cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AGENCY CONFLICT AND CORPORATE STRATEGY: THE EFFECT OF DIVESTMENT ON CORPORATE VALUE

Among the various stakeholders of a firm, senior managers are the most likely targets for private and public political pressures. Other stakeholder groups are less visible and may be perceived as less influential in corporate strategy formulation and implementation. In some situations, consequently, senior executives may adopt corporate strategies in response to political pressures even if these strategies may be costly to shareholders. In this study, a special case is examined: the effect of divestment of South African business units on firm value. Using data from 1984 through 1990, we examine the impact that announcements of divestments have upon the stock return behavior of publicly traded firms. Our results indicate that significant and negative excess returns accrue to shares of companies announcing divestments of South African operations. These results are supportive of the premise that noneconomic pressures may influence managerial strategies rather than value-enhancement goals. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Numerical Model of Plasma Confinement

A time-dependent, zero-dimensional computer model with no adjustable parameters, for magnetically confined plasmas, is described. It predicts spatially averaged values of plasma density and electron and ion temperatures, and its predictions compare well with volume averaged measurements made in the Wisconsin Levitated Toroidal Octupole. The model is easily adaptable to predict scaling in other devices.
What is new in neuropathic pain

Introduction Neuropathic pain occurs in 1% of the population and is difficult to manage. Responses to single drugs are limited in benefit. Thirty percent will fail to respond altogether. This is a review of newer drugs and treatment paradigms.
886 PERINATAL LEUKAEMIA

Perinatal leukaemia is a rare disorder and extensive cytochemical, morphological and immunological studies have not been carried out in most of the earlier cases. We report four cases of perinatal leukaemia with clinical, morphological, cytochemical, immunological and cytogenetic correlations. Two had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and the other two had acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML). The age at diagnosis was 5 hours, 9, 34 and 64 days. Initial hemoglobin values ranged from 5.5 gm/dl to 14 gm/dl. WBC counts varied from 60,000/mm3 to 666,000/mm3. In the two with ALL the lymphoblasts were B antigen positive null cell type (Blood 49:371, 1977). Three had normal karyotypes in the marrow cells before treatment. In the fourth a 46XX, 18 P-karyotype was noted with the father showing 46XY t (18p; 10p). Three patients died at 5, 47 and 223 days after diagnosis. One, who had AML, and who is the male member of a dizygotic pair of twins, is alive and disease free 14 years after diagnosis. Our observations indicate that the reported higher incidence of AML in neonates should be more carefully verified. Similar to ALL in somewhat older age groups of children, null cell B antigen +ve ALL appears to be the common phenotypic expression of ALL in neonates. Exchange transfusion was found to be useful in reducing the immediate risk of metabolic and leukostatic complications. In addition, the disease free survivor indicates that long term remission is possible in perinatal leukaemia.
The sales recovery audit: Learning to walk the talk

Abstract Little research attention has been devoted to the impact of salesperson failure and recovery management on customer relationship development. This paper develops a theoretically anchored and externally validated sales recovery audit for the purpose of assessing sales organization performance in these matters. Results based on a survey of 177 sales managers indicate that practice of sales recovery efforts lags behind their perceived importance as they relate to organizational success. The sales recovery audit presented here can be a useful tool to continuously evaluate and enhance sales recovery efforts for the purpose of building a stronger relationship selling organization.
Homolytic alkylation of benzimidazole by 1,4-dioxane

The homolytic alkylation of benzimidazoles by 1,4-dioxane has been studied. Introduction of an ethyl group at position 1 and a sulfonic group at position 2 of the heterocycle lowers the yield of products of substitution of hydrogen or the sulfonic group at position 2 by a dioxanyl radical.
Effects of endurance training on a mitochondrial reticulum in limb skeletal muscle.

High voltage electron microscopy at 1500 kV, was used to examine the effects of endurance training on mitochondrial morphology in rat skeletal muscle. The soleus, deep portions of the vastus lateralis, and superficial portions of the vastus lateralis muscles were examined to represent slow-twitch-oxidative, fast-twitch-oxidative-gly-colytic, and fast-twitch-glycolytic skeletal muscle fiber types, respectively. Muscle samples were removed from endurance trained and untrained control female Wistar rats (n = 6, each group). Tissues were fixed using standard electron microscopic techniques and sectioned transversely with respect to muscle fiber orientation to approximately 0.5 μm thickness. The sections were stained on grids with uranyl acetate and Reynolds' lead citrate. Results confirmed the presence of a mitochondrial reticulum in all three skeletal muscle fiber types of both groups. Stereologic analyses indicated volume densities of intermyofibrillar mitochondria increased significantly (P < 0.05) with endurance training in the three skeletal muscle fiber types. Surface-to-volume ratio of mitochondria was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) after training only in the deep portion of the vastus lateralis muscle. It was concluded that the mitochondria in mammalian limb skeletal muscle are a reticulum which adapts to endurance training by proliferating.
Homeothermy: Does it impede the response to cellular injury?☆

