cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interspecific hybridization and its evolutionary significance in the genus Aquilegia

Various hybrid combinations of 18 species and varieties ofAquilegia were produced, and several cross-pollinations were made which failed to produce hybrids. Pollen fertility of hybrids was generally high, with a total mean of approximately 50%, but highly variable among hybrid combinations and consistently lower than that of parental species. With the exception of frequent occurrence of giant pollen grains and rare synaptic failure of one or two homologous pairs, meiotic behavior in hybrid pollen mother cells appeared to be completely regular. Representatives of the Vulgaris Complex were observed to be intermediate genetically and morphologically leading to the interpretation of ancestral status among extant species. The greatest genetic diversity within the genus was shown to exist betweenA. ecalcarata and members of the Caerulea Complex.
Host Defense Peptides: Molecular Details of Attack on Bacterial and Neoplastic Mammalian Model Membranes

Membrane-active host defense peptides constitute a key part of the initial immune response in multicellular organisms. They interact with anionic lipids of bacterial membranes and are also active against neoplastic mammalian membranes. The non-specific nature of these interactions reduces the propensity for developing resistance to antimicrobial and anticancer therapies but makes development of highly effective peptides a challenging task. Various mechanisms of peptide-membrane activity were proposed, but the molecular picture is still incomplete. We employ our novel highly mobile membrane mimetic (HMMM) model with enhanced lipid mobility, combined with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate structural and dynamic properties determining initial lipid-peptide interactions of magainin 2 (MAG2) and its highly charged variant, paxiganan (MSI-78). Extended multiple simulations were performed of MAG2 and MSI-78 monomers with HMMM binary membranes representing bacterial (PE/PG) and neoplastic (PC/PS) membranes. Spontaneous association of the peptides with the membranes lead to significant clustering of anionic lipids in both membrane models, lending support to the lipid clustering model as a potential first stage of the interaction. Interestingly, membrane surface rupture was observed as a result of lipid rearrangement. PE/PG membranes appear to be more susceptible than PC/PS to rupture by both peptides, which correlates well with recent experimental observations. PE/PG appears to offer easier entry for the charged residues due to hydrogen bonding and lack of positive charges on the PE head groups that may repel the cationic peptides. We propose a “sweep-and-anchor” mechanism that initiates membrane rupture: initial clustering of charged lipids by the charged residues is creating more loose domain boundaries in which hydrophobic residues can penetrate, creating a pore in membrane leaflet. Prior to the development of the HMMM method these inquiries were out of reach of atomistic simulations.
Analysis of Kjeldahl digests by the salicylate method: Optimizing pH and buffering improves both sensitivity and precision

Abstract Digest acidity can interfere strongly with ammonium analysis using salicylate‐indophenol colorimetry, but many methods over‐neutralize acids so that buffering capacity and sensitivity are reduced. To optimize analysis of acidic digests, we replaced the phosphate buffer with salicylate. Base was added stoichiometrically to neutralize acids and dissociate one‐half the salicylate to reach the phenolic pKa (approx. 13). Sample flow was 20% of total flow and a 60°C water bath was used. This gave optimal sensitivity and minimized interferences due to acidity fluctuations. The limit of detection was 1 μM in digest solution.
Sedimentary facies and depositional environments of early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup basins, eastern North America

Abstract The early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup consists of continental sedimentary rocks and basalt flows that occupy a NE-trending belt of elongate basins exposed in eastern North America. The basins were filled over a period of 30–40 m.y. spanning the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, prior to the opening of the north Atlantic Ocean. The sedimentary rocks are here divided into four principal lithofacies. The alluvial-fan facies includes deposits dominated by: (1) debris flows; (2) shallow braided streams; (3) deeper braided streams (with trough crossbeds); or (4) intense bioturbation or hyperconcentrated flows (tabular, unstratified muddy sandstone). The fluvial facies include deposits of: (1) shallow, ephemeral braided streams; (2) deeper, flashflooding, braided streams (with poor sorting and crossbeds); (3) perennial braided rivers; (4) meandering rivers; (5) meandering streams (with high suspended loads); (6) overbank areas or local flood-plain lakes; or (7) local streams and/or colluvium. The lacustrine facies includes deposits of: (1) deep perennial lakes; (2) shallow perennial lakes; (3) shallow ephemeral lakes; (4) playa dry mudflats; (5) salt-encrusted saline mudflats; or (6) vegetated mudflats. The lake margin clastic facies includes deposits of: (1) birdfoot deltas; (2) stacked Gilbert-type deltas; (3) sheet deltas; (4) wave-reworked alluvial fans; or (5) wave-sorted sand sheets. Coal deposits are present in the lake margin clastic and the lacustrine facies of Carnian age (Late Triassic) only in basins of south-central Virginia and North and South Carolina. Eolian deposits are known only from the basins in Nova Scotia and Connecticut. Evaporites (and their pseudomorphs) occur mainly in the northern basins as deposits of saline soils and less commonly of saline lakes, and some evaporite and alkaline minerals present in the Mesozoic rocks may be a result of later diagenesis. These relationships suggest climatic variations across paleolatitudes, more humid to the south where coal beds are preserved, and more arid in the north where evaporites and eolian deposits are common. Fluctuations in paleoclimate that caused lake levels to rise and fall in hydrologically closed basins are preserved as lacustrine cycles of various scales, including major shifts in the Late Triassic from a wet Carnian to an arid Norian. In contrast, fluvial deposits were mainly formed in response to the tectonic evolution of the basins, but to some extent also reflect climatic changes. The Newark Supergroup illustrates the complexity of rift-basin sedimentation and the problems that may arise from using a single modern analog for sedimentary deposition spanning millions of years. It also shows that a tremendous wealth of depositional, climatic, and tectonic information is preserved in ancient rift-basin deposits which can be recovered if the depositional processes of modern rift-basin deposits are understood.
Size-dependent detachment-limited decay kinetics of two-dimensional TiN islands on TiN(111).

