cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies of the Role of the Integrin EF-Hand, Ca2+-Binding Sites in Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Specific Phospholipase D: Reduced Expression Following Mutagenesis of Residues Predicted to Bind Ca2+☆

Abstract Previous studies of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) have demonstrated that GPI-PLD can bind Ca 2+ ions with high specificity (J.-Y. Li, K. Hollfelder, K.-S. Huang, and M. G. Low, J. Biol. Chem. 269, 28063–28971, 1994). In this study the functional role of the bound Ca 2+ ions was evaluated. The enzymatic activity of purified GPI-PLD, which was depleted of divalent cations by pretreatment with EDTA, EGTA, or 1,10-phenanthroline, could be completely restored with Zn 2+ (and partially with Co 2+ ), which indicates that Ca 2+ can be removed from the protein without affecting its enzymatic activity. This result suggested that Ca 2+ bound to GPI-PLD has a structural or regulatory role but is not required for GPI hydrolysis. To evaluate these possibilities we transfected COS cells with GPI-PLD mutants in which the predicted Ca 2+ -binding sites were either deleted completely or altered by single-residue substitution. All of the mutations showed substantial reductions in the amount of GPI-PLD secreted into the medium (0–6% of wild type). The data indicate that bound Ca 2+ plays an important role in the initial folding, intracellular transport, or secretion of GPI-PLD even though it has no discernible role in the mature, secreted protein.
Nitride based high power devices: design and fabrication issues

Abstract We have modeled the breakdown voltage, critical current density and maximum operating frequency of several nitride based high power and high temperature electronic devices. It is found that the minority carrier recombination lifetime and the critical field for electric breakdown are important model parameters which influence device design and performance. Planar geometry GaN Schottky devices were fabricated and used to experimentally estimate these important parameters. Current–voltage measurements have indicated the importance of the non-planar geometries for achieving large breakdown voltages. The minority carrier (hole) diffusion length and recombination lifetime have been measured using the electron beam induced current technique. The measured hole lifetime of 7 ns and estimate for the critical field indicate the possibility of AlGaN based thyristor switch devices operating at 5 kV with current densities up to 200 A/cm2 and at frequency above 2 MHz. The GaN structural and optical material quality as well as processing requirements for etching are also discussed.
The Relative Contributions of Seed and Pollen Movement to the Local Genetic Structure of Silene alba

Silene alba is an insect-pollinated weedy plant that is distributed into numerous ephemeral roadside patches in the study area in southwestern Virginia. Gene flow in S. alba arise as a consequence of the movement of two life stages, seed, and pollen. In an effort to evaluate the relative contributions of seed and pollen movement to total gene flow, genetic structure was estimated from among-population allele frequency variation using allozymes, the product of nuclear genes that can move in either seeds or pollen, and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), which if maternally inherited can move only in seeds. Genetic structure was evaluated at three spatial scales--among collections separated by kilometers, tens of meters, and meters. Among-population allele frequency variation was much greater in cpDNA than in allozymes at all spatial scales. The ratio of pollen to seed movement was estimated from these data to range from 3.4 at the largest spatial scale to 124.0 at the finest scale. The broader application of maternally inherited genetic markers to questions in plant population biology is also discussed.
Local Model Influence

Abstract This article develops a general method for assessing the influence of model assumptions in a Bayesian analysis. We assume that model choices are indexed by a hyperparameter with some given initial choice. We use the term “model” to encompass both the sampling model and the prior distribution. We wish to assess the effect of changing the hyperparameter away from the initial choice. We are performing a sensitivity analysis, with the hyperparameter defining our perturbations. We use the Kullback—Leibler divergence to measure the difference between posteriors corresponding to different choices of the hyperparameter. We also measure the change in priors. If small changes in the priors lead to large changes in posteriors, the choice of hyperparameter is influential. The second-order difference in the Kullback—Leibler divergence is expressed by Fisher information matrices. The relative change in posteriors compared with priors may be summarized by the relative eigenvalue of the posterior and prior Fishe...
Evaluation of a Mouse Model of Necrotic Granuloma Formation Using C3HeB/FeJ Mice for Testing of Drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a significant challenge for the effective treatment of tuberculosis in humans. In animals that develop necrotic lung lesions following infection with M. tuberculosis, drug-tolerant bacilli are present and persist in an extracellular microenvironment within the necrotic cores. In this study, we examined the efficacy of drug treatment in C3HeB/FeJ (Kramnik) mice that develop lesions with liquefactive necrosis, in comparison to BALB/c mice that develop nonnecrotic lesions following aerosol challenge. To accomplish this, Kramnik and BALB/c mice were infected by aerosol with M. tuberculosis and treated for 7 to 8 weeks with monotherapy using drugs with different modes of action. The efficacy of drug therapy was quantified by enumeration of bacterial load. The progression of disease and location and distribution of bacilli within lesions were visualized using various staining techniques. In the late stages of infection, Kramnik mice developed fibrous encapsulated lung lesions with central liquefactive necrosis containing abundant extracellular bacilli, whereas BALB/c mice formed nonnecrotic lesions with primarily intracellular bacilli. Necrotic lesions in Kramnik mice showed evidence of hypoxia by pimonidazole staining. Kramnik mice were significantly more refractory to drug therapy, especially for pyrazinamide. Metronidazole showed no bactericidal activity in either model. There were significantly higher numbers of drug-resistant colonies isolated from the Kramnik mice compared to BALB/c mice. These results suggest that the Kramnik mouse model will be a valuable model to test antituberculosis drugs, especially against bacilli that persist within necrotic lesions.
Professional Tools Instruction Within an Overall ME Design Curriculum

