cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flux of CO2 from the Lithosphere in the Bohemian Massif

THE important feature of the NW part of the Variscan Bohemian Massif in Czechoslovakia1,2 is a 140 km long graben structure that was tectonically active in the Oligocene and Miocene. Tertiary and early Quaternary volcanic activity and present day hot and cold mineral springs, of maximum temperature 72° C, spatially coincide with the structure. Some of the springs produce gaseous CO2. The rocks yielding the water are felsic igneous or felsic metamorphic rocks. The recent study of natural equilibration between meteoric water and felsic rocks in the area3 indicates that the hydrolysis of primary aluminium silicates and the formation of clay minerals and calcite are the chief processes which control the chemistry of the subsurface waters. Because limestones and dolostones which can release enormous quantities of CO2 by natural thermal decomposition4 are scarce in the region and abundant amounts of organic matter are not likely to be present in the felsic rocks the large amount of CO2 in the subsurface waters must be derived from other sources. It has been widely assumed that the gaseous CO2 in the springs represents a final stage of the Tertiary and early Quaternary volcanic activity5. According to the available geological evidence6 it may be concluded that both the CO2 and the basaltic volcanism are manifestations of deep seated fault systems along which CO2 of a deep, not well understood, origin escapes from or through the lithosphere. If this is true, higher partial pressures of CO2 should be encountered in the subsurface waters of the NW part of the Bohemian Massif, as compared to localities where no excessive flux of CO2 is reported.
Ascending projections of the dorsal column in a garter snake (thamnophis siritalis): A degeneration study

Ascending axons in the dorsal column of garter snakes were examined following hemisection of the spinal cord at segment levels 2, 3, 4, 11, 13, and 31. After postoperative survival periods of 11 to 28 days, sections of the spinal cord and brain were processed with a silver method to demonstrate degenerated axons and preterminals. The study demonstrated that most ascending degenerated axons are located in the outer half of the dorsal column. The somatotopic pattern of ascending fibers is evident, whereby dorsomedial fibers are primarily of caudal origin and the more dorsolateral axons are from rostral cord segments. Rostral to segment 31, all spinal segments appear to project to a strip of dorsal column adjacent to the dorsal median septum. From the septum, axons descend to terminate somatotopically on cells of the nucleus of Bischoff located caudal to the obex of the medulla. Dorsal column degeneration ascends to the level of the dorsal column nuclei, where most fibers terminate. Degeneration from caudal cord segments terminates on caudo-medial cells of the dorsal column nuclei, while rostral cord segments project to rostro-lateral cells. The dorsal column nuclei consist of an expanded lateral part between tractus descendens trigemini and the vago-solitary complex, and a contiguous, thin medial lamina of cells dorsal and medial to the vagal nuclei. The somatotopic pattern of degeneration in the dorsal column nuclei, probably of dorsal root origin, follows the mammalian organization, which suggests that the garter snake has primitive nuclei gracilis and cuneatus. Other terminal sites of degenerating fibers, although probably of spinal gray origin, are nucleus commissura infima, nucleus descendens vestibuli, and area postrema.
Estimating Queue Dynamics at Signalized Intersections from Probe Vehicle Data: Methodology Based on Kinematic Wave Model

As vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications technologies are evolving, data from vehicles equipped with location and wireless technologies provide new opportunities to observe traffic flow dynamics more precisely. A new methodology is presented for estimating the dynamics of vehicular queues at signalized intersections on the basis of the event data generated by probe vehicles. The methodology uses shock wave theory (i.e., the Lighthill-Whitham-Richards theory) to estimate the evolution of the back of the queue over time and space from the event data generated when probe vehicles join the back of the queue. The time and space coordinates of these events are used to develop a formulation for determining the critical points needed to create time-space diagrams or shock waves to characterize the queue dynamics. The methodology is applied to sample data generated from the microscopic traffic simulation software VISSIM. It is found that the proposed methodology is effective in estimating...
Phase-based video motion processing

We introduce a technique to manipulate small movements in videos based on an analysis of motion in complex-valued image pyramids. Phase variations of the coefficients of a complex-valued steerable pyramid over time correspond to motion, and can be temporally processed and amplified to reveal imperceptible motions, or attenuated to remove distracting changes. This processing does not involve the computation of optical flow, and in comparison to the previous Eulerian Video Magnification method it supports larger amplification factors and is significantly less sensitive to noise. These improved capabilities broaden the set of applications for motion processing in videos. We demonstrate the advantages of this approach on synthetic and natural video sequences, and explore applications in scientific analysis, visualization and video enhancement.
Relaxation of tensile stress in a reactor graphite at 2000 to 2700°C☆

