cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conscientiousness and Effort-Related Cardiac Activity in Response to Piece-Rate Cash Incentives

Although conscientiousness predicts many aspects of motivation, from delay of gratification to higher achievement, its relationship to responses to monetary incentives is surprisingly inconsistent. Several studies have found null or relationships between conscientiousness and behavioral performance in piece-rate, pay-for-performance tasks, in which people earn money for each unit of work completed. In the present study, we examined the role of conscientiousness in effort-related cardiac activity and behavioral performance during a pay-for-performance task. People worked on a self-paced, piece-rate cognitive task in which they earned 1 cent or 5 cents, manipulated within-person, for each correct response. Conscientiousness predicted greater physiological effort (i.e., shorter pre-ejection period [PEP] reactivity) as incentives increased but had no effect on behavioral performance. The findings suggest that conscientiousness is significantly related to effort for piece-rate tasks, and they reinforce a core idea in motivational intensity theory: effort, performance, and persistence are distinct outcomes that often diverge, so drawing conclusions about effort from performance can be complex.
Off and On Equilibrium Monopoly Analysis in Terms of Marginal Profit Gap and Adjustment Weights

For a monopoly market structure, using mathematical intuitions, this paper derives all the off equilibrium formulae of interest in terms of marginal profit gap and the adjustment weights and the equilibrium formulae in terms of adjustment weights. In terms of adjustment weights, it derives an alternative form of Learners Index and absolute point price elasticity of demand at monopoly equilibrium. The Learners Index is bounded from above by one while the absolute point price elasticity of demand is bounded from below by one.
Regulation of Immunoglobulin E Biosynthesis

Publisher Summary A crucial role of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies in reaginic (Type I) hypersensitivity immediately raised a question as to whether the antibody response can be suppressed. To achieve this goal, however, it is possible to lear cellular mechanisms involved in the IgE antibody response. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize some unique features for the antibody response of the IgE isotype and to discuss possible approaches to controlling the same. The IgE antibody response in inbred mouse strains provided most useful information on the mechanisms of IgE synthesis. However, in vitro IgE antibody responses by murine lymphoid cells have been most difficult to reproduce. When mice of a good IgE producer strain were immunized with alum-absorbed antigen for the persistent IgE antibody response, their spleen cells spontaneously released a substantial amount of IgE antibodies. Dissociation between the IgE and IgG antibody responses raised the possibility that the IgE antibody response may be regulated not only by antigen-specific helper and suppressor T cells but also by a mechanism selective for this isotype. Because the infection of antigen-primed rats with Nb selectively potentiated the IgE antibody response and the IgE-specific potentiation is dependent on T cells, it was anticipated that T cells of Nb-infected rats would selectively enhance the differentiation of IgE B cells to IgE-forming cells. Either regulation of the IgE antibody response by means of antigen-specific mechanisms has been attempted through tolerization of B cells or manipulation of the population of T cells that regulate the differentiation of B cells to IgE-forming cells. Another approach to regulating the antihapten IgE antibody response is to induce antiidiotypic antibodies. If the antihapten antibodies are restricted to certain idiotypes, idiotype-specific regulation may be applied. The third approach is to regulate the IgE antibody response by inducing antigen-specific suppressor T cells. It has been shown that intravenous injections of a soluble antigen without adjuvant into naive mice facilitate the generation of antigen-specific suppressor T cells.
Active state of Parkin

Under steady-state conditions, the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin is localized to the cytosol in an autoinhibited state. Two recent studies describe the mechanism of Parkin activation by phosphorylation via structural rearrangement of the Ubl and RING2 domains, explaining how the RING2 domain is released from the core of Parkin to allow for ubiquitination of its substrates.
Optimal Capital Structure and Investment with Real Options and Endogenous Debt Costs

We examine the joint optimization of financial leverage and irreversible capacity investment in a real options framework with risky debt and endogenous interest costs. Higher capacity, ceteris paribus, increases operating leverage and default probability, but lowers ex post adjustment costs and generates larger tax shields. A key insight is that financial leverage and capacity are substitutes in the debt market equilibrium. We develop novel predictions about the effects of capital adjustment costs, operating costs, and uncertainty on optimal financial leverage and capacity that may potentially help explain ambiguous empirical results in the literature regarding the determinants of capital structure and investment. Received March 17, 2016; editorial decision July 8, 2017 by Editor Itay Goldstein.
Estimation of economic efficiency of mineral resource base development projects using the real options method

