cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward rebalancing blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury with spinal cord electrical stimulation: A mini review and critique of the evolving literature.

Abstract High-level spinal cord injury commonly leads to blood pressure instability. This manifests clinically as orthostatic hypotension (OH), where blood pressure can drop to the point of loss of consciousness, and autonomic dysreflexia (AD), where systolic blood pressure can climb to over 300 mmHg in response to an unperceived noxious stimulus. These blood pressure fluctuations can occur multiple times a day, contributing to increased vessel shear stress and heightened risk of cardiovascular disease. The pathophysiology of both of these conditions is rooted in impairments in regulation of spinal cord sympathetic preganglionic neurons, which control blood pressure by mediating vascular resistance and catecholamine release. Recently, spinal cord electrical stimulation has provided evidence that it may modulate these blood pressure imbalances. Early proposed mechanisms suggest activation of spinal cord dorsal horn neurons that ultimately act upon the sympathetic preganglionic neuronal pathways. For OH, spinal cord stimulation likely induces local activation of these neurons to generate baseline sympathetic tone and accompanying vasoconstriction. The mechanisms for spinal stimulation regulating AD are less clear, though some suggest it activates inhibitory circuits to dampen the overactive sympathetic response. While questions remain, spinal cord electrical stimulation is an intriguing new modality that may restore blood pressure regulation following spinal cord injury.
Election Fairness and Government Legitimacy in Afghanistan

International development agencies invest heavily in institution building in fragile states, including expensive interventions to support democratic elections. Yet little evidence exists on whether elections enhance the domestic legitimacy of governments. Using the random assignment of an innovative election fraud-reducing intervention in Afghanistan, we find that decreasing electoral misconduct improves multiple survey measures of attitudes toward government, including: (1) whether Afghanistan is a democracy; (2) whether the police should resolve disputes; (3) whether members of parliament provide services; and (4) willingness to report insurgent behavior to security forces.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Slipping and Tripping Reflexes for Bipedal Robots

Many robot applications require legged robots to traverse rough or unmodeled terrain. This paper explores strategies that would enable legged robots to respond to two common types of surface contact error: slipping and tripping. Because of the rapid response required and the difficulty of sensing uneven terrain, we propose a set of reflexes that would permit the robot to react without modeling or analyzing the error condition in detail. These reflexive responses allow robust recovery from a variety of contact errors. We present simulation trials for single-slip tasks with varying coefficients of friction and single-trip tasks with varying obstacle heights.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE UNDER STATE EQUAL PROTECTION LAW

After President Clinton's failed attempt in 1993 to reform the United States health care system, some observers predicted that the system would reform itself through free-market competition.3 Competition among insurance companies and health plans, some believed, would expand access, reduce prices, and improve quality.4 Yet the free market has failed to do any of these things. The num­ ber of uninsured Americans has steadily increased.5 Prices, al­
Purification and Properties of an l-Arabinose Isomerase from Escherichia coli

Abstract An l-arabinose isomerase has been purified 12-fold from l-arabinose-induced cultures of Escherichia coli B/r strain F' araB-24/araB-24. The enzyme is homogeneous in the ultracentrifuge and better than 98% pure by disc acrylamide electrophoresis. The s020,w is 12.65 x 10-13 sec at pH 7.6, 12.72 x 10-13 sec at pH 6.0, and 12.66 x 10-13 sec at pH 5.0. There is no evidence of concentration-dependent dissociation of the enzyme from pH 5.0 to pH 7.6. The molecular weight determined by sedimentation equilibrium is 3.62 ± 0.16 x 105. The enzyme exhibits only slight activity toward d-fucose, l-fucose, and d-xylose and no activity toward any of the other compounds tested. Several polyalcohols, from 3 to 5 carbon atoms in length, are effective inhibitors of the enzyme, and at least two of these, l-arabitol and ribitol, are competitive inhibitors. Activation by Mn++ has been demonstrated by means of enzyme dialyzed against ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, but not with nondialyzed enzyme. An amino acid analysis is presented.
Artesanato, Cultura e Turismo: O Discurso Estético-Político nas Arpilleras

O presente artigo aborda a cultura popular, mais especificamente o artesanato, para discutir suas possibilidades em relacao ao turismo. Parte-se do pressuposto que a logica capitalista tem levado ao tratamento reducionista dado a cultura, pelo turismo. O objeto de analise sao as tapecarias chilenas, denominadas arpilleras , que nos anos 1970 foram utilizadas por grupos de mulheres para denunciar as violacoes aos direitos humanos naquele pais. O objetivo do artigo e o de analisar como as paisagens produzidas nas tapecarias reproduziam do Chile de entao, utilizando-se como metodologia a Analise do Discurso. Os resultados mostram que tais pecas artesanais estao incorporadas ao patrimonio historico e cultural chileno, e nessa condicao sao expostas em diferentes paises, inclusive no Brasil, incentivando producoes locais. A apropriacao turistica de patrimonios como as arpilleras, pelo turismo, entretanto, exige outra relacao com a cultura.
Philanthropy and Governance

