cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamical Simulations of Magnetically Channeled Line-Driven Stellar Winds: III. Angular Momentum Loss and Rotational Spindown

We examine the angular momentum loss and associated rotational spindown for magnetic hot stars with a line-driven stellar wind and a rotation-aligned dipole magnetic field. Our analysis here is based on our previous 2-D numerical MHD simulation study that examines the interplay among wind, field, and rotation as a function of two dimensionless parameters, one characterizing the wind magnetic confinement ($\eta_{\ast} \equiv B_{eq}^{2} R_{\ast}^{2}/{\dot M} v_{\infty}$), and the other the ratio ($W \equiv V_{rot}/V_{orb}$) of stellar rotation to critical (orbital) speed. We compare and contrast the 2-D, time variable angular momentum loss of this dipole model of a hot-star wind with the classical 1-D steady-state analysis by Weber and Davis (WD), who used an idealized monopole field to model the angular momentum loss in the solar wind. Despite the differences, we find that the total angular momentum loss ${\dot J}$ averaged over both solid angle and time follows closely the general WD scaling ${\dot J} = (2/3) {\dot M} \Omega R_{A}^{2}$, where ${\dot M}$ is the mass loss rate, $\Omega$ is the stellar angular velocity, and $R_{A}$ is a characteristic Alfv\'{e}n radius. However, a key distinction here is that for a dipole field, this Alfv\'{e}n radius has a strong-field scaling $R_{A}/R_{\ast} \approx \eta_{\ast}^{1/4}$, instead of the scaling $R_{A}/R_{\ast} \sim \sqrt{\eta_{\ast}}$ for a monopole field. This leads to a slower stellar spindown time that in the dipole case scales as $\tau_{spin} = \tau_{mass} 1.5k/\sqrt{\eta_{\ast}}$, where $\tau_{mass} \equiv M/{\dot M}$ is the characteristic mass loss time, and $k$ is the dimensionless factor for stellar moment of inertia. The full numerical scaling relation we cite gives typical spindown times of order 1 Myr for several known magnetic massive stars.
Influences on Early Fetal Loss in Dairy Cattle

Early fetal loss in dairy cattle is a major factor contributing to repeat breeding. If the average fertilization rate in cattle is 85-95% and the incidence of repeat breeders is 56-72% of the herd, then embryonic or early fetal loss (EFL) accounts for 15-25% wastage. It was the purpose of this project to evaluate the effects that changes in body condition score (BCS) and breeding a potentially pregnant cow have on EFL during two periods: between 24-28 days after artificial insemination (AI), and between 28-42 days after AI.
Epidemiologic and biologic correlates of serum HE4 and CA125 in women from the National Health and Nutritional Survey (NHANES).

Abstract Objectives In women with ovarian cancer, tumor features largely determine serum HE4 and CA125 levels, but non-tumor factors may also influence levels and be better understood by studying determinants in a well-characterized sample of women without cancer. Methods Serum HE4 and CA125 were measured in 2302 women from the 2001–2002 cohort of the National Heath and Nutritional Survey (NHANES). Publicly-available data on this cohort included demographic/reproductive variables, blood counts, and measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP), total homocysteine (tHcy), cotinine, and creatinine which were examined as predictors of HE4 and CA125 using multivariate models and correlational analyses. Results HE4 increased non-linearly by age and current smokers had higher HE4. CA125 was lower in postmenopausal women and non-whites and trended downward with increasing BMI. Current-users of oral contraceptives (OCs) had lower HE4 and CA125; and a downward trend for CA125 was seen with increasing OC use. Pregnant women had higher CA125 and nursing women higher HE4. HE4 and CA125 were positively correlated with neutrophils, monocytes, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and inversely correlated with lymphocytes and the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio. CRP was positively correlated with both HE4 and CA125 in postmenopausal women. Strong positive correlations existed for HE4 with both tHcy and creatinine. Conclusions Serum levels of HE4 and CA125 are influenced by several hormonal or environmental stimuli which affect non-cancerous tissues normally expressing HE4 or CA125. Cytokine co-expression in those tissues may, in turn, affect white cell counts and account for their correlation with HE4 or CA125 levels.
La Precariedad Del Contencioso Ambiental (The Environmental Judicial Review Procedure's Precariousness)

Spanish Abstract: Este trabajo sostiene que el contencioso-administrativo de la Ley N° 20.600 es un procedimiento “sumarisimo”, cuya precariedad genera dos consecuencias negativas: limita tanto el contradictorio de las partes en el juicio como las facultades revisoras del tribunal ambiental. Esto ultimo, pese a ser un tribunal altamente especializado. English Abstract: This Article contends that the judicial review procedure established in Law No. 20,600 is a summary trial, which precariousness generates two negative consequences. First, it limits the adversarial system. Second, it limits the environmental court’s power to review, even though it is a highly-specialized court.
Adolescent Gun Violence Prevention: Reducing Access to Lethal Means of Suicide

