cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of Circulating Antigen in Acute Experimental Infections with Toxoplasma gondii

Although many serologic tests are available for determination of antibody to Toxoplasma gondii, circulating antigen has not been studied in infections with this organism. Presence of circulating antigen was sought by immunologic methods in experimental infections (Rh strain) of mice and rabbits. In mice, which succumbed to infection within four days, circulating antigen was detectable in serum by countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis and agar gel diffusion on days 2-4 of infection. In rabbits, which succumbed to infection within eight days, serum antigen could not be detected by countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis or agar gel diffusion. Affinity chromatography, with use of cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose and binding of the antigen to hyperimmune rabbit antiserum to Toxoplasma, permitted isolation of serum antigen on days 3, 5, 7, and 8 of infection. Although infected mice and rabbits may have parasitemia of 102-104 organisms/ml of blood, this concentration did not produce precipitin reactions with antiserum that detected antigenemia. Preliminary characterizations of the column-extracted antigen revealed heat inactivation by 56 C for 30 min, complete inactivation by trypsin, and a molecular weight of > 100,000 daltons, as determined by chromatography on a Sephadex column.
What have we learned about the quark–gluon plasma with the ATLAS detector at the LHC?

Abstract Recent results from lead–lead and proton–lead collisions, measured by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, are presented. In lead–lead collisions, electroweak bosons are found to be produced proportionally to the number of binary nucleon–nucleon collisions, and to have rapidity distributions compatible with perturbative QCD calculations, suggesting no need for large nuclear PDF effects. Conversely, the large suppression of inclusive jets, the elliptic flow of hadrons at high p T and the direct measurements of jet v 2 support the need for a path-length-dependent energy loss in the hot, dense medium. Proton–lead measurements provide new insights into particle production in small, longitudinally asymmetric systems, but require further insights into the fluctuating nature of proton–proton collisions. The modification factors for charged hadrons show a non-trivial dependence on centrality and rapidity, with a “Cronin” peak appearing only in the most central events, and in the lead-going direction. Finally the measurements of inclusive jets in proton–lead show a striking scaling in the R CP suppression variable that is only a function of the jet momentum, while the suppression factor relative to PYTHIA jet cross sections shows an enhanced yield in peripheral events, and a suppressed yield in central events.
Neural Circuitry of Emotional and Cognitive Conflict Revealed through Facial Expressions

Background Neural systems underlying conflict processing have been well studied in the cognitive realm, but the extent to which these overlap with those underlying emotional conflict processing remains unclear. A novel adaptation of the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT), a stimulus-response incompatibility paradigm, was examined that permits close comparison of emotional and cognitive conflict conditions, through the use of affectively-valenced facial expressions as the response modality. Methodology/Principal Findings Brain activity was monitored with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during performance of the emotional AX-CPT. Emotional conflict was manipulated on a trial-by-trial basis, by requiring contextually pre-cued facial expressions to emotional probe stimuli (IAPS images) that were either affectively compatible (low-conflict) or incompatible (high-conflict). The emotion condition was contrasted against a matched cognitive condition that was identical in all respects, except that probe stimuli were emotionally neutral. Components of the brain cognitive control network, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), showed conflict-related activation increases in both conditions, but with higher activity during emotion conditions. In contrast, emotion conflict effects were not found in regions associated with affective processing, such as rostral ACC. Conclusions/Significance These activation patterns provide evidence for a domain-general neural system that is active for both emotional and cognitive conflict processing. In line with previous behavioural evidence, greatest activity in these brain regions occurred when both emotional and cognitive influences additively combined to produce increased interference.
Cassini tour redesign for the Huygens mission

The Cassini spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in 2004 carrying the Huygens probe which will descend into the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. An extra 32-day orbit has been inserted at the beginning of the tour, and the orbiter altitude has been increased during the probe delivery flyby. This paper will detail the changes to the tour.
Inhibition of uPAR and uPA reduces invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma cells

Objectives/Hypothesis: We analyzed the expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and normal thyroid tissue and examined in vitro how uPA and uPAR contribute to an invasive/metastatic phenotype, and the functional consequences of inhibiting this system. Study Design: Retrospective chart review of PTC patients, followed by prospective study using previously obtained patient tissue and PTC cellular models. Methods: uPA and uPAR RNA and protein levels were analyzed in PTC patient tissue samples, PTC and normal thyroid tissue culture cells, and conditioned media (CM) using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and/or Western blotting. The plasminogen-activating ability of CM was examined using dark-quenched casein fluorimetry and casein-plasminogen gel zymography. The invasive potentials of the PTC and normal thyroid epithelial cell lines were assessed using an in vitro cellular invasion/migration system. Results: uPA and uPAR RNA and protein levels were increased in PTC patient samples and PTC cells relative to controls. uPA and uPAR RNA were also significantly higher in patients with metastatic disease. Casein-plasminogen zymography and Western blotting demonstrated increased active uPA secreted by PTC cells compared with normal thyroid cells. Fluorimetric assays revealed that the PTC cells' CM was able to activate plasminogen, resulting in measurable casein hydrolysis. This casein hydrolysis was prevented by the addition of several specific uPA inhibitors. Finally, the in vitro invasion phenotypes of PTC cells were augmented by the addition of plasminogen, and this augmentation was reversed by inhibitory anti-uPA and anti-uPAR antibodies. Conclusions: These data provide new functional evidence of the uPA/uPAR system's role in PTC invasion/metastasis and demonstrate the attractiveness of uPA and uPAR as molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Regulation of effectors by G-protein α- and βγ-Subunits: Recent insights from studies of the phospholipase C-β isoenzymes

