cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurochemical Specializations Associated with Vocal Learning and Production in Songbirds and Budgerigars

Specialized neural circuitry has evolved in groups of birds where vocal learning is known to occur, such as in the oscine suborder of the Passeriformes (song-birds) and in the order Psittaciformes (parrots). These specializations are most prominent in the telencephalon, while the midbrain and medullary portions of the vocal control circuit are generally similar in all orders of birds. Specializations in songbirds have at least four components: 1) a set of distinct and interconnected vocal control nuclei in the forebrain; 2) unique connections between the auditory system and these vocal control nuclei; 3) the occurrence of receptors for sex steroid hormones in a subset of the vocal control nuclei; and 4) unique patterns in the distribution of various markers of the major classes of neurotransmitters within the vocal control nuclei. In the order Psittaciformes, as exemplified by budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), it appears that neural specializations generally similar to those described in songbirds have evolved independently. Although anatomical studies have found a system of interconnected forebrain regions in budgerigars that are roughly similar to those described in oscines, detailed connectivity studies of this forebrain system suggest that it is only superficially similar to that of songbirds, and budgerigars also have unique connections between the auditory and motor systems. Also, analyses of the distribution of markers of neurotransmitter function in the budgerigar brain reveal patterns different from those described in songbird vocal control systems. This work suggests that songbirds and parrots have evolved separate neural ‘solutions’ to solve the problem of vocal plasticity. There are differences between these 'solutions' but also similarities that may be the result of convergent evolution. Although vocal behavior is learned in both songbirds and parrots, it differs in many respects. By taking advantage of this 'natural' experiment one can gain insight into the hormonal and neural events that mediate these different forms of vocal plasticity.
Influence of time and mode of exposure on biotransformation of naphthalene by juvenile starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) and rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata).

Juvenile starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) and rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata) were force-fed 56 μCi each of 1-3H-naphthalene dissolved in salmon oil. Values for radioactivity associated with naphthalene and the metabolite fraction were determined for various tissues and body fluids. Results show that these pleuronectids extensively metabolize dietary naphthalene. The rates of decline in naphthalene concentrations (expressed as disintegrations per minute per milligram of dry tissue) were greater than the rates of decline in metabolite concentrations (dpm/mg) in liver, blood, and skin; therefore, relative proportion of metabolites to naphthalene increased with time and at 168 hr after the initiation of the naphthalene-exposure, more than half of the total radioactivity in both species of fish was associated with the metabolites.
M2δ to ligand π-conjugation: testbeds for current theories of mixed valence in ground and photoexcited states of molecular systems.

Redox active quadruply bonded units, M2, can be combined so that they either (i) are bridged by an organic linker or (ii) function as a bridge between two identical organic ligands. When two M2 units are linked together by an organic group that affords M2δ-bridge π-conjugation the electronic structure of each M2 unit is perturbed by the other in the ground state, the photoexcited states, and the mixed valence oxidized form. Similarly when a M2 center links two organic π systems represented by L, the two organic units are coupled by Lπ*-M2δ-Lπ* interactions in their ground state, their photoexcited states, and the mixed valence reduced state. The photoexcited states of the neutral complexes (both case i and ii) provide examples of excited state mixed valence. In case (i), the positive charge may be localized on one dinuclear center or may be delocalized over both M2 units. Similarly in (ii), the electron may be localized on one ligand or delocalized over both. In this tutorial review, spectroscopic studies (UV-vis-NIR absorption, steady state emission, EPR, and time resolved infrared) of these mixed valence systems employing carboxylate tethers are described and the data are discussed in terms of contemporary theories of mixed valence ions.
Homogeneous polynomials as Lyapunov functions in the stability research of solutions of difference equations

The linear autonomous system of difference equations x(n+1)=Ax(n) is considered, where [email protected]?R^k,A is a real nonsingular kxk matrix. In this paper it has been proved that if W(x) is any homogeneous polynomial of m-th degree in x, then there exists a unique homogeneous polynomial V(x) of m-th degree such that @DV=V(Ax)-V(x)=W(x) if and only if @l"1^i^"^1,@l"2^i^"^2,...,@l"k^i^"^k 1(i"1+i"2+...+i"k=m,i"j>=0) where @l"1,@l"2,...,@l"k are the eigenvalues of the matrix A. The theorem on the instability has also been proved.
A Generalized Common-Mode Current Cancelation Approach for Power Converters

The interwinding parasitic capacitance of transformers and the parasitic capacitance between semiconductor switches and the ground are two major contributors to the common-mode (CM) noise currents in switched mode power converters. In this paper, a generalized CM current cancelation approach is proposed for the reduction of CM noise in isolated power converters. The approach is demonstrated in a forward converter. In this approach, the total effect of the two parasitic capacitances on CM noise is represented with an equivalent parasitic capacitance (EPC) at low frequencies. With this EPC, different CM current cancelation techniques can be efficiently organized to simultaneously cancel the low-frequency CM noise caused by these two parasitic capacitances. Furthermore, the EPC can be used to evaluate and quantify the performance of CM noise reduction techniques. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed approach is easy to implement and can significantly attenuate low frequency CM noise and therefore greatly reduce CM filter size and cost.
A big data platform to enable integration of high quality clinical data and next generation sequencing data

