cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE EXTINCTION COEFFICIENT OF PURIFIED TETRAHYDROFOLIC ACID.

Earlier studies (O’Dell et al --: t 1947; Hatefi et al _--, 1960; Rabinowitz, 1960) concerning the determination of the extinction coefficient of tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA) have used, for the most part, material which was not highly purified. Moreover, even the concentration of purified THFA has not been estimated by any direct means because, due to its extreme lability, THFA cannot be weighed. Its concentration has been based on the assumption that all of the weighed starting material &,e., folic acid) is reduced to THFA. Certain investigators (Kalckar et al _-a I 1950) have used the spontaneous breakdown of THFA to p -aminobenzoylglutamic acid (PASG) and pteridine as a means for determining the concentration of THFA. However, at least one worker (Zakrzewski, 1960) has maintained that THFA does not oxidize quantitatively to PARG and pteridine. This note is concerned with a series of determinations of the extinction coefficient of highly purified THFA. Since methods had to be used for promoting complete conversion of THFA to PAJ3G, the concentration of THFA in the samples has been determined directly by using the method
The Frankfurt School: Critical theory as the negation of culture

The Frankfurt School's analysis of culture in the 1930's and 1940's presents a radical, penetrating critique of the role of mass communication in advanced industrial Western societies. In tracing the commercialization of culture and the repression of individual consciousness, the School is above all concerned with radical social change in the direction of human emancipation. But in spite of its commitment to revolution, the School is less than successful in translating its theoretical findings into practical activity. This paper examines the School's critical theory of society in an effort to discover the theoretical basis for the School's inability to merge theory with praxis. The analysis reveals an attempt to develop a theory for the Marxist revolutionary project - the radical reconstruction of society in the interests of human emancipation - based on a philosophy which denies Marx's theories of man and history. In this effort, the Frankfurt School failed. Among the reasons for this failure are an undi...
Little's Law and Related Results

For queues, and similar systems, Little's Law, often written L = λw, states that the time average of the number of customers in system is the product of the arrival rate and the customer average of their waiting times. We treat sample-path and stationary versions of this result and extensions, including H = λG, and a distributional Little's Law. We illustrate how these results are applied and treat the connection between these results and a rate conservation law. Keywords: time average; customer average; sample path; L = λw; H = λG; RCL
Sooner or later?: Inventive rivalry and welfare

Abstract An important branch of the literature on research and development expenditures has focused on the timing of innovation under different assumptions about the degree of inventive railway. This paper examines the timing decision under conditions of growing technological opportunities. Unlike earlier work, we explicitly treat social welfare in a second-best world where patent protection is used to spur innovation. We find that, given reasonable parameters, the orderings of private introduction times vis-a-vis the socially optimal time are ambiguous. We conclude that any welfare ranking would require a complete specification of all parameters (technical, behavioral and structural) surrounding each specific technological opportunity.
Unidentified Gamma-Ray Sources: An Introduction

What makes a gamma-ray source “unidentified”? Typical gamma-ray source error boxes are large by astronomical standards; therefore a positional correlation with a known object is usually not enough to identify a source. Historically, identifications have come in several ways: (1) finding a time-variable signal seen at another wavelength; (2) repeatedly seeing within gamma-ray error boxes members of a small, well-defined class of energetic sources; (3) seeing spatially-resolved gamma-ray emission from an extended source; and (4) finding a positionally-correlated, highly-unusual object with special parameters that might be expected to produce gamma rays.
Shareholder Wealth Maximization

The shareholder wealth maximization (SWM) principle states that the immediate operating goal and the ultimate purpose of a public corporation is and should be to maximize return on equity capital. The SWM specification of what is often termed the corporate objective makes operating goal and ultimate purpose the same: Managers and investors should focus narrowly on SWM. The question of whether the corporate objective can be a strict emphasis on SWM or must recognize significant differences between the operating goal for managers and investors and the ultimate social purpose of the public corporation lies at the intersection of three literatures. In economics and finance literature, SWM is a standard assumption. This SWM operating goal is expected to yield the most socially efficient allocation of capital. Business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder theory literature emphasizes significant differences between an operating goal of SWM and the ultimate social purpose of the public corporation. Corporation law addresses duties, responsibilities, and rights of both financial and nonfinancial stakeholders. In the United States, the business judgment rule and in various states corporate constituency statutes permit relaxation in SWM as an operating goal in favor of stakeholder and social considerations. This chapter addresses ethical considerations concerning the SWM principle and its managerial implications. A key factor in understanding SWM is that the public corporation is simultaneously private property, a web or nexus of contracts, a governmentally licensed and traded securities registrant, a social benefits entity, and a locus of stakeholder relationships. This introduction explains some basic points of general relevance. The second section discusses the historical background of SWM and some technical considerations including measurement issues. The third section explains justifications for SWM. The fourth, fifth, and sixth sections explicate three critiques of SWM arising from (1) business ethics and corporation law, (2) corporate social responsibility (CSR), and (3) stakeholder theory. The chapter concludes with a summary of the arguments for and against SWM and their implications for managers.
Kinetic energy release distributions for the dissociation of internal energy selected C2H5l+ ions

