cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Receptor-mediated uptake of low density lipoprotein stimulates bile acid synthesis by cultured rat hepatocytes

The cellular mechanisms responsible for the lipoprotein-mediated stimulation of bile acid synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes were investigated. Adding 280 micrograms/ml of cholesterol in the form of human or rat low density lipoprotein (LDL) to the culture medium increased bile acid synthesis by 1.8- and 1.6-fold, respectively. As a result of the uptake of LDL, the synthesis of [14C]cholesterol from [2-14C]acetate was decreased and cellular cholesteryl ester mass was increased. Further studies demonstrated that rat apoE-free LDL and apoE-rich high density lipoprotein (HDL) both stimulated bile acid synthesis 1.5-fold, as well as inhibited the formation of [14C]cholesterol from [2-14C]acetate. Reductive methylation of LDL blocked the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, as well as the stimulation of bile acid synthesis, suggesting that these processes require receptor-mediated uptake. To identify the receptors responsible, competitive binding studies using 125I-labeled apoE-free LDL and 125I-labeled apoE-rich HDL were performed. Both apoE-free LDL and apoE-rich HDL displayed an equal ability to compete for binding of the other, suggesting that a receptor or a group of receptors that recognizes both apolipoproteins is involved. Additional studies show that hepatocytes from cholestyramine-treated rats displayed 2.2- and 3.4-fold increases in the binding of apoE-free LDL and apoE-rich HDL, respectively. These data show for the first time that receptor-mediated uptake of LDL by the liver is intimately linked to processes activating bile acid synthesis.
Deposit insurance and regulation in a Diamond-Dybvig banking model with a risky technology

Three deposit insurance schemes are studied in a version of the Diamond-Dybvig banking model with a risky technology. The schemes include a full deposit guarantee and two alternatives which people have suggested as ways to limit the moral hazard problem of deposit insurance: deductible and coinsurance. Regulation to suppress the moral hazard problem under each scheme takes the form of solvency and incentive compatibility constraints. When the regulation is relaxed slightly, as it might be under regulatory error, the insurer's payout is lower under the alternatives than under the full guarantee. However, the coinsurance and deductible schemes are less effective at preventing bank runs than the full guarantee. Moreover, in some environments, even the full guarantee itself does not provide enough reassurance to rule out bank runs.
Tidal and Nontidal Oscillations in Elkhorn Slough, CA

Elkhorn Slough is a shallow, tidally forced estuary that is directly connected to Monterey Bay. It is ebb-dominated and, due to continued erosion, the tidal prism has tripled over the past 40 years. Water level measurements at four locations are used to examine tidal and nontidal oscillations in Elkhorn Slough. The tidal response of Elkhorn Slough differs from that of Monterey Bay primarily due to the generation of a relatively large number of shallow-water tidal constituents that are due to tidal distortion caused by friction along the bottom and lateral boundaries, intertidal storage, and nonlinear advection. The shallow-water constituents range from 3 to almost 15 cycles per day (cpd) and include a rich variety of overtides and compound tides, whose amplitudes generally increase toward the head of the slough. The tidal harmonics are seasonally dependent, with lower amplitudes during the fall and winter and higher amplitudes in summer. The tidal constituents were examined using two types of spectral decomposition, the conventional power spectrum and the more recent Hilbert spectrum. Unlike the power spectrum, the Hilbert spectrum does not reveal any harmonic structure in the data. Energy associated with tidal distortion in this case appears to be broadly distributed across the spectral continuum. At least four nontidal oscillations occur in Elkhorn Slough with frequencies of 26.0, 39.7, 52.7, and 66.9 cpd. The Hilbert spectrum reveals maxima at 26, 39.7, and 66.9 cpd, but not at 52.7 cpd, suggesting that it is harmonically related to the oscillation at 26.0 cpd. The nontidal oscillations fall into the range of frequencies associated with the natural oscillations of Monterey Bay. However, evolutionary power spectra indicate that they appear to be permanent features of the system and thus are not necessarily consistent with seiche-like oscillations that are often transient and subject to damping. These oscillations could be caused by several factors including edge waves along the coast of Monterey Bay, long-period surface waves of atmospheric origin that enter the bay from offshore, or breaking internal waves in and around the Monterey Submarine Canyon. In conclusion, detailed hydrodynamic models are needed to provide a better understanding of how tidal harmonics are generated and preserved in Elkhorn Slough, and to determine the origin of the natural oscillations in Monterey Bay.
Factionalism and Iranian politics: the post‐Khomeini experience

The elections to the fourth session of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) were generally considered as the beginning of the end of factional politics in Iran. The typical journalistic analysis of Iranian politics, emphasizing the existence of two "moderate" and "radical" factions on the Iranian political scene, concluded that the "moderate" forces, led by President Hashemi Rafsanjani, had inflicted a decisive blow on the "radical" faction and neutralized the Majlis (which had been controlled by the radicals in its third session) as an impediment to the president's plan for reconstruction of the economy.' Soon after the convening of the Fourth Majlis, however, the legislature challenged the authority of the Rafsanjani government either by initiating legislative bills to limit the authority of the president or by shelving the bills introduced by the government.2
Oceanic internal waves—their run-up on a sloping seabed