Suicidality remains an incredible mortality threat to adolescents in the United States. While self-harm continues to serve as a concerning risk factor for suicide, reassuring evidence suggests that the majority of individuals that survive their first suicide attempt will ultimately never complete suicide. Therefore, the lethality of suicide method makes a significant impact on the likelihood of ultimate survival for these adolescents. As such, several historical public health initiatives have successfully implemented lethal means reduction strategies to prevent suicide mortality. As firearms remain the most common suicide method among American teenagers with the highest fatality rate, physician counseling, legislative efforts, and health campaigns focused on reducing the accessibility of firearms serve as a promising path towards reducing adolescent mortality.
The Heterogeneity in the Development of Homotypic and Heterotypic Antisocial Behavior

This study aimed to contribute to the existing literature by testing whether the same classes of antisocial behavior typically uncovered in the literature would be revealed with the additional information about heterotypic antisocial behavior. We investigated the development of men’s antisocial behavior in its homotypic and heterotypic forms from age 12 to 30 years in a large representative sample. Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. This study included 3639 male participants from 6 birth cohorts (1977–1982), first assessed in 1995 and followed up to 2008–2009. Homotypic antisocial behavior comprised items that were assessed at every wave, and heterotypic antisocial behavior comprised adolescent- and adult-specific items. Group-based modeling was used to identify classes of antisocial behavior. Five trajectories were identified: low, life-course-persistent, adolescent-limited, moderate declining, and adult-peak. By including heterotypic items, we showed that a group whose antisocial behavior is typically identified as emerging in adulthood was already engaging in moderate levels of antisocial behavior in adolescence. The implications of sample characteristics and forms of antisocial behavior for accurate classification are discussed.
Steroid influences on the development and function of a neuromuscular system.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the sex differences in the morphology of muscles and motoneurons, the hormone sensitivity of neurons and target in adulthood, the crucial function of this neuromuscular system in reproduction, and the ontogenetic role of steroid hormones in determining the number, size, and connectivity of these neurons. It focuses on a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system in the rat: the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and its target musculature. Both the development and adult function of the SNB system are controlled by steroid hormones. Perinatal secretions of androgen in male rats induce the persistence of the bulbocavernosus (BC) muscles and probably prevent the programmed cell death of the SNB motoneurons innervating them. Perinatal exposure of female rats to androgen mimics the masculine pattern of the preservation of SNB motoneurons and BC musculature. Unlike other examples of sexual differentiation in rodents, the development of the SNB system seems to be independent of the estrogenic metabolites of testosterone. At maturity, both the SNB motoneurons and BC muscles bind androgen and respond morphologically to hormonal manipulations. The morphological responsiveness of motoneurons and muscles to steroids may mediate the androgen sensitivity of the neuromuscular system as measured by spinal reflexes and fertility. Thus, SNB is a relatively simple neural system, which promises to elucidate the mechanisms by which steroid hormones direct morphology and behavioral function of the nervous system throughout ontogeny.
General Discrete Channels

In the definition of the general discrete channel given in Section 5.1 we imposed no consistency conditions (except the obvious ones) on the totality {P n {v(u 0) = v 0}}. Clearly, however, the definitions and notation were designed for the imposition of consistency conditions, and the remainder of Chapter 5 and all of Chapter 6 are based on various sets of consistency conditions. These consistency conditions were particularly concerned with the variation of n or, to put it differently, with the transmission and reception of individual letters and blocks of letters. When these questions do not explicitly arise the definitions and notation of Section 5.1 are unnecessarily involved and complicated. For example, if n does not vary why not simply consider the totality {P n {v (u 0) = v 0}} with n fixed ? In this chapter we will do exactly that, and obtain results which can then be specialized to various channels. Our new definitions and notation will not only be simpler for our purpose but perhaps also more suggestive. The obvious correspondence with the definitions and notation of Section 5.1 will be indicated.
Modulation of the Immune Response by Plasma Protease Inhibitors

In two different cytolytic assays, dose-dependent inhibition of antibody-dependent cellmediated cytotoxicity and natural killing by alpha2-macroglobulin (α2m) and its subunits was observed. α2m subunits were approximately four times more inhibitory in both assays than the native 2m molecule on a molar basis. Analysis of trypsin protein esterase activity demonstrated that α2m subunits were four times more active than the parent molecule.
A non‐conforming least‐squares finite element method for incompressible fluid flow problems

SUMMARY In this paper, we develop least-squares finite element methods (LSFEMs) for incompressible fluid flows with improved mass conservation. Specifically, we formulate a new locally conservative LSFEM for the velocity–vorticity–pressure Stokes system, which uses a piecewise divergence-free basis for the velocity and standard C0 elements for the vorticity and the pressure. The new method, which we term dV-VP improves upon our previous discontinuous stream-function formulation in several ways. The use of a velocity basis, instead of a stream function, simplifies the imposition and implementation of the velocity boundary condition, and eliminates second-order terms from the least-squares functional. Moreover, the size of the resulting discrete problem is reduced because the piecewise solenoidal velocity element is approximately one-half of the dimension of a stream-function element of equal accuracy. In two dimensions, the discontinuous stream-function LSFEM [1] motivates modification of our functional, which further improves the conservation of mass. We briefly discuss the extension of this modification to three dimensions. Computational studies demonstrate that the new formulation achieves optimal convergence rates and yields high conservation of mass. We also propose a simple diagonal preconditioner for the dV-VP formulation, which significantly reduces the condition number of the LSFEM problem. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Measuring Service Quality in the Public Utilities