Abstract Today, personalized medicine is closer to reality than ever before through targeted treatment, however, the substantial increase in data correspondingly requires scalable systems to continue to effectively manage the data and to remain current with advancing technology. As organizations move to advance translational research to achieve personalized medicine, researchers and clinicians must manage informatics, however, there is a shortage of fully integrated informatics solutions that integrate, store, and analyze clinical and omics data from diverse sources – generated in-house as well as public consortiums. Many researchers and clinicians must rely on bioinformaticians to perform mundane data management tasks in order to validate a simple hypothesis. Oracle Health Sciences Translational Research Center provides a complete and scalable informatics solution, with centralized data storage and analysis across genetic information areas (genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics), vendor platforms, biological data types, and clinical data sources. Organizations such as Cancer Research UK, Erasmus MC, MD Anderson Cancer Center and UPMC have adopted this solution and are evaluating treatment responses for similar patients in a self-sufficient manner, ultimately shortening the biomarker development cycle and accelerating the adoption of personalized medicine.
A photocrosslinking assay for reporting protein interactions in polyketide and fatty acid synthases.

Understanding protein–protein interactions that occur between ACP and KS domains of polyketide synthases and fatty acid synthases is critical to improving the scope and efficiency of combinatorial biosynthesis efforts aimed at producing non-natural polyketides. Here, we report a facile strategy for rapidly reporting such ACP–KS interactions based on the incorporation of an amino acid with photocrosslinking functionality. Crucially, this photocrosslinking strategy can be applied to any polyketide or fatty acid synthase regardless of substrate specificity, and can be adapted to a high-throughput format for directed evolution studies.
Stability of cocaine hydrochloride solutions at various pH values as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography

A stability-indicating assay method based on high-pressure liquid chromatography for the quantitation of cocaine hydrochloride has been developed. The excipients, chlorobutanol, green color and phenol did not interfere with the assay procedure. The developed method was also used to study the stability of cocaine hydrochloride solutions in water and some buffer solutions (phosphate and carbonate). The cocaine solutions in water below pH 4 did not hydrolyze when stored at 24°C for up to 45 days, while the hydrolysis was very fast above pH 5.5. The hydrolysis was catalyzed by OH− and HPQ2−4 and the increase in the ionic strergth decreased the rat of hydrolysis.
Male and female employment in the textile industry in relation to miscarriage and preterm delivery

To address potential reproductive hazards in textile manufacturing, we conducted a community-based case-control study in central North Carolina. Miscarriage cases were identified from medical records (280 interviewed cases): preterm delivery cases and term, normal birth weight controls (454 and 605, respectively) were identified from area hospitals. Exposures were based on job title, an interview concerning textile-related exposures, expert imputation of exposure based on job titles and interviews, and self-reported exposures by women. Relative to women and men working in nonhazardous occupations, workers in the textile industry were not at increased risk of miscarriage or preterm delivery, with the possible exception of preterm delivery among women and men employed in sectors other than knitting and yarn mills and men employed in yarn mills. Inferred exposures to specific agents were also not associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Subject to uncertainty in exposure assessment and nonresponse, these data indicate an absence of adverse effects of the textile workplace environment on these pregnancy outcomes.
Rounding of First-Order Phase Transitions in Systems with Quenched Disorder

It is shown, by a general argument, that in 2D quenched randomness results in the elimination of discontinuities in the density of the thermodynamic variable conjugate to the fluctuating parameter. Analogous results for continuous symmetry breaking extend to d\ensuremath{\le}4. In particular, for random-field models we rigorously prove uniqueness of the Gibbs state 2D Ising systems, and absence of continuous symmetry breaking in the Heisenberg model in d\ensuremath{\le}4, as predicted by Imry and Ma. Another manifestation of the general statement is found in 2D random-bond Potts models where a phase transition persists, but ceases to be first order.
An examination of spatial concentrations of sex exchange and sex exchange norms among drug users in Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore, Maryland, consistently ranks highest nationally in rates of sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections (STDs/STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection...
A thermodynamic theory of evolution

Abstract As a closed thermodynamic system subject to an essentially constant free energy gradient, the biosphere must evolve toward a stationary state of maximum structuring and minimum dissipation with respect to this applied gradient. Since biological evolution occurs opportunistically through chance and selection, rather than as a direct response to the free energy gradient, the conformance of this phase of evolution with thermodynamics requires that natural selection, and the particular adaptive strategies employed by species of organisms, be related to the principles of increasing structuring and decreasing dissipation. In this paper, some general features of this relationship are proposed.
The Association of Lifetime Psychiatric Illness and Increased Retinopathy in Patients With Type I Diabetes Mellitus