Abstract Both the α- and βγ-subunits of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-dependent regulatory proteins (G-proteins) couple members of the heptahelical class of cell-surface receptors to a diverse range of signal-generating effectors including retinal cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, ion channels, adenylylcyclases, phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and members of the β-class of inositol lipid-specific phospholipases C. Although the molecular details of the G-protein-regulated phospholipase C system were elucidated comparatively recently, these enzymes have become an important model for investigations of the process of G-protein effector coupling. A combination of molecular biological, biochemical, and structural studies using the phospholipase C-β enzymes has provided some important insights into the interplay between G-proteins and their effectors and promises to reveal the mechanisms by which G-protein α- and βγ-subunits selectively associate with and activate effectors.
Biosynthesis of reovirus-specified polypeptides: Molecular cDNA cloning and nucleotide sequence of the reovirus serotype 1 lang strain s2 mRNA which encodes the virion core polypeptide σ2

Summary Human reovirus serotype 1 Lang strain en mRNA, which encodes the virion inner capsid core polypeptide sigma 2, was cloned as a cDNA:mRNA hetero-duplex in Eschericia coli using phage M13. A complete consensus nucleotide sequence was determined. The Lang strain en mRNA is 1331 nucleotides in length and possesses an open reading frame with a coding capacity of 335 amino acids, sufficient to account for a sigma 2 polypeptide of 37,682 daltons. Comparison of the serotype 1 Lang en sequence derived from cDNA clones of en mRNA with the serotype 3 Dearing S2 sequence derived from cDNA clones of the S2 dsRNA genome segment reveals 86 percent homology at the nucleotide level. The predicted sigma 2 polypeptides of the Lang and Dearing strains display 98 percent homology at the amino acid level. Of 147 silent nt differences in the translated region, 136 were in the third base position of codons.
Mathematical modeling of time-dependent oxygen transport in rat peripheral nerve

Abstract We modeled time-dependent transport of oxygen in peripheral nerve. Simulation began with a steady-state oxygen tension field determined by capillary diameter and length, intercapillary distance, blood-flow velocity, oxygen consumption rate, and arterial oxygen tension. One of these parameters was assumed to change rapidly to new constant value, producing time-varying oxygen tensions. A monoexponential or biexponential function characterized the oxygen tension time variation. Rate constants of the slower exponential ranged from 0.017 sec −1 to 0.46 sec −1 , implying minimal time lag in response of peripheral nerve oxygen tensions to alterations in blood flow, arterial blood oxygenation, or metabolic demands.
Unilateral disruptions in the default network with aging in native space

Background Disruption of the default-mode network (DMN) in healthy elders has been reported in many studies. Methods In a group of 51 participants (25 young, 26 elder) we examined DMN connectivity in subjects' native space. In the native space method, subject-specific regional masks (obtained independently for each subject) are used to extract regional fMRI times series. This approach substitutes the spatial normalization and subsequent smoothing used in prevailing methods, affords more accurate spatial localization, and provides the power to examine connectivity separately in the two hemispheres instead of averaging regions across hemispheres. Results The native space method yielded new findings which were not detectable by the prevailing methods. The most reliable and robust disruption in elders' DMN connectivity were found between supramarginal gyrus and superior-frontal cortex in the right hemisphere only. The mean correlation between these two regions in young participants was about 0.5, and dropped significantly to 0.04 in elders (P = 2.1 × 10−5). In addition, the magnitude of functional connectivity between these regions in the right hemisphere correlated with memory (P = 0.05) and general fluid ability (P = 0.01) in elder participants and with speed of processing in young participants (P = 0.008). These relationships were not observed in the left hemisphere. Conclusion These findings suggest that analysis of DMN connectivity in subjects' native space can improve localization and power and that it is important to examine connectivity separately in each hemisphere.
Synthesis, optical, and electrochemical properties of a new family of dendritic oligothiophenes.

