cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of precipitates on mechanical properties of P91 submerged arc welds

Modified 9Cr–1Mo, or P91, is a creep resistance steel grade for high temperature applications. Creep strength and ambient temperature impact toughness are required for welded joints, the latter of which is often a challenge especially for high deposition process such as submerged arc welding. In this study, three P91 welds with substantial differences in impact toughness and tensile properties are investigated. An extensive characterisation of precipitates in post-weld heat treated P91 welds was performed with electron microscopy (STEM), transmission kinetic diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and an electrolytic precipitate extraction technique. Among the three welds, significant difference is observed in the amount of fine MX precipitates, which is correlated to yield strength, tensile strength and impact toughness.
Chapter 35 Cooperative models of bargaining

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses cooperative models of bargaining. The axiomatic theory of bargaining originated in a fundamental paper by J.F. Nash. Nash introduced an idealized representation of the bargaining problem and developed a methodology that gave the hope that the undeterminateness of the terms of bargaining could be resolved. The canonical bargaining problem is that faced by management and labor in the division of a firm's profit. Another example concerns the specification of the terms of trade among trading partners. The chapter presents the classic characterizations of the three solutions that occupy center stage in the theory as it stands today: the Nash solution, the Kalai–Smorodinsky solution, and the Egalitarian solution. Solutions to abstract bargaining problems, most notably the Nash solution, have been used to solve concrete economic problems, such as management–labor conflicts, on numerous occasions.
Forest clearance among the yanomamo, observations and implications

Description d'une experience de deboisement conduite dans le village Yanomamo d'Hasubowateri (Venezuela) en 1975. Methodes de defrichage, d'abattage.
General principles of magnetic fusion confinement

Recent results with neutral beam-heated tokamaks have led to increasing optimism about the prospects for a successful magnetic fusion reactor. The conceptual scheme for providing a fusion driver for a fission-fussion hybrid system has been validated, and a demonstration of ‘break-even’ (‘D-T fusion power out = injector power in’) seems quite likely with the TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor) device, now scheduled to begin operation in Princeton in 1981. While breakeven, or Q = 1, performance should be satisfactory for hybrid systems, in which the fusion driver provides fuel makeup for fission reactors, an economically attractive pure fusion scheme will require Q ~ 30–40. To achieve this level, the plasma will have to be maintained in a high-β state for many energy and particle replacement times. This more stringent requirement imposes rigorous demands on our understanding of fusion systems. In particular, it means that we must obtain better understanding of the plasma particle and energy balance, must optimize neutral beam deposition, and must control the plasma energy and particle flux to the exterior through improved limiters or with magnetic divertors. In addition, our diagnostic evaluation of the scaling of particle and energy balance must be improved.
The First Thousand Exoplanets: Twenty Years of Excitement and Discovery

The recent “explosion” in the number of extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, is perhaps the most exciting phenomenon in all of science. Two decades ago, no planets were known beyond the Solar System, and now there are more than 770 confirmed exoplanets and several thousand more candidates, while the mass detection limit has marched steadily downwards from Jupiter mass in 1995 to Neptune mass in the early 2000s to Earth mass now. The vast majority of these exoplanets are detected indirectly, by their gravitational influence on the parent star or the partial eclipse they cause when they periodically pass in front of it. Doppler detection of the planet’s reflex motion yields a period and an estimate of the mass, while transits or eclipses yield the size. Exoplanet detection taxes the best observatories in space, yet useful contributions can be made by amateur astronomers armed with 6-inch telescopes. The early discoveries were surprising; no one predicted “hot Jupiters” or the wild diversity of exoplanet properties that has been seen. It is still unclear if the Solar System is “typical” or not, but at current detection limits at least 10 % of Sun-like stars harbor planets and architectures similar to the Solar System are now being found. Over a hundred multiple planet systems are known and the data are consistent with every star in the Milky Way having at least one planet, with an implication of millions of habitable, Earth-like planets, and of which could harbor life. Doppler and transit data can be combined to give average density, and additional methods are beginning to give diagnostics of atmospheric composition. When this work can be extended to rocky and low mass exoplanets, and the imprint of biology on a global atmosphere can be measured, this might be the way that life beyond Earth is finally detected for the first time.
The Routledge International Handbook of Religious Education, edited by Derek H. Davis & Elena Miroshnikova

Timely and timeless. These are two words that aptly describe The Routledge International Handbook of Religious Education. As the first of its kind, this handbook is a timely contribution to the stu...
LOW-FIELD MAGNETORESISTANCE ANISOTROPY IN STRAINED ULTRATHIN Pr0.67Sr0.33MnO3 FILMS

