cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solar Optics is Hot in Mongolia and Dubai Short

The latest external CPC collector (XCPC) is being used in Mongolia and Dubai with great success. XCPC’s offer a big cost advantage over solar collectors that require tracking mechanisms to follow the sun and they can also capture thermal energy on hazy or foggy days thanks to the wide-angle nonimaging optics design. In Ulaanbataar, one of the coldest cities on earth, with air quality best described as “smoke” high temperature operation was achieved during mid winter even in late afternoon. In Dubai, industrial scale operation was achieved at the largest sugar refinery in the world. We developed the XCPCs, which generate thermal energy by gathering and concentrating sunlight onto specially made collector tubes at the UC Solar Lab at UC Merced. UC Solar, brings together scientists and engineers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz in the quest to make solar the nation’s cheapest, cleanest energy option.
Electron spin resonance study of the interactions of retinoids with a phospholipid model membrane.

Abstract The effects of up to 20 mol% incorporation of all- trans -retinol (vitamin A), retinal (vitamin A aldehyde) and retinoic acid (vitamin A acid) on acyl chain order and dynamics in liquid crystalline dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine membranes at pH 7.5 were studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) of 5-, 7-, 10-, 12-, and 16-doxyl spin-labelled stearic acids intercalated into the membrane. Order parameters S and correlation times τ c determined from the ESR spectra demonstrate that the influence of retinoic acid differs from retinol or retinal. Whereas the latter two retinoids have negligible effect (less than 1%) on acyl chain order towards the membrane surface (5 position), retinoic acid reduces the order parameter by as much as 8% at 20 mol% incorporation. All three retinoids restrict acyl chain motion to a similar extent approaching the center of membrane (10, 12 and 16 positions), where up to 22% increases in order parameter and correlation time were observed. Complementary osmotic swelling and carboxyfluorescein release measurements show that the enhancement in permeability of egg phosphatidylcholine membranes to erythritol and carboxyfluorescein is greater with all- trans -retinoic acid than all- trans -retinoic or retinal.
Segmental Motions, Not a Two-State Concerted Switch, Underlie Allostery in CheY

The switch between an inactive and active conformation is an important transition for signaling proteins, yet the mechanisms underlying such switches are not clearly understood. Escherichia coli CheY, a response regulator protein from the two-component signal transduction system that regulates bacterial chemotaxis, is an ideal protein for the study of allosteric mechanisms. By using 15N CPMG relaxation dispersion experiments, we monitored the inherent dynamic switching of unphosphorylated CheY. We show that CheY does not undergo a two-state concerted switch between the inactive and active conformations. Interestingly, partial saturation of Mg2+ enhances the intrinsic allosteric motions. Taken together with chemical shift perturbations, these data indicate that the μs-ms timescale motions underlying CheY allostery are segmental in nature. We propose an expanded allosteric network of residues, including W58, that undergo asynchronous, local switching between inactive and active-like conformations as the primary basis for the allosteric mechanism.
Enumeration of rises and falls by position

Let @p=(@p"1, @p"2,...,@p"n) denote a permutation of Z"n = {1, 2,..., n}. The pair (@p"i, @p"i"+"1) is a rise if @p"i @p"i"+"1. Also a conventional rise is counted at the beginning of @p and a conventional fall at the end. Let k be a fixed integer >= 1. The rise @p"i,@p"i"+"1 is said to be in a in a j (mod k) position if i = j (mod k); similarly for a fall. The conventional rise at the beginning is in a 0 (mod k) position, while the conventional fall at the end is in an n (mod k) position. Let P"n=P"n(r"0,...,r"k-1,@?"0,...,@?;"k-1) denote the number of permutations having r"i rises i (mod k) positions and @?;"i falls in i (mod k) positions. A generating function for P"n is obtained. In particular, for k = 2 the generating function is quite explicit and also, for certain special cases when k = 4.
Rtg2 Protein Links Metabolism and Genome Stability in Yeast Longevity

Mitochondrial dysfunction induces a signaling pathway, which culminates in changes in the expression of many nuclear genes. This retrograde response, as it is called, extends yeast replicative life span. It also results in a marked increase in the cellular content of extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA circles (ERCs), which can cause the demise of the cell. We have resolved the conundrum of how these two molecular mechanisms of yeast longevity operate in tandem. About 50% of the life-span extension elicited by the retrograde response involves processes other than those that counteract the deleterious effects of ERCs. Deletion of RTG2, a gene that plays a central role in relaying the retrograde response signal to the nucleus, enhances the generation of ERCs in cells with (grande) or in cells without (petite) fully functional mitochondria, and it curtails the life span of each. In contrast, overexpression of RTG2 diminishes ERC formation in both grandes and petites. The excess Rtg2p did not augment the retrograde response, indicating that it was not engaged in retrograde signaling. FOB1, which is known to be required for ERC formation, and RTG2 were found to be in converging pathways for ERC production. RTG2 did not affect silencing of ribosomal DNA in either grandes or petites, which were similar to each other in the extent of silencing at this locus. Silencing of ribosomal DNA increased with replicative age in either the presence or the absence of Rtg2p, distinguishing silencing and ERC accumulation. Our results indicate that the suppression of ERC production by Rtg2p requires that it not be in the process of transducing the retrograde signal from the mitochondrion. Thus, RTG2 lies at the nexus of cellular metabolism and genome stability, coordinating two pathways that have opposite effects on yeast longevity.
Ester enolates from .alpha.-acetoxy esters. Synthesis of arylmalonic and .alpha.-arylalkanoic esters from aryl nucleophiles and .alpha.-keto esters

