cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Effects of Visual, Motor, Mental, and Guided Practice upon Speed and Accuracy of Performing a Simple Eye-Hand Coordination Task

Abstract Six different groups of ten male university students were each given a one-minute speed test-retest on a three-hole stylus punchboard. To compare the effects of visual, motor, mental, and guided practice upon the speed and accuracy of the performance of a simple eye-hand coordination task, five groups received different types of practice between the tests. One group acted as a control and read between tests. The control, motor practice, and reversed-visual practice groups significantly improved performance in terms of correct hits and the total number of trials; they did not, however, reduce their number of errors. The visual and mental practice groups reduced their total number of errors and also increased their performance significantly in terms of correct hits and total number of trials. It was concluded that visual practice and mental practice improved accuracy on a punchboard learning task, whereas motor practice and guided practice did not.
Stress and Strain Analysis and Measurement

The engineering design of structures using polymers requires a thorough knowledge of the basic principles of stress and strain analysis and measurement. Readers of this book should have a fundamental knowledge of stress and strain from a course in elementary solid mechanics and from an introductory course in materials. Therefore, we do not rigorously derive from first principles all the necessary concepts. However, in this chapter we provide a review of the fundamentals and lay out consistent notation used in the remainder of the text. It should be emphasized that the interpretations of stress and strain distributions in polymers and the properties derived from the standpoint of the traditional analysis given in this chapter are approximate and not applicable to viscoelastic polymers under all circumstances. By comparing the procedures discussed in later chapters with those of this chapter, it is therefore possible to contrast and evaluate the differences.
Chapter 4 Tracking the Interaction of Transition Metal Ions with Environmental Interfaces using Second Harmonic Generation

Abstract Surfaces and interfaces are ubiquitous in the environment. Nonlinear optical (NLO) techniques, such as second harmonic and sum frequency generation (SHG and SFG, respectively), allow for highly sensitive surface measurements under environmentally relevant temperature and solute concentration conditions. In this work, we present three experimental studies that demonstrate how NLO methods can be used to investigate the interaction of manganese and chromate ions with environmental interfaces. The environmental implications of this work are discussed in the context of understanding heterogeneous processes in geomedia.
Statistical Analysis of Failure in Polymer Matrix Composites

A 3D NURBS-based interface-enriched generalized FEM (NIGFEM) is developed to analyze problems with complex, discontinuous gradient fields commonly observed in the structural analysis of heterogeneous materials, with emphasis on polymer matrix composites. In the proposed approach, the mesh generation process is significantly simplified by utilizing simple structured meshes that do not conform to the complex microstructure of the heterogeneous media. In the current study, we utilize the NIGFEM scheme to study the impact of microstructural statistics on the initiation and evolution of the damage in polymer matrix composites. For this purpose, we incorporate a three-parameter continuum damage model into our NIGFEM solver to capture the failure response of the matrix in a unidirectional composite layer. Finally, through an example, the results of a preliminary study of the correlation between some statistical measures of the microstructure and the damage behavior of the fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites are presented.
Campaign Finance Levels as Coordinating Signals in Three-Way, Experimental Elections

If (often costly) election campaigns are simply advertising, they do not increase social welfare directly. Given this, should we limit campaign expenditures? We propose that costly campaigns can inform voters about the strength of candidates. This may increase welfare indirectly by helping voters avoid coordination failures. In laboratory elections, we study campaign finance levels as coordinating signals and compare them with our earlier work on polls. Both coordinate majority voters effectively, allowing them to stop Condorcet losers from winning. Finance levels were rational in that the total benefits of coordination exceeded the costs. Further, benefits of typical incremental contributions exceeded costs ex-post, while the next typical increment's benefits would not have.
Der IFRS Goodwill Impairment Test

Mit der Einfuhrung des § 315a HGB gewinnt die seit Jahren in Deutschland auf dem Vormarsch befindliche internationale Rechnungslegung noch mehr an Bedeutung. Deutsche borsennotierte Unternehmen mussen seit 2005 zwingend ihre Konzernabschlusse nach IAS/IFRS aufstellen. Andere konzernrechnungslegungspflichtige Unternehmen durfen alternativ zu den Regelungen des HGB den Konzernabschluss nach IAS/IFRS aufstellen. Einer Minderheit der deutschen kapitalmarktorientierten Unternehmen ist aufgrund von Art. 57 EGHGB noch bis 2007 die Konzernabschlusserstellung nach HGB bzw. US-GAAP erlaubt, danach ist aber IAS/IFRS verpflichtend anzuwenden.
Conversations between Anthropologists and Economists