We have studied the anisotropic low-field magnetoresistance (LFMR)in ultrathin Pr0.67Sr0.33MnO3(PSMO) films epitaxially grown on LaAlO3(LAO), STiO3(STO), and NdGaO3(NGO)substrates which impose compressive, tensile, and nearly-zero strains in the films. The compressively-strained films show a very large negative LFMR in a perpendicular magnetic field and a much smaller MR in a parallel field, while the tensile-strain films show positive LFMR in a perpendicular field and negative MR in a parallel field. The results are interpreted based on the strain-induced magnetic anisotropy.
A System of Neglect: Indian Boarding Schools

This paper examines the frustrations and dilemmas present in maintaining separate schools for Indian children. The diversity of approaches in these schools, the problems of acculturation, and a history of poor individual academic and emotional adjustment suggest that a reformulation of tasks and priorities be undertaken that emphasizes creative solutions to special needs. Counseling services that are more peer-oriented, as well as multifaceted supportive services, are recommended. The authors also discuss such issues as intertribal rivalry and student apathy.
On the relationship of information theory and electromagnetism

Limitations imposed by the laws of electromagnetism on achievable MIMO channel capacity are studied in its general form. The approach is a two-fold one. First, the channel correlation argument is used to demonstrate that the minimum antenna spacing under any scattering conditions is at least half a wavelength. Secondly, using a plane-wave spectrum expansion of a generic electromagnetic wave combined with the Nyquist sampling theorem in the spatial domain, we show that the laws of electromagnetism limit the minimum antenna spacing to half a wavelength, /spl lambda//2, (in the case of 1-D antenna apertures) only asymptotically, when the number of antennas n/spl rarr//spl infin/. For a finite number of antennas, this limit is slightly less than /spl lambda//2. In any case, the number of antennas and, consequently, the MIMO capacity is limited for a given aperture size. This is a scenario-independent limit.
The great game in Kashgaria. British and Russian missions to Yakub Beg

The modern history of Xinjiang dates from the Mohammedan rebellion of the 60s and 70s of the last century. This rebellion, affecting several provinces of China proper as well as Chinese Turkestan, severely shook the decaying Manchu Dynasty. Millions of Chinese were massacred, and when the reconquering armies advanced they massacred in revenge until wide territories were laid waste that to the present day have not recovered their population.
Progress in developing polymerized crystalline colloidal array sensors for point-of-care detection of myocardial ischemia

The difficulty of rapid, definitive diagnosis of myocardial ischemia leads to unnecessary hospital admissions and treatment delays. Previously, decreased metal binding affinity in human serum was investigated as a marker for myocardial ischemia. Polymerized Crystalline Colloidal Array (PCCA) sensors for Ni2+ may be useful in developing a point-of-care test to determine metal binding affinity in plasma and to help rule out myocardial ischemia. PCCA sensors for Ni2+, with 5-amino-8-hydroxyquinoline as a chelating agent, were tested in aqueous solutions and diluted human plasma. The peak wavelength diffracted by the sensors was monitored by reflectance spectrometry and correlated with Ni2+ concentration. The PCCA sensors show a linear response to aqueous Ni2+ concentrations between 0.2 and 1.0 mmol L−1, and can detect changes in free Ni2+ concentration of <60 µmol L−1. The sensors respond at physiologic pH and can be reversibly dehydrated. The PCCA sensors developed here can report on free Ni2+ concentration in the presence of human plasma. These sensors can be used to detect a decrease in the Ni2+ affinity of plasma proteins, which may indicate recent myocardial ischemia. PCCA sensors offer a practical approach to rapid, point-of-care detection of a proposed biochemical signature of myocardial ischemia.
Boussingault versus ville: The social, political and scientific aspects of their disputes

Summary A feature of mid-nineteenth century scientific debates in France on the subject of plant nutrition was the rivalry, at times acrimonious, between Jean Baptiste Boussingault and Georges Ville. It started in 1848 when Ville was demonstrator to Boussingault, who held one of the two chairs of agriculture at the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers. A study of their disputes serves to illustrate their mutual incompatibility, exacerbated by the patronage extended to Ville by his step-brother, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, afterwards Napoleon III. Their disputes were not merely the result of personal differences but also accompanied the development of two concepts of plant nutrition, namely the role of atmospheric nitrogen. and its possible assimilation by plants, and the chemical nature of plant nutrients, especially nitrates and phosphates.
Diurnal rhythms in developing ducts of the mouse mammary gland

