cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remodeling Ancestral Phenotypic Plasticity in Local Adaptation: A New Framework to Explore the Role of Genetic Compensation in the Evolution of Homeostasis

Phenotypic plasticity is not universally adaptive. In certain cases, plasticity can result in phenotypic shifts that reduce fitness relative to the un-induced state. A common cause of such maladaptive plasticity is the co-option of ancestral developmental and physiological response systems to meet novel challenges. Because these systems evolved to meet specific challenges in an ancestral environment (e.g., localized and transient hypoxia), their co-option to meet a similar, but novel, stressor (e.g., reductions in ambient pO2 at high elevation) can lead to misdirected responses that reduce fitness. In such cases, natural selection should act to remodel phenotypic plasticity to suppress the expression of these maladaptive responses. Because these maladaptive responses reduce the fitness of colonizers in new environments, this remodeling of ancestral plasticity may be among the earliest steps in adaptive walks toward new local optima. Genetic compensation has been proposed as a general form of adaptive evolution that leads to the suppression of maladaptive plasticity to restore the ancestral trait value in the face of novel stimuli. Given their central role in the regulation of basic physiological functions, we argue that genetic compensation may often be achieved by modifications of homeostatic regulatory systems. We further suggest that genetic compensation to modify homeostatic systems can be achieved by two alternative strategies that differ in their mechanistic underpinnings; to our knowledge, these strategies have not been formally recognized by previous workers. We then consider how the mechanistic details of these alternative strategies may constrain their evolution. These considerations lead us to argue that genetic compensation is most likely to evolve by compensatory physiological changes that safeguard internal homeostatic conditions to prevent the expression of maladaptive portions of conserved reaction norms, rather than direct evolution of plasticity itself. Finally, we outline a simple experimental framework to test this hypothesis. Our goal is to stimulate research aimed at providing a deeper mechanistic understanding of whether and how phenotypic plasticity can be remodeled following environmental shifts that render ancestral responses maladaptive, an issue with increasing importance in our current era of rapid environmental change.
Establishing the impact of food matrix effects on the bioaccessibility of nutraceuticals and pesticides using a standardized food model

It is important to establish the impact of food matrix effects on the bioaccessibility of co-ingested substances, such as nutraceuticals, engineered nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides. Recently, a standardized food model (SFM) representing a typical US diet has been developed to facilitate these investigations. This model consists of caseinate-stabilized fat droplets, free casein, pectin, starch, sucrose, and sodium chloride. The SFM was stable to creaming for 2 days, contained small particles (d ≈ 180 nm), and had a narrow particle size distribution. The SFM was mixed with pureed tomato that had been deliberately contaminated with chlorpyrifos (a hydrophobic pesticide). The resulting mixture was then exposed to an in vitro digestion model. The structural and physicochemical characteristics of the samples (microstructure, particle diameter, and surface potential) were determined after each GIT stage. Also, the bioaccessibility of both chlorpyrifos and lycopene (a hydrophobic nutraceutical) from the pesticide-contaminated tomatoes was determined after the final digestion process. For lycopene, the bioaccessibility was much lower for tomato alone (0.75%) than for tomato plus SFM (19.0%) (p < 0.05). For chlorpyrifos, the bioaccessibility was also appreciably lower for tomato alone (40.4%) than for tomato plus SFM (58.7%), but the effect was less dramatic (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that a standardized food matrix impacts the bioaccessibility of hydrophobic bioactives in fresh produce by an amount that depends on the nature of the bioactive agent. The SFM developed here may therefore be useful for screening the potential impact of food matrix effects on the bioaccessibility of ingested bioactives and other substances.
Thermal Analysis of a Helical Superconducting Undulator Cryostat

A novel cryocooler-cooled helical superconducting undulator (HSCU) was built and installed in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring and has been in operation since January 2018. The new cryostat for the HSCU is a major improvement of the cryogenic system used for the existing APS planar superconducting undulators. In both systems, superconducting magnets are cooled independently from the beam chamber by liquid helium (LHe) passing through a channel in the magnet/mold assembly. The original planar undulator cryostat consists of three thermal circuits: the outer shield circuit to cool both the warm part of the magnet current leads and the outer shield, the beam chamber cooling circuit to cool the beam chamber and the inner shield, and the magnet cooling circuit to cool the magnets and the LHe tank. On the other hand, the new system consists of only two thermal circuits: the thermal shield circuit to cool the beam chamber, the shield, and the warm part of the magnet leads; and the magnet cooling circuit to cool the LHe tank and the magnet/mold assembly. An finite element analysis-based thermal model of the new HSCU cryostat was developed while the cryogenic performance of the HSCU was measured in a series of standalone tests as well as after installation in the storage ring. This paper presents a thermal analysis of the new HSCU cryostat and, in particular, a comparison of calculated and measured temperatures as well as the excess cooling capacity of the new cryostat in static and dynamic (beam-induced heating) modes.
Recommendations from the North Star State

