cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic regulation of gene expression: the effect of altered chromatin structure from yeast to mammals

Epigenetic gene regulation refers to different states of phenotypic expression caused by differential effects of chromosome or chromatin packaging rather than by differences in DNA sequence. Examples of epigenetic regulation can be found in organisms as diverse as the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and mammals. Three major types of epigenetic regulation are considered in this review : dosage compensation, imprinting and position effect variegation. While the specific details and mechanisms of each is quite different, they all involve either local or extensive alterations in chromatin structure. A number of genes implicated in epigenetic regulation have been isolated and their products identified as proteins or RNA molecules involved at various levels in DNA, chromatin or chromosome binding. While in general our understanding of mammalian epigenetic phenomena is not as advanced as that in model systems, the detailed molecular and genetic understanding of processes responsible for conditional gene silencing in invertebrate systems provides strong models for consideration of such effects in human and mouse genetics.
On the Evolution of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Birds

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in animals are caused by pathogens that are transmitted during copulation. Birds have played an important role in the development of STD-centered theories of mating behavior. However, it is not known whether STDs exist in wild bird populations. While the avian cloaca with its dual functions of gamete transfer and excretion seemingly predisposes birds for the evolution of STDs, the life history patterns of most birds (i.e., seasonal breeders with relatively brief annual periods of sexual activity) suggest otherwise. The importance of STDs as selective forces that shape host biology depends on whether host life history patterns provide the necessary conditions for the evolution and spread of virulent pathogens that rely on host copulation for dispersal. Infrequent dispersal opportunities for microbes that rely on host sexual contact for dispersal should favor the evolution of low pathogen virulence, persistent infection, and lengthened infectious periods. I examine the disease characteristics of documented STDs that are relevant to birds in order to evaluate the (1) importance of STDs as selective forces in birds and (2) ecological conditions in which avian STDs are likely to be discovered. I conclude that socially monogamous short-lived birds with short breeding cycles and altricial nestlings (e.g., temperate zone songbirds) are not likely to have coevolved with highly virulent STDs which would be important selective forces. However, virulent STDs may have evolved in birds with one or more of the following life history characteristics: long life spans, long breeding cycles, multiple matings, and precocial young because these conditions produce increased opportunities for pathogen transmission and can favor the evolution of virulence. These life history characteristics are found and exaggerated in the birds for which STDs have been documented, the domesticated fowl and waterfowl.
Anisotropic reinforcement in elastomers containing magnetic filler particles

Magnetic particles of iron oxide were blended into portions of a high molecular weight sample of poly(dimethylsiloxane) which were then peroxide cured in a magnetic field. Strips cut from the resulting elastomers parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic lines of force were studied with respect to their equilibrium swelling and their stress–strain isotherms in elongation. Both resistance to swelling (as measured by the volume fraction of polymer in the network) and the elongation modulus increased with increase in the amount of filler. They were also generaly larger in the direction parallel to the field, and the differences increased both with increase in the amount of filler and with increase in the strength of the magnetic field. Stress relaxation also increased with amount of filler and field strength, thus illustrating the importance of adsorption of the polymer onto the filler particles, and its subsequent desorption under stress.
The high school economics course comes of age

Until recently economics was considered a difficult course recommended only for college-bound students and high schools offered at most a onesemester elective course. A 1981 study (Yankelovich, Skelly, & White, Inc.), however, showed signs that the perception of economics as an elite course was changing. It concluded, "In total, students in 87 percent of the nation's junior and senior high schools have the opportunity to take economicseither because it is compulsory or as an elective" (p. 35). But other conclusions of the report were less optimistic. Sixty-two percent of the high school teachers surveyed stated that economics was their secondary responsibility while only 35 percent said it was their primary responsibility (p. 41). Although 49 percent of the teachers felt economics enrollment was up compared to three years previously, they could not agree on what constituted an economics course.
Color and Texture of Ground Turkey Meat Products as Affected by Dried Egg White Solids

Abstract INTRODUCTION FURTHER processing of turkey meat has grown at a rapid rate recently and shows evidence of more increase. When meat is removed from the bone and fabricated into prepared products, additional quality control problems are becoming prevalent particularly in the area of color and texture. The formulated product, while having its own identity, must have color and slicing (texture) characteristics that the consumer desires. The consumer, for instance, does not like pinkness in her prepared turkey products nor does she want a product which crumbles or falls apart upon slicing. Additives which control these quality variables and increase uniformity of products are of special significance to the processor. Research has shown that certain additives will affect color and texture of poultry meat products. Froning (1965, 1966) observed that polyphosphates, dried milk solids, gluten flour, and gelatin will increase binding properties of chicken products. It was further noted that polyphosphates . . .
Assessing the Property Rights and Transaction-Cost Theories of Firm Scope

