cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of gouty tophi: Lessons in cost-effective patient management

Gout, a disease resulting from the effects of hyperuricemia and a crystal-induced arthropathy, may produce soft tissue masses (tophi), which mimick neoplasia clinically and radiographically. We have recently diagnosed three cases of gouty tophus, two of which were clinically suspected to represent sarcomas, by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) after extensive radiologic and clinical evaluation. There were two women and one man, aged 71, 73, and 50 yr, with palpable soft tissue masses that involved the right forearm, right hand, and right foot, respectively. Biopsies were obtained by using 25-gauge needles without the aid of general anesthesia. Morphologically, aggregates and disassociated slender, needle-shaped crystals were abundant and easily recognized on both Diff-Quik and Papanicolaou stains. By using a polarizing microscope with a first-order red compensator, the crystals showed negative birefringence, characteristic of sodium urate. Benign-appearing histiocytes, foreign-body-type giant cells, neutrophils, and amorphous debris were scattered among the diagnostic crystals. The diagnosis of gouty tophus can be easily established with FNAB in conjunction with compensated polarizing microscopy. Application of FNAB in the initial evaluation of appropriate soft-tissue masses provides a cost-effective diagnostic method, preventing more costly and often unnecessary clinical and radiologic tests. Diagn. Cytopathol. 17:30–35, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Health Behavior and Health Status: Concepts, Methods, and Applications

Reviewed current conceptualizations of how health behavior and health status are linked. Although many health providers assume a near perfect relationship between health behavior and health status, empirical verification of this assumption has been difficult. For many diseases, the link between health behavior and health status is weak, nonexistent, or untested. Problems associated with the definition, conceptualization, and measurement of both health behavior and health status are discussed. The impact of treatment effectiveness (i.e., inert, weak, and strong treatments; treatments with linear versus nonlinear health-behavior relationships; and the effect of under- and overtreatment) on health behavior and health status linkages is illustrated.
Theory of Self-Assembled Tubules and Helical Ribbons

Many types of amphiphilic molecules self-assemble in solution to form cylindrical tubules and helical ribbons. Some examples include diacetylenic lipids, amide amphiphiles, bile, and diblock copolymers. Researchers have proposed a variety of models to explain the formation of these high-curvature structures. These models can be divided into two broad categories: models based on the chiral elastic properties of membranes, and models based on other effects, including electrostatic interactions, elasticity of orientational order, and spontaneous curvature. In this paper, we review the range of theoretical approaches and compare them with relevant experiments. We argue that the category of models based on chiral elastic properties provides the most likely explanation of current experimental results, and we propose further theoretical and experimental research to give a more detailed test of these models.
Measuring Perceived School Board Effectiveness in Tennessee: The Latest Survey Results

Abstract Local school board effectiveness is an overlooked social phenomenon in educational leadership, according to much of the academic literature. The lack of effectiveness often found in these governing institutions may be one reason why school achievement is stagnant in Tennessee. As school boards are responsible for the direct operations of local school districts. The purpose of this study is to uncover the amount of perceived effectiveness that local school boards in Tennessee possess. The following research question is the basis of this research: are local school boards in Tennessee effective? The data for this study was gathered from a mailed survey to 815 school board members in Tennessee. The findings suggest that school board members perceive themselves as an effective governing body. Policymakers need to caution the generalizability of this study because it only represents those local school districts in Tennessee. Future studies should incorporate all school districts in the south to see if ...
Multiple electronic transitions and superconductivity in Pd x TiSe 2

We report the synthesis and characterization of ${\text{Pd}}_{\text{x}}{\text{TiSe}}_{2}$ via magnetization, resistivity, specific heat measurements, and low-temperature electron diffraction. At very low levels of intercalation, near ${\text{Pd}}_{0.01}{\text{TiSe}}_{2}$, the commensurate charge density wave transition in the ${\text{TiSe}}_{2}$ parent compound near 220 K becomes substantially stronger; a distinct transition to a more resistive state is seen at about 80 K. Originally semimetallic, ${\text{TiSe}}_{2}$ becomes an insulator at low temperatures for $0.01\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.06$ in ${\text{Pd}}_{\text{x}}{\text{TiSe}}_{2}$. Increasing Pd intercalation beyond this level begins to suppress the insulating behavior until a 2 K superconductor is found in the narrow composition range of $0.11\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.12$. Beyond $x=0.12$, a normal metallic state (down to 0.3 K) is induced.
Insecticidal Control of Adult Haptoncus luteolus as a Component of a Comprehensive Sap Beetle Management Plan in Strawberries

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the usefulness of aqueous sprays of Assail® (acetamiprid), Brigade® (bifenthrin), DPX-HGW86 (cyantraniliprole), Coragen® (Rynaxypyr®), and Rimon® (novaluron), candidate insecticides for adult sap beetle control. Assail® and Brigade® were shown to be effective control agents for adult Haptoncus luteolus and Assail® likely possesses an advantage over Brigade® when H. luteolus enter fields and quickly abandons insecticide-treated surfaces to enter strawberry fruit. Assail® and Brigade® adulticides can be important components of comprehensive programs of sap beetle management that include removal of all ripe fruit from the strawberry field and use of Rimon® insect growth regulator larvacide.
Antibody to Cell Wall Glycolipid of Gram-Negative Bacteria: Induction of Immunity to Bacteremia and Endotoxemia