Forty-nine patients with Type I diabetes mellitus were assessed to examine the relationship between lifetime prevalence ofpsychiatric illness and retinopathy severity. The subjects with a history of psychiatric illness had significantly worse retinopathy than the subjects without psychiatric illness. Eighty-nine percent of the subjects with severe nonproliferative retinopathy or proliferative retinopathy had a history of psychiatric illness, predominantly affective illness. In addition, the subjects with a history of psychiatric illness had significantly higher current glycohemoglobin levels than those with no psychiatric history. This study's findings suggest that psychiatric illness may be a risk factor for development of retinopathy in Type I diabetic patients.
Energy exchange processes in a low temperature N2CO transfer laser

Abstract A liquid-nitrogen-cooled, active-N2-pumped CO laser has produced cw oscillation from ν = 2 → ν = 1 (4.8 μm) to ν = 35 → ν = 34 (8.0 μm). An analysis of the output spectrum gives the VT relaxation rate of CO (ν ≈30) by He at 150°K as 2 × 103 sec−1 torr−1.
Seeing Beyond: Visual Approaches in Global Learning

Visual methods and theories are no longer only relevant to filmmakers, media critics, photographers, communication researchers, and self-identified visual anthropologists. Increasing numbers of people acknowledge the broader role that visual approaches play within fieldwork, research, social critique, and cultural representation (Pink 2006). Fewer, however, consider the significance of the visual in teaching and learning, and how visual approaches allow us to teach what culture and global awareness really is. Whether in a classroom on a US campus or during an international service-learning program in Jamaica, visual frameworks guide students to trace linkages and challenge constructs and, thus, provide the competencies necessary for cultural and global understanding.
Effects of the Sun on the Earth's environment

Abstract Solar disturbances are observed to have significant effects in near-Earth space. Over the past half-century of observation, a relatively clear picture has developed of how and why the typical solar wind — as well as the most extreme solar events — drive geospace responses. It is clear that magnetospheric substorms, geomagnetic storms (both recurrent and aperiodic events), and even certain atmospheric chemical changes have their origins in the solar–terrestrial coupling arena. High-speed solar wind streams and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can often have strong interplanetary shock waves and southward magnetic fields which can initiate strong storm responses. We demonstrate in this review that available modern space-observing platforms and ground facilities allow us to trace drivers from the Sun to the Earth's atmosphere. This allows us to assess quantitatively the energy transport that occurs throughout the Sun–Earth system during both typical and extreme conditions. Hence, we are continuously improving our understanding of “space weather” and its effects on human society.
The Actions of Cardiac Glycosides on Heart Muscle Cells

In experimental heart muscle preparations cardiac glycosides specifically inhibit the active transport of Na ions out of heart muscle cells. By this action they bring about a net cellular accumulation of Na and, secondarily, a net cellular loss of K and uptake of Cl, cell swelling, and a fall in the electrical potential difference across the resting cell membrane. The site of inhibition appears to be the external surface of the cell membrane and to involve a displacement of K ions from a critical site at this surface. Inhibition of active transport by cardiac glycosides in intact cells has a counterpart in cell membrane fragments, in which the drugs inhibit the Na- and K-activated enzymatic splitting of adenosinetriphosphate. The contraction-promoting effect of these drugs is not understood, principally because the sequence of events in cellular contraction and its alterations in heart failure have been only incompletely identified. Cellular contraction has been divided for descriptive purposes into three...
Step-by-step guide to intravenous catheter placement in the horse

When nursing the sick horse, having a correctly placed intravenous catheter that ensures good venous access is vital. On occasion, massive volumes of intravenous fluids — in excess of 10 litres per hour — are required for treating acute and life-threatening conditions, thus requiring a fully functional catheter.
Media as a spatial practice: Treme and the production of the media neighbourhood

This case study of the HBO series, Treme, contributes to a growing literature on media and space, and on media cities in particular, that positions media as more than a representational practice. Instead, working from a production studies approach, I theorize how media, particularly in the case of television production, acts as a spatial practice that produces and governs contested urban spaces and spatiality. Treme, through its production practices, adapts to and takes up a position within post-Katrina New Orleans as well as influences spatial practices within the city, more generally, and the neighbourhood, more specifically. I consider how the series' production practices – including on-location shooting and local hiring – are implicated in the production of what I term the ‘media neighbourhood’, where the series plays a material role in the daily struggles over culture and neighbourhood space in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Drugs in the brain – cellular imaging with receptor microscopic autoradiography☆