In situ high-temperature (${T}_{a}=1050--1250\text{ }\mathrm{K}$) scanning tunneling microscopy was used to determine the coarsening and decay kinetics of two-dimensional TiN adatom and vacancy islands on atomically smooth TiN(111) terraces. We report the first observation of an abrupt decrease in decay rates, irrespective of ${T}_{a}$, of adatom islands with areas less than a critical value of $1600\text{ }{\AA{}}^{2}$. However, no decay rate transition was observed for vacancy islands. We attribute the size-dependent island decay behavior, which is consistent with detachment-limited kinetics, to anisotropic attachment and detachment barriers.
Unbalanced 5;16 translocation in a boy with papillary thyroid carcinoma

This is the first reported case of an unbalanced chromosome rearrangement resulting in trisomy 5q35.5{r_arrow}qter and monosomy 16p 13.3{r_arrow}pter, in a boy with mental and growth retardation, minor anomalies, and a history of bilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma. This was the result of a familial balanced translocation. The clinical and cytogenetic manifestations of the case are presented and the possible role of the chromosomal rearrangement in the etiology of the thyroid carcinoma is discussed. 25 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.
Sensory profiling with probabilistic multidimensional scaling

Variability is a fundamental characteristic of sensory profile data. Ignoring the variability may result in biased solutions that cannot be improved by the collection of additional data. Probabilistic multidimensional scaling (PMDS) models provide a means of accounting for the variability inherent in sensory data by using distributions, instead of points, to portray sensory objects. For profile data with high levels of variability, the probabilistic model recovers latent structure parameters very well — traditional deterministic MDS models and principal components analyses (PCA) do not. Advantages of the PMDS models include their parsimony, testability and extensibility. Two particularly attractive PMDS attributes are their ability to relate consumers’ expressions of liking to product profiles and their ability to estimate a product's “ perceptual share” from liking and profile data. Used as a criterion with what-if modeling, perceptual share estimates enable the evaluation of alternative product development strategies.
Clinical and immunologic follow-up of patients who stop venom immunotherapy

We prospectively studied 51 self-selected Hymenoptera sting-sensitive patients to determine (1) whether a minimal or optimal duration for venom immunotherapy (VIT) exists and (2) whether clinical or immunologic parameters exist that are predictive of clinical immunity after VIT was stopped. After 2 to 10 years of VIT, all patients had deliberate sting challenges (DSCs) from live insects. If DSCs were tolerated, patients voluntarily stopped VIT and returned annually for repeat venom skin tests (VSTs) and DSCs. In most patients, it was possible to monitor VST and venom-specific antibody (Ab) levels before and after VIT was stopped. One-year after VIT, VST and venom-specific IgE and IgG Ab level results were variable; 49 patients tolerated DSC, whereas two patients exhibited generalized reactions. These two patients had pre-VIT histories of grade IV field-sting reactions and had received VIT for 2 years and 4 years, respectively. The short-term (1 year) risk of recurrence of clinical allergy to stings after VIT was higher in patients who had experienced grade IV field-sting reactions before VIT versus patients experiencing grade I to III reactions before VIT (2/15, 13% versus 0/36, 0%) and higher in patients who had received VIT for less than 5 years versus patients who received VIT for 5 or more years (2/20, 10% versus 0/31, 0%). We suggest that VIT should be continued for 5 years in patients with pre-VIT field-sting reactions of grade IV severity. VST and venom-specific Ab results do not reliably predict the outcome of DSC or the subsequent clinical course in individual patients stopping VIT.
Radiotherapy After Prostatectomy: Improved Biochemical Relapse-Free Survival With Whole Pelvic Compared With Prostate Bed Only for High-Risk Patients

