cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electromechanical Oscillations in Hydro-Dominant Power Systems: An Application to the Colombian Power System

Power system modeling that captures the dynamic behavior of the different components interacting in an electric grid is useful in understanding some observed phenomena that have not been easy to reproduce by simulation. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the modeling of hydro-dominant power system to study the origin of some very low frequency oscillations (VLFOs) that have not been explained or reproduced; for example, VLFOs in the Colombian Power System have been detected in the 0.05Hz range and their origin have not been clarified. Within this work modeling guidelines for hydro-electric power plants to capture the effects of the hydraulic coupling of turbines, their control strategies, and nonlinearities in the controls and actuators will be developed. This level of modeling will enable to reproduce oscillatory observation by simulation as the ones in the Colombian system for further analysis. Finally, robust control is proposed to damp oscillatory modes to account the effect of the dynamic behavior of coupled systems and nonlinearities in their controls.
Differences in platelet serotonin transporter sites between African-American tobacco smokers and non-smokers

Rationale The serotonin transporter (5HTT) regulates the magnitude and duration of serotonergic neurotransmission. Although nicotine and other constituents of tobacco smoke may influence serotonin turnover among animals, few studies have examined whether smoking is associated with alteration in 5HTT in humans. Objective We investigated whether tobacco smokers and non-smokers differed in platelet tritiated paroxetine binding, a measure of 5HTT sites, and whether severity of nicotine dependence (ND) was related to 5HTT measures. Methods Tritiated paroxetine binding sites on platelets were assayed in 26 African-American smokers and 30 non-smokers. Severity of smoking was assessed using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Relationships between FTND scores and maximum number of transporter sites (B(max)) and affinity constant (K(d)) of paroxetine binding were determined. Results B(max) values showed a significant negative correlation with FTND scores (rho=-0.28, P Conclusions Smoking, in particular higher nicotine dependence, appears to be correlated with decreased density of platelet 5HTT sites in African-Americans. The nature of the relationship and whether similar changes occur in the brain merit further investigation.
Solitary Wave Structure in Magnetized Plasmas and the Source Region of BEN

[1] A theoretical analysis of nonlinear electrostatic waves using coupled equations for a magnetized plasma yields a generalized BGK-like equation for trapped-particle distributions that produce these structures in the guiding-center approximation. A conditional requirement is found for electron trapping, and the amount of trapping decreases as the angle of the electric field relative to the backgrounnd magnetic field increases, ceasing at a critical finite angle. The results are applied to broadband electrostatic waves (BEN) in the magnetail. For BEN, trapping can occur over larger angles in the near-Earth case because of the large magnetic field there, whereas trapping is confined to close alignment with the magnetic field further out (e.g., under 20° at distances out 13 RE and above), and strongly supports the conclusion that in cases further out into the magnetotail that solitary waves are highly field-aligned.
Electron-phonon interactions for optical-phonon modes in few-layer graphene: First-principles calculations

We present a first-principles study of the electron-phonon $(e\text{-ph})$ interactions and their contributions to the linewidths for the optical-phonon modes at $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ and $K$ in one-layer to three-layer graphene. It is found that, due to the interlayer coupling and the stacking geometry, the high-frequency optical-phonon modes in few-layer graphene couple with different valence and conduction bands, giving rise to different $e\text{-ph}$ interaction strengths for these modes. Some of the multilayer optical modes derived from the $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{E}_{2g}$ mode of monolayer graphene exhibit slightly higher frequencies and much reduced linewidths. In addition, the linewidths of $K\text{\ensuremath{-}}{A}_{1}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ related modes in multilayers depend on the stacking pattern and decrease with increasing layer numbers.
Picture processing using one-dimensional implementations of discrete planar filters

The problem of implementing a two-dimensional recursive filter as a one-dimensional recursive filter is examined. The results of the present paper show that the exact one-dimensional implementation of a planar recursive filter is a time-varying filter. However, planar filters may be approximated by one-dimensional time-invariant recursive filters. The frequency response, stability, and storage requirements of the approximate filters are derived and illustrated.
Acquisition and maintenance of the simplest motor skill: investigation of CNS mechanisms

The spinal stretch reflex (SSR), or tendon jerk, is the simplest behavior of the vertebrate nervous system. It is mediated primarily by a wholly spinal, two-neuron pathway. Recent studies from several laboratories have shown that primates, human and nonhuman, can gradually increase or decrease the size of the SSR when reward depends on such change. Evidence of this training remains in the spinal cord after all supraspinal influence is removed. Thus, the learning of this simple motor skill changes the spinal cord itself. Comparable spinal plasticity probably plays a role in the acquisition of many complex motor skills. Intracellular physiological and anatomical studies are seeking the location and nature of this spinal cord plasticity. Attention focuses on the most probable sites of change, the group Ia afferent synapse on the alpha motoneuron and the motoneuron itself. Results to date indicate that modifications are present at several places in the spinal cord. Current clinical studies are investigating the use of spinal cord adaptive plasticity as a basis for a new therapeutic approach to spasticity and other forms of abnormal spinal reflex function that result from spinal cord injury, stroke, or other neurological disorders. In the future, understanding of spinal reflex plasticity may lead to development of improved training methods for a variety of motor skills.
Recognition of bZIP proteins by the human T-cell leukaemia virus transactivator Tax

