cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical Rotatory Dispersion of Phosvitin

PREVIOUS investigations of phosvitin in solution have shown that the specific optical rotation, [α], in the visible and near ultra-violet regions is highly dependent on the pH and to a certain extent on the solvent composition. Furthermore, it has been reported that the rotatory dispersion constant of this protein varies with pH, λc = 225 mµ at pH 4.7 and 207 mµ at pH 10.75 (refs. 1 and 2).
Effects of Changing Heart Rate in Man by Electrical Stimulation of the Right Atrium Studies at Rest, during Exercise, and with Isoproterenol

A technic is described for controlling the heart rate in patients with normal atrioventricular conduction by means of an electrical pacemaker catheter that stimulated the right atrium. When the heart rates of 17 patients in the resting state were elevated from an average of 80 to 121 beats/min., the cardiac indices remained virtually unchanged and averaged 3.67 and 3.72 L./min./M.2, respectively. Further increases in the heart rates resulted in small reductions in the cardiac indices to an average value of 3.21 L./min./M.2 at 148 beats/min. The stroke volumes, ejection periods, and mean rates of ejection decreased as heart rate was increased. The role of heart rate in the circulatory response to exercise was examined in seven patients. When the heart rates were controlled by electrical stimulation at rates comparable to those previously achieved spontaneously during exercise, it was observed that cardiac output rose normally with exercise and that this rise was accomplished entirely through an increase in...
Ultrastructure of the Somatic Cortex of the Gymnostome Ciliate Spathidium spathula (O. F. M.)1

The somatic cortex of Spathidium spathula is described ultrastructurally. The pellicle consists of an outer membrane and an underlying alveolar system. Numerous membrane-bound mucocysts and spherical electron-opaque bodies have similar circular sites of attachment to the outer membrane. Below these are a microfibrillar zone and an underlying region of rough ER. Mitochondria are lined up under the rough ER in longitudinal cortical ridges. Parasomal sacs are found near the basal bodies and are associated with cytoplasmic membranous sacs. Various microtubular and fiber systems are associated with single basal bodies: (1) a short kinetodesmal fiber; (2) two transverse microtubular ribbons and a transverse fiber; (3) a postciliary microtubular ribbon, initially sandwiched by two fibers, which gives rise to longitudinal subpellicular microtubules extending posteriorly for a distance of some four or five basal bodies; and (4) a system of overlapping subkinetal microtubules. A three-dimensional reconstruction is included. The somatic cortex of S spathula is similar to that reported for other Haptorida of the ciliate subclass Gymnostomata.
When the presence of creative coworkers is related to creativity: role of supervisor close monitoring, developmental feedback, and creative personality.

Study 1 was conducted to examine the contribution of the joint condition of supervisor close monitoring and the presence of creative coworkers to employees' creativity, In addition to replicating Study l's results, Study 2 examined (a) the joint condition of supervisor developmental feedback and presence of creative coworkers and (b) whether creative personality moderated the contributions of the 2 joint conditions. Converging results from the 2 field studies demonstrated that when creative coworkers were present, the less supervisors engaged in close monitoring, the more employees exhibited creativity. Study 2 also found that the contribution of this joint condition was stronger for employees with less creative personalities and that when creative coworkers were present, the more supervisors provided developmental feedback, the more employees exhibited creativity.
Reducing LER using a grazing incidence ion beam

As semiconductor feature sizes and pitches shrink to ever-decreasing dimensions, Line Edge Roughness (LER) becomes and increasing important problem. The LER is transferred from the photoresist to the substrate through the subsequent processing steps, causing variations in, eg, gate length. This leads to mismatch in device performance and leakage. Thus, an efficient and cost effective way to reduce the LER in the semiconductor photoresist is needed in order to keep the imperfections from affecting processing steps further down the line. At the CPMI a new technique to reduce LER from patterened photoresist has been developed in conjunction with INTEL. Results obtained using our technique showed significant LER reduction from 6.9±0.47 nm to 3.9±0.61 nm for 45 nm lines and spaces. Recent results on 40 nm lines and spaces showed significant LER reduction from 5.9±0.50 nm to 4.1±0.63nm. LER reduction results on 40 nm lines and spaces reveal the fact that our technique is superior to other available techniques such as etching, vapor smoothing, hardbake, ozonation and rinse.
Powering “Progress”: Regulation and the Development of Michigan's Electricity Landscape

This article examines state-level regulation as it affected Michigan's electricity infrastructure system. Whereas many studies make central the utility companies who built and operated the system, ...
Functional networks in motor sequence learning: abnormal topographies in Parkinson's disease.

