cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spin-orbit coupling in an f -electron tight-binding model: Electronic properties of Th, U, and Pu

We extend a tight-binding method to include the effects of spin-orbit coupling and apply it to the study of the electronic properties of the actinide elements Th, U, and Pu. These tight-binding parameters are determined for the fcc crystal structure using the equivalent equilibrium volumes. In terms of the single-particle energies and the electronic density of states, the overall quality of the tight-binding representation is good and of the same quality as without spin-orbit coupling. The values of the optimized tight-binding spin-orbit coupling parameters are comparable to those determined from purely atomic calculations.
Chapter 6 Critical and Sensitive Periods in Neurobiology

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews studies on critical periods and sensitive periods from a theoretical perspective in an attempt to trace the conceptual origins of these terms, to define the contexts within which they have been used, and to determine the heuristic value of these concepts to modern neurobiology. The study of critical periods and sensitive periods involves not only practical aspects but also theoretical inferences into the organizational processes that underlie the functional specificity of the nervous system. Despite the wide variety of mechanisms involved during critical periods and sensitive periods, phenomenologically similar ontogenetic processes, and the ways in which they are influenced by external factors, one may arrive at certain theoretical generalizations. First, the timing and duration of these periods appear to be related to different rates of development across different species; however, the underlying mechanisms are probably similar, thus allowing across species generalizations. Second, these periods reflect the activity of multiple organizational processes. These processes have different or overlapping critical periods and sensitive periods in a given species.
The Economic Effects of Mandating Expanded Compensation Disclosures

This paper analyzes the effects of mandating expanded, management compensation disclosures on compensation levels, dispersion, and manager turnover. For identification, I use the introduction of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) in 2006, a significant expansion in the required disclosures related to compensation. The design uses the timing of the introduction date to compare manager pay at firms with and without the disclosure in a difference-in-differences analysis. I find evidence that disclosures are associated with increasing compensation. I corroborate this finding with the partial rollback of the CD&A allowed by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act in 2012. The CD&A introduction is associated with increases in pay dispersion, consistent with reduced compensation committee flexibility that increases payout risk to managers. From cross-sectional tests, compensation increases and turnover are higher for managers with shorter tenure and at smaller firms, consistent with these disclosures enhancing the job prospects of lesser-known managers. Entrenched and powerful managers (CEOs, CFOs, and executive directors) do not have incremental pay increases with disclosures, inconsistent with expanded disclosures enabling rent extraction.
Simulating the dynamics of wind turbine blades: part II, model validation and uncertainty quantification

Verification and Validation (V&V) activities play an indispensible role in the modeling and simulation of wind turbine blades. The purpose of this paper is to spotlight the process, through simple validation activities, as it is applied to a wind turbine blade. The ANSYS Finite Element (FE) software is used to develop a three-dimensional solid model of the CX-100 wind turbine blade designed at the Sandia National Laboratories, and predict its low-order vibration dynamics. While the geometry of the CX-100 blade is represented accurately, the model assumes smeared cross-sections with isotropic material properties. The goal is to demonstrate how V&V activities contribute to the development of a simplified, yet, validated, structural model of the blade. Code and solution verification steps are discussed in Part I of this effort. Here, designs-of-computer-experiments are used to explore the effect of uncertainty in model parameters on the prediction of modal response. Gaussian process models are developed to reduce the uncertainty in FE model parameters to a probability distribution that, when sampled, produces prediction uncertainty bounds consistent with the experimental variability. After studying the free-free vibration response, a similar procedure is applied to the fixed-free measurements to develop an idealized representation of the boundary condition. A test-analysis correlation of the mode shapes is performed to demonstrate the ability of the FE model to properly predict the bending of the blade. This work is Part II of a two-part publication that highlights the V&V steps required to develop a robust wind turbine blade model.
Study of Existing Metrics Used in Measurement of Ideation Effectiveness

