cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An experimental comparison of the erosion in tungsten cathodes doped with different rare-earth elements

Three different types of tungsten-based cathodes (thoriated, lanthanized and ceriated) were used in plasma torches operating at different current intensities ranging from 30 to 210 A. For each one of the current intensities used, the erosion rate was measured for each of the cathode types, thereby obtaining for them the curves describing the dependence of the erosion on the current intensity. The effects of erosion on the cathode surface were explored by scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer. On each of the types of cathodes studied, the cathodic erosion had a maximum for a critical value I* of the current intensity. The value of this critical current intensity depended on the dopant used. The following values were obtained: ITh* = 50 A for thoriated tungsten, ICe* = 80 A for ceriated tungsten and ILa* = 110 A for lanthanized tungsten.
Interleukin-2 stimulates resting human T lymphocytes' response to allogeneic, gamma interferon-treated keratinocytes

In order to investigate the biologic significance of HLA-DR expression by human keratinocytes, we have examined the possibility that DR-positive keratinocytes become alloantigen presenting cells for resting T cells in the presence of interleukin-2. Using this system, gamma interferon-treated, DR-positive keratinocytes stimulate the proliferation of allogeneic, resting T cells approximately 3-fold whereas non-gamma interferon-treated, DR-negative keratinocytes do not. Because a monoclonal antibody against recombinant gamma interferon inhibits this proliferation, the stimulation is dependent on pre-incubation with gamma interferon. By contrast, since the stimulation is not inhibited by a monoclonal antibody against HLA-DR, it is not clear that the stimulation is due to class II antigen expression by keratinocytes. To rule out that gamma interferon increases the expression of class I antigens, leading to stimulation of resting T cells on that basis, we determined whether gamma interferon treatment enhances class I antigen expression by keratinocytes. The lymphokine treated cells did not demonstrate more class I antigen expression than untreated keratinocytes. Thus, the observed stimulation of allogeneic, resting T cells by gamma interferon-treated keratinocytes in the presence of IL-2 is not due to increased class I antigen expression but is due to other cell surface antigen(s) induced by recombinant gamma interferon treatment. These results suggest that gamma interferon-exposed keratinocytes in the presence of interleukin-2 may augment the activation of resting T lymphocytes and, in this manner, may contribute to cutaneous inflammation.
Nonlinear eigenvalue problems for quasilinear systems

The paper deals with the existence of positive solutions for the quasilinear system (@F(u'))' + @lh(t)f(u) = 0,0 1, h(t) = diag[h"1(t), ..., h"n(t)] and f(u) = (f^1(u), ..., f^n (u)). Assume that f^i and h"i are nonnegative continuous. For u = (u"1, ..., u"n), let f"0^i=lim@?||u||->0f^i(u)@f(||u||),f"~^i=lim@?||u||->~f^i(u)@f(||u||),(i=1,...,n), f"0 = maxf^1"0, ..., f^n"0~ and f"~ = maxf^1"~, ..., f^n"~~. We prove that the boundary value problem has a positive solution, for certain finite intervals of @l, if one of f"0 and f"~ is large enough and the other one is small enough. Our methods employ fixed-point theorem in a cone.
Dilution costs, underinvestment, and utility regulation under asymmetric information

This article addresses the problem faced by a regulated natural monopolist who must raise outside funds to finance socially desirable projects. We demonstrate that “fair rate of return” utility price regulation will lead to underinvestment incentives in the presence of asymmetric information between the firm and the capital markets regarding the firm's assets and future costs. This problem is especially severe when financing choice is restricted to equity. Underinvestment can be either completely eliminated by adjusting the allowed rate of return above the fair rate or reduced by switching to debt finance.
Partially shared views: a scheme for communicating among groups that use different type hierarchies

Many computer systems are based on various types of messages, forms, or other objects. When users of such systems need to communicate with people who use different object types, some kind of translation is necessary. In this paper, we explore the space of general solutions to this translation problem and propose a scheme that synthesizes these solutions. After first illustrating the problem in the Object Lens system, we identify two partly conflicting objectives that any translation scheme should satisfy: preservation of meaning and autonomous evolution of group languages. Then we partition the space of possible solutions to this problem in terms of the set theoretic relations between group languages and a common language. This leads to five primary solution classes and we illustrate and evaluate each one. Finally, we describe a composite scheme, called Partially Shared Views, that combines many of the best features of the other schemes. A key insight of the analysis is that partially shared type hierarchies allow “foreign” object types to be automatically translated into their nearest common “ancestor” types. The partial interoperability attained in this way makes possible flexible standards from which people can benefit from whatever agreements they do have without having to agree on everything. Even though our examples deal primarily with extensions to the Object Lens system, the analysis also suggests how other kinds of systems, such as EDI applications, might exploit specialization hierarchies of object types to simplify the translation problem.
Fossil electricity and CO2 sequestration: how natural gas prices, initial conditions and retrofits determine the cost of controlling CO2 emissions

Stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations will require significant cuts in electric sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The ability to capture and sequester CO2 in a manner compatible with today's fossil-fuel based power generation infrastructure offers a potentially low-cost contribution to a larger climate change mitigation strategy. The extent to which carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies might lower the cost of CO2 control in competitive electric markets will depend on how they displace existing generating units in a system's dispatch order, as well as on their competitiveness with abatement alternatives. This paper assumes a perspective intermediate to the more common macro-economic or plant-level analyses of CCS and employs an electric system dispatch model to examine how natural gas prices, sunk capital, and the availability of coal plant retrofits affect CCS economics. Despite conservative assumptions about cost, CCS units are seen to provide significant reductions in baseload CO2 emissions at a carbon price below 100$/tC. In addition, the ability to retrofit coal plants for post-combustion CO2 capture is not seen to lower the overall cost of CO2 abatement.
The development of electrocortical activity in the fetal and neonatal guinea pig.

Abstract We have developed techniques for chronic recording of electrocortical activity in the fetal and neonatal guinea pig with subsequent power spectral analysis. Thirty-four unanethesized, unrestrained pregnant Hartley guinea pigs were studied 1 to 14 days following surgical procedures. Twelve neonatal animals instrumented during the first week of life were studied at 3 to 30 days. Spontaneous, undifferentiated electrocortical activity was recorded from the youngest fetuses studied, with high-voltage slow activity appearing at 50 days' gestation. Cycling electrocortical activity and sleep spindles could be observed in the late-term fetal and neonatal animals, with rapid eye movements and behavioral state defined in the latter. Power spectral analysis demonstrated more predominant delta activity, faster beta frequencies, and better-developed sleep spindles in the neonatal animal as compared to the fetus.
Minimal support technology and in situ resource utilization for risk management of planetary spaceflight missions

Abstract All artificial systems and components in space degrade at higher rates than on Earth, depending in part on environmental conditions, design approach, assembly technologies, and the materials used. This degradation involves not only the hardware and software systems but the humans that interact with those systems. All technological functions and systems can be expressed through functional dependence: [ Function ] ∼ [ ERU ] ∗ [ RUIS ] ∗ [ ISR ] / [ DR ] ; where [ERU] efficiency (rate) of environmental resource utilization [RUIS] resource utilization infrastructure [ISR] in situ resources [DR] degradation rate The limited resources of spaceflight and open space for autonomous missions require a high reliability (maximum possible, approaching 100%) for system functioning and operation, and must minimize the rate of any system degradation. To date, only a continuous human presence with a system in the spaceflight environment can absolutely mitigate those degradations. This mitigation is based on environmental amelioration for both the technology systems, as repair of data and spare parts, and the humans, as exercise and psychological support. Such maintenance now requires huge infrastructures, including research and development complexes and management agencies, which currently cannot move beyond the Earth. When considering what is required to move manned spaceflight from near Earth stations to remote locations such as Mars, what are the minimal technologies and infrastructures necessary for autonomous restoration of a degrading system in space? In all of the known system factors of a mission to Mars that reduce the mass load, increase the reliability, and reduce the mission’s overall risk, the current common denominator is the use of undeveloped or untested technologies. None of the technologies required to significantly reduce the risk for critical systems are currently available at acceptable readiness levels. Long term interplanetary missions require that space programs produce a craft with all systems integrated so that they are of the highest reliability. Right now, with current technologies, we cannot guarantee this reliability for a crew of six for 1000 days to Mars and back. Investigation of the technologies to answer this need and a focus of resources and research on their advancement would significantly improve chances for a safe and successful mission.
Optical Sensors for the Determination of Concentrated Hydroxide

An optical sensor system has been developed for the determination of concentrated strong bases ([OH-] = 1−10 M). The base sensors consist of SiO2/ZrO2−organic polymer composites and doped high-pKa indicators. Films were obtained by spin-casting these composite materials on glass substrates and were used as sensor elements for the spectrometric determination of hydroxide. The hydrophilic nature of the mixed oxide SiO2/ZrO2 and its chemical stability in concentrated alkali made it attractive as support in the composites. The organic polymers in the composites either provided better mechanical stability and dye immobilization or enhanced OH- diffusion and sensor response. The composite sensors showed a relative standard deviation of less than 2%. The response time of a SiO2/ZrO2−Nafion composite (sensor 2) was short (5 s), and a small hysteresis was observed during reproducibility measurements with 1−4 M NaOH solutions. The sensors were found to be stable in 4 M NaOH during a 30-day durability test, showing ...
Accurate rate expressions for simulations of gas-phase chemical reactions