DNA synthesis (LI) and mitotic activity (MI) were studied at different times of the day in the developing mammary gland end bud of the postnatal mouse. Both LI and MI displayed a clear diurnal variation. Animals studied at the middle of the 12-hr dark cycle showed a LI 2.1-2.6 times that of the tissue from the middle of the 12-hr light cycle. Intermediate values were obtained in tissue sampled midway between these extremes. Mitotic activity was studied 4 hr after the peak and trough of LI and exhibited a corresponding variation. These diurnal vdle of the 12-hr dark cycle showed a LI 2.1-2.6 times that of the tissue from the middle of the 12-hr light cycle. Intermediate values were obtained in tissue sampled midway between these extremes. Mitotic activity was studied 4 hr after the peak and trough of LI and exhibited a corresponding variation. These diurnal vdle of the 12-hr dark cycle showed a LI 2.1-2.6 times that of the tissue from the middle of the 12-hr light cycle. Intermediate values were obtained in tissue sampled midway between these extremes. Mitotic activity was studied 4 hr after the peak and trough of LI and exhibited a corresponding variation. These diurnal variations may be related to cyclic changes in secretion of pituitary hormones or other peptide growth factors, but variation between individual end buds in the same animal is more likely a result of morphogenetic interactions at the tissue level.
Race, insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in chronic hepatitis C

Hepatic steatosis is common in chronic hepatitis C and has been linked to concurrent obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, disease severity, and poor response to therapy. Racial differences in rates of obesity and diabetes may contribute to racial differences in hepatic steatosis and treatment response. The aim of the present study was to compare hepatic steatosis and its associations between African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1, participating in a prospective study of peginterferon and ribavirin therapy. Liver biopsy results were available from 194 AA patients and 205 CA patients. The 2 groups were compared for anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical features and insulin resistance estimated by the homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA-IR). Sixty-one percent of the AA patients and 65% of the CA patients had hepatic steatosis (P = 0.38). In univariable analysis, steatosis was associated with HOMA-IR, body mass index, waist circumference, serum triglycerides, aminotransferase level, and histological scores for inflammation and fibrosis. After adjusting for these features, AA patients had a lower risk of steatosis than did CA patients (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32-0.91, P = 0.02). Insulin resistance but not steatosis was associated with a lower rate of sustained virological response when adjusted for known factors that predict response (relative risk 0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99, P = 0.028). Conclusion: After adjusting for the higher prevalence of features associated with hepatic steatosis, AA patients had a lower prevalence of hepatic steatosis than did CA patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1. Insulin resistance but not steatosis was independently associated with lower sustained virological response. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;45:80–87.)
IFRS Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: A Follow-Up Study of Employer Expectations for Undergraduate Accounting Majors

Although the most recent International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) work plan report from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission no longer includes a timetable for the U.S. adoption of global financial accounting standards, experts predict that the United States will transition to some form of convergence later this decade. In anticipation of the likely change, explicit coverage of IFRS was added to the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination in 2011. To identify what it will take for students to become IFRS-ready, this research continues a multiyear exploration into key IFRS student learning objectives, their relative importance, and strategies for incorporating them into the undergraduate accounting curriculum. Survey results suggest employer expectations have evolved.
Surface tension enhancement of TRIM sputtering yields for liquid metal targets

Abstract A critical part of all models of physical sputtering is the magnitude of the attractive interaction of a surface atom with the bulk, the surface binding energy, which is often equated to the heat of sublimation, independent of temperature and regardless of the state of aggregation of the target. Sputtering occurs when target particles which are accelerated by atomic collisions caused by an incident energetic projectile, reach the surface with enough energy to overcome the surface binding energy. This surface binding energy influences sputtering in two ways: (1) it acts as a barrier which must be overcome by the escaping atoms and so affects the sputtering yield, and (2) its directional properties influence the directions taken by the ejected target atoms. Lower surface binding energies increase the sputtering yield, while higher surface binding energies reduce the sputtering yield. The thermodynamics of liquid surfaces is used to determine the temperature dependence of surface tension and thus the binding energy of atoms in the liquid surface. Liquid lithium and gallium have surface tensions that follow the same universal function of T / T c observed for most simple atomic liquids. The decrease of surface binding energy with increasing target temperature is calculated, and the TRIM code is then used to determine the resulting increase in sputtering yield with temperature as functions of the incident angle for these targets under bombardment by low energy deuteron projectiles.
Prostaglandins, Kinins and the Regulation of Blood Pressure

Prostaglandins participate in the regulation of vascular reactivity and blood pressure by opposing the vasoconstrictor and antinatriuretic actions of pressor hormones, and by moderating the release of norepinephrine from vasoconstrictor nerves. Blood vessels synthesize prostaglandins intramurally, where their local release influences vascular reactivity. PGI2, unlike PGE2, may be a circulating hormone and may influence vascular resistance of organs remote from its site of synthesis. Prostaglandins not only attenuate the effects of vasoconstrictor hormones but also amplify the effects of the kallikrein-kinin system intrarenally and within the vasculature.
Numerical solutions for weakly singular Fredholm integral equations of the second kind

Abstract In this paper, we utilize some recent results concerning the regularity of the solution of weakly singular integral equations of the second kind to transform such equations into equivalent integro-differential equations. Subsequently a numerical method is proposed which provides fast converging numerical approximations.
Alberti on Apelles: Word and image in De Pictura