Interdisciplinary citation patterns and other indicators of the flow and sharing of academic knowledge suggest that economists and anthropologists do not talk to each other. Previous studies of this puzzling trend have typically attributed the problem to methodological differences between the two disciplines. Although there are significant differences between economics and anthropology in behavioral assumptions and modes of inquiry, similar differences exist between them and other disciplines (some with much heavier volumes of cross-citations with economics or anthropology), suggesting that the source of the problem lies elsewhere. This paper considers the problem at a deeper level by examining systematic differences in the preferences, capabilities, and literary cultures of economists and anthropologists. Adopting a rhetorical perspective, I consider not the firms, households, or tribes as the principal objective of analysis in the two disciplines, but the conversations between these units. These conversations (through non-verbal as well as verbal media) can be grouped into two genres, based on the type of problem they aim to solve. Those in the first genre aim to solve the problem of interest--how to align the incentives of the parties involved. Those in the second genre deal with the problem of knowledge--how to align localized, and dispersed information. Economists are interested and capable of dealing with primarily, if not exclusively, the first genre, and anthropologists focus on the second. This difference has far reaching consequences for how economists and anthropologists conduct their own scholarly conversations with their own colleagues, why they are having difficulty talking to each other across disciplinary boundaries, and what can be done to change the patterns of communication.
Nonlinear Luminescence Quenching in Eu2O3

Abstract We report a laser spectroscopic investigation of saturation effects in the spectra and dynamics of Eu2O3. The saturation effects occur at high laser intensity and appear as dips in the center of the fluorescence excitation lines and as a shortening of the 5D0 excited‐state decay curve. The saturation effects are observed in nanoparticles, micrometer‐sized particles, and a fused crystal of monoclinic‐phase Eu2O3 and in micrometer‐sized particles of cubic‐phase Eu2O3. We attribute the mechanism of the nonlinear luminescence quenching to upconversion by energy transfer.
Are the cerebral ventricles involved in thirst produced by a cholinergic substance

In an attempt to produce a dose-dependent polydipsia, carbachol was chronically infused into the lateral cerebral ventricles of rats. Five drug-schedule combinations were employed and, as a control, saline and norepinephrine infusions were also given. Repeated intraventricular micro-injections, over 26 days, of carbachol and the other compounds failed to produce significant changes in water or food intakes in excess of normal baseline levels. These results suggest that the drinking following the application of carbachol to any of a number of limbic structures is not mediated by the cerebral ventricular route.
VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS IDENTIFY ACTIVE FAULTS IN THE OREGON ACCRETIONARY PRISM

Abstract A multi-channel seismic survey (MCS) yields high resolution images of geologic structures within the Oregon accretionary prism. In addition to revealing the internal geometry of the prism a prominent bottom simulating reflector (BSR) provides indirect estimates of temperature gradients. The BSR marks the phase transition, within the pore space of the sediments, of small amounts of solid gas hydrate above the reflector to free gas below. Although the absolute value of temperature gradients depends on assumptions of gas hydrate stability conditions, velocity functions, and seafloor temperature, relative differences reflecting regional trends and local anomalies are unaffected by the assumptions involved in calculation of temperature gradient from the position of the BSR. Broad-scale landward decreases in temperature gradient reflect the increasing depth to the oceanic crust across the accretionary prism. Correlation of anomalously high temperature gradients with two out-of-sequence thrusts indicates that these structures are currently acting as conduits for warm fluids.
Role of fat metabolism in burn trauma-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Review current evidence on the role of fat in post-trauma insulin resistance, in reference to new studies with peroxisome proliferating activating receptor-alpha agonists. DESIGN: Review. SETTING: University laboratory. PATIENTS: Thirty pediatric burn trauma patients. INTERVENTIONS: Fourteen days of peroxisome proliferating activating receptor-alpha agonist immediately following burn trauma. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured glucose metabolism and fat metabolism via tracer methodology and intracellular measurements. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is impaired following burn trauma, as is intracellular insulin signaling, palmitate oxidation, and mitochondrial oxidative capacity. Furthermore, levels of intracellular lipids are increased. Two weeks of peroxisome proliferating activating receptor-alpha treatment significantly reverses these pathologic changes incurred from burn injury. CONCLUSIONS: Severe burn injury seriously affects multiple aspects of glucose and fat metabolism within the muscle, which can adversely affect clinical outcomes. Treatment with a peroxisome proliferating activating receptor-alpha drug may be a potential new therapeutic option.
Toward a Broader Concept of Marketing's Role in Social Order:

The article by Laczniak and Michie is criticized on several grounds. Their ideas impose narrow, rigid, dictatorial limits on the subject matter and applied services of the marketing field, and acquiesce in a negative view of the nature of marketing. On the contrary, the broadened concept of marketing contributes to desirable social order by fostering social change and encouraging the search for a more truthful description of the relations between marketing words, ideas, and activities.
Abstract 5459: Benzo(a)pyrene biotransformation enzyme expression, activities and metabolite disposition in ApcMinmouse colon and liver is altered by resveratrol exposure.

