cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced self-action effects by electromagnetically induced transparency in the two-level atom

Electromagnetically induced transparency ~EIT! has been studied primarily within the context of multilevel atomic systems. We show that EIT can occur also in a two-level atomic system and can lead to strong self-action and slow-light effects that are not hampered by material absorption, with important potential implications for processes such as squeezed-light generation and the propagation of optical solitons. Electromagnetically induced transparency ~EIT! is a powerful technique that can be used to render a material system transparent to resonant laser radiation, while retaining the large and desirable nonlinear optical properties associated with the resonant response of a material system @1#. EIT has been observed in several different experimental configurations @2,3#, and its occurrence in still other configurations has been predicted theoretically @4#. Laboratory studies have confirmed that EIT can be used to enhance the efficiency of physical processes including nonlinear frequency conversion @3,5# and optical phase conjugation @6#. In addition, it has been predicted that EIT can enhance the properties of a much broader range of processes including squeezed-light generation @7# and low-light-level photonic switching @8#. EIT has been observed both in atomic vapors @2,3,5,6,9# and in solids @10#, and it plays a key role in the generation of slow light @11# and its concomitant production of extremely large nonlinear optical effects @12#. Intimately related to EIT is coherent population trapping @13#, and the establishment of high refractive indices @14#. Most previous work on EIT has dealt with multilevel atomic systems. In this article, we present a theoretical analysis of EIT effects in the two-level atomic system. The analysis of EIT within the context of a much simpler level scheme leads to additional insight into the origin of EIT. Our analysis confirms previous work showing that the presence of a strong control field can establish frequencies at which the atomic absorption vanishes or is negative, and, most importantly, that the third-order nonlinear optical response leading to self-action effects can be quite large at these particular frequencies @15#. Thus two-level-atom EIT effects hold considerable promise for applications such as spatial soliton propagation @16#, squeezed-light generation by selfphase modulation @19#, and many types of optical switching devices @20#. We also find that low group velocities ~slow light! can occur within the context of the strongly driven two-level atom, and that in some ways the large nonlinear optical response can be understood as a direct consequence of the slowness of the light propagation. The origin of EIT in the two-level atom can be understood in terms of the energy-level diagram shown in Fig. 1, which shows a strong control field of frequency v c and amplitude Ec interacting with the atomic system. Population is coherently cycled between the lower level a and the upper level b
AUTONOMIC CHANGES DURING PAROXYSMAL EEG ACTIVITY.

Abstract 1. 1. Changes in skin resistance, heart rate, skin temperature, respiration and finger vasomotor activity during paroxysmal EEG discharges were evaluated in 54 epileptic patients and five non-epileptic photo-sensitive subjects. Simultaneous recording of autonomic variables and EEG enabled an evaluation to be made of the association of autonomic changes with seizure discharges. 2. 2. All discharges recorded were generalized, bilaterally synchronous, and symmetrical. They were evaluated as to type of wave form and organization, length of burst, whether spontaneous or photically induced, and whether they were accompanied by clinical phenomena. 3. 3. Analysis indicated that no autonomic responses were associated with slow wave bursts and few autonomic responses were present during “subclinical” spike and slow wave discharges. “Clinical” spike and slow wave bursts (i.e. bursts associated with objective or subjective signs) were usually accompanied by autonomic involvement, the degree of which correlated with the extent of clinical phenomena. Changes in skin resistance and HR were most frequently associated with paroxysmal activity. A GSR and change in heart rate were present during nearly all petit mal discharges, but respiration and temperature responses were variable. 4. 4. The latency of the GSR differed significantly for spike and slow wave complexes and petit mal discharges. Regardless of duration of the burst the GSR usually occurred within 2 sec following the first spike of the atypical spike and wave bursts, whereas it occurred several seconds after onset, or more frequently, following the cessation of the petit mal discharge. These observations of the GSR suggest that awareness of the manifestations of the discharge may be an important determinant of autonomic response.
A detoxification product of the xenobiotic methyl parasept by Heliothis virescens (f) (lepidoptera: noctuidae)

Abstract 1. Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (methyl parasept) is metabolized by Heliothis virescens by conjugation to form methyl benzoate-4-β-glucoside. 2. The rate of metabolism of methyl parasept was unaffected by the addition of gossypol to the diet. 3. Low dietary concentrations of methyl parasept or its metabolite increased the survival mean in H. virescens larvae; high concentrations caused decreased survival. 4. Methyl parasept in diets (0.125%) did not change the response of larvae to gossypol.
Evolutionary optimization of transition probability matrices for credit decision-making