Abstract Homeostasis of core temperature is considered to be one of the most precise regulatory processes. In this paper it is postulated that homeothermy is so effective, especially in species of relatively large mass (including humans), that it limits the ability to survive ischemia, toxic insult, and other types of cellular damage. This hypothesis is developed from the following: (i) hypothermia benefits recovery from ischemia in the heart and CNS, exposure to chemical toxicants, physical injuries, and other types of trauma; (ii) relatively small homeothermic species such as mouse and rat take advantage of this protective effect by using behavioral and autonomic thermoregulatory effectors to lower their body temperature when subjected to trauma; (iii) homeothermic stability is improved with increasing body size. Hence, it follows that homeothermy can be an impediment to large species from the standpoint that their internal body temperature is less likely to change during trauma. This characteristic of homeothermy can be crucial to many facets of biomedical research. For example, protective hypothermia observed in rodents can lead one to underestimate the toxicity of drugs and chemical toxicants when extrapolating to humans. That body size limits the natural hypothermic response to cellular injury may alter our view of the evolution of homeothermy.
Chemical, Mineralogical, and Physical Property Differences Between Moderately and Severely Eroded Illinois Soils

The effects of degree of erosion on the chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of seven Illinois soils were evaluated. At each site, separate map units of moderately and severely eroded phases of a soil series were located in the same field. (...) Soil descriptions were made from pits located within each eroded phase of all seven soil series. Soil samples were taken with depth to measure the chemical, mineralogical, and physical properties of each phase of all soil series.
Correlative immuno-electron-microscopic and immunofluorescent localization of actin in sensory and supporting cells of the inner ear by use of a low-temperature embedding resin.

The cochleas from chinchilla inner ears were processed in the cold through Lowicryl K4M, and cured by UV light. Thick (2 μm) sections were reacted with primary antibodies raised against actin, and anti-actin antibodies localized by FITC epifluorescence. On thin sections from the same blocks anti-actin antibodies were localized ultrastructurally with secondary antibodies coupled to colloidal gold.
When is the Clifford algebra of a binary cubic form split

Let ƒ(u, v)) be a nondegenerate binary form over a field F of characteristic not two or three. We prove that the Clifford algebra of ƒ(u, v) over F is split if and only if the ternary form w3 − ƒ(u, v) has a nontrivial F-rational point.
677 SPECIFIC IgA AND IgG INTERFERE WITH G. MURIS ADHERENCE TO INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM

Mucosal adherence may contribute to the pathogenicity of Giardia. Factors implicated as mediators of adherence of this pathogen to the mucosal surface include lectins and antibodies. We have developed a method to examine adherence of G. muris trophozoites(TR) to intestinal epithelium to evaluate the role of anti-Giardia milk and serum antibodies. Uninfected CF1 mice were anesthetized, and a 2 cm segment of small intestine isolated. The ends were ligated and resulting sac injected with TR (5 × 105) and 200 μl of normal(NM) or immune(IM) mouse milk (13% V/V), hyperimmune(IRS) or normal rabbit serum(NRS)(40% V/V) and their IgG fractions. Following one hour of incubation, the animals were sacrified by intracardiac infusion of Ringer's lactate 30mM EDTA. The sac was removed, inverted and agitated with liberation of epithelial sheets. Adherence was assessed microscopically by counting the number of TR adherent to 10 villi isolated from each animal studied. NM decreased the number of adherent TR from 21.8 ± 3.5/10 villi in media alone to 13.4 ± 3.2(p<.01). IM further decreased the number of adherent TR to 6.6 ± 2.5 (p<.001). Addtion of NRS had no effect on adherence. IRS decreased the number of adherent parasites to 8.2 ± 2.1(p<.001). A decrease was also observed in the presence of the IgG fractions of IRS 13.2 ± 7.9, compared to the IgG fraction of NRS 23.7 ± 2.5 (p<.05). These findings suggest that specific anti-Giardia antibodies interfere with parasite adherence to the mucosal surface. This may represent an important mechanism, resulting in clearance of Giardia infection by antiparasite antibodies.
Universal approach to predicting two-phase frictional pressure drop for adiabatic and condensing mini/micro-channel flows

Abstract Previous models and correlations for the prediction of pressure drop in adiabatic and condensing mini/micro-channel flows have been validated for only a few working fluids and relatively narrow ranges of relevant parameters. A universal predictive approach for these flows must be capable of tackling many fluids with drastically different thermophysical properties and very broad ranges of all geometrical and flow parameters of practical interest. To achieve this goal, a new consolidated database of 7115 frictional pressure gradient data points for both adiabatic and condensing mini/micro-channel flows is amassed from 36 sources. The database consists of 17 working fluids, hydraulic diameters from 0.0695 to 6.22 mm, mass velocities from 4.0 to 8528 kg/m 2 s, liquid-only Reynolds numbers from 3.9 to 89,798, flow qualities from 0 to 1, and reduced pressures from 0.0052 to 0.91. It is shown that, while a few prior models and correlations provide fair predictions of the consolidated database, their predictive accuracy is highly compromised for certain subsets of the database. A universal approach to predicting two-phase frictional pressure drop is proposed by incorporating appropriate dimensionless relations in a separated flow model to account for both small channel size and different combinations of liquid and vapor states. This approach is shown to provide excellent predictions of the entire consolidated database and fairly uniform accuracy against all parameters of the database. This approach is also capable of tackling single and multiple channels as well as situations involving significant flow deceleration due to condensation.
eXtreme Adaptive Optics Planet Imager: overview and status