The article has indicated by the problem of assessing the effectiveness of investment projects of development of mineral resource base in the face of declining quality of raw materials and the transition to the working out of deposits with low content of useful components. The problem of providing with raw materials is relevant for the ferrous metallurgy of theRepublicof Uzbekistan. The decision can be the development of a deposit of titanium-magnetite ores «Tebinbulak» with low iron content. Justification of the effectiveness of such a project requires the use of modern tools. The article has substantiated the possibility of using real options to assess the economic efficiency of investment projects to develop the mineral resource base. In this paper we have considered the concept of real options in relation to the field of investment projects to develop the mineral resource base, have developed a classification of possible options in this area. To assess the value of real option of the project of develop the mineral resources base we have proposed to use Black– Scholes model, have given the interpretation of elements of model in relation to this sphere. On an example of field development project titanomagnetite ores «Tebinbulak» has evaluated the strategic value of the project with realigning option expectations.
Revascularization Strategies for Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is an urgent medical condition that requires prompt application of simultaneous pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies. The variation in patient clinical characteristics coupled with the multitude of treatment modalities makes optimal and timely management challenging. This review summarizes risk stratification of patients, the role and timing of revascularization, and highlights important considerations in the revascularization approach with attention to individual patient characteristics. The early invasive management of NSTEMI has fostered a reduction in future ischemic events. Risk calculators are helpful in determining which patients should receive early invasive management. As many patients have multivessel disease, identifying the true culprit lesion can be challenging. Special attention should be given to those at the highest risk, such as diabetics, patients with renal failure, and those with left main disease. In patients with acute coronary syndrome, the decision and mode of revascularization should carefully integrate the patient’s clinical characteristics as well as the complexity of the coronary anatomy.
Estimating COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in Santa Clara County, California. A re-analysis of Bendavid et al.

Abstract A recent study by Bendavid et al. claimed that the rate of infection of COVID-19 in Santa Clara county was between 2.49% and 4.16%, 50-85 times higher than the number of officially confirmed cases. The statistical methodology used in that study overestimates of rate of infection given the available data. We jointly estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the test kit along with rate of infection with a simple Bayesian model, arriving at lower estimates of the rate of COVID-19 in Santa Clara county. Re-analyzing their data, we find that the rate of infection was likely between 0.27% and 3.21%.
Phase Transitions in Asymptotically Singular Anderson Hamiltonian and Parabolic Model

Let $\xi$ be a Gaussian white noise on $\mathbb R^d$ ($d=1,2,3$). Let $(\xi_\varepsilon)_{\varepsilon>0}$ be continuous Gaussian processes such that $\xi_\varepsilon\to\xi$ as $\varepsilon\to0$, defined by convolving $\xi$ against a mollifier. We consider the asymptotics of the parabolic Anderson model (PAM) with noise $\xi_{\varepsilon(t)}$ for large time $t\gg1$, and the Dirichlet eigenvalues of the Anderson Hamiltonian (AH) with potential $\xi_{\varepsilon(t)}$ on large boxes $(-t,t)^d$, where the parameter $\varepsilon(t)$ vanishes as $t\to\infty$. We prove that the asymptotics in question exhibit a phase transition in the rate at which $\varepsilon(t)$ vanishes, which distinguishes between the behavior observed in the AH/PAM with continuous Gaussian noise and white noise. By comparing our main theorems with previous results on the AH/PAM with white noise, our results show that some asymptotics of the latter can be accessed with solely elementary methods, and we obtain quantitative estimates on the difference between the AH/PAM with white noise and its continuous-noise approximations as $t\to\infty$.
Is There a Right to Job Quality? Reenvisioning Workforce Development

The coronavirus crisis has led to the unemployment of millions of workers and exposed a labor market that is full of poor-quality jobs. Policymakers intuitively resort to upgrading worker skills as a workforce response to the pandemic; however, the problem isn’t with retraining. The nation’s workforce development system is in shambles. It lacks appropriate accountability mechanisms to ensure workers are matched to decent work and instead steers training for any in-demand job including those that offer low pay and poor working conditions. Enabling the changes needed requires a new legal regime that establishes a right to training for a quality job.
Voters’ Perceptions of Trust in Donald Trump in 2016 and 2019: Implications for Presidential Leadership in the Crises of 2020:

This study explored voters’ perceptions of Donald Trump regarding their general trust in his presidential leadership. In 2019, a little over 2 years into Trump’s first term, Shockley-Zalabak and Mo...
Passive Immunity to a Commercial E. coli-SRP® Vaccine in Beef Cattle Colostrum from Cows Grazing Native Range

E.coli O157:H7 is a contaminant of E.coli O157:H7s and has been associated with food-borne illnesses in humans. Recently an E. coli SRP® vaccine received conditional licensure in the United States for the control E. coli 0157 in cattle. E. coli is also a common disease agent responsible for causing post-natal calf diarrhea. Colostrum management is recognized as an important factor for calf health and survival. Calves that fail to consume an adequate amount of colostrum within the first 12-24 hours after birth are at a higher risk for disease, death, and decreased performance. The objective of this study was to determine if E.coli O157:H7 SRP® specific antibodies could be detected in the serum of calves that consumed colostrum from dams that were vaccinated prior to calving with E.coli O157:H7 SRP® vaccine.
IGF1-Stimulated Posttraumatic Hippocampal Remodeling Is Not Dependent on mTOR

