cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Power is Not Sovereign: The Transformation of Regulatory Authority in the Chad Basin

The frontiers of power are changing. Or at least this is what we are compelled to conclude when we see how transformations in local, inter- and transnational politico-economic relations have caused unprecedented relationships in the contemporary world. This is evident in instances of mass mediation, which have allowed community and place to become largely unhinged, and in the transnational realms created by new financial instruments and technologies, where time and place are uncoupled and hence jurisdiction unsettled. Under the somewhat vague rubric of' globalisation', these complicated matters are problematised in terms of certain tropes: territory, place, and space are perhaps foremost among them. Their predominance has significant consequences for how we confront the problem of transformations in the nature of power and authority in the world today.
Securing Home IoT Network with Machine Learning Based Classifiers

Modern home network has traditional Ether-net/WiFi traffic along with emerging low power cross platform IoT traffic, which makes traditional Network Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) approaches ineffective. This paper presents a deep neural network approach with a split architecture of Intrusion Detection System (IDS) specially suitable for home networks. The split architecture consists of multiple ML models and trained on two separate dataset for heterogeneous traffic. We also compare our model performance with reported different ML algorithms and found superiority of our model. The proposed model achieves 0.9694, 0.9625 and 0.9651 in precision, recall, and F1-score, respectively, for NSL-KDD dataset. Another interesting finding is that tree-based method and ensemble methods outperform our model in case the training dataset is unbalanced. An analysis of run-time implementation performance of the proposed IDS model is also discussed.
The impact of local anesthetic distribution on block onset in Ultrasound-guided interscalene block

Background Recent investigations of local anesthetic distribution in the lower extremity have revealed that completely surrounding the sciatic nerve with local anesthetic provides the advantage of more rapid and complete anesthesia in the territory served by the nerve. We hypothesized that a pattern of distribution which entirely envelops the targeted nerve roots during interscalene block would provide similar benefits of more rapid anesthesia onset.
Significance of the class III cervical smear.

Abstract 1. 1. The correlation between the cytological and histopathological findings in 530 cases of Class III smears has been reported. 2. 2. The tissue diagnoses were nonmalignant in 54.9 per cent. However, 76 per cent of these had changes that could account for the presence of abnormal cells. 3. 3. The most frequent tissue diagnosis in the benign group was basal cell hyperplasia (48.1 per cent). 4. 4. Thirty-two unsuspected cases of carcinoma were found. 5. 5. The importance to the cytologist of correlating the cytological and histopathological findings has been stressed. 6. 6. The place of the Class III classification has been discussed.
VALIDATION OF MICROEPIDENDRUM (ORCHIDACEAE: LAELIINAE)

The generic name Microepidendrum Brieger ex W. E. Higgins is validated, an epitype of Epidendrum subulatifolium A. Rich. et Gal. is selected, and a new combination Microepidendrum subulatifolium (A. Rich. et Gal.) W. E. Higgins is proposed. Other species included in Microepidendrum by Brieger are excluded from the group. A phylogeny of the subtribe Laeliinae is presented showing the genus Microepidendrum Brieger ex W. E. Higgins to be sister to all other genera in Laeliinae and not closely related to Epidendrum or Encyclia.
LIGHT SCATTERING STUDIES OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF FILMS AND FIBERS

Abstract : The use of light scattering for studying the structure of polycrystalline polymer films is described. Theory and experimental methods for photographically and photometrically studying the scattering of films are described. Currently used techniques and procedures for measuring the scattering of both films and fibers are described and methods for separating contributions to scattering from density and orientation heterogeneities and voids are proposed. Procedures are given for determing uniaxial and biaxial orientation of superstructure, as are methods for estimating sizes and anisotropy of structure.
Investigation of Optical Damage via Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) has been used as a diagnostic for interrogating optical damage events. RIMS involves multistep laser photoionization, generally through real intermediate states, followed by mass separation and detection. It is a sensitive and selective means of detection, and has the potential for detection of ultratrace inclusions in substrates and/or coatings. In initial experiments, damage on uncoated CaF/sub 2/ substrates was initiated by pulses of 1.06-..mu..m light from a Q-switched Nd/sup +3/:YAG laser. Interrogation of the spalled plume revealed CaF radicals only when damage events occurred. No Ca atoms were observed, and no attempt was made to detect F atoms or CaF/sub 2/. In subsequent experiments conducted at laser intensities below the damage threshold, we observed the presence of surface adsorbents and a correlation between the presence of the adsorbents and the occurrence of optical damage. 34 refs., 3 figs.
Algebra and the Modern Query

There is no similar data model or algebra dedicated to image databases. This chapter develops a model of image algebra, modeled on relational algebra. This data model depends crucially on scoring functions that orders the set of images with respect to a given query. The manipulation of these functions is an integral part of the query process. Scoring functions as a data type and an algebra for manipulating them are described in the chapter. Further, a complete data model is defined in which images and features can be defined as data types and manipulated.
Markers of disease severity and socioeconomic factors in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

