months). For advanced disease (Duke D lesions) at presentation, the overall survival of the group with CNS metastases was longer (24 versus nine months). Therefore, the longer survivorship of patients with advanced disease may contribute to a greater likelihood of CNS metastases.
Polyurethane/poly[bis(carboxylatophenoxy)phosphazene] blends and their potential as flame-retardant materials

A functionalized polyphosphazene, poly[bis(carboxylatophenoxy)-phosphazene], was blended with a structural polyurethane via reactive mixing of the polymer with diisocyante and diol prepolymers. The thermal stabilites of the resultant foams were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The char yields at both 400°C and 600°C increased relative to the pure polyurethane upon increasing the amount of polyphosphazene from 5 wt% to 20 wt%. At higher incorporations, the char at 400°C remained the same, but the char at 600°C continued to increase. The combustion behavior of these foams was analyzed both qualitatively, by a horizontal flame test, and quantitatively, by oxygen index (OI) measurements. Both of these tests indicated an increase in flame resistance at loadings of 20 wt% and above.
Stroke incidence with hypertension and ischemic heart disease in Rochester, Minnesota☆

The primary contribution to increased incidence rates for ischemic stroke in Rochester, Minnesota, for the 1980 to 1984 time period in the age groups from 55 to 84 years was from those persons in the population with ischemic heart disease. The rate and pattern of the decline in incidence rates of ischemic stroke in hypertensive individuals and in nonhypertensive individuals were quite similar, showing no demonstrable population effect of antihypertensive medication. These observations emphasize that there must be some, as yet unidentified, factor that is important in the decline of stroke incidence.
Official Policies and Covert Programs: The U.S. State Department, the CIA, and the Tibetan Resistance

The U.S. government's involvement in Tibetan affairs began over a half-century ago with a series of commitments—both overt and covert—to support the Tibetans in their resistance to the Chinese occupation of their country. The motivation for undertaking these commitments and the scorecard on their fulfillment are mixed. When the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency abandoned any further efforts in Tibet in the mid-1970s, the Congress and private organizations took over the sponsorship of the Tibetan cause, helping to generate a worldwide movement. With this support and under the direction of Tibet's charismatic leader, the Dalai Lama, the status of Tibet became an internationally recognized human-rights issue and thereby survived the Cold War in which it was spawned.
The nitrite-oxygen interface at the top of the oxygen minimum zone in the eastern tropical North Pacific☆

Observations of continuous chemical profiles through the top of the oxygen minimum zone off the Pacific coast of Mexico show a secondary fluorescence peak associated with a layer of near-zero oxygen and nitrite concentrations and large curvatures in the profiles. The layer is about 4 m thick and the oxygen and nitrite fluxes into the layer are estimated tobe within a factor of 2 of 1.5 mg-at. m−2d−1. The fluorescence peak is probably due to microorganisms that obtain energy for growth from the oxidation of nitrite. The integrated carbon production rate required to maintain the peak is estimated at 1 mg-at. m−2d−1. Nitrification is most likely the dominant process in the layer and the nitrifying bacteria could produce the fluorescence. Alternatively, the fluorescence might be from photosynthetic bacteria that oxidize nitrite in a manner similar to the photosynthetic oxidation of sulfur compounds, or from bioluminescence.
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of binary alloy film growth

Using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of film growth with simple models, we have examined A0.5B0.5 film growth in 2 + 1 dimensions and have compared it with new results for monatomic film growth. On the basis of data on the domain size, long-range order in each layer l, and surface fluctuations we examine the dynamic relation between surface-induced domain growth and growth-induced surface roughening.
Flavon exchange effects in models with abelian flavor symmetry

In models with Abelian flavor symmetry the small mixing angles and mass ratios of quarks and leptons are typically given by powers of small parameters characterizing the spontaneous breaking of flavor symmetry by ``flavon'' fields. If the scale of the breaking of flavor symmetry is near the weak scale, flavon exchange can lead to interesting flavor-violating and $\mathrm{CP}$ violating effects. These are studied. It is found that ${d}_{e},$ $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}e+\ensuremath{\gamma},$ and $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{-}e$ conversion on nuclei can be near present limits. For a significant range of parameters $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{-}e$ conversion can be the most sensitive way to look for such effects.
What should be included in an international agriculture undergraduate course

