cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Daily Mass Gains Among Woodland Migrants at an Inland Stopover Site

We investigated fat deposition in transient, nocturnal, long-distance migrants at a wooded stopover site that is not near an ecological barrier (e.g. desert, large water body). The changes in body mass of recaptured birds have traditionally been used as a measure of mass gains at stopover sites. This technique ignores the majority of transients, however, possibly hindering the ability to answer species-level questions regarding stopover mass gain. We compare an analysis of recaptures with a technique that considers all captures and their condition by time of day. Eleven woodland-associated migrant species were analyzed, as well as a resident species (Black-capped Chickadee, Parus atricapillus) for comparison. Based on recapture data alone, our study site appears to be primarily a location of mass loss, rather than one of fat deposition. Conversely, the examination of condition by time of day suggests that individuals of several species have net daily gains greatly exceeding those of recaptured individuals. During autumn, however, several species exhibited net daily losses. Although some of these losses may be related to molt, it seems unlikely that molt is the only contributing factor. Differences among species in mass gains at our site suggest that various fat-deposition patterns (and, thus, migration strategies) may occur among migrants that are not approaching ecological barriers. Received 10 December 1991, accepted 11 March 1992.
New hypotheses on the pathogenesis and treatment of serous retinal detachment.

Recent experimental work has shown that, under normal conditions, most subretinal fluid is absorbed rapidly by active transport across the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). However, in the presence of damage to the RPE blood-retinal barrier, subretinal fluid is rapidly cleared by passive forces. Thus, it is apparent that RPE defects do not by themselves cause serous retinal detachment. A hypothesis is presented that some serous detachments occur because normal metabolic transport systems of the RPE have been damaged, while the blood-retinal barrier remains intact to prevent passive drainage of the subretinal space. Under these conditions, a focal RPE "leak" can overload the system so that the serous fluid accumulates and persists. Photocoagulation of a leaking point can facilitate resolution of the fluid, but as long as the underlying metabolic dysfunction of the RPE persists, recurrence is possible. Some forms of serous detachment may thus be viewed as diffuse rather than focal ocular disorders in which the transport capability of the RPE has been damaged; such damage can result from systemic pathology such as adrenergic stress (e.g., central serous chorioretinopathy) or vascular disease (e.g., hypertension).
Harmonic majorants for eigenfunctions of the Laplacian with finite Dirichlet integrals

Abstract In the paper we prove the following theorem. Theorem Let Ω be a bounded domain in R N ( N⩾2 ) with C 1,1 boundary, and let f be a real-valued C 2 function on Ω satisfying Δf=λf for some λ⩾0 . (a) Suppose f satisfies D α (f)= ∫ Ω δ(x) α ∇f(x) 2 dx for some α,−1 (0 when N=2) . Then for p=2(N−1)/(N+α−2) the function |f| p has a harmonic majorant on Ω . (b) Conversely, if |f| p has a harmonic majorant on Ω for some p,1 , then D α (f) for α=[2(N−1)−p(N−2)]/p . Part (a) of the theorem was originally proved by S. Yamashita [Illinois J. Math. 25 (1981) 626–631] in the unit disc in C , and for harmonic functions ( λ=0 ) in the unit ball B of R N , N⩾3 , with 0 when N=2 , and 0⩽α⩽1 when N⩾3 .
Dietitians’ Use of the Internet as a Resource For Nutrition Information

Abstract Studies are needed to assess how dietetic professionals are incorporating information technology into their practice. A two-page survey was mailed to a stratified, random sample of 250 NEDPG members in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Ninety-three returned surveys were useable (37% response rate). Ninety-eight percent of the respondents were female. Approximately 50% of the respondents were > 41 years of age, with 39% in the 41-50 age group. Most (74%) of the respondents have worked more than 10 years as consulting dietitians. Half had been registered for at least 15 years. Ninety-eight percent (n=91) have access to a computer; 81% of those have Internet access (n=75). Of those with access, 23% use the Internet daily and 77% use it weekly. Eighty-five percent use it for both professional and personal purposes. Only 4% use it for personal use only. The most frequent uses of the Internet were: to update nutrition knowledge (n=53), explore current topics (n=44), and obtaining product information (n=26). Those participating in a listserv (n=19) used either Dietetics Online (n=8) or an ADA-related listserv (n=11) most often. However, only 5 respondents indicated that the Internet was their primary resource for professional purposes. Approximately one-third (n=26) referred their clients to the Internet, most often to the ADA site (www.eatright.org). Further studies are needed to confirm these results since most of the respondents to this survey were computer users. In addition, studies to characterize and compare the use of information technology and other emerging technologies among the various dietetics specialties are recommended.
Color FM screen design using DBS algorithm