(2006). Philanthropy and Governance. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 586-592.
Infrared excited Yb:Er: Y 2 O 2 S phosphors with intense emission for lighting applications

Yb and Er-doped Y2O2S phosphor was synthesized by solid state flux fusion method and their upconversion spectral properties were studied as a function of different Yb concentrations. The solid state flux fusion results in well crystallized hexagonal shaped phosphor particles of average size 3.8 μm. The detailed optical characterizations such as absorption, emission, and fluorescence decay were performed to explore the emission processes in the UV-VIS-NIR as well as to quantitatively estimate the fluorescence quantum yield. Upconversion spectral studies show that for all the compositions, green emissions are stronger, particularly; the green emission intensity is 1.7 times stronger than the red one with composition of 8 mol% Yb and 1 mol% Er. Mechanisms of upconversion by two photon and energy transfer processes are interpreted and explained. The color coordinates are measured and the color tunability was analyzed as a function of the 980 nm excitation power. Results show that the Y2O2S:Yb,Er phosphor offers power dependent color tuning properties where the emission color can be tuned from 490 to 550 nm by simply changing the 980 nm excitation power from 10 to 50 mW.
Clement of Alexandria and the Beginnings of Christian Platonism

One of the most fruitful branches of recent patristic study has been the effort to determine the relation between early Christian theology and Greek philosophy. Starting from the assumption that the affinities between the two were many and close, scholars have found themselves able to draw detailed inferences of literary and intellectual dependence, and in the case of many Christian authors to discover the exact sources from which they drew their philosophic ideas, or at least to assign these to some contemporary school. Without such work an accurate estimate of the fathers' views and ways of thinking is impossible, but it must be remembered that an author is not explained, or even fairly represented, by showing how much he may have derived from others, for in the last analysis his finished thought is his own, however extensive the foreign material employed in its construction. It is not, therefore, at the end but at the beginning of his work that the historian of thought can expect most help from the investigation of sources, since even an author who differs from his contemporaries in his answers to current problems must usually begin by seeing them as they do. The background of an author's thought must have supplied the starting point for many of his ideas.
The iron meteorites, their thermal history and parent bodies.

Cooling rates for Widmanstatten pattern formation in iron meteorites used to obtain data on parent meteorite bodies
Association behavior of biotinylated and non-biotinylated poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)

Biotinylated and non-biotinylated copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) were synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization technique. The chemical compositions of the copolymers as determined by NMR are represented by PEO113PDEAEMA70 and biotin−PEO104PDEAEMA93, respectively. The aggregation behavior of these polymers in aqueous solutions at different pHs and ionic strengths was studied using a combination of potentiometric titration, dynamic light scattering, static light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. Both PEO-b-PDEAEMA and biotin−PEO-b-PDEAEMA diblock copolymers form micelles at high pH with hydrodynamic radii (Rh) of about 19 and 23 nm, respectively. At low pH, the copolymers are dispersed as unimers in solution with Rh values of about 6−7 nm. However, at a physiological salt concentration (cs) of about 0.16 M NaCl and a pH of 7−8, the copolymers form large loosely packed Gaussian chains, which were not present at th...
Experimental Investigation and Computational Evaluation of Contoured Endwall and Leading Edge Fillet Configurations in a Turbine NGV

Secondary flow minimization is a crucial problem in a turbine passage. In the present paper, three different ways are employed to reduce the secondary flow related total pressure loss. These are nonaxisymmetric endwall contouring, leading edge (LE) fillet, and the combination of these two approaches. Experimental investigation and computational assessment are applied for the performance calculations. The experiments are carried out in an annular Axial Flow Turbine Research Facility (AFTRF) having a diameter of 91.66cm. For the experimental measurement comparison, a reference Flat Insert is installed in the nozzle guide vane (NGV) passage. It has a constant thickness with cylindrical surface and is manufactured by stereolithography (SLA) method. Also, Flat Insert has a backward facing step at the NGV exit, and the effect of this step is analyzed computationally. Four different LE fillets are designed, and they are attached to both cylindrical Flat Insert and the contoured endwall. Total pressure measurements are taken at rotor inlet plane with Kiel probe. The probe traversing is completed with one vane pitch and from 8% to 38% span. For one of the designs, area-averaged loss is reduced by 15.06%. The simulation estimated this reduction as 6.95%. Computational evaluation is also performed at the NGV exit plane. The most effective design reduced the mass-averaged loss by 1.84% on the whole passage. The computational study did not include the rim seal flow between the vane and rotor domain and also rotor simulation was absent. The difference between the measurements and the simulation comes from these two important effects.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Vapor pressure studies of hydrophobic association. Thermodynamics of fluorobenzene in dilute aqueous solution