In his path-breaking 1937 article, Ronald Coase first identified the determinants of a firm's scope as an important research question. Although Coase's question initially attracted little attention, it has emerged over the last 25 years as a central issue in industrial organization. Much of the literature on firm scope since Coase uses the transaction-cost economics approach (henceforth, the TCE) pioneered by Oliver Williamson (1975, 1979, 1985) and Benjamin Klein et al. (1978). The TCE starts with the assumption that market transactions are plagued by incomplete contracts and the development of lock-in among trading partners. Lock-in leads the value of the relationship to exceed the value of the trading partners' outside alternatives creating what Klein et al. called "quasi-rents." Contractual incompleteness gives contracting parties the ability to engage in opportunistic behavior to increase their share of these quasi-rents, leading to efficiency losses in market transactions. Internal procurement, on the other hand, involves its own inefficiencies, most notably the costs of bureaucracy and lowpowered incentives. According to the TCE, the optimal organizational form is found by comparing the efficiencies of these distinct transactional modes. Its primary prediction is that, as market transactions become characterized by increasing levels of quasi-rents and incompleteness in contracts, the likelihood of integration should increase. More recently, a great deal of attention has focused on an alternative theory of firm scope, the property-rights theory (henceforth, the PRT), pioneered by Sanford Grossman and Oliver Hart (1986) and Hart and John Moore (1990) (see also Hart, 1995). Like the TCE, the PRT starts with the assumption that contracts are incomplete and that lock-in often develops among trading partners. It then focuses on how ownership of physical assets, which confers residual rights of control over the assets, alters the efficiency of trading relations. In the process of doing so, the PRT produces a theory that differs from the TCE in three ways. The first is methodological rather than substantive: the PRT is substantially more formal than the (largely verbal) TCE. Second, the PRT focuses on distortions in ex ante investments, in contrast to the ex post haggling costs that are a major focus of the TCE.1 Third, the PRT assumes that efficiency losses are of the same nature in all ownership structures. That is, ownership of physical assets affects the parties' abilities to engage in opportunistic behavior not only in market transactions, but also within the firm. A very large empirical literature exists lending support to the TCE (for one survey, see Howard A. Shelanski and Peter G. Klein [1995]). In a typical study, some measure of lock-in, such as the specificity of the product procured or investments made, is related to the choice of whether to integrate. The strong association that this literature has found between specificity and integration has made the TCE
Human cord serum low-density lipoproteins: composition and size.

Abstract The physical and chemical characteristics of LDL of umbilical cord blood serum were studied by both density isolation (1.019
Cooperation in multi-agent bidding

A fundamental problem in business-to-business exchanges is the efficient design of mechanisms to promote cooperation and coordination of various self-interested agents. We study the behavior of artificial agents in a bidding and contracting framework [Eur. J. Oper. Res. (2002); D.J. Wu, P. Kleindorfer, J.E. Zhang, Integrating Contracting and Spot Procurement with Capacity Options, Working Paper, Department of Operations and Information Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 2001]. In this framework, there is a long-term contract market as well as a backstop spot market. Seller agents bid their contract offers in terms of price and capacity via an electronic bulletin board, while Buyer agents decide how much to contract with Sellers and how much to shop from the spot market. This two-tiered market has been modeled [Eur. J. Oper. Res. (2002); D.J. Wu, P. Kleindorfer, J.E. Zhang, Integrating Contracting and Spot Procurement with Capacity Options, Working Paper, Department of Operations and Information Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 2001] as a von-Stackelberg game with Seller agents as leaders, and the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of market equilibrium are given. What happens if the resulting equilibrium is noncooperative and Pareto dominated by some nonequilibrium bidding? What happens if there are multiple equilibria, some Pareto dominated by others, then which will be selected? What happens when there is no equilibrium? The goal of this paper is to study equilibrium and disequilibrium behavior of artificial agents in such systems, and explore the efficient design of mechanisms to promote cooperation and coordination of self-interested artificial agents.
High-order electromechanical /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ modulation in micromachined inertial sensors

Analysis of second-order electromechanical sigma-delta (/spl Sigma//spl Delta/) inertial sensors shows that in-band quantization error introduces a resolution penalty, which cannot be eliminated by oversampling. In addition, a tradeoff between resolution and phase compensation forces such systems to operate with reduced phase margin. This paper introduces high-order electromechanical /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ modulation as an approach, which eliminates the quantization noise overhead and allows for increased phase compensation without degrading the resolution. Quasi-linear analysis is used to evaluate the contribution of the individual noise sources to the output of the system and to examine the effect of noise interaction on the behavior of electromechanical /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ modulators.
A new comparison between experiment and theory for the X-ray K absorption edge of nickel☆

Abstract New structure has been resolved in the X-ray K absorption edge of nickel. There is rough qualitative agreement between our spectrum and the calculations of Nagel et al., for which the presence of the core hole is neglected in the computation of the final state wave function. However, the two lowest energy experimental peaks are significantly shifted to lower energies relative to the corresponding theoretical peaks. In addition, the theoretical spectrum is much sharper than the experimental curve even after accounting for instrumental broadening and broadening due to the natural width of the K level, indicating that hot electron broadening effects strongly influence the final ejected electron states.
Electrorheological Material Based Adaptive Beams Subjected to Various Boundary Conditions