This is a study of the nonlinear geophysical phenomenon of the run-up of two-dimensional oceanic internal waves on a submerged seabed of uniform slope. An internal-wave run-up model is developed for nonlinear and nondispersive long waves propagating along the interface of a two-layered inviscid fluid and incident upon the sloping seabed, with the elevation of the top free surface assumed negligible for the baroclinic mode of interest. Explicit solutions of the nonlinear equations are obtained for several classes of wave forms, which are matched, when necessary for achieving uniformly valid results, with the outer solution based on linear theory for the outer region in which the lower layer is no longer shallow compared to the top one. Under specific criteria, these waves can maintain progressing without breaking.
Lower bounds on the lengths of node sequences in directed graphs

A strong node sequence for a directed graph G=(N,A) is a sequence of nodes containing every cycle-free path of G as a subsequence. A weak node sequence for G is a sequence of nodes containing every basic path in G as a subsequence, where a basic path n 1 , n 2 , …, n k is a path from n 1 to n k such that no proper subsequence is a path from n 1 to n k . (Every strong node sequence for G is a weak node sequence for G. ) Kennedy has developed a global program data flow analysis method using node sequences. Kwiatowski and Kleitman have shown that any strong node sequence for the complete graph on n nodes must have length at least n 2 −O( n 7/4+α ), for arbitrary positive e. Every graph on n nodes has a strong sequence of length n 2 –2n +4, so this bound is tight to within O( n 7/4+α ). However, the complete graph on n nodes has a weak node sequence of length n nodes (all with in-degree and out-degree bounded by two) such that any weak node sequence for G has length at least 1/2 log 2 n −O( n log log n ). Aho and Ullman have shown that every reducible flow graph has a strong node sequence of length O( n log 2 n ); thus our bound is tight to within a constant factor for reducible graphs. We also show that for infinitely many n , there is a (non-reducible) flow graph H with n nodes (all with in-degree and out-degree bounded by two), such that any weak node sequence for H has length at least cn 2 , where c is a positive constant. This bound, too, is tight to within a constant factor.
Pattern recognition II: Investigation of structure—activity relationships

A simple form of pattern recognition is successfully used to classify a set of structurally diverse therapeutic agents. By using only organic structural information, the major pharmacological classes present were correctly identified and the pharmacologically unrelated compounds were separated out. One technique of factor analysis—principal component analysis—is shown to be readily adaptable in preprocessing the data. Simple graphical representation of the results enables their direct interpretation.
Detection of left ventricular wall motion abnormalities for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease: A comparison of exercise radionuclide and pacing intravenous digital ventriculography

Intravenous digital ventriculography before and after pacing was compared with equilibrium gated nuclear ventriculography at rest and after exercise. Specifically, the relative abilities of the 2 techniques to detect resting and stress-related wall motion abnormalities were tested. Twelve normal patients and 28 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) were tested. Neither technique produced a new wall motion abnormality in a patient with normal coronary arteries. Six patients with CAD had a history of a myocardial infarction (MI); an abnormality at rest was present in all 6 by both techniques. Of the 22 patients with CAD and a normal baseline ventriculogram, a wall motion abnormality developed in 18 during digital ventriculography with pacing; a wall motion abnormality developed in 15 with exercise nuclear ventriculography. Wall motion abnormalities by nuclear ventriculography (performed in the left anterior oblique projection) tended to be apical; digital ventriculography (performed in the right anterior oblique projection) more often produced an abnormality of the anterior or inferior wall, which could be predictive of coronary anatomy. Thus, the 2 techniques are substantially equivalent for the detection of wall motion abnormalities in CAD.
Historical Basis for Limits on Lake Superior Water Level Regulations

Abstract The 1979 International Joint Commission (IJC) Supplementary Orders of Approval for the regulation of Lake Superior outflows call for maintaining Lake Superior water levels below an elevation of 183.49 m above the International Great Lakes datum of 1955 (IGLD55). When Lake Superior rose above 183.49 m (IGLD55) in 1985, the IJC ordered discharges in excess of the operational regulation plan outflows. Continued pressure to reduce high water levels on the lower Great Lakes by storing water in Lake Superior calls into question the sanctity of the 183.49 m (IGLD55) limit. Based on IJC hearings and historical water level records, the present limit appears to be equivalent to the upper limit specified in the original 1914 Orders of Approval, when the latter is adjusted for differential isostatic rebound. However, testimony reveals that the IJC of 1914 expected levels to exceed the limit by about 0.15 m during water supply conditions similar to those of 1869 and 1876, which were matched in 1985. Although the expected exceedance of the 1914 limit appears to be based on an inaccurate maximum water level record, other historical records substantiate that Lake Superior should be expected to rise above 183.49 m (IGLD55) during times of high water supplies, such as 1985.
Easing food waste could reduce pressure on natural resources