HUMAN T-cell leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I) Tax protein increases the DNA binding of many cellular transcription factors that contain a basic regiona¤-leucine zipper (bZIP) DNA-binding domain1a¤-3. bZIP domains comprise a leucine-rich dimerization motif and a basic region that mediates DNA contact. How Tax recognizes diverse bZIPs is not understood. Here we show that no specific sequence of the leucine zipper is required for a Tax response. In contrast, the basic region is essential for the Tax-mediated DNA-binding increase, which can be eliminated by single substitutions of several conserved amino acids. Surprisingly, Tax alters the relative affinity of a bZIP for different DNA binding sites. Thus, through recognition of the conserved basic region, Tax increases DNA binding and modifies DNA site selection. Tax provides a model for how a single auxiliary factor can regulate multiple sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins.
Modeling email use: a case of email system transition

A large urban university expected its transition to a new and improved email system to result in higher productivity than before. However, email productivity did not show significant improvement after the transition. To understand this lack of improvement in productivity, we modeled the relations among variables that affect email use and productivity using system dynamics. The results show that in non-volitional use situations stress related to email use and email productivity are significantly influenced by the levels of tolerable email backlog and steady incoming emails. Users react to changes in email backlog by calibrating their level of use. This adjustment, in turn, depends on each user's level of email self-efficacy and the rate at which users learn to adapt to changes. The contribution of this paper lies in showing that email productivity can improve if users develop a stable pattern of email use. This can minimize variations in email use and in so doing is likely to leverage email use. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Economic Globalization and Institutions of Global Governance

Economic globalization is reducing the significance of state boundaries. We have a global economy but lack the institutions necessary for a global polity. Unilateral action by a would–be hegemon is untenable in the long term and hence there is a need to discuss our institutions of global governance. The benefits and costs of globalization have been distributed asymmetrically, placing poor people in poor countries at a disadvantage, especially as regards the free movement of low–skilled labour and the creation of intellectual property rights. The World Trade Organization, a target of the critics of globalization, should be seen as a welcome extension of the rule of law to the international arena and a counterweight to unilateralism. More generally, global economic liberalism should be balanced by institutions which provide global public goods and international mechanisms to finance them. All of this implies a further weakening of state sovereignty and a need to ensure that global institutions are democratic and can be held accountable to people worldwide for their performance.
THE RETURNS FROM RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIAN BROADACRE AGRICULTURE

Many people share the view that too little is invested in R & D in agriculture. The relationship between several measures of productivity and research expenditure was estimated using data from ABARE's surveys of broadacre industries and a new data series on R & D expenditure for the period 1953 to 1988. The internal rate of return to research was estimated to be in the range of 15 to 40 percent which does not provide strong evidence that Australia is either under- or over-investing in public research.
Identification and characterization of a novel locus controlling early fruit development in tomato

Cultivated tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculen- tum) encompass a wide range of fruit size and shape variants. This variation provides the basis for dissecting the genetic and molecular pathways of ovary and fruit development. One fruit shape variant is displayed by the cultivar Sun 1642 (TA491). TA491 has an elongated fruit phenotype, while the wild relative L. pimpinellifolium LA1589 produces fruit that are nearly perfect spheres, a shape typical of wild tomatoes. Developmental studies indicated that the differences in fruit shape between TA491 and LA1589 are determined by events occurring immediately after pollination and extending to 14 days post-pollination. Quantitative trait mapping revealed a single major locus on chromosome 7 (named sun) to be responsible for the differential development of TA491 and LA1589 fruit. Other fruit shape loci characterized in tomato (e.g. fs8.1 and ovate) exert their effects before anthesis and early in ovary development. sun is the first major locus identified in tomato controlling fruit shape through post-pollination events.
Mixed flocks and polyspecific associations: Costs and benefits of mixed groups to birds and monkeys

