cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algorithm-level recomputing with shifted operands-a register transfer level concurrent error detection technique

This paper presents Algorithm-level REcomputing with Shifted Operands (ARESO), which is a new register transfer (RT) level time redundancy-based concurrent error detection (CED) technique. In REcomputing with Shifted Operands (RESO), operations (additions, subtractions, etc.) are carried out twice-once on the basic input and once on the shifted input. Results from these two operations are compared to detect an error. Although using RESO operators in RT-level designs is straightforward, it entails time and area overhead. In contrast, ARESO does not use specialized RESO operators. In ARESO, an algorithm is carried out twice-once on the basic input and once on the shifted input. Results from these two algorithm-level instantiations are compared to detect an error. By operating at the algorithm level, ARESO exploits RT-level scheduling, pipelining, operator chaining, and multicycling to incorporate user-specified error detection latencies. ARESO supports hardware versus performance versus error detection latency tradeoffs. The authors validated ARESO on practical design examples using the Synopsys Behavior Compiler (BC). An industry standard behavioral synthesis system.
Applications of localic separation axioms, compactness axioms, representations, and compactifications to poslat topological spaces

Fuzzy topology first appeared about twenty-seven years ago with Chang's initial paper (1968). Yet the fundamental issues of compactness and low-order separation axioms remain unresolved. This paper resolves these issues with respect to topological compactification, categorical compactification, and Stone representation theorems, using the theory of locales and previous work of the author in fuzzy sobriety. Our results give the first compactification reflectors for all traditional fuzzy topology, construct classes of generalized Stone representations of Boolean algebras and distributive lattices, and show categorically that the fuzzy analogue of classical compact Hausdorff spaces is the categories of Chang-compact, localic regular, sober fuzzy topological spaces.
Developmentally regulated tissue-associated cues influence axon sprouting and outgrowth and may contribute to target specificity

The heart circuitry of the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) is a highly stereotyped circuit in the adult, but selection of the heart tube (HT) as a definitive target by heart excitor (HE) motor neurons during embryogenesis involves redirection of axonal arbors. In the present study we have confirmed the specificity of mature innervation using a retrograde marker and have used a combination of tissue/organ coculture and in situ manipulations to test the ability of HT and body wall to support axon outgrowth compared to CNS associated tissue. We also examined the temporal limits of target influence and the specificity of its action. Embryonic and young juvenile HT and body wall, but not adult HT, support or stimulate marked axon outgrowth from CNS ganglia, including those that would not innervate these tissues in vivo. Outgrowth support/stimulation by young tissue is largely contact based with little or no overt selectivity. Thus, outgrowth-supporting cues are developmentally regulated in the periphery, decreasing in efficacy with age while adult CNS-derived tissues consistently provide effective substrates supporting extensive axon outgrowth and regrowth. The HE motor neuron was very discriminating in that it showed little axon extension onto the HT compared to that of other neurons generally. These studies support a role for bidirectional communication in target selection. We suggest a working hypothesis that the HE motor neuron may initially select HT in response to a hierarchy of outgrowth supporting cues that have very broad influence and subsequently responds to selective signals for slowing or stopping growth and terminating on the functionally appropriate target.
Education and automation

[Trabajo presentado en el mitin anual de Population Association of America, celebrado en Chicago, Illinois, en abril 23 de 1965].
Effect of addition of molybdenum or niobium on creep-rupture properties of Fe3Al

Recent alloy development efforts have shown that Fe3Al-based alloys can have room temperature tensile ductilities of 10–20% and yield strengths of 500 MPa at temperatures to 600 °C. These property improvements are important for enabling the use of iron-aluminides for structural applications that require their excellent corrosion resistance. New data are presented here from creep-rupture studies on Fe3Al and on Fe3Al-based alloys containing molybdenum or niobium plus zirconium. Binary Fe3Al alloys have low creep resistance, but the addition of 2 at. % Mo or 1% Nb plus 0.1% Zr increases the creep life and reduces the minimum creep rate, with the niobium-containing alloy being the strongest. The improvement in creep life is the result of a combination of factors which include grain boundary strengthening, resistance to dynamic recrystallization during stressing, precipitation strengthening, and changes in the formation and mobility of the dislocation network. Correlation of optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy data suggests that the intergranular creep failure found in Fe3Al after creep testing at 550–650 °C is related to weak high-angle grain boundaries and to formation of subgrain boundary arrays, which reduce the ability of dislocations to glide or multiply to produce matrix plasticity. The addition of niobium/zirconium results in solid solution strengthening effects, as well as the formation of fine MC precipitates (a small amount of carbon is present as a contaminant from the casting process) which strengthen both the matrix and grain boundaries. The result relative to the binary alloy is increased creep-rupture strength and life coupled with a change to a ductile-dimple transgranular failure mode. This suggests that the mechanisms that cause failure during creep can be controlled by macro- and microalloying effects.
Nonparametric analysis of covariance for hypothesis testing with logrank and Wilcoxon scores and survival-rate estimation in a randomized clinical trial.