Statistical transition probability matrices (TPMs), which indicate the likelihood of obligor credit state migration over a certain time horizon, have been used in various credit decision-making applications. A standard approach of calculating TPMs is to form a one-year empirical TPM and then project it into the future based on Markovian and time-homogeneity assumptions. However, the one-year empirical TPM calculated from historical data generally does not satisfy desired properties. We propose an alternative methodology by formulating the problem as a constrained optimization problem requiring satisfaction of all the desired properties and minimization of the discrepancy between predicted multi-year TPMs and empirical evidence. The problem is high-dimensional, non-convex, and non-separable, and is not effectively solved by nonlinear programming methods. To address the difficulty, we investigated evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and problem representation schemas. A self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm JADE, together with a new representation schema that automates constraint satisfaction, is shown to be the most effective technique.
Are adjustments in the default risk premium asymmetric

This article employs threshold cointegration and error-correction models to the default risk premium. The approach allows asymmetry in the dynamic process that has not been captured in previous studies of corporate credit spreads. The results indicate that the adjustment process is asymmetric and would be beneficial to investors and macroeconomic forecasters as the default risk premium may signal future business cycles.
Self-Reliance beyond Neoliberalism: Rethinking Autonomy at the Edges of Empire:

Across scholarly and popular accounts, self-reliance is often interpreted as either the embodiment of individual entrepreneurialism, as celebrated by neoliberal designs, or the basis for communitarian localism, increasingly imagined as central to environmental and social sustainability. In both cases, self-reliance is framed as an antidote to the failures of larger state institutions or market economies. This paper offers a different framework for understanding self-reliance by linking insights drawn from agrarian studies to current debates on alternative economies. Through an examination of the social worlds of semisubsistence producers in peripheral zones in the Global North, we show how everyday forms of self-reliance are mutually constituted with states and markets, particularly through interactions with labor institutions and hybrid property regimes linking individual and collective interests. We draw on empirical data from two ethnographic case studies connected by a shared colonial history and continuing local mythologies of frontier self-sufficiency: salmon fisheries in rural Alaska in the US, and agrofood economies in socialist and postsocialist Lithuania. In each site we find that although local expressions of self-reliance diverge in critical respects from neoliberal visions, these forms of everyday autonomy are nevertheless enlisted to promote market liberalization, ultimately threatening the very conditions that have long sustained semisubsistence producers� self-reliance in the first place.
Free-space optics based sensor network design using angle-diversity photodiode arrays

In this paper we describe a free-space optics (FSO) based mobile sensor network that is not subject to RF interference common to wireless sensor networks. FSO-based mobile sensor networks can potentially be used in applications where security of communication, including freedom from susceptibility to jamming, is important. The design of nodes containing multiple transceivers each composed of an LED and an angle-diversity array of identical photo detectors is discussed in this paper. Depending on the number of photodetectors in the array and the angular field of view of each photo detector we may obtain an increase in the signal to noise ratio of the overall optical communication system.
Perspectives on cancer stem cells in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive pediatric tumor of growing bones that, despite surgery and chemotherapy, is prone to relapse. These mesenchymal tumors are derived from progenitor cells in the osteoblast lineage that have accumulated mutations to escape cell cycle checkpoints leading to excessive proliferation and defects in their ability to differentiate appropriately into mature bone-forming osteoblasts. Like other malignant tumors, osteosarcoma is often heterogeneous, consisting of phenotypically distinct cells with features of different stages of differentiation. The cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that tumors are maintained by stem cells and it is the incomplete eradication of a refractory population of tumor-initiating stem cells that accounts for drug resistance and tumor relapse. In this review we present our current knowledge about the biology of osteosarcoma stem cells from mouse and human tumors, highlighting new insights and unresolved issues in the identification of this elusive population. We focus on factors and pathways that are implicated in maintaining such cells, and differences from paradigms of epithelial cancers. Targeting of the cancer stem cells in osteosarcoma is a promising avenue to explore to develop new therapies for this devastating childhood cancer.
Effects of the menstrual cycle on measures of personality in women with premenstrual syndrome: a preliminary study.

Background: Previous studies suggest that women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) differ from those without PMS in measures of personality. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of menstrual cycle phase on personality variables in women with and without PMS. Method: The Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised (PDQ-R) was administered in both the follicular and luteal phases to women with PMS (according to National Institute of Mental Health PMS Workshop Diagnostic Guidelines) (N = 40). An asymptomatic control group (N = 20) as well as a symptomatic group of women with DSM-IV-diagnosed recurrent, non-menstrual-cycle-related brief depression (N = 20) also completed the questionnaire in both phases. Results: Only women with PMS demonstrated a significant increase in total PDQ-R score (reflecting overall personality disorder) from the follicular to the luteal phase (p <.01). Women with PMS had significantly higher total PDQ-R scores than the asymptomatic controls during both the follicular (p <.05) and luteal (p <.01) phases, whereas there was no significant difference between women with PMS and symptomatic controls during either phase. Subscale scores fit similar patterns, as did the number of women in each group meeting a cutoff score indicative of the presence of personality dysfunction. Conclusion: In this preliminary study, women with PMS were unique in demonstrating a menstrual cycle phase effect on PDQ-R score, while their scores in both phases were closer to symptomatic controls than asymptomatic controls. These findings suggest that personality disorder in women with PMS may have both state- and trait-related components.
Ethics in community care : Making the case for ethics consults in community mental health centers

