cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel mechanism of immunosuppression mediated by ethanol.

Abstract Ethanol in concentrations equivalent to levels achieved by the ingestion of moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages has been shown to inhibit human T-lymphocyte proliferation after activation in vitro by mitogens, phorbol myristic acetate, or anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies. As determined by probit analysis, this inhibition was monophasic, suggesting that ethanol affected a single limiting component of T-cell proliferation. In experiments designed to test the effect of ethanol on various aspects of proliferation, it was demonstrated that ethanol did not inhibit interleukin 2 (IL-2) production or the acquisition of IL-2 receptors. However, the capacity of exogenously supplied IL-2 to stimulate proliferation of T cells that had previously acquired IL-2 receptors was suppressed by ethanol in a dose-dependent manner, and this suppression was monophasic. Consequently, ethanol was able to inhibit T-lymphocyte proliferation when added several days after the initial stimulation. This mechanism appears to be unique among immuno-suppressive agents thus far studied; cyclosporin A and corticosteroids inhibit IL-2 production and are required at the initiation of activation for maximal effect. Synergistic inhibition of T-cell proliferation was seen with ethanol plus cyclosporin A: the level of inhibition with 250 ng/ml cyclosporin A alone was equivalent to the level seen with 62 ng/ml cyclosporin A plus 5 mM (24 mg%) ethanol.
An iterative learning control algorithm for portability between trajectories

Iterative learning control (ILC) algorithms are typically used to iteratively refine the feed-forward control input to a system to achieve an optimized performance objective. Because of its ease of implementation and robustness, ILC has found widespread use in a variety of industrial applications. However, a key limitation of ILC is the requirement that learning has to be re-initiated for each new trajectory, since the tuned control input corresponds to a specific reference trajectory. Thus, the entire tuning process needs to be repeated to generate a new control input even with slight changes in the reference trajectory. This problem is especially critical for applications where the motion trajectories required for different tasks are different. In this paper, we address this issue by designing an algorithm for iteratively learning a system dynamics-related model that is portable from one trajectory to another, namely, a finite length approximation of the impulse response of the inverse of the system. This learned approximation of the inverse model can then be transferred to a new trajectory without relearning. We present theoretical development of convergence, robustness, and performance bounds of the proposed algorithm. Finally, the proposed algorithm is verified both in simulation and implementation on a high precision positioning stage.
The micro- and macromechanics of creep rupture

Abstract The relationship between the growth of the micromechanisms of creep rupture and the phenomenological theories used by engineers is discussed. It is shown how a theory of continuum damage mechanics can be developed which relates component performance to material properties. The appropriate material property is the reference rupture stress while the isochronous rupture surface provides the necessary information about material behavior when subjected to multiaxial states of stress.
Three-Dimensional Incompressible Navier-Stokes Flow Computations about Complete Configurations Using a Multiblock Unstructured Grid Approach

A multiblock unstructured grid approach is presented for solving three-dimensional incompressible inviscid and viscous turbulent flows about complete configurations. The artificial compressibility form of the governing equations is solved by a node-based, finite volume implicit scheme which uses a backward Euler time discretization. Point Gauss-Seidel relaxations are used to solve the linear system of equations at each time step. This work employs a multiblock strategy to the solution procedure, which greatly improves the efficiency of the algorithm by significantly reducing the memory requirements by a factor of 5 over the single-grid algorithm while maintaining a similar convergence behavior. The numerical accuracy of solutions is assessed by comparing with the experimental data for a submarine with stem appendages and a high-lift configuration.
Lattice Constants of Boron Carbides

In this paper, the lattice constants of boron carbides are determined by powder X-ray diffraction for samples with compositions between about 7.7 and 20.5 at.% carbon. The boundaries of the single-phase region are at about 9 at.% carbon and near, but likely somewhat less than 20 at.% carbon. The composition dependence of the lattice constants thus established provides a method of assessing the carbon concentration of unknown materials. In particular, assignment of the approximate composition of single crystals used in previous studies allows for a systematic examination of changes in interatomic separation as a function of composition. These changes are discussed in terms of a structural model of the boron carbide solid solution.
Critical magnetic fields in the superconducting state of K3C60.

