cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NK Lytic-Associated Molecule, Involved in NK Cytotoxic Function, Is an E3 Ligase

NK lytic-associated molecule (NKLAM) is a protein involved in the cytolytic function of NK cells and CTLs. It has been localized to the cytolytic granules in NK cells and is up-regulated when cells are exposed to cytokines IL-2 or IFN-β. We report in this study that NKLAM contains a cysteine-rich really interesting new gene (RING) in between RING-RING domain, and that this domain possesses strong homology to the RING domain of the known E3 ubiquitin ligase, Dorfin. To determine whether NKLAM functions as an E3 ligase, we performed coimmunoprecipitation binding assays with ubiquitin conjugates (Ubcs) UbcH7, UbcH8, and UbcH10. We demonstrated that both UbcH7 and UbcH8 bind to full-length NKLAM. We then performed a similar binding assay using endogenous NKLAM and UbcH8 expressed by human NK clone NK3.3 to show that the protein interaction occurs in vivo. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified uridine kinase like-1 (URKL-1) protein as a substrate for NKLAM. We confirmed that NKLAM and URKL-1 interact in mammalian cells by using both immunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy. We demonstrated decreased protein expression and enhanced ubiquitination of URKL-1 in the presence of NKLAM. These data indicate that NKLAM is a RING finger protein that binds Ubcs and has as one of its substrates, URKL-1, thus defining this cytolytic protein as an E3 ubiquitin ligase.
The Halpin-Tsai Equations: A Review

The Halpin-Tsai equations are based upon the “self-consistent micromechanics method” developed by Hill. Hermans employed this model to obtain a solution in terms of Hill's “reduced moduli”. Halpin and Tsai have reduced Hermans' solution to a simpler analytical form and extended its use for a variety of filament geometries. The development of these micromechanic's relationships, which form the operational bases for the coniposite analogy of Halpin and Kardos for semi-crystalline polymers, are reviewed herein.
Unresolved surgical issues in the management of patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

In the last 10 years, there have been a number of major advances that have markedly changed the management of patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. These advances have been described recently in a number of excellent reviews [1–3]. After reading each of these reviews, including our own, one is left generally with the impression that most of the important problems and particularly those involving surgery in the treatment of this disease have been resolved; however, in considering the possible problems to address in protocols in the coming years in our patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome followed at the National Institutes of Health, it became apparent to us that not only will surgery play an increasingly important role in the management of this disease, but that there are a number of major questions in which various aspects involving surgery are not resolved. Furthermore, resolution of a number of these areas will have applicability to the surgical treatment of other islet cell tumors. The purpose of this article is to call attention to these questions with the hope that other investigators may also consider these and specifically attempt to address some of these issues in the surgical treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome in prospective studies.
Responses of the rat basal ganglia neurotensin systems to low doses of methamphetamine

Rationale Administration of high doses of methamphetamine (METH) in a manner mimicking the binging patterns associated with abuse reduces NT release and causes its accumulation and elevated NT levels in extrapyramidal structures by a D1 mechanism. The relevance of these findings to the therapeutic use of METH needs to be studied.
A relationship between plant responses to cytokinins and cyanide‐resistant respiration

Cytokinin bioassay material from six sources (Amaranthus caudatus L.; Avena sativa L.; Cucumis sativus L.; Funaria hygrometrica Hedw.; Pisum sativum L., cv. Alaska and cv. Progress No. 9; Xanthium pensylvanicum Wallr.) was analyzed for cyanide-resistant oxygen consumption (alternative respiration) during the course of a response to benzyladenine (40 μM). In five of the six bioassay systems, the alternative pathway was found to be present but disengaged (ϱ=0) in the cytokinin-treated material while untreated controls continued to fully utilize the pathway (ϱ=1). The moss, Funaria hygrometrica, was the exception to this pattern, with the alternative pathway fully engaged in both treated and untreated protonemata throughout the period of cytokinin-induced bud formation. Respiration via the alternative pathway was not inhibited by benzyladenine in this latter tissue, although titrations with benzyladenine in carrot (Daucus carota L.) cell suspensions mimicked those obtained using salicylhydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of the alternative pathway. The dwarf pea, Progress No. 9, showed no response to cytokinin application in terms of increased ethylene production, and was also found to lack any capacity for the alternative pathway. Taken together, these results point to a role for the alternative pathway in responses of at least some plant tissues to cytokinins.
Commitment, Revelation, and the Testaments of Belief: The Metrics of Measurement of Corporate Social Performance

Three characteristic problems in the measurement of corporate social performance (CSP) center around the need to measure three “metrics”: the metric of performance evaluation (M1), the metric of performance measurement (M2), and the metric of performance perception and belief (M3). The central issues in each metric are commitment, revelation, and belief, respectively. This article discusses each metric and provides sets of theoretical propositions under M2 and M3 describing behavior in those contexts. Some of the propositions inM2form an explicit partial theory of factors affecting the likelihood of CSP measurement. Those under M3 are developed from more general ones in the theory of testaments.
Some Remarks about Mass Nouns and Plurality