This review examines the diversity of avian mixed foraging flocks with the goal of relating the conclusions to primate polyspecific associations. Mixed associations are considered as adaptations for achieving an optimal balance between predator protection and feeding efficiency. In open habitat, predator and prey are able to detect each other at a distance and feeding competition is low, especially in species that subsist on a homogeneously distributed food supply. These conditions favor large groups of variable composition. In closed habitats, predators attack at close range, so early warning alarm systems are at a premium. Feeding competition is often intense because food resources such as fruit, flushing leaves, and nectar are spatially concentrated. Since feeding competition is generally less between than within species, these conditions favor mixed associations composed of small numbers of several to many species, and the evolution of elaborate early warning systems to thwart predators. The primate polyspecific associations that have been studied to date share characteristics with the closed habitat model while exhibiting some important distinctions. Primate associations are made up of integral troops, not individuals, implying high incremental costs of joining. These costs, plus a paucity of ecologically compatible combinations of species, seem to limit primate polyspecific associations geographically to regions in which the presence of monkey-eating raptors provides a strong incentive for aggregation.
The transparency of the Jovian polar zones

Abstract Polarimetric and photometric observations indicate the presence of a thin molecular atmosphere—above the cloudtop—between Jovian latitudes +45° and −45°, and a thick one at the polar zones. The greater optical transparency and the possibility of a subadiabatic condition at the poles are discussed. A marked difference in molecular optical depth between North and South pole was found in 1960 and 1963. Both poles show evidence of thin clouds, presumably cirrus high above the ammonia-crystal cloudtop.
Women Behaving Badly: 25 years of Thelma & Louise (and six years of The Red Book)

Thelma & Louise R. Scott (Director) (1991). Metro Goldwyn Mayer. ‘Something's crossed over in me and I can't go back,’ explains Thelma, ‘I mean, I just couldn't live’. She has lost the desire and e...
Mechanism of ethanol formation: The role of methanol

Under the experimental conditions used, ca 90% of the ethanol was formed from CO + hydrogen; at most 10% was formed via the added methanol. The /sup 13/C distribution in ethanol shows that the carbon atom from the methanol is incorporated as the CH/sub 3/ portion and that the inserted CO is incorporated in the CH/sub 2/OH portion. The results are consistent with accepted reaction mechanisms in homogeneous systems. 2 figures, 1 table.
The evolving view of rosacea

I became interested in rosacea, particularly papulopustular forms, nearly 40 years ago because of the similarity to acne lesions. Until relatively recently, there was little progress in understanding the pathophysiology and epidemiology of this common disorder. Recent studies have shown that rosacea involves a complex interaction of neuroimmune, innate immunity, and other pathways of chronic inflammation and the development of fibrosis. This supplement, which summarizes a number of important recent studies for the practicing clinician, was written by an international group of dermatologists with an interest in rosacea, the Rosacea International Study Group. Our group first met in 2009 with a goal of discussing the nature of rosacea and what was happening with rosacea management strategies. At that time, there were preliminary data from studies that hinted that we would soon know more about the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and treatment of rosacea. Some of this was ongoing work that we as individuals were involved in that was not yet completed or ready for publication. A number of us also felt that there has historically been a significant unmet need in the knowledge-base about the ocular subtype of rosacea within the dermatology community. Over the ensuing 4 years, more data have become available from both basic and clinical studies. It was important to make these data more accessible to practicing clinicians, which led to the creation of this supplement. Rosacea pathophysiology now appears to involve neurogenic pathways and innate immune responses. Numerous studies describing molecular changes now exist, and these are summarized for the
Bacterial wilt of potatoes in Colombia

On the basis of physical and biochemical tests plus host range studies a wilt disease of potatoes in Colombia, known as “la dormidera,” has been determined to be caused by the bacteriumPseudomonas solanacearum E.F.S. Colombian isolates of the organism differ from those described in other regions with respect to reaction to antibiotics and other therapeutic materials, optimum temperature for growthin vitro and ability to cause disease at low temperatures. Colombian isolates were able to cause disease in the field and in greenhouse and growth cabinet inoculation tests at temperatures lower than those previously recorded.
Abstract A65: Characterization of CBP/p300-mediated butyrate-induced Wnt activity in colonic microadenoma cells.

