cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An experimental study of an FEL oscillator with a linear taper

Motivated by the work of Saldin, Schneidmiller and Yurkov, we have measured the detuning curve widths, spectral characteristics, efficiency, and energy spread as a function of the taper for low and high Q resonators in the IR Demo FEL at Jefferson Lab. Both positive and negative tapers were used. Gain and frequency agreed reasonably well with the predictions of a single mode theory. The efficiency agreed reasonably well for a negative taper with a high Q resonator but disagreed for lower Q values due to the large slippage parameter and the non-ideal resonator Q. We saw better efficiency for a negative taper than for the same positive taper. The energy spread induced in the beam, normalized to the efficiency is larger for the positive taper than for the corresponding negative taper. This indicates that a negative taper is preferred over a positive taper in an energy recovery FEL.
Nucleotide Sequence and Infectivity of a Full-Length cDNA Clone of Panicum Mosaic Virus

The sequence of an infectious cDNA clone of panicum mosaic virus (PMV) showed that the single-stranded RNA genome is 4326 nucleotides (nt) and a single highly abundant subgenomic (sg) RNA of 1475 nt was synthesized during PMV infection of pearl millet plants and protoplasts. Computer comparisons revealed strong similarities between the predicted amino acid sequences of the p48 and p112 open reading frames (ORFs) and replicase proteins of members of the Tombusviridae. The sgRNA has the potential to encode five proteins. Three small ORFs, p8, p8-FS, and/or p6.6 have similarity to ORFs of carmo-, necro-, and machlomoviruses thought to be involved in virus spread in plants. The sgRNA also has the potential to encode a 26-kDa capsid protein and a 15-kDa nested gene (p15) of unknown function. PMV transcripts also supported replication and movement of SPMV, the satellite virus. Genome organization, physicochemical properties, and biological features indicate that PMV is a member of the Tombusviridae family. However, PMV differs sufficiently from previously described members to warrant its placement in a new genus provisionally designated Panicovirus.
Oxygen detection by fluorescence quenching of tetraphenylporphyrin immobilized in the original cladding of an optical fiber

Abstract A new fiber-optic sensor for oxygen has been developed. Tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), embedded into the original analyte- permeable cladding of a conventional low cost plastic-clad silica optical fiber, is excited by the evanescent-wave traveling in the fiber; the resulting fluorescence is captured back into the guided modes of the fiber and can be detected at either end. Oxygen in the surrounding medium quenches the fluorescence and is quantified by means of the Stern–Volmer expression. Excitation was achieved with an ultra-bright (13 000 mcd) yellow 590 nm light-emitting diode (LED), with emission monitored at 650 nm. The new sensor offers excellent precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.1–0.2%) over the range of measured oxygen partial pressures (55–760 torr), a response time of 1 s, a detection limit of 3.5 torr of oxygen, and a quenching constant of 7.5×10−4 torr−1. Unlike earlier oxygen sensors, the new device is immune to changes in relative-humidity of measured gaseous samples. The short (10 ns) fluorescence lifetime of TPP and the possibility to fabricate continuous chemically sensitive fibers hundreds of meters long make the sensor attractive in applications that require spatially resolved oxygen mapping over large remote areas.
Inheritance of Resistance in Sorghum, Sorghum bieolor , to the Sorghum Midge, Contarinia sorghieola (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Resistance of sorghum to Contarinia sorghicola was evaluated at College Station, Texas, from 1980-83 and at Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1983. Resistant entries SC0175, SC0423, MB-10 and SGIRL-MR-1 were crossed with susceptible entries Wheatland, OK94 and Caprock. The parents, F1, F2, F3 and backcross populations were visually rated for damage after natural midge infestation. The ratings of segregating populations of plants suggested that resistance was controlled by recessive genes at 2 or more loci. In crosses, SGIRL-MR-1 behaved differently from the other 3 resistance sources, and Caprock gave a higher number of susceptible plants than the other 2 susceptible parents. It appeared difficult to transfer genes for resistance to C. sorghicola into good agronomic B-lines by simple hybridization. The small glume character carried by some resistant entries appears to be a useful genetic marker
An Intervention Study of Instructional Methods and Student Engagement in Large Classes in Thailand.

Abstract This study compared instructional methods used and levels of student engagement in treatment ( n = 4) and comparison ( n = 4) classrooms of 40 or more students for two weeks in Thailand. Observations were conducted in all classrooms pre- and post-intervention. The treatment group received the intervention: a workshop focused on strategies to engage students more deeply in learning activities and in-class instructional coaching support. Analysis of pre- and post-intervention data showed improvements in student engagement in the treatment teachers’ classes. Post-observations showed that treatment teachers used a greater variety of instructional methods, student groupings, student activities, and student-centered instructional methods than in pre-observations.
Noise-driven radiative shocks - A new model for the optical quasi-periodic oscillations of the AM Herculis objects

