cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Fat Depletion in the Biological Benefits of Caloric Restriction

One of the most robust observations in the biology of aging is that caloric restriction (CR) extends life in a variety of species. Although CR results in substantial decrease in fat mass, the role of fat in life extension was considered minimal. Indeed, in the fields of obesity and diabetes, the amount of fat has been directly implicated in the metabolic consequences. Since it became apparent that fat is a massive endocrine tissue, some of its roles have been recently revised. Many of the systemic effects of CR can now be explained by the chronic effects related to decreased plasma levels of peptides, cytokines, complement factors and substrates that are produced in fat. Most of the benefits of CR on the neuroendocrine system and those related to the improvement in glucose homeostasis can be attributed to a decrease in adipose cells and their products. If all or most of the life-extending benefits of CR can be attributed to decreased fat stores, the expression of specific candidate substrates and proteins may be explored and manipulated in searching for the most powerful adipose-dependent signals that modulate life expectancy.
The Question of European Identity Europe in the American Mirror

In the wake of the Iraq war of 2003, and in response to the European reaction to the war, a number of prominent European intellectuals launched a new debate on Europe's identity, and in particular ...
Second-Order Optical Susceptibility Of Strained GeSi/Si Superlattices And Ge/Si Layered Artificial Crystals

A strain-induced ordered phase has been observed recently in the alloy layers fo a GeSi/ Si strained-layer superlattice, in which the ordered unit cell is non-centrosymmetric. Using the bond-charge model of Jha and Bloembergen, the second-order susceptibility and the linear electro-optic (Pockels) coefficient of the GeSi layers are calculated and are found to be comparable in magnitude to those of GaAs. The calculation has also been extended to artificial crystals consisting of alternating bilayers of Si and Ge on (001) Si substrates recently reported. For the indicated structure, the Pockels coefficient vanishes in this case for E [001].
Popliteal aneurysm as a source of phantom pain: A case report

A 42-year-old man with a remote history of right transtibial amputation but no history of phantom pain developed severe phantom pain 10 years after amputation. A literature review suggested that his presentation was contrary to the natural history of phantom pain, which is usually most prominent in the early stages after amputation. Diagnostic workup revealed a popliteal artery aneurysm, which was successfully treated with coil embolization. The patient had complete resolution of his phantom pain after treatment of the aneurysm, suggesting it was the source of the pain. As a result of successful diagnosis and treatment, the amputation level did not need to be revised and the patient was able to continue his previously high level of function.
Effects of Classwide Curriculum-based Measurement and Peer Tutoring A Collaborative Researcher—Practitioner Interview Study

Recent research and development has integrated computer-managed classwide curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and peer tutoring (PT) to help general educators adapt instruction to address the diverse needs of their students. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the teachers' perspective on the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Twenty general education teachers participating in a project that combined CBM and PT were interviewed regarding (a) ways in which the project had affected their students and their instruction, (b) their level of satisfaction with the project, and (c) shortcomings of the project. An unusual feature of this study was that in attempting to take advantage of the insider information possessed by the educators, we involved the teachers in developing the actual interview questions. Teachers specified a large number of academic, social, and instructional benefits of the methods, and they identified several weaknesses that should be addressed. Implications are disc...
A close-form solution to predict the total melting time of an ablating slab in contact with a plasma

An exact melt-through time is derived for a one-dimensional heated slab in contact with a plasma when the melted material is immediately removed. The plasma is composed of a collisionless presheath and sheath on a slab, which partially reflects and secondarily emits ions and electrons. The energy transport from plasma to the surface accounting for the presheath and sheath is determined from the kinetic analysis. This work proposes a semi-analytical model to calculate the total melting time of a slab based on a direct integration of the unsteady heat conduction equation, and provides quantitative results applicable to control the total melting time of the slab. The total melting time as a function of plasma parameters and thermophysical properties of the slab are obtained. The predicted energy transmission factor as a function of dimensionless wall potential agrees well with the experimental data. The effects of reflectivities of the ions and electrons on the wall, electron-to-ion source temperature ratio at the presheath edge, charge number, ion-to-electron mass ratio, ionization energy, plasma flow work-to-heat conduction ratios, Stefan number, melting temperature, Biot number and bias voltage on the total melting time of the slab are quantitatively provided in this work.
Canonical extensions of homeomorphisms

Abstract In this paper some homeomorphism extension theorems for infinite-dimensional manifolds are redone in a canonical fashion. As an example we cite a special case of our main result. Let the Hilbert cube Q be donated by Π i=1 ∞ I i , where each Ii is the closed interval [−1, 1],and let s= Π i=1 ∞ I 0 i , where each I0 i is the open interval (−1, 1).It is known that if K⊂s is compact and f:K→s is any embedding, then f can be extended to a homeomorphism f :Q→Q satisfying f (s)=s . As a special case of Theorem 5.1 it follows that f can be continuously chosen, i.e. chosen to depend continuously on f. We also give a number of applications of this result to spaces of embeddings of compacta and homeomorphism groups of infinite-dimensional manifolds.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and Helicobacter pylori infection.