We examined the neural circuitry underlying the explicit learning of motor sequences in normal subjects and patients with early stage Parkinson's disease (PD) using 15O-water (H215O) positron emission tomography (PET) and network analysis. All subjects were scanned while learning motor sequences in a task emphasizing explicit learning, and during a kinematically controlled motor execution reference task. Because different brain networks are thought to subserve target acquisition and retrieval during motor sequence learning, we used separate behavioral indices to quantify these aspects of learning during the PET experiments. In the normal cohort, network analysis of the PET data revealed a significant covariance pattern associated with acquisition performance. This topography was characterized by activations in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFdl), rostral supplementary motor area (preSMA), anterior cingulate cortex, and in the left caudate/putamen. A second independent covariance pattern was associated with retrieval performance. This topography was characterized by bilateral activations in the premotor cortex (PMC), and in the right precuneus and posterior parietal cortex. The normal learning-related topographies failed to predict acquisition performance in PD patients and predicted retrieval performance less accurately in the controls. A separate network analysis was performed to identify discrete learning-related topographies in the PD cohort. In PD patients, acquisition performance was associated with a covariance pattern characterized by activations in the left PFdl, ventral prefrontal, and rostral premotor regions, but not in the striatum. Retrieval performance in PD patients was associated with a covariance pattern characterized by activations in the right PFdl, and bilaterally in the PMC, posterior parietal cortex, and precuneus. These results suggest that in early stage PD sequence learning networks are associated with additional cortical activation compensating for abnormalities in basal ganglia function. Hum. Brain Mapping 12:42–60, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mesoscale nanoparticles selectively target the renal proximal tubule epithelium.

We synthesized “mesoscale” nanoparticles, approximately 400 nm in diameter, which unexpectedly localized selectively in renal proximal tubules and up to 7 times more efficiently in the kidney than other organs. Although nanoparticles typically localize in the liver and spleen, modulating their size and opsonization potential allowed for stable targeting of the kidneys through a new proposed uptake mechanism. Applying this kidney targeting strategy, we anticipate use in the treatment of renal disease and the study of renal physiology.
2D-MIT as self-doping of a Wigner-Mott insulator

Abstract We consider an interaction-driven scenario for the two-dimensional metal–insulator transition in zero magnetic field (2D-MIT), based on melting the Wigner crystal through vacancy–interstitial pair formation. We show that the transition from the Wigner–Mott insulator to a heavy Fermi liquid emerges as an instability to self-doping, resembling conceptually the solid to normal liquid transition in He3. The resulting physical picture naturally explains many puzzling features of the 2D-MIT.
Epidermal growth factor modulates intracellular arachidonic acid levels in MA-10 cultured Leydig tumor cells

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) acts on various cell types, including the mouse Leydig tumor cell line MA-10, where it has been shown to stimulate steroidogenesis, apparently in a cAMP-independent manner. In the process of examining other possible signaling pathways for EGF in these cells, we found rapid changes in the intracellular concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) following addition of EGF. For example, a significant increase in AA was detected 1 min after incubating the cells with EGF, with the maximal effect observed at an EGF concentration of 10 ng/ml. In addition, exogenous AA increased steroidogenesis, and the steroidogenesis enhanced by AA and EGF was reduced by lipoxygenase inhibitors, suggesting a possible role of an AA metabolite(s) in promoting steroidogenesis. Consistent with this hypothesis is our observation that several exogenous lipoxygenase metabolites were capable of enhancing progesterone production. The EGF-stimulated steroidogenesis was also inhibited by two phospholipase A2 inhibitors, again confirming a probable role of AA or a metabolite in this process. Therefore, AA appears to be an important intracellular mediator responsible, at least in part, for some of the acute metabolic effects mediated by EGF in MA-10 cells.
Plasma nanotechnology: past, present and future

Low-temperature plasmas find numerous applications in growth and processing of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, inorganic nanowires and others. This paper provides an overview of the history, current status of the literature, challenges ahead in some of the technical areas and the potential for plasma-grown nanomaterials in various nanotechnology applications.
On the calibration problem

First we consider estimating a constant n -dimensional parameter vector x using an m -dimensional observation vector y = Hx for m . Unless H is time-varying, x cannot be estimated. This is the case addressed. It is shown that the Kalman filtering approach yields an estimation algorithm equivalent to a direct deterministic approach which may be more practical to implement. Using Friedland's "separate bias" algorithm [1], we extend the analysis to the problem of indirect observations, i.e., for \dot{z}= Az + Hx with y = Cz + Dx+\upsilon ( \upsilon =observation noise), and show that the results reduce to those for the first problem as observation noise \upsilon tends to zero. As an illustration, the application to the calibration of four parameters in a two-axis gyro is presented.
Propagation of high intensity light in semiconductors

For photons of energy below the bandgap energy, semiconductors exhibit high transparency and low irradiance light passes freely through the medium. However, for high irradiances of light, as from a laser, the transmission through the semiconductor becomes nonlinear. As the irradiance of the incident light increases, the transmission through the semiconductor decreases through nonlinear absorption as well as from the generation of free carriers during the laser pulse. The propagation of light through this irradiance dependent medium can be described by a set of coupled, inhomogeneous, partial differential equations. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Investigation of Fluorescent DYE-DNA Interactions using Multidimensional Adaptive Umbrella Sampling Simulations