There is a distinction, well marked in English, between words and phrases with the grammatical features of a count noun, a noun regularly used with ‘many’ and ‘few’ in the plural and ‘an’ in the singular, and words and phrases with the grammar of a mass noun, a word which, among other things, lacks these features along with the contrast between plural and singular. ‘Ring’, ‘gold ring’, ‘metal’, ‘rope’, ‘rope from which he hung’ are examples of the former; examples of the latter are ‘water’, ‘metal’, ‘rusty metal’, ‘rope all over the floor’.
What's in an Alias? Family Names, Individual Histories, and Historical Method in the Western Sudan

Monteil was right, to a certain degree. In the Western Sudan, family names are weighted with history and significance. Yet what Monteil characterized as evidence of stability and tradition,2 Charles Bird has more recently called a "ticket to mobility."3 The fluidity and mobility that had come to characterize the jamu eluded Monteil entirely, just as its mutability often eludes contemporary historians. A jamu represents both an all-important identity marker and an instrument of "mobility." Yet it is also highly contigent, even aleatory. This mobility has a double sense, signifying both the mutable nature of the name itself and its potential for "making outsiders insiders" by creating an immediate link between people who would otherwise be strangers.4 Jamuw-the plural takes a 'w'-also have a deep historicity. Embedded in them are history and myth, along with suggestions
On the Private Production of Public Goods

The main concern of the present study is the investigation of some welfare aspects of private provision of exclusive public goods which were neglected in the existing literature dealing with this subject. In particular, we demonstrate that the particular attributes of a public good which make it possible for "all [to] enjoy in common in the sense that each individual's consumption of such good leads to no subtraction from any other individual's consumption of that good" [Samuelson, 1954, p. 387] necessitates a non-competitive market or? ganization.1 Moreover, contrary to the private good case, imperfect competition in the market for privately-produced public good results in over-production. This proposition is independent of consideration of Pareto-Optimality in the allocation of the public good among members of the community. A formal exposition of the arguments is offered in Section I. Section II deals with a somewhat more complicated problem suggested by the possibility of product differentiation.2 Analytically this problem possesses the same general features as the homogenous product case. The main proposition regarding product differentiation of public goods is that its social costs exceed the corresponding private costs, which implies overproduction of public good differentiation. Section III summarizes the main conclusions and provides some further re? flections on the role of government in the provision of exclusive public goods.
Delay dependent stability criteria for recurrent neural networks with time varying delays

This paper aims to present some delay-dependent global asymptotic stability criteria for recurrent neural networks with time varying delays. The obtained results have no restriction on the magnitude of derivative of time varying delay, and can be easily checked due to the form of linear matrix inequality. By comparison with some previous results, the obtained results are less conservative. A numerical example is utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Increasing instrumentality without decreasing instructional time: An intervention for engineering students

Calculus is essential to the engineering curriculum, though its value is not necessarily apparent when the topics are first introduced to students. Our goal was to develop a series of interventions that credibly presented students with information about the utility of calculus topics through a 5-minute video segment. If successful, this intervention would provide instructors with a way to increase the perceived utility of the curriculum without significantly decreasing their instructional time. We recruited 463 students enrolled in Calculus II for engineers. All instructors teaching this course consented to participation in this study and classes were randomly assigned to video and no-video groups. The video group received three interventions during the weeks they were being exposed to the content. The no-video group did not receive any intervention of any kind but were measured at the same points in time as the video group. Results indicate that perceived instrumentality (PI) increased after the first intervention and remained high throughout the semester in the video group. The results suggest that the intervention influenced students perceptions of instrumentality. Theoretically, this provides additional evidence that PI, value, and orientation are constructs distinct from self-efficacy (SE); practically, it provides instructors with a way to improve student motivation without making extensive changes to their courses.
The Impact of Cultural Biases on African American Students’ Education: A Review of Research Literature Regarding Race Based Schooling

Education, at all levels, opens routes to achieve higher incomes, status advancement, and upward social mobility. The goal for most families is to present an opportunity for their children to receive a jump on acquiring knowledge to afford this achievement. Schools within our education system declare they offer a quality education for African American students. This concept will be examined along with the research that maintains schooling for African American students is deliberately sabotaged. To ensure success for all students, awareness and sensitivity to diversity issues should reflect the importance of presenting different cultural perspectives in education.
The long arms of anencephaly: A refutation.