Alberti'sDe Pictura (1435)—his seminal treatise on the art of painting—is subtly but unmistakeably riven by a fundamental contradiction. Though he aims to show that painting can move the beholder just as powerfully as speech can, that its silent rhetoric of gesture and expression can signify a whole inner world of thoughts and feelings, Alberti cannot sustain the would-be natural link between painted visible sign and invisible signified. Straining as the argument proceeds, the link breaks altogether when Alberti tries to illustrate the power of invention in art with a pointedly edited version of Lucian's description of an allegorical painting by Apelles. Here the expressive power of painting gives way to the regulative, determining power of words. In spite of himself, Alberti at last makes the rhetoric of painting depend on the rhetoric of speech.
BEYOND PERSONALITY TRAITS: A STUDY OF PERSONALITY STATES AND SITUATIONAL CONTINGENCIES IN CUSTOMER SERVICE JOBS

Although the interactionist approach has been applied to understanding situational influences on the expression of personality at work, examination of within-person variation in personality trait expression in the workplace is lacking. Using experience sampling methodology, this study examined the moment-to-moment influences of situational characteristics on personality states (i.e., situational contingencies) during social interactions on 56 customer service employees over 10 days at work. At the within-individual level, state Conscientiousness was associated with the immediacy of the task, and state Extraversion and Agreeableness were associated with the friendliness of the other party in the interaction. At the between-individual level, self-monitoring did not moderate the associations between situational characteristics and personality states but predicted the mean level of state Conscientiousness at work over and above trait Conscientiousness. Contrary to expectations, the relationship between state Extraversion and friendliness was weaker in customized service jobs than in noncustomized ones.
Presidential Politics and the Resurgence of Health Care Reform

Health care reform is back in vogue as the 2008 election approaches. Jonathan Oberlander writes that the issue is playing out very differently in the parties' presidential primaries. Jonathan Oberlander discusses the health care plans of the presidential candidates and the striking differences between the two parties' approaches to health care reform.
Malignancy hypercalcemia: evaluation of parathyroid function and response to treatment.

ABSTRACT In 53 patients with malignancy- associated hypercalcemia, we measured serum parathyroid hormone. (PTH) with an immuno-radiometric assay (ERMA) for intact PTH and a midregion-specific radioimmunoassay (RIA). Values were measured at baseline to detect clinically unrecognized hyperparathyroidism and after treatment with intravenous bisphosphonate to test for a parathyroid response. One patient probably had primary hyperparathyroidism, since his serum PTH values were not appropriately suppressed at baseline and increased markedly during treatment before normocalcemia was achieved. In each of the 51 other evaluable cases, the intact PTH value was suppressed below 25 pg/ml (normal range 10-55 pg/ ml), confirming a nonparathyroid hypercalcemia. Midregion PTH values were less fully suppressed but supported the diagnosis in 44 out of 49 cases. The five patients with high midregion PTH values each had renal insufficiency but in four, the intact PTH values were also the highest we observed in these patients. This suggests either a poorly suppressible intact PTH secretion or prolongation of intact PTH half-life by the renal insufficiency. Overall, midregion and intact PTH values were highly correlated (p
Theoretical analysis of hydrostatic implodable cylindrical volumes with solid inner structures

Abstract The basic analytical theory for hydrostatically caused implosions of spherical volumes, which has been known for nearly a century, has been extended for the treatment of cylindrical volumes with deformable solid inner structures. Theoretical analyses are developed that treat the inner structure as infinitely hard, elastically deformable, plastically deformable or shattering under the influence of the pressure from the surrounding implosion event. Parametric studies are made of the effect of the inner structure’s geometric and material properties on the pressure field of the surrounding water. Results are compared with a previous study that focused on spherical volumes.
Molecular Dynamics Investigation of the Nucleation Barrier and Prefactor in the Freezing of (NaCl)108 Clusters

Nucleation rates for the freezing of molten clusters of salt were determined in molecular dynamics simulations at 400, 500, 525, 550, and 580 K. These were analyzed in terms of the free energy of formation of the critical nucleus implied by the classical theory of homogeneous nucleation and by the diffuse interface theory of Granasy. Both the classical prefactor based on activated diffusion across the interface and the Grant−Gunton prefactor were examined. When each formulation of nucleation theory was adjusted to force J(T) to agree with the simulation at 525 K, the calculated rates corresponding to the four combinations of prefactor and exponential factor diverged rapidly from each other as the temperature departed from 525 K. This extreme incompatibility of the different formulations of nucleation theory was due as much to the different prefactors as to the different nucleation barriers. Such an incompatibility has been paid little heed, partly because it is less evident in studies at less extreme supe...
Mutual admittance of infinite slot antennas

Results are presented for the mutual admittance of a pair of slots in an infinite conducting plane which is covered by a dielectric layer and an impedance sheet.
Alkalinization of lidocaine 2% does not influence the quality of epidural anaesthesia for elective caesarean section.