(2003). Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic purpura and Helicobacter pylori Infection. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology: Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 569-570.
Measures of play behavior: The influence of sex-role stereotyped children's books

Preschool children significantly more often chose a sex-stereotypic toy following exposure to a sex-stereotypic children's book. Conversely, boys and girls exposed to a nonstereotypic book significantly more often selected a nonstereotypic toy. Boys and girls individually played with stereotypic male, female, and neutral toys; each child was then read a sex-role stereotypic or nonstereotypic picture book; another play session followed. Measures of visual regard and manipulation were applied to the observed play behavior of 32 preschool children to determine the significance of the findings.
Microbunching instability in single-pass systems using a direct two-dimensional Vlasov solver

We apply a recently developed Vlasov solver to the study of the microbunching instability generated by shot noise in the beam delivery systems of x-ray free electron lasers (FELs). We discuss two lattices presently under consideration for the FEL Fermi project at Elettra and show that at least one of the two lattices appears capable of delivering a beam with the desired quality in the longitudinal phase space.
Brooding Patterns in Three Freshwater Mussels of the Genus Elliptio in the Broad River in South Carolina

Abstract: We investigated brooding patterns and timing of reproduction in three species of freshwater mussels, Elliptio complanata (Lightfoot, 1786), Elliptio roanokensis (Lea, 1839), and Elliptio angustata (Lea, 1831) in the lower Broad River near Columbia, South Carolina. Through repeatedly marking and recapturing individuals from late March through late lune 2008, we determined that E. complanata and E. roanokensis can complete at least two broods during this season, and that E. angustata can complete at least three broods with very little time between broods. The lengths of brooding periods were difficult to estimate and subject to a wide margin of error. However, the brooding period was estimated to be 20 to 36 days in most broods of E. angustata, and could be as short as 18 days in E. roanokensis and 25 days in E. complanata. Mark and recapture of gravid mussels provided a much more detailed picture of brooding strategies than the collection and preservation of different individuals throughout the year.
Did Pseudo-Dionysius Live in Constantinople?

This article aims to reopen and advance the discussion of the geographic location of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the author of the Corpus Dionysiacum . While various locales, for example, Antioch and Alexandria, have been proposed, none of the hypotheses about Dionysius's identity and location has to date gained the universal acceptance among scholars. This study shows that the baptismal rites described in the second chapter of Pseudo-Dionysius's Ecclesiastical Hierarchy and in the fifth century Ordo of Constantinople, recorded in the Euchologion Barberini gr. 336 , have several unique features in common, such as the threefold renunciation of Satan, balanced by the threefold profession of faith, and the blessing of the baptismal water with the consecrated oil. These features are not attested by any other source contemporary or earlier than the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy and the material of the Ordo . Based on these unique similarities the author advances a new hypothesis that Pseudo-Dionysius describes a Constantinopolitan rite and very likely lived in Constantinople at some point in his career. Six objections to this hypothesis are considered and answered in the second part of the paper.
Polar nephelometer for light-scattering measurements of ice crystals

We report on a small, lightweight polar nephelometer for the measurement of the light-scattering properties of cloud particles, specifically designed for use on a balloonborne platform in cirrus cloud conditions. The instrument consists of 33 fiber-optic light guides positioned in a two-dimensional plane from 5° to 175° that direct the scattered light to photodiode detectors–amplifier units. The system uses an onboard computer and data acquisition card to collect and store the measured signals. The instrument’s calibration is tested by measurement of light scattered into a two-dimensional plane from small water droplets generated by an ultrasonic humidifier. Excellent comparisons between the measured water-droplet scattering properties and expectations generated by Mie calculation are shown. The measured scattering properties of ice crystals generated in a cold chamber also compare reasonably well with the theoretical results based on calculations from a unified theory of light scattering by ice crystals that use the particle size distribution measured in the chamber.
DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE PRECISION OF ATOMS IN A MACROMOLECULAR STRUCTURE

Several real-space indices and temperature factors are compared with respect to their correlation with atomic positional error and their ability to indicate atoms and residues with the worst of subtle errors. The best index, rED, is a correlation coefficient between model and map electron densities, similar to one proposed earlier, but incorporating two improvements. Firstly, resolution is accounted for explicitly by calculating the model electron density by Fourier transformation of resolution-truncated scattering factors. Secondly, the deviation between model and map electron densities is assigned to neighboring atoms according to their contribution to the electron density of each grid point. With maps of various qualities, rED is the single index with best correlation to atomic error with grouped or individual atoms, and it is the most reliable indicator of poor residues. With poorer omit maps, imprecision of individual atoms is best diagnosed by a combination of low rED or high B factor. With the improved methods, 60–70% of the least precise atoms can detected in a fully refined structure. Similarly, 40–80% of the least precise atoms of an unrefined model can be detected by comparison with an isomorphous replacement map. This is useful in assessing and improving the quality of a model, but not sufficient to confidently validate all atoms of a structure at sub-atomic resolution.
Carbonic Anhydrase Immunostaining in Astrocytes in the Rat Cerebral Cortex

