cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Spectroscopic Properties of Tm and Ho in YAG and YLF Crystals

The paper compares the cross-relaxation, energy transfer and loss processes in Tm- and Ho-doped YAG and YLF as a function of temperature, Tm concentration, and excitation power. Significant differences in the behavior of Tm and Tm,Ho in YAG and YLF crystals were found. The cross-relaxation rates of Tm(6 pct) are faster in YLF (about 5 microsec) than YAG (about 10 microsec). The energy transfer rates between Tm and Ho are faster in YLF than YAG. The time it takes for the maximum intensity of 1.7-micron emission to drop 10 percent is 25 microsec for YLF:Tm(6 pct),Ho(0.6 pct) and 65 microsec YAG:Tm(6 pct),Ho(0.5 pct). The losses occurring with increasing pump power for 2.1-micron emission of the above samples are 30 percent less in YLF than YAG. These qualitative differences point to YLF as a valuable 2-micron laser host material.
Chapter 21 Segmented labor markets

Publisher Summary The segmented labor market (SLM) approach is typically identified with a group of economists who argue that the neoclassical apparatus provides an inadequate or incomplete description of the labor market and leaves unexplained most of the major labor market policy issues. The SLM literature ranges over a broad spectrum of viewpoints sharing a common hypothesis that labor markets are segmented and that problems of income distribution, unemployment, and discrimination are a result of that segmentation. Some models and research that carry the SLM label are clearly different from neoclassical research. A distinctive feature of SLM research is that it is primarily motivated by concern over policy issues. The chapter describes the SLM model of the internal labor market of the primary sector of the economy and the SLM model of the secondary or low wage sector of the economy. In the chapter, the secondary sector model is analyzed and the findings in the empirical literature that are relevant to the testable hypotheses of the SLM are surveyed.
Evolution of global feminism through Hawaiian feminist politics: The case of Wai'anae Women's Support Group

Abstract The authors provide a description and feminist analysis of how grass-roots native-Hawaiian women in Wai'anae, Hawaii, came together to share their experiences of sexism, racism, and economic exploitation and gradually made changes in their own lives, families in the larger community by actively engaging in global political activities during the last time years.
Inhibition of allergic airway responses by inhaled low-molecular-weight heparins: molecular-weight dependence

Martinez-Salas, Jose, Richard Mendelssohn, William M. Abraham, Bernard Hsiao, and Tahir Ahmed. Inhibition of allergic airway responses by inhaled low-molecular-weight heparins: molecular-weight dep...
Temporal analysis of gene expression in a field population of the Scleractinian coral Montastraea faveolata

Organisms maintain homeostasis and abate cellular damage by altering gene expression. Coral colonies have been shown to produce unique gene expression patterns in response to different environmental stimuli. In order to understand these induced changes, the natural variation in expression of genetic biomarkers needs to be determined. In this study, an array of genes isolated from Scleractinian coral was used to track changes in gene expression within a population of Montastraea faveolata from April to October 2001 in the Florida Keys. The profiles of genes observed in this study can be divided into two groups based on expression over this time period. In spring and early summer, May through July, most of the genes show little deviation from their average level of expression. In August and September, several genes show large deviations from their average level of expression. The physiological and environmental triggers for the observed changes in gene expression have not yet been identified, but the results show that our coral stress gene array can be used to track temporal changes in gene expression in a natural coral population.
Engines of Logic: Mathematicians and the Origin of the Computer

From the Publisher: Computers are everywhere todayat work, in the bank, in artist's studios, in our pocketsyet they remain to many of us objects of irreducible mystery. How can today's computers perform such a bewildering variety of tasks if computing is just glorified arithmetic? The answer, as Martin Davis lucidly illustrates, lies in the fact that computers are engines of logic. Their hardware and software embody concepts developed over centuries by logicians such as Leibniz, Boole, and Godel, culminating in the amazing insights of Alan Turing. Readers will come away from this book with a revelatory understanding of how and why computers work. 8 b/w photographs. Published in hardcover as The Universal Computer. Author Biography: Martin Davis's other books include Computability and Unsolvability. A professor emeritus at New York University, he is currently a visiting scholar at the University of California-Berkeley.
Team sports participation and risk-taking behaviors among a biracial middle school population.