Calls to reduce food waste and enhance agricultural water efficiency were among the points raised during the 27 August opening session of World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. “More than one fourth of all the water we use worldwide is taken to grow over one billion tons of food that nobody eats. That water, together with the billions of dollars spent to grow, ship, package, and purchase the food, is sent down the drain,” said Torgny Holmgren, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute, which organizes World Water Week. “Reducing the waste of food is the smartest and most direct route to relieve pressure on water and land resources. It's an opportunity we cannot afford to overlook,” he added.
Host behavior alters spiny lobster–viral disease dynamics: a simulation study

Social behavior confers numerous benefits to animals but also risks, among them an increase in the spread of pathogenic diseases. We examined the trade-off between risk of predation and disease transmission under different scenarios of host spatial structure and disease avoidance behavior using a spatially explicit, individual-based model of the host pathogen interaction between juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1). Spiny lobsters are normally social but modify their behavior to avoid diseased conspecifics, a potentially effective means of reducing transmission but one rarely observed in the wild. We found that without lobster avoidance of diseased conspecifics, viral outbreaks grew in intensity and duration in simulations until the virus was maintained continuously at unrealistically high levels. However, when we invoked disease avoidance at empirically observed levels, the intensity and duration of outbreaks was reduced and the disease extirpated within five years. Increased lobster (host) spatial aggregation mimicking that which occurs when sponge shelters for lobsters are diminished by harmful algal blooms, did not significantly increase PaV1 transmission or persistence in lobster populations. On the contrary, behavioral aversion of diseased conspecifics effectively reduced viral prevalence, even when shelters were limited, which reduced shelter availability for all lobsters but increased predation, especially of infected lobsters. Therefore, avoidance of diseased conspecifics selects against transmission by contact, promotes alternative modes of transmission, and results in a more resilient host-pathogen system.
Adaptive Control of Duty Cycling in Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

Increasingly many wireless sensor network deployments are using harvested environmental energy to extend system lifetime. Because the temporal profiles of such energy sources exhibit great variability due to dynamic weather patterns, an important problem is designing an adaptive duty-cycling mechanism that allows sensor nodes to maintain their power supply at sufficient levels (energy neutral operation) by adapting to changing environmental conditions. Existing techniques to address this problem are minimally adaptive and assume a priori knowledge of the energy profile. While such approaches are reasonable in environments that exhibit low variance, we find that it is highly inefficient in more variable scenarios. We introduce a new technique for solving this problem based on results from adaptive control theory and show that we achieve better performance than previous approaches on a broader class of energy source data sets. Additionally, we include a tunable mechanism for reducing the variance of the node's duty cycle over time, which is an important feature in tasks such as event monitoring. We obtain reductions in variance as great as two-thirds without compromising task performance or ability to maintain energy neutral operation.
Critical care: Estimating renal function in the ICU: even more challenging

Estimating renal function in the normal to high range is challenging, and even more so in critically ill patients. An analysis of commonly used equations for estimating renal function demonstrates that these formulae might not be accurate in this setting, which has important implications for drug dosing.
Reasoning in two languages: An assessment of the reasoning ability of Puerto Rican elementary school children

Abstract In this study, the syllogistic reasoning performance of Puerto Rican elementary schoolchildren in Grades 3 through 5 was assessed in English and Spanish. Although formal reasoning in Spanish tended to go along with formal reasoning in English, a difference between the two languages in favor of Spanish was found. This discrepancy is attributed to the additional processing demands imposed on children when they solve problems in their second language. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.
Modeling of oxide breakup during equal channel angular pressing of reactively gas-atomized Al powders

The influences of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) conditions, such as number of passes, processing temperature, and tool angle, on oxide breakup of oxygen-containing gas-atomized Al powders were numerically studied. The modeling results show that the fragmented oxide’s size decreases with an increase in number of passes and with a decrease in processing temperature and in tool angle. A few tens of passes are required to attain nanometric (1 to 10 nm) oxide particles. The theoretical calculations are generally consistent with the experimental data.
Shining and other Paths: War and Society in Peru 1980-1995

Shining and other Paths: War and Society in Peru 1980-1995. Steve J. Stern. ed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998. xiv. 534 pp., maps, photographs, figures, bibliography, index, contributors.
Differential suppression of host cell protein synthesis and mRNA levels in herpes simplex virus-infected endothelial cells