A new class of semi-flexible dendrimers with oligothiophene (OT) arms up to the third generation have been synthesized and investigated. The synthetic methods employed include a combination of palladium-catalyzed Stille cross-coupling reactions for oligothiophenes, Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions for building blocks, and carbodiimide-mediated esterification for building up the various dendrimers. The optical and electrochemical properties of this series of oligothiophenes-based dendrimers are shown to be strongly influenced by their morphologies as demonstrated by their pronounced solvatochromic and thermochromic responses under different environmental conditions. Introducing rigid oligothiophene arms to shape non-persistent ester-linked dendrimers causes higher generation dendrimers (G2 and G3) to exhibit solvatochromism and thermochromism, while their oligomeric counterpart (3b) and lower generation (G1) analogue do not. Spectroscopic changes due to both intramolecular and intermolecular aggregatio...
Epitaxial III-V planar nanowires: Self-aligned, high-mobility and transfer-printable

We present planar, self-aligned, twin-free, and high-mobility GaAs semiconductor nanowires epitaxially grown on (100) and (110) GaAs substrates. In addition, such planar nanowires are directly transfer-printable and compatible with existing processing technology and integratable with various devices.
Transfer of yeast telomeres to linear plasmids by recombination

Abstract We have characterized two types of recombination events between linear plasmids and yeast chromosomal telomere-adjacent sequences (Y′ elements). In one type of event, a linear plasmid restriction-cut within a Y′ element regains the missing Y′ DNA, and may also acquire additional Y′ elements. This process is similar to the healing of broken chromosomes by recombination. In a second type of event, terminally added C 1–3 A sequences on the linear plasmid interact with C 1–3 A sequences located just internal to the chromosomal Y′ elements, resulting in the addition of one to four Y′ elements to the plasmid. Similar recombination events occurring between different chromosome ends could lead to the dispersal and amplification of telomere-adjacent sequences.
Patterns of alcohol consumption in bipolar patients comorbid for alcohol abuse or dependence.

Objectives: Despite a high prevalence rate, patients with bipolar disorder and active alcohol use are routinely excluded from controlled clinical trials leaving clinicians with little evidence-based medicine to guide treatment. This report evaluates preliminary data of alcohol consumption patterns utilizing the Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB) method in actively drinking patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: A sample of 30 patients underwent a Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) as well as completing various measures of alcohol use and associated morbidity. Results: In the month prior to study entry, the TLFB reported 18.4/30 ± 9.12 drinking days, 9.9 ± 4.73 drinks per drinking day and 169.4 ± 101.71 total standard drinks for this study group. There was a significant difference in the number of drinks per drinking day between those diagnosed with rapid cycling than non-rapid cycling bipolar disorder and those with a new diagnosis versus established diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Discussion: This study highlights heavy alcohol use in patients with bipolar disorder and alcohol comorbidity. The TLFB method provides ‘real world’ quantification of use. Further studies are encouraged to elucidate implications of heavy drinking patterns as found in our rapid cycling and newly diagnosed cohorts.
Numerical integration method for seabed response to water waves

Abstract The problem of continuously layered seabed response to water waves is solved by numerically integrating the displacement stress vectors. It is found that the commonly used approximation by discrete homogeneous multi-layers causes stress discontinuities at the interfaces between the sublayers and may invite serious errors in stability analyses of foundations. The numerical integration theory is verified with good accuracy by wave tank experiments on the motions and wave damping by clay beds. The numerical calculations of motions of the Mississippi Delta clay bed by the present theory give much smaller displacements of bed compared to the results from the quasi-static analyses by discrete homogeneous multi-layer approximations. A criterion for choosing between total stress analysis and effective stress analysis is also proposed.
Saturated Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: Interpretations Not as Simple as They Once Were

ABSTRACTHistorically, the so-called “lipid hypothesis” has focused on the detrimental role of saturated fats per se in enhancing the risks of cardiovascular disease. Recently, a body of new information and systematic analyses of available data have questioned simple interpretation of the relationship of dietary saturated fats and of individual saturated fatty acids to CVD risk. Thus, current assessments of risks due to dietary fat consumption that emphasize the confounding nature of the dietary macronutrients substituted for dietary saturated fats and give broader recognition to the effect of patterns of food intake as a whole are the most productive approach to an overall healthy diet.
Theories of ethnicity and the dynamics of ethnic change in multiethnic societies.

I modify Fredrik Barth’s approach, which sees ethnic group building as a signaling system, to place it within a framework that draws from collective action and costly signaling theories. From these perspectives, ethnic signaling, although representing a costly penalty to group members, is one effective form of communication that facilitates collective management of resources. I then identify three contexts in which the benefits of ethnic group building are likely to outweigh its signaling costs: in politically chaotic refuge and periphery zones; in the context of long-distance specialist trading groups; and within the territorial scope of failed states. I point to selected data from the Mughal and Aztec polities to illustrate how a combination of effective public goods management, in highly collective states, and the growth of highly integrated commercial economies will render ethnic group building superfluous.
Problems of Rate Chemistry in the Flight Regimes of Aeroassisted Orbital Transfer Vehicles