As adaptive optics (AO) matures, it becomes possible to envision AO systems oriented towards specific important scientific goals rather than general-purpose systems. One such goal for the next decade is the direct imaging detection of extrasolar planets. An "extreme" adaptive optics (ExAO) system optimized for extrasolar planet detection will have very high actuator counts and rapid update rates - designed for observations of bright stars - and will require exquisite internal calibration at the nanometer level. In addition to extrasolar planet detection, such a system will be capable of characterizing dust disks around young or mature stars, outflows from evolved stars, and high Strehl ratio imaging even at visible wavelengths. The NSF Center for Adaptive Optics has carried out a detailed conceptual design study for such an instrument, dubbed the eXtreme Adaptive Optics Planet Imager or XAOPI. XAOPI is a 4096-actuator AO system, notionally for the Keck telescope, capable of achieving contrast ratios >107 at angular separations of 0.2-1". ExAO system performance analysis is quite different than conventional AO systems - the spatial and temporal frequency content of wavefront error sources is as critical as their magnitude. We present here an overview of the XAOPI project, and an error budget highlighting the key areas determining achievable contrast. The most challenging requirement is for residual static errors to be less than 2 nm over the controlled range of spatial frequencies. If this can be achieved, direct imaging of extrasolar planets will be feasible within this decade.
Strain-specific virulence phenotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae assessed using the Chinchilla laniger model of otitis media.

Background Streptococcus pneumoniae [Sp] infection is associated with local and systemic disease. Our current understanding of the differential contributions of genetic strain variation, serotype, and host response to disease phenotype is incomplete. Using the chinchilla model of otitis media [OM] we investigated the disease phenotype generated by the laboratory strain TIGR4 and each of thirteen clinical strains (BS68-75, BS290, BS291, BS293, BS436 and BS437); eleven of the thirteen strains have been genomically sequenced. Methodology/Principal Findings For each strain 100 colony forming units were injected bilaterally into the tympanic bullae of 6 young adult chinchillas under general anesthesia. All animals were examined daily for local and systemic disease by a blinded observer. Pneumatic otoscopy was used to evaluate local disease, and behavioral assessments served as the measure of systemic disease. Virulence scoring was performed using a 4-point scale to assess four clinical parameters [severity and rapidity of local disease onset; and severity and rapidity of systemic disease onset] during a 10-day evaluation period. Highly significant variation was observed among the strains in their ability to cause disease and moribundity. Conclusions/Significance As expected, there was a significant correlation between the rapidity of systemic disease onset and severity of systemic disease; however, there was little correlation between the severity of otoscopic changes and severity of systemic disease. Importantly, it was observed that different strains of the same serotype produced as broad an array of disease phenotypes as did strains of different serotypes. We attribute these phenotypic differences among the strains to the high degree of genomic plasticity that we have previously documented.
The ontogeny of the multiple molecular forms of hemoglobin in the developing chick under normal and experimental conditions

A total of five molecular forms of hemoglobin appear during the development of the chick embryo. In the seven day embryo, the earliest stage studied, four of these forms are present. Hb I, preponderant in the early embryo, decreases to become a minor component at hatching; Hb II, a minor component in the early embryo, increases to become the major component at hatching; Hb III is present throughout as a minor component. Hb IV is first detectable in the nine day embryo and remains a minor component. Hb E is present as a minor component in the seven day embryo and is last found in the eleven day embryo. After hatching there is no further change in the hemoglobin pattern. In ovo oxygen deficiency and chromate retard the progressive shift from Hb I to Hb II. In vitro oxygen deficiency and chromate accelerate heme synthesis and preferentially the synthesis of Hb I. Cobalt in vivo results in a decrease in Hb I and a corresponding increase in Hb III and Hb IV. The in vivo incorporation of Fe59 indicates that the effect of cobalt is to enhance the rate of degradation of Hb I. The progressive shift from Hb I to Hb II which occurs in normal embryogenesis is discussed in terms of the control of hemoglobin synthesis at the translational level.
A Symmetry Preserving Singular Value Decomposition