A paper published in 1925 reported that human fetuses with anencephaly have arms that are longer than normal. This finding was accepted as true through the early 1990s. An analysis of body dimensions done in 1996 and enlarged and updated here shows that the arms of human fetuses with anencephaly are appropriate for gestational age and normal in proportion to their leg lengths. A subtle difference in measurement technique was found to explain the discordant findings. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dewpoint Temperature Inversions

Abstract A study was made of the diurnal and seasonal variations of the vertical dewpoint gradient based on measurements taken at 1.2, 9.4 and 131 ft above ground at the Argonne National Laboratory during the period 1 December 1960 through 30 November 1965. The results of this study are used to assess the effects of the dewpoint temperature inversion on vegetative growth, dew formation and corrosion. Case studies employing time series presentations are used to relate the magnitude and direction of the dewpoint gradient with other meteorological variables such as air and soil temperature, pressure, solar radiation, net radiation flux, wind speed and direction, relative humidity and stability. These analyses illustrate the processes operating to influence the magnitude and direction of moisture flux in the lower atmospheric layers. Joint frequency distributions are presented relating the vertical dewpoint temperature gradient with each of the variables—air temperature between 144 and 5.5 feet, relative humi...
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy presenting as a new daily persistent-like headache

New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a recognized subtype of chronic daily headache with a unique presentation of a daily headache from onset typically in individuals with minimal or no prior headache history. Various secondary mimics of NDPH have now been documented but at present there has been no association made between primary epilepsy syndromes and new daily persistent-like headaches. A case patient is presented who developed a daily continuous headache from onset who 3 months after headache initiation had her first generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Further investigation into her history and her specific EEG pattern suggested a diagnosis of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Her NDPH and seizures ceased with epilepsy treatment. Clinically relevant was that the headache was the primary persistent clinical symptom of her JME before the onset of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The current case report adds another possible secondary cause of new daily persistent-like headaches to the medical literature and suggests another association between primary epilepsy syndromes and distinct headache syndromes.
Studies of soot oxidation and fragmentation in a two-stage burner under fuel-lean and fuel-rich conditions

Abstract In this work, soot oxidation and fragmentation studies were carried out experimentally in a two-stage burner, where soot was produced in a first-stage premixed burner, while in a second stage, the soot was oxidized under fuel-lean and slightly-rich conditions. Temperature, particle size distributions (PSD), and measurements of specific gas-phase compounds were performed to evaluate the effects of temperature, O 2 , and OH on the evolution of soot size distributions during oxidation. Results for the leanest ethylene/air flame ( Φ overall = 0.8), showed a decrease in particle mean diameter and an increase in particle number concentration for ultrafine-sized particles with increasing height above burner (HAB), which indicates fragmentation of the fine-sized particles. At higher HAB, the soot oxidation process was dominated by soot burnout as confirmed by the decrease in number and mass concentration. The fuel rich condition ( Φ overall = 1.14) did not show particle fragmentation; in fact, the size distribution was governed by soot burnout starting at burner surface. Measurements of gas-phase compounds, O 2 , CO, CO 2 , H 2 , validated a detailed kinetic model, which was used to predict OH concentration in the secondary flame. Using the concentrations for O 2 and OH , soot oxidation rates were calculated and compared with experimental data. Furthermore, the regions where O 2 and OH were dominating the process of soot oxidation were identified. Soot oxidation via O 2 was favored under fuel lean conditions close to the burner surface. Oxidation via OH appeared to be the major path for soot oxidation under near-stoichiometric and fuel-rich conditions after O 2 concentrations dropped, and faster soot oxidation rates were obtained.
Impact of Climate Change on Three-Dimensional Dynamic Critical Load Functions

Changes in climate and atmospheric deposition of base cations can alter the ionic composition of soil and surface waters, and therefore affect the structure and function of sensitive ecosystems. However, these drivers are not generally explicitly considered in the calculation of critical loads or dynamic critical loads to evaluate the recovery of ecosystems from elevated acidic deposition. Here we explore the importance of accounting for these changes in calculating dynamic critical loads for ecosystems. We developed three-dimensional dynamic critical load surfaces as a function of nitrate, sulfur, and base cation deposition under current and future climate change scenarios for the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. This case study indicates that dynamic critical loads for nitrate and sulfur will be lower under conditions of potential climate change or decreases in base cation deposition. This analysis suggests that greater emission controls may be needed to protect sensitive forest ecosyst...
Can Value Pluralists be Comprehensive Liberals? Galston's Liberal Pluralism

In this paper, the author engages William Galston's recent attempt to revive the Berlinian project of developing a comprehensive theory of liberalism from value pluralist premises. The author's argument maintains that, despite Galston's attempts, the value pluralist in fact has no resources with which to recommend a liberal political order over a variety of illiberal regimes, and that, further, Galston's own justificatory strategy is indistinguishable from the later Rawls's noncomprehensive, ‘political' liberalism. Although the argument engages the work of Berlin and Galston in particular, the primary aim is to preserve the intuition, common to Rawls, Brian Barry, Ronald Dworkin, and John Gray, that value pluralism is inconsistent with comprehensive liberalism.
Physical model evaluation of topical prodrug delivery--simultaneous transport and bioconversion of vidarabine-5'-valerate V: Mechanistic analysis of influence of nonhomogeneous enzyme distributions in hairless mouse skin.