OBJECTIVE: There have been no large studies of middle school students to assess the association between team sports participation and risk-taking behaviors, despite evidence in high school and collegiate athletes. Our study evaluated whether team sports participation is associated with specific risk-taking behaviors among a biracial middle school population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Middle School Questionnaire. SETTING: Twenty-two public middle schools in three rural counties in eastern North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: 4,346 middle school students in grades 6-8 completed the survey. All students participated if present in school the day the survey was administered. 648 students fulfilled specific exclusion criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Multiple logistic regression examined team sports participation as a predictor of 17 risk-taking behaviors while controlling for gender, race, and grade. RESULTS: Of the 3,698 students, 49% were male, 49.5% Caucasian, and 52.5% were involved in team sports. Sports participants, as compared with non-sports participants, reported significantly higher frequencies for carrying a gun (p
Status Report on the P896 Backplane Bus

This report on the activities of the P896 (Advanced Microcomputer System Backplane Bus) Subcommittee of the Computer Society's Microprocessor Standards Committee describes the origins of the subcommittee and the status of the proposed specification as of its December 11, 1980 meeting. It must be emphasized that, while representing the fruits of many months of effort on the part of a joint US/European working group, the specification is incomplete and subject to significant change. This draft provides a preview of the general form of the functional specification and is intended to elicit technical response and to solicit participation in the work of the subcommittee. It is based on the working document for the P896 workshop held at the National Bureau of Standards facility in Boulder, Colorado on January 19-21, 1981. A summary of the results of that meeting is planned for the next issue of IEEE Micro.
Microstructurally Motivated Constitutive Modeling of Mouse Arteries Cultured Under Altered Axial Stretch

Good predictions of the local mechanical environment of the tissue with known geometry and applied loads are fundamental to quantifying the biological response of tissues to mechanical stimuli. Whereas mean stresses in cylindrical sections of blood vessels may be calculated directly from measured loads and vessel geometry (e.g., Laplace’s law), predicting how these stresses are distributed across the wall requires knowledge of the constitutive behavior of the tissue. Previously, we reported biaxial biomechanical data for mouse carotid arteries before and after exposure to altered axial extension in organ culture. Here we considered phenomenological and microstructurally motivated constitutive models and identified material parameters for each via nonlinear regression. Specifically, we considered the model of Chuong and Fung, a four fiber-family model, and several new variants of a rule-of-mixtures model; in the latter, we modeled the artery as a mixture of collagen, elastin, muscle, and water. We found that the four fiber-family model fitted data significantly better than the model of Chuong and Fung. When identifying parameters for the rule-of-mixtures models, we imposed penalties that required each constituent to be structurally significant; e.g., elastin contributing significantly to the overall response over low loads and collagen dominating the response over high loads. Such constraints ascribe additional microstructural “meaning” to the constitutive model. Although imposing such penalties necessarily reduces the goodness of fit of model predictions to experimental data compared to regression without such penalties, the modest reduction in the goodness of fit observed in our results was off-set by the improved structural interpretation such models provide. Such microstructurally motivated models will be useful in characterizing vascular growth and remodeling in terms of the evolution of microstructural metrics that may be quantified experimentally.
Modeling individual conifer seed shape as a sum of fused partial ellipsoids

Because of the importance of seed surface area, volume, and fill to hydraulic and thermal exchanges with the soil, mechanistic simulation of seed physiological processes associated with tree migration dynamics and the spread of invasive species require accurate equations to model seed shape. Seed dimensions have previously been described with measurements of the three principal axes, assuming an implied single ellipsoid. However, conifer seeds often exhibit anisotropy that results from bilaterally symmetric pairing on cone scales. We developed a method for measuring and modeling conifer seed shape as a sum of 2j partial ellipsoids fused at their equators, where j = 0, …, 3. We demonstrate the use of the methods in the study of shape characteristics of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P.& C. Lawson) seeds from four families in Montana and among commercial lots of ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco). The shapes of 92%, 73%, ...
Assessing the Spatial–Temporal Relationship Between Disorder and Violence

The relationship between disorder and violence has generated much debate in the field of criminology. While advocates of the broken windows thesis believe disorder is the root cause of crime, other researchers view both disorder and crime as analogous behaviors resulting from the breakdown of collective efficacy. Scholars from both sides of this debate, however, assume a long-term correlation between disorder and crime at places. This assumption has not been tested with a longitudinal dataset at a relatively small geographic unit of analysis. The current study used data collected in Seattle, Washington and utilized Group-based Trajectory Analysis and Joint Trajectory Analysis to explore the longitudinal relationship between disorder and violence. The results showed that disorder, just like crime, concentrates in a few “hot spots.” Additionally, the results showed that while the lack of disorder problems guarantees places to be violence free, having high levels of disorder predicts having violence problems only about 30% of time. As such, these findings point out the need for future theorization efforts on the disorder-violence nexus to include contextual factors which could explain this imperfect association between the two.
Gram-Scale Synthesis of the A′B′-Subunit of Angelmicin B

A gram-scale enantiospecific synthesis of the A'B'-subunit of angelmicin B is reported. The synthesis involves a Lewis acid catalyzed contrasteric Diels-Alder reaction and a tandem silyl zincate 1,6-addition/enolate oxidation sequence.
Improving clinical services: be aware of fuzzy connections between principles and strategies

Purpose This article is a response to Alan Kamhi's treatise on improving clinical practices for children with language and learning disorders by focusing on what is known about learning (see Kamhi, 2014, article in this issue). Method Descriptive methods are used to discuss general learning principles and the fact that they do not always translate readily into effective language intervention practices. The authors give examples of 2 instances in which popular intervention strategies should have worked but did not. The authors also summarize what they learned about their own approach to contextualized language intervention for teaching priority goals related to narration and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Conclusion Even theoretically sound, well-intentioned, and carefully implemented interventions can result in equivocal outcomes. When they do, careful attention to the evidence and willingnes...
Time-Domain Ultrasonic NDE of Layered Media