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Statistics released by the American Cancer society indicates that colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer cases and related deaths in America. In addition to dietary preferences and lifestyle habits, exposure to toxicants such as benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is one of the major contributing factors to the development of sporadic colon cancer. Our laboratory has validated the ApcMin mouse model to study BaP-induced colon carcinogenesis. Ongoing studies in our laboratory are focused towards elucidating the anticarcinogenic effects of resveratrol (RVT) against colon tumors. Our studies thus far have shown a decrease in the incidence, size, and number of adenomas formed in the colon of mice exposed to BaP and RVT, compared to BaP exposure alone. Since biotransformation of toxicants is one of the key steps for initiating carcinogenesis, the objective of this study was to investigate whether RVT exposure simultaneously or prior to BaP treatment alters BaP biotransformation and bioavailability in ApcMin mice. The BaP treatment consisted of BaP-only administration (in peanut oil) at a dose of 100 μg/kg body weight (bw) via oral gavage over a 60 day period (group I); BaP (100 μg/kg bw) co-administered with RVT (in 10% ethanol + 90% deionized water) at a dose of 45 μg/kg bw (group II); RVT administered for 1 week prior to BaP dosing (group III). Blood, colon and liver samples were collected at the end of exposure period. The expression of BaP biotransformation enzymes (CYP1A1, CYP1B1 and GST) in liver and colon were assayed at the level of protein and enzyme activities. Plasma, liver and colon tissue samples were analyzed by reverse phase-HPLC for BaP metabolites. Resveratrol exposure both prior to- and concurrent with BaP exposure caused a decrease in the expression and activity of CYP1A1/1B1 enzymes and an increase in GST enzymes both in liver and colon. Additionally, our studies revealed a decrease in concentrations of organic (Phase I) metabolites in plasma, liver and colon in mice that received RVT + BaP compared to mice that received RVT alone. In contrast, an opposite trend was noted with aqueous (Phase II) metabolites registering an increase in mice that received RVT + BaP compared to mice that received RVT alone. Between the two RVT-treatment strategies, concurrent administration of RVT appeared to limit BaP bioactivation compared to RVT treatment prior to BaP exposure. In summary, our results suggest that RVT provides a preventive effect against BaP-induced colon cancer initiation and progression in ApcMin mice (funded by NIH grants 5T32HL007735-12, 1F31ES019432-01A1 and 5RO1CA142845-O2). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5459. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5459
Scaling Properties and Wave Interactions in Confined Supersonic Turbulent Bluff-Body Wakes

Results are presented from an experimental study that compares the large-scale structure, mean velocities, and scaling properties of confined, supersonic, planar, turbulent, bluff-body wakes at M∞ ≈ 2 and 3 with corresponding results from incompressible wakes. The large-scale structure of incompressible planar turbulent wakes is recovered at downstream locations x where the local relative Mach number Mr(x) has decreased to about 0.4. Interactions between these large-scale structures and reflected expansion waves from the near-field recompression region lead to substantial changes in the scaling properties of the flow. Wave interactions with the flow create local self-induced forcing as the large-scale structures pass through the reflected expansion waves. In the M∞ ≈ 2 wake, a subsonic upstream path exists from the first wave interaction point that allows upstream propagation of the wave-induced forcing, and consequently the measured wake scaling constants match values reported from forced incompressible wakes. In the M∞ ≈ 3 wake, no subsonic upstream path exists from the first interaction point, and as a consequence the measured scaling constants match values reported from unforced incompressible wakes. Downstream of each wave interaction point, the self-induced forcing leads to an increase in the wake growth rate and in the entrainment of free-stream fluid. The wake subsequently detrains this fluid and returns to its original growth rate. This local forcing mechanism and its effects on the wake scaling properties repeat at each downstream location where the reflected expansion waves intersect the wake.
Novel sol–gel process depositing α-Al2O3 for the improvement of graphite oxidation-resistance

Abstract Anhydrous Al 2 O 3 sol was prepared from aluminum isopropoxide as the raw material and diethylene glycol monoethyl ether as the solvent. Peptization of the raw material in the organic solvent was accomplished using acetic acid, which produced a clear, viscous, and stable sol. The spinnable sol, prepared within 30 min, has remained stable for over a year, and crystallizes in the α-Al 2 O 3 structure at 950°C via a single transition phase, γ-Al 2 O 3 . The deposited films synthesized using a modified dip-coating process, were uniform and crack-free, and provided an excellent oxidation resistance for graphite pre-coated with a silicon oxide layer.
Examining attitude in teachers and students: the need to validate questionnaire data

The focus of this article is on the importance of validating research data from questionnaires. This was impressed on us while we were attempting to investigate attitudes and beliefs of students an...
The mechanisms of thermal engineered laser shock peening for enhanced fatigue performance

Abstract Thermal engineered laser shock peening (LSP) is a technique combining warm laser shock peening (WLSP) with subsequent post-shock tempering treatment to optimize the surface strength and fatigue performance of metallic materials. This technique integrates the advantages of LSP, dynamic strain aging (DSA), dynamic precipitation (DP) and post-shock tempering to obtain optimized microstructures for extending fatigue life, such as nanoprecipitates and highly dense dislocations. In this work, AISI 4140 steel is used to evaluate the thermal engineered LSP process. The resulting microstructures as well as mechanical properties are studied under various processing conditions. The mechanism underlying the improvements in fatigue performance is investigated. It is found that the extended fatigue life is mainly caused by the enhanced cyclic stability of compressive residual stress as well as surface strength. This improved material stability and reliability are attributed to the enhanced dislocation pinning effect corresponding to the number density, size and space distribution of nanoprecipitates, which could be tailored by manipulating the WLSP processing conditions and by post-shock tempering. The effects of the precipitate parameters on the precipitation kinetics as well as on the dislocation pinning strength are discussed.
Correlation of the physicochemical properties of symmetric 1,3-dialkoylamidopropane-based cationic lipids containing single primary and tertiary amine polar head groups with in vitro transfection activity