The Mechanical Engineering faculty at Western Kentucky University have developed and implemented a Professional Plan to assure that graduates of the program have experienced key areas of the engineering profession and demonstrated their abilities to perform in a professional manner. The Professional Components within the plan include Engineering Design, Professional Communications, Professional Tools and Engineering Ethics; students receive instruction in at least one course per academic year and are expected to develop within each component. This paper will detail the Professional Tools component, which provides students with computational design tools and prototype realization skills supporting the Engineering Design demands placed on them. Computational tools include software for traditional communication and data processing, solid modeling and analysis, engineering computation and project management. Prototype realization skills encompass the typical metal machining operations necessary to create a functioning reciprocating air-powered engine and activities required for electro-mechanical device construction and testing. Higher level prototyping skills, such as rapid prototyping and CNC machining, are presented to students who can choose to become proficient with these activities or can engage other trained students to assist with their design project needs. The foundation of the four-year Professional Plan is centered on engineering design and problem solving. By exposing freshmen to hands-on projects, sophomores to design-analyze-and-build internal projects, and juniors to team-based prototype realization and external projects, a meaningful senior capstone design sequence involving external customers can validate and refine professional competencies of graduates, rather than introducing students to project activities. Professional tools instruction is interwoven with the other Professional Component instruction. While prototyping training is structured to provide a safe and efficient environment for the students at all times, computational tools are sometimes introduced as required for a project, and at other times well before needed for projects. Refinement to the Professional Plan has been guided by ongoing assessment, which is performed at course level at the end of a semester, and through program outcome assessment reviewed on an annual basis. The paper will detail the Western Kentucky University Professional Tools component of the overall Professional Plan, which provides a framework developing necessary student competencies, building upon previous coursework, assessing student progress, and adjusting course coverage based on prior assessments to assure that departing graduates will be capable of immediately contribute in their professional careers.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Retaining IS talents in the new millennium: effects of socialization on IS professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment

This study examined the effects of six organizational socialization tactics on new information systems (IS) professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment. Data were collected from 187 newly hired IS professionals. The results showed that the six socialization tactics affected new IS professionals differently. Investiture tactics affected directly all the variables studied except role ambiguity. Serial tactics had a direct and positive effect on continuance commitment but a negative effect on intention to quit. Both sequential and collective tactics had direct effects on role ambiguity. Overall, the social aspects of the socialization process had the most significant effects on new IS professionals' role adjustment and organizational attachment. The results suggest that organizational socialization is an important strategy that needs to be considered in both IS research and practice.
Development and status of dedicated energy crops in the United States

The biofuel industry is rapidly growing because of increasing energy demand and diminishing petroleum reserves on a global scale. A multitude of biomass resources have been investigated, with high-yielding, perennial feedstocks showing the greatest potential for utilization as advanced biofuels. Government policy and economic drivers have promoted the development and commercialization of biofuel feedstocks, conversion technologies, and supply chain logistics. Research and regulations have focused on the environmental consequences of biofuels, greatly promoting systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and life-cycle impacts. Numerous biofuel refineries using lignocellulosic feedstocks and biomass-based triglycerides are either in production or pre-commercial development phases. Leading candidate energy crops have been identified, yet require additional efforts to realize their full potential. Advanced biofuels, complementing conventional biofuels and other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, provide the means to substantially displace humanity’s reliance on petroleum-based energy.
An interprofessional education project to address the health care needs of women transitioning from prison to community reentry.