The kinetic energy release distributions (KERD's) for internal energy-selected ethyl iodide ions have been measured at several energies up to 2.4 eV above the C2 [Math] + l dissociation limit. The KERD's were extracted from the symmetrically broadened C2 [Math] time-of-flight distributions measured by photoion-photelectron coincidence spectroscopy. The results are compared with predictions of statistical theory. The correspondence is good up to 2.5 eV excess energy indicating that energy is statistically distributed in the dissociation process. In particular, the predicted peak in the KERD at low release energies, resulting from the centrifugal barrier to dissociation, is evident in the experimental KERD's. There is some evidence to suggest that at some energies a significant fraction of the iodine atoms are produced in the excited 2 P1/2 state.
Primary multifocal lymphoma of peripheral nervous system: case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Primary lymphomas of peripheral nerves are extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported. Methods: We describe the clinical, neurophysiological, radiological, and pathological findings in a 61-year-old woman affected by primary multifocal lymphoma of the peripheral nervous system without systemic involvement. Results: Fascicular left femoral nerve biopsy was decisive for the diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Magnetic resonance imaging, fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography, and nerve ultrasound contributed to the diagnosis. Conclusions: Primary lymphoma of peripheral nerves (PLPNs) is a rare but potentially treatable condition, which is frequently misdiagnosed. In the literature, there are very few descriptions of PLPNs, most of which are mononeuropathies. The possibility of a neuropathy associated with lymphoma should be considered in patients with poor response to treatment and severe pain symptoms. Muscle Nerve 50: 1016–1022, 2014
Abstract 3446: Fibroblast growth factor 23 promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasivenessin vitro

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy among American men and remains the second leading cause of male cancer mortality. Since age is thought to be one of the crucial factors in prostate cancer development, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), which forms a complex with Klotho, the age-related gene product, could play a key role in prostate development and progression. FGF23 is a peptide hormone member of the endocrine FGF subfamily (FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23), which signals through FGF receptors (FGFRs) in the presence of the coreceptor α-Klotho. FGF-23 has a critical role in phosphate homeostasis and vitamin D metabolism. The regulation of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D by FGF-23 could also have implications for cancers, given that vitamin D metabolites have been shown to have anticarcinogenic effects. It has been reported that higher concentrations of FGF-23 were found in patients with advanced ovarian cancer compared with those with early-stage cancer or control subjects; circulating FGF-23 is associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenoma; however, to date, no investigations of the role of FGF-23 in prostate cancer have been reported. In the present study we investigated the function of FGF23 on human prostate cancer progression. FGF23 gene expression was determined in the commonly used prostate cancer cell lines: PC3, LNCaP, DU145, VCaP, and an immortalized normal prostate cell line PNTIA. RT-PCR showed that both FGF23 and αKlotho (KLA) genes are expressed in all these cell lines. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR indicated that FGF23 gene expression is elevated in prostate cancer compared to normal prostate tissue; FGF23 expression frequency is significantly higher in prostate cancer in compare with normal tissue (prostate cancer: total case number 35, positive 23; normal prostate tissue: total number 33, positive 15; p=0.04841). Biological function assays demonstrated that exogenous FGF23 stimulates prostate cancer cell proliferation (LNCaP by 30%, PC3 20%), anchorage-independent growth (by 60% for both LNCaP and PC3 cells), and invasion (LNCaP by 50% and PC3 55%). Suppression of FGF23 expression by FGF23 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) significantly inhibits PC3 and LNCaP cell proliferation, soft agar colony formation, and invasiveness in vitro. These data suggest that FGF23 promotes human prostate cancer progression and targeting FGF23 signaling pathway could decrease prostate cancer growth and metastasis. Citation Format: Shu Feng, Michael Ittmann. Fibroblast growth factor 23 promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness in vitro . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3446. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3446
An efficient implementation of the channelized Hotelling observer for task-based assessment of lossy compressed images

An efficient subband implementation of the channelized Hotelling observer is presented, which can be used to assess the image quality of images compressed with wavelet-based techniques. The channelized Hotelling model observer has been shown to predict human performance in detecting signals in noise-limited images. The model observer can also predict degradation of human performance due to lossy compressed images. This provides a more relevant image quality assessment for medical images, where the image's value is in supporting clinical decisions, than metrics such as mean square error. The subband implementation shown is unique in that it operates on channel responses of the wavelet subbands rather than on the entire image itself. The technique is extendable to operate on the channel response of the subband bitmaps, which would permit bit ordering optimized for human performance.
Constrained Discounted Semi-Markov Decision Processes

This paper reduces problems on the existence and the finding of optimal policies for multiple criterion discounted SMDPs to similar problems for MDPs. We prove this reduction and illustrate it by extending to SMDPs several results for constrained discounted MDPs.
The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same?