This double-blind randomized study compared the effects of an epidural injection of lidocaine hydrochloride 2% (HCl) (Group I), alkalinized lidocaine 2% (1 ml NaHCO3 per 10 ml of solution) injected either immediately (Group 2) or one hour after preparation (Group 3) in 45 parturients (n = 15 per group) scheduled for elective Caesarean section. Each patient received 16 ml of one of the three solutions. The mean pH values measured just before administration with a pH- meter PHM 64 Metrohm AG were 6.77 for the HCl lidocaine 2% solution, 7.34 for the freshly alkalinized solution and 7.35 for the solution prepared one hour before injection. The median maximal sensory level (range) observed was T3 (Tg− C7), T4 (T5−C8) and T4 (T6− C6), obtained after 19 ± 6 min, 18 ± 8 min and 16 ± 6 min respectively for each group. A motor block of grade 2 or 3 on the Bromage scale was obtained in 11, 10 and 14 patients respectively. No failure was observed although 3, 5, and 2 patients in Groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively required a supplementary bolus 20 min after the initial injection because of inadequate sensory level or pain at the operative site. In conclusion, this study shows that neither fresh alkalinization of 2% lidocaine nor the delay of one hour between preparation and injection of the alkalinized solution influences the onset or quality of epidural anaesthesia for elective Caesarean section.
An anti-χ-1 antibody recognizes a heavily glycosylated protein in rat brain

Abstract The χ-1 subunit is a recently identified member of a new class of the ionotropic glutamate receptor family that attenuates NMDA receptor current. We have generated a polyclonal C-terminal antibody to the χ-1 subunit which recognizes a 135-kDa protein in membranes prepared from χ-1 transfected HEK-293 cells and in rat brain. In the post-natal day 7 (P7) rat brain, Western blot analysis revealed a 135-kDa band in the thalamus and cortex but not the striatum, cerebellum or peripheral tissues. De-glycosylation of the χ-1 subunit in both transfected cell lines and in the brain reduced the 135-kDa band to 110 kDa, near the predicted molecular weight of the χ-1 subunit. These studies demonstrate the χ-1 subunit is expressed as a glycosylated protein subunit in a distribution that parallels that observed for χ-1 mRNA by in situ hybridization.
Redefining Efficiency: Pollution Concerns, Regulatory Mechanisms, and Technological Change in the U.S. Petroleum Industry . By Hugh S. Gorman. Series on Technology and the Environment. Series Editors, Jeffrey Stine, and Joel Tarr. Akron, OH: University of Akron Press, 2001. Pp. xv, 451. $49.95, cloth; $39.95, paper.

In this well-written, documented, and technically complete book, Hugh Gorman describes the response of the American petroleum industry to pollution over the course of the twentieth century. The industry, which grew and matured during this period as an integral part of modern industrialization, faced serious, and often dramatic pollution problems. They were inherent in production from common oil pools that encouraged haste, waste, and excessive surface storage; in transportation through pipelines and tanker trucks and ships; and in refining and storing complex hydrocarbons that easily escaped into the air, soil, or aquifers. Reaction to pollution brought new technologies, organizational forms, firm collaboration, and regulation—all of which are described and documented from primary and secondary sources throughout this volume. Gorman partitions efforts to address pollution into two “ethics”—an efficiency ethic that characterized industry action through the 1960s and an environmental ethic that came into being in the 1970s. The efficiency ethic describes antipollution efforts to reduce the costly wastes associated with extraction and shipment, including saving lost oil from “gusher” wells and leaky tanks and pipelines, as well as capturing natural gas and water voided in production that could be re-injected and used to propel oil to the surface. Efficiency also required greater productivity and less waste in refining through reducing vapor and hydrocarbon discharges and recycling acids and other chemicals. The firms could capture the benefits of internalizing the externalities associated with these pollutants. In tables 2.1 and 4.3 Gorman lists some of the pollution and waste-related problems encountered in oil production, shipment, and refining that were addressed effectively by firms without much government intervention. He describes the role of the major trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, in generating information for oil firms to reduce externalities.
Matrix Isolation and Density Functional Study of the Reaction of OVCl3 with CH3OH: Synthesis and Characterization of Cl2V(O)OCH3

The matrix isolation technique has been employed to investigate the reaction of OVCl3 with CH3OH. Using twin jet deposition, the initial intermediate in the mechanism was identified as a weakly bound molecular complex. This species is characterized by perturbations to the C−O, VO, and V−Cl stretching modes. Merged jet deposition, with a room-temperature reaction zone, led to complete conversion to Cl2V(O)OCH3, the second intermediate in the reaction sequence, through HCl elimination from the initial complex. This species was identified by use of extensive isotopic labeling, the observation of HCl as an additional reaction product, and by comparison to density functional calculations. All of the fundamental vibrational modes of this species that lie above 400 cm-1 were observed, some with very high intensities. Heating the reaction zone above 150 °C led to destruction of this intermediate, and production of both CH2O and CH3Cl.
High-Frequency Resistance of Photoconducting Films

