cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An electron microscope study on the pharyngeal glands of the honeybee

The pharyngeal gland cells of the worker honeybee function as unicellular glands; each is possessed of a relatively long, sacculated and unbranched ductule. The ductule takes a sinuous course around the nucleus in a position more or less midway between it and the cell membrane. Electron micrographs reveal the wall of the ductule to be composed of an inner relatively dense and incomplete layer arranged as circular bands or spirals, so that in sections it appears as plates of relatively dense material; in addition, there is a middle granular layer as well as an outer less well-defined membrane layer. The secretion collects in relatively large masses about the ductule and probably diffuses into its lumen through that portion of the granular layer free of the inner bands or plates. Because the density of the inner layer of the ductule and that of the epicuticle appear similar, it is suggested that they are probably homologous structures. If this be true, diffusion of the secretion through the wall of the ductule must take place in the interval between the plates of the inner layer. The pharyngeal gland cells are highly basophilic and possess a relatively large amount of endoplasmic reticulum. Tubules of the endoplasmic reticulum are sometimes entrapped within the secretion masses, and, in which case, they are probably discharged from the cell along with the secretion. Mitochondria and Golgi bodies were also observed in the pharyngeal gland cells in addition to intracellular tracheoles.
The improving health of the United States, 1850-1915.

The period from 1850 to 1915 witnessed unprecedented improvements in the health of Americans. Male expectation of life at birth rose from approximately forty-one years in the 1850s to over fifty-three years by 1915. The crude death rate fell from approximately twenty-two deaths per 1,000 living during the fifties to about fifteen at the end of the period. At the same time an important change occurred in the types of diseases from which people died. The most important fatal diseases during the decade 1850-1860 were infectious ones. Heart disease and other diseases of old age were relatively unimportant. By 1915 the pattern was reversed. There is a paucity of sound data on the American health experience during the last half of the nineteenth century, making it very difficult for demographers to specify the trend of health improvement for the United States as a whole. As one might expect under these circumstances, scholars are far from agreement as to the time path of health improvement. In this paper I attempt to show that the trend can be derived. More specifically, I attempt to demonstrate that a fundamental transition in the state of health occurred in the decade of the eighties, that average mortality and life expectancy improved little, and very likely worsened, prior to 1880, but improved rapidly thereafter. To show that this time path is the correct one, I shall present new estimates of mortality for the first part of the period. In addition I shall present new evidence on the variables that determine the state of health and demonstrate how the timing of changes in these variables during the last half of the nineteenth century conforms rather well with the hypothesis that health improved very little until about 1880, and then began to improve rapidly.
Discrete dopant effects in ultrasmall fully depleted ballistic SOI MOSFETs

Using a recursive scattering matrix variant, we examine the effects of discrete dopants on the threshold voltage of ultrasmall fully depleted SOI MOSFETs. We find that more highly doped channels produce more interference than do more lightly doped channels. This causes larger fluctuations in threshold voltage. Further, we find that the location of the channel dopants is quite important in the direction of the threshold voltage shift with dopants occurring closer to the source of the device having a larger impact.
Local Political Structures and Violent Crime in U.S. Cities Patterns of Association in a Longitudinal Panel Study

To date, few criminological studies have explored the patterned ways in which local political structures might affect crime. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of local political structures on variations in violent crime rates in U.S. cities. A longitudinal data set collected from the same 280 cities in 1993, 1996, 2000, and 2003 is used to look into this question. Results from negative binomial fixed-effects panel analyses indicate that local government structures make only a limited contribution to variation in violent crime and that impact on violent crime is a conditioned effect in association with a relative deprivation index. Socioeconomic variables associated with relative deprivation consistently predict violent crime levels across U.S. cities, largely irrespective of the character of their local political structures.
Study of Blade Wear in Reciprocating Sawing

Previous work has resulted in an analytical model for linear sawing processes which incorporates key process parameters and is capable of predicting cutting rate. While this provides useful information to guide saw design and cutting, rapid blade wear has a pronounced effect. It is necessary to characterize this effect of cutting edge wear on sawing rates. In the present study, work was conducted using the reciprocating sawing process to assess geometric changes of individual blade teeth and how this affects cutting rate. Geometric changes resulting from blade wear were analyzed and an expression was developed that allows the edge radius to be predicted as a function of cutting conditions and time. The cutting rate model predicts that as edge radius increased, cutting rate would fall exponentially and this was confirmed by experiment. Predicted edge radius values in conjunction with the cutting model were found to provide good agreement with experimentally obtained cutting rate results.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Multi-PIERRE—A learning robot system

Abstract The objective of the project described is to enable a human user to establish on-line a ‘lifelike’ three-dimensional environment in which he can put several robots with definable ‘personality’ characteristics. These robots can operate either entirely on their own or under partial human control. They learn, plan their actions and co-exist with each other at different levels. The learning processes range from simple rote learning to associative and procedural learning. The cognitive structure proposed for the robots seems sufficient for a self-dependent device to be sent to a potentially hostile environment in which it has to survive and accomplish various tasks. The system consists of two programs running simultaneously, one on a graphics computer, the other on a large-scale central machine connected to the former via a voice-grade telephone line.
Analytical model for contaminant mass removal by air sparging