Several of the commonly used expressions giving reaction rates for model chemical reactions, though accurate for very high activation energies (i.e. E"[email protected]?k"BT), are inaccurate for more typical reaction conditions. In this paper we provide the complete and accurate rate expressions for model reactions having cross-sections dependent on translational, line-of-centers translational, and internal energies as well as on combinations thereof. Included are rate expressions for models giving Arrhenius-like temperature dependencies. Tests of several of the models and their corresponding cross-section expressions were made using Bird's direct simulation Monte Carlo method. These were successful in reproducing the experimentally determined rates over the full range of temperatures for the representative reactions: HF+H->H"2+F, CO+OH->CO"2+H, H"2+O->OH+H and H"2+Cl->HCl+H.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and its ligands: A review

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a member of a class of nuclear hormone receptors intimately involved in the regulation of expression of myriad genes that regulate energy metabolism, cell differentiation, apoptosis and inflammation. Although originally discovered as a pivotal regulator of adipocyte differentiation, the roles that this transcription factor play in physiology and pathophysiology continue to grow as researchers discover its influence in the function of many cell types. This review highlights the roles that PPARgamma play in the regulation of gene expression associated with normal cell physiology as well as the pathophysiology of multiple diseases including obesity, diabetes and cancer. Additionally, naturally occurring and pharmaceutical ligands for the receptor as well as the potential role of PPARgamma as the receptor responsible for fatty acid-induced effects on gene expression will be described.
Erythromycin inhibits wear debris-induced osteoclastogenesis by modulation of murine macrophage NF-κB activity

Activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling in response to cell stimulation by wear debris may be critical in the pathogenesis of aseptic loosening. Erythromycin (EM), a macrolide antibiotic, has been shown to effectively suppress some types of inflammatory reactions. In this study, we examined the effect of EM on wear debris-induced osteoclastic bone resorption in vitro. EM inhibited Ca+ release from neonatal calvaria co-cultured with conditioned medium from mouse RAW264.7 macrophages activated by wear debris. Inhibition of Ca+ release was associated with a decreased number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells in cultured bones. To investigate the mechanism whereby EM inhibits bone-resorption, RAW cells were incubated with wear debris in the presence EM. Real time RT-CR analysis revealed that EM (5 microg/ml) significantly inhibited mRNA expression of NF-kappaB, cathepsin K (CPK), IL-1beta and TNFalpha, but not RANK in RAW cells stimulated with wear debris. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility-shift assay showed that EM (0.2 microg-5 microg/ml) could reduce DNA-binding activity of NF-kappaB in RAW cells stimulated with wear debris. The inhibition of inflammatory osteoclastogenesis by EM treatment was further confirmed by an osteoclast (OC) formation assay using primary cultures of mouse bone marrow progenitor cells stimulated with macrophage colony-stimulating factor and RANK ligand (RANKL). EM treatment (5 microg/ml) resulted in more than 70% reduction in multinucleated OC formation and 50% reduction of TRAP+ cells by bone marrow progenitor cells. Our findings support that EM suppresses wear debris-induced osteoclastic bone resorption by, at least, down-regulation of NF-kappaB signaling pathway. It appears that EM represents a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment and prevention of aseptic loosening.
Low-calorie, high-energy generators and motors

Building on prototype motors and generators incorporating low-temperature superconductors, development of high temperature superconducting (HTS) counterparts is well along in Japan and the United States. In this article, the basic approach and principles of a superconducting AC synchronous generator or motor are described, and then the merits of using HTS field windings in their construction are assessed. Machines employing the early lower-temperature as well as the more recent high-temperature superconductors are discussed next. Finally, an update is provided on worldwide activities on developing a commercial generator and large motor utilizing superconductor windings.
The relationship between fracture surface roughness and fatigue load parameters

Abstract A procedure was sought for estimating fatigue loading information from roughness characteristics of fracture surfaces. Topographs of fracture surfaces produced in compact tension specimens of a titanium alloy in load-shedding and monotonically increasing ΔK tests were analyzed with a fast Fourier transform. The resulting elevation power spectrum density (EPSD) curve was correlated with the stress intensity range, ΔK, and the stress ratio, R. A plot of (EPSD)1/2 vs ΔK showed three distinct regions, possibly reflecting the competition between surface roughening and surface flattening from partial crack closure as ΔK increased. The plot further indicated the effect of the stress ratio. Although the influence of crack closure complicated the relationship among (EPSD)1/2, ΔK, and R, the EPSD curves and (EPSD)1/2 values systematically changed as a function of ΔK and R. These systematic changes may serve as a base for extracting fatigue loading information from roughness characteristics of fracture surfaces.
Fundamentals of airborne video remote sensing

Abstract In response to the increasing interest in use of video equipment for remote sensing applications, this paper is intended as a tutorial to acquaint the prospective user with the basics of video technology. Video offers a number of unique attributes to the remote sensing user, especially the immediate availability of imagery. It has disadvantages as well, particularly its low spatial resolution. These attributes make video extremely useful in certain applications, and inappropriate for others. A variety of options exist for each of the components of an aerial video system. This paper describes these options and defines the terminology commonly used in the field. In addition to using conventional broadcast industry hardware, three types of multispectral video cameras have been specifically designed for remote sensing research and applications. These three designs are described and compared, giving advantages and disadvantages of each. Beyond describing the hardware, the airborne operation of video equipment is diseussed, including mounting configurations and image motion factors.
Obesity and hypertension in blacks.