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer is often used as a “molecular ruler” to measure distances between fluorescent dyes attached to a biomolecule. This technique relies on the assumption that these dyes rotate freely around the linkers that attach them to the molecule. In the case of Cy3 attached to the 5' end of DNA, it is known from NMR studies that the dye stacks on top of the first base pair, but recent fluorescence anisotropy studies show that there is still some rotation about the linker on short time scales. To explore the dynamics of this system more fully, we performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations using GAMUS, a recently developed multidimensional adaptive umbrella sampling method. Using the method, the free energy basins of the DNA/Cy3 system were characterized in terms of five dihedral angles along the linker between Cy3 and the DNA.
Observations on the Photohydrogen Producing Activity during the Synchronous Cell Cycle of Scenedesmus obliquus

In anaerobically adapted samples of synchronized cultures of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus it was observed that both the rate and the maximum volume of hydrogen produced in the light changed in a parallel fashion over the life cycle. These two parameters of cells of the 16th h were 3 times greater than the comparable values for cells of the 8th h. Although both photosystems are involved in photohydrogen production the patterns seen over a complete life cycle (24 h) for hydrogen metabolism was inverse to that noted for changes in the photosynthetic capacity. The provision of either glucose, ethanol or acetate to 8th and 16th h cultures enhanced photohydrogen production of the 8th to the same level as the 16th h. From these findings, and also from the observation that the starch content is low at the 8th but 4 fold at the 16th h, it is apparent that in autotrophic cultures an endogenous organic compound, and not water, serves as the electron donor for photohydrogen production. Since free glucose was not detected the natural substrate is most likely starch. From experiments with monochromatic light and observations on the inhibitory action of DCMU and DBMIB on photohydrogen production we conclude that the major portion of the machinery for photohydrogen production in Scenedesmus requires both PS I and PS II participation and the input of electrons from the natural substrate proceeds through PS II.
Correlating allostery with rigidity

Allosteric proteins demonstrate the phenomenon of a ligand binding to a protein at a regulatory or effector site and thereby changing the chemical affinity of the catalytic site. As such, allostery is extremely important biologically as a regulatory mechanism for molecular concentrations in many cellular processes. One particularly interesting feature of allostery is that often the catalytic and effector sites are separated by a large distance. Structural comparisons of allosteric proteins resolved in both inactive and active states indicate that a variety of structural rearrangement and changes in motions may contribute to general allosteric behavior. In general it is expected that the coupling of catalytic and regulatory sites is responsible for allosteric behavior. We utilize a novel examination of allostery using rigidity analysis of the underlying graph of the protein structures. Our results indicate a general global change in rigidity associated with allosteric transitions where the R state is more rigid than the T state. A set of allosteric proteins with heterotropic interactions is used to test the hypothesis that catalytic and effector sites are structurally coupled. Observation of a rigid path connecting the effector and catalytic sites in 68.75% of the structures points to rigidity as a means by which the distal sites communicate with each other and so contribute to allosteric regulation. Thus structural rigidity is shown to be a fundamental underlying property that promotes cooperativity and non-locality seen in allostery.
Semantic structure, information structure, and intonation in discourse production

Abstract It has been suggested that parts of objects previously mentioned in discourse can be treated by speakers as given information. Comprehension experiments have shown that not all properties of objects are conceptually equivalent, some being central and others peripheral. It was hypothesized that this difference could affect speakers' treatment of a part as given or new information. In two experiments subjects produced utterances containing objects and parts. In the first experiment it was found that subjects put stronger accent on peripheral than central parts, indicating that the central parts were more likely to be treated as given. In the second experiment it was found that context affected treatment of peripheral parts only. These results suggest that some sources of discourse givenness can be specified in terms of relations in semantic conceptual structures.
Mesenteric CT Angiography: A Discussion of Techniques and Selected Applications

Sixty-four slice MDCT with advanced three-dimensional (3D) visualization software provides a unique opportunity for noninvasive evaluation of the mesenteric vasculature. Although standard axial computed tomography (CT) scanning has always allowed identification of the mesenteric arteries and veins, it is limited in its ability to adequately image small branches and complex anatomy. However, the submillimeter collimation possible with 64-slice CT scanners now allows the acquisition of true isotropic data and therefore high spatial resolution is now maintained in any imaging plane. This ability to visualize the mesenteric vasculature in real-time using 3D rendering and multiplanar reconstruction is crucial for comprehensive review of the complex mesenteric vessels. In this article, we discuss CT scanning protocols and 3D imaging techniques that can be utilized for CT angiography of the mesenteric vessels. Additionally, we will discuss several key conditions that illustrate the value of 3D imaging over standard axial images in mesenteric CT angiography.
Antiretroviral bioanalysis methods of tissues and body biofluids