Eater enolates are generated by reductive α-deacetoxylation of α-acetoxy-α-arylmalonic esters or a-acetoxy-α-arylalkanoic esters with lithium in liquid ammonia or sodium α-(dimethylamino)naphthalenide in hexa- methylphosphoramide-benzene. Since the requisite α-acetoxy esters are available from aryl nucleophiles. the reductions provide effective new synthetic routes to arylmalonic esters and α-arylalkanoic esters. For example, 2-(p-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid (ibuprofen. a commercially important nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent) is obtained in 73% yield overall from isobutylbenzene. Arenes, aryllithiums, or aryhrtagnesium halides react with α-keto esters, e.g., diethyl oromalonate, ethyl pyruvate, methyl phenylglyouxalate, or alkyl glyoxylates, to afford α-hydroxy esters. These are acetylated with acetic anhydride-triethylamine and p-(dimethylamino)pyridine as a catalyst. Reductive α-deoxygenation then allows replacement of the acetoxy group by hydrogen or an alkyl group.
Polysome activity in relation to growth and protein starvation in brains and hearts of cultured early chick embryos

In previous studies, brains but not hearts of intact early chick embryos were found to be sensitive to protein starvation. In this study, the in vitro protein synthetic activity of polysomes isolated from brains was found to be greater than those isolated from hearts. Starvation reduced the protein synthetic activity of polysomes in vitro but the extent of the reduction was approximately the same for both brains and hearts. A reduction in the amount of ribosomes as polysomes may have contributed to the lower synthetic activity of polysomes from tissues of starved embryos but not to the differences in synthetic activities between brains and hearts. In addition, neither the stability of isolated polysomes nor ribosome-associated ribonuclease activity appeared responsible for the differences observed in polysome synthetic activities. In direct relationship to the differential sensitivity of brains and hearts to starvation observed in the intact embryo, ribosomes isolated from brains of both growing and starved embryos were more readily degraded during in vitro incubation than those from hearts.
Fluorinated Tetraphenylporphyrins as Cocrystallizing Agents for C60 and C70

Four new cocrystals of fullerenes C60 and C70 have been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography, C60·1.5H2F20TPP·6benzene, C70·H2F20TPP·8benzene, C60·NiF20TPP·8benzene, and C70·ClFe(F20TPP) (F20TPP = 5,10,15,20-pentafluorophenylporphyrin). These structures reveal a marked encapsulation of the fullerene molecule by both the porphyrin and numerous C−F···C(fullerene) interactions.
On the Periodic Character of Some Difference Equations

We consider positive solutions of the following difference equation x n =max A x n m k , B x n m m , n =0,1, , where A , B are any positive real numbers and k , m are any positive integers. We prove that every positive solution is eventually periodic and determine the period in terms of the parameters A , B , k , and m .
Cardiac Allograft Rejection Correlates with Increased Expressions of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 and Allograft Inflammatory Factor 1

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that injury-induced activation of the recipient's innate immune response determines the outcome of allograft transplantation. The mechanism responsible for the induction of such innate immune response is not clear yet. We hypothesized that in cardiac transplantation settings, the initial myocardial ischemia and postischemia graft reperfusion may release allograft inflammatory factor (AIF) 1, causing Toll-like receptor (TLR)–mediated activation of macrophages and dendritic cells, leading to the production of cytokines and the activation of adaptive alloimmunity. Therefore, our goal was to validate the presence of these biomarkers in the peripheral blood and biopsy specimens of patients presenting allograft rejection. Methods We studied 90 peripheral blood and 30 endomyocardial biopsy specimens from patients who had undergone cardiac transplantation. Specimens were tested by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction to determine TLR-2 and -4 and AIF-1 expression levels, correlating with clinical rejection grades. The group differences for mRNA transcript levels between the rejection grades were determined by 1-way analysis of variance. The level of significance was set at P Results The mean ± SEM level of TLR-2 mRNA expression was increased 1.7-fold in monocytes (P Conclusions Our data demonstrated that expression profiles of AIF-1 and TLR-2 correlated with biopsy-proven allograft rejection in both peripheral blood and local tissue, suggesting their potential as diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of allograft rejection.
Sumoylation precedes accumulation of phosphorylated H2AX on sex chromosomes during their meiotic inactivation