Earlier studies from this laboratory have shown that infection of vascular cells with herpes simplex virus 1 or 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2) results in the differential suppression of extracellular matrix proteins including fibronectin (FN), type IV collagen, thrombospondin (TSP) and Factor VIII von Willebrand protein. The present study was designed to determine whether a correlation exists between suppression of synthesis of specific proteins and their mRNA levels. We have measured the steady-state levels of mRNAs for several extracellular matrix proteins (type IV collagen, FN and TSP) and two intracellular proteins (actin and tubulin) in human endothelial cells (EC) following HSV-1 infection. The results show that during the first 5 h post-infection, when there is a rapid decrease in the synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins, the steady-state levels of the corresponding mRNAs remain relatively high, but progressively decline to levels of less than 20% by 13 h post-infection. These findings suggest that in the early hours post-infection there is an alteration in the translatability of the hybridizable message followed by degradation in the later hours.
On Some Mean Matrix Inequalites of Dynamical Interest

Let A ∈ SL(n,ℝ). We show that for all n>2 there exist dimensional strictly positive constants Cn such that
Embedded Simulation Models in Educational Games on Environmental Issues for Engineering Students

A Monte Carlo simulation model was developed to provide tradeoff information about environmental issues and production costs after students play an educational game managing a simplified automobile supply chain. Two performance measures are tracked in the model, total production cost and an environmental green score. Results help students understand the effects of different management approaches to environmentally conscious manufacturing decisions. The simulation was run for a range of management philosophies and results analyzed for potential value to improve learning experiences.
The additivity of substrate fragments in enzyme-ligand binding.

Abstract Background: Enzymes have evolved to recognise their target substrates with exquisite selectivity and specificity. Whether fragments of the substrate – perhaps never available to the evolving enzyme – are bound in the same manner as the parent substrate addresses the fundamental basis of specificity. An understanding of the relative contributions of individual portions of ligand molecules to the enzyme-binding interaction may offer considerable insight into the principles of substrate recognition. Results: We report 12 crystal structures of Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase in complexes with available fragments of the substrate (dUMP), both with and without the presence of a cofactor analogue. The structures display considerable fidelity of binding mode and interactions. These complexes reveal several interesting features: the cofactor analogue enhances the localisation of substrate and substrate fragments near the reactive thiol; the ribose moiety reduces local disorder through additional specific enzyme–ligand interactions; the pyrimidine has multiple roles, ranging from stereospecificity to mechanistic competence; and the glycosidic linkage has an important role in the formation of a covalent attachment between substrate and enzyme. Conclusions: The requirements of ligand–protein binding can be understood in terms of the binding of separate fragments of the ligand. Fragments which are sybsystems of the natural substrate for the enzyme confer specific contributions to the binding affinity, orientation or electrostatics of the enzymatic mechanism. This ligand-binding analysis provides a complementary method to the more prevalent approaches utilising site-directed mutagenesis. In addition, these observations suggest a modular approach for rational drug design utilising chemical fragments.
A Preliminary Neval Surveillance OBMS Sacurity

This paper presents an informal security model for the use of data base management systems supporting Naval surveillance applications. The paper discusses why conventional security models are inadequate for data base needs. Also, the Naval surveillance system environment is described, followed by a description of the model and its application to Naval surveillance systems. The model itself is made up of subjects (the users), objects (the data), operators, and policies. The paper concludes with a discussion of directions for model evolution and the observation that, although designed for a particular class of data base applications, the model is surprisingly general.
Empiricism, judgment, and argument; Toward an informal logic of science

In an attempt to explore the role of argumentation in scientific inquiry, I explore the conception of argument that appears fruitful in the light of the recent trends in the philosophy of science, away from logical empiricism, and toward a greater emphasis on change, disagreement, and history. I begin by contrasting typical instances philosopers’ theories of both empiricism and apriorism, with typical instances of scientists’ uses of these two attitudes, suggesting that such practice shows a judiciousness lacking in epistemological theory. Then I examine at some length three important version of scientific judgement, namely Einstein's opportunism, Boltzmann's pluralism, and Huygens's eclecticism. I go on to discuss some recent work in the philosophy of science, exploring connections between the notion of judgment and Feyerabend's anarchism, Harold Brown's view of rationality, and Dudley Shapere's analysis of scientific change. All of this suggests a notion of argument in the sense of informallogic, and I examine some aspects of Galileo's work in its terms.
Attachment to extracellular matrix molecules by cells differing in the expression of osteoblastic traits