In recent years, many new idea generation methods have been developed to generate innovative concepts. The effectiveness of those methods is evaluated by applying a set of metrics to the resulting concepts. Several metrics have been proposed for this purpose, including quality, novelty, and variety metrics, but the inter-rater reliability of those metrics has not been investigated extensively. In this paper, the inter-rater reliability of three existing metrics is analyzed by applying them to the results of a representative idea generation study. The effects on inter-rater agreement of analyzing concepts at the overall concept level versus the feature level are investigated, along with the impacts of alternative scales for specific metrics. In general, the inter-rater reliability of the metrics is found to be relatively low, with the most reliable results obtained at the feature level. The use of different scales also affects inter-rater reliability, but the effect is less significant. In addition to their low levels of repeatability, the metrics differ in how novelty is appraised.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Molecular biology of bone remodeling: Implications for new therapeutic targets for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem for adults over age 55 years costing billions of euros/dollars. Over the last 20 years anti-resorptive drugs were the treatment of choice for osteoporosis and most were derived from the bisphosphonate molecule. In the last 7 years remarkable advances in molecular biology and genetics have led to a detailed understanding of the bone remodeling cycle and as a result new therapeutic targets for treatment emerged. These new compounds have different modes of action depending on their role in the bone remodeling cycle. A major discovery was the important role of RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand) secreted by osteoblasts and responsible for stimulating osteoclastic bone resorption. This led to development of a potent monoclonal antibody that blocks its action. This drug should be available soon as a new treatment for osteoporosis. Other molecular targets in resorption have been identified and several specific antagonists are potential treatments. However, a significant limiting factor for a new anti-resorptive drug is the cost of bringing it to the market because of the huge costs of a fracture trial. Although anti-resorptive agents have been the backbone of osteoporosis treatment they do not rebuild bone architecture and development of anabolic agents is needed. These are likely to evolve from an understanding of the LRP/Wnt signaling pathway. Already an antibody against sclerostin has shown promise in animal studies, and not to forget parathyroid hormone which was the first clinically useful anabolic treatment for osteoporosis.
Erratum to: Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. kleinii subsp. nov. (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae)

The original version of the article entitled ‘‘Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. kleinii subsp. Nov. (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae)’’ (Current Microbiology, 2011, 62: 539–543) contained a statement in the first line of the last paragraph in Introduction section ‘‘In this study, symbiotic bacteria associated with Heterorhabditis georgiana strains were isolated for the first time’’. The correct statement should read as ‘‘In this study, symbiotic bacteria associated with three Heterorhabditis georgiana strains were isolated’’. Also the statement ‘‘This is also the first description of the bacteria associated with the nematode H. georgiana’’ in the last paragraph of Discussion section should be removed. This erratum is made due to an unintentional omission of a paper by Shapiro-Ilan et al. (2009): Characterization of biocontrol traits in the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis georgiana (Kesha strain) and phylogenetic analysis of the nematode’s symbiotic bacteria (Biological Control 51: 377–387). Interestingly, the two papers report completely different subspecies of Photorhabdus luminescens to be associated with the two different strains of the same nematode species.
Comparative assessment of fungal cellobiohydrolase I richness and composition in cDNA generated using oligo(dT) primers or random hexamers

Understanding soil fungal distribution and activities, particularly at the level of gene expression, is important in unveiling mechanisms regulating their activities in situ. Recent identification of fungal genes involved in carbon cycling has provided the foundation for developing reverse-transcriptase PCR assays to monitor spatiotemporal gene expression patterns in soils and other complex microbial systems. The polyadenylated 3' ends of eukaryotic mRNA transcripts enables the use of oligo(dT) primers for cDNA synthesis, but this can result in the overrepresentation of the 3' end of transcripts in cDNA pools. In an effort to increase the uniformity of transcripts represented in cDNA pools, random hexamers have been used. The use of both priming methods is abundant in the literature, but we do not know how these methods perform relative to each other. We performed comparative richness and compositional analyses of the fungal glycosyl hydrolase family 7 cellobiohydrolase I gene cbhI amplified from soil cDNAs that had been generated using either oligo(dT) primers or random hexamers. Our results demonstrate that similar cbhI richness and composition were recovered using both approaches. Richness estimates and compositional profiles of cbhI sequence libraries generated from random hexamer-primed cDNA were more variable than from libraries generated from oligo(dT) primed cDNA. However, our overall results indicate that, on average, comparable richness and composition were recovered from soil cDNAs when either priming method was used.
The stability of high-T c phase in Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3Oz compounds prepared by hot isostatic pressing

By using a sequence of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and intermediate cold pressing, it has been possible to produce high-density Bi-based superconductors containing almost 100% high-Tc 2223 phase, without any post-fabrication heat treatment. The X-ray data showed no decomposition of high-Tc phase in hot isostatically pressed Bi-based superconductors. By using this technique, Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3Oz (where Z≈10) superconductors could be densified to 6.06 g cm−3 at an HIP temperature of 850 °C, and at an HIP temperature of 870 °C the density was close to 6.15 g cm−3. These densities could be compared with about 3 to 4 g cm−3 obtained for conventionally sintered compounds. X-ray diffraction data at various stages of fabrication, microstructure and electrical resistivity data are presented.
Relative crystallite sizes for thermally annealed HWCVD A-Si:H films with and without a sub-threshold laser fluence