During meiosis in male mammals, X and Y chromosomes undergo the process of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). A crucial role in MSCI has recently been reported for BRCA1, ATR kinase, and phosphorylated histone H2AX, but the exact mechanism remains to be determined. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins have recently been shown to localize to the sex body in mouse meiotic spermatocytes, but the role they play during MSCI is unknown. In this study, in order to better understand the molecular events of MSCI, we followed dynamic changes in γH2AX and SUMO localization patterns during MSCI. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) as an analytical tool for visualizing numerous spermatocytes from the same development stage and for consecutively following the meiotic progression, we were able to demonstrate a very early appearance of SUMO-1, which preceded γH2AX accumulation on the sex chromosomes during their meiotic inactivation. In contrast to SUMO-1, SUMO-2/3 was undetectable in zygotene spermatocytes, suggesting a possible specific role for SUMO-1 in the initiation of MSCI.
The effects of environmental support and secondary tasks on visuospatial working memory

In the present experiments, we examined the effects of environmental support on participants’ ability to rehearse locations and the role of such support in the effects of secondary tasks on memory span. In Experiment 1, the duration of interitem intervals and the presence of environmental support for visuospatial rehearsal (i.e., the array of possible memory locations) during the interitem intervals were both manipulated across four tasks. When support was provided, memory spans increased as the interitem interval durations increased, consistent with the hypothesis that environmental support facilitates rehearsal. In contrast, when environmental support was not provided, spans decreased as the duration of the interitem intervals increased, consistent with the hypothesis that visuospatial memory representations decay when rehearsal is impeded. In Experiment 2, the ratio of interitem interval duration to intertrial interval duration was kept the same on all four tasks, in order to hold temporal distinctiveness constant, yet forgetting was still observed in the absence of environmental support, consistent with the decay hypothesis. In Experiment 3, the effects of impeding rehearsal were compared to the effects of verbal and visuospatial secondary processing tasks. Forgetting of locations was greater when presentation of to-be-remembered locations alternated with the performance of a secondary task than when rehearsal was impeded by the absence of environmental support. The greatest forgetting occurred when a secondary task required the processing visuospatial information, suggesting that in addition to decay, both domain-specific and domain-general effects contribute to forgetting on visuospatial working memory tasks.
Far Infrared Group Frequencies. III. Symmetrical Aliphatic Ethers

Previously we reported that the OH torsions of alcohols and the NH2 torsions of primary amines give rise to intense characteristic bands in the low frequency infrared spectra of these molecules in dilute cyclohexane solutions. We now report the results of our studies of symmetrical aliphatic ethers in the liquid phase.
Plane-Wave Matrix Approach to Direct Reactions

A new method based on plane-wave representations is developed and applied to the theory of direct reactions. The coefficients of the plane-wave expansions of propagators are determined either by the requirement that they fit the scattering matrix for an auxiliary potential both on and off the momentum shell or by the use of an effective unit operator. Such expansions lead to the reduction of typical direct reaction problems to simple matrix algebra, the basic matrices being either plane-wave matrices or auxiliary potential matrices. Particular attention is given here to finite-range distorted-wave matrix elements and coupled-channels theory, where the possible advantages of the present approach can be understood even at a formal level.
Gastrointestinal complications in the intensive care unit

Pathologic conditions affecting the abdomen are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit, but their importance is not widely recognized. This article presents several aspects of abdominal pathology that can occur in intensive care unit patients. This pathology may have a considerable impact on the prognosis and survival of the critically ill patient. The diagnostic contribution of laboratory tests and imaging is discussed. Conditions such as the abdominal compartment syndrome, acute mesenteric ischemia, gastrointestinal bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal sepsis, complications of entereal and parenteral nutrition, and ileus in critically ill patients are also reviewed.
A Differential 2R Crosspoint RRAM Array With Zero Standby Current

Memory power consumption dominates mobile system energy budgets in scaled technologies. Fast nonvolatile memory devices (NVMs) offer a tremendous opportunity to eliminate memory leakage current during standby mode. Resistive random access memory (RRAM) in a crosspoint structure is considered to be one of the most promising emerging NVMs. However, the absence of access transistors puts significant challenges on the write/read operation. In this brief, we propose a differential 2R crosspoint structure with array segmentation and sense-before-write techniques. A 64-KB RRAM device is constructed and simulated in a 28/32-nm CMOS predictive technology model and a Verilog-A RRAM model. This design offers an opportunity to use RRAM as a cache for increasing energy efficiency in mobile computing.
Regional, cellular, and ultrastructural distribution of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1 in monkey hippocampus.