Background Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a refractory subtype of chronic rhinosinusitis. There is a paucity of data investigating the association of epidemiologic markers of disease severity. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate components of disease severity with socioeconomic status and health care access. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients diagnosed with AFRS by Bent and Kuhn criteria from 2000 to 2013. Severity of disease was measured by orbitocranial involvement, bone erosion, Lund-Mackay score, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), and mold hypersensitivity. The North Carolina State Data Center provided county-specific socioeconomic and demographic data. Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Pearson correlations, and multivariable linear regression models were used to explore associations between variables. Results Of 93 patients, 58% were African American and 39% Caucasian with a male:female ratio of 1.4:1 and average age at presentation of 29 years. Race, age, insurance status, and gender were not associated with severity of disease. Bone erosion was correlated with residence in counties with lower income per capita (p = 0.01). Patients with orbitocranial involvement resided in more rural counties (p = 0.01) with less primary care providers per capita (p = 0.02). Residence in counties with older or poorer quality housing was associated with a higher prevalence of bone erosion (p = 0.02). Conclusion Within our cohort of patients residing in North Carolina, markers of disease severity (bone erosion and orbitocranial involvement) in AFRS were associated with lower income, rural counties, poor housing quality, and less health care access.
Circadian Clock Genes Are Essential for Normal Adult Neurogenesis, Differentiation, and Fate Determination

Adult neurogenesis creates new neurons and glia from stem cells in the human brain throughout life. It is best understood in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ). Circadian rhythms have been identified in the hippocampus, but the role of any endogenous circadian oscillator cells in hippocampal neurogenesis and their importance in learning or memory remains unclear. Any study of stem cell regulation by intrinsic circadian timing within the DG is complicated by modulation from circadian clocks elsewhere in the brain. To examine circadian oscillators in greater isolation, neurosphere cultures were prepared from the DG of two knockout mouse lines that lack a functional circadian clock and from mPer1::luc mice to identify circadian oscillations in gene expression. Circadian mPer1 gene activity rhythms were recorded in neurospheres maintained in a culture medium that induces neurogenesis but not in one that maintains the stem cell state. Although the differentiating neural stem progenitor cells of spheres were rhythmic, evidence of any mature neurons was extremely sparse. The circadian timing signal originated in undifferentiated cells within the neurosphere. This conclusion was supported by immunocytochemistry for mPER1 protein that was localized to the inner, more stem cell-like neurosphere core. To test for effects of the circadian clock on neurogenesis, media conditions were altered to induce neurospheres from BMAL1 knockout mice to differentiate. These cultures displayed unusually high differentiation into glia rather than neurons according to GFAP and NeuN expression, respectively, and very few BetaIII tubulin-positive, immature neurons were observed. The knockout neurospheres also displayed areas visibly devoid of cells and had overall higher cell death. Neurospheres from arrhythmic mice lacking two other core clock genes, Cry1 and Cry2, showed significantly reduced growth and increased astrocyte proliferation during differentiation, but they generated normal percentages of neuronal cells. Neuronal fate commitment therefore appears to be controlled through a non-clock function of BMAL1. This study provides insight into how cell autonomous circadian clocks and clock genes regulate adult neural stem cells with implications for treating neurodegenerative disorders and impaired brain functions by manipulating neurogenesis.
Development and evaluation of a local grid refinement method for block-centered finite-difference groundwater models using shared nodes

Abstract A new method of local grid refinement for two-dimensional block-centered finite-difference meshes is presented in the context of steady-state groundwater-flow modeling. The method uses an iteration-based feedback with shared nodes to couple two separate grids. The new method is evaluated by comparison with results using a uniform fine mesh, a variably spaced mesh, and a traditional method of local grid refinement without a feedback. Results indicate: (1) The new method exhibits quadratic convergence for homogenous systems and convergence equivalent to uniform-grid refinement for heterogeneous systems. (2) Coupling the coarse grid with the refined grid in a numerically rigorous way allowed for improvement in the coarse-grid results. (3) For heterogeneous systems, commonly used linear interpolation of heads from the large model onto the boundary of the refined model produced heads that are inconsistent with the physics of the flow field. (4) The traditional method works well in situations where the better resolution of the locally refined grid has little influence on the overall flow-system dynamics, but if this is not true, lack of a feedback mechanism produced errors in head up to 3.6% and errors in cell-to-cell flows up to 25%.
EPR studies on a Hipip type iron-sulfur center in the succinate dehydrogenase segment of the respiratory chain.