An automated vapor pressure apparatus has been used to obtain measurements of the vapor pressure of aqueous solutions of fluorobenzene at temperatures of 15, 25, 35, and 45°C, and in the concentration range 0 to 0.011M. The results have been interpreted to infer the dimerization constant of fluorobenzene in very dilute aqueous solutions, equivalent to the second virial coefficient of interaction between fluorobenzene molecules. The hydrophobic association of fluorobenzene molecules is thermodynamically quite similar to that of benzene at comparable temperatures and concentrations. A dimerization constant of fluorobenzene of 0.56 M−1 at 30°C and an endothermic enthalpy of association equal to 3.9 kcal-mol−1 are calculated from the measurements.
Structure, Ideology, and Tribal Governments

The "sovereign"-cum-trusteeship status of Native American groups is under increasingly strident attack by federal, state, and local non-native interests. Huge revenues of several native-operated casinos have fueled the move even as they have increased the political leverage of some native groups. To counter this threat, tribal governments need both stability and effectiveness. Stability might well come from reform of native governance structures to better reflect prevailing grassroots governance ideology. While not challenging the need for such reform, this essay describes the difficulties of accomplishing it and suggests that working within the imposed governance structure and strengthening tribal judicial systems may be a more immediate means of meeting the non-native challenge.
INTERPLAY BETWEEN SPIN AND CRYSTAL LATTICES IN ANTIFERROMAGNETIC YBa2Cu3O6.25

In-plane ρab and out-of-plane ρc resistivity measurements were performed on the same antiferromagnetic YBa2Cu3O6.25 single crystal over a wide range of temperatures T. ρab(T) exhibits two crossovers with decreasing T: a crossover from metallic to weak localization behavior at 175 K and a second crossover to two-dimensional chiral variable-range hopping VRH behavior at 115 K. The latter reflects the topologic excitations induced in the spin system. ρc(T) displays an dependence at high T and a VRH type dependence below 115 K. The T derivative of ρc(T) shows a kink at 32.65 K which we attribute to the antiferromagnetic ordering of the Cu(1) spins.
Traditions, Trials, and Treatises

I t is indeed a special privilege to have been asked to present this lectureship in honor of a master surgeon, an insightful and prolific author, an indefatigable investigator, and a treasured fr iend--John Cedric Goligher (Fig. 1). I thought that as the first in what I hope will become a traditional lectureship at this meeting I would speak of the man himself. This was an easy decision for me to adopt, actually, because without any false modesty I do not have the temerity to stand at this podium and to speak in his name about my work or the work of our department. I am still haunted by" the recollection of mypalpable intimidation at succeeding him to the lectern at a meeting. With his enormous personal experience, his clarity of thinking and expression, and his ability to convey authority without conceit, one was left with the realization that his successor would be anticlimactic and redundant. When John Goligher rose it was not merelyan opportunityfor him to explain, to clarify, or to express himself. His speech was musical, spoken with the measured grace of a Bach dtude. He understood the critical import of the use and abuse of the English language, He knew well the consequences of Sir Francis Bacon's aphorism, "The Ill and Unfit Choice of Words Wonderfully Obstructs the Understanding." How can one adequately present the individual who has inarguably been described as the preeminent clinical investigative surgeon in the world? I will try. John Goligher was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, March 13, 1912, and educated there at Foyle College. He entered the University of Edinburgh Med-
Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Trans-Cinnamaldehyde Attenuate Virulence in Cronobacter sakazakii in Vitro

Cronobacter sakazakii is a foodborne pathogen, which causes a life-threatening form of meningitis, necrotizing colitis and meningoencephalitis in neonates and children. Epidemiological studies implicate dried infant formula as the principal source of C. sakazakii. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of sub-inhibitory concentrations (SIC) of trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), an ingredient in cinnamon, for reducing C. sakazakii virulence in vitro using cell culture, microscopy and gene expression assays. TC significantly (p ≤ 0.05) suppressed C. sakazakii adhesion to and invasion of human and rat intestinal epithelial cells, and human brain microvascular endothelial cells. In addition, TC inhibited C. sakazakii survival and replication in human macrophages. We also observed that TC reduced the ability of C. sakazakii to cause cell death in rat intestinal cells, by inhibiting nitric oxide production. Results from gene expression studies revealed that TC significantly downregulated the virulence genes critical for motility, host tissue adhesion and invasion, macrophage survival, and LPS (Lipopolysaccharide) synthesis in C. sakazakii. The efficacy of TC in attenuating these major virulence factors in C. sakazakii underscores its potential use in the prevention and/or control of infection caused by this pathogen.
SOIL NUTRIENTS IN RELATION TO VEGETATION AND REPRODUCTION