Abstract The regional, cellular, and subcellular distributions of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 1, NMDAR-1, were investigated in monkey hippocampus by using a monoclonal antibody directed against a fusion protein corresponding to aa 660-811 of NMDAR-1. The data indicate that many neurons in each subfield of the hippocampus contain NMDAR-1 protein, although the intensity and distribution of immunoreactivity varied across regions, strata, and cellular compartments. In stratum lucidum of CA3, mossy fiber axons were immunoreactive for NMDAR-1, which may correspond to previously hypothesized presynaptic receptors. NMDAR-1-labeled postsynaptic profiles were present in stratum radiatum of CA3 but were largely absent from stratum lucidum. Such intraneuronal segregation of glutamate receptor subunits or classes may be spatially correlated with afferent systems that exhibit laminar segregation and terminate in different portions of the postsynaptic dendritic tree. For example, in CA3 pyramidal cells, NMDA receptors are postsynaptic in distal apical dendrites (stratum radiatum) where NMDA-dependent long-term potentiation in rats is mediated by associational/commissural afferents, and are absent from proximal apical dendrites (stratum lucidum), where NMDA-independent long-term potentiation is mediated by the mossy fiber input.
A nuclear magnetic resonance study of thermal effects upon base stacking in oligonucleotides: ApA>p

Abstract A proton magnetic resonance study has been made of the effect of temperature upon the spectrum of the dinucleotide ApA>p in aqueous solution at neutral pH. The base-ring proton signals are observed to shift down-field with increasing temperature in the range 5–95°. This down-field shift is attributed to a progressive destacking of the base-rings in the dinucleotide with increasing temperature. A simple analysis of the chemical shift-temperature curves, in terms of a two-state equilibrium, i.e. stacked dinucleotide ai unstacked dinucleotide, yields an enthalpy change of −8.2 ± 1.0 kcal·mole −1 for the stacking process in reasonable agreement with values reported for similar dimers using other techniques.
Nonmagnetic contributions to the variation of Tc with RE in RE(Rh, Ru)4B4 compounds

Abstract The variation of superconducting transition temperature (T c ) with rare earth (RE) previously reported for bct RE(Rh 0.85 Ru 0.15 ) 4 B 4 compounds is analyzed using the Abrikosov-Gor'kov (AG) theory. Progressively larger negative deviations from the AG prediction occur with increasing size of the RE ion. From T c data presented for the nonmagnetic (La,Lu) (Rh 0.85 Ru 0.15 ) 4 B 4 system, the contribution of nonmagnetic factors to these deviations was found to be large.
Antarctic Continental Margin: ABSTRACT

The positions of Paleozoic depositional basins in Antarctica are determined by examining the paleogeographies of other Gondwana continents. However, because of its ice cover, Antarctica's post-Paleozoic paleogeographic settings are more uncertain. Most of the Antarctic continental margin has remained passive since initial rifting. The only exception is the Bellingshausen-Amundsen margin along which the Aluk Ridge was subducted between 53 and 21 m.y.B.P. The initial breakup of Gondwanaland resulted in a network of narrow ocean basins in which euxinic claystones were deposited. As spreading continued, enhanced circulation resulted in the deposition of biogenic sediments, mostly carbonate beds, in the juvenile ocean basins bordering Antarctica. At the time of separation of Antarctica and South America approximately 23 m.y.B.P., the Circum-Antarctic Current was initiated. The continent was then thermally isolated and the stage was set for a continental ice sheet to develop. By late Miocene time the ice sheet had advanced onto the continental margin and had dominated marginal sedimentation since that time. The importance of glacial erosion and sedimentation on the continental margin has been profound. In the Ross Sea, the only area where he continental margin has been drilled, the waxing and waning Ross Ice Shelf has eroded hundreds of meters into the continental shelf to within a few tens of meters of basement rock. In its retreat, the ice deposited almost 400 m of glacial-marine sediments. Seismic profiles from the Weddell Sea continental shelf reflect similar deep erosion. Hence, although paleogeographic reconstructions suggest that parts of the Antarctic continental margin may contain rich oil and gas reserves, the combined influence of isostasy and glacial erosion may have reshaped the Antarctic continental margin significantly. End_of_Article - Last_Page 410------------
Gender Differences in Voluntary Turnover: Still a Paradox?

This study addresses three important questions that may have substantial implications for gender inequalities in the labor market. First, are women more content with their jobs than men? Second, are women more prone to voluntary turnover than men? Third, given different reasons for turnover, does job satisfaction have differential effects on different turnover paths? Using a large national sample, the framework of the unfolding model of turnover, survival analyses, and other analytical methods, this study found no supporting evidence for the first two questions, but found new evidence supportive of the third question. Unlike many previous studies that used a single turnover category aggregating all kinds of voluntary turnover, this study separated voluntary leavers into several different types of turnover based on specific reasons for turnover, which allowed this study to explore the above questions from new perspectives. The propositions of the unfolding model provide promising avenues for future research to follow. The results of this study also suggest an important practical implication that organizations need to implement retention policies and practices tailored to different reasons of turnover, as opposed to generic ones.
Highly achromatic Fourier-transform spectrometer

We present a simplified all-reflective Fourier transform spectrometer with a split-mirror configuration for use over a broad spectral range with spatially coherent sources. The device is particularly well suited for measurement of broadband laser-like light, with resolution limited by beam size and collimation. Spectra are taken in the near-UV and the mid-IR, a total span of 4.6 octaves, including an octave spanning spectrum. Potential sources of error are investigated both theoretically and experimentally.
We're Not All Deadbeat Parents: Welfare Recipient Voices on Unmet Service Needs