Research in the many areas of HIV treatment, eradication and prevention has necessitated measurement of antiretroviral (ARV) concentrations in nontraditional specimen types. To determine the knowledgebase of critical details for accurate bioanalysis, a review of the literature was performed and summarized. Bioanalytical assays for 31 ARVs, including metabolites, were identified in 205 publications measuring various tissues and biofluids. 18 and 30% of tissue or biofluid methods, respectively, analyzed more than one specimen type; 35–37% of the tissue or biofluid methods quantitated more than one ARV. 20 and 76% of tissue or biofluid methods, respectively, were used for the analysis of human specimens. HPLC methods with UV detection predominated, but chronologically MS detection began to surpass. 40% of the assays provided complete intra- and inter-assay validation data, but only 9% of publications provided any stability data with even less for the prevalent ARV in treatments.
The use of the adjoint variables in the development of improvement criteria for chemical reactors

The adjoint variables of optimization theory are used in order to investigate the effects of global and local mixing. Global mixing may be caused by bypass, recycle, or general feed bypass. Local mixing is studied by replacing a small part of the reactor with a perfectly mixed cell of equal volume. As an example, a complex reaction system with competing side reactions of different orders is studied in detail.
48 THE EFFECT OF WEANING AND MATERNAL SEPARATION UPON GROWTH HORMONE RESPONSE TO GROWTH HORMONE RELEASING FACTOR IN THE INFANT RHESUS MONKEY

48 THE EFFECT OF WEANING AND MATERNAL SEPARATION UPON GROWTH HORMONE RESPONSE TO GROWTH HORMONE RELEASING FACTOR IN THE INFANT RHESUS MONKEY
America as a Philosophy: Implications for the Development of American Identity Among Today's Youth

American identity is a little understood aspect of youth development, and one that is important to youth civic development and engagement. This article introduces the problem of American identity as a multidisciplinary issue, provides a historical analysis of the philosophical foundation of the nation, and integrates the different disciplinary perspectives to gain insight into the conflicts that challenge the perpetuation and growth of American identity. The analysis in this article contextualizes American identity such that the complexity of the problems can be more fully understood by those who seek to conduct research on civic and national identity among American youth.
Calibration and use of plate meter regressions for pasture mass estimation in an Appalachian silvopasture

A plate meter for measuring pasture mass was calibrated at Agroforestry Research Site in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, using six ungrazed plots of established tall fescue overseeded with orchardgrass. Each plot was interplanted with bare root honey locust and black walnut seedlings spaced along a gradient ranging from 1.8 to 11.0 m. Plate height (PH) of forage between trees was measured by placing a 46 mm × 46 mm × 5.6-mm-thick acrylic plastic plate meter on pasture canopy at six locations four times a season. PH was measured between ground and plate as it rested on pasture canopy. To calibrate the plate meter against a known dry matter yield, 50 × 50-cm clip plots followed each PH measurement. The resulting regression slope was 421 kg ha−1 cm−1, with an r 2 value of 0.86. Unique research investigating the response of forage mass to site elevation is presented using the developed equation. The field-calibrated regression slope of ruler height (RH) to PH was 1.71 cm cm−1, with an r 2 value of 0.87, showing go...
Elastic constants and Debye temperature of Y1Ba2Cu3Ox: effect of oxygen content

Abstract Using ultrasonic methods, we measured the elastic constants of polycrystalline Y1Ba2Cu3Ox between 295 and 4 K. For a single specimen, using vacuum annealing and oxygen annealing, we varied the oxygen content in four steps from x=6.2 to x=6.9. Elastic stiffnesses that depend mainly on shear modes increase monotonically with increasing oxygen content. Stiffnesses that depend on dilatation modes increase up to about x=6.7 and then decrease. The elastic Debye temperature, which depends mainly on shear modes, increases monotonically, in agreement with the specific-heat Debye temperature. An ionic-model calculation for the bulk modulus and Debye temperature predicts a monotonic increase for both. We conjecture that the irregular oxygen-content dependence of the dilatation-mode-related elastic constants arises from changes in copper-oxygen valences.
Nonlinear Finite Element for Reinforced Concrete Slabs

This paper presents a new finite element for the nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs. The element combines a four-node Kirchhoff shell element for concrete with two-node Euler beam elements for the steel reinforcement bars. The connectivity between reinforcement beam elements and concrete shell element is achieved by means of rigid links. By using the transformation method for rigid links, beam nodes are eliminated from the final mesh of the structure. The stiffness and resisting forces from the reinforcement are implicitly included in the new element. In this manner, this finite element is able to take into account the location of the reinforcement bars. This is in contrast to the smeared method, which is often adopted in the layered modeling of RC slabs. The new finite element is verified with experimental results. It is shown that a good agreement exists between the analyses results using the new finite element and the experimental results.
Improving compliance with postpolypectomy surveillance guidelines: an interventional study using a continuous quality improvement initiative.