Since the publication of Arlie Hochschild’s groundbreaking work, The Second Shift (1989), scholars have delineated and deliberated the predictors and implications of American men’s participation in unpaid labor. Still, there’s little consensus about the current or future state of gender inequality in US households. In the course of reviewing scholarship published on this topic over the last two decades, this piece outlines and critically reflects upon two paradoxical conclusions one might reach when examining trends in men’s housework and care work time. In comparing and contrasting what I call ‘the mop bucket is half full’ and ‘the mop bucket is half empty’ conclusions, I also highlight the major theoretical frameworks, empirical findings, and diverging opinions on whether Hochschild’s ‘household revolution’ is permanently stalled, slowly reigniting, or ready to take off. I then conclude with a call for consensus among scholars and suggestions for future research on men’s participation in unpaid labor.
Experimental method for determining the transverse modal weights of the fields supported in a waveguiding structure

We describe a new technique to measure the number and relative weights of the transverse modes supported by waveguides, curvature of phase fronts, and fundamental spot size, all of which impact coupling in photonic devices. >
Patterned response to song in cricket central auditory neurone.

THE acoustic behaviour of many Orthopterans is familiar and well documented1. The evidence suggests that females are phonotactic to the calling song of the conspecific male2, that phonotaxis occurs with greater probability when the calling song is that of a conspecific rather than a heterospecific male3, that males as well as females exhibit phonotaxis4 and that males respond to each others' song by stridulating in turn5 and by synchronizing their chirps6.
Characterization of a high coherence, Brillouin microcavity laser on silicon

Recently, a high efficiency, narrow-linewidth, chip-based stimulated Brillouin laser (SBL) was demonstrated using an ultra-high-Q, silica-on-silicon resonator. In this work, this novel laser is more fully characterized. The Schawlow Townes linewidth formula for Brillouin laser operation is derived and compared to linewidth data, and the fitting is used to measure the mechanical thermal quanta contribution to the Brillouin laser linewidth. A study of laser mode pulling by the Brillouin optical gain spectrum is also presented, and high-order, cascaded operation of the SBL is demonstrated. Potential application of these devices to microwave sources and phase-coherent communication is discussed.
Leading and lagging: Process safety climate–incident relationships at one year

In order to evaluate the leading and lagging effects of process safety climate on incidents, we correlated safety climate survey data with organizational safety records from before and after the survey time period. We obtained data from a large, multinational organization with manufacturing operations involving a number of complex processes, chemicals, and hazardous substances. A total of 7728 employees from 62 sites responded to a safety climate survey in 2007. Individual responses were aggregated to the site-level and matched to site-level organizational records of process safety incidents 1 year before and 1 year after survey administration. Employees’ perceptions of good routine housekeeping were significantly related to environmental impact incidents as both a leading and a lagging indicator, as well as fires/explosions and property damage outcomes. Employees’ perceptions of systems to prevent backlogs and the extent to which health and safety problems are promptly corrected were also related to environmental releases and fires/explosions. Implications for process safety climate research, organizational survey strategies, and organizational climate change are discussed.
A Simple Approach to Sample Size Calculation for Count Data in Matched Cohort Studies

In matched cohort studies exposed and unexposed individuals are matched on certain characteristics to form clusters to reduce potential confounding effects. Data in these studies are clustered and thus dependent due to matching. When the outcome is a Poisson count, specialized methods have been proposed for sample size estimation. However, in practice the variance of the counts often exceeds the mean (i.e. counts are overdispersed), so that Poisson methods donâ€™t apply. We propose a simple approach for calculating statistical power and sample size for clustered Poisson data when the proportion of exposed subjects in a cluster is constant across clusters. We extend the approach to clustered count data with overdispersion, which is common in practice. We evaluate these approaches with simulation studies and apply them to a matched cohort study examining the association of parental depression with health care utilization. Simulation results show that the methods for estimating power and sample size performed reasonably well under the scenarios examined and were robust in the presence of mixed exposure proportions up to 30%.
Obesity and Pharmacologic Control of the Body Clock

Knowledge of the mechanisms that govern mammalian circadian rhythm permits the molecular manipulation of these mechanisms. A recent study showed that pharmacologic intervention results in an increase in metabolism and subsequent weight loss in overfed, obese mice.
Experimental study of a laboratory-scale simulated countercurrent moving bed chromatographic reactor