Abstract In addition to the two species of ferredoxin-type iron-sulfur centers (Centers S-1 and S-2), a Hipip-type iron-sulfur center (Center S-3) has been detected in the reconstitutively active soluble succinate dehydrogenases. Em7,4 determined in a particulate, antimycin A sensitive succinate-cytochrome c reductase is +60 ± 15 mV. This center is extremely labile towards oxygen in a manner similar to the reconstitutive activity of the dehydrogenase. Even freshly prepared reconstitutively active enzyme shows a considerably diminished content of Center S-3 relative to flavin and displays a partly modified spectra. All reconstitutively inactive dehydrogenases give rise to a highly modified or no Center S-3 spectra at all. These observations indicate that Center S-3 is a constituent of succinate dehydrogenase and plays a role in the physiological function of the enzyme, i.e. transferring electrons most probably to ubiquinone.
Effect of elevated blood tyrosine on subsequent intellectual development of premature infants.

Sixty-five premature infants were examined neurologically and psychometrically duringtheir second year of life. When the neurologic status of infants who had marked tyrosinemia during their neonatal period was contrasted with that of infants whose tyrosine level remained below 15 mg. per cent, no significant difference could be detected. Although the percentage of infants with deviational I. Q. scores between 90 and 70 was significantly greater for the high tyrosine group, These differences disappeared when a deviational I. Q. score corrected for the postconceptual age was used.
A THEORETICAL STUDY OF EXCITONS IN CHLOROPHYLL a PHOTOSYSTEMS ON A PICOSECOND TIMESCALE

— The creation and decay of singlet excitons in structurally-explicit Chi a photosystems were investigated by numerical integration of the appropriate Master Equations. The antenna chlorophylls were excited by a simulated 6ps Gaussian light pulse. Positions and orientations for the antenna chlorophylls were randomly generated within regions whose size and shape were chosen to be appropriate for the particles observed in freeze-fractured photosynthetic membranes. Among the variables considered were chlorophyll concentration, depth of the trap (i.e. P680 or P700), and the R0 parameter for Forster transfer. Among the properties considered were antenna fluorescence lifetime; detrapping rates; the instantaneous and integrated quantum yields for antenna fluorescence and intersystem crossing; and the instantaneous and integrated quantum yields for trap fluorescence, intersystem crossing, and photochemistry. A variety of experimental evidence was used as input to the computational model.
Mothers as Behavior Therapists for their own Children

Abstract An attempt was made to modify the deviant behavior of three children by producing specific changes in the behavior of their mothers. It was demonstrated that a mother's social behavior may function as a powerful class of reinforcers for her child's deviant as well as normal behavior. It was also demonstrated that a mother's reactions to her child's behavior may be systematically modified, at least within the confines of an experimental setting, and these modifications may produce marked changes in her child's deviant behavior.
Touch and American Religions

The sense of touch plays an important role in many American religious practices. Yet dismissals of touch as an inferior mode of perception and reliance on textual sources that ignore touch have shaped research agendas. This essay identifies theories articulated by philosophical phenomenologists, students of ritual and performance studies, historians and anthropologists of art and architecture, neuroscientists, and feminist scholars that envision touch as a unique mode of gaining knowledge about the world and oneself and stimulating ethical behavior by working directly on the emotions to motivate empathetic, compassionate concern for others. The essay suggests how touch-oriented theories can aid the development of research areas in American religions where scholars have already begun fruitful explorations of tactility: studies of religious embodiment and ritual and of pain and its alleviation through divine healing or Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
Assemblage stability in stream fishes: A review

We quantified the stability of nine stream fish assemblages by calculating coefficients of variation of population size for assemblage members. Coefficients of variation were high and averaged over 96%; indicating that most assemblages were quite variable. Coefficient of variation (CV) estimates were not significantly affected by: (1) years of study, (2) mean abundance, (3) familial classification, or (4) mean interval between collections. We also detected minor regional differences in CVs. The high variability exhibited by many stream fish assemblages suggests that it may be difficult to detect the effects of anthropogenic disturbances using population data alone. Consequently, we urge managers to exercise caution in the evaluation of the effects of these disturbances. More long-term studies of the ecological characteristics of undisturbed stream fish assemblages are needed to provide a benchmark against which disturbed systems can be compared.
Direct evidence that RNA inhibits APOBEC3G ssDNA cytidine deaminase activity.