Background Despite guidelines, physicians tend to perform postpolypectomy surveillance colonoscopies too frequently. Objective The objective of the study was to determine the baseline compliance rate with postpolypectomy guidelines in our unit and to determine the influence of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) intervention on improving the compliance rate and on decreasing the potential additional costs because of the scheduling of postpolypectomy surveillance colonoscopies earlier than indicated. Design This was a single-arm, pretest-posttest design. Setting This study took place at a tertiary care, academic medical center. Patients The medical records of all patients who underwent colonoscopy with polypectomy in our unit retrospectively during 6 months preceding (baseline period) and prospectively for 6 months after an intervention (postintervention period) were reviewed for patient demographics, colonoscopy findings, and scheduling of repeat colonoscopies. Intervention We used 3 components: (1) distribution of a wallet-size card with a summary of postpolypectomy guidelines to all endoscopists, (2) placement of guideline charts near computers used for typing endoscopy reports, and (3) distribution and reinforcement of the guidelines in a monthly continuous quality improvement meeting. Main Outcome Measures The main outcome measures were compliance rates, mean times to repeat colonoscopy, and additional costs from surveillance colonoscopies being scheduled earlier than indicated were compared between the two periods. Results There were 278 patients in the baseline period and 242 in the postintervention period, with similar patient and polyp characteristics. After the intervention, the compliance rate with guidelines improved from 57.2% to 81% ( p p = 0.003) (i.e., a 14% reduction in the number of postpolypectomy surveillance colonoscopies performed per year). This would result in a reduction of a total of 73 surveillance colonoscopies per year in our unit, with a projected cost savings of $171,331 per year (cost of a colonoscopy assumed at $2347). Limitations The limitation of the study was possible enhanced performance secondary to being observed (Hawthorne effect). Because more than 1 intervention was used, we do not know which one is more effective. Conclusions Relatively simple and easy-to-implement quality improvement initiatives can significantly enhance compliance with postpolypectomy guidelines and result in cost savings because of a reduction in the number of postpolypectomy surveillance colonoscopies being scheduled earlier than recommended guidelines.
Progress In Ultrasonic Computed Tomography (CT) Of The Breast

Recent improvements in the ultrasonic computed tomography system at the University of Colorado Medical Center include use of separate transducer apertures for attenuation and velocity imaging. In addition, scanning time to acquire attenuation, speed of ultrasound and pulse echo data of each plane has been reduced to four minutes. Artifacts due to reflection of ultrasound from waves on the water surface and problems of aligning the scanning tank with the breast have been reduced by covering the water surface with an acetate membrane and polyethylene liner including a circular hole for the breast. A detailed description of the scanning system is presented in this paper, and examples are given which demonstrate many characteristics of the attenuation and speed of ultrasound in imaging of the breast. Five of the 42 patients scanned to date with the ultrasonic CT system also were among those imaged with a newly available pulse echo breast scanner. An example is given which illustrates the correlation between pulse echo and ultrasonic CT images.
Studies on the tardigrades. III. Fine structure of the esophagus of milnesium tardigradum doyère

Abstract A fine structural analysis of the esophagus of the tardigrade Milnesium tardigradum Doyere is presented. This foregut structure exhibits pronounced secretory activity with discharge of accumulated material by fusion of secretory vesicles with luminal and lateral surfaces of the esophageal cells. The possible function of this secretory material as well as the organization of esophageal cells and structure of the cuticular lining are discussed.
Hills or hollows? — An ambiguity in the determination of surface corrugation

Abstract The diffraction intensities from a corrugated hard wall are shown to be the same for a given corrugation function ζ(x, y) and −ζ(−x, −y), provided that coupling to evanescent waves is negligible. To illustrate the consequences of this ambiguity for both surface structure and surface bonding, the corrugation of the adsorbate system Ni(110) + H(1 × 2) determined from Hediffraction measurements is considered. Possible conditions under which the ambiguity could be resolved are discussed.
The return of the addressed: Rhetoric, reading, and resonance