Abstract Relaxation of tensile stress was studied in across-grain specimens of a commercial graphite at 2000 to 2700°C and initial stresses of 1000 to 3000 lb/in 2 . Except at very short and relatively long times, stress decreased linearly with the logarithm of relaxation time. Persistent stress of about 1100 to 1200 lb/in 2 remained at 2000°C when relaxation apparently had ceased. This decreased with increasing temperature to about 700 to 800 lb/in 2 at and above 2400°C. Discontinuous changes in apparent activation energy and activation volume occurred near 2400°C, suggesting a change in relaxation mechanism at about that temperature.
The role of ionic currents in establishing developmental pattern

This paper reviews a theory of pattern establishment and pattern restoration by endogenous ionic currents. These currents are supposed to be generated by a certain separation of ion leaks and ion pumps in cell membranes. In so far as these currents act back to further this separation, they would be part of a regenerative process that initially establishes positional values. Later in development, particularly in epimorphic regeneration, when positional values are restored or extended, these currents are supposed to leak through sites of discontinuity in such values and thus trigger growth. This paper also reviews the factual evidence for this view: evidence that developmental currents are, indeed, very widespread; evidence in a few cases, particularly in Cecropia follicles and in wounded cavy skin, that they can generate substantial voltage differences or gradients; evidence that comparable artificial fields can move charged macromolecules along cell membranes and polarize cell growth; and direct evidence in a few case, particularly fucoid eggs, Cecropia follicles and regenerating amphibian limbs, that ion currents do, in fact, act back to direct or further development. The paper also presents a particular theory, based upon ionic currents, of the reversal of thyroid cell polarity by serum.
Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) of Fluorescence Tagged Proteins in Dendritic Spines of Cultured Hippocampal Neurons

FRAP has been used to quantify the mobility of GFP-tagged proteins. Using a strong excitation laser, the fluorescence of a GFP-tagged protein is bleached in the region of interest. The fluorescence of the region recovers when the unbleached GFP-tagged protein from outside of the region diffuses into the region of interest. The mobility of the protein is then analyzed by measuring the fluorescence recovery rate. This technique could be used to characterize protein mobility and turnover rate. In this study, we express the (enhanced green fluorescent protein) EGFP vector in cultured hippocampal neurons. Using the Zeiss 710 confocal microscope, we photobleach the fluorescence signal of the GFP protein in a single spine, and then take time lapse images to record the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Finally, we estimate the percentage of mobile and immobile fractions of the GFP in spines, by analyzing the imaging data using ImageJ and Graphpad softwares. This FRAP protocol shows how to perform a basic FRAP experiment as well as how to analyze the data.
Gene Flow Among Modoc Sucker and Sacramento Sucker Populations in the Upper Pit River, California and Oregon

Abstract The Modoc sucker Catostomus microps received legal protection in the United States based partially on concerns that anthropogenic environmental changes had restricted migration among populations and catalyzed hybridization with a more abundant congener, the Sacramento sucker Catostomus occidentalis. We applied eight microsatellite markers to samples of both species collected from two tributaries to the Pit River, California (Ash Creek and Turner Creek), and one tributary of Goose Lake, Oregon (Thomas Creek). Modoc sucker populations in these three tributaries seemed to be largely isolated from one another: gene flow between Ash Creek and Turner Creek was no greater than that among these two creeks and Thomas Creek. In contrast, divergence estimates among collections of Sacramento suckers indicated greater gene flow between Ash Creek and Turner Creek than between either of these creeks and Thomas Creek. Samples collected at a single site (Ash Valley) were identified based on morphology as Modoc su...
Graphene as a protective coating and superior lubricant for electrical contacts

Potential for graphene to be used as a lubricant for sliding electrical contacts has been evaluated. Graphene, being deposited as a sporadic flakes on the gold substrate sliding against titanium nitride ball shows not only significant improvement in tribological behavior by reducing both friction (by factor of 2–3) and wear (by 2 orders) but also, even more importantly, demonstrates stable and low electrical resistance at the sliding contacts undergoing thousands of sliding passes regardless of the test environment (i.e., both in humid and dry conditions).
Visibility improvement of shadow regions using hyperspectral band integration

We present a hyperspectral image enhancement technique that utilizes spectral angle information to improve the local contrast of shadow regions and increases spatial resolution of the output color image determined by the enhancement process. The proposed visibility improvement technique is presented in a two-stage approach. The first stage of the algorithm improves the contrast within the image, thus enhancing the textural details of the scene. To minimize the effects of illumination variations on the visibility of objects in the scene, the spectral angle mapper (SAM) is employed, which allows the local pixel information to be insensitive to changes in illumination. A color restoration process is used to provide an enhanced color image from computed spectral angle between the reference spectrum and unknown spectra. This step enables us to colorize the output image along with the enhanced shadow regions. In the second stage, the spatial resolution of the contrast enhanced image is increased by using single image super resolution technique on the enhanced image. The super resolution technique employs a nonlinear interpolation based on multi-level local Fourier phase features. The combination of the enhancement, color restoration, and super resolution approaches provide better visibility of objects in the shadow regions. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified using realworld hyperspectral data.
FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE SELF-EFFICACY SCALE '