Abstract APOBEC3G (A3G) is a deoxycytidine deaminase active on ssDNA substrates. In HIV infected cells A3G interacted with reverse transcription complexes where its activity as a deoxycytidine deaminase led to mutation of the viral genome. A3G not only bound ssDNA, but it also had an intrinsic ability to bind RNA. In many cell types that can support HIV replication, A3G ssDNA deaminase activity was suppressed and the enzyme resided in high molecular mass, ribonucleoprotein complexes associated with cytoplasmic P-bodies and stress granules. Using a defined in vitro system, we show that RNA alone was sufficient to suppress A3G deaminase activity and did so in an RNA concentration-dependent manner. RNAs of diverse sequences and as short as 25 nt were effective inhibitors. Native PAGE analyses showed that RNA formed ribonucleoprotein complexes with A3G and in so doing prevented ssDNA substrates from binding to A3G. The data provided direct evidence that A3G binding to cellular RNAs constituted a substantial impediment to the enzyme’s ability to interact with ssDNA.
Flow-dependent porosity and other biomechanical properties of mysticete baleen

SUMMARY Despite its vital function in a highly dynamic environment, baleen is typically assumed to be a static material. Its biomechanical and material properties have not previously been explored. Thus I tested sections of baleen from bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus , and humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae , alone or in groups representing miniature ‘racks’, in a flow tank through which water and buoyant particles circulated with variable flow velocity. Kinematic sequences were recorded through an endoscopic camera or viewing window. One set of experiments investigated particle capture; another series analyzed biomechanical behavior, including fringe spacing, movement and interaction. Baleen fringe porosity directly correlates, in a mostly linear fashion, with velocity of incident water flow. However, undulation and interaction of fringes (especially of bowheads) at higher flow velocities can decrease porosity. Fringe porosity depends on distance from the baleen plate. Porosity also varies, with fringe length, by position along the length of an individual plate. Plate orientation, which varied from 0 to 90 deg relative to water flow, is crucial in fringe spacing and particle capture. At all flow velocities, porosity is lowest with plates aligned parallel to water flow. Turbulence introduced when plates rotate perpendicular to flow (as in cross-flow filtration) increases fringe interaction, so that particles more easily strike fringes yet more readily dislodge. Baleen of bowhead whales, which feed by continuous ram filtration, differs biomechanically from that of humpbacks, which use intermittent lunge filtration. The longer, finer fringes of bowhead baleen readily form a mesh-like mat, especially at higher flow velocities, to trap tiny particles.
Thymoma, Myasthenia Gravis, and Other Paraneoplastic Syndromes

The relationship between myasthenia gravis and thymic pathology, including thymoma, is well known. Approximately 10% to 15% of patients who have myasthenia gravis are observed to have a thymoma. Myasthenia gravis may be considered as the most common of the paraneoplastic syndromes in patients who have thymoma. This article summarizes the clinical aspects of myasthenia gravis, followed by a review of the less often recognized paraneoplastic disorders noted to occur in patients who have thymoma.
Assessment of the quality of the shipboard measurements of total alkalinity on the WOCE Hydrographic Program Indian Ocean CO2 survey cruises 1994-1996

In 1995, we participated in a number of WOCE Hydrographic Program cruises in the Indian Ocean as part of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) CO2 Survey sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). Two titration systems were used throughout this study to determine the pH, total alkalinity (TA) and total inorganic carbon dioxide (TCO2) of the samples collected during these cruises. The performance of these systems was monitored by making closed cell titration measurements on Certified Reference Materials (CRMs). A total of 962 titrations were made on six batches of CRMs during the cruises. The reproducibility calculated from these titrations was ±0.007 in pH, ±4.2 μmol kg−1 in TA, and ±4.1 μmol kg−1 in TCO2. The at-sea measurements on the CRMs were in reasonable agreement with laboratory measurements made on the same batches. These results demonstrate that the CRMs can be used as a reference standard for TA and to monitor the performance of titration systems at sea. Measurements made on the various legs of the cruise agreed to within 6 μmol kg−1 at the 15 crossover points. The overall mean and standard deviation of the differences at all the crossovers are 2.1±2.1 μmol kg−1. These crossover results are quite consistent with the overall reproducibility of the CRM analyses for TA (±4 μmol kg−1) over the duration of the entire survey. The TA results for the Indian Ocean cruises provide a reliable data set that when combined with TCO2 data can completely characterize the carbonate system.
Ohio State Infrared Imager/Spectrometer (OSIRIS)

The Ohio State Infrared Imager/Spectrometer (OSIRIS) is a general purpose near infrared (0.9 to 2.5 micrometers ) instrument that can be used at a wide variety of telescope focal planes. OSIRIS currently uses a 256 X 256 HgCdTe array detector and will accommodate larger arrays when available. OSIRIS has two modes of operation: imaging and spectroscopic. This paper describes the general instrument design and sample scientific results.
Supply chain optimization in continuous flexible process networks

A multiperiod optimization model is proposed for addressing the supply chain optimization in continuous flexible process networks. The main feature of this study is that detailed operational decisions are considered over a short time horizon ranging from 1 week to 1 month. For given flexible process networks where dedicated and flexible processes coexist, we take into account the supply chain for sales, intermittent deliveries, production shortfalls, delivery delays, inventory profiles, and job changeovers. The proposed optimization model requires efficient solution strategies to reduce the computational expense. We describe a bilevel decomposition algorithm that involves a relaxed problem (RP) and a subproblem (SP) for the original supply chain problem. Decisions for purchasing raw materials are made in the RP in which the changeover constraints are relaxed, yielding an upper bound to the profit. In the SP, fixing the delivery predicted in RP, the supply chain optimization is performed with job changeove...
A new property of 2-dimensional fields