When halftoning a color image for a bi-level color printer, one has to obtain the halftones of the cyan, magenta, and yellow planes if the printer is a three color device. For a four-color printer, one has to also obtain the halftone of the black plane. Suppose a source color images is represented by the red, green, and blue components. The simple way of halftoning a color image using a dither matrix is to halftone each color plane independently using the same matrix. This will result in halftone dots of different colors overlapping each other, thus increasing the graininess of an image. Simple schemes such as shifting the matrices have been proposed in the past, but they usually reduce the dot overlap at the cost of increasing other artifacts, such as fuzziness. We propose an algorithm to jointly design a set of dither matrices such that the overall graininess is minimized. We use the direct binary search (DBS) algorithm to design a dither matrix for each of the primary colors of a printer, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. A color fluctuation function is defined for the halftone patterns of a set of constant tone color patches in a uniform color space such as CIEL*a*b*. The color fluctuation function is then minimized on a level-by-level basis using swap operations. Efficient evaluation of the color fluctuation function allows the optimization to converge at a reasonable speed. We show that we are able to achieve halftone image quality comparable to that of the direct binary search (DBS) algorithm at a significantly lower computational cost. Because the dither matrices are pre-computed, efficient implementation in either hardware or software is possible.
Integration of speed economics into decision-making for manufacturing management

Abstract Decision methodologies for manufacturing management typically use cost as the sole or primary criterion of merit. In this article we impute economic value for the speed of manufacturing deployment and execution, thereby enabling the value of speed to be properly weighed against costs. To illustrate, we consider semiconductor industry data. Selling prices of major products have been declining at stable rates for many years. We show that, to good approximation, these rates of price decline are insensitive to speed improvements achieved at individual factories, and therefore it is relatively straightforward to calculate the revenue gains resulting from local speed improvements. We embed these calculations in a Delay Cost Model that we propose as a practical engineering tool to quantitatively assess revenue gains resulting from increased speed of engineering and manufacturing execution.
Lack of re-entrance in certain Ising spin-glass models

The authors report results of numerical transfer matrix calculations on a dilute two-dimensional first- and second-neighbour Ising model and Migdal-Kadanoff renormalisation group studies on a random nearest-neighbour Ising model in two and three dimensions. The calculations were carried out to examine the existence of reentrance in these systems, defined by the disappearance of long-range ferromagnetic order upon lowering the temperature. They find, contrary to other claims in the literature, that there is no reentrance in these models or, at best, reentrance occurs over a very narrow range of parameters, and speculate about the necessary ingredients to obtain reentrance in random spin systems.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Dibarium Tungstate Hydrate, Ba 2 WO 5 ·H 2 O

Single crystals of the tungsten (VI) oxide hydrate, Ba2WO5·H2O, were grown using a hydroxide hydroflux. The structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Ba2WO5·H2O crystallizes in the space group P21/n with a = 7.6710(15) A, b = 9.8538(20) A, c = 8.5520(17) A, and β = 111.838(30)°. The crystal structure is comprised of [W2O10]8− dimeric units that are connected to surrounding barium cations located in face-, edge-, and corner-shared 8- and 9-fold coordination environments; the water of crystallization is only bound to barium. The synthesis and crystal structure of a new ternary oxide hydrate, Ba2WO5·H2O, is reported.
Blow-Off Pressures for Adhering Layers.

Abstract : An analysis is given of the critical internal pressure P at which a circular debond blister will grow in size, in terms of the tensile modulus E and thickness t of an adhering layer, and the strength G sub a of its adhesion to a rigid substrate. Measurements of blow-off pressure are reported for adhering layers of pressure-sensitive tapes having widely-different effective modulus and thickness, and with blisters having a range of diameters. Satisfactory agreement is obtained with the theoretical predictions, suggesting that the theory is basically correct in assuming that relatively thin layers behave like elastic membranes. Attention is drawn to the unusual form of the dependence of the debonding pressure P upon the resistance Et of the layer to stretching and upon the detachment energy . Even though the adhering layer is assumed to be linearly- elastic, the markedly non-linear (cubic)relation between pressure P and volume V of the blister, or maximum height y, leads to this unusual result. The detachment energy is given by a particularly simple function of the pressure P and maximum deflection of the blister: G sub a = 0.65 Py, independent of the stiffness of the adhering layer and diameter of the blister.
Distance Perception of Stereoscopically Presented Virtual Objects Optically Superimposed on Physical Objects by a Head-Mounted See-Through Display

The influence of physically presented background stimuli on the perceived depth of optically overlaid, stereoscopic virtual images has been studied using headmounted stereoscopic, virtual image displays. These displays allow presentation of physically unrealizable stimulus combinations. Positioning of an opaque physical object either at the initial perceived depth of the virtual image or at a position substantially in front of the virtual image, causes the virtual image to perceptually move closer to the observer. In the case of objects positioned substantially in front of the virtual image, subjects often perceive the opaque object to become transparent. Evidence is presented that the apparent change of position caused by interposition of the physical object is not due to occlusion cues. According, it may have an alternative cause such as variation in the binocular vengeance position of the eyes caused by introduction of the physical object. This effect may complicate design of overlaid virtual image displays for near objects and appears to be related to the relative conspicuousness of the overlaid virtual image and the background. Consequently, it may be related to earlier analyses of John Foley which modeled open-loop pointing errors to stereoscopically presented points of light in terms of errors in determination of a reference point for interpretation of observed retinal disparities. Implications for the design of see-through displays for manufacturing will be discussed.
Individual Rights, Emergent Social States, and Behavioral Feasibility

Individuals retain control over at least some minimal dimensions of personal behavior. If this is acknowledged, social states are not, and cannot be, objects of choice. Social states emerge from th...
Antidotal thirst and lithium excretion in rats with hypothalamic lesions.