We report data on the relative EBSD grain sizes for HWCVD a-Si:H films which have been sub-threshold laser illuminated prior to thermal annealing compared to films which have undergone no prior laser processing. For laser processed and thermally annealed films which exhibit a reduced incubation period τ o , the EBSD grain sizes are not changed compared to those for the same film which is annealed directly from its as grown state. However, when comparing different films with similar (short) τ o s, the laser processed film exhibiting a reduced τ o has much larger grains. The trends in EBSD grain size with in situ XRD crystallization time τ c are consistent with theoretical predictions obtained from the classical model of nucleation and grain growth. Predictions on the final grain size versus τ c for samples which have not yet been measured by EBSD are reported.
Multi-way Relation Classification: Application to Protein-Protein Interactions

We address the problem of multi-way relation classification, applied to identification of the interactions between proteins in bioscience text. A major impediment to such work is the acquisition of appropriately labeled training data; for our experiments we have identified a database that serves as a proxy for training data. We use two graphical models and a neural net for the classification of the interactions, achieving an accuracy of 64% for a 10-way distinction between relation types. We also provide evidence that the exploitation of the sentences surrounding a citation to a paper can yield higher accuracy than other sentences.
The effect of aminophylline on uterine smooth muscle contractility and prostaglandin production in the pregnant rat uterus in vitro.

Abstract The effect of aminophylline on contractility and prostaglandin production was investigated in a 20-day pregnant rat uterus preparation in vitro. A significant decrease was observed in frequency (24,4% of control, p 2 (139.6% of control, p 2α (73.8% of control, p 2 or 6-ketoprostaglandin F 1α production was noted. This is the first observation of prostaglandin levels in rat uterine segments treated with aminophylline. It could not be concluded from this study whether the observed changes in prostaglandin production are directly related to the relaxant effect of aminophylline.
Mechanism of Shear Thickening in Reversibly Cross-linked Supramolecular Polymer Networks

We report here the nonlinear rheological properties of metallo-supramolecular networks formed by the reversible cross-linking of semidilute unentangled solutions of poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The reversible cross-linkers are bis-Pd(II) or bis-Pt(II) complexes that coordinate to the pyridine functional groups on the PVP. Under steady shear, shear thickening is observed above a critical shear rate, and critical shear rate is experimentally correlated with the lifetime of the metal-ligand bond. The onset and magnitude of the shear thickening depend on the amount of cross-linkers added.Incontrasttothebehaviorobservedinmosttransientnetworks,thetimescaleofnetworkrelaxationis found to increase during shear thickening. The primary mechanism of shear thickening is ascribed to the shear-induced transformation of intrachain cross-linking to interchain cross-linking, rather than nonlinear high tension along polymer chains that are stretched beyond the Gaussian range.
ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND ORGANIZATIONAL DECISION MAKING

In this paper we argue for the importance of a sociologically informed study of organizational accounting practices. By making the nexus between accounting and decision making problematic, instead of given, we move issues of interpretation and hierarchical control to the center stage of understanding the social construction of accounting practices. We suggest that inductive case studies of the organizational setting is a promising methodological strategy for identifying how accounting operates as an organizational control system. We focus on debates and proceedings of the board of directors as an overlooked source of data on decision making and organizational practices. We show how accounting practices are part of the strategic control system that functions to interpret the environment and direct the adaptation of the organization in a manner particular to the substantive rationality of corporate decision makers. We illustrate these contentions with a case study of accounting practice changes over a six year period.
On Carrier Ion Interaction in RbAg4I5

The effect of the inclusion of cation interaction in RbAg 4 I 5 on the activation energy is discussed and found to be quite important
Alkyl and Alkylidene Tantalum−Lithium Complexes Supported by an Anionic Triazacyclononane Ligand

A new iPr2-tacn--supported alkyl tantalum species, (Me3SiCH2)2(RN)Ta(μ-CH2SiMe3)(μ-η1:η3-iPr2-tacn)Li (R = 2,6-iPr2C6H3; 2), was synthesized and found to undergo α-H abstraction under gentle heating to form the alkylidene (Me3SiCH2)(RN)Ta(μ-CHSiMe3)(μ-η1:η3-iPr2-tacn)Li (3). The syntheses and crystal structures of 2 and 3 and their precursor ((iPr2-tacn)TaCl2(NR) (1)) are described, as well as kinetic data for the first-order thermolysis reaction producing 3.
“The Art of Knowing”: Social and Tacit Dimensions of Knowledge and the Limits of the Community of Practice

Community of practice theory is inherently a social theory. As such it is distinct from more individualist accounts of human behavior, such as mainstream economics. Consequently, community of practice theory and economics favor different accounts of knowledge. Taking a community of practice perspective, this article challenges economists' attempts to reduce knowledge to information held by individuals and to reject tacit knowledge as mere uncodified explicit knowledge. The essay argues that Polanyi's notion of a tacit dimension affected numerous disciplines (including economics) because it addressed aspects of learning and identity that conventional social sciences overlooked. The article situates knowledge, identity, and learning within communities and points to ethical and epistemic entailments of community practice. In so doing it attempts to limit, rather than expand, the scope of community of practice analysis and to stress the difference, rather than the commonalities, between this and other apparen...
Made in the USA: Corporate Responsibility and Collective Identity in the American Automotive Industry