In the United States, obesity and hypertension are more common in blacks than in whites, but that general statement hides some important sex differences. Thus, in black women the prevalences of both obesity and hypertension are greater than in white women, whereas in men, although there is no racial difference in obesity, in blacks hypertension is more common and more severe than in whites. For white people, there is a well-documented causal relationship between obesity and hypertension, however, results from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES II) suggest that this relationship is not so strong for blacks. Obesity is also an important risk factor for diabetes, which in itelf is associated with hypertension. The mechanisms of obesity-associated hypertension appears to be an inadequate vasodilation in the face of the increased blood volume and cardiac output, which are the natural consequences of an increased body mass. This defect in control of vascular resistance has been attributed to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, abnormal reninangiotensin-aldosterone relationships, and insulin resistance. However, none of these attributes has been found to be the exclusive characteristic of obese hypertensive as compared with normotensive obese subjects.
Anticipating Consumer Reaction to RFID-Enabled Grocery Checkout

A wireless version of the barcode is being developed—the RFID tag. The new technology will alter the checkout process for consumers. Six changes are identified and presented to consumers for evaluation. Results indicate strong opposition to elimination of bagging and inability to see individual items ring-up at the register. Respondents were mildly opposed to elimination of self-checkout lanes. Subjects were polarized over the potential for RFID tags to erode consumer privacy. Overall evaluation of RFID checkout was mixed (40 in favor, 53 neutral, and 62 opposed) with respondents appearing to trade-off disliked changes against a change they do like, less waiting time in line.
Tyrosine hydroxylase-like (TH) immunoreactivity in human mesolimbic system.

Abstract A practical methodology has been described for the use of human postmortem brain tissue in both tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine β-hydroxylase immunohistochemistry in which in situ perfusion with paraformaldehyde is followed by immersion fixation in Bouin's fixative. These studies indicate that TH-like immunoreactive fibers and terminals are not uniformly distributed in the human hippocampal complex. A distinctive lesser innervation is noted for the structures that compose the perforant pathway and may be important for the predilection of these areas for pathological change particularly as occurs in Alzheimer's disease.
The human impact on supply chains: evaluating the importance of “soft” areas on integration and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contrast traditional transaction‐based supply chain strategies with emerging relationship‐based strategies in human resource and organizational areas.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is proposed based on the relationship of human resource variables (staffing, training, evaluation, and compensation) and organization variables (structure, culture, and empowerment strategies) with supply chain integration and performance.Findings – A model is presented of the relationship of human resource and organization variables with supply chain integration and performance. Propositions are posited and conclusions are noted with suggestions for further research.Research limitations/implications – The paper is clearly only theoretical. Much empirical testing is yet to be done.Originality/value – The paper is among the first to focus the relationships of human resource strategies and organization variables with supply chain integration and performance. While t...
Predicting fatigue crack growth from a preyielded hole

Linear elastic fracture mechanics and the principle of superposition are commonly used to predict fatigue crack growth through residual stress fields. Several researchers have shown that such predictions correlate well with experiments in specimens with well characterized residual stress fields. However, in the case of crack growth from a hole in an aluminum 2024-T351 sheet with surrounding residual stress introduced by tensile preloading, superposition based fatigue predictions have been significantly nonconservative in comparison with experimental data. We show that this discrepancy may be explained by the sensitivity of the fatigue prediction to the initial residual stress field and initial flaw size. Conservative estimates of these quantities result in fatigue predictions that correlate well with experimental data.
Bloch theorem on the Bloch sphere

Motivated by the production of strong optical forces on atoms, we have done numerical studies of adiabatic rapid passage in light that is both frequency and amplitude modulated in the form of chirped pulses, and we found unanticipated regularities. We have quantified these regularities in terms of a periodic Hamiltonian, and obtained a result similar to the Bloch theorem, but in the time domain. This led to further numerical studies and a quantitative description of the behavior of an atom under multiply repetitive sweeps.
Habitat structure and animal movement : the behaviour of bumble bees in uniform and random spatial resource distributions