Measurements of high-frequency (hf) resistance and photoconductivity have been performed on PbTe infrared photocells, and interpreted in the light of a recent analysis of hf resistance of thin films. Hf data show the presence of macroscopic nonuniformity in the photoconducting layers which decreases upon illumination. Since this technique will not detect the presence of inter crystallite barriers, their action in photoconductivity can neither be proved nor disproved by this method.
Collaborator of Stat6 (CoaSt6)-associated Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Activity Modulates Stat6-dependent Gene Transcription

The transcription factor Stat6 plays a critical role in interleukin-4-dependent gene activation. To mediate this function, Stat6 recruits canonical transcriptional co-activators including the histone acetyl transferases CREB-binding protein and NCoA-1 and other proteins such as a p100 co-factor. However, much remains unknown regarding the constituents of Stat6 enhancer complexes, and the exact molecular events that modulate Stat6-dependent gene activation are not fully understood. Recently, we identified a novel co-factor, CoaSt6 (collaborator of Stat6), which associates with Stat6 and enhances its transcriptional activity. Sequence homologies place CoaSt6 in a superfamily of poly(ADP-ribosyl)polymerase (PARP)-like proteins. We have demonstrated here that PARP enzymatic activity is associated with CoaSt6, and this function of CoaSt6 can append ADP-ribose to itself and p100. Further, we show that a catalytically inactive mutant of CoaSt6 was unable to enhance Stat6-mediated transcription of a test promoter. Consistent with these findings, chemical inhibition of PARP activity blocked interleukin-4-dependent transcription from target promoters in vivo. Taken together, we have identified a CoaSt6-associated PARP activity and provided evidence for a role of poly(ADP ribosyl)ation in Stat-mediated transcriptional responses involving a novel PARP.
Partial denervation of amphibian skeletal muscle does not induce neuronal growth at the node of Ranvier.

Abstract Following partial denervation of a striated muscle sprouting occurs at the nodes of Ranvier and terminal arborizations of the intact motor neurons. We studied the sprouting response of intact frog ( Rana pipiens ) motor neurons to partial denervation of the cutaneous pectoris muscle (CP). In the 5–19 days following partial denervation of the CP muscle, tetranitroblue tetrazolium-stained motor neurons exhibited sprouting. However, the mixed response of both nodal and terminal sprouting characteristic to mammalian muscle was replaced by a preferential response of only terminal sprouting. Histological examination showed that in many cases these terminal sprouts appeared to reinnervate abandoned junctional sites on adjacent denervated fibers. Given that nodal sprouting failed to occur for the duration of the experiment, these preliminary results suggest that the cues responsible for nodal sprout formation in the amphibian may differ from those in the mammal.
Valuing Hospital Library Services: One Small Step for a Solo

This article describes an evaluation tool developed for mediated literature searches in a hospital library. Data was collected to establish a dollar value for literature searches, and to document the impact these searches had on patient care activities.
Graphical displays of synchronization of tactical units

To maximize combat readiness, the U.S. Army employs highly instrumented combat ranges for training troops under the most realistic possible conditions. Many of these ranges accommodate force-on-force battles, including simulated firings of weapons and of kills against the opponent; the physical variables used in these simulated kills (times of events, locations of players) are then available for computer replays, as well as investigations of the effects of changes to some battle details. This paper describes the use of player and event time-location data to visually portray some aspects of synchronization of forces, one of the classic (and current) battlefield tenets.
Electrochemical oxidation of 1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation of 1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid at the pyrolytic graphite electrode has been studied in aqueous solution over a wide pH range. At all pH values a single voltammetric oxidation peak is observed at potentials considerably more positive than are observed for other uric acid derivatives. The pH-independent voltammetric peak is due to a primary 2 e −1 oxidation of tetramethyluric acid to a very unstable quinonoid dication. Rapid attack by water leads to formation of the 4,5-epoxide of tetramethyluric acid. This then slowly hydrates further giving the corresponding 4,5-diol which in turn rapidly fragments into numerous products. At pH 3 it cleaves across the C(4)N(3) bond to yield, ultimately, 2,4-dimethyl-5-hydroxyhydantoin-5-N-methylcarboxamide. The remaining products formed between pH 2 and 9 suggest that the 4,5-diol undergoes a ring contraction reaction leading to 1-hydroxy-5-carbo-hydroxy-2,4,6,8-tetraaza-2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-3,7-dioxo-bicyclo-(3.3.0)-octane which then decomposes to tetramethylallantoin (pH > 3), 2,4-dimethylalloxanic acid, 2,4-dimethyl-5-carboxy-5-N-methylaminohydantoin, 2,4-dimethyl-5-hydroxyhydantoin, dimethylurea and N-methylcarbamic acid.
Feature-based attention promotes biological motion recognition