The semi-active vibration control capabilities of Electrorheological (ER) material based adaptive beams were investigated in this study. The adaptive nature of such ER beams was achieved by controlling the pre-yield rheology of the ER material in response to varying applied electric field levels. The cross-sectional configuration of the beams considered was based on sandwiching the ER material between elastic face plates. A dynamic model of the beam structure based on thin plate theory was developed. The resulting dynamic model was able to predict the structural vibration characteristics of the ER adaptive beam. The information determined included natural frequencies, loss factors, and transverse vibration responses at any location on the beam surface. These vibration characteristics were determined as functions of excitation frequency and applied electric field level. Also the beam model was developed for generalized boundary conditions. The boundary conditions considered in this study were: clamped-clamped, clamped-free, clamped-simply supported and simply supported. Variations in the natural frequencies, loss factors, and transverse vibration response of the adaptive structure were analyzed for the listed boundary conditions. Additionally, effects of variations of the damping layer thickness of the adaptive beam on the structural loss factor was studied. Results were compared for the boundary conditions studied, and considerable variations in beam vibration responses were observed. As a result, the semi-active control capabilities of ER material based adaptive beams were theoretically illustrated.
Vygotsky and Schooling: Creating a Social Context for Learning

Abstract Vygotsky's sociohistorical approach to cognitive development provides the underpinning for social constructivism. This article reviews theories and research in the social basis of cognitive development, and explores implications for schooling and teacher education. The work of Vygotsky is characterized by three themes: (1) the best way to understand mind is to look at how it changes; (2) higher mental functions have their origins in social activity; and (3) higher mental functions are mediated by tools and signs. Cognitive change can occur in the zone of proximal development given a shared purpose and focus, but the social environment of schools is often counterproductive. Promising directions and research programs are described which promote an interactive construction of knowledge within school classrooms. The role of teacher education is outlined in clarifying a vision of a social environment supportive to learning.
Abstract PD03-07: Evaluation of the Anti-Diabetic Drug Metformin in the Methylnitrosourea (MNU)-Induced Model of ER+ Mammary Cancer and the MMTV-Neu/p53KO Model of ER-Mammary Cancer

Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug, activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and has generated a great deal of interest as a potential preventive agent for a variety of cancers, including breast. This interest is based both on epidemiologic studies showing that diabetics treated with metformin have a lower incidence of a variety of cancers, and on mechanistic considerations arguing that activation of AMPK is likely to be relevant to cancer treatment and prevention. We are examining the preventive efficacy of metformin in ER+ and ER - rodent mammary cancer models. Treatment of Sprague-Dawley female rats at 50 days of age with a single dose of MNU (75 mg/kg BW) resulted in the development of multiple ER + mammary cancers beginning approximately 7 weeks after MNU treatment. This model has been highly responsive to a wide variety of agents that affect ER+ tumors in humans (SERMs, aromatase inhibitors, pregnancy, ovariectomy). Metformin was administered by gavage (7x/week) at either 150 or 50 mg/kg BW/day beginning 7 days after MNU dosing, and continuing for the duration of the study. Body weights were not altered by these dose levels and other signs of toxicity were not observed. Metformin failed to decrease mammary tumor incidence and, in fact, increased tumor multiplicity in this model by approximately 35%. In addition, we are evaluating the ability of metformin to inhibit mammary cancer in MMTV-Neu/p53KO mice (which spontaneously develop ER - cancers). In this study, metformin is being administered in the diet at a dose level of 1500 mg/kg diet. Initial supplementation of the diet with this agent began when the mice were 60 days of age, and will continue for 10 months. Preliminary results examined at 6 months into the study imply no efficacy of metformin in this model as well (average tumors/mouse: controls, 0.9; metformin, 1.6). Thus, these initial studies fail to observe any chemopreventive efficacy of metformin in two commonly employed models of ER + or ER - mammary cancer in rodents. Supported by NCI contract number HHSN261200433001C. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD03-07.
Sucralfate and soluble sucrose octasulfate bind and stabilize acidic fibroblast growth factor

The actions of the anti-ulcer drug sucralfate have been proposed to be mediated through interaction with fibroblast growth factors (Folkman, J., Szabo, S., Strovroff, M., McNeil, P., Li, W. and Shing, Y. (1991) Ann. Surg. 214, 414-427). We show here that acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF; FGF-1) binds in vitro to both the soluble potassium salt and the insoluble aluminum salt of sucrose octasulfate, as demonstrated by a variety of biophysical techniques. Similar to the well-described interaction and stabilization of aFGF by heparin, soluble sucrose octasulfate (SOS) stabilizes aFGF against thermal, urea and acidic pH-induced unfolding as determined by a combination of circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, SOS also enhances the mitogenic activity of aFGF and partially protects the protein's three cysteine residues from copper-catalyzed oxidation. SOS competes with heparin and suramin for the aFGF polyanion binding site as measured by both fluorescence and light scattering based competitive binding assays. Front-face fluorescence measurements show that the native, folded form of aFGF binds to the insoluble aluminum salt of sucrose octasulfate (sucralfate). Moreover, sucralfate stabilizes aFGF against thermal and acidic pH-induced unfolding to the same extent as observed with SOS. Thus, due to their high charge density, SOS and sucralfate bind and stabilize aFGF via interaction with the aFGF polyanion binding site.
Post-acclimation transcriptome adjustment is a major factor in freezing tolerance of winter wheat