THE GRAPHICAL MAPPING of a 2-dimensional field in a nearly closed area that is without sources is, at best, a difficult task. A typical case is that of flux down a slot. The only feasible approach is to map it by partial subdivision. This has been started in Figure 1 and continued in Figure 2. In this field, which will be called the original field, A′P is an equipotential boundary; AA′, BB′, and so forth, are flux lines, and the line A″P is a flux line.
Portable handheld ultrasound in austere environments: use in the Haiti disaster

IntroductionA 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, resulting in 222,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries. Three weeks after the initial quake, the New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team (NM DMAT-1) was deployed to Haiti for ongoing medical relief. During this deployment, a portable handheld ultrasound machine was tested for usefulness in aiding with patient care decisions.ObjectiveThe utility of portable ultrasound to help with triage and patient management decisions in a major disaster setting was evaluated.MethodsRetrospective observational non-blinded images were obtained on 51 patients voluntarily presenting to the Gheskio Field clinic at Port-au-Prince. Ultrasound was used for evaluation of undifferentiated hypotension, torso trauma, pregnancy, non-traumatic abdominal pain, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and dyspnea-chest pain, as well as for assisting with procedures. Scans were obtained using a Signos personal handheld ultrasound machine with images stored on a microSD card. Qualitative data were reviewed to identify whether ultrasound influenced management decisions, and results were categorized in terms of percent of scans that influenced management.ResultsFifty-one ultrasound scans on 50 patients were performed, with 35% interpreted as positive, 41% as negative, and 24% as equivocal. The highest yields of information were for abdominal ultrasound and ultrasound related to pregnancy. Ultrasound influenced decisions on patient care in 70% of scans. Most of these decisions were reflected in the clinician's confidence in discharging a patient with or without non-emergent follow-up.ConclusionThe use of a handheld portable ultrasound machine was effective for patient management decisions in resource-poor settings, and decreased the need to triage selected patients to higher levels of care. Ultrasound was very useful for evaluation of non-traumatic abdominal pain. Dynamic capability is necessary for ultrasound evaluation of undifferentiated hypotension and cardiac and lung examinations. Ultrasound also was useful for guidance during procedural applications, and for aiding in the diagnosis of parasitic diseases.Shorter M, Macias D. Portable handheld ultrasound in austere environments: use in the Haiti disaster. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012;27(2):1-6.
Instrumentation and Separation Results of Medium Pressure Liquid Chromatography

This paper describes the assembly, usage, operation, and separation results of a medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) instrument. Its ability to separate compounds with high resolution makes it a powerful tool for many chemistry laboratories. This equipment can be easily built from inexpensive commercially available materials. Due to the constant reuse of packing materials and infrequent maintenance, MPLC provides a simple, reliable, and economical means of purification.
Historical Development of Flame Excitation Sources for Analytical Spectroscopy

In 1556 Georgius Agricola wrote, in his De Re Metallica, about the "colour of fumes" from various types of ores. This may be the earliest record available in which the color of a flame-excited metal sample was used to identify a substance. If so, it represents the start of flame spectroscopy as an analytical tool.
Decomposition of poly(propylene carbonate) with UV sensitive iodonium salts

Abstract The decomposition characteristics of poly(propylene carbonate) containing a photoacid generator have been studied. The influence of casting solvent, photoacid concentration and type, UV exposure dose, substrate surface, and ambient gas were included in this study. Dynamic thermogravimetric analysis was used to analyze the decomposition characteristics. Kinetic parameters were extracted using the Kissinger method and the Coats–Redfern method. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used to analyze effects of casting solvent. The highest thermal stability was found to occur in high molecular weight, high-purity poly(propylene carbonate) samples. Cyclohexanone and trichloroethylene solvents were found to increase the thermal stability. Photoacid generators based on diphenyliodonium salts lowered the onset decomposition temperature and activation energy.
A Multilevel Study of the Role of Environment in Adolescent Substance Use.

The purpose of this study is to assess the relationships between county-level characteristics and adolescent use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. The study consisted of a hierarchical generalized linear analysis of secondary data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Variables on the county level included the percent of adolescents in the county reporting the presence of a Boys & Girls Club, neighbors available to adolescents needing to talk, abandoned buildings, and easy access to the substance. The easy access variable explained a majority of the variance in the county-level log odds of use. The results provide support for policies that restrict access to alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana.
Effective location‐guided overlay multicast in mobile ad hoc networks

Purpose – Group communication has become increasing important in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET). Current multicast routing protocols in MANET have been shown to incur large overheads due to dynamic network topology. To this end, this paper proposes an overlay multicast scheme in MANET that is more efficient.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to construct an overlay multicast tree based on the locations of the group nodes. The paper proposes several tree construction algorithms, namely, location‐guided k‐ary (LGK) tree, location‐guided directional (LGD) tree and location‐guided Steiner (LGS) tree. All of them rely on the geometric locations of the nodes as heuristics to construct the tree. The paper also introduces several mechanisms to enhance the proposed algorithms.Findings – The simulation results show that the location‐guided heuristics is very effective in constructing low bandwidth cost overlay multicast trees in MANET. When location information is up‐to‐date, the bandwidth cost of a LGS ...
Activation of organophosphorus insecticides by rat liver microsomes.