Based on a synthesis of the services marketing literature, a multiple-item perceived service quality measure is developed The instrument is a practical tool for monitoring residential customers' quality perceptions of the services provided by a public utility firm (electric, gas and water services). The measure exhibits excellent internal consistency reliability, and meets a number of slringent criteria for construct validity. Implications for researchers and potential users of the scale are discussed.
Closed shortening of the femur

Twenty skeletally mature patients (average age, sixteen years and seven months; range, thirteen years and seven months to twenty-two years and four months) were treated for limb-length inequality by closed shortening of the femur. Preoperatively, the amount of femoral shortening that was necessary to level the pelvis was determined radiographically by balancing the pelvis with calibrated lifts under the shorter extremity. All twenty shortening procedures were performed with an intramedullary cam saw and insertion of an intramedullary rod through a gluteal incision; no additional incisions were needed to complete the procedure. At the most recent follow-up, the limb-length discrepancy was one centimeter or less in all twenty patients. All patients reported that the limbs seemed to be of equal length and that the pelvis felt level.
A study of the microstructure and hardness of two titanium alloys: Commercially pure and Ti–6Al–4V

Abstract In this paper, the microstructure and hardness of two titanium alloys was determined and the results are presented and briefly discussed. Samples of the alloy for microstructural examination were prepared from the as-provided stock using standard metallographic procedures and then examined in a low magnification light optical microscope. Both microhardness and macrohardness measurements were made across the polished surfaces of the two titanium materials. Both the microhardness and macrohardness of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy was noticeably higher than the commercially pure counterpart. The intrinsic influence of alloy composition and secondary processing, i.e., annealing, on microstructural development is presented and hardness of the two alloys is highlighted. The role of microstructure in governing the hardness of the two titanium materials is discussed.
Common Carotid Artery Dissection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Common carotid artery dissection (CCAD) is a rare and poorly characterized cause of ischemic stroke. We describe a case of multiple cerebral infarcts in a patient with CCAD initially detected by carotid duplex ultrasonography, and review the literature on CCAD. A Medline search from 1960 to the present for cases of CCAD yielded 46 cases. We extracted demographic data, anatomical location, symptoms, neurosonography, neuroradiology, pathological findings, treatment, and outcomes. The mean age of the patients was 48.8 ± 15.8 years (range, 19-89 years). With our patient, our search found 20 cases of spontaneous CCAD, 11 cases of traumatic CCAD, 4 cases of iatrogenic CCAD, and 12 cases of CCAD associated with aortic arch dissection. The most common presenting neurologic symptoms of CCAD were hemiparesis, decreased consciousness, headache/neck pain, aphasia, and monocular field deficit. The most frequently reported neurosonographic findings included a double lumen, mural thrombus, intraluminal hyperechoic/isoechoic lesion, and intimal flap. Most cases of CCAD were subsequently confirmed with conventional angiography, computed tomography angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography. Treatment differed based on etiology; anticoagulation was used most commonly for spontaneous CCAD, and surgical repair was most often done for traumatic and aortic dissection-associated CCAD. Prognosis was generally good; the majority of patients achieved complete clinical recovery, but 3 died. Our findings indicate that carotid Doppler is a widely accessible, rapid, and noninvasive technique for diagnosing CCAD. Our case and literature review further characterizes the diverse etiologies, clinical course, and radiographic features of CCAD.
Mobile youth in China: a cultural perspective and marketing implications

China's youth mobile market is to become the single largest one by subscribers and third largest by spending power in the world by 2007. As such, more and more Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are setting their eyes on this huge lucrative market. To help MNCs form effective marketing strategies to win in this battlefield, the paper first examines the unique characteristics of this market, followed by an elaboration, from a cultural perspective, on what inspires the youth and drives their mobile behaviour. Lastly, suggestions are offered on how MNCs can best capitalise on the potential this market has to offer.
Effects of amyloid precursor protein derivatives andoxidative stress on basal forebrain cholinergic systems inALZHEIMERS disease