Practitioners in community mental health center (CMHC) settings face an environment of vast and ever-increasing ethical complexities, in which there are both emergent dilemmas and ongoing ethical tensions created through competing treatment paradigms. CMHCs clients are a highly vulnerable population due to lower socio-economic status, possibly compromised mental functioning, and societal stigmatization. While many healthcare institutions serving vulnerable individuals offer access to clinical ethics consultations, consults are not routinely available at CMHCs. In this article, we explore the need for ethics consults in CMHCs, propose possible benefits and costs of ethics consultations, and offer suggestions for incorporating consults at CMHCs.
Demonstration of microbial transport into the capillary fringe via advection from below the water table

Abstract A laboratory experiment is used to provide preliminary evidence that microbes can be advected into the capillary fringe from the region below the water table under steady flow conditions. A flow cell was packed so as to contain both a region for which pore-water pressure was greater than atmospheric pressure (termed ‘below the water table’) and a region, where the pore-water pressure was less than atmospheric with the pores essentially saturated with water (termed the ‘capillary fringe’). Steady flow was then established through maintaining a hydraulic gradient across the medium. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) transformed bacteria ( E. coli JM109) were used to visualize migration of bacteria from below the water table into the capillary fringe. These transformed bacteria fluoresce brightly and readily when excited by standard UV light (395 nm) in 100 mL LB medium with 100 μg/mL ampicillin. The concentrations of bacterial inoculum and oxygen were adjusted to ensure GFPuv expression at a large scale. Results demonstrated that microbes can move into the capillary fringe from below the water table under horizontal hydraulic gradients. Motion from the capillary fringe into the region below the water table was also observed as was the absence of advection through regions of entrapped air below the water table.
Ideas for How to Take Wicked Problems Seriously

Too often we hear that environmental and agricultural problems are just about there being too many people on the planet, or consumers improving their buying habits, or getting the right ethics or virtues or the best science. Framing matters within a single solution, or ‘‘panacea,’’ as Ostrom et al. refer to it (Ostrom et al. 2007), assumes we already know well in advance that the problems can be understood so compactly. Yet it makes little sense to assume that there are easily identifiable drivers for climate change, animal welfare, natural resource management, and sustainable agriculture or engineering, among many other complex problem areas that we face today. Each of these subjects is problematic in multiple ways. Each of them involves interaction between diverse forms of human conduct and complicated biological processes that are not fully understood. The distinguished ecologist Donald Ludwig has suggested that such problems cannot be addressed through the paradigm of management and are best approached as wicked (Ludwig 2001). Ludwig was referring to a 1973 paper in the urban planning literature by Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber. Wicked problems are not simply complex. According to Rittel and Webber, there are ten aspects to these special challenges that should be respected and grappled with by those who seek to respond to them. They begin by noting that every way of formulating a problem (e.g., as economic, as environmental, as social, etc.) implies some solutions (e.g., carbon trading, regulation, international aid, etc.) and excludes other solutions from being considered. The ontology of problem formulation has implications for the epistemology of problem response. Thus, to describe climate change as an economic problem means that one has already limited oneself to particular economic solutions to addressing it. Because proposed solutions are so closely tied to problem formulations, disagreements among stakeholders who foresee themselves as being impacted differently by the solutions can take the form of
Restoration of pool function type behavior to succinate dehydrogenase having latent reconstitutive activity in ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase complex

Mitochondrial ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase complex contains small amounts of succinate dehydrogenase. Estimates from electrophoresis indicate there is one dehydrogenase per eight complexes. This dehydrogenase transfers electrons to the b-c1 complex poorly, as judged by low succinate-ubiquinone and succinate-cytochrome c reductase activities. Electron transfer to the b-c1 complex is restored by reconstitution of the complex with phospholipid. This phospholipid dependent restoration of electron transfer indicates that either reconstitutive activity of the dehydrogenase is preserved under conditions where electron transfer is absent, or that addition of phospholipid allows one dehydrogenase to transfer electrons to multiple b-c1 complexes.
Limiting nutrient elements in filtered lake erie water