Motion perception is important for visually segregating and identifying objects from their surroundings, but in some cases extracting motion cues can be taxing to the human attention system. We measured the strength of feature salience required for individuals to correctly judge three types of moving events: biological motion, coherent motion, and multiple object tracking. The motion animations were embedded within a larger Gabor grid and constructed such that motion was conveyed by a salient single-feature dimension (second order) or by alternating across equisalient feature dimensions (third order). In the single-feature displays, we found biological motion to require less difference in the Gabor features (relative to background) to yield equivalent task performance as the coherent motion or multiple object tracking. This main effect of feature magnitude may reflect the inherent salience of biological motion as a visual stimulus. In the alternating-feature displays, both the biological motion and coherent motion discriminations needed additional salience, as compared to the single-feature displays, to achieve threshold discrimination levels. Accuracy in the multiple object tracking task did not vary as a function of salience. Together, these findings demonstrate the effectiveness with which attention-based motion mechanisms operate in complex dynamic sequences and argue for a critical role of feature-based attention in promoting biological motion perception.
Groups with a character of large degree relative to a normal subgroup

Abstract Let N be a normal subgroup of a finite group G and θ be an irreducible character of N which is fixed by the conjugation action of G. Let χ be an irreducible character of G that restricts to a multiple of θ on N. Then d = χ ( 1 ) / θ ( 1 ) is an integer which divides | G : N | and has | G : N | ≥ d 2 . We can thus write | G / N | = d ( d + e ) for a non-negative integer e and ask what can be said about d and G / N for a given e. This is a generalization of a problem considered by Snyder [12] where he takes d to an irreducible character degree of G and writes | G | = d ( d + e ) . Berkovich has shown in [1] that if e = 1 , then G is a sharply 2-transitive group. For e ≠ 1 , Snyder shows in [12] that d is bounded by a function of e. This bound is later improved by Isaacs in [7] and then by Durfee and Jensen in [2] and Lewis in [9] . In this more general version of the problem, we will work under the assumption that G / N is solvable. We will show that for e > 0 , if d > ( e − 1 ) 2 then e divides d and d / e + 1 is a prime power. If in addition, either d > e 5 − e , ( d / e , e ) = 1 , or ( d / e + 1 , e ) = 1 then there exist groups X, Y with N ⊆ X ◁ Y ⊆ G such that Y / X is a sharply 2-transitive group of order ( d / e ) ( d / e + 1 ) .
An electron microscope and autoradiographic study of the calciferous glands of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris.

The actively-secreting cells of the calciferous glands ofLumbricus terrestris are roughly dome shaped. The basal part of the cell consists of numerous interdigitating cell processes. These processes contain numerous mitochondria and membranous infoldings, forming vesicles which migrate to various regions of the cell. The nucleus is irregular and centrally located. The supranuclear region is occupied to a great extent by the rough endoplasmic reticulum, several Golgi complexes and numerous granules derived from the Golgi complexes. These granules enlarge and are extruded into the gland sinus, where they eventually become reorganized and mineralized to give rise to spheroliths.
A new global satellite-based sea surface temperature climatology

A new approach to the generation of a global sea surface temperature (SST) climatology from satellite data is presented. This work is an extension of Casey and Cornillon [1999] who demonstrated the overall superiority of constructing a global climatology using exclusively advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) Pathfinder satellite SST data vs. blended in situ/satellite data. In this implementation, a global pentad (five day) climatology was derived from daily 9 km AVHRR Pathfinder SST data through Gaussian interpolation and averaging. Performance of this climatology with respect to the Casey 9 km pentad satellite and Reynolds 1° monthly climatologies was then investigated by examining the standard deviation of the anomaly data set constructed by subtracting climatological SST observations from co-located long-term in situ SST observations. In all areas examined this new climatology, hereafter referred to as the JPL pentad climatology, demonstrated modest improvements over the other climatologies.
Contingent information processing: contingent and precued classification.

An experimental paradigm of contingent classification is introduced, in which stimuli in a classification task are cued by the addition of another dimension so that the classification is reduced to the discrimination of just two stimuli. The contingencies are arranged so that the cuing dimension provides no response information. Equivalent contingencies can be arranged by precuing in advance of the stimulus. Four experiments explored this paradigm with a discrete reaction task, using stimuli C, O, L, and T. In Experiment 1, with no additional cuing dimension, it was established that classification and discrimination based on the curved-straight distinction are easier than those not permitting its use. In Experiment 2, color was added as a cuing dimension, with both easy and hard classification tasks, in the latter case using contingencies that produced easy or hard discriminations. There was no improvement in performance with any of the contingent classifications. In Experiment 3, lateral location was used as a cuing dimension with a hard classification task, and in this case performance improved with a contingency that produced easy discriminations, but performance was not nearly as good as with the equivalent discrimination tasks alone. In Experiment 4, precuing of 500 msec was used with a hard classification task, and performance improved almost to the level of the equivalent tasks, for both easy and hard discriminations. It is suggested that the use or nonuse of the contingent relations is best explained as due to the use of optional attentional allocation.
Atrioventricular nodal supraventricular tachycardia.

