cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 42 – Parturition

The success of pregnancy depends on the appropriate process and timing of parturition. For each viviparous species, natural selection has affected extant physiology such that birth processes and timing complement overall reproductive strategy to maximize reproductive efficiency. This chapter synthesizes the current understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of human parturition from the perspective of the evolutionary biology and comparative physiology of birth timing. We examine selective pressures that may have influenced parturition physiology and pathophysiology; the principal organ for parturition, the uterus, and its functional tissue types: the myometrium, cervix, and decidua; and the hormonal interactions that control their function to either sustain pregnancy or facilitate labor and delivery. Conserved uterotropic (causing uterine growth) and uterotonic (causing uterine contraction) hormonal pathways are present across viviparous species, although their regulatory patterns and sites of production differ. An emerging theme is that parturition involves positive-feedback loops leading to intrauterine inflammation, enhanced uterine contractility, membrane rupture, and cervical dilation, functioning at a paracrine level within each of the gestational tissues and in an endocrine fashion between the uterus and extrauterine sites.
Weeding Instructional Materials: A Process for Finding a Rose between Two Thorns.

This article discusses one approach to the process of systematic withdrawal of instructional materials from an existing collection of such materials held by a Special Education Instructional Materials Center.Included in the discussion is a description of the planning phase, orientation and training, criteria for withdrawal, personnel considerations and implementation strategies.
Comanche Marker Trees of Texas

Steve Houser, Linda Pelon, & Jimmy W. Arterberry. 2016. Comanche Marker Trees of Texas. (ISBN-13: 978-1-62349-448-3, flexbound). Texas A&M University Press, John H. Lindsey Building, Lewis Street, 4354 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-4354, U.S.A. (Orders: www.tamupress.com, 1-800-826-8911). $35.00 US, 224 pp., 123 color and 6 bw photographs, 11 bw drawings, 6 maps, 1 graph, glossary, bibliography, index, 6" × 9¼".
Measurement of Discharge Events Due to Voltage Breakdown in High-Voltage Ceramic Feedthroughs

Ceramic insulated hermetic feedthroughs are used as signal and high-voltage conduits for sealed gamma radiation detectors with applications in oil and gas exploration. In configurations where signal and high-voltage are supplied via the same feedthrough, voltage breakdown of the gas filling the gap between the conducting wire and coaxial ceramic insulator may produce a charge pulse that is indistinguishable from a gamma detection pulse. This work describes a method to measure the discrete pulses generated by discharges across an air gap between a conducting wire and a coaxial ceramic insulator at 1600V and 150C ambient temperature. The data presented show results of measurements from discrete discharge events containing between ~0.5 pico-Coulombs and 200 pico-Coulombs of charge per event. Samples were tested that had undergone various operations including welding and soldering. Different cleaning operations were applied to some samples to determine whether discharges could be attributed to surface contamination. Measurements of samples where the ceramic insulator was manufactured using two different forming processes was also performed. This method is shown to provide a sensitive tool to screen hermetic components in radiation detectors used for oil and gas exploration.
Monitoring and Modeling of Soil Thermal and Hydraulic Behavior Beneath a Granular-Surfaced Roadway

Annual freeze–thaw cycles reduce the overall performance and ride quality of granular-surfaced roadways by causing significant damage in the roadbed system during spring thaw periods. The severity of the damage depends on the subgrade properties and external environmental factors. Field monitoring can play an important role in quantifying these factors as well as the roadbed subgrade responses to further our understanding of the resulting moisture transport and freeze–thaw mechanisms. Field monitoring can also be used to assess the effectiveness of computational models that use measurements of the environmental factors to predict the subgrade response. In this study, an extensive sensor network was installed up to a depth of 213 cm (7 ft) under a granular-surfaced roadway in Hamilton County, Iowa, for continuous measurement of soil temperature and water content. Soil index properties and hydraulic properties of the subgrade soils were determined by laboratory testing of disturbed and intact soil samples. This paper presents and compares the collected data on in-situ soil temperature and soil moisture distributions with those of preliminary computational modeling of the soil response using the SHAW Model. Laboratory-assessed soil properties and weather station measurements were used as inputs for the computational predictive models. The computational models give promising results, particularly for prediction of the subgrade temperature profiles.
Reading Between the Institutions, Reading Between the Genres, Reading Between the Lines: Jeffrey Brooks’ The Firebird and the Fox: 4th Contribution to the Forum about The Firebird and the Fox: Russian Culture under Tsars and Bolsheviks by Jeffrey Brooks