With the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the need for health care providers to work collaboratively in teams to provide cost-effective, quality health care has become even more apparent because an estimated additional 22 million Americans gain health care coverage by 2014. The need for evidenced-based care that combines the expertise of various disciplines has been acknowledged by policy makers and health educators. With support from national Association for Prevention, Teaching and Research, an interprofessional education course was designed and implemented by health professionals in nursing, nutrition, and dentistry, in collaboration with a local community agency, to address the health care needs of women transitioning from prison to the community. Health care needs of women in prison are often overlooked, and access to care is limited. When released from prison, utilization of even basic health services is rare. Four interactive teaching–learning sessions were offered at a residential facility for women in transition over a 12-week period. Topics were selected based on feedback from the participants and included stress reduction, self-beast examination, hypertension, and common dental conditions. Teaching methods and materials were interactive and designed for sustainability. The model for this interprofessional education project, which employed a service–learning approach, can be adapted for other communities. Working with our communities requires innovative thinking to be effective but provides an enriching life experience to those involved. A community-based reciprocal learning environment benefits all partners in the real-world environment.
A demand analysis for environmental goods

The value of goods that are routinely bought and sold in the market place has long been measured by social scientists. However, ordinary markets do not exist for “environmental goods” such as air quality and wilderness. Thus, their value estimation remains as a challenging task. The objective of this paper is to obtain an accurate estimate of the benefits of a change in the provision level of environmental goods, which can be used in a benefit-cost analysis. By balancing the costs of such environmental goods against their benefits, informed policy decisions can be made. The contingent valuation (survey) method along with the extended linear expenditure system (ELES) is employed to obtain the correct benefit measures for the good in the context of an appropriate hypothetical market setting.
Improvement of precision in spatial localization of radio‐opaque markers using the two‐film technique

Radio-opaque markers implanted inside or placed on the skin of patients can be used to detect set-up errors and patient motion. The effects of imaging geometry accuracy for standard radiotherapy equipment on the precision of calculating the positions of radio-opaque spherical markers using two orthogonal radiographic film projections is investigated. Inaccuracies in the imaging geometry are computed from the manually digitized positions of the marker images on each film pair. Actual marker locations are calculated with a precision limited only by the variance in manual digitization by incorporating those imaging geometry inaccuracies into their computation. Results of a phantom study using a grid of markers in a plastic block indicate that submillimeter precision can be obtained for the spatial coordinates of individual markers, and that the precision is not sensitive to the small inaccuracies in imaging geometry present within the mechanical tolerances of modern radiotherapy treatment machines and simulators.
Associations Between Dispositional Optimism and Diurnal Cortisol in a Community Sample: When Stress is Perceived as Higher than Normal

Objectives. This study examined whether dispositional optimism would be associated with reduced levels of cortisol secretion among individuals who perceive stress levels that are either higher than their normal average (i.e., within-person associations) or higher than the stress levels of other individuals (i.e., between-person associations). Methods. Stress perceptions and four indicators of diurnal cortisol (AUC, awakening, afternoon/evening, and CAR levels) were assessed on 12 different days over six years in a sample of 135 community-dwelling older adults. Results. Hierarchical linear models showed that while pessimists secreted relatively elevated AUC, awakening, and afternoon/evening levels of cortisol (but not CAR) on days they perceived stress levels that were higher than their normal average, optimists were protected from these stress-related elevations in cortisol. However, when absolute stress levels were compared across participants, there was only a significant effect for predicting CAR (but not the other cortisol measures), indicating that optimism was associated particularly strongly with a reduced CAR among participants who experienced high levels of stress. Conclusions. Dispositional optimism can buffer the association between stress perceptions and elevated levels of diurnal cortisol when individuals perceive higher-than-normal levels of stress, and it may predict a reduced CAR among individuals who generally perceive high stress levels. Research should examine relative, in addition to absolute, levels of stress to identify the personality factors that help individuals adjust to psychological perceptions of stress.
A Reynolds analogy for real component surface roughness

Abstract A new Reynolds analogy equation is presented, which is based on flow and thermal behavior in a rectangular cross-section channel with real component surface roughness. This roughness is similar to that which exists on some turbine surfaces under extreme operating conditions, or on surfaces of other industrial devices, with deposit accumulation such as heat exchangers. Skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, Stanton number, and performance factor experimental results are given over a range of Reynolds numbers for one polished smooth surface, and for two other surfaces with different levels of irregularly shaped and irregularly distributed, three-dimensional surface roughness. The Reynolds analogy deduced from these data, with such roughness, is important because it is different from Reynolds analogy equations for surfaces with uniformly shaped elements arranged in a regular, periodic pattern.
Integrating university GIS education with funded projects: Is it worth the effort?

