cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutrition of herded sheep in the andes of Southern Peru

Abstract Botanical and nutritional composition of diet and voluntary intake by herded Corriedale sheep grazing native range in southern Peru were determined. Diet composition and nutrition varied with season and herding. Sheep diet composition was influenced by available forage and thus shifted from shortgrass in the dry season to grasslike plants in the early rainy season and to tall grasses in the late rainy season. Forbs consisted of 10% of the diet and appeared to be of nutritional importance. Crude protein (CP), highly correlated to digestible energy, decreased from 13.6% to 5.6% with increasing maturity of vegetation. Intake was influenced by season, with lower intake values of 82.8 g/kg BW 0.75 observed during the dry season vs 99.7 g/kg BW 0.75 during the wet season. Sheep may be deficient in energy and crude protein during gestation and early lactation. Based on the herbage production and intake values in this study, the conventional stocking rate of two ewe equivalents per hectare for this region is appropriate.
Preliminary design of a model-based position controller for magnetic microfibers

Polymer fibers embedded with paramagnetic particles bend when placed in a magnetic field. The fiber can be manipulated by varying the coil current in an electromagnet. The operating range of the fiber is divided into one region with stable equilibria and one region with unstable equilibria. In this paper, fiber dynamics are modeled as a rigid bar. This model is used to develop a nonlinear controller for the position of the fiber over the whole operating range. An experimental platform for sensing and controlling fiber position was developed. The controller is tested experimentally and results are presented. The results show that the controller can control the position of the fiber in the unstable region despite model uncertainty.
Australia and New Zealand through American eyes: The ‘eyes’ have it

The points I want to make about Conant in the rest of this commentary will not be devoted to the Carnegie philanthropy and its objectives, nor to the acuity of Conant’s observations on Australia or New Zealand. Those matters are best left to scholars from Australia or New Zealand like Craig Campbell. I do, however, want to offer some explanation for why Conant was so concerned with the secondary school in his Australian and New Zealand adventures, and to put that interest in the context of his own slight but meaningful encounter with public secondary education in the US, both prior to and after visiting Australia and New Zealand. Again, hubris seems to have played a role. Conant discoursed on secondary education as if he had an extended background on the topic. The truth was, however, that he had little experience in a high school, and no experience in a public high school.
Synthesis and structural analysis of stereospecific 3,4,5-trisubstituted γ-butyrolactone phospholipids

The first synthesis of stereospecific 3,4,5-trisubstituted γ-butyrolactone phospholipids has been achieved by a ten-step sequence starting fromN,N-dimethylacetamide (9). Alkylation of 9 with 1-bromohexane gaveN,N-dimethyloctanamide (11), which was subjected to aldol condensation with acrolein and afforded theerythro-N,N-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2-hexyl-4-pentenamide (6) and itsthreo isomer 7, both of which were subsequently converted to the corresponding 3-oxy(hexanoyl) esters 15 and 16. Stereospecific cyclization of diastereomeric allylic amides (6,7,15 and 16)via iodolactonization gave 3,4,5-trisubstituted γ-butyrolactones (19–25) in satisfactory yields (68–89%) and with high stereoselectivity (at least 6∶1), except for thethreo amide 16 (2∶1). Conversion of the 6-iodo-group of the major iodolactones 23 and 24 to the corresponding 6-hydroxy lactones 31 and 32 through a wet Prevost reaction also resulted in 4-hydroxy lactones 30 and 33, and a mechanism for this reaction is proposed. Further phosphorylation of 4- or 6-hydroxy lactones 30, 31 and 32 with diphenyl chlorophosphate gave the corresponding diphenyl phosphoric acid lactone esters 34, 35 and 36, whereas 33 underwent an elimination reaction under formation of a C(3)−C(4) double bond. Hydrogenolysis of the diphenyl groups of esters 34, 35 and 36 over Adams' catalyst [platinum(IV) oxide] yielded the corresponding phosphoric acid lactone esters 38, 39 and 40, which were finally treated with choline tetraphenylborate to afford the desired lactone phospholipids 41, 42 and 43 in overall yields of 9, 30 and 18%, respectively. The structures of all new compounds were unambiguously assigned by analysis of their1H and13C one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra obtained on a 300 MHz NMR spectrometer, and the structures were confirmed by low or high resolution mass spectrometry as well as elemental analysis. The stereoisomeric purity of the final products (98.2, 99.0 and 98.5% for 41, 42 and 43, respectively) was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Understanding the Failure of IMF Reform: The Zambian Case

Abstract Political resistance to International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform in developing countries has become a major obstacle to reform implementation. The Zambian case, in which the roots of resistance to reform were present in a “developmentalist” model long before the arrival of the IMF, suggests that the current analysis of political “will” and resistance to interest group pressure needs to be strengthened by a more profound conceptualization of the political economic regime of countries attempting reform. When examined in this larger political economic context, the Zambian case further makes clear the need for support for political as well as economic change during the reform process.
Design of a reconfigurable pulsed quad-cell for cellular-automata-based conformal computing