Studies since the 1996 welfare reform found caseload reductions yet little improvements in well being. This article provides qualitative analysis of program experiences a decade later. From telephone interviews of Michigan recipients, the authors observed that respondents identify one of four combinations of needs for services. They highlighted unmet needs for further education, health-related challenges, interim unemployment-related services, or concrete help with cyclical low wage work. The depth and duration of joblessness and hardship of the Recession and recent state-level cutbacks underscore the urgency of client-driven policy guidelines to address the diverse challenges of low income families.
The negative GABAA modulator methyl β-carboline-3-carboxylate attenuates the behavioral effects of the positive GABAA modulators triazolam and pregnanolone in rhesus monkeys

Rationale: Many of the effects of benzodiazepines (BZs), barbiturates, and neuroactive steroids are mediated by the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor complex. Objectives: This study tested the hypothesis that negative GABAA modulators attenuate the behavioral effects of different positive GABAA modulators that vary in their site of action on the receptor complex. Methods: Rhesus monkeys responding under a multiple fixed ratio (FR:FR) schedule of food presentation and stimulus-shock termination received GABAA modulators under cumulative dosing procedures. Results: The BZ site negative GABAA modulator methyl β-carboline-3-carboxylate (β-CCM), and not the BZ site neutral modulator flumazenil, decreased FR responding under the multiple schedule. FR responding was also decreased by positive modulators, including the BZ triazolam, the neuroactive steroid pregnanolone, and the barbiturate pentobarbital in that order of potency. β-CCM, and not flumazenil, antagonized pregnanolone, suggesting that pregnanolone increased GABA-mediated chloride flux at a non-BZ site. β-CCM antagonized triazolam with the slope of the Schild plot for β-CCM and triazolam (food component) conforming to unity and yielding a pA2 value of 6.44. The effects of pentobarbital were not altered by β-CCM, suggesting that barbiturates might act at a population of GABAA receptors different from those where neuroactive steroids and BZs act, or that barbiturate site positive GABAA modulators are not amenable to modulation by negative modulators. Conclusions: These results confirm a competitive interaction between β-CCM and triazolam, and further demonstrate that the effects of neuroactive steroids on FR responding are attenuated by a BZ site negative GABAA modulator. Negative GABAA modulators might prove especially useful for characterizing important differences among positive GABAA modulators that act through different sites on the receptor complex.
Can the constituent quark model describe the pion

Abstract A comparison of the nature of the pion in terms of the Bethe–Salpeter, Salpeter, and quark model approaches is presented. We show that many, but not all, properties of the pion can be captured by the constituent quark model.
Nanoparticle assembly: made to order.

The DNA-mediated assembly of anisotropic gold nanoparticles shows the importance of particle shape in the controlled formation of DNA–nanoparticle superlattices.
Prolonged treatment of bronchial asthma with cortisone

Abstract Observations in 19 patients with severe bronchial asthma, treated with cortisone for a year or more in the period from December, 1949, to November, 1952, are described. Although 17 of the 19 patients have maintained a satisfactory state of health, no evidence has been obtained to date that the underlying pulmonary disease of which asthma is the manifestation has been materially influenced by treatment. Two patients who improved initially have developed increasing asthma under treatment and may probably be regarded as failures. The chief side-effects encountered in this group of patients have been gain in weight (10 patients) and hypertension (3 patients), although the latter may be coincidental. Recurrent respiratory infections may be difficult to recognize and are often associated with relapse or exacerbation of the asthma.
Overexpression of dimeric guanylyl cyclase cores of an atrial natriuretic peptide receptor

Summary Using a bacterial expression system, large amounts of the catalytic core of an atrial natriuretic peptide receptor guanylyl cyclase were produced and purified. After refolding the protein from a buffer containing urea, the enzyme had positively cooperative kinetics with a Hill coefficient, n H = 1.42 ± 0.08. Size exclusion chromatography and denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the enzyme is composed of homodimers with interacting catalytic sites.
Several Jordan-algebraic aspects of optimization†

We describe some concepts from the theory of Euclidean Jordan algebras and their use in optimization theory. This includes: primal-dual algorithms, optimality conditions, convexity of spectral functions, proof of some inequalities and a Jordan-algebraic version of Horn–Schur theorem †Invited survey.
Transition of Care and Treatment of the Adult Spina Bifida Patient

Adult spina bifida patients are an underserved population in terms of healthcare in general and urologic care in particular. These patients have unique urologic issues arising from the underlying disease process as well as prior treatments. Multidisciplinary clinics deliver coordinated care in a limited number of locations and many patients receive care in their local community. In an effort to improve patient care, this article will empower the general adult urologist to care for the urologic needs of adult spina bifida patients and educate the reader about the fundamentals of transitional urologic care.
GABA augments basal and electrically stimulated 3H-norepinephrine release in hypothalamic, preoptic area and cortical slices of female rats