Many clinical trials have time-to-event variables as principal response criteria. When adjustment for covariates is of some importance, the relative role of methods for such analysis may be of some concern. For the Wilcoxon and logrank tests, there is an issue of how covariance adjustment can be nonparametric in the sense of not involving any further assumptions beyond those of the logrank and Wilcoxon test. Also of particular interest in a clinical trial is the estimation of the difference between survival probabilities for the treatment groups at several points in time. As with the Wilcoxon and logrank tests, there is no well known nonparametric way to incorporate covariate adjustment into such estimation of treatment effects for survival rates. We propose a method that enables covariate adjustment for hypothesis testing with logrank or Wilcoxon scores. Related extensions for applying covariate adjustment to estimation of treatment effects are provided for differences in survival-rate counterparts to Ka...
Current modeling practices in bank courier scheduling

Abstract Ongoing restructuring of the US banking industry has resulted in significant changes in the role of mathematical modeling to support item processing operations. The importance of complex mathematical tools for integrated control of courier scheduling and item processing has declined in favor of simpler, automated modeling tools that more effectively exploit new information technology. Models that simultaneously coordinate courier scheduling and cash lettering to correspondent banks have been displaced by heuristic scheduling tools that require less stringent assumptions about the operating environment. The application of these heuristic tools at a large regional bank is described and demonstrated for sample problems modeled after an actual item processing facility.
Tracks of Symmetric Top Molecules in Hexapole Electric Fields

The trajectories of symmetric top molecules are computed in hexapole electric fields. The transmission of a hexapole for linear Stark effect focusing is compared with that due to the exact interaction of the electric field with the symmetric top molecule. The use of the exact interaction in place of the linear Stark effect produces significant changes in the position and shape of the transmission peaks. Focusing curves are also calculated assuming the Stark effect calculated to second order. The nuclear quadrupole−electric field gradient interaction is found to significantly affect the focusing of CH3I, and it is possible to produce a beam of rotational state selected and partially spin polarized CH3I. The focusing for the usual experimental hexapole composed of cylindrical rods is compared with the focusing for an ideal hexapole, and a finite difference technique is used to determine the cylindrical rod radius that will provide the best approximation to an ideal hexapole field. This best rod radius is 0....
Turbidimetric measurement of wax in sunflower oil

Wax content in sunflower oil may be estimated quickly at room temperature by a turbidimetric method. Five ml of a throughly mixed oil/solvent mixture is transferred to a 13-mm sample vial and inserted in a turbidimeter. Instrument reading are converted directly to wax content in the original suflower oil by means of a correlation equation. This rapid method can be used over a wider range of wax values than previous methods.
Back from the Front: Combat Trauma, Love, and the Family

Matsakis, Aphrodite, Ph.D. (2007). Baltimore, MD: Sidran Institute Press. Aphrodite Matsakis has written a book that is timely and much needed given the mounting number of Veterans returning from t...
Macroporous silicon electrical sensor for DNA hybridization detection.

Macroporous silicon (pore diameter 1–2 μm) was used in an electrical sensor for real time, label free detection of DNA hybridization. Electrical contacts were made exclusively on the back side of the substrate, which allowed complete exposure of the porous layer to DNA. Hybridization of a DNA probe with its complementary sequence produced a reduction in the impedance and a shift in the phase angle resulting from a change in dielectric constant inside the porous matrix and a modification of the depletion layer width in the crystalline silicon structure. The effect of the DNA charge on the response was corroborated using peptide nucleic acid (PNA), an uncharged analog of DNA. The sensitivity and selectivity of the device were characterized and the sensing properties of the porous layer alone were investigated using self-supporting macroporous silicon membranes.
Neurophysiology of Mast Cell-Nerve Interactions in the Airways

The sensitized guinea pig was employed as a model to study the effect of immunological activation of resident mast cells on neuronal activity in the airways. The trachea was isolated with the vagus nerves and vagal sensory ganglia intact. Using conventional electrophysiological recording techniques, we noted that antigenic stimulation led to an increase in the sensitivity of sensory nerve endings located in the airway wall. Moreover, previous work has revealed that antigen challenge potentiates action-potential-driven tachykinin release from afferent fibers in the guinea pig isolated airway. Anatomical and electrophysiological studies indicate that tachykinin-containing sensory fibers directly innervate the local parasympathetic ganglion neurons in the airway. Therefore, antigen-induced increases in the excitability of sensory fibers in the airways can increase parasympathetic tone in the airway by increasing central and peripheral reflex arcs. In addition, we have found that antigen stimulation has direct effects on the excitability of the parasympathetic ganglion neurons. Considered together, the data demonstrate that increased vagal sensory and parasympathetic activity may be a consequence of the allergic reaction in the airways.
X-Inefficiency in the Public Sector: the Case of Libraries