A time-domain technique has been developed for NDE of layered media. A retrieve function is proposed for the reconstruction of the incident (or the reflected) field for an N-layered elastic plate. A systematic sensitivity analysis of this technique has been carried out. The properties of a layered medium can be determined through a comparison of the reconstructed and measured fields.
Free energy of plutonium polymer formation

Abstract The free energy of plutonium polymer is estimated as about −341.9 kcal mol −1 . The solubility product of Pu(OH) 4 corresponding to this number is 2.5 × 10 −56 .
Automatic millimeter wave mixer noise figure measurements

Systems for making automatic noise figure measurements of millimeter wave mixers have been developed using both analog and digital techniques. The effect of IF mismatch on the measured noise figures is also determined with these methods (Forsythe, 1982). The measurement systems are versatile enough to be used to measure the noise figure of receivers anywhere from 30 to 300 GHz.
Dislocation Trapping Potential Measured by SEM-CCM

The intensity of contrast and width of the image of a single dislocation in silicon were measured versus bias of Schottky barrier at room temperature. A regime of measurements was established, which reduced dramatically the number of variable parameters involved in contrast formation. In addition, using the right regime of SEM-CCM one can determine the position of a defect relative to the surface of the specimen without doing TEM measurements. It was shown for the first time that from contrast readout one can determine the dislocation electrical potential. A model of image formation is discussed.
A Decoupled Approach for Modeling Heterogeneous Dyadic Data with Covariates

Several data mining applications such as recommender systems and online advertising involve the analysis of large, heterogeneous dyadic data, where the data consists of measurements on pairs of elements, each from a different set of entities. Independent variables (covariates) are additionally associated with the entities along the two modes and their combination. This paper focuses on developing a general, "divide and conquer" approach for predictive modeling of large-scale dyadic data that decomposes the problem in a flexible manner into multiple local sub-problems. Apart from improving prediction accuracy over alternative approaches, our approach allows for massive parallelization, which is essential to handle the scale of data processed by business applications today. Our work is distinguished from prior approaches that either use a global modeling technique as well as partitional approaches that impose rigid structural constraints and hence offer limited opportunities for parallelization.
PIXEF: the Livermore PIXE spectrum analysis package

Abstract PIXEF (for PIXE-fit) is a proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) data analysis program designed for analyzing medium to heavy element matrices while retaining the capability to treat lower atomic number targets. Using nonlinear least squares fitting techniques, algorithms have been developed or modified for both fitting the characteristic X-ray peaks and representing the associated bremsstrahlung and γ-ray background. Self-absorption and secondary fluorescence are explicitly determined for K-shell and L-subshell X-rays. Data bases have been created or improved, where necessary, from reliable current literature values or by direct measurement for element mass attenuation coefficients, photoionization and proton ionization cross sections, Coster-Kronig transition probabilities, fluorescence yields, and relative line intensities. The utility of the program is demonstrated with PIXE spectra obtained at Livermore.
Multiple liquid crystal phases of DNA at high concentrations.

DNA packaging in vivo is very tight, with volume concentrations approaching 70% w/v in sperm heads, virus capsids and bacterial nucleoids1–3. The packaging mechanisms adopted may be related to the natural tendency of semi-rigid polymers to form liquid crystalline phases in concentrated solutions4–8. We find that DNA forms at least three distinct liquid crystalline phases at concentrations comparable to those in vivo, with phase transitions occurring over relatively narrow ranges of DNA concentration. A weakly birefringent, dynamic, 'precholesteric' mesophase with microscopic textures intermediate between those of a nematic and a true cholesteric phase forms at the lowest concentrations required for phase separation. At slightly higher DNA concentrations, a second mesophase forms which is a strongly birefringent, well-ordered cholesteric phase with a concentration-dependent pitch varying from 2 to lOμm. At the highest DNA concentrations, a phase forms which is two-dimensionally ordered and resembles smectic phases of thermotropic liquid crystals observed with small molecules.
mTOR Mediates Wnt-Induced Epidermal Stem Cell Exhaustion and Aging

Epidermal integrity is a complex process established during embryogenesis and maintained throughout the organism lifespan by epithelial stem cells. Although Wnt regulates normal epithelial stem cell renewal, aberrant Wnt signaling can contribute to cancerous growth. Here, we explored the consequences of persistent expressing Wnt1 in an epidermal compartment that includes the epithelial stem cells. Surprisingly, Wnt caused the rapid growth of the hair follicles, but this was followed by epithelial cell senescence, disappearance of the epidermal stem cell compartment, and progressive hair loss. Although Wnt1 induced the activation of β-catenin and the mTOR pathway, both hair follicle hyperproliferation and stem cell exhaustion were strictly dependent on mTOR function. These findings suggest that whereas activation of β-catenin contributes to tumor growth, epithelial stem cells may be endowed with a protective mechanism that results in cell senescence upon the persistent stimulation of proliferative pathways that activate mTOR, ultimately suppressing tumor formation.
Warfarin reduced major stroke more than aspirin in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation in primary care.