Abstract Activation of organophosphorus insecticides has been compared by aerobically incubating them with male rat liver microsomes, NADH 2 , nicotinamide, and magnesium ions and manometrically assaying the products with rat brain and fly head cholinesterase preparations. The greatest increase in cholinesterase inhibition occurred with methyl parathion, Diazinon, Co-ral, ronnel, Dowco 109 (with fly head cholinesterase only), and Guthion. Lesser activation occurred with malathion (rat brain cholinesterase only) and Trithion. No activation could be demonstrated with demeton, phorate, dimethoate, E.I. 18,706, Menazon, and R 15,799. Changes in the anticholinesterase potencies of high and low concentrations of the P(O)S analog of Guthion and malaoxon added to microsomal incubation mixtures and the microsomal activation products of Guthion and malathion were compared in a series of time-course experiments. A 0.01 M concentration of fluoride in the incubation mixtures reduced the degradation of the P(O)S analogs and of the active metabolites of Guthion and malathion. In the absence of fluoride and with a low concentration of the P(S)S compound in the incubation mixture, enzymatic degradation eventually exceeded activation and little or no anticholinesterase production was apparent from cholinesterase assays. MGK 264, piperonyl butoxide, propyl isome, sulfoxide, sesamex, testosterone propionate, androstanolone, estradiol, estrone, and SKF 525-A inhibited the in vitro , microsomal activation of methyl parathion. The reaction products were manometrically assayed with rat brain and fly head cholinesterase preparations. MGK 264, piperonyl butoxide, testosterone propionate, and SKF 525-A also inhibited the activation of Co-ral and Guthion, except that greater than normal activation was observed when Co-ral was combined with the first three compounds and the metabolites were assayed with fly head cholinesterase.
Early Reading Success and Its Relationship to Reading Achievement and Reading Volume: Replication of "10 Years Later".

Cunningham and Stanovich reported a longitudinal investigation over 10 years that examined the unique influence of exposure to print in explaining individual differences on various measures of reading achievement and declarative (general) knowledge. The present study replicated their investigation with a larger number of participants and additional measures of literacy and language skills. Fifty-four 1st graders were administered reading, spelling, vocabulary, IQ, and listening comprehension measures and then followed to the end of 10th grade. At the end of 10th grade, they were administered an IQ test and measures of reading comprehension, language ability, general knowledge, and exposure to print. Results showed that 1st grade reading skills were a strong predictor of 10th grade outcomes. Second and third-grade reading skills were predictive of individual differences in print exposure even after 10th grade reading comprehension and language ability had been partialed. Individual differences in print exposure also predicted differences in the growth of reading ability, word decoding, spelling, vocabulary, and listening comprehension throughout the elementary grades. Findings confirm the powerful, long-term benefits of providing children with a fast start in reading and support the reciprocal nature of strong reading skills and engagement in reading and reading-related activities.
Accelerated fatigue fracture mechanism of medium density polyethylene pipe material

Fatigue crack propagation studies were performed in medium density polyethylene pipe to elucidate the damage mechanism associated with pipe failure. Past pipe testing methods required up to several years to produce failures which mimicked those observed in the field. However, by fatiguing a specially designed test specimen, brittle failure, resembling that observed under service conditions, was produced in only three days. It was determined that the method of loading and the crack plane orientation greatly affect the degree and extent of brittle crack propagation. In some specimen geometries, the initial brittle fracture may undergo a transition to a more ductile failure mode. The damage which precedes the crack tip during brittle cracking is a root craze and two smaller side crazes; these crazes are primarily composed of yielded membranes which are oriented normal to the crack propagation direction, rather than being composed of fibrils. The number and length of these crazes was shown to be dependent on the chosen test geometry.
A case for college molecular biology classes: a right to her genes

Abstract Active student learning is a lofty goal, but what tools are available for college teaching faculty to create that kind of environment? In this article, we describe one such tool, the case study method using a case we developed to teach molecular biology students the importance of DNA mutations in cancer. Not only does this approach teach concepts, but also applications of the techniques previously discussed in lecture and the ethical dilemmas that may surround that application. The case study method for teaching science, and this case in particular, we feel gives students the kind of classroom problem that can make their learning more active.
Blocking and protecting actions of amines and ammonium compounds on a crustacean synapse.