Purpose: To compare the biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS) among patients receiving whole pelvic radiotherapy (WPRT) vs. prostate bed RT (PBRT) after radical prostatectomy. Methods and Materials: Between 1985 and 2005, 160 patients underwent adjuvant or salvage RT after radical prostatectomy. A short course of total androgen suppression was also given concurrently to 87 patients. Of the 160 patients, 114 were considered at high risk of lymph node involvement because they had a pathologic Gleason score of ≥8, a preoperative prostate-specific antigen level >20 ng/mL, seminal vesicle or prostate capsule involvement, or pathologic lymph node involvement. Of this group, 72 underwent WPRT and 42 underwent PBRT. The median follow-up was >5 years for all patient subsets. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards multivariate analyses were performed for all clinical, pathologic, and treatment factors predicting for bRFS. Results: Whole pelvic RT resulted in superior bRFS compared with PBRT ( p = 0.03). The advantage of WPRT was limited to high-risk patients, with a 5-year bRFS rate of 47% (95% confidence interval, 35–59%) after WPRT vs. 21% (95% confidence interval, 8–35%) after PBRT ( p = 0.008). For low-risk patients, no difference ( p = 0.9) was found. On multivariate analysis, only WPRT ( p = 0.02) and a preoperative prostate-specific antigen level p = 0.002) were significantly associated with bRFS. The benefit from total androgen suppression with postoperative RT was only observed when given concurrently with WPRT ( p = 0.04) and not with PBRT ( p = 0.4). Conclusion: The results of our study have indicated that WPRT confers superior bRFS compared with PBRT for high-risk patients receiving adjuvant or salvage RT after radical prostatectomy. This advantage was observed only with concurrent TAS. These results are analogous to the benefit from WPRT seen in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 94-13 study.
A perfusable 3D cell–matrix tissue culture chamber for in situ evaluation of nanoparticle vehicle penetration and transport

A key factor in gene or drug therapy is the development of carriers that can efficiently reach targeted cells from a distal administration. In many gene/drug delivery studies, results obtained in 2D cultures fail to translate to similar results in vivo. In this work, we developed a perfusable 3D chamber for studying nanoparticle penetration and transport in cell-gel soft tissue cultures. The compartmented chamber is made of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) top layer with the chamber features, created using micromachined lithography, bonded to a bottom glass coverslip. A solution of cells embedded in a hydrogel is loaded in the chamber between PDMS posts that serve as anchors to the cell-matrix at the gel-media interface. The chamber offers the following unique features: (i) rapid fabrication and simplicity in assembly, (ii) direct in situ cell imaging in a plane normal to the direction of flow or action, (iii) an easily configurable and controllable environment conducive cell culture under static or interstitial flow conditions, and (iv) facile recovery of live cells from chambers for post-experimental analysis. To assess the chamber, we delivered fluorescently labeled nanoparticles of three distinct sizes to cells-embedded Matrigels in the 3D chamber under flow and static conditions. Penetration of nanoparticles were enhanced under interstitial flow while live cell imaging and flow cytometry of recovered cells revealed particle size restrictions to efficient delivery. Although designed for delivery studies, the chamber is versatile and can be easily modified. Thus it may have broad applications for biological, tissue engineering, and therapeutic studies.
Risk Exposures and Financial Spillovers in Tranquil and Crisis Times: Bank-Level Evidence

For a sample of 83 financial institutions during 2003–2011, this paper attempts to answer three questions: first, what is the evolution of banks’ stock price exposure to country-level and global risk factors as approximated by equity indices; second, which bank-specific characteristics explain these risk exposures; third, are there clusters of banks with equity price linkages beyond market risk factors. The paper finds a rise in sensitivities to both country and global risk factors in 2011, although on average to levels still below those of the subprime crisis. The average sensitivity to European risk, specifically, has been steadily rising since 2008. Banks that are reliant on wholesale funding, have weaker capital levels and low valuations, and higher exposures to crisis countries are found to be the most vulnerable to shocks. The analysis of bank-to-bank linkages suggests that any “globalization” of the euro area crisis is likely to be channelled through U.K. and U.S. banks, with little evidence of direct spillover effects to other regions.
Mitigating the Combined Distributional Consequences of the Georgia Lottery for Education and the HOPE Scholarship

Objective. Research demonstrates that nonwhite, lower-income households bear the Georgia Lottery's tax burden, yet receive fewer benefits. However, local disparities in grading standards may mitigate the observed income redistribution. Our objective is to determine whether certain localities obtain more HOPE scholarships than expected, mitigating the observed redistribution. Method. We use fixed-effects regression and a sample of Georgia's counties (1996–2002). Results. Our results indicate that some localities obtain more HOPE scholarships than expected, mitigating the observed redistribution. Conclusions. We conclude the income-redistribution research result does not reveal a complete picture because it overlooks the HOPE scholarship's extraordinary allocation mechanism.
Hydrogen sensing characteristics of carbon-nanotube sheet decorated with manganese oxides