Source Citation Mant J, Hobbs FDR, Fletcher K, et al. Warfarin versus aspirin for stroke prevention in an elderly community population with atrial fibrillation (the Birmingham Atrial Fibrillation T...
Evaluation of assembly routines with multitasking execution in a physical robotic cell

Abstract Various assembly routines were evaluated under multitasking execution environment for a physical robotic cell. Analytical routines were determined by the SPT, LPT, and Branch and Bound algorithms for both cases of a single robot arm and two robot arms, and their performances in the physical simulation was observed. System efficiency and effectiveness were the major criteria evaluated to suggest the most desirable routines.
Research Article: Bacterial protein structures reveal phylum dependent divergence

Protein sequence space is vast compared to protein fold space. This raises important questions about how structures adapt to evolutionary changes in protein sequences. A growing trend is to regard protein fold space as a continuum rather than a series of discrete structures. From this perspective, homologous protein structures within the same functional classification should reveal a constant rate of structural drift relative to sequence changes. The clusters of orthologous groups (COG) classification system was used to annotate homologous bacterial protein structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The structures and sequences of proteins within each COG were compared against each other to establish their relatedness. As expected, the analysis demonstrates a sharp structural divergence between the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Additionally, each COG had a distinct sequence/structure relationship, indicating that different evolutionary pressures affect the degree of structural divergence. However, our analysis also shows the relative drift rate between sequence identity and structure divergence remains constant.
Role of Microsomal Retinol/Sterol Dehydrogenase-Like Short-Chain Dehydrogenases/Reductases in the Oxidation and Epimerization of 3α-Hydroxysteroids in Human Tissues

Allopregnanolone (ALLO) and androsterone (ADT) are naturally occurring 3α-hydroxysteroids that act as positive allosteric regulators of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors. In addition, ADT activates nuclear farnesoid X receptor and ALLO activates pregnane X receptor. At least with respect to γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors, the biological activity of ALLO and ADT depends on the 3α-hydroxyl group and is lost upon its conversion to either 3-ketosteroid or 3β-hydroxyl epimer. Such strict structure-activity relationships suggest that the oxidation or epimerization of 3α-hydroxysteroids may serve as physiologically relevant mechanisms for the control of the local concentrations of bioactive 3α-hydroxysteroids. The exact enzymes responsible for the oxidation and epimerization of 3α-hydroxysteroids in vivo have not yet been identified, but our previous studies showed that microsomal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) with dual retinol/sterol dehydrogen...
Rapid small‐scale DNA isolation from filamentous cyanobacteria

A rapid small-scale DNA isolation procedure is described for the filamentous cyanobacteria, which yields enough chromosomal and plasmid DNA for restriction endonuclease digestions, Souther hybridizations, and electroelution from gels for further manipulation. DNA from seven strains of cyanobacteria were isolated and analyzed on agarose gels.
Health Behaviors and Masculinity in Kenyan and U.S. Male College Students

Approaching men’s health behaviors from a gender socialization framework, we hypothesized that (a) men’s health behaviors would significantly relate to their conformity to traditional masculine norms, (b) these behaviors would significantly differ as a function of their nationality, and (c) masculinity and nationality would significantly interact to predict men’s health behaviors. Five hundred forty-six male college students (384 Kenyan men, 162 U.S. men) completed the Health Behavior Inventory and the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory. ANCOVA results indicated that 30 of 52 health behaviors were associated with traditional masculinity, nationality, or their interaction. The discussion focuses on masculinity’s relationship to harmful health behaviors. In addition, limitations and potential interventions to improve men’s health behaviors are discussed.
Experimental evaluation of small intestinal submucosa as a microvascular graft material

The evaluation of porcine small intestine submucosa (SIS) in a microsurgical model was conducted using an interpositional graft in the rat femoral artery. The SIS grafts were fabricated from processed porcine material that was wrapped around a glass tube and oversewn longitudinally to produce a tubular structure. Of the 42 animals studied, 7 received grafts of untreated SIS (group I), 7 of the grafts were presoaked (PSH) in heparin (Group II), 7 animals were treated with systemic heparin prior to implantation of PSH-SIS (group III), 7 animals received SIS grafts crosslinked to heparin (group IV), 7 animals received SIS grafts crosslinked to urokinase (group V), and 7 animals received untreated autologous epigastric vein grafts (group VI). Patency was assessed postoperatively and selected grafts were evaluated by histology. All SIS grafts failed to maintain patency beyond the first postoperative hour. Histologic examination of the thrombosed graft surfaces revealed a smooth luminal surface with a thick layer of attached fibrin and platelets with a central occluding thrombus. The thickness of the induced fibrin layer appears to narrow intraluminal space significantly at the microvascular level. While having excellent success at vessel diameters greater than 3 mm, and in a variety of nonporcine animal models without xenographic rejection, SIS in this model was thrombogenic despite a favorable surface morphology as demonstrated by SEM. Even with use of heparin and urokinase SIS graft thrombosis occurred.
Taurine release from the pineal gland is stimulated via a β-adrenergic mechanism