Abstract For cell and tissue localization of drugs, receptor microscopic autoradiography is reviewed, including its development history, multiple testing, extensive applications and significant discoveries. This sensitive high-resolution imaging method is based on the use of radiolabeled compounds (esp. tagged with 3 H or 125 I), preservation through freezing of in vivo localization of tissue constituents, cutting thin frozen sections, and close contact with the recording nuclear emulsion. After extensive testing of the utility of this method, the distribution of radiolabeled compounds has been identified and characterized for estradiol, progestagens, adrenal steroids, thyroid hormone, ecdysteroids, vitamin D, retinoic acid, metabolic indicators glucose and 2-deoxyglucose, as well as extracellular space indicators. Target cells and associated tissues have been characterized with special stains, fluorescing compounds, or combined autoradiography-immunocytochemistry with antibodies to dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, GABA, enkephalin, specific receptor proteins, or other cellular products. Blood-brain barrier and brain entries via capillary endothelium, ependyma, or circumventricular recess organs have been visualized for 3 H-dexamethasone, 210 Pb lead, and 3 H-1,25(OH) 2 vitamin D 3 . With this histopharmacologic approach, cellular details and tissue integrative overviews can be assessed in the same preparation. As a result, information has been gained that would have been difficult or impossible otherwise. Maps of brain drug distribution have been developed and relevant target circuits have been recognized. Examples include the stria terminalis that links septal-amygdaloid-thalamic-hypothalamic structures and telencephalic limbic system components which extend as the periventricular autonomic-neuroendocrine ABC (Allocortex-Brainstem-Circuitry) system into the mid- and hindbrain. Discoveries with radiolabeled substances challenged existing paradigms, engendering new concepts and providing seminal incentives for further research toward understanding drug actions. Most notable are discoveries made during the 1980s with vitamin D in the brain together with over 50 target tissues that challenged the century-old doctrine of vitamin D's main role as ‘the calcitropic hormone’, when the new data made it apparent that the main biological function of this multifunctional sunshine hormone rather is maintenance of life and adapting vital functions to the solar environment. In the brain, vitamin D, in close relation to sex and adrenal steroids, participates in the regulation of the secretion of neuro-endocrines, such as, serotonin, dopamine, nerve growth factor, acetyl choline, with importance in prophylaxis and therapy of neuro-psychiatric disorders. Histochemical imaging with high cellular-subcellular resolution is necessary for obtaining detailed information, as this review indicates. New spectrometric methods, like MALDI-MSI, are unlikely to furnish the same information as receptor microautoradiography does, but can provide important correlative molecular information.
Farmers' Participation Decisions regarding Agro-Tourism Activities in Norway

This paper assesses the roles played in the adoption of agro-tourism activities in Norway by socio-demographic factors, the financial situation of the farm household, and the productive orientation...
Caspase-3 in postnatal retinal development and degeneration.

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of caspase-3 ablation on photoreceptor degeneration in the rd-1 mouse. Concurrently, the role of caspase-3 in postnatal retinal development was evaluated. Caspase-3 is an important effector caspase that mediates many of the terminal proteolytic events of apoptosis. Its activation has been demonstrated in rodent models of photoreceptor degeneration and its ablation results in exencephaly and neonatal death. Methods Retinal morphometry was performed at the light microscopic level in caspase-3 mutant mice from PN0 through PN23, and in rd-1/caspase-3 double mutant mice at PN14, -16, and -18. This was supplemented by terminal dUTP transferase nick end labeling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemical staining for activated caspase-3, rhodopsin, factor VII-related antigen and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results Caspase-3-deficient animals display marginal microphthalmia, peripapillary retinal dysplasia, delayed regression of vitreal vasculature, and retarded apoptotic kinetics of the inner nuclear layer. Ablation of caspase-3 provided transient photoreceptor protection in rd-1, but TUNEL-positive rod death proceeded, despite the absence of caspase-3 activation. Conclusions In vivo, caspase-3 is not critical for rod photoreceptor development, nor does it play a significant role in mediating pathologic rod death. Peripapillary dysplastic lesions suggest that there is delayed fusion of the optic fissure, and inner nuclear layer abnormalities indicate a cell-specific dependency on the mitochondria-caspase axis during development. The temporal nature of apoptotic retardation in the absence of caspase-3 implies the presence of caspase-independent mechanisms of developmental and pathologic cell death.
Rainfall probability forecasts used to manage a subdrainage-subirrigation system for watertable control

Abstract Water management of a subsurface-drainage and subirrigation system was simulated using a daily rainfall probability index ( rpi ), to control the watertable depth ( wt ) in the soil profile. Daily management of ‘free drainage’, controlled drainage, or subirrigation, was based upon the rpi value. The rpi was computed from the daily rainfall probability in forecasts issued by the U.S. National Weather Service. Climatic data and weather forecast records (1979–1985) for the lower Mississippi Valley were used in the DRAINMOD program to simulate daily fluctuations in the watertable. Various statistical and summation equations were used for computing the rpi . Management success was evaluated by conditions of excess and deficit soil water in the root zone, and by predicted crop yield. Using only the ‘today’ and ‘tonight’ segments of the morning (5:25 h) forecast, 75% of the significant rainfall events occurring during the growing season were successfully predicted when the rpi ≥ 0.60. Free drainage in advance of predicted storms significantly reduced the duration of excess soil water in the root zone and increased simulated maize yield 0 to 11%, when compared to controlled drainage where the water level at the drain outlet was maintained constant at a level above the drain.
Ocular dominance column width and contrast sensitivity in monkeys reared with strabismus or anisometropia.