The mathematical problem of simultaneous transport and metabolism in the case of nonuniform enzyme distributions in the skin was solved, and the solutions were used for analyzing experimental data. Experimental data were obtained from permeation experiments with 3H-vidarabine and its 5′-valerate using cellophane tape-stripped hairless mouse skin. Results of the analyses revealed that the esterase activity was four to nine times higher in the epidermis than in the dermis, whereas the deaminase activity was about the same in the two strata. These results were in good agreement with independent experiments using tissue homogenates. The enzyme distributions and the previously reported diffusivities were employed in generating concentration profiles for the prodrug and the drug in the skin. These results may be used in predicting the possible therapeutic effect of the prodrug when it is topically applied.
The Economic Analysis of Maintainability

The economic analysis of maintainability is concerned with the selection of one of several feasible alternative maintenance resource allocations. The available resources are specified by the operational deployment of the prime mission equipment. Operational requirements such as reaction time, on-station time, dispersal time, and mission time will directly affect maintenance doctrine and hardware. The complexity of the cost-operations-maintenance interaction and the consequences of decision are such that the selection of an alternative cannot be done by chance or by the adoption of the first feasible solution. This paper discusses the application of appropriate analytic techniques to the formulation of a cost-effective tactical doctrine.
Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and imaging of ancient Chinese bronzes

High-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction and imaging experiments were performed at the Advanced Photon Source on two ancient Chinese bronzes from the Art Institute of Chicago with the goal to nondestructively study their microstructure. The first object, a bronze fragment from an early Western Zhou dynasty vessel (Hu, 11th/10th century B.C.), was investigated with spatially-resolved diffraction to reveal the depth and composition of the surface corrosion layer as well as the composition and grain size of the underlying bronze core. The second object, a bronze dagger-axe (Ge, 3rd/2nd century B.C.) with a silver-inlaid sheath, was studied under both diffraction and imaging conditions. It was found to have been cast as a single object, answering longstanding scholars’ questions on whether the ceremonial object concealed an interior blade.
Accessibility and the demand for preventive care.

Abstract The multifaceted nature of accessibility poses the problem for health care policy research of determining those types of access barriers which are most important. Following the suggestion by Aday and Andersen, we approach this problem by means of external validation, i.e. by empirical analysis of the role of different types of access barriers in determining whether or not individuals obtain care. Specifically, we estimate the effect of access barriers on the probability of obtaining a physical examination. The application of the basic economic demand model to the case of preventive services is discussed and several extensions of the basic model are suggested. Then multiple regression analysis is applied to household interview data from Baltimore, Velmont, and Saskatchewan to obtain physical examination demand functions. Our results provide some support for the predictions of the economic model concerning the effect of financial and physical access barriers on demand. But the fact that education, attitudes, and relationship to a regular source of care are the most consistently significant determinants of demand suggests that the current policy emphasis on financial and physical access barriers may be too narrow.
Stability analysis and stabilization of a class of nonlinear systems based on stability radii

The concept of stability radii, first proposed by Charles Van Loan (1985), is a measure of robust stability for linear systems. In this paper, the exponential stability and robust stabilization of a class of nonlinear systems are discussed. The class of nonlinear systems under consideration are the ones that can be separated into a nominal linear part plus a nonlinear perturbation with the linear plant in Metzlerian form. It has been shown that if the norm of the nonlinear perturbations is bounded by the complex stability radius, the system is stable. Here, we apply an output feedback gain to the linear part of the system to increase its stability radius to be equal or greater than a given desired value.
GENETIC MODIFICATION OF THE HEMATOLYMPHOID COMPARTMENT FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES

Gene transfer into cells of the hematolymphoid compartment has enormous potential to provide effective therapies across a wide spectrum of human disease. This article reviews current and potential uses of gene modification in this compartment. Issues relevant to the eventual success of gene therapy in the hematolymphoid compartment are also discussed, including biological features of target cells, ex vivo versus in vivo gene therapy approaches, and currently available vector technologies.
The Hippo effector Yorkie activates transcription by interacting with a histone methyltransferase complex through Ncoa6