The dysfunction and degeneration of cholinergic neuronal circuits in the brain is aprominent feature of Alzheimers disease. Increasing data suggest that age-related oxidative stresscontributes to degenerative changes in basal forebrain cholinergic systems. Experimental studieshave shown that oxidative stress, and membrane lipid peroxidation in particular, can disruptmuscarinic cholinergic signaling by impairing coupling of receptors to GTP-binding proteins.Altered proteolytic processing of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) may contributeto impaired cholinergic signaling and neuronal degeneration in at least two ways. First, levels ofcytotoxic forms of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) are increased ; Aβdamages and kills neurons by inducing membrane lipid peroxidation resulting in impairment ofion-motive ATPases, and glucose and glutamate transporters, thereby rendering neuronsvulnerable to excitotoxicity. The latter actions of Aβ may be mediated by4-hydroxynonenal, an aldehydic product of membrane lipid peroxidation that covalently modifiesand inactivates the various transporter proteins. Subtoxic levels of Aβ can also suppresscholine acetyltransferase levels, and may thereby promote dysfunction of intact cholinergiccircuits. A second way in which altered APP processing may endanger cholinergic neurons is byreducing levels of a secreted form of APP which has been shown to modulate neuronalexcitability, and to protect neurons against excitotoxic, metabolic and oxidative insults. Mutationsin presenilin genes, which are causally linked to many cases of early-onset inherited Alzheimersdisease, may increase vulnerability of cholinergic neurons to apoptosis. The underlying mechanismappears to involve perturbed calcium regulation in the endoplasmic reticulum, which promotesloss of cellular calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxyradical production.Knowledge of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of dysfunction and degeneration ofcholinergic circuits is leading to the development of novel preventative and therapeuticapproaches for Alzheimers disease and related disorders.
Secondhand Smoking Is Associated With Vascular Inflammation

BACKGROUND The relative risk for cardiovascular diseases in passive smokers is similar to that of active smokers despite almost a 100-fold lower dose of inhaled cigarette smoke. However, the mechanisms underlying the surprising susceptibility of the vascular tissue to the toxins in secondhand smoke (SHS) have not been directly investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate directly vascular endothelial cell function in passive smokers. METHODS Using a minimally invasive method of endothelial biopsy, we investigated directly the vascular endothelium in 23 healthy passive smokers, 25 healthy active smokers, and 23 healthy control subjects who had never smoked and had no regular exposure to SHS. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) function (expression of basal eNOS and activated eNOS [phosphorylated eNOS at serine1177 (P-eNOS)]) and expression of markers of inflammation (nuclear factor-κB [NF-κB]) and oxidative stress (nitrotyrosine) were assessed in freshly harvested venous endothelial cells by quantitative immunofluorescence. RESULTS Expression of eNOS and P-eNOS was similarly reduced and expression of NF-κB was similarly increased in passive and active smokers compared with control subjects. Expression of nitrotyrosine was greater in active smokers than control subjects and similar in passive and active smokers. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation was similarly reduced in passive and active smokers compared with control subjects, consistent with reduced endothelial NO bioavailability. CONCLUSIONS Secondhand smoking increases vascular endothelial inflammation and reduces active eNOS to a similar extent as active cigarette smoking, indicating direct toxic effects of SHS on the vasculature.
Health and Reproductive Rights in the Protocol to the African Charter: Conflicting Influences and Unsettled Questions

This article, prepared for a symposium, examines the drafting of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women and concludes that it was a fragmented process with consequences for the efficacy of the Protocol. Part I provides an overview of the drafting process including a brief critique of its shortcomings. Part II highlights the dominant influences underpinning the Protocol by way of textual examples. My analysis reveals a lack of cohesiveness in the final document that corresponds to a lack of vision for the instrument, suggesting how the patchwork approach to the Protocol may shape its future interpretation. Part III focuses on the health and reproductive rights in Article 14 in light of the Protocol’s theoretical tensions. I analyze three problems resulting from such tensions: the failure of the Protocol to highlight how various articles relate to reproductive health rights (such as HIV prevention and prohibition of early marriage), the narrow construction of a broader right to health, and the dual rejection and embrace of women’s roles as mothers. This last tension in particular — the intersection of the elimination of stereotypes found in formal and substantive equality rights and the promotion of a positive cultural context for women — illustrates the contradictions in the theoretical influences underpinning the Protocol.
O-carboxamidomethyl tyrosine as a reaction product of the alkylation of proteins with iodoacetamide.

Abstract Iodoacetamide-1-14C was found to be rapidly incorporated into RBP, a protein devoid of free SH, under conditions similar to those normally employed for the derivatization of SH. The reaction extent is pH dependent and at pH 10.0 one mole of acetamide was incorporated per mole of tyrosine residue. The amino acid composition of the alkylated RBP was found to be identical to RBP except for a loss of tyrosine and the appearance of a new dicarboxylic acid peak which was converted to tyrosine by prolonged acid hydrolysis Under similar reaction conditions, phenol and p-cresol reacted rapidly to form phenoxyacetamide and p-cresoxyacetamide. These phenolic ethers as well as anisole and phenetole were found to be readily hydrolized under the conditions normally used to hydrolyze protein. The incorporation of acetamide into RBP did not effect its riboflavinbinding capacity or its immunological reactivity to RBP antibody. The 14C alkylated RBP has been found to be a convenient tool for biological half-life studies. The tyrosine residues of glucagon react with iodoacetamide in a similar fashion and the use of 14C-iodoacetamide may prove to be a convenient means of introducing 14C into proteins. Iodoacetamide in the pH 7–10.0 range will derivatize the cysteine and tyrosine groups of proteins at comparable rates.
What Did They Learn? Effects of a Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workshop on Community Therapists’ Knowledge