PURPOSE. To study the relationship between the width of ocular dominance columns in primary visual cortex and spatial contrast sensitivity functions in monkeys with strabismus or anisometropia during infancy. METHODS. Adult monkeys having had monocular visual abnormalities induced in infancy were tested behaviorally for spatial contrast sensitivity and then subjected to functional enucleation of one eye to reveal the ocular dominance columns (ODCs) of the primary visual cortex by cytochrome oxidase (CO) staining. The relative widths of the left and right eyes’ ODCs were measured and related to the contrast sensitivity functions. RESULTS. The relative widths of the ODCs having input from eyes with strabismic or anisometropic amblyopia were reduced in proportion to the age of onset and the duration of the early visual abnormality. The relative losses in contrast sensitivity were in ordinal agreement with the losses in relative width of the ODCs. CONCLUSIONS. Amblyopia induced by the early monocular abnormalities of strabismus or anisometropia is proportional to the loss in cortical afference as reflected in the reduction in width of the respective ODCs in the primary visual cortex. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004;45:3036 –3042) DOI: 10.1167/iovs.04-0029
Interaction involvement and patterns of topical talk: A comparison of intercultural and intracultural dyads

Abstract The present study is an attempt to investigate whether people's discourse production in intercultural vs. intracultural settings is related to variation in self-perceived interaction involvement. In consideration of the most striking contrast between two settings — the differences between communication partners' shared cultural background and the first language, this study focused on one aspect of discourse production, topic selection, with regard to the patterning of topic types in conversation. Data were collected from subjects having a dyadic conversation in a lab, in two contrasting settings (intercultural and intracultural). The analyses indicate that interaction involvement indeed influences message production at the subtle level of topic selection, such that LIIs and HIIs adapt in different ways to the situational difference (talking to strangers in intracultural vs. intercultural setting). At the same time, it was shown that the effect of situational differences is much greater, and both groups made adjustments in topic selection for participation in conversations in different settings.
A critical examination of the concept of gender

Although psychologists have become increasingly interested in such areas as sex differences, gender identity, and sex roles, the concept of gender remains ill defined. We undertake a critical review of this concept and try to show that (a) if the term gender is taken to refer to a set of biological and psychological variables which are related to one another in a complex way, and (b) if gender differences are treated as differences in degree and not in kind, then the concept of gender can be used in a meaningful way to make sense of the things we observe about people.
Larger Carmichael numbers

Abstract A method for constructing larger Carmichael numbers from known Carmichael numbers is presented. A Carmichael number of 432 digits is constructed.
Domestic macroeconomic news and foreign interest rates

Abstract This study examines the impact of US and UK news on futures prices of US, UK, German, and Japanese government bonds. We find that certain US information has a significant influence on German, Japanese, and British interest rates, while UK information has almost no effect on foreign rates. Second, we examine the foreign term structure to investigate whether the importance of US information arises because it either signals common world-wide shocks or induces an anticipated exchange rate stabilization by foreign central banks. The evidence is mixed, except for the US CPI surprise which appears to provide information about a common world-wide shock. (G15).
Nitric acid and the origin and size segregation of aerosol nitrate aloft during BRACE 2002