Abstract An experimental investigation of the catalytic hydrogenation of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene to 1,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane in a simulated countercurrent moving-bed chromatographic reactor is reported. A multiple column configuration of the simulated countercurrent moving-bed chromatographic reactor has been designed and assembled. A microcomputer has been interfaced with the reactor and an analytical gas chromatograph for computer control, data acquisition and analysis. This separative reactor gives a reaction product that contains relatively small amounts of unconverted reactant, and conversions that are considerably in excess of the thermodynamic equilibrium that would be the maximum achieved in non-separative reactors. With appropriate operating conditions, a product purity of 96% and reactant conversion of 0.83 was obtained. Under the conditions of the experiment the equilibrium conversion is 0.4.
Nanocarving of titania (TiO2): a novel approach for fabricating chemical sensing platform

Abstract A simple, inexpensive method for producing titania (TiO 2 ) surfaces comprised of nanofibers has been discovered. These nanofibers are formed via the reaction of dense polycrystalline TiO 2 in a H 2 /N 2 environment at 700 °C for 8 h. The nanofibers formed by this process have diameters of 15–50 nm and lengths of 1–5 μm. The preferred crystallographic orientation for this “nanocarving” process is the [0 0 1] direction and the nanofibers are single crystal TiO 2 . Several processing variables are found to affect the nanofiber formation. The sintered state before the nanocarving treatment plays a critical role in the formation of nanofibers. The flow rate of H 2 /N 2 gas during the treatment also influences the rate of nanofiber formation. Preliminary results show enhanced gas sensitivity, though the response is sluggish.
Pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity are not true volume effects

Abstract The total polarization of a crystal is sensitive to the state of the surface, even for very large volumes. This point was emphasized by Larmor and later became the basis of more detailed discussions of pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity, by Woo and by the author, questioning the usual textbook theorems. The earlier arguments are summarized and supplemented by a new model: a discussion of electronic redistribution in one-dimensional ordered periodic array of two types of potential wells.
Spectrophotometric determination of uranium and thorium with arsenazo

A critical examination of the thorium-arsenazo complex is presented. Procedures are given for the spectrophotometric determination of thorium and for the determination of both thorium and uranium in the same solution. A method for the simultaneous separation of uranium and thorium by means of a mesityl oxide extraction is included. Application of the procedure is made in the analysis of three uranium- and thorium-bearing mineral samples and of 20 salt solutions. The precision and accuracy of the method are good. (auth)
Order restoration in queues

We examine a class of problems in queueing networks which arise when customers enter a bank of parallel servers in a given order and lose their place in the sequence due to passing resulting from variations in service times. The original sequence is required before service can take place at the next station in the network. These problems arise naturally in flexible manufacturing systems. The result is that the next station beyond the parallel bank of servers can be approximated by a non-Markovian bulk arrival system. This station sees batch arrivals of customers that are eligible to receive service. The size of the arriving batches is shown to depend on the inter-arrival times. Several fundamental results are established for this class of problems including the distribution of batch inter-arrival times, batch sizes, and an approximate method for determining the distribution of the number of eligible and an exact method for determining the distribution of the number of ineligible customers in the system.
6 Metabolite assays in cobalamin and folate deficiency

Cbl and folate are both necessary for the metabolism of HCYS, whereas only Cbl is required for MMA metabolism. During the past decade, analytical methods have been developed that are sensitive enough to detect low levels of MMA and HCYS normally present in the plasma. These methods are sufficiently precise to be used in the clinical laboratory and measurements of the serum levels of the metabolites provide sensitive and specific techniques for the identification of Cbl and folate deficiencies. These techniques constitute an important addition to the battery of diagnostic tests that are available for detecting the vitamin deficiencies and for distinguishing each from the other. By virtue of the role of Cbl and folate in the metabolic pathways that involve MMA and HCYS, levels of both metabolites rise in Cbl deficiency, but only HCYS rises in folate deficiency. During the development of Cbl or folate deficiencies, accumulation of these metabolites in the plasma signals the existence of a condition of biochemical vitamin deficiency of sufficient degree to cause impairment in the metabolic pathways which are dependent on these vitamins. Circulating metabolite levels appear to accurately reflect the nutritional status of the vitamins and a rise in serum metabolite levels is therefore one of the earliest and most reliable indicators of developing Cbl and folate deficiencies. Elevations of serum metabolites above the reference range not only precede a fall in the serum vitamin levels but also show a more consistent correlation with objective evidence of vitamin deficiency than do low blood vitamin levels. The advent of serum metabolite measurements has also made it possible to identify subtle or atypical forms of vitamin deficiency that may be associated with unusual or previously undiscovered disease manifestations. Thus, in patients who display only neurological manifestations of disease, underlying Cbl deficiency may be revealed by the finding of raised serum or urine levels of MMA. Similarly, unsuspected folate deficiency may be disclosed by the finding of a raised serum HCYS. This may have important implications with respect to disease risk, since there is mounting evidence that sub-optimal folate nutritional status may be associated with increased risks of vascular disease, neoplasia and birth defects. Finally, the measurement of serum levels of MMA, HCYS and other metabolites that accumulate in Cbl and folate deficiencies may provide important new insights into the mechanism whereby these vitamin deficiencies lead to different patterns and manifestations of disease.
Alefacept promotes co-stimulation blockade based allograft survival in nonhuman primates