Administrators in America’s rural school districts are uniquely challenged to meet increased achievement expectations despite decreasing resources. Mandated reform initiatives, population decline, and the complex formulas used to distribute tax-based funding have disproportionately affected rural schools. In this mixed-methods study, researchers first surveyed K-12 administrators and then conducted focus groups across six regions in Minnesota to determine the nature of the challenges specific to rural administrators and to document their perceived needs for interventions, training, and policy changes. The study identified two categories of common concern: student achievement and fiscal management. Within the category of student achievement, administrators identified four areas of need for assistance: testing and adequate yearly progress, achievement for all, staff and professional development, and data analysis. Within the category of fiscal management, needs for assistance included balancing budgets and transportation/sparsity policy. Analysis of the data gathered indicates statewide implications for professional development and policy review.
Metabolic dysregulation in the Atp7b−/− Wilson’s disease mouse model

Inactivating mutations in the copper transporter Atp7b result in Wilson’s disease. The Atp7b−/− mouse develops hallmarks of Wilson’s disease. The activity of several nuclear receptors decreased in Atp7b−/− mice, and nuclear receptors are critical for maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Therefore, we anticipated that Atp7b−/− mice would exhibit altered progression of diet-induced obesity, fatty liver, and insulin resistance. Following 10 wk on a chow or Western-type diet (40% kcal fat), parameters of glucose and lipid homeostasis were measured. Hepatic metabolites were measured by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and correlated with transcriptomic data. Atp7b−/− mice fed a chow diet presented with blunted body-weight gain over time, had lower fat mass, and were more glucose tolerant than wild type (WT) littermate controls. On the Western diet, Atp7b−/− mice exhibited reduced body weight, adiposity, and hepatic steatosis compared with WT controls. Atp7b−/− mice fed either diet were more insulin sensitive than WT controls; however, fasted Atp7b−/− mice exhibited hypoglycemia after administration of insulin due to an impaired glucose counterregulatory response, as evidenced by reduced hepatic glucose production. Coupling gene expression with metabolomic analyses, we observed striking changes in hepatic metabolic profiles in Atp7b−/− mice, including increases in glycolytic intermediates and components of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. In addition, the active phosphorylated form of AMP kinase was significantly increased in Atp7b−/− mice relative to WT controls. Alterations in hepatic metabolic profiles and nuclear receptor signaling were associated with improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity as well as with impaired fasting glucose production in Atp7b−/− mice.
Generation of cell-free matrices that support human NK cell migration and differentiation

Human natural killer cells are effectors of the innate immune system that originate from hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow. While feeder cell lines that support NK cell development from hematopoietic precursors are often used to generate mature NK cells from lymphoid precursors in vitro, the nature of contributing factors of these stromal cells to the generation of functionally mature NK cells has been poorly described. Previous studies have shown that developing NK cells adhere to, and migrate on, developmentally supportive stroma. Here, we describe the generation of cell-derived matrices (CDMs) from a commonly used murine fetal liver stromal cell line. These CDMs are derived directly from the same EL08.1D2 stromal cell line known to support NK cell differentiation and contain ECM structural components fibronectin and collagen. We demonstrate that CDMs support NK cell adhesion and migration with similar properties as intact cells. Further, we show that CDMs support NK cell maturation from lymphoid precursors in vitro, albeit with reduced cell survival compared to intact cell-based differentiation. Together, these results describe a cell-free system that supports NK cell development and that can serve as a useful model for studying the nature of the biochemical interactions between NK cell developmental intermediates and developmentally supportive substrates.
Colloidal Quantum-Dots/Graphene/Silicon Dual-Channel Detection of Visible Light and Short-Wave Infrared

Integration of infrared detectors with current silicon-based imagers would not only extend their spectral sensing range but also enables numerous applications including thermal imaging, machine vis...
Simultaneous statistical modelling of excess zeros, over/underdispersion, and multimodality with applications in hotel industry

We propose zero-inflated statistical models based on the generalized Hermite distribution for simultaneously modelling of excess zeros, over/underdispersion, and multimodality. These new models are...
Race Against Time: The Effects of Principal Race and Time Use on Teacher Perceptions of Leadership:

To examine the relationships between principal time use, race, and teacher perceptions of their school and principal, this study analyzes data from the 2015-2016 NCES National Teacher and Principal...
A minimal Maxey─Riley model for the drift of Sargassum rafts