Abstract The physicochemical properties of a novel series of symmetric 1,3-dialkylamidopropane-based cationic amphiphiles [M. Sheikh, J. Feig, B. Gee, S. Li, M. Savva, In vitro lipofection with novel series of symmetric 1,3-dialkoylamidopropane-based cationic surfactants containing single primary and tertiary amine polar head groups, Chem. Phys. Lipids 124 (2003) 49–61] were studied by several techniques, in an effort to correlate cationic lipid structure with transfection efficacy. It was found that only the unsubstituted amine and tertiary amine dioleoyl derivatives 1,3lmp5 and 1,3lmt5, respectively, mediated in vitro transfection activity in the absence of helper lipids. This activity pattern was consistent with ethidium bromide fluorescence quenching studies, which indicated that only these two derivatives bound to and efficiently condense plasmid DNA at physiological pH. Dynamic light scattering indicated that lipoplexes made by these two cationic lipids were relatively small particles below 1 μm, in sharp contrast to lipoplexes bigger than 3 μm composed of saturated cationic derivatives. Transmission electron microscopy studies clearly indicated that cationic lipid dispersions made by saturated derivatives form multilamellar tubules at physiological pH. Calorimetric studies showed that cationic amphiphiles with saturated acyl chains longer than 12 carbons exhibit solid-to-liquid crystalline phase transitions above 37 °C. In agreement with the microscopy and calorimetry studies, Langmuir film balance experiments indicated that saturated derivatives with hydrophobic chains longer that 12 carbons are not well hydrated and exist at a chain-ordered state at ambient temperature. Calculation of compressibility moduli from monolayer compression isotherms at 23 °C suggested that monolayers made by cationic lipids bearing saturated acyl chains are less compressible relative to those of the dioleoyl derivatives 1,3lmp5 and 1,3lmt5. In conclusion, high hydration, increased fluidity and high elasticity of cationic lipid assemblies in isolation, all correlate with high in vitro transfection activity.
Inclusion of forage standards with known in vivo digestibility in in vitro procedures

Abstract The objective of this experiment was to establish the in vivo and in vitro digestibility of multiple forages for inclusion in future in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) procedures thus enabling adjustment to in vivo values. Eight, Angus x Simmental yearling steers (body weight 323±29 kg) were used in a 5×5 Latin square design to determine in vivo dry matter (DM) digestibility of five forages. The five forages were immature alfalfa (Medicago sativa), mature alfalfa, immature smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis), mature smooth bromegrass, and prairie grass hay (17.6%, 16.3%, 9.3%, 7.5%, and 7.9% CP and 60.5%, 67.9%, 66.7%, 69.6%, and 68.3%, NDF respectively). Each of the five samples were included in 21 separate in vitro runs and compared to in vivo digestibility. Ruminal fluid was collected from steers fed 100% smooth bromegrass hay for nine of the 21 in vitro runs and for the remaining 12 in vitro runs ruminal fluid was collected from steers fed 70% forage, 30% concentrate diets. In vitro DM disappearance was used as the dependent variable and regressed on in vivo DM disappearance. Significant differences in IVDMD (P 0.31) than in vivo DM digestibility. Mean square error of prediction was smaller when IVDMD was adjusted to in vivo values using an equation derived from the average of all in vitro runs compared to the average mean square error of prediction from the 21 individual runs. A regression equation derived from standards with known in vivo digestibility included in each individual in vitro run can be used to adjust IVDMD values to in vivo values.
Conversion of triadimefon fungicide to triadimenol during leaching through turfgrass soils

The leaching characteristics of the fungicide, triadimefon were studied in a silt loam and a fine sandy loam soil and an acid sand each prepared in plots as lysimeters and seeded with Penncross creeping bentgrass. The effect of sampling interval after last fungicide application and volume of irrigation water on pesticide leaching were studied. In both soils and sand, triadimefon was converted to triadimenol, the latter metabolite being present in the leachate of each growth medium. The concentration of triadimenol in the leachates greatly exceeded that of triadimefon and triadimenol and was much higher in the leachates of the sand than in those of the soils. Factors affecting the movement of pesticides in soils are discussed.
Working Memory, its Executive Functions, and the Emergence of Modern Thinking

This article examines the possible origins of modern thinking by evaluating the cognitive models of working memory, executive functions and their interrelationship. We propose that a genetic mutation affected neural networks in the prefrontal cortex approximately 60,000 to 130,000 years ago. Our review of cognitive and archaeological evidence yields two possibilities: either it was non-domain specific, affecting general working memory capacity and its executive functions, or the mutation was domain-specific, affecting phonological storage capacity. We discuss the sequelae of these possibilities for modernity, including language enhancement, greater reasoning, planning, and modelling abilities, and increases in fluid/general intelligence.
The Biblical Man in Black: Paul in Johnny Cash/Johnny Cash in Paul