A model for the 0.3-1.2 Hz optical quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in a number of AM Her-type binary systems has been developed. It is suggested that the observed optical modulation is the result of shock oscillations induced by nonsteady accretion flows. It is shown that time-dependent models of radiative shock waves in nonsteady accretion flows onto magnetic white dwarfs with mass 0.6 solar mass and magnetic field strength of 30 MG can produce optical QPOs similar to those observed in the AM Her objects. Theoretical calculations have shown that oscillations cannot be sustained for these white dwarf parameters when the accretion rate is constant.
Discrete quasiconformal mappings

Some basic properties of quasiconformal mappings are reviewed which leads to the development of discrete analogs of quasiconformal mappings of a multiply connected domain onto a rectangular domain with slits. These discrete mappings can be constructed by solving a system of equations. Comparison of results for a special conformal mapping suggest that the discrete mapping is a good approximation to the quasiconformal mapping.
Protracted time-dependent increases in cocaine-seeking behavior during cocaine withdrawal in female relative to male rats

Rationale Female rats display higher sensitivity to cocaine relative to males under a variety of conditions. Time-dependent increases in cocaine-seeking behavior (as measured by nonreinforced operant responses) during cocaine withdrawal have been reported in male, but not female, rats.
Quantification of pulmonary perfusion with MR imaging: recent advances

Recent advances in magnetic resonance pulmonary perfusion imaging are reviewed, focusing on magnetic resonance perfusion imaging using gadolinium contrasts agents or spin labeling of blood using naturally flowing spins as the source of intravascular signal. These recent developments in magnetic resonance imaging have made it possible to analyze data quantitatively which holds significant potential for clinical imaging of lung perfusion and opens windows to functional MR imaging of the lung. We believe that fast magnetic resonance functional imaging will play an important role in the assessment of pulmonary function and the pulmonary disease process.
Evolution of Corporate Governance Principles among U.S. Firms

This paper is about corporations and the principles by which they are guided. The focus is on conceptualization of control issues, and changes in such conceptualizations over time. Among individuals who are in a position to affect the overall direction of corporations, there are broadly shared views of the overall orientation that should be adopted. Such “conceptions of control” are a response to important contingencies in the firm's institutional environment. In the United States the most broadly shared conception of control currently is a particularly narrow one, focusing on financial measures of performance. This has not always been the case: conceptions of control are subject to evolutionary change over time. The paper traces such changes, evaluates the current situation and its relation to shareholders, and speculates as to the possibility of a future change in a more socially conscious direction.
Effect of the Adverse Pressure Gradient on Vortex Breakdown

of the Influence of the Turbulent Boundary Layer on the Pressure Distribution over a Rigid Two-Dimensional Wavy Wall," TN D-6477, Aug. 1971, NASA. 4 Lighthill, M. J., "On Boundary Layers and Upstream Influence II. Supersonic Flows without Separation," Proceedings of the Royal Society, Vol. A217, 1953, pp. 478 and 504; see also Quarterly Journal of Mechanics, Vol. 3, 1950, p. 303. 5 Benjamin, T. B., "Shearing Flow over a Wavy Boundary," Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 6, 1959, p. 161. 6 Miles, J. W., "On Panel Flutter in the Presence of a Boundary Layer," Journal of Aerospace Sciences, Vol. 26, No. 2, Feb. 1959, pp. 81-93. 7 McClure, J. D., "On Perturbed Boundary Layer Flows," Rept. 62-2, June 1962, M.I.T. Fluid Dynamic Research Lab., Cambridge, Mass. 8 Anderson, W. J. and Fung, Y. C, "The Effect of an Idealized Boundary Layer on the Flutter of Cylindrical Shells in Supersonic Flow," GALCIT Structural Dynamics Rept. SM62-49, Dec. 1962, Graduate Aeronautical Lab., California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. 9 Zeydel, E. F. E., "Study of the Pressure Distribution on Oscillating Panels in Low Supersonic Flow with Turbulent Boundary Layer," NASA CR-691, Feb. 1967, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga. 10 Do well, E. H., "Generalized Aerodynamic Forces on a Flexible Plate Undergoing Transient Motion in a Shear Flow with an Application to Panel Flutter," AIAA Journal, Vol. 9, No. 5, May 1971, pp. 834-841. 11 Ventres, C. S., "Transient Panel Motion in a Shear Flow," AMS Rept. 1062, Aug. 1972, Princeton Univ., Princeton, N.J. 12 Garrick, I. E. and Rubinow, S. I., "Theoretical Study of Air Forces on an Oscillating or Steady Thin Wing in a Supersonic Main Stream," TN 1383, July 1947, NACA. 13 Yates, J. E., "A Study of Panel Flutter with the Exact Method of Zeydel," NASA CR-1721, Dec. 1970, Aeronautical Research Associates of Princeton, Princeton, N.J. 14 Do well, E. H. and Ventres, C. S., "Derivation of Aerodynamic Kernel Functions," AIAA Journal, Vol. 11, No. 11, Nov. 1973, pp. 1586-1588.
“Missing women” reconsidered

Abstract One way to assess the magnitude of women's survival disadvantage in parts of the developing world is to estimate the number of “missing women” that died as a result of excess female mortality. Sen and Coale provided two such estimates of “missing women.” This paper compares and evaluates these two estimates and suggests modifications to arrive at a closer approximation of the size of women's survival disadvantage. The number and regional distribution of “missing women” implied by these modified calculations is supported by other available demographic and economic data on gender discrimination.
Association of neutral objects with rewards: effects of different numbers of conditioning trials and of anticipated reward versus actual reward.