We have measured the temperature dependence of the lower and upper critical fields in superconducting ${\mathrm{K}}_{3}$${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$. From the measurements, we have evaluated the penetration depth (\ensuremath{\lambda}=2400 \AA{}) and superconducting coherence length (\ensuremath{\xi}=26 \AA{}). The parameters are in agreement with a superconducting state formed by a narrow band.
Performance Effects of Three Foci in Service Firms

Service businesses are often urged to focus because otherwise they will falter. In effect, the “focus or falter” argument suggests that focus by service firms is likely to result in superior perfor...
Production of polarized ions by electron transfer from polarized atoms

Abstract Pickup of polarized electrons by H+ ions in polarized atomic deuterium or hydrogen is shown to hold promise as a means of producing intense beams of highly polarized hydrogen ions.
A direct code error calibration technique for two-step flash A/D converters

The authors propose a direct code error calibration technique to improve linearities of flash-type analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Simulation results of the proposed calibration algorithm based on a capacitor-array multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) predict that self-calibrating two-step flash ADCs with more than 12 bits of linearity are feasible. >
Crystal growth of K- or Rb-containing α-MnO2 by molten salt electrolysis

Abstract Needle-shaped crystals up to 3 mm long of M x MnO 2 (M = K, Rb) with the α-MnO 2 structure have been grown by electrolytic oxidation of Mn(II) in M 2 O−MoO 3 or M 2 O−V 2 O 5 eutectics. The growth was carried out in air or in 1 atm O 2 using Pt electrode and currents of 5–10 mA. No α-MnO 2 was formed for M = Cs, where crystals of Mn 2 O 3 and of Cs 3 Mn 3 V 4 O 16 were deposited on the anode. The vanadate melts also produced mm-size crystals of oxide bronzes M 2 V 3 O 8 (M = K,Rb) on the cathode.
Bonding and supportive relationships among black professional women: Rituals of restoration

In two-day assessment workshops 71 black professional women explored the kinds of supportive relationships they have formed with significant black women friends and the consequences of these supportive relationships for their growth and development. Findings show two major types of supportive relationships: (1) other-oriented relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women emphasize the provision of support to the other, and (2) self-enhancing relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women are reciprocal in nature or are oriented toward self. Within these two types of relationships, three main functions of support were found: (1) social companionship, (2) task help, and (3) supportiveness. Of these three functions, the receipt of supportiveness consisting of emotional support, high commitment to one another, and encouragement to tackle life's obstacles resulted in the highest levels of growth and development among the participants, thus most effectively validating and addressing their experience of bicultural stress.
The synthesis and characterization of 2-chloro-5-thiophenthiol

Abstract Sulphurization of 2-chloro-5-thienyl lithium followed by acidification gives 2-chloro-5-thiophenthiol in 59% yield. A study of the IR and NMR spectra shows that the compound exists solely as the thiol, no isomeric thione forms being detected. Treatment of the thiol with hydrogen peroxide followed by phosphorus pentachloride gives the 2-chloro-5-thienyl sulphonyl chloride in ca. 38% yield.
L-glutamate transport in renal plasma membrane vesicles.

This review describes the uptake of L-glutamate by well-characterized preparations of renal brush border (luminal) and baso-lateral membrane vesicles derived from the plasma membrane of the polar proximal tubular cell. L-glutamate is taken up against its concentration gradient, from both sides, by co-transport systems in which the movement of the amino acid into the cell is coupled to the influx of Na+ and efflux of K+ down their respective electrochemical gradients. The presence of these ion gradient-energized systems, specific for L-glutamate, may account for the exceedingly high intracellular concentration of this metabolically important amino acid in the renal tubule.
Protoplast formation, L-colony growth, and regeneration of Clostridium beijerinckii NRRL B-592 and B-593 and Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 10132

Protocols for protoplast formation, L-colony cultivation, and regeneration ofClostridium beijerinckii NRRL B-592, B-593 andC. acetobutylicum ATCC 10132 were developed. Two osmotically reinforced media were formulated. Protoplasts of B-592, B-593, and ATCC 10132 grew as cell wall-deficient forms (L-colonies) when plated on the first medium (BLM) and continued to do so through at least 3 passages on this medium. The second (BRM) permitted the L-colonies to regenerate cell walls after transfer to this medium. TransferredC. beijerinckii B-592 L-colonies reverted to bacillary colonies at a frequency of 25%. Likewise, L-colonies of B-593 andC. acetobutylicum ATCC 10132 could be regenerated at frequencies of 7.0 and 8.6%, respectively. Thus, these procedures are suitable for genetic engineering of these industrial microorganisms using protoplast manipulation techniques.
Projections from the ventral cochlear nucleus to the inferior colliculus and the contralateral cochlear nucleus in guinea pigs

Multipolar cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus are the source of projections to numerous brainstem auditory nuclei, including the contralateral and ipsilateral inferior colliculi and the contralateral cochlear nucleus. Multiple fluorescent tracers were used to label the multipolar cells that project to each of these targets. Following injections of different tracers into each target, the ventral cochlear nucleus was examined for the presence of cells that contained more than one tracer. Such cells were never observed. In contrast, double-labeled cells were common in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, where cells frequently contained the two tracers that were injected into the ipsilateral and contralateral inferior colliculi. The distribution and somatic morphology of cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus that project to each of the three targets were examined. Each population contained cells with somas that ranged in shape from elongated to rounded, but there were differences in soma size. Projections to the ipsilateral and contralateral inferior colliculi arise predominantly from small to medium-sized cells, the average size being slightly less for cells with projections to the ipsilateral colliculus. Projections to the contralateral cochlear nucleus arise from cells with somas that range in size from small to large, including cells much larger than those that projected to either inferior colliculus. On the basis of these results, we conclude that projections from the ventral cochlear nucleus to the ipsilateral and contralateral inferior colliculi and to the contralateral cochlear nucleus arise in three different populations of multipolar cells.
Measurement of the molar fraction of 13C in diamond films using Raman and Rutherford scattering – an undergraduate student laboratory experience