: Carbonic anhydrase is known to occur in the choroid plexus, oligodendrocytes, and myelin, and to be virtually absent from neurons, in the mammalian CNS; however, there is significant controversy whether it is also present in astrocytes. When brain sections from adult rats were stained for simultaneous immunofluorescence of carbonic anhydrase and the astrocyte marker glutamine synthetase, both antigens were detected in the same glial cells in the cortical gray matter, whereas the oligodendrocytes and myelinated fibers in and adjacent to the white matter showed immunofluorescence only for carbonic anhydrase. Some glial cells in the gray matter also showed double immunofluorescence for carbonic anhydrase and glial fibrillary acidic protein. These results indicate that there is carbonic anhydrase in some astrocytes in the mammalian CNS.
Predicting Academic Success in Master’s Degree Programs in Education

AbstractThis study tested relationships between selected predictors and success in the Master's degree program in education at The Ohio State University for 171 students who received the degree during the 1962-63 academic year. The basic statistical tool used was multiple regression analysis in which the dependent variables were the graduate grade-point average (GPA) and adviser ratings.The three best single predictors (all significant at the one per cent level) were found to be undergraduate GPA, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal Test, and The Ohio State University Psychological Test. A multiple predictor involving these three variables yielded a correlation coefficient of .389 with the graduate GPA. The difference in predictor correlation between undergraduate GPA for all four years and that for only the last two years was very slight.
A Prospective Study of Endogenous Estrogens and Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

BACKGROUND Circumstantial evidence links endogenous estrogens to increased risk of breast cancer in women, but direct epidemiologic support is limited. In particular, only a few small prospective studies have addressed this issue. PURPOSE Our purpose was to assess breast cancer risk in relation to circulating levels of the two major endogenous estrogens, estrone and estradiol, measured before the clinical onset of the disease. METHODS The association between serum levels of estrogens and the risk of breast cancer was examined in a prospective cohort study of 14,291 New York City women, 35-65 years of age, who received screening for breast cancer at the time of blood sampling and who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer. During the first 5 1/2 years of study, we identified 130 breast cancers among the postmenopausal group (7063 women, 35,509 person-years). The case subjects and twice as many postmenopausal control subjects were included in a case-control study nested within the cohort. Biochemical analyses for percent free estradiol, percent estradiol bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), total estradiol, estrone, and follicle-stimulating hormone were performed on sera that had been kept at -80 degrees C since sampling. RESULTS For increasing quartiles of total estradiol, the odds ratio (ORs) of breast cancer, as adjusted for Quetelet index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), were 1.0, 0.9, 1.8, and 1.8 (P value for trend = .06); the ORs for increasing quartiles of estrone were 1.0, 2.2, 3.7, and 2.5 (P value for trend = .06). For increasing quartiles of free estradiol, defined as the fraction of estradiol that is not bound to proteins, the Quetelet index-adjusted ORs of breast cancer were 1.0, 1.4, 3.0, and 2.9 (P value for trend < .01). When we considered the percent of estradiol bound to SHBG, the Quetelet index-adjusted ORs were 1.0, 0.70, 0.40, and 0.32 (P value for trend < .01), thus suggesting a strong protective effect. These associations persisted or became even stronger when analyses were restricted to women whose samples had been drawn 2 or more years before breast cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS These data represent the first confirmation in a large prospective epidemiologic study of a link between circulating estrogens and breast cancer risk. Although estrogen levels appeared to fall within the conventional limits of normality in all women under study, those who subsequently developed breast cancer tended to show higher levels of estrone, total estradiol, and free estradiol, and a lower percent of estradiol bound to SHBG than women who remained free of cancer. IMPLICATIONS Factors that increase endogenous estrogen production or reduce the binding of estradiol to SHBG may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer later in life.
Paternity and the evolution of male parental care.