An analytical model was developed to predict the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from ground water by air sparging (AS). The model treats the air sparging zone as a completely mixed reactor subject to the removal of dissolved contaminants by volatilization, advection, and first-order decay. Nonequilibrium desorption is approximated as a first-order mass transfer process. The model reproduces the tailing and rebound behavior often observed at AS sites, and would normally require the estimation of three site-specific parameters. Dimensional analysis demonstrates that predicting tailing can be interpreted in terms of kinetic desorption or diffusion of aqueous phase contaminants into discrete air channels. Related work is ongoing to test the model against field data.
Preparation and cross‐reactivity of anti‐avian glutamine synthetase antibody

Rabbit antibody to chicken liver mitochondrial glutamine synthetase was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography for analysis of the immunological relatedness of vertebrate glutamine synthetases. The antibody cross-reacted with enzymes from representatives of all five vertebrate classes, indicating a high degree of evolutionary conservatism in the structure of the enzymes. A unique aspect of the immunological similarity of these enzymes is that it exists between cytosolic and mitochondrial enzymes which are, in general, immunologically distinct. The antibody did not cross-react with two insect glutamine synthetases. Compositional difference indices, calculated from the amino acid compositions of glutamine synthetases from several species, gave a mean estimate of over 80% sequence homology for the vertebrate enzymes. The avian mitochondrial enzyme gave a mean 78% homology with the mammalian cytosolic enzyme.
Time- and Polarization-Resolved Photoluminescence Decay from Isolated Polythiophene (P3HT) Nanofibers

Isolated nanofibers present unique opportunities to investigate excitonic processes and dynamics in a confined crystalline geometry, where structural order in the transverse (intrachain) and longitudinal (interchain) directions can be tuned by polymer molecular weight, regioregularity, and solvent processing conditions. We report on time- and polarization-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) studies from isolated crystalline P3HT nanofibers (also known as nanowires), which reveal a highly reproducible short-time decay behavior, appearing as an amplified spontaneous emission process (biexciton annihilation) as signaled by a quadratic excitation power dependence in amplitude and decay rate. In the long-time (5–100 ns) regime, we observed a power-law decay in the photoluminescence similar to that seen in thin films and nanoparticles; however, for certain nanofiber families (prepared from p-xylene) we observe an extremely long-lived PL component which we postulate arises from deeply trapped carriers in chain pac...
DELIBERATION, DEMOCRATIC DECISION- MAKING AND INTERNAL POLITICAL EFFICACY

Empirical research into the possible positive consequences of deliberation increasingly reveals that there is a complex relationship between deliberation and its effects on citizens. In this experimental study I examine the relationship between internal political efficacy and one type of deliberation: deliberative decision-making. I also test whether different structures of decision-making mediate between deliberation and internal political efficacy. The data suggest that deliberative decision-making had no direct effect on a global measure of internal political efficacy. Participants in face-to-face deliberative decision-making, though, had higher scores on a situation-specific measure of internal political efficacy than participants who only voted. The structures of decision-making had no effect on either measure of internal political efficacy. These results support claims that deliberation will not necessarily lead to direct, positive effects on citizens’ internal political efficacy, but they also highlight the likelihood that face-to-face deliberation can lead citizens to feel more competent in their deliberative abilities.
Studies of El Niño and Interdecadal Variability in Tropical Sea Surface Temperatures Using a Nonnormal Filter

Abstract A dynamically based filter is used to separate tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) into three components: the evolving El Nino signal, the global tropical trend, and the background. The components thus isolated are not independent. On the contrary, this procedure allows us to see the importance of the interdecadal signal to the predictability of El Nino. The data filtered in this way reveal El Nino signals in the equatorial Indian Ocean and in the north tropical Atlantic Ocean that are remarkably similar. A signature of El Nino in the south tropical Atlantic leads Nino-3.4 SST anomalies by about 9 months. The time series of a global tropical trend is found to have a very smooth parabolic structure. In unfiltered data, this trend conspires with El Nino to obscure a meridional tropical Atlantic dipole, which is significant in the filtered background SST data.
Transfer between downshift in reward magnitude and continuous delay of reward

Abstract Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate transfer of persistence between delay and a downshift in reward magnitude. In the first experiment, experimental rats were initially downshifted in reward magnitude and later tested for persistence to continuous delay of large reward. It was found that these rats were more persistent to the effects of delay than control rats which did not receive prior experience with a downshift in reward magnitude. In the second experiment, experimental rats were first trained to receive large reward under delayed conditions and then tested for persistence to a downshift in reward magnitude. Compared to control rats which received no prior experience with delay, the experimental rats showed a significantly smaller negative contrast effect. The results were interpreted as supporting Amsel's theory of persistence as well as Capaldi's recent interpretation of contrast effects.
The statistical mechanics of earthquakes