This paper presents the design of a reconfigurable asynchronous computing element, called the pulsed quad-cell (PQ-cell), for constructing conformal computers. Conformal computers are systems with an exceptional ability to conform to the physical and computational needs of an application. PQ-cells, like cellular automata, are assembled into arrays, communicate with neighboring cells, and are collectively capable of general computation. They operate asynchronously to scale without the limitations of a global clock and to minimize power consumption. Cell operations are stimulated by pulses which travel on different wires to represent 0's and 1's. Cells are individually configured to perform logic, move and store information, and coordinate parallel activity. The PQcell design targets a 0.25 µm CMOS technology. Simulations show that a single cell consumes 15.6 pJ per operation when pulsed at 1.3GHz. Examples of multicell structures include a 98MHz ring oscillator and a 190MHz pipeline.
Functional ion channels in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells: Voltage-dependent cation channels

AbstractThe activity of voltage-gated ion channels is critical for the maintenance of cellular membrane potential and generation of action potentials. In turn, membrane potential regulates cellular ion homeostasis, triggering the opening and closing of ion channels in the plasma membrane and, thus, enabling ion transport across the membrane. Such transmembrane ion fluxes are important for excitation—contraction coupling in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Families of voltage-dependent cation channels known to be present in PASMC include voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels, voltage-dependent Ca2+-activated K+ (Kca) channels, L- and T- type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, voltage-gated Na+ channels and voltage-gated proton channels. When cells are dialyzed with Ca2+-free K+- solutions, depolarization elicits four components of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-sensitive Kvcurrents based on the kinetics of current activation and inactivation. In cell-attached membrane patches, depolarization elicits a wide ran...
Community mental health professionals' theoretical assumptions about families: responses to a practice simulation vignette.

Seventy-three community mental health professionals read a practice simulation vignette about a man with increased schizophrenia symptoms who appears at a community mental health agency accompanied by his parents. Professionals reported their levels of agreement that the parent/s may play a role in the man's schizophrenia symptoms and/or mental health treatment, i.e., serving as treatment resources; expecting consultation from professionals; serving as partners and allies; expressing negative emotions; expressing double bind communication; engaging in hostile behavior per the schizophrenogenic mother; having marriage conflicts; and also having a psychiatric disability. Professionals reported their level of agreement that the parents may be experiencing responses to their son's schizophrenia such as coping; grieving; adjusting to a biological illness; dealing with caregiving responsibilities/burdens; and remaining strong, resilient people. Findings revealed that this sample of mental health professionals most strongly agreed that families are coping, grieving, and positive treatment resources.
Longitudinal graph-based segmentation of macular OCT using fundus alignment

Segmentation of retinal layers in optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become an important diagnostic tool for a variety of ocular and neurological diseases. Currently all OCT segmentation algorithms analyze data independently, ignoring previous scans, which can lead to spurious measurements due to algorithm variability and failure to identify subtle changes in retinal layers. In this paper, we present a graph-based segmentation framework to provide consistent longitudinal segmentation results. Regularization over time is accomplished by adding weighted edges between corresponding voxels at each visit. We align the scans to a common subject space before connecting the graphs by registering the data using both the retinal vasculature and retinal thickness generated from a low resolution segmentation. This initial segmentation also allows the higher dimensional temporal problem to be solved more efficiently by reducing the graph size. Validation is performed on longitudinal data from 24 subjects, where we explore the variability between our longitudinal graph method and a cross-sectional graph approach. Our results demonstrate that the longitudinal component improves segmentation consistency, particularly in areas where the boundaries are difficult to visualize due to poor scan quality.
Play It Safe or Go for the Gold? A Terror Management Perspective on Self-Enhancement and Self-Protective Motives in Risky Decision Making

Terror management theory (TMT) posits that bolstering self-esteem buffers mortality concerns; accordingly, in past research, heightening mortality salience (MS) increases self-enhancement. However, risky self-esteem-relevant decisions often present a choice between enhancing self-esteem by striving for excellence and protecting self-esteem by avoiding potential failure. Which strategy is preferred under MS? Combining TMT with insights from Steele, Spencer, and Lynch's (1993) resource model, the authors hypothesized and found that MS leads high, but not low, self-esteem participants faced with a risky decision to pursue opportunities for excellence despite substantial risk of failure (Studies 1 and 2); in Study 3, using a more impactful decision, this effect was replicated and it was furthermore found that mortality-salient low-self-esteem participants become more risk-averse. Furthermore, in Study 2, a self-affirmation prime, previously shown to reduce MS-induced defenses, eliminated the self-enhancement effect among high-self-esteem participants. Implications for understanding self-esteem, TMT, and risky decision making are briefly discussed.
Studies on ciliary dyskinesia factor in cystic fibrosis. II. Short term leukocyte cultures and long term lymphoid lines.