Abstract Pineal gland were prelabeled in organ culture with [14Ctaurine, and then treated with biogenic amines. The rate of release of [14Ctaurine was rapidly elevated by low concentrations of norepinephrine, apparently acting through a β-adrenergic mechanism. The release was probably not due to a nonspecific change in membrane permeability, as a comparable release was not seen with [14Cglycine and [14Cα-aminoisobutyric acid. These findings suggest that the release of taurine may be related to or a reflection of the early events in adrenergic activation of the pineal gland, such as hyperpolarization of pinealocytes. The released taurine might also have an extracellular role as it has been recently shown that extracellular taurine can interact with pineal β-adrenergic receptors to stimulate melatonin production. Thus, the released taurine could possibly act as an extracellular feedback messenger.
Biochemical studies in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) patients: Change in CSF levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP), amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide and phospho-tau

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is one of the causes of dementia of the elderly characterized by impaired mental function, gait difficulties and urinary incontinence. Previously, it was proposed that some of the NPH patients may develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) like pathology. Aim of this study was to compare levels of different CSF biomarkers, including total secreted β-amyloid precursor protein (sAPP), sAPP-alpha form (sAPPα), amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide, total-tau protein and hyperphosphorylated-tau protein in subjects from NPH and Non-NPH Control (NNC). CSF was collected from 23 NPH patients and 13 Non-NPH controls by lumber puncture. Western blot analysis was performed to measure levels of sAPP-total. ELISA was used separately to determine levels of sAPPα, Aβ peptide, total-tau and phospho-tau proteins. We found a significant decrease in levels of total secreted APP, sAPPα and Aβ (1-42) in the CSF sample of NPH patients vs. NNC. We did not observe any change in levels of total-tau or phospho-tau in NPH vs. NNC subjects. Notably, phospho-tau level was significantly increased in the NPH patients, who were suffering from the disease for more than one year, vs. NNC. Among five biomarkers studied, decreased sAPP, sAPPα and Aβ (1-42) levels in CSF can be molecular markers to distinguish NPH cases from NNC. Disease severity can also be assessed by increased levels of CSF phospho-tau protein and the ratio of phospho-tau to Aβ (1-42), which might be a useful tool for predicting conversion of NPH individuals to other neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Escherichia coli recA deletion strains that are highly competent for transformation and for in vivo phage packaging

Abstract I describe the construction of a variety of Escherichia coli recA deletion strains designed to facilitate molecular cloning. These recA deletion strains permit the efficient cloning of foreign inserts carried in plasmid, phage, cosmid, phasmid (phage-plasmid hybrid) or phosmid (phage-cosmid hybrid) vectors. (Bacteriophage A; cosmids; phasmids; phosmids; plasmid vectors; recombinant DNA)
Safety of Ankle Arthroscopy for the Treatment of Anterolateral Soft-Tissue Impingement

Purpose To quantify the overall incidence of complications related to arthroscopic treatment of anterolateral soft-tissue ankle impingement. Methods Electronic databases and relevant peer-reviewed sources, including OvidSP/Medline (http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com) and Google Scholar, were systematically searched for the terms "anterolateral" AND "ankle" AND "impingement" OR "soft-tissue impingement" AND "arthroscopy." In addition, we manually searched common American and European (including British) orthopaedic and podiatric scientific literature for relevant articles. Studies were eligible for inclusion only if they included the following: a standard 2-portal anterior arthroscopic approach, a minimum mean follow-up of 12 months, and detailed descriptions of all complications encountered. Results After we considered all the potentially eligible articles, 15 (28.8%) met our inclusion criteria for the study. There were a total of 396 patients (397 ankles), with 16 total complications (4%), 3 (0.8%) of which were major. The weighted mean patient age was 31.2 years, and the weighted mean follow-up was 33.7 months. Conclusions The results of this systematic review showed an overall incidence of complications of 4%. The complications were categorically divided into major and minor complications, with a very low incidence of major complications (0.8%) and an acceptably low incidence of minor complications (3.3%). On the basis of these findings, arthroscopic treatment of anterolateral ankle soft-tissue impingement is a very safe procedure when indicated. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level IV studies.
Velopharyngeal Port Status during Classical Singing.