Investigations dealing with soil nutrients have been of several types. Among them may be mentioned those designed to test which elements are to be classed as essential; those which have attempted to determine the combinations of these elements suitable or necessary for plants in general, or for specific plants; those which have endeavored to discover the effect of variations of the relative concentrations of these compounds upon plant development; those which have dealt with the variations in the rates at which the various compounds, or portions of them, are absorbed by the plant during successive stages in its development, and, somewhat more recently, under variations in temperature and a few other external factors; those which have been concerned with the assumed effect of the reaction of the nutrient medium upon absorption; and others which have had to do with various special or individual problems. Out of this work have developed various theories concerning the power and methods of plant "feeding," enormous numbers of analyses of soils, extensive and intensive fertilizer experiments. As yet, however, the r6le which any one of the so-called essential elements plays in plant-development is exceedingly imperfectly known. That progress of knowledge should be slow is to be expected, of course, when one considers that most of the essential elements probably enter into the make-up of from several to scores of compounds, which in the final analysis constitute and are the plant. Nor can much advance in the study of plant nutrition be expected merely from applications of various compounds to plants and subsequent attempts at recovery of these compounds, or the elements of which they are made up, on the basis of ash analyses or the determination of the total quantity of such elements in plant tissues. Such experiments have yielded and will continue to yield results of varying degrees of value in local tests and fertilizer trials, but often they do not give even the slightest hint as to the part an element has played in the production of the observed result. In like manner, attempts to explain the intake of nutrients mainly on the basis of the action of a plasma membrane as a regulator of osmotic phenomena prove less and less satisfying. More recently, studies in colloid phenomena have seemed to offer greater possi-
Addressing Score Bias and Differential Item Functioning Due to Individual Differences in Response Style

A multidimensional item response theory model that accounts for response style factors is presented. The model, a multidimensional extension of Bock's nominal response model, is shown to allow for the study and control of response style effects in ordered rating scale data so as to reduce bias in measurement of the intended trait. In the current application, the model is also used to investigate response style as an underlying cause of differential item functioning. The approach is illustrated using the item responses of cigarette smokers to the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives, a self-report measure of tobacco dependence.
Sarcolemma: Transmitter of Active Tension in Frog Skeletal Muscle

Maximumn tetanic tension developed by frog muscle fibers was measured before and after they had been injured at one end so as to break myoplasmic continuity but to leave the sarcolemma-tube connection to the tendon. The lateral mechanical coupling between myoplasm and sarcolemma is adequate to bear and transmit the maximum active tension developed during stimulation.
Evaluation of Transistor Life Data

The purpose of evaluating transistor life data is to make possible proper application, specification and design of transistors. There are many methods of testing and analyzing life characteristics. These methods are reviewed and discussed here from the standpoint of the user, with emphasis on a particular statistical approach. Components are iritially evaluated at different temperatures to determine such general characteristics as current gain and leakage currents in the collector and emittor cutoff region. Samples are also submitted to mechanical and environmental tests. Life tests are conducted at various temperature and power levels. As a control feature, shelf life tests are usually performed simultaneously. Data collected from life tests are recorded on punched cards. Each card contains all the data for a given transistor at a particular time during the life test. This information is used as the input for an electronic calculator by means of which statistical summaries can be computed. The use of calculators accelerates the evaluation period and therefore allows more data to be analyzed efficiently. This method permits either individual or group. evaluation procedures. The results are presented on curves and charts.
Importance of reversible attachment in predicting E. coli transport in saturated aquifers from column experiments

Abstract Drinking water wells indiscriminatingly placed adjacent to fecal contaminated surface water represents a significant but difficult to quantify health risk. Here we seek to understand mechanisms that limit the contamination extent by scaling up bacterial transport results from the laboratory to the field in a well constrained setting. Three pulses of Escherichia coli originating during the early monsoon from a freshly excavated pond receiving latrine effluent in Bangladesh were monitored in 6 wells and modeled with a two-dimensional (2-D) flow and transport model conditioned with measured hydraulic heads. The modeling was performed assuming three different modes of interaction of E. coli with aquifer sands: (1) irreversible attachment only (best-fit ki = 7.6 day−1); (2) reversible attachment only (ka = 10.5 and kd = 0.2 day−1); and (3) a combination of reversible and irreversible modes of attachment (ka = 60, kd = 7.6, ki = 5.2 day−1). Only the third approach adequately reproduced the observed temporal and spatial distribution of E. coli, including a 4-log10 lateral removal distance of ∼9 m. In saturated column experiments, carried out using aquifer sand from the field site, a combination of reversible and irreversible attachment was also required to reproduce the observed breakthrough curves and E. coli retention profiles within the laboratory columns. Applying the laboratory-measured kinetic parameters to the 2-D calibrated flow model of the field site underestimates the observed 4-log10 lateral removal distance by less than a factor of two. This is promising for predicting field scale transport from laboratory experiments.
Versatile high-precision multiple-pass reflectometer.