Foraging organisms (like bumble bees) move between resource points (like flowers) whose natural distributions vary enormously: from hyperdispersed to random to clumped. These differences in habitat structure may significantly influence the fitness of both plant and pollinator. To examine the effect of habitat structure on pollinator movement and fitness, we observed captive worker bumble bees collecting nectar from artificial flowers containing equal volumes of reward and arranged in two spatial configurations: a hexagonal array with constant distances between flowers (“constant”), and an “exploded hexagonal” array, with variable distances between flowers (“variable”). The mean nearest-neighbour distance was the same in both arrays, as was the general hexagonal appearance. The experiment therefore compares how resource dispersion, independent of nearest-neighbour distance, influences bee behaviour. Bees in the variable array showed decreased directionality, higher revisitation frequencies, and greater inter-flower flight distances than shown in the constant array. As a consequence, bees in the variable array had a 19% lower gross rate of nectar collection. Our results suggest that wild-foraging bees should prefer regularly spaced flowers (when all else, including mean nearest-neighbour distance, is equal), and that plants can decrease self-pollination by regular spacing between flowers, inflorescences, or individuals.
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion: A Portrait of Quality Schooling

Abstract An increasing number of schools are offering two-way bilingual immersion programs as educational options to meet the needs of both language minority and language majority students. Given the variability in program design and delivery of such programs, it is useful to examine individual programs to identify factors that may contribute to the effectiveness of this model. This article provides a description of the Inter-American Magnet School in Chicago, the oldest two-way bilingual immersion school in the Midwest. Student achievement scores, particularly those of a cohort of low- income limited English proficient (LEP) students, provide evidence that students consistently attain high levels of achievement in English reading and writing, math, science, and social studies despite receiving instruction in English for no more than 50% of the time.
SINGLE D(GPG)/CIS-DIAMMINEPLATINUM(II) ADDUCT-INDUCED INHIBITION OF DNA POLYMERIZATION

A 44 nucleotide DNA template containing a single site-specifically placed cisplatin adduct (cis-[Pt(NH3)2[d(GpG)-N7(1),-N7(2)]]) was annealed with a primer, positioning its 3'-end four bases before the adduct in the template strand. DNA polymerization in the presence of all four nucleotides revealed that both HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) and T7 DNA polymerase strongly paused at one nucleotide preceding the first platinated guanine and at the positions opposite the two platinated guanines. Analysis of single nucleotide incorporation at each pause site showed that polymerization occurs with biphasic kinetics. A small percentage of DNA was bound productively, providing a small amplitude (1-3%) of a fast phase of polymerization, whereas most of the bound DNA (1-34%) was positioned at the pause site in a nonproductive manner and therefore elongated slowly (0.04-0.06 s-1). DNA substrates annealed to the cisplatin-modified template bind to HIV-1 RT with an affinity (10-20 nM) similar to that of unmodified substrates (6-9 nM). The cisplatin-DNA cross-link moderately weakened DNA binding to T7 DNA polymerase (12-115 nM) but significantly slowed the rate of incorporation of the next nucleotide (2-7 s-1 ), with larger effects closer to the cisplatin-DNA adduct. The crystal structure of the same cisplatin-DNA adduct [Takahara, P. M., Frederick, C. A., and Lippard, S. J. (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 12309-12321] reveals not only the bent DNA duplex but also the propeller twisted base pairs near the cisplatin-DNA adduct. The twisted base pairs may cause misalignment of the cisplatin-modified DNA at the binding cleft of T7 DNA polymerase and significantly slow the rate of the protein conformational change preceding polymerization, leading to the slight accumulation of intermediates within five base pairs of the adduct. The ground-state binding of the next correct nucleotide to the enzyme.DNA complex was weakened by the adduct with T7 DNA polymerase but unchanged with HIV-1 RT at sites other than the three strong pause sites. Nucleotide binding to both enzymes at the three strong pause sites was significantly weaker and less selective.
Extremals for Moser Inequalities

This paper shows that extremals exist for four Moser inequalities involving exponential integrals. The results are for Sobolev spaces defined on the spheres S2 and S3, on the disk D2, and on RP2. The method that Carleson and Chang used for the n-ball, with boundary value zero, can be modified and applied to functions with mean value zero on these domains. This approach also provides an elementary proof of the Moser inequality for Sn, n≥2, which is a special case of a result of Fontana.
An antibody to agmatine localizes the amine in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

Abstract Agmatine, a newly identified amine in mammalian brain, is an endogenous ligand for imidazoline and α 2 -adrenergic receptors. We sought to develop a polyclonal antibody to agmatine suitable for immunocytochemistry. Agmatine was conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and injected into rabbits. The polyclonal antiserum so generated dose-dependently recognized the agmatine conjugate but not carrier protein by dot blot. Its reaction with the conjugate was selectively antagonized by agmatine but not related compounds. The antiserum, but not pre-immune or pre-adsorbed antiserum, selectively stained cultured adrenal chromaffin cells. Our results indicate that agmatine immunoreactivity is contained in a sub-population of adrenal chromaffin cells and, thus, these antibodies are useful for immunocytochemical localization of the amine in mammalian tissues.
Morphological Analysis in Context Versus Isolation: Use of a Dynamic Assessment Task With School-Age Children