Inertial particles (i.e. with mass and of finite size) immersed in a fluid in motion are unable to adapt their velocities to the carrying flow and thus they have been the subject of much interest in fluid mechanics. In this paper we consider an ocean setting with inertial particles elastically connected forming a network that floats at the interface with the atmosphere. The network evolves according to a recently derived and validated Maxey–Riley equation for inertial particle motion in the ocean. We rigorously show that, under sufficiently calm wind conditions, rotationally coherent quasigeostrophic vortices (which have material boundaries that resist outward filamentation) always possess finite-time attractors for elastic networks if they are anticyclonic, while if they are cyclonic provided that the networks are sufficiently stiff. This result is supported numerically under more general wind conditions and, most importantly, is consistent with observations of rafts of pelagic Sargassum, for which the elastic inertial networks represent a minimal model. Furthermore, our finding provides an effective mechanism for the long range transport of Sargassum, and thus for its connectivity between accumulation regions and remote sources.
Occurrence of Copper-Resistant Xanthomonas perforans and X. gardneri in Illinois Tomato Fields

This study was conducted to determine whether currently prevailing isolates of Xanthomonas perforans and X. gardneri, the causal agents of tomato bacterial spot in Illinois, were resistant to coppe...
Non-contact detection of thiodiglycol vapors and associated degradation products using atmospheric flow tube mass spectrometry.

Thiodiglycol (TDG) is a synthetic precursor and an environmental degradation product of sulfur mustard (HD). Consequently, its presence can be indicative of illicit preparation or historical presence of chemical weapons, but its lower toxicity lends itself to use as an HD simulant for testing and method development. Detection of TDG vapor often proves elusive with existing techniques exhibiting undesirably high detection limits in the gas phase (>ppm). Moreover, traditional approaches to detecting TDG vapor rely upon non-specific approaches that do not provide the certainty afforded by mass spectrometry. Using atmospheric flow tube mass spectrometry (AFT-MS), which has previously demonstrated the capacity to detect parts-per-quadrillion levels of vapor, we evaluate the capacity of this approach for non-contact residue analysis based upon TDG vapor sampling and nitrate clustering chemistry. Furthermore, we discuss challenges with ambient vapor detection using the AFT-MS system and associated observations related to TDG degradation into 2,2′-sulfonyldiglycol from exposure to ambient conditions with vapor detection being possible even after 7-weeks of sample aging.
Autoimmunity, immunosuppressive therapy and risk for COVID-19 pneumonitis among subjects with interstitial lung disease

Introduction: The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains poorly understood. As patients with ILD often have severe underlying lung parenchymal involvement, and immunosuppressive therapy is common in this population, they are presumed to be at high risk for severe COVID-19 pneumonitis. We investigated clinical differences between those with ILD who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus compared to those with ILD who did not, and explored the relationship with use of immunosuppressive therapy. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified patients evaluated at the University of Chicagoin 2020 who were enrolled in the ILD registry, and stratified by SARS-CoV-2 seropositive status. We then compared baseline clinical characteristics between SARSCoV- 2 seropositive and SARS-CoV-2 seronegative patients and assessed immunosuppressive therapy at time of COVID diagnosis. C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte subsets were evaluated at COVID diagnosis compared to time of baseline ILD evaluation. Variable comparisons were determined by two-sided t-tests, or chi-square tests as appropriate, and logistic regression models were fitted to assess the odds of death from COVID-19 using generalized linear models with maximum-likelihood estimation.Results: 309 subjects with ILD were included in this analysis, of which 21 patients had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (6.8%). Patients with SARS-CoV-2 were younger (55 yrs vs. 66 yrs;P=0.006) , had similar baseline leukocyte counts (9.4 vs 8.6;P=0.569) and demonstrated a trend towards a lower CRP (4.9 vs9.3;P=0.068) when compared to those without. Subjects with SARS-CoV-2 and ILD were more likely to have a diagnosis of autoimmune related-ILD (CTD-ILD or IPAF) (71% vs 39%;P=0.004), higher baseline lymphocyte fraction of circulating leukocytes (29% vs. 21%;P=0.025);greater prevalence of honeycomb fibrosis (43 vs. 21%;P=0.044), and were more frequently hypoxemic [SpO2<92%] (20% vs. 4%;P=0.009) at ILD diagnosis. The majority (62%) of patients with SARS-CoV-2 virus were on immunosuppressive therapy at time of diagnosis. Although, CRP titers were higher at diagnosis of COVID pneumonitis than at ILD diagnosis (52mg/L vs. 5mg/L;P=0.006), the lymphocyte fraction of circulating leukocytes did not differ (24% vs 28%;P=0.52)(Fig.1). Further, subjects with ILD and SARS-CoV-2 had higher odds of death than those without SARS-CoV-2 (OR=24, 95% CI-4-152;P<0.001). Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 is prevalent in ILD, and may put those who are younger, with autoimmune ILD, and on immunosuppressive therapy at higher risk. Larger studies are needed to fully explore the relationship between ILD and immunosuppressive therapy in COVID-19. .
What Futuristic Technology Means for First Responders: Voices from the Field