A confocal mirror assembly is used to measure radiant reflectances in excess of 0.99 with high precision. The mirrors can be either plano or curved with a few diopters of power, and the angle of incidence can vary from 5° to 70°. Multilayer dielectric reflectors consisting of alternate layers of tantalum pentoxide and silica were prepared by evaporation in a vacuum. A maximum reflectance of 0.9996 ± 0.0002 was measured at 520 nm.
αβ versus γδ lineage choice at the first TCR-controlled checkpoint

αβ and γδ T cells develop in the thymus from a common precursor. Although lineages initially were defined by the type of TCR they express, it soon became clear that the TCR type per se does not play a deterministic role in the lineage decision, since in various transgenic and knockout models, as well as in a small fraction of cells in wt mice, the TCRγδ can drive the differentiation of αβ lineage cells and the TCRαβ can drive differentiation of γδ lineage cells. Thus until recently it was unclear what determines lineage choice and at which stage the two lineages diverge. Recent observations suggest that TCR signal strength determines lineage fate and that lineage choice is made at or shortly after the first TCR-controlled checkpoint. While it is clear that the decision between αβ and γδ lineages is made at the first TCR-controlled checkpoint and the αβ sublineages split off later, it is less clear whether γδ sublineages divert already at the first TCR-controlled checkpoint or later. Recent experiments support the former view.
Model-based recognition of articulated objects

This paper presents a model-based matching technique for recognition of articulated objects (with two parts) and the poses of these parts in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Using articulation invariants as features, the recognition system first hypothesizes the pose of the larger part and then the pose of the smaller part. Geometric reasoning is carried out to correct identification errors. The thresholds for the quality of match are determined dynamically by minimizing the probability of a random match for the recognition system. Results are presented using both occluded synthetic articulated object SAR signatures and actual signatures of articulated objects from the real-world data. The system performance is evaluated with respect to identification performance and accuracy of estimates for the poses of the object parts.
Stream Exiting Studies of Model Amphibious Vehicles

Abstract River existing studies were conducted using a 1:4 scale model of the XM453 eight-wheel cargo truck and a 1:6 scale model of the M59 full tracked personnel carrier on a slope with a non-deformable surface. The experiments were designed to measure the loading parameters on a river bank as a vehicle negotiated the bank in an attempt to exit a stream from a floating position. All significant parameters (i.e. resultant loading on the slope, buoyancy effects, track or wheel contact area, vehicle trim angle and towing effort) were found to be functions of the distance along the bank from the first point of contact and the angle of inclination of the bank. The data indicate that resistance to forward motion is developed rapidly and the vehicle effeciency can be defined by non-dimensional relationships among grade resistance, normal force on the bank, vehicle ground contact area and vehicle trim angle.
Sediment bioaccumulation test with Lumbriculus variegatus: effects of feeding.

Standard sediment-bioaccumulation test methods specify that Lumbriculus variegatus should not be fed during the 28-day exposure. This lack of feeding can lead to decreases in L. variegatus weight and lipid content during the 28-day exposure period. Differences in intrinsic nutritional content of sediments could lead to additional variability in organism performance and/or contaminant uptake. To evaluate the potential benefits of feeding, sediment-bioaccumulation tests were performed comparing treatments with and without supplemental feeding with tropical fish food and also comparing performance food introduced as blended slurry versus fine flakes. The ration of food provided had to be limited to 6 mg/300-mL beaker with 250 mg of L. variegatus (ww) receiving three feedings per week to maintain acceptable dissolved oxygen (DO) in the test chambers. Relative weight change during exposure varied across sediments in the absence of food from very little change to as much as a 40 % decrease from starting weight. Feeding slurry and flake foods increased the total weight of recovered organisms by 32 and 48 %, respectively, but they did not decrease variability in weight changes across sediments. Lipid contents of the organisms decreased similarly across all feeding treatments during the test. At test termination, lipid contents of L. variegatus across unfed, slurry-fed, and flake-fed treatments were not significantly different per Tukey’s honest significant difference test with 95 % family-wise confidence. Feeding resulted in polychlorinated biphenyl residues in L. variegatus being generally slightly less (median 78 %) and slightly greater (median 135 %) than the unfed treatments with slurry and flake formulated foods, respectively.
Vineyard weed management practices influence nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions.