A reduced order representation of a large data set is often realized through a principal component analysis based upon a singular value decomposition (SVD) of the data. The left singular vectors of a truncated SVD provide the reduced basis. In several applications such as facial analysis and protein dynamics, structural symmetry is inherent in the data. Typically, reflective or rotational symmetry is expected to be present in these applications. In protein dynamics, determining this symmetry allows one to provide SVD major modes of motion that best describe the symmetric movements of the protein. In face detection, symmetry in the SVD allows for more efficient compression algorithms. Here we present a method to compute the plane of reflective symmetry or the axis of rotational symmetry of a large set of points. Moreover, we develop a symmetry preserving singular value decomposition (SPSVD) that best approximates the given set while respecting the symmetry. Interesting subproblems arise in the presence of noisy data or in situations where most, but not all, of the structure is symmetric. An important part of the determination of the axis of rotational symmetry or the plane of reflective symmetry is an iterative reweighting scheme. This scheme is rapidly convergent in practice and seems to be very effective in ignoring outliers (points that do not respect the symmetry).
Occurrence of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae in Pseudotsuga menziesii and Tsuga heterophylla seedlings grown in Oregon Coast Range soils

Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) were common in seedlings of Pseudotsuga menziesii and Tsuga heterophylla grown in a greenhouse soil bioassay in soils collected from the Oregon Coast Range. Although root samples were heavily colonized by ectomycorrhizal fungi (EM), VAM colonization was observed in the cortical cells of both secondary and feeder roots. Vesicles, arbuscules, and hyphae typical of VAM occurred in 48% of 61 P. menziesii and 25% of 57 T. heterophylla seedlings. The ecological significance of VAM presence in the Pinaceae, as well as interactions among VAM, EM, and the plant host, deserve future investigation.
The role of oxidized phospholipids in atherosclerosis

There is increasing evidence that oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) play an important role in atherosclerosis. These phospholipids accumulate in human and mouse lesions. Specific OxPLs have been identified as major regulators of many cell types present in the vessel wall. In endothelial cells, >1,000 genes are regulated. Some of these genes are pro-atherogenic and others anti-atherogenic. The anti-atherogenic effects are likely important in slowing the atherogenic process. Several receptors and signaling pathways associated with OxPL action have been identified and shown to be upregulated in human lesions. A structural model of the mechanism by which specific OxPLs serve as CD36 ligands has been identified. Specific oxidized phospholipids are also present in plasma and associated with Lp(a) particles. In humans, OxPL/apolipoprotein B has been shown to be a prognostic indicator and a separate risk factor for coronary events. Levels of OxPL in plasma have been shown to be correlated with platelet activation. The results of these studies suggest an important role for OxPL in all stages of atherosclerosis.
Chronic antidepressant treatment enhances agonist affinity of brain α1-adrenoceptors

Abstract Binding of [3H]prazosin, a selective α1-adrenoceptor antagonist, to thalamic membranes was studied following chronic treatment of rats with tricyclic antidepressants. Rosenthal analysis showed no change in the number of affinity of antagonist binding sites; however, the ability of the α1-agonist phenylephrine to compete for these sites was significantly enhaced after chronic tricyclic treatment. This result is consistent with previous studies showing physiological α1-supersensitivity in thalamus after chronic aantidepressant administration.
Does a helicase activity help mismatch repair in eukaryotes

Mismatch repair (MMR) corrects innate DNA replication infidelities. Many components of eukaryotic MMR have been identified, the molecular mechanism of MMR has been largely demonstrated, and furthermore the nick-directed MMR reactions have been reconstituted with purified human proteins in vitro. However, some fundamental questions still remain to be answered. One such question is whether a DNA helicase activity is required for MMR in eukaryotes. This short review presents an overview of the interactions between eukaryotic DNA helicases and MMR factors, and suggests a possible mechanism for how DNA helicases may be involved in repair of DNA mismatches.
The dependence of the standard potentials of galvanic cells on the dielectric constants of solvents

Abstract An expression is developed using the concepts of electrostatics to account for the dependence of the standard potentials of cells on the dielectric constants of solvents. The expression is tested using data in cells involving bi-univalent electrolytes and found to give satisfactory results. Cells involving an uni-univalent electrolyte, hydrochloric acid give standard electrode potential-reciprocal of the dielectric constant plots which showed curvature in the lower dielectric regions of the solvent, but which approached linearity in the higher dielectric constant regions. The data in this higher dielectric constant region conformed well with theory.
Medical Students’ Comfort Levels With Performing the Basic Head and Neck Examination in Practice: Follow-up During the Core Clerkship Year

Objective Following our preliminary study on junior medical students’ comfort levels in performing the head and neck physical examination (H&NPE) before and after a department-led teaching session, we assessed the longitudinal effect of this session on students during the core clinical clerkship year, in which these skills were performed on real patients. Design Anonymous cross-sectional survey study as a follow-up to previous intervention. Methods Overall, 101 and 90 second-year medical students participated in an H&NPE teaching session 1 year before the current survey administration in 2 consecutive years. The same cohorts of students, as third years, were asked to rate their comfort levels (0-5-point Likert scale) in performing the H&NPE and the importance of otolaryngology rotations in medical school and primary care residency training. Results Of the 101 and 90 students, 53 and 46 medical students completed the follow-up survey in each respective year. For both classes, compared with before the teaching session, students reported an average comfort level of 2.8 (somewhat to moderately comfortable) in performing the complete H&NPE (p Conclusion The initial teaching session persistently improved medical students’ comfort levels in performing the H&NPE, with some attrition in comfort levels with performing the nasal examination and complete H&NPE. An otolaryngologist-directed, practical educational intervention may permanently reinforce the acquisition of complex skills such as the H&NPE.
Concordance among Measures of Pregnancy Outcome Based on Fetal Size and Duration of Gestation