Cold-acclimated winter wheat plants were slowly frozen to −10°C, and then the temperature was either maintained at −10°C or was lowered further to −12°C. Expression levels of a total of 423 genes were significantly altered in these treatments; genes upregulated outnumbered those downregulated by about a 9:1 ratio. Sixty-eight genes were upregulated at least fivefold in all freezing treatments; 17 of these 68 encoded transcription factors including C-repeat binding factor (Cbf), WRKY, or other Zn-finger proteins, indicating strong upregulation of genes involved in transcription regulation. Sixteen of the 68 highly upregulated genes encoded kinases, phosphatases, calcium trafficking-related proteins, or glycosyltransferases, indicating upregulation of genes involved in signal transduction. Six genes encoding chlorophyll a/b binding-like proteins were upregulated uniquely in response to the -12°C treatment, suggesting a protective role of pigment-binding proteins in freezing stress response. Most genes responded similarly in the very freezing tolerant cultivar Norstar and in the moderately freezing tolerant Tiber, but some genes responded in opposite fashion in the two cultivars. These results showed that wheat crowns actively adapt as the temperature declines to potentially damaging levels, and genetic variation for this ability exists among cultivars.
Predicting Social-Sexual Behavior At Work: A Contact Hypothesis

This study explored two competing hypotheses about social-sexual behavior at work, which we defined as any non-work-related behavior having a sexual component, including harassment, flirting, and m...
Implementing low cost two-person supervisory control for small unmanned aerial systems

Commercially off-the-shelf remote control (RC) model aircraft have been used as a base platform for the development of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). Such designs have included use of first ...
Catching Proteases in Action with Microarrays

Proteases regulate many essential functions in biology, yet their precise roles are only beginning to be unraveled. In this issue, two related papers describe a novel method to dissect specific protease activities from complex mixtures [1, 2].
Chemical studies of cold death in the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis

Abstract 1. 1. Serum chemistry was examined in saltwater-adapted Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, acclimated to 11, 4 and −1·-5°C. 2. 2. Exposure of fish to −1·5°C caused cold death or coma in most fish within seven days, presumably due to osmotic imbalance. 3. 3. Exposure to −1·5°C was accompanied by a striking increase in serum osmolality and serum glucose, but by a decrease in serum sodium and chloride. Serum potassium was unchanged. The increase in serum osmolality in the cold was attributed to an accumulation of unknown organic substances. 4. 4. The reduction in serum electrolyte levels in the cold was thought to be an unsuccessful attempt to compensate for the elevation in serum osmolality caused by the buildup in serum organic constituents.
Spiritual Leadership as a Paradigm for Organizational Transformation and Recovery from Extended Work Hours Cultures

Various explanations are offered to explain why employees increasingly work longer hours: the combined effects of technology and globalization; people are caught up in consumerism; and the “ideal worker norm,” when professionals expect themselves and others to work longer hours. In this article, we propose that the processes of employer recruitment and selection, employee self-selection, cultural socialization, and reward systems help create extended work hours cultures (EWHC) that reinforce these trends. Moreover, we argue that EWHC organizations are becoming more prevalent and that organizations in which long hours have become the norm may recruit for and reinforce workaholic tendencies. Next, we offer spiritual leadership as a paradigm for organizational transformation and recovery from the negative aspects of EWHC to enhance employee well-being and corporate social responsibility without sacrificing profitability, revenue growth, and other indicators of financial performance. Finally, we will offer suggestions for future theory, research, and practice.
Analysis of factors affecting survival in dogs with aortic body tumors.

Objective— To evaluate the effect of perioperative and operative variables on survival time in dogs with aortic body tumors. Study Design— Retrospective study. Sample Population— Twenty-four client-owned dogs with histologically confirmed aortic body tumor. Methods— Seventy-eight patient records of dogs seen at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 1989 and 1999 with a diagnosis of a heart-base mass were reviewed. Dogs without histologic conformation of an aortic body tumor were excluded. Age; sex; breed; the presence of pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, or abdominal effusion; evidence of cardiac arrhythmias; evidence of distant metastasis; treatment with pericardectomy; treatment with chemotherapy; and time from diagnosis until euthanasia or death were recorded on a spreadsheet. Cox proportional-hazard ratios were used to calculate the relationship of risk variables to survival time. Median survival time was determined using life-table analysis. Results— Twenty-four dogs met the criteria for inclusion in the study. The median age of dogs with aortic body tumors was 9 years. All dogs had a surgical biopsy performed. Fourteen dogs had a pericardectomy at the time of the biopsy procedure. Of all factors analyzed, only treatment with pericardectomy had a significant influence on survival (P= .0029). Dogs that had pericardectomy survived longer (median survival, 730 days; range, 1–1,621 days) compared with dogs that did not have pericardectomy (median survival, 42 days; range, 1–180 days). This finding was independent of the presence or absence of pericardial effusion at the time of surgery. Clinical Relevance— Dogs that are diagnosed with aortic body tumors may benefit from a pericardectomy at the time of surgical biopsy.
Measuring Capacities for Community Resilience