Abstract We review recent theoretical developments on the physics of earthquakes. In particular, we focus on the rise of the statistical mechanical view of earthquakes as a kind of ‘phase transition’. This view is appealing in light of the well known scaling relations such as the Gutenberg-Richter magnitude frequency and Omori's law of aftershock decay. Scaling relations such as these, which are in reality power laws, are known to be associated with dynamical systems residing near a critical point in the state space of the system. These second-order critical points are associated with second-order transitions, which are a result of gradual changes of the controlling parameters. At the same time, characteristic earthquakes, which involve the entire fault segment sliding nearly at once, are more reminiscent of a first-order transition, which is characterized by sudden widespread changes in the physical state of the system. In this paper, we review these ideas and show how recent developments are leading to a view of earthquake fault systems based on modern statistical mechanics.
Future directions for research on core competencies.

This concludingcommentary highlights common themes that emergedacross the chapters in this volume. We identify strengths and limitations of the core competenciesframework and discuss the importance of context, culture, and development for understanding the role of the core competencies in preventing risk behavior in adolescence. Wealso outline possible areasfor future researchlinking positive youth development and risk prevention programming. <9Wiley Periodicals, Ine.
Consolidation of the neural trace in memory: ECS-produced retrograde amnesia is not an artifact of conditioning

A test was made, with a one-trial passive avoidance task, of two conditioning explanations of the amnesic effects of ECS. Results did not support the conditioning explanations: ECS alone had no effect upon latency; ECS was about equally effective as a disrupter of avoidance behavior when given in either the start box or the goal box; a gradient of decreasing effectiveness of ECS was obtained as the foot shock-ECS interval increased.
Effects of several factors on chemical condensation of mixed amino acid adenylates.

Protein synthesis, dialysis and Mg ion concentration effects on chemical condensation of mixed amino acid adenylates
The yield strength of particulate reinforced thermoplastic composites

The effects of the filler volume fraction and strength of adhesion on the mode of tensile failure of a particulate reinforced polypropylene (PP) are investigated using finite element simulation (FES). When there is perfect adhesion between con- stituents, an upper bound for tensile yield strength is found to be 1.33 times the matrix yield strength above a critical volume of particulate concentration. Utilizing Sjoerdsma's model for interacting stress concentration fields, one can determine the concentration dependence of the yield strength below the critical filler volume fraction
Telephone follow-up as a primary care intervention for postdischarge outcomes improvement: a systematic review.

Abstract Objective Postdischarge telephone follow-up plays an integral part in transitional care efforts in many regions. We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the evidence regarding the impact of primary care–based telephone follow-up on postdischarge emergency department visits and hospital readmissions. Methods We performed an electronic database search for relevant telephone follow-up studies originating in adult primary care settings. Results Only 3 studies (N=1765) met entry criteria for this review. None of the studies demonstrated evidence of reduced admissions or emergency department visits from primary care–based telephone follow-ups. All 3 studies reported improved primary care office contact as a result of telephone follow-up intervention. Conclusions Despite the growing use of primary care-based telephone follow-up in the postdischarge period, there are no high-quality studies demonstrating its benefit. However, its positive impact on patient engagement holds potentially meaningful implications. In light of recent national health care legislation, the primary care field is ripe for high-quality studies to evaluate the effectiveness of telephone follow-up for patients in the postdischarge period. Particular areas of research focus are discussed.
Referral and Referral Facilitation Behavior of Family Planning Providers for Women with HIV Infection in the Southern United States

Abstract Background: Many women receive family planning (FP) services from federally supported FP providers. These FP services include testing for sexually transmitted infections (STD), including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). FP providers are expected to refer patients with non-FP conditions, including HIV, to other providers for treatment. Prompt HIV treatment improves outcomes and survival, yet many women face barriers to accessing treatment. Facilitation of referrals improves referral follow-up. However, little is known about the referral practices and facilitation activities of FP providers for their clients testing positive for HIV. Methods: To fill this gap, this article reports the findings of a study that used a mail survey of FP providers (n = 456) to document referral practices and facilitation activities when providers see HIV-positive patients. Results: The study found that nearly all FP providers report referring HIV-infected clients to another provider rather than providing treatme...
Risk Factors for the Degradation of Lung Elastic Fibers in the Ventilated Neonate: Implications for Impaired Lung Development in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