Abstract Budgetary exigencies in colleges and universities have led many educators to seek outside grants and contracts as a way of defraying the high hardware and software costs associated with GIS curricula. However, this approach is not without its potential disadvantages. This paper considers the factors that must be considered when integrating GIS education and funded outside projects. The conclusion is that integration can be successfully accomplished if the GIS course and funded project are carefully planned, organized and managed.
Novel mutator mutants of E. coli nrdAB ribonucleotide reductase: Insight into allosteric regulation and control of mutation rates

Abstract Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is the enzyme critically responsible for the production of the 5′-deoxynucleoside-triphosphates (dNTPs), the direct precursors for DNA synthesis. The dNTP levels are tightly controlled to permit high efficiency and fidelity of DNA synthesis. Much of this control occurs at the level of the RNR by feedback processes, but a detailed understanding of these mechanisms is still lacking. Using a genetic approach in the bacterium Escherichia coli, a paradigm for the class Ia RNRs, we isolated 23 novel RNR mutants displaying elevated mutation rates along with altered dNTP levels. The responsible amino-acid substitutions in RNR reside in three different regions: (i) the (d)ATP-binding activity domain, (ii) a novel region in the small subunit adjacent to the activity domain, and (iii) the dNTP-binding specificity site, several of which are associated with different dNTP pool alterations and different mutational outcomes. These mutants provide new insight into the precise mechanisms by which RNR is regulated and how dNTP pool disturbances resulting from defects in RNR can lead to increased mutation.
A note on flabby sheaves

It is shown that any sheaf of R˜ -modules, all of whose stalks are injective, is necessarily a flabby sheaf. This generalizes the result or Grothendieck that the sheaf M˜ determined by an injective module M over a commutative noetherian ring with 1 is flabby.
DNA Methylation Signatures in Development and Aging of the Human Prefrontal Cortex

The human prefrontal cortex (PFC), a mastermind of the brain, is one of the last brain regions to mature. To investigate the role of epigenetics in the development of PFC, we examined DNA methylation in ∼14,500 genes at ∼27,000 CpG loci focused on 5′ promoter regions in 108 subjects range in age from fetal to elderly. DNA methylation in the PFC shows unique temporal patterns across life. The fastest changes occur during the prenatal period, slow down markedly after birth and continue to slow further with aging. At the genome level, the transition from fetal to postnatal life is typified by a reversal of direction, from demethylation prenatally to increased methylation postnatally. DNA methylation is strongly associated with genotypic variants and correlates with expression of a subset of genes, including genes involved in brain development and in de novo DNA methylation. Our results indicate that promoter DNA methylation in the human PFC is a highly dynamic process modified by genetic variance and regulating gene transcription. Additional discovery is made possible with a stand-alone application, BrainCloudMethyl.
Interparent Agreement on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory

This study investigated interparent agreement of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory for 44 clinic-referred families. Moderate to strong associations between maternal and paternal reports were found for both the Intensity and Problem Scales. Mothers rated their children's disruptive behavior as more frequent and problematic than did fathers. However, strong evidence for cross-informant reliability was obtained. Interparent reliability coefficients were comparable to those previously reposted for other widely-used parent report measures of child behavior problems. Classification rates into conduct problem and non-conduct problem groups for maternal versus paternal reposts were presented.
Value Capture in the Global Electronics Industry: Empirical Evidence for the “Smiling Curve” Concept

This research asks who captures the greatest value in the global electronics industry by testing the concept of the “smiling curve”, which predicts that the greatest value is captured by upstream and downstream firms, and the lowest value is captured in the middle of the value chain. We test the concept using the Electronic Business 300 data-set for 2000–2005. We find that lead firms and component suppliers earn higher gross margins and net margins compared to contract manufacturers. However, the differences are minimal for return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). We also find that active component suppliers gain higher profits than passive component suppliers. These findings suggest that the smiling curve is right if value is defined in terms of gross margins, but the cost of sustaining a position on either end of the curve is so high that returns on investment are similar across the curve.
Persistence of Neuroadapted Mumps Virus in Brains of Newborn Hamsters after Intraperitoneal Inoculation

Neuroadapted mumps virus produces systemic infection in newborn hamsters after intraperitoneal inoculation. Virus is disseminated via a low-level viremia and appears to enter the central nervous system by passage through the choroid plexus. At such sites, choroidal and ependymal epithelial cells are productively infected and become a source for further viral spread throughout the brain parenchyma. The development of neutralizing and hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies in serum correlates with the clearance of virus from most systemic sites. However, persistence of virus in both brain and kidney is demonstrated late in this infection.
Plasmodium cynomolgi: Immunization of a rhesus monkey with exoerythrocytic stages cultured in autologous hepatocytes

To investigate the immune response to exoerythrocytic stages of malaria parasites, a rhesus monkey was immunized with autologous primary hepatocyte cultures infected with 7-day-old liver stage parasites of Plasmodium cynomolgi. A primary antibody response against EE stage antigens was obtained, and boosted after injection of homologous viable sporozoites. Antibodies directed against sporozoites and blood stages were also detected. The polyvalent immune response observed demonstrates the antigenicity of the liver stages and suggests their involvement in the general immune response against malaria.
Using Process Simulation to Manage New Product Development Pipeline Throughput