Abstract These studies examined the regulation by GABA of norepinephrine release from hypothalamus, preoptic area and frontal cortex. Using superfused brain slicesfrom female rats, we show that 100 μM GABA enhances both basal and electrically stimulated release of 3H-norepinephrine in all three brain regions. The GABAA agonist muscimol (100 μM) significantly augments 3H-norepinephrine release, but it is somewhat less effective than GABA. The GABAB agonist baclofen has little or no effect on basal 3H-norepinephrine efflux. GABA also augments both the magnitude and duration of electrically evoked 3H-norepinephrine release in slices from all three brain regions. GABA facilitation of electrically stimulated 3H-norepinephrine release is mediated through GABAA receptors as evidenced by its blockad by 10 μM bicuculline, a GABAA antagonist, but not by 200 μM 2-OH-saclofen, a GABAB antagonist. These data show that the inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter GABA enhances both basal and evoked release of 3H-norepinephrine in brain slices from female rats. These effects are predominantly mediated by GABAA receptors. GABA modulation of hypothalamic norepinephrine release may play a role in the regulation of gonadotropin secretion and reproductive behaviors such as lordosis.
Lyapunov-based range and motion identification for a nonaffine perspective dynamic system

Many applications require the interpretation of the Euclidean motion of features of a 3-dimensional (3D) object through 2D images. In this paper, the range and the Euclidean coordinates of an object undergoing general affine motion are determined for a paraboloid imaging system. Unlike image systems that are based on a planar image surface (or spherical or ellipsoidal surfaces), the perspective dynamic system resulting from the paraboloid projected image does not maintain an affine form. Because of the nonaffine form, existing range identification observers can not be directly utilized. The contribution of the current result is the development of a nonlinear state estimator that can be applied to the nonaffine perspective dynamic system to determine the range and Euclidean coordinates of an object feature without the use of linear approximations. The nonlinear estimator asymptotically determines the range information from a single camera provided some observability conditions are satisfied and that the Euclidean motion parameters are known. The proposed technique is developed through a Lyapunov-based design and stability analysis, and simulation results are provided that illustrate the performance of the state estimator.
Congressional Elections and the Pork Barrel

It is an enduring belief in American politics that legislators who "bring home the bacon" are rewarded for their efforts at the ballot box. Most researchers, however, have been unsuccessful in corroborating empirically a relationship between allocations to member districts and reelection margins. Previous research may have failed to detect a relationship due to misconceptualization, misspecified empirical tests, or both. We argue that not all legislators have the same incentives to utilize pork-barrel strategies to enhance their electoral margins. Furthermore the extent to which voters are influenced by the provision of distributive benefits is likely to depend on the attentiveness of voters to politics, their interest group affiliations, and their sources of political information. In short, both the predisposition to engage in pork-barrel strategies and their effects are likely to be conditional. Hypotheses derived from this respecification of the electoral connection thesis are tested with a data base t...
The Relationship between Pay-for-Performance Perceptions and Pay Satisfaction.

A study was conducted with 104 hospital employees to assess the relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay satisfaction. Unlike previous research examining this relationship, a multi-item measure of pay-for-performance perceptions and a multidimensional measure of pay satisfaction were used. As hypothesized, the results indicated a positive relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay-raise satisfaction, pay-level satisfaction, and overall pay satisfaction even after the effects of salary level, salary increases, performance ratings, job tenure, job satisfaction, and promotions were controlled. The importance of gathering perceptual data on characteristics of the pay system believed to have differential relationships with the subdimensions of pay satisfaction are discussed.
ED management of acute pyelonephritis in women: a cohort study.

Abstract Various treatment strategies are currently used in the management of acute pyelonephritis, with some patients being treated as inpatients and others as outpatients. To better describe the clinical course of patients with this condition and the management strategies of physicians treating these patients, a retrospective cohort study of febrile nonpregnant women presenting to the emergency department with clinical evidence of acute pyelonephritis was conducted. Acute pyelonephritis was defined as infected urine (≥7 white blood cells/high-power field and/or urine culture with ≥10 4 colony-forming units [CFU]/ml) and fever (≥37.8°C) without other source. Between October 1990 and September 1991, 28 hospitalized and 83 nonhospitalized patients satisfied these criteria. Data were abstracted from hospital charts, and clinical outcomes were determined from chart reviews and telephone or mailed questionnaires. The hospitalized patients were significantly older (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07), had higher temperatures (OR = 6.12), and were more likely to have diabetes (OR = 10.57), genitourinary tract abnormalities (OR = 10.53), and vomiting (OR = 12.17) than the nonhospitalized patients. Sixty-six (80%) of the nonhospitalized patients were treated with a single dose of parenteral antibiotic (usually gentamicin or ceftriaxone) before discharge on oral antibiotics. Seventy-one (86%) were treated with oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Follow-up was obtained for 75 (90%) of the nonhospitalized patients. Nine (12%) of the 75 returned because of symptoms of acute pyelonephritis, with 8 returning within 1 day of the initial visit. Seven of those returning were admitted. All responded to additional antibiotic therapy. Selected febrile women with clinical evidence of acute pyelonephritis can be successfully treated as outpatients. In our emergency department (ED), most of these patients received a single dose of parenteral gentamicin or ceftriaxone followed by a course of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Because a significant minority of patients develop worsening symptoms within the first 24 to 36 hours after ED discharge, early follow-up is recommended.
Fluorotubes as Cathodes in Lithium Electrochemical Cells