In order to evaluate the risk for proteolytic destruction of lung parenchymal elastic fibers in ventilated premature infants, the concentrations of elastase were determined in tracheal aspirates of 65 infants from whom we obtained a total of 327 sequential samples. Elastase was detected at least once in 39 of the 65 infants studied. Eleven of these infants were ventilated with > 60% oxygen for > 5 days. In 19 infants, the presence of elastase was associated with positive bacterial and/or viral cultures and/or elevated ratios (> 0.22) of immature neutrophils to total neutrophils. Elastase was not detected in the lung secretions of 26 infants ventilated with > 60% oxygen for < 3 days, suggesting minimal risk for elastic fiber destruction in the intubated infant who neither has pneumonia nor requires prolonged hyperoxic ventilation. The risk for elastic fiber destruction was further evaluated by analyzing sequential urine and tracheal aspirate samples for the presence of an elastolytic degradation product of...
A MOS four-quadrant analog multiplier using the quarter-square technique

A circuit configuration for a four-quadrant analog multiplier in MOS integrated circuit technology is described. It is based on the quarter-square algebraic identity and uses differential summer and differential squaring stages. The multiplier achieves a linearity of 0.44%, a -3-dB bandwidth of 5 MHz, a dynamic range of 87 dB, and a total harmonic distortion of 0.59%. The circuit was fabricated in a 5-/spl mu/m double-polysilicon p-well CMOS process. Typical power consumption is 10 mW. Chip size is 500 mil/SUP 2/.
Mouse Models Targeting Selenocysteine tRNA Expression for Elucidating the Role of Selenoproteins in Health and Development

Selenium (Se) deficiency has been known for many years to be associated with disease, impaired growth and a variety of other metabolic disorders in mammals. Only recently has the major role that Se-containing proteins, designated selenoproteins, play in many aspects of health and development begun to emerge. Se is incorporated into protein by way of the Se-containing amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec). The synthesis of selenoproteins is dependent on Sec tRNA for insertion of Sec, the 21st amino acid in the genetic code, into protein. We have taken advantage of this dependency to modulate the expression of Sec tRNA that in turn modulates the expression of selenoproteins by generating transgenic, conditional knockout, transgenic/standard knockout and transgenic/conditional knockout mouse models, all of which involve the Sec tRNA gene, to elucidate the intracellular roles of this protein class.
Twitter Quo Vadis: Is Twitter Bitter or Are Tweets Sweet?

This research explores the phenomenon of Twitter to better understand the diffusion of this new technology as a social networking tool. Twitter is a real-time messaging service centered on the question, “What are you doing?” This question is answered with short posts of 140 characters or less. Twitter’s ‘tweets’ are sent to any number of people who choose to follow a person’s Twitter updates. Twitter’s recent growth has been impressive. Based on its growth curve, Twitter appears to be in the Early Adopter stage and is showing signs of entering the Early Majority stage. As Twitter continues to diffuse into the social networking arena, we find great potential for it as a communication medium. Twitter has shown how a medium for social networking and micro-blogging can be used as both a tool for delivering essential information, i.e., news, as well as a medium for delivering non-essential information, i.e., personal messages. We find that although Twitter’s impressive rate of diffusion continues to grow, it is beginning to wane.
Attainable densities for random maps

Abstract We consider a random map T = T ( Γ , ω ) , where Γ = ( τ 1 , τ 2 , … , τ K ) is a collection of maps of an interval and ω = ( p 1 , p 2 , … , p K ) is a collection of the corresponding position dependent probabilities, that is, p k ( x ) ⩾ 0 for k = 1 , 2 , … , K and ∑ k = 1 K p k ( x ) = 1 . At each step, the random map T moves the point x to τ k ( x ) with probability p k ( x ) . For a fixed collection of maps Γ, T can have many different invariant probability density functions, depending on the choice of the (weighting) probabilities ω. Most of the results in this paper concern random maps where Γ is a family of piecewise linear semi-Markov maps. We investigate properties of the set of invariant probability density functions of T that are attainable by allowing the probabilities in ω to vary in a certain class of functions. We prove that the set of all attainable densities can be determined algorithmically. We also study the duality between random maps generated by transformations and random maps constructed from a collection of their inverse branches. Such representation may be of greater interest in view of new methods of computing entropy [W. Slomczynski, J. Kwapien, K. Życzkowski, Entropy computing via integration over fractal measures, Chaos 10 (2000) 180–188].
Tests of nuclear half-lives as a function of the host medium and temperature: refutation of recent claims.

Abstract When radioactive isotopes that decay by α, β−, β+ and electron-capture transitions are placed in a conducting host material, it has recently been claimed that their half-lives show a significant dependence on temperature—up to a 6% difference between room temperature and 12 K. We have refuted two of these claims by measuring: (1) the β− decay of 198Au in gold, for which we find the half life to be the same within 0.04% between room temperature and 19 K; and (2) the electron-capture decay of 97Ru in ruthenium, for which we find any half-life difference to be
Retrenchment Reconsidered: Continuity and Change in the Post‐authoritarian Institutions of Chilean Social Policy