A short-run total cost function is fitted to 1992 data for 235 public libraries in New York state. The stochastic frontier model is employed, which decomposes the error term into a random variable for statistical noise and a residual component measur ing economic inefficiency. Mean X-inefficiency (cost inefficiency) is estimated to be 24%. Government-run public libraries are about 3% more inefficient than private not-for-profit public libraries. Funding sources also influence efficiency: The greater the proportion of funds derivedfrom local taxation and from gifts, the more efficient the library.
Analysis of bromodeoxyuridine-induced single and twin sister chromatid exchanges in tetraploid Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Culture of cells in high exogenous levels (>10−4 M) of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) or thymidine will increase the baseline sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency. The effect is thought to be related to the balance of the DNA precursors thymidine and deoxycytidine. Exogenous addition of deoxycytidine will reverse this effect. Single and twin SCEs were analysed in Colcemid-induced tetraploid Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to different concentrations of BrdUrd to determine at what stage SCEs are induced by high levels of BrdUrd. In cells exposed to low concentrations of BrdUrd (10−5 M), equal numbers of SCEs were induced in each of the two cell cycles. With increasing concentrations of BrdUrd (10−4 to 2×10−4 M), SCE frequency increased in both cell cycles, but far more SCEs were induced in the second cell cycle. Deoxycytidine (2×10−4 M) reduced the frequency of SCEs primarily by reducing the frequency of SCEs induced in the second cell cycle. Treatment with 3-aminobenzamide (3AB), a potent inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, produced effects similar to exposure to high levels of BrdUrd including inducing SCEs in the second replication cycle. This suggests a similar mechanism of action. Deoxycytidine had no effect on 3AB-induced SCEs, however, and there was no interaction between 3AB and high exogenous levels of BrdUrd in SCE induction. Thus these two agents probably act through different mechanisms.
Texture Measurements in 〈001〉 Fiber-Oriented PMN–PT

Textured (1-x)(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -xPbTiC 3 (PMN-PT) ceramics obtained by the templated grain growth process possess a significant fraction of the piezoelectric properties of Bridgman-grown single crystals at a fraction of the cost. However, for integration of these materials into transducer and actuator designs, a more comprehensive characterization of texture quality than possible with Lotgering analysis is needed. In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction techniques were used to characterize the fiber texture in -oriented PMN-28PT. The March-Dollase equation was fitted to the intensity data to describe the texture in terms of the texture fraction, f, and the degree of texture of the oriented fraction using the March parameter, r. Although each of the techniques used was quantitatively in agreement, XRD rocking curve collection and analysis was the most time-efficient technique for making a comprehensive measurement of texture (f=0.69, r = 0.29, FWHM = 13.9°) for fiber-oriented PMN-28PT.
Interim Analysis: What Regulatory Affairs Professionals Need to Know:

A data monitoring committee (DMC) is often responsible for monitoring a clinical trial via interim analyses. Those responsible for regulatory strategy and implementation need to be fully engaged with this oversight process to ensure that the trial will achieve its goals with regulators. In the United States, both 21 CFR 312.50 and 21 CFR 312.56 describe sponsor responsibilities related to ongoing clinical trials conducted under an Investigational New Drug Application. Herein, I review the types of trials that may benefit from DMC involvement and provide an example of a DMC clinical trial model. I highlight important features of the roles of the sponsor, DMC, statistician, and the regulatory professional in interim analysis. I review the importance of early planning, knowing when to release interim data, and avoiding type I error rate inflation. Finally, I examine key points that lead to early stopping or study alteration.
The effects of ketamine, phencyclidene and lidocaine on catecholamine secretion from cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

Abstract The ability of ketamine, phencyclidine and analogues to alter catecholamine secretion from cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells was investigated. Both ketamine and phencyclidine specifically inhibited nicotinic agonist-induced secretion at concentrations which did not alter secretion induced by elevated K + depolarization. The inhibition of nicotinic agonist-induced secretion was not overcome by increasing concentrations of nicotinic agonist. The effects of stereoisomer pairs of phencyclidine-like drugs — dexoxadrol, levoxadrol and (+) PCMP, (-) PCMP — did not reveal stereospecificity for the inhibition, in contrast to the stereospecific behavioral effects of the drugs. The local anesthetic lidocaine (0.3 mM) also noncompetitively inhibited nicotinic agonist-induced secretion without inhibiting elevated K + -induced secretion. The data indicate that ketamine and phencyclidine at clinically relevant concentrations specifically inhibit the adrenal chromaffin cell nicotinic receptor at a site similar to or identical with the site of action of local anesthetic. Although the nicotinic receptor inhibition is probably not related to the anesthetic and behavioral effects of ketamine and phencyclidine, it is likely that the centrally mediated increase in sympathetic nervous system activity which is characteristic of these drugs is moderated by the peripheral blocking effects on catecholamine secretion from the adrenal medulla.
Stepwise enzymic oligoribonucleotide synthesis including modified nucleotides