Jeffrey Brooks’ new book, The Firebird and the Fox, draws on an unsurpassed knowledge of Russian literature and culture of all levels, from the folk and popular to the canonical and avant-garde. It divides the “age of genius” (1855–1953) into three periods: the emancipation of the arts (1850–1889), politics and the arts (1890–1916), the Bolshevik Revolution and the arts (1917–1950), each with its own configurations of popular and high culture and construction of creative artists, media, and readers. But three core themes overarch the periods and the exceptionally broad range of phenomena the book discusses: freedom and order, boundaries, art and reality. Throughout Brooks analyzes crossovers and intersections between cultural institutions, between genres and media, and – especially for the Soviet period – between the lines. His categories are at times sociological, historical, and literary. The book implies a theory of cultural production that gives unusual weight to the agency of creative artists. In conclusion readings of three works Brooks does not analyze (Dostoevsky’s Demons, Bely’s Petersburg, and Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky) illustrate the productivity of Brooks’ broad and humane approach to Russian artistic culture.
New Treatments for Recurrent Uterine Cancer.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Endometrial cancer is a highly treatable cancer; however, 13 to 15% of cases recur. Traditional cytotoxic chemotherapies have produced modest results, but new treatments show promise. This information was compiled from an extensive literature search, which was completed in order to summarize current data in this review. Our objective was to describe new therapies for recurrent endometrial cancer in the last 5 years. RECENT FINDINGS New targeted therapies are being identified for advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer. Within the last 5 years, pembrolizumab and lenvatinib have improved survival in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. Similarly, trastuzumab has shown efficacy in HER2-producing uterine serous cancer. Patients with recurrent endometrial cancer are often difficult to salvage. Traditional chemotherapy has produced poor response rates. Both immunotherapy and other targeted therapies have shown promise in recurrent disease.
Accessing African Farmlands: Discourses and Practices of Transnational Land Acquisitions in Central Uganda

The surge in international interest in and acquisitions of African farmland has received considerable attention in the last decade. An equally growing body of research has attempted to explore explanatory pathways, or drivers of the phenomenon from both a local and global perspectives. But how do these land deals actually occur? There is still insufficient understanding of the strategies of access and processes of acquisition deployed by transnational actors. Using findings from five years of empirical research in central Uganda on Chinese, Indian and Norwegian owned farms, this paper analyses the discourses and practices of land acquisition deployed by transnational investors and examines how these strategies shape the process and determine the outcomes of land deals at the local level. Findings show that investors construct multiple narratives at various times and selectively deploy them in pursuit of specific interests. Careful alignment with global developmental thinking designed to attract funding and synchronizing with local policy priorities to attain access show mixed results. Cultivation of local patronage networks are predominant pathways of access, but these are fraught with risks occasioned by socio-political heterogeneity and shifting power relations across multiple levels. I argue that the identity and experiences of the investors, and their dexterity in navigating the complex diversity of local contexts are important factors that shape the processes and outcomes of transnational land deals at the local level.
Overpartition analogues for the generalized Rogers–Ramanujan identities of Bressoud

Abstract In the past two decades, there have been a lot of research centred around overpartitions, some of which concern overpartition analogues of Rogers–Ramanujan type identities. In this paper, we present Rogers–Ramanujan type overpartition identities by considering Bressoud’s even moduli generalization of the Rogers–Ramanujan identity and its overpartition analogue of Chen, Sang and Shi given in 2015. We first introduce another overpartition function C ¯ k , a ( n ) and show that C ¯ k , a ( n ) equals the overpartition function B ¯ k , a , 0 ( n ) of Chen, Sang and Shi. Next, we study parity constrains on parts of overpartitions. Recently, Sang, Shi and Yee obtained Rogers–Ramanujan type identities for overpartitions by adding some parity constraints to even or odd parts of overpartitions Chen, Sang and Shi introduced in 2013. We make some modifications and add constraints to even or odd parts of overpartitions counted by C ¯ k , a ( n ) and B ¯ k , a , 0 ( n ) obtaining further Rogers–Ramanujan type overpartition identities.
Effects of restricting energy during the gilt development period on growth and reproduction of lines differing in lean growth rate: Responses in reproductive performance and longevity.

Longevity and reproductive performance are economically important traits in the swine industry that are largely influenced by nutrition and other environmental factors. Reproductive performance and longevity through 4 parities was assessed in gilts of 2 genetic lines developed on ad libitum access to feed or restricted to 75% of ad libitum intake. A total of 661 gilts were used in a 2 x 2 factorial with half of the gilts allocated to an ad libitum diet (AL; n = 330), while the other half were energy restricted by 25% (R; n = 331) from 123 to 235 d of age. All gilts were sired by an industry maternal line. Dams of the gilts were from either a Large White by Landrace industry maternal line or Nebraska Selection Line 45X, producing gilts designated as W x L (n = 355) and L45X (n = 306), respectively. Daily estrus detection began at 140 d of age to obtain age at puberty (AP). Gilts (n = 510) were mated on their second or later estrus, beginning at 240 d of age. Sow weight and backfat were recorded at 110 d of gestation and weaning of each parity. Number of live-born, stillborn, and mummified pigs per litter and piglet birth and weaning weights were recorded through 4 parities. More L45X than W x L and more AL than R gilts reached puberty by 230 d of age (P < 0.01). Dietary treatment did not affect probability to produce parities 1 to 4 or any litter trait analyzed. The L45X females tended to be more likely to produce parities 1 (P < 0.08) and 3 (P < 0.06), while W x L had heavier litters at birth (P < 0.01) and weaning (P = 0.01). Treatment by parity interactions (P < 0.01) existed for weight and backfat prior to farrowing and backfat at weaning, and weight at weaning exhibited a line by treatment by parity interaction (P = 0.04) as R sows had lower weights and backfats in earlier parities, but caught up to AL sows in later parities. A treatment by parity interaction (P < 0.01) was also present for backfat loss from farrowing to weaning as R gilts lost less backfat than AL in parities 1 and 2, but more in parities 3 and 4. No significant differences were detected between lines or treatments for lifetime production traits. The populations of pigs and data presented here provide a framework for a diverse array of further studies. Alternative approaches to restrict energy have been assessed in addition to methods of marker-assisted and genomic selection for improvement of litter size and sow longevity.
The DNA polymerases of Chinese hamster cells. The products specified by salmon sperm DNA template.