Two sets of clonal cell populations differing in the expression of osteoblastic traits, the rat osteosarcoma cell lines ROS 17/2.8 and ROS 25/1 and the immortalized fetal rat calvarial cell lines RCT-1 and RCT-3, were compared for their ability to attach to a series of extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents in vitro. Both osteoblastic (ROS 17/2.8, RCT-3) and nonosteoblastic (ROS 25/1, RCT-1) cell lines attached in a time- and concentration-dependent manner to plates coated with fibronectin (FN), osteopontin (OP), type I collagen (Col I), type IV collagen (Col IV), and laminin (LN) but only weakly to osteocalcin (OC) and thrombospondin (TSP). In both systems, the osteoblastic and nonosteoblastic clones attached identically to FN. Both ROS 17/2.8 and ROS 25/1 attached to similar molar amounts of substrate with the same preference order: FN > LN > Col I > or = Col IV. Maximal ROS 17/2.8 attachment to OP was > or = Col I but required approximately 2.5 times more substrate. ROS 25/1 attached less effectively than ROS 17/2.8 to most non-FN substrates. RCT-3 cells attached similarly to ROS 17/2.8 except that the preference order for Col I and LN was reversed and attachment to OP was lower than for ROS 17/2.8 RCT-1 cells attached best to Col I rather than FN, and equaled or surpassed RCT-3 in attachment to other non-FN substrates. Thus in these experimental systems, cells expressing an osteoblast-like phenotype exhibited generally similar ECM attachment properties. Their nonosteoblastic counterparts recognized the same spectrum of ECM constituents but differed from the osteoblastic cells and from each other in the effectiveness of their attachment to substrates other than FN.
Steroidal sapogenins XXXIX.: Occurrence and Isolation of Gentrogenin and Correllogenin from Dioscorea spiculiflora

Two new isomeric 12-ketonic sapogenins have been isolated from tubers of Dioscorea spiculiflora , obtained in Chiapas province, Mexico. The new sapogenins, called gentrogenin and corellogenin, constitute 20 to 55 per cent of the total sapogenin content which ranges from 2.0 to 5.5 per cent, moisture free basis. Methods for the analysis and isolation of gentrogenin and correllogenin are presented in detail. The more important physical constants including melting point, optical rotation, and infrared spectra are recorded.
The functional, oxygen-linked chloride binding sites of hemoglobin are contiguous within a channel in the central cavity.

Chloride ion is a major allosteric regulator for many hemoglobins and particularly for bovine hemoglobin. A site-directed reagent for amino groups, methyl acetyl phosphate, when used for global rather than selective modification of R (oxy) and T (deoxy) state bovine hemoglobin, can acetylate those functional amino groups involved in binding of chloride; the extensively acetylated hemoglobin tetramer retains nearly full cooperativity. The chloride-induced decrease in the oxygen affinity parallels the acetylation of bovine hemoglobin (i.e., their effects are mutually exclusive), suggesting that methyl acetyl phosphate is a good probe for the functional chloride binding sites in hemoglobins. Studies on the overall alkaline Bohr effect indicates that the part of the contribution dependent on chloride and reduced by 60% after acetylation is due to amino groups, Val-1(alpha) and Lys-81(beta); the remaining 40% is contributed by the imidazole side chain of His-146(beta), which is not acetylated by methyl acetyl phosphate, and is not dependent on chloride. The five amino groups--Val-1(alpha), Lys-99(alpha), Met-1(beta), Lys-81(beta), and Lys-103(beta)--of bovine hemoglobin that are acetylated in an oxygen-linked fashion are considered functional chloride binding sites. Molecular modeling indicates that these functional chloride binding sites are contiguous from one end of the central cavity of hemoglobin to the other; some of them are aligned within a chloride channel connecting each end of the dyad axis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Metabolism of limonoids: nomilin to nomilinate in citrus limon

Abstract Nomilinate was found to be the major acidic limonoid present in seedlings of Citrus limon . [ 14 C]Nomilin was converted to at least six acidic metabolites in C. limon , one of which was identified as nomilinate. The metabolism via nomilinate is the fifth metabolic pathway of nomilin shown to be present in nature.
Interpreting the Statistical Significance of Observed AD Interrater Agreement Values: Correction to Burke and Dunlap (2002):

This article presents a clarification of Burke and Dunlap’s (2002) instructions for interpreting the statistical significance of observed average deviation (AD) interrater agreement values. An explanation is offered for how to use Burke and Dunlap’s critical AD values to determine statistical significance of observed AD values. In addition, Burke and Dunlap’s cutoffs for practical significance of observed AD values are discussed.
Is the number of trials a primary determinant of conditioned responding

Acquisition of conditioned responding is thought to be determined by the number of pairings of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US). However, it is possible that acquisition is primarily determined not by the number of trials but rather by quantities that often correlate with the number of trials, such as cumulative intertrial interval (ITI) and the number of sessions. Four experiments examined whether the number of trials has an effect on acquisition of conditioned responding, once cumulative ITI and number of sessions are equated. Results of the experiments with rats and mice favor the hypothesis that over an eightfold range, variation in number of CS-US pairings has little effect. It is suggested that learning curves might more accurately be plotted across cumulative ITI or number of sessions, and not across number of trials. Results pose a challenge to trial-centered accounts of conditioning, as demonstrated by simulations of the Rescorla-Wagner model, a simplified version of Wagner's standard operating procedure model (SOP), and Stout & Miller's sometimes competing retrieval model (SOCR). A time-centered account, rate estimation theory (RET), predicts the main finding but has trouble with other aspects of the learning process more easily accommodated by trial-centered models.
Gas Liquid Chromatographic Determination and Infrared Identification of Ethyl Alcohol, Diethyl Carbonate, and Diethyl Oxalate in a Ternary Mixture