Abstract Biweekly laboratory bioassays were made using filtered Lake Erie waters from the Bass Island region to simulate the effect of an influx of individual nutrients to Lake Erie water. Each sample during the 1969 growing season was inoculated singly with each of three blue-green algae and one green algal species. Portions of each inoculated water sample were enriched with one of 16 essential nutrient elements and cell numbers were determined in the fourth week after exposure under controlled culture conditions. Comparative cell counts showed nitrate-N was the nutrient the most frequently required and was limiting for these algal species in about 2/3 of the water samples. Phosphorus, cobalt and chelated iron were limiting for about 1/3 of their cultures. To achieve maximum growth stimulation generally required a combination of several nutrient elements. An Aphanizomenon bloom occurred naturally in Lake Erie at the water sampling site and after its collapse from nutrient insufficiency, the water samples were found to be toxic to certain of the test algal species.
Hearing Range of White-Tailed Deer as Determined by Auditory Brainstem Response

Basic knowledge of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hearing can improve understanding of deer behavior and may assist in the development of effective deterrent strategies. Using auditory brainstem response testing, we determined that white-tailed deer hear within the range of frequencies we tested, between 0.25-30 kilohertz (kHz), with best sensitivity between 4-8 kHz. The upper limit of human hearing lies at about 20 kHz, whereas we demonstrated that white-tailed deer detected frequencies to at least 30 kHz. This difference suggests that research on the use of ultrasonic (frequencies >20 kHz) auditory deterrents is justified as a possible means of reducing deer-human conflicts.
Variations in use of the term «or»

Two studies showed that adults' responses to questions involving the term “or” varied markedly depending upon the type of question presented. When presented with various objects (“A's” and “B's”) and asked to circle “all things which are ‘A’ or ‘B’” subjects tended to circle “A's” as well as “B's,” whereas when asked to circle “all the ‘A's’ or ‘B's’” subjects showed a relatively stronger tendency to circle one or the other. Moreover the nature of the sets of objects (“As” and “Bs”) influenced behavior as well. There was also evidence that the effects due to question wording or set type transferred.
Contaminant residues and declines of the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) in the California Cascades, USA

Populations of Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae) have declined precipitously in the Mount Lassen area, but remain abundant in the other half of their California range in the Klamath Mountains. To evaluate the role of contaminants in Cascade frog declines, we sampled sediment and frog tadpole tissue at 31 sites where Cascades frogs had disappeared and sites where Cascades frogs are still present across the Lassen and Klamath regions. Pacific chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla) were tested and used as surrogates for residue concentrations in Cascades frogs. We analyzed a total of 79 tadpole samples for 73 semivolatile contaminants including pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The most frequently detected residue was endosulfan sulfate, followed by dacthal, chlorpyrifos, PCB 187, endosulfan II, trans-chlordane, and trans-nonachlor. Chorus frogs had similar residue concentrations as Cascades frogs for most but not all chemicals, indicating that chorus frogs can serve as a reasonable proxy for chemical concentrations in Cascades frogs. None of the contaminants in tissue or sediment had significantly higher concentrations at sites where Cascades frogs have disappeared than at sites where Cascades frogs are still present. We found no evidence to support the hypothesis that the contaminants analyzed have contributed to the decline of Cascades frogs in northern California, although we were able to analyze only a handful of the over 300 pesticides currently used in the area. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012; 31: 1895–1902. © 2012 SETAC
A New Method for Analysis of Temperature Dependent IR Amide I Spectra of Peptides and Proteins

Changes in the amide I' IR band with temperature are widely used for studies of structural transitions in peptides and proteins. Since amide I' exhibits inherent temperature dependent frequency shifts, standard mixture analysis methods are not applicable. To reliably extract the true thermodynamic states, frequency shifts of the component spectra must be explicitly taken into account. New methods termed Shifted Multivariate Spectra Analysis (SMSA) and parametric SMSA (pSMSA) were developed. SMSA uses no specific functional form for the transition (soft modeling), while the parametric variant (pSMSA) assumes a thermodynamic model (hard modeling). The implementation is optimized specifically for amide I' IR in that it takes advantage of known, linear dependence of the frequencies, as well as intensities, on temperature. The methods are first tested on sets of synthetic data with varying amounts of noise as well as on a real experimental amide I' data for the thermal unfolding of an α-helical peptide. The synthetic data tests demonstrate that the methods very reliably recover the correct parameters, although the non-parametric SMSA is subject to the rotational ambiguity. Application to the peptide experimental amide I' data illustrates additional complications encountered with the analysis of real systems, namely the correction for the side-chain spectral bands and interference of spectral shape changes. Finally the pSMSA is applied to the analysis of site-specific thermal unfolding of two small α-helical proteins from sets of multiple 13C isotopically edited amide I' spectra.
Family Planning American Style: Why It's So Hard to Control Birth in the US