Objectives of the study: We wished to (a) compare gene expression profiles between a colonic microadenoma cell line (LT97) and a metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line (SW620) in the presence and absence of butyrate, (b) determine whether the sensitivity of LT97 cells to the growth suppressive effects of butyrate correlates to a high-fold upregulation of Wnt signaling in these cells, and (c) evaluate how modulation of CBP/p300-mediated Wnt signaling influences the ability of butyrate to upregulate Wnt activity in LT97 cells. Methods: RNA was isolated from mock treated or butyrate treated LT97 microadenoma cells or SW620 metastatic CRC cells, followed by full human genome microarray analysis (Genus Biosystems). Colonic cells were transfected with Wnt reporter plasmids and treated with ICG-001 (which inhibits CBP-mediated Wnt activity) or co-transfected with a p300 expression vector or with an expression vector for KLF4, which inhibits CBP/p300 association with beta-catenin. Reporter assays, western blotting, and caspase assays were performed. Results: We demonstrate that LT97 colonic microadenoma cells differ substantially in gene expression profiles compared to a metastatic CRC cell line (SW620), both in the presence and absence of butyrate. Further, we demonstrate that the high degree of sensitivity to the growth repressive effects of butyrate of LT97 cells correlates to a marked butyrate-induced hyperactivation of Wnt activity in that cell line. Further, the induction of Wnt activity by butyrate in LT97 cells is sensitive to treatment with ICG-001, overexpression of CBP or p300, or blockade of CBP/p300-mediated Wnt activity by the transcription factor KLF4. Conclusions: Microadenoma cells, reflecting very early stage colonic neoplasia, are highly sensitive to the effects of butyrate on Wnt signaling, in a manner dependent upon CBP/p300. The findings generated from this study may lead to approaches to modulate the action of CBP/p300-mediated Wnt signaling transcriptional programs for therapeutic or chemopreventive effect. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A65. Citation Format: Darina L. Lazarova, Christopher Chiaro, Terrence Wong, Michael Bordonaro. Characterization of CBP/p300-mediated butyrate-induced Wnt activity in colonic microadenoma cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A65.
Local Polaronic Effects in Compounds with Atoms of Transition Metals

The e-ph coupling may be of the different strength for different electronic bands. If coupling is strong enough for one or more bands, polaronic effects practically decouple these bands from the rest. Single ions being dressed by strong e-ph interactions move in the local potentials having two or more minima, and hence, can be viewed as the system of the Ising spins. Intersite interactions via the RKKY-type exchange by the electron-hole pairs tend to order the latter thus providing the CDW instability mechanism with a structural vector, Q that has nothing in common with the Fermi surfaces parameters. Among the most typical manifestations of such strong e-ph coupling in the system are large characteristic energy scales significantly exceeding the temperatures for the onset of the CDW phase. The available experimental data support interpretation of properties of the transition-atoms-dichalcogenides and the compounds of the A15 group in terms of the local polaronic effects.
Semantic Similarity Detection For Data Leak Prevention

To counter data breaches, we introduce a new data leak prevention (DLP) approach. Unlike regular expression methods, our approach extracts a small number of critical semantic features and requires a small training set. Existing tools concentrate mostly on data format where most defense and industry applications would be better served by monitoring the semantics of information in the enterprise. We demonstrate our approach by comparing its performance with other state-of-the-art methods, such as latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) and support vector machine (SVM). The experiment results suggest that the proposed approach have superior accuracy in terms of detection rate and false-positive (FP) rate.
The interstellar medium near the sun - The line of sight to lambda Scorpii

Copernicus satellite spectrometric observations are used to determine column densities and ionization structure in the local interstellar medium in the line of sight to lambda Sco. Three, or possibly four, regions are identified by physical properties or velocity separations in the UV absorption line profiles, including a region with a temperature near 200,000 K containing O VI lines, one or two H II regions, and an H I region which may also contain S III and C III. Element abundances are tabulated, and abundances in the H I region are shown to have a depletion pattern similar to that for the line of sight to zeta Oph.
Sex, Urban/Rural and Minority Differences in Educational Attainment in Soviet and Post-Soviet Tajikistan.

This paper analyses the educational attainment of Tajikistani adults born between 1947 and 1989. Adults in the oldest cohorts completed school during the educational expansion of the Soviet period and the youngest cohorts completed their education in the post-Soviet period, which was marked by educational contraction. To date, there is not a clear picture of attainment trends during the Soviet period that provide a perspective for judging educational attainment in the post-Soviet period. Using household survey data collected in 2007 by the World Bank, I conduct a synthetic cohort analysis to estimate the likelihood of completing basic, secondary and higher education for men and women; urban and rural residents and ethnic majority and minority citizens. Findings for particular groups are mixed, but in general the gap in educational attainment between advantaged groups and disadvantaged groups narrows during the Soviet era, but widens in the post-Soviet period.
An improved synthesis of 1‐methyl‐2,5‐piperazinedione

A new synthesis of 1-methyl-2,5-piperazinedione in three steps starting from sarcosine is described. This method proceeds in higher overall yield (49%) than previous methods.
Rapid computation of the Voigt and complex error functions

Abstract A simple and efficient method is proposed for the calculation of the complex error function, including its real part, which is the Voigt spectrum line profile. This procedure is based on the observation by Harstad that a rational approximation to the error function, which is the value of the complex error function on the imaginary axis, analytically continues off this axis upon replacement of y by y-ix. The error involved in this approximation can be minimized by choice of an optimal set of coefficients according to methods developed by Curtis and Osborne. An analysis shows that the results are sufficiently accurate for most applications over the whole complex plane, but with the error increasing toward the real axis. The procedure is simpler and faster than previous methods, requiring only two arithmetic statements for coding in FORTRAN. Comparisons are presented of the time required for various methods on various IBM computer systems which supports this conclusion.
Influence of ophthalmic formulations on sodium cromoglycate disposition in the albino rabbit eye