Abstract It is generally believed that level of paternity (the proportion of zygotes in a brood that were fertilized by the male providing parental care) has an important role in the evolution of parental care. We have used population genetics models to investigate this role. The models indicate that only in mating systems where a parental male “sacrifices” promiscous matings can paternity influence the evolution of male parental care . This is because level of paternity can reflect the number of opportunities for these promiscuous fertilizations. For example, high paternity can mean few opportunities and therefore a low cost for paternal care. Certain behaviors may preadapt a species for the evolution of male parental care because they decrease the costs of providing care. For example, in fish species where male care has evolved from spawning territories, the very establishment of territories may have precluded males from gaining promiscuous matings, thereby eliminating the promiscuity costs and facilitating the evolution of care. Without a promiscuity cost, level of paternity will not have influenced the evolution of male care in fishes. Because paternity has limited influence in the evolution of male care, differences in reliability of parentage between males and females are unlikely to explain the prevalence of female care. Our analysis suggests that paternity differences between species cannot serve as a general explanation for the observed patterns of parental care behavior.
Linked cluster theorem for the Abrikosov pseudo-fermion representation of spin operators

Abstract A linked cluster theorem is demonstrated for the self-energy of the average Green function of one electron moving in a low concentration of randomly positioned spins. The self-energy differs from what has previously been assumed by a frequency-independent but temperature-dependent factor.
Optical switching in phase-shifted metal-semiconductor-metal Bragg reflectors.

An investigation of optical switching in phase-shifted metal–semiconductor–metal Bragg gratings is presented. A silicon-on-insulator waveguide with aluminum interdigitated surface gratings and an amorphous silicon overcoat provided high-contrast, tunable switching characteristics. This structure is one of many potential realizations of a novel class of metal–semiconductor switching devices currently under investigation. We discuss switching dynamics, tuning mechanisms, and potential applications.
Commodity Prices and Food Inflation

Commodity prices rose at unprecedented rates between 2007 and 2008. In the year between July 2007 and July 2008, corn prices rose 51.9%, soybean prices 74.4%, wheat prices 104.5%, and milk prices by 41.4%. As farm prices reached their peaks, policy makers became concerned over the potential impact on retail food price inflation. And when farm prices be gan to fall in late 2008, interest shifted to how fast or whether retail prices followed (Boyle 2009). Leibtag (2008) argues that the surge in commodity prices had little impact on con sumer prices because commodity inputs form a small part of the final product. Although true for some highly processed foods such as break fast cereals, cookies, and breads, farm prices form a significant part of the retail price for fresh produce, meat, and dairy products. In fact pass-through rates from farm to retail prices are likely to vary depending on the nature of the production process (Gardner 1975), the competitiveness of the vertical supply channel (Bulow and Pfleiderer 1983; Kim and Cotterill 2008), the number of products sold (Hamil ton 2009) and even the direction of the price change (Frey and Manera 2007). The pass through rate is a simple and important concept but highly complex to measure. Previous research on this issue assumes
Autonomy and empowerment in aphasia assessment and therapy: Isn't it the road more travelled?

Abstract In the lead article, the author expresses her serious concerns regarding the state-of-the-art in the functional assessment and treatment of aphasia. She offers social models of literacy and disability, which are referred to as ‘radical approaches’, as a means of addressing this current dilemma in aphasia rehabilitation. In reading the lead article, one senses that clinical aphasiologists have been down this road before. Back in 1977, Holland discussed the issue of functionality in aphasia therapy by recommending the utilization of contextualized-based strategies in treatment, thus emphasizing the ‘real-worldiness’ (p. 168) of this notion. Since that time, Holland (1977, 1982, 1991) and others have espoused the need for, as well as the virtues of, functional approaches to assessment and treatment of aphasia (Aten 1994, Blomert 1990, Chapey 1986,1992, Code and Muller 1989, Davis and Wilcox 1981,1985, Frattali 1992, Holland and Wertz 1988, Leiwo 1994, Lesser 1985, 1991, Lubinski 1981, 1994, Newhoff ...
Compact X-band FMCW sensor module for fast and accurate vehicle occupancy detection

This paper presents an X-band FMCW sensor module for vehicle occupancy detection with compact size of only 4.5 cm × 4 cm. The transmitting and receiving antenna arrays are co-designed with the sensor to achieve optimal RF performances using less circuit area. Measurement results demonstrate successful and accurate identification of vehicles with fast response time less than 0.5 second.
Perspectives on measuring enterprise resilience

The new paradigm, known as “resilience engineering”, emphasizes the importance of measuring resilience and suggests the development of methodologies to analyze and prepare to improve the resilience of enterprises. In this paper we review existing resilience measurement methodologies, and propose new modes of measurement. We define enterprise resilience as the capacity to decrease vulnerability, the ability to change and adapt, and the ability to recover quickly from disruption. Using this definition, we identify metrics which evaluate, more specifically: (1) an enterprise's capability to decrease its level of vulnerability to expected and unexpected events, (2) its ability to change itself and adapt to changing environment; (3) its ability to recover in the least possible time in case of a disruptive event. Based on the discussed enterprise resilience metrics, we use several examples and evaluate a set of illustrative responses to common disruptions.
Convergence of labyrinthine influences on units in the vestibular nuclei of the cat. I. Natural stimulation.