Abstract The usual weekly laboratory experiment for the upper-division modern physics lab was replaced with a theme of studying diamond films grown on natural diamond. The diamonds were grown at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and were studied at university physics laboratories at UAB, Alabama A&M University, The University of the South, and the University of North Texas. Undergraduate students measured the molar fraction of 13 C in diamond films grown by a microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition process on 〈1 1 0〉 oriented diamond plates. The molar fraction of 13 C for all diamond films except the 100% and 1% was determined from Rutherford backscattering measurements at 150°. Raman scattering of a 514.5 nm Ar-ion laser beam from the same diamond films provided empirical determination of the molar fraction of 13 C of the diamond films. Results from these measurements show good agreement between the nominal gas flows, Rutherford scattering, and empirical Raman determinations of the 13 C molar fractions. This work took 10 lab periods and a long weekend.
Speech curricula and activities in wartime

(1943). Speech curricula and activities in wartime. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 146-151.
Erosion Debris Particle Observations and the Micromachining Mechanism of Erosion

Erosion debris particles produced by particle impact erosion of pure Ni and a stainless steel have been examined in the scanning electron microscope for the purpose of determining whether micro-machining is an operative mechanism of erosion by alumina particles. Macroscopic machining chips generally exhibit well-defined lamellae on the side of the chip away from the tool face, and such lamellae are also observed in micromachining chips produced by abrasion or scratch testing. The aspect ratio of such chips is generally large. In the present work, the aspect ratios and shapes of erosion debris particles formed at angles of incidence below the peak erosion angle (αc) were generally consistent with the dimensions of the impact craters formed on the eroded surface and with the hypothesis that they were formed by micromachining. However, most of the debris particles did not exhibit characteristic lamellae. This may be explained by the fact that the surface from which they are formed is very rough even on a sca...
Nondestructive evaluation of soil hardness using elevated focused-beam radar

This paper presents a non-destructive procedure to determine the surface hardness of the soil using an elevated radar system equipped with a focused-beam antenna. The complete system consists ofthe focused beam antenna, a network analyzer, a computer, and control software that process the data. The surface dielectric constant calculated from the radar data based on reflection measurement was compared with the surface hardness measured directly from a homemade hardness meter. A sand pit was used as test bed that was frozen by liquid nitrogen. It was found that there is a simple and direct relationship between the surface hardness and the measured dielectric constant in our case.
Nutritive Characteristics of Dried Potato By-Product Meal for Ruminants

Abstract Dried potato by-product meal was analyzed by official procedures, compared with dried potato pulp in a reversal feeding trial for dairy cows, and total digestible nutrients and digestible energy were determined with both sheep and dairy heifers. This feed was variable in composition but averaged 8.6% moisture, 7.4% crude protein, 4.9% ether extract, 4.6% crude fiber, 16.0% ash and 58.5% nitrogen-free extract. Analyses of the ash showed 11.0% calcium oxide, 1.54% potash, .487% phosphate and lesser amounts of other minerals.Digestibility of protein was zero for dairy heifers and 7.3% for sheep. Total digestible nutrients and digestible energy were 52.5 to 53.9% and 2.0 to 2.3 Mcal/kg. When dried potato by-product meal was fed to high producing dairy cows at 22% in a grain mixture containing nearly 15% protein, the cows ate significantly less grain and more alfalfa-grass hay than similar cows fed the same amount of dried potato pulp. This resulted in significantly less dry matter and protein but more fat and mineral intake by those cows fed the dried potato by-product meal ration. There were no significant differences in milk or major milk constituents produced or body weight changes of the cows during the reversal experiment.
Responses to Long-Term Divergent Selection for Eight-Week Body Weight in Chickens

Thirty-six generations of divergent selection for body weight at 8 wk of age resulted in approximately an eightfold difference between the high (HWS) and low (LWS) lines for this trait. In both White Plymouth Rock lines, selection intensities declined over generations, with responses about five times greater during the first 18 than the last 18 generations of selection in Line HWS and about two times greater in Line LWS. Also, responses to selection were more irregular in the later than in earlier generations. Sexual dimorphism of body weight (male:female) was greater for Line LWS than HWS. A randombred control line (AC) maintained concurrently with the selected lines did not exhibit environmental trends across generations. Relaxed lines, established at different generations of selection, were used to evaluate effectiveness of selection and monitor environmental changes over short periods.
Etiology of the Differences in Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone-Induced Adrenocorticotropin Secretion of Black and White Women