Extract: The cell-free medium obtained after 48 hour culture of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated leukocytes of three cystic fibrosis (CF) subjects and two carriers, contained a ciliary dyskinesia factor (CDF) detected by a modified rabbit tracheal bioassay. Positive CDF responses began to be observed in supernates of parallel non-stimulated cultures of leukocytes from these same CF affected and carrier individuals by 72 hours of culture. Cell-free media from leukocyte cultures of four normal donors did not produce a positive CDF response with or without PHA over a period of 6 days. The cell-free medium of long-term lymphoid lines derived from three CF affected and four CF carrier subjects demonstrated a positive CDF response, while media from similar lymphoid lines derived from normal subjects contained no CDF. Distinction between homozygous and heterozygous lymphoid lines was not always possible, although there was a tendency of the homozygous lines to give an earlier CDF response than the heterozygous ones. Addition of rabbit anti-human IgG to the CDF positive cell line supernates resulted in the elimination of their ability to elicit a positive CDF response in each instance. Speculation: CDF is a manifestation of a normal cellular product which is a small molecule bound to IgG. The resulting complex represents the CDF detected by bioassay. The defect in CF is in the production or release of a factor inhibiting the CDF.
A systematic comparison between subjects with no pain and pain associated with active myofascial trigger points.

Objective To determine whether standard evaluations of pain distinguish subjects with no pain from those with myofascial pain syndromes (MPS) and active myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and to assess whether self-reports of mood, function, and health-related quality of life differ between these groups. Design A prospective, descriptive study. Setting University. Patients Adults with and without neck pain. Methods We evaluated adults with MPS and active (painful) MTrPs and those without pain. Subjects in the "active" (A) group had at least one active MTrP with spontaneous pain that was persistent, lasted longer than 3 months, and had characteristic pain on palpation. Subjects in the "no pain" (NP) group had no spontaneous pain. However, some of these subjects had discomfort upon MTrP palpation (latent MTrP), whereas others in the NP group had no discomfort upon palpation of nodules or had no nodules. Outcome Measures Each participant underwent range of motion measurement, a 10-point manual muscle test, and manual and algometric palpation. The latter determined the pain/pressure threshold using an algometer of 4 predetermined anatomic sites along the upper trapezius. Participants rated pain using a verbal analog scale (0-10) and completed the Brief Pain Inventory and Oswestry Disability Scale (which included a sleep subscale), the Short -Form 36 Health Survey, and the Profile of Mood States. Results The A group included 24 subjects (mean age 36 years; 16 women), and the NP group included 26 subjects (mean age 26 years; 12 women). Group A subjects differed from NP subjects in the number of latent MTrPs ( P = .0062), asymmetrical cervical range of motion ( P = .01 for side bending and P = .002 for rotation), and in all pain reports ( P P P P P Conclusion A systematic musculoskeletal evaluation of people with MPS reliably distinguishes them from subjects with no pain. The 2 groups are significantly different in their physical findings and self-reports of pain, sleep disturbance, disability, health status, and mood. These findings support the view that a "local" pain syndrome has significant associations with mood, health-related quality of life, and function.
Role of β2‐Microglobulin in the Immune Response in Renal Osteodystrophy

Renal osteodystrophy is the major cause of skeletal morbidity in dialysis patients. It is characterized by beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)M) amyloid deposition at the osteoarticular sites and a destructive arthropathy. beta(2)M is present on the surface of all nucleated cells as the small extracellular subunit of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule and actively participates in the immune response. Accumulating evidence suggests that beta(2)M plays a key role in the development of renal osteodystrophy through a T cell-mediated inflammatory immune mechanism.
SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE IN LINKED SAUSAGES MADE WITH PORK AND/OR GOAT MEAT

Five combinations of pork and goat were used to formulate linked sausages in reciprocal increments of 25% (e.g., 100% pork, 75% pork/25% goat meat, etc.). Each formulation was made with or without 0.25% sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP), stored in a retail case at 3°C and sampled at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days. Sausages made with 25 or 50% goat meat, regardless of SAPP, were not different (P> 0.05) in off flavor from sausages made with 100% pork and SAPP. SAPP decreased pH values, reduced percentages of cooking loss in 4 of 5 comparisons and slightly improved visual color scores for sausages during initial storage periods of 0 and 3 days.
Psychometric assessment of a reduced version of INDSALES

Abstract INDSALES is the most comprehensive scale available to measure the job satisfaction of industrial sales representatives (reps); however, the scale has not found widespread use in the literature. This limited use could be due to the lenght of the scale. With the use of a split sample of 295 sales reps, qualitative techniques were combined with the LISREL procedure to reduce INDSALES to a balanced 28-item scale. The reliabilities of the reduced scale dimensions continued to exceed .75. Cross-validation using LISREL produced goodness of fit indices in excess of .80. Finally, nomological validity was successfully confirmed through comparison with variablr relationships established in the existing sales literature.
The statistical treatment implemented to obtain the planetary protection bioburdens for the Mars Science Laboratory mission