Fluorotubes (C2F) were prepared by fluorinating SWNTs with F2/HF at 250 °C for 12 h and were consequently used as cathode material in a lithium electrochemical cell. The Raman and FTIR spectra of the fluorotubes were investigated before and after the cell was discharged. The discharging performance of the fluorotube/lithium electrochemical cell was studied and compared with that of a carbon monofluoride (CFx)/ lithium cell. Thermodynamic calculations using the ¢Hf° of fluorotubes and carbon monofluoride indicated that the potential of a fluorotube/ lithium electrochemical cell, where the fluorotubes were made by the fluorination of armchair (10,10) SWNTs, should be 0.4 V higher than that of a carbon monofluoride/lithium cell. The experimental results support the theoretical calculations. The relation between SWNT diameter and cell potential was also investigated.
On Kevin Schilbrack's Philosophy and the Study of Religions: A Manifesto

Schilbrack begins this chapter characterizing ‘traditional philosophy of religion’ (TPR) in terms of the task that the discipline sets for itself: to evaluate the rationality of theism. In an illuminating decision tree, Schilbrack analyzes and organizes the variety within TPR, including counter-traditions in Continental and feminist philosophy. More importantly, this procedure helps substantiate the author’s overall critique of TPR as inadequate to the ‘full task’ of philosophy of religion because it is narrow, intellectualistic, and insular. Schilbrack identifies three subordinate tasks or three sets of questions, one for each of these problems with the aim to redressing them. The first of those tasks is to overcome narrowness. By its focus on questions to do with the rationality of theism, TPR unjustifiably omits a massive amount of material relevant to religion from its purview. This omission dramatically weakens warrants for traditional philosophers’ claims regarding theism, especially the implicit claim that SOPHIA (2014) 53:367–372 DOI 10.1007/s11841-014-0432-2
Medusan morphospace: phylogenetic constraints, biomechanical solutions, and ecological consequences

Medusae were the earliest animals to evolve muscle-powered swimming in the seas. Although medusae have achieved diverse and prominent ecological roles throughout the world’s oceans, we argue that the primitive organization of cnidarian muscle tissue limits force production and, hence, the mechanical alternatives for swimming bell function. We use a recently developed model comparing the potential force production with the hydrodynamic requirements of jet propulsion, and conclude that jet production is possible only at relatively small bell diameters. In contrast, production of a more complex wake via what we term rowing propulsion permits much larger sizes but requires a different suite of morphological features. Analysis of morphometric data from all medusan taxa independently confirms size-dependent patterns of bell forms that correspond with model predictions. Further, morphospace analysis indicates that various lineages within the Medusozoa have proceeded along either of two evolutionary trajectories. The first alternative involved restriction of jet-propelled medusan bell diameters to small dimensions. These medusae may be either solitary individuals (characteristic of Anthomedusae and Trachymedusae) or aggregates of small individual medusan units into larger colonial forms (characteristic of the nectophores of many members of the Siphonophorae). The second trajectory involved use of rowing propulsion (characteristic of Scyphozoa and some hydromedusan lineages such as the Leptomedusae and Narcomedusae) that allows much larger bell sizes. Convergence on either of the differing propulsive alternatives within the Medusozoa has emerged via parallel evolution among different medusan lineages. The distinctions between propulsive modes have important ecological ramifications because swimming and foraging are interdependent activities for medusae. Rowing swimmers are characteristically cruising predators that select different prey types from those selected by jet-propelled medusae, which are predominantly ambush predators. These relationships indicate that the different biomechanical solutions to constraints on bell function have entailed ecological consequences that are evident in the prey selection patterns and trophic impacts of contemporary medusan lineages.
Methoxychlor-induced atresia in the mouse involves Bcl-2 family members, but not gonadotropins or estradiol.

Abstract Methoxychlor (MXC) is an organochlorine pesticide that increases the rate of ovarian atresia. To date, little is known about the mechanism by which MXC induces atresia. Because Bcl-2 (an antiapoptotic factor), Bax (a proapoptotic factor), gonadotropins, and estradiol are important regulators of atresia in the ovary, the purpose of this study was first to examine whether MXC-induced atresia occurred through alterations in Bcl-2 or Bax, and second, to examine the effect of MXC on gonadotropins, estradiol, and their receptors. CD-1 mice were dosed with 8–64 mg kg−1 day−1 MXC or vehicle (sesame oil). Ovaries were subjected to analysis of antral follicle numbers, Bcl-2, Bax, estrogen receptor, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor levels. Blood was used to measure gonadotropins and estradiol. In some experiments, mice that overexpressed Bcl-2 or mice that were deficient in Bax were dosed with MXC or vehicle and their ovaries were analyzed for atresia. MXC caused a dose-dependent increase in the pe...
Patterns of Inter-Firm Control in Japanese Business*