The effect of different ophthalmic vehicles on the disposition of sodium cromoglycate in tears and ocular tissues of the rabbit eye has been studied over 6 h. The vehicles contained sodium cromoglycate, 2% in an aqueous solution, 2 and 4% in an oleaginous formulation of polyethylene and mineral oil (Plastibase 5W), and 4% in an absorption ointment base of 10% hypoallergenic acetylated lanolin (Modulan) in paraffins. The last formulation was superior to all others studied over 6 h in prolonging the retention of sodium cromoglycate in the precorneal area and the conjunctiva. The concentration of sodium cromoglycate in the tears, conjunctiva and cornea 6 h after administration of the acetylated lanolin base equalled or exceeded the concentrations obtained with the aqueous solution 1 h post-instillation.
Band‐aging catalyst deactivation: Analytical solutions

Resolution analytique du probleme de desactivation d'un catalyseur vieillissant par bande, par des techniques integrales exponentielles. Ce probleme consiste en la desactivation lente d'un reacteur a ecoulement piston par des poisons de l'alimentation a faible sensibilite a la temperature due a l'adsorption complete du poison par le catalyseur
Optical and magneto-optical absorption in parabolic quantum wells.

We show that an n-doped parabolic quantum well absorbs far infrared radiation at the bare harmonic-oscillator frequency ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\omega}}}_{0}$ independently of the electron-electron interaction and the number of electrons in the well. In the presence of a magnetic field tilted with respect to the plane of the quantum well, we find that the cyclotron resonance becomes coupled to this ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{0}$ frequency mode. The absorption then occurs at two frequencies, which are again independent of the electron-electron interaction and the fractional filling of the well.
Effects of paraquat on plasma glucose, cortisol, catecholamines, and insulin in the beagle

Paraquat is known to produce hyperglycemia in rodents, although the mechanisms responsible for the hyperglycemic effect of paraquat are not clearly understood. In this study we report the effects of paraquat (25 mg/kg iv) on plasma glucose, cortisol, catecholamines, and insulin in dogs. Paraquat caused a significant increase in plasma glucose level at all times of measurement except at 0.5 hr following paraquat administration. The cortisol levels after paraquat treatment were increased to 133, 305, 279, 418, 517, 672, and 567% above zero time control at 0.5, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hr, and at death time respectively. The catecholamines at these times were increased to 42, 17, 72, 118, 138, 226, and 435% above the control. In contrast to cortisol and catecholamines, the plasma insulin levels after paraquat treatment were significantly decreased at 3, 6, 12, and 24 hr. These hormonal observations can explain, at least in part, the observed hyperglycemia, since all promote hyperglycemic states. For example, cortisol is gluconeogenic, catecholamines are glycogenolytic, and lower insulin levels result in depressed peripheral glucose utilization.
Clinical dosimetry during cerebral arteriography

Radiation dosimetry measurements on angiographer, X-ray technician and patient were performed during 18 femerocerebral angiograms. Lithium fluoride (LiF) thermoluminescent dosimeters were placed on various body areas to measure X-ray exposure. The results of this study indicate that radiation exposure received by medical personnel are well within the maximum permissible dose range established by the National Council of Radiation Protection. However, radiation exposure levels to radiosensitive areas of the patient are significant. A method to reduce patient exposure during femerocerebral arteriograms is suggested.
The documentary as essay

This article compares the documentary with the classical essay and relates the basic elements of the essay to the form and content of the documentary.
Hosts, distribution and pathology of infections with larvae of Eustrongylides (Dioctophymidae, Nematoda) in fishes from East African lakes.

Eustrongylides sp. larvae were found to be numerous in Bagrus docmac, Clarias mossambicus and Haplochromis spp. from Lake Victoria, rare in Haplochromis spp. and absent from B. docmac and C. lazera from Lake George, East Africa. Larvae encyst in the mesenteries, spleen and in Haplochromis spp. also in the gonads. Unencysted larvae were observed in muscles. Cyst walls consisted of fibroblasts, collagen strands, and were often infiltrated with fat cells. Fatty changes were observed in infected spleens; the muscle tissue, around the unencysted worms, was digested and infiltrated with fibroblasts. Infected gonads, particularly ovaries were deformed and in heavy infections degenerated completely. The biological implication of this infection with larval Eustrongylides sp. on the host populations in Lake Victoria is discussed.
A unique glimpse into asteroidal melting processes in the early solar system from the Graves Nunatak 06128/06129 achondrites