Johnny Cash was well known as a singer and songwriter, of course, but he also wrote a historical novel about Paul. This paper takes that novel, and the biblical studies research Cash drew upon in writing it, as a point of departure for a reading of Cash's music as evidence of the singer-turned-novelist's lyrical Paulinism. It surveys some available reception methodologies, especially those relevant to a study of the Bible in popular music, and then explores Cash's lyrical oeuvre for actual quotations from, or even potential traces or echoes of, Paul. Toward the end the paper 'reverses the hermeneutical flow' by reading Paul in terms of Cash's early hit "I Walk the Line."
In situ total-electron-yield sulfur K-edge XAFS measurements during exposure of copper to an SO2-containing humid atmosphere

A total-electron-yield (TEY) detector was designed and constructed for in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements of the sulfur-containing species formed during exposure of copper to a humid atmosphere containing SO2. Using the detector, gas phase XAFS spectra were also collected for both dry and humid SO2 atmospheres. This work presents the experimental technique and examples of the sulfur K-edge spectra collected during the study.
Prolonged extracorporeal life support for bridging to transplant: technical and mechanical considerations.

Through July 1995, the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry listed 87 patients who received extracorporeal life support (ECLS) as a bridge to cardiac transplantation with a survival rate of 41%. At Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 17 patients (aged between two days and 24 years) with diagnoses of dilated cardiomyopathy (seven), postcardiotomy (seven) and acute viral myocarditis (three) were bridged with ECLS. Mechanical complications only occurred in two patients, neither of which necessitated withdrawal of ECLS. Decompression of the left heart was performed in 11 patients, six via a surgically placed vent and five with a blade/balloon atrial septostomy. Documented infection occurred in 11/17 patients, but only one patient died from infection. Fifteen of 17 patients (88%) recovered or were transplanted, of which 13 (76%) were discharged home. With left-heart decompression and appropriate treatment of infection, ECLS may be used as a bridge to cardiac transplantation or until the return of...
Innovations to extend CMOS nano-transistors to the limit

Summary form only given. The scaling of CMOS technology has led to phenomenal growth in transistor density and performance during the last three decades. However, starting at 90nm CMOS node, the industry started to experience significant barriers in achieving historical transistor performance gains through traditional dimensional scaling. Fortunately, the industry has responded positively to this challenge by implementing many innovations in device structure and materials to overcome traditional scaling barriers. Intel has been at the forefront in addressing these challenges by successfully driving transistor innovations from research phase to mainstream CMOS manufacturing. Implementation of uniaxial strained-silicon transistors at the 90nm node and the recently announced "HiK+Metal Gate" transistors for the 45nm node are two excellent examples of major innovations which have demonstrated dramatic performance enhancement. After a brief review highlighting the dramatic performance benefits demonstrated with uniaxial strained silicon technology, I will describe process details and present significant performance gains achieved with "HiK+Metal Gate" transistor technology for 45nm CMOS node. Finally, I will discuss the role of increasing power density and transistor parasitics in limiting future CMOS transistor scaling and describe potential new transistor structure and material innovations required to meet performance/power/density improvements beyond 45nm CMOS node. The convergence of new transistor structure and materials will be critical for successfully scaling CMOS transistors through next decade.
Evapotranspiration Variability and Its Association with Vegetation Dynamics in the Nile Basin, 2002-2011

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a vital component in land-atmosphere interactions. In drylands, over 90% of annual rainfall evaporates. The Nile Basin in Africa is about 42% dryland in a region experiencing rapid population growth and development. The relationship of ET with climate, vegetation and land cover in the basin during 2002–2011 is analyzed using thermal-based Simplified Surface Energy Balance Operational (SSEBop) ET, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)-based MODIS Terrestrial (MOD16) ET, MODIS-derived NDVI as a proxy for vegetation productivity and rainfall from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Interannual variability and trends are analyzed using established statistical methods. Analysis based on thermal-based ET revealed that >50% of the study area exhibited negative ET anomalies for 7 years (2009, driest), while >60% exhibited positive ET anomalies for 3 years (2007, wettest). NDVI-based monthly ET correlated strongly (r > 0.77) with vegetation than thermal-based ET (0.52 < r < 0.73) at p < 0.001. Climate-zone averaged thermal-based ET anomalies positively correlated (r = 0.6, p < 0.05) with rainfall in 4 of the 9 investigated climate zones. Thermal-based and NDVI-based ET estimates revealed minor discrepancies over rainfed croplands (60 mm/yr higher for thermal-based ET), but a significant divergence over wetlands (440 mm/yr higher for thermal-based ET). Only 5% of the study area exhibited statistically significant trends in ET.
Isotopes and elemental ratios in multi‐parameter mixing models