Abstract Successive years of multiple tillage passes have been linked to reductions in soil carbon (C) and shifts in soil physical properties, which are often linked to changes in soil nitrogen (N) retention. ‘Under the vine’ cultivation is becoming a more common practice in vineyards as growers seek alternative means of weed control. Therefore, we (1) investigated the effects of cultivation or herbicide on soil N leaching during a 1 year cycle of vineyard management and (2) determined differences in short-term nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and N transformations between ‘under the vine’ treatments during summer fertigation, a period in which we hypothesized that high N 2 O emission rates would occur under warm, moist soil conditions. Few differences were found in the chemical and physical characteristics of soil profiles in cultivated and herbicide treatments. In the surface depths, total C and microbial biomass (i.e., total phospholipid fatty acids) were greater in the tilled than herbicide soils. This contrasts with other findings, but suggests that the greater weed biomass in the tilled treatment contributed labile C to soil C pools. Greater soil nitrate was found at depth (1.2 m) in the herbicide than cultivated treatment. Also, the cultivated soil had nearly 50% less nitrous oxide emissions during fertigation than the herbicide soil. We suggest that greater weed presence, soil C and microbial biomass in the tilled treatment contributed to the greater N retention.
Relational aggression, victimization, and adjustment during middle childhood

A secondary analysis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development was conducted to test the mechanisms by which relational aggression in third grade was associated both directly and indirectly with relational victimization in sixth grade. A large sample (N = 1,035; 522 girls; M = 8.3 years old; SD = 0.23) and multiple informants (teacher, child, and parent report) and methods were used to test several theoretically driven hypotheses. Our path analysis model suggested evidence for both direct and indirect pathways consistent with the sequential social process model of peer harassment. Relational aggression was significantly associated with future relational victimization even after controlling for physical aggression and gender. Loneliness mediated the direct association between relational aggression and peer victimization. A second model testing the reverse direction of effect revealed that relational victimization in third grade predicted relational aggression in sixth grade and was associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms in fifth grade, but there was no evidence for any of the indirect pathways.
Writing Larch interface language specifications

Current research in specifications is emphasizing the practical use of formal specifications in program design. One way to encourage their use in practice is to provide specification languages that are accessible to both designers and programmers. With this goal in mind, the Larch family of formal specification languages has evolved to support a two-tiered approach to writing specifications. This approach separates the specification of state transformations and programming language dependencies from the specification of underlying abstractions. Thus, each member of the Larch family has a subset derived from a programming language and another subset independent of any programming languages. We call the former interface languages, and the latter the Larch Shared Language.This paper focuses on Larch interface language specifications. Through examples, we illustrate some salient features of Larch/CLU, a Larch interface language for the programming language CLU. We give an example of writing an interface specification following the two-tiered approach and discuss in detail issues involved in writing interface specifications and their interaction with their Shared Language components.
Computer modeling and prediction of thermal fatigue cracking in die-casting tooling

Abstract Thermal fatigue cracking is a major mode of failure of hot working tool steel dies in die-casting and forging applications. This results in huge loss owing to high cost of dies, downtime and die repair and replacement. The cracking initiates due to the large thermal shock experienced by the die surface when it is rapidly heated to 700 °C and then quenched to 150 °C by the lubricant spray. This thermal fatigue loading propagates the crack until gross failure occurs or die becomes unusable. Most of the previous efforts have been focused on the improvement of die steels and heat treatment techniques for high fracture toughness. This paper investigates the cracking mechanism using laboratory experiments. The thermal fatigue loading is applied by dipping the test coupons in molten liquid aluminum bath and quenching in water at room temperature. The dip times in aluminum and water are changed to represent different conditions. Commercial FEM software is used to simulate the test conditions and to analyze the temperature and stress profile. The general thermal fatigue equations are modified to model the cracking in die-casting and predict the number of cycles and regions more susceptible to such cracking. It also presents a methodology to use a computer model to predict failure in actual dies and to make design changes like placement of cooling lines, thermal cycles, etc. to minimize cracking and increase die life.
Loop Distribution and Fusion with Timing and Code Size Optimization

In this paper, a technique that combines loop distribution with maximum direct loop fusion (LD_MDF) is proposed. The technique performs maximum loop distribution, followed by maximum direct loop fusion to optimize timing and code size simultaneously. The loop distribution theorems that state the conditions distributing any multi-level nested loop in the maximum way are proved. It is proved that the statements involved in the dependence cycle can be fully distributed if the summation of the edge weight of the dependence cycle satisfies a certain condition; otherwise, the statements should be put in the same loop after loop distribution. Based on the loop distribution theorems, algorithms are designed to conduct maximum loop distribution. The maximum direct loop fusion problem is mapped to the graph partitioning problem. A polynomial graph partitioning algorithm is developed to compute the fusion partitions. It is proved that the proposed maximum direct loop fusion algorithm produces the fewest number of resultant loop nests without violating dependence constraints. It is also shown that the resultant code size of the fused loops by the technique of loop distribution with maximum direct loop fusion is smaller than the code size of the original loops when the number of fused loops is less than the number of the original loops. The simulation results are presented to validate the proposed technique.
Estimates of Doppler coefficients for in-pile thermionic reactor materials