Antiserum to the core glycolipid of gram-negative bacteria was prepared by immunization of rabbits with vaccine composed of killed cells of the uridine diphosphate galactose-deficient mutant (J5) of Escherichia coli O:111. Antiserum to J5 not only prevented death of animals from endotoxin but also prevented the local and generalized Shwartzman reactions. Antiserum to endotoxin also prevented renal cortical necrosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation during the evolution of the generalized Shwartzman reaction. Antiserum to the J5 mutant was successful in the treatment of overwhelming bacteremia produced by other gram-negative bacteria; in addition to bacteremia caused by coliform organisms, antiserum to J5 was dramatically effective in treatment of bacteremia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. One injection of rabbit antiserum to J5 improved the survival rate from 15% in controls to 59% in treated animals (P <0.002). Active immunization with J5 vaccine was even more effective against pseudomonas bacteremia; such immunization improved the survival rate from 13% in controls to 92% in vaccinated rabbits. Since an antiserum effective against the J5 mutant of E. coli can be prepared safely in human subjects, such immunotherapy should be considered for patients with gram-negative bacteremia. The purpose of the research described in this report was to develop an antiserum for the treatment of bacteremia caused by gram-negative organisms. The need for an antiserum is based on the failure of drug therapy to lower the death rate from these bacteremias below the level of
α-Catenin Binds Directly to Spectrin and Facilitates Spectrin-Membrane Assembly in Vivo

Abstract The anchorage of spectrin to biological membranes is mediated by protein and phosphoinositol phospholipid interactions. In epithelial cells, a nascent spectrin skeleton assembles in regions of cadherin-mediated cell-cell contact, and conversely, cytoskeletal assembly is required to complete the cell-adhesion process. The molecular interactions guiding these processes remain incompletely understood. We have examined the interaction of spectrin with α-catenin, a component of the adhesion complex. Spectrin (αIIβII) and α-catenin coprecipitate from extracts of confluent Madin-Darby canine kidney, HT29, and Clone A cells and from solutions of purified spectrin and α-catenin in vitro. By surface plasmon resonance and in vitrobinding assays, we find that α-catenin binds αIIβII spectrin with an apparent K d of ≈20–100 nm. By gel-overlay assay, α-catenin binds recombinant βII-spectrin peptides that include the first 313 residues of spectrin but not to peptides that lack this region. Similarly, the binding activity of α-catenin is fully accounted for in recombinant peptides encompassing the NH2-terminal 228 amino acid region of α-catenin. Anin vivo role for the interaction of spectrin with α-catenin is suggested by the impaired membrane assembly of spectrin and its enhanced detergent solubility in Clone A cells that harbor a defective α-catenin. Transfection of these cells with wild-type α-catenin reestablishes α-catenin at the plasma membrane and coincidentally recruits spectrin to the membrane. We propose that ankyrin-independent interactions of modest affinity between α-catenin and the amino-terminal domain of β-spectrin augment the interaction between α-catenin and actin, and together they provide a polyvalent linkage directing the topographic assembly of a nascent spectrin-actin skeleton to membrane regions enriched in E-cadherin.
Energy straggling of α particles in solid materials

The energy straggling ..cap omega../sup 2/ of 0.5-, 1.0-, 1.5-, and 2.0-MeV ..cap alpha.. particles in thin vapor-deposited films of Ti, Cr, Co, Cu, and Ag onto a thick substrate has been measured to +- 6% by an elastic scattering technique using a magnetic spectrometer. The measurements reveal a linear ..cap omega../sup 2/ versus target thickness dependence and a mild increase with energy for a fixed target thickness. When ..cap omega../sup 2/ is plotted as a function of Z/sub 2/, a decrease in energy straggling with increasing atomic number is observed, although it is considerably higher than predicted by the Bonderup-Hvelplund modification of the Lindhard statistical approach. (AIP)
The latitude of auroral activity during periods of zero and very weak magnetic disturbance

Abstract It is shown that when there is complete magnetic calm in the dark sector, so that both k p and the local K -indices are zero, the dipole (dp) latitude of auroral activity is above 74°. However, when even a very weak magnetic disturbance occurs, causing the local K to rise to the value 1 (even if K p is still zero), the midnight auroral dp latitude abruptly decreases nearly to 67.5°, that of the statistical auroral zone. Characteristics of the aurora in the above two conditions are, however, different in several ways.
Self-organized Cu–Ag nanocomposites synthesized by intermediate temperature ion-beam mixing

We perform an investigation of ion-beam mixing in the immiscible system Ag–Cu based on cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Multilayered samples consisting of ten periods of (6.7 nm Cu/11.2 nm Ag) are irradiated at temperatures ranging from 25 to 225 °C with normally incident 1 MeV Kr ions to doses in the range 1–2×1016 ion/cm2, enough to reach a nonequilibrium dynamical steady state. Regardless of the irradiation temperature, extensive grain growth takes place. At intermediate temperatures, competition between thermal decomposition and irradiation mixing results in a nanometer-scale phase separation. This spontaneous decomposition demonstrates that ion-beam mixing can be used as a processing tool to synthesize nanocomposite materials.
Heavy-ion excitation and photon decay of giant resonances in 208Pb.