Concentration measurements, stable isotope signatures, and elemental ratios are extensively used as parameters in mixing models to identify the source material contributing to mixtures. Determining these contributions in complex mixtures necessitates the use of multiple tracers. Here, we show that this requires careful selection of the parameters used, and that the common direct use of isotopic signatures or elemental ratios in mixing models when combined with other tracers can lead to erroneous results. We further demonstrate that when the number of available tracers exceeds the number of source materials, finding the fractional contributions that best fit the data may benefit from normalization, and we present a simple measure indicating when the outcome of mixing model calculations is poorly constrained. Finally, as a practical example, we investigated the impact of parameter choices through a reanalysis of literature data on organic matter cycling along the Altamaha River estuary.
Phenomenological theory of icosahedral incommensurate ("quasiperiodic") order in Mn-Al alloys

The crystal structure with icosahedral point-group symmetry and long-range orientational order observed by Shechtman et al. in Mn-Al alloys can be explained as a multiple-q density-wave structure with only one length scale. Its existence and stability can be understood from a simple Landau theory. The diffraction spots can be indexed by six- (or more-) dimensional space-group symmetries. Icosahedral incommensurate structures constitute natural extensions of smectic, rodlike, and cubic crystal structures.
Wheat puroindolines interact to form friabilin and control wheat grain hardness

Wheat grain is sold based upon several physiochemical characteristics, one of the most important being grain texture. Grain texture in wheat directly affects many end use qualities such as milling yield, break flour yield, and starch damage. The hardness (Ha) locus located on the short arm of chromosome 5D is known to control grain hardness in wheat. This locus contains the puroindoline A (pina) and puroindoline B (pinb) genes. All wheats to date that have mutations in pina or pinb are hard textured, while wheats possessing both the ‘soft type’ pina-D1a and pinb-D1a sequences are soft. Furthermore, it has been shown that complementation of the pinb-D1b mutation in hard spring wheat can restore a soft phenotype. Here, our objective was to identify and characterize the effect the puroindoline genes have on grain texture independently and together. To accomplish this we transformed a hard red spring wheat possessing a pinb-D1b mutation with ‘soft type’ pina and pinb, creating transgenic isolines that have added pina, pinb, or pina and pinb. Northern blot analysis of developing control and transgenic lines indicated that grain hardness differences were correlated with the timing of the expression of the native and transgenically added puroindoline genes. The addition of PINA decreased grain hardness less than the reduction seen with added PINB. Seeds from lines having more ‘soft type’ PINB than PINA were the softest. Friabilin abundance was correlated with the presence of both ‘soft type’ PINA and PINB and did not correlate well with total puroindoline abundance. The data indicates that PINA and PINB interact to form friabilin and together affect wheat grain texture.
EFFECTS OF INORGANIC LEAD ON ISOLATED RAT BRAIN MITOCHONDRIAL RESPIRATION

Oxidative phosphorylation was measured polarographically before and after adding lead acetate to cerebral and cerebellar mitochondria isolated from two week old and adult rats. With glutamate and malate as substrates, lead acetate (0.25 mM) produced a transient increase in respiration followed by complete inhibition of ADP-dependent respiration. The inhibition was not relieved by dinitrophenol or by freezing and thawing the mitochondria. NADH-supported respiration, in frozen and thawed mitochondria, was not affected by these low concentrations suggesting that lead acts on substrate transport or dehydrogenases. With succinate as substrate, inorganic lead produced an increased respiratory rate, approaching State 3, and no respiratory inhibition. The enhanced respiration was inhibited by oligomycin. There were no differences in lead effects associated with age, two weeks vs adult, or with brain region, cerebral vs cerebellar. We conclude that there is an energy-dependent transport of inorganic lead in brain mitochondria. Low concentrations of lead inhibit oxidative phosphorylation with NAD-linked substrates but not with succinate. These in vitro lead effects are similar to those seen in cerebellar mitochondria from lead-treated immature rats (Holtzman and Hsu, Pediat. Res. 10:70-75, 1976). However, this in-vitro mitochondrial effect does not show the age and regional specificity seen in lead encephalopathy in the rat and the human.
Role of sea floor organisms in oxygen consumption in the deep North Pacific Ocean

A fundamental challenge facing oceanographers is that of developing a quantitative understanding of deep-ocean recycling of bio-genie materials. Such an understanding would not only provide unique insight into the world's carbon cycle and the ultimate fate of anthropogenic carbon dioxide but would also provide powerful constraints for ocean circulation models. Here we present estimates of sedimentary oxygen consumption made using benthic flux and pore-water measurements extrapolated throughout the North Pacific basin as a function of water depth. Below 3 km, sea-floor respiration is a large and perhaps dominant contributor to deep-ocean metabolism. This benthic activity appears to be highly concentrated in regions adjacent to continental margins exhibiting coastal upwelling. More extensive benthic respiration measurements are needed to verify this, especially in the northern and western Pacific Ocean.
Dose of BCG does not influence the efficient generation of protective immunity in mice challenged with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

It is generally agreed that BCG vaccination is relatively ineffective in adults exposed to tuberculosis infection. The reasons for this may well be multiple, and may include the possibility that higher doses of BCG may induce a mixed TH1 and TH2 response, which may lessen the protective effect of the vaccine. To test this hypothesis, mice were vaccinated with a range of doses of BCG and then challenged by the intravenous or aerogenic routes with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While the data support the hypothesis that a TH2 response is induced by higher doses of BCG, this was found to have no influence whatsoever on the capacity of the vaccinated mouse to express acquired specific resistance to the challenge infection.
Nuclear quadrupole resonance in amorphous and crystalline As 2 S 3