Temperature coefficients of reactivity due to Doppler broadening of resonances in materials for in-pile thermionic reactor materials
An improved method for the hydrolysis of hardwood carbohydrates to monomers

Abstract The range of xylan content reported for sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) is wider than for most hardwoods. Credible values have been reported that range from less than 16 wt% to more than 19 wt% based on extractive-free wood. Carbohydrate composition of biomass is normally determined by a two stage H 2 SO 4 hydrolysis followed by quantification of the sugar monomers. Acetic and uronic acids are also quantified for xylan-rich materials. In this research, the H 2 SO 4 hydrolysis conditions were modified and an average xylan content of 18.7% was obtained for sugar maple with a standard deviation ( SD ) of 0.41% for eight analyses. Minor refinements were made and an average of 18.6% ( SD = 0.29%) was obtained for another eight analyses. On this occasion the acetyl to xylose mole ratio was 0.71 with a standard deviation of only 0.008. Proton NMR was utilized in quantifying sugar monomers and acetic acid. The modified hydrolysis procedure gave all the expected results for Betula papyrifera , a species without much controversy regarding its carbohydrate composition. A high percentage of glucan plus xylan was also obtained for an experimentally grown poplar with a low lignin content of 17.7%. The summative analyses varied from 99.7% to 101.5% for the three species.
The Effects of Target Tissues on the Outgrowth of Chick Cutaneous and Muscle Sensory Neurons

Abstract In some developing systems, growing axons are attracted to their target site by a diffusible molecule released by the target tissue. In the chick hindlimb, this mechanism could explain how axons, after having reached the plexus region, grow to muscle or to skin. To begin to test this possibility for limb-innervating sensory neurons, we cocultured dorsal root ganglion explants and potential target tissues in three-dimensional collagen gels. In particular, we wanted to know if target tissues, at early stages of development, specifically attract axons of only the appropriate type of sensory neuron. To identify each type of sensory neuron, we used DiI to retrogradely label either cutaneous or muscle sensory neurons in the embryo, prior to culturing. The results showed that dermal and muscle explants could each enhance the outgrowth of both cutaneous and muscle sensory axons. In contrast, the epidermis and the connective tissue associated with developing muscle appeared to inhibit the outgrowth of both cutaneous and muscle sensory axons. These results suggest that, in the embryo, the dermis and muscle cells both release diffusible factors that cause sensory axons to diverge from the plexus, extend toward the sources of these factors, and thereby form discrete peripheral nerves. The inhibitory effects of epidermis and muscle-associated connective tissue may serve to limit the growth of sensory axons to the structures, i.e., dermis and muscle cells, that ultimately receive sensory innervation. However, since for each of the different types of limb tissue, the responses of cutaneous and muscle sensory neurons were always similar to one another, sensory axons must not be responding to target-derived factors when they decide whether to grow to skin or to muscle.
Behavioral and endocrine effects of aminodipropionitrile (ADPN) in male mice

Abstract Effects of aminodipropionitrile (ADPN) on behavior, locomotor activity, food consumption, body weights and endocrine function were noted in male albino mice (CFW). Six daily, consecutive intraperitoneal injections of the drug caused hyperactivity and behavioral phenomena which resembled the circling and headshaking syndrome observed in mutant waltzing mice. Two dose levels 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg were administered to the test groups. Control animals received normal saline. All mice were sacrificed at the end of one week, 48 hr after the 6th and final injection. At both dose levels, the findings revealed significant decreases in body weights, food consumption, food utilization and fecal excretion with consistently more pronounced effects being caused by the 1.5 g/kg dose. Significant increases were noted in the locomotor activity and circling activity of the test mice. Total WBC counts were significantly decreased and adrenal ascorbic acid content/gland significantly increased in the test groups. These findings together with increases in the relative adrenal weights and decreases in the thymus and spleen weights indicated significantly increased pituitary-adrenocortical activity in the test mice. Significant decreases in the seminal vesicle weights of the test vs. control mice suggested hypogonadism. The various data while in accordance with nonspecific stress, also demonstrated certain similarities and parallelisms to behavioral patterns and endocrine activities in the mutant waltzing (whirler) stock.
Statistical treatment of Koba-Nielsen-Olesen scaling

Assuming that the statistical treatment is possible in particle productions, we show that the early onset of Koba-Nielsen-Olesen scaling occurs if the statistical system produced in the hadronic collision has a Debye cut. A specific model is examined in detail.
A Preliminary Study on the Behavior of Notched Ni3Al(B): Fracture Mode Transition