Abstract As part of the BRACE 2002 May field intensive, the NOAA Twin Otter flew 21 missions over terrestrial, marine, and mixed terrestrial and marine sites in the greater Tampa, Florida, airshed including over Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Aerosols were collected with filter packs and their inorganic fractions analyzed post hoc with ion chromatography. Anion mass dominated both the fine- (particle diameters ⩽2.5 μm) and coarse-mode (particle diameters 10.0–2.5 μm) inorganic fractions: SO42−in the fine fraction, 3.7 μg m−3 on average and Cl− and NO3− in the coarse fraction, 0.6 μg m−3 on average and 1.4 μg m−3 on average, respectively. Ammonium ion dominated the inorganic fine-mode cation mass, averaging 1.2 μg m−3, presumably in association with SO42. Coarse-mode cation mass was dominated by Na+, but the concentrations of Ca2+ and K+ together often equaled or exceeded the Na+ mass which was, on average, 0.6 μg m−3. Nitrate appeared predominantly in the coarse rather than the fine fraction, as expected, and the fine fraction never contributed >15% of the total NO3 concentration. Nitric acid dominated the NO3− contribution from both aerosol size fractions, and constituted at least 45% of the total NO3 in all samples. Coarse-mode Cl− depletion, and hence NO3− replacement, reached 100% within the first 4 h of plume travel from the urban core in some samples, although it was most often less than 100% and slightly below the expected 1:1 ratio with coarse-mode NO3− concentration: the slope of the regression line of NO3− concentration to Cl− depletion was 0.9 in the coarse fraction. In addition, terrestrial samples were markedly lower in Cl− depletion, and thus in substituted NO3–, than were marine and mixed samples: 15–25% depletion in terrestrial samples vs. 50–65% in marine samples with the same air mass age. Thus, we conclude that NO3− and its progenitor compound HNO3 were present in the Tampa airshed in insufficient amounts to titrate fully the slightly alkaline coarse-mode particles there, and to replace completely the Cl− from the coarse-mode NaCl.
Unexpected Total Preexcitation Possibly Secondary to Pseudoblock

The term, "pseudo atrioventricular (AV) block," has been used to characterize a phenomenon in which blocked P waves reflect the occurrence of concealed junctional or fascicular extrasystoles.14 The mechanism of pseudo AV block is concealed conduction of the electrocardiographically silent extrasystole to the AV node, resulting in block of the subsequent P wave. In the present report, we describe a patient with preexcitation who manifested fusion complexes of normal and anomalous pathway conduction during sinus rhythm, and also sporadic QRS complexes with unexpected total preexcitation. The occurrence of junctional extrasystoles in this patient suggested that pseudoblock of the normal AV pathway produced the unexpected beats with total preexcitation.
Validation of the modified telephone interview for cognitive status in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and intact elders.

Although the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS) is frequently used as a screening measure of cognition in dementia and aging studies, it has not been validated in individuals with milder cognitive impairments. The current study compared two groups (amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment [n=61] and cognitively intact elders [n=62]) on the mTICS and used regression models to predict baseline scores on standardized memory tests using baseline mTICS scores. Baseline mTICS scores were also used to predict one-year follow-up scores on memory tests in a subsample (n=91). Large group differences (p<0.01) were found between the amnestic individuals and their healthy peers on the mTICS total score, two factor scores, and 3 of 14 individual items. Baseline mTICS scores predicted between 22 – 43% of baseline memory composite scores and 21 – 28% of one-year memory composite scores. Overall, these results provide additional validation of the mTICS as a valuable screening instrument for cognition in individuals with milder cognitive impairments.
INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNING: ITS IMPACT ON STUDENT OUTCOMES

Learning is not a passive activity. Recent research findings concur that students learn through participation. The more time, energy, and effort they invest in the learning process and the more intensely they engage in their own education, the greater will be their growth and achievement, their persistence in college, and the more likely they will continue their learning after college. Recognizing the consensus of studies for improvement of undergraduate education, CCCCD has focused on active, experiential learning in both the classroom and the laboratory. The college's goal was to be unique, not in what was taught, but in how it was taught – the focus being on the how rather than merely the what, and on inquiry, critical analysis, synthesis, and the application of knowledge. The specific structure of the experiential component purposefully remains fluid and individualized according to the needs of the subject area and creativity of the teaching faculty. “Hands on” laboratory experiences are provided in m...
Optical Processing Of Covariance Matrices For Adaptive Processors

This paper details the use of linear algebraic optical processors for narrowband and wideband adaptive phased array radar (APAR) applications. A general APAR scenario is explained, outlining the need for improvements in processor performance which optical processing techniques can provide. We then analyze the optical architecture and its implementation including negative base encoding for bipolar data, AC-coupled inputs for linearity and temperature stability, matrix partitioning for handling large matrices, and bit partitioning for improved accuracy. A new block Toeplitz processing algorithm for wideband processing is presented. Results of an inverse covariance matrix updating algorithm are shown.
Training classroom teachers to provide in-class educational services for exceptional children in rural areas ☆

Abstract A one-year training program utilizing the engineered classroom concept was conducted to train rural elementary teachers to meet the educational needs of exceptional children within the framework of a regular classroom. Two unique features of the program were selecting teachers committed to living in rural areas and providing school districts with specially trained substitutes for a one-half year period. This project demonstrated a method by which rural isolated school districts can upgrade their services to exceptional children with existing personnel.
Integrating Women into the Geography Curriculum

(1983). Integrating Women into the Geography Curriculum. Journal of Geography: Vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 271-273.
Active photonic lattices: lasers for watt-range coherent-power generation