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is stimulated acutely following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, many hippocampal neurons born after injury develop abnormally and the number that survive long-term is debated. In experimental TBI, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) promotes hippocampal neuronal differentiation, improves immature neuron dendritic arbor morphology, increases long-term survival of neurons born after TBI, and improves cognitive function. One potential downstream mediator of the neurogenic effects of IGF1 is mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which regulates proliferation as well as axonal and dendritic growth in the CNS. Excessive mTOR activation is posited to contribute to aberrant plasticity related to posttraumatic epilepsy, spurring preclinical studies of mTOR inhibitors as therapeutics for TBI. The degree to which pro-neurogenic effects of IGF1 depend upon upregulation of mTOR activity is currently unknown. Using immunostaining for phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6, a commonly used surrogate for mTOR activation, we show that controlled cortical impact TBI triggers mTOR activation in the dentate gyrus in a time-, region-, and injury severity-dependent manner. Posttraumatic mTOR activation in the granule cell layer (GCL) and dentate hilus was amplified in mice with conditional overexpression of IGF1. In contrast, delayed astrocytic activation of mTOR signaling within the dentate gyrus molecular layer, closely associated with proliferation, was not affected by IGF1 overexpression. To determine whether mTOR activation is necessary for IGF1-mediated stimulation of posttraumatic hippocampal neurogenesis, wildtype and IGF1 transgenic mice received the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin daily beginning at 3 days after TBI, following pulse labeling with bromodeoxyuridine. Compared to wildtype mice, IGF1 overexpressing mice exhibited increased posttraumatic neurogenesis, with a higher density of posttrauma-born GCL neurons at 10 days after injury. Inhibition of mTOR did not abrogate IGF1-stimulated enhancement of posttraumatic neurogenesis. Rather, rapamycin treatment in IGF1 transgenic mice, but not in WT mice, increased numbers of cells labeled with BrdU at 3 days after injury that survived to 10 days, and enhanced the proportion of posttrauma-born cells that differentiated into neurons. Because beneficial effects of IGF1 on hippocampal neurogenesis were maintained or even enhanced with delayed inhibition of mTOR, combination therapy approaches may hold promise for TBI.
Manubrial Resection and Reconstruction With Iliac Wing Bone Autograft

The manubrium stabilizes the shoulders and assists in movement of the chest wall during respiration. Thus, resection of the manubrium creates instability of the chest wall and exposes the underlying great vessels. The material utilized to reconstruct the manubrium should be durable, resistant to infection and rejection, and provide good cosmesis. Autologous iliac crest bone grafts have been successfully used for bone replacement by orthopaedic surgeons and have proven to be versatile and less prone to rejection. In this article, we describe our technique for reconstruction of the sternum utilizing iliac wing bone autograft.
Social dominance in beef cattle — A scoping review

Abstract Cattle are social creatures that naturally form dominant-subordinate relationships where groups of individuals define their position within the group’s social dominance hierarchy. Dominance hierarchies exist to maintain a stable social order and reduce aggression. However, social dominance rank may dictate access to resources which could deleteriously affect an individual’s welfare. The purpose of this scoping review was to evaluate the extent, range, and nature of research that has been conducted to assess social dominance (SD) in beef cattle. This scoping review focused on two objectives: 1) assemble SD indexes used to assess beef cattle SD and highlight how they differ and, 2) examine the relationships between SD and measures of cattle behavior, productivity, physiology, reproduction, and cattle attributes. The final search of CAB Abstracts, AGRIS, Scopus, and SPAC was performed on September 22, 2019 and resulted in 24 articles (27 studies) that evaluated social dominance in beef cattle. Social groups made up of cattle of mixed ages, regardless of sex, will have a social dominance structure that closely resembles that which occurs in free-ranging herds. Cattle social group breed and age composition were found to alter social dominance rank relationships to cattle attributes. Within multi-breed groups, breed had the most prominent relationship to social dominance rank. In single breed groups, age had the largest influence on social dominance rank. The longer cattle had been in a group (i.e., longevity) may impact social dominance rank more than age or breed following changes in group composition. Male reproductive behavior and success increased with social dominance rank in groups of cattle that were of various ages but decreased with or was not related to social dominance rank in groups of males that were similar in age. Agonistic interactions were found to be directed to individuals within other social dominance rank categories than those within the same social dominance rank category. Yet, the relationship between social dominance rank and several measures (i.e., feed intake and cortisol concentrations) may be dependent on the context in which the relationship is evaluated. However, there was little conclusive evidence to suggest that social dominance rank was related to productivity, feeding behaviors, blood metabolites and cell counts, physiological measures, and other behavior measures (i.e., allogrooming, herd movement, foraging, resting). This scoping review examined studies of varied sample size, cattle attributes, methodological approaches, and experimental design showcasing areas with solid evidence and main research gaps regarding beef cattle social dominance.
Application of Fuzzy Cognitive Map in (AJEL) Active, Joyful, Effective Learning for Primary Level Students