Abstract Neurons in the vestibular nuclei were examined by extracellular recording in cats with high cervical spinal cord transections and were physiologically identified by their response to angular acceleration stimulation in the plane of the horizontal canal. Units which responded to horizontal canal stimulation were then tested firstly by slow constant velocity tilts and statically maintained positions in space (otolithic tests) and then by angular accelerations (canicular tests) in the plane of the left anterior-right posterior canals and in the plane of the left posterior-right anterior canals. In this way the extent of convergence from various vestibular sensory regions onto horizontal canal neurons was determined. In some cats an attempt was made to eliminate input from vestibular sensory regions contralateral to the recording site by making a midline section of the floor of the fourth ventricle from the aqueduct to the obex. Approximately one-third of the units in both sectioned and non-sectioned animals responded solely to horizontal canal stimulation. The remaining two-thirds exhibited convergence from other sensory regions in varying degrees of complexity — most responded to only one other sensory region, but some responded to stimulation of 2 or 3 other sensory regions. Approximately half of all units in both sectioned and non-sectioned animals responded to otolithic stimulation. Likewise, approximately half of all units responded to stimulation of at least on vertical canal, however, midline sectioning appeared to reduce this proportion. It is suggested that vestibular convergence is due to neural interaction within the vestibular nuclei rather than being due to spread of stimulation or being instances of unusual modes of operation of particular vestibular receptors. The comparatively negligible effect of midline section may be consistent with the hypothesis that vestibular commissural fibers convey ‘mirror image’information from vestibular receptors on the contralateral side, and that this information, in the animal with bilaterally intact labyrinths, has an enhancing or ‘sharpening’ effect.
A model of family decision making

Provides a perspective by which to look at interactions within a family unit (notably man and wife) that lead to purchasing decisions by that unit. Reveals a model for analysing the interactions of family members in decision making. Discusses the interaction processes influencing perceptions of priority, utility and debt. Looks at the differences of families with different social classes, age groups and member orientation. Investigates potential uses of the model with regard to marketing management, adevertising, product planning and market research.
Prudent constitutionalism: hamiltonian lessons for a responsible public administration

Alexander Hamilton's career provides much insight about responsible public administration. This article emphasizes his linking of character and competence in public administration to our American constitutional form and values. His “prudent constitutionalism” yielded a normative theory of action that remains relevant though largely unexamined.
Ultrafast vibrational energy redistribution within C H and O H stretching modes of liquid methanol

Abstract An ultrafast IR–Raman technique is used to study fast redistribution of vibrational energy within CH and OH stretching vibrations of liquid methanol. The instantaneous population distribution throughout the entire CH and OH stretch region (2700–3700 cm −1 ) is probed simultaneously. The fast redistribution produces a nonthermal population distribution within CH and OH stretching excitations. The nonequilibrium CH stretch population occurs because different CH stretching modes have different lifetimes. The nonequilibrium OH stretch population occurs when OH stretching excitations that are pumped by the laser on the red edge of the band undergo spectral diffusion toward the band center.
The Electronic Resources Group: using the cross-functional team approach to the challenge of acquiring electronic resources

Abstract The acquisition of electronic resources presented many new issues for staff at the Texas Tech University Library. Traditional communication pathways between acquisitions and other departments were inadequate to address the increasingly complex questions that were raised in the process of acquiring the electronic resources that were increasingly in demand by the university community. While it was possible to handle decision making for electronic resources through the library’s departmental structure, the process was hampered by a lack of speed and focus. To resolve this problem, six library staff members were brought together to form an electronic resources group (ERG). This cross-functional team is composed of library staff from four different departments, each of whom had experience with different aspects of acquiring electronic resources. Members continue to work within their departments and report to their functional managers, but they also report to the ERG project manager and are expected to contribute substantially to the accomplishment of group goals. This paper describes how Texas Tech has successfully used the cross-functional team approach for managing the acquisition of materials in electronic formats.
Goal-Directed Textured-Image Segmentation

The SLICE segmentation system identifies image regions that differ in gray-level distribution, color, spatial texture, or some other local property. This report concentrates on textured-image segmentation using local texture-energy measures and user delimited training regions. Knowledge of target textures or signatures is combined with knowledge of background textures by using histogram-similarity transforms to identify regions that are similar to a target texture and dissimilar to other textures.
Real time localization and 3D depth estimation across disparate sensing systems: Toward hazard aware and tele-immersive spaces

This paper addresses the problems of real-time localization and 3D depth estimation across disparate sensing systems. The sensing systems include wireless microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor networks, such as MICA sensors by Crossbow Inc., radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and cameras that capture a variety of spectra. Some of the sensing is adaptive in time and space by using a remotely controlled robot for the sensor deployment. The motivation for integrating and analyzing multiple sensing systems and spectral modalities comes from the fact that in many applications a single sensing system or modality does not lead to robust and accurate performance. In this work we design systems for localization using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and real time 3D depth estimation from stereo vision in order to incorporate power constraints imposed on deployment of battery-operated wireless MICA sensors. The resulting methods are applied to the development of (a) hazard aware spaces (HAS) to alert people in events of fire, and (b) tele-immersive spaces (TEEVE) to enable remote collaborations, training and art performances. The novelty of our work lies in the power efficient deployment of wireless sensors for location aware applications by combining multiple sensors with advanced signal and image processing algorithms.
Microstructure Characterization and Creep Behavior of Pb-Free Sn-Rich Solder Alloys: Part II. Creep Behavior of Bulk Solder and Solder/Copper Joints