The purpose of this study was to examine further the factorial validity of the Self-efficacy Scale via component and subsequent correlational analyses. 651 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory psychology course voluntarily completed the Self-efficacy Scale and the Bem Sex-role Inventory. A principal component analysis with an orthogonal rotation produced a two-factor solution which was remarkably similar to the factor structures reported previously. The two factors (General Self-efficacy and Social Self-efficacy) accounted for about 34% of the total variance. Further, the correlation coefficients indicated that General Self-efficacy was more strongly related to masculine traits than to feminine traits, as defined by the Bem Sex-role Inventory.
Quantifying water sources to a semiarid riparian ecosystem, San Pedro River, Arizona

[1] The Upper San Pedro River Basin (Southeastern Arizona, United States) contains one of the few desert riparian areas in the Southwest, a system that is dependent on both shallow groundwater to support phreatic vegetation and baseflow for aquatic plants and animals. Proper management decisions for sustaining this biodiversity hotspot require understanding the hydrology of the riparian system and its interaction with the basin aquifer. To meet this need and to assess whether the techniques used would be efficient for evaluating other semiarid riparian ecosystems, we addressed the following questions. What are the contributions of different water sources (e.g., local recharge during monsoon flood events versus inflow of basin groundwater) to riparian groundwater and river baseflow? How does the spatial variability in water sources relate to gaining and losing reaches along of the river? We first characterize the possible water sources to the riparian system using a suite of geochemical tracers. Results indicate that, of the possible sources, basin groundwater recharged along the Huachuca Mountains to the west and local recharge of monsoon floodwaters are the dominant riparian water sources. Then, using their geochemical composition, we quantify these sources using a two end-member mixing model. We find that riparian groundwater composition varies between gaining and losing reaches. Locally recharged monsoon floodwater comprises 60 to 85% of riparian groundwater in losing reaches whereas that of gaining reaches contains only 10% to 40%. Baseflow, sampled year round, also contains a significant component of monsoon floodwater ranging from 80% on the upstream end and decreasing to 55% after passing though several gaining reaches. These results highlight the significance of local recharge during monsoon flood events as a water source for desert riparian systems, a fact that should be addressed when constructing and calibrating hydrologic models used to evaluate these future water management decisions.
Analytical approximations for structures of wet CO flames with one-step reduced chemistry

Abstract Since hydrogen-containing species catalyze CO oxidation, at small H/C and H/O ratios steady-state approximations for reaction intermediaries should be accurate and should produce a good one-step reduced-chemistry approximation for describing the flame structure. Such an approximation is complicated, however, because of the many elementary kinetic steps involved. In the present work simplifications are introduced into a one-step approximation that enable analytical expressions to be obtained for the burning velocities of premixed laminar flames by asymptotic methods. The resulting burning velocities are shown to be in good agreement with experiment and with detailed numerical predictions, and qualitative aspects of the internal flame structure are shown to agree with those deduced from full-chemistry numerical calculations. Estimates are given of the ranges of conditions over which the approximations can reasonably be employed and of flammability limits controlled by chemical kinetics.
Structure and extinction of non-premixed n-heptane flames

An experimental and numerical study is performed to elucidate the structure and mechanisms of extinction of non-premixed n-heptane flames. Experiments are conducted on flames stabilized between two connterflowing streams. The fuel stream is a mixture of prevaporized n-heptane and nitrogen, and the oxidizer stream is a mixture of air and nitrogen. Concentration profiles of C7H16, O2, N2, CO2 CO, H2, CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, C3H4, C3H6, C3H8, C4-hydrocarbons, C5-hydrocarbons and C6-hydrocarbons are measured. The measurements are made by removing gas samples from the flame using a quartz microprobe and analyzing the samples using gas chromatographs. The identity of the species is established using a mass selective detector. Temperature profiles are measured using a thermocouple. In addition, critical conditions of extinction are measured, giving the mass fraction of reactants as a function of the strain rate. Numerical calculations are performed using detailed chemistry to determine the flame structure and critical conditions of extinction at conditions identical to those used in the experiments. Calculated and measured flame structures are found to agree reasonably well: however, a small shift is observed between the calculated and measured temperature and concentration profiles. In general, the measured profiles are broader than the calculated profiles. At given values of the mass fraction of oxygen in the oxidizer stream, the calculated strain rates at extinction are noticeably higher than those measured. Experiments are also performed on non-premixed flames stabilized in the counterflowing configuration over a liquid pool of n-heptane. Critical conditions of extinction are measured. Numerical calculations are performed at conditions used in these experiments, and critical conditions of extinction are obtained. At given values of the mass fraction of oxygen in the oxidizer stream, the calculated strain rates at extinction are noticeably higher than those measured. The differences between the calculated and measured strain rates at extinction for the liquid pool flame are higher than for n-heptane-vapor flames.
Trust and contract completeness in the public sector