Abstract:New product development is complex. Companies often underestimate this complexity and do not invest in efforts to fully understand their new product development system and the ramifications of running that system without control. New product development involves dedicated resources, from multiple disciplines, often for long periods of time. These resources are precious and decisions about how they are utilized should be informed. This work pursues a simulation model of a full new product development pipeline, incorporating the common organizational pathology of taking on too many projects, consistent with the literature and the researchers' experience. This project considers the fact that queues may not occur in all areas of new product development and that resources can be allocated at levels greater than 100%. The phenomenon of decreased efficiencies, when capacity of any discipline is exceeded, has been incorporated to show how the pipeline slows down and unplanned costs increase.
Product Lifetime: A Determinant of Entry Decision by Multinational Firms

Existing literature on the role of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection has painted an ambiguous picture about the size of the effects of stronger IPR on the choice of the multinational firm’s mode of entry into foreign market. Some empirical studies suggest that improving IPR in recipient countries will have higher effect on licensing, while others found larger effect on foreign direct investment (FDI). The available indices of protection only measure country-wide characteristics and do not pick inter-industry variation, while the data show significant differences in losses of US multinationals by industry. In this paper, we introduce and empirically estimate a new dimension to multinational firm’s decision to enter a foreign market—a parameter that reflects the length of positive profits that the firm can earn in various industries. We dub the estimated parameter a perceived time of rent extraction. The introduction of the time parameter allows us to differentiate the effects of stronger IPR on the entry modes in different industries and reconcile the ambiguity results in the literature. Particularly, strengthening IPR has higher impact on FDI in industries with shorter rent extraction time, while licensing is affected more than FDI in industries with longer rent extraction time.
Potato germplasm with combined resistance to leafroll virus and viruses X and Y

Potato germplasm with high levels of combined resistance to potato viruses X, Y, and leafroll was identified and used to produce improved parental clones with similarly high levels of resistance. Resistance was determined from the amount of tuber infection following inoculation of plants in the field. Parental germplasm with the best multiple resistance came from two backgrounds, eitherSolanum tuberosum group Andigena derived from the Cornell University neo-tuberosum program, or from complex hybrids ofS. tuberosum and wild solanums that were produced by the Max Planck Institute and the Polish Institute for Potato Research. Two Aberdeen, ID selections, A85519-6 and A85530-10, with gp. Andigena ancestry, have had no tuber-borne infection of PVX, PVY, or PLRV during four years of intensive field testing. We have not been successful in combining virus S resistance with resistance to the other viruses.
Partitioning of biologically active radiation in plant canopies

Plant germination, growth, maturation, and productivity are heavily influenced by the quality and quantity of the light in its environment. The light environment has traditionally been quantified in terms of radiant heat energy and available photosynthetic radiation (PAR), but detailed spectral irradiance or photon flux distributions have rarely been studied. This information is needed to translate the research that plant photobiologists and photochemists have been conducting with regard to understanding the light controls on plant physiology in the field environment of plant canopies. More interest has recently been generated as the potential impacts of global climate changes on intensively managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems are identified and evaluated. Linkages between the identified impacts of various wavelengths of light on plant physiology and the light environment of the plant canopy are identified, with detailed discussion concerning the impacts of plant canopy structure on the plant light response. Solar radiation in the ultraviolet-B (280–320 nm), ultraviolet-A and blue (350–500 nm), PAR (400–700 nm), blue (400–500 nm), green (500–600 nm) red (600–700 nm), far red (700–800 nm) and near infrared (800–1100 nm) is followed from the top of the plant canopy to the photoreceptor at the cellular level within the plant phytoelement.
Assessment of the Maine Lobster Fishery with Surplus Production Models

Abstract A long series of catch and effort data was available for assessment of the impact of fishing on the American lobster (Homarus americanus) population off the coast of Maine and the data indicated both the ascending and descending limbs of the equilibrium stock production curve. The logistic and the Fox surplus production models were applied and both models accounted for most of the observed variation in yield in terms of variation in fishing effort and stock biomass. Although the catch data appear to indicate a developing fishery, both models indicated that stock biomass was severely depleted in 1928 when continual collection of annual catch and effort data began. There was little difference between the equilibrium stock production curves of the two models below the optimum level of exploitation but, for high levels of effort, the logistic model predicted a rapid decrease in equilibrium yield with increasing effort whereas the Fox model predicted a slow decline in equilibrium yield with increasing...
Comparative physiology of acoustic and allied central analyzers.