Abstract The major purpose of the study was to determine the kinds and amounts of “conditioning” that occur when S s are anticipating the future receipt of rewards rather than actually obtaining rewards. A minor purpose of the study was to determine the possible effects of different numbers of conditioning trials. This resulted in a 2 × 3 design: half of the S s actually received rewards (pennies) and half anticipated the receipt of rewards a day later, and the S s were further subdivided into three groups receiving either 5, 15, or 30 conditioning trials. The S s were 84 children from the third and fourth grades of Nashville public schools. The “conditioning apparatus” was a spin-wheel game in which the stopping of a pointer on one nonsense syllable resulted in the winning of two pennies and the stopping on another syllable resulted in the loss of a penny. A third syllable was experimentally neutral, being associated neither with the receipt of money nor the loss of money. Conditioning effects on the syllables were assessed with five dependent measures: verbal evaluation, reward expectaney, eye movements, pupillary response, and instrumental viewing responses. Significant effects were found for verbal evaluation and reward expectancy but not for the other three dependent measures. Effects due to anticipation were equally strong as effects due to the actual pairing of neutral objects with rewards, and the effects were as strong for S s receiving only five conditioning trials as for those receiving larger numbers of trials. The results were discussed with respect to (a) the place of reward anticipation in molar behavior theory, and (b) the possible implications for the underlying processes at work in our typical conditioning procedures.
Compact model and performance estimation for tunneling nanowire FET

A compact model is presented which realistically reproduces TFET characteristics and allows complex circuit simulation and parameter optimization studies. The model has been applied to circuit simulations which reveal anomalous switching behavior, and to a multi-parameter optimization study which quantifies the power-performance advantage of the TFET over conventional MOSFETs.
Rural primary care providers' perceptions of their roles in the provision of mental health services: voices from the plains.

: Much has been written about the deficiencies of primary care providers in their treatment patterns, referral patterns and training for treating people with mental disorders. However, there is a growing realization that, regardless of these shortcomings, primary care providers will continue to be sought out by patients for care of mental disorders, due to patient preference, lack of alternatives or other reasons. Thus, a more recent focus has been on improving the link between primary care providers and mental health specialists. This may include integrated clinics, telecommunication links or simply enhancing the competency of primary care providers through clinical practice guidelines, utilization of screening instruments and greater contact with mental health professionals. Conspicuously absent from most of these studies, commissioned reports and policy papers is the voice of the rural primary care provider. Perhaps due to their heavy practice schedules, little has been written from their perspective. Accordingly, this paper presents the findings from a focus group held in early 1998, of a group of rural primary care providers who practice on the Western plains. It is in this forum that these providers discuss how they perceive their role, their treatment and referral patterns and their feelings and relationships with psychiatrists and the mental health system.
Needle insertion with duty-cycled rotation into multiple media

Thin, flexible needles can be steered along nonlinear paths to reach deep anatomical structures within the human body. This study builds upon previous work involving steering of bevel-tipped needles by inserting while rotating in a duty-cycled fashion. Here we investigate how needle material and radius, duty cycle, and tissue stiffness affect needle curvature. Needles were inserted into media while rotated at a specified duty cycle and the curvature was measured. A linear relationship between duty cycle and curvature was observed across all needle materials and radii, and tissue stiffnesses. Following these observations, we developed a model that encapsulates needle and tissue parameters in order to predict the duty cycle needed to achieve a desired curvature.
Prediction of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage with an artificial neural network: feasibility and comparison with logistic regression models.

Objective To create a simple artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the occurrence of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm (SCV) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) based on clinical and radiographic factors and test its predictive ability against existing multiple logistic regression (MLR) models. Methods A retrospective database of patients admitted to a single academic medical center with confirmed aSAH between January 2002 and January 2007 (91 patients) was input to a back-propagation ANN program freely available to academicians on the Internet. The resulting ANN was prospectively tested against two previously published MLR prediction models for all patients admitted the following year (22 patients). The models were compared for their predictive accuracy with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results All models were accurate with their prediction of patients with SCV. The ANN had superior predictive value compared with the MLR models, with a significantly improved area under ROC curve (0.960 ± 0.044 vs 0.933 ± 0.54 and 0.897 ± 0.069 for MLR models). Conclusions A simple ANN model was more sensitive and specific than MLR models in prediction of SCV in patients with aSAH. The conception of ANN modeling for cerebral vasospasm is introduced for a neurosurgical audience. With advanced ANN modeling, the clinician may expect to build improved models with more powerful prediction capabilities.
Parenting Practices Among Low-income Parents/Guardians of Academically Successful Fifth Grade African American Children