We have determined the ground-state photon decay probability and the branching ratios to a number of low-lying states as a function of excitation energy in $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ up to \ensuremath{\sim}15 MeV. Results for the giant quadrupole resonance at 10.6 MeV include determination of a ground-state electromagnetic transition strength B(E2)\ensuremath{\uparrow}=5800\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1600 ${e}^{2}$${\mathrm{fm}}^{4}$ and observation of strong suppression of the E1 transition from the resonance to the ${3}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ state at 2.6 MeV. These results confirm the common assumption of the predominately isoscalar character of the 10.6-MeV resonance. Ground-state gamma coincidences enable us to isolate the isovector giant dipole resonance, which is too weak to be seen in singles, and to test models for its excitation in heavy-ion scattering.
Newer markers for hepatocellular carcinoma

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing worldwide; the overall survival of patients with HCC is grim because most patients are diagnosed late, when curative treatment is not possible. Cirrhosis is the strongest risk factor for the development of HCC. HCC surveillance with α-fetoprotein (AFP) and ultrasonography has been recommended for persons with cirrhosis. However, AFP level is insensitive for the early detection of HCC, and ultrasonography is expensive and operator dependent. Clearly, there is a need for novel strategies for the early detection of HCC. The ideal biomarker assay for HCC would be sensitive, specific, noninvasive, reproducible, inexpensive, and acceptable to patients. The Early Detection Research Network of the National Cancer Institute has proposed 5 phases for biomarker validation: preclinical exploratory studies, clinical assay development for disease, retrospective longitudinal study to detect preclinical disease, prospective screening study, and cancer control studies. Several biomarkers, such as des-gamma carboxyprothrombin, lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive AFP, human hepatocyte growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor-1, are promising, but none of these markers has been validated for clinical use. Limitations of the current literature include inadequate sample size, heterogeneity in biomarker assay methods and result reporting, limited analysis of demographics and cause of liver disease as covariates in the expression of these markers, and a scarcity of longitudinal studies evaluating the ability of biomarkers to detect preclinical disease. There is an urgent need for novel biomarkers for the detection of early HCC; the National Cancer Institute proposal provides a framework for future validation studies.
Open architecture vehicles of the future

Overview The last four decades have seen an explosion of open architecture electronics, computers, social media, modular operating systems, sensors, communication links, etc., all based on standardized highly certified and cost effective modules provided by a responsive supply chain. Virtually no progress of a similar nature for electro-mechanical systems (orthotics, aircraft, vehicles, surgery, manufacturing cells, etc.) has occurred [1] . A companion paper [2] on the Next Wave of Technology shows that the previous electronics wave was necessary to prepare the foundation to this emerging technology to continuously enhance performance-to-cost ratios for a very wide range of applications that form the core of the discipline of mechanical engineering. Major government agencies (especially in Europe and the U.S.) have begun to structure their programs on “popular” ideas reinforced by the news media. Solid science for a multitude of electro-mechanical applications (see the NWT paper) is being displaced in favor of cloud computing, big data, neuro-science, nano-science, etc. The result is now becoming severe. The weakness of any one technology (in this case, the mechanicals) forms a weak link to make the resulting systems of technologies weak. The large failed investment of $30 billion for the Future Combat System (FCS) by the Army is proof of this continuing and growing imbalance. In this paper, we illustrate this large view development objective by concentrating on open architecture vehicles. As may be understood, only a portion of the required development can be described in this short paper.
Time-dependent cross ratio estimation for bivariate failure times

In the analysis of bivariate correlated failure time data, it is important to measure the strength of association among the correlated failure times. One commonly used measure is the cross ratio. Motivated by Cox's partial likelihood idea, we propose a novel parametric cross ratio estimator that is a flexible continuous function of both components of the bivariate survival times. We show that the proposed estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal. Its finite sample performance is examined using simulation studies, and it is applied to the Australian twin data.
Direct animal calorimetry, the underused gold standard for quantifying the fire of life.