Abstract NASA Planetary Protection Policy requires that Category IV missions such as those going to the surface of Mars include detailed assessment and documentation of the bioburden on the spacecraft at launch. In the prior missions to Mars, the approaches used to estimate the bioburden could easily be conservative without penalizing the project because spacecraft elements such as the descent and landing stages had relatively small surface areas and volumes. With the advent of a large spacecraft such as Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), it became necessary for a modified—still conservative but more pragmatic—statistical treatment be used to obtain the standard deviations and the bioburden densities at about the 99.9% confidence limits. This article describes both the Gaussian and Poisson statistics that were implemented to analyze the bioburden data from the MSL spacecraft prior to launch. The standard deviations were weighted by the areas sampled with each swab or wipe. Some typical cases are given and discussed.
Spatial mental models derived from survey and route descriptions

In four experiments, subjects read route or survey descriptions of naturalistic environments and then answered verbatim or inference questions from both perspectives and drew maps of the environments. In all studies, subjects were faster and more accurate to verbatim than to inference questions, suggesting that verbatim questions are verified against a representation of the text of the descriptions. Subjects were as fast and accurate to inference questions from the read perspective as from the new perspective, suggesting that inference questions are verified against a representation of the situation described by the text. Map drawings were very accurate for both description types. A separate group of subjects studied maps instead of descriptions, and their performance was comparable to that of description subjects on all tasks. Readers apparently form the same spatial mental models capturing the spatial relations between landmarks from both survey and route descriptions, and from maps.
Teacher Stress: Issues and Intervention.

The purpose of this study was to consider the stress within the teacher's environment and examine methods of assisting public school teachers with managing stress. Participants in the study were 124 female public school teachers of grades K-12 from the public school systems of two central Georgia counties. Three weeks after completing a set of pretest questionnaires, each teacher participated in one of two three-hour training sessions. In the individualized training method, participants were led through a step-by-step development of an individualized plan for more effectively managing the stressor they had identified at the beginning of the training session. By the end of the session, each participant had her own plan for working on her own major stress. In the global approach training method, information about stress was presented to the participants in a lecture fashion with the focus being on general knowledge with no attempt being made to direct the participants in the development of individualized plans. Approximately three weeks after the training session, all participants were sent a set of questions concerning their activities in stress management since the training. The results of the study provided data concerning types of stresses experienced, sources of stress at work and home, effects of stress and burnout, and relative effectiveness of the two training approaches in terms of degree of relief, variety and type of methods utilized, and degree of involvement. The results indicate that the teachers who received the individual training method did significantly increase the time they spend on managing stress.
Iron chelation by digests of insoluble chicken muscle protein: the role of histidine residues

The role of histidine residues in the chelation of iron at neutral pH by peptides from chicken muscle was investigated to see if it could contribute to the effect of muscle tissue on iron absorption. When ferric iron was chelated by L-histidine at pH 6, the ratio of iron chelated to loss of reactive histidine was 1:1. Chelation of iron by soluble peptides in a digest of insoluble chicken muscle protein was accompanied by a small loss of reactive histidine (4–7%) in the peptides. When peptides were modified with diethylpyrocarbonate, increasing loss of histidine led to a progressive decrease in iron chelation. However, even 89% loss of histidine only reduced iron chelation by 30%. It was concluded that histidyl residues do contribute to iron chelation and therefore could by involved in the promotion of iron absorption by muscle tissue. However, other amino acid residues are likely to be involved. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry
Customer Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Evidence:

The growing number of academic studies on customer satisfaction and the mixed findings they report complicate efforts among managers and academics to identify the antecedents to, and outcomes of, businesses having more-versus less-satisfied customers. These mixed findings and the growing emphasis by managers on having satisfied customers point to the value of empirically synthesizing the evidence on customer satisfaction to assess current knowledge. To this end, the authors conduct a meta-analysis of the reported findings on customer satisfaction. They document that equity and disconfirmation are most strongly related to customer satisfaction on average. They also find that measurement and method factors that characterize the research often moderate relationship strength between satisfaction and its antecedents and outcomes. The authors discuss the implications surrounding these effects and offer several directions for future research.
The deterioration of central city schools: A tale of two cities (Detroit and Denver)

While a great deal more work needs to be done to assess the factors contributing to the stability and instability of the local tax base, these findings do provide some basis for understanding why central cities have been constantly plagued by fiscal problems. While increasing the quality of public services may result in the in-migration of some upper-income families, the limited findings of this paper appear to suggest that this has limited significance as a policy objective. However, it would be worth some controlled experimentation on the part of central city school boards to test this hypothesis further. It may be that if the area allows the level of its expenditure to fall too low relative to surrounding areas, the tax base may fall below the critical level necessary to maintain a competitive level of services, and cumulative deterioration will follow unless the system is saved by some outside source of funds. It is hoped that these results, although they are limited, will stimulate further research, not only on the dynamic interaction of public and private decisions but also on the question of what structural changes may be possible to shift the whole function.
Comparison of the photostimulatory effects of visible He-Ne and infrared Ga-As lasers on healing impaired diabetic rat wounds