Research investigating the relationship between parenting and academic achievement has provided conflicting results, particularly for low-income, culturally-diverse parents. Using resilience theory, the researchers conducted a case study with five low-income African American mothers. Findings suggest that educators can benefit from partnering with African American parents.
Interaction of the chicken progesterone receptor with heat shock protein (HSP) 90

Abstract The chicken progesterone receptor A (PR A ) was expressed from cDNA by in vitro transcription and translation and also by transient transfection of receptor-negative COS M6 cells. These receptors synthesized from cDNA exhibited functional properties similar to those of oviduct PR A . The ability of PR A to form an 8S complex and to bind to DNA was studied. PR A , synthesized by either expression system, formed an 8S complex which was dissociated by incubation in vitro with 0.4 M NaCl or 20 nM progesterone to generate a 4S species able to bind to DNA-cellulose. The presence of HSP 90 in the PR A 8S complex was confirmed by use of an HSP 90-specific antibody, AC-7. Expression constructs coding for various receptor deletions were studied in order to identify the site of interaction of PR A with HSP 90. Deletions of 290 amino acids from the C-terminus resulted in the loss of ability to form an 8S complex. Truncated receptor proteins lacking 153 amino acids from the C-terminus or 369 amino acids from the N -terminus were able to interact with HSP 90. These data suggest that the site of interaction between PR A and HSP 90 responsible for 8S complex formation may be in this region (amino acid 369–506). However, small internal amino acid deletions in this region of PR A did not result in the loss of interaction of mutant receptor proteins with HSP 90. Thus, it appears that there may be more than one site of interaction between PR A and HSP 90 in this region.
ELECTRON-OPTICAL PHONON INTERACTIONS IN POLAR SEMICONDUCTOR QUANTUM WELLS

Electron-optical phonon interactions in polar semiconductor quantum wells are reviewed. Three macroscopic and one microscopic models for electron-optical phonon interactions are compared with experimental results in GaAs-AlAs polar semiconductor quantum wells recently obtained by picosecond time-resolved Raman spectroscopy. The macroscopic model of Huang and Zhu as well as the microscopic model of Rucker et al. are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. Direct measurements of electron-optical phonon scattering rates in GaAs-AlAs polar semiconductor quantum wells carried out by subpicosecond time-resolved Raman scattering technique are also presented. These experimental results are explained with the model of Huang and Zhu.
Gogol, the Picturesque, and the Desire for the People: AReading of “Rome”

In Designing Dead Souls Susanne Fusso points out the role of the picturesque as an aesthetic category of paramount interest to Gogol.' This article expands on this line of inquiry, moving from the neatly trimmed hedges of the aesthetic onto the rough field of ideology. I argue that in the works of Gogol the picturesque serves as a kind of master paradigm which informs Gogol's relationship to spheres as diverse as the aesthetic, the erotic, the social, and the narrative. When Gogolian protagonists contemplate an aesthetic object, a woman, or the people, they often experience conflicting impulses, both attraction and fear. They are impelled at once to consummate a relationship with this object and to run away from it. The picturesque enables a paradoxical relationship to the object that suspends these two urges, however fleetingly, and thus allows the beholding subject to absorb himself in the act of contemplation. It obviates the need to choose between the terms of an intolerable binary opposition. After defining the picturesque as a category and discussing its semantic ramifications, I will establish the relevance of the picturesque in the works of Gogol at large and proceed to analyze the fragment "Rome," in which Gogol's resort to the picturesque is most visible and interesting. But first things first. What is the picturesque? This category was introduced and promoted in late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century England by the Reverend William Gilpin, Uvedale Price, and Richard Payne Knight. The first uses of the word in English date back to the early eighteenth century: Alexander Pope seems to have adopted it from French, ascribing it the meaning of "in the style of a picture."2 The picturesque became an explicit aesthetic category when Gilpin discussed it in his Essay upon Prints(1768), where he defined it as "a term expressive of that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture."3 He subsequently spread the term by applying it to various sights in the tour
Noninvasive Assessment of Angiogenesis by Ultrasound and Microbubbles Targeted to αv-Integrins

Background— Noninvasive methods for characterizing neovessel formation during angiogenesis are currently lacking. We hypothesized that angiogenesis could be imaged with the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEU) with microbubbles targeted to αv-integrins. Methods and Results— Microbubbles targeted to αv-integrins were prepared by conjugating echistatin (MBE) or monoclonal antibody against murine αv (MBα) to their surface. Control microbubbles (MBc) were also prepared. The microvascular behavior of these microbubbles was assessed by intravital microscopy of the cremaster muscle in mice treated for 4 days with sustained-release FGF-2. Microvascular retention was much greater (P<0.01) for MBE (11±6 mm−3) and MBα (10±7 mm−3) than that for MBc (1±1 mm−3). Retained MBE and MBα attached directly to the microvascular endothelial surface. Microbubble retention in 4 control mice was minimal. Subcutaneous matrigel plugs enriched with FGF-2 were created in 12 mice and studied 10 days later. Neovessels within the m...
Aflatoxin B1 hydroxylation by hepatic microsomal preparations from the rhesus monkey