Knowledge gain has been identified as necessary but not sufficient for therapist behavior change. Declarative knowledge, or factual knowledge, is thought to serve as a prerequisite for procedural knowledge, the how to knowledge system, and reflective knowledge, the skill refinement system. The study aimed to examine how a 1-day workshop affected therapist cognitive behavioral therapy declarative knowledge. Participating community therapists completed a test before and after training that assessed cognitive behavioral therapy knowledge. Results suggest that the workshop significantly increased declarative knowledge. However, post-training total scores remained moderately low, with several questions answered incorrectly despite content coverage in the workshop. These findings may have important implications for structuring effective cognitive behavioral therapy training efforts and for the successful implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy in community settings.
Drugs of Last Resort? The Use of Polymyxins and Tigecycline at US Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, 2005- 2010

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carbapenem-resistant (CR) Gram-negative pathogens are becoming increasingly prevalent around the globe. Polymyxins and tigecycline are among the few antibiotics available to treat infections with these bacteria but little is known about the frequency of their use. We therefore aimed to estimate the parenteral use of these two drugs in Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) and to describe the pathogens associated with their administration. For this purpose we retrospectively analyzed barcode medication administration data of parenteral administrations of polymyxins and tigecycline in 127 acute-care VAMCs between October 2005 and September 2010. Overall, polymyxin and tigecycline use were relatively low at 0.8 days of therapy (DOT)/1000 patient days (PD) and 1.6 DOT/1000PD, respectively. Use varied widely across facilities, but increased overall during the study period. Eight facilities accounted for three-quarters of all polymyxin use. The same statistic for tigecycline use was twenty-six VAMCs. There were 1,081 MDR or CR isolates during 747 hospitalizations associated with polymyxin use (1.4/hospitalization). For tigecycline these number were slightly lower: 671 MDR or CR isolates during 500 hospitalizations (1.3/hospitalization) (p=0.06). An ecological correlation between the two antibiotics and combined CR and MDR Gram-negative isolates per 1000PD during the study period was also observed (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r=0.55 polymyxin, r=0.19 tigecycline). In summary, while polymyxin and tigecycline use is low in most VAMCs, there has been an increase over the study period. Polymyxin use in particular is associated with the presence of MDR Gram-negative pathogens and may be useful as a surveillance measure in the future.
TH‐D‐303A‐05: Role of Image Guided Patient Repositioning and Online Planning in Localized Prostate Cancer IMRT

Purpose: Compare image‐guidedIMRT for localized prostate cancer involving on‐line patient repositioning and online planning (replanning). Method and Materials: Ten early‐stage prostate cancer patients receive approximately 10 CT scans each, totaling 108 studysets. Each CT is segmented manually to identify the prostate, bladder and rectum. Using a Philips Medical, Pinnacle 8.1x RTPS,image‐guided repositioning starts with an IMRT plan to irradiate a PTV resulting from a 3‐mm margin around the prostate, on the first CT scan of each patient, which is then registered on the 2‐N, serial scans. For replanning, an IMRT plan is made on each of the serial (2‐N) CT scans using 0 and 3 mm margins. The dose distributions from scans 2‐N are then deformed to the initial CT using a mesh‐based B‐Spline deformation method, for each method. The deformed doses are added on the initial CT scan of each patient for DVH and isodose analyses. Results: Fractional volumes of rectum receiving 90 and 95% of the prescription dose (V90 and V95) range from 2–3% for 3 mm margins with repositioning and replanning, and 1–1.5% for 0 mm margins replanning. The difference in doses to rectum and bladder in repositioning and replanning with 3 mm margins are statistically insignificant. The V95 to prostate is 96.0, 97.4 and 93.8 % for repositioning with 3 mm margins, replanning with 3 mm margins and replanning with 0 mm margins, respectively. Conclusions:Image guided IMRT using 3 mm PTV margins with patient repositioning and replanning are largely comparable in target coverage and critical organ sparing, while replanning with 0 mm margins shows a statistically significant but small reduction in the doses to rectum and bladder and target coverage. Thus, a limited need exists to replan localized prostate IMRT, under image guidance.
Effect of an increase in volume and intensity of training in elite, female master (>40 yr) cyclists

The purpose of this study was to examine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), lactate threshold (LT), and 13.5 km bicycle time trial performance in elite, female master (>40 yr) cyclists during the course of a 6 month training season. Five elite, female cyclists (mean age = 47 yr), and five age‐matched recreational cyclists served as subjects for the study. VO2 max, LT, and 13.5 km bicycle time were measured at the end of the off‐season (December) and again following 6 months of intensified training. During the off‐season, the master cyclists averaged 160 km a week of moderate (HR 160 bpm) interval training. The results showed that the 13.5 km bicycle time significantly decreased (p < 0.05) from a mean of 1406 sec to 1316 sec in the master cyclists during the course of the competitiv...
Identification and function of phosphorylation in the glucose-regulated transcription factor ChREBP