Epidemiologic and clinical studies of pregnancy outcome often consider a variety of related, overlapping outcome measures. The overlap among these measures was analyzed using data from the Mount Sinai Hospital Perinatal Data Base, New York City, New York. A total of 52,621 births from 1986 through 1996 were included, with information on gender, ethnicity, birth weight, and gestational age assigned based on last menstrual period or early ultrasound. The authors considered very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1,500 g), low birth weight (LBW) (<2,500 g), degrees of preterm delivery (less than 32, 34, and 37 weeks' gestation), and small for gestational age (less than the 10th percentile of weight for gestational age) births. Infants at the extremes of gestational age (<32 or 34 weeks' gestation) were almost always LBW (97.6 and 91.7%, respectively), and those who were VLBW were almost always preterm (99.2%). However, only 69.2% of LBW infants were preterm, and 50.2% of preterm infants were LBW (kappa = 0.54). Only for VLBW and less than 32 weeks' gestation were both measures of overlap at least 70% (kappa = 0.98). The lack of concordance among measures suggests that multiple outcome measures be considered and that results from analyses using disparate measures not be compared directly.
Effects of all-trans-retinoic acid (retinoic acid) and 4-hydroxyphenylretinamide on synovial cells and articular cartilage

We studied the effects of two retinoids, naturally occurring all-trans-retinoic acid (retinoic acid) and the synthetic 4-hydroxyphenylretinamide (4-OH-PRT) on monolayer cultures of rabbit synovial fibroblasts and on explants of rabbit articular cartilage. Treatment of fibroblasts with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 10−8 M) induced the synthesis and secretion of large amounts of collagenase; this was inhibited if the cells were treated with retinoic acid (10−6 M) or dexamethasone (10−7 M). Combined treatment with retinoic acid and the steroid prednisolone, at concentrations as low as 10−10 M, gave an additive inhibition of collagenase production. Both retinoids inhibited collagenase production, but only 4-OH-PRT prevented the increase in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) induced by PMA. Levels of plasminogen activator were also increased by treatment with PMA, and concomitant addition of either retinoid further enhanced this stimulation. Possible toxicity was assessed by measuring release of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) from explants of articular cartilage. Treatment with retinoic acid induced release of 80% of the total GAG, whereas treatment with 4-OH-PRT resulted in release of 40% of the total, a finding similar to that seen with untreated samples. 4-OH-PRT inhibited production of collagenase and PGE2 by rabbit synovial fibroblasts but was not toxic to articular cartilage.
Functional trait niches of North American lotic insects: traits-based ecological applications in light of phylogenetic relationships

AbstractThe use of species traits to characterize the functional composition of benthic invertebrate communities has become well established in the ecological literature. This approach holds much potential for predicting changes of both species and species assemblages along environmental gradients in terms of traits that are sensitive to local environmental conditions. Further, in the burgeoning field of biomonitoring, a functional approach provides a predictive basis for understanding community-level responses along gradients of environmental alteration caused by humans. Despite much progress in recent years, the full potential of the functional traits-based approach is currently limited by several factors, both conceptual and methodological. Most notably, we lack adequate understanding of how individual traits are intercorrelated and how this lack of independence among traits reflects phylogenetic (evolutionary) constraint. A better understanding is needed if we are to make the transition from a largely...
Temporal Analysis of Routing Activity for Anomaly Detection in Ad hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) faces serious security threat due to lack of consideration of security in design and inherent weaknesses. Anomaly detection techniques as well as preventive measures are in urgent need to protect ad hoc network. We propose an innovative anomaly detection technique based on temporal analysis of routing activities. Our approach uses data mining techniques to discover the underlying patterns of routing behavior and detect anomaly by comparing routing activities with the patterns. We tested the approach with two common attacks targeted at routing protocols and the experiment results show it is effective to detect routing disruption.
Synaptic termination of thalamic and callosal afferents in cingulate cortex of the rat