Abstract A hybrid composite Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) sheet decorated with a manganese oxide (MnO x ) gas sensor was developed for the detection of hydrogen (H 2 ) gas; electrical resistance increases linearly with H 2 exposure. The MnO x particles were coated uniformly on the MWCNT sheets by electrodeposition, which is simple and controllable for fabricating binary or hierarchical composites. The sensitivity of the sensor was affected by the mean size of the MnO x particles, which in turn were controlled by the electrodeposition time. The measured output characteristics were quite stable, reliable and reproducible.
Studies of strength mechanism in newly developed chemically bonded ceramics in the system CaOSiO2P2O5H2O

Abstract Strength data are presented on totally new room temperature setting cements in CaO-SiO2-P2O5-H2O system. These compositions lie in the range of CaO:45–65, P2O5:29–50, SiO2:4–20 (wt.%) and were prepared by sol-gel techniques using calcium nitrate and lactate, phosphoric acid and Ludox as precursors. Pressed pellets of the calcined powders were hydrated for times ranging from 1 day to 90 days at room temperature, 85° and 100°C. Typical values of splitting tensile strength near 15 MPa were common at room temperature, and 28 MPa at 100°C; maximum strengths of 31 MPA were achieved at 100°C for 1 day of hydration in some compositions. Microstructural analysis by SEM, XRD and EDAX showed the presence of unusually well crystallized CSH-1, Ca-hydroxy apatite and a well crystallized hydrated silicocarnotite phase together with gels of CSH and/or CSPH. The high strengths are attributed to the ultrafine powders used and the formation of well developed gels of CSH and CSPH which serve as the bond interlinking with crysalline grains of Ca(OH)2, Ca-hydroxy apatite, CSH and CSPH.
Maltreatment among runaway and homeless youth.

A sample of 223 adolescents who sought services from runaway and homeless youth programs in New York State during 1986-1987 was identified as having a history of maltreatment. A demographic profile is presented and the nature of their maltreatment described. The majority of these youth were female and between 15-16 years of age. Less than 25% came from intact families and one-third were born to single mothers. Of the sample, 60% had allegedly experienced physical abuse, 42% emotional abuse, 48% neglect, and 21% sexual abuse. Over one-third were "pushed out" of their homes by their families. Biological mothers were the most frequently cited perpetrators of maltreatment (63%), followed by biological fathers (45%). The sample of maltreated runaways is compared to both statewide and national samples of runaway and homeless youth with regard to their demographic characteristics and the problems they present to staff at intake (e.g., depression, substance abuse, etc.). Youth in the maltreated sample were more likely to be female and were more likely to have engaged in suicidal behavior. Otherwise, the maltreated runaways were not readily distinguished from the runaway and homeless youth population at large.
Medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction: Methadone and buprenorphine

Among agents for treatment of opioid addiction, methadone is a full mu-opioid receptor agonist, whereas buprenorphine is a partial agonist. Both are long-acting. Buprenorphine has a superior safety profile. Methadone is formulated for oral administration and buprenorphine for sublingual administration. A subdermal buprenorphine implant with a 6-month duration of action is being considered for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Both medications reduce mortality rates and improve other outcomes. Data from a recent randomized controlled comparison of both medications (N = 1269) show better treatment retention with methadone but reduced illicit opioid use early in treatment with buprenorphine. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors were measured using the Risk Behavior Survey at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks for study completers. In the 30 days prior to treatment entry, 14.4% of the completers randomized to treatment with buprenorphine (n = 340) and 14.1% of the completers randomized to methadone treatment (n = 391) shared needles. The percent sharing needles decreased to 2.4% for buprenorphine and 4.8 for methadone in the 30 days prior to Week 24 (p < 0.0001). In the 30 days prior to treatment entry, 6.8% of the completers randomized to buprenorphine and 8.2% of the completers randomized to methadone had multiple sexual partners, with only 5.2% and 5.1%, respectively, reporting multiple partners at Week 24 (p < 0.04).
Hearing the zero locus of a magnetic field

We investigate the ground state of a two-dimensional quantum particle in a magnetic field where the field vanishes nondegenerately along a closed curve. We show that the ground state concentrates on this curve ase/h tends to infinity, wheree is the charge, and that the ground state energy grows like (e/h)2/3. These statements are true for any energy level, the level being fixed as the charge tends to infinity. If the magnitude of the gradient of the magnetic field is a constantb 0 along its zero locus, then we get the precise asymptotics(e/h) 2/3 (b 0) 2/3 E * +O(1) for every energy level. The constantE * ≃ .5698 is the infimum of the ground state energiesE(β) of the anharmonic oscillator family $$ - \frac{{d^2 }}{{dy^2 }} + \left( {\frac{1}{2}y^2 - \beta } \right)^2$$ .
Application of a Two-Dimensional Hadamard Encoding Mask for the Imaging of Thin-Layer Chromatography Plates by Laser-Induced Fluorescence or Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and for Use with a Photoacoustic Detector to Generate Three-Dimensional Photoacoustic Images