In the past several decades, much talk about orality and literacy has appeared in academic circles. Havelock (Preface to Plato and The Muse Learns to Write), Ong (The Presence of the Word, Orality and Literacy), Jamieson (Eloquence in an Electronic Age) and McLuhan (The Gutenberg Galaxy) write of the changes in both culture and consciousness associated with either the oral or literate modality of communication. They write of distinctions between "oral culture" and the "oral state of mind," and "literate culture" and the "literate state of mind." However, the distinction between orality and literacy itself is never directly called into question. The categories have been set and subsequent scholarly discourses pivot on these platforms. I offer an alternative discourse and argue that the categories of orality and literacy are not as definitive as Havelock, Ong, Jamieson, and McLuhan would have us believe. While I agree that shifts in the modalities of discourse have occurred from the oral tales of Homer to the literate texts of Hegel to the technological trends of Hollywood, human experience does not sustain these demarcations. The sensating body experiences a simultaneity of sound, vision, and tactility, even if a particular discursive modality "favors" speech, print, or electronic pixels. The orality-literacy schism does not acknowledge this simultaneity. In fact, it further compartmentalizes human experience by separating it into "concrete" and "abstract." Havelock writes that early Greek mentality, because it was oral, was not capable of metaphysical or abstract thought (xi), and it was not until alphabetization that the eye supplanted the ear as the "chief organ" (vii). For Havelock, "the concrete and sensual" is coupled with "oral culture" while "the abstract and metaphysical" is coupled with "literate culture." I argue in this paper that the orality-literacy dichotomy is fallacious and that the notions of either "being concrete" or "being abstract" cannot be anchored in it. Furthermore, I argue that it is the rhetorical capability of language, not its capacity for oral production or literal production, that generates either "the concrete" or "the abstract." More specifically, I explore the notion that language, whether produced orally through the mouth or literally through the mind will tend to be more or less euphonic, more or less dramatistic, or more or less imagistic. In short, the degrees of euphony, drama, and image will be in direct proportion to the degree of rhetoricity in any given discourse. With this
Methanol steam reforming over Pd/ZnO: Catalyst preparation and pretreatment studies

Abstract The preparation and the pretreatment of Pd/ZnO catalysts were studied for methanol steam reforming. The presence of nitric acid in Pd nitrate precursor significantly altered the porosities and crystalline structures of the ZnO support. The dissolution of ZnO and extent of mixing between the Zn 2+ and Pd 2+ cations during catalyst preparation may have an impact on the PdZn alloy formation and its catalytic properties. The pretreatment of Pd/ZnO, which is critical to the PdZn alloy formation, depends not only on the reduction temperature but also on the reaction conditions under which hydrogen is formed.
Problem Gambling in New Mexico: 1996 and 1998

Included in both the 1996 and 1998 Survey of Gambling Behavior in New Mexico was a scale of individual problem gambling. To assess problems related to gambling behavior, questions were developed using the DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling. The purpose of this paper is to describe problem gamblers in New Mexico. Descriptive data indicate that 12% (n = 321) of the respondents (N = 2,674) reported problem gambling behavior. Further analysis reveal that 51% of those reporting problem gambling behavior were male, and 48% of respondents were married. Forty-eight percent of problem gambler respondents identified themselves as Hispanic ethnicity and 37% non-Hispanic whites. The mean age of problem gamblers was 37.4 years, and the mean annual income was $45,638. Data were separated by survey year to analyze any changes in reported problem gambling. Overall, 12,008 people per 100,000 population reported a mild to severe gambling problem in the period 1996–1998. Statistical significance was revealed in some gambling activities between low/moderate and serious problem gamblers. Recommendations include replicating this survey in New Mexico to determine additional patterns of problem gambling.
THE EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPING A LARGE-SCALE NATURAL LANGUAGE TEXT PROCESSING SYSTEM: CRITIQUE

This paper describes our experience in developing the CRITIQUE system. It describes three application areas in which the system is being used and discusses some characteristics of CRITIQUE which we believe are applicable to large-scale natural language systems in general: performance, robustness, flexibility, presentation, and accuracy.
Anthropometrics and examiner-reported body habitus abnormalities in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study

We undertook anthropometric assessments of 530 HIV-seropositive and 314 HIV-seronegative men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study at a regular visit that occurred between 1 April and 30 September 1999. We found anthropomorphic differences that were independent of age: the 384 seropositive men receiving HAART had diminished body size and higher frequency and severity of body habitus abnormalities, particularly lipoatrophy, compared with the 314 seronegative men.
Enhanced nodule initiation on alfalfa by wild-type Rhizobium meliloti co-inoculated with nod gene mutants and other bacteria

Nodule formation on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) roots was determined at different inoculum dosages for wild-typeRhizobium meliloti strain RCR2011 and for various mutant derivatives with altered nodulation behavior. The number of nodules formed on the whole length of the primary roots was essentially constant regardless of initial inoculum dosage or subsequent bacterial multiplication, indicative of homeostatic regulation of total nodule number. In contrast, the number of nodules formed in just the initially susceptible region of these roots was sigmoidally dependent on the number of wild-type bacteria added, increasing rapidly at dosages above 5·103 bacteria/plant. This behavior indicates the possible existence of a threshold barrier to nodule initiation in the host which the bacteria must overcome. When low dosages of the parent (103 cells/plant) were co-inoculated with 106 cells/plant of mutants lacking functionalnodA, nodC, nodE, nodF ornodH genes, nodule initiation was increased 10- to 30-fold. Analysis of nodule occupancy indicated that these mutants were able to help the parent (wild-type) strain initiate nodules without themselves occupying the nodules. Co-inoculation withR. trifolii orAgrobacterium tumefaciens cured of its Ti plasmid also markedly stimulated nodule initiation by theR. meliloti parent strain. Introduction of a segment of the symbiotic megaplasmid fromR. meliloti intoA. tumefaciens abolished this stimulation.Bradyrhizobium japonicum and a chromosomal Tn5 nod- mutant ofR. meliloti did not significantly stimulate nodule initiation when co-inoculated with wild-typeR. meliloti. These results indicate that certainnod gene mutants and members of theRhizobiaceae may produce extracellular “signals” that supplement the ability of wild-typeR. meliloti cells to induce crucial responses in the host.
A New Multi-threaded Code Synthesis Methodology and Tool for Correct-by-Construction Synthesis from Polychronous Specifications