The distribution of degenerating thalamic and callosal afferents to cingulate cortex in the rat is analyzed. Both light microscopic silver impregnation and quantitative electron microscopic techniques demonstrate differences in the form, number, and laminar distribution of these two afferents in anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. Afferents from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus terminate in area 24. Most terminals are in layer IIIb, fewer in layer Ia-b, and least in layers V and VI. In contrast, callosal afferents terminate mainly in layers Ib-c, II, IIIa, V, and VI. Thus, thalamic and callosal afferents terminate in a complementary pattern except in layers Ib and IIIb where they overlap. Quantitative analysis of degenerating axon terminals in area 24 indicates that there may be as many as seven times more callosal than mediodorsal thalamic terminals in this cortex. Projections of the anterior thalamic nuclei terminate in areas 29b and 29c, primarily in layer Ia, with fewer in layers Ib-IV and least in layers V and VI. Callosal afferents end mainly in layers V and VI and less densely in layers I-IV, which results in some overlap of thalamic and callosal afferents in layers Ic, IV, and V. In addition, patterns of termination of callosal afferents in posterior cingulate cortex change at borders between previously defined cytoarchitectural areas. Anterior thalamic terminals in area 29c differ from other thalamocortical afferents described previously in that they form two types of terminals. One is large (2-4 micrometer in diameter) and occurs mainly in layer Ia, whereas the second type is smaller and is present in layers Ib-V. Both types of terminals form asymmetric synapses mainly with dendritic spines.
Three-dimensional systolic architecture for beamforming

A three-dimensional systolic architecture is described that efficiently performs passive broadband interpolation beam-forming for an array of sensors. The architecture transforms from time domain to beam space without intermediate data storage. The required convolution operations are implemented with linear sets of multiply/accumulate elements.
Theory Pi - engineering leadership not your theory X, Y or Z leaders

This paper defines Theory Pi - an attempt to describe a group of people, their behavior at work, and a possible leadership method that can be used to properly lead them. Theory Pi people include highly motivated but introverted people such as doctoral candidates, scientists in general and engineers specifically. It is based on a literature search, and 30 years of observing aerospace engineers. This paper reviews the theories of leadership and describes how Theory Pi advances the literature. Theory Pi expands upon the earlier fundamental Theories X and Y by Douglas McGregor and Theory Z by William Ouchi. This is done by describing a theory that provides a clear understanding of the human nature associated with extremely competent but introverted groups such as (some) engineers. These engineers tend to be fiercely self motivated by their task or project. They tend to be loyal to their field of interest and may only be loosely related to their project's goals. Examples from the literature, and a story from engineer lore, are presented to confirm or disconfirm the author's hypothesis that engineers are different and need to be lead differently. A table juxtaposes Theory Pi with Theories X, Y, and Z. Further research is recommended to provide evidence for the hypothesis
Modeling Insurer-Homeowner Interactions in Managing Natural Disaster Risk

The current system for managing natural disaster risk in the United States is problematic for both homeowners and insurers. Homeowners are often uninsured or underinsured against natural disaster losses, and typically do not invest in retrofits that can reduce losses. Insurers often do not want to insure against these losses, which are some of their biggest exposures and can cause an undesirably high chance of insolvency. There is a need to design an improved system that acknowledges the different perspectives of the stakeholders. In this article, we introduce a new modeling framework to help understand and manage the insurer's role in catastrophe risk management. The framework includes a new game-theoretic optimization model of insurer decisions that interacts with a utility-based homeowner decision model and is integrated with a regional catastrophe loss estimation model. Reinsurer and government roles are represented as bounds on the insurer-insured interactions. We demonstrate the model for a full-scale case study for hurricane risk to residential buildings in eastern North Carolina; present the results from the perspectives of all stakeholders-primary insurers, homeowners (insured and uninsured), and reinsurers; and examine the effect of key parameters on the results. Language: en
Self-crosslinking for dimensionally stable and solvent-resistant quaternary phosphonium based hydroxide exchange membranes

A simple self-crosslinking strategy, without the needs of a separate crosslinker or a catalyst, is reported here. The crosslinking drastically lowers the water swelling ratio (e.g., 5-10 folds reduction) and provides excellent solvent-resistance. The self-crosslinked membrane (DCL: 5.3%) shows the highest IEC-normalized hydroxide conductivity among all crosslinked HEMs reported.
Comparison of multi-slice CHO-HO models and human observers in defect detection with SPECT myocardial images

The objective of this study was to compare defect detection performance using a multi-slice CHO-HO (Channelized Hotelling Observer - Hotelling Observer) model with performance found in two previously reported human observer receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies. The tasks were left-ventricular myocardial perfusion lesion detection, with simulated projection data reconstructed using ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) without attenuation and scatter correction (ASC) (ROC study one), and with experimental phantom data reconstructed using OSEM with ASC (ROC study two). Both simulated and experimental data modeled female and male anatomy. The projections were setup to simulate equal time dual-head anterior 180/spl deg/ and triple-head 360/spl deg/ scans. The multi-slice lesion detectability indices for the CHO-HO were calculated and compared to the A/sub z/'s for the human observers. Multiple channel setups for the CHO were investigated. Positive correlations were found between these results for some channel setups. Further investigation of channel models is needed to improve performance correlation with human observers.
Effects of land use on greenhouse gas fluxes and soil properties of wetland catchments in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