This Article seeks to challenge the corporate-constructed image of American business and American industry. By focusing on the automotive industry and particularly on the tenuous relationship between the rhetoric of automotive industry advertising and the realities of doctrinal corporate law, I hope to examine the ways that we as social actors, legal actors, and (perhaps above all) consumers understand what it means for a corporation or a corporation’s product to be American. In a global economy where labor, profits, and environmental effects are spread across national borders, what does it mean for a corporation to present the impression of national citizenship? Considering the recent bail-out of the major American automotive corporations, the automotive industry today becomes a powerful vehicle for problematizing the conflicted private/public nature of the corporate form and for examining what it means for a corporation to be American and what duties and benefits such an identity confers. By examining the ways in which consumable myths of the American corporation interact with the institutions and legal regimes that govern American corporations, I argue that the advertised image of the national in the global economy serves as a broad corporate veil, a way of obscuring the consumer’s understanding of corporate identity and corporate accountability. With these overarching issues and questions as a guide, this Article will historically situate the identification of corporate nationality within a broader framework of debates on corporate social responsibility and interrogate the way that we conceive of the American corporation and corporate decision making.
Viscoelastic characteristics of UV polymerized poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate networks with varying extents of crosslinking

The viscoelastic relaxation characteristics of ultraviolet crosslinked networks based on poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate [PEGDA] have been investigated by dynamic mechanical methods. Effective crosslink density in the networks was varied via the use of PEGDA prepolymers of different molecular weight, or by the introduction of controlled amounts of water in the reaction mixture. In all cases examined, fully amorphous networks were obtained. Time-temperature superposition was applied to obtain master curves of storage modulus versus frequency across the glass transition, and these could be satisfactorily described using the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts relaxation function. The glass transition temperature (Tg), relaxation breadth, and fragility of the segmental relaxation were correlated with the effective crosslink density obtained in the networks. Gas permeation measurements on the PEGDA/water networks indicated only a very modest variation in gas transport properties, despite the sizeable variation in apparent crosslink density achieved in these materials. This result suggests that the controlling structural factor for gas transport in the networks is not simply crosslink density, and that attempts to correlate gas transport to network structure must necessarily consider the broader relationships between crosslink density, segmental mobility, and fractional free volume.
Optimum wavelength combinations for retinal vessel oximetry

Several investigators have demonstrated techniques for noninvasive measurement of the oxygen saturation of blood in retinal arteries and veins. These techniques have been based on measuring the optical density of a retinal vessel at multiple wavelengths and on calculating the oxygen saturation on the basis of the known absorption coefficients of hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin. A technique is presented for determining the optimum wavelengths for retinal oximetry measurements. What is believed to be a novel wavelength combination of 488, 635, and 905 nm is found to provide excellent oxygen sensitivity across a broad range of typical vessel diameters and saturations. The use of this wavelength combination should allow for the most accurate retinal saturation measurements made to date.
Play: Scene Are sex and fertilisation ready for divorce?

In his famous 1936 essay, The work of art in an age of mechanical reproduction, Walter Benjamin stated: “The technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition.” But if “The work of art” is replaced by “Sex” in the title, and “reproduced object” by “off spring” in the quotation, a much deeper issue is illustrated: detachment of the child from trad itional procreation may well be the most fundamental ethical issue raised by techniques of assisted reproduction. Neither science nor society has so far adequately prepared us for that consequence of sex in an age of mechanical reproduction.
Anxiety and coronary heart disease: A synthesis of epidemiological, psychological, and experimental evidence

The purpose of this review is to examine the epidemiological, psychological, and experimental evidence for an association between anxiety and coronary heart disease (CHD). Papers published during the years 1980–1996 on anxiety and CHD and relevant publications from earlier years were selected for this review. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that anxiety may be a risk factor for the development of CHD. Chronic anxiety may increase the risk of CHD by: (a) influencing health behaviors (e.g. smoking); (b) promoting atherogenesis (e.g. via increased risk of hypertension); and (c) triggering fatal coronary events, either through arrhythmia, plaque rupture, coronary vasospasm, or thrombosis. Electrophysiologic evidence is particularly compelling: anxiety appears to be associated with abnormal cardiac autonomic control, which may indicate increased risk of fatal ventricular arrhythmias. The strength, consistency, and dose-response gradient of the association between anxiety and CHD, together with the biologic plausibility of the experimental evidence, suggest that anxiety may contribute to risk of CHD and that the relationship warrants further investigation.
Associations of general and abdominal obesity with multiple health outcomes in older women: the Iowa Women's Health Study.