After i.v. oCRH, plasma immunoreactive ACTH (ACTH-IR) is significantly greater in blacks than in whites; however, there is no corresponding increase in cortisol secretion. To test the hypothesis that there are black-white differences in adrenal responsiveness to ACTH that underlie this phenomenon, weight-, age-, and education-matched black (n = 10) and white (n = 10) women were i.v. infused with 5 differing doses of ACTH1-24 (0, 0.003, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 microgram/kg) with measured plasma cortisol and DHEA. To test the alternative hypothesis that greater post-CRH plasma ACTH-IR in blacks is caused by qualitative differences in circulating ACTH-immunoreactive peptides, we collected pre- and post-CRH plasma from 5 black and 5 white women and measured ACTH-IR after sample fractionation, using high-pressure liquid chromatography. There were no racial differences in adrenal responsiveness to differing doses of ACTH1-24 and no differences in the distribution of the forms of ACTH-IR before CRH. After CRH, whites h...
Late Quaternary chronology and extinction of North American giant short-faced bears (Arctodus simus)

Abstract Eight new AMS radiocarbon dates on giant short-faced bears ( Arctodus simus ) from the contiguous United States are reported, and previously published dates from across North America are reviewed and discussed. The dates deemed to be most reliable are on purified collagen samples, and these serve as the basis for interpreting the late Pleistocene chronology and extinction of the species. The oldest acceptable radiocarbon date from the lower forty-eight states is 34,080 ± 480 BP from Island Ford Cave, Virginia, and the youngest is the previously reported 9630 ± 60 BP date from Bonner Springs, Kansas. An additional date of 10,921 ± 50 BP on the same Kansas specimen indicates a precision problem in the age of this individual. Regardless of this anomaly, new AMS dates of ∼10,800–11,000 BP on A. simus confirm that it existed up to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and may have been one of the last megafaunal species to go extinct in North America. Further, these dates solidify the co-existence of these massive bears with humans of the Clovis cultural complex.
Metabolic Signatures Imaged in Cancer-Induced Cachexia

Cancer-induced cachexia is a complex and poorly understood life-threatening syndrome that is characterized by progressive weight loss due to metabolic alterations, depletion of lipid stores, and severe loss of skeletal muscle protein. Gaining the ability to noninvasively image the presence or onset of cachexia is important to better treat this condition, to improve the design and optimization of therapeutic strategies, and to detect the responses to such treatments. In this study, we employed noninvasive magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and [18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to identify metabolic signatures typical of cachectic tumors, using this information to analyze the types and extents of metabolic changes induced by the onset of cachexia in normal tissues. Cachexia was confirmed by weight loss as well as analyses of muscle tissue and serum. In vivo, cachexia-inducing murine adenocarcinoma (MAC)16 tumors were characterized by higher total choline (tCho) and higher 18FDG uptake than histologically similar noncachectic MAC13 tumors. A profound depletion of the lipid signal was observed in normal tissue of MAC16 tumor–bearing mice but not within the tumor tissue itself. High-resolution 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) confirmed the high tCho level observed in cachectic tumors that occurred because of an increase of free choline and phosphocholine. Higher succinate and lower creatine levels were also detected in cachectic tumors. Taken together, these findings enhance our understanding of the effect of cancer on host organs and tissues as well as promote the development of noninvasive biomarkers for the presence of cachexia and identification of new therapeutic targets. Cancer Res; 71(22); 6948–56. ©2011 AACR.
Coordinated and Fine-Scale Control of Homoeologous Gene Expression in Allotetraploid Cotton

Within polyploid plant species, it has been demonstrated that homoeologous genes (genes duplicated by polyploidy) often display dynamic expression patterns. To determine if chromosomal location plays a role in establishing these expression patterns, we analyzed the relative levels of homoeolog expression among linked genes from 2 locations in the cotton genome. Genes from the region containing the alcohol dehydrogenase A gene show coordinated expression across several tissues, whereas genes from the region containing cellulose synthase A do not. These results indicate that changes in homoeolog expression may be constrained by linkage in some genomic regions, whereas in other regions, homoeolog expression is largely decoupled from physical proximity. Furthermore, these results suggest that both large- and small-scale regulatory mechanisms may control homoeolog expression patterns.
A Survey of Third Components in Spectroscopic and Eclipsing Systems

Multiplicities recorded in catalogues as well as in the current literature are considered. The basis of the statistical treatment is about one half of the material collected in the Seventh Catalogue of spectroscopic binaries by A. Batten and his collaborators, subjected also to a magnitude limit at V = 6.8, altogether 310 systems. It is hoped that this sample of brighter stars represents close and also wider systems with a reasonable degree of completeness.
An adaptive pre-filter for the voltage contingency selection function