Abstract In this paper, we identify the implications of different levels of contract completeness for the delivery of public services. While numerous factors influence the effectiveness of more or less complete contracts, achieving a win–win outcome – in which both parties to a contract achieve their goals – is in part contingent on the degree of trust between the contracting parties. We explore how varying levels of trust interact with the degree of contract completeness to influence contract effectiveness across different circumstances. In particular, we draw on examples of two types of commonly contracted, but distinctly different public services – refuse collection and social service provision – to illustrate how contracting governments often adapt contract completeness in response to changes in the level of trust with the vendor. We show how contracts become less complete over time as trust evolves between parties, as well how less complete contracts become more complete when trust deteriorates betwe...
Invertebrate predation on planktonic rotifers

Representatives from many taxa including the Protozoa, Cnidaria, Rotifera, Cladocera, Cyclopoida, Calanoida, Harpacticoida, Chaoboridae, and Mysidacea are reported to feed on rotifers. There are few good quantitative data on predation on rotifers by any of these taxa with two exceptions, Rotifera and Cyclopoida. The present review focuses on the dynamics of Cyclopoid copepod predation. Intense and selective cyclopoid copepod predation makes it an important factor to consider in studies of the population ecology and community structure of rotifer populations. Limited information available on other predatory invertebrate taxa suggests that rotifer production may contribute extensively to their diets.
DSM-5 gambling disorder: prevalence and characteristics in a substance use disorder sample.

Background The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) replaced the DSM-IV diagnosis of Pathological Gambling (PG) with Gambling Disorder (GD). GD requires four rather than five criteria for the diagnosis and excludes the “Illegal Acts” criterion. We examined the prevalence of GD and its characteristics and validity in a substance use disorder (SUD) sample.
Using TPIE for processing massive data sets in C

The adaptation of I/O-efficient algorithms in commercial and research applications can be facilitated by well-designed software libraries. The Templated Portable I/O Environment (TPIE) [2] for C++ is one such library based on the I/O-model of Agarwal and Vitter [3]. TPIE contains a number of powerful algorithms and data structures, enabling the user to quickly develop software that scales to very large data sets. Figure 1 illustrates the power of I/O-efficient algorithms in general and TPIE in particular, in this case using an external memory sorting algorithm and priority queue. As the data size grows close to the 6GiB of main memory of the computer, the sorting algorithm from the C++ Standard Template Library (STL), std::sort, slows down dramatically. Beyond that point using std::sort is infeasible as running times extend into days and weeks even for date sizes only slightly larger than the main memory. STL's std::priority queue behaves in the same way. The sorting algorithm and the priority queue from TPIE are well behaved, even as the size of the input data grows to terabytes. The STXXL [8] and LEDA-SM [5] libraries have goals and features similar to those of TPIE. STXXL aims to be very close to C++'s Standard Template Library (STL) but also offers pipe-lining and some usage of multiple cores. LEDA-SM is an extension to the Library of Efficient Data Types and Algorithms (LEDA) and consists of a number of I/O-efficient data structures and algorithms. Unfortunately, the LEDA-SM project is not active according to a statement on the project's website. On a slightly different level the cluster-friendly FG [4] library provides a framework for pipe-line structured programs that also scale to large data sets. A significantly reworked version 2.0 has been announced on the project website. Moving further into the distributed computing paradigm, the MapReduce [7] and Hadoop [1] frameworks are very popular for implementing algorithms on clusters with large numbers of computing nodes, but that is outside the scope of this article. We refer to [10] and the references therein for a more extensive survey of I/O-efficient algorithms and software libraries.
Parity violating measurements of neutron densities

Parity violating electron nucleus scattering is a clean and powerful tool for measuring the spatial distributions of neutrons in nuclei with unprecedented accuracy. Parity violation arises from the interference of electromagnetic and weak neutral amplitudes, and the ${Z}^{0}$ of the standard model couples primarily to neutrons at low ${Q}^{2}.$ The data can be interpreted with as much confidence as electromagnetic scattering. After briefly reviewing the present theoretical and experimental knowledge of neutron densities, we discuss possible parity violation measurements, their theoretical interpretation, and applications. The experiments are feasible at existing facilities. We show that theoretical corrections are either small or well understood, which makes the interpretation clean. The quantitative relationship to atomic parity nonconservation observables is examined, and we show that the electron scattering asymmetries can be directly applied to atomic parity nonconservation because the observables have approximately the same dependence on nuclear shape.
Experimental determination of trace-element partitioning between pargasite and a synthetic hydrous andesitic melt