Microstructure plays a critical role in the mechanical behavior of Sn-rich solder alloys. A unified mechanistic understanding of creep in Sn-rich solder alloys, at various microstructural length scales, is missing. Part I of this study focused on microstructure characterization of Sn-rich solder alloys. Part II focuses on the creep behavior of bulk solder alloys and small solder joints comparable in size and geometry to those in electronic packages. Pure Sn, Sn-0.7Cu, Sn-3.5Ag, and Sn-3.9Ag-0.7Cu were used in these studies. At the bulk level, creep appears to be controlled by subgrain formation, whose size is controlled by Ag3Sn orCu6Sn5 particles. At the smaller joint level, where the microstructures are much finer, creep in Ag-containing alloys was controlled by local climb and detachment along Ag3Sn particles. The threshold stress for creep is inversely proportional to the Ag3Sn interparticle spacing. At the joint level, the creep of Sn and Sn-Cu alloys was controlled by viscous flow at grain boundaries at low stress, and transition to dislocation climb at higher stress.
Target Identification by Radar Sensor Networks with Variable-Interval Sampling and Linear Interpolation

Linearly interpolated target features are used for target identification, including amplitude and complex features generated from multifrequency radar target returns in the resonance region. Based on the inverse Fast Fourier Transform, an efficient method for estimating the distance between a complex feature and an interpolated one is developed. Using a variable-interval re-sampling scheme, an algorithm is developed for condensing the reference sets for nearest-neighbor target identification. Two algorithms are developed for target identification by radar sensor networks using data fusing rules and the linearly interpolated features. Computer simulation results are presented that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
TNFα Activates c-Jun Amino Terminal Kinase through p47phox

Reactive oxygen intermediates have been implicated in the transduction of TNFα signals, although the source of such oxidants has not been established. We found that activation of ECV-304 cells by TNFα was accompanied by a transient burst of oxidants and activation of JNK, both of which were suppressed by two distinct inhibitors of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase and the thiol antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). We cloned partial and full-length cDNA sequences from ECV-304 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), respectively, for p47phox, demonstrating that these nonphagocytic cells express this adapter protein known to specifically initiate assembly of the NADPH oxidase in professional phagocytes. A mutant p47phox, defective in the first Src homology 3 (SH3) domain (p47W(193)R), diminished JNK activation by TNFα. Surprisingly, p47phox resided entirely in the particulate, not cytosolic, fraction of cells. Immunostaining suggested partial colocalization with cytoskeletal elements, and cytoskeletal disrupters decreased both oxidant production and JNK activation by TNFα. A p47-GFP fusion protein localized to the cortical cytoskeleton in living cells; further, stimulation of cells with TNFα caused a marked concentration of p47-GFP in membrane ruffles, actin-rich structures associated with intense respiratory burst activity in stimulated neutrophils. We conclude that nonphagocytic cells express p47phox, which appears to localize to the cytoskeleton and participate in TNFα signaling. We speculate that this physical targeting may prove important in conferring signal specificity and enhancing signaling efficiency of unstable oxidants.
The Impact by Race of Changing Long-Term Care Policy

Long-term care policy has evolved with little attention to racial differences in the need for and use of services. Using 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey data on nursing home care, formal in-home personal care, and informal-only help, a model was created to show how different races would use each type of care if: (1) a universal home-care benefit was established, (2) existing Medicaid home-care benefits were ended, or (3) the income level for Medicaid eligibility was substantially reduced. Expanded community care benefits would primarily serve severely disabled older whites. Reductions in long-term care benefits or eligibility would disproportionately impede access to long-term care for severely disabled older African-Americans. These differences indicate that race must be taken into account in long-term care policy initiatives.
Medical Management of the Liver Transplant Recipient

Long-term survival of liver transplant recipients has become the rule rather than the exception. As a result, the medical complications of long-term survival, including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, metabolic bone disease, and de novo malignancy, have accounted for an increasing proportion of late morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for these complications begin before transplant and are potentially modifiable but are exacerbated by the requirement for immunosuppressive medications after transplantation. Surveillance and early intervention programs administered by transplant hepatologists and other medical subspecialists may improve long-term outcomes in liver transplant recipients by ameliorating risk factors for atherosclerosis, bone fractures, and cancer.
Stereotypes and implicit social comparison: Shifts in comparison-group focus