The dissociating and ionizing nonequilibrium flows behind a normal shock wave are calculated for the density and vehicle regimes appropriate for aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicles; the departure of vibrational and electron temperatures from the gas temperature as well as viscous transport phenomena are accounted for. From the thermodynamic properties so determined, radiative power emission is calculated using an existing code. The resulting radiation characteristics are compared with the available experimental data. Chemical parameters are varied to Investigate their effect on the radiation characteristics. It is concluded that the current knowledge of rate chemistry leads to a factor-of-4 uncertainty In nonequilibrium radiation intensities. The chemical parameters that must be studied to Improve the accuracy are identified.
NORMAL-VALENT CLONX COMPOUNDS FOR N = 2, 3 AND X = CL, H : AN MCSCF INVESTIGATION

A series of normal-valent compounds of potential interest with respect to atmospheric chlorine chemistry have been investigated using MCSCF ab initio methods with a good basis set. Comparisons of total energies of the compounds of interest with those of the radical precursors for complete active space wave functions including the bonding and antibonding orbitals of the molecules and the open shell orbitals of the radicals indicate that HOOCl, HOOOCl, and ClOOOCl are stable. Similar results for the compounds HOOH, ClOOCl, and HOOOH, which have been the subject of experimental or previous, more comprehensive, theoretical investigations, are presented for comparison. The predictions of stability for HOOCl and HOOOCl are of particular interest. HOOCl, which is the logical intermediate in the forward and backward reactions between HO + ClO and HOO + Cl, may be stabilized under some atmospheric and laboratory conditions. The role of HOOCl as an intermediate and the fact that the HOOCl adduct might be stabilized...
Borrelia burgdorferi infection in dairy cows, rodents, and birds from four Wisconsin dairy farms.

A combination of culture and subsequent spirochete identification with the polymerase chain reaction technique was used to identify cows, rodents, and birds infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, Animals were trapped on four Wisconsin dairy farms during the summer of 1990. Farms 1 and 2 were located in counties nonendemic for Lyme disease and Farms 3 and 4 were located in counties endemic for Lyme disease. The results of the rodent and bird samples were as follows given as the number yielding organisms number tested: Farm 1, 117Mus musculus and 252Peromyscus domesticus; Farm 2, 449M. musculus, 12P. maniculatus, 11P. leucopus, and 135P. domesticus; Farm 3, 027M. musculus, 05P. leucopus, 012P. maniculatus and, 358P. domesticus; and Farm 4, 124M. musculus, 219P. leucopus, 112Microtus pennsylvanicus, and 017P. domesticus. One P. leucopus and one M. musculus from Farm 2 were pregnant and fetal tissues from both were positive. Cow blood sample results were as follows: Farm 1, 747 in July, and 245 in August; Farm 2, 028 in August and 023 in October; Farm 3, 013 in July and 118 in August 29; and Farm 4, 345 in August. Ticks were found on rodents on Farm 4 and on one bird on Farm 3. Spirochetemic cows, rodents, and birds were found in non-Lyme endemic counties suggesting that alternate modes of transmission other than by ticks may be important. Transplacental transmission was shown in M. musculus and P. leucopus.
Beam-foil lifetime measurements of low-lying levels in Si IV

Abstract New measurements of the radiative lifetimes of 3p, 3d, and 4s levels in Na-like Si IV have been made by fast ion beam excitation by a thin foil. Both curve fitting and ANDC joint decay curve analysis methods have been applied. The measured mean-life values (in ns) are: τ(3 p 2 P 1 2 )=1.16(5) ; τ(3 p 2 P 3 2 )=1.14(5) ; τ(3 d 2 D 3 2 )=0.42(5) ; τ(3 D 2 D 5 2 )=0.45(5) ; τ(4 s 2 S 1 2 =0.31(4) . The results confirm isoelectronic trends established by cascade-free laser excited measurements in lower charge states and other ANDC measurements in higher charge states, and resolve discrepancies with earlier studies that used multiexponential curve fitting reduction methods.
Receptivity of African American Adolescents to an HIV-Prevention Curriculum Enhanced by Text Messaging

In efforts to eliminate health disparities, nurses involved with adolescent health care are challenged to deliver culturally competent care to all patients. Their efforts have been hampered by poor access to care, poor quality care, poverty, and ineffective communication with disenfranchised populations (Frist, 2005). If there is any hope of improving the sexual health of minority adolescents, then nurses involved with adolescent health care must look beyond traditional practice patterns and seek new opportunities to communicate safer sex information to this high-risk population.
Effects of beer-battering on the frying properties of rice and wheat batters and their coated foods

BACKGROUND: Beer in batter formulation or beer-battering has been popular in fried food recipes, but the topic is rarely reported in scientific journals or the claims substantiated with reliable studies. In this research, we prepared and characterized rice and wheat batters with and without using beer to replace water in the formulation. We studied and provided data on the effect of beer on the frying properties of batter and its coated foods. RESULTS: With beer in the formulation, oil uptake of fried batters generally increased by up to 18%. Instrumental textural analyses indicate that beer-battering treatment generally decreased the hardness, increased the fracturability and improved the crispness of the fried batters. Sensory evaluations show similar trends, though to a lesser extent, that fish and onion rings coated with batters were softer but crispier with beer than without. CONCLUSION:Ingeneral,beer-batteringcausedanincreaseintheoiluptakeofthebatterduringfrying.Italsomadethetexture of fried batters slightly softer and crispier. The effects are more pronounced for rice batters than wheat batters. c � 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Patterns of Internet use: bariatric versus colorectal patients in a private institution.