This article analyses the evolution of four social and economic policies reformed under the Chilean military dictatorship – the value-added tax, the health-care policy-making structure, the health-care finance system and the pension system. It argues that the very institutional features that the military government designed to ensure long-run policy persistence have, in fact, facilitated dramatic transformation of these policies after the return to democracy. The findings of this article, particularly the unintended effects of institutional reform, question received notions regarding the logic of institutional ‘lock-in’ and path dependence in the analysis of welfare regimes.
Non-antibiotic selection systems for soybean somatic embryos: the lysine analog aminoethyl-cysteine as a selection agent

In soybean somatic embryo transformation, the standard selection agent currently used is hygromycin. It may be preferable to avoid use of antibiotic resistance genes in foods. The objective of these experiments was to develop a selection system for producing transgenic soybean somatic embryos without the use of antibiotics such as hygromycin. When tested against different alternate selection agents our studies show that 0.16 μg/mL glufosinate, 40 mg/L isopropylamine-glyphosate, 0.5 mg/mL (S-(2 aminoethyl)-L-cysteine) (AEC) and the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors Exceed® and Synchrony® both at 150 μg/mL inhibited soybean somatic embryo growth. Even at the concentration of 2 mg/mL, lysine+threonine (LT) were poor selection agents. The use of AEC may be preferable since it is a natural compound. Unlike the plant enzyme, dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHPS) from E. coli is not feed-back inhibited by physiological concentrations of lysine. The dapA gene which codes for E. coli DHPS was expressed in soybean somatic embryos under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. Following introduction of the construct into embryogenic tissue of soybean, transgenic events were recovered by incubating the tissue in liquid medium containing AEC at a concentration of 5 mM. Only transgenic soybeans were able to grow at this concentration of AEC; no escapes were observed. Genetically engineered soybeans expressing a lysine insensitive DHPS gene can be selected with the non-antibiotic selection agent AEC. We also report here the inhibitory effects of glufosinate, (isopropylamine-glyphosate) (Roundup®), AEC and the ALS inhibitors Exceed® and Synchrony® against different tissues of soybean
Acetylcholine-Induced and Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vasodilation in Burns☆

Microvascular endothelial cells actively participate in local regulation of blood flow and blood-tissue exchange by producing various vasoactive substances including nitric oxide (NO). This study examined microcirculatory changes in the early stage of thermal injury and the NO-related mechanisms. Resistance arterioles of rat cremaster muscle were observed using intravital microscopy. Arteriolar diameter and flow velocity were measured and flow rate was calculated after administration of various vasoactive agonists in burns. In fluid-resuscitated rats with stable systemic blood pressure, microvascular caliber and blood flow were not significantly altered in the first hour following a 25% total body surface area full-thickness scald burn. Topical application of acetylcholine (ACh), an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, increased arteriolar diameter and flow rate in a dose-dependent fashion. The dose-responsive effects of ACh were significantly greater in burned rats than in sham-burned rats, and the augmentation was blocked by inhibition of NO production with NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA). Topical application of adenosine, an endothelium-independent vasodilator, and sodium nitroprusside, an exogenous NO donor, markedly increased arteriolar diameter and flow rate. The effects were not significantly different in burned and sham-burned animals, and the adenosine-induced vasodilation was not blocked by L-NMMA. These data suggest that endothelium-dependent and NO-mediated arteriolar dilation is enhanced in the early stage of thermal injury. This effect may play an important role in the pathophysiological events of microcirculation and blood-tissue exchange in burns.
DNA mismatch repair and TP53 defects are early events in uterine carcinosarcoma tumorigenesis

Growing molecular evidence shows that uterine carcinosarcomas are clonal tumors. The carcinoma component has a dominant effect in the aggressive clinical behavior of these tumors. Defective DNA mismatch repair affects up to 30% of endometrial adenocarcinomas. The frequency and importance of defective DNA mismatch repair in the histiogenesis of uterine carcinosarcomas remains controversial. We studied the pattern and frequency of defective DNA mismatch repair and TP53 alterations in the epithelial and mesenchymal components of 28 uterine carcinosarcomas. We found evidence of defective DNA mismatch repair in six cases (21%) with a concordance rate of 83% for carcinoma-sarcoma pairs (kappa=0.887, P<0.001). Lack of immunostaining for the MLH1 protein was demonstrated in both components in two of these tumors. TP53 defects were evaluated by 17p deletion analysis and p53 immunostaining. Nineteen carcinoma (68%) and 18 sarcoma (64%) components had evidence of either TP53 allelic loss or p53 overexpression. These defects proved clonal in 76% of cases (kappa=0.602, P=0.003). Our results indicate that defective DNA mismatch repair and TP53 defects are common early events in carcinosarcoma tumorigenesis. The high rate of concordance for these molecular defects between the carcinoma and sarcoma components adds to existing molecular evidence that carcinosarcomas are clonal malignancies.
Rates and activation energies of thermal degradation of styrene and acrylate polymers in a vacuum