The purpose of this study was to measure the sets of adaptive capacities for Economic Development and Social Capital in the Norris et al. (2008) community resilience model with publicly accessible population indicators. Our approach involved five steps. First, we conducted a literature review on measurements of the capacities. Second, we created an exhaustive “wish list” of relevant measures that operationalized the concepts presented in the literature. Third, we identified data sources and searched for archival, population-level data that matched our indicators. Fourth, we systematically tested correlations of indicators within and across the theoretical elements and used this information to select a parsimonious group of indicators. Fifth, we combined the indicators into composites of Economic Development and Social Capital and an additive index of Community Resilience using Mississippi county data, and validated these against a well-established index of social vulnerability and aggregated survey data on collective efficacy. We found that our measure of community resilience capacities correlated favorably and as expected when validated with the archival and survey data. This study provides the first step in identifying existing capacities that may predict a community’s ability to “bounce back” from disasters, thereby reducing post-trauma health and mental health problems.
K2O · 6TiO2 whisker-reinforced aluminium composite by a powder metallurgical method

Amelioration de la resistance du materiau composite par une methode de metallurgie des poudres. Etude de la relation entre la resistance a la traction et la fraction volumique de barbes dans le materiau
Identification of Small Molecules That Antagonize Diguanylate Cyclase Enzymes To Inhibit Biofilm Formation

Bacterial biofilm formation is responsible for numerous chronic infections, causing a severe health burden. Many of these infections cannot be resolved, as bacteria in biofilms are resistant to the host's immune defenses and antibiotic therapy. New strategies to treat biofilm-based infections are critically needed. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a widely conserved second-messenger signal essential for biofilm formation. As this signaling system is found only in bacteria, it is an attractive target for the development of new antibiofilm interventions. Here, we describe the results of a high-throughput screen to identify small-molecule inhibitors of diguanylate cyclase (DGC) enzymes that synthesize c-di-GMP. We report seven small molecules that antagonize these enzymes and inhibit biofilm formation by Vibrio cholerae. Moreover, two of these compounds significantly reduce the total concentration of c-di-GMP in V. cholerae, one of which also inhibits biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a continuous-flow system. These molecules represent the first compounds described that are able to inhibit DGC activity to prevent biofilm formation.
Lead Sorption onto Ferrihydrite. 2. Surface Complexation Modeling

Few studies have combined molecular- and macroscopic-scale investigations with surface complexation model (SCM) development to predict trace metal speciation and partitioning in aqueous systems over a broad range of conditions. In this work, an extensive collection of new macroscopic and spectroscopic data was used to assess the ability of the modified triple-layer model (TLM) to predict single-solute lead(II) [Pb(II)] sorption onto 2-line ferrihydrite in NaNO3 solutions as a function of pH, ionic strength, and concentration. Regression of constant-pH isotherm data together with potentiometric titration and pH edge data was a much more rigorous test of the TLM than fitting pH edge data alone. When combined with spectroscopic data, the choices of feasible surface species/site types were limited to a few. In agreement with the spectroscopic data, very good fits of the isotherm data were obtained with a two-species, one-site model using the bidentate-mononuclear/monodentate-mononuclear species pairs, (≡FeO)2...
The Milk and Butterfat Production Responses to Shark Liver Oil in the Ration

Summary 1. The daily feeding of 60 cc. of shark liver oil furnishing 1,350,000 I.U. of Vitamin A had no effect on milk or butterfat production of either Holstein-Friesian or Jersey cows. 2. The daily feeding of 60 cc. of shark liver oil resulted in a 280 to 305 per cent increase in the Vitamin A content of the milk fat. 3. The feeding of shark liver oil caused a 22 per cent average decrease in the carotene content of the Holstein milk fat, and a 33 per cent average decrease in the carotene content of the Jersey milk.
One or several Jews? The Jewish massed body in Old Norse literature

In this article, I seek to articulate a troubling quality in Old Norse depictions of the Jewish body: namely, its contiguity, inscrutability and lack of individuality. In Old Norse literature (visual culture is a different matter) the usual somatic markers of medieval antisemitism, such as hooked noses, dark skin and effeminacy, are conspicuous by their absence. Rather, Jews are often rendered ‘Other’ by the organization of their bodies. Like a sort of hive-mind, they appear to act as one, speak as one, and plot, scheme and rage as one. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s thoughts on multiplicity, I propose culturally specific implications of these images for medieval Icelandic society. Jews are also contextualized among the tropes surrounding other non-Christians in Old Norse, namely, pagans and Muslims, with a particular emphasis on the figure of the blamaðr (lit. ‘black man’).
Intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery: can we do it without intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring?