A novel approach is proposed for contingency selection, which chooses the contingencies that cause the worst voltage problems. The basic concept of this new approach is to extract and utilize some of the information available in the contingency analysis results from previous cycles. An adaptive pre-filter is designed which can filter out a large portion of noncritical contingency cases at very little cost. The output of the pre-filter is an already shortened list of contingency cases which can then be fed into any conventional contingency selection program. The filter is automatically updated to reflect changes in the power system. The combination of the pre-filter with a contingency selection program is significantly faster than the selection program by itself. Test results reported here show that the proposed approach is reliable and efficient. >
Personality and Temperament

Temperament is an early developing set of characteristics related to later personality. Commonly studied dimensions of temperament include activity level, anger/frustration, behavioural inhibition/fear, effortful control and positive affect. Personality includes a range of traits, including major traits of extraversion, neuroticism and impulsivity/sensation-seeking. Different aspects of personality and temperament are related to important developmental outcomes such as behavioural problems and psychopathology. Both behavioural genetic and molecular genetic research have contributed to the understanding of major traits of temperament and personality. Behavioural genetic approaches use twin and adoption study designs to estimate genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in traits. Most behavioural genetic studies have found substantial heritability for personality and temperament. Molecular genetic investigations focus on the effects of specific genes (primarily dopamine- and serotonin-related genes in studies of temperament and personality). Key Concepts: Rothbart's broad extraversion/surgency, negative affectivity and effortful control dimensions of temperament are related to three of the Big Five personality factors: extraversion, neuroticism and conscientiousness, respectively. The results of twin and adoption studies have shown significant genetic and nonshared environmental variance in temperament and personality. Contemporary researchers investigating personality and temperament from a molecular genetic standpoint typically use either candidate gene studies or genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Although behavioural and molecular genetics are separate fields, most behavioural genetic researchers have begun incorporating molecular techniques into their research programs. Genotype–environment interactions, genotype–environment correlations and endophenotype approaches are utilised in genetic studies of temperament and personality. Candidate gene studies of dopaminergic and serotonergic genes have informed ongoing molecular genetic research in temperament and personality. Increasingly, studies of other candidate genes as well as GWAS approaches are also extant in the literature. Keywords: personality; temperament; behaviour; development; genetics
Microcircuitry of Agranular Frontal Cortex: Testing the Generality of the Canonical Cortical Microcircuit

We investigated whether a frontal area that lacks granular layer IV, supplementary eye field, exhibits features of laminar circuitry similar to those observed in primary sensory areas. We report, for the first time, visually evoked local field potentials (LFPs) and spiking activity recorded simultaneously across all layers of agranular frontal cortex using linear electrode arrays. We calculated current source density from the LFPs and compared the laminar organization of evolving sinks to those reported in sensory areas. Simultaneous, transient synaptic current sinks appeared first in layers III and V followed by more prolonged current sinks in layers I/II and VI. We also found no variation of single- or multi-unit visual response latency across layers, and putative pyramidal neurons and interneurons displayed similar response latencies. Many units exhibited pronounced discharge suppression that was strongest in superficial relative to deep layers. Maximum discharge suppression also occurred later in superficial than in deep layers. These results are discussed in the context of the canonical cortical microcircuit model originally formulated to describe early sensory cortex. The data indicate that agranular cortex resembles sensory areas in certain respects, but the cortical microcircuit is modified in nontrivial ways.
Imide‐aryl ether ketone block copolymers

Imide-aryl ether ketone block copolymers were prepared and their morphology and thermal and mechanical properties investigated. Two aryl ether ketone blocks were incorporated; the first was an amorphous block derived from bisphenol–A and the second block was a semi-crystalline poly(aryl ether ether ketone) prepared from a soluble and amorphous ketimine precursor. Bis(amino) aryl ether ketone and aryl ether ketimine oligomers were prepared via a nucleophilic aromaic substitution reaction with molecular weights ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 g/mol. The oligomers were co-reacted with 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) diethyl ester diacyl chloride in N-methyl–2-pyrrolidone (NMP) in the presence of N-methylmorpholine. The copolymer compositions, determined by H-NMR, of the resulting amic ester based copolymers ranged from 8 to 50 wt % aryl ether ketone or ketimine content. Prior to imide formation, the ketimine moiety of the aryl ether ketimine block was hydrolyzed (p-toluene sulfonic acid) to the ketone form producing the aryl ether ether ketone block. Compositions of this block were maintained low to retain solubility. Solutions of the copolymers were cast and cured to effect imidization, producing clear films with high moduli (ca. 2200 MPa) and elongations (33–100%). The copolymers displayed good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures in excess of 450°C. Multiphase morphologies were observed irrespective of the co-block type, block length or composition. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Dual- $V_{dd}$ Buffer Insertion for Power Reduction