Fuzzy Cognitive Maps are fuzzy structures that strongly resemble neural networks and they have powerful effect as a mathematical tool for modeling complex systems. FCM combines the robust properties of fuzzy logic and neural networks. In the past, there has been a lot of development in the curriculum and in learning strategies like Actively Based Learning for the Primary School Students for effective, stress free learning. Teachers have the great responsibility of sharing their knowledge in journey of each child’s life, as facilitator guide. Strategies need to be adopted to make the environment positively, delightful, building an emotional balance in children to learn freely and joyfully. Childhood is the most important phase of one’s life to prepare a proper foundation filled with rich experiences and opportunities for achieving the purpose of learning and sense of well being. So active, joyful and effective learning is possible by the whole hearted effort of the teachers through gentle approach and understanding. This study is to analyze and prioritize various factors that will enhance AJEL in the classroom. FCM is a tool for formalizing understandings of conceptual and causal relationship. Since crisp logic cannot accurately represent human understanding we use fuzzy logic to represent truth values on a continuous scale from 0 to 1, providing mathematical methods for representing concepts and causalities that are true to some degree.
How Do I Know I Learned Something? Reflecting on Learning by Using Video-Recorded Interviews to Battle Hindsight (“I-Knew-It-All-Along”) Bias

Prospective elementary school teachers (PTs), at the completion of their mathematics content course, often feel that (1) they did not learn anything new in the course, (2) they “knew it all along,” and (3) they just needed a refresher. Thus, PTs often undervalue both their own learning in the mathematics content course and the complexity of the elementary mathematics content they learned. In this study, I replicate prior work in which I found that conducting a videotaped interview with PTs at the beginning of the course can help them recognize, before taking the course, that they have mathematics content to learn. I also extend that work by having PTs view their videotaped interviews at the end of the course. I argue that reviewing of the interview and thus remembering what they did not know before the course can help PTs recognize, after they have taken the course, that they have learned content. This remembering led the PTs not only to appreciate the content they learned but also to be aware of the complexity of elementary mathematics, an essential aspect of Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching.
Key issue operatives in an issue-driven network: Public relations as a “pocket of strength” in campus sexual assault awareness and prevention

Abstract Within public relations, little research has been conducted on the relationship between networks and social issues management, particularly issues that are gendered and emotional. Through a social network analysis and in-depth interviews with individuals involved in a public university’s sexual assault prevention and awareness work, this study demonstrates a missed opportunity for public relations experts to serve as key issue operatives in an issue-driven network. Specifically, public relations issue operatives can bridge network structural holes in the development and dissemination of comprehensive sexual assault awareness and prevention communication at universities.
Electoral strategy in geographic space: Accounting for spatial proximity in district-level party competition

How does a political party choose where to field candidates or party lists? Traditional models of party competition mainly focus on strategy: parties enter districts where they believe they could win many votes or seats. These strategic considerations are typically couched in terms of ideological positioning and the mechanics of the vote-to-seat translation at the district level. However, parties' entry decisions are also subject to geographical limitations and no prior study has explored the extent to which geography limits strategic entry at the district level. In this paper, we explore the severity of those limitations by modeling strategic and geographic factors side-by-side. In so doing, we find that geography limits parties' entry decisions, specifically by dampening the effects of strategic incentives to enter in geographically distant districts. We utilize a highly detailed district-level database of seven multimember European countries and tens of thousands of party entry decisions across these districts.
Subunit stoichiometry of the chloroplast photosystem I complex

A native photosystem I (PS I) complex and a PS I core complex depleted of antenna subunits has been isolated from the uniformly 14C-labeled aquatic higher plant, Lemna. These complexes have been analyzed for their subunit stoichiometry by quantitative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis methods. The results for both preparations indicate that one copy of each high molecular mass subunit is present per PS I complex and that a single copy of most low molecular mass subunits is also present. These results suggest that iron-sulfur center X, an early PS I electron acceptor proposed to bind to the high molecular mass subunits, contains a single [4Fe-4S] cluster which is bound to a dimeric structure of high molecular mass subunits, each providing 2 cysteine residues to coordinate this cluster.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Recordings in Children and Adolescents