Memory T cells promote allograft rejection particularly in co-stimulation blockade-based immunosuppressive regimens. Here we show that the CD2-specific fusion protein alefacept (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3-Ig; LFA -3-Ig) selectively eliminates memory T cells and, when combined with a co-stimulation blockade-based regimen using cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4)-Ig, a CD80- and CD86-specific fusion protein, prevents renal allograft rejection and alloantibody formation in nonhuman primates. These results support the immediate translation of a regimen for the prevention of allograft rejection without the use of calcineurin inhibitors, steroids or pan-T cell depletion.
Medium dose chloral hydrate for sedation of infants and children undergoing CT

The use of chloral hydrate for paediatric sedation before CT was studied systematically in a limited scale and mainly retrospectively. Chloral hydrate in a dose of 50–75 mg/kg (maximum dose 2 g) was administered per os or per rectum to 378 children for 400 CT examinations. All absolute and relative contraindications had been taken into account. A total of 360 CT examinations (90%) were free of motion artifacts, due to successful sedation. A total of 28 examinations (7%) were less optimal, but still diagnostic, so repetition was unnecessary. A total of 12 examinations (3%) had to be repeated with IV anaesthesia. Adverse reactions that occurred were vomiting in 30 examinations (7.5%), diarrhoea in 4 (1.0%), hyperactivity in 2 (0.5%) and respiratory symptoms in 1 (0.3%). Prolonged sedation (> 2 h) was noted in 71 of 245 children (29.0%). No side effect with simultaneous oral or IV contrast agent was observed.
Inguinal lymph node metastases from adenocarcinoma of the rectum

This study is a retrospective review of 18 patients treated from 1964 to 1990 with inguinal lymph node metastases from rectal adenocarcinoma. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the effects of sex, disease-free interval, extent of inguinal lymph node metastases, and the presence of extranodal disease upon survival. The mean age of patients was 61 years (range 32 to 87). Lymph node metastases were unilateral in 12 patients and bilateral in 6. All 18 patients developed disease at loco-regional sites (pelvis/perineum) either synchronous or metachronous to their development of inguinal lymph node metastases. Survival from the time of diagnosis of inguinal lymph node metastases ranged from 2 to 54 months (median 13.5). There was no statistically significant difference in survival for unilateral versus bilateral inguinal metastases ( P = 0.37). The median survival when inguinal lymph node metastases occurred ≥12 months from diagnosis of the primary tumor was 16 months and 10.5 months when metastases occurred P = 0.033). The median survival for patients with isolated metachronous inguinal lymph node metastases was 20 months versus 12 months for patients who developed metachronous inguinal metastases concurrent with other areas of disease ( P = 0.045). Although patients with disease-free intervals ≥12 months and those with isolated inguinal metastases had statistically significant longer median survivals, the overall survival remains poor and all patients died with disease.
Boosting quantum efficiency using multi-stage parametric amplification

Abstract We develop a numerical simulation to demonstrate increased quantum efficiency that can be achieved by using a second stage, phase matched crystal to convert signal energy to the idler wavelength. A pair of ZnGeP 2 crystals with walkoff and pump absorption were simulated leading to a tripling of the idler output energy. The output beam characteristics are close to a Gaussian beam with an M 2 around 1.1.
The effects of single and sequential insulin infusions on glucose disposal in older men

Abstract The hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamp is widely used to quantiate in vivo insulin action. Modification of this technique by sequentially infusing multiple doses of insulin allows determination of insulin sensitivity and maximal responsiveness; however, the validity of this approach has not been determined in older individuals. In this study, glucose disposal rates during a sequential three-dose clamp at insulin infusion rates of 20, 100, and 500 mU/m 2 · min were compared to those obtained during a single-dose 100 mU/m 2 ·min clamp in eight healthy older men. There were no differences in plasma insulin levels (256 ± 46 vs. 261 ± 32 μ U/ml) or glucose disposal rates (11.0 ± 3.6 vs. 10.8 ± 3.0 mg/kg fat-free mass · min) during the 100 mU/m 2 ·min infusion of the three-dose clamp and the one-dose clamp and the one-dose clamp. 1 In four subjects with impaired glucose tolerance, the EC 50 (insulin concentration producing a half-maximal response) was higher and M max (maximal glucose disposal) lower than in subjects with normal glucose tolerance, suggesting impairments in both insulin sensitivity and responsiveness in older subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. Future studies using this modification of the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic glucose clamp to determine insulin sensitivity and responsiveness may lead to an improved understanding of the insulin resistance of aging and the pathogenesis of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
On the number of trials needed for P300