A method has been developed for the routine synthesis of 2'(3')-o-monoacyl ribonucleoside 5'-diphosphates for stepwise synthesis of oligoribonucleotides with Escherichia coli polynucleotide phosphorylase. The use of triethyl orthoisovalerate allows the facile preparation of 2'(3')-o-isovaleryl-UDP, -CDP, -ADP, -GDP, -IDP, -EPLISON-APD, eplison-CDP, and N6-isopentenyl-ADP. The synthesis of N6-isopentenyl-ADP from ADP by N1-alkylation and the Dimroth rearrangement to N6 is reported. The effects of several factors including the nature of the divalent cation, pH, SALT CONCENTRATION, AND TIME ON THE EFFICIENCY OF THE POLYNUCLEOTIDE PHPSPHORYLASE CATALYZED SINGLE ADDITIONS OF THE 2'(3')-O-ISOVALERYL RIBONUCLEOSIDE 5'-DIPHOSPHATES TO AN OLIGORIBONUCLEOTIDE PRIMER ARE REPORTED. The syntheses of many tetranucleoside triphosphates and two pentanucleoside tetraphosphates in yields of 20-75 per cent are reported. The 2'(3')-o-isovaleryl derivatives of IDP, eplison-ADP, eplison-CDP, and N6-isopentenyl-ADP were all accepted by polynucleotide phosphorylase as substrates for the monoaddition reaction. The extension of the method to include the syntheses of oligoribonucleotides containing modified nucleosides offers a means of studying the role s of these modification by the use of relatively simple model compounds.
Azaftig stimulates in vitro lipolysis by rodent and human adipocytes.

Azaftig is an urinary proteoglycan present in some cancer and AIDS patients experiencing weight loss. Administration of azaftig to mice results in weight loss that is associated with loss of fat depot. So far, very little is known about the mechanism underlying loss of fat depot in mice or weight loss in patients excreting azaftig. Augmentation of lipolysis may be one mechanism that can cause reduction of fat depot. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the effect of azaftig on lipolysis by adipocytes derived from obese rats and humans. Results show a dose-dependent potentiation of lipolysis by azaftig in both rat and human adipocytes.
Adiponectin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and severe insulin resistance.

Adiponectin is an adipokine that is decreased in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are obese and are at risk for type 2 diabetes. The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship of adiponectin to obesity and insulin resistance in women with PCOS and severe insulin resistance. Thirty women with PCOS and acanthosis nigricans indicating severe insulin resistance were included in the study. Eleven body mass index (BMI)-matched women with normal ovulatory cycles served as controls. Fasting glucose, insulin, and adiponectin levels were measured, and a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with insulin levels was performed. To further investigate the role of insulin sensitivity on adiponectin levels, 10 women with PCOS were treated with 4 mg rosiglitazone daily for 6 months and adiponectin levels were measured before and after treatment. Fasting insulin levels (33.5 ±3.8 μ/mL; P <.001) and insulin area under the curve (AUC) during OGTT (536.2 ± 70.5 μU/mL; P <.01) were higher in women with PCOS, while glucose levels were similar to controls. Adiponectin levels were lower (P <.01) in women with PCOS (5.6 ±2.6 μg/mL) compared with controls (8.5 ±3.9 μg/mL). There was a significant negative correlation between adiponectin levels and fasting insulin levels (r = —0.40, P =.02), insulin AUC during OGTT (r = -0.47, P =.008), fasting glucose levels (r = -0.45, P =.01), and glucose AUC during OGTT (r = —0.51, P =.003). There was no correlation between BMI and serum adiponectin (r = -0.12, P =.508) in women with PCOS, while there was a negative correlation (r = -0.746, P =.013) in controls. There was a significant (P <.01) increase in adiponectin levels when treated with rosiglitazone, despite unchanged BMI. These results indicate that in women with PCOS and severe insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity appears to be the major determinant of adiponectin levels rather than adiposity. Low adiponectin levels may predict women with PCOS who are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Design of Applied Reentry Guidance Algorithms for Low Cost Vehicles

Simple guidance methods for Reentry Vehicles (RV) with low lift to drag ratio (L/D) during the reentry phase is investigated. Proposed algorithms, based on nominal trajectory method, permit the vehicle to experience the aerodynamic force, which is needed to keep the actual trajectory close to the desired one and increase landing accuracy. Simulation results for a conceptual RV are provided to demonstrate the performance of the trajectory guidance laws under a variety of non-nominal conditions.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Spherical vs. Cylindrical Engine Bearings

Spherical bearings have been used successfully in engines for some years. The spherical bearing geometry allows a simplified axisymmetric piston design; gradual rotation of the piston and rings results in axisymmetric sidewall wear, temperature distribution and thermal expansion. A previously-described concept engine design incorporating a spherical joint piston was based on an existing production engine with a conventional cylindrical piston pin. Previously-developed finite element lubrication analysis methods are applied to both designs and predictive comparisons made.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Thickness dependence of optoelectrical properties of tungsten-doped indium oxide films