Abstract Direct animal calorimetry, the gold standard method for quantifying animal heat production (HP), has been largely supplanted by respirometric indirect calorimetry owing to the relative ease and ready commercial availability of the latter technique. Direct calorimetry, however, can accurately quantify HP and thus metabolic rate (MR) in both metabolically normal and abnormal states, whereas respirometric indirect calorimetry relies on important assumptions that apparently have never been tested in animals with genetic or pharmacologically-induced alterations that dysregulate metabolic fuel partitioning and storage so as to promote obesity and/or diabetes. Contemporary obesity and diabetes research relies heavily on metabolically abnormal animals. Recent data implicating individual and group variation in the gut microbiome in obesity and diabetes raise important questions about transforming aerobic gas exchange into HP because 99% of gut bacteria are anaerobic and they outnumber eukaryotic cells in the body by ∼ 10-fold. Recent credible work in non-standard laboratory animals documents substantial errors in respirometry-based estimates of HP. Accordingly, it seems obvious that new research employing simultaneous direct and indirect calorimetry (total calorimetry) will be essential to validate respirometric MR phenotyping in existing and future pharmacological and genetic models of obesity and diabetes. We also detail the use of total calorimetry with simultaneous core temperature assessment as a model for studying homeostatic control in a variety of experimental situations, including acute and chronic drug administration. Finally, we offer some tips on performing direct calorimetry, both singly and in combination with indirect calorimetry and core temperature assessment.
Partitioning problems in dense hypergraphs

Abstract We study the general partitioning problem and the discrepancy problem in dense hypergraphs. Using the regularity lemma (Szemeredi, Problemes Combinatories et Theorie des Graphes (1978), pp. 399–402) and its algorithmic version proved in Czygrinow and Rodl (SIAM J. Comput., to appear), we give polynomial-time approximation schemes for the general partitioning problem and for the discrepancy problem.
Environmental and Endocrine Influences on Reproduction of Fundulus heteroclitus

Reproduction in Fundulus heteroclitus is adapted to the temperate climate and the tidal environment of the coastal marshes which are its primary habitat. Egg deposition and spawning are closely linked to the tidal cycle. Concentration of spawning on spring tides gives the fish access to sites in the high intertidal zone. Eggs are deposited near the high water mark, usually in sand in New England populations and in Spartina alterniflora or empty Geukensia demissa shells in Middle Atlantic and southern populations. Aerial incubation of eggs appears to be essential for their survival in the salt marsh. Loss of eggs due to lack of fertilization, mortality during development and predation was always less than 30 percent in our observations. Hatching occurs only when the eggs are inundated, usually on spring tides. An endogenous semilunar gonadal cycle appears to be involved in control of spawning, but an effective environmental synchronizer has not been found. Cyclic changes in estradiol-17β accompany the gonadal cycle, while spawning behavior is stimulated by neurohypophyseal hormones. Both temperature and photoperiod have been implicated in the control of seasonal reproduction in F. heteroclitus . Early workers focused on males and concluded that increasing temperature was the stimulus that initiated gonadal recrudescence in spring. These experiments were not rigorous tests of the effects of photoperiod. We have shown that in females both warm temperatures and long photoperiods are involved. In female F. heteroclitus , as in most mammals and birds, it is the timing rather than the duration of the light exposure which determines its effectiveness in stimulating gonadal maturation. Maintenance of gonadal maturity in female F. heteroclitus depends on long photoperiods, but the ovary may become refractory and regress even when stimulatory photoperiods are sustained in the laboratory. Ovarian maturity can be stimulated with gonadotropin injection in refractory animals, indicating that the brain-pituitary axis is the site of refractoriness. The pathway by which light influences ovarian maturity may involve an encephalic photoreceptor, since neither the eyes nor the pineal gland is necessary.
ReLoAD: Resilient Location Area Design for Internet-Based Infrastructure Wireless Mesh Networks

Location management in wireless networks serves the purpose of locating silently roaming mobile nodes (MNs) prior to establishing new communications. However, existing fixed location area (LA) designs and dynamic location management schemes proposed for cellular and wireless local area networks are not applicable to Internet-based infrastructure wireless mesh networks (IiWMNs) because they do not consider the special properties of IiWMNs. In this paper, we propose a resilient location area design (ReLoAD) for IiWMNs. Under ReLoAD, the formation of LAs can adapt to the changes of both paging load and service load of existing active data sessions in the mesh backbone network. Hence, the proposed ReLoAD can balance the tradeoff between signaling overhead caused by the paging procedure and MN power consumption caused by the location update procedure while maintaining the required Quality of Service (QoS) performance of existing traffic. We evaluate the proposed ReLoAD using OPNET simulations. Simulation results reveal that the proposed ReLoAD is a scalable solution for location management in IiWMNs.
Experience, Learning, and Returns to Scale

The experience curve is a tool for forecasting future decreases in average cost as a function of cumulative output/volume. The extent of an experience effect has profound implications for both pricing strategy and the focus on market share as a managerial objective. At the same time, the underlying sources of the experience effect are not well understood. This article demonstrates that, as commonly measured, experience effects are aggregated with the effects of increasing returns to scale. This implies that standard experience curve estimates are misspecified because they suffer from an omitted variable bias. Strategic implications of the experience-scale link are discussed.
Spontaneous emission from a single two-level atom in the presence of N initially unexcited identical atoms.