Cells need to work together for a multi-celled organism, such as a plant or an animal, to thrive. Many complicated signaling pathways therefore exist that allow cells to communicate with one another and to control their own activity in response to the signals that they receive. One such pathway, called the Hippo signaling pathway, regulates when cells grow and divide, which allows organs and tissues to develop correctly and helps to prevent cancerous tumors from forming. Signaling pathways often control the activity of cells by affecting how particular genes are expressed from DNA. One way of doing this is to activate or inactivate proteins called transcription factors, which bind to sections of DNA to alter the expression of nearby genes. In fruit flies, the Hippo signaling pathway stops cells from dividing by inactivating Yorkie, a protein that binds to and activates certain transcription factors. However, exactly how Yorkie is able to activate these transcription factors was unclear. For transcription factors to function correctly, they must be able to reach the stretch of DNA where they bind. Therefore, another way to alter gene expression is to change how the DNA is packaged in a cell. This can be done by modifying the proteins that the DNA is wrapped around, which are called histones, for example by using enzymes called methyltransferases to add methyl groups to these proteins. Qing, Yin et al. looked at the Hippo signaling pathway in the fruit fly Drosophila, and found that the Yorkie protein only activates transcription factors when another protein called Ncoa6—which is part of a methyltransferase—binds to it. Furthermore, when the Ncoa6 protein was bound directly to the transcription factor, the tissue grew normally even when the Yorkie protein was not present. These findings reveal the importance of histone modifications in controlling tissue growth, and could provide a new direction in the search for cancer treatments.
A Pedagogy of Resistance Toward Plagiarism Detection Technologies

Abstract This article interrogates the use of plagiarism detection devices from a critical and rhetorical standpoint, using both plagiarism detection technologies as well as essay mills as sites for analysis and subversion. My goal is to argue for a pedagogy of resistance to plagiarism detection technologies. Both plagiarism detection sites and online paper mills play into the very issue we as rhetoricians and compositionists should be resisting; that is, by upholding the singular notion of authorship as something individualistic, commercialized, and commodified, these sites reinforce individual authorship to the detriment of more communal forms of writing that are prized in online environments such as social networking sites, blogs, wikis, and so on. If we are forced into the circular logic of avoiding plagiarism/catching plagiarists/punishing plagiarism and prizing singular authorship above all other forms, then we risk failing to find the ability to break free and move beyond to more challenging modes of writing that rely on community. The potential time-saving benefits of plagiarism detection services—that is, the ease of discovering potential plagiarism—may unfortunately lull us into compliance and cause us to forget that there are larger issues regarding copyright law and ownership of ideas still up for debate.
The spread of the phonological neighborhood influences spoken word recognition

In three experiments, the processing of words that had the same overall number of neighbors but varied in the spread of the neighborhood (i.e., the number of individual phonemes that could be changed to form real words) was examined. In an auditory lexical decision task, a naming task, and a same-different task, words in which changes at only two phoneme positions formed neighbors were responded to more quickly than words in which changes at all three phoneme positions formed neighbors. Additional analyses ruled out an account based on the computationally derived uniqueness points of the words. Although previous studies (e.g., Luce & Pisoni, 1998) have shown that thenumber of phonological neighbors influences spoken word recognition, the present results show that thenature of the relationship of the neighbors to the target word-as measured by the spread of the neighborhood—-also influences spoken word recognition. The implications of this result for models of spoken word recognition are discussed.
Zebrafish Offers New Perspective on Developmental Role of TOR Signaling

Genetic studies on the molecular basis of growth control have converged on the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway as a key regulator. When stimulated by nutrients (i.e. amino acids) or growth factors (i.e. insulin), TOR activates protein synthesis and other anabolic pathways to promote cell growth. Our knowledge of TOR's function in vivo is still rudimentary, particularly in the setting of vertebrate development. An important question is whether TOR functions as a constitutive regulator of growth in all cell types, or as a stage- and organ-specific regulator. Recently we employed the zebrafish as a vertebrate model system to study the developmental role of TOR signaling. We found that TOR signaling was required for a discrete step prior to epithelial differentiation. The results support the view that different organs may be reliant on TOR activity to differing degrees. In the case of the zebrafish, the digestive tract exhibits the greatest sensitivity to rapamycin, which may reflect its reliance on TOR sig...
Ductility evaluation for typical existing R /C bridge columns in the eastern USA

Abstract Results of nonlinear static pushover analyses of five bridges located in Pennsylvania are presented. The bridges, which vary from single column bents to multiple column bents, have reinforced concrete columns with ties at 12 in. spacing. The objective of the part of the study that is presented in the paper is to estimate displacement ductility and force reduction factors for the selected bridges. The procedures used to obtain moment–curvature relations and to perform nonlinear static pushover analysis using linear elastic analysis software are described. Calculated values for displacement ductility factors and response modification factors ( R -values) are presented. Observations made from the results of a literature review on experimental evidence for ductility of deficient columns are also discussed.
Outer membrane active transport: structure of the BtuB:TonB complex

In Gram-negative bacteria, the import of essential micronutrients across the outer membrane requires a transporter, an electrochemical gradient of protons across the inner membrane, and an inner membrane protein complex (ExbB, ExbD, TonB) that couples the proton-motive force to the outer membrane transporter. The inner membrane protein TonB binds directly to a conserved region, called the Ton-box, of the transporter. We solved the structure of the cobalamin transporter BtuB in complex with the C-terminal domain of TonB. In contrast to its conformations in the absence of TonB, the Ton-box forms a beta strand that is recruited to the existing beta sheet of TonB, which is consistent with a mechanical pulling model of transport.
Reassessment of the generic attribution of Numidotherium savagei and the homologies of lower incisors in proboscideans