The recently recovered Antarctic achondrites Graves Nunatak 06128 and 06129 are unique meteorites that represent high-temperature asteroidal processes in the early solar system never before identified in any other meteorite. They represent products of early planetesimal melting (4564.25 ± 0.21 Ma) and subsequent metamorphism of an unsampled geochemical reservoir from an asteroid that has characteristics similar to the brachinite parent body. This melting event is unlike those predicted by previous experimental or geochemical studies, and indicates either disequilibrium melting of chondritic material or melting of chondritic material under volatile-rich conditions.
An automated approach to design of solid rockets utilizing a special internal ballistics model

A pattern search technique is presented, which is utilized in a computer program that minimizes the sum of the squares of the differences, at various times, between a desired thrust-time trace and that calculated with a special mathematical internal ballistics model of a solid propellant rocket motor. The program is demonstrated by matching the thrust-time trace obtained from static tests of the first Space Shuttle SRM starting with input values of 10 variables which are, in general, 10% different from the as-built SRM. It is concluded that an excellent match is obtained.
The Wal-Mart effect: how the world’s most powerful company really works – and how it’s transforming the American economy

by Charles Fishman, New York, The Penguin Press, 2006, 294 pp., $16.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-14-303878-8 Much recently published information has focused on how businesses can exist in the shadow ...
Distribution of fatty acids during germination of cottonseeds.

Gas chromatographic determination of the fatty acids in the seeds of cottonseed (Gossypium sp.) showed linoleic, palmitic, oleic, and stearic acids, with linoleic acid being the major component. Changes in the composition of fatty acids during various stages of germination were measured in the cotyledons and in the roots. A decrease in the content of all the fatty acids and an 8-fold increase in the moisture content of the cotyledons were observed during the 10 days of germination. There were no significant changes in the fatty acid contents of the roots with the exception of those in linoleic acid which increased by 50% during 4–10 days of germination. The possible significance of these changes is discussed.
Homozygous deletion of the CRABPI gene in AB1 embryonic stem cells results in increased CRABPII gene expression and decreased intracellular retinoic acid concentration.

Abstract The cellular retinoic acid (RA) binding proteins I and II (CRABPI and CRABPII), intracellular proteins which bind retinoic acid with high affinity, are involved in the actions of RA, though their exact roles are not fully understood. We have generated several genetically engineered AB1 cell lines in which both alleles of the CRABPI gene have been deleted by homologous recombination. We have used these CRABPI knockout cell lines to examine the consequences of functional loss of CRABPI on RA-induced gene expression and RA metabolism in the murine embryonic stem cell line, AB1, which undergoes differentiation in response to RA. Complete lack of CRABPI results in decreased intracellular [ 3 H ] RA concentrations under conditions in which external concentrations of [ 3 H ] RA are low (1–10 nM) and in an altered distribution of [ 3 H ] polar metabolites of [ 3 H ] RA in the cell and in the medium. Fewer [ 3 H ] polar metabolites are retained within the CRABPI−/− cells compared to the wild-type cells. These data suggest that CRABPI functions to regulate the intracellular concentrations of retinoic acid and to maintain high levels of oxidized retinoic acid metabolites such as 4-oxoretinoic acid within cells.
Cluster Significance Testing Using the Bootstrap

Many of the statistical methods currently employed to analyze fMRI data depend on a response template. However, the true form of the hemodynamic response, and thereby the response template, is often unknown. Consequently, cluster analysis provides a complementary, template-free method for exploratory analysis of multidimensional fMRI data sets. Clustering algorithms currently being applied to fMRI data separate the data into a predefined number of clusters (k). A poor choice of k will result in erroneously partitioning well-defined clusters. Although several clustering algorithms have been successfully applied to fMRI data, techniques for statistically testing cluster separation are still lacking. To address this problem we suggest a method based on Fisher's linear discriminant and the bootstrap. Also introduced in this paper is a measure based on the projection of multidimensional data from two clusters onto the vector, maximizing the ratio of the between- to the within-cluster sums of squares. The resulting one-dimensional distribution may be readily visualized and used as a heuristic for estimating cluster homogeneity. These methods are demonstrated for the self-organizing maps clustering algorithm when applied to event-related fMRI data.
Transcranial amelioration of inflammation and cell death after brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly appreciated to be highly prevalent and deleterious to neurological function. At present, no effective treatment options are available, and little is known about the complex cellular response to TBI during its acute phase. To gain insights into TBI pathogenesis, we developed a novel murine closed-skull brain injury model that mirrors some pathological features associated with mild TBI in humans and used long-term intravital microscopy to study the dynamics of the injury response from its inception. Here we demonstrate that acute brain injury induces vascular damage, meningeal cell death, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that ultimately breach the glial limitans and promote spread of the injury into the parenchyma. In response, the brain elicits a neuroprotective, purinergic-receptor-dependent inflammatory response characterized by meningeal neutrophil swarming and microglial reconstitution of the damaged glial limitans. We also show that the skull bone is permeable to small-molecular-weight compounds, and use this delivery route to modulate inflammation and therapeutically ameliorate brain injury through transcranial administration of the ROS scavenger, glutathione. Our results shed light on the acute cellular response to TBI and provide a means to locally deliver therapeutic compounds to the site of injury.
The relationship between selection optimization with compensation, conscientiousness, motivation, and performance