A study was made of rates and activation energies of thermal degradation of polymeta-methylstyrene, poly-alpha-deuterostyrene, poly-alpha-methylstyrene, and hydrogenated polystyrene, in the styrene type of polymers; and of two methyl methacrylates and one methyl acrylate, in the acrylate type of polymers. This study was carried out in the temperature range 240–355°C., by measuring rates of loss of weight of the samples, due to volatilization, by means of a very sensitive tungsten spring balance enclosed in a vacuum. The samples were limited to 5–6 mg. to avoid spattering. The activation energies were obtained by plotting the logarithms of the initial rates, against the inverse of absolute temperature. The styrene polymers, except hydrogenated polystyrene, degrade thermally chiefly into monomeric type molecules. The activation energy of these polymers is about the same as for polystyrene, which is 58 kcal. In the case of hydrogenated polystyrene, breaks in the chain occur at random, the same as in polyethylene. The activation energy is 52 kcal. Polymethyl methacrylate, like the styrene polymers, breaks mostly at the radical chain ends, yielding the monomer. The activation energy is 33 kcal. for a benzoyl peroxide polymerized, 150,000 MW polymer and 55 kcal. for a thermally polymerized, 5,100,000 MW polymer. Polymethyl acrylate follows a mechanism of random breaking of the chains, and the activation energy is 37 kcal.
Gender, Peers, and Delinquency A Study of Boys and Girls in Rural France

Unlike most other European countries, no self-report research in France has been published, so aside from available data or ethnographic and interview studies, little is known about the delinquent behavior of French youth and practically nothing about young people in the French countryside. In the research reported here, the authors administered a self-reported delinquency questionnaire to a sample of 387 lycee and college students in the Poitou-Charentes region of central France. Employing indices used in the National Youth Survey, the authors sought to test the extent to which measures of social control and learning/differential association theories could be generalized to, and similarly help explain, the delinquency of boys and girls in rural France. Of the two theories investigated, social control measures either did not form reliable scales or were not significantly related to various offense scales, although measures of learning/differential association theory were strongly related to delinquency an...
Probing the structure and charge state of glutathione-capped Au25(SG)18 clusters by NMR and mass spectrometry.

Despite the recent crystallographic determination of the crystal structure of Au25(SCH2CH2Ph)18 clusters, the question−whether all thiolate-capped, 25-atom gold clusters adopt the same structure, regardless of the types of thiols (e.g., long-chain alkylthiols, aromatic thiols, or other functionalized ones)−still remains unanswered. To crystallize long-chain or bulky ligand (e.g., glutathione)-capped Au25(SR)18 clusters has proven to be difficult due to the major amorphousness caused by such ligands; therefore, one needs to seek other strategies to probe the structural information of such gold clusters. Herein, we report a strategy to probe the Au25 core structure and surface thiolate ligand distribution by means of NMR in combination with mass spectrometry. We use glutathione-capped Au25(SG)18 clusters as an example to demonstrate the utility of this strategy. One-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) correlation NMR spectroscopic investigation of Au25(SG)18 reveals fine spectral features that explici...
Optimizing hydrogen production from organic wastewater treatment in batch reactors through experimental and kinetic analysis

Abstract Anaerobic hydrogen production from organic wastewater, an emerging biotechnology to generate clean energy resources from wastewater treatment, is critical for environmental and energy sustainability. In this study, hydrogen production, biomass growth and organic substrate degradation were comprehensively examined at different levels of two critical parameters (chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pH). Hydrogen yields had a reverse correlation with COD concentrations. The highest specific hydrogen yield (SHY) of 2.1 mole H 2 /mole glucose was achieved at the lowest COD of 1 g/L and decreased to 0.7 mole H 2 /mole glucose at the highest COD of 20 g/L. The pH of 5.5–6.0 was optimal for hydrogen production with the SHY of 1.6 mole H 2 /mole glucose, whereas the acidic pH (4.5) and neutral pH (6.0–7.0) lowered the hydrogen yields. Under all operational conditions, acetate and butyrate were the main components in the liquid fermentation products. Additionally, a comprehensive kinetic analysis of biomass growth, substrate degradation and hydrogen production was performed. The maximum rates of microbial growth ( μ m ) and substrate utilization ( R su ) were 0.03 g biomass/g biomass/day and 0.25 g glucose/g biomass/day, respectively. The optimum pH for the rate of hydrogen production ( R H 2 ) and SHY were 5.89 and 5.74 respectively. Based on the kinetic analysis, the highest R H 2 and SHY for batch-mode anaerobic hydrogen production systems were projected to be 13.7 mL/h and 2.32 mole H 2 /mole glucose.
Spatial autocorrelation in the European air navigation system

The fragmentation of the European air navigation system has been identified as a cause of inefficiencies and additional costs. One of the problems is that since the different national systems are not independent of their neighbours, there might be issues of spatial autocorrelation, where the efficiency of a system is dependent on the efficiency of others, and thus an inefficient system might negatively impact the economic efficiency of those around it. This article will explore that possibility by applying spatial autocorrelation techniques to data envelopment analysis efficiency results for 2010.
Dynamic and elastic properties of F-actin: a normal-modes analysis