This paper presents the first in-depth study on dual-Vdd buffer insertion for power minimization under delay constraint. Compared with delay-optimal single Vdd buffer insertion, the dual- Vdd buffer insertion reduces power by 16%. Such power reduction increases when the delay specification is relaxed. Whereas the van Ginneken algorithm can be extended to handle the new problem formulation optimally, its time complexity increases from quadratic time (O(|B|n 2)) to pseudopolynomial time (O(|B|n 3 c max 2log(nc max)), where |B| is the size of buffer library, n is the number of buffer stations, and c max is proportional to the number of all possible subtrees of the net. To improve the time complexity, we propose an approximation technique by sampling subsolutions (i.e., options) and apply predictive min-delay and prebuffer slack pruning rules from a related work. Experiments show that sampling is most effective to reduce run time, whereas the two pruning rules further improve efficiency and accuracy loss due to sampling. We show that our proposed algorithm has linear time complexity with respect to the tree size. It runs over 1000 times faster at a cost of less than 2% delay and power increase over the extended van Ginneken algorithm.
Behaviour of late-instar gypsy moth larvae in high and low density populations

. 1. Using scaffolding and night-vision equipment, we observed fifth and sixth instars of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), on Quercus velutina Lam. in the field. 2. In low-density populations, larvae fed at night and spent the day resting in sheltered sites away from the canopy. In high-density populations, larvae remained in the canopy throughout the day and night, and the amount of feeding during daylight hours increased with population density. 3. Larvae at all population densities used a similar sequence of behaviours and sampled a number of leaves when selecting feeding sites, but larvae in high-density populations switched feeding sites more frequently and fed continuously for shorter periods. 4. Larvae seldom interfered with each other's feeding in any of the populations. 5. When fifth instars were collected from the field and held for 24 h in an electronic feeding monitor, they maintained feeding rhythms that were characteristic of their source populations. Larvae spent more time crawling and less time feeding when offered foliage from high-density rather than low-density populations.
Discovery Of Radon Potential In The Rincon Shale, California – A Case History Of Deliberate Exploration

Geological exploration has dentifid an unsuspected radon-prone belt in southern California. Detailed analysis of aeroradiometric (NARR) data, soil-gas radon, soil permeability, and finally indoor radon has identified the Rincon Shale and Rincon-derived soils in Santa Barbara County as anomalous in uranium and radon. Roughly 74% of houses on the Rincon Shale exceed 4 pCi/l and 26% exceed 20 pCi/l in standardized screening tests (3 to 7 day AC, “closed-house” lived-in rooms). Fifty three percent exceed 4 pCi/l in longer-term measurements (1 to 6 mo, AT) under normal ventilation conditions. Unusually strong correlations between aeroradiometric data, soil-gas radon adjusted for soil permeability, geology, and indoor radon reflect the unaltered character of sedimentary host rocks and a consequent tendency for anomalous uranium to occur throughout given rock units rather than in epzgenetic mineralized zones. Under these circumstances, deliberate geological exploration may be a more eficient approach to indoor radon risk identfication than simple random sampling or non-random testing of houses. By the same token, geological parameters can facilitate radon risk assessment on undeveloped lands. Attention is drawn to multiple populations within radon test samples and the consequent problems in estimating regional parameters.
Germ Cell Intercellular Bridges

Stable intercellular bridges are a conserved feature of gametogenesis in multicellular animals observed more than 100 years ago, but their function was unknown. Many of the components necessary for this structure have been identified through the study of cytokinesis in Drosophila; however, mammalian intercellular bridges have distinct properties from those of insects. Mammalian germ cell intercellular bridges are composed of general cytokinesis components with additional germ cell-specific factors including TEX14. TEX14 is an inactive kinase essential for the maintenance of stable intercellular bridges in gametes of both sexes but whose loss specifically impairs male meiosis. TEX14 acts to impede the terminal steps of abscission by competing for essential component CEP55, blocking its interaction in nongerm cells with ALIX and TSG101. Additionally, TEX14-interacting protein RBM44, whose localization in stabile intercellular bridges is limited to pachytene and secondary spermatocytes, may participate in processes such as RNA transport but is nonessential to the maintenance of intercellular bridge stability.
SecondWATCH: A workspace awareness tool based on a 3-D virtual world

Awareness of fellow developers' activities has been widely recognized as essential in facilitating collaboration in a software developing team. However, as reported in several field studies on software development, awareness information on software artifact and coworker is difficult to acquire. To help software developers maintain group awareness and enhance their collaboration, we developed a prototype workspace awareness tool called SecondWATCH based on Second Life, a 3-D online virtual world. Second-WATCH informs developers of real-time and history artifact and co-worker information by monitoring team members' activities on their local workspaces, version control repository, and bug tracking system. It then extracts, analyzes, and visualizes the information in SL as a common view shared by the whole team using a 3-D city metaphor. We have successfully used SecondWATCH to visualize history information of three open-source Java projects, Free-Mind, JEdit, and GUJ, and also using it as our workspace awareness tool when we are developing it.
Signal cancellation phenomena in adaptive antennas: Causes and cures