Abstract Background The frequency of Internet use for self-directed medical care in different patient populations is increasing. We evaluated Internet use by patients presenting for bariatric surgery. Study design Surveys were completed by 136 patients (109 women, 22 men) presenting to a private academic clinic for bariatric surgery. Data collected included age, gender, education level, household income, and pattern of Internet use. Comparisons were made with a group of 135 patients who visited a colorectal surgery clinic in the same institution. Results Bariatric patients who used the Internet were more likely than colorectal patients to inform themselves about their medical problem (76% versus 49%, p Conclusions Bariatric patients are especially likely to use the Internet to gain information about their medical condition, possibly reflecting their limited mobility. This represents an educational opportunity for the surgical community.
Corporate Ideology, Diversification and Firm Performance:

The literature suggests that the fit between corporate culture and strategy influences firm performance. The present study examines the moderating effect of diversification strategy on the link between corporate ideology, a component of culture, and firm performance. A cross-sectional survey of the largest manu facturing firms in the United States was conducted measuring corporate ideo logy and diversification strategy. A moderated regression analysis was con ducted and it was found that the interaction between ideology and diversification exerts a significant effect on firm performance thus supporting the importance of strategic fit.
A CHROMOSOMAL TRANSLOCATION CAUSING OVERPRODUCTION OF ISO-2-CYTOCHROME c IN YEAST

The CYC7-1 mutation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes the production of approximately 30 times the normal amount of iso-2-cytochrome c. Genetic analysis established that the CYC7-1 mutation is a reciprocal translocation involving the left arm of chromosome V and the right arm of chromosome XVI. The chromosome V arm was broken adjacent to the gene CYC7, which determines the primary structure of iso-2-cytochrome c, and this fragment containing the CYC7 gene was joined to the segment of chromosome XVI. It appears as though the elevation of iso-2-cytochrome c is caused by an abnormal controlling region adjacent to the structural region of the CYC7 gene.
Left-right asymmetry of a nodal-related gene is regulated by dorsoanterior midline structures during Xenopus development

Development of asymmetry along the left-right axis is a critical step in the formation of the vertebrate body plan. Disruptions of normal left-right patterning are associated with abnormalities of multiple organ systems, including significant congenital heart disease. The mouse nodal gene, and its homologues in chick and Xenopus, are among the first genes known to be asymmetrically expressed along the left-right axis before the development of organ asymmetry. Alterations in the expression pattern of mouse nodal and the chick homologue (cNR-1) have been associated with defects in the development of left-right asymmetry and cardiac looping (Levin, M., Johnson, R. L., Stern, C. D., Kuehn, M. and Tabin, C. (1995) Cell 82, 803-814; Collignon, J., Varlet, I. and Robertson, E. J. (1996) Nature 381, 155-158; Lowe, L. A., Supp, D. M., Sampath, K., Yokoyama, T., Wright, C. V. E., Potter, S. S., Overbeek, P. and Kuehn, M. R. (1996) Nature 381, 158-161). Here, we show that the normal expression patterns of the Xenopus nodal-related gene (Xnr-1) are variable in a large population of embryos and that Xnr-1 expression is altered by treatments that perturb normal left-right development. The incidence of abnormal Xnr-1 expression patterns correlates well with cardiac reversal rates in both control and experimentally treated Xenopus embryos. Furthermore, dorsal midline structures, including notochord and/or hypochord and neural floorplate, regulate Xnr-1 expression prior to the specification of cardiac left-right orientation by repression of Xnr-1 expression in the right lateral plate mesoderm during closure of the neural tube. The correlation of Xnr-1 expression and orientation of cardiac looping suggests that Xnr-1 is a component of the left-right signaling pathway required for the specification of cardiac orientation in Xenopus, and that dorsal midline structures normally act to repress the signaling pathway on the right side of the embryo.
CVDAS-a data acquisition/retrieval architecture for statistical characterization of vehicle usage