The pure ${\mathrm{As}}^{75}$ nuclear quadrupole resonances (NQR) of crystalline and amorphous ${\mathrm{As}}_{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ have been investigated and compared. The temperature dependence of the resonance frequencies, the asymmetry parameters $\ensuremath{\eta}$, and the orientation of the principal axes of the electric field grandient with respect to the crystal axes have been obtained for crystalline ${\mathrm{As}}_{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ (orpiment). We obtain ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{I}}=0.343$ and ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\mathrm{II}}=0.374$, where I and II refer to the two inequivalent As sites in the unit cell. A Townes-Dailey calculation for the NQR frequency of the asymmetric As${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ pyramidal unit has also been performed. The NQR spectrum of crystalline ${\mathrm{As}}_{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ consists of two narrow lines approximately 50 kHz wide occuring at 70.38 and 72.86 MHz at 4.2 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, while the spectrum of amorphous ${\mathrm{As}}_{2}$${\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ consists of a broad line with 3.5-MHz halfwidth. This is explained by a distribution of apex pyramidal bonding angles in the glass with a halfwidth of \ensuremath{\sim}1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The nuclear transverse relaxation times ${T}_{2}$ have been measured by the spin-echo technique in both the glass and the crystal. In the crystal, ${T}_{2}=0.6$ msec for site II, and ${T}_{2}\ensuremath{\cong}1$ msec for site I; while we obtain ${T}_{2}=0.6$ msec for the glass. The close agreement between the glass and crystal transverse relaxation indicates the retention of some crystalline correlation in the glass. The spin-lattice relaxation time ${T}_{1}$ has been measured as a function of temperature in the crystal and can be fit by the relation ${T}_{1}=30.64{sinh}^{2}(\frac{14.5}{kT})$, indicating that the nuclei relax by Raman scattering of optical phonons. The spin-lattice relaxation time measured in the glass is much faster, obeying the relation ${T}_{1}=125{T}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$. The faster relaxation in the glass indicates the presence of extra low-frequency modes which are absent in the crystal.
Temperature of tissues in freshwater fishes

Abstract A thermistor probe was used to study deep (white) muscle temperature of five species of freshwater fishes at rest as well as that of exercising and resting trout. The resting deep muscle temperatures were 0.1 to 1.1 C higher than the water temperature. In exercising trout, temperatures of the deep muscle were the same as the temperature of the water.
Organic ionic salt draw solutions for osmotic membrane bioreactors.

This investigation evaluates the use of organic ionic salt solutions as draw solutions for specific use in osmotic membrane bioreactors. Also, this investigation presents a simple method for determining the diffusion coefficient of ionic salt solutions using only a characterized membrane. A selection of organic ionic draw solutions underwent a desktop screening process before being tested in the laboratory and evaluated for performance using specific salt flux (reverse salt flux per unit water flux), biodegradation potential, and replenishment cost. Two of the salts were found to have specific salt fluxes three to six times lower than two commonly used inorganic draw solutions, NaCl and MgCl2. All of the salts tested have organic anions with the potential to degrade in the bioreactor as a carbon source and aid in nutrient removal. Results demonstrate the potential benefits of organic ionic salt draw solutions over currently implemented inorganics in osmotic membrane bioreactor systems.
Which comes first? Unpacking the relationship between peace agreements and peacekeeping missions

Why do combatants engaged in civil conflict sign peace agreements when they do? Does a commitment by the United Nations (UN) to send a peacekeeping mission increase the probability that combatants will sign an agreement? With regards to the relationship between peace agreements and UN peacekeeping missions, previous studies of civil war have taken one of two positions: (a) a peace agreement between combatants causes an increase in the probability that the UN will send a peacekeeping mission to the conflict; or (b) the UN’s decision to send a peacekeeping mission to a conflict causes an increase in the probability that combatants will sign a peace agreement. I contend that the UN’s decision to send peacekeepers to a conflict and the combatant’s decision to sign a peace agreement occur simultaneously. To overcome the simultaneity, I exploit exogenous variation in the UN’s willingness to send peacekeepers to conflicts in the mid-1990s, based on the experience of the UNOSOM II mission in Somalia, to identity ...
“Jelly Bean” Conglomerate (Lower Permian): Record of a Forebulge in Southeastern Arizona?