The US problems of high unintended pregnancy and abortion can be successfully addressed with a systems approach that focuses on reducing barriers to contraception and improving opportunities to expand access. The ability to reduce unintended pregnancy depends on making family planning services available to all. A comprehensive approach requires policy change to improve funding for and access to family planning, to provide comprehensive sex education and to reduce insurance and religious barriers to contraceptives.
How individuals choose topics to contribute at an online context

User generated content is being recognized as part of the value proposition of e-commerce organizations. To make available fresh content on topics, one needs to understand how individuals consider existing contributions in their decision to contribute. This study develops and tests three hypotheses based on a survey and archival data of 235 contributors of reviews at Amazon.com. Results from a LISREL analysis indicate that those with greater self-perceived competence tend to submit content on topics with fewer existing contributions. On the other hand, those with higher social adjustive motive toward others in general tend to contribute on topics where there are many existing contributions. In contrast, people for whom the social adjustive motive toward specific others is salient are equally likely to contribute on topics with few and many existing contributions. These findings suggest ways for site administrators to ensure a balanced coverage across topics by addressing these individual and social factors.
Surface mixed and mixing layer depths

Abstract In order to understand the daily cycle of heat storage within the surface mixed layer it is necessary to distinguish between the mixed layer, the zone of relatively homogeneous water formed by the history of mixing, and the mixing layer, the zone in which mixing is currently active. We compare surface layer definitions based on density (or temperature) with turbulence measurements to evaluate their skill in finding mixed and mixing layer depths, using definitions based on density increase from the surface, and on density gradients. Both types of definition are capable of finding the mixed layer depth, with some tuning for local conditions. Neither definition, however, gives mixing layer depths consistently matching the turbulence measurements, although density differences give more stable results. Measurements of turbulent dissipation rates or overturning length scales often yield consistent estimates of mixing layer depths, but there are cases where overturning lengths give distinctly better results. We conclude that overturning length scales give the most reliable measure of mixing layer depth, although conventional shipborne CTDs are seldom capable of sufficiently resolving the overturns.
Perioperative immunonutrition in surgical cancer patients: a summary of a decade of research.

Background Immunonutrition is assumed to enhance immune system function. In surgical patients, it is supposed to reduce postoperative complications. However, results of recent clinical trials have been puzzling and have not supported this theory.
Lack of insulin feedback inhibition in non-obese and obese men☆

The existence of insulin feedback inhibition is a controversial issue. The present study adopted a novel approach to determine whether insulin feedback inhibition exists in vivo during physiologic hyperinsulinemia and if it could contribute to enhanced insulin secretion in obesity. Serial plasma insulin and C-peptide levels were determined during a basal state and a hyperinsulinemic clamp (287 pmol/min/m2) and following discontinuation of the insulin infusion under euglycemic conditions. Insulin secretion rates were derived from plasma C-peptide levels and individual C-peptide kinetics using a two-compartment model. Eight non-obese and nine obese men were recruited for the studies, which were performed in random order. Men with significant variations in glucose levels during hyperinsulinemia were excluded from the analysis. Plasma glucose levels were similar between the non-obese and obese groups during all phases of the study, and similar plasma insulin levels were achieved in both groups during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia. In obese men, C-peptide levels were significantly greater compared with non-obese men during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (P < .05). However, neither the non-obese nor the obese group demonstrated significant suppression of insulin secretion rates during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia. Expressing the data in absolute terms or as a percent of basal did not alter the results. Moreover, there was no significant change between the non-obese and the obese group during the rapid onset and cessation of hyperinsulinemia. Under euglycemic conditions, physiologic hyperinsulinemia does not induce suppression of endogenous insulin secretion in non-obese or obese men.
The association matrices of extended group divisible scheme

Abstract The association matrices of extended group divisible scheme are presented. Many of the existing results are shown to follow in a simple manner using the idea of association matrices.
Manipulation of an unusual anomalous Hall effect in Ga1−xMnxSb random alloys