In order to more fully establish a basis for quantifying the role of amphibole in trace-element fractionation processes, we have measured pargasite/silicate melt partitioning of a variety of trace elements (Rb, Ba, Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr, Ce, Nd, Sm, Yb), including the first published values for U, Th and Pb. Experiments conducted at 1000°C and 1.5 GPa yielded large crystals free of compositional zoning. Partition coefficients were found to be constant at total concentrations ranging from ∼ 1 to > 100 ppm, indicating Henry's Law is oparative over this interval. Comparison of partition coefficients measured in this study with previous determinations yields good agreement for similar compositions at comparable pressure and temperature. The compatibility of U, Th and Pb in amphibole decreases in the order Pb > Th > U. Partial melting or fractional crystallization of amphibole-bearing assemblages will therefore result in the generation of excesses in238U activity relative to230Th, similar in magnitude to that produced by clinopyroxene. The compatibility of Pb in amphibole relative to U or Th indicates that melt generation in the presence of residual amphibole will result in the long-term enrichment in Pb relative to U or Th in the residue. This process is therefore incapable of producing the depletion in Pb relative to U or Th inferred from the Pb isotopic composition of MORB and OIB. Comparison of partition coefficients measured in this study with previous values for clinopyroxene allows some distinction to be made between expected trace-element fractionations produced during dry (cpx present) and wet (cpx + amphibole present) melting. Rb, Ba, Nb and Ta are dramatically less compatible in clinopyroxene than in amphibole, whereas Th, U, Hf and Zr have similar compatibilities in both phases. Interelement fractionations, such as DNb/DBa are also different for clinopyroxene and amphibole. Changes in certain ratios, such as Ba/Nb, Ba/Th, and Nb/Th within comagmatic suites may therefore offer a means to discern the loss of amphibole from the melting assemblage. Elastic strain theory is applied to the partitioning data after the approaches of Beattie and Blundy and Wood and is used to predict amphibole/melt partition coefficients at conditions of P, T and composition other than those employed in this study. Given values of DCa, DTi and DK from previous partitioning studies, this approach yields amphibole/melt trace-element partition coefficients that reproduce measured values from the literature to within 40–45%. This degree of reproducibility is considered reasonable given that model parameters are derived from partitioning relations involving iron- and potassium-free amphibole.
Development of Osteoblast Colonies on New Bioactive Coatings

The aging baby boomer population coupled with an increase in life expectancy is leading to a rising number of active elderly persons in occidental countries. As a result, the orthopedic implant industry is facing numerous challenges such as the need to extend implant life, reduce the incidence of revision surgery, and improve implant performance. This paper reports results of an investigation on the bioperformance of newly developed coating-substrate systems. Hydroxyapatite (HA) and nano-titania (nano-TiO2) coatings were produced on Ti-6Al-4V and fiber reinforced polymer composite substrates. In vitro studies were conducted to determine the capacity of bioactive coatings developed to sustain osteoblast cells (fetal rat calvaria) adherence, growth, and differentiation. As revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations and alkaline phosphatase activity, cell adhesion and proliferation demonstrated that HA coatings over a polymer composite are at least as good as HA coatings made over Ti-6Al-4V substrate in terms of osteoblast cell activity. Nano-TiO2 coatings produced by high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying led to different results. For short-term cell culture (4.5 and 24 h), the osteoblasts appeared more flattened when grown on nano-TiO2 than on HA. The surface cell coverage after seven days of incubation was also more complete on nano-TiO2 than HA. Preliminary results indicate that osteoblast activity after 15 days of incubation on nano-TiO2 is equivalent to or greater than that observed on HA.
Development and Characterization of a Monoclonal Antibody 369.2B Specific for the Carboxyl‐Terminus of the βA4 Peptide

The beta-amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's diseased (AD) brain are made up mainly of beta A4 peptides which show both N- and C-terminal heterogeneity. The predominant C-terminal species, identified by peptide sequencing of purified beta-amyloid, end either at position 40 or 42 of the beta A4 peptide. The distribution of these two beta A4 species in postmortem tissue as well as their generation in vitro could not be addressed previously due to the lack of specific antibodies that could differentiate them. This report describes the generation of a highly specific monoclonal antibody, MAb 369.2B which was raised against a synthetic peptide consisting of the C-terminus of the 1-42 beta A4 species. MAb 369.2B does not recognize the shorter beta A4 species 1-40 in solution or in solid phase. Furthermore, both beta A4 1-40 and 1-43 were unable to absorb out the antibody when used immunocytochemically. The regional distribution of MAb 369.2B immunoreactivity in AD and non-AD brain samples were compared to MAb 286.8A, an antibody raised against the N-terminal region of beta A4. Overall, the staining patterns were very similar. In AD cases with extreme vascular involvement, the N-terminal (MAb 286.8A) antibody was more likely to label the vascular basement membrane of affected vessels, and to label them more uniformly. In addition, preliminary quantitative analyses revealed that the C-terminal antibody labeled fewer, larger plaques than the N-terminal antibody. Qualitative analyses revealed that these smaller plaques were typically subregions of the larger plaques. The data corroborate the biochemical findings of N-terminal raggedness in beta A4 plaques. Further studies are required to explain this differential pattern of deposition.
Motion organization in “stop action” sequences