Objective The objective of this review is to discuss the utilization of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) during spinal cord tumor surgery.
Regulation and function of retinoblastoma-related plant genes

Abstract Retinoblastoma-related (RBR) genes are a conserved gene family in higher eukaryotes and are primarily known as the “gatekeepers” of the cell cycle. RBR genes are best characterized in animals, in which they normally function to prevent inappropriate cell proliferation. Since the mid-1990s, RBR genes and their encoded proteins have been subjected to intense investigation in plants. Here we review what is known about their regulation and function in plant systems. Among plants, the Poaceae family of monocots is characterized by having a complex RBR gene family, which resembles the complexity of mammalian RBR genes. This is clearly revealed by phylogenetic analyses and supported by recent functional studies. A wealth of information indicates that a major function of RBR proteins is to control the expression of many genes required for cell cycle progression, by regulating the activity of E2F transcription factors. However, recent studies, both in animals and plants, reveal that RBR proteins play additional, important, non-canonical roles in integrating and connecting pathways that impinge on cell differentiation, development, cell death, and epigenetic mechanisms.
Injectively immersed tori in branched covers over the figure eight knot

The importance of this result lies primarily in the fact [HLM] that the figure eight knot is universal. That is, that all closed, orientable 3-manifolds are obtainable as branched covers over S, branched over the knot. We also obtain results about incompressible (embedded) tori in some cases. Existence or nonexistence of injectively immersed tori is critical to the understanding of a 3-manifold in light of the Jaco-Shalen and Johannson torus decomposition [J-S,Jh] which plays such a pivotal role in Thurston’s geometrization conjecture and the recent result of Gabai and Casson (independently, see [Ga]) which, when combined with earlier results of Mess and Scott (see [M],[Sc]) shows that a 3-manifold which admits an injectively immersed torus, but no incompressible surfaces, must be Seifertfibered. Our approach to developing this algorithm will be partly geometric and partly combinatorial in nature. We will first describe a fixed geometric structure on S which lifts in a particularly nice way to a geometric structure on any branched cover of S, branched over the figure eight knot, which has the required minimum branching index. We will then use this geometric structure to gradually reduce the problem of finding injectively immersed tori in this branched cover to a problem of finding paths in a certain graph which satisfy certain easily verified conditions. We will also obtain an a priori upper bound on the length of paths which must be considered, so that our algorithm can not only find tori when they exist, but also ascertain when they do not. The overall organization of this paper is as follows: the geometric structures that we will need (Euclidean cone manifold structures) are described in Section 1. Section 2 discusses the particular cone manifold structure on S which will be lifted to the branched covers of S. Section 3 describes the first dimensional reduction that we will need, reducing questions about tori in 3-manifolds to questions about geodesics in 2-manifolds. Section 4 describes how to make the actual calculations needed in section 3 from combinatorial data
Arthritis severity locus Cia4 is an early regulator of IL-6, IL-1β, and NF-κB activators' expression in pristane-induced arthritis

Cia4 is a locus on rat chromosome 7 that regulates disease severity and joint damage in models of rheumatoid arthritis, including pristane-induced arthritis (PIA). To identify molecular processes regulated by Cia4, synovial tissues from MHC-identical DA (severe erosive) and DA.F344(Cia4) congenics (mild nonerosive) rats were collected at preclinical and recent onset stages following the induction of PIA and analyzed for gene expression levels. Il6 levels were significantly higher in DA compared with congenics on day 10 (135-fold) after PIA induction (preclinical stage) and remained increased on days 14 (47.7-fold) and 18 (29.41-fold). Il6 increased before Il1b suggesting that Il6 could be driving Il1b expression and early synovial inflammation; 187 genes had significantly different expression levels and included inflammatory mediators increased in DA such Slpi (10.94-fold), Ccl7 (5.17-fold), and Litaf (2.09-fold). Syk or NF-κB activating and interacting genes, including Cd74 Ccl21, were increased in DA; 59 genes implicated in cancer-related phenotypes were increased in DA. Genes involved in cell metabolism, transport across membranes, and tissue protection such as Dgat1, Dhcr7, and Slc1a1 were increased in DA.F344(Cia4) congenics; 21 genes differentially expressed or expressed in only one of the strains were located within the Cia4 interval and could be the gene accounting for the arthritis effect. In conclusion, the Cia4 interval contains at least one new arthritis gene that regulates early Il6, Il1b expression, and other inflammatory mediators. This gene regulates the expression of cancer genes that could mediate the development of synovial hyperplasia and invasion, and cartilage and bone destruction.
Kinetic Analyses of the Microsomal Biotransformation of the Phosphorothioate Insecticides Chlorpyrifos and Parathion