Although several investigators have made gas–liquid chromatography and infrared studies of alcohols, organic carbonates, and oxalates, there have been no reports of the separation of ethyl alcohol (ETOH), diethyl carbonate (DEC), and diethyl oxalate (DEC) together in a single mixture or as a ternary mixture.
The effect of effort on sales performance and job satisfaction

The authors address a fundamental gap in understanding how sales performance and job satisfaction are determined in an investigation of the sales force of a direct-selling organization. Results ind...
Increasing Response Rates in Mail Surveys Without Increasing Error A Research Note

Self-administered mail surveys remain one of the most common methods of collecting data in social science research. Not only are mail surveys cost-effective, they also enable researchers to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from elite policy makers as well as everyday citizens. However, no matter how well the research is designed or how interesting the questions are, it is all of little use if the population fails to respond. Accordingly, in an effort to increase response while decreasing the error associated with nonresponse, the following article argues for the careful integration of multiple contacts and endorsements when surveying elite policy makers. Such an approach is consistent with the Tailored Design Method and was used in a recent survey of chief prosecutors in four states. Response rates reached as high as 90% in one of the states, with an overall response rate of 76% across the four states.
Procrastination scheduling in fixed priority real-time systems

Procrastination scheduling has gained importance for energy efficiency due to the rapid increase in the leakage power consumption. Under procrastination scheduling, task executions are delayed to extend processor shutdown intervals, thereby reducing the idle energy consumption. We propose algorithms to compute the maximum procrastination intervals for tasks scheduled by either the fixed priority or the dual priority scheduling policy. We show that dual priority scheduling always guarantees longer shutdown intervals than fixed priority scheduling. We further combine procrastination scheduling with dynamic voltage scaling to minimize the total static and dynamic energy consumption of the system. Our simulation experiments show that the proposed algorithms can extend the sleep intervals up to 5 times while meeting the timing requirements. The results show up to 18% energy gains over dynamic voltage scaling.
Turbine Engine Modeling Using Temporal Neural Networks for Incipient Fault Detection and Diagnosis

We present a method of fault detection and diagnosis in turbine engines using temporal neural networks. Temporal neural networks allow us to represent the complete engine operating range by complementing the first-principle models which are usually restricted to takeoff and cruise phases. Because faults that are manifest only in particular phases can be detected, complete coverage leads to more accurate anomaly detection and fault diagnosis systems. The time series sensor data from the engine is collected during particular aircraft flight phases such as startup, takeoff, cruise, and shutdown. We use the echo state network to develop an incipient fault detection and diagnosis system. Echo state networks have several advantages over conventional types of temporal neural networks, including accuracy and ease of training. We demonstrate the efficacy of using the echo state networks to focus on flight phases that are difficult to model. We present results of our fault detection and diagnosis method with actual propulsion engine transient flight data.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Effects of technique and analytic conditions on tidal breathing flow volume loops in term neonates.

The tidal breathing flow volume loop (TBFVL) may provide objective assessments of infant airway function. We examined whether infant biologic variability and technical limitations of commercial equipment might affect tidal breathing indices. TBFVLs were obtained in 79 sleeping, healthy, 1–5-day-old infants, divided into two groups: (1) TBFVLs were obtained immediately after face mask placement, i.e., within 5–20 sec (Group A), or (2) after a delay of 2–3 min following face mask placement (Group B). Both tidal volume (VT) and respiratory rates (RR) were significantly lower (25% and 20%, respectively) in Group A than in Group B. VT mean (SD) was 4.45 (0.93) ml/kg for Group A and 6.09 (1.11) ml/kg for Group B (P < 0.0001); RR was 48.4 (12.2) min−1 and 60.0 (15.60) min−1 for Groups A and B, respectively (P < 0.0003). The time to peak expiratory flow as a ratio of total expiratory time (tPTEF:tE), purported to be a useful index of airway obstruction, was also significantly (P < 0.0001) attenuated in TBFVLs obtained immediately after face mask placement; tPTEF:tE was 0.26 (0.09) and 0.37 (0.05) in Groups A and B, respectively. Reproducibility of tPTEF:tE was affected by the timing of recordings. Intraindividual coefficients of variation were greater in Group A (36.53%) than Group B (18.82%). Similarly, significant differences were observed in mean values and variability of other indices of airway function between Groups A and B. Although they are easy to perform, we conclude that tidal breathing analyses may be significantly complicated by simple differences in measurement conditions. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 1997;24:86–92. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Triglycerides and cardiovascular events in ACS: the need for combined lipid-altering therapies

Drs Rosenson and Pitt review the pathophysiological mechanisms for the increased cardiovascular risk associated with elevated triglycerides, and provide a rationale for the need to conduct a randomized clinical trial of statin therapy versus combined statin and fibrate therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Juvenile hemangioendothelioma of the liver. Report of a case and review of the literature.