Background and Objectives In this study, the ability of photostimulation to promote healing of impaired wounds was investigated using a Ga-As laser in rats with experimental diabetes and the results were compared with previously reported findings of the effects of a He-Ne laser on the repair of healing-impaired diabetic rat wounds 1. Study Design/Materials and Methods Diabetes was induced in male rats by streptozotocin injection following which two full thickness punch wounds of 6-mm diameter were created in the skin, one on either side of the spine of each animal. The left wound of each animal was treated with infrared radiation at 904 nm produced by a Ga-As laser at an energy density of 1.0 J/cm2. The right wound of each animal served as the control. The wounds were treated with a laser 5 days a week for 3 weeks. Following animal sacrifice, the strips of skin containing the wound sites were collected and analyzed. Results The results from the biomechanical analysis indicated that the Ga-As laser used in this study significantly increased wound tensile strain and toughness compared to the control wounds. Marginal increases in wound tensile strength (9%) and stress (7%) were observed in the Ga-As laser-treated wounds compared to the controls. No significant changes were found in Young's modulus and energy absorption capacity between the control and laser-treated wounds. Analysis of wound collagen revealed a significant increases in total collagen (14%), salt soluble collagen (31%), acid soluble (14%), and insoluble collagen (50%) with simultaneous decrease in pepsin soluble collagen (19%) in the Ga-As laser-treated wounds compared to controls. Comparisons of these results with the earlier findings revealed that the He-Ne laser appears to be superior to the Ga-As laser, at the parameters of treatment tested, in promoting the wound healing in diabetic rats. Conclusions The differences in stimulatory effects noted between the He-Ne and Ga-As lasers suggest that the photochemical response the cells for each laser may depend on the wavelength and coherent properties of the electromagnetic radiation. Lasers Surg. Med. 33:344–351, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
CRISPR-MVLST subtyping of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars Typhimurium and Heidelberg and application in identifying outbreak isolates

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and Heidelberg (S. Heidelberg) are major causes of foodborne salmonellosis, accounting for a fifth of all annual salmonellosis cases in the United States. Rapid, efficient and accurate methods for identification are required for routine surveillance and to track specific strains during outbreaks. We used Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and a recently developed molecular subtyping approach termed CRISPR-MVLST that exploits the hypervariable nature of virulence genes and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) to subtype clinical S. Typhimurium and S. Heidelberg isolates. We analyzed a broad set of 175 S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium isolates collected over a five-year period. We identified 21 Heidelberg Sequence Types (HSTs) and 37 Typhimurium STs (TSTs) that were represented by 27 and 45 PFGE pulsotypes, respectively, and determined the discriminatory power of each method. For S. Heidelberg, our data shows that combined typing by both CRISPR-MVLST and PFGE provided a discriminatory power of 0.9213. Importantly, CRISPR-MVLST was able to separate common PFGE patterns such as JF6X01.0022 into distinct STs, thus providing significantly greater discriminatory power. Conversely, we show that subtyping by either CRISPR-MVLST or PFGE independently provides a sufficient discriminatory power (0.9345 and 0.9456, respectively) for S. Typhimurium. Additionally, using isolates from two S. Typhimurium outbreaks, we demonstrate that CRISPR-MVLST provides excellent epidemiologic concordance.
Global optical model potential for elastic deuteron scattering from 12 to 90 MeV

A set of about 4000 data points has been used in a global search for a general optical model parameter prescription. This potential for deuteron-nucleus scattering was confined to remain within the range given by folding model calculations. The data set spans the energy range from 11.8 to 90 MeV and includes many targets ranging in mass from $^{27}\mathrm{Al}$ to $^{238}\mathrm{Th}$. The set includes 50 reaction cross sections, 13 angular distributions for vector polarization at and above 15 MeV, and 103 angular distributions for elastic scattering. A successful 11-parameter potential of the conventional form fits all data analyzed to about 18% rms. Two of these parameters, ${V}_{R}$ and ${a}_{I}$, are functions of proton number and target mass, while five (${V}_{R}$, ${a}_{o}$, ${W}_{S}$, ${W}_{D}$, ${V}_{\mathrm{LS}}$) are smooth functions of bombarding energy. The remainder (${r}_{o}$, ${r}_{I}$, ${r}_{c}$, ${r}_{\mathrm{LS}}$, ${a}_{\mathrm{LS}}$) are constants. A simple functional dependence for ${a}_{I}(A,Z)$ approximately reproduces the rapid changes in $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ found experimentally for nuclei at or near neutron shell closure. A comparison with earlier work suggests that the optical model analyses furnish the rms radii for the real and imaginary potentials with little ambiguity. General agreement but with a somewhat larger scatter (10%) is also found for the real and the imaginary volume integrals deduced. However, little consistency is seen for the imaginary volume integral if the bombarding energy is below 15 MeV. The rms radii and volume integrals have a small but distinct energy dependence. It was found that the 11-parameter potential occasionally has difficulty delivering good simultaneous fits for cross sections and vector polarizations. This situation was improved by the addition of a small, three-parameter imaginary spin-orbit term, which in our global prescription required short range and very small diffuseness.
An Active Role of the ΔN Isoform of p63 in Regulating Basal Keratin Genes K5 and K14 and Directing Epidermal Cell Fate