Abstract Pulsed laser deposition technique is used for deposition of tungsten-doped indium oxide films. The effect of film thickness on structural, optical and electrical properties was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. X-ray diffraction study reveals that all the films are highly crystalline and oriented along (2 2 2) direction and the film crystallinity increases with increase in film thickness. Atomic force microscopy analysis shows that these films are very smooth with root mean square surface roughness of ∼1.0 nm. Bandgap energy of the films depends on thickness and varies from 3.71 eV to 3.94 eV. It is observed that resistivity of the films decreases with thickness, while mobility increases.
Vascular responses to neuropeptide Y in the rat: Effect of age

Neuropeptide Y(NPY) is co- released with norepinephrine (NE) from sympathetic neurons, which innervate blood vessels, and acts to potentiate NE- induced smooth muscle contraction. This study sought to determine if vascular levelsof NPY- like immunoreactivity or the contractile effects of NPY are altered by age in segments of isolated blood vessels from Fischer 344 and Brown Norway F344- F- l rats. Tissue extracts of femoral and tail arteries of Fischer 344 rats, aged 6, 12, 20, and 24 months, were analyzed for NPY content by radioimmunoassay. Neither blood vessel showed a significant age- related difference in NPY content. Contractile responses of the tail artery to adrenergic transmural nerve stimulation (TNS) were compared in the same age groups. No significant age- related differences in contractile responses to TNS were observed in either rat strain. NPY, at concentrations of 1 and 10 nM, both potentiated and prolonged the contractile response to TNS; 6- month- old F- 344 rats were significantly less responsive to the effects of NPY However, advancing age from 12 to 24 months did not alter the responses to NPY in either rat strain. We conclude that an age- dependent increase in the contractile responses to NPY occurs from age 6 to 12 months, and this responsiveness to NPY is maintained through senescence. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 6: 277- 286, 1994)
Don't Bet On It... The Representation of Gambling in Baseball Cinema

This paper examines the role of baseball films in the game's ideological war on gambling. While the central purpose behind baseball's strict prohibitions against gambling by players has been to protect the economic interests of team owners, the issue of gambling has been consistently presented in the game's cultural ideology as a moral issue, rather than an economic one. This process serves as a means of disciplining the baseball worker, and as a means of enhancing the game's appeal to middle‐class audiences. Baseball films have been an important site of the construction of this ideology, consistently portraying gambling as a moral transgression against the national pastime.
Angiosperm growth habit, dispersal and diversification reconsidered

Summary Previous studies have sought to elucidate the relationship between dispersal mode (biotic versus abiotic) and the taxonomic diversification of angiosperm families, but with ambiguous results. In this study, we propose the hypothesis that the combination of (1) the large seed size required of plants germinating in closed, lightpoor environments and (2) the necessity to move disseminules away from the maternal plant in order to avoid intraspecific competition, predation and pathogens should favour biotically-dispersed relative to abiotically-dispersed woody arborescent angiosperms, resulting in higher diversification of the former. In this paper, we seek patterns of diversification that support this hypothesis. We examine the association between dispersal mode, growth habit and taxonomic richness of monocotyledon and dicotyledon families using (1) contingency table analyses to detect the effect of dispersal mode on the relative abundances and diversification of woody versus herbaceous taxa and (2) non-parametric analyses of variance to detect the statistical effect of dispersal mode on taxonomic diversification (mean number of species per genus, genera per family and species per family) in monocot and dicot families dominated by biotic or abiotic dispersal. We found a clear statistical effect of dispersal mode on diversification. Among families of woody dicots, dispersal by vertebrates is associated with significantly higher levels of species per genus, genera per family and species per family than is abiotic dispersal. The same pattern is observed among woody monocots, but is not significant at the 0.05 level. Among families of herbaceous monocots and dicots, the situation is reversed, with abiotically-dispersed families exhibiting higher levels of diversification than vertebratedispersed families. When woody and herbaceous families are pooled, there is no association between dispersal mode and diversification. These data coincide with evidence from the fossil record to suggest vertebrate dispersal has positively contributed to the diversification of woody angiosperms. We suggest that vertebrate dispersal may have promoted the diversity of extant taxa by reducing the probability of extinction over evolutionary time, rather than by elevating speciation rates. Our results suggest vertebrate dispersal has contributed to, but does not explain in toto, the diversity of living angiosperms.
Dbf4-Cdc7 phosphorylation of Mcm2 is required for cell growth.

The Dbf4-Cdc7 kinase (DDK) is required for the activation of the origins of replication, and DDK phosphorylates Mcm2 in vitro. We find that budding yeast Cdc7 alone exists in solution as a weakly active multimer. Dbf4 forms a likely heterodimer with Cdc7, and this species phosphorylates Mcm2 with substantially higher specific activity. Dbf4 alone binds tightly to Mcm2, whereas Cdc7 alone binds weakly to Mcm2, suggesting that Dbf4 recruits Cdc7 to phosphorylate Mcm2. DDK phosphorylates two serine residues of Mcm2 near the N terminus of the protein, Ser-164 and Ser-170. Expression of mcm2-S170A is lethal to yeast cells that lack endogenous MCM2 (mcm2Δ); however, this lethality is rescued in cells harboring the DDK bypass mutant mcm5-bob1. We conclude that DDK phosphorylation of Mcm2 is required for cell growth.
Social Capital and Social Influence on the Board of Directors

It is often assumed that directors with human capital such as prior management experience or independence from the company are the most influential board members. By contrast, in a survey of all the board members in 14 companies we found that ties to others in a network of strong ties among those who meet outside of board meetings were more important predictors of social influence than human capital or ties across boards. These ties within the board represent the social capital of members in the form of prior relationships with other directors, ties to others on the board, and membership in cliques within the board's network of ties. These results support a social capital perspective on influence that emphasizes relationships with others on the board as important factors in the social dynamics of board decision-making.
Identification of intermediates of in vivo trichloroethylene oxidation by the membrane-associated methane monooxygenase.