Abstract Chloropyrifos [0,0-diethyl-0-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate] was metabolized to chlorpyrifos oxon [0,0-diethyl-0-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphate] and to 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol by mouse hepatic microsomes. Formation of both chlorpyrifos oxon and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol required NADPH, and was inhibited by carbon monoxide. Kinetic analyses using direct linear plots determined the appKm's for formation of chlorpyrifos oxon and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol to be 20.9 ± 3.3 μM and 16.1 ± 3.4 μM respectively, while the appVmax's for the same reactions were 3.9 ± 0.2 nmols/100 mg liver/min and 8.1 ± 0.3 nmols/100 mg liver/min respectively. Incubation of parathion [0,0-diethyl-0-(4-nitrophenyl) phosphorothioate] with mouse hepatic microsomes produced paraoxon [0,0-diethyl-0-(4-nitropheayl) phosphate] and p-nitrophenol. The appKm's for the formation of paraoxon and p-nitrophenol were 29.6 ± 4.2 μM and 26.5 ± 3.8 μM respectively, with appVmax's of 5.8 ± 0.6 nmols/100 mg liver/min and 6.7 ± 0.5 nmols/100 mg liver/min, respectively. Incubation of both parathion and chlorpyrifos at various concentrations with mouse hepatic microsomes resulted in inhibition of production of paraoxon, p-nitrophenol, chlorpyrifos oxon, and 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, which was characteristic of mixed type inhibition. This complex kinetic behavior could arise as a result of competitive interactions of parathion and chlorpyrifos with multiple forms of microsomal cytochrome P-450.
Changing controls of soil moisture spatial organization in the Shale Hills Catchment

Abstract Modeling hydrological processes often requires the identification of dominant controls on soil moisture spatial organization under different climatic conditions at various soil depths. In this study, we utilized a four-year database consisting of soil moisture measurements at 106 locations from near-surface down to 1.1 m depth across a forested catchment in central Pennsylvania, USA. Our objectives were to 1) compare the spatial organization of soil moisture within different soil–landform units and its temporal persistence at different depths under varying catchment wetness conditions and 2) investigate correlation strength between soil moisture content and 11 soil–terrain attributes and the temporal change of such correlation. Our results showed that the catchment's near-surface ( 0.3 to 1.1 m) soil moisture organization, however, exhibited increasing temporal persistence with depth, and subsoil moisture above the catchment-wide average was concentrated within convergent landforms under both wet and dry conditions. Topographic wetness index, slope, depth to bedrock, and percent (by weight) clay and rock fragment were significant ( p 0.3 to R 2 ) in linear regression for topographic wetness index, suggesting that lateral subsurface flow may be an important driver of soil moisture dynamics at these depths in this catchment. Mean R 2 values for slope, depth to bedrock, and percent clay and rock fragment increased with increasing depth, confirming the importance of deep soil moisture storage on subsoil moisture organization. We conclude that the controls on this catchment's soil moisture spatial organization at the near-surface ( 0.7 m) becomes more temporally persistent and is primarily a function of both topography and soil depth.
Measurements of the gas-particle convective heat transfer coefficient in a packed bed for high-temperature energy storage

Experimental measurements of the forced convection gas-particle heat transfer coefficient in a packed bed, high-temperature, thermal energy storage system were performed using a custom-made experimental facility. Special attention was paid to the application of uncertainty analysis (a very important concept in experimentation). General and detailed uncertainty analyses were carried out, which identified the choices that were made in the experimental planning and procedure to ensure reliable final results. The experimental data reduction program used the governing equations and the results of the uncertainty analysis while making allowance for media property variations with temperature. Results were correlated in terms of Nusselt number, Prandtl number and Reynolds number and comparisons were made with existing correlations developed with similar storage media. The maximum temperature for the bed was about 1000°C (1830°F) with flue gas as the operating fluid in the storage mode and atmospheric air in the recovery mode. Because most related previous studies were not necessarily focused on high-temperature applications, the published gas-particle heat transfer correlations were obtained at relatively low temperature ranges, generally at room temperature or at temperatures slightly above room temperature. Moreover, only a few of the previously reported correlations associated the results with the corresponding uncertainty margins. The results from this study give a convective gas-particle heat transfer correlation for high-temperature thermal energy storage applications. Also, due to substantial uncertainties normally associated with the measurements of this heat transfer coefficient, it is significant to note that no firm conclusions can be reached on the validity or non-validity of previously reported related correlations for which the uncertainty margins were not reported.
Thermochemical and pressure-volume-temperature systematics of data on solids, examples: Tungsten and MgO

