2,450 research outputs found
The Enigma of the “Jumping Frenchmen of Maine”
The “Jumping Frenchmen of Maine” exhibited unusual reactions when startled, and they became a component of local folklore in northern New England during the late nineteenth century. Medical scientists of the time examined the condition, but came to no definite conclusions. Modern scientists in the late twentieth century also disagreed on its origins. The syndrome appears to have resulted from the unique social and environmental factors peculiar to the logging camps of the time. Stephen R. Whalen has a Ph.D. in history from the University of Maine. Retired from public school teaching, he is currently a member of the History Department at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. Robert E. Bartholomew, a former journalist in New York state, has a Ph.D. from James Cook University in Australia. He is the author of LITTLE GREEN MEN, MEOWING NUNS AND HEADHUNTING PANICS: A STUDY OF MASS PSYCHOGENIC ILLNESS AND SOCIAL DELUSION (Mc- Farland, 2001)
Adaptive Comparative Judgment for Polytechnic Transformation: Assessment across the Curriculum
The authors are investigating potential applications of adaptive comparative judgment (ACJ) across numerous environments and learning scenarios within the Purdue Polytechnic Institute as part of Purdue’s efforts to transform the undergraduate learning experience. Six courses or program areas were selectedfor the study, involving a wide variation in subjects, subject matter, and assessment artifacts. The authors anticipate that positive results from these pilot studies will encourage broader and deeper applications of ACJ in the Purdue Polytechnic, across Purdue University, and in other academic institutions. Results from these scenarios will be disseminated in future conferences and scholarly journals
Detection of functional PTEN lipid phosphatase protein and enzyme activity in squamous cell carcinomas of the head andeck, despite loss of heterozygosity at this locus
The human tumour suppressor gene PTEN located at 10q23 is mutated in a variety of tumour types particularly metastatic cases and in the germline of some individuals with Cowdens cancer predisposition syndrome. We have assessed the status of PTEN and associated pathways in cell lines derived from 19 squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Loss of heterozygosity is evident at, or close to the PTEN gene in 5 cases, however there were no mutations in the remaining alleles. Furthermore by Western analysis PTEN protein levels are normal in all of these SCC-HN tumours and cell lines. To assess the possibility that PTEN may be inactivated by another mechanism, we characterized lipid phosphatase levels and from a specific PIP3 biochemical assay it is clear that PTEN is functionally active in all 19 human SCCs. Our data strongly suggest the possibility that a tumour suppressor gene associated with development of SCC-HN, other than PTEN, is located in this chromosomal region. This gene does not appear to be MXI-1, which has been implicated in some other human tumour types. PTEN is an important negative regulator of PI3Kinase, of which subunit alpha is frequently amplified in SCC-HN. To examine the possibility that PI3K is upregulated by amplification in this tumour set we assessed the phosphorylation status of Akt, a downstream target of PI3K. In all cases there is no detectable increase in Akt phosphorylation. Therefore there is no detectable defect in the PI3K pathway in SCC-HN suggesting that the reason for 3q26.3 over-representation may be due to genes other than PI3K110α. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co
Xcompact3D: An open-source framework for solving turbulence problems on a Cartesian mesh
Xcompact3D is a Fortran 90–95 open-source framework designed for fast and accurate simulations of turbulent flows, targeting CPU-based supercomputers. It is an evolution of the flow solver Incompact3D which was initially designed in France in the mid-90’s for serial processors to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. Incompact3D was then ported to parallel High Performance Computing (HPC) systems in the early 2010’s. Very recently the capabilities of Incompact3D have been extended so that it can now tackle more flow regimes (from incompressible flows to compressible flows at low Mach numbers), resulting in the design of a new user-friendly framework called Xcompact3D. The present manuscript presents an overview of Xcompact3D with a particular focus on its functionalities, its ready-to-run simulations and a few case studies to demonstrate its impact
Establishment Vigor of Endophyte Free and Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue Cultivars in Southern Ohio
Eleven cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea, Schreb.) and two cultivars of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) are part of a study to evaluate yield, establishment vigor, persistence and palatability under autumn stockpiling conditions. Included in the study are two endophyte infected-cultivars of tall fescue to compare interactions with endophyte free and infected cultivars. The results demonstrate that the newer endophyte-free and low-endophyte tall fescue cultivars evaluated are similar to other orchardgrass and endophyte-infected tall fescue cultivars in establishment vigor and early growth the year following establishment
Enhanced radiative strength in the quasi-continuum of 117Sn
Radiative strength functions of 117Sn has been measured below the neutron
separation energy using the (3He,3He'gamma) reactions. An increase in the slope
of the strength functions around E_gamma= 4.5 MeV indicates the onset of a
resonance-like structure, giving a significant enhancement of the radiative
strength function compared to standard models in the energy region 4.5 <=
E_gamma <= 8.0 MeV. For the first time, the functional form of this
resonance-like structure has been measured in an odd tin nucleus below neutron
threshold in the quasi-continuum region.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
An urban sprawl index based on multivariate and Bayesian factor analysis with application at the municipality level in Valencia
[EN] Urban sprawl is now a common and threatening phenomenon in Europe, severely affecting
environmental and economic sustainability. An analytical characterization and measurement of
urban sprawl are required to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon and to propose the
possible solutions. Traditional factor analysis techniques, especially Principal Component Analysis
and Factor Analysis, have been commonly used. In this paper, we additionally test Independent
Component Analysis with the aim to obtain a multidimensional characterization of the sprawl
phenomenon. We also use Bayesian Factor Analysis to obtain a single (unidimensional) measuring
index of sprawl, which also allows us to obtain the uncertainty of the inferred index, in contrast to
traditional approaches. All these techniques have been applied to study the phenomenon of urban
sprawl at the municipality level in Valencia, Spain using a wide set of variables related to the
characteristics and patterns of urban land use.Gielen, E.; Riutort-Mayol, G.; Palencia Jiménez, JS.; Cantarino-Martí, I. (2017). An urban sprawl index based on multivariate and Bayesian factor analysis with application at the municipality level in Valencia. Environment and Planning B Planning and Design. 1-27. doi:10.1177/2399808317690148S12
Evolution of level density step structures from 56,57-Fe to 96,97-Mo
Level densities have been extracted from primary gamma spectra for 56,57-Fe
and 96,97-Mo nuclei using (3-He,alpha gamma) and (3-He,3-He') reactions on
57-Fe and 97-Mo targets. The level density curves reveal step structures above
the pairing gap due to the breaking of nucleon Cooper pairs. The location of
the step structures in energy and their shapes arise from the interplay between
single-particle energies and seniority-conserving and seniority-non-conserving
interactions.Comment: 9 pages, including 5 figure
Experiences of Eight Ohio Beef and Sheep Producers with Year Round Grazing
Livestock producers participated in a demonstration project to extend the grazing season and evaluate dormant forage quality and yield. Differences were not detected in yields among forage species but yield differences existed among sites. Yield estimates did not change over time across all forage species but some sites were only able to participate for two months. Producers utilizing fescue beyond November had reductions in herbage mass. Crude protein, available crude protein, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber content differed among forage species and sites. Energy and lignin content were similar for all forage species and sites. Sodium and copper were perhaps the most universally deficient minerals. While magnesium levels appeared adequate, relatively high potassium levels could interfere with magnesium absorption. Mean fescue endophyte content was 67% which could reduce animal performance. Based on this project and other information, a beef cattle grazing manual was printed and has been distributed
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