Near the end of the twentieth century, a medium-sized early proboscidean found in Dor El Talha (late Eocene to early Oligocene), Libya, originally identified as a small species of Barytherium, was described as a new species of Numidotherium and designated Numidotherium savagei. Poorly known, this taxon has been excluded from most of the recent debate about the origin and diversification of the order Proboscidea. New specimens described herein show strong structural similarities of the upper teeth with those of bunolophodont early proboscideans (e.g., Moeritherium and Phiomia) and document the shared presence of derived traits in the postcranial skeleton. The newly referred material also demonstrates some unique characteristics of this taxon, notably in its mandibular morphology and the microstructure of its dental enamel. Included for the first time in a cladistic analysis (207 anatomical characters applied to all early tethytheres), N. savagei is distinct from both Numidotherium and Barytherium, and lies...
Biochemical and functional properties of herring (Clupea harengus) byproduct hydrolysates

The functional, nutritional, and antioxidative properties of hydrolyzed herring and herring byproducts (head and gonad) were evaluated. All freeze-dried herring fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) powders were light yellow and contained 77% to 87% protein, The degree of hydrolysis was 18.3%, 13%, 13%, and 10.1%, respes. tively, for head, whole fish, body, and gonad after 75 min digestion. All FPH powders had desirable essential amino acid profiles and mineral contents. The emulsilying capacity and stahility of all FPH powders were lower than those of egg alhumin and soy protein; the fat adsorption was comparable to that of egg albumin. The antioxidative acitvity of whole herring FPH was bighest, followed by that of body,. gonad, and head.
Relationship of Autumn Hunting Season to the Frequency of Deer–Vehicle Collisions in Michigan

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) in the United States annually cause an estimated 29,000 human injuries, 200 human fatalities (Conover et al. 1995), and >$1 billion in property damage (Conover 1997). Total social costs of DVCs likely are greater due to human injury, trauma, absence from work, and additional costs of highway safety officers (Hansen 1983). More than 65,000 DVCs are currently reported annually in Michigan, USA (Michigan Traffic Crash Facts 2003), which is a 230% increase since 1982. The actual number of DVCs may be greater than reported due to suspected under-reporting of DVCs (Decker et al. 1990, Conover et al. 1995). Deer-vehicle collisions involving white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northern latitudes occur most frequently during autumn (Puglisi et al. 1974, Allen and McCullough 1976). Hunting has been implicated as a contributing factor to the autumn peak in DVCs because it increases movement of whitetailed deer (Etter et al. 2002). If hunting actually contributes to increased frequency of DVCs wildlife managers could be subjected to political pressure to alter hunting seasons or deer populations. A need to understand relationships between hunting and DVCs is necessary to evaluate harvest policies or efforts to reduce DVCs. Our objectives were to examine temporal patterns of DVCs in Michigan and to determine possible interactions between firearmhunting season and frequency of DVCs.
A Beginner's Guide to Integrating Human Resources Faculty Data and Cost Data.

This chapter presents essentials of human resource faculty data and cost data and how they can be integrated to facilitate institutional decision making.
Formolysis of 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregnan-20α-yl p-toluenesulfonate

Abstract In contrast to its 20-epimer, the formolysis of 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregnan-20α-yl tosylate proceeds predominantly without enlargement of the D ring. The products were identified as 17β-methyl-18-nor-5α, 17α-pregn-13-en-3β-yl acetate (2b), 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregnan-20α-yl formate (13), 3β-acetoxy-17-α-methyl-D-homo-5α-androstan-17αβ-yl formate (14). 5α-pregn-20-en-3β-yl acetate (12b) and 3β-acetoxy-5α-pregnan-20β-yl formate (15). During the degradation of 2b, two cis-13,14 glycols were prepared one of which had an unusually large Δv for the OH stretching bands of the hydrogens that do and that do not participate in hydrogen bonding. This large value (99 cm−1) is attributed to molecular deformation of the 13α,14α-diol. This configuration and the relative yield of this glycol would indicate that the β face of the 13,14 double bond in 2b is more accessible to the addition of OsO4 and probably of other reagents. The catalytic hydrogenation of this double bond is reported. A possible mechanism is suggested for the unexpected formation of the uranediol derivative (14).
Plastic Guidance Fins for Long Rod Projectiles .