The public safety communication technology landscape in the United States (U.S.) is evolving to supplement the use of land mobile radios with a broader spectrum of communication technologies for use on the newly created Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. The goal of the multi-phase research study presented here was to understand the use of communication technologies by the population of first responders—Communications (Comm) Center & 9-1-1 Services; Emergency Medical Services; Fire Services; and Law Enforcement. The sequential, exploratory mixed methods study consisted of an initial exploratory qualitative phase followed by a larger quantitative phase. The qualitative data collection was via in-depth interviews with 193 first responders across the U.S.; the quantitative survey was completed by 7,182 first responders across the U.S. This paper presents the results of the study related to first responders’ perceptions about the future of public safety communication technology. Discussed are the technologies first responders think would benefit their individual user populations, as well as communication technologies that would be useful across user populations within the public safety domain. Results show that first responders are open to new and exciting technologies, but their needs are utility driven; to have the biggest impact, their communication technology must be tailored to their needs and contexts. This paper will present the needs of first responders, in their own voices, to aid in the research and development of public safety communication technology.
Metabolic and metagenomic outcomes from early-life pulsed antibiotic treatment

Mammalian species have co-evolved with intestinal microbial communities that can shape development and adapt to environmental changes, including antibiotic perturbation or nutrient flux. In humans, especially children, microbiota disruption is common, yet the dynamic microbiome recovery from early-life antibiotics is still uncharacterized. Here we use a mouse model mimicking paediatric antibiotic use and find that therapeutic-dose pulsed antibiotic treatment (PAT) with a beta-lactam or macrolide alters both host and microbiota development. Early-life PAT accelerates total mass and bone growth, and causes progressive changes in gut microbiome diversity, population structure and metagenomic content, with microbiome effects dependent on the number of courses and class of antibiotic. Whereas control microbiota rapidly adapts to a change in diet, PAT slows the ecological progression, with delays lasting several months with previous macrolide exposure. This study identifies key markers of disturbance and recovery, which may help provide therapeutic targets for microbiota restoration following antibiotic treatment.
Neighborhood disadvantage, physical activity barriers, and physical activity among African American breast cancer survivors

In view of evidence that African American cancer survivors experience the greatest challenges in maintaining adequate levels of physical activity, this cross-sectional study was designed to determine whether individual and residential environment characteristics are associated with physical activity in this population. A total of 275 breast cancer survivors completed self-report items measuring sociodemographic variables, physical activity, and select barriers to physical activity in Spring of 2012. Neighborhood disadvantage variables were extracted from national databases. Regression models were computed to assess relationships. Traditional correlates of smoking status and the presence of health complications were associated with physical activity. In addition, the relative number of renters versus homeowners in one's neighborhood was associated with lower levels of physical activity in the context of individual level barriers (i.e., interest and space), which were also associated with lower levels of physical activity. Higher renter rates and individual barriers both contribute to lower levels of physical activity in African American breast cancer survivors. These data suggest that the potential for constant residential turnover (via rentership) and perceived barriers may increase physical inactivity even where facilities may be available.
Keeping Up with Neurolaw: What to Know and Where to Look

It is hard to know exactly what the future holds for law and neuroscience. But it is a fair bet that the future will look different, perhaps markedly so, than the neurolaw of today. How can one keep up with this change? In this brief essay, I provide a series of resources for those interested in expanding their knowledge of fundamental law and neuroscience issues, as well as keeping up to date on cutting-edge innovations.The short piece includes relevant links and resources, suitable for lawyers, judges, scientists and anyone who wants to keep up with the growing field of law and neuroscience.
A Generalization of the Inequality of Hölder

One generalizes the inequality of Hodler thanks to a reasoning by recurrence. As particular cases, one obtains a generalization of the inequality of Cauchy-Buniakovski-Scwartz, and some interesting applications.
African American Cultural Technology: The Lindy Hop, the King of Pop, and the Factory Worker's Experience

African Americans have been integral in shaping the aesthetics of modernity generally, and with respect to dance in particular. Through labor, art, cultural technology, and social life, African American aesthetics have breathed life into modern and contemporary American culture. The stress and fatigue of machines, labor, capitalism, and racism, imposed on bodies during the industrial revolution and in the post-industrial era have provided raw material for black artistic expressions during the mid–to-late twentieth century. Furthermore, this artistic expression, fueled by the angst of changing times generally and tensions facing African Americans in particular, has served as American catharsis through the creation of innovative cultural expressions. This article analyzes the dialectical relationships of industrialization, racism, and modern aesthetics, through the lens of the innovative African American social dance form, the Lindy Hop; and the virtuosic pop performances of Michael Jackson. The important contributions of the Lindy Hop as a dance style and Michael Jackson as a performer have had a profound impact on the aesthetics of modernity in American social and popular concert dance. To better understand the relationship between industrialization and the African American shaping of aesthetics of modernity, this article analyzes black experiences and embodiment of industrial labor and the ways that African Americans drew from their particular experiences of industrial labor toward the creation of critical cultural technology.
Attitudes of the Canadian Research Community toward Creating and Accessing Digitized Facsimile Collections of Historical Documents