Abstract Two Chinese hamster DNA-dependent DNA polymerases utilize activated salmon sperm DNA to promote DNA biosynthesis in vitro . Cytoplasmic 6S DNA polymerase incorporates substantially more dCTP and less dTTP than encoded by activated DNA template. Nuclear 4S DNA polymerase incorporates all four nucleotide substrates in amounts approximately equivalent to those specified by the template. In the absence of three unlabeled triphosphates, 4S DNA polymerase polymerizes sequences of DNA from one labeled nucleoside 5′-triphosphate. Products of the latter reaction are synthesized in the 5′→3′ direction and appear to be oligonucleotide sequences ending in 3′-OH's encoded within the DNA template. The size distribution of pyrimidine oligonucleotide derived from DNA synthesized in vitro from all four nucleotide substrates approximate the distribution encoded in the template used. However, both Chinese hamster DNA polymerases preferentially synthesize products containing the longer tracts of pyrimidine nucleotides encoded in salmon sperm DNA template. Synthesis of long pyrimidine tracts requires purine substrates, indicating that primer sites for DNA synthesis are not randomly distributed across the activated DNA template.
Contact stress analysis of layered solids with complex crack patterns

Hard protective coatings are widely used in modern tribology. However, coating performance under severe contact conditions is limited by their ability to withstand high-magnitude contact stresses. Fracture mechanics analyses of layered solids are important for gaining insight into the mechanisms of coating strength and endurance, and are crucial for understanding the effect of coating microstructure on its performance. A new approach to the numerical analysis of cracks in layered elastic solids is proposed here. It combines three-dimensional (3D) FFT with the theory of periodic eigenstrain and the conjugate gradient method. The new method is best suited for analyzing complex 3D crack patterns, such as those produced in protective coatings by roughness-induced contact stresses. Numerical examples illustrating the advantages as well as limitations of the new approach are presented. The method is then used to study the potential effect of coating layer structure on 3D crack propagation through the coating thickness.
Estimating effects of exogenous output changes: an application of multi-regional social accounting matrix (MRSAM) method to natural resource management†

Regional economists and policy-makers have lacked an appropriate methodological tool that enables them to estimate, in an unbiased way, the multi-regional economic impacts of constraints on productive capacity in natural resource-based industries. Methods developed in previous studies are subject to several, sometimes serious, methodological problems, and therefore, cannot calculate multi-regional economic impacts of supply-side shocks in an unbiased way. This study uses an adjusted demand-driven multi-regional social accounting matrix (MRSAM) method, and shows that the method can overcome the limitations of the previous studies. The method is applied to Alaska pollock fishery, as an example.
Is the calcium receptor a molecular target for the actions of strontium on bone

The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) plays key roles in maintaining extracellular calcium homeostasis by enabling several of the cells and tissues involved in this process to sense small changes in Ca(2+)(o) and to respond with changes in cellular function that will restore Ca(2+)(o) to its normal level. The chief cells of the parathyroid gland and the thyroidal C-cells, for example, respond to decreases in Ca(2+)(o) with increased secretion of the Ca(2+)(o)-elevating hormone, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and decreased secretion of the Ca(2+)(o)-lowering hormone, calcitonin, respectively. The cells of the renal distal tubule are likewise capable of sensing Ca(2+)(o) and respond to decreases in Ca(2+)(o) with increased tubular reabsorption of Ca(2+) and vice versa, alterations in tubular function that will contribute to normalization of Ca(2+)(o). The skeleton also plays key roles in maintaining Ca(2+)(o) homeostasis and both osteoblasts and osteoclasts can sense Ca(2+)(o), with elevations in Ca(2+)(o) promoting bone formation and inhibiting bone resorption. It has been suggested that Sr(2+) could act on bone via the CaR; however, the molecular mechanisms through which Ca(2+)(o) and Sr(2+)(o) exert these actions on bone cells remain controversial. Therefore, identifying their molecular target(s) would have significant implications for the treatment of bone loss. Ideally, therapies should simultaneously inhibit bone resorption while stimulating bone formation. Administration of strontium produces exactly those effects. Previous studies with dispersed bovine parathyroid cells as well as a preliminary study using CaR-transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells indicate that Sr(2+)(o) is an agonist of the CaR, albeit with slightly lower efficacies and potencies than Ca(2+)(o). Given that Sr(2+)(o) is distributed preferentially in bone, therefore, an action of this divalent cation on the CaR in bone cells represents one possible mechanism by which strontium ranelate, a new antiosteoporotic drug, exerts it skeletal actions in vivo.
A Hybrid Charged-Particle Guide for Studying (n, Charged Particle) Reactions