Spatial imaging of thin-layer chromatography plates using laser-induced fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering has been accomplished with a stationary two-dimensional Hadamard encoding mask. Detection of three nanograms of pararosaniline hydrochloride on a thin-layer chromatography plate was made possible by means of the surface-enhanced Raman phenomenon. The imaging capabilities of the stationary two-dimensional Hadamard encoding mask coupled with the depth profiling ability of photoacoustic detection allows for the three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging of a multiple analyte sample.
Microvascular Clearance of Macromolecules in Skeletal Muscle of Spontaneously Diabetic Rats

Abstract Microvascular clearance of FITC-Dextran 150 (fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran, MW 150,000) was studied in cremaster muscles of control (BB/W-R) and diabetic (BB/W-DM) rats following daily injections of a full (FD) or a 1/2 (reduced; RD) dose of insulin. The cremaster muscle was placed in an intravital chamber and superfused with bicarbonate buffer (pH 7.4, equilibrated with 95% N2-5% CO2). A 1-hour period of stabilization was followed by the iv injection of FITC-dextran 150 and an equilibration period of 45 min. Suffusate samples were collected for 1 h for control measurements. Following this period, bradykinin was applied topically at a concentration of 10-7M. Samples were collected for a final hour for the assessment of clearance. The mean ± SEM FITC-dextran 150 clearance values (μl/60 min/g) for BB/W-R, BB/W-DM FD, and BB/W-DM RD were 11.5 ± 1.8, 14.8 ± 3.4, and 90.5 ± 12.0, respectively. The corresponding values after topical application of 10-7M bradykinin were 23.7 ± 5.9, 24.2 ± 4.4, and 98.7 ± 25.0. Our results indicate that bradykinin evokes a twofold increase in FITC-dextran 150 clearance in the BB/W-R (control) animals and in the BB/W-DM rats receiving full-dose insulin. In contrast, bradykinin does not further enhance the eightfold increase in FITC-Dextran 150 clearance observed in the reduced-insulin dose-treated BB/W-DM group. Thus, our data show that insulin, administered at a full dose, protects the functional integrity of microvascular permselectivity in diabetes mellitus.
Phase equilibria in the oxidation of impure silicon nitride

The normal impurities in hot-pressed Si3N4 fabricated with MgO as an additive include Ca, Fe, WC, and SiO2. Within the bulk material the conditions are highly reducing, so the Fe and W will be in the reduced state. Thus the equilibrium oxide phases can be predicted from the CaO-MgO-SiO2 phase diagram suitably modified by the solubility of the Si3N4 in the liquid phase. The presence of the Fe and W can lead to enhanced liquid formation on the surface, where the oxygen potential is higher. Only the nitrogen is capable of generating high internal pressures.
Waste salt disposal at the Savannah River Plant

Waste salt solution, produced during processing of high-level nuclear waste, will be incorporated in a cement matrix for emplacement in an engineered disposal facility. Wasteform characteristics and disposal facility details will be presented along with results of a field test of wasteform contaminant release and of modeling studies to predict releases.
American bison socioecology

Abstract The present species of American bison ( Bison bison ) appeared only ∼ 5000 years before present (B.P.) as part of a relatively depauperate North American ungulate fauna. The physical and social evolution of American bison fitted it primarily to the Great Plains with their climatic seasonality and cyclicism and, to a lesser degree, to the woodland habitats elsewhere in North America. Several features of the social behavior and social systems of American bison are illuminated by this ecological-evolutionary perspective. The strong seasonality of breeding and birth appears adaptive to the seasonality of the environment, as does seasonality in the dimorphic hair displays of males. Low stability of group membership appears adaptive to the low patchiness and high cyclicism of food abundance. Flexibility in birth site selection and the determinants of dominance status among cows appears to be adaptive to the range of habitats occupied and to the fluctuations in carrying capacity associated with climatic cyclicism. The social system and ecological circumstances of the American bison probably produced an outbred species. A history of outbreeding, combined with a polygynous breeding system indicates that management goals should include relatively high effective breeding populations.
Fast thermal simulations of vertically integrated circuits (3D ICs) including thermal vias

A fast convolution-based technique, deemed Power Blurring, is demonstrated for thermal analysis of 3D ICs, including thermal vias. The temperature resulting from any power may in each layer of the chip can be computed without the need to re-mesh the whole structure. The maximum error in estimation time is reduced by a factor of 76× compared to finite element software.
Foreword: Pursuing Excellence in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs

In 1988, while I was serving as the Surgeon General of the United States, the Congressional Commission on Education of the Deaf issued a report that contained a troubling finding: that the average age at which permanent hearing loss among infants and young children was being identified in the United States was 2½ to 3 years of age. Given the importance of language development and communication during those early years, I found this to be unacceptable. Consequently, I issued a challenge in 1989 to researchers, educators, health care providers, and parents to work together to find better ways of identifying very young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. I set a goal that by the year 2000 all infants with permanent hearing loss would be identified … Address correspondence to C. Everett Koop, MD, C. Everett Koop Institute, Dartmouth College, Dartmouth Medical School, 7025 Parker House, Hanover, NH 03755. E-mail: C.Everett-Koop{at}dartmouth.edu
Thinking Globally in Post-Mao China:

For the first time in modern history, China has become an active, if somewhat still elusive, member of the global system. With this momentous transformation comes myriads of new linkages, new contexts, new demands, new opportunities and new costs and consequences for China/global interaction. Proceeding from the premise that what China does or does not do becomes part of the global problem or part of the global solution, the article seeks to situate post-Mao China in the global/local problematique. The article advances the concept of global learning as a way of exploring diachronic changes and shifts in Chinese global thinking. Global learning is conceptualized as a two-way interactive linkage process in which domestic actors' restructuring of their cognitive maps and the changing global reality mediated by positive participatory experience in the global system become reciprocal in terms of cause and effect, constituting mutually essential parts of the same global/local process. Global learning is applied as a guide to examining Chinese global policy in three issue areas - global peace; global development; and global human rights. Global learning is also suggested as a possible bridge linking Chinese global policy and global policy studies. The paper concludes that some changes and shifts in Chinese global thinking have occurred and explains them as interest-driven adaptive readjustments to the dual logic of modernization imperative and of the world situation. From a post-Tiananmen perspective, the paper also critically evaluates the nature and scope of Chinese global learning as well as its new possibilities and old limitations.
Structural requirements of tropomyosin for binding to filamentous actin.

Tropomyosin is an actin binding protein found in virtually all eucaryotic cells. Since its early discovery (Bailey, 1948), the actin binding properties and regulatory functions of tropomyosin have been extensively investigated. In addition, tropomyosin has served as a prototype for the structure of α-helical coiled-coil proteins (Cohen and Parry, 1990). The recent recognition of the diversity of tropomyosins in different cell types and discovery of the relationship between cell shape and isoform expression are indicative of a fundamental role for tropomyosin in the actin cytoskeleton. There is a need for a better understanding of structure-function relationships in this protein.
Determining adjacent vertices on assignment polytopes

To rank the solutions to the assignment problem using an extreme point method, it is necessary to be able to find all extreme points which are adjacent to a given extreme solution. Recent work has shown a procedure for determining adjacent vertices on transportation polytopes using a modification of the Chernikova Algorithm. We present here a procedure for assignment polytopes which is a simplification of the more general procedure for transportation polytopes and which also allows for implicit enumeration of adjacent vertices.
Classification (traditional and National Institutes of Health) and demographics of prostatitis.

This article reviews the National Institutes of Health (NIH) classification system for prostatitis and summarizes the baseline analysis of the Chronic Prostatitis Cohort Study, a longitudinal study, which has enrolled 488 patients diagnosed with category III prostatitis. The prevalence of category IIIA in this cohort was 54% to 90%, depending on the cut points used. In all, 8% (37 of 488) had ≥1 localizing uropathogen. However, leukocyte and bacterial counts did not correlate with severity of symptoms as assessed by the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Continued follow-up study of this cohort will likely answer important questions about the natural and treated history of this syndrome.
Environmental context determines within- and potential between-generation consequences of herbivory

Plant tolerance to herbivory may depend on local environmental conditions. Models predict both increased and decreased tolerance with increasing resources. Transgenerational effects of herbivory may result in cross-generation tolerance. We evaluated within- and potential between-generation consequences of deer browsing in light-gap and understory habitats in the forest-edge herb, Campanulastrum americanum. Plants were assigned to deer-browsed, simulated-herbivory, and control (undamaged) treatments in the two light environments. In light gaps, plants were eaten earlier, more frequently, and had less vegetative recovery relative to uneaten plants than in the understory. As a result, browsed light-gap plants had a greater reduction in flowers and fruit than understory plants. This reduced tolerance was in part because deer browsing damaged plants in light gaps more than those in the understory. However, in the simulated herbivory treatment, where damage levels were similar between light habitats, plants growing in high-resource light gaps also had reduced tolerance of herbivory relative to those in the forest understory. C. americanum's reproductive phenology was delayed by reduced light and the loss of the apical meristem. As a result, deer-browsed plants in the light gap flowered slightly later than uneaten plants in the understory. C. americanum has a polymorphic life history and maternal flowering time influences the frequency of annual and biennial offspring. The later flowering of deer-browsed plants in light gaps will likely result in a reduced frequency of high-fitness annual offspring and an increase in lower fitness biennial offspring. Therefore, additional between-generation costs of herbivory are expected relative to those predicted by fruit number alone.
Mutagenic and Recombinagenic Responses to Defective DNA Polymerase δ Are Facilitated by the Rev1 Protein in pol3-t Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Defective DNA replication can result in substantial increases in the level of genome instability. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the pol3-t allele confers a defect in the catalytic subunit of replicative DNA polymerase δ that results in increased rates of mutagenesis, recombination, and chromosome loss, perhaps by increasing the rate of replicative polymerase failure. The translesion polymerases Pol η, Pol ζ, and Rev1 are part of a suite of factors in yeast that can act at sites of replicative polymerase failure. While mutants defective in the translesion polymerases alone displayed few defects, loss of Rev1 was found to suppress the increased rates of spontaneous mutation, recombination, and chromosome loss observed in pol3-t mutants. These results suggest that Rev1 may be involved in facilitating mutagenic and recombinagenic responses to the failure of Pol δ. Genome stability, therefore, may reflect a dynamic relationship between primary and auxiliary DNA polymerases.
System-Level Maintenance Policies via Stochastic Petri nets with Aging Tokens