Active photonic lattices (APLs) of large index step have been used, as early as 1988, for effective lateral-mode control in large-aperture (100 microns) high-power coherent devices. Photonic-bandpass (PBP) structures relying on long-range resonant leaky-wave coupling, so called ROW arrays, have allowed stable, near-diffraction-limited beam operation to powers as high as 1.6W CW and 10W peak pulsed. Photonic-bandgap (PBG) structures with a built-in lattice defect, so called ARROW lasers, have provided up to 0.5W peak-pulsed stable, single-mode power and hold the potential for 1W CW reliable single-mode operation from apertures ~10 microns wide. The solution for high-efficiency surface emission, from 2nd-order DFB/DBR lasers, in an orthonormal, single-lobe beam pattern was found in 2000. Recently, single-lobe and single-mode operation in a diffraction-limited beam orthonormal to the chip surface was demonstrated from 1.5mm-long DFB/DBR ridge-guide lasers. That opens the way for the realization of 2-D surface-emitting, 2nd-order APLs for the stable generation of watts of CW single-lobe, single-mode power from large 2-D apertures, as well as scalability of such devices at the wafer level.
Purification and Characterization of Bovine Follicle-Stimulating Hormone: Comparison with Ovine Follicle-Stimulating Hormone*

Highly purified FSH was obtained from several batches of bovine pituitaries by sequential application of the following procedures: 1) extraction with an alcoholic sodium acetate buffer, 2) fractionation with metaphosphoric acid, 3) fractionation with ammonium sulfate, 4) gel filtration on Sephadex G-150, 5) ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex, 6) chromatography on hydroxylapatite, 7) gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, and 8) preparative acrylamide disc gel electrophoresis, followed by another gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. pproximately 1.3 mg FSH, containing activity equivalent to 47 U NIH-FSH-Sl/mg, were obtained from 1 kg glands. This FSH contained less than 0.01 U NIH-LH-Sl/mg, as determined by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion assay. The subunits of bovine FSH (bFSH) were isolated by treatment of the hormone with 8 M urea, followed by ion exchange chromatography on DEAESephadex and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. bFSH was similar to its ovine counterpart with regard to its electrophoretic...
Dual responsive, stabilized nanoparticles for efficient in vivo plasmid delivery

Nucleic acid-based therapeutics, including plasmid DNA (pDNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), have been considered highly promising strategies to treat a gamut of diseases.[1] Successful nucleic acid delivery relies on the development of safe and efficient delivery vectors. Viral vectors have dominated as the delivery vehicles used in clinical trials but their progress has been hampered by their immunogenicity, safety risks and high manufacturing cost.[2] Therefore, the use of non-viral vectors such as cationic polymer-based vectors that offer advantages over viral vectors in these aspects has attracted broad attention.[3-4]
Effect of Scraping Frequency in a Freestall Barn on Volatile Nitrogen Loss from Dairy Manure

Abstract The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of scraping frequency (2× vs. 6× daily) on N volatilization from manure on the floor of a dairy free-stall barn. Three trials (crossover design) were conducted in the summers of 2001 and 2002, and in the winter of 2003. Nitrogen volatilization was estimated from the change in the N:P ratio in excreta at the time of excretion to the time when manure was scraped from the barn. Total N loss was considered a maximum estimate of NH 3 -N loss, because small amounts of nonammonia N may be volatilized. Nitrogen was determined after manure subsamples were lyophilized; P content was measured by direct current emission spectroscopy of ashed subsamples of manure. Lactating dairy cows were fed high-protein (18.5 to 19.3% crude protein), alfalfa-based diets. Average milk yield was 31.9 (SD = 7.4) kg/d. Scraping frequency had no effect on N loss in summer 2001. An average of 41% of excreted N, or 238±19.0g of N/d per cow, was volatilized. For the trial in summer 2002, nitrogen volatilization was reduced from 50% of the excreted N with 2× to 46.7% with 6×, equivalent to 265 and 248g of N lost/d per cow, respectively. Scraping had no effect on N volatilization during the winter trial. An average of 17.7% of excreted N was volatilized during the winter, equivalent to 109±11.0g of N lost/d per cow. Scraping frequency of manure had little or no effect on N loss from manure in a freestall barn. Nitrogen loss during the winter was less than half of the loss during the summer.
A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Media Multitasking in American and Malaysian College Students

Asian societies have adopted electronic media in equal measure to western societies. Media use, its impacts and correlates have been examined in western and some Asian societies, but this study is unique in examining Malaysian students' use of media. Malaysian and American college students reported their electronic media use, reading activities and patterns of multitasking with media while studying. They also were administered an academic distractibility questionnaire and a standard self-report measure of impulsiveness. Results indicated that Malaysians reported more electronic media use than Americans as well as more multitasking with media and multitasking while studying. For both Malaysians and Americans, students who reported using social networking while studying scored higher on measures of distractibility and impulsiveness. A more complex pattern of results for other types of media use and reading are described.
Molecular weight heterogeneity in starch amylopectins