confidence interval, 1.1-1.4), compared with 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.8-1.0) for BMI and 1.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.3) for waist circumference. The waist-hip ratio was also associated positively with mortality from coronary heart disease, other cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other causes. The waist-hip ratio was associated less consistently than BMI or waist circumference with cancer incidence. All anthropometric indexes were associated with incidence of diabetes and hypertension. For example, women simultaneously in the highest quintiles of BMI and waist-hip ratio had a relative risk of diabetes of 29 (95% confidence interval, 18-46) vs women in the lowest combined quintiles. Conclusion: The waist-hip ratio offers additional prognostic information beyond BMI and waist circumference.
Magnitudes of decline on automated neuropsychological assessment metrics subtest scores relative to predeployment baseline performance among service members evaluated for traumatic brain injury in Iraq

OBJECTIVE: : Identify the proportion of service members demonstrating declines in Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) scores as part of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) evaluation conducted while deployed to Iraq. BACKGROUND: : Although TBI has been associated with poorer performance on cognitive test in the general population and military combatants, little is known about the proportion of service members demonstrating declines in ANAM scores after TBI. METHODS: : Military personnel (N = 116) referred to a combat support hospital for TBI evaluation in Iraq underwent a standardized intake evaluation including computerized neurocognitive testing, psychological and physical health questionnaires, a clinical interview, and a physical examination by a physician. Predeployment and postinjury cognitive performance among service members with and without a TBI diagnosis was compared. RESULTS: : A significantly larger proportion of patients with TBI demonstrated greater declines in speed across all ANAM subtests compared with patients with no TBI. Differences in accuracy scores among patients with TBI relative to patients without TBI were nonsignificant. Patients with TBI also demonstrated greater than minimal declines on throughput Simple Reaction Time, Procedural Reaction Time, Code Substitution-Learning, and Spatial Memory scores, with no significant differences on Code Substitution-Delayed or Mathematical Processing (MATH). A similar pattern was seen among individuals examined within 72 hours of index injury. CONCLUSION: : Assessment of cognitive impairment following TBI in a combat zone may assist providers in making treatment recommendations for service members with mild TBI. Language: en
Identifiability and interval identifiability of mammillary and catenary compartmental models with some known rate constants

The identifiability problem is addressed for n-compartment linear mammillary and catenary models, for the common case of input and output in the first compartment and prior information about one or more model rate constants. We first define the concept of independent constraints and show that n-compartment linear mammillary or catenary models are uniquely identifiable under n-1 independent constraints. Closed-form algorithms for bounding the constrained parameter space are then developed algebraically, and their validity is confirmed using an independent approach, namely joint estimation of the parameters of all uniquely identifiable submodels of the original multicompartmental model. For the noise-free (deterministic) case, the major effects of additional parameter knowledge are to narrow the bounds of rate constants that remain unidentifiable, as well as to possibly render others identifiable. When noisy data are considered, the means of the bounds of rate constants that remain unidentifiable are also narrowed, but the variances of some of these bound estimates increase. This unexpected result was verified by Monte Carlo simulation of several different models, using both normally and lognormally distributed data assumptions. Extensions and some consequences of this analysis useful for model discrimination and experiment design applications are also noted.
Transverse acoustic modes in TTF-TCNQ (tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane)

The transverse acoustic modes (TA(a*)) of tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ) propagating along the chain direction (b*) and polarized along a* are studied between room temperature and 60 K. No anomalous behavior is observed at q = 2k/sub F/ in the temperature region studied. These results, taken in conjunction with other neutron and x-ray experiments, show that the Kohn anomaly in TTF-TCNQ occurs in the TA(c*) branch which is the transverse branch polarized principally along c*.
A Review of The New Gay Teenager

Abstract This article is a review of The New Gay Teenager by Ritch C. Savin-Williams, which examines the contemporary world of gay youth. Challenging what he considers poorly constructed research, he believes that gay activists overstate the consequences of the pain and isolation of the closet. According to Savin-Williams, the new gay teenager rejects the categories of lesbian, gay, and bisexual and lives in a world in which sexual diversity is widely accepted.
Thermal conductivity imaging at micrometre- scale resolution for combinatorial studies of materials