In the liver, induction of genes encoding enzymes involved in de novo lipogenesis occurs in response to increased glucose metabolism. ChREBP (carbohydrate-response-element-binding protein) is a basic helix–loop–helix/leucine zipper transcription factor that regulates expression of these genes. To evaluate the potential role of ChREBP phosphorylation in its regulation, we used MS to identify modified residues. In the present paper, we report the detection of multiple phosphorylation sites of ChREBP expressed in hepatocytes, several of which are only observed under high-glucose conditions. Mutation of each of these serine/threonine residues of ChREBP did not alter its ability to respond to glucose. However, mutation of five N-terminal phosphoacceptor sites resulted in a major decrease in activity under high-glucose conditions. These phosphorylated residues are located within a region of ChREBP (amino acids 1–197) that is critical for glucose regulation. Mutation of Ser56 within this region to an aspartate residue resulted in increased nuclear accumulation and activity under high-glucose conditions. Together, these data suggest that ChREBP activity is regulated by complex multisite phosphorylation patterns involving its N-terminal regulatory region. Abbreviations: ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; AH, acidic helix; a.m.u., atomic mass units; ChoRE, carbohydrate-response element; ChREBP, carbohydrate-response-element-binding protein; DBD, DNA-binding domain; dnChREBP, dominant-negative ChREBP; EMSA, electrophoretic mobility-shift assay; ESI, electrospray ionization; HEK-293, human embryonic kidney; LC, liquid chromatography; MCR, Mondo conserved region; MS/MS, tandem MS; NES, nuclear export signal; NLS, nuclear localization signal; pCPT-cAMP, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate; PKA, protein kinase A; PP2A, protein phosphatase 2A; TM, S196A/S626A/T666A triple mutant; WT, wild-type
Willful ignorance in the request for product attribute information

Abstract Attribute information is not always readily available to consumers. This is especially true for ethical attributes, such as labor practices, environmental friendliness, and so forth. Intuitively, it might be expected that consumers who would use an attribute in their decision making should seek attribute information, especially if it is easily obtainable. In three studies, the authors measure discrepancies between requests for available ethical attribute information and actual use of the same attribute in a conjoint task. In both between-subjects and within-subjects designs, the authors show that consumers (1) underrequest ethical attribute information and (2) are especially likely to show request/use inconsistency if they care about the underlying ethical issue. Negative emotions, especially the avoidance of anger, appear to drive this willful ignorance. These results add to the growing literature on avoidance mechanisms and consumer decision making and may shed light on when ethical attributes ...
Mid-Cretaceous crustal extension recorded in deep-marine half-graben fill, Cedros Island, Mexico

Marine, mid-Cretaceous fore-arc strata on Cedros Island (Vargas and Pinos Formations) record the onset of extensional brittle deformation of the upper crust concomitant with initial uplift of blueschist-grade rock from great depth. The pre-extensional Vargas Formation is chiefly fine grained, and it contains facies interpreted as basin-plain, sand-rich-fan, and slope deposits that onlapped a Jurassic unconformity toward the north. The syn-extensional Pinos Formation is coarser grained than is the Vargas and records the initiation and filling of a northeast-southwest-trending, deep-marine, half-graben structure that formed by reactivation of a Jurassic fault zone located along the northern margin of the basin. The axis of the half graben acted as a submarine canyon that funneled gravelly sediment-gravity flows toward the south-west, whereas the shoulder of the half graben was draped by sandy turbidites and mud. A second episode of faulting on a fault parallel to, and synthetic with, the older half-graben fault produced a stress-transfer zone that steepened the intervening block, producing a catastrophic slope failure in the basin. Several points of evidence suggest that the canyon-bounding fault zone mapped at the northern margin of the basin was syndepositionally active. Basin-floor scarps are indicated by the presence of large, angular blocks derived from the Jurassic strata; these blocks occur within Cretaceous conglomerate and olistostromes, and as clast-supported breccia. Asymmetric basin subsidence is recorded in monotonic lithofacies trends that occur laterally away from the inferred fault zone. These trends include a decrease in average grain size and bed thickness, and an increase in interbedded mudstone and in lateral continuity of individual beds. Abundant slope-failure features, including slide blocks as much as 100 m wide by 40 m thick, also point to frequently recurring intrabasinal seismicity. The facies distribution and basin structures exposed on Cedros Island are analogous to aspects of the southern Viking Graben and the Ebro turbidite complex. Modern tectonic and physical analogues for the half graben are found at the Kuril margin and in the Aleutian are, where oblique convergence has produced fault-bounded submarine canyons of the same lateral and vertical scale as inferred for the Cretaceous basin on Cedros Island. The temporal coincidence between brittle deformation in the upper plate with peak blueschist metamorphism in the lower plate of the convergent margin suggests that initial blueschist uplift began soon after deepest burial.
M/M/1 queues with working vacations (M/M/1/WV)

The classical single server vacation model is generalized to consider a server which works at a different rate rather than completely stops during the vacation period. Simple explicit formulae for the mean, variance, and distribution of the number and time in the system are presented. The distributional results generalize the classical vacation decomposition with no service during a vacation. This model approximates a multi-queue system whose service rate is one of the two speeds for which the fast speed mode cyclically moves from queue to queue with an exhaustive schedule. This work is motivated and illustrated by the analysis of a WDM optical access network using multiple wavelengths which can be reconfigured.
Ectopic noggin blocks sensory and nonsensory organ morphogenesis in the chicken inner ear.

Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (Bmp4) is expressed during multiple stages of development of the chicken inner ear. At the otocyst stage, Bmp4 is expressed in each presumptive sensory organ, as well as in the mesenchymal cells surrounding the region of the otocyst that is destined to form the semicircular canals. After the formation of the gross anatomy of the inner ear, Bmp4 expression persists in some sensory organs and restricted domains of the semicircular canals. To address the role of this gene in inner ear development, we blocked BMP4 function(s) by delivering one of its antagonists, Noggin, to the developing inner ear in ovo. Exogenous Noggin was delivered to the developing otocyst by using a replication-competent avian retrovirus encoding the Noggin cDNA (RCAS-N) or implanting beads coated with Noggin protein. Noggin treatment resulted in a variety of phenotypes involving both sensory and nonsensory components of the inner ear. Among the nonsensory structures, the semicircular canals were the most sensitive and the endolymphatic duct and sac most resistant to exogenous Noggin. Noggin affected the proliferation of the primordial canal outpouch, as well as the continual outgrowth of the canal after its formation. In addition, Noggin affected the structural patterning of the cristae, possibly via a decrease of Msx1 and p75NGFR expression. These results suggest that BMP4 and possibly other BMPs are required for multiple phases of inner ear development.
Identification of a second oligopeptide transport system in Bacillus subtilis and determination of its role in sporulation

Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis depends on an intact oligopeptide transport system, the Opp system. Mutants in opp sporulate poorly but second-site revertants can be found that restore sporulation and peptide transport. These second-site mutations were found in a second oligopeptide transport system, app, in which the peptide-binding protein, AppA, is mutant owing to a frame-shift mutation, and the revertants restore the original frame. The AppA mutation is present in the 168 strain of B. subtilis. The app operon consists of five genes in the order appD-appF-appA-appB-appC, with the locus designations corresponding to their homologue in the opp operon. Homology between the app and opp proteins ranges from 54% identity for AppF and OppF, to 22% identity for AppA and OppA. Both the App and Opp permease systems can transport tetra- and pentapeptides, but tripeptides are not transported by the App system. Strains of the genotype app+ opp- are resistant to the tripeptide antibiotic bialaphos. The repaired App system can substitute completely for the Opp system in both sporulation and competence for genetic transformation. The phenotypes raised some speculation about the subunit configuration of the Opp system.
Grain Sorghum Water Requirement and Responses to Drought Stress: A Review

Abstract Because sorghum is a drought-tolerant crop, it is often preferred by producers in cases of expected water stress. The objectives of this review were to summarize the water requirements, effect of water stress, and hybrid variation in drought tolerance of grain sorghum, and to suggest possible solutions that could help narrow the gap between potential and actual dryland sorghum yield. We reviewed more than 70 reports in peer-reviewed journals, extension publications, books, and websites. Grain sorghum tolerates and avoids drought more than many other cereal crops, but the drought response of sorghum does not come without a yield loss. Water stress at the vegetative stage alone can reduce yield more than 36%, and water stress at the reproductive stage can reduce yield more than 55%. Eighty percent of sorghum production in the world is under dryland conditions. We deduced that by focusing on techniques that can improve water availability in sorghum growing season alone, we can double the current dryland sorghum yield with the existing genetic potential. Results of this review suggest the existence of genotypic variation in drought tolerance among sorghum hybrids due to possible physiological differences or vice versa. We concluded by presenting possible management options to reduce the effects of water stress in dryland conditions and suggesting possible areas of research.
Unlimited multistability in multisite phosphorylation systems

Reversible phosphorylation on serine, threonine and tyrosine is the most widely studied posttranslational modification of proteins (1, 2). The number of phosphorylated sites on a protein (n) shows a significant increase from prokaryotes, with n less than or equal to 7 sites, to eukaryotes, with examples having n greater than or equal to 150 sites (3). Multisite phosphorylation has many roles (4, 5) and site conservation indicates that increasing numbers of sites cannot be due merely to promiscuous phosphorylation. A substrate with n sites has an exponential number (2^n) of phospho-forms and individual phospho-forms may have distinct biological effects (6, 7). The distribution of these phospho-forms and how this distribution is regulated have remained unknown. Here we show that, when kinase and phosphatase act in opposition on a multisite substrate, the system can exhibit distinct stable phospho-form distributions at steady state and that the maximum number of such distributions increases with n. Whereas some stable distributions are focused on a single phospho-form, others are more diffuse, giving the phospho-proteome the potential to behave as a fluid regulatory network able to encode information and flexibly respond to varying demands. Such plasticity may underlie complex information processing in eukaryotic cells (8) and suggests a functional advantage in having many sites. Our results follow from the unusual geometry of the steady-state phospho-form concentrations, which we show to constitute a rational algebraic curve, irrespective of n. We thereby reduce the complexity of calculating steady states from simulating 3 times 2^n differential equations to solving two algebraic equations, while treating parameters symbolically. We anticipate that these methods can be extended to systems with multiple substrates and multiple enzymes catalysing different modifications, as found in posttranslational modification 'codes' (9) such as the histone code (10, 11). Whereas simulations struggle with exponentially increasing molecular complexity, mathematical methods of the kind developed here can provide a new language in which to articulate the principles of cellular information processing (12).
Secondary Electron Emission from a Charged Dielectric