SummaryThis paper describes the effects of various amines and ammonium compounds on synaptic transmission in the central nervous system of the crayfish.In the series from butyl to octyl amine, the activity of the drug in blocking synaptic transmission increases with the length of the alkyl side chain. Dodiecyl amine shows greater activity than octyl amine. The corresponding alkyl methylamines and dimethyl-amines show a similar increase. The trimethylammonium series shows no blocking activity until the dodecyl compound is reached. The amyl trimethylammonium compound is unique in showing a consistent facilitation of synaptic transmission.The ability of sub-threshold doses of these drugs to protect the preparation against the blocking action of nicotine reaches a maximum with the octyl compounds. The protecting activity of the trimethylammonium series is generally weaker than that of the other compounds. Although the dodecyl compounds show only a trace of protection against nicotine, this weak protection is ...
Deficits in selective attention following bilateral anterior cingulotomy

Positron emission tomographic (PET) studies of normal humans undergoing specific cognitive activation paradigms have identified a region of the anterior cingulate cortex as a component of an anterior, midline attentional system involved in high-level processing selection. However, deficits in attention have not been demonstrated in patients following bilateral anterior cingulotomy, a procedure that results in lesions of adjacent anterior cingulate cortex. Task paradigms used in PET studies that recruit the anterior cingulate cortex were applied to normal, control subjects and to a patient before and after cingulotomy to provide highly sensitive and functionally targeted reaction time measures of attentional performance. In contrast to unchanged performance in several neuropsychological measures, this patient demonstrated specific deficits in attention during the subacute postoperative period, which resolved spontaneously several months after surgery. Such impairment is consistent with the evolving view of the anterior cingulate's involvement in high-level processing selection. These data show the feasibility of using information from PET activation studies of normals in the design of novel chronometric tasks useful for probing abnormalities in specific cognitive operations associated with discrete cortical regions.
New criteria for systematic mapping and reliability assessment of monogenetic volcanic vent alignments and elongate volcanic vents for crustal stress analyses

Abstract Linear arrays of monogenetic volcanic vent alignments represent an important source of stress/strain data from volcanic regions of the Earth and other planets. Currently, however, there is no standard methodology for mapping vent alignments or for assessing alignment reliability, which are essential to defining a robust stress datum from vent alignments. Here we define a systematic method for defining monogenetic vent alignments by mapping the locations and shapes of vents. Elongation of vents into elliptical shapes is directly related to the trend of subsurface fissures that control alignments. Elongated vents therefore are critical for defining reliable regional vent alignments, and also provide an independent means for assessing stress directions. Our reliability assessment system (A > B > C > D) for vent alignments is based on the number of vents, the standard deviation of vent center points from a best-fit line, the numbers and types of elongate vents, the standard deviation of long axes of elliptical vents from a best-fit line, and, in cases where alignments lack elongate vents, by vent spacing distances. We quantified morphometric parameters of well-defined fissure-fed vent alignments from polygenetic volcanoes and platform volcanic fields to establish appropriate threshold values for reliability assessments. In this new method, the combined analysis of vent locations and shapes optimizes the process of alignment mapping and the assessment of the reliability of alignments to be incorporated in stress analyses. We provide quality-ranking schemes for stress data derived from reliability-assessed vent alignments and from elongate vents. We demonstrate the utility of this new mapping and assessment methodology by analyzing monogenetic cinder cone fields within a platform volcanic field (the San Francisco volcanic field in Arizona) and within a volcanic field on the flank of a polygenetic volcano (Mount Morning in Antarctica).
Welfare Policies and Adolescents: Exploring the Roles of Sibling Care, Maternal Work Schedules, and Economic Resources

This study uses data from three longitudinal experimental evaluations of US state welfare reform programs to examine whether program-induced changes in families’ reliance on sibling care are linked with the effects of welfare programs on selected schooling outcomes of high risk, low-income adolescents. The findings from two of the welfare programs indicate that increased reliance on sibling care was concomitant with unfavorable effects of the programs on adolescent schooling outcomes. In the third welfare program examined, the program did not yield any increases in the use of sibling care or unfavorable effects on adolescent schooling outcomes, suggesting that sibling care is one likely contributor to the negative effects of welfare programs on adolescent schooling outcomes. These findings are discussed in terms of the pattern of the programs’ effects on families’ income, as well as maternal work on nonstandard schedules, aside from the programs’ effects on maternal employment, which play contributory roles in shaping the extent to which welfare programs led to less favorable effects on the schooling outcomes of adolescents with younger siblings.
Surface polaritons on semi-infinite anisotropic media