This study tested the hypothesis that the relationship between conscientiousness and job performance is mediated by resource allocation strategies specific to a meta-theory called selective optimization with compensation (SOC). Data were collected from employees at a large, Midwestern financial institution. In general, results lend some support to the role of SOC as a mediator. Specifically, results indicated that especially for positions with larger amounts of autonomy and responsibility (i.e., managerial), highly conscientious individuals are more likely to report using strategies of loss-based selection and compensation and that these strategies in turn lead to higher levels of performance. However, the strategies of loss-based selection and compensation did not fully mediate the conscientious-performance relationship. Nevertheless, these strategies did contribute unique variance of their own in predicting work place performance. In fact, these strategies accounted for almost as much unique variance as conscientiousness and support the role of SOC as a unique predictor of job performance.
Identification of dacitic tephra by activation analysis of their primary mineral phenocrysts

Abstract Primary mineral phenocrysts from eight different late Quaternary pyroclastic deposits were fractionated for neutron-activation analysis with the purpose of characterizing each of the deposits on the basis of trace and minor element compositions. In hornblende separates, contents of several rare earch and transition elements were found to be distictive for the Mazama, Glacier Peak, and several St. Helens deposits. In magnetites, abundances of transition elements are characteristic and serve as good discriminants for the pyroclastic deposits examined in this investigation. Contents of transition and rare earth elements in hyperthenes also appear useful in distinguishing volcanic ash deposits. Trace and minor element abundances in plagioclase phenocrysts did not appear adequate for identification of pyroclastics due to elemental depletion and similarity of contents for feldspar separates. It was found that contents of Sm and Yb in hornblende phenocrysts would serve to distinguish between several pyroclastic deposits from the Pacific Northwest.
Intraoperative physiologic variables and outcome in cardiac surgery: Part II. Neurologic outcome.

Abstract Background . The impact of alterable physiologic variables on neurologic outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting procedures is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether minimum intraoperative hematocrit, maximum glucose concentration, or mean arterial pressure during cardiopulmonary bypass influences risk-adjusted neurologic outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods . Outcome data from 2,862 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were merged with intraoperative physiologic data. A preoperative stroke risk index was calculated for each patient. Variables found significant by univariate logistic regression were tested in a multivariable model to determine association with outcome. Results . The incidence of stroke or coma in the study population was 1.3%. After controlling for stroke risk and bypass time, only an index of low mean arterial pressure during bypass retained a significant inverse association with outcome ( p = 0.0304). Conclusions . This study found no evidence that glucose concentration or minimum hematocrit are associated with major adverse neurologic outcome. The association between lower pressure during bypass and decreased incidence of stroke or coma persisted in all risk groups. This points to mechanisms other than hypoperfusion as the primary cause of neurologic injury associated with cardiac surgery.
End-stage renal disease and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective To provide an overview of the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) following the onset of end-stage lupus nephropathy, regarding clinical and serological manifestations, survival on dialysis, and renal transplant outcomes. Methods A review of the pertinent literature, identified by a comprehensive Grateful Med search, was performed. Results There is a tendency for decreased clinical and serological lupus activity following the onset of end-stage renal disease. The pathophysiology of this quiescence remains unclear. Survival of lupus patients on dialysis is no different from that of non-SLE dialysis patients, and is better than that of several other rheumatic diseases. Following renal transplantation, there is no difference in patient or graft survival in lupus versus nonlupus patients. Like their nonlupus counterparts, SLE transplant patients do better with living relative grafts and/or regimens containing cyclosporin A. Transplantation is not recommended within 3 months of the initiation of dialysis to allow possible recovery from the acute renal failure. Transplantation during an acute exacerbation of SLE is controversial, and may increase the risk of poor outcomes. Recurrence of lupus in transplanted allografts, often with the same histopathology as in the native kidney, occurs at a rate (2.7% to 3.8%) comparable to that for all allograft transplant failures (2% to 4%). Conclusions End-stage lupus nephropathy patients require less medication owing to decreased disease activity. They are good candidates for dialysis and renal transplantation, with survival and recurrence rates no different from those of other patients with end-stage renal disease.
Incommunicado core and boundless supporting unknown

This paper explores links between Winnicott's incommunicado core and unknown boundless support. Winnicott posits a primary aloneness that enjoys this aloneness only because it receives support it i...
Location of Food Sources by Subterranean Termites