Purpose: This investigation was undertaken to examine the status of the velopharyngeal (VP) port during classical singing. Method: Using aeromechanical instrumentation, nasal airflow (mL/s), oral p...
The effects of discount level, price consciousness and sale proneness on consumers' price perception and behavioral intention

Abstract Previous research concerning external reference prices focused on outcome variables and contextual variables that influence them. Missing from the literature is sufficient assessment of the effect of individual difference variables. The current research examines two individual difference variables (price consciousness and sale proneness) along with discount level and their relationship with consumers' outcome evaluations of offer value, search intention and purchase intention. Results suggest that consumers' level of sale proneness influences their evaluation of all three outcome variables, while price consciousness influences only search intention. Additionally, significant interaction effects were found between discount level and price consciousness and between price consciousness and sale proneness. Implications for managers and future research directions are also discussed.
Two grid systems that divide the entire surface of the Earth into quadrilaterals of equal area

Employed with unconventional spacings, meridians and parallels can block out quadrilaterals equal in area upon the surface of a sphere. Such a grid system can be transferred to any map projection and still retain the property of reference to a common unit area on a sphere, regardless of the apparent distortions of the grid in mapped form. Hence, conformal projections can be used with subjects for which areal comparisons and analyses are important. Two methods of laying out the grids are given, one employing respaced parallels the other respaced meridians. Both result in patterns that can form quadrilaterals over a wide range of sizes, but the grid with respaced parallels is more accurate and legible.
Effects of student classroom incivilities on students

Student violations of behavior norms affect the learning of others, the teaching of the instructor, and the atmosphere of the classroom.
CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE TO HERPESVIRUS ANTIGENS DURING PREGNANCY

The cellular immune response of lymphocytes was studied in 27 pregnant females and 25 nonpregnant females of child bearing age by the technique of lymphocyte stimulation (LS) as measured by 3H Thymidine uptake (3HThU) in vitro. LS indices (3HThU in stimulated cells/3HThU in unstimulated cells) were measured using phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and different concentrations (undilute, 1/10, 1/100) of Herpes simplex (HS) type 1, HS type II and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens (agns) as stimulants. Complement fixing (CF) liters ≥1:4 to CMV, HSI, HSII were present in 22, 22 and 20 pregnant and in 13, 17 and 15 nonpregnant patients (pts) respectively. In antibody positive pts, LS indices of ≥3 to agns were found in 12/22 (CMV), 22/22 (HSI), and 19/20 (HSII) pregnant; and 12/13 (CMV). 14/17 (HSI) and 13/15 (HSII) nonpregnant pts. When the stimulating agn was diluted, the means of LS indices to HSI and CMV were lower in pregnant as compared to non-pregnant pts., eg. means of LS indices to 1/100 dil CMV agn in 12 nonpregnant pts were 3.28 and 9.75 (p=.02); means of LS indices to 1/100 dil of HSI agn in 22 pregnant and 14 nonpregnant pts were 7.66 and 24.88 (p=.004). No differences were found in means of LS indices to HSII agn or PHA regardless of the dilution. These data indicate that there is depression of cellular immune response to certain Herpesvirus agns during pregnancy.
Controlling surface crowding on a Pd catalyst with thiolate self-assembled monolayers

Abstract The relationship between surface crowding and catalytic activity was investigated using thiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Pd/Al2O3 catalysts. The surface density of the thiolate modifier was controlled by varying the steric bulk of the organic substituent. A straight-chain alkanethiol 1-octadecanethiol (C18), with a nearest-neighbor spacing of ∼4.7 A on Pd(1 1 1) surfaces, created a denser SAM coating than 1-adamantanethiol (AT) with a nearest-neighbor spacing of ∼6.4 A. Diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy revealed that CO adsorbate molecules adsorbed only on threefold hollow and atop sites on C18-modified surfaces. On AT-modified surfaces, however, access to bridging and additional linear sites was also observed. Analysis of adsorption isotherms suggested that CO adsorption energies were comparable on AT-modified and C18-modified catalysts. Acetylene hydrogenation, which results in uncontrolled crowding due to carbonaceous “coke” formation on the catalyst, was found to be insensitive to modification by the thiols. For hydrogenation reactions less associated with uncontrolled coking, crowding – and therefore reactivity – could be controlled systematically using SAMs. In particular, ethylene hydrogenation was 17 times faster on AT-coated surfaces than on C18-coated surfaces, consistent with the additional accessibility to specific sites unavailable on C18-modified surfaces. The effect of modifier density on reactivity was found to be dramatically different for several mono- and bi-functional reactants in a manner consistent with previous literature reports, suggesting that controlled crowding with SAMs can be used to understand reaction structure sensitivity and active site requirements in catalysis.
Influence of Body Movement on Shock Due to Repeated Hemorrhage.

SummaryVoluntary body movement had a beneficial influence on the resistance of the dog to the fatal effects of repeated hemorrhage, as shown by a longer survival time, i.e., the ability to sustain greater loss of blood, as compared with similar experiments carried out in the immobilized supine position.
Predictive Validity of Five Cognitive Skills Tests among Women Receiving Engineering Training.