Wetland restoration has been suggested as policy goal with multiple environmental benefits including enhancement of atmospheric carbon sequestration. However, there are concerns that increased methane (CH4) emissions associated with restoration may outweigh potential benefits. A comprehensive, 4-year study of 119 wetland catchments was conducted in the Prairie Pothole Region of the north-central U.S. to assess the effects of land use on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes and soil properties. Results showed that the effects of land use on GHG fluxes and abiotic soil properties differed with respect to catchment zone (upland, wetland), wetland classification, geographic location, and year. Mean CH4 fluxes from the uplands were predictably low (<0.02 g CH4 m(-2) day(-1)), while wetland zone CH4 fluxes were much greater (<0.001-3.9 g CH4 m(-2) day(-1)). Mean cumulative seasonal CH4 fluxes ranged from roughly 0-650 g CH4 m(-2), with an overall mean of approximately 160 g CH4 m(-2). These maximum cumulative CH4 fluxes were nearly 3 times as high as previously reported in North America. The overall magnitude and variability of N2O fluxes from this study (<0.0001-0.0023 g N2O m(-2) day(-1)) were comparable to previously reported values. Results suggest that soil organic carbon is lost when relatively undisturbed catchments are converted for agriculture, and that when non-drained cropland catchments are restored, CH4 fluxes generally are not different than the pre-restoration baseline. Conversely, when drained cropland catchments are restored, CH4 fluxes are noticeably higher. Consequently, it is important to consider the type of wetland restoration (drained, non-drained) when assessing restoration benefits. Results also suggest that elevated N2O fluxes from cropland catchments likely would be reduced through restoration. The overall variability demonstrated by this study was consistent with findings of other wetland investigations and underscores the difficulty in quantifying the GHG balance of wetland systems.
Effects of fire frequency and season on resprouting of woody plants in southeastern US pine-grassland communities.

Past studies suggest that rates of woody plant resprouting following a “topkilling” disturbance relate to timing of disturbance because of temporal patterns of below-ground carbohydrate storage. Accordingly, we hypothesized that fire-return interval (1 or 2 years) and season of burn (late dormant or early growing season) would influence the change in resprout growth rate from one fire-free interval to the next (Δ growth rate) for broadleaf woody plants in a pine-grassland in Georgia, USA. Resprout growth rate during one fire-free interval strongly predicted growth rate during the following fire-free interval, presumably reflecting root biomass. Length of fire-free interval did not have a significant effect on mean Δ growth rate. Plants burned in the late dormant season (February–March) had a greater positive Δ growth rate than those burned in the early growing season (April–June), consistent with the presumption that root carbohydrates are depleted and thus limiting during spring growth. Plants with resprout growth rates above a certain level had zero or negative Δ growth rates, indicating an equilibrium of maximum resprout size under a given fire-return interval. This equilibrium, as well as relatively reduced resprout growth rate following growing season fires, provide insight into how historic lightning-initiated fires in the early growing season limited woody plant dominance and maintained the herb-dominated structure of pine-grassland communities. Results also indicate tradeoffs between applying prescribed fire at 1- versus 2-year intervals and in the dormant versus growing seasons with the goal of limiting woody vegetation.
Alloy Joints for High Temperature Electronic Packaging

High temperature joints are required for packaging and assembling the emerging high temperature semiconductor devices. A technique of producing high temperature joints at relatively low process temperature is presented. The technique uses liquid-solid interdiffusion to formulate the joint and subsequent solid-state diffusion and interaction to convert the joint material into high temperature alloy. Processes have been developed using the indium-silver binary material system. Joint melting temperature higher than 700°C has been achieved while the process temperature stays below 210°C. In this development effort, the constituent element materials are deposited in multilayer structure in high vacuum to prevent oxidation. As a result, no flux is used and no scrubbing action is applied. The joints produced are examined with a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) to evaluate the bonding quality. The joint cross-sections are studied using SEM and EDX to find the microstructure and composition. In conventional processes, the process temperature needs to exceed the alloy melting temperature in order to produce a joint. High stresses can develop due to thermal expansion mismatch among materials involved. In the present technique, the relatively low process temperature can significantly reduce the stresses. The multilayer bonding method also facilitates control of the alloy composition and the joint thickness.
An assessment of simple photoelastic models in aircraft design

Polyurethane sheet material has excellent properties for the manufacture of quick, cost effective design stress models. It is easy to model using very sharp instruments such as a scalpel with water lubrication. Because of its low stiffness, loading rigs can be constructed from engineering ply-wood and other similar materials with the load being applied by means of dead weights or screw devices. The principle of the ‘self calibrating model’ developed by the ESA Group at Filton makes the results to be fully quantifiable. It is very rare that the opportunity arises in aircraft design and manufacture when the results of the simplified stress model can be validated against the behaviour of the real component. This paper reports on such an occasion when very good correlation was demonstrated. The correlation of the results, which was not known before, was established to be good. The conclusion is that the method for the type of problem analysed is cost effective and reliable.
Logs and Fern Patches as Recruitment Sites in a Tropical Pasture