Combinatorial methods offer an efficient approach for the development of new materials. Methods for generating combinatorial samples of materials, and methods for characterizing local composition and structure by electron microprobe analysis and electron-backscatter diffraction are relatively well developed. But a key component for combinatorial studies of materials is high-spatial-resolution measurements of the property of interest, for example, the magnetic, optical, electrical, mechanical or thermal properties of each phase, composition or processing condition. Advances in the experimental methods used for mapping these properties will have a significant impact on materials science and engineering. Here we show how time-domain thermoreflectance can be used to image the thermal conductivity of the cross-section of a Nb-Ti-Cr-Si diffusion multiple, and thereby demonstrate rapid and quantitative measurements of thermal transport properties for combinatorial studies of materials. The lateral spatial resolution of the technique is 3.4 microm, and the time required to measure a 100 x 100 pixel image is approximately 1 h. The thermal conductivity of TiCr(2) decreases by a factor of two in crossing from the near-stoichiometric side of the phase to the Ti-rich side; and the conductivity of (Ti,Nb)(3)Si shows a strong dependence on crystalline orientation.
Comparisons of Psychomotor Performance between the Upper and Lower Extremities in Three Age Groups

Decreasing speed of foot movement is a serious perceptual-motor impairment for older individuals such as in walking and driving. The present study examined the relationship between age and psychomotor performance for upper vs lower extremities. A visual stimulus was used to measure the speed of finger and foot movement responses, i.e., choice reaction time and total response time. 32 healthy persons, ranging in age from 9 to 75 years, were divided into three groups: ages 9–10, ages 20–30, and age 60 and above. A 3 (age group) x 2 (test: finger vs foot) two-way analysis of variance on converted Z scores indicated a significant effect on age group and an interaction between test and age group. While the elderly group showed poorest over-all performance, their lower extremity response was identified to be relatively slower than their upper-extremity response.
Rydberg Screening in Core Level Photoemission of Ammonia Adsorbed on Nickel Surfaces

The lowest empty orbitals of the ground state of free ammonia, 4a1 and 2e, are quite diffuse Rydberg-type orbitals. Thus, one might expect that involvement of these orbitals in the final hole states would not lead to additional structure in the N1s core hole photoemission spectra of the adsorbed molecule. Model calculations on NiNH3 clusters show, however, that in the presence of the N1s core hole Rydberg orbitals can lead to a screening mechanism similar to the one proposed by Schonhammer and Gunnarsson for adsorbed CO and N2. In NiNH3 the different final states are similar in intensity and are separated by 1-1.5 eV. The XPS data for the NH3/Ni (110) system show a broad asymmetric N1s peak which, from the present study, can be interpreted as a superposition of at least two peaks stemming from unscreened and Rydberg screened final states of the core hole.
Immune evasion by a novel family of viral PHD/LAP-finger proteins of gamma-2 herpesviruses and poxviruses.

Many viruses have developed mechanisms to escape the cellular immune response by inhibiting antigen presentation from major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Most of these immune escape mechanisms are highly host adapted and specific to a given virus species or family. Recent observations however, suggest that a conserved family of viral proteins is used by both gamma-2 herpesviruses and by poxviruses to downregulate MHC class I. In addition, other cell surface molecules involved in immune recognition by T cells and NK cells are also downregulated. Two open reading frames (ORFs), K3 and K5, of Kaposi's sarcoma associated virus (KSHV) and one ORFs, K3, of murine gamma herpesvirus 68 (MHV68) inhibit surface expression of MHC I molecules. In cells transfected with KSHV-K3 and KSHV-K5, MHC I is rapidly endocytosed and degraded in lysosomes whereas in MHV68-K3 transfected cells, MHC I is targeted for proteasomal degradation. The K3 and K5 genes display a characteristic conserved domain structure of an amino-terminal plant homeo domain/leukemia associated protein-zinc finger domain followed by two carboxyterminal transmembrane domains. Related proteins are not only found in other gamma-2 herpesviruses, but also in several poxviruses. Moreover, recent data suggest that the K3-related protein of myxoma virus also downregulates MHC I. The presence of similar genes in eukaryotic genomes further indicates that the viral ORFs were originally derived from host genes of as yet unknown function. The molecular mechanism of MHC I downregulation by this novel gene family is only poorly understood at present. However, several lines of evidence suggest that they might function as ubiquitin ligases that regulate the intracellular transport of transmembrane proteins through ubiquitination.
Subcellular Localization of Hexokinases I and II Directs the Metabolic Fate of Glucose