Projectile tail fins on long rod kinetic energy (KE) penetrators serve the same purpose as fletchings (feathers) on an arrow, namely, they help align the projectile axis with its velocity vector. This reduces the projectile's yaw and hence reduces its aerodynamic drag. In addition, a low yaw angle at target impact helps to maximise the projectile's target penetration. It is typical for projectiles to exit the gun muzzle and enter free flight at some ndn-zero yaw angle. Aerodynamic forces acting on yawed tail fins create a stabilising torque about the projectile's centre of gravity (CG). This torque can be increased by making the fin material lighter. Most conventional long rod penetrators fired from high performance guns have tail fins made from aluminium. However, aluminium can undergo catastrophic oxidation (rapid burning) in-bore. Coating aluminium with Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ {hardcoat) prevents ignition of the substrate, provided solid propellant grain impacts do not chip the brittle hardcoat off the surface. Plastic is lighter than aluminium and less exothermic when oxidized. Therefore, other factors aside, it is conceivable that plastic fins could increase projectile stability while incurring less thermal erosion than aluminium. However, thermal loads are not the only concern when considering plastic as an alternative tail fin material. The mechanical strength of plastic is also a critical factor. This paper discusses some of the successes and failures of plastic fins, at least relatively thin fins, for use as KE stabilisers.
Atomic layer deposition of ultrathin and conformal Al2O3 films on BN particles

Abstract Ultrathin and conformal Al2O3 films were deposited on BN particles using alternating exposures of Al(CH3)3 and H2O. Transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy performed in vacuum on high surface area BN particles was used to monitor the surface chemistry during the sequential exposures. The initial vibrational modes were consistent with BOH* and BNH2* surface species on the BN particles. These species were converted to AlCH3* species during Al(CH3)3 exposure. Subsequently, H2O exposure was used to convert the AlCH3* species into AlOH* species. Alternating Al(CH3)3 and H2O exposures yielded AlCH3* and AlOH* species, respectively, that sequentially deposited aluminum and oxygen with atomic layer control. The repetition of the Al(CH3)3 and H2O exposures in an ABAB… reaction sequence led to the appearance of bulk Al2O3 vibrational modes. The intensity of these bulk vibrational modes increased with the number of AB reaction cycles. Following Al2O3 deposition, the BN particles were also examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The TEM studies revealed extremely uniform and conformal Al2O3 films on the BN particles with a thickness of ∼90 A after 50 AB reaction cycles. The absence of observable B and N photoelectron signals during XPS analysis was consistent with a continuous and conformal Al2O3 coating. These ultrathin Al2O3 films should help to increase BN particle loading in composite materials for thermal management applications without degrading the high thermal conductivity of the BN particles.
Physicians' communication and parents' evaluations of pediatric consultations.

is a multiplex process in which the physician and patient produce and assign meaning to an array of verbal and nonverbal messages. Some of these messages relate to the task at hand (e.g., exchanging information, conducting the physical examination, prescribing treatment), whereas others reflect the nature of the relationship between the interactants (e.g., friendly, concerned, domineering). Because the communicative stream is complex, some messages may assume more salience than others in the minds of the interactants depending on their respective goals and expectations.1 In this investigation, it is argued that certain features of the physician's communicative conduct have a greater impact on parents' evaluations of children's health care
Percolation Segregation in Binary Size Mixtures Under Different Shear and Intensity of Motion

Percolation segregation in binary size mixtures of potash and urea were quantified at three strains of 2, 6, and 10% and two strain rates of 0.25 Hz and 0.5 Hz. To prepare binary size mixtures, three coarse mean sizes: 3,675, 3,075, and 2,580 μm of potash and urea were mixed with three fines mean sizes, 2,180, 1,850, and 1,550 μm, of potash, and two fines sizes, 2,180 and 1,850 μm, of urea, respectively. Based on experimental results, the percentage of segregated fines and the normalized segregation rate (NSR) of fines for binary mixtures increased when strain rate was increased from 0.25 to 0.5 Hz. NSR and percentage of segregated fines also increased with increase in strain from 2 to 10%. In addition, NSR increased when strain was increased from 2 > 6> 10% for size ratios 1.7:1.0, 2.0:1.0, and 2.4:1.0 (p < 0.05). At the three strains, 2, 6, and 10%, NSR for potash was higher (0.06, 1.13, 1.40 kg/kg-h) versus urea (0.17, 0.62, and 0.69 kg/kg-h) except at strain of 2%, for the same size ratio 2.0:1.0 when...
2D arbitrary shape-selective excitation summed spectroscopy (ASSESS).