Chihuahuan desert subterranean termites, Gnathamitermes tubiformans (Buckley) and Amitermes wheeleri (Desneux) readily located surface foods but failed to utilize buried foods of the same type. The termites attacked both natural cowdung pats and artificial(polyurethane) cowdung pats at the same rate as estimated by holes chewed through plastic film barriers placed between the soil and both kinds of pats. There was smaller diel excursion of temperatures in the upper 20 cm of soil under dungpats than in the soil not under dung. We suggest that desert subterranean termites locate relatively large size surface foods such as cattle dung and Yucca sp. logs by sensing the thermal shadows cast by such items.
Enhanced expression of high-affinity interleukin-2 receptors in scleroderma: Possible role for IL-6

Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis) is characterized by tissue fibrosis, a distinctive vascular and microvascular disorder, and a perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration of involved organs. The pathogenesis of scleroderma is not known; however, there is evidence for a cell-mediated immune mechanism in the disease. Enhanced IL-2 production has been documented both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, the effect of IL-2 on lymphocyte proliferation in vitro was examined. An enhanced proliferative response to IL-2 was seen in scleroderma lymphocytes over that in matched control lymphocytes. Since high-affinity IL-2 receptors (HIL-2-R) mediate the growth-promoting activity of IL-2, we examined HIL-2-R expression on lymphocytes from 13 scleroderma and 11 matched control subjects by a radioiodinated IL-2 binding assay. Significantly higher numbers of HIL-2-R were noted in scleroderma cells (3054 +/- 618 in scleroderma vs 1721 +/- 181 in control cells, mean +/- SD; P less than 0.001). The addition of IL-6 to control cell cultures 24 hr prior to binding determination led to changes in IL-2 binding that were identical to scleroderma cell binding characteristics, while the addition of neutralizing IL-6 antibody to scleroderma cells led to a reduction in HIL-2-R expression. Other cytokines (IL-1, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, TNF, LT, IFN-gamma, and TGF-beta) had no effect on IL-2 binding, suggesting that IL-6 may mediate the enhanced expression of HIL-2-R. This conclusion was further supported by the finding that scleroderma lymphocytes released in vitro 10- to 20-fold higher concentrations of IL-6 than control cells. The data demonstrate an amplification of IL-2 binding in scleroderma and suggest IL-6 as the mediator of this phenomenon.
AFM Studies of Tumor Cell Invasion

Our recent investigations on human brain tumor (glioma) cell micro and nanodynamics via AFM methodologies have shown that brain tumor invadopodia (malignant cytostructural cell extensions with sensory, motility, and invasive characteristics extended by tumor cells into their environment) can assume specific geometries based on cell plating density and the location/distance of neighboring cells indicating strong cell sensing and signaling mechanisms between malignant cells and their surroundings. In certain occasions, cancer cell processes (extensions) have been found to be highly directional measuring more than 80 μm while invading neighboring cells by following a connecting straight path. Moreover, strong chemical gradients are suggested to influence the growth and motility of cell processes allowing for gradual adjustments of the direction of the invasive tumor extension. In response to external signals, tumor cell invadopodia develop micron-sized side-ligaments that follow the chemical gradients in their neighborhood and assist the reorientation of their main intrusive elements.© 2003 ASME
Determining Selected Tropical Cyclone Characteristics Using QuikSCAT's Ultra-High Resolution Images

Operational SeaWinds on QuikSCAT data can be enhanced to yield a 2.5 km ultra-high resolution (UHR) wind product, which can be used to help estimate tropical cyclone (TC) characteristics such as TC center and wind radii. This paper provides the results of two studies in which the QuikSCAT UHR wind product's effectiveness in estimating these TC characteristics is evaluated. First, a comparison is made between an analyst's choice of center location based on UHR images and interpolated best track position. In this analysis, the UHR images are divided into two categories based on the analyst's confidence level of finding the center location. In each category, statistical error quantities between the analyst's choice of center location and interpolated best track location are computed. UHR images within the high-confidence category can provide, for a given year and basin, mean error distance as small as 19 km with a 10 km standard deviation. Second, a comparison of QuikSCAT's performance in estimating wind radii is made. QuikSCAT's performance is gauged against the H*wind dataset and the extended best track (EBT) dataset. Results show that QuikSCAT UHR data yields the correct 34 kt wind radius most of the time regardless of the TC category when compared to both H*wind and EBT, whereas the 50 kt and 64 kt wind radii estimates do not always agree with H*wind and EBT. A more sophisticated method is implemented to automatically estimate wind radii based on a model fit to QuikSCAT data. Results from this method are compared with EBT wind radii. The 50 kt and 64 kt wind radii obtained from QuikSCAT model fit are generally highly correlated with EBT estimated wind radii.