Purpose The current study investigated the ability of typically developing children in Grades 3 and 5 to use morphological analysis to determine the meanings of derived words with and without context clues. Also of interest was the relation between children’s reading practices and their performance in determining the meanings of derived words. Method Children provided definitions for 20 low-frequency derived words that were presented to them in isolation and in context. Responses were scored on a scale of 0 to 5 based on the children’s performance on the Dynamic Assessment of Morphological Analysis—Modified (DATMA–M), which was created by the authors. Results Results indicated a large variability in the children’s performance on the DATMA–M. Children in Grade 5 achieved significantly higher scores as compared to children in Grade 3. Overall, children performed better in the context condition than the isolation condition. Significant correlations were found for reading frequency and DATMA–M scores. There w...
DEALER NETWORK STRATEGIC PLANNING

For many companies, dealer networks are the key to success. Networks provide the critical access to companies' markets. Yet, too often, companies have not expended the effort to incorporate this critical link into their own elaborate strategic plans.
Marijuana and tobacco exposure predict affect-regulation expectancies in dual users

In order to better compare affect-related expectancies for tobacco and marijuana smoking, associations of marijuana and tobacco exposure to negative affect reduction (NAR), positive affect enhancement (PAE), and related smoking outcome expectancies were assessed in young individuals who reported smoking both marijuana and tobacco on a regular basis (dual users). More frequent smoking of a given substance was associated with expectations of greater NAR and PAE by that substance while duration of exposure did not reliably predict NAR or PAE drug expectancies. Contrary to expectations, individuals anticipating greater NAR and/or PAE for one substance did not exhibit corresponding expectancies for the other drug. These findings suggest that exposure duration may be less important than current usage levels in influencing affect expectancies and that the affect-related expectancies for tobacco and marijuana are largely independent of each other.
Sociology and School Choice: What We Know After Two Decades of Charter Schools

Charter schools have been on the educational reform landscape for over twenty years. In the last ten years, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools on student achievement and educational attainment. Findings reveal mixed results where student achievement is concerned (i.e., some positive, some negative, some neutral) and positive results in terms of educational attainment (i.e., high school graduation and college attendance). The article places this research within a framework that draws on both market and institutional theories, and concludes that additional research on the social organization of charter schools and traditional public schools is needed to better understand the conditions under which school choice is or is not effective.
Studies in plaque pathogenicity. II. A technique for the specific detection of endotoxin in plaque samples using the limulus lysate assay.

A study was undertaken to assay and compare the pathological potential of loosely adherent plaque (LAP) with that of adherent plaque (AP) using the limulus lysate assay (LLA). A technique was devised for collection both AP And LAP from supra- as well as subgingival tooth areas under pyrogen-free conditions. Five supragingival samples (AP & LAP) were collected from teeth (G.I.= < 1) after subjects had abstained from tooth cleaning for two weeks. Five subgingival samples were collected from mylar strips one week after placement in periodontal pockets not less than 4 mm and not more than 7 mm in depth. All samples were lyophilized, recontituted and analyzed for plaque mass by the quantitative ninhydrin reaction (Moore and Stein, 1954). Samples were analyzed for limulus lysate activity by a modification of the LLA of Levin and Bang (1964). Results from the five supragingival samples indicate that plaque mass, as determined by the ninhydrin reaction, was 4–5 fold greater in AP than in LAP. In the five subgingival samples, ninhydrin values for AP were two times higher than LAP. In spite of these differences in plaque mass, limulus activity in all LAP samples was consistently higher than in comparable AP samples when expressed as limulus activity per mole of amino acid. These preliminary findings suggest that subgingival LAP, situated in a position of strategic importance, is biologically active and deserves further study.
Entropy-constrained residual vector quantization

The authors introduce a novel variable-rate residual vector quantizer (RVQ) where the source entropy is exploited. Necessary conditions for the optimality of this RVQ are presented as well as a novel entropy-constrained RVQ (EC-RVQ) design algorithm EC-RVQ is shown simultaneously to outperform entropy-constrained VQ (EC-VQ) in terms of performance, memory, and computation. The low cost of EC-RVQ permits the use of high-rate codebooks and/or codebooks with relatively large vector sizes (such as 8*8). >
Adverse Effects of Sodium Chloride on Bone in the Aging Human Population Resulting from Habitual Consumption of Typical American Diets