Data systematization using the constraints from the equation $$Cp = Cv + \alpha _P {}^2V_T K_T T$$ where Cp, Cv, αp, KT and V are respectively heat capacity at constant pressure, heat capacity at constant volume, isobaric thermal expansion, isothermal bulk modulus and molar volume, has been performed for tungsten and MgO. The data are $$K_T (W) = 1E - 5/(3.1575E - 12 + 1.6E - 16T + 3.1E - 20T^2 )$$ $$\alpha _P (W) = 9.386E - 6 + 5.51E - 9T$$ $$C_P (W) = 24.1 + 3.872E - 3T - 12.42E - 7T^2 + 63.96E - 11T^3 - 89000T^{ - 2} $$ $$K_T (MgO) = 1/(0.59506E - 6 + 0.82334E - 10T + 0.32639E - 13T^2 + 0.10179E - 17T^3 $$ $$\alpha _P (MgO) = 0.3754E - 4 + 0.7907E - 8T - 0.7836/T^2 + 0.9148/T^3 $$ $$C_P (MgO) = 43.65 + 0.54303E - 2T - 0.16692E7T^{ - 2} + 0.32903E4T^{ - 1} - 5.34791E - 8T^2 $$ For the calculation of pressure-volume-temperature relation, a high temperature form of the Birch-Murnaghan equation is proposed $$P = 3K_T (1 + 2f)^{5/2} (1 + 2\xi f)$$ Where $$K_T = 1/(b_0 + b_1 T + b_2 T^2 + b_3 T^3 )$$ $$f = (1/2)\{ [V(1,T)/V(P,T)]^{2/3} - 1\} $$ $$\xi = ({3 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {3 4}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 4})[K'_0 + K'_1 \ln ({T \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {T {300}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {300}}) - 4]$$ where in turn $$V(1,T) = V_0 [\exp (\int\limits_{300}^T {\alpha dT)]} $$ .
Franck–Condon analysis of the 1 1A−g→1 1B+u transition of 1,3‐butadiene from absorption and Raman intensities

Vibronic activity in the 1 1A−g→1 1B+u electronic transition of 1,3‐butadiene is analyzed using both the observed structure in the absorption spectrum and Raman band intensities measured at eight excitation frequencies between 23 522 and 37 026 cm−1. The Raman spectra are dominated by the fundamental of ν4, and ag carbon–carbon stretching mode. From an analysis of the preresonance Raman excitation profiles, a total of six ag modes are found to be active in the electronic transition. The distortion of the 1 1B+u excited state is calculated in terms of displacements in these six normal coordinates by fitting the Raman relative intensities and the absorption Franck–Condon envelope first assuming no excited state mode mixing. A significantly improved fit of the absorption spectrum is obtained when the two most active modes ν4 and ν7 are allowed to mix in the excited state. The geometry of the 1 1B+u state is calculated with and without excited state mode mixing, and both analyses predict bond inversion of the...
Fabrication of p+-n junction GaAs solar cells by a novel method

A novel method for making p(+)-n diffused junction GaAs solar cells, with the formation of a diffusion source, an anti-reflective coating, and a protective cover glass in a single chemical-vapor deposition operation is discussed. Consideration is given to device fabrication and to solar-cell characteristics. The advantages of the technique are that the number of process steps is kept to an absolute minimum, the fabrication procedure is low-cost, and the GaAs surface is protected during the entire operation.
In Such a State of Ink: Adolescents in the Novels of Charles Dickens

This essay won the 2005 Literature Compass Graduate Essay Prize, Victorian Section. Although Charles Dickens is known for illuminating the social issues of his time with his portrayals of children, his adolescent characters have been largely neglected by critics. Since the concept of adolescence arguably emerged for the first time in Victorian England, this article identifies the adolescents in Dickens's novels and examines their characterization in light of their historical context. In particular, this article explores Dickens's attitudes toward the political efficacy of youth and the nature of healthy personal development.
Defining Torture: A Review of 40 Years of Health Science Research

The current review critically examines the body of torture research (N = 209), focusing on the definition and operationalization of the primary construct. Almost three-quarters (69.9%) of the studies reviewed did not reference any definition of torture. Few studies identified important contextual variables related to defining torture such as identities and motivations of perpetrators and severity of abuse. Definitional ambiguity further impacted how individuals were queried about their experiences and the extent to which torture was distinguished from other forms of maltreatment. Although there are notable exceptions, the methods used in the torture literature are variable and often undefined, impacting the interpretation of findings of risk factors, consequences, and treatment of torture events.
The Many Faces of Competency

KIE: A sliding-scale model for assessing patient competency to consent to medical treatments is proposed. The least stringent standard, to be applied in the case of safe and effective treatments, assumes a valid consent if the patient is aware of what is happening and assents to the rational expectations of the physician. The second standard, applicable in the case of less certain treatments, requires that the patient understand the treatment options and have the capacity to choose or reject a treatment based on a weighing of risks and benefits. The third and most stringent standard, reserved for very dangerous treatments, bases competence to consent on an appreciation of the implications of the medical information for the patient's life and on an ability to state the reasons for the decision in terms of the medical issues and the patient's personal values.