Background One major defining characteristic of the basal keratinocytes of the stratified epithelium is the expression of the keratin genes K5 and K14. The temporal and spatial expression of these two genes is usually tightly and coordinately regulated at the transcriptional level. This ensures the obligate pairing of K5 and K14 proteins to generate an intermediate filament (IF) network that is essential for the structure and function of the proliferative keratinocytes. Our previous studies have shown that the basal-keratinocyte restricted transcription factor p63 is a direct regulator of K14 gene. Methodology/principal findings Here we provide evidence that p63, specifically the DeltaN isoform also regulates the expression of the K5 gene by binding to a conserved enhancer within the 5' upstream region. By using specific antibodies against DeltaNp63, we show a concordance in the expression between basal keratins and DeltaNp63 proteins but not the TAp63 isoforms during early embryonic skin development. We demonstrate, that contrary to a previous report, transgenic mice expressing DeltaNp63 in lung epithelium exhibit squamous metaplasia with de novo induction of K5 and K14 as well as transdifferentiation to the epidermal cell lineage. Interestingly, the in vivo epidermal inductive properties of DeltaNp63 do not require the C-terminal SAM domain. Finally, we show that DeltaNp63 alone can restore the expression of the basal keratins and reinitiate the failed epidermal differentiation program in the skin of p63 null animals. Significance DeltaNp63 is a critical mediator of keratinocyte stratification program and directly regulates the basal keratin genes.
Case for northward transport of Baja and coastal southern California: Paleomagnetic data, analysis, and alternatives

This paper, which accompanies the preceding article by Gastil, reviews Cretaceous paleomagnetic evidence for Baja and coastal southern California. Like Cretaceous paleomagnetic data for the Cordillera as a whole, results from Baja and southern California require northward transport of 1000km or more, relative to interior North America. Agreement between independent results, for different rock types and experimental techniques, is overwhelming. Dextral shear driven by right-oblique subduction readily accounts for the paleomagnetic results. Alternative explanations such as experimental errors, rock-magnetic effects, anomalous geomagnetic behavior, errors in dating, or local structure are inadequate, improbable, or both. Some geologists have difficulty reconciling the findings of paleomagnetism with their own results; hence, as emphasized by Gastil, a conflict and enigma exist. To resolve them will require a willingness on both sides to honestly scrutinize basic assumptions.
Innovation in the Capitalist Process: A Critique of the Schumpeterian Theory

I. Introduction, 417. — II. Industrial research and development: invention and innovation, 418. — III. Schumpeter's theory of innovation, 421. — IV. Conclusion: innovation a normal business procedure, 427.
Periodicities of Partition Functions and Stirling Numbers modulo p

Abstract If p(n, k) is the number of partitions of n into parts ≤k, then the sequence {p(k, k), p(k + 1, k),…} is periodic modulo a prime p. We find the minimum period Q = Q(k, p) of this sequence. More generally, we find the minimum period, modulo p, of {p(n; T)}n ≥ 0, the number of partitions of n whose parts all lie in a fixed finite set T of positive integers. We find the minimum period, modulo p, of {S(k, k), S(k + 1, k),…}, where these are the Stirling numbers of the second kind. Some related congruences are proved. The methods involve the use of cyclotomic polynomials over Zp[x].
Church and State in The Maryland Ordinance Of 1639

With justification American historians emphasize the rise of democratic government during the Colonial Period. The will of the colonists to determine their own affairs grew with greater force after their departure from the mother country. Within the colonies themselves they successfully demanded greater liberty in their political institutions.1 Free representation was strengthened by the plea for free conscience in a common effort to transform the outward political forms which they had left behind in seventeenth century England. In this process new understanding of the State was developing.
Temperature-dependence of the low-frequency spectrum of 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide studied by optical Kerr effect spectroscopy

Abstract The spectrum of the ionic liquid, 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, in the 0–250 cm −1 region was studied as a function of temperature from 280 to 393 K. The spectra were obtained by using optical Kerr effect spectroscopy. The intermolecular part of the spectrum can be decomposed into two components. The first spectral moments of both components decrease with temperature. However, the width of the low-frequency component decreases with temperature, while that of the high-frequency component increases and then remains constant above 323 K. This difference is interpreted as being due to the mixed intermolecular/intramolecular character of the high-frequency component.
Improved bounds for the chromatic number of a graph