OBJECTIVE To provide reference data for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and to determine the influence of age, sex, and race on these values. METHODS ABPM was performed on 300 healthy, normotensive boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 years, including 160 boys and 140 girls, of whom 149 were white and 151 were black. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) while awake and during sleep were calculated for black and white boys and girls aged 10 to 12 years, 13 to 15 years, and 16 to 18 years. RESULTS Boys compared with girls 10 to 12 years of age had higher mean (+/- SD) SBP (115 +/- 9 vs 112 +/- 9 mm Hg; P < .01) and DBP (67 +/- 7 vs 65 +/- 5 mm Hg; P < .01) while awake. Boys compared to girls 13 to 15 years of age had higher SBP while awake (116 +/- 11 vs 112 +/- 8 mm Hg; P < .01). Boys compared with girls 16 to 18 years of age had higher SBP while awake (125 +/- 12 vs 111 +/- 9 mm Hg); P < .01) and during sleep (116 +/- 11 vs 106 +/- 9 mm Hg). Comparisons within sex showed similar changes with age for boys and girls. Blacks compared with whites 13 to 15 years of age had higher SBP during sleep (109 +/- 11 vs 105 +/- 10 mm Hg; P < .01), and blacks compared with whites 16 to 18 years of age had higher DBP during sleep (66 +/- 7 vs 58 +/- 6 mm Hg; P < .01). Comparisons across age groups within race showed that blacks 16 to 18 years of age had higher SBP during sleep than blacks 10 to 12 years of age (109 +/- 11 vs 104 +/- 10 mm Hg), and higher DBP during sleep (66 +/- 7 mm Hg; P < .01) than blacks 10 to 12 years of age (61 +/- 7 mm Hg; P < .01) and 13 to 15 years of age (61 +/- 8; P < .01 mm Hg). The changes with age were not significant for white subjects. CONCLUSION These results provide age-specific reference data for ABPM in youths. These values differ by sex (boys more than girls) and race (Blacks more than Whites).
Reducing non-zero coefficients in FIR filter design using POCS

The number of nonzero coefficients in an FIR filter determines the number of hardware multipliers that are required to implement the filter. Projection onto convex sets is shown to be an effective method to create linear phase FIR filters with reduced numbers of nonzero coefficients while maintaining filter specifications. The method can be used as an original design method or used to enhance the performance of filters generated by existing design methods.
Interpreting Industry's Impacts: Micropolitical Ecologies of Divergent Community Responses

Where governments have failed to protect their citizens from the environmental and social impacts of industrial development, social movements have often arisen in response. However, other community members may defend — sometimes violently — the same corporations that are targeted by their peers. The contributions to this cluster explore some of the ways in which communities disagree about how to respond to the ecological impacts of industry, their reactions inflected by differential concerns about economics, landscapes, indigenous rights and human health. The three studies illustrate the heterogeneity that communities display in their interpretations of, and responses to, industrial development, and demonstrate how this diversity informs, in crucial ways, grassroots activism against the development, or acceptance of it. In particular, this cluster examines how community-scale actions, and the interpretations of industry's impacts upon which these actions are based, are contested through multiple discourses centred around community identities and boundaries.
A Review of “The High Cost of Free Parking, Updated Edition”

Asked to review the updated edition of The High Cost of Free Parking, I assumed that I would be seeing a significantly revised edition of Donald Shoup's six-year-old magnum opus on parking. Instead...
Evidence for superconductivity in La 2 CuO 4

We report evidence for superconductivity in undoped ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ obtained from resistivity, thermoelectric power, and susceptibility measurements. The onset temperature is near 40 K and we have determined its pressure and field dependence in resistivity. The superconducting behavior is of a trace and filamentary nature and is quite sensitive to stoichiometry. Its occurrence is extremely process dependent and an be controlled by oxygen pressure. We discuss several likely sources for the superconducting activity.
Long-Term Spatial Representations From Pictorial and Textual Input

Spatial information is typically represented in memory in a form that facilitates operations like spatial reasoning, mental navigation, search, and perspective shifts. This apparently happens whether learning is through primary experience or description, and it appears to happen whether the learned configuration is large- or small-scale. Typical methods used in the cognitive map and mental models literatures diverge, however, in several ways that might affect representation (e.g., medium of input at learning, size of the referent situation, and delay from learning to test). The cognitive map literature shows that spatial representation of large-scale environments persists, though often biased toward spatial simplification over time. This represents one optimal solution to the problem of retaining information in a form that facilitates likely cognitive operations while minimizing resources devoted to storing the information. The current studies investigate whether mental models learned from description are subject to the same tendencies or whether they revert with time to a less spatial format that better optimizes cognitive economy. Secondly, these studies investigate the extent to which visual input at learning affects how the information is represented.
Transition‐Metal‐Mediated Cleavage of a SiSi Double Bond

Reaction of carbene-stabilized disilicon (1) with Fe(CO)5 gives the 1:1 adduct L:SiSi[Fe(CO)4]:L (L:=C{N(2,6-Pri2C6H3)CH}2) (2) at room temperature. At raised temperature, however, 2 may react with another equivalent of Fe(CO)5 to give L:Si[μ-Fe2(CO)6](μ-CO)Si:L (3) through insertion of both CO and Fe2(CO)6 into the Si2 core, which represents the first experimental realization of transition metal-carbonyl-mediated cleavage of a SiSi double bond. The structures and bonding of both 2 and 3 have been investigated by spectroscopic, crystallographic, and computational methods.
Migrating motor complexes do not require electrical slow waves in the mouse small intestine.