The P300 event-related brain potential (ERP) was elicited in n = 24 subjects using auditory and visual stimuli with target probabilities of 0.20 and 0.80 in different conditions. A total of 40 target stimulus ERPs were obtained from each subject and were averaged in two different ways: (1) single-trial averages were obtained by averaging each subsequent pairs of trial blocks (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, etc); (2) successive averages were obtained by averaging successive blocks of two trials (1-2, 1-4, 1-6, etc.). Statistical analyses demonstrated that for the single-trial averages, P300 measures are variable but not significantly different from one another across trial pairs, whereas successive averages demonstrated systematic decreases in amplitude and slight increases in peak latency. Auditory and visual stimuli produced similar patterns for the two averaging methods, as did target probability. The findings suggest that P300 amplitude stabilized with approximately 20 target trials for all conditions, and that peak latency changes relatively little during this time. The results are discussed in terms of applied/clinical contexts.
Tutorial Learning With Computers

A discussion of the possibilities and benefits of e‐learning: anywhere, anytime, tailored to the individual, can be very cheap. Concentrates especially on tutorial learning which takes place with a highly skilled tutor and the available technology.
Disruption of circadian locomotor activity in rats after portacaval anastomosis is not gender dependent

A recent study suggested that female rats are less affected by a portacaval anastomosis (PCA) than their male counterparts, as measured by body weight and changes in locomotor activity. In this study, we evaluated the entrainment of locomotor activity to the light/dark (LD) cycle, a consistent abnormality in the portacaval shunted rat. The degree of entrainment was measured in male and female rats before and after PCA or sham operation. All four groups of animals showed strong entrainment to an LD cycle before surgery. After portacaval anastomosis, male and female rats exhibited a highly significant decrease in overall motor activity as compared with the preoperative period and as compared with sham-operated animals of the same gender. The percentage of total activity during daytime was significantly increased after portacaval anastomosis. The reduction in parameters of entrainment indicates a disruption of circadian function in both portacaval-shunted groups. Portal pressure measurements confirmed the patency of the shunts. Cortical brain glutamine levels were similarly increased in male and female shunted rats. The loss of body weight was slightly, but not significantly, more pronounced in male animals after shunt surgery. In conclusion, our results do not support a role for gender in the disruption of circadian function in rats after PCA.
The Persistence of Partisan Redistricting Effects in Congressional Elections in the 1970s and 1980s

By calculating relative vote and seat gains before and after the 1980s redistricting, Abramowitz (1983) found that partisan control of redistricting influenced the 1982 congressional elections. We first extend Abramowitz's analysis to 1970-1972, with results that are equally indicative of partisan advantage. We then inquire whether these effects are long-lasting, finding that the initial partisan advantage typically disappears completely, but that it does so gradually.
Analysis of a toluene stripping process: a comparison between a microfabricated stripping column and a conventional packed tower

Abstract Toluene, a volatile organic compound (VOC), was removed from water using a stripping process in both a traditional randomly packed tower and a microfabricated stripping column (MFSC). The MFSC, fabricated using standard Si processing techniques, resulted in overall capacity coefficients, K x a , nearly an order of magnitude greater than the packed tower. This increase is a result of less resistance to mass transfer in the liquid phase due to the reduced thickness of the liquid film that is intrinsic to the design of the device. Experimental data from both the packed tower and the MFSC were in good agreement with both the Onda and Sherwood correlations, e.g., the MFSC followed a power-law relationship with respect to K x a versus flowrate, a result expected for convective mass transfer processes.
Developmental insights into mature cognition

Three cases are described that illustrate new ways in which developmental research is informing the study of cognition in adults: statistical learning, neural substrates of cognition, and extended concepts. Developmental research has made clear the ubiquity of statistical learning while also revealing is limitations as a stand-alone way to acquire knowledge. With respect to neural substrates, development has uncovered links between executive processing and fronto-striatal circuits while also pointing to many aspects of high-level cognition that may not be neatly reducible to coherent neural descriptions. For extended concepts, children have made especially clear the weaknesses of intuitive theories in both children and adults while also illustrating other cognitive capacities that are used at all ages to navigate the socially distributed aspects of knowledge.
Tillage and rotation effects on soil physical characteristics