To exploit comparisons among classes of vertebrates and invertebrates, and between higher and lower levels of the brain, and between modalities, some important needs and opportunities for new research into the way central processing of acoustic input takes place are pointed out. Most of these are suggested by unfamiliar results on fish and reptiles that call for new controls in mammalian experiments as well as more systematic study of nonmammalian taxa. Three frameworks or basic agendas are outlined: i) systematic comparison of dynamical properties to acoustic variables, including especially repetition at different rates and the related states of expectation; ii) comparison of response measures, including especially sequences such as oscillations and measures of assembly cooperativity such as synchrony, coherence and bicoherence; and in) comparison of auditory subsystems, including especially modal categories such as complex feature selective regions and small sets. Some recent and some new results are su...
CrossTalk opposing view: De novo capillary recruitment in healthy muscle is not necessary to explain physiological outcomes

Several thousand capillaries are small enough to fit comfortably on the period at the end of this sentence and yet, within skeletal muscle, thousands of miles of capillaries combine to provide a vast surface, some hundreds of square metres, that is essential for blood–myocyte flux of O2, glucose and free fatty acids. As dictated by muscle metabolic demands and a complex array of neural, humoral and local controllers, muscular arterioles function as ‘gatekeepers’, regulating capillary red blood cell (RBC) and plasma flow. The issue considered here is whether or not most capillaries support RBC and/or plasma flux in resting skeletal muscle. If such is the case, this dismisses de novo recruitment of capillaries as a requirement for increased blood–myocyte flux either at rest or during muscle contractions. Resolution of this problem is fundamental to understanding muscle metabolic function in health and the mechanistic bases for dysfunction in diseases such as diabetes, sepsis and heart failure (Lemkes et al. 2012; Poole et al. 2012; Eskens et al. 2013).
The Effect of Feeding Techniques on the True Metabolizable Energy Value of Yellow Corn

Abstract Thirty Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) roosters were utilized in five trials to evaluate the effect of various feeding techniques on the metabolizable energy (ME) value of yellow corn as measured by the true metabolizable energy (TME) scheme (Sibbald, 1976). Average weight of roosters was 1.6 kg. Roosters were paired (fed vs. nonfed) on the basis of weight. Feed preparations were: dry pellets, moist pellets, slurry, paste, or dry (ground) corn. The TME values (kcal/g [DM]) were: 4.107, 4.106, 4.106, 4.102 or 4.098, respectively, and did not significantly differ (P>.05) among feeding methods. Visual observations of fed birds indicated that moist pellets, slurry or paste forms produced less stressful postfeeding behavior (standing or reclining posture, ruffled feathers, etc.) than either dry pellets or ground corn.
Approaching Environmental Health Disparities and Green Spaces: An Ecosystem Services Perspective

Health disparities occur when adverse health conditions are unequal across populations due in part to gaps in wealth. These disparities continue to plague global health. Decades of research suggests that the natural environment can play a key role in sustaining the health of the public. However, the influence of the natural environment on health disparities is not well-articulated. Green spaces provide ecosystem services that are vital to public health. This paper discusses the link between green spaces and some of the nation's leading health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular health, heat-related illness, and psychological health. These associations are discussed in terms of key demographic variables—race, ethnicity, and income. The authors also identify research gaps and recommendations for future research.
Synthesis and Properties of New Stacked Metallocene Polymers

The substituted cyclopentadienes 5a,b are readily prepared in two steps from benzyloxybenzaldehyde and 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde by condensation with cyclopentadiene followed by lithium aluminum hydride reduction of the fulvenes 4a,b. Coupling of the zinc salts of 5a,b with 1,8-diiodonaphthalene in the presence of a catalytic amount of CuI gives the cyclopentadienylated iodonaphthalenes 6a,b. This new protocol represents a significant improvement over earlier procedures for the preparation of such compounds. Conversion of 6a,b to the ferrocenes 7a,b, followed by a second cyclopentadienylation step, affords 8a,b or 9a. These serve as monomers for the synthesis of polymers 1d,e and copolymers 1f−h. These materials show increased molecular weights and improved solubility compared with 1b,c and analogues, in which the cyclopentadienyl-ring substituents are alkyl chains.
Network-Adaptive Video Communication Using Packet Path Diversity and Rate-Distortion Optimized Reference Picture Selection

In this paper, we present error-resilient Internet video transmission using path diversity and rate-distortion optimized reference picture selection. Under this scheme, the optimal packet dependency is determined adapting to network characteristics and video content, to achieve a better trade-off between coding efficiency and forming independent streams to increase error-resilience. The optimization is achieved within a rate-distortion framework, so that the expected end-to-end distortion is minimized under the given rate constraint. The expected distortion is calculated based on an accurate binary tree modeling with the effects of channel loss and error concealment taken into account. With the aid of active probing, packets are sent across multiple available paths according to a transmission policy which takes advantage of path diversity and seeks to minimize the loss rate. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed scheme provides significant diversity gain, as well as gains over video redundancy coding and the NACK mode of conventional reference picture selection.
Development for Stainless Steel Exhaust Manifold and CAE Analysis