This paper describes modeling of system-level maintenance policies using stochastic Petri nets (SPN) with aging tokens. It demonstrates the ability of SPN to capture complex dynamic interaction among various factors affecting maintenance effectiveness both at the component and system level in a visual yet rigorous fashion. In particular, flexible modeling of degradation processes at the component level is combined with capturing the effects of external constraints imposed by system-level considerations. The paper considers two examples of SPN modeling that demonstrate basic building blocks for evaluating various operation and maintenance policies by means of system-level metrics such as total operating costs. The first example addresses opportunistic repair and provides a comparison with optimal replacement policies at the random and fixed intervals. The second example deals with condition-based maintenance based on imperfect inspection. Quantification of the benefits and the drawbacks of the corresponding maintenance policies is provided
Unsupervised band selection for hyperspectral image analysis

Band selection is a common approach to reduce the data dimensionality of hyperspectral imagery. It extracts several bands of importance in some sense by taking advantage of high spectral correlation. Driven by detection or classification accuracy, one would expect that using a subset of original bands the accuracy is unchanged or tolerably degraded while computational burden is significantly relaxed. When the desired object information is known, this task can be achieved by finding the bands that contain the most information about these objects. When the desired object information is unknown, i.e., unsupervised band selection, the objective is to select the most distinctive and informative bands. It is expected that these bands can provide an overall satisfactory detection and classification performance. In this paper, we propose unsupervised band selection algorithms based on band similarity measurement. The preliminary result shows that our approach can yield a better result in terms of information conservation and class separability than other widely used techniques.
SODIUM VELOCITIES AND SOURCES IN HALE-BOPP

We use spatially resolved high-resolution spectra of the 5890 and 5896 A sodium D lines in the nuclear regions of Comet Hale–Bopp to determine the sources of cometary sodium. Comparison of the data to a Monte Carlo model of sodium dynamics suggests that the intensities and velocities of sodium in Hale–Bopp can be explained if 55% of the observed sodium is produced at the nucleus, the remaining 45% is produced in an extended source, and the sodium is accelerated by solar radiation pressure. Observations of H_2O^+in Hale–Bopp and subsequent modeling of a plasma-derived sodium source show that this source produces sodium at higher velocities than those observed; any contribution from such a source must be small. The combined nucleus and extended sources of sodium which fit our data best would create a sodium tail at a scale 100 times larger than that of these observations identical in morphology and velocity to that observed in Hale–Bopp.
Percutaneous Catheter Ablation Procedures for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

In light of the significant morbidity and mortality from atrial fibrillation (AF), there has been significant interest in the development of percutaneous catheter ablation procedures for the suppression of AF. Given the success of the surgical Maze procedure, initial catheter-based approaches involved creation of linear atrial lesions. Success rates were low and utility was limited by a high complication rate and long procedural times. The recent discovery that AF is often initiated by atrial ectopic beats has resulted in therapies designed to target the ectopic sources, particularly those within the pulmonary veins. Experience and technological advances have improved the efficacy and safety of such procedures. This article will review catheter ablation procedures for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with AF.
An identification and control strategy for a liquid composite molding process

Abstract Liquid Composite Molding (LCM) is a manufacturing process that involves the injection of resin into a mold containing fiber preform and the subsequent curing. Control of the resin injection is an obvious way to increase process performance. Variability in the properties of the fibers makes open-loop approaches problematic. This paper presents a controller for a 1-D analog of the LCM process. The purpose is to demonstrate that a straightforward estimation and control scheme can adapt to unmodelled variations in the properties of the mold, and enforce a prescribed filling behavior. The scheme is applied to a simulation of an LCM process.
A 0.6V quadrature VCO with optimized capacitive coupling for phase noise reduction