Background The first step in glucose metabolism is conversion of glucose to glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) by hexokinases (HKs), a family with 4 isoforms. The two most common isoforms, HKI and HKII, have overlapping tissue expression, but different subcellular distributions, with HKI associated mainly with mitochondria and HKII associated with both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic compartments. Here we tested the hypothesis that these different subcellular distributions are associated with different metabolic roles, with mitochondrially-bound HK's channeling G-6-P towards glycolysis (catabolic use), and cytoplasmic HKII regulating glycogen formation (anabolic use). Methodology/Principal Findings To study subcellular translocation of HKs in living cells, we expressed HKI and HKII linked to YFP in CHO cells. We concomitantly recorded the effects on glucose handling using the FRET based intracellular glucose biosensor, FLIPglu-600 mM, and glycogen formation using a glycogen-associated protein, PTG, tagged with GFP. Our results demonstrate that HKI remains strongly bound to mitochondria, whereas HKII translocates between mitochondria and the cytosol in response to glucose, G-6-P and Akt, but not ATP. Metabolic measurements suggest that HKI exclusively promotes glycolysis, whereas HKII has a more complex role, promoting glycolysis when bound to mitochondria and glycogen synthesis when located in the cytosol. Glycogen breakdown upon glucose removal leads to HKII inhibition and dissociation from mitochondria, probably mediated by increases in glycogen-derived G-6-P. Conclusions/Significance These findings show that the catabolic versus anabolic fate of glucose is dynamically regulated by extracellular glucose via signaling molecules such as intracellular glucose, G-6-P and Akt through regulation and subcellular translocation of HKII. In contrast, HKI, which activity and regulation is much less sensitive to these factors, is mainly committed to glycolysis. This may be an important mechanism by which HK's allow cells to adapt to changing metabolic conditions to maintain energy balance and avoid injury.
Science and decision making: water management and tree-ring data in the western United States.

Growing populations, limited resources, and sustained drought are placing increased pressure on already over-allocated water supplies in the western United States, prompting some water managers to seek out and utilize new forms of climate data in their planning efforts. One source of information that is now being considered by water resource management is extended hydrologic records from tree-ring data. Scientists with the Western Water Assessment (WWA) have been providing reconstructions of streamflow (i.e., paleoclimate data) to water managers in Colorado and other western states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming), and presenting technical workshops explaining the applications of tree-ring data for water management for the past eight years. Little is known, however, about what has resulted from these engagements between scientists and water managers. Using in-depth interviews and a survey questionnaire, we attempt to address this lack of information by examining the outcomes of the interactions between WWA scientists and western water managers to better understand how paleoclimate data has been translated to water resource management. This assessment includes an analysis of what prompts water managers to seek out tree-ring data, how paleoclimate data are utilized by water managers in both quantitative and qualitative ways, and how tree-ring data are interpreted in the context of organization mandates and histories. We situate this study within a framework that exam- ines the coproduction of science and policy, where scientists and resource managers collectively define and examine research and planning needs, the activities of which are embedded within wider social and political contexts. These find- ings have broader applications for understanding science-policy interactions related to climate and climate change in resource management, and point to the potential benefits of reflexive interactions of scientists and decision makers. (KEY TERMS: tree-rings; paleohydrology; water management; coproduction.)
Characteristics and experiences of patients with preventable hospital admissions.

Abstract The extent to which hospitalization might be reduced is an important problem for medicine, which makes the identification of preventable admissions and sources of prevention “failures” a question of practical interest. To the extent that preventable admissions are outcomes which relate to population characteristics and social structure, they are sociologically interesting as well. Accordingly, a study of “preventable factors in illness and hospital admissions” was jointly undertaken by a physician and a sociologist. In this paper we present some preliminary findings relative to the social characteristics and health experiences of patients judged to have had preventable admissions to a large urban teaching hospital's medical ward service.
America's Gulag Archipelago

At the Fernald State School for the Feebleminded in Waltham, Massachusetts, Fred Boyce and hundreds of other children were subjected to systematic physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Dr. Norman Fost writes about Boyce and The State Boys Rebellion by the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Michael D'Antonio.
Retention parameters of aromatic polar species via reversed-phase liquid chromatography with application to coal liquefaction products

High performance liquid chromatography in the reversedphase mode was used for the analysis of coal liquefaction materials. The chromatographic system used was optimized for separation of the more polar, heteroatom-containing components. A model study of a wide variety of compounds was undertaken in which capacity factors were correlated to a set of structural parameters in order to gain insight into the retention mechanism. Reversed-phase separation of a model mixture as well as separation of boiling fractions of hydrotreated and nonhydrotreated process recycle solvents are compared.
Potential for expansion of the donor pool using liver allografts from donors with bacterial meningitis.