Abstract Sham operated animals, as well as rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions, increased their water intake in response to a dilute lithium chloride stomach load. Rats that had recovered from lateral hypothalamic lesions failed to drink in response to the dilute lithium chloride stomach loads, suggesting that the lateral hypothalamus is essential for the occurrence of antidotal thirst. The renal elimination of a dilute saline stomach load by rats with lateral hypothalamic lesions was similar to that of sham operated animals, but rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions excreted more of a less concentrated urine. The renal elimination of lithium was also altered in rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions. These results are discussed in terms of the possible influence of adrenocortical function on the elimination of salt loads by rats with hypothalamic lesions.
An Improved Approach for Construction of Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Libraries

Presented here are improved methodologies that enable the generation of highly redundant bacterial artificial chromosome/P1-derived artificial chromosome libraries, with larger and relatively uniform insert sizes. Improvements in vector preparation and enhanced ligation conditions reduce the number of background nonrecombinant clones. Preelectrophoresis of immobilized high-molecular-weight DNA removes inhibitors of the cloning process, while sizing DNA fragments twice within a single gel effectively eliminates small restriction fragments, thus increasing the average insert size of the clones. The size-fractionated DNA fragments are recovered by electroelution rather than the more common melting of gel slices with subsequent β-agarase treatment. Concentration of the ligation products yields a 6- to 12-fold reduction in the number of electroporations required in preparing a library of desirable size. These improved methods have been applied to prepare PAC and BAC libraries from the human, murine, rat, canine, and baboon genomes with average insert sizes ranging between 160 and 235 kb.
Relationship between capillary wall structure and “effective” transcapillary osmotic pressure

The colloid osmotic pressure difference across the capillary wall should be determined by the protein concentration difference ( ΔC R ) across just the narrow restricted region of the capillary interendothelial cleft and not the concentration difference ( ΔC T ) across the whole wall as is usually assumed. During capillary filtration, ΔC R should not equal ΔC T and the assumption that the colloid osmotic pressure difference is proportional to ΔC T will be in error. The theoretical magnitude of this error for an idealized cleft is determined.
Computer derivation of equivalent-circuit RLC values for an ultrasonic transducer from measured values of the transducer's driving-point impedance

Abstract An ultrasonic transducer is modelled as a circuit having three parallel branches. The RLC parameters for the equivalent circuit are computed from measured values of the complex driving-point impedance of the tranducer in the frequency range 0 to 6 MHz. The computed RLC values representing the acoustically active part of the crystal are highly reproducible under constant loading. Significantly, these values change substantially when the loading is changed from air to water or to metal. The impedance measurements and the RLC computations for a transducer are performed on-line in less than 1 min by a portable 16 bit microcomputer using a 512-point FFT algorithm.
Theoretical Study of DNA Damage Recognition via Electron Transfer from the [4Fe-4S] Complex of MutY

The mechanism of site-specific recognition of DNA by proteins has been a long-standing issue. The DNA glycosylase MutY, for instance, must find the rare 8-oxoguanine-adenine mismatches among the large number of basepairs in the DNA. This protein has a [4Fe-4S] cluster, which is highly conserved in species as diverse as Escherichia Coli and Homo sapiens. The mixed-valent nature of this cluster suggests that charge transfer may play a role in MutY's function. We have studied the energetics of the charge transfer in Bacillus stearothermophilus MutY-DNA complex using multiscale calculation including density functional theory and molecular dynamics. The [4Fe-4S] cluster in MutY is found to undergo 2+ to 3+ oxidation when coupling to DNA through hole transfer, especially when MutY is near an oxoguanine modified base (oxoG). Employing the Marcus theory for electron transfer, we find near optimal Frank-Condon factors for electron transfer from MutY to oxoguanine modified base. MutY has modest selectivity for oxoguanine over guanine due to the difference in oxidation potential. The tunneling matrix element is significantly reduced with the mutation R149W, whereas the mutation L154F reduces the tunneling matrix element as well as the Frank-Condon factor. Both L154F and R149W mutations are known to dramatically reduce or eliminate repair efficiency. We suggest a scenario where the charge transfer leads to a stabilization of the specific binding conformation, which is likely the recognition mode, thus enabling it to find the damaged site efficiently.
Magnetization of small iron-nickel spheres