Farmers are adopting different cropping systems, so our objective was to identify tillage × rotation interactions for soil physical characteristics in the sixth year of a tillage (moldboard plow, chisel, and ridge) × rotation {continuous corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]-corn and soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/ clover (Trifolium pretense L.)-corn) study. Moldboard plow had lower penetration resistance (0.97 MPa) and bulk density (1.19 g cm -3 ) and greater infiltration (75 μm s -1 ) and porosity (-2.5 to -40 kPa soil water potential) compared with ridge tillage (1.39 MPa, 1.31 g cm -3 , and 24 μm s -1 , respectively) at the sixth leaf (V6) stage and greater infiltration (106 and 31 μm s -1 , respectively) during early grain fill (R3) of corn. In ridge tillage, the interrow had lower penetration resistance (1.10 Mpa) and bulk density (1.28 g cm -3 ) and greater infiltration (35 μm s -1 ) vs. the row (1.68 MPa, 1.34 g cm -3 , and 13 μm s -1 , respectively) at V6 but greater penetration resistance (3.13 and 2.46 MPa, respectively) at R3. The soybean-wheat/clover-corn rotation had the greatest earthworm densities (504 m -2 ) and infiltration (68 μm s -1 ) among rotations at V6. Earthworm densities and infiltration explained about 25% of corn yield variability, which may have contributed in part to the 15 to 40% yield advantage for corn in the soybean-wheat/clover-corn rotation in moldboard plow. Tillage x rotation interactions did not exist for soil physical characteristics, so 5-yr tillage effects would be consistent across rotations.
Uteroplacental Insufficiency Alters Gene Expression of Amino Acid Transporter LAT1 in a Tissue-Specific Manner in IUGR Fetal Rats

Uteroplacental Insufficiency Alters Gene Expression of Amino Acid Transporter LAT1 in a Tissue-Specific Manner in IUGR Fetal Rats
Hypoglycemia complicating bariatric surgery: incidence and mechanisms

Purpose of review To discuss the clinical scope and frequency of hypoglycemia following bariatric surgery, and possible mechanisms mediating this potentially life-threatening complication. Recent findings Consequent to the rise in severe obesity, bariatric surgery is being performed with ever increasing frequency. Although data continue to accumulate supporting the myriad metabolic and other health benefits of bariatric surgery, there are also concerns regarding the mounting reports of severe hypoglycemia. The problem is particularly significant following gastric bypass, with the first concerns raised in 2005 following a case series reported from the Mayo Clinic. A Swedish nationwide cohort study recently estimated the frequency of this complication suggesting it was less than 1%. Hypotheses regarding the mechanism(s) by which hypoglycemia arise following gastric bypass range from beta cell expansion to altered beta cell function as well as nonbeta cell factors. Summary Regardless of the incidence, the severity of hypoglycemia for select patients following gastric bypass necessitates that we strive to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. With such knowledge, those patients at greater risk for this complication might be identified preoperatively, and decisions regarding their surgical management optimized to reduce this risk.
Observation of double analog states in 88Zr and 90Mo and the neutron excess and mass systematics of pion double charge exchange

Abstract The first succesful observation of double analog states in 88 Zr and 90 Mo has been made by means of the ( π + , π − ) pio double charge exchange (DCX) reaction. The systematics of the ( N − Z ) and the A dependence of analog DCX, made possible by these observations, is discussed.
Smoothing categorical data

Abstract Statistical analysis of categorical data (contingency tables) has a long history, and a good deal of work has been done formulating parametric models for such data. Unfortunately, such analyses are often not appropriate, due to sparseness of the table. An alternative to these parametric models is smoothing the table, by ‘borrowing’ information from neighboring cells. In this paper, various strategies that have been proposed for such smoothing are discussed. It is shown that these strategies have close ties to other areas of statistical methodology, including shrinkage estimation, Bayes methods, penalized likelihood, spline estimation, and kernel density and regression estimation. Probability estimates based on smoothing methods can outperform the unsmoothed frequency estimates when the table is sparse (often, dramatically so). Methods for one-dimensional tables are discussed, as well as generalizations to higher-dimensional tables. Attempts to use smoothed probability estimates in statistical functionals are identified. Finally, potential future work in categorical data smoothing is also mentioned.
Exploring the relationship between K-8 prospective teachers’ algebraic thinking proficiency and the questions they pose during diagnostic algebraic thinking interviews

In this study, we explored the relationship between prospective teachers’ algebraic thinking and the questions they posed during one-on-one diagnostic interviews that focused on investigating the algebraic thinking of middle school students. To do so, we evaluated prospective teachers’ algebraic thinking proficiency across 125 algebra-based tasks and we analyzed the characteristics of questions they posed during the interviews. We found that prospective teachers with lower algebraic thinking proficiency did not ask any probing questions. Instead, they either posed questions that simply accepted and affirmed student responses or posed questions that guided the students toward an answer without probing student thinking. In contrast, prospective teachers with higher algebraic thinking proficiency were able to pose probing questions to investigate student thinking or help students clarify their thinking. However, less than half of their questions were of this probing type. These results suggest that prospective teachers’ algebraic thinking proficiency is related to the types of questions they ask to explore the algebraic thinking of students. Implications for mathematics teacher education are discussed.
International business ethics