A clear understanding of how customers customers really use their cars and trucks is critical to any design/development group which seeks to deliver affordable, high-reliability, high-quality products that meet the needs of automotive customers. Information that accurately reflects customer vehicle usage is essential for obtaining such an understanding, and is indispensable for the crafting of appropriate specifications for development and testing. The Customer Vehicle Data Acquisition System (CVDAS) is the outcome of a Ford Motor Company effort that addresses the challenges of implementing a cost-effective solution for acquiring automotive usage information from vehicle owned and/or operated by everyday customers. Features of this system include the Customer Logger Module (CLM), which is the nucleus of the system; an on-board data communication network backbone, which utilizes Ford's production Standard Corporate Protocol (SCP); auxiliary SCP-compatible modules, including a GPS-to-SCP data interface module (GPS2SCP); and a wireless off-board data communication facility. Key to the viability of this low-cost system is a data-handling strategy that emphasizes the predominant use of statistical usage characterization arrays whose compact nature helps reduce costs. This paper overviews the modular architecture of the CVDAS, describes characteristics of system elements, and reviews the impact of statistical usage characterization on both system implementation and system operational cost.
Communicating Key Business Strategies to Investors

Investors who understand where top management is taking the company—and how you're doing it—are more likely to have confidence in your firm. They'll be more willing to stick with you when times are bad. But how does your firm explain its objectives and strategies to investors? The author discusses one method that you may have over-looked, and includes a useful checklist. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Definitions of Liberty on the Eve Of Civil War: Lord Saye and Sele, Lord Brooke, and the American Puritan Colonies*

Arthur Wilson, in his History of Great Britain, (1653) named William Fiennes, first Viscount Saye and Sele, as among the few ‘gallant Spirits’ who ‘aimed at the publick Liberty more than their own interest’. He went on to say that the men he singled out, including in addition to Saye the earls of Oxford, Southampton, Essex and Warwick, ‘supported the Old English Honour and would not let it fall to the ground’. In 1640 Warwick and Saye, this time in company with their associate Robert Greville, Lord Brooke, were praised by a commoner as ‘the best men of the kingdom’ according to the report of a government informer.
Genetic Interactions Between Brassinosteroid-Inactivating P450s and Photomorphogenic Photoreceptors in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants use light as a source of information via a suite of photomorphogenic photoreceptors to optimize growth in response to their light environment. Growth-promoting hormones such as brassinosteroids also can modulate many of these responses. BAS1 and SOB7 are brassinosteroid-catabolizing P450s in Arabidopsis thaliana that synergistically/redundantly modulate photomorphogenic traits such as flowering time. The role of BAS1 and SOB7 in photomorphogenesis has been investigated by studying null-mutant genetic interactions with the photoreceptors phyA, phyB, and cry1 with regard to seed germination and flowering time. The removal of BAS1 and/or SOB7 rescued the low germination rate of the phyA-211 phyB-9 double-null mutant. With regard to floral induction, bas1-2 and sob7-1 showed a complex set of genetic interactions with photoreceptor-null mutants. Histochemical analysis of transgenic plants harboring BAS1:BAS1-GUS and SOB7:SOB7-GUS translational fusions under the control of their endogenous promoters revealed overlapping and distinct expression patterns. BAS1’s expression in the shoot apex increases during the phase transition from short-to-long-day growth conditions and requires phyB in red light. In summary, BAS1 and SOB7 displayed both simple and complex genetic interactions with the phytochromes in a plant-stage specific manner.
Novel Hollow Powder Porous Structures

Recent finite element calculations indicate that structures constructed from partially compacted hollow spheres exhibit a greater stiffness and strength than many other cellular structures at comparable density. It has been observed that gas atomization of metallic powders often leads to entrapment of the flow field gas. The resulting hollow powders are an unwanted by-product in the sense that they lead to porosity and future sites of defect in solid parts. Here a method is developed to separate the hollow powders according to their size, shape and density. They are then consolidated to a porous structure. Examples of this are given for both a titanium alloy and a nickel-base superalloy. The compressive mechanical properties are measured and compared to those of other porous structures.
Micromachined quartz resonator functionalized with single walled carbon nanotubes

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are reservoirs of gases as they can adsorb on their walls as well as retain gas molecules in their hollow cylindrical interior. This has important applications for example in fuel cell technology for hydrogen storage, as a gas sensor for realization of artificial nose, etc. Storage of gases by carbon nanotubes have been recently investigated by monitoring changes in their thermoelectric power and electrical resistivity due to their interaction with gas molecules. In this paper we present a gravimetric study of interaction of gas molecules with isolated SWNTs using a micromachined ultrasensitive quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The adsorption and desorption of gas molecules with different molecular weights from carbon nanotubes revealed that changes in resonance frequency and quality factor of the resonating crystal scale as approximately M0.45, where M is the mass the of the gas molecule as compared to M1/3 dependence observed in case of changes in thermoelectric power and electrical resistance for thin films of the carbon nanotubes. The use of QCM enables room temperature probing of gas interaction with isolated single walled carbon nanotubes. Specific interaction of gases with carbon nanotubes on QCM provides potential application of the device as a gas sensor
Incentive compatible mechanism design for synthetic task allocation in virtual organizations