The characteristics of stainless steel are discussed and the requirement on material for exhaust manifold is illustrated. Calculation on the exhaust manifold is carried out based on coupling of CFD and FEA software the distribution of temperature and thermal stress of exhaust manifold is demonstrated. The strength and safety factor of the exhaust manifold are evaluated, based on which the reliability of the design is confirmed
Ultrathin nitrided gate dielectrics: plasma processing, chemical characterization, performance, and reliability

The incorporation of nitrogen (N) atoms into ultrathin gate dielectrics 1) at monolayer levels at Si-SiO2 interfaces reduces tunneling current and defect generation; 2) in bulk nitrides, as in oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) or oxide-nitride (ON) composite structures, allows the use of physically thicker films without reduced capacitance compared to single-layer oxides; and 3) in nitrided layers at the polycrystalline Si-dielectric interface or in ON dielectrics reduces boron (B) atom out-diffusion from heavily doped p+ polycrystalline silicon gate electrodes into oxide gate dielectrics. The results presented in this review demonstrate that N atoms can be selectively and independently incorporated into different parts of the gate dielectric by low-temperature remote-plasma-assisted processing. When combined with low-thermal-budget rapid thermal annealing, this yields ultrathin gate dielectrics with performance and reliability which generally exceeds that of single-layer thermally grown oxides. The devices addressed in this paper include n-MOS and p-MOS field-effect transistors (FETs) with oxide-equivalent thicknesses of less than 2 nm.
MYOGLOBIN OXIDATION IN GROUND BEEF: MECHANISTIC STUDIES

Antioxidants, citric acid and ascorbic acid did not affect the initial slow oxidation of myoglobin but extended the time before rapid oxidation began. NaCl increased the initial rate of pigment oxidation. Lipid extracted from freshly ground, lean beef increased the rate of myoglobin oxidation when added to freshly ground lean beef while lipid extracted from ground beef stored for 7 days did not. Added linoleic acid was more effective than trilinolein in promoting myoglobin oxidation. Lipase and lipoxygenase enhanced the rate of pigment oxidation while phospholipase A inhibited it. Oxalate inhibited both lipid and myoglobin oxidation and reversed the pro-oxidant capacity of Fe+2. EDTA also inhibited lipid oxidation but promoted myoglogin oxidation.
What Do Today's Teachers Want (And Not Want) From Teacher Leaders?

This article looks across six years of teacher leadership research to explore what today's teachers want (and don't want) from teacher leaders. A secondary analysis was conducted on volumes of teacher leader data, focused on teacher leader-teacher interactions, using a “justice” and “integrity”-oriented framework. Findings include patterns of teacher withdrawal or engagement with teacher leaders based on perceptions of how teacher leader time is afforded and spent.
Direct simulation of the motion of neutrally buoyant balls in a three-dimensional Poiseuille flow

Abstract In a previous article the authors introduced a Lagrange multiplier based fictitious domain method. Their goal in the present article is to apply a generalization of the above method to: (i) the numerical simulation of the motion of neutrally buoyant particles in a three-dimensional Poiseuille flow; (ii) study – via direct numerical simulations – the migration of neutrally buoyant balls in the tube Poiseuille flow of an incompressible Newtonian viscous fluid. Simulations made with one and several particles show that, as expected, the Segre–Silberberg effect takes place. To cite this article: T.-W. Pan, R. Glowinski, C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).
A note on politics and franchise bidding

To sum up, one problem posed by critics of franchise bidding is that the unfavorable political participation associated with the present system of regulation would only be accentuated under a franchise scheme. However, we have argued to the contrary that under a franchising scheme political interest could be particularized at the local level. Restricting the franchising body's influence to a specific utility serving a local area decreases monetary cost and increases the incentive of the local regulator to act in the interest of the local constituency. Market forces then would be more active in policing both the franchising body and the firm providing the services.
Primary Hyperparathyroidism with Markedly Elevated Serum Calcium and PTH - Clinical and Surgical Implications For Possible Parathyroid Carcinoma

Figure 3. Case #1. (A) Localizing 99mTc-Sestamibi scan demonstrating parathyroid adenoma represented by a hyperemic focus in the left base of neck. Delayed static planar images obtained at 120 minutes post injection show a large focus of increased uptake adjacent to the left side of the trachea in the left thyroid bed. (B) Multiplanar SPECT CT demonstrating confirmatory findings of a solitary large focus of increased activity and hyperemia in the left base of the neck. No abnormal activity in the thorax. . ABSTRACT
A note on numerators of Bernoulli numbers