The rate and products of trichloroethylene (TCE) oxidation by Methylomicrobium album BG8 expressing membrane-associated methane monooxygenase (pMMO) were determined using 14C radiotracer techniques. [14C]TCE was degraded at a rate of 1.24 nmol (min mg protein)−1 with the initial production of glyoxylate and then formate. Radiolabeled CO2 was also found after incubating M. album BG8 for 5 h with [14C]TCE. Experiments with purified pMMO from Methylococcus capsulatus Bath showed that TCE could be mineralized to CO2 by pMMO. Oxygen uptake studies verified that M. album BG8 could oxidize glyoxylate and that pMMO was responsible for the oxidation based on acetylene inactivation studies. Here we propose a pathway of TCE oxidation by pMMO-expressing cells in which TCE is first converted to TCE-epoxide. The epoxide then spontaneously undergoes HCl elimination to form glyoxylate which can be further oxidized by pMMO to formate and CO2.
Relationship Between Ruminal Ammonia and Nonprotein Nitrogen Utilization by Ruminants. II. Application of Published Evidence to the Development of a Theoretical Model for Predicting Nonprotein Nitrogen Utilization

Abstract Results from published experiments dealing with several aspects of nitrogen utilization by ruminants were used to test the concept of zero utilization of nonprotein nitrogen under conditions where more ammonia (>5mg ammonia nitrogen/100ml) is in the rumen than can be converted to microbial protein. Results from experiments where the flow of non-ammonia nitrogen to the abomasum of sheep was measured indicate that when urea was the source of supplemental nitrogen, a constant quantity of amino acids reached the abomasum for all rations ranging from 10 to 23% crude protein. From growth studies, addition of nonprotein nitrogen to low protein, high energy rations caused an improved rate of gain. Additions of nonprotein nitrogen to rations resulting in predicted ruminal ammonia concentrations greater than 5mg ammonia nitrogen/100ml rumen fluid were without benefit. From lactation studies, nonprotein nitrogen supplementation did not improve milk production if the ration contained more than 12.5% crude protein prior to supplementation or if the predicted ruminal ammonia concentration was greater than 4mg ammonia nitrogen/100ml rumen fluid. The importance of the amino acid requirement of the animal as well as the composition of the ration in designing and evaluating nitrogen supplementation studies is discussed.
Effect of priming volume on serum catecholamines during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Several theories have been proposed to explain the transient hypotension which occurs upon the initiation of cardiopulmonary bypass. The present study investigated the possibility that addition of the lactated Ringer’s solution pump priming volume to the circulation causes dilution of circulating catecholamines leading to the hypotension. Circulating epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were measured during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients anaesthetized with halothane. The results demonstrate dilution of circulating catecholamines at the start of bypass in conjunction with the observed hypotension. During the bypass period, mean blood pressure gradually recovered to normotensive levels even though circulating catecholamine levels remained significantly lowered, indicating a mechanism for the recovery of blood pressure which is not sympathoadrenal. The results obtained from this study demonstrate a temporal relationship between catecholamine dilution by the pump priming volume and the observed hypotension. Whether catecholamine dilution is the sole factor causing the hypotension remains to be determined.
Structural properties of epitaxial SrHfO3 thin films on Si (001)

Abstract Thin films of SrHfO 3 have been grown by MBE on Si (001). Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and grazing incidence extended X-ray absorption spectroscopy (GI-EXAFS) were employed to elucidate the epitaxial relationship between the SrHfO 3 and Si (001). The SrHfO 3 film was unstrained and exhibited a lattice mismatch of 6% with silicon; the orientation was SrHfO 3 (001)[110] || Si(001)[100]. The SrHfO 3 (200) plane demonstrated the expected four fold symmetry with a peak positioned every 90° in the phi scan of X-ray diffraction. Excellent fits of the GI-EXAFS showed that Hf was coordinated to about 6 oxygen atoms at a bonding distance of 2.080 A and about 8 Sr neighbors at 3.53 A. The short range order determined by GI-EXAFS corroborated the long range order determined by XRD, where nearly epitaxial growth, good crystalline quality, low disorder and minimal defects observed make SrHfO 3 a viable dielectric candidate in Si based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors.
A survey of metal contents in some popular brands of wines in the Nigerian market: estimation of dietary intake and target hazard quotients