A typical American diet contains amounts of sodium chloride far above evolutionary norms and potassium far below those norms. It also contains larger amounts of foods that are metabolized to noncarbonic acids than to organic bases. At baseline, in a steady state, diets that contain substantial sodium chloride and diets that are net acid producing each independently induce and sustain increased acidity of body fluid. With increasing age, the kidney's ability to excrete daily net acid loads declines, invoking homeostatically increased utilization of base stores (bone, skeletal muscle) on a daily basis to mitigate the otherwise increasing baseline metabolic acidosis, which results in increased calciuria and net losses of body calcium. Those effects of net acid production and its attendant increased body fluid acidity may contribute to development of osteoporosis and renal stones, loss of muscle mass, and age-related renal insufficiency. The inverted ratio of potassium to sodium in the diet compared with preagricultural diets affects cardiovascular function adversely and contributes to hypertension and stroke. The diet can return to its evolutionary norms of net base production inducing low-grade metabolic alkalosis and a high potassium-to-sodium ratio by 1) greatly reducing content of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and potassium-poor acid-producing cereal grains, which would entail increasing consumption of potassium-rich net base-producing fruits and vegetables for maintenance of energy balance, and 2) greatly reducing sodium chloride consumption. Increasingly, evidence supports the health benefits of reestablishing evolutionary norms of dietary net base loads and high potassium and low sodium chloride loads. We focus here on the American diet's potential effects on bone through its superphysiologic content of sodium chloride.
Phonetic structures of Turkish Kabardian

This paper reports results of a quantitative phonetic study of Kabardian, a Northwest Caucasian language that is of typological interest from a phonetic standpoint. A number of cross-linguistically rare properties are examined. These features include the phonetic realization of Kabardian's small vowel inventory, which contains only three contrastive vowel qualities (two short vowels and one long vowel), spectral characteristics of the ten supralaryngeal voiceless fricatives of Kabardian, as well as the acoustic, palatographic, and aerodynamic characteristics of ejective fricatives, an extremely rare type of segment cross-linguistically. In addition, basic properties of the consonant stop series are explored, including closure duration and voice onset time, in order to test postulated universals linking these properties to place of articulation and laryngeal setting.
Effect of occlusal relationships on neurophysiological pathways.

This Investigation dealt with the possible neurophysiological pathways operative during functional intermaxillary relationships, particularly in regard to antagonistic masticatory muscle activity. Electromyography utilizing bipolar surface electrodes was used to monitor activity from the antagonistic opening and closing muscles of mastication. Tooth contacts were signaled by radio transmitters constructed in dental bridgework. Analysis of the data shows a difference in relationship of electromyographic activity from opening and closing muscles and a changed relationship of closing muscle activity to tooth contact when comparing mastication to command movements. These differences are suggestive of different neurophysiologic pathways being utilized in voluntary and reflex (non-voluntary) mandibular movement.
Tracking the Blogs: An Evaluation of Attacks, Acclaims, and Rebuttals Presented on Political Blogs During the 2008 Presidential Election

This study employed Benoit’s functional theory of presidential discourse to examine the incidence of attacks, acclaims, and rebuttals on four politically aligned blogs and six politically nonaligned blogs. Results suggest that candidates use their own blogs for acclaims, political parties use their blogs to level attacks against opponents, and rebuttals on blogs are rare. These findings are contrasted with the entries on six politically nonaligned political blogs directed toward specialized audiences, such as conservatives, liberals, independents, women, African Americans, and Christians. Candidate blogs contained significantly more acclaims than did nonaligned blogs, but both were similar with respect to incidence of attacks and rebuttals.
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced Ca2+ signaling in the CG4 oligodendroglial cell line and in transformed oligodendrocytes expressing the β-PDGF receptor

Ca2+ signaling induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was investigated in the oligodendroglial cell lines CG4 and CEINGE clone 3, using fura-2 microfluorimetry and video imaging. CEINGE cl3 cells, immortalized with polyoma middle T antigen, were found to uniformly express the polyoma middle T antigen protein as well as 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase, a specific marker for oligodendroglia. PDGF-BB induced both oscillatory and non-oscillatory Ca2+ responses in CEINGE cl3 cells as well as in CG4 cells, grown either as O-2A progenitors or differentiated oligodendrocytes. However, in CG4 cells the percentage of oscillatory Ca2+ responses was higher than that observed in CEINGE cl3 cells. In contrast, oscillatory Ca2+ responses were not observed in PC-12 cells transfected with β-PDGF receptor (PDGFR) or in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. CG4 cells expressed only the α-PDGFR, whereas CEINGE cl3 cells expressed both α and β isoforms. When CEINGE cl3 cells were exposed to PDGF-AA, which binds only to the α-PDGFR, the percentage of oscillatory Ca2+ responses was higher than that observed after PDGF-BB stimulation. We previously reported that block of the enzyme sphingosine kinase, and a consequent increase in intracellular sphingosine levels in CEINGE cl3 cells caused an increase in the percentage of oscillatory Ca2+ responses induced by PDGF-BB. However, in CG4 cells block of sphingosine kinase did not increase the oscillatory Ca2+ response elicited by PDGF-BB, although the addition of exogenous sphingosine induced an oscillatory Ca2+ response in 77% of cells studied. We hypothesize that the α-PDGFR is less effective than the β-PDGFR in stimulating the activity of sphingosine kinase. The results also suggest that α- and β-PDGFRs may differently regulate sphingolipid metabolism.
An assessment of the international technology transfer systems and the new Law of the Sea