We examine the dynamic, elastic, and mechanical consequences of the proposed atomic models of F-actin, using a normal mode analysis. This initial analysis is done in vacuo and assumes that all monomers are rigid and equivalent. Our computation proceeds from the atomic level and, relying on a single fitting parameter, reproduces various experimental results, including persistence lengths, elastic moduli, and contact energies. The computations reveal modes of motion characteristic to all polymers, such as longitudinal pressure waves, torsional waves, and bending, as well as motions unique to F-actin. Motions typical to actin include a "groove-swinging" motion of the two long-pitch helices, as well as an axial slipping motion of the two strands. We prepare snapshots of thermally activated filaments and quantify the accumulation of azimuthal angular "disorder," variations in cross-over lengths, and various other fluctuations. We find that the orientation of a small number of select residues has a surprisingly large effect on the filament flexibility and elasticity characteristics.
Subpicosecond solitons in an actively mode-locked fiber laser.

Experimental results are presented for a study of the stability regime of an actively mode-locked polarization-maintaining fiber ring laser used as a memory. Observations indicate that the pulse widths in the memory can be reduced (by soliton effects) by a factor of approximately 4.4 below the pulse widths predicted by standard active mode-locking theory. Stability regions for the solitons are mapped and compared with theoretical predictions.
Finite element analysis of three-dimensional conformal contact with friction

Abstract A specialized finite element formulation designed to deal with the frictional contact problem in three-dimensional bodies where one of the principal relative curvatures is zero or close to zero is described. Numerical examples of contact between three-dimensional gears has been presented.
English teaching and the weight of theory

The division between theory and pedagogy is an example of the more traditional division between theory and practice. The paper deals with the artificiality inherent in the institutional separation of those scholars who study within a subject area and those who study the pedagogy of the subject. The paper discusses various theoretical accounts of the nature of English to make the case that theory is imbued with pedagogy. That is, theory is not neutral about teaching. How we teach is driven by our theoretical commitments to our subject.
A study on the polycondensation of bis‐hydroxyethyl terephthalate

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was synthesized from its monomer bis-hydroxyethyl terephthalate (BHET), in the presence of Sb2O3 catalyst. A second order irreversible reaction model was developed, and the apparent rate constant was evaluated by observing the course of intrinsic viscosity change. At 278°C, the apparent rate constant in the presence of 0.025% (by weight) of Sb2O3 was found to be 0.945 L/mol h.
Thermodynamics of chemical equilibrium—I Effect of temperature and pressure

Abstract A general thermodynamic derivation for the temperature and pressure derivatives of the chemical reaction parameter is presented. These derivatives are evaluated for several simple equations of state. Applications are indicated for error analysis, for computation of small changes, for correlation of yield data and for selection of pressures which maximize yield.
Author entropy vs. file size in the gnome suite of applications

We present the results of a study in which author entropy was used to characterize author contributions per file. Our analysis reveals three patterns: banding in the data, uneven distribution of data across bands, and file size dependent distributions within bands. Our results suggest that when two authors contribute to a file, large files are more likely to have a dominant author than smaller files.
Initiation and Evaluation of an Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) Nursing Program in a Pediatric Setting

Finding ways to improve patient throughput through efficient use of nursing time led one pediatric medical center to develop an Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) Nursing Program that included specialized nurses devoted to nursing activities that normally disrupt continuity of care on patient units. It was found that the ADT nurses improved patient throughput. Additionally, a nursing-staff satisfaction survey found that 93% of nursing staff felt that the ADT program made a worthwhile contribution to decreasing the workload of nurses, and all nurses answering felt that the ADT program assisted in providing high-quality care and services.
The odd-parity input problem in metrical stress theory*

Under the weak layering approach to prosodic structure (Ito & Mester 1992), the requirement that output forms be exhaustively parsed into binary feet, even when the input contains an odd-number of syllables, results in the odd-parity input problem, which consists of two sub-problems. The odd heavy problem is a pathological type of quantity-sensitivity where a single odd-numbered heavy syllable in an odd-parity output is parsed as a monosyllabic foot. The even output problem is the systematic conversion of odd-parity inputs to even-parity outputs. The article examines the typology of binary stress patterns predicted by two approaches, symmetrical alignment (McCarthy & Prince 1993) and iterative foot optimisation (Pruitt 2008, 2010), to demonstrate that the odd-parity input problem is pervasive in weak layering accounts. It then demonstrates that the odd-parity input problem can be avoided altogether under the alternative structural assumptions of weak bracketing (Hyde 2002).
Implementation of Action Sequences by a Neostriatal Site: A Lesion Mapping Study of Grooming Syntax