The quantum-electrodynamical problem of N identical two-level atoms interacting with M field modes is considered, and an exact solution for the case of spontaneous emission from a single atom is obtained. The behavior of this system is shown to be quite different from the exponential decay of a single excited atom radiating into free space. A ``ringing'' behavior at the enigmatic frequency \ensuremath{\sim} \ensuremath{\surd}N which occurs when only one mode is accessible to the field persists when many modes are present. When a continuum of modes is accessible, the long-time limit shows that the energy of the originally excited atom is equally likely to be shared by the N-1 originally unexcited atoms and the electromagnetic field when M/N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1. ``Radiation suppression'' occurs whenever N\ensuremath{\gg}1 and M\ensuremath{\ll}N, when the originally excited atom does not emit its energy. When M=N\ensuremath{\gg}1, the single atom decays monotonically to zero (and approximately exponentially) but with a decay rate that is \ensuremath{\surd}N times the Rabi frequency. Such unexpected effects are presently within experimental range.
DIGESTIVE ACCEPTABILITY OF PROTEINS AS MEASURED BY THE INITIAL RATE OF IN VITRO PROTEOLYSIS

A study was undertaken to measure the initial rate of proteolysis with trypsin of some commonly used protein sources (sodium caseinate, defatted peanut flour, defatted cottonseed flour, FPC and isolated soy proteinate) as a simple in vitro means of measuring gastronomic acceptability. Although differences among proteolysis rates were found, in all products proteolysis occurred in the first few minutes and then remained constant. Sodium caseinate was by far the most easily digestible protein source evaluated; isolated soy proteinate was the least digestible followed by FPC, defatted cottonseed flour and peanut flour. Steaming resulted in faster hydrolysis rates. Concludes that although certain vegetable proteins may have high nutritional and biochemical values, their digestive acceptability may be quite poor since they are not rapidly hydrolyzed in the digestive system.
Stereotactic minimally invasive tubular retractor system for deep brain lesions

Objective Deep-seated supratentorial intraparenchymal and intraventricular brain lesions can be difficult to access without causing significant trauma to the overlying cortex and intervening white matter tracts. Traditional brain retractors use multiple blades, which do not exert pressure in an equally distributed fashion. Tubular retractors offer an advantage. Although a commercially available frame-based tubular retractor system is on the market (COMPASS; Compass, Inc., Rochester, MN), we modified existing off-the-shelf equipment at our institution into a frameless tubular brain retractor. Methods We used 14- to 22-mm METRx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) tubular retractors in combination with a frameless stereotactic navigation system to remove 10 deep lesions. Histological findings included 6 periventricular metastases, 1 insular glioblastoma multiforme, 1 periventricular glioblastoma multiforme, 1 intraventricular meningioma, and 1 hippocampal cavernous malformation. Results Radiographic gross total resection was achieved in all patients. One patient experienced a transient worsening of an existing preoperative Wernicke's aphasia; otherwise, there were no intra- or postoperative complications. One patient with radiographic gross total resection of a metastatic lesion experienced a local recurrence of disease, requiring stereotactic radiosurgery. Conclusion A frameless stereotactic tubular retractor system for deep brain lesions can be assembled with equipment already available at many institutions. Use of this system can decrease incision and craniotomy size, decrease retractor-induced trauma to overlying cortex, and help prevent damage to underlying white matter tracts.
A computational model of sound localization in the barn owl

Abstract We model the representation of auditory space in the barn owl as a posterior probability density function over location variables given cues extracted from the auditory input signals. Binaural disparity cues are introduced to the input signals through the use of head, related transfer functions. The cue extraction process is based on the extraction of temporal and intensity information in parallel pathways. Inferring locations from auditory cues relies on stimulus invariance properties of the computed location cues.
Sharp organic interface of molecular C60 chains and a pentacene derivative SAM on Au(788): A combined STM & DFT study

Abstract Controlling the molecular structure of the donor–acceptor interface is essential to overcoming the efficiency bottleneck in organic photovoltaics. We present a study of self-assembled fullerene (C 60 ) molecular chains on perfectly ordered 6,13-dichloropentacene (DCP) monolayers forming on a vicinal Au(788) surface using scanning tunneling microscopy in conjunction with density functional theory calculations. DCP is a novel pentacene derivative optimized for photovoltaic applications. The molecules form a brick-wall patterned centered rectangular lattice with the long axis parallel to the monatomic steps that separate the 3.9 nm wide Au(111) terraces. The strong interaction between the C 60 molecules and the gold substrate is well screened by the DCP monolayer. At submonolayer C 60 coverage, the fullerene molecules form long parallel chains, 1.1 nm apart, with a rectangular arrangement instead of the expected close-packed configuration along the upper step edges. The perfectly ordered DCP structure is unaffected by the C 60 chain formation. The controlled sharp highly-ordered organic interface has the potential to improve the conversion efficiency in organic photovoltaics.
Collective actors and urban regimes: Class formation and the 1946 Oakland General Strike