.— Do the contents of our successive glances combine by virtue of motion segregation (Johansson) effects? Some explanations of the effects (for example, that they result from uncompensated pursuit eye movements, or that they occur only with continuous stimulus movement) would oppose that proposal. The effects can be obtained with discontinuous stimulus displacements (500 msec jumps), even with a fixation point and visible surroundings. The proposal that glances combine as a result of motion segregation remains viable, therefore, but segregation effects themselves may need reformulation as relational schemas.
Genetic parentage in the indigo bunting: a study using DNA fingerprinting

Parentage of nestlings in a North Carolina population of indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) was analyzed using DNA fingerprinting. Three minisatellite DNA probes (wild type M13, Jeffreys' 33.15 and 33.6) were used to analyze nuclear DNA isolated from muscle biopsies of 63 nestlings, their parents, and other local adults. Each probe detected approximately 15 scorable fragments per individual, with 18%–39% overlap between probes. The proportion of bands shared (using all fragments over all three probes) between presumably unrelated adults averaged 0.23. Of the 63 offspring analyzed, 35 had at least one fragment not present in either putative parent. The distribution of offspring with novel fragments was distinctly bimodal. The lower mode (offspring with 0, 1, or 2 novel fragments, N=41) fit a Poisson distribution, a pattern expected if mutation (estimated rate per fragment= 0.01) were the source of the novel fragments. The remaining 22 offspring had more novel fragments than could be explained by mutation alone (minimum of four independent fragments across all three probes, $$\bar X$$ =8.2). A low band-sharing proportion with the resident male ( $$\bar X$$ =0.24) and high band-sharing with the resident female ( $$\bar X$$ =0.60) implicated extra-pair fertilizations as the source of all 22. Thus in this sample, 35% of all nestlings came from extra-pair fertilizations and none from intra-specific brood parasitism. Of 25 broods sampled, 12 (48%) had at least one excluded offspring. In 3 broods all of the offspring excluded the resident male. Band-sharing proportions between excluded nestlings within a brood could not distinguish between single and multiple extra-pair paternity. Although young males tended to be excluded less often than older males, wing length and weight were not associated with the frequency of exclusion. Weight and wing length of females also were not associated with involvement in EPCs. Six of the 22 excluded offspring (in 3 broods) shared a large proportion of bands and had fewer than four novel fragments when compared to the fingerprints of a neighboring territorial male, implicating those males as actual fathers. The parentage of the remaining 16 offspring (in 9 broods) could not be clearly assigned because (1) one or more neighbors were not sampled or (2) difficulties in scoring across gels prevented confident alignment of fingerprint bands, and insufficient DNA was obtained from muscle samples to allow reanalysis of potential actual fathers on the same gel as excluded nestlings.
Fetal anemia: new technologies

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to summarize recently published studies on noninvasive diagnosis of fetal anemia in order to give recommendations for the use of these new tools.Recent findingsRed cell alloimmunization remains one of the most common causes of fetal anemia. Amniocentesi
Improving apple fruit firmness predictions by effective correction of multispectral scattering images

Firmness is an important parameter in determining the maturity and quality grade of apple fruit. The objective of this research was to improve the multispectral imaging system used in our previous studies and refine scattering analysis methods for more effectively measuring apple fruit firmness. An improved multispectral imaging system equipped with a light intensity controller was used to measure light scattering from ‘Red Delicious’ apples at seven wavelengths and ‘Golden Delicious’ apples at eight wavelengths. A correction method was proposed to reduce noise signals in the scattering images during radial averaging of image pixels. Apple shape/size affected scattering intensity and distance, and two methods were proposed for correcting their effects. The corrected scattering images were reduced to spatially symmetrical profiles by radial averaging. A modified Lorentzian distribution (MLD) function with four parameters was used to fit the scattering profiles. Firmness prediction models were developed by multi-linear regression against MLD parameters for two apple cultivars. The improved system yielded better firmness predictions with the correlation (r) of 0.898 and the standard error of validation (S.E.V.) of 6.41 N for ‘Red Delicious’ apples and r = 0.897 and S.E.V. = 6.14 N for ‘Golden Delicious’ apples.
Correlation of physicochemical properties of alkylphenols with their graph-theoretical ϵ parameter

Abstract For a series of 40 alkylphenols, the graph-theoretical parameter s correlates very closely with physico-chemical parameters of interest in predicting environmental toxicity and fate, and especially with logKow (r = 0.998). Possible uses of this correlation are discussed, along with needs for extending the ϵ parameter to other types of molecules.
Generalized practical models of cylindrical plunge grinding processes

This paper presents generalized grinding process models developed for cylindrical grinding processes based on the systematic analysis and experiments. The generalized model forms are established to maintain the same model structures with a minimal number of parameters so that the model coefficients can be determined through a small number of experiments when applied to different grinding workpiece materials and wheels. The relationships for power, surface roughness, G-ratio and surface burning are established for various steel alloys and alumina grinding wheels. It is shown that the established models provide good predictive capabilities while maintaining simple structures.
The Relationship Among Sexual Compulsivity, Internalized Homophobia, and HIV At-Risk Sexual Behavior in Gay and Bisexual Male Users of Internet Chat Rooms