Abstract Aflatoxin B 1 hydroxylation to aflatoxin Q 1 and aflatoxin M 1 is catalysed by hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxidases from the rhesus monkey and is accompanied by the formation of three unidentified organosoluble metabolites. The enzyme systems involved require NADPH and molecular oxygen for maximum catalytic activity and both are inhibited by carbon monoxide and by SKF 525-A. The optimum pH for aflatoxin Q 1 formation is 7·4 and that for aflatoxin M 1 is 8·4. The apparent K m and V for aflatoxin Q 1 production are 0·166 mM and 7·7 nmol/mg microsomal protein/min, respectively, and for aflatoxin M 1 production 0·012 mM and 0·44 nmol/mg microsomal protein/min. The results are discussed in relation to the hepatocarcinogenic potency of aflatoxin B 1 in the rhesus monkey and man.
Vitamin D-mediated growth inhibition of an androgen-ablated LNCaP cell line model of human prostate cancer.

Abstract 1,25-(OH) 2 vitamin D 3 (1,25-(OH) 2 D), the active metabolite of vitamin D, exerts antiproliferative effects on a variety of tumor cells including prostate. This inhibition requires vitamin D receptors (VDRs) as well as downstream effects on the G1 to S phase checkpoint of the cell cycle. Recent data raise the possibility that androgen plays a role in the antiproliferative effects of 1,25-(OH) 2 D in prostate cancer cells; however, this hypothesis has been difficult to test rigorously as the majority of prostate cancer cell lines (unlike human prostate tumors) lack androgen receptors (ARs). We utilized two different models of androgen-independent prostate cancer that express functional ARs and VDRs to evaluate a possible role of androgen in 1,25-(OH) 2 D mediated growth inhibition. We stably introduced the AR cDNA into the human prostate cancer cell line ALVA 31, which expresses functional VDR but is relatively resistant to growth inhibition by 1,25-(OH) 2 D. Neither ALVA-AR nor the control cells, ALVA-NEO, exhibited substantial growth inhibition by 1,25-(OH) 2 D in the presence or absence of androgen. This observation suggests that the basis for the resistance of ALVA 31 to 1,25-(OH) 2 D-mediated growth inhibition is not the lack of AR. The second model was LNCaP-104R1, an AR-expressing androgen independent prostate cancer cell line derived from androgen dependent LNCaP. 1,25-(OH) 2 D inhibited the growth of LNCaP-104R1 cells in the absence of androgen and this effect was not blocked by the antiandrogen Casodex. As was observed in the parental LNCaP cells, this effect was correlated with G1 phase cell cycle accumulation and upregulation of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) p27, as well as increased association of p27 with cyclin dependent kinase 2. These findings suggest that the antiproliferative effects of 1,25-(OH) 2 D do not require androgen-activated AR but do involve 1,25-(OH) 2 D induction of CKIs required for G1 cell cycle checkpoint control.
Rural versus suburban primary care needs, utilization, and satisfaction with telepsychiatric consultation.

Context and purpose Rural and suburban populations remain underserved in terms of psychiatric services but have not been compared directly in terms of using telepsychiatry. Methods Patient demographics, reasons for consultation, diagnosis, and alternatives to telepsychiatric consultation were collected for 200 consecutive, first-time telepsychiatric consultations at rural and suburban clinics. Findings Rural patients were more likely than suburban patients to be younger than 18 years, using Medicaid, and needing treatment planning (lest they be referred out of the community). Rural patient and primary care physician satisfaction was higher than that of suburban counterparts. Conclusion Telepsychiatry programs may enhance access, satisfaction, and quality of rural care.
Local polarity in CO2-expanded acetonitrile: a nucleophilic substitution reaction and solvatochromic probes.

Many processes that use highly tunable gas-expanded liquids (GXLs) rely on the fact that CO2 addition can greatly affect the polarity of the solvent. We have examined several measures of bulk and local polarity in CO2-expanded acetonitrile to enable more effective exploitation of these polarity changes. The rate of the nucleophilic substitution reaction of tributylamine with methyl p-nitrobenzenesulfonate has been analyzed as a function of solvent composition by using in situ high-pressure UV/vis spectroscopy. We have also measured solvatochromic properties including the Kamlet−Taft π* parameter and Kosower’s Z-value. We correlate these local polarity-based kinetic and solvatochromic measures to develop a better understanding of these property changes as a function of bulk and local solvent composition. The data suggest that local composition enhancement in CO2-expanded acetonitrile has a significant impact on the reaction kinetics.
In vitro inhibition of medaka phagocyte chemiluminescence by pentachlorophenol