A case of a surgically resected solitary juvenile hemangioendothelioma of the liver is reported. Thirty-two cases with multiple tumors and 4 cases with solitary tumors have been previously described. Only 2 cases with multiple tumors survived. Four of the 5 patients with solitary lesions survived: in these 4 cases, the tumor was surgically resectable. These tumors have occurred in man after injection of Thorotrast, a 20% colloidal solution of thorium dioxide, and in animals after injection of Thorotrast or urethan. In infants, a pathogenesis of this tumor may be a reaction of the hepatic vasculature during fetal development or in early infancy. Solitary lesions can be resected and cured. Multiple lesions may regress spontaneously but have not been amenable to therapy.
Forward chemical genetic approach identifies new role for GAPDH in insulin signaling

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor have an essential role in growth, development and the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis, including glucose uptake from the bloodstream. Researchers have identified mutations in insulin receptors that cause severe insulin resistance1, and a temperature-sensitive daf-2 (a gene encoding an insulin receptor–like protein) mutant in Caenorhabditis elegans has served as an insulin resistance model2. Here we report a forward chemical genetic approach with a tagged library that we used to identify a small molecule, GAPDH segregator (GAPDS), that suppresses the dauer formation induced by the daf-2 mutant. Like insulin, GAPDS increased both glucose uptake and the concentration of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) in mammalian preadipocytes. Using affinity matrices and RNA interference, we identified glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a GAPDS target. We discovered that GAPDH stimulates phosphatase activity against not only PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 but also PtdIns(4,5)P2. These results suggest that GAPDH is both an active regulator in the phosphoinositide-mediated signaling pathway and a potential new target for insulin resistance treatment.
Polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs

Respiratory disease in pigs is common in modern pork production worldwide and is often referred to as porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). PRDC is polymicrobial in nature, and results from infection with various combinations of primary and secondary respiratory pathogens. As a true multifactorial disease, environmental conditions, population size, management strategies and pig-specific factors such as age and genetics also play critical roles in the outcome of PRDC. While non-infectious factors are important in the initiation and outcome of cases of PRDC, the focus of this review is on infectious factors only. There are a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens commonly associated with PRDC including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza virus (SIV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHYO) and Pasteurella multocida (PMULT). The pathogenesis of viral respiratory disease is typically associated with destruction of the mucocilliary apparatus and with interference and decrease of the function of pulmonary alveolar and intravascular macrophages. Bacterial pathogens often contribute to PRDC by activation of inflammation via enhanced cytokine responses. With recent advancements in pathogen detection methods, the importance of polymicrobial disease has become more evident, and identification of interactions of pathogens and their mechanisms of disease potentiation has become a topic of great interest. For example, combined infection of pigs with typically low pathogenic organisms like PCV2 and MHYO results in severe respiratory disease. Although the body of knowledge has advanced substantially in the last 15 years, much more needs to be learned about the pathogenesis and best practices for control of swine respiratory disease outbreaks caused by concurrent infection of two or more pathogens. This review discusses the latest findings on polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs.
Prejudicial Expressions in Defense of Adolescent Masculine Identities in Interaction

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the efficacy of a fine-grained, discursive-narrative approach in the investigation of the use of prejudicial expressions in defense of emerging masculine identities in conversational interaction. The processes of masculinity construction by an adolescent, Kev, who used a prejudicial expression to bring a pejorative ‘small’ story to a climax, are examined in detail. Although immediate interlocutor responses were subdued and subtle, an explicit delayed response is followed-up by a repositioning of Kev as an ‘undesirable other,’ to which Kev constructs another small story as a counter-response. It is argued such an interactional approach to prejudice illuminates actors’ social-action goals in real time and could lead to the formulation of more sensitive interventions.
Local Cerebral Blood Flow Responses to Direct Stimulation in Somatosensory Cortex: Laser Doppler Flowmetric and Autoradiographic Analysis

We present the experiment results of in-vivo laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and FDG (18Fluorodeoxyglucose) labeled in-vitro autoradiography to study the local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) evoked by direct stimulation in the rat somatosensory cortex. Key Words: Local cerebral blood flow (LCBF), Activation-flow coupling (AFC), laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), auto-radiography, somatosensory cortext.
A presentation for the mapping class group of a closed orientable surface