Methods in which gay and bisexual males are developing sexual networks have changed due to the anonymity and accessibility of the Internet. In this article, the relationship among sexual compulsivity, internalized homophobia, and HIV at-risk sexual behavior in non-heterosexual male users of Internet chat rooms is examined. The Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory was used to trichotomize the sample (n = 513) for comparative purposes. Results from the data analysis indicated that higher levels of internalized homophobia were associated with greater frequency of sexual compulsivity. Increased incidents of sexual compulsivity also were found in bisexual respondents. High-risk sexual behavior was prevalent among participants from both Moderate Sexual Compulsive and Sexual Compulsive groups.
Cellular uptake of the tat protein from human immunodeficiency virus

While developing an assay to measure the activity of the tat protein from human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), we discovered that the purified protein could be taken up by cells growing in tissue culture and subsequently trans-activate the viral promoter. Trans-activation is dramatically increased by a variety of lysosomotrophic agents. For example, trans-activation can be detected at tat concentrations as low as 1 nM in the presence of chloroquine. Experiments using radioactive protein show that tat becomes localized to the nucleus after uptake and suggest that chloroquine protects tat from proteolytic degradation. These results raise the possibility that, under some conditions, tat might act as a viral growth factor to stimulate viral replication in latently infected cells or alter expression of cellular genes.
Improving scalability of wireless network simulation with bounded inaccuracies

Discrete event network simulators have emerged as popular tools for verification and performance evaluation of wireless networks. Nevertheless, the desire to model such networks at high fidelity implies high computational costs, limiting most researchers the ability to simulate networks with thousands of nodes. Previous attempts to optimize simulation of large-scale wireless networks have not appropriately modeled accumulation of weak interference, thereby suffering inaccuracies that may be further magnified in the evaluation of upper-layer protocols. This article presents a comprehensive analysis on the effects of common optimization techniques for large-scale wireless network simulation on the overall network performance. Based on the analysis, it formulates distance limit derivation and mobility update reduction that introduce bounded inaccuracy to the radio propagation simulation. It further proposes a novel technique, Lazy Event Scheduling with Corrective Retrospection, that reduces simulation events twenty-five fold without introducing any inaccuracy at all. The experimental results show that these optimizations can substantially improve the runtime performance of an already efficient wireless network simulator, by a factor of up to 55 for wireless networks with 3200 nodes without compromising the simulation's accuracy.
Clinical Experience with r-hGH (Natural Sequence)

Natural sequence of human growth hormone (r-hGH) prepared by Eli Lilly and Company using recombinant DNA technology has been used to treat 226 patients with growth hormone deficiency in the United States and Canada. The data from this multicenter study are sufficient to analyze for the efficacy of r-hGH in 156 of the patients, with a complete safety analysis of all patients. The patients had growth hormone deficiency as a growth rate <4cm/yr (5% for age by Tanner growth curves) and failure to respond to two provocative stimuli for growth hormone release. The patients had no previous treatment with hGH or anabolic steroids. Other possible explanations for the growth failure or conditions that might interfere with the growth response were basis for exclusion from the study. The dosage of growth hormone was 0.06mg/kg given by intramuscular injection t. i. w. with a maximum dose of 8mg/wk. Other hormone deficiencies were treated in the usual fashion but cortisol replacement was limited to <10mg/m2. At the time of this report 156, 111 and 41 patients had completed 1, 3 and 6 months of therapy, respectively.
A perceptron reveals the face of sex

Recognizing the sex of conspecifics is important. Humans rely primarily on visual pattern recognition for this task. A wide variety of linear and nonlinear models have been developed to understand this task of sex recognition from human faces.' These models have used both pixelbased and feature-based representations of the face for input. Fleming and Cottrell (1990) and Golomb et a!. (1991) utilized first an autoencoder compression network on a pixel-based representation, and then a classification network. Brunelli and Poggio (1993) used a type of radial basis function network with geometrical face measurements as input. O'Toole and colleagues (1991, 1993) represented faces as principal components. When the hidden units of an autoencoder have a linear output function, then the N hidden units in the network span the first N principal components of the input (Baldi and Hornik 1989). Bruce et al. (1993) constructed a discriminant function for sex with 2-D and 3-D facial measures. In this note we compare the performance of a simple perceptron and a standard multilayer perceptron (MLP) on the sex classification task. We used a range of spatial resolutions of the face to determine how the reliability of sex discrimination is related to resolution. A normalized pixel-based representation was used for the faces because it explicitly retained texture and shape information while also maintaining geometric relationships. We found that the linear perceptron model can classify sex from facial images with 81% accuracy, compared to 92% accuracy with compression coding on the same data set (Golomb et al. 1991). The advantage of using a simple linear perceptron with normalized pixelbased inputs is that it allows us to see explicitly those regions of the face
Calcitonin gene-related peptide: a sensory and motor neurotransmitter in the feline lower esophageal sphincter.