A study commissioned by the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions produced some interesting secondary findings about the attitudes of the Canadian research community towards digitized facsimile collections. In written responses to a questionnaire designed primarily to elicit advice about the subject content and focus of future projects, and in structured follow-up interviews, many respondents demonstrated a marked ambivalence towards the concept of digitized collections. Furthermore, if faced with a choice between fully searchable text and digitized facsimile images with traditional points of access (subject, author, title, etc.), there appears to be a preference for the latter means of access.
THE INTERRELATIONS OF WORLD ORGANIZATION AND SOCIETY

THE nature and timing of world organization depend upon the global correlation of power with other elements in society.' If the rate of attempted organization outruns the growth of strong sustaining elements in world society, collapse will surely follow; and collapse will probably come after the political l6ite,2 fearful of secession and revolution, creates a state which is not only a world garrison state, dominated by the military, but a world prison state dominated by the police. If, on the contrary, world organization lags behind the level which is capable of being attained by political skill at any particular time, humanity will remain under the shadow of atomic disaster.3
General Systems Theory: Its Past and Potential

This paper has three parts. First, I discuss what I take as the original stimulus and the purpose of general systems theory (GST) to be, why I think it is important, and how I came to be involved in it. I reflect on von Bertalanffy's general system (sic) theory and the early debates on the topic, stressing the essential concept of isomorphism, with its rewards in following up parallel developments in different domains, and its risks and temptations in the projection of grand and all-inclusive systems. Second, I discuss the direction my own work took after my term as President of the Society for General Systems Research (1966–1967), and how it diverged from the early program, in particular in its emphasis on the difference between system and structure and on the essential role of individual subjectivity in the latter. I stress the importance of the concept of ‘relation’ as underlying that of ‘system’, and in particular the difference between relations as embodied in physical systems and relations as components of intentional structures that may or may not correspond to physical systems. In the third and final part, I discuss the place of GST in the philosophy of science, especially in connection with the unity of science movement, and its potential for the organization of this domain. I ask what light the concept of system can throw on our knowledge of the universe and its worlds (a distinction explained in the paper), and what the risks are of assuming tight isomorphisms between mathematical structures and physical systems, for example, in cosmology and quantum mechanics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Exploratory Study in the Use of Modern Pedagogical Knowledge Portals with Traditional Lectures

The typical freshman college student is proficient in the use of Web 2.0 technologies. Many students have personal computers prior to entering college. The use of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and various other social networking sites is increasing exponentially. Facebook alone grows at a rate of 3% per week. This single site now boasts over fifty-nine million active users. Over half of the members use the site daily and spend an average of twenty minutes per day logged in. Facebook was launched as a networking site for students at Harvard University in February 2004. It soon grew to include other Ivy League schools and then expanded to college networks in general. In September of 2005, it expanded to include high school networks, again in May 2006 to include work networks, and finally in September of 2006 to allow for open registration. Today's students are comfortable with technology. They maintain communication with friends with PDAs and mobile phones. They are one of the only age groups that regularly use many of the features of their multi-function digital devices. Many students find "virtual world" communication fun and worthwhile This paper reports the results of the use of several pedagogical techniques (Facebook, Course Wikis, and Second Life) in undergraduate and graduate public administration courses at the State of Georgia's Public Liberal Arts University.
Galileo, Newton and all that: if it wasn’t a scientific revolution, what was it? (A manifesto)

This essay is an exploration of how to conceptualize the so-called scientific revolution. A central figure in this discussion is Thomas Kuhn, whose Structure of Scientific Revolutions has shaped much recent discussion of scientific change in the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. It is argued that the simple model of a revolution—an old orthodoxy, followed by a period of instability until it is replaced by a new orthodoxy—does not actually represent how change happened in scientific thought in this crucial period. The essay then suggests a different model for understanding change in the period, the Protestant Reformation. Just as in the Reformation the Catholic Church persisted, so Aristotelian natural philosophy persists through much of the so-called scientific revolution. And just as there were multiple sects of protestants who coexisted with one another, there were many alternatives to the dominant Aristotelianism that coexisted and fought as much with one another as with Aristotelian natural philosophy. Without the master narrative provided by the theme of the scientific revolution, the writing of the history of this period is going to be a very open-ended process.
What Are the Strength of Recommendations and Methodologic Reporting in Health Economic Studies in Orthopaedic Surgery