Purpose – While international corporate unethical behaviors seem to permeate uncontrollably, it is nevertheless, not an incurable dilemma. The paper aims to address the key steps in achieving such governance: chief ethics officer, tone‐at‐the‐top, and whistle‐blower hotlines. With that said, this paper will also address the value of unethical behavior, both from a macro and a micro perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses an archival literature review to date on international corporate governance, and its challenges to achieve international corporate ethics compliance governance are analysed.Findings – One of the greatest challenges for international corporations is establishing a setup that involves more than the board of directors and senior management, but every employee within the corporation. A key compliance challenge is creating an international corporate culture that tolerates and encourages employees to come forward and report improper conduct.Originality/value – International cor...
Removal of Phosphorus from Livestock Effluents

For removal of phosphorus (P) from swine liquid manure before land application, we developed a treatment process that produces low P effluents and a valuable P by-product with minimal chemical addition and ammonia losses. The new wastewater process included two sequential steps: (i) biological nitrification and (ii) increasing the pH of the nitrified wastewater to precipitate P. We hypothesized that by reduction of inorganic buffers (NH(4)(+) and carbonate alkalinity) via nitrification, P could be selectively removed by subsequent hydrated lime [Ca(OH)(2)] addition. The objective of the study was to assess if this new treatment could consistently reduce inorganic buffer capacity with varied initial concentrations of N (100-723 mg NH(4)(+) L(-1)), P (26-85 mg TP L(-1)), and alkalinity (953-3063 mg CaCO(3) L(-1)), and then efficiently remove P from swine lagoon liquid. The process was tested with surface lagoon liquids from 10 typical swine farms in North Carolina. Each lagoon liquid received treatment in a nitrification bioreactor, followed by chemical treatment with Ca(OH)(2) at Ca rates of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 mmol L(-1) to precipitate P. This configuration was compared with a control that received the same Ca rates but without the nitrification pretreatment. The new process significantly reduced >90% the inorganic buffers concentrations compared with the control and prevented ammonia losses. Subsequent lime addition resulted in efficient pH increase to > or = 9.5 for optimum P precipitation in the nitrified liquid and significant reduction of effluent total P concentration versus the control. With this new process, the total P concentration in treated liquid effluent can be adjusted for on-farm use with up to >90% of P removal. The recovered solid Ca phosphate material can be easily exported from the farm and reused as P fertilizer. Therefore, the new process can be used to reduce the P content in livestock effluents to levels that would diminish problems of excess P accumulation in waste-amended soils.
Iodination of the progesterone receptor from hen oviduct spares the DNA-binding domain.

The progesterone receptor from hen oviduct is isolated as a complex of two subunits, A and B. The A protein binds one molecule of progesterone and also binds to DNA with high affinity. The native A protein can be labeled with iodine with no loss of DNA binding activity. Limited Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion of the labeled preparation results in a number of DNA-binding and non-DNA-binding fragments of the receptor. The progesterone-binding domain contains iodine label. However, two low-molecular-weight DNA-binding fragments do not contain iodine label, indicating a lack of susceptible tyrosine residues near the DNA-binding site of the native receptor. The labeled receptor and its fragments will facilitate studies of the isolated DNA-binding and progesterone-binding domains of the hen A protein as well as of the activity of the native receptor in the presence and absence of hormone.
Reflections on the Numerical Solution of Markov Chains

It has been 45 years since Vic Wallace introduced RQA1, the first software system to generate and then compute the stationary distribution of Markov chains. RQA1 proved successful for a period of time but eventually hit upon a type of problem that it just could not solve, namely a nearly-completely-decomposable (NCD) Markov chain. In the intervening years our understanding of NCD systems has grown immensely which in turn has lead to the development of numerical techniques specifically designed for, and very effective at, solving such problems.
Simulated non-contact atomic force microscopy for GaAs surfaces based on real-space pseudopotentials

Abstract We simulate non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a GaAs(1 1 0) surface using a real-space ab initio pseudopotential method. While most ab initio simulations include an explicit model for the AFM tip, our method does not introduce the tip modeling step. This approach results in a considerable reduction of computational work, and also provides complete AFM images, which can be directly compared to experiment. By analyzing tip-surface interaction forces in both our results and previous ab initio simulations, we find that our method provides very similar force profile to the pure Si tip results. We conclude that our method works well for systems in which the tip is not chemically active.
Assessment of the Cough Reflex Caused by Inhalation of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Citric Acid Aerosols

Guinea pigs were exposed for thirty minutes to a particulate aerosol of sodium lauryl sulfate at concentrations of 17.3, 28.9 and 48.6 mg/m3. The exposure chamber in which individual guinea pigs were exposed was fitted with a microphone to record coughing. As the concentration of sodium lauryl sulfate increased, the combined number and severity of the coughs increased and a fade in the response was also observed with exposure duration. Citric acid, a tussigenic agent commonly used to test antitussive agents was also tested using the same experimental protocol and was found to be about an order of magnitude less potent than sodium lauryl sulfate. This model could be useful in assessing the irritating properties of various aerosols to the tracheo-bronchial tree.