Embedded software systems respond to multiple events coming from various sources - some temporally regular (ex: periodic sampling of continuous time signals) and some intermittent (ex: interrupts, exception events etc.). Timely response to such events while executing complex computation, might require multi-threaded implementation. For example, overlapping I/O of various types of events, and computation on such events may be delegated to different threads. However, manual programming of multi-threaded programs is error-prone, and proving correctness is computationally expensive. In order to guarantee safety of such implementations, we believe that a correct-by-construction synthesis of multi-threaded software from formal specification is required. It is also imperative that the multiple threads are capable of making progress asynchronous to each other, only synchronizing when shared data is involved or information requires to be passed from one thread to other. Especially on a multi-core platform, lesser the synchronization between threads, better will be the performance. Also, the ability of the threads to make asynchronous progress, rather than barrier synchronize too often, would allow better real-time schedulability. In this work, we describe our technique for multi-threaded code synthesis from a variant of the polychronous programming language SIGNAL, namely MRICDF. Through a series of experimental benchmarks we show the efficacy of our synthesis technique. Our tool EmCodeSyn which was built originally for sequential code synthesis from MRICDF models has been now extended with multi-threaded code synthesis capability. Our technique first checks the concurrent implementability of the given MRICDF model. For implementable models, we further compute the execution schedule and generate multi-threaded code with appropriate synchronization constructs so that the behavior of the implementation is latency equivalent to that of the original MRICDF model.
Effects of cytochalasin B on the cortex of the unfertilized sea urchin egg

The peripheral cytoplasm of the unfertilized sea urchin egg contains approximately 18,000 cortical granules. These granules remain monolayered within the normal boundaries of the cortex when the egg is centrifuged at forces sufficient to stratify other intracellular inclusions. Exposure of unfertilized eggs to the microfilament disrupting agent, cytochalasin B (CB) causes the granules to rearrange into several layers and occasionally to undergo exocytosis or break down in situ. When these eggs are centrifuged, the cortical granules are dislodged from the cortex and migrate centrifugally among the densest intracellular components. In addition, cytoplasmic inclusions, which normally are excluded from the cortex, impinge directly upon the egg plasma membrane in CB-treated, centrifuged eggs. These results are consistent with the existence of a microfilamentous network which confines the cortical granules within and excludes other intracellular inclusions from the cortex of the unfertilized egg.
Classical implicit travelling wave solutions for a quasilinear convection–diffusion equation

Abstract We discuss classical implicit solutions to the partial differential equation u t = ( H ( u ) ) xx + ( G ( u ) ) x , a general convection–diffusion PDE with particular subcases appearing in many areas of fluids and astrophysics. As an illustrative example, and to compare our results with those present in the literature, we frequently consider travelling wave solutions for the quasilinear PDE u t = ( u m ) xx + ( u n ) x , which has been used to describe the flow of viscous fluids on an inclined bed and as a model of convection–diffusion processes. When n ⩾ m > 1, this equation can be used to model the flow of a fluid under gravity through a homogeneous and isotropic porous medium. The travelling wave ODE for both the general and more specific cases have a first integral which is used to obtain an implicit solution for the travelling wave profiles. We should mention that, for some values of m , the implicit relation can be solved in closed form for explicit exact solutions. In the case of n = 2 m − 1, solving the implicit relation gives a general way of obtaining the solutions found in Vanaja [Vanaja, V., 2009. Physica Scripta 80, p. 045402] where the travelling wave solutions for the cases ( m , n ) = (2, 3) and ( m , n ) = (3, 5) were explicitly constructed using a more complicated ansatz method. For other more complicated cases where inversion cannot be performed, we apply the method of series reversion to construct series solutions from the implicit relations. Furthermore, we deduce the dependence of travelling wave solutions on the wave speed, even in cases where the explicit exact solution cannot be found.
On the representation of−1 as a sum of two squares in an algebraic number field

In a recent paper, P. Chowla proved that −1 can be represented as a sum of two squares in Q(e2πin) if the positive integer n is divisible by a positive integer m ≡ 3(mod 8). In this paper we determine necessary and sufficient conditions in order for −1 to be the sum of two squares in any algebraic number field K. In particular, when K = Q(e2πin) the equation −1 = a2 + b2 is solvable if and only if n is divisible either by 4 or by some odd prime p such that the order of 2(mod p) is even. We show that the set E of such primes consists of all primes ≡ ± 3(mod 8) together with a subset F of the primes ≡ 1(mod 8), where the Dirichlet density of F is 524.
Microfluidic Generation of Haptotactic Gradients through 3D Collagen Gels for Enhanced Neurite Growth