Background Cost-effectiveness research is an increasingly used tool in evaluating treatments in orthopaedic surgery. Without high-quality primary-source data, the results of a cost-effectiveness study are either unreliable or heavily dependent on sensitivity analyses of the findings from the source studies. However, to our knowledge, the strength of recommendations provided by these studies in orthopaedics has not been studied.
Defining conditions where the use of porous membrane reactors can be justified solely on the basis of improved yield

Abstract Dehydrogenation using a porous membrane reactor is evaluated by comparing optimized membrane reactor yields to yields from a plug-flow reactor network for cases where a pressure differential is applied across the membrane. The plug-flow reactor network is equal in size to the membrane reactor. It uses the same amount of ractant paraffin at the same pressure as the membrane reactor. It uses no more inert diluent than the membrane reactor, and at the same pressure. Finally, the plug-flow reactor network produces two product streams at the same pressures as the membrane reactor and with the same fraction of the total hydrocarbon in each stream. Simple forms of the kinetic and reactor design relationships, which have been demonstrated to provide an accurate description of experimental dehydrogenation results, are used to model the two processes. A porous membrane reactor process offers a better yield than the plug-flow reactor network only at lower conversions. In this regime a substantial fraction of the total hydrocarbons is recovered from the low pressure, sweep side of the process. In all comparisons the membrane reactor is optimized only for maximum yield.
EXCHANGE RATE EXPOSURE MANAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF THE MARKETS: INSIGHTS AND IMPLICATIONS

The issue of exposure management, a significant subset of international financial management, is closely intertwined with the notions of foreign exchange risk and exchange market efficiency. Since value is a function of risk, that makes an understanding of these notions germane to those who seek value in global markets. This study finds earlier attempts specifying exchange market efficiency inadequate and those dealing with foreign exchange risk deficient in generating prescriptions for exposure management. The paper focuses on the notion of the market hierarchy (goods, financial and foreign exchange) and the inter‐relationships among the markets. It helps the reader understand the theoretical constructs underlying prevailing schemes for foreign exchange exposure management. Most importantly, it identifies situations under which exposure management is relevant and potentially rewarding. It also points out circumstances when existing dictates for management will yield benefits only by accident. The paper offers some specific alternative suggestions to guide managers in making informed and logical decisions.
Endocyte© 1.2: An improved algorithm for quantitative analysis of receptor-mediated endocytosis

Abstract This paper reports the improvement of EndoCyte©, the computer program for kinetic analysis of receptor-mediated endocytosis. A non-standard algorithm for parameter evaluation was developed and incorporated into the program. The comparison of the original program and the updated EndoCyte© 1.2 revealed that the new algorithm was significantly more efficient.
Corruption in College Basketball? Evidence of Tanking in Postseason Conference Tournaments

This article observes that regular-season champions in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball often perform poorly in season-ending conference tournaments and examines two alternative explanations for this underperformance. We employ data on regular-season champions during the period 1990-2004 to test between competing models of “tanking” motivated by (a) fitness saving for the NCAA tournament and (b) a form of corruption. Our empirical results confirm that systematic under-performance does occur and indicate that corruption is a likely motivation.
Thermal analysis of a poly(amic acid)-polyimide system

Abstract The thermal cyclization of a poly(amic acid) powder to polyimide and the thermal decomposition of the polyimide have been studied using thermal analysis. Activation energies for the thermal cyclization and decomposition are reported in both oxidative and non-oxidative atmospheres. Compositions of the pyrolysis residue consistent with previously postulated decomposition mechanisms are reported.
Implications of dispositional and process views of traits for individual difference research in leadership

This article assesses the conceptual and methodological limitations associated with traditional dispositional approaches to personality and leadership, and it proposes that more process-oriented approaches will better enable leadership research to explore emergent leadership phenomena such as perception and effectiveness. By reconceptualizing the structure of the self as a dynamic, but stable entity, we maintain that an explicit focus on events as a fundamental level of analysis is needed, which will help reduce the inaccuracies of aggregate retrospective leadership measures that collapse across different situations and time. Event-level research methodologies can also help account for the effects that situational contingencies have on leader behavioral flexibility, the development of leadership skills, and leadership emergence within shared or distributive leadership structures.
Accidents and accountability: perceptions of unintentional injury in three national parks.