Abstract We study the low-field Hall resistivity of Ga1−xMnxSb random alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In a sample showing weakly localized behavior in resistivity vs. temperature the Hall resistance is initially negative at low temperatures and reverses sign twice as a function of temperature up to the Curie temperature, Tc. In a similar sample showing metal-like resistivity vs. temperature we observe a sign change of the Hall resistance induced by gate voltage in a metal–insulator–semiconductor structure. We propose a model to explain this behavior based on recent theoretical work and a two impurity band (spin-up and spin-down) model in the ferromagnetic state.
Pregnancy after classic cesarean delivery.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To describe maternal and perinatal outcomes after a prior classic cesarean delivery. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed including all patients from 1990–2000 whose most recent pregnancy was preceded by classic cesarean delivery. RESULTS: During the 11-year period, there were 37,863 deliveries and 157 patients (0.4%) underwent classic cesarean operations. In the next pregnancy, one case of uterine rupture (0.6%, 95% confidence interval 0.1, 3.5) occurred at 29 weeks without preterm labor and resulted in fetal death. The prevalence of asymptomatic dehiscence was 9% (95% confidence interval 5, 15). There was no significant difference between patients with uterine dehiscence ( n = 15) and patients with intact uteri ( n = 141) with regard to maternal demographics, duration of labor, cervical dilatation at time of surgery, transfusion of packed red cells, bowel injury, postpartum endometritis, wound breakdown, thrombophlebitis, or umbilical arterial pH less than 7.00 ( P > .05). Duration of labor, cervical dilatation, and gestational age at repeat cesarean delivery were poor predictors for uterine rupture or dehiscence. CONCLUSION: Among patients with prior classic cesarean delivery, uterine rupture and dehiscence are neither predictable nor preventable. One in four patients will experience some form of maternal morbidity. Uterine rupture, although infrequent, can be fatal to the fetus. Uterine dehiscence, however, does not increase neonatal or peripartum maternal morbidity.
A dream deferred: interdisciplinary accounting in the US

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set out to examine and critique the current state and future trajectory of interdisciplinary accounting research in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on the author's involvement in and research into accounting research and publication contexts, drivers and patterns in the accounting discipline. Findings – In all likelihood, research will continue established traditions that prevent the explorations of economics and finance from material broadening. This paper identifies how that which everyone believes to be such a good idea cannot bear fruit. Research limitations/implications – Conventional economics-based accounting research has proliferated in volume but has largely exhausted its potential for significant contributions to knowledge. Failure to embrace broadened interdisciplinary perspectives risks a crisis of accounting research contribution to policy, practice, and society. Originality/value – This critique reveals the serious weakne...
The RGS proteins add to the diversity of soybean heterotrimeric G-protein signaling

Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a family of highly diverse, multifunctional proteins that function primarily as GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs). RGS proteins increase the rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gα proteins and essentially regulate the duration of active signaling. Recently, we have identified two chimeric RGS proteins from soybean and reported their distinct GAP activities on individual Gα proteins. A single amino acid substitution (Alanine 357 to Valine) of RGS2 is responsible for differential GAP activity. Surprisingly, most monocot plant genomes do not encode for a RGS protein homolog. Here we discuss the soybean RGS proteins in the context of their evolution in plants, their relatedness to non-plant RGS protein homologs and the effect they might have on the heterotrimeric G-protein signaling mechanisms. We also provide experimental evidence to show that the interaction interface between plant RGS and Gα proteins is different from what is predicted based on mammalian models.
Synemin and Vimentin are Components of Intermediate Filaments in Avian Erythrocytes

Synemin, a high-molecular-weight protein associated with intermediate filaments in muscle, and vimentin, an intermediate-filament subunit found in many different cell types, have been identified by immunologic and electrophoretic criteria as components of intermediate filaments in mature avian erythrocytes. Desmin, the predominant subunit of intermediate filaments in muscle, has not been detected in these cells. Two dimensional immunoautoradiography of proteolytic fragments of synemin and vimentin demonstates that the erythrocyte proteins are highly homologous, if not identical, to their muscle counterparts. Double immunoflurorescence reaveals that erythrocyte synemin and vimentin co-localize in a cytoplasmic network of sinuous filaments that extends from the nucleus to the plasma membrane and resists aggregation by colcemid. Erythrocytes that are attached to glass cover slips can be sonicated to remove nuclei and nonadherent regions of the plasma membrane; this leaves elliptical patches of adherent membrane that retain mats of vimentin- and synemin-containing intermediate filaments, as seen by immunofluorescence and rotary shadowing. Similarly, mechanical enucleation of erythrocyte ghosts in suspension allows isolation of plasma membranes that retain a significant fraction of the synemin and vimentin, as assayed by electrophoresis, and intermediate filaments, as seen in thin sections. Both synemin and vimentin remain insoluble along with spectrin and actin, in solutions containing nonionic detergent and high salt. However, brief exposure of isolated membrane to distilled water releases the synemin and vimentin together in nearly pure form, before the release of significant amounts of spectrin and actin. These data suggest that avian erythrocyte intermeditate filaments are somehow anchored to the plasma membrane; erythrocytes may thus provide a simple system for the study of intermediate filaments and their mode of interaction with membranes. In addition, these data, in conjunction with previous data from muscle, indicate that synemin is capable of associating with either desmin or vimentin and may thus perform a special role in the structure or function of intermediate filaments in erythrocytes as well as muscle.
Unusual magnetic behavior of the amorphous metallic materials M2SnTe4 where M = Co and Ni

Abstract The magnetic properties of three ternary metal chalcogen materials are reported. Ni2SnTe4 exhibits a temperature independent paramagnetism over the entire temperature range 6–300 K. It also exhibits a weak magnetic remanence consistent with an itinerant ferromagnet. Co2SnTe4 exhibits a spin glass transition with a weak ferromagnetic component and a freezing temperature Tf = 5 K.
Leukemia and occupations.