Conventional single-voxel localization for MR spectroscopy (MRS) is restricted to selecting only rectangular-shaped regions of interest (ROIs). The complexity of tissue shapes of interest and the desire to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while minimizing partial-volume effects require more sophisticated localization techniques. A group of spatially selective RF pulses are proposed in this work for the measurement of spectra from regions of arbitrary shape based on using a radial trajectory in k-space. Utilizing a single k-line per excitation results in a broad spectroscopic bandwidth. However, spatial localization accuracy is compromised for nutation angles > 10° because of the small-tip-angle approximation of the Bloch equations. By interleaving multiple radial k-lines per excitation with nonselective refocusing pulses, one can achieve accurate localization for nutation angles up to 90° while simultaneously maintaining the spectral bandwidth. The technique is described and compared with existing localization methods, and in vivo results are demonstrated. Magn Reson Med 58:19–26, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Authenticating edges produced by zero-crossing algorithms

It is shown that zero-crossing edge detection algorithms can produce edges that do not correspond to significant image intensity changes. Such edges are called phantom or spurious. A method for classifying zero crossings as corresponding to authentic or phantom edges is presented. The contrast of an authentic edge is shown to increase and the contrast of phantom edges to decrease with a decrease in the filter scale. Thus, a phantom edge is truly a phantom in that the closer one examines it, the weaker it becomes. The results of applying the classification schemes described to synthetic and authentic signals in one and two dimensions are given. The significance of the phantom edges is examined with respect to their frequency and strength relative to the authentic edges, and it is seen that authentic edges are denser and stronger, on the average, than phantom edges. >
Nomifensine amplifies subsecond dopamine signals in the ventral striatum of freely-moving rats

The present experiment examined the effect of the dopamine transporter blocker nomifensine on subsecond fluctuations in dopamine concentrations, or dopamine transients, in the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle. Extracellular dopamine was measured in real time using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at micron-dimension carbon fibers in freely-moving rats. Dopamine transients occurred spontaneously throughout the ventral striatum in the absence of apparent sensory input or change in behavioral response. The frequency of dopamine transients increased at the presentation of salient stimuli to the rat (food, novel odors and unexpected noises). Administration of 7 mg/kg nomifensine amplified spontaneous dopamine transients by increasing both amplitude and duration, consistent with its known action at the dopamine transporter and emphasizing the dopaminergic origin of the signals. Moreover, nomifensine increased the frequency of detected dopamine transients, both during baseline conditions and at the presentation of stimuli, but more profoundly in the nucleus accumbens than in the olfactory tubercle. This difference was not explained by nomifensine effects on the kinetics of dopamine release and uptake, as its effects on electrically-evoked dopamine signals were similar in both regions. These findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of dopamine transients in the ventral striatum and establish that nomifensine elevates the tone of rapid dopamine signals in the brain.
Quantifying the trade-offs between stability versus energy use for underactuated biped walking.

In this paper, we address the problem of incorporating both energy consumption and stability into a cost function for bipedal walking. To solve the problem, we also propose a basic framework and demonstrate its effectiveness in simulation. This framework allows one to use a scalar coefficient to adjust the trade-off between stability and energy use. The optimal scalar value depends on the robot, terrain, task and priorities. In order to implement the methods in this paper, multiple low-level walking controllers and meshing of a tendimensional state space are needed. This latter requirement would normally be impractical for a 10D system; however, we exploit the observation that our low-level controllers cause the step-to-step dynamics to fill only a small, quasi-2D region, thus enabling meshing and, correspondingly, dynamic programming based on the resulting Markov Decision Process (MDP). Both the introduction of the energy/stability trade-off problem and our proposed framework for its solution have potential for significant utility in the future, as robot locomotion is developed to operate in increasingly less structured (stochastic) environments.
Fracture of niobium hydride

Consideration is given to causes for the extreme brittleness observed for most hydrides. Surface energies for cleavage of the ..beta.. NbH/sub 0.82/ f.c. orthorhombic hydride along the (100)/sub c/ and (110)/sub c/ are obtained using fracture mechanics methods. The values are shown to be about equal to those of b.c.c. niobium. The relative surface energies of niobium and NbH are consistent with measurements of phonon frequencies and elastic constants. None of the data indicates any decrease of atomic bonding due to the incorporation of hydrogen in the metal lattice. Dislocation mobility is considered on the basis of T.E.M. observations and the crystal structure. It is shown that half of the (110)/sub c/ /sub c/ slip systems cause hydrogen disordering and therefore experience a high lattice frictional stress. Domain boundaries also are shown to be dislocation barriers. Hydride brittleness is considered to result from the decrease in dislocation mobility and in the slip systems available to cause plastic blunting at elastic discontinuities.
Determining the permeability of magnetic thin film material by magnetic force microscopy: relation with superconducting thin films

Abstract A generalized model to recover the magnetic permeability μ of linear magnetic medium thin films from magnetic force microscopy (MFM), data under magnetostatic conditions is developed. In the mathematical treatment, where no assumption is made about the symmetry of the stray field, shape or magnetization for the MFM tip, we are lead to an inverse problem by entailing a nonlinear system of equations and obtain from the experimental data both physical magnitudes wanted: the thickness of the film bμ and μ. On the other hand, relations between superconducting and magnetic thin films are obtained, solving the problem of calibration functions and allowing to recover for a superconducting material the London penetration depth λ as well as the film thickness bλ.