We have investigated whether migrating motor complexes (MMCs) are impaired or absent in the small intestine of W/Wv mutant mice, which lack pacemaker interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and electrical slow waves. The intracellular electrical and mechanical activities of the small intestines of wild-type (+/+) and W/Wv mutant mice were recorded. Electrical recordings from circular muscle cells confirmed the absence of slow waves in W/Wv mice, whereas slow waves were always recorded from +/+ muscle cells. Spontaneous phasic contractions were recorded from W/Wv muscles in the absence of slow waves, but these events occurred at a lower frequency than in +/+ tissues. MMC activity was recorded consistently from the ileum of +/+ mice, and normal MMCs were also recorded from W/Wv mice. MMCs in both +/+ and W/Wv mice were abolished by tetrodotoxin (1 μm), hexamethonium (300 μm) or atropine (1 μm), suggesting that the neural control mechanisms responsible for MMCs in +/+ mice are intact and are responsible for MMCs in W/Wv mice. Transmural nerve stimulation demonstrated intact inhibitory and excitatory neural regulation of W/Wv intestinal muscles. Prolonged trains of cholinergic motor nerve stimulation failed to activate slow waves in the intestinal muscles of W/Wv mice. Our findings show that the generation and directional propagation of MMC activity in mouse small intestine does not require slow-wave activity or an intact network of myenteric ICC. The generation and propagation of MMCs appear to be an intrinsic capability of the enteric nervous system and are not related to slow waves or the gradient in slow-wave frequency.
Special Cases of Input Speed Doubling Linkage Mechanisms and Their Dynamics Advantage

In a recent study, Rastegar, et al. (2003), presented a special class of planar and spatial linkage mechanisms in which for a continuous full rotation or continuous rocking motion of the input link, the output link undergoes two continuous rocking motions. In a special case of such mechanisms, for periodic motions of the input link, the output motion is periodic with a doubled fundamental frequency. The above class of linkage mechanisms were referred to as “speed-doubling” linkage mechanisms. Such mechanisms can be cascaded to further double the fundamental frequency (rocking motion) of the output motion. They can also be cascaded with other linkage mechanisms to obtain crank-rocker or crank-crank type of mechanisms. The conditions for the existence of “speed-doubling” linkage mechanisms were also provided. In this paper, a study of the dynamics of a “speed-doubling” linkage mechanism is presented. It is shown that such mechanisms have dynamic advantage over regular mechanisms designed to achieve similar output motions. The main advantage of such mechanisms is shown to be their lower peak input torque requirement, and that the required torque generally has lower amplitude high-frequency components. The speed-doubling mechanisms have practical applications, particularly when higher output speeds are desired, since higher output motions can be achieved with lower input speeds and smaller motors.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Factor Analysis of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in a Heterogeneous Clinical Sample

This study assesses the facet structure and psychometric properties of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) with a heterogeneous clinical sample of individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. Various factor models of the FFMQ were submitted to confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). A four factor hierarchical solution, consisting of an overall mindfulness construct subsuming at least four factors, was adopted. Both internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. Along with demonstrating good internal consistency, the facets of the FFMQ were appropriately associated with other psychological constructs. Many mindfulness facets exhibited inverse relationships with emotion dysregulation, emotional avoidance, and psychological distress. The observe facet appeared to assume a role antagonistic to overall mindfulness within a clinical sample, as it exhibited a positive relationship with anxious arousal and no relationship with two other mindfulness facets. Findings support the notion of mindfulness as a multifaceted construct, the structure of which alters in the context of psychopathology.
Moisture Displacement and the Prevention of Surface Electrical Leakage

Electrical leakage across the surface of moist insulation can be reduced by the application of water-displacing fluids, and the susceptibility of many surfaces to leakage can be reduced by protective coatings. The water-displacing abilities and the protection provided by several agents were evaluated, and a superior formulation was developed. This formulation rapidly displaced moisture to restore insulation resistivity, and dried to a solid film which maintained high resistivity upon reexposure to moisture. The film also protected metal parts against corrosion, but had a minimal effect on electrical contacts. This material should be useful in the maintenance of aircraft and shipboard electrical and electronic equipment, and will aid in the restoration to service or temporary preservation of flooded equipment. The water-displacing action is produced by the use of n-butanol in the solvent blend. The protective film is composed of a paraffin wax, an ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer, and a corrosion inhibitor.
Primary amyloidosis of urinary bladder and ureter: Cause of mural calcification

Abstract Primary amyloidosis is seen in the absence of predisposing disease. It may affect most organs in the body, including the collecting system of the urinary tract. Submucosal calcifications have been described in the renal pelvis and may be pathognomonic for primary amyloidosis of the renal pelvis. We have been able to demonstrate similar Submucosal calcifications in the ureter and bladder. The differential diagnosis of Submucosal calcification of the distal ureter and bladder must include bilharziasis and tuberculosis. With the recognition of submucosal calcifications, diagnosis of the underlying disease may be readily made. An illustrative case is presented.
Ring-nitrosation of a secondary aromatic amine, 1,3,5-tris(phenylamino)benzene