The object of this short note is to give some observations on Bernoulli numbers and their function field analogs and point out ‘known’ counter-examples to a conjecture of Chowla. Bernoulli numbers Bn defined (for integer n > 1) by z/(e z − 1) = ∑ Bnz /n!, and their important cousins Bn/n, play interesting roles in many areas of mathematics. (Below we only restrict to these for n even, precisely the case when they are non-zero.) We mention some key words by which the reader can search: Power sums, Zeta special values, Eisenstein series, measures, p-adic L-functions, finite differences, combinatorics, Euler-Maclaurin formula, Todd classes in topology, Grothendieck-Hirzebruch-Riemann-Roch formula, K-theory of integers, Stable homotopy, Bhargava factorial associated to the set of primes, Kummer-HerbrandRibet theorems in cyclotomic theory, Kervaire-Milnor formula for diffeomorphism classes of exotic spheres. Their factorization is of interest, the denominators (which show up explicitly in the third-fourth items from the end) are well understood via theorems of von-Staudt, but the numerators (which show up explicitly in the last two items above) are mysterious and connected to many interesting phenomena. In one of the rare lapses, Ramanujan, in his very first paper [R1911, (14), (18) and Sec. 12], claimed to have proved (editors downgrade it to a conjecture) that the numerator Nn of Bn/n is always a prime, when it was already known since Kummer (in Fermat’s last theorem connection) that ‘irregular’ prime 37 is a proper divisor of N32, and even N20 is composite. In [C1930], Chowla showed that Ramanujan’s claim had infinity of counter-examples. Note that this also follows from one counterexample and the Kummer congruences (recalled below) for that prime! Interestingly, in his last paper [CC1986], Chowla (jointly with his daughter) asks as unsolved problem whether the numerator is always square-free. (This is also mentioned in the nice survey article by Murtys and Williams on Chowla’s work in Vol. 1 of [C1999], where the author learned about it.) Theorem 1. Chowla’s conjecture stated above has infinity of counter-examples. In fact, for any given irregular prime p less than 163 million, and given arbitrarily large k, there is n such that p divides Nn. Proof. Using the tables (or the reader can try to check directly!) giving factorizations of Bn/n, for example the table by Wagstaff at the Bernoulli web page www.bernoulli.org, we see that 37 divides N284. Now recall the well-known Kummer congruences that the value of (1 − p)Bn/n modulo p depends only on (even) n modulo pk−1(p − 1), for n not divisible by p − 1. The first claim follows by taking p = 37. Supported in part by NSA grant H98230-10-1-0200.
A redox supported liquid membrane containing 2,5-di(tert-pentyl)hydroquinone as electron carrier

Abstract A new redox supported liquid membrane (RSLM), consisting of a microporous polypropylene film containing absorbed into its pores an organic solution of a waterinsoluble hydroquinone (electron carrier), has been studied. The hydroquinone used as electron carrier was 2,5-di(tert-pentyl)hydroquinone dissolved in a solvent mixture of diisopropylbenzene, decaline and tributyl phosphate. The ability of the RSLM to transport electrons through it and to perform membrane-controlled oxidation—reduction processes was demonstrated. Some practical applications of the RSLM in controlling the oxidation states of actinides are briefly discussed.
A new approach to ion implanter mass analysis optics

Abstract The Precision Implant 9000 Ion Implanter uses a mass analysis geometry where the ribbon beam extracted from a Freeman type ion source has the long axis of the ion source extraction slot in the dispersion plane of the magnetic analysis system. This allows the ion source and its associated extraction system to be placed close to the analysis magnet, the length of the extraction slot no longer determining the pole gap necessary for the analysing magnet as would be the case for conventional isotope separator optics. This geometry allows extraction from a long and wide extraction slot or multiple extraction slots, in the latter case each beam seeing the same dispersion plane geometry. The above features, together with an extraction system employing a generous accel/decel ratio results in a machine which will deliver high beam currents from a compact beam line with particularly advantageous extraction gap electrical breakdown characteristics. The design of the mass analysis system incorporates a number of features aimed at minimising cross-contamination caused by sputtering.
Performance reviews from the Tucson Electric Power solar test yard

At the Tucson Electric Power (TEP) solar test yard, over 20 different grid-connected PV systems are being tested. Most of these PV systems are in the 1 to 2 kW range. We present measured conversion efficiencies, final yields, performance ratios, temperature de-ratings and degradation rates for 20 PV systems. The final yields are also compared to predictions from PVwatts and PVsyst. The systems include flat plate PV modules from Sunpower, Sharp, BP, Uni-solar Sanyo, Shell, Astropower, Solarex, and Evergreen Solar. The performance of several of these flat plate PV systems has been recorded starting in 2003. Since then, several types of concentrating PV modules have been also deployed at the Tucson Electric Power solar test yard, including modules from Solyndra, Prism Solar Technologies Inc., Skyline Inc., and Semprius Inc. At the same location Solon Corporation is testing several flat plate modules with 1-axis and 2-axis trackers.