Phagocytic stimulation produced a marked chemiluminescent response by cells isolated from the anterior kidney of the Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ). This response was due to the production of reactive oxygen intermediates which are thought to be involved in cell-mediated antimicrobial activity. Exposure of the cells to analytical grade pentachlorophenol (PCP) inhibited chemiluminescence (CL) in a dose-dependent fashion; the effect was evident after 1h and became progressively more pronounced with increasing length of exposure. Technical.grade PCP, containing contaminants including various dioxins, elicited slightly greater suppression of CL than did pure PCP. Pentachlorophenol-induced inhibition of CL was reversible after removal of the toxicant from the medium. The data suggest that PCP, a common estuarine and marine pollutant, can exert a direct inhibitory effect on this component of non-specific immunity in fish.
Measurement of social disability.

Abstract A quantitative scheme for the assessment of social disability has been presented which lends itself for individual case work as well as for large-scale application and computer processing. A single numerical score indicates the degree of disability; subscores reflect the magnitude of physical and behavioral impairment and the degree of social maladjustment. Comparisons of the various subscores suggest the direction to be taken in rehabilitation. The method can be adapted to a variety of special disabilities by adding new sections without altering the basic format.
Fractional Stefan problems

Abstract The solution of the classical one-dimensional Stefan problem predicts that in time t the melt front goes as s ( t ) ∼ t 1 2 . In the presence of heterogeneity, however, anomalous behavior can be observed where the time exponent n ≠ 1 2 . In such a case, it may be appropriate to write down the governing equations of the Stefan problem in terms of fractional order time ( 1 ⩾ β > 0 ) and space ( 1 ⩾ α > 0 ) derivatives. Here, we present sharp and diffuse interface models of fractional Stefan problems and discuss available analytical solutions. We illustrate that in the fractional time case ( β 1 ), a solution of the diffuse interface model in the sharp interface limit will not coincide with the solution of the sharp interface counterpart; negating a well know result of integer derivative Stefan problems. The paper concludes with the development of an implicit time stepping numerical solution for the diffuse interface fractional Stefan model. Results from this solution are verified with available analytical solutions.
Action research and system dynamics: can they benefit from each other?

Messy and ill-defined problems are at the center of studies both in action research and system dynamics. However, while action research is seen as a research method far out on the qualitative side of the spectrum, system dynamics seems to be equally far out on the quantitative side. Yet, both research methodologies employ iterative and spiral designs, which resemble each other in various phases. As in action research, practitioners have collaborated with researchers in system dynamics model building in pursuit of improving an organizational situation. The paper discusses the discrepancies, intersections, and complementarities of the two methods, and proposes the integration of system dynamics group model building into participatory action research.
How corrinoids are synthesized without oxygen: nature's first pathway to vitamin B12

Abstract Background : During the biosynthesis of vitamin B 12 , the aerobic bacterium Pseudomonas denitrificans uses two enzymes, CobG and CobJ, to convert precorrin-3 to the ring-contracted intermediate, precorrin-4. CobG is a monooxygenase that adds a hydroxyl group, derived from molecular oxygen, to C-20, whereas CobJ is bifunctional, inserting a methyl group at C-17 of the macrocycle and catalyzing ring contraction. Molecular oxygen is not available to vitamin B 12 -producing anaerobic bacteria and members of the ancient Archaea, so the question arises of how these microbes accomplish the key ring-contraction process. Results : Cloning and overexpression of Salmonella typhimurium genes has led to the discovery that a single enzyme, CbiH, is responsible for ring contraction during anaerobic biosynthesis of vitamin B 12 . The process occurs when CbiH is incubated with precorrin-3, but only in the presence of cobalt. CbiH functions as a C-17 methyltransferase and mediates ring contraction and lactonization to yield the intermediate, cobalt-precorrin-4, isolated as cobalt-factor IV. 13 C labeling studies have proved that cobalt-precorrin-4 is incorporated into cobyrinic acid, thereby confirming that cobalt-precorrin-4 is an intermediate in vitamin B 12 biosynthesis. Conclusions : Two distinct mechanisms exist in nature for the ring contraction of porphyrinoids to corrinoids — an ancient anaerobic pathway that requires cobalt complexation prior to nonoxidative rearrangement, and a more recent aerobic route in which molecular oxygen serves as the cofactor. The present results offer a rationale for the main differences between aerobic and anaerobic biosynthesis of vitamin B 12 . Thus, in anaerobes there is exchange of oxygen at the C-27 acetate site, extrusion of acetaldehyde and early insertion of cobalt, whereas the aerobes show no exchange of oxygen at C-27, extrude acetic acid and insert cobalt very late in the biosynthetic pathway, after ring contraction has occurred. These parallel routes to vitamin B 12 have now been clearly distinguished by their differing mechanisms for ring contraction.
On control of the false discovery rate under no assumption of dependency