Abstract Most patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) have atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant SVT using the slow AV nodal pathway for anterograde conduction and the fast pathway for retrograde conduction. Patients with dual pathways may rarely have a form of SVT in which anterograde conduction occurs over the fast pathway and retrograde conduction occurs over the slow pathway. 1 Recent reports suggest the unusual form of AV nodal reentry really represents a tachycardia using the normal AV node anterogradely and a bypass tract with AV nodal-like properties retrogradely. 2 Therefore, we report a patient with unusual AV nodal SVT accompanied by infra-Hisian block during the tachycardia, which excludes the possibility of such a bypass tract.
Reflections on music and meaning: Metaphor, signification and control in the Bulgarian case

Musical meaning is examined from three perspectives, with ethnographic examples from Bulgarian music. First, music's significance for human life and its very nature are understood through metaphorical predication ‐for example, music is art; music is social behaviour; music is commodity; music is symbol or text. Interpretations of musical signification result from processes of identity, iconicity, association and contrast, which help to create multiple meanings for music. Finally, while states and other institutions often try to control music's meaning, its polyvalent nature and the differing social and historical positions of its interpreters militate against all such efforts.
Runge-Kutta Methods for Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Stiff Relaxation Terms

Underresolved numerical schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws with stiff relaxation terms may generate unphysical spurious numerical results or reduce to lower order if the small relaxation time is not temporally well-resolved. We design a second-order Runge-Kutta type splitting method that possesses the discrete analogue of the continuous asymptotic limit, which thus is able to capture the correct physical behaviors with high order accuracy, even if the initial layer and the small relaxation time are not numerically resolved.
A method for generation of machining and fixturing features from design features

In current CAD/CAE systems, feature-based design is a popular method for generating product models. To generate feature information for manufacturing or other downstream applications from this product model, the feature information generated during design is extremely useful. A method is presented in this paper, where attributes are used to generate design feature information. This information is used as the driving factor for the generation of machining and fixturing features. Heuristics-based methods are explored for volume decomposition and composition, which are the intermediate steps used to generate machining features. The generation of alternative machining features is followed by evaluation in the form of various tests. Attribute-driven rules are used eventually to find machining features. Fixtufing features are generated by considering forces and moments involved in machining. This methodology of generating application features using design information is known as feature recovery. A prototype feature recovery system has been designed and implemented to demonstrate the feature recovery method.
A more sensitive and specific radioenzymatic assay for catecholamines

This modification of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) based radioenzymatic assay for norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) improves sensitivity, selectivity and eliminates many inhibitors of COMT. Prior to assay, samples are extracted into heptane with diphenylborate, then into dilute acetic acid. This extraction procedure has an efficiency of 78% for NE but less than 2% for S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). The extraction procedure also excludes calcium and other COMT inhibitors present in urine, plasma and every tissue tested. This eliminates the requirement for individual standardization of tissue and urine samples. Sensitivity of the assay for NE and E is 10 and 6 pg/ml respectively in 1 ml of plasma. The intraassay coefficients of variation for NE and E are 4 and 13% and the interassay coefficients of variation for NE and E are 10 and 16% in a human plasma sample containing low catecholamine levels. The assay permits quantitation of plasma E levels that were undetectable in prior assays.
Evaluation of TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) and Its Utility in Hydrologic Prediction in the La Plata Basin

Abstract Satellite-based precipitation estimates with high spatial and temporal resolution and large areal coverage provide a potential alternative source of forcing data for hydrological models in regions where conventional in situ precipitation measurements are not readily available. The La Plata basin in South America provides a good example of a case where the use of satellite-derived precipitation could be beneficial. This study evaluates basinwide precipitation estimates from 9 yr (1998–2006) of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA; 3B42 V.6) through comparison with available gauged data and the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) semidistributed hydrology model applied to the La Plata basin. In general, the TMPA estimates agreed well with the gridded gauge data at monthly time scales, most likely because of the monthly adjustment to gauges performed in TMPA. The agreement between TMPA and gauge precipitation estimates was reduced at daily time scal...
Comparing Human and Neural Network Learning of Climate Categories

This study compares how humans and neural networks classify climate types. Human subjects were asked to classify climates from monthly temperature and precipitation patterns. To model their learning process, the same data were used to produce input vectors that trained a pattern associator neural network. Both human subjects and the neural network classified climates accurately after 10 rounds of supervised learning. The neural network successfully modeled the rate of human learning and the ability to learn specific climate categories. Moreover, the neural network weights used to classify climates correspond to distinct visual characteristics in temperature and precipitation. These results suggest that neural networks can model the formation of visual categories.