The concentrations of metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn and Zn) were examined in some popular brands of wine in the Nigerian market after HNO3/H2O2 digestion by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mean concentrations (mg/L) of metals in these categories of wines ranged from 0.01 to 0.02, 0.27 to 0.35, 0.10 to 0.12, 0.02 to 0.02, 0.15 to 0.21, 0.09 to 0.10, 3.47 to 4.55, 0.79 to 0.86 and 0.78 to 1.10 for Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn and Zn, respectively. The estimated dietary intakes of metals based on the ingestion of 250 mL/day of these brands of wine were below the specified provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) value for each metal. However, only Pb intake from the consumption of these wines constituted 31–41% of its PTDI value as a single source. The estimated target hazard quotients (THQ) for the metals (except for Pb and Cr) are of concern in that they were above the safe level of THQ < 1 suggesting potential hazardous exposure over a life time for Nigerians that consume at least 250...
Impacts of interrelated biotic and abiotic processes during the past 125 000 years of landscape evolution in the Northern Mojave Desert, Nevada, USA

Abstract Interrelated, biotic (flora and fauna) and abiotic (pedogenesis and hydrology) processes were examined at four sites (30, and approximately 1000–3000, 7000–12 000, and 125 000 years before present) in the northern Mojave Desert. Data collected at each included floral and faunal surveys; soil texture, structure, and morphology; and soil hydraulic properties. Separate measurements were made in shrub undercanopy and intercanopy microsites. At all sites, shrubs made up greater than 86 percent of total perennial cover, being least on the youngest site (4 percent) and most on the 7000–12 000-year-old site (31 percent). In the intercanopy, winter annual density was highest on the 1000- to 3000-year-old site (249 plants/m2) and lowest on the oldest site (4 plants/m2). Faunal activity, measured by burrow density, was highest on the 1000–3000- and 7000–12 000-year-old sites (0.21 burrows/m2) and density was twice as high in the undercanopy versus the intercanopy. Burrow density was lower at the two oldest sites, although density was not statistically greater in the undercanopy than intercanopy. At the older sites, the soil water balance was increasingly controlled by Av horizons in intercanopy soils in which saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) decreased 95 percent from the youngest to the oldest site. No significant reduction in Ksat in undercanopy soils was observed. Decreases in the intercanopy sites correlated with decreases in annual plant density and bioturbation, suggesting these processes are interrelated with surface age.
Disease-causing R1185C mutation of WNK4 disrupts a regulatory mechanism involving calmodulin binding and SGK1 phosphorylation sites

The R1185C mutation in WNK4 is associated with pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII). Unlike other PHAII-causing mutations in the acidic motif, the R1185C mutation is located in the COOH-terminal...
Asymmetry in the Converse of Schur's Lemma

We show that the converse of Schur's Lemma can hold in the category of right modules, but not the category of left modules, over an appropriate ring. We exhibit classes of rings over which this left-right asymmetry does not occur, and provide new constructions of rings over whose module categories the converse of Schur's Lemma holds. We propose various open problems and avenues for further research concomitant to our work.
Auroral effects on power transmission line systems

As human activity advances northwards, its supporting systems, such as power transmission lines and oil/gas pipelines, extend across the auroral zone. As the auroral electrojet, a concentrated ionospheric current along the auroral zone, induces a potential of up to 1 V km−1 on the Earth's surface, a significant amount of electric current can be induced in long conductors which are grounded at points separated by a long distance1–6. We show here that auroral activity can induce surges in the protective relay system of a power transmission line.
PHARMACOLOGIC MANAGEMENT OF PELVIC FLOOR DYSFUNCTION

Pharmacologic therapy has a long history of use for urge incontinence and detrusor instability. In addition, pharmacotherapy belongs in the treatment armamentarium for other urogynecologic disorders, including stress incontinence, nocturnal enuresis and nocturia, voiding dysfunction, fecal incontinence, and constipation. For some of these conditions, nonpharmacologic therapies may have better success rates. This article highlights the potential niches in which medications may have a role in treating patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. As Wein 92 points out in an excellent review article on the pharmacologic treatment of incontinence, drugs often produce statistically significant changes in urodynamic parameters. Whether this is significant to an individual patient in terms of clinical improvement is another issue. When evaluating the efficacy of medications in the treatment of incontinence and other urogynecologic disorders, it is important to rely most heavily on randomized placebo-controlled trials because the placebo effect of medications for these disorders is considerable. The fact that medical management of incontinence is far from optimal is highlighted by a recent British report. Of 348 women with detrusor instability, 256 responded to a questionnaire at least 6 months following their assessment and treatment initiation. Ninety percent of the women had received anticholinergic medication. Five percent were cured of urinary symptoms. Only 18% of patients who were prescribed medications continued with the treatment for more than 6 months. It was concluded that the medium-term efficacy of the treatment of detrusor instability is disappointing, and that a large part of the failure may be attributable to poor treatment efficacy, side effects of medication, or inadequate follow-up after the diagnosis and onset of therapy. 44 Aitchison and colleagues 2 reviewed the records of 50 patients treated for detrusor instability or urge incontinence. All treatments, including surgery, produced an unsustained short-term symptomatic response. Aitchison and colleagues concluded that this pattern of response to therapy could be interpreted as being of a placebo nature, and they emphasized the need for long-term follow-up when new treatments are assessed. 2 In reviewing the literature on pharmacologic therapy for urogynecologic conditions, one must keep in mind the following problems that impair the interpretation of data: a lack of placebo, small numbers, short follow-up, variable outcome measures, and often nongeneralizable study populations. This article focuses on current pharmacologic therapies used to treat pelvic floor dysfunction. Because the potentially therapeutic effects of estrogen have received considerable attention, current knowledge concerning the effects of estrogen on urogynecologic health is summarized.
Microglial proliferation in cortical neural cultures exposed to feline immunodeficiency virus.