Charged-particle transport systems consisting of magnetic quadrupole lenses have been employed in recent years in the study of (n, charged particle) reactions. We have completed a new transport system that is based both on magnetic lenses as well as electrostatic fields. The magnetic focusing of this charged-particle guide is provided by six magnetic quadrupole lenses arranged in a CDCCDC sequence (in the vertical plane). The electrostatic field is produced by a wire at high voltage which stretches the length of the guide and is physically at the center of the magnetic axis. The magnetic lenses are used for charged particles above 5 MeV; the electrostatic guide is used for lower energies. This hybrid system possesses the excellent focusing and background rejection properties of other magnetic systems. For low energy charged-particles, the electrostatic transport avoids the narrow band-passes in charged-particle energy which are a problem with purely magnetic transport systems. This system is installed at the LLNL Cyclograaff facility for the study of (n, charged particle) reactions at neutron energies up to 35 MeV.
Respiratory-deficient Mutants in Saccharomyces lactis

Six independent ultraviolet-induced respiratory-deficient mutants (petites) of Saccharomyces lactis were isolated and characterized. Two possessed a normal cytochrome spectrum, another displayed an increased level of all the cytochromes, and three suffered from a partial or complete loss of one or more of the cytochromes a, b, c, and c1. All of the mutants were segregational petites; none was vegetative. Determination of linkage relationships between mutants was restricted because matings between mutants, homozygous or heterozygous, for loci affecting cytochrome content were blocked at various stages in the mating-sporulating sequence. At least three of the petites were genetically nonidentical. Three of the mutations appeared to occupy loci within the same linkage group; two of the three mutations that mapped within this region were cytochrome-deficient. Growth at high or low temperatures, under increased osmotic pressure or in media supplemented with various fatty acids or sterols, did not relieve the physiological defects in these mutants. Reasons for the differences in survival of segregational and vegetative petites within this species are examined.
Prosocial Peer Treatment and the Psychosocial Outcomes Associated with Anxious-Withdrawal

This study examined prosocial peer treatment as a potential moderator of the associations between anxious-withdrawal and depressive symptoms and victimization. The stability of anxious-withdrawal was also considered in this short-term longitudinal study of young adolescent boys and girls (N = 264; Mage = 12.08 years). Constructs were assessed with peer nomination and self-report measures. Regression analyses revealed that being the recipient of prosocial behaviour by the peer group strengthened the stability of anxious-withdrawal over time and, for boys, the association between anxious-withdrawal and victimization concurrently and over time. The importance of these findings for research on and intervention for anxious-withdrawal during early adolescence is discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of a Gilford "Automatic Enzyme Analyzer" Modified to Assay 60 Samples per Hour

A Gilford 3400 Automatic Enzyme Analyzer has been modified to assay 60 samples per hour in modes 1 and 2 (28 and 61 seconds of incubation) or 30 samples per hour in mode 3 (187 seconds of incubation). The calculation cycle was reduced threefold to print activity based on Δ A /20 s, rather than Δ A /60 s. Linear ranges at 30 and 37 °C for lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase were determined with control sera at rates of 60 samples per hour and for creatine kinase activated by dithiothreitol at 30 samples per hour. AutoAnalyzer end-point assays of patients' sera were correlated with the Gilford U/liter values. Application of the Micromedic pipette to the Gilford AEA system provided a convenient mean to study the linear range, precision, and accuracy of an enzyme assay.
Redox Control and Hydrogen Bonding Networks: Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions and Tyrosine Z in the Photosynthetic Oxygen-Evolving Complex

In photosynthetic oxygen evolution, redox active tyrosine Z (YZ) plays an essential role in proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. Four sequential photooxidation reactions are necessary to produce oxygen at a Mn4CaO5 cluster. The sequentially oxidized states of this oxygen-evolving cluster (OEC) are called the Sn states, where n refers to the number of oxidizing equivalents stored. The neutral radical, YZ•, is generated and then acts as an electron transfer intermediate during each S state transition. In the X-ray structure, YZ, Tyr161 of the D1 subunit, is involved in an extensive hydrogen bonding network, which includes calcium-bound water. In electron paramagnetic resonance experiments, we measured the YZ• recombination rate, in the presence of an intact Mn4CaO5 cluster. We compared the S0 and S2 states, which differ in Mn oxidation state, and found a significant difference in the YZ• decay rate (t1/2 = 3.3 ± 0.3 s in S0; t1/2 = 2.1 ± 0.3 s in S2) and in the solvent isotope effect (SIE) on ...
Observing Sara: a case study of a blind person's interactions with technology