The number-average molecular weight of a corn amylopectin sample is concluded to be approximately 300,000 on basis of both osmotic pressure and reducing group determination. The weight-average molecular weight of this preparation was previously shown to be approximately 80 × 106. The ratio of Mw/Mn is in accord with that expected on the basis of an essentially random synthesis of the branched polymer. Further evidence for an extreme heterogeneity in amylopectins in provided by light scattering studies on subfractions prepared by fractional centrifugation. Conclusive evidence for this broad heterogeneity is obtained by ultracentrifugal analysis. The distribution of sedimentation coefficients is shown to be extreme, significant percentages of the polymer having sedimentation constants ranging from almost zero to above 400 Svedberg units. Some observations on the sedimentation behavior of other amylopectins, their β amylase limit dextrins, and corn amylose are given.
A nonplanar Peierls–Nabarro model and its application to dislocation cross-slip

A novel semidiscrete Peierls–Nabarro model is introduced which can be used to study dislocation spreading at more than one slip plane, such as dislocation cross-slip and junctions. Within this essentially continuum model, the nonlinearity which arises from the atomic interaction across the slip plane is dealt with atomistic and/or ab initio calculations. As an example, we study the dislocation cross-slip and the constriction process in two contrasting fcc metals, Al and Ag. We find that the screw dislocation in Al can cross-slip spontaneously in contrast with the screw dislocation in Ag, which splits into two partials, and thus cannot cross-slip without first being constricted. The response of the dislocations to an external stress is examined in detail. The dislocation constriction energy and the critical stress for cross-slip are determined, and, from the latter, we estimate the cross-slip energy barrier for the straight screw dislocations.
Short stature in a phenotypic male caused by mixed gonadal dysgenesis.

Some patients with Turner syndrome have a karyotype showing mosaicism. This article describes the case of a boy with 45,X0/46,XY mosaicism, often referred to as mixed gonadal dysgenesis, who was evaluated for short stature. Different types of Turner syndrome mosaicism and their associated phenotypes, as well as the management of short stature in these patients, are discussed. Background An 8.5-year-old boy was referred to a pediatric endocrinology clinic for evaluation of short stature. At birth, a chordee without hypospadius, 90-degree penile torsion and an undescended testis on the right had been observed. The boy had undergone surgical repair at 1 year of age and at that time an undescended 'nonfunctional' streak gonad and a horseshoe kidney had been noted. Subsequent karyotype analysis had revealed a 45,X0/46,XY karyotype with mosaicism. Since 4–5 years of age, the patient's height has been below the 3rd percentile, whereas his weight has been maintained at approximately the 3rd percentile. Investigations Performance of thyroid function tests, measurement of levels of insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, estimation of bone age, calculation of height and weight percentiles and SD scores based on 2000 normative data from the National Center for Health Statistics, USA. Diagnosis Mixed gonadal dysgenesis with a 45,X0/46,XY karyotype. Management The patient's growth was found to be following the 50th percentile growth curve on the Turner syndrome growth chart, which was significantly below his mid-parental target height. He was started on growth hormone at a dose of 0.35 mg/kg/week. The patient remains under close follow-up to monitor his linear growth velocity and his pubertal development.
Heat-Transfer Coefficients of a Turbine Blade-Tip and Near-Tip Regions

The detailed distribution of heat-transfer coefficients on a gas turbine blade tip was measured using a hue-detection-based transient liquid crystals technique. The heat-transfer coefficients on the shroud and near-tip regions of the pressure and suction sides of a blade were also measured. Tests were performed on a five-bladed linear cascade with a blowdown facility. The Reynolds number based on the cascade exit velocity and axial chord length of a blade was 1.1 x 10 6 , and the overall pressure ratio was 1.2. The heat-transfer measurements were made at the three different tip gap clearances of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.5% of blade span
Assessment of Corticosterone Levels in American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) with Dermatitis

Abstract Bacterial and fungal dermatitis is a common problem in captive reared alligators in commercial operations, and stress has been suggested as a predisposing factor. We compared corticosterone levels between alligators with dermatitis (Tx) and alligators without dermatitis (Cx). There was no statistically significant difference between the baseline corticosterone concentrations (time 0) of the Tx and Cx groups (P = 0.272). At 15 min postcapture, there was a statistically significant difference between treatment and control animals (P = 0.006), with the Tx alligators having higher corticosterone concentrations compared with the Cx alligators. At 3 h (after dexamethasone administration) values for both groups decreased from the 15 min levels, showing a functional negative feedback loop of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis; there was no statistically significant difference between groups (P = 0.90) at that time. The results do not show an association between stress and dermatitis, but suggest that animal...
Positive solutions of boundary value problems for discrete and continuous beam equations

The authors study two related boundary value problems for discrete and continuous beam equations. Some upper and lower estimates for positive solutions of the problems are obtained. Sufficient conditions for the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions are established.