Abstract Microglia are thought to play an important role in neurodegenerative changes due to infection with human or animal immunodeficiency viruses. Using feline immunodeficiency virus and cat neural cultures, we observed a dramatic increase in the accumulation of microglia from a basal rate of 5–7% day −1 to 25–126% day −1 . Both live virus and heat-inactivated virus induced proliferation. Negligible proliferation was seen in purified microglial cultures. Conditioned medium from astrocytes or mixed neural cultures treated with feline immunodeficiency virus stimulated the proliferation of purified microglia. Disease progression may be facilitated by early non-infectious interactions of lentiviruses with neural tissue that promote the activation and proliferation of microglia.
THE EFFICACY OF WOMEN'S RESISTANCE STRATEGIES IN RAPE SITUATIONS

The effectiveness of women's resistance strategies for reducing the severity of sexual abuse and physical injury during sexual assaults was analyzed in a variety of assault circumstances. Data were obtained from police reports and court testimonies of 274 women (96% White, 4% Black) who either were raped or avoided rape by subsequently incarcerated violent stranger rapists. Statistical analyses showed that particular resistance strategies were effective in specific situations. Women who fought back forcefully were more likely to avoid rape than women who did not fight back, regardless of whether a weapon was present. Forceful fighting resistance was related to increased physical injury when a weapon was present, but most physical injury was caused by nonlethal weapons. Women who screamed or fled when confronted with weapons experienced less severe sexual abuse. Increased physical injury was associated with pleading, crying, or reasoning indoors. Women who used drugs or alcohol experienced more severe sexu...
Urinary metabolic evaluations in solitary and recurrent stone forming children.

Purpose: We have previously reported a high rate of urinary metabolic abnormalities in stone forming children compared to normal controls. At our institution a 24-hour urine evaluation is initiated after the first stone episode in children, to measure stone risk indices. The purpose of this study was to determine which children are at the greatest risk for recurrent stone formation.Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess urinary metabolic profiles in children with urolithiasis. In all patients 24-hour urine collections were performed and evaluated elsewhere. Urine chemistry assessments such as calcium and citrate were adjusted for creatinine and weight. Calcium oxalate supersaturation was measured. Patients were stratified as solitary or recurrent stone formers based on review of the medical record. Univariate analysis between means was performed with a 2-tailed t test.Results: A total of 148 samples from 88 solitary stone formers and 84 samples from 51 recurrent stone ...
An Experimental Investigation of Specificity and Generality in Memory Narratives

Research in memory and personality has distinguished between memory narratives of specific events and summaries of many events blended together. This differentiation has been linked to both the hierarchical organization of memory and to individual differences in personality. Four experiments, with 506 subjects, were conducted to demonstrate that this single event/summary memory narrative distinction could be formalized and reliably scored, using both written and spoken memory narratives. Mean interrater agreement was 93 percent, Kappa = .78. The mean frequency of recall of single event memory narratives was 78 percent, summary memory narratives, 22 percent. It was also demonstrated that a request for personally significant memories relevant to one's self-understanding increases the number of summary memory narratives retrieved. Summary and single event memories were not significantly different in affective quality.
Venting sites studied by NOAA

Evidence of hydrothermal venting at the north end of the Gorda Ridge was identified by a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this summer on the research vessel Surveyor. If high-temperature venting actually occurs at the seafloor spreading center at the site, deposits of sulfide minerals may also be present there. Located off the coast of Oregon, the Gorda Ridge is within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Believing Not Seeing: A Blind Phenomenology of Sexed Bodies

Vision plays a privileged role in social interaction and the construction of intersubjective reality. Given that one of sociology's tasks is to problematize the taken for granted, research that examines rarely foregrounded non-visual modes of sensory perception is a powerful resource. This article draws on twenty-seven interviews that explore blind people's perceptions of male and female bodies. I highlight several distinctive features of non-visual sex attribution (salience, speed, and diachronicity), and argue that conceptions of sex as “self-evident” primarily reflect visual perception. These findings suggest the need to explore the sociology of perception as a new approach to the sociology of the body, and more broadly highlight the role of sensory perception in the social construction of reality.