After giving a new proof of a well-known theorem of Dirac on critical graphs, we discuss the elegant upper bounds of Matula and Szekeres-Wilf which follow from it. In order to improve these bounds, we consider the following fundamental coloring problem: given an edge-cut (V1, V2) in a graph G, together with colorings of )V1* and )V2*, what is the least number of colors in a coloring of G which "respects" the colorings of )V1* and )V2*? We give a constructive optimal solution of this problem, and use it to derive a new upper bound for the chromatic number of a graph. As easy corollaries, we obtain several interesting bounds which also appear to be new, as well as classical bounds of Dirac and Ore, and the above mentioned bounds of Matula and Szekeres-Wilf. We conclude by considering two algorithms suggested by our results. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 47: 217225, 2004
A Biochemical Test of Artificial Mammogenesis and Lactogenesis As Models of the Natural Processes

Hypophysectomized, oophorectomized rats were injected with various combinations of estrogen, progesterone, growth hormone, prolactin, and hydrocortisone. The mammary glands of these rats were homogenized and assayed for nitrogen, ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, alkaline phosphatase activity, β-glucuronidase activity, glutamic-aspartic transaminating activity, and succinic oxidizing activity. By comparing the levels of these various biochemical factors in artificially prepared mammary glands to those in glands where mammogenesis and lactogenesis had occurred naturally, it was possible to judge the extent to which artificial mammogenesis and lactogenesis match the normal processes. Mammary glands of rats injected with suitable doses of estrone, progesterone, growth hormone and prolactin seemed to match the glands of rats in the last half of pregnancy as far as the listed biochemical factors were concerned. When rats whose mammary glands had been artificially prepared in this way were then given inj...
Mechanical stretch increases secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein by cultured bladder smooth muscle cells

AbstractParathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) immunoreactivity has been detected in the bladder and increases in response to dilatation secondary to obstruction. The hypothesis that PTHrP could be increased solely by stretch rather than other possible in vivo variables was tested by stretching cultured bladder smooth muscle cells and analyzing the culture medium for this protein. In response to mechanical stretch, PTHrP was increased in smooth muscle cell cultures. Immunoradiometric assay revealed maximal rates of secretion for the first eight hours. Comparison of percent change in PTHrP secretion of flexed cells for the various flex parameters revealed a difference (p = .006) when the degree of stretch (i.e. percent elongation) was altered. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide inhibited basal and stretch-induced PTHrP secretion.PTHrP (1-100 nM) relaxed carbachol-contracted bladder body and base by 15% and 45% respectively. PTHrP did not affect bladder contractions induced by potassium (124...
The Spatial Dynamics of Development Planning in Sierra Leone : An Analysis of the Second Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development 1974/75-1978/79

The Five Year Development Plan 1974/75-1978/79 was the second post-independence development plan of Sierra Leone. Although the plan implementation period ended a decade ago, the document continues to have immense implications for regional development in the country for two reasons. First, because it focussed heavily on spatial analysis and regional equity; second, because the implementation of its successor, the third development plan, has been hindered by financial difficulties. This study examines the political economy conditions that dictated the spatial emphasis of the second plan, the plan's attempt at spatial re-distribution of reseources and the actual spatial impacts of its implementation.
Lipid class dynamics and storage depots in juvenile weakfish Cynoscion regalis and their application to condition assessment.

Lipid class dynamics, the pattern of change in the primary form and location of lipid stores and their relationship with standard length (LS), were investigated in collections of young-of-the-year weakfish Cynoscion regalis for the purpose of determining the utility of this analysis as an indication of condition. The separation of total lipids into individual classes and the analysis of potential storage depots revealed the general patterns of lipid class dynamics and energy storage in C. regalis during their period of juvenile estuarine residency. Phospholipid and cholesterol exhibited moderate but variable (8·1–40· 0a nd 1·3–21· 5m g g −1 , respectively) concentrations across the entire juvenile period and were the predominant lipid classes in juveniles <100 mm LS, while wax ester concentrations were low (c. 1m g g −1) and exhibited the least amount of variability among lipid classes. Triacylglycerols (TAG) and free fatty acids (FFA) exhibited similar dynamics, with relatively low concentrations (<15 mg g −1 ) in individuals ≤100 mm LS. In larger juveniles both TAG and FFA concentrations generally increased rapidly, though there was considerable variability in both measures (0·0–199· 7a nd 0·0–49· 7m g g −1 , respectively). Increasing levels of lipids, primarily in the form of TAG, with size indicated an accumulation of energy reserves with growth, thus providing an indication of individual condition for larger juveniles. Separate analysis of liver, viscera and the remaining carcass indicated that liver and viscera did not represent a significant depot of TAG reserves. Analysis of samples derived from whole juvenile C. regalis thus provided an accurate estimate of energy reserves.
Major Differences in Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission onto Two Neocortical Interneuron Subclasses