Studies of inter-firm relations in modern capitalism have often relied on either an exchange theory or a structural theory of control. Both paradigms prove inadequate in explaining non-Western patterns of inter-firm relations. This study adopts an institutional theory of power to explain the peculiar patterns of horizontal control that obtains in inter-firm relations within and among large Japanese business groups. We develop our argument in four steps. First, we review and assess the adequacy of three different theories of power in capitalist business; second, we describe our case study: two major types of Japanese business groups, third, we identify forms of vertical and horizontal control through our analysis of patterns of inter-firm shareholding, and we show how additional means of control are adopted to reinforce the existing organizational patterns; fourth, we compare and contrast the highly structured and cohesive inter-firm relations in Japanese business with the more loosely organized pattern th...
Post-light potentiation at type B to A photoreceptor connections in Hermissenda.

We investigated whether the long (∼30-s) or short (∼3-s) light stimuli that have been used during behavioral training would induce post-light potentiation (PLP) at the type B to A photoreceptor connections of the isolated nervous system of Hermissenda. We found that a single ∼30-s light step induced PLP at these connections relative to both pre-light baseline and seawater control preparations, as did a series of nine short (∼3-s) light steps. In addition, a 30-s step of depolarization-elicited type B cell activity induced potentiation comparable to that induced by a ∼30-s light step, indicating that light-elicited type B cell activity contributes to the induction of PLP. By contrast, even though a series of short (3-s) light steps induced potentiation, short steps of depolarization-evoked type B cell activity did not. Hence, light-evoked processes other than type B cell depolarization or activity (e.g., perhaps intracellular Ca2+ release) also contribute to the induction of PLP. Further results suggest that these other light-evoked processes interact nonadditively with type B cell activity to generate PLP. Some but not all instances of synaptic potentiation were accompanied by various changes in parameters of type B cell action potentials and afterhyperpolarizing potentials, suggesting diverse underlying mechanisms, including increases in neurotransmitter release. Given that the type A cells have been proposed to polysynaptically excite the motor neurons that drive phototaxis, a light-evoked potentiation of synaptic strength at the inhibitory type B to A photoreceptor connections may play a mechanistic role in light-elicited nonassociative learning.
Dual-bioaugmentation strategy to enhance remediation of cocontaminated soil.

Although metals are thought to inhibit the ability of microorganisms to degrade organic pollutants, several microbial mechanisms of resistance to metal are known to exist. This study examined the potential of cadmium-resistant microorganisms to reduce soluble cadmium levels to enhance degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) under conditions of cocontamination. Four cadmium-resistant soil microorganisms were examined in this study. Resistant up to a cadmium concentration of 275 μg ml−1, these isolates represented the common soil genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. Isolates Pseudomonas sp. strain H1 and Bacillus sp. strain H9 had a plasmid-dependent intracellular mechanism of cadmium detoxification, reducing soluble cadmium levels by 36%. Isolates Arthrobacter strain D9 and Pseudomonas strain I1a both produced an extracellular polymer layer that bound and reduced soluble cadmium levels by 22 and 11%, respectively. Although none of the cadmium-resistant isolates could degrade 2,4-D, results of dual-bioaugmentation studies conducted with both pure culture and laboratory soil microcosms showed that each of four cadmium-resistant isolates supported the degradation of 500-μg ml−1 2,4-D by the cadmium-sensitive 2,4-D degrader Ralstonia eutropha JMP134. Degradation occurred in the presence of up to 24 μg of cadmium ml−1 in pure culture and up to 60 μg of cadmium g−1 in amended soil microcosms. In a pilot field study conducted with 5-gallon soil bioreactors, the dual-bioaugmentation strategy was again evaluated. Here, the cadmium-resistant isolate Pseudomonas strain H1 enhanced degradation of 2,4-D in reactors inoculated with R. eutropha JMP134 in the presence of 60 μg of cadmium g−1. Overall, dual bioaugmentation appears to be a viable approach in the remediation of cocontaminated soils.
Regardless of Frontiers: Adolescents and the Human Right to Information

Legal systems struggle to keep pace with rapid technological advances and changing social conditions that provide adolescents with much wanted and unwanted information. We examine this struggle as we note prevailing tensions guiding the development of adolescents' rights. We find that the United States typically adopts an inculcative approach, an approach that generally treats adolescents as in need of control and indoctrination into the values of prior generations. We also find an emerging human rights approach that adopts a more liberative view, one that seeks to bestow adolescents with greater control over their own rights and aims to shape informational environments that allow adolescents to prepare for their own futures. The divergence leads us to explore why adolescent jurisprudence—an approach to law that begins with adolescents' realities and charts ways to develop laws consistent with those realities—would benefit from taking human rights orientations more seriously. We end by highlighting how liberative approaches are consistent with our understanding of adolescents' realities and how such approaches appropriately urge us to revisit our society's fundamental commitments to justice.