Abstract We adapted a microfluidic system used previously to generate durotactic gradients of stiffness in a 3D collagen gel, to produce haptotactic gradients of adhesive ligands through the collagen gel. Oligopeptide sequences that included bioactive peptide sequences from laminin, YIGSR, or IKVAV, were grafted separately onto type I collagen using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Solutions of peptide-grafted collagen and untreated collagen were then used as source and sink input solutions, respectively, in an H-shaped microfluidic network fabricated using traditional soft lithography. One-dimensional gradients of the peptide-grafted collagen solution were generated in the channel that connected the source and sink channels, and these gradients became immobilized upon self-assembly of the collagen into a 3D fibrillar gel. The slope and average concentration of the gradients were adjusted by changing the concentration of the source solutions and by changing the length of the cross-cha...
Stimulus Generalization to Absolutely Discriminable Tones

It has been acknowledged that the capacity for the non-trained stimuli to elicit conditioned responses in the traditional stimulus generalization study arises from certain but as yet unspecified modifications within the organism which have taken place during the conditioning phase of the study. As such, stimulus generalization presumably represents something other than merely an individual's inability to discriminate among the stimuli used in the experimental situation. It is interesting to note, however, that the discriminability of the test stimuli, as well as the more general role of discrimination in the generalization situation, has been studied by few investigators. Grant and Schiller's ( 1953 ) recognition of the discrimination problem resulted in their proposing that the analysis of the stimulus generalization data be confined to the first trial after the conditioning series. Responses to subsequent test trials, they argued, introduce discrimination training and thus obscure "pure" generalization effects. The early studies of Hovland (1937 a, b ) are noteworthy in that the discriminability among the stimulus tones which subsequently were used in the generalization tests was first established by a psychophysical technique. One interesting aspect of Hovland's procedure was that he employed the method of differential thresholds to establish the discriminability of his tones, although in the test for generalization, an absolute judgment was required of Ss, rather than a differential one. Although one might assume that stimuli which are discriminable by a differential threshold technique are equally discriminable when an absolute judgment method is used, a study by Slivinske and Hall (1960) has indicated the spuriousness of such an assumption. These authors found that the tones which Hovland used in his loudness study were not completely discriminable when the method of absolute judgments, adapted from that of Garner and Hake ( 1951 ), was used. For example, absolute judgments of the 86-db t o n e t h e tone which served as the CS for half of Hovland's Ss and which was 50 jnds removed from the 74-db tone-were almost as frequently given for the 74-db tone as they were for the 86-db tone. The present experiment examined stimulus generalization effects when absblutely discriminable tones were used in the test situation, and when only response measures from first test uial for Ss were employed as generalization data.
The familial phenotype of obsessive-compulsive disorder in relation to tic disorders: the Hopkins OCD family study.

Abstract Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders have phenomenological and familial-genetic overlaps. An OCD family study sample that excludes Tourette’s syndrome in probands is used to examine whether tic disorders are part of the familial phenotype of OCD. Methods: Eighty case and 73 control probands and their first-degree relatives were examined by experienced clinicians using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Anxiety version. DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses were ascertained by a best-estimate consensus procedure. The prevalence and severity of tic disorders, age-at-onset of OCD symptoms, and transmission of OCD and tic disorders by characteristics and type of proband (OCD + tic disorder, OCD − tic disorder) were examined in relatives. Results: Case probands and case relatives had a greater lifetime prevalence of tic disorders compared to control subjects. Tic disorders spanning a wide severity range were seen in case relatives; only mild severity was seen in control relatives. Younger age-at-onset of OCD symptoms and possibly male gender in case probands were associated with increased tic disorders in relatives. Although relatives of OCD + tic disorder and OCD − tic disorder probands had similar prevalences of tic disorders, this result is not conclusive. Conclusions: Tic disorders constitute an alternate expression of the familial OCD phenotype.
Hemoglobin A1 correlates with the ratio of low- to high- density-lipoprotein cholesterol in normal weight type II diabetics

Abstract Because cardiovascular risk correlates with serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and is inverse with high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio has been advocated as a sensitive index of relative cardiovascular risk. In 50 normal weight insulin-treated Type II diabetic subjects, mean LDL-HDL ratios were significantly higher than for controls. In diabetic women, the LDL-HDL cholesterol ratio correlated with hemoglobin A1 better than any of the lipids or lipoprotein cholesterol fractions. When 8 poorly controlled diabetics were treated with insulin, the LDL-HDL ratio changed more significantly than did its component fractions, and the fall in LDL-HDL ratio parelled the fall in hemoglobin A 1 .