Abstract Stereotypes affect how people understand implicit comparisons. In two studies, people judged the comparison implied by a statement (e.g., “Math is easy for me,” “I’m really aggressive”) made by an African-American, White, or Asian-American male. Counter-stereotypic comments, such as the African-American saying he was “bad” at basketball, caused participants to think the target was comparing himself to his narrow ingroup; stereotypic statements caused people to infer that the comparison group was broader. When compared to a fixed standard (all people in USA), evidence that people used stereotypes consistently emerged. Whether motivated or not, by narrowing the comparison standard when presented with a counter-stereotypic case, participants constructed an understanding of the target that protected the stereotype from challenge.
Billiard Arrays and finite-dimensional irreducible Uq(sl2)-modules

Abstract We introduce the notion of a Billiard Array. This is an equilateral triangular array of one-dimensional subspaces of a vector space V , subject to several conditions that specify which sums are direct. We show that the Billiard Arrays on V are in bijection with the 3-tuples of totally opposite flags on V . We classify the Billiard Arrays up to isomorphism. We use Billiard Arrays to describe the finite-dimensional irreducible modules for the quantum algebra U q ( sl 2 ) and the Lie algebra sl 2 .
Opportunistic predation and offspring sex ratios of cicada‐killer wasps (Sphecius speciosus Drury)

1. The way in which hunting of prey affects the sex ratio of the predator’s offspring is not well understood. Female cicada-killer wasps are convenient for study because they specialise in capturing cicadas to provision their offspring. Cicada prey are nearly twice as heavy as the wasps that carry them, hence some degree of prey selectivity by the wasps is to be expected. It has been suggested that wasps bias their offspring towards females by foraging selectively for female prey, whereas there is some evidence that sex ratios are actually male-biased. This study was designed to establish the connection between foraging and offspring sex ratio. 2. Three, non-exclusive, hypotheses of selective predation were tested. The frequency of predation on different classes of prey in conjunction with their availability was estimated by intercepting the wasps on their way to their nests and by sampling cicadas in the environment. The hypothesis of selective predation was not supported; predation appears to be opportunistic and non-selective. Cicada prey weight was not a simple linear function of wasp weight, although the smallest wasps were constrained to carry small prey. 3. Wasp offspring (larvae) were excavated from subterranean nests and found to be male-biased (3 : 1 or 4 : 1) in 2 years. The observed ratios are close to expectation from Fisher’s equal-investment model, taking account of sexual size dimorphism, and are evidently unrelated to the sex of the prey. A simple binomial probability rule of sex allocation provides a behavioural mechanism for producing the observed sex ratio of offspring.
Long-Distance Migration in Helicoverpa zea1: What We Know and Need to Know

Abstract. This paper identifies knowledge and knowledge gaps in biology and ecology, and migratory flight of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zee (Boddie). The paper focuses on results from studies of corn earworm population dynamics and migration in Texas during a period of substantial irrigated maize, Zee meys L., production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which prevailed before planted acres decreased due to drought, expansive land development, and the introduction of Bt corn. Because overwintering survival of corn earworm in the U.S. is generally accepted to be limited to areas south of 40° N latitude, much of the maize-growing area in the north-central U.S. would not be infested by corn earworm if not for migration. Overwintering emergence contributes to infestations by corn earworm, but it is difficult to separate the contributions of overwintering emergence and immigrants on local populations. We emphasize three critical elements affecting the timing and extent of corn earworm migration: period of emergen...
Use of 3D MR reconstructions in the evaluation of glenoid bone loss: a clinical study

Objective To assess the ability of 3D MR shoulder reconstructions to accurately quantify glenoid bone loss in the clinical setting using findings at the time of arthroscopy as the gold standard.
Dietary modulation of oleic and stearic acids in egg yolks

Abstract Single comb white leghorn (SCWL) hens at 28 weeks of age were fed a basal layer mash (2600 kcal metabolizable energy/kg and 16.5% crude protein) for a 14-day pretrial period to collect egg production and feed consumption data. For the experiment, hens of equivalent production and body weights were then divided into six groups of four hens each and fed one of the following dietary lipid treatments for 42 days: five combinations of olive oil:tallow (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) or soybean oil. All lipid treatments were mixed on a weight basis with the basal diet (5% lipid to 95% diet). Egg production, total egg and yolk weights, feed consumption, and fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of the egg yolks were determined. Dietary lipid treatment did not affect egg production, feed/dozen eggs, or feed/hen/day. Feeding 100% tallow compared with the olive oil:tallow ratio of 75:25 significantly (P ⩽ 0.05) lowered egg weights. Hens fed soybean oil had lower yolk concentrations of 16:1 and 17:0 fatty acids, but elevated 18:2n6 and 18:3n3 fatty acid concentrations compared to yolks from hens given tallow. The 18:1 fatty acid concentration in egg yolks increased proportionately with the addition of olive oil in the diet (77 mg/g of yolk for 75% olive oil compared to 67 for 100% tallow and 57 for soybean oil, respectively). The lipid treatments did not influence cholesterol concentrations in the egg which averaged 196 ± 9 mg/egg.
On the conventional wisdom regarding two consistent tests of bivariate independence