Abstract The effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on the feline lower esophageal sphincter (LES) was determined and correlated with its anatomic distribution as determined by immunohistochemistry. Intraluminal pressures of the esophagus and LES were recorded in anesthetized cats. In separate cats, gastroesophageal junctions were removed after locating the LES manometrically and stained for CGRP-like immunoreactivity (LI) and substance P-LI (SP-LI) by indirect immunohistochemistry. CGRP-LI in the LES was most prominent in large nerve fascicles between the circular and longitudinal muscle layers and only rarely seen in nerve fibers within the circular muscle. The myenteric plexus contained numerous CGRP-LI nerve fibers but cell bodies were not seen. Many CGRP-LI nerve fibers in the myenteric plexus and occasional varicose nerves in the circular muscle demonstrated colocalization with SP-LI. Colocalization of CGRP-LI with SP-LI was also seen in the perivascular nerves of the submucosal and intramural blood vessels and in varicose fibers in the lamina propria of the gastric fundic mucosa. In the esophagus, CGRP-LI nerves extended through the muscularis mucosa and penetrated the squamous epithelium to the lumen. CGRP, given intra-arterially, caused a dose-dependent fall in basal LES pressure, with a threshold dose of 10−8 g/kg (2.63 pmol/kg). At the maximal effective dose, 5 × 10−6 g/kg (1.31 × 103 pmol/kg), CGRP produced 61.0 ± 6.0% decrease in basal LES pressure. At this dose, mean systemic blood pressure fell by 40.9 ± 7.8%. The LES relaxation induced by a submaximal dose of CGRP (10−6 g/kg, 262.7 pmol/kg), 50.3 ± 3.2% relaxation was partially inhibited by tetrodotoxin (26.9 ± 10.8% relaxation, P
Cytotoxic withanolide constituents of Physalis longifolia.

Fourteen new withanolides, 1–14, named withalongolides A–N, respectively, were isolated from the aerial parts of Physalis longifolia together with eight known compounds (15–22). The structures of compounds 1–14 were elucidated through spectroscopic techniques and chemical methods. In addition, the structures of withanolides 1, 2, 3, and 6 were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Using a MTS viability assay, eight withanolides (1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 16, and 19) and four acetylated derivatives (1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b) showed potent cytotoxicity against human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (JMAR and MDA-1986), melanoma (B16F10 and SKMEL-28), and normal fetal fibroblast (MRC-5) cells with IC50 values in the range between 0.067 and 9.3 μM.
Thermodynamical constitutive model for the shape memory effect due to transformation and reorientation

Shape memory effect and pseudoelasticity due to phase transformation and reorientation are modelled by specifying the free energy function and the dissipation potential. The resulting equations account for combined isotropic and kinematic hardening, adiabatic transformation, and simultaneous, coupled transformation and reorientation. Adiabatic transformation results indicate `thermal hardening' that substantially increases the final transformation stress relative to isothermal transformation.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Periapical bacterial plaque in teeth refractory to endodontic treatment

It has recently been found that bacteria are able to survive and maintain an infectious disease process in periapical lesions of nonvital teeth. The purpose of this study was to examine the surfaces of root tips removed during surgical-endodontic treatment for the presence of microorganisms. A full thickness flap was reflected under strict surgical asepsis and the periapical lesions were enucleated and removed. About 2-3 mm of the root was cut off, rinsed in sterile saline and placed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin. Upon fixation, the root tips were dehydrated, air-dried and given an electrically conducting coat of gold in a vacuum evaporator. The root tips were then studied in a Jeol, JSM-U3 scanning electron microscope, usually operated at 20 kV. The root surfaces were covered with soft tissue, except at the apex of the roots, where a continuous, smooth and structureless coating was seen, apparently adjacent to the apical foramen. At higher magnification a variety of bacterial forms were recognized in the smooth coating. A bacterial plaque was observed in irregularities of the surfaces between fiber bundles and cells and in crypts and holes. The bacteria were held together by an extracellular material and the plaque was dominated by cocci and rods. Fibrillar forms were recognized as well, often with cocci attached to their surfaces.
Optimization of Nanopost Plasmonic Crystals for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

We present experimental and theoretical studies of a type of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate composed of a metal coated square array of nanopost structures formed via soft nanoimprinting. These SERS substrates exhibit higher SERS intensities in comparison to those obtained with the corresponding square array of nanowell structures with similar spatial layouts and demonstrate multiple analyte detection using SERS. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D FDTD) simulations qualitatively capture the key features of these systems and suggest a route to the fabrication of optimized, highly efficient SERS substrates in silico. Collectively, the ease of fabrication, high sensitivities, and predictable responses suggest an attractive route to SERS substrates for portable chemical warfare agent detection, environmental monitors, and other applications.