In most computational organizational models, the designers of traditional task allocation mechanisms generally make an implicit assumption that organizational agents will report their true capabilities to the mechanisms. This assumption is not true any more for the virtual organizations. One of the most important benefits of a virtual organization is executing synthetic tasks by forming temporary team composed of experts from different fields and independent organizations through Internet. In this paper, we formalize a synthetic task allocation problem to the algorithmic mechanism design optimization problem (Nisan and Ronen, 1999). Each synthetic task needs to be accomplished through the cooperation among agents who belong to different groups that are self-interested and have different specialties. The objective of this problem is to minimize the total amount of time of finishing a bunch of synthetic tasks. We developed two incentive compatible mechanisms for the synthetic task allocation problem studied in this paper.
The Pending Revolution in Federal Accounting Standards

Accounting standards constitute the body of guidance needed to provide coherence and direction to accountants on how to keep the books. They inform the accountant about the logic of the way that accounting data should be organized and displayed in order to maximize its value to the prospective user. (The prospective users, in the case of federal accounting, range from the president and Congress through agency managers to the general public.) Federal accounting standards are the equivalent, for accounting, of budget concepts for the federal budget. After a long genesis, federal accounting standards are in the midst of a revolution which, if it succeeds, will transform the way accounting reports on federal fiscal activities and how it relates to the federal budget. This article, written from the perspective of a budget concepts technician who has participated in this effort, reviews these developments and where they seem to be heading.
Development of a dialysis in vitro release method for biodegradable microspheres.

The purpose of this research was to develop a simple and convenient in vitro release method for biodegradable microspheres using a commercially available dialyzer. A 25 KD MWCO Float-a-Lyzer was used to evaluate peptide diffusion at 37°C and 55°C in different buffers and assess the effect of peptide concentration. In vitro release of Leuprolide from PLGA microspheres, having a 1-month duration of action, was assessed using the dialyzer and compared with the commonly used “sample and separate” method with and without agitation. Peptide diffusion through the dialysis membrane was rapid at 37°C and 55°C in all buffers and was independent of peptide concentration. There was no detectable binding to the membrane under the conditions of the study. In vitro release of Leuprolide from PLGA microspheres was tri-phasic and was complete in 28 days with the dialysis technique. With the sample and separate technique, linear release profiles were obtained with complete release occurring under conditions of agitation. Diffusion through the dialysis membrane was sufficiently rapid to qualify the Float-a-Lyzer for an in vitro release system for microparticulate dosage forms. Membrane characteristics render it useful to study drug release under real-time and accelerated conditions.
A generalized normal distribution

Abstract Undoubtedly, the normal distribution is the most popular distribution in statistics. In this paper, we introduce a natural generalization of the normal distribution and provide a comprehensive treatment of its mathematical properties. We derive expressions for the nth moment, the nth central moment, variance, skewness, kurtosis, mean deviation about the mean, mean deviation about the median, Renyi entropy, Shannon entropy, and the asymptotic distribution of the extreme order statistics. We also discuss estimation by the methods of moments and maximum likelihood and provide an expression for the Fisher information matrix.
Investigation of the Source of the Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon

The cellular source of the blue field entoptic phenomenon was investigated in two microvascular preparations using video-microscopy with lighting conditions similar to those under which the entoptic phenomenon is visualized within the human eye. In the wing of the hibernating bat, microvascular flow was simultaneously videotaped under transmission illumination at 430 nm and under unfiltered illumination. In the rat cremaster alternating observations were made using transmission illumination at 430 nm and epi-illumination fluorescence microscopy with leukocytes rendered fluorescent by intravenous Quinacrine. In both preparations, low magnification video-microscopy using 430 nm illumination produced a field of particles, which were brighter than the background, flowing within a network of dark vessels. The appearance of the particles and their movement simulated the blue field entoptic particle motion. Under higher magnification, the particles appeared brighter than the plasma gaps between red blood cells and were demonstrated to be leukocytes by morphology, by specific staining and by typical behavioral movement. The particles were observed in terminal arteriols capillaries, and post-capillary venules where they were not obscured by red blood cells. The results of this study of two microvascular preparations strongly suggest that in the human eye the blue field entoptic phenomenon is produced by leukocytes flowing within the macular retinal microvasculature. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:668-673,1989 Against a bright, diffuse illumination an entoptic phenomenon is observed of numerous bright particles that move in a flowing manner with synchronous rhythmic acceleration that corresponds to the cardiac cycle. The entoptic phenomenon has been thought to be produced by cells flowing within the macular retinal capillaries 1 ; the movement is single file along recurrent paths without the passing or crossing of any two particles and is free and smooth with nonreversing motion. The particles seem to appear suddenly and flow along fixed, short, slightly curving paths before disappearing, which suggests that the entoptic phenomenon is produced by blood cells traversing the capillaries in front of the photoreceptors. The particles appear to most observers to skirt the center of fixation, leaving free an area that corresponds subjectively in size to that of the foveal avascular zone.
Body, Body, Who Gets the Body? The Resolution of Bodily Remains Cases