Summary. Hoeffding's test of bivariate independence and its asymptotic equivalent due to Blum, Kiefer and Rosenblatt are well known to be consistent against all dependence alternatives. However, the two tests, which are often treated as interchangeable, are rarely used in data analysis mainly because their finite sample null distributions are unavailable, and little is known about their operating characteristics. In this paper the conventional wisdom regarding the equivalence of these tests and their distributions is examined by first tabulating their null distributions for sample sizes n = 5, 6,..., 25, 30,..., 50, 60,..., 100, and then studying their power functions empirically. The power functions are compared with those of the commonly used methods based on the product moment correlation, the rank correlation and Kendall's 7, for bivariate normal and log-normal populations, as well as a variety of dependence models such as the well-known copulas due to Morgenstern, Gumbel, Plackett, Marshall and Olkin, Raftery, Clayton and Frank. It is seen that the Blum, Kiefer and Rosenblatt test is generally preferable in terms of power against positive dependence alternatives and that the conventional wisdom deserves a revision.
Urinary excretion of black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) anthocyanins and their metabolites.

Anthocyanins are the most abundant phenolic compounds, widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, and exhibit potent antioxidant capacity. Humans ingest a significant amount of anthocyanins in the daily diet. The objective of the current study was to examine human absorption and metabolism of black raspberry anthocyanins when administered at high doses (2.69 ± 0.085 g/day). Ten healthy men consumed 45 g of freeze-dried black raspberries daily for 1 week. Urine samples were collected over a 12 h period in 4 h intervals at day 1 and day 7. Urinary anthocyanins were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detector and a tandem mass spectrometer using precursor ion and product ion analyses. Anthocyanins were excreted in intact forms and metabolized into methylated derivatives in human urine. The urinary excretion of anthocyanins reached a maximum concentration (1091.8 ± 1081.3 pmol/L, n = 10) during the 4−8 h period after black raspberry ingestion. As compared to the...
Osmotic water permeability of rabbit corneal endothelium and its dependence on ambient concentration

Abstract We measured the fluid flow osmotically induced by sucrose concentration differences across the isolated rabbit corneal endothelium to determine if its osmotic water permeability, P os , depends on the concentrations on both sides as well as on the concentration difference across that tissue. We found that when the osmotically induced fluid flow went from stroma to aqueous, P os decreased from 35 ± 4 μ m/s to 20 ± μ m/s when an additional 20 mosM sucrose was added to the solutions on both sides of the endothelium. However, when the osmotically induced fluid flow was towards the stroma, P os remained practically unchanged, ( 28 ± μ m/s vs . 31 ± 5 μ m/s ), when additional 20 mosM sucrose was present on both sides. These changes in the measured permeability are consistent with the possibility that sucrose would be swept into the intercellular channels by the osmotically induced fluid flow. We also confirmed that an osmotic gradient can ‘prime’ the fluid pump. After a gradient was removed, gradients which had previously induced flow from stroma to aqueous caused an increase in the basal fluid pump rate, while gradients in the opposite direction decreased that fluid pump rate.
Unusual reactivity in a commercial chromium supplement compared to baseline DNA cleavage with synthetic chromium complexes

Commercially available chromium supplements were tested for their DNA cleavage ability compared with synthetic chromium(III) complexes, including chromium(III) tris-picolinate [Cr(pic)3], basic chromium acetate [Cr3O(OAc)6]+, model complexes, and recently patented Cr-complexes for use in supplements or therapy. Four different supplements (P1-P4) were tested for their DNA cleaving activity in the presence and the absence of H2O2, dithiothreitol (DTT) or ascorbate. One supplement, P1, showed nicking of DNA in the absence of oxidant or reductant at 120 microM metal concentration. Different lot numbers of P1 were also tested for DNA cleavage activity with similar results. Commercial supplements containing Cr(pic)3 nicked DNA at 120 microM metal concentrations in the presence of 5 mM ascorbate or with excess hydrogen peroxide, analogous to reactions with synthetic Cr(pic)3 reported elsewhere. Another chromium (non-Cr(pic)3) supplement, P2, behaves in a comparable manner to simple Cr(III) salts in the DNA nicking assay. Chromium(III) malonate [Cr(mal)2] and chromium(III) acetate [Cr(OAc)] can nick DNA in the presence of ascorbate or hydrogen peroxide, respectively, only at higher metal concentrations. The Cr(III) complexes of histidine, succinate or N-acetyl-L-glutamate do not nick DNA to a significant degree.