This paper presents a 0.6V quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO) with a novel capacitive coupling technique, which is employed not only for quadrature signal coupling, but also for noise reduction. As a result, the proposed QVCO can even achieve 3 to 5dB lower phase noise than a single-phase VCO of the same kind. Optimized capacitive coupling combined with inductive enhance-swing technique enables low-power consumption and low phase noise simultaneously. The QVCO achieves a measured phase noise of −132.3dBc/Hz @ 3MHz offset with a center frequency of 5.6GHz and consumes 4.2mW from a 0.6V supply. This performance corresponds to a Figure-of-Merit (FoM) of 191.5dB. The QVCO RFIC is implemented in a 0.13 µm CMOS technology with core area of 0.6×0.8mm2.
Privacy and security An ethics code for U.S. intelligence officers

Debating and arguing the points of a proposed code of behavior to provide guidance in making choices can produce the most effective ethics training.
Researches at Mount Wilson Observatory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington relating to terrestrial magnetism

Magnetic character-figures estimated from the records of horizontal intensity and declination, and solar character-figures from spectroheliograms have been reported regularly in the Journal of Terrestrial Magnetism and Atmospheric Electricity (v. 39, pp. 163–164, 242–243, and 351–352, 1934, and v. 40, pp. 115–116 and 218–219. 1935). The minimum of the solar cycle occurred near the end of 1933, and since then the number of spots belonging to the old cycle has decreased, while the number in the new cycle has increased. In the six months, March to August, 1934, eight groups of the old cycle and 24 of the new cycle were observed, and in the six months September, 1934 to February, 1935, four groups of the old and 42 of the new cycle.
Predictions and tests of the hypothesis of limiting fragmentation

Abstract It is shown that the hypothesis of limiting fragmentation predicts the way in which the cross sections for production of fast particles in the laboratory should scale with beam energy. The agreement with experiment is investigated for the production of protons and pions in p-p and p-aluminum collisions in the beam momentum range 12 to 70 GeV/c.
Chorus Attendance and Site Fidelity in the Mink Frog, Rana septentrionalis: Are Males Territorial?

The Mink Frog, Rana septentrionalis, is closely related and behaviorally similar to the Green Frog, Rana clamitans, and the Bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, but has a much smaller geographical range and is not as well known. We used mark-recapture and observation techniques to estimate male chorus attendance and site fidelity during the breeding season. We captured, measured, and individually marked 139 males in 2002 and 85 males in 2003. Each male's initial and subsequent positions were recorded using a Global Positioning System. About half the males were never recaptured in either year. Most of the remaining males were recaptured only four times; two males were recaptured more than 10 times. Males were recaptured from subsequent positions as far apart as 90 m and as close as 0.6 m. Males recaptured on consecutive observation nights were in positions less than 15 m apart on average. Although aggressive calling, chasing, and fighting occur when males encounter each other, there is no evidence that male Mink Frogs defend territories over prolonged periods as in Green Frogs and Bullfrogs.
Stability and sterility of dolasetron mesylate in syringes stored at room temperature.

Dolasetron mesylate is commercially available in 12.5-mg ampuls and single-use syringes, 100-mg/5-mL single-use vials, and 500-mg/25-mL multidose vials. These products, regardless of size, are similar in overall price; however, on a standard 12.5-mg-dose basis, considerable cost savings could be
Comparative ecohydrology between Cornus drummondii and Solidago canadensis in upland tallgrass prairie

Woody species expansion threatens to transform mesic North American grasslands. In many tallgrass prairies of the central Great Plains with deep soil, Cornus drummondii develops large shrub islands that exhibit non-linear increases in cover through time. Reliance on soil moisture from deeper soil depths facilitates constant gas exchange rates and minimizes competition with coexisting herbaceous species. Conversely, C. drummondii growth and expansion in thin-soil locations is stochastic and these locations are typically free of large shrub islands. At the Konza Prairie in northeast Kansas, USA, we compared the ecohydrology of C. drummondii individuals to a similar-sized forb (Solidago canadensis) in thin-soil locations with varying fire frequency (4-, 20-year) and grazer abundance (bison present or absent). Gas exchange rates were relatively constant for C. drummondii, while S. canadensis declined across the growing season. For S. canadensis, maximum photosynthesis (A max), daytime transpiration (E), and stomatal conductance (g s) were higher on ungrazed than grazed treatments. Nighttime E rates were higher in C. drummondii, accounting for over 10 % of the daytime E rates. The water source used did not vary among contrasts, with the majority of water uptake occurring from 30 cm depth for both species. These results highlight a unique ecohydrology of C. drummondii (static water flux, and high rates of nighttime E) compared to a similar-sized, co-occurring forb. Whereas C. drummondii is infrequent in thin-soil locations, the climate conditions occurring during measurements were not a likely filter restricting persistence. Rather, drier conditions or interactions with other grassland disturbances are likely required to restrict C. drummondii encroachment in the thins-soil locations of tallgrass prairie.