Abstract Nitrosation of 1,3,5-tris(phenylamino)benzene with nitrous acid or an alkyl nitrite afforded the red-black 2,4,6-tris(phenylamino)nitroso-benzene.
A mathematical model for Marangoni flow and mass transfer in electrostatically positioned droplets

A mathematical model is developed for the free surface deformation, full three-dimensional (3-D) Marangoni convection and solute transport phenomena in electrostatically levitated droplets under microgravity. The electric field is calculated by the boundary element method and the shape deformation by the weighted residuals method. The numerical model for the transport phenomena is developed based on the Galerkin finite-element solution of the Navier-Stokes equations, the energy balance equation, and the mass transport equation. Numerical simulations are carried out for droplet deformation by electrostatic forces and 3-D Marangoni convection in droplets heated by three different heating source arrangements. Results show that the electric forces deform a droplet into an oval shape under microgravity by pulling the droplet apart at the two poles. A two-beam heating arrangement results in an axisymmetric flow and temperature distribution in the droplet. Complex 3-D Marangoni flow structure occurs when a tetrahedral or octahedral heating arrangement is applied. The thermal transport in the droplet is conduction dominant for the cases studied. In general, the convection is stronger with higher melting point melts. The internal convection has a strong effect on the concentration distribution in the droplet. For melts with high viscosities, a significant reduction in velocity can be achieved with an appropriate laser beam arrangement, thereby permitting a diffusion-controlled condition to be developed.
Coloring nearly-disjoint hypergraphs with n + o(n) colors

Abstract It is shown that the chromatic index of a nearly-disjoint hypergraph on n vertices is at most n + o ( n ). This is an approximate version of the well-known conjecture of Erdős, Faber, and Lovasz stating that the chromatic index is at most n .
Social Networking as a Platform for Role-Playing Scientific Case Studies

This work discusses the design and implementation of two online case studies in a face-to-face general chemistry course. The case studies were integrated into the course to emphasize the need for science literacy in general society, to enhance critical thinking, to introduce database searching, and to improve primary literature reading skills. An online social networking platform was chosen to take advantage of commonly used modes of conversation in the young adult population. Facebook was selected as the case study platform because of its functionality, popularity, and group capabilities. Details on the execution of the case studies on Facebook and corresponding student feedback are included.
The SAMP8 mouse as a model for Alzheimer disease: studies from Saint Louis University

Abstract We have studied the SAMP8 mouse over the last decade. Originally, we confirmed the memory dysfunction utilizing the aversive T-maze. We demonstrated that this was due to cholinergic, GABA, serotonergic and glutamergic function. We then showed that the SAMP8 mouse overproduced Amyloid Precursor Protein and its mRNA. Antibodies to beta-amyloid and an antisense molecule reversed the memory dysfunction seen in 12-month-old SAMP8 mice. This was in keeping with our previous finding that beta-amyloid (1–28) is amnestic in normal mice. Amyloid plaques occur in SAMP8 mice late in life (about 16 months), well after the development of memory disturbances. With microdialysis, we showed that antibodies to beta amyloid increased acetylcholine production from the hippocampus in SAMP8 mice. Male SAMP8 mice have low testosterone levels at 12 months. Testosterone replacement enhanced cognition and decreased APP. SAMP8 mice overproduce free radicals and memory is improved with alpha-lipoic acid. Finally we have shown that beta-amyloid (1–42) is poorly transported out of the brain of SAMP8 mice. The SAMP8 mouse is an excellent model to study memory disturbance produced by beta-amyloid production.
Bryozoan overgrowth interactions—the interdependence of competition for space and food

Space has been demonstrated repeatedly to be a limiting resource to sessile suspension-feeding invertebrates1–7,15, whereas the question of whether food resources are ever limiting has long been a controversial topic8,9. On the basis of previous research and in the virtual absence of any mechanistic understanding, it is commonly assumed that interactions can be interpreted as competition for spatial resources alone. This assumption is clearly unacceptable. Whereas a mobile organism might feed in one location rich in prey, spawn in another safe from predators of its young, and hide in yet another inaccessible to its own predator, a sessile organism cannot separate, spatially or temporally, its demands for food to eat and space on which to live. For the sessile organism, access to food implies access to space and vice versa. Consequently, the empirical observation of competition for space does not justify the assumption that competition for food is unimportant. I report here that competition for food among suspension feeders can occur and may, in fact, provide a mechanism by which sessile organisms compete for space.
Technology CAD at Stanford University: physics, algorithms, software and applications