Most false discovery rate (FDR) controlling procedures require certain assumptions on the joint distribution of p-values. Benjamini and Hochberg [1995. Controlling the false discovery rate: a practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B 57, 289–300] proposed a step-up procedure with critical constants i = (i/m), 1 i m, for a given level 0 < < 1 and showed that FDR (m0/m) under the assumption of independence of p-values, where m is the total number of null hypotheses and m0 the number of true null hypotheses. Benjamini and Yekutieli [2001. The control of the false discovery rate in multiple testing under dependency. Ann. Statist. 29, 1165–1188] showed that for the same procedure FDR (m0/m) � m =1 1/j , whatever may be the joint distribution of p-values. In one of the results in this paper, we show that this upper bound for FDR cannot be improved in the sense that there exists a joint distribution of p-values for which the upper bound is attained. A major thrust of this paper is to work in the realm of step-down procedures without imposing any condition on the joint distribution of the underlying p-values. As a starting point, we give an explicit expression for FDR specially tailored for step-down procedures. Using the same critical constants as those of the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure, we present a new step-down procedure for which the upper bound for FDR is much lower than what is given by Benjamini and Yekutieli. The explicit expression given for FDR and some optimization techniques stemming from the knapsack problem are instrumental in getting the main result. We also present some general results on stepwise procedures built on non-decreasing sequences of critical constants. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A syndrome of retinitis pigmentosa, congenital ichthyosis, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, small stature, mental retardation, cranial dysmorphism, and abnormal electroencephalogram.

BACKGROUND: Retinal dystrophy and ichthyosis occur together in patients with the well-characterized disorders of Refsum disease and Sjogren-Larsson syndrome. Rud syndrome formerly was considered a ...
A Web-based programmable logic controller laboratory for manufacturing engineering education

This study presents the design and development of a Web-based programmable logic controller (PLC) system architecture that supports “hands-on” laboratory exercises in automated manufacturing systems control area for distance education. The system architecture allows remote users to access and control a PLC-based table-top manufacturing system via the Internet. A Web site has been designed and developed that facilitates interactivity and supports PLC programming and control. The architecture has been tested and implemented in the course Emgt 334 Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems at the Integrated Systems Facility (ISF) in the Engineering Management Department at the University of Missouri-Rolla during Fall 2001. This study shows that software tools available in the market can be integrated to develop a fairly complex, yet effective, learning environment for distance education. The architecture presented in this paper is not dependent on specific PLC hardware or software configuration, it represents a generic infrastructure.
The effects of low temperature and chloroquine on 125I-insulin degradation by the perfused rat liver.

Abstract Low temperature and the lysosomotropic agent, chloroquine, were used to study the degradation of 125I-insulin in a perfused rat liver. Insulin (1.5 × 10−9 m ) was removed from the perfusate at 35 °C with a T 1 2 of 12 min, and this process was slowed to 35 min at a temperature of 17 °C. Essentially no degradation of 125I-insulin took place in the liver at 17 °C. After 90 min at that temperature 64% of the liver radioactivity had accumulated in the microsomal fraction of the tissue homogenate, while at 35 °C 60% of the radioactive material was in the supernatant fraction. Greater than 80% of the supernatant radioactivity was acid soluble. Rapid warming of a 17 °C-treated liver to 35 °C allowed the accumulated 125I-insulin in the microsomal fraction to be degraded to acid-soluble products in the normal manner. Chloroquine (0.2 m m ) also caused the liver to degrade insulin more slowly. At 60 min after adding 125I-insulin to the chloroquine-treated liver, 50% of the radioactivity in the tissue was still present in the lysosome-rich fraction of the homogenate, while less than 10% was in this fraction in a control liver. The effects of low temperature show transfer of insulin to its degradative site is rate limiting for hormone catabolism and the inhibition by chloroquine suggests lysosomes have a role in insulin degradation by the liver.
Amylase and other protein components of parotid saliva of the baboon, Papio anubis

Abstract 1. 1. Secretion of parotid saliva in the baboon, Papio anubis , is stimulated by food and by the cholinergic drugs, pilocarpine and methacholine, but not by the adrenergic drugs, epinephrine and isoproterenol. 2. 2. The protein composition of the saliva was independent of the sialagogue used. In all cases the initial samples collected lacked a small basic protein that was present in all subsequent samples. 3. 3. Baboon ( P. anubis ) parotid amylase is present as three isoenzymes. In contrast to human parotid amylases, none of the isoenzymes is a glycoenzyme.
An abrupt transition in colony founding behaviour in the ant Messor pergandei