Magnetic properties of small iron-nickel alloy spheres, having compositions which cover the entire Fe-Ni binary, are presented. The spheres were formed during solidification in free fall following the melting of electropolished wires of appropriate composition. The spheres with Ni not greater than 25% acquired a martensitic thermal remanence while those with Ni not less than 30% acquired a thermoremanent magnetization. A magnetic remanence-composition diagram and a coercive force-composition diagram are constructed. Magnetic hysteresis loops and derived parameters demonstrate the difference between metal-bearing and oxide-bearing natural samples. The magnetic remanence varies as the sphere size in conjunction with the microstructure. These results help to explain why coercive force is generally low, remanent coercive force is generally high, and their ratio (R/C) is always large in fine metal dispersions, such as lunar samples and chondrite meteorites.
Adaptive Fault Detection and Fault-Tolerant Control of NASA Generic Transport Aircraft Model

Abstract In this paper, adaptive fault detection and fault-tolerant control schemes for aircraft flight systems are investigated and evaluated on a high-fidelity aircraft model–the nonlinear NASA generic transport model. State feedback for output tracking and output feedback for output tracking multivariable model reference adaptive control schemes are developed, where plant-model matching conditions are much less restrictive than that of the state feedback for state tracking design, to ensure stability and asymptotic output tracking for the aircraft in the presence of uncertain actuator failures and structural damage. Based on an aircraft system dynamic coupling feature and different actuator failure patterns, adaptive detectors are constructed to detect damage and actuator failures. Our adaptive detection schemes are equipped with feedback fault-tolerant control to ensure signal boundedness requirement. Desired performance of the developed schemes is demonstrated by extensive simulation studies on the nonlinear NASA generic transport model.
Pergolide: a potent dopaminergic antihypertensive.

Abstract Pergolide, a potent centrally acting dopamine agonist, lowered both blood pressure and heart rate of spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive rats. Its blood pressure-lowering activity in both types of rats was more potent than that of lergotrile, a weaker dopamine agonist. The parallelism between the antihypertensive activity and the dopaminergic potency of the two compounds and the complete antagonism of the antihypertensive activity of pergolide by haloperidol, a dopaminergic blocker, indicate the involvement of dopaminergic mechanisms in maintaining the homeostasis of blood pressure and perhaps in the pathology of hypertension such as that in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Humanized SFTPA1 and SFTPA2 transgenic mice reveal functional divergence of SP-A1 and SP-A2: Formation of tubular myelin in vivo requires both gene products

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) plays a role in lung innate immunity and surfactant-related functions. Two functional genes, SP-A1 (SFTPA1) and SP-A2 (SFTPA2), are present in humans and primates (rodents have one gene). Single gene SP-A1 or SP-A2 proteins expressed in vitro are functional. To study their role in vivo, we generated humanized transgenic (hTG) C57BL/6 mice, SP-A1(6A4) and SP-A2(1A3). The SP-A cDNA in experimental constructs was driven by the 3.7-kb SP-C promoter. Positive hTG mice were bred with SP-A knock-out mice to generate F8 offspring for study. Epithelial alveolar type II cells were SP-A-positive, and Clara cells were negative by immunohistochemistry in hTG mice. The levels of SP-A in lungs of two hTG lines used were comparable with those in human lungs. Southern blot analysis indicated that two cDNA copies of either SP-A1(6A4) or SP-A2(1A3) were integrated as a concatemer into the genome of each of the two hTG lines. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that hTG mice with a single SP-A1(6A4) or SP-A2(1A3) gene product lacked tubular myelin (TM), but hTG mice carrying both had TM. Furthermore, TM was observed in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluid only if both SP-A1 and SP-A2 gene products were present and not in those containing primarily (>99.7%) either SP-A1 or SP-A2 gene products. In vivo rescue study confirmed that TM can only be restored after administering exogenous SP-A containing both SP-A1 and SP-A2 into the lungs of SP-A knock-out mice. These observations indicate that SP-A1 and SP-A2 diverged functionally at least in terms of TM formation.
A20 Is Induced by Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus-encoded Viral FLICE Inhibitory Protein (vFLIP) K13 and Blocks K13-induced Nuclear Factor-κB in a Negative Feedback Manner

Expression of A20, a negative regulator of the NF-κB pathway, is frequently lost in several subtypes of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We report that A20 is expressed in Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-infected primary effusion lymphoma cell lines, and its expression correlates closely with the expression of KSHV-encoded viral FLICE inhibitory protein K13. Ectopic expression of K13 induced A20 expression through NF-κB-mediated activation of A20 promoter. In turn, A20 blocked K13-induced NF-κB activity and up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines CCL20 and IL-8 in a negative feedback fashion. Both the N-terminal deubiquitinating domain and the C-terminal zinc finger domain of A20 were involved in the inhibition of K13-induced NF-κB activity. Overexpression of A20 blocked K13-induced IκBα phosphorylation, NF-κB nuclear translocation, and cellular transformation. Consistent with the above, K13-induced IκBα phosphorylation and NF-κB transcriptional activation were enhanced in A20-deficient cells. Finally, A20 was found to interact physically with K13. Taken collectively, these results demonstrate that K13 is a key determinant of A20 expression in KSHV-infected cells, and A20 is a key negative regulator of K13-induced NF-κB activity. A20 might serve to control the inflammatory response to KSHV infection and protect KSHV-infected cells from apoptosis.
An Evaluation of the Distribution of Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS)