Abstract We have investigated the nature of polaritons which propagate on the surface of semi-infinite anisotropic dielectric and magnetic media and find that the surface polaritons are regular surface waves [i.e., the penetration constant α (ω) is real] only for special orientations of the wave vector k and of the normal to the surface n relative to the principal axes. In the case of biaxial crystals, regular surface polaritons occur when k and/or n is along a principal axis of the dielectric tensor e(ω) for dielectric media [or the magnetic permeability tensor μ(ω) for magnetic media]. When k and n are both directed along principal axes, the surface polaritons are TM with E in the saggital plane for dielectric media. One finds that surface polaritons which are coupled photon-virtual surface dipole excitation modes can exist on “surface active” anisotropic media in addition to the familiar coupled photon-real surface dipole excitation modes. When neither k nor n are along principal axes, the surface polaritons that occur are, with the exception of special orientations, “generalized” surface waves [i.e., α(ω) is complex]. The Poynting vectors of the propagating surface polaritons are always in the plane of the surface but not, in general, along k. These results, which hold for uniaxial crystals, are also applicable to gyromagnetic media and to gyrodielectric media. This theory is also applicable to surface polaritons which propagate along the interface between two media, one or both of which is anisotropic, and with one or the other serving as the “surface active” medium.
Systemic Bank Risk in Brazil: A Comprehensive Simulation of Correlated Market, Credit, Sovereign and Inter‐Bank Risks

In this study we present a comprehensive forward-looking portfolio simulation methodology for assessing the correlated impacts of market risk, private sector and Sovereign credit risk, and inter-bank default risk. In order to produce better integrated risk assessment for banks and systemic risk assessments for financial systems, we argue that reasonably detailed modeling of bank asset and liability structures, loan portfolio credit quality, and loan concentrations by sector, region and type, as well as a number of financial and economic environment risk drivers, is required. Sovereign and inter-bank default risks are increasingly important in the current economic environment and their inclusion is an important model extension. This extended model is demonstrated through an application to both individual Brazilian banks (i.e., 28 of the largest banks) and groups of banks (i.e., the Brazilian banking system) as of December 2004. When omitting Sovereign risk, our analysis indicates that none of the banks face significant default risk over a 1-year horizon. This low default risk stems primarily from the large amount of government securities held by Brazilian banks, but also reflects the banks' adequate capitalizations and extraordinarily high interest rate spreads. We note that none of the banks which we modeled failed during the very stressful 2007-2008 period, consistent with our results. Our results also show that a commonly used approach of aggregating all banks into one single bank, for purposes of undertaking a systemic banking system risk assessment, results in a misestimate of both the probability and the cost of systemic banking system failures. Once Sovereign risk is considered and losses in the market value of government securities reach 10% (or higher), we find that several banks could fail during the same time period. These results demonstrate the well known risk of concentrated lending to a borrower, or type of borrower, which has a non-zero probability of default (e.g., the Government of Brazil). Our analysis also indicates that, in the event of a Sovereign default, the Government of Brazil would face constrained debt management alternatives. To the best of our knowledge no one else has put forward a systematic methodology for assessing bank asset, liability, loan portfolio structure and correlated market and credit (private sector, Sovereign, and inter-bank) default risk for banks and banking systems. We conclude that such forward-looking risk assessment methodologies for assessing multiple correlated risks, combined with the targeted collection of specific types of data on bank portfolios, have the potential to better quantify overall bank and banking system risk levels, which can assist bank management, bank regulators, Sovereigns, rating agencies, and investors to make better informed and proactive risk management and investment decisions.
Monitoring the visual world: Hemispheric asymmetries and subcortical processes in attention

Hemispheric specialization and subcortical processes in visual anention were investigated in callosotomy split-brain patients by measuring reaction times to lateralized stimuli in a spatial cuing paradigm. Cuing effects were obtained for targets presented to the right hemisphere left visual hemifield but not for those presented to the left hemisphere. These cuing effects were manifest as faster reaction times when the cue correctly indicated the location of the subsequent target valid trials, as compared to trials in which the cue and target appeared in opposite hemifields invalid trials. This pattern suggests that the right hemisphere allocated attention to cued locations in either visual hemifield, whereas the left hemisphere allocated attention predominantly to the right hemifield. This finding is consistent with a body of evidence from studies in patients with cortical lesions who display different attentional deficits for right versus left hemisphere damage. Because the present pattern occurs in patients whose cerebral hemispheres are separated at the cortical level, it suggests that right hemisphere attentional allocation to events in the ipsilateral visual half-field is mediated in part via intact subcortical systems.
China, U.S. share nitrate problem

Water supplies used for drinking water in both the United States and the People's Republic of China share a common problem of elevated nitrate concentrations, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey conducted in cooperation with China's Ministry of Water Resources and several regional Chinese agencies. “Despite the fact that the agricultural land in China has been farmed for a much longer time relative to land farmed in the U.S., the patterns of nitrate contamination are similar,” said USGS hydrologist Joseph Domagalski, lead author of the report.