Studies of political sociology and of collective behavior have increasingly come together in the debate over the relationship of "state vs. society."' Previous research in these fields often counterposed these concepts, taking the perspective of either state or societal actors alone or assuming relatively well-defined and continuous boundaries between them. Current studies now emphasize the complex interplay of such actors over the course of political conflict and historical change. Much of this work, however, has focused on the relations of states with societal elites, or on the ways in which political institutions serve to channel or control insurgent challenges.2 Less well understood have been the ways social movements, in turn, affect the process of political change, beyond the sheer emergence of mass protest and disorder. This article attempts to place these problems in a common frame, and examine the organization of state and societal actors (elite and insurgent) in the context of both popular mobilization and political institution-building. My focus here is on a historical case study of class formation, collective action, and local state-making in the city of Oakland, California, beginning at the turn of the century and culminating in the 1946 Oakland General Strike.
Phenotypic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Bacillus subtilis Mutants with Grossly Altered Membrane Composition

The Bacillus subtilis membrane contains diacylglycerol-based lipids with at least five distinct headgroups that together help to define the physical and chemical properties of the lipid bilayer. Here, we describe the phenotypic characterization of mutant strains lacking one or more of the following lipids: glycolipids (ugtP mutants), phosphatidylethanolamine (pssA and psd mutants), lysylphosphatidylglycerol (mprF), and cardiolipin (ywnE and ywjE). Alterations of membrane lipid headgroup composition are generally well-tolerated by the cell, and even severe alterations lead to only modest effects on growth proficiency. Mutants with decreased levels of positively charged lipids display an increased sensitivity to cationic antimicrobial compounds, and cells lacking glycolipids are more sensitive to the peptide antibiotic sublancin and are defective in swarming motility. A quadruple mutant strain (ugtP pssA mprF ywnE), with a membrane comprised predominantly of phosphatidylglycerol, is viable and grows at near-wild-type rates, although it forms long, coiled filaments. Transcriptome comparisons identified numerous regulons with altered expression in cells of the ugtP mutant, the pssA mprF ywnE triple mutant, and the ugtP pssA mprF ywnE quadruple mutant. These effects included a general decrease in expression of the SigD and FapR regulons and increased expression of cell envelope stress responses mediated by σM and the YvrGHb two-component system.
Oögenesis, fertilization and early cleavage in Habrobracon

Since differential maturation has been used in explaining sex determination in Hymenoptera, the pertinent stages were studied cytologically in Habrobracon by using whole mounts of timed eggs stained by the Feulgen reaction. The egg is laid with the maturation figure in an arrested first anaphase close to the ventral egg surface, and with the spindle horizontal to the latter. Eggs from different stocks show differences in position of maturation figure. A single sperm enters during oviposition, the maturation spindle revolves to a vertical position and normal maturation and change of the sperm ensues. Nuclei of unfertilized eggs behave similarly. Ten chromosomes enter each of the three polar and the one matured egg nuclei, the latter being always the innermost of the four. Unfertilized eggs have ten chromosomes at first and eleventh cleavages; fertilized eggs have around the expected twenty. Chromosomes in maturation divisions are too small and round to show individual differences. There is no good evidence of chromosome elimination.
Local currents for the GL(N, C) self-dual Yang-Mills equation

By using a simple Backlund-like transformation which linearizes the GL(N, C) self-dual Yang-Mills equation, an infinite number of local conservation laws for this equation are constructed. In the SL(N, C) case, the currents become trivial, which explains why these currents are not found in SU(N) gauge theory.
Segmentation: Its Roots in Arabia and Its Flowering Elsewhere

The topic of "place and voice" invites anyone concerned with the Middle East and particularly with Arabia to go in search of shapes and figures in Western fantasy, whether in the image of the "Bible lands," in Walter de la Mare, or in the dissatisfactions of Paul Nizan. But let us accept the wager that anthropology has a voice of its own apart from these. We have been invited to discuss the proposition that specifically anthropological concepts move from place to place, with effects on what Appadurai (1986a) terms "metropolitan theory." Segmentation provides an aging and obvious case. The literature this term produced in its travels was enormous, and I have no intention of reviewing it; but such titles as "African Models in the New Guinea Highlands" (Barnes 1962) and "New Guinea Models in the African Savannah" (Karp 1978) are enough to suggest a certain consciousness of mobility. What I want to do here is to argue that the connection of imagery or concept to location was to start with rather special, and only later was it often reduced to the bafflingly obvious.
Distant Effects of a Recurving Tropical Cyclone on Rainfall in a Midlatitude Convective System: A High-Impact Predecessor Rain Event*

Abstract Recent research has identified predecessor rain events (PREs), which are mesoscale regions of heavy rainfall that occur ∼1000 km poleward and downshear of recurving tropical cyclones (TCs). PREs typically occur 24–36 h prior to the arrival of the main rain shield associated with the TC, and frequently result in damaging flooding. A distinguishing feature of a PRE is that it is enhanced by a broad region of deep tropical moisture directly associated with the TC that is transported well poleward ahead of the TC. This study will quantify the effects of the tropical moisture from one TC on a record-breaking rain and flood event over the northern Great Plains and southern Great Lakes region on 18–19 August 2007. In this event, which occurred ahead of TC Erin, a southerly stream of deep tropical moisture (precipitable water values >50 mm) moved poleward and intersected a northwest–southeast-oriented quasi-stationary baroclinic zone beneath the equatorward entrance region of an upper-level jet streak. A...
Nutritive Value of Oatlage, Barley/Pea, Pea, Oat/Pea, Pearl Millet, and Sorghum as Silage Ground under a Double Cropping Forage System for Dairy Heifers