The evolution of technology computer-aided design (TCAD) over the past two decades has been remarkable. During this period we have wittnessed the ubiquitos use of circuit simulation for IC design, the broad acceptance and use of device analysis for technology design and the innovation of new classes of simlators for process and equipment modeling. Much of this expanded role for TCAD has been driven by the IC revolution itself where device dimensions have been reduced by more than 20 fold and gate densities per chip have increased by more than 10,000 times The growing need for and role of TCAD is mandated by requirements on control over the manufacturing process, electrical reliability, as well as business aspects like minimizing the time to market. Moreover, the design issues of both high-speed and low power -- each from a very different perspective -- require greater care and precision in IC design.
Interpretation of diffusion battery data

Abstract The graphical method by which the parameters of a lognormal distribution are estimated from experimental data on the penetration of aerosols through a diffusion battery has been simplified by consolidating the numerous families of theoretical penetration curves into a single family showing penetration as a function of medium diffusion parameter for several values of standard deviation. Curves and tables of data are given for batteries having ducts of either rectangular or circular cross-section. Empirical relationship between particle diameter and diffusivity, with which observed distribution statistics can be converted to statistics for lognormal particle size distributions, are provided.
Leveraging motor learning for a tangible password system

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) may allow users to have more direct interaction with systems when compared to traditional graphical user interfaces (GUIs). However, the full range of applications where TUIs can be utilized in practice is unclear. To resolve this problem, the benefits of TUIs must be analyzed and matched to an application domain where they hold advantages over more traditional systems. Since TUIs require users to use their hands in order to interact with the system, there is the possibility for these systems to leverage motor learning to help users perform specific tasks. In this paper we will describe an early attempt to understand how motor learning can be used to create a tangible password system. A novel tangible password system was created and a small study conducted in order to identify future research objectives.
An empirical comparison between pair development and software inspection in Thailand

Although pair programming and software inspection have the common aim of minimizing the defects of the software product, each practice has its strengths and weaknesses. We need to understand their costs and benefits under given conditions to be able to select a practice to execute in a development project. The objective of this study is to compare the commonalities and differences between pair development and software inspection as verification techniques in Thailand. One classroom experiment and one industry experiment were conducted. The development effort and effect of quality were investigated with some additional calendar time comparisons. The classroom results showed that average development effort of the pair development group was 24% less than inspection group with the improved product quality. The industry experiment showed pair development to have about 4% more effort but about 40% fewer major defects. In addition, the impacts of cultural differences to the adoption of pair programming or software inspection in Thailand are discussed.
Regulation of expression of the tricarballylate utilization operon (tcuABC) of Salmonella enterica

Abstract The tricarballylate utilization locus (tcuRABC) of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is comprised of a 3-gene operon (tcuABC) that encodes functions that allow this bacterium to use tricarballylate as a source of carbon and energy, and the tcuR gene, which encodes a putative LysR-type transcriptional regulator. In our studies, transcription of the tcuABC operon peaked at mid-log phase, and declined moderately during stationary phase. This pattern was not due to a change in the amount of TcuR in the cell, as tcuR expression did not change under the conditions tested, and TcuR did not control tcuR expression. Tricarballylate was the co-inducer. tcuABC expression was negatively affected by the cAMP receptor protein (Crp). Expression of tcuABC was one order of magnitude higher in a crp mutant strain than in the crp+ strain; derepression of tcuABC expression was also observed in a strain lacking adenylate cyclase (Cya). At present, it is unclear whether the effect of Crp is direct or indirect. Studies with molecular mimics of tricarballylate showed that the co-inducer site restricts binding of structural mimics that contain a hydroxyl group. Two classes of TcuR constitutive variants were isolated. Class I variants responded to tricarballylate, while Class II did not.
Conceptual approach to the simultaneous determination of the backscatter and absorption coefficients of natural waters

A two-flow radiative transfer theory model is utilized to indicate the feasibility of simultaneously determining in situ values of the absorption coefficient and the backscatter coefficient of natural waters. A dual-chamber optical device [a backscatter/absorption chamber (BACH)] is described, and preliminary results from a laboratory prototype of this instrument are presented and discussed. These results appear in excellent agreement with the anticipated behavior of the BACH instrument based upon interpretative methodologies involving Monte Carlo simulations of photonic interactions. The Monte Carlo methodology enables simultaneous estimates of the absorption coefficient and the scattering coefficient once the backscattering probability is known.
Gene transfer into human thyroid follicular cells.

The authors established a means of effective gene transfer into human thyroid follicular cells via retroviral-mediated mechanisms. Using specific harvest and culture techniques, we investigated the selection of human thyroid cells in serum-free media. Normal adult human thyroid tissue was obtained after thyroidectomy from fresh specimens sent for frozen-section analysis. Follicular cells were harvested and grown in hormonally defined, serum-free media to prevent fibroblast growth with selection for differentiated function assessed by immunohistochemical staining for thyroglobulin. The efficiency of gene transfer into human thyroid cells was compared between the zen-β-gal and LNL6 retroviral vectors