While software is increasingly being improved to enhance access and use, software interfaces nonetheless often create barriers for people who are blind. In response, the blind computer user develops workarounds, strategies to overcome the constraints of a physical and social world engineered for the sighted. This paper describes an interview and observational study of a blind college student interacting with various technologies within her home. Structured around Blythe, Monk and Park's Technology Biographies, these experience centered sessions focus not only on technology function, but on the relationship of function to the meanings and values that this student attributes to technology use in different settings. Studying a single user across a range of devices and tasks provides a broader and more nuanced understanding of the contexts and causes of task failure and of the workarounds employed than is possible with a more narrowly focused usability study. Themes that were revealed across a range of tasks include the importance for technologies to not "mark" the user as being blind within a predominantly sighted social world, to support user independence through portability and user control, and to allow user "resets" and brute-force fallbacks in the face of persistent task failure.
Development and efficacy of ultrasound-guided fetal fluid aspiration techniques for prenatal diagnosis of caprine β-mannosidosis

Abstract Ultrasound-guided fetal fluid sampling was performed on 13 pregnant goats at Days 59 to 65 of gestation to establish safe techniques for accurate sampling and to determine the feasibility of prenatal diagnosis of β-mannosidosis. Fluids were analyzed for electrolyte and creatinine content to assess accuracy of sampling. Values correlated well with previously reported concentrations for caprine and ovine fetal fluids at the same gestational stage. The single abortion which occurred following ultrasound-guided sampling was correlated with placentome penetration and aspiration of bloody fluids. Thin layer chromatography of amniotic and allantoic fluids was performed to detect oligosaccharides that accumulate in β-mannosidosis. Abnormal accumulated oligosaccharides were identified in the allantoic but not amniotic fluid from a β-mannosidase-deficient 62-d-old fetus. Thus, allantocentesis was shown to be an optimal, safe procedure for providing information at this gestational stage to diagnose caprine β-mannosidosis.
On the regularity of the primitive equations of the ocean

We prove the existence of global strong solutions of the primitive equations of the ocean in the case of the Dirichlet boundary conditions on the side and the bottom boundaries including the varying bottom topography. Previously, the existence of global strong solutions was known in the case of the Neumann boundary conditions in a cylindrical domain (Cao and Titi 2007 Ann. Math. 166 245–67).
Characterization of the Core Mammalian Clock Component, NPAS2, as a REV-ERBα/RORα Target Gene

The mammalian clock is regulated at the cellular level by a transcriptional/translational feedback loop. BMAL1/CLOCK (or NPAS2) heterodimers activate the expression of the PERIOD (PER) and CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) genes acting as transcription factors directed to the PER and CRY promoters via E-box elements. PER and CRY proteins form heterodimers and suppress the activity of the BMAL1/CLOCK (or NPAS2) completing the feedback loop. The circadian expression of BMAL1 is influenced by retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor α (RORα) and REV-ERBα, two nuclear receptors that target a ROR-response element in the promoter of the BMAL1 gene. Given that BMAL1 functions as an obligate heterodimer with either CLOCK or NPAS2, it is unclear how the expression of the partner is coordinated with BMAL1 expression. Here, we demonstrate that NPAS2 is also a RORα and REV-ERBα target gene. Using a ChIP/microarray screen, we identified both RORα and REV-ERBα occupancy of the NPAS2 promoter. We identified two functional ROREs within the NPAS2 promoter and also demonstrate that both RORα and REV-ERBα regulate the expression of NPAS2 mRNA. These data suggest a mechanism by which RORα and REV-ERBα coordinately regulate the expression of the positive arm of the circadian rhythm feedback loop.
VESSEL DISPERSANT APPLICATION IN OIL SPILL RESPONSE: RESEARCH REVIEW

ABSTRACT Dispersants are a proven oil spill response technique. Since effective use of dispersants is often limited to a few days following a spill, timely and effective dispersant application is a major requirement for dispersant use. Despite the advantages of aircraft over vessels in applying dispersant to large or remote spills, vessels do offer certain advantages over aircraft. These include wide and ready availability in port and marine terminal areas, lower cost, ease of deployment, high degree of spray control and accuracy. These advantages often result in vessel platforms being the preferred application method, especially for nearshore, smaller spills. Therefore, vessel-based systems should not be overlooked in contingency planning, as these systems can often be a viable and effective option for sustained dispersant application in certain oil spill situations. There are three major types of vessel dispersant application systems: (1) spray arm systems; (2) fire monitor systems, which are systems de...
Category O over a deformation of the symplectic oscillator algebra

Abstract We discuss the representation theory of H f , which is a deformation of the symplectic oscillator algebra sp (2n)⋉ h n , where h n is the ((2 n +1)-dimensional) Heisenberg algebra. We first look at a more general algebra with a triangular decomposition. Assuming the PBW theorem, and one other hypothesis, we show that the BGG category O is abelian, finite length, and self-dual. We decompose O as a direct sum of blocks O (λ) , and show that each block is a highest weight category. In the second part, we focus on the case H f for n =1, where we prove all these assumptions, as well as the PBW theorem.
Serum paraoxonase: effect of the apolipoprotein composition of HDL and the acute phase response.