Background: The shortage of suitable donors for transplantation is a worldwide problem. The use of cadaveric donors with bacterial meningitis may be associated with an increased risk of sepsis. We report the results of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) from 33 such donors between 1989 and 1999. Methods: The hospital records of recipients from cadaveric donors with meningitis (study group) were retrospectively reviewed and compared with matched recipients from cadaveric donors dying from causes other than meningitis (recipient-matched control group). Results: A total of 34 recipients underwent 21 whole, 10 reduced, and 3 split liver transplantations from 33 cadaveric donor livers with bacterial meningitis. The donor meningitis pathogens were Neisseria meningitidis (n = 14), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 4), Haemophilus influenzae (n = 1), Streptococcus species (n = 2), and unknown (n = 12). Twenty-seven patients had an elective OLT, and seven patients had an emergency OLT. Adequate antimicrobial therapy before organ procurement and after transplantation was administrated. The mean posttransplantation follow-up was 37 months (range, 1 day to 106 months). There was no difference in recipient and graft survival rates between the study and the recipient-matched groups. In the study group, there were no infectious complications caused by the meningeal pathogens. Overall patient survival rates were 79%, 76%, 72%, and 72% at 1, 6, 12, and 60 months, respectively. Graft survival was 77%, 70%, 65%, and 65% at 1, 6, 12, and 60 months, respectively. The survival rate in elective cases was significantly better than emergency cases (P <.05). Conclusion: Liver transplantation from donors with bacterial meningitis is a safe procedure provided both donors and recipients receive adequate antimicrobial therapy.
Large-scale telephone network simulation: discrete event vs. steady state

Motivated by the need of the emergency response planning community to obtain timely and accurate simulation-based predictions of the follow-up effects of telecommunications infrastructure outages, we study the trade-offs, advantages, and disadvantages of a high-fidelity time-dependent Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) simulator, called MIITS-P and its steady-state challenger, called IEISS. While IEISS computes results for individual simulation runs in a few seconds, MIITS-P call-by-call level simulation takes up to two magnitudes longer to complete runs, resulting in response times of tens of minutes. We study the quality of the results produced by both simulators for single-contingency cases, where we remove a wirecenter node from the network for an entire day and see what effect its removal has on the ability of the network to route its call traffic. Against our intuition that is based on a few theoretical examples suggesting that IEISS may not be able to even get base line traffic correct, we find that IEISS actually predicts relative rankings of wirecenter nodes extremely well on practical instances. This positive result holds under a specific transformation of the time-dependent simulation model into a steady-state equivalent; we look at a variety of such transformations and identify the best one. In an attempt to explain the good performance of IEISS, we take a closer graph-theoretic look at our network model, which reveals that most highly ranked wirecenters are connected in such a way that their removal cuts all possible paths between a large set of source and destination wirecenters. These cuts make time-dependencies and load variations over the course of a day insignificant and thus IEISS's steady state approach sufficient.
Effects of indole and tryptophan on cytochrome P-450, dimethylnitrosamine demethylase, and arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase activities.

Abstract The effects of indole and l -tryptophan feeding on the activities of two liver microsomal enzymes, dimethylnitrosamine demethylase (DMN-d) and arylhydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), were studied in rats and hamsters. Both indole and tryptophan increased cytochrome P-450 concentration and DMN-d activity in rats, but only indole was effective in hamsters. AHH activity in both species was induced by indole. Both indole and tryptophan increased the ratio A 392–500nm / A 410–500nm obtained by n -octylamine difference spectroscopy of rat liver microsomes but not of hamster liver microsomes. Indole increased the absorbance difference ratio A 455–500nm / A 430–500nm of rat liver cytochrome P-450 obtained by ethyl isocyanide. The opposite was true for hamsters, which showed a low band at 455 nm. Indole gave a type II binding spectrum with rat liver microsomes, but the values for absorption minimum and maximum for tryptophan were somewhat outside the reported values for type II binders. Indole which induced liver AHH activity, protected against 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-produced mammary gland carcinogenicity, whereas tryptophan was without effect.
The kinetics of clustering reactions in iron-doped MgO

Quenched samples of iron-doped MgO crystals have been studied during isothermal annealing treatments using high-temperature EPR spectroscopy. The concentration decay of supersaturated FeMg.-vMg″ associates was found to follow second order kinetics. Several different characteristics of the process kinetics are in agreement with our hypothesis that the reaction being observed is the aggregation of two FeMg.-vMg″ associates and an unassociated FeMg. to form a “3-cluster”. Analysis of the decay rate permitted determination of a diffusion coefficient for the associate.
Colour correspondence effects between controlled objects and targets.

It is increasingly popular to use movement trajectories as a measure of mental processes related to task performance. Often this is accomplished by moving a cursor to a target on a computer screen. However, the relation between features of the cursor and the targets is rarely, if at all, considered. In five experiments, we examined whether moving a cursor to a target was affected by the relation between their colours, even when this relation was task irrelevant. In Experiments 1–3, a mouse-controlled cursor was moved to one of two coloured targets. Results showed colour correspondence effects in latency to initiate a response, duration of movement times, and movement trajectories when the relationship between cursor and target colours was task relevant (Experiment 1) and when only the cursor colour was task relevant (Experiment 2), but not when only the target was task relevant (Experiment 3). Follow-up experiments using single targets showed that colour correspondence effects occurred as long as attentio...