Transitions in behaviour across a continuous distribution of organisms can provide valuable information on how variation in behaviour is maintained. We used analyses developed for interspecific hybrid zones to examine geographic variation in colony founding strategy in the desert seed-harvester ant, Messor pergandei. Newly mated females initiate new colonies either alone (haplometrosis) or cooperatively with other foundresses (pleometrosis). The incidence of these founding strategies were surveyed across the species' range and found to occur in geographically distinct regions joined by a narrow transition zone. Foundresses collected from haplometrotic sites were more likely to display aggression and found solitary nests than foundresses from pleometrotic sites, suggesting that geographi- cal variation in metrosis is due to genotypic divergence. Foundresses from transitional sites were generally not aggressive and tended to co-found nests in the laboratory, yet rarely formed associations in the field. Such an abrupt shift in behaviour indicates that variation in colony founding strategy is maintained by selection rather than the result of secondary contact of neutral characters. Level of aggression displays a wider cline than founding strategy and is likely under selection only when accompanied by active strategy preference. ? 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Schizophrenia

This Practice Parameter reviews the literature on the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with schizophrenia. Early-onset schizophrenia is diagnosed using the same criteria as in adults and appears to be continuous with the adult form of the disorder. Clinical standards suggest that effective treatment includes antipsychotic medications combined with psychoeducational, psychotherapeutic, and educational interventions. Since this Practice Parameter was last published in 2001, several controlled trials of atypical antipsychotic agents for early-onset schizophrenia have been conducted. However, studies suggest that many youth with early-onset schizophrenia do not respond adequately to available agents and are vulnerable to adverse events, particularly metabolic side effects. Further research is needed to develop more effective and safer treatments.
Oral and Written Transmission in Ethiopian Christian Chant

Of all the musical traditions in the world among which fruitful comparisons with medieval European chant might be made, the chant tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church promises to be especially informative. In Ethiopia one can actually witness many of the same processes of oral and written transmission as were or may have been active in medieval Europe. Music and literacy are taught in a single curriculum in ecclesiastical schools. Future singers begin to acquire the repertory by memorising chants that serve both as models for whole melodies and as the sources of the melodic phrases linked to individual notational signs. At a later stage of training each one copies out a complete notated manuscript on parchment using medieval scribal techniques. But these manuscripts are used primarily for study purposes; during liturgical celebrations the chants are performed from memory without books, as seems originally to have been the case also with Gregorian and Byzantine chant. Finally, singers learn to improvise sung liturgical poetry according to a structured system of rules. If one desired to imitate the example of Parry and Lord, who investigated the modern South Slavic epic for possible clues to Homeric poetry, it would be difficult to find a modern culture more similar to the one that spawned Gregorian chant.
Quantitative Evidence for Increasing Forest Fire Severity in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA

Recent research has concluded that forest wildfires in the western United States are becoming larger and more frequent. A more significant question may be whether the ecosystem impacts of wildfire are also increasing. We show that a large area (approximately 120000 km2) of California and western Nevada experienced a notable increase in the extent of forest stand-replacing (“high severity”) fire between 1984 and 2006. High severity forest fire is closely linked to forest fragmentation, wildlife habitat availability, erosion rates and sedimentation, post-fire seedling recruitment, carbon sequestration, and various other ecosystem properties and processes. Mean and maximum fire size, and the area burned annually have also all risen substantially since the beginning of the 1980s, and are now at or above values from the decades preceding the 1940s, when fire suppression became national policy. These trends are occurring in concert with a regional rise in temperature and a long-term increase in annual precipitation. A close examination of the climate–fire relationship and other evidence suggests that forest fuels are no longer limiting fire occurrence and behavior across much of the study region. We conclude that current trends in forest fire severity necessitate a re-examination of the implications of all-out fire suppression and its ecological impacts.
Application of Tem on Sub-Half Micron Semiconductor Devices

Application of transmission electron microscopy on sub-half micron devices has been illustrated in terms of process evaluation and failure analysis. For process evaluation, it is emphasized that a large number of features need to be examined in order to have reliable conclusions about the processes, while for failure analysis, the goal is to pin-point a single process step causing failure or a single source introducing the particle defect.
An efficiency study of urban public elementary schools using data envelopment analysis

This study measures efficiency in 21 urban public elementary schools in a south-eastern state of the USA using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The empirical study uses regression analysis to determine predictors of student achievement which are then used in DEA to determine efficient schools. Two DEA models are run, as well as a ratio of the two which shows the scale efficiency of each school. One-half of the schools are found to be efficiently using the resources at their disposal. Although principal tenure is shown to be positively correlated and predictive of student achievement, it is not necessarily predictive of efficiency. Policy implications are included.
The in vivo mechanical loading history of bone

Recent work to quantify a bone's strain history illustrates the complexity of its in vivo mechanical loading, a complexity similar to that found in many other physiological systems. Further quantification of the mechanical loading of bone will help one to understand the mechanism of the bone mechanosensory system and will also be useful as a physiological input for in vitro and in vivo bone experiments as well as for input for computational models of bone adaptation.
High-throughput microscope for label-free detection of protein and small-molecule chemical microarrays

We describe a novel scanning optical microscope that enables high-throughput label-free detection of end-points and kinetics of multiple biomolecular reactions on microarrays with more than 10,000 protein or small-molecule targets.