Abstract Feeding value of cool season (oatlage, barley/pea, pea, oat/pea) and warm season (pearl millet and sorghum) silages for dairy heifers was determined utilizing a double cropping forage system. Cell wall and crude protein concentrations were inverse due to delayed harvesting of cool season forages. Cell wall content increased 20.6 percentage units and crude protein decreased 7.0 percentage units between June 22 and July 6, 1983, as oat/pea silage advanced from early head to early dough stage. Average dry matter yield was lowest for sorghum and highest for oat/pea silage. Holstein heifers offered pea silage had greater dry matter consumption (2.6% of body weight) and higher dry matter digestibility (64.8%) than from the other silages. However, heifers consumed more dry matter of warm season forages. Acid detergent lignin concentrations in double crop forages had a higher correlation with dry matter digestibility than dry matter intake while neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and crude protein content were better correlated with dry matter intake than dry matter digestibility. Heifers fed warm season forages had higher molar percentages of acetate but had lower molar percentages of propionate, butyrate, and valerate compared with cool season forages. Acetate-to-propionate ratio was similar between pearl millet and sorghum silage.
Magnetic resonance estimation of longitudinal relaxation time (T 1 ) in spoiled gradient echo using an adaptive neural network

Recently, the acquisition of high-resolution T 1 maps in a clinically feasible time frame has been demonstrated with Driven Equilibrium Single Pulse Observation of T 1 (DESPOT1). DESPOT1 derives the longitudinal relaxation time, T 1 , from two or more spoiled gradient recalled echo (SPGR) images acquired with a constant T R and different flip angles. In general, T 1 can be estimated from two or more SPGR images. Estimation of MR parameters (T 1 , M 0 , etc.) from these sequences is challenging and susceptible to the level of noise in signal acquisition. Methods such as Simplex Optimization, Weighted Non-Linear Least Squares (WNLS), Linear Least Square (LLS or Gupta's LLS), and Intensity based Linear Least Square (ILLS) method have been employed to estimate T 1 . In both linear and non-linear methods, the estimated T 1 values are highly dependent on defining the weighting factors; errors in these weighting factors can result in a biased estimate of T 1 . In this study, an adaptive neural network (ANN) is introduced, trained and evaluated. The ANN was trained using an analytical model of the SPGR signal in the presence of different levels of signal to noise ratio (2 to 30). Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis and the K-fold cross-validation (KFCV) method were employed to train, test, and optimize the network. The result (Az=0.81) shows that, compared to the other techniques, ANNs can provide a faster and unbiased estimate of T 1 from SPGR signals.
Corporate Governance and Innovation

We use Tobin's q models of investments to estimate the relationship between corporate governance and the level of innovative activity. Simple OLS models suggest that poor governance reduces innovative activity. However, OLS results are sensitive to controlling for serial correlation, unobserved effects, or using instrumental variables to control of simultaneity. Controlling for these effects substantially reduces or eliminates the relationship between governance and innovation activity.
The effect of ionic electrolytes on hydrolytic degradation of biodegradable polymers : mechanical and thermodynamic properties and molecular modeling

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of electrolytes on the hydrolytic degradation of synthetic biodegradable polymers and fibers. Both Polyglycolic acid (PGA) and poly(glycolide–lactide) copolymer (PGL) were used for the study. Four different electrolytes were used: NaCl, LiCl, MgCl2, and ZnCl2. The electrolyte effect was evaluated in terms of the change in tensile properties, water uptake, and surface morphology of the polymers and fibers. It was found that the NaCl and MgCl2 solutions significantly retarded the hydrolytic degradation of both PGA and PGL as evidenced in the prolonged retention of tensile breaking strength of these fibers when compared to deionized water control. Increasing the concentration of the electrolyte retarded the hydrolytic degradation rate further. These mechanical property data agreed well with the rate and amount of water uptake of PGA and could be correlated with the chemical potential difference of water between the electrolyte solution and pure water. The effect of electrolyte was further analyzed by theoretical calculation. Semiemperical molecular orbital calculations indicated that hard cations like Mg, Li, and Zn strongly coordinated to the polar sites of the polymer chain segments (CO) and severely disrupted their solvation spheres. Such a disruption was reflected in the smaller amount and slower rate of water uptake by PGA, and thus a slower rate of hydrolytic degradation as evident in the retention of tensile breaking strength. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Acute hyperglycemia abolishes ischemic preconditioning in vivo

Ischemic preconditioning provides a powerful means to reduce myocardial infarct size in vivo and has been proposed to limit the extent of myocardial infarction in patients. In contrast, hyperglycem...
Mounting Evidence That Fibrosis Generates a Major Mechanism for Atrial Fibrillation