What do celebrity Anna Nicole Smith; Godfather of Soul James Brown; baseball immortals Ted Williams and Kirby Puckett; artist Mark Rothko; some United States service members killed in the Iraq War; and even the Reverend and Mrs. Billy Graham have in common? All have been the objects of disputes over who controls final disposition of their mortal remains. Those, in turn, have brought into public scrutiny an ancient legal issue - who decides the place and method of disposal of the bodies of the dead. From antiquity, the law was ordinarily careful to honor the written or oral directions of the deceased. If a decedent did not express a preference, then burial was determined by the surviving spouse, and if there were none by the next of kin. The abstracted article reviews the various disputes involving those listed above, as well as some less famous individuals. It concludes attorneys strongly should encourage their clients to state, either in their wills or other written documents, their choice for burial arrangements. Lacking that, they at least orally should indicate their desires on that subject to their next of kin. Doing so can avoid unseemly post-mortem disputes which can turn what should be a solemn and dignified process into a circus-like sideshow event.
MODELING OF SULFATE REDUCTION IN ANAEROBIC SOLID SUBSTRATE BIOREACTORS FOR MINE DRAINAGE TREATMENT

A mathematical model is presented for the rate of sulfate reduction in anaerobic solid substrate bioreactors and subsurface flow wetlands used to treat water containing heavy metals. In these systems, sulfate is reduced to sulfide through bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR). The sulfide precipitates metals with low metal sulfide solubility products, and BSR produces alkalinity. It is assumed that neither the bioreactors nor the wetlands receive significant replenishment of electron donor (organic carbon), and that they operate solely on the organic carbon included in the substrate during system construction. The model predicts sulfate reduction as a function of the initial age of the organic matter, hydraulic retention time, and temperature. The hydraulic retention time must be long if system reconstruction, supplying more organic carbon, is to be done infrequently. It takes about seven years for a substrate with a high initial age (2 years) to achieve a larger sulfate reduction rate than a substrate with a low initial age (0.5 years). The required hydraulic retention time for 50 percent sulfate reduction varies from 8 d at 17°C to 41 d at 1° C.
THE SKILL COMPOSITION OF U.S. CITIES

This article explores why the fraction of highly educated workers varies across U.S. metropolitan areas. It documents a set of facts that pose challenges for a number of theories. Notably, (i) cities are characterized by industry neutral differences in skilled labor productivity and (ii) the size of the business services sector is strongly correlated with cities' skill compositions. Motivated by these observations, I propose an input sharing model, in which nontraded business services complement skilled labor. I show that the model accounts for all of the empirical regularities documented in the article.
Transgovernmental processes in the League of Nations

International relations specialists who have been examining transgovernmental processes in the contemporary international system may be surprised to learn that at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 conscious efforts were made to organize the League of Nations along transgovernmental lines. Key British and French officials, most notably Sir James Arthur Salter and Jean Monnet, supported by Americans involved in implementing the Covenant, hoped to employ both the Secretariat and the organs designed for functionally specific cooperation to bring officials of national social and economic ministries into direct contact with one another, without the intermediation of their respective foreign ministries. While these officials only partially realized their objectives, sections of the League's Secretariat, an elaborate system of expert committees, and the League of Nations Assembly did provide transgovernmental linkages during the interwar period.
Mechanisms of renal vasodilation after protein feeding: role of the renin-angiotensin system

These studies were designed to determine the importance of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the renal hemodynamic response to acute protein feeding. In chronically instrumented conscious dogs on a normal (80 meq/day) sodium intake, a 10 g/kg meal of raw beef caused glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to increase from 68 +/- 6 to 86 +/- 6 ml/min and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) to increase from 211 +/- 14 to 263 +/- 15 ml/min. Plasma renin activity (PRA) was 0.44 +/- 0.14 ng ANG I.ml-1 x h-1 and did not change significantly. When the protocol was repeated during infusion of captopril, GFR increased from 67 +/- 11 to 97 +/- 10 ml/min, and ERPF rose from 264 +/- 74 to 392 +/- 82 ml/min after the meat meal. The dogs were then placed on a low-salt diet (approximately 7 meq/day) to physiologically activate the RAS. In sodium-restricted dogs, GFR increased from 71 +/- 7 to 104 +/- 10 ml/min and ERPF increased from 226 +/- 15 to 299 +/- 21 ml/min after the meat meal. PRA was 3.1 +/- 1.0 ng ANG I.ml-1 x h-1 and did not change. Thus neither blockade of the RAS with captopril nor activation of the RAS by salt restriction reduced the renal hemodynamic response to a meat meal. These data indicate that the RAS is relatively unimportant in the renal hemodynamic response to acute protein feeding.
VI. The Adoption of Military Rifle Shooting as an Intercollegiate Sport

(1918). VI. The Adoption of Military Rifle Shooting as an Intercollegiate Sport. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 157-159.