Abstract Occupational risks of leukemia were studied using the data from a Tri-State Survey. Findings are based upon a series of 1345 men with leukemia and 1237 men from a simultaneous random sample of the same geographic area. Preliminary analysis using the major divisions of the standard industrial classification manual suggested a slightly higher risk of leukemia in the construction industry. Further analysis singled out the painters as the group primarily responsible for this increased risk. Detailed age-adjusted analyses of the painters showed a significantly elevated relative risk for this group. The relative risk of leukemia for painters is approximately three times that of persons in other occupations.
Procedures and modules in Fortran 90

No new feature in Fortran 90 is more important than modules for the support of effective software engineering methods. Fortran 90 modules make it possible to encapsulate portions of software: to make entities accessible only from those parts of a program in which the software designer desires and plans for their accessibility. Programmers can control the visibility of software entities (variables, procedures, data types, etc.) from the site of declaration (with PUBLIC/PRIVATE specifications) or from usage sites (with USE-ONLY specifications), and these entities can be packaged together in units for convenient and safe access throughout an application. In this way, Fortran 90 modules fully support the concept of data abstraction, one of the most important organizing principles of software design. This paper illustrates the use of modules to create a package of signal processing functions. It discusses the use of explicit interfaces defined in modules or interface blocks to improve the type safety of Fortran code, user-defined generic procedures and operators, specification of the intended use of procedure arguments (INTENT IN, OUT, and INOUT), dummy-argument arrays that inherit their shape from actual arguments, local arrays with shapes that depend on procedure inputs, recursion, optional and keyword procedure-arguments, and functions that deliver arrays or structures as values. The paper is not comprehensive. Topics omitted include internal procedures, statement functions, multiple entry, alternate return, and pointers, and little is said about the large collection of intrinsic procedures in Fortran 90. All of the illustrative code follows a programming method based on formulas and equations rather than step-by-step procedures. In this method, known as functional programming, names are defined only once; their associated values are never replaced with new ones. Fortran 90 facilitates the use of this method by permitting the definition of functions whose values are arrays or structures and by allowing functions to invoke themselves.
An ecological paradigm for a health behavior analysis of “Konzo”, a paralytic disease of Zaire from toxic cassava

Konzo is an irreversible paralytic disease afflicting tens of thousands of women and children in rural Zaire and throughout sub-Sahara Africa. The disease can occur where bitter, high-yield varieties of cassava that thrive in arid soils provide the basic nutritional staple. The paraparesis is related to upper motor neuron damage stemming from the consumption of insufficiently processed toxic cassava roots (manioc) and a diet poor in the sulfur-based amino acids necessary for the body to detoxify the cyanide in this plant. The ecological paradigm [Kelly (1968) Toward an ecological conception of preventive interventions, in Research Contributions from Psychology to Community Mental Health, ed. J. W. Carter, pp. 75-99, Behavioral Publications, New York] is adapted as the evaluative model for evaluating the potential effectiveness of a proposed health behavior/education intervention for konzo. This qualitative research model involves a consideration of the cycling of resources (human labor and material), adaptation (of personal and social practices related to the health issue), succession (of social institutions, values, customs), interdependence (of human social units), and feasibility (or the congruency of the proposed intervention and cultural traits of the host environment). Based on this evaluative model, a health behavior/education level of intervention focusing specifically on using focus groups and multichannel communication techniques to discourage unsafe manioc short-soaking tendencies among village women farmers seems feasible. Such an approach is not dependent on sophisticated technical or material inputs and is therefore readily sustainable without outside agency support once it is effectively initiated within that culture.
The Ubiquitin Ligase ASB4 Promotes Trophoblast Differentiation through the Degradation of ID2