This article addresses two sets of theoretical and practical issues related to increasing the percentage of women engineers. First, the measurement of women's aptitude for and changes in skills during engineering training was assessed. Five cognitive skills tests were administered in a one-group pretest-posttest design to 24 baccalaureate women enrolled in an eleven-month engineering training course. Significant increases in skills were shown on three of the five assessments. Scores on a mathematics anxiety scale and a measure of conservation of horizontality are also reported. Second, the relationship of academic and demographic information and cognitive skills to degree of success in the program is reported. Pretraining spatial visualization scores predicted posttraining GPA group membership. The results are compared and contrasted with those of studies of male undergraduates. Implications are drawn concerning the ways in which evaluations of such programs can contribute to our understanding of the changes in skills that occur with training in engineering and of the factors that predict success in such programs.
Comment on ``Coupling Semantics and Science in Earthquake Research''

Kelin Wang and Timothy Dixon (Eos, 85(18), 4 May 2004, p. 180) thoughtfully advocate paying close attention to semantics in descriptions of fault zone properties and kinematics, an increasingly important issue given the distinct usages of terms such as “coupling” by separate disciplines involved in the multidisciplinary study of earthquake faulting. We are in full accord with their advocacy of unambiguous language, such as the description of a nonsliding fault segment as being “not slipping” rather than “strongly coupled” in the absence of any information about the frictional or stress state of that segment. While several of Wang and Dixon's recommended “simple expressions” have clear merits, we feel that their advocacy of “locked” to equate to “not slipping” is not an improvement, and that their accompanying illustration of dislocation models of subduction zone megathrusts is potentially misleading.
Biologic Assay of Mercury Ointments

Using the storage of mercury in the kidney of the rat as a measure of cutaneous penetration, 8 official mercury ointments have been assayed. Mercury oleate and nitrate ointments showed the greatest penetration; calomel and yellow mercuric oxide showed the least. Intermediate in penetration were mercurial, ammoniated and red oxide of mercury ointments. The degree of penetration of mercury was relatively insensitive to large differences in concentration of mercury in the ointments.
ATP-induced protein Hsp70 complex dissociation requires K + but not ATP hydrolysis

THE molecular chaperone proteins, particularly Hsp60 and Hsp70, have been implicated in essential cell functions under both normal and stress conditions (reviewed in refs 1–5). Members of the family of heat-shock proteins ofMr70K, Hsp70, bind to unfolded proteins and short peptides6–13. Addition of Mg–ATP results in the dissociation of the substrate polypeptides from the chaperone7–11, but as ATP-γS (an ATP analogue that is only slowly hydrolysable) cannot substitute for ATP in this reaction7,9,11, it has been concluded that ATP hydrolysis is necessary to dissociate Hsp70–substrate protein complexes. By independently measuring the rates of ATP hydrolysis and substrate protein dissociation, we show here that Mg–ATP binding but not Mg–ATP hydrolysis is essential for substrate dissociation. We also show that there is an absolute requirement for K+for the effect of Mg–ATP: only the combination of K+ and Mg–ATP will cause the conformational change in HspTO that is necessary for substrate dissociation. Moreover, in the absence of K+, Mg–ATP favours complex formation. We consider these results in terms of a G-protein-like model.
A comment on “the neutral hydrogen flux in the solar plasma flow” by S.-I. Akasofu

Small neutral hydrogen flux in total solar wind flux and electron impact and photoionization mechanisms
Axenfeld‐Rieger anomaly, hypertelorism, clinodactyly, and cardiac anomalies in sibs with an unbalanced translocation der(6)t(6;8)

We describe two sibs with the unbalanced translocation der(6)t(6;8)(p25.1;q24.23), making them monosomic for 6p25.16pter and trisomic for 8q24.238qter. The siblings both possess Axenfeld-Rieger Anomaly (ARA), hypertelorism, clinodactyly, and cardiac anomalies, but otherwise vary in the phenotypic manifestations of this unbalanced translocation. We compare them to previously described cases and a recently proposed syndrome of ARA, atrial septal defect, and sensorineural deafness. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interpretation of non-minimum phase system with extension to time-varying case

A time-domain interpretation of the property of non-minimum phase discrete-time systems is given. Our result is based on the singular-value decomposition of the matrix relating the system input and output. This approach provides a clear geometrical interpretation of the property of a non-minimum phase system, which can also be readily applied to the time-varying case.
Frequency of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ab in southern United States Corn Belt population of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