Genetic variations of paraoxonase (PON) correlate with HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), suggesting antiatherogenic properties. Atherosclerosis occurs naturally in humans and rabbits but not in mice. We compared variations of PON arylesterase activity (PON AEase, phenylacetate substrate) in humans, rabbits, and mice. In humans and rabbits, >95% of PON AEase is HDL associated. In mice, about 30% of PON AEase is lipid poor. In the absence of apoA-I in mice, total PON AEase is reduced and >60% is lipid poor. PON AEase level and distribution is restored in apoA-I−/− mice injected with adenoviruses encoding human apoA-I and in transgenic mice expressing human apoA-I at a steady-state level. Thus, while apoA-I is not required for the HDL association of PON AEase, induced variations in apoA-I correlate with changes in HDL-associated, but not lipid-poor, PON AEase. PON AEase associates only with apoA-I- or apoE-containing HDL but not VLDL. In the absence of both apoA-I and apoE, PON AEase is all-lipid-poor. PON AEase is displaced from HDL by ultracentrifugation and following incubation with serum amyloid A. Variations in the PON distribution between HDL and lipid-poor fractions may have important consequences in its antioxidant activity and in atherogenesis.
The effect of crystallite size on the activity and selectivity of silver catalysts

Abstract The effect of crystallite size on the activity and selectivity of silver catalysts for the oxidation of ethylene was studied in a differential reactor at 220 °C, P O 2 = 0.264 atm, P E = 0.264 atm. The activities per unit area for ethylene oxide formation and for carbon dioxide formation decreased with increasing crystallite size, but not at the same rate. The selectivity was nearly zero for 20 A particles and gradually increased to 60% for 500 A particles. Two types of active sites are believed to be formed by adsorption of oxygen at steps and faces of the silver crystals, and reaction occurs between ethylene and atomic or molecular oxygen competitively adsorbed on these sites.
Glucuronidation of all-trans-retinoic acid in liposomal membranes.

Abstract Retinoyl β- d -glucuronide is a biologically active metabolite of retinoic acid. The kinetics of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-catalyzed biosynthesis of retinoyl β- d -glucuronide was examined in rat liver and intestinal native microsomes incubated with [3H]retinoic acid incorporated into liposomes. The product was identified by cochromatography with authentic all-trans retinoyl β- d -glucuronide, by hydrolysis with β- d -glucuronidase, and by mass spectrometry. In vitamin A-sufficient rats the apparent K m values for all-trans-retinoic acid were 173 μM and 125 μM, and the apparent V max , 62 and 41 pmol/min per mg, for small intestinal and liver microsomes, respectively. In vitamin A-deficient rats repleted with all-trans-retinyl acetate, the apparent K m (91 μM) and V max (53 pmol/min per mg) for intestinal microsomes were in range of those of vitamin A-sufficient rats. The similarities in the kinetic parameters for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in small intestinal mucosa and liver suggest that the reactions are catalyzed by the same enzyme. In vitamin A-deficient rats given a large amount all-trans-retinoic acid (1.2 mmol/day for 3 days) the apparent K m was 105 μM and V max , 127 pmol/min per mg of intestinal microsomal protein. We conclude that the kinetics of intestinal retinoic acid glucuronidation are not characteristic of simple detoxification reactions. Retinoyl glucuronide may be important in mediating retinoic acid metabolism and function.
THE VALUE OF NETWORKS IN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT: CASE STUDIES IN EASTERN EUROPE AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

This study proposes that cooperative efforts in microlending aid economic development and poverty alleviation in transitioning and developing countries by creating networking systems in which people can expand their businesses through working capital and community cooperation. Two field studies are used to validate the authors' claims. The first examines a microfinance cooperative structure in Bulgaria as a means to secure credit, savings, technical support and networking opportunities for cooperative members. The second looks at a cooperative microfinance institution in the Philippines that appears to create greater socio-economic growth for poor entrepreneurs as well as NGO financial viability. Both studies suggest that cooperative microlending leads to high survival rates and success of self-employed entrepreneurs by facilitating social capital through their organizational processes.
Suprabasal Dsg2 expression in transgenic mouse skin confers a hyperproliferative and apoptosis-resistant phenotype to keratinocytes

Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2), a component of the desmosomal cell-cell adhesion structure, has been linked to invasion and metastasis in squamous cell carcinomas. However, it is unknown whether--and if so how--Dsg2 contributes to the malignant phenotype of keratinocytes. In this study, we addressed the consequences of Dsg2 overexpression under control of the involucrin promoter (Inv-Dsg2) in the epidermis of transgenic mice. These mice exhibited epidermal hyperkeratosis with slightly disrupted early and late differentiation markers, but intact epidermal barrier function. However, Inv-Dsg2 transgene expression was associated with extensive epidermal hyperplasia and increased keratinocyte proliferation in basal and suprabasal epidermal strata. Cultured Inv-Dsg2 keratinocytes showed enhanced cell survival in the anchorage-independent state that was critically dependent on EGF receptor activation and NF-kappaB activity. Consistent with the hyperproliferative and apoptosis-resistant phenotype of Inv-Dsg2 transgenic keratinocytes, we observed enhanced activation of multiple growth and survival pathways, including PI 3-kinase/AKT, MEK-MAPK, STAT3 and NF-kappaB, in the transgenic skin in situ. Finally, Inv-Dsg2 transgenic mice developed intraepidermal skin lesions resembling precancerous papillomas and were more susceptible to chemically induced carcinogenesis. In summary, overexpression of Dsg2 in epidermal keratinocytes deregulates multiple signaling pathways associated with increased growth rate, anchorage-independent cell survival, and the development of skin tumors in vivo.
O. Chanute, C.E.