Each year, national park visitors suffer unintentional injuries and fatalities that affect not only the victims but also the National Park Service (NPS) staff tasked with preventing and responding to such incidents. Using survey data from three national parks, this study examines differences in visitors’ and park employees’ causal attributions of a hypothetical visitor accident. We argue that differences in attributions suggest that support for risk management strategies may not be universal, and that communication strategies applied in national parks can be informed by these differences.
Reconstitution of Dimethylamine:Coenzyme M Methyl Transfer with a Discrete Corrinoid Protein and Two Methyltransferases Purified fromMethanosarcina barkeri

Methyl transfer from dimethylamine to coenzyme M was reconstituted in vitro for the first time using only highly purified proteins. These proteins isolated from Methanosarcina barkeri included the previously unidentified corrinoid protein MtbC, which copurified with MtbA, the methylcorrinoid:Coenzyme M methyltransferase specific for methanogenesis from methylamines. MtbC binds 1.0 mol of corrinoid cofactor/mol of 24-kDa polypeptide and stimulated dimethylamine:coenzyme M methyl transfer 3.4-fold in a cell extract. Purified MtbC and MtbA were used to assay and purify a dimethylamine:corrinoid methyltransferase, MtbB1. MtbB1 is a 230-kDa protein composed of 51-kDa subunits that do not possess a corrinoid prosthetic group. Purified MtbB1, MtbC, and MtbA were the sole protein requirements for in vitro dimethylamine:coenzyme M methyl transfer. An MtbB1:MtbC ratio of 1 was optimal for coenzyme M methylation with dimethylamine. MtbB1 methylated either corrinoid bound to MtbC or free cob(I)alamin with dimethylamine, indicating MtbB1 carries an active site for dimethylamine demethylation and corrinoid methylation. Experiments in which different proteins of the resolved monomethylamine:coenzyme M methyl transfer reaction replaced proteins involved in dimethylamine:coenzyme M methyl transfer indicated high specificity of MtbB1 and MtbC in dimethylamine:coenzyme M methyl transfer activity. These results indicate MtbB1 demethylates dimethylamine and specifically methylates the corrinoid prosthetic group of MtbC, which is subsequently demethylated by MtbA to methylate coenzyme M during methanogenesis from dimethylamine.
Expression of a carrot 36 kD antifreeze protein gene improves cold stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) enable organisms to survive under cold conditions, and have great potential in improving cold tolerance of cold-sensitive plants. In order to determine whether expression of the carrot 36 kD antifreeze protein gene confers improved cold-resistant properties to plant tissues, we tried to obtain transgenic tobacco plants which expressed the antifreeze protein. Cold, salt, and drought induced promoter Prd29A was cloned using PCR from Arabidopsis. Two plant expression vectors based on pBI121 were constructed with CaMV35S:AFP and Prd29A:AFP. Tobacco plantlets were transformed by Agrobacterium-medicated transformation. PCR and Southern blotting demonstrated that the carrot 36 kD afp gene was successfully integrated into the genomes of transformed plantlets. The expression of the afp gene in transgenic plants led to improved tolerance to cold stress. However, the use of the strong constitutive 35S cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) promoter to drive expression of afp also resulted in growth retardation under normal growing conditions. In contrast, the expression of afp driven by the stress-inducible Prd29A promoter from Arabidopsis gave rise to minimal effects on plant growth while providing an increased tolerance to cold stress condition (2°C). The results demonstrated the prospect of using Prd29A-AFP transgenic plants in cold-stressed conditions that will in turn benefit agriculture.
The actions of opiates in the rat substantia nigra: An electrophysiological analysis

Single unit recording and micropressure ejection techniques were used to investigate the actions of opiates on dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurons in the rat substantia nigra. Systemic administration of morphine, 1 to 4 mg/kg, led to a naloxone-reversible increase in firing rate of all zona compacta dopaminergic (ZC) neurons examined (n = 10). In a specifically defined subpopulation of non-dopaminergic nigral zona reticulata (ZR) neurons, systemically administered morphine led to a naloxone reversible decrease in activity (n = 9). D-Ala2-d-leu5 (DADL)-enkephalin, when applied directly onto ZC neurons by micropressure ejection techniques, had no effect on their firing rate. In contrast, micropressure ejection of DADL enkephalin onto ZR neurons produced a decrease in firing rate which was blocked by systemically administered naloxone. Morphine sulfate applied by pressure ejection onto both ZC and ZR neurons produced mixed results which were not always blocked by naloxone. These results suggest that one of the mechanisms by which opiates increase dopaminergic neurotransmission is through disinhibition of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra.
Nutritional rickets in African American breast-fed infants.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of infants and children diagnosed with nutritional rickets at two medical centers in North Carolina in the 1990s. Study design: The physical and radiographic findings, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of infants and children diagnosed with nutritional rickets at two medical centers were reviewed. Breast-feeding data were obtained from the North Carolina Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC). Results: Thirty patients with nutritional rickets were first seen between 1990 and June of 1999. Over half of the cases occurred in 1998 and the first half of 1999. All patients were African American children who were breast fed without receiving supplemental vitamin D. The average duration of breast-feeding was 12.5 months. The age at diagnosis was 5 to 25 months, with a median age of 15.5 months. Growth failure was common: length was <5th percentile in 65% of cases, and weight was <5th percentile in 43%. Conclusion: Factors that may have contributed to the increase in referrals of children with nutritional rickets include more African American women breast-feeding, fewer infants receiving vitamin D supplements, and mothers and children exposed to less sunlight. We recommend that all dark-skinned breast-fed infants and children receive vitamin D supplementation. (J Pediatr 2000;137:153-7)
Morphology of the posterior junctional area in atrioventricular septal defects