Vascularization of the placenta is a critical developmental process that ensures fetal viability. Although the vascular health of the placenta affects both maternal and fetal well being, relatively little is known about the early stages of placental vascular development. The ubiquitin ligase Ankyrin repeat, SOCS box-containing 4 (ASB4) promotes embryonic stem cell differentiation to vascular lineages and is highly expressed early in placental development. The transcriptional regulator Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2) negatively regulates vascular differentiation during development and is a target of many ubiquitin ligases. Due to their overlapping spatiotemporal expression pattern in the placenta and contrasting effects on vascular differentiation, we investigated whether ASB4 regulates ID2 through its ligase activity in the placenta and whether this activity mediates vascular differentiation. In mouse placentas, ASB4 expression is restricted to a subset of cells that express both stem cell and endothelial markers. Placentas that lack Asb4 display immature vascular patterning and retain expression of placental progenitor markers, including ID2 expression. Using JAR placental cells, we determined that ASB4 ubiquitinates and represses ID2 expression in a proteasome-dependent fashion. Expression of ASB4 in JAR cells and primary isolated trophoblast stem cells promotes the expression of differentiation markers. In functional endothelial co-culture assays, JAR cells ectopically expressing ASB4 increased endothelial cell turnover and stabilized endothelial tube formation, both of which are hallmarks of vascular differentiation within the placenta. Co-transfection of a degradation-resistant Id2 mutant with Asb4 inhibits both differentiation and functional responses. Lastly, deletion of Asb4 in mice induces a pathology that phenocopies human pre-eclampsia, including hypertension and proteinuria in late-stage pregnant females. These results indicate that ASB4 mediates vascular differentiation in the placenta via its degradation of ID2.
Long term compatibility of nitrogen tetroxide with metals - Results at the ten-year milestone

Analyses and results are reported of a test program to establish the effects of long-term (10 years or more) contact of materials with nitrogen textroxide MON-1 for the purpose of designing chemical propulsion system components which can be used for current as well as future planetary spacecraft. The test materials included aluminum alloy, corrosion-resistant steel, titanium alloy, and nickel. The weight and appearance of each specimen were observed, including the presence of deposits, etching, pitting, and cracking. Aluminum alloy and steel were rated satisfactory with minor reservations, titanium alloy was satisfactory, and nickel was unsatisfactory. Criteria for ratings are shown.
Some purely topological models for intuitionistic analysis

Abstract If one builds a topological model, analogous to that of Moschovakis (1973), over the product of uncountably many copies of the Cantor set, one obtains a structure elementarily equivalent to Krol's model (1978). In an intuitionistic metatheory Moschovakis's original model satisfies all the axioms of intuitionistic analysis, including the unrestricted version of weak continuity for numbers.
Brain aging research

The last three decades produced a striking increase in investigations of the neurobiological basis of brain aging and aging-related changes in neural and cognitive function. Experimental and clinical studies of aging have become more valuable as the population, at least in industrialized countries, has become ‘greyer’. The increase in adult life expectancy that occurred in the twentieth century produced the motivation and necessity to invest resources in increasing ‘health span’ as well as lifespan, in order to maximize quality of life and minimize the financial and social burdens associated with disability in the later years of life. Specific interest in the aging nervous system is driven by recognition that increased longevity has little appeal for most people unless it is accompanied by maintenance of cognitive abilities. Indeed, surveys of older individuals routinely show that loss of mental capacity is among their greatest fear. In recent years, neuroscientists and gerontologists, with a variety of training and experimental approaches, have applied increasingly powerful quantitative methods to investigate why neural function declines with age. New animal model systems have been developed and old ones have become better characterized and standardized. The necessary and important descriptive studies that dominated the field in earlier years are increasingly supplemented by more hypothesis-driven research, resulting in sophisticated investigations and models of the mechanisms of brain aging. This review provides a selective overview of recent and current research on brain aging. The focus throughout will be on normal brain aging and the moderate cognitive changes that often accompany it, not on aging-related neurodegenerative diseases that result in dementia. To provide a context for studies of neurobiological changes in the aging brain, a brief overview of the types of cognitive changes that are commonly seen in aging humans is first provided. The remainder of the review focuses on animal studies that are progressively overcoming the unique challenges of aging research to reveal the neurobiological mechanisms of aging-related cognitive dysfunction, and suggest new targets for therapies to prevent or ameliorate cognitive decline.
Biochemical and physiological characterization of the GTP-binding protein Obg of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background Obg is a highly conserved GTP-binding protein that has homologues in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. In bacteria, Obg proteins are essential for growth, and they participate in spore formation, stress adaptation, ribosome assembly and chromosomal partitioning. This study was undertaken to investigate the biochemical and physiological characteristics of Obg in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis in humans.
TESOL Methods: Changing Tracks, Challenging Trends

This article traces the major trends in TESOL methods in the past 15 years. It focuses on the TESOL profession’s evolving perspectives on language teaching methods in terms of three perceptible shifts: (a) from communicative language teaching to task-based language teaching, (b) from method-based pedagogy to postmethod pedagogy, and (c) from systemic discovery to critical discourse. It is evident that during this transitional period, the profession has witnessed a heightened awareness about communicative and task-based language teaching, about the limitations of the concept of method, about possible postmethod pedagogies that seek to address some of the limitations of method, about the complexity of teacher beliefs that inform the practice of everyday teaching, and about the vitality of the macrostructures—social, cultural, political, and historical—that shape the microstructures of the language classroom. This article deals briefly with the changes and challenges the trend-setting transition seems to be bringing about in the profession’s collective thought and action.