THE CENTRAL objects of study in this paper are collections {C,, . . . , C,} of g disjoint circles on a closed orientable surface M of genus g, whose complement M-(C, u . . . U C,) is a 2g-punctured sphere. We call an isotopy class of such collections a cut system. Of course, any two cut systems are related by a diffeomorphism of M, by the classification of surfaces. We show that any two cut systems are also joined by a finite sequence of simple moues, in which just one Cj changes at a time, to a circle intersecting it transversely in one point and disjoint from the other Ci’s. Furthermore, we find a short list of relations between sequences of simple moves, sufficient to pass between any two sequences of simple moves joining the same pair of cut systems. From these properties of cut systems it is a routine matter to read off a finite presentation for the mapping class group of M, the group of isotopy classes of orientation preserving self-diffeomorphisms of M. Unfortunately, the presentation so obtained is rather complicated, and stands in need of considerable simplification before much light will be shed on the structure of the mapping class group. Qualitatively, one can at least deduce from the presentation that all relations follow from relations supported in certain subsurfaces of M, finite in number, of genus at most two. This may be compared with the result of Dehn [3] and Lickorish [4] that the mapping class group is generated by diffeomorphisms supported in finitely many annuli. A finite presentation in genus two was obtained by Birman-Hilden[2], completing a program begun by Bergau-Mennicke [l]. For higher genus the existence of finite presentations was shown by McCool[ lo], using more algebraic techniques. For another approach to finite presentations, see [12], and for general background on mapping class groups, see [ 111. Our methods apply also to maximal systems of disjoint, non-contractible, nonisotopic circles on M. This is discussed briefly in an appendix.
Amyloid Infiltration of the Diaphragm as a Cause of Respiratory Failure

Respiratory involvement with amyloidosis typically involves the tracheobronchial tree or lung parenchyma. We describe a patient with systemic amyloidosis who was respirator-dependent because of extensive amyloid infiltration of the diaphragm, with no evidence of other pulmonary amyloidosis. Diaphragmatic myopathy from amyloid should be considered in respiratory failure in amyloidosis.
Upper-ocean gas dynamics from radon profiles in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific

Abstract Uncertainties in the dynamics of dissolved gases limit the accuracy of geochemical primary-productivity estimates. Mixed-layer ventilation, entrainment, and upwelling all affect the interpretation of geochemical data, yet they are rarely measured together. We report upper-ocean dissolved-gas dynamics in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific (10–20°S, 80–100°W) obtained from 222 Rn distributions from a research cruise in February 2010. Radon-222-based surface ventilation measurements at seven stations were compared with gas transfer velocities calculated using empirical wind-speed parameterizations. Good agreement between the two methods was observed across different wind data products (ASCAT scatterometer and NCEP/NCAR meterological reanalysis) and grid scales (0.5°×0.5°, 1°×1°, and 2°×2°). Average wind speeds in the region were 5–8 m s −1 , corresponding to in situ gas transfer velocities of 1–3 m d −1 . Averaged over the region, most recent gas exchange parameterizations performed similarly, and the results are robust with respect to both wind data products and grid scales. Non-steady-state conditions were observed at one station, possibly caused by a recent internal wave. These results suggest that 222 Rn could be used to support measurements of biogeochemical O 2 and CO 2 fluxes in the upper ocean.
Antithrombogenicity evaluation of a centrifugal blood pump.

: The Gyro C1E3 pump was developed not only for cardiopulmonary bypass but also as a short-term assist device. The main purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the thrombus formation factor and the Gyro C1E3 pumps. Seven pumps were implanted into 3 calves and evaluated for different periods of duration as a paracorporeal left ventricular assist device (LVAD). One pump was subjected to percutaneous cardiopulmonary support condition (PCPS) (total pressure head 500 mm Hg with a pump flow rate of 3 L/min). The anticoagulation treatment consisted of a continuous administration of heparin to maintain an activated clotting time (ACT) of 200–250 during the LVAD study and 250–300 during the PCPS study. After the experiment, the pumps were disassembled and examined. In cases where there were any blood-derived deposits inside the pumps, the dry weight of these thrombi that adhered to the bearing area of the pump was measured. A multiple correlation was attempted to speculate possible thrombus formation. The estimated dry weight of thrombi was calculated from pump flow rate, pumping day, motor speed, and activated clotting time. This equation was estimated dry weight of thrombi = 1.140 × pump flow rate −0.001 motor speed + 1.652 pumping time −0.041 × ACT + 2.198 R2 = 0.944. This study suggested that there was a possibility to calculate the amount of adhered thrombus formation from pump flow rate, motor speed, pumping day, and ACT.
Technology status of a liquid fluorine-hydrazine rocket engine for a planetary spacecraft propulsion system

This paper discusses the current status of a fluorine-hydrazine rocket engine development program. Incorporation of a thin rhenium inner liner successfully eliminated corrosion of the carbon/carbon composite thrust chamber wall experienced during a previous test program. The results of hot-fire tests utilizing reworked and new injectors which provide increased fuel film cooling showed that thrust chamber head-end temperatures could be maintained at an acceptable level. As expected, the accompanying specific impulse performance loss requires optimizing the amount of film cooling to minimize the loss. The efforts to refine the rhenium liner vapor deposition process culminated in a carbon/carbon composite thrust chamber total test duration of 1008 seconds. Tasks presently in process include: (1) fabrication of two carbon/carbon composite thrust chambers incorporating 60:1 expansion ratio nozzles; (2) injector tests to optimize performance and cooling; (3) additional refinements to the rhenium lining process; and (4) fabrication and test of a freestanding rhenium thrust chamber.