Abstract This study estimates whether surface observations of temperature, moisture, and wind at some stations in the continental United States are less critical than others for specifying weather conditions in the vicinity of those stations. Two-dimensional variational analyses of temperature, relative humidity, and wind were created for selected midday hours during summer 2008. This set of 8925 control analyses was derived from 5-km-resolution background fields and Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) and National Weather Service (NWS) observations within roughly 4° × 4° latitude–longitude domains. Over 570 000 cross-validation experiments were completed to assess the impact of removing each RAWS and NWS station. The presence of observational assets within relatively close proximity to one another is relatively common. The sensitivity to removing temperature, relative humidity, or wind observations varies regionally and depends on the complexity of the surrounding terrain and the representativeness o...
An evaluation of callus induction and plant regeneration in twenty‐five turf‐type tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars

In order to investigate the genetic variation in tissue culture response and to find the cultivars with high regeneration ability for genetic transformation, twentyfive turf-type tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) cultivars, including many elite ones released recently, were evaluated for their callus induction and plant regeneration responses. Callus induction was initiated from mature seeds on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 9AE 0m g l ‐1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Induced calli were subcultured on the same medium with 2AE 0m g l ‐1 2,4-D and then transferred to a MS medium supplemented with 2AE 5m g l ‐1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) for plant regeneration. Significant differences were observed among the twenty-five cultivars in both callus induction and plant regeneration (P <0 AE001). Callus induction rate of viable seeds varied from 4AE4% to 51AE9%. Callus regeneration rates ranged from 16AE7% to 58AE8%. Overall regeneration rates (number of regenerated calli over number of cultured viable seeds) ranged from 1% to 22%. Approximately 94% of the regenerants were green plantlets.
Interval-dividing processes

If \(\forall n\sum\limits_\pi {P(X_{\pi _1 } < ... < } X_{\pi _n } ) = 1\) and \(\forall \pi ,n,{\text{ }}P(X_{\pi _1 } < ... < X_{\pi _n } ) = P(Y_{\pi _1 } < ... < Y_{\pi _n } )\) then P(n−1·[δ(Y1)+⋯+δ(Yn)] converges to cnts. law on R1) = P(n−1·[δ(Y1)+⋯+δ(Yn)] converges to a cnts. law on R1). Thus if \(P(X_{\pi _1 } < ... < X_{\pi _n } ) = (n!)^{ - 1} \forall \pi ,n\),n then n−1[δ(X1)+...+δ(Xn)] converges a.s. The main result here generalizes this: Let X(1)n, X(2)n,..., X(n)nbe the order statistics associated with X1, X2,⋯,Xn. Define random variables Z1,Z2,⋯ by {Zn=i}={Xn=X(i)n}. Then if Z1,Z2,Z3, ⋯ are independent and P(Zn≦i)≦i/n, and {Xi} is bounded, n−1·[δ(X1)+⋯+δ(Xn)] converges a.s.
Cylindroma treated by mohs micrographic surgery

Cylindroma, a rare benign adnexal neoplasm, may occur in areas in which simple excision is either not possible or severely disfiguring. We present a case of cylindroma that was treated by Mohs micrographic surgery. Postsurgical evaluation of the tumor showed that the tumor had invaded a larger area than was initially suspected based on clinical examination alone.
Bayesian hierarchical modeling of Pacific geoduck growth increment data and climate indices

a b s t r a c t Growth increment widths from hard structures of marine and freshwater fish and bivalve species are increasingly used to model growth and elucidate relationships with environmental variability. Fully characterizing the intrinsic age-related growth variation among individuals within and between popula- tions, while estimating the extrinsic environmental effects simultaneously, can be challenging. Using the long-lived bivalve Pacific geoduck (Panopea generosa), we develop an integrated approach to analyze the relationship between growth increment data and climate indices using Bayesian hierarchical methods. Fitting models to growth increment data from multiple individuals over two sites, we examined different covariance structures related to random individual effects, long- and short-term environmental effects and unexplained errors. The best fitting hierarchical model accounted for a site-specific mean growth response, individual growth variability through random parameter effects, and site-specific error vari- ances. Extrinsic environmental effects on growth were also significant and included a random year effect and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) as a predictor of mean growth across both individuals and sites. Once intrinsic age-related growth was accounted for, PDO accounted for 18% to total variability in growth increment data; geoduck shell size was predicted to increase as a function of larger PDO anomalies. How- ever, the greatest variability in growth increment data was explained by random year effects (∼60-70%), and while largely unexplained, sea surface temperature (SST) is a likely determinant on geoduck growth rates showing a positive growth-SST response. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Evanescent wave magnetometers with ultrathin (∼100μm) cells

We studied the performance of an evanescent wave magnetometer with a coated cell of adjustable length. The cell length varies from a few millimeters to less than 100μm. Two kinds of antirelaxation coatings are used: octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) and dichlorooctamethyltetrasiloxane (Surfasil). Sub-kilohertz linewidth can be achieved for a 100μm thick OTS-coated cell. Magnetometers with coated ultrathin cells have superior performance in inhomogeneous magnetic fields, and can achieve a spatial resolution of better than 25μm.
Distinct local immunogenic stimuli dictate differential requirements for CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets in the pathogenesis of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes.