The high-dose refuge resistance management strategy is the main approach used to delay resistance in targeted pests to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in transgenic crops. We used an F2 screen to test a critical assumption of the high-dose refuge strategy, which is that resistance allele (R) frequencies are initially rare (<10(-3)) in Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from the southern Corn Belt. We expanded the methodological scope of the F2 screen so that both males and females may be used to initiate a screen and determined how the results from both sexes may be combined. In total, 62 female and 131 male O. nubilalis lines from Kansas and 39 female and four male lines from Texas were screened. No major resistance alleles were found and estimated R frequency for the southern Corn Belt was updated to between 0 and 0.0044 with 95% credibility. The experiment-wise detection probability was 98.7%. These results suggest the frequency of resistance alleles is low enough that the high-dose refuge resistance management strategy may be effective for delaying resistance evolution in O. nubilalis to Bt corn in the southern Corn Belt.
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON THE ENACTMENT OF BARGAINING LAWS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This study was the investigation of the influence of environmental factors on state decisions to enact enabling legislation for collective bargaining in community colleges. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to determine the linear combination of environmental variables that provided the best explanation of the differences between states with bargaining laws and those without such laws. The chi‐square test of association was used to analyze the relationship between states’ political cultures (Elazar, 1984) and the enactment of bargaining laws. Factors positively related to enactment of legislation were: (a) de facto bargaining prior to legislation; (b) value of agricultural products sold; (c) employment in manufacturing, (d) employment in farming; (e) employment in state and local government; and (f) the percentage of the popular vote for Democratic candidates in presidential elections. Existence of right‐to‐work laws was inversely related to the enactment of legislation. States most likely to enact ...
Impact of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) on overall survival among patients treated with chemotherapy plus bevacizumab for advanced cervical cancer: An NRG Oncology/Gynecologic Oncology Group study

while 33% of the NMOR cohort underwent preoperative biopsy compared with 44.8% of the MORC cohort (P=NS). Median uterine weight was 296 g in the MOR and 184 g in the NMOR cohorts (P=0.004). Two occult uterine cancers were detected in the entire cohort (0.09% malignancy risk, n = 2173 pts). Only one case of leiomyosarcoma (LMS; 0.04% risk) and one case of microinvasive cervical cancer were detected, both in the MOR cases. Both are without evidence of disease with overall survival of 45.6 (LMS case) and 18 months (cervical case), respectively. No occult uterine cancers were identified in women b50 years old in the entire cohort. Conclusions: The risk of occult uterine malignancy in women undergoing uterine surgery for presumed benign disease at a highvolume MIS center was low, and was 0% in reproductive-age women. Comprehensive preoperative assessments and patient risk stratification for occult malignancy may optimize patient safety and reduce the risk of morcellator-associated morbidity.
Intraventricular insulin and the level of maintained body weight in rats

To determine whether central insulin administration lowers the level around which body weight is regulated, insulin (6 mU/day) or saline was infused into the third ventricles of four groups of rats. One insulin-infused and one saline-infused group were food-deprived for 3 days and were then returned to an ad lib feeding schedule. The other two groups were maintained on ad lib feeding throughout. Insulin-fused food-deprived rats. In ad lib fed rats, insulin caused a significant reduction of food intake and weight relative to saline-infused controls. When formerly food-deprived rats were returned to ad lib feeding, they gained weight, and this was significantly more pronounced in the saline-infused than the insulin-fused group. The body weights of the two insulin-infused groups converged on a value approximately 9% below the average of the two saline infused groups, with one group increasing its weight and the other decreasing its weight to achieve that weight. These findings suggest that the third-ventricular infusion of insulin does not incapacitate the rats and that they can alter their food intake either upward or downward to attain a new weight. The results are also consistent with the hypothesis that direct administration of insulin into the brain determines the level of weight maintained by the animal.
The nonbiotinylated form of the 1.3 s subunit of transcarboxylase binds to avidin (monomeric)-agarose: purification and separation from the biotinylated 1.3 S subunit.

Avidin-biotin technology is used routinely to purify biotin-containing carboxylases and also proteins that have been chemically coupled to biotin. The 1.3 S subunit of transcarboxylase (TC) studied here is the biotincontaining subunit of TC which not only acts as a carboxyl carrier between the CoA ester sites on the central 12 S subunit of TC and keto acid sites on the outer 5 S subunit of TC but also links the 12 S and S subunits together to form a 26 S multisubunit TC complex. The 1.3 S subunit has been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. A method for purifying recombinant 1.3 S subunits from E. coli using avidin (monomeric)-agarose column chromatography has been developed. This affinity-purified 1.3 S was found to be homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, amino acid composition, and N-terminal sequence analysis but had a biotin content of only 28% based on moles of biotin per mole of 1.3 S. This lack of stoichiometry was found to be due to copurification of apo- 1.3 S as evidenced by the holocarboxylase synthetase reaction. A procedure for separating the apo- and biotinylated 1.3 S forms using hydrophobic interaction chromatography on an Ether 5 PW column is described. The method is based on the difference in hydrophobicity between apo and biotinylated 1.3 S forms. The copurification of apo and biotinylated forms of 1.3 S on the avidin (monomeric)-agarose column was found to be due to specific interaction with avidin rather than to interaction between apo- and biotinylated 1.3 S forms as demonstrated by the fluorescence quenching studies. The results suggest that the avidin-biotin system by itself may not be sufficient to obtain homogeneous biotinyl proteins as nonbiotinyl protein can also bind avidly to such columns.