The neostriatum and its connections control the sequential organization of action ("action syntax") as well as simpler aspects of movement. This study focused on sequential organization of rodent grooming. Grooming syntax provides an opportunity to study how neural systems coordinate natural patterns of serial order. The most stereotyped of these grooming patterns, a "syntactic chain," has a particularly stereotyped order that recurs thousands of times more often than could occur by chance. The purpose of the present study was to identify the crucial site within the striatopallidal system where lesions disrupt the syntax or serial order of syntactic grooming chains without disrupting constituent movements. Small excitotoxin lesions were made using quinolinic acid at bilateral sites within the dorsolateral, dorsomedial, ventrolateral, or ventromedial neostriatum, or in the ventral pallidum or globus pallidus of rats. An objective technique for mapping functional lesions was used to quantify cell death and to map precisely those lesions that disrupted grooming syntax. Our results identified a single site within the anterior dorsolateral neostriatum, slightly more than a cubic millimeter in size (1.3 x 1.0 x 1.0 mm), as crucial to grooming syntax. Damage to this site did not disrupt the ability to emit grooming actions. By contrast, damage to sites in the ventral pallidum and globus pallidus impaired grooming actions but left the sequential organization of grooming syntax intact. Neural circuits within this crucial "action syntax site" seem to implement sequential patterns of behavior as a specific function.
Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement

*People’s fear and anxiety about doing math—over and above actual math ability—can be an impediment to their math achievement. We show that when the math-anxious individuals are female elementary school teachers, their math anxiety carries negative consequences for the math achievement of their female students. Early elementary school teachers in the United States are almost exclusively female (>90%), and we provide evidence that these female teachers’ anxieties relate to girls’ math achievement via girls’ beliefs about who is good at math. First- and secondgrade female teachers completed measures of math anxiety. The math achievement of the students in these teachers’ classrooms was also assessed. There was no relation between a teacher’s math anxiety and her students’ math achievement at the beginning of the school year. By the school year’s end, however, the more anxious teachers were about math, the more likely girls (but not boys) were to endorse the commonly held stereotype that “boys are good at math, and girls are good at reading” and the lower these girls’ math achievement. Indeed, by the end of the school year, girls who endorsed this stereotype had significantly worse math achievement than girls who did not and than boys overall. In early elementary school, where the teachers are almost all female, teachers’ math anxiety carries consequences for girls’ math achievement by influencing girls’ beliefs about who is good at math. education | mathematics | gender | stereotype | modeling
Floral sex ratios and gynomonoecy in Solidago (Asteraceae)

Gynomonoecy is the sexual system in which individual plants bear both female and bisexual flowers. Little attention has been paid to the adaptive significance of this sexual system, which is particularly prevalent in the Asteraceae. We investigated one hypothesized advantage of having two flower types, namely that this arrangement permits flexibility in allocation of resources to male and female reproductive functions. We examined six species of goldenrod (Solidago), a genus of gynomonoecious, perennial herbs. In greenhouse experiments, we varied one or more of three environmental variables – light, nutrients and water – and/or examined heads in different positions on the plants. Most variables had little or no effect on the proportion of ray flowers. Significant effects were found for light in 0 of 5 experiments, for nutrients in 4 of 9 experiments and for water in 0 of 3 experiments. Heads in different positions in the inflorescence differed in the proportion of ray flowers in half of the experiments, though the differences were small. We also monitored temporal patterns in four species and found that the proportion of ray flowers increased significantly over the blooming period and the number of flowers per head declined. Because of the small number of significant effects and their modest magnitude, we conclude that the presence of two flower types in goldenrods is probably not advantageous in allowing flexibility in sex expression. It seems likely that this sexual system has been more important either in increasing pollinator attraction or in reducing pollen–pistil interference. The small observed changes in floral ratios were generally accompanied by changes in disc size in a manner consistent with an explanation based on allometry. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2002, 77, 413–422.
Effects of protein degradability and source on rumen function, food intake and growth in Holstein cattle given high-moisture maize grain

Crude protein concentration in diets based on high-moisture maize grain was increased using rumen degradable protein (RDP) or rumen undegradable protein (UDP). Treatment diets (numbers in parentheses indicate approximate RDP and UDP concentrations, g/kg dry matter (DM)) were: low-RDP (59, 80), high-RDP (79, 92), low-UDP (66, 67), high-UDP (69, 107, with maize gluten meal as chief UDP source) and high-UDP (71, 91, with fish, meat and maize gluten meals as UDP sources). Rumen pH and concentrations of volatile fatty acids, measured hourly for 12 h after feeding in four rumen fistulated Holstein steers, were unaffected by treatment (P > 0·05). Rumen ammonia-N concentration was greater for high-RDP (193 mg/1) than low-RDP (68 mg/1; P 0·05). Lower DM intake (P 0·05). Food conversion efficiency increased (P < 0·001) when UDP concentration was increased only if UDP was supplied by a mix of fish, meat and maize gluten meals.When RDP supply was not limiting to DM intake, protein source (amino acid composition) was better than protein degradability as an index of the feeding value of dietary protein.