Forest recovery in degraded pastures is often highly variable, possibly due to variation in the availability of adequate recruitment sites. In an actively grazed pasture in northeastern Costa Rica, this study examines how recruitment of woody species in patches of the fern Nephrolepsis sp. and near logs compares with recruitment in grassy areas. Fern patches and logs had five and eight times higher densities of woody recruits, respectively, as grassy areas. They also had more than twice the species richness and growth as grassy areas. Grass apparently presents a competitive barrier against invading woody recruits, and also attracts cattle that may trample and/or consume recruits. Both logs and patches of fern appeared to provide superior conditions for establishment and growth of woody species, and they did not attract cattle. This study suggests that fern patches and logs can be managed to accelerate forest succession.
VISUALIZATION OF THE RENAL ARTERY. A COMPARISON OF TRANSLUMBAR AND PERCUTANEOUS RETROGRADE CATHETER APPROACHES, SINGLE-FILM AND SERIOGRAPHIC TECHNICS.

Renal arteriograms were performed by both percutaneous translumbar single film and percutaneous transfemoral catheter seriographic technics on each of 29 hypertensive patients with suspected renal arterial disease. Comparison of the renal arteriograms obtained by these two methods demonstrates [see figure in the PDF file] that the transfemoral catheter seriographic technic is a simpler and more reliable procedure and results in better visualization of the renal artery. Ninety-three per cent of the studies by this method resulted in excellent diagnostic renal arteriograms, whereas only 60 per cent of the studies utilizing the translumbar technic were of equal quality. Pathologic and congenital abnormalities were also better demonstrated with the transfemoral catheter seriographic technic. The advantages and pitfalls of both methods have been discussed.
Characterization of Six Cloned DNAs from Drosophila melanogaster, Including One that Contains the Genes for rRNA

pDm plasmids were constructed from D. melanogaster and pSC101 DNAs by a modification of the EcoR1-ligase method which insured that each hybrid molecule contained a single segment of D. melanogaster chromosomal DNA (Dm segment). The sequences in the Dm segments of six cloned pDm DNAs were mapped within the D. melanogaster polytene chromosomes by in situ hybridization, and their repetition frequencies within the Dm segment and within the genome were determined. Four of these segments consist of sequences that are confined to single chromomeric regions in the polytene chromosomes and exhibit little or no repetition. The characteristics of this group, and also two of three Dm segments analyzed earlier (Wensink et al., 1974), are inconsistent with tandem repetition models of the chromomere. By contrast, the other two Dm segments contain moderately repetitive sequences that are located in the heterochromatin. One of these appears to be a segment of the Y chromosome in which about half the sequences are nonrepetitive and half are repeated about 33 times per genome, though they are not repeated within the segment. The second contains the DNA coding for 18 and 28S rRNA.
An Analysis of the Narrative-Building Features of Interactive Sea Level Rise Viewers

Interactive sea level rise viewers (ISLRVs) are map-based visualization tools that display projections of sea level rise scenarios to communicate their impacts on coastal areas. Information visualization research suggests that as users interact with such tools they construct personalized narratives of their experience. We argue that attention to narrative-building features in ISLRVs can improve communication effectiveness by promoting user engagement and discovery. A content analysis that focuses on the presence and characteristics of narrative-building features in a purposive sample of 20 ISLRVs is conducted. We also identify particular areas where these ISLRVs could be improved as narrative-building tools.
A 4–6.4 GHz LC PLL With Adaptive Bandwidth Control for a Forwarded Clock Link

A wide range differentially tuned LC PLL using dual switched capacitor VCOs was designed in a 65 nm standard CMOS process for a forwarded clock link. Bandwidth and stability were maintained across the operating range by using open-loop auto frequency calibration (AFC) tuning techniques and an adaptively biased bit-sliced charge pump. The PLL is capable of supporting spread spectrum clock (SSC) modulation with a low peak VCO gain by limiting its operation to the high gain region of the varactors where the capacitance versus voltage curves exhibit the greatest linearity. The VCOs support a frequency range of 4.0-4.8 GHz and 5.87-6.4 GHz. The 2-UI jitter of the forwarded clock at 6.4 Gb/s is 0.9 ps RMS while the long term acumulated N-UI jitter for large N is 2.1 ps RMS.
A 0.5V start-up 87% efficiency 0.75mm 2 on-chip feed-forward single-inductor dual-output (SIDO) boost DC-DC converter for battery and solar cell operation sensor network micro-computer integration

An on-chip low power single-inductor dual-output DC-DC converter is proposed for battery and solar cell operating sensor network applications. By a new feed-forward control, a test chip fabricated by 190nm CMOS achieves a high efficiency of 87% at the practical load condition with a small area size of 0.75mm2 without any compensation capacitor. In addition, the fluctuation of the output voltage remains within 100mV when the input voltage changes from 1V to 2V. For a solar cell operation, 0.5V start-up is achieved with a process technology of flash-memory embedded micro-computers by utilizing forward back bias. A super capacitor is charged up to 5V from a solar cell with an implemented MPPT.