The strong MHC class II association in human as well as murine Type 1 diabetes (T1D) suggests a central role for CD4+ T cells in the disease pathogenesis. Nonetheless, CD8+ T cells also play a role in the pathogenic process. We describe how CD4+ or CD8+ T cells can contribute differentially to the pathogenesis of T1D using the HLA-DQ8 transgenic mouse models. HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice expressing the costimulatory molecule, B7.1 (RIP.B7.1), or the proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α (RIP.TNF) or both (RIP.B7.RIP.TNF) under the control of rat insulin promoter (RIP) were used. Our observations indicate that in the RIP-B7 model, CD4+ T cells were absolutely required for diabetes to occur. However, when CD8+ T cells were also present, the incidence of diabetes increased. On the other hand, in the RIP-TNF model, CD8+ T cells were absolutely required for diabetes to occur. Interestingly, when CD4+ T cells were also present, the incidence of diabetes decreased. In the RIP-B7.RIP-TNF double transgenic mouse model, eithe...
Sub-Doppler cooling of neutral atoms in a grating magneto-optical trap

The grating magneto-optical trap (GMOT) requires only one beam and three planar diffraction gratings to form a cloud of cold atoms above the plane of the diffractors. Despite the complicated polarization arrangement, we demonstrate sub-Doppler cooling of Rb87 atoms to a temperature of 7.6(0.6) μK through a multistage, far-detuned GMOT in conjunction with optical molasses. A decomposition of the electric field into polarization components for this geometry does not yield a mapping onto standard sub-Doppler laser-cooling configurations. With numerical simulations, we find that the polarization composition of the GMOT optical field, which includes σ and π polarized light, does produce sub-Doppler temperatures.
Market Maximization of Individual Preferences and Metropolitan Municipal Service Responsibility

The assignment of functional responsibility in the American federal system is examined from the perspective of the municipal government. Tiebout's model of market maximization of individual preferences is contrasted with the more recent theories of Buchanan, Peterson, and Miller. The explanation that the historical origins of the city and the permeability of its borders structure the scope and level of its service responsibilities is tested. The findings have significant implications for the mode of municipal service provision and the potential for municipal governments to operate outside of the constraints imposed on them by their position in the American federal system.
Affinity of naloxone and its quaternary analogue for avian central δ and μ opioid receptors

Abstract Quaternary narcotic antagonists that are assumed not to penetrate the blood–brain barrier following systemic administration are commonly used to distinguish between peripheral and central actions of opiates. In mammals, these antagonists have a lower affinity for opioid receptors than their tertiary parent compounds. The relative affinity of quaternary vs. tertiary antagonists either for opioid receptors in non-mammalian species or for specific receptor subtypes has, however, not been determined. Using brain tissues from a passerine songbird (Junco hyemalis), we found the affinity of the quaternary antagonist, naloxone methiodide (Nal MI), for brain opioid receptors to be less than 10% that of Nal HCl. Further, Nal MI affinity for μ and δ receptors is 8.7% and 3.7%, respectively, that of Nal HCl. These results confirm that tertiary narcotic antagonist quaternization substantially reduces the affinity of these derivatives for central opioid receptors. They show that this reduction is receptor-type selective, and they extend previous reports demonstrating functional similarities between mammalian and non-mammalian central opioid receptors.
Interactions of Respiratory Pathogens with Host Cell Surface and Extracellular Matrix Components

Adhesion of pathogens to proteins and glycoconjugates on the host cell plasma membrane or to components of the extracellular matrix is a critical early step in the initiation of infection. For intracellular pathogens, adhesion to the cell surface is a prerequisite to gaining entry into the cell. In all cases, adhesion to host tissue prevents elimination of the pathogens by normal clearance processes and may help the organism to evade immune surveillance by the host. Many laboratories are investigating the ligand binding specificities of bacterial receptors or adhesins and have described diverse binding specificities for adhesive proteins in the host extracellular matrix including laminin and fibronectin. Many bacteria also have adhesins that bind to carbohydrates occurring on glycolipids and glycoproteins in the apical membranes of epithelia in tissues that are targets for infection. Definition of these binding specificities and identification of the receptors that mediate adhesion may lead to development...
The high frequency of TTR M30 in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy is not due to a founder effect

Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is an autosomal dominant disease due to mutations in the transthyretin (TTR) gene. Valine30-->methionine (TTR M30) is by far the most common mutation in patients with FAP. In a sample of 11 North American unrelated patients, we previously found that 6 had TTR M30. By utilizing double PASA, we could perform haplotype analysis despite the absence of DNA samples on relatives. The results indicate that at least four of the six patients with TTR M30 have different haplotypes, an observation that is surprising for North American patients in which the ostensible symptoms generally begin after the reproductive years. It is suggested that the most likely explanation is rapid selection against TTR M30 mutations by one of four possible mechanisms.
Optical heating and sensing with plasmonic gold shell and phosphorescent core nanoparticle