The purpose of this study was to identify the topics and teaching methods appropriate in a beginning international agriculture undergraduate course. A three round Delphi procedure was used to solicit expert opinions regarding important topics and effective teaching methods to deliver an international agriculture course for U.S. undergraduate students. The results revealed that the highest rated topics needed to be included in the international agriculture course were: role of agriculture in economic development; globalization and the implications/affect on agriculture; the role of culture in agricultural international development; definition of a developing country and a developed country; why a world-view is important to today’s agricultural producers and leaders; and agricultural extension and education systems in different countries. The top five teaching methods suggested by the panel of experts included experiential learning; presentations and dialog with those who have worked long term in relevant countries; field studies/trips to view various agricultural practices (one-three weeks); internships; and field trips to a country. Educators might consider the directions provided by this panel of experts when they develop coursework in international agriculture.
The Artist in Residence Concept: A New Direction in Living Learning Programs.

This year the Centennial Education Program at the University of Nebraska piloted an Artist in Residence Program which has significant potential for serving both the student body and the larger community. It benefited Centennial by broadening the basis of support for the Program and providing a mechanism for revitalizing the curriculum on a regular basis. From the artists' standpoint the Artist in Residence Program provides valuable wide-ranging experience.
Use of Written Asthma Action Plans

Written asthma action plans (WAAPs) are recommended for children with asthma. However, limited studies have examined how parents use WAAPs. The objective of this study was to describe how parents of children with asthma use the WAAPs they receive from their child’s primary care provider and to examine their perceived effectiveness. Investigators surveyed parents of children with asthma at an inner-city academic community health center in the Bronx, New York. A structured parent survey tool was developed to collect information about parents’ use of WAAPs, and a trained physician researcher interviewed parents in person or by phone. Of 428 subjects interviewed, 27% had a WAAP in the home. Children who had a WAAP were older and more likely to have persistent asthma. Most parents reported that they kept the WAAP posted at home or in another safe place. Eighty percent believed that WAAPs were extremely useful, and 55% looked at the WAAP when their child was sick or when they needed to administer medication. Pa...
Cumulant functions in optical coherence theory

Cumulant functions are introduced to describe the statistical state of a radiation field. These functions are simply related to the optical coherence functions but have some interesting features. It is shown that if the cumulant functions of all orders greater than some numberN 0 vanish then they also vanish for all orders greater than 2. Thermal field is the only field having this property. This property holds whether the field is described by a classical stochastic process or by a quantum density operator. Further the particular operator ordering used in defining these cumulant functions for the quantized field affects only the second order cumulant function. To describe the statistical state of a vector field such as partially polarized or unpolarized radiation, one would need to introduce cumulant tensors.
Photometric study of NGC 2023 in the 3500 A to 10000 A region - Confirmation of a near-IR emission process in reflection nebulae

A surface brightness study of the reflection nebula NGC 2023 covering the 3500-10,000 A wavelength region performed with uvby photoelectric photometry and BVRI imaging with a CCD detector is reported along with VRI photometry of a cluster of embedded red stars. The nebular radiation in the 3500-5500 A region is dust-scattered starlight originating in the star HD 37903. The embedded red stars are probably pre-main sequence stars. The nebular surface brightness in R and I exceeds that expected on the basis of a reasonable radiative transfer model by factors of two and more than three, respectively. The excess radiation is extended across the nebula in a manner similar to the scattered light. The extended red emission may be interpreted as the high-frequency extension of extended emission discovered by Sellgren, Werner, and Dinerstein (1983) in the 2-5 micron region in NGC 2023 and two other reflection nebulae.
Life history of the striped grassworm, Mocis latipes.

The striped grassworm, Mocis latipes (Guenee), is an annual pest of pasture grasses and an occasional pest of turf grasses in Florida. Females begin oviposition on the 3rd day after emerging; the larvae pass through 6 or 7 larval stadia with pupation taking place on the ground in a folded grass blade. Insects passing through 6 larval stadia required a mean of 30.5 (28–37) days while those with 7 larval instars required a mean of 32.4 (30–38) days to develop from eggs to adults at 27±2°C and ca. 80% RH. Larval instars can be easily separated by measuring head capsule widths which fit Dyar's ranges with an overall ratio of 0.70. An average of 442.42 mg of leaf tissue was consumed by a developing larva with an average conversion ratio of 0.25.