Locally projecting GABAergic interneurons are the major providers of inhibition in the neocortex and play a crucial role in several brain functions. Neocortical interneurons are connected via electrical and chemical synapses that may be crucial in modulating complex network oscillations. We investigated the properties of spontaneous and evoked IPSCs in two morphologically and physiologically identified interneuron subtypes, the fast-spiking (FS) and low threshold-spiking (LTS) cells in layer V of rodent sensorimotor cortex. We found that IPSCs recorded in FS cells were several orders of magnitude more frequent, larger in amplitude, and had faster kinetics than IPSCs recorded in LTS cells. GABA(A) receptor alpha- and beta-subunit selective modulators, zolpidem and loreclezole, had different effects on IPSCs in FS and LTS interneurons, suggesting differential expression of GABA(A) receptor subunit subtypes. These pharmacological data indicated that the alpha1 subunit subtype is poorly expressed by LTS cells but makes a large contribution to GABA(A) receptors on FS cells. This was confirmed by experiments performed in genetically modified mice in which the alpha1 subunit had been made insensitive to benzodiazepine-like agonists. These results suggest that differences in IPSC waveform are likely attributable to distinctive expression of GABA(A) receptor subunits in FS and LTS cells. The particular properties of GABAergic input on different interneuronal subtypes might have important consequences for generation and pacing of cortical rhythms underlying several brain functions. Moreover, selective pharmacological manipulation of distinct inhibitory circuits might allow regulation of pyramidal cell activities under specific physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Urinary tract infection in women over the age of 65: is age alone a marker of complication?

Background: We were interested to know if our older female patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) might have differing pathogens or rates of Escherichia coli antibiotic sensitivity and if our physicians managed them in a manner similar or dissimilar to the care provided to younger patients with no complications. Methods: This was a secondary analysis from patients excluded from a previous retrospective study regarding uncomplicated UTIs. Results: Twenty-six percent of total patients with UTIs were older than 65 and otherwise medically uncomplicated whereas 21% were older patients who did have complicating factors. E. coli was a pathogen in 81% of uncomplicated elders’ and 54% of complicated elders’ cultures. E. coli sensitivity rate to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SMX/TMP) in both groups was 86%. Physicians were significantly less likely to prescribe SMX/TMP for complicated older patients with complications than for young patients with an uncomplicated UTI (P .017); there was a significant trend of physicians to be less likely to prescribe SMX/TMP with advancing age in a patient and complications across all 3 groups (P .011). Antibiotics rarely needed to be changed after cultures. Conclusions: The presence of E. coli on culture in patients with a UTI changes based on medical complications, not age. Being medically complex did not result in reduced sensitivity of E. coli to SMX/ TMP but was associated with increased rates of the presence of other pathogens. In our setting, treatment employed with SMX/TMP and without the use of culture and sensitivity may be effective for appropriately selected older women. Prospective studies are needed to determine the optimal approach to management. (J Am Board Fam Med 2009;22:266 –71.)
Blind-Channel Estimation and Interference Suppression for Single-Carrier and Multicarrier Block Transmission Systems

Block transmission has recently been considered as an alternative to the conventional continuous transmission technique. In particular, block transmission techniques with zero padding (ZP) and cyclic prefix (CP) are becoming attractive procedures for their ability to eliminate both intersymbol interference (ISI) and interblock interference (IBI). In this paper, we present a unified approach to blind-channel estimation and interference suppression for block transmission using ZP or CP in both single-carrier (SC) and multicarrier (MC) systems. Our approach uses a generalized multichannel minimum variance principle to design an equalizing filterbank. The channel estimate is then obtained from an asymptotically tight lower bound of the filterbank output power. Through an asymptotic analysis of the subspace of the received signal, we determine an upper bound for the number of interfering tones that can be handled by the proposed schemes. As a performance measure, we derive an unconditional Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) that, similar to the proposed blind channel estimators, does not assume knowledge of the transmitted information symbols. Numerical examples show that the proposed schemes approach the CRB as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases. Additionally, they exhibit low sensitivity to unknown narrowband interference and favorably compare with subspace blind-channel estimators.
Improved mobility through abstracted biological principles

Biological inspiration can be used to improve the mobility of vehicles, even those that are simplified and use current technology. One such hexapod robot called Whegs I is described. Mechanisms in its design permit it to move over various terrains and climb over small obstacles in a manner similar to a cockroach. It uses one motor for propulsion and two small servos for steering. Its appendages, called whegs, consist of three evenly spaced spokes. Passive compliance in its axles permits its nominal tripod gait to adapt to irregular terrain and evolve to co-activation for climbing. Basic locomotion control is implemented in its, mechanical design. A benefit of this mechanical simplicity is that its control system is also simplified. Drawbacks to the simplifications include the inability to change the body's posture and decrease overhead clearance. Some of these problems will be addressed in future versions without compromising the basic design.