Up-converting nanophosphors consisting of Er activator with Yb sensitizer in a NaYF 4 matrix have been studied for heating and temperature sensing. We show the response of the nanothermometer to a pump laser operating at 1064 nm with a pulse width of 5-7 nS with a 20 Hz repetition rate. The heating pulse (pump) is probed by the change in the ratio of the two characteristic green emissions centered around 525 and 545 nm. A quasi continuous probe laser operating at 80 MHz and 980 nm is employed to study the effect of the pump laser on the phosphor. The emission is characterized by a spectrophotometer attached to a gated intensifier and a charge coupled device. The time gated measurement shows that the heating produced by 1064 nm pulse is easily resolved with time gating, and the read-out of temperature is deciphered based on the temperature calibration performed with the emission lines. It was found that an increasing the energy of the heating pulse caused a drop in the total green intensity, which had a direct correlation to the increase in the temperature. The signal transduction of the thermal characteristics of the phosphor was delayed in time from the arrival of the heating pulse by about two-three decades in the unit of microseconds. The gold coated phosphor also showed a response to the heating pulse, but the enhancement of both the 525 and 545 nm emissions from the gold shell, to varying extents made the deconvolution of temperature quite involved.
Isolation and partial characterization of a toxin from Fusarium tricinctum on moldy corn.

Abstract Extracts of the fungus, Fusarium tricinctum , isolated from toxic moldy corn, produced severe edema and intradermal hemorrhage when applied to rat skin. Purification studies guided by this test led to the isolation of a major toxin in crystalline form plus a second amorphous toxic product. The crystalline material, C 17 H 24 O 6 , appeared to be an hydroxy ester or lactone, and was highly active in doses of 0.5 mg per animal. It is not the same as any of the toxins previously found in Fusarium species from moldy grains, and does not resemble the aflatoxin group.
Modeling and simulating data flow computations at machine language level

This paper is concerned with the data flow organization of computers and programs, which exhibits a good deal of inherent concurrencies in a computation by imposing no superfluous precedence constraints. In view of the popularity of parallel and distributed processing, this organization can be expected to play an increasingly prominent role in the design and development of computer systems. A schematic diagram called DF-graphs, suitable for modeling data flow computations at the machine language level, is introduced. To facilitate the storage of DF-graphs in computers, matrix equations which fully describe their structure and their dynamic behaviors are developed as an alternate representation. Also demonstrated is the feasibility of simulating the execution of computations specified by DF-graphs on a network of conventional mini- and microprocessors.
Deep thermal infrared capability for the Multiple Mirror Telescope: demands of multimirror telescope technology on infrared instrumentation

This paper describes the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) facility and discusses the demands placed upon the MMT by observations with the Thermal Infrared Photometer system, with special attention given to the subsequent modifications of the MMT-Photometer facility. It is shown that the MMT-Photometer competes well in sensitivity with similar detector systems currently operating on conventional single-mirror telescopes. The instrument will reach N (10.6 microns) magnitudes of 10 or better in integrations of one hour through a 5.4 arcsec aperture.
Launching strategy for electric vehicles: Lessons from China and Taiwan

Abstract China has seen explosive growth in the sales of electric bikes since 1998. The boom was triggered by Chinese local governments' efforts to restrict motorcycles in city centers. However, many Chinese cities have started to extend the restriction to electric bikes. Whether China's electric bike economy will continue to develop is highly uncertain. The experience of China's electric bike boom suggests that limiting the fossil-fueled alternatives could be an effective policy tool in fostering the commercialization of electric vehicles. The failure of Taiwan's electric scooter policy, on the other hand, indicates that subsidies alone may not be a sufficient launching strategy. The policy approach of limiting the alternatives deserves serious consideration if policymakers wish to foster electric vehicles.
Path planning for multiple robots: An alternative duality approach

We propose an optimization-based framework to find multiple fixed length paths for multiple robots that satisfy the following constraints: (i) bounded curvature, (ii) obstacle avoidance, (iii) and collision avoidance. By using polygonal approximation techniques, we show that path planning problem for multiple robots under various constraints and missions, such as curvature and obstacle avoidance constraints as well as rendezvous and maximal total area coverage, can be cast as a nonconvex optimization problem. Then, we propose an alternative dual formulation that results in no duality gap. We show that the alternative dual function can be interpreted as minimum potential energy of a multi-particle system with discontinuous spring-like forces. Finally, we show that using the proposed duality-based framework, an approximation of the minimal length path planning problem (also known as Dubins' problem) in presence of obstacles can be solved efficiently using primal-dual interior-point methods.
Establishment of a quiescent herpes simplex virus type 1 infection in neurally-differentiated PC12 cells

Rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells differentiated with nerve growth factor (Nd-PC12) were used to investigate the establishment of a non-productive herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection that is reversible. The results of this work are as follows: (i) Nd-PC12 cultures could be maintained as long term (>7 weeks) non-dividing cultures only when plated on collagen-coated dishes in the absence of serum; (ii) Infection of Nd-PC12 with HSV-1 strains KOS and 17 in the transient presence of acycloguanosine (ACV) resulted in all cultures free of detectable levels of infectious virus at the time of ACV removal and ACV was not needed to maintain the non-productive quiescent state in the subsequent 8 weeks; (iii) These persistently infected and quiescent (QIF)-PC12 cultures demonstrated both spontaneous and forskolin-inducible virus production, at low (5%) and high frequencies (92-100%), respectively during the first 2 weeks post-ACV withdrawal. (iv) In contrast to other in vitro models, HSV-1 failed to reactivate following removal of nerve growth factor. (v) A high percentage of QIF-PC12 cultures (50-100%) produced virus in response to forskolin treatment as long as 7 weeks post-ACV withdrawal. (vi) Expression of HSV-1 productive genes (i.e. alpha0, alpha4, alpha27, UL30 and UL18) dropped precipitously in the presence of ACV and remained undetectable or continued to decline following its removal, whereas the levels of LAT and the host gene G3PDH remained relatively constant throughout the 31 day study period as measured by RT-PCR. These results indicate that QIF-PC12 cells offer a novel, neuronal cell culture system that may enhance our ability to study HSV-1 reactivation from a cryptic, latent-like, non-productive state in the absence of replication inhibitors.
Interannual variability of tropical cyclone activity in the southern South China Sea

[1] A study of tropical storm activity in the southern South China Sea region was carried out for the period of 1960 to 2006 using data obtained from the UNISYS website archive, which was provided to them from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JWTC) best track data. This study was motivated by two particularly costly storms that impacted Malaysia during the 1996–2001 period. This study demonstrated that November and December were the most active months for tropical cyclone activity in this region. A majority of these storms attained tropical storm intensity. Also, a majority of the tropical cyclones originated within the study area near Malaysia as opposed to moving into the area. The long-term trend showed that there has been a slight increase in tropical cyclone activity in the region, but the trend was not statistically significant. A study of the interannual variability revealed that there was more (less) tropical cyclone activity in the region during La Nina (El Nino) years. Longer-term variability, such as that related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, was not found in the analysis here. Using spectral methods confirms that there was significant El Nino–related variability in climatological quantities such as monthly sea surface temperatures or pressures. Finally, the background climatological state was examined in order to determine whether or not the atmosphere in the region was more conducive to tropical cyclone formation or maintenance during active years. It was found that the most active years were associated with warmer SSTs in the study region, relatively weak 200–850 hPa wind shear, a warm-core structure, more water vapor, and more cyclonic low-level relative vorticity, and these were all La Nina–type years. Nonactive years were associated with weaker wind shear, less water vapor, and a more anticyclonic (vorticity) background, regardless of whether the SSTs were warmer or cooler, and most of these were El Nino–type years.
Response to monensin in cattle during subacute acidosis.

ABSTRACT A steer metabolism study was conducted to measure changes in ruminal and blood components in response to monensin level following an abrupt switch from forage to a concentrate diet. Six ruminai-cannulated crossbred steers (373 kg) were fed either O, 150 or 300 mg monensin per head daily in a replicated 3 X 3 Latin-square design. In all treatments, ruminal pH declined to a low of 5.4 to 5.6 12 h post-feeding, suggesting steers experienced subacute acidosis. Also in the first 12 h post-feeding, all treatments exhibited nearly a twofold increase in total ruminal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, while peak ruminal lactate concentrations ranged from .86 to 1.50 raM. During the entire 48-h period, there were no significant treatment differences in blood pH, HCO- 3 or ruminal lactate, although there was a trend of higher ruminal and blood lactate associated with increased level of monensin supplementation. Feeding higher levels of monensin resulted in higher pH and propionate with lower acetate and butyrate concentrations. Increasing the level of monen- sin fed resulted in reduced (P<.OI) total ruminal VFA concentrations. Ruminal pH was more highly correlated to total ruminal VFA concentrations (r=-.69, P<.O1) than lactate concentrations (r=--.14, P<.IO). Results from this study indicate the significance of total ruminal organic acid concentration rather than ruminal lactate concentration during subacute acidosis. Monensin maintained a higher ruminal pH by reducing concentrations of VFA. (Key Words: Monensin, Acidosis, Volatile Fatty Acids, Steers.)
Forward link performance simulation of a fixed-point CDMA2000-1x mobile demodulator

Designing a limited word length fixed-point CDMA 2000-1X modem chip is essential for reduced die size and power consumption which leads to a cheaper and a higher performance handset. In this paper, we present the performance degradation due to the finite word length implementations of the pilot and traffic channels with various A/D quantizers for CDMA2000-1x mobile station (MS) demodulator. The performance results are also compared to that of a floating point implementation. The 4-bit, 5- bit and infinite resolution A/Ds are used in some simulation runs to compare their impact on performance. 4Viterbi decoder and a 4-bit turbo decoders are used in all the fixed point simulations. The frame error rate (FER) performance with 4- bit A/D with fixed-word length traffic and pilot symbols seems sufficiently close (maximum difference of 0.5 dB) to that of the floating point implementation.