Conventional adaptive beamformers utilizing some form of automatic minimization of mean square error exhibit signal cancellation phenomena when adapting rapidly. These effects result from adaptive interaction between signal and interference, when signal and interference are received simultaneously. Similar phenomena have been observed and analyzed in relatively simple adaptive noise cancelling systems. A study of these phenomena in the simpler systems is used to provide insight into similar behavior in adaptive antennas. A method for alleviating signal cancellation has been devised by Duvall, whereby the signal components are removed from the adaptive process, then reinserted to form the final system output. Widrow has devised a different solution to the problem: to move the receiving array spatially (or electronically) to modulate emanations received off the look direction, without distorting useful signals incident from the look direction. This approach is called "spatial dither" and introduces the additional possibility of modulating "smart" jammer signals, thereby limiting their effectiveness.
Perinatal high reliability

Perinatal high reliability is achievable with principles of high reliability organizations. Key organizational, leadership, and clinical characteristics that are essential for developing and sustaining a highly reliable perinatal unit are presented. Interdisciplinary collaboration and commitment to safe care that are founded on standardization are the hallmarks of perinatal high reliability.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Remote Networking Laboratories

The Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado has developed an Internet based remote laboratory environment for master's level graduate students; our suite of telecommunications experiments substantially extends prior work focused on networking equipment, by (1) providing a systems focus, (2) enabling multiple reinforcing methods of accessing the educational material, (3) providing a configuration matrix to support realtime network reconfigurations (of real network elements), and (4) undertaking a careful assessment of the learning environment. The goal was to create an environment that reproduced (not just emulated) the lab experience. We recently completed the final phase of this project focusing on assessment of this learning tool; such assessment is still rare in the literature on remote laboratories. We describe the project from three perspectives; students' exam results, students' lab reports, and students' satisfaction with the distance experience (based on interviews). We conclude that our remote laboratories provide similar learning outcomes to their in class analogues, but that there are important differences in student perceptions of the experience, including perceived difficulty and pace
Patterns and mechanisms of conspecific and heterospecific interactions in a dry perennial grassland

Summary 1. Models of local stable coexistence require negative feedbacks, i.e. intraspecific interactions must be more negative than interspecific interactions. However, most competition experiments, often done in the glasshouse, have found evidence for competitive hierarchies. Measurement of interactions under realistic field conditions is necessary to assess their contribution to community dynamics, and explicit measurement of intermediaries thought to be important in interactions may allow studies to account for any variation in experimental results. 2. In this study, we compare conspecific and heterospecific interactions in a field experiment in a dry sand prairie in Michigan. We study the four dominant species at two different stages, germination and adult growth. Using seed addition and adult transplant experiments, we ask whether plants perform best in natural field monocultures of conspecifics, heterospecifics or no neighbour plots. We also measure abiotic environmental characteristics associated with each neighbourhood type and test whether performance can be explained by environmental effects. We hypothesize that plants will create competitive hierarchies because our experimental design is similar to classic competition experiments. 3. Neighbour species created consistent hierarchies in their effects on germination of all four target species, which is likely due to light limitation. However, interestingly, adult plant biomass for two of the three species (one species did not survive) was lower in conspecific monocultures compared to heterospecific or no neighbour plots, thus producing negative feedbacks. For two species, the effects of neighbours on adult growth are likely due to reduction of light and soil nitrate; for the third, however, resources could not explain the pattern that conspecific interactions were more negative than heterospecific. 4. Synthesis. These results suggest that patterns in the relative strength of conspecific and heterospecific competition depend on life-history stage. Moreover, resource uptake could explain some, but not all, of the interactions among species, suggesting that other factors such as microbial communities or other forms of niche partitioning may play a role and that field experiments are necessary to gauge their relative importance.
The Influence of pH on Fluid Tolerance and Preferences

Abstract THE broad generalization has been established that the fowl has a sense of taste. An extensive discussion of the subject is offered by Engelmann (1957). The effect of taste on feed and fluid intake has been reported by Kare and Pick (1960). Further elucidation of this subject appears warranted. A series of experiments was designed to determine if chicks will discriminate between acid and alkaline solutions and to define, precisely, the influence of pH on acceptance, rejection, or preference. MATERIALS AND METHODS These experiments were conducted using the methods described by Kare et al. (1957). They were carried out in a special building where the environment was kept relatively constant. Light was provided from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barred Plymouth Rock-Rhode Island Red cross-bred day-old cockerels from a single hatchery were used. Sixteen chicks per pen for the first eight experiments and thereafter ten chicks per pen were placed …
Studies on the Lime‐Rich Crystalline Solid Phases in the System Lime—Silica—Water