Tensile tests have been carried out on notched Ni3Al(B) specimens with different thickness/width ratios. The result indicate a transition in the fracture mode upon increasing the specimen thickness, from ductile transgranular to intergranular fracture. Experiments at high strain rates show that the transition cannot be explained in terms of the strain rate at the root of the notch. Rather, it is explained in terms of an increasing degree of triaxiality of the stress state.
Theorizing Military Intervention

It seems no book about the current world order is complete these days without 'empire' or 'imperial' in the title. All three authors under review avoid this trend but are nonetheless timely in explicitly associating past colonial practice with more recent military adventures. This association is not always evident in the burgeoning 'empire' literature, or that on contemporary military intervention. Yet many opponents - and supporters - of the recent US-led wars over Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001-2) and Iraq (2003) suggested these interventions were not only (or even) based on so-called 'humanitarian' or 'anti-terrorist' grounds. They were, in part, quests by the United States for strategic influence and in light of the current balance of power that could only translate into a form of imperialism, whether judged pernicious or benign. Of course, opponents and supporters of these campaigns differ as to whether their imperial tinge disqualifies the humanitarian claims made by the United States and its allies. The North-American authors under review in this essay seem to suggest that colonial (and decolonisation) practices actually reinforce the humanity of the West and the validity of recent 'humanitarian' justifications for war rather than expose anything unseemly about contemporary interventionary practice. What is the source of this apparent paradox? How can the historical legacies of North-South relations (and what we know about the politics of imperial identity construction) seem so benign in the present era? It cannot (only?) be that the authors are all North American. One answer can be found in the theoretical framework of the books. Notwithstanding the extent to which each author has sought to be self-reflective concerning power and critical of the International Relations (IR) mainstream, all offer legitimisations for imperial war in wide and problematic ways...
Translation of Taenia crassiceps mRNA in cell-free heterologous systems.

1. 1. mRNA isolated from larval Taenia crassiceps directs efficiently the synthesis of proteins in cell-free heterologous systems. 2. 2. Part of the newly synthesized proteins in a reticulocyte system are precipitable by a rabbit antiserum against T. crassiceps proteins. 3. 3. Analysis of the antiserum-protein dissociated complex by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that most of the proteins synthesized are of low molecular weight (13,000–22,000) although a protein of mol. wt. 260,000 is also produced. 4. 4. Whether the newly synthesized proteins which are precipitable by specific antisera correspond to parasite antigens or to proteins with closely antigenic similarities remains to be established.
Femoral neck-shaft angles of the Qafzeh-Skhul early modern humans, and activity levels among immature Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic hominids

Abstract Current research on Middle Paleolithic hominids from the Near East has directed attention toward possible behavioral/adaptive contrasts between the sympatric and possibly synchronic late archaic (Neandertal) and early modern (Qafzeh-Skhul) human lineages. These two paleontological samples contrast in their femoral neck-shaft angles, with the Qafzeh-Skhul sample having significantly higher neck-shaft angles, with a mean value (132·3°) which is closest to those of modern human urban and some agricultural samples. Given the developmental plasticity of this feature, in which elevated stress levels at the hip reduce the angle during development, this contrast implies lower levels of locomotor activity among the immature individuals of the Qafzeh-Skhul group than among the immature individuals of Near Eastern and other archaic human groups. In conjunction with the relatively high frequencies of commensal rodents at Qafzch, this implies primary site usage of longer duration and more organizational division of activity by age among the Near Eastern early modern humans than among Near Eastern Neandertals.
Low-cost MSI controller for stepper motors

Abstract Integrated circuit chips-based stepper motor controllers are widely used in industry and other market sectors. A low-cost integrated circuit-based controller for stepper motors has been reported. This paper describes an integrated circuit-based controller which controls the speed and direction of a stepper motor at a 55% reduction in cost. The full functional capabilities of the employed integrated circuit chips are realized. This allows the employed integrated chips to be utilized to their full capacity, leading to a cost-effective, compact, and a more reliable controller. The proposed controller is designed, simulated using PSpice, constructed and successfully tested with the EV80C51FB microcontroller board.
Measurement of the Casimir-Polder force.

We have studied the deflection of ground-state sodium atoms passing through a micron-sized parallel-plate cavity by measuring the intensity of a sodium atomic beam transmitted through the cavity as a function of cavity plate separation. This experiment provides clear evidence for the existence of the Casimir-Polder force, which is due to modification of the ground-state Lamb shift in the confined space of a cavity. Our results confirm the magnitude of the force and the distance dependence predicted by quantum electrodynamics.
Homopolymerization and copolymerization studies of OCH2CHCH2OCF2CF2SO2F. Part VII

Abstract The homopolymerization of OCH 2 C HCH2OCF2CF2SO2F (1) was carried out successfully using acid catalysts (BF3, H2SO4, H3PO4) or a photo-initiated catalyst. In addition, copolymeric materials were produced using Cyracure UVR-6110, a cycloaliphatic diepoxide.