The most incongruous stratigraphic unit the Earp Formation (Pennsylvanian-Permian) is the Jelly Bean conglomerate (JBC), a unit rarely more than 5 m thick, but occurring over 15,000 km/sup 2/. The JBC consists mostly of clast-supported chert-pebble and limestone-clast conglomerate, litharenite, and pebbly sandstone, whereas most of the Earp Formation is marine limestone, siltstone, and shale. The JCB lies on eroded siltstone or limestone, and is capped conformably by siltstone. The JBC is probably a braided-stream deposit as indicated by presence of fluvial dunes and ripples, amalgamated bar and channel conglomerates, imbricated clasts, channeled underbeds, and lack of point bars. Paleocurrents were generally southward. The thinness and widespread occurrence of the JBC suggest a uniform, gentle paleoslope down which the streams flowed. Deposition of the JBC occurred at about the climax of the Marathon phase of the Ouachita orogeny in west Texas and northern Mexico. The age and location of the JBC, which fringes cratonic North America, indicate that it was related to the late Paleozoic convergence of North and South America, and may have resulted from flexural forebulging caused by thrusting in the Marathon orogene and associated sedimentation in a foredeep.
Device Packaging Techniques for Implementing a Novel Thermal Flux Method for Fluid Degassing and Charging of a Planar Microscale Loop Heat Pipe

A novel two-port thermal flux method is implemented for degassing a microscale loop heat pipe (mLHP) and charging it with a working fluid. The mLHP is fabricated on a silicon wafer using standard MEMS micro-fabrication techniques, and capped by a Pyrex wafer, using anodic bonding. For these devices, small volumes and large capillary forces render conventional vacuum pump-based methods quite impractical. Instead, we employ thermally generated pressure gradients to purge non-condensible gases from the device, by vapor convection. Three different, high-temperature-compatible, MEMS device packaging techniques have been studied and implemented, in order to evaluate their effectiveness and reliability. The first approach uses O-rings in a mechanically sealed plastic package. The second approach uses an aluminum double compression fitting assembly for alignment, and soldering for establishing the chip-to-tube interconnects. The third approach uses a high temperature epoxy to hermetically embed the device in a machined plastic base package. Using water as the working fluid, degassing and filling experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the thermal flux method.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Gender Justice and CEDAW: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Ethnographic analysis carried out over the years, indicates that the critical feature of the CEDAW process is its cultural and educational role: Its capacity to coalesce and express a particular cultural understanding of gender. Like more conventional legal processes, its significance lies in its capacity to shape cultural understandings and to articulate and expand a vision of rights. This is a form of global legality that depends deeply on its texts, not for enforcement but for the production of cultural meanings associated with modernity and the international. It is ultimately dependent on generating political pressure on states from the CEDAW committee, from sympathetic leaders within a country, and from international and national nongovernmental organizations.
Steady state pharmacokinetic study of FLAGYL® ER in pregnant patients during the second to third trimester of pregnancy

Purpose To compare the steady-state pharmacokinetics (PK) of oral metronidazole in pregnant and non-pregnant women requiring treatment for bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods In an open-label, multi-centered study, 27 non-pregnant and 21 pregnant women between 17 - 27 weeks' gestation with BV received metronidazole extended release, 750 mg, once daily for 7 days. Blood and urine samples were collected on Days 6-8 for metronidazole and 2-hydroxy metronidazole levels. On Days 8 and 35–39, patients were evaluated for BV status and safety. Results Twenty pregnant and 25 non-pregnant women completed the PK analysis. Mean Cmax was significantly lower in pregnant women (8.20 μg/mL + 3.59 vs 11.08 + 3.91; P=0.019). Mean metronidazole AUC was also smaller in pregnant women with a difference that approached significance (136.22 (μg/mL)*hr + 60.57 vs. 179.55 + 75.4; P=0.057). Total oral metronidazole clearance was significantly greater in the pregnant group (P=0.043). There were no differences between renal and non-renal metronidazole clearances; however, renal clearance of 2-hydroxy metronidazole was significantly greater in pregnant women (P=0.0003). Of the women who were Nugent positive for BV, 12 of 17 pregnant women (70.6%) and 10 of 25 non-pregnant women (40.0%) were Nugent negative on Day 35. Study drug was well tolerated by both groups. Conclusions Metronidazole levels are reduced in pregnancy through possible increased CYP3A4 conversion of metronidazole to its hydroxy metabolite; however, dosage adjustments are not required to maintain efficacy. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P24–P24; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.091
Food Safety Inspections Results: A Comparison of Ethnic-Operated Restaurants to Non-Ethnic-Operated Restaurants

Abstract This study examined the proposition that cultural differences between ethnic-operated restaurants in high tourism areas of the United States (US) compared to non-ethnic operated restaurants explains the differences in food safety and sanitation inspection scores in five US cities considered popular tourism destinations. It was hypothesized that ethnic-operated restaurants, composed of people from different cultural norms than that of the indigenous US population, would result in significantly higher rates of critical regulatory violations than non-ethnic-operated restaurants. Food safety inspection data was obtained from five cities in the west, mid-west, east and two from the south for the years 2009 and 2010. Results confirmed the hypotheses that ethnic-operated restaurants have significantly higher rates of inspection and critical violations. Implications for regulators, trainers, ethnic restaurants and organizations seeking to manage diversity are discussed.
Algorithms to count paths and cycles

Abstract We use results for Hamiltonian cycles and paths to deduce O(2npoly(n)) time and O(poly(n)) space algorithms to count: (1) cycles on a single vertex, (2) all cycles, (3) paths between a given pair of vertices, and (4) all paths in a graph with n vertices.