A study was carried out to ascertain the effects of two forms of silica, quartz and silicic acid, the methods of mixing, and autoclaving conditions on the formation of the lime–rich crystalline hydrous calcium silicates designated as alpha–, beta–, and gamma–type hydrates. The alpha–type hydrates were synthesized from mixtures of lime slurry and quartz in compositions of 1.8 to 2.4 CaO/SiO2 molar ratios (C/S ratios). This series of compounds, free of all contaminants, showed X–ray patterns containing many or nearly all lines of crystalline Ca(OH)2. The beta-type hydrates, of which synthetic hillebrandite is a member, were prepared in 1.8 to 2.4 C/S ratios from mixes of CaO and silicic acid dispersed in water. This series of phases or closely related phases may extend in composition from 1.5 to 3.0 C/S and includes minerals and other synthetic solids previously believed to be distinctly separate phases. The gamma-type hydrates having compositions of about 1.5 to 2.25 C/S were prepared from mixes of quartz and CaO dispersed in water and autoclaved at somewhat higher temperatures than the alpha-type hydrates. The gamma-type hydrates contained about 0.3 to 0.4 mol. of water per mol, of compound compared with values of 1.00 to about 1.25 for the other two types of hydrates.
Myosin light chain kinase and Src control membrane dynamics in volume recovery from cell swelling

The expansion of the plasma membrane, which occurs during osmotic swelling of epithelia, must be retrieved for volume recovery, but the mechanisms are unknown. Here we have identified myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) as a regulator of membrane internalization in response to osmotic swelling in a model liver cell line. On hypotonic exposure, we found that there was time-dependent phosphorylation of the MLCK substrate myosin II regulatory light chain. At the sides of the cell, MLCK and myosin II localized to swelling-induced membrane blebs with actin just before retraction, and MLCK inhibition led to persistent blebbing and attenuated cell volume recovery. At the base of the cell, MLCK also localized to dynamic actin-coated rings and patches upon swelling, which were associated with uptake of the membrane marker FM4-64X, consistent with sites of membrane internalization. Hypotonic exposure evoked increased biochemical association of the cell volume regulator Src with MLCK and with the endocytosis regulators cortactin and dynamin, which colocalized within these structures. Inhibition of either Src or MLCK led to altered patch and ring lifetimes, consistent with the concept that Src and MLCK form a swelling-induced protein complex that regulates volume recovery through membrane turnover and compensatory endocytosis under osmotic stress.
Determination of one-way bandwidth of cellular automata using Binary Decision Diagrams

Cellular Automata are an inherently parallel computing architecture and can be scaled close to the physical limits due to the local-only data exchange. For economical and technical reasons application of cellular automata as computer architecture requires the use of partitions that are assembled into larger units, similar to memory in current systems (memory chips, Dual-In-line Memory Modules, etc.). This requires the exchange of the cell state at the chip boundaries. In this paper we consider the analysis of the required bandwidth over a chip boundary when a one-way protocol is used. The analysis algorithm counts the number of equivalence classes with respect to the cell states on the send side. When the states along the chip boundary are combined, a closed form solution for the number of equivalence classes is derived. The algorithm can be implemented using Binary Decision Diagrams, and we give results for several example cellular automata.
Global Processes and Local Lives: Guatemalan Women's Work and Gender Relations at Home and Abroad

In this paper I address an important aspect of the link between the larger process of globalization and work. I focus on how globalization has affected the lives of Guatemalan women of different class backgrounds and ethnicities in Guatemala and in Los Angeles, through an examination of the link between paid work and household work. Data for this article come from eighty-six in-depth interviews with indigenous and ladina women and from ethnographic field work I conducted in Los Angeles and in two regions of Guatemala. There are certain aspects of earning an income among the women in this study that emerge in both contexts, perhaps due to the demands of contemporary capitalism on workers around the world. My observations indicate that whereas the experiences of women and femininities are played out in the context of global economic relations, they are experienced differently in diverse sites and within the same context by individuals of different class and ethnic backgrounds. Thus, experiences of globalization through work are very much localized; they are historically and culturally situated and interact with broader processes in dissimilar fashion.
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Bone Metabolism and Disease in Chronic Kidney Disease: An Overview

The National Kidney Foundation developed and oversees the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative, a process that develops clinical practice guidelines in nephrology. Recent guidelines address the aberrations in bone metabolism and disease that occur as a complication of chronic kidney disease. These guidelines provide, for the first time, a standard approach to the detection and management of alterations in calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone metabolism. The problems and sequelae of soft-tissue calcification are discussed, and recommendations are provided for reducing the associated morbidity and mortality.