Abstract This paper reviews some of the major issues in the international transfer of technology and the role of international organizations such as the United Nations in the transfer of technology. In 1975, the UN General Assembly endorsed the New International Economic Order (NIEO) which contained many resolutions including improvement of the terms of technology transfer in favor of developing nations. The mandatory provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 Convention) became a turning point in the evolution of the role of the international organizations to control the transfer of technology. Although the significance of technology in economic development of the developing countries has been recognized, provisions of the 1982 Convention on technology transfer came under serious scrutiny in the 1980s. In 1994, the discontent with the 1982 Convention among the industrialized countries and the growing popularity of market ideology among the developing countries led to an amendment to the Convention which adopts a market approach for the dissemination of technology and stresses the importance of environmentally sound technology.
Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging of in vivo vastus medialis muscle under varying isometric load.

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging is a method for characterizing local variations in tissue mechanical properties. In this method, a single ultrasonic transducer array is used to both apply temporally short localized radiation forces within tissue and to track the resulting displacements through time. Images of tissue displacement immediately after force cessation, maximum tissue displacement, the time it takes for the tissue to reach its maximum displacement, and the recovery time constant of the tissue are generated from the ARFI data sets. The information in each of these images demonstrates good agreement with matched B-mode images. The study presented here was designed to evaluate the relationship between changes in these ARFI parameters with known tissue mechanical properties in vivo. Utilizing a modified Siemens Elegra scanner with a 75L40 transducer array, ARFI images of vastus medialis muscle were generated in three of the authors under four levels of activation (0, 5.7, 14.5, and 23.3 N-m). Four ARFI datasets were acquired for each loading condition. The observed trends were that displacement magnitude, the time it took for the tissue to reach its maximum displacement, and recovery time constant decreased with increasing load (i.e., increasing muscle stiffness). Significant differences were observed between load levels and subjects for all parameters (p<0.01). The results indicate that ARFI imaging may be capable of quantifying tissue stiffness in real-time measurements, although further investigation is required.
Effect of ion irradiation on the microstructure of an iron-nickel- chromium alloy

Void and dislocation structures in an Fe-25Ni-15Cr alloy were studied following irradiation with 2.8 MeV 5 8 Ni + ions at temperatures between 600 and 750°C (1112 and 1382°F) to maximum damage levels up to 80 displacementsper atom (dpa). Void formation was observed at all the temperatures investigated, with the maximum swelling between 650 and 700°C (1202 and 1292°F). The swelling versus dose relationships exhibited an incubation dose followed by swelling at a rate that increased with increasing damage level. These data were consistent with previous swelling results for austenitic alloys irradiated with charged particles, which indicate that the swelling should become linear with irradiation dose at higher damage levels. Tangled dislocation networks were observed to form at low doses and to be fairly stable up to the highest damage levels examined. With the assumption of the observed stable dislocation networks, the dose dependence of swelling could be explained by a general form of the chemical rate theory for swelling due to void growth.
Late Triassic Tanystropheids (Reptilia, Archosauromorpha) from Northern New Mexico (Petrified Forest Member, Chinle Formation) and the Biogeography, Functional Morphology, and Evolution of Tanystropheidae

ABSTRACTWe report on tanystropheids from the Late Triassic (middle Norian) Hayden Quarry of northern New Mexico (Chinle Formation, Hayden Quarry). These elements, consisting of isolated vertebrae and appendicular bones, represent the first unambiguously identified tanystropheid from western North America and likely the latest occurrence of the group, postdating Tanytrachelos in the eastern United States. A new phylogenetic analysis of early saurians identifies synapomorphies of tanystropheid subclades, which are recognized in the recovered vertebrae and a calcaneum. The femora are consistent with referral to Tanystropheidae. There is no clear association of the remains, however, so we refrain from erecting a new taxon. The analysis also indicates that the Hayden Quarry tanystropheid fossils belong to a newly recognized clade including the Late Triassic taxa Langobardisaurus and Tanytrachelos. Because most tanystropheid specimens are two-dimensionally crushed skeletons, the Hayden Quarry tanystropheid foss...
Simultaneous Calibration of Action and Sensor Models on a Mobile Robot

This paper presents a technique for the Simultaneous Calibration of Action and Sensor Models (SCASM) on a mobile robot. While previous approaches to calibration make use of an independent source of feedback, SCASM is unsupervised, in that it does not receive any well-calibrated feedback about its location. Starting with only an inaccurate action model, it learns accurate relative action and sensor models. Furthermore, SCASM is fully autonomous, in that it operates with no human supervision. SCASM is fully implemented and tested on a Sony Aibo ERS-7 robot.