Octave Chanute was one of the leading civil engineers in the United States in the period between 1850 and 1890. His work on eastern and western railroads was unsurpassed. He began his bridge building career in 1856 and designed his last major bridge in 1888. Starting in 1890, he began his study in the work that others conducted in the area of manned flight and designed and tested many of his own gliders. He later assisted the Wright Brothers in their experiments in Dayton and at Kitty Hawk.
THE USE OF FAT REPLACERS IN FAT‐FREE SUMMER SAUSAGE1

Fat replacers were studied in summer sausage while the processing method and seasoning blend were held invariable. The substances evaluated were rice granules, potato flour/beet fiber, rice flour, and modified starch. The products were stored at 3C and analyzed for color, sensory attributes, TBARS values and proximate content at days 1, 30, and 60. The fat-free summer sausage products were not different (P>0.05) from the control product in processing yield, pH, TBARS values, consumer acceptance, purchase intent and preference test, and sensory attributes of flavor at days 30 and 60, and overall rating at day 60. There were differences (P 0.05) Hunter Color “a” values, tenderness, juiciness, and percent protein, yet increased (P<0.05) tartness of all summer sausage products.
Wilderness shapes contemporary fire size distributions across landscapes of the western United States

In many U.S. federally designated wilderness areas, wildfires are likely to burn of their own accord due to favorable management policies and remote location. Previous research suggested that limitations on fire size can result from the evolution of natural fire regimes, specifically in places where fuels were recently reduced by previous burning. To explore the broader-scale importance of fire management on wilderness landscapes, we selected three study regions representing diverse ecosystems in the western U.S. and modeled the change in fire size distributions across a gradient defined by wilderness/non-wilderness boundaries. For randomly selected locations across the gradient, we derived a scaling parameter (α) using fire size-frequency data for public lands (1984–2007); the parameter reflected the magnitude of change in the right tail of the fire size distribution where the largest fires reside. We then used quantile regression to model changes in α across the wilderness gradient, interpreting the results in terms of constraints on the relative role of large fires in structuring the fire size distribution. In the Southwest study region, the influence of large fires on size distributions decreased across the gradient toward wilderness at some places, suggesting that increased occurrence of natural burning, favored by wilderness management, led to limitations on fire sizes within recent timeframes. In contrast, we were unable to support the expectation that wilderness fire management limits the role of large fires in the Sierra Nevada and Northern Rockies study regions. Rather, the predominance of large fires increased toward wilderness interiors. Among spatial climate and topographic roughness variables included in our study, only winter and fire season precipitation limited fire size in the Northern Rockies, whereas several constraints on large fire occurrence operated in other regions. In southwestern ecosystems, evidence is needed to document stability in fire size distributions through time. In ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada and Northern Rockies, a longer temporal extent of observations may better match scales of disturbance and recovery. Our findings reflect the role of wilderness in addressing a fire deficit which has resulted from strong human influences on forests and fires over the past 150 years.
A cross-layer optimisation approach for multimedia over CDMA mobile wireless networks

We study a cross-layer optimisation approach for the transport of packetised digital video over future generation CDMA mobile wireless networks, taking into account both the interference-limited and bandwidth-limited characteristics associated with spread-spectrum CDMA systems. In particular, by considering the resource requirements as the aggregate of the products of source coding rates and the energy per information bit to noise ratio, we propose a joint source coding-power control (JSCPC) strategy combined with adaptive channel coding employing the class of rate-compatible punctured turbo (RCPT) codes to provide forward error correction (FEC) with unequal error protection (UEP). We show that this adaptive cross-layer approach can simultaneously maximise the quality of the delivered video while minimising the total resource consumption, thereby providing improved spectral efficiency and network utilisation. We demonstrate the efficacy of this approach using the ITU-T H.263+ video source coder although the approach is generally applicable to other source coding schemes as well.
Relationship Trajectories, Parenting Stress, and Unwed Mothers' Transition to a New Baby

SYNOPSIS Objective . The present study examined associations between unwed mothers' residency and romantic relationships with the biological father during the transition to a new baby and mothers' later parenting stress. It also examined whether fathers' financial and caregiving support accounted for variation in parenting stress across relationship trajectories. Design . Data were drawn from first two waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) (N = 2,736 in 18 cities), with relationship status measured at the focal child's birth and one year later, and parenting stress measured one year after birth. Results . Parenting stress was highest among mothers who broke up with the father during the first year and lowest among those in consistent romantic relationships regardless of parents' coresidence status. Both fathers' financial and caregiving support mediated the association between relationship dissolution and higher maternal parenting stress, although caregiving support accounted for...
Clubfoot treatment: Ponseti and French functional methods are equally effective.