Charges on the surface of fluorinated-ethylene-propylene affect its secondary electron emission coefficient. Measurements with impact energies exceeding that energy which causes peak emission have been made in regions where the local electric field produced by the surface charge is normal to the surface and in regions where it is oblique. The surface of the 6-mm wide specimen was charged to either 6 or 10 kV. Because the impinging primary beam was deflected by the charged specimen, numerical modeling was used to predict the beam's impact energy E, impact angle ?, and the impact point. The formula (E0/E) ncos? predicts the coefficient in the region of normal field up to 60° although E0 depends upon the electric field and also on the history of the specimen. Near the edges where the field is obliquie, the measured coefficient departs significantly from what the formula predicts.
Functions of Interneurons in Mouse Cerebellum

The output signal of Purkinje cells is conveyed by the modulated discharge of simple spikes (SSs) often ascribed to mossy fiber–granule cell–parallel fiber inputs to Purkinje cell dendrites. Although generally accepted, this view lacks experimental support. We can address this view by controlling afferent signals that reach the cerebellum over climbing and mossy fiber pathways. Vestibular primary afferents constitute the largest mossy fiber projection to the uvula-nodulus. The discharge of vestibular primary afferent mossy fibers increases during ipsilateral roll tilt. The discharge of SSs decreases during ipsilateral roll tilt. Climbing fiber discharge [complex spikes (CSs)] increases during ipsilateral roll tilt. These observations suggest that the modulation of SSs during vestibular stimulation cannot be attributed directly to vestibular mossy fiber afferents. Rather we suggest that interneurons driven by vestibular climbing fibers may determine SS modulation. We recorded from cerebellar interneurons (granule, unipolar brush, Golgi, stellate, basket, and Lugaro cells) and Purkinje cells in the uvula-nodulus of anesthetized mice during vestibular stimulation. We identified all neuronal types by juxtacellular labeling with neurobiotin. Granule, unipolar brush, stellate, and basket cells discharge in phase with ipsilateral roll tilt and in phase with CSs. Golgi cells discharge out of phase with ipsilateral roll tilt and out of phase with CSs. The phases of stellate and basket cell discharge suggests that their activity could account for the antiphasic behavior of CSs and SSs. Because Golgi cells discharge in phase with SSs, Golgi cell activity cannot account for SS modulation. The sagittal array of Golgi cell axon terminals suggests that they contribute to the organization of discrete parasagittal vestibular zones.
The Evolution of Anxiety and Social Exclusion

To support the hypothesis that anxiety is a species-typical adaptation to prevent social exclusion, several facts about group living must be explicated: (1) groups provide unusual concentrations of particular social resources, some of which aid survival (e.g., protection from nonspecific aggressors) but many of which aid reproduction (e.g., pool of potential mates); (2) it is not groups in general that people want to be members of but particular groups such as kin groups, those that have power, and those that are similar to oneself; (3) the events that lead to group exclusion (e.g., mate poaching, stealing, cheating, murder) are particular and nonarbitrary, and they typically decrease the reproductive success of particular group members who instigate exclusion; and (4) in addition to reproductive benefits, group living carries costs—an intensification of conflict and competition. Discussion focuses on the standards that must be met before considering anxiety a species-typical adaptation to prevent social ...
Origin of Hawaiian tholeiite and alkalic basalt

Haleakala Volcano consists of a tholeiitic basalt shield overlain by alkalic lavas. As a function of decreasing age, La/Ce, Ba/La, Nb/La, Rb/Sr and 143Nd/144Nd increase but Sm/Nd and 87Sr/86Sr decrease. Inverse correlations between these isotopic ratios and their respective parent/daughter abundance ratios are consistent with mixing of melts derived from an enriched mantle composition with melts formed by <1% melting of a mid-ocean ridge basalt source.
Characteristics and outcomes of aged medicare beneficiaries with a traumatic spinal cord injury: 2002-2005

The number of aged Medicare fee-for-service patients with a recent traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) increased from 608 in 2002 to 840 in 2005. Each year, more than half of patients presented with incomplete cervical level injuries. The mean case mix index increased from 1.87 to 2.03 during the 4 years, and the percentage of patients discharged to the community decreased from 62.7 in 2002 to 55.5 in 2005. The median price of an IRF hospital stay was $16,995 (2002 US dollars) in 2002 and $21,625 (2005 US dollars) in 2005.