The location and size of the coronary sinus in hearts with atrioventricular septal defect were investigated in relation to the known disposition of the atrioventricular conduction axis. We examined the morphology in 40 hearts and supplemented this series with two other hearts that had been serially sectioned previously. The coronary sinus received drainage from a persistent left superior caval vein in 5 hearts. Six cases of 40 had malalignment of the septal structures relative to the crux of the heart. In these, the conduction axis was anticipated to course in the position where the inlet ventricular septum met the atrioventricular junction. The coronary sinus terminated in the left atrium in 4 hearts: 2 in the morphological series and 2 that were sectioned for histological studies. The sectioned hearts showed the atrioventricular conduction axis in the usual position for the defect, unrelated to the coronary sinus. The principle that the node and penetrating bundle are located at the intersection of the ventricular septum with the atrioventricular junction holds good despite the variability of the coronary sinus.
Dispersion Relation for Generally Damped Periodic Materials

In this paper, we present a theoretical formalism for the study of damped periodic materials. First we consider a lumped parameter model consisting of two masses in the unit cell whereby the masses are connected by springs and dashpot viscous dampers. We then extend our analysis to the study of a two-dimensional phononic crystal, modeled as an elastic continuum, and consisting of a periodic arrangement of square inclusions distributed in a matrix base material. For our damping model, we consider both proportional damping and general damping. Our results demonstrate the effects that damping have on the dispersion relation and damping ratio band structure.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Frontal P300 decrements, childhood conduct disorder, family history, and the prediction of relapse among abstinent cocaine abusers

P300 event related brain potentials were studied in 49 cocaine dependent patients, abstinent for 1-5 months, and 20 healthy, non-drug-dependent controls. Patients were assigned to one of two subgroups based on the presence/absence of a DSM-IIIR diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Analyses of P300s recorded during a visual selective attention task revealed reduced amplitudes at frontal electrode sites among patients with ASPD, relative to the ASPD negative patient and control groups. The frontal P300 decrement was significantly correlated with the number of childhood conduct disorder symptoms, but not with the presence/absence of a family history of alcoholism. A secondary analysis examined the relationship between P300 amplitude among cocaine dependent patients and their future behavior, i.e., relapse versus continued abstinence. Discriminant function analysis revealed that P300 amplitude alone accurately identified 70.6% of the patients who later relapsed, and 53.3% of the patients who did not.
Extraction of oil from meadowfoam flakes

As part of a program to improve meadowfoam seed processing, the authors examined the effects of seed moisture, seed temperature, and flaking roll opening on oil extraction efficiency in meadowfoam flakes. Flakes were prepared using a Wolf Mill with dual horizontal, unheated 12-in. diameter rolls. Roll openings of 0.005, 0.013, and 0.020 in. (0.127, 0.330, and 0.508 mm, respectively) gave average flake thicknesses of 0.013, 0.021, and 0.031 in., respectively (0.330, 0.533, and 0.787 mm). Seed moistures of 9, 12, and 15% and seed temperatures of 65, 190, and 210°F (18, 88, and 99°C) chosen for flaking were known to provide a range of conditions suitable for enzyme inactivation during seed cooking prior to flaking. Experimental flakes were examined for extractable oil content (petroleum ether extraction); this was compared to total oil content (31.5%) determined on finely ground flakes. Roll opening was the dominant variable determining flake thickness, the primary parameter affecting oil extraction efficiency. Thus, the thinnest flakes at 0.013 in. were only slightly less extractable (29.8%) than finely ground flakes (31.5%), but intermediate (0.021 in.) and thick (0.031 in.) flakes were significantly less extractable (28.0 and 26.0%, respectively). There was a slight but significant (P 12>9%) during flaking. A similar trend to thicker flakes with increasing temperature was significant (P 190°F at moistures >10% and <15% that are adequate for efficient enzyme inactivation in the whole seed are also suitable for seed flaking.
On survival times of sport records

Survival of sport records is investigated assuming that the number of attempts to break a record is governed by a non-homogeneous Poisson process. Explicit formulae for two practical cases are derived, and their applications are demonstrated using an example.