Over the past 15 years, the reemergence of nonoperative treatment of clubfeet throughout the world has been profound. Two methods have been utilized—the Ponseti method and, to a lesser extent, the French functional method. Our review presents one institution’s experience using both methods. Satisfactory initial correction was achieved in 95% of idiopathic clubfeet, regardless of method. However, maintenance of the correction was challenging as relapses occurred in 37% of feet treated by the Ponseti method and 29% of feet treated by the French functional method. At an average 4.3 year followup, using either method, posteromedial releases were avoided in 84% of our patients. Using gait analysis to evaluate the function of children treated with these techniques, there was no difference in cadence parameters between the two groups. More of the children treated with the French method walked with knee hyperextension, a mild equinus gait, and mild footdrop. In contrast, more of the patients in the Ponseti group demonstrated mildly increased stance-phase dorsiflexion and a calcaneus gait.
8-Dimensional manifolds with S3×S3 actions

Abstract The first part of this paper gives the complete equivariant classification of smooth S 3 ×S 3 actions on closed, orientable, 8-dimensional manifolds in terms of the weighted quotient space and a lifting obstruction, when the principal isotropy is the identity. The second part addresses the question of a topological classification of such manifolds, and points to some of the open problems.
Lunar theory and processes: Post-sunset horizon "afterglow"

Lunar postsunset horizon afterglow observed by Surveyor 7, discussing small particle diffraction on surface
On four critiques of Pascal's Wager

It is perhaps well known that Pasca l ' s Wager is not taken seriously by con temporary philosophers; it is usually quickly dismissed. What is perhaps not so widely known is that some of these con temporary crit iques of Pasca l ' s a rgumen t can be met. In this paper I will consider four d i f ferent cri t icisms of Pascal ' s a rguments given by con tempora ry philosophers: Monroe Beards ley and Elizabeth Beardsley, Michael Scriven, Walter Kaufmann and Anthony Flew. I will show that their crit iques do not a f fec t some plausible uses and forms of the Wager. Consequently if the Wager is to be re fu ted in all its plausible uses and f o r m s , di f ferent cri t icisms will have to b e given.
Thiamin stabilization of thiamin pyrophosphotransferase against in activation by thermal and low pH treatments

Summary Soybean seedling extracts were incubated at temperatures between 27 and 52°C for 10 min prior to determining thiamin pyrophosphotransferase activity. The activity of this enzyme was progressively decreased by increasing incubation temperatures. The addition of 8.2 mM thiamin during incubation prevented enzyme inactivation. Exogenous thiamin also stabilized the soybean enzyme during short term incubation at high H+ ion concentration (pH 4.0) before assay. The presence of 8.2 mM thiamin during incubation of the thiamin pyrophosphotransferases from soybean, rat liver and yeast at 60°C for 10 min minimized inactivation of the enzyme from each of these sources.
Debate about ironstone: has solute supply been surficial weathering, hydrothermal convection, or exhalation of deep fluids?

Ironstone is any chemical sedimentary rock with > 15% Fe. An iron formation is a stratigraphic unit which is composed largely of ironstone. The solutes which have precipitated to become ironstone have dissolved from the Earth's surface, from the upper crust, e.g. the basaltic layer of oceanic crust, or from deeper within the Earth. Genetic modellers generally choose between surficial weathering, e.g. soil formation, and hydrothermal fluids which have convected through the upper kilometre of oceanic crust. Most genetic modellers attribute cherty laminated iron formations to hydrothermal convection and noncherty oolitic iron formations to surficial weathering. However, both types of iron formations are attributable to the exhalation of fluids from a source region too deep for convection of seawater. Evidence for a deep source of ferriferous fluids comes from a comparison of ancient ironstone with modern ferriferous sediment in coastal Venezuela. A deep-source origin for ironstone has wide-ranging implications for the origins of other chemical sedimentary ores, e.g. phosphorite, manganostone, bedded magnesite, sedimentary uranium ore, various karst-filling ores, and even petroleum. Preliminary study of a modern oolitic iron deposit described herein suggests that the source of iron and silica to iron formations may have been even deeper than envisioned within most hydrothermal convection models.
Microscopic technique to determine various wear modes of used engine oil

Engine oil is an important and the most essential part of machine system. Oil monitoring is a tool to determine lubricant useful life. It can be either performance testing or oil condition monitoring. Knowledge of the system's failure modes is essential for cost-effective oil monitoring. Contamination occurs by mating contact inside the engine chamber. In the present work used CH415W40 engine oil were monitored under bichromatic microscope to observe the contamination and surfaces wear micrograph. According to the observation, rubbing, cutting, fatigue, corrosion, abrasive and scuffing wear modes were observed.