See related article, pages 839–847 It is widely known that atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, with the problem magnified by the clinical sequelae; eg, thromboembolic events. It is pertinent that the incidence of AF is expected to increase in the future,1 especially in aging patients. Thus, finding preventive measures for this arrhythmia has become an increasingly important goal. In addition to considering clinical risk factors, focusing on prevention necessitates knowledge of the associated pathophysiology of AF,2 which involves the initiation of AF and the wavefront dynamics that sustain it. In recent years considerable new information has appeared concerning AF mechanisms that occur in different regions of the atria in different cardiac states.3 This point is highlighted by the report of Tanaka et al4 in this issue of Circulation Research . These authors used high-resolution electrophysiological and microstructural techniques, along with computer model simulations, to study wavefront dynamics during acetylcholine (ACh)-induced AF in heart failure sheep hearts. The heart failure hearts had developed prominent fibrotic patches in the posterior left atrium near the pulmonary veins, whereas in the control (normal) hearts patches of fibrosis were smaller, diffusely distributed, and more centrally located with respect to the 4 pulmonary vein ostia. In the heart failure hearts, during AF variable wavefront breakthroughs to the endocardium occurred in the area of fibrotic patches adjacent to the pulmonary veins. The authors concluded that scroll waves within the posterior left atrial wall produced a microreentry source for the endocardial breakthroughs in the region of the larger collagen patches, thus providing the underlying mechanism of AF.4 A myriad of reports provide varied information about substrates and mechanisms of AF as a background for the study of Tanaka et al …
Evaluating applicants to a new emergency medicine residency program: subjective assessment of applicant characteristics.

Because of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Residency Review Committee (RRC) approval timelines, new residency programs cannot use Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) during their first year of applicants. We sought to identify differences between program directors’ subjective ratings of applicants from an emergency medicine (EM) residency program’s first year (in which ERAS was not used) to their ratings of applicants the following year in which ERAS was used. The University of Utah Emergency Medicine Residency Program received approval from the ACGME in 2004. Applicants for the entering class of 2005 (year 1) did not use ERAS, submitting a separate application, while those applying for the following year (year 2) used ERAS. Residency program directors rated applicants using subjective components of their applications, assigning scores on scales from 0–10 or 0–5 (10 or 5 = highest score) for select components of the application. We retrospectively reviewed and compared these ratings between the 2 years of applicants. A total of 130 and 458 prospective residents applied during year 1 and year 2, respectively. Applicants were similar in average scores for research (1.65 vs. 1.81, scale 0–5, p = 0.329) and volunteer work (5.31 vs. 5.56, scale 0–10, p = 0.357). Year 1 applicants received higher scores for their personal statement (3.21 vs. 2.22, scale 0–5, p < 0.001), letters of recommendation (7.0 vs. 5.94, scale 0–10, p < 0.001), dean’s letter (3.5 vs. 2.7, scale 1–5, p < 0.001), and in their potential contribution to class characteristics (4.64 vs. 3.34, scale 0–10, p < 0.001). While the number of applicants increased, the use of ERAS in a new residency program did not improve the overall subjective ratings of residency applicants. Year 1 applicants received higher scores for the written components of their applications and in their potential contributions to class characteristics.
Comparison of ovulation, fertilization and embryonic survival in low-fertility beef cows compared to fertile females.

Abstract The objective was to determine physiological causes of low fertility in beef cows. Fertility was compared between low-fertility cows (34 British cows and 64 Brahman crossbred cows; cows that did not get pregnant when mated to fertile bulls in one or two previous breeding seasons); fertile cows (16 Brahman crossbreds; cows having a calf in several of the preceding breeding seasons), and virgin heifers (45 Brahman crossbreds, 2 yr of age). Females were mated to fertile bulls and killed 3 or 34 d after breeding to obtain reproductive tracts. There were no significant differences among groups in rates of ovulation or fertilization. Overall, 14% of females failed to ovulate and 24% that ovulated failed to undergo fertilization. The proportion of cows that were not detected in estrus before Day 34 of pregnancy was lower (P
Evolving in a Changing World

There is increasing interest in using evolutionary algorithms to solve problems in which the fitness landscape is nonstationary. Not surprisingly our favorite EAS developed for static optimization problems don’t, fare too well in changing worlds. In this paper we, explore the issues involved, identify some key elements, and provide a more structured framework for designing EAs that perform well in dynamic environments.
Botulinum toxin A for the treatment of cervical dystonia

Idiopathic cervical dystonia (ICD) is the most common adult-onset focal dystonia. It is characterised by relatively sustained, involuntary contractions of neck muscles. Injections of botulinum toxin (BTX)-A are safe and effective for the treatment of ICD, and have substantially improved its treatment. BTX-A is manufactured by Allergan Pharmaceuticals in the US and Ireland, and is distributed as Botox. In Europe, BTX-A is manufactured and distributed by Ipsen Pharmaceuticals as Dysport. Success rates for BTX-A injections for ICD ranges 64-90%, with 76-93% of injected patients experiencing pain reduction. Side effects are generally mild and include dysphagia and neck weakness.