cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
s-wave scattering of charged fermions by a magnetic black hole.

We argue that, classically, {ital s}-wave electrons incident on a magnetically charged black hole are swallowed with probability one: The reflection coefficient vanishes. However, quantum effects can lead to both electromagnetic and gravitational backscattering. We show that, for the case of extremal, magnetically charged, dilatonic black holes and a single flavor of low-energy charged particles, this backscattering is described by a perturbatively computable and unitary {ital S} matrix, and that the Hawking radiation in these modes is suppressed near extremality. The interesting and much more diffiult case of several flavors is also discussed.
A note on the use of the Abacus in number conversion

Conversion of integers in both directions between the base ten and any desired base can be accomplished with remarkable simplicity by use of the abacus. In fact, the conversion procedures are far more cumbersome on the electric desk calculator, for reasons which will be apparent.
What is the point of sleep

Strange as it sounds, we have not yet discovered the function of something we spend a third of our lives doing.
Toward College and Career Readiness How Different Models Produce Similar Short-Term Outcomes

In 2007, the Illinois General Assembly passed the College and Career Readiness Pilot Act that supported the initial implementation of college readiness programming by community colleges and their high school partners. This study uses mixed-methods research to examine program implementation and student outcomes associated with two of seven college and career readiness (CCR) partnerships in Illinois. Our analysis of the local models is guided by Conley’s four dimensions of CCR, and the results shed light on how different programmatic approaches contribute to short-term student outcomes in mathematics and English. This study has implications for Illinois’ efforts to move CCR forward, including for the state’s new Race to the Top (RttT) grant that is attempting to scale up CCR programming associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Gestational alloimmune liver disease in cases of fetal death.

Objective To determine whether alloimmune liver disease can be identified as a cause of fetal death. Study design This is a retrospective examination of the autopsy tissue of 6 stillborn fetuses and 2 extreme preterm infants (gestational age, 20 to 34 weeks) drawn from families referred for suspected neonatal hemochromatosis. Thirteen appropriate nondisease controls and 8 cases of neonatal acute liver failure with known etiology were also examined. Liver sections were immunostained using anti-human C5b-9 complex. Results All of the study cases had died with no preceding evidence of fetal distress. Histopathology showed findings of acute liver injury, including global hepatocyte necrosis with minimal reticulum collapse and no fibrosis. Hepatocytes in cases stained strongly positively for C5b-9 complex, suggesting premortem lgG complement–mediated liver injury. Hepatocytes in acute liver failure case controls did not demonstrate a similar mechanism of liver injury. Conclusions Alloimmune liver disease is sometimes associated with fetal death.
Emissions of volatile fatty acids from feed at dairy facilities

Abstract Recent studies suggest that dairy operations may be a major source of non-methane volatile organic compounds in dairy-intensive regions such as Central California, with short chain carboxylic acids (volatile fatty acids or VFAs) as the major components. Emissions of four VFAs (acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid and hexanoic acid) were measured from two feed sources (silage and total mixed rations (TMR)) at six Central California Dairies over a fifteen-month period. Measurements were made using a combination of flux chambers, solid phase micro-extraction fibers coupled to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME/GC–MS) and infra-red photoaccoustic detection (IR-PAD for acetic acid only). The relationship between acetic acid emissions, source surface temperature and four sample composition factors (acetic acid content, ammonia-nitrogen content, water content and pH) was also investigated. As observed previously, acetic acid dominates the VFA emissions. Fluxes measured by IR-PAD were systematically lower than SPME/GC–MS measurements by a factor of two. High signals in field blanks prevented emissions from animal waste sources (flush lane, bedding, open lot) from being quantified. Acetic acid emissions from feed sources are positively correlated with surface temperature and acetic acid content. The measurements were used to derive a relationship between surface temperature, acetic acid content and the acetic acid flux. The equation derived from SPME/GC–MS measurements predicts estimated annual average acetic acid emissions of (0.7 + 1/−0.4) g m −2 h −1 from silage and (0.2 + 0.3/−0.1) g m −2 h −1 from TMR using annually averaged acetic acid content and meteorological data. However, during the summer months, fluxes may be several times higher than these values.
Early Theories on the Nature of Heat and Light.

Though no simple picture has been invented affording a mechanical model of a light ray, by combining the notions of waves and particles a logically consistent theory has been devised which seems essentially capable of accounting for the properties of light as we know them. Radio rays, heat rays, visible and ultra-violet light, X-rays, gamma rays and cosmic rays all are thus different varieties of light. We find from our experiments on diffraction and interference that light consists of waves. The photoelectric effect and the scattering of X-rays give equally convincing reasons for believing that light consists of particles. For centuries it has been supposed that the two conceptions are contradictory. Goaded on, however, by obstinate experiments we seem to have found a way out. We continue to think of light propagated as electromagnetic waves; but whenever the light does something, it does it as photons. In reply to our question, what is light, the answer seems to come, waves and particles, light is both.
Disability and depressive symptoms in the elderly: the effects of instrumental support and its subjective appraisal.

This article explores the buffering effect of social support on depressive symptoms in a community sample of elderly with varying levels of disability. Baseline interviews were conducted in respondents' homes. Results show that higher levels of disability are associated with higher levels of depression. Instrumental support and subjective appraisal of the network are associated with depressive symptoms, but instrumental support has a weak positive correlation, while subjective appraisals show a negative relationship. Social support mitigates the depressive effect of disability only when the network's efforts are appraised positively. However, no such relationship is shown for Instrumental support. One's perception of the network's helpfulness appears to be more potent than the actual help provided by friends and family.
Lenalidomide for the Treatment of B-Cell Malignancies

Lenalidomide is a novel anticancer agent that has made a major impact in the treatment of patients with B-cell malignancies. A more potent analog of thalidomide, lenalidomide was developed to enhance immunomodulatory properties with improved safety profile. Its antitumor activity seems mediated through modulation of both the cytokine and cellular tumor cell microenvironment. Preclinical as well as clinical observations demonstrate that lenalidomide downregulates production of various critical prosurvival cytokines in the tumor microenvironment while concurrently promoting activation of T- and natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antitumor response. Early clinical investigations noted its efficacy in relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma patients. Subsequently, larger randomized studies confirmed the clinical benefit of lenalidomide when added to dexamethasone compared with dexamethasone alone in previously treated myeloma patients resulting in its recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. Consequently, the role of lenalidomide in other B-cell malignancies has been investigated, with impressive results in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This review summarizes the data from various clinical investigations and highlights the impact of lenalidomide in the management of patients with B-cell malignancies.
Immune exhaustion: driving virus-specific CD8+ T cells to death.

and meningesL In contrast, in extraneural infection the same virus is cleared within 7-10 d: the mice show few symptoms apart from some limited meningitis and a CD8* T cell-mediated hepatitis with a variant of LCMV that grows extensively in the liver. Adults depleted of the CD8 ÷ subset show evidence of a chronic wasting disease, caused by the continued confrontation between persistent virus and immune CD4 + T cells s,6. The immunopathology modeP is not a laboratory artefact: humans can also develop severe meningoencephalitis following contact with LC]VIV carrier mice or hamsters ''z. Immunologically competent mice are known, however, to survive i.e. challenge with large amounts of LCMV. This 'high dose immune paralysis' (HDIP) 1,7 is characterized by a transient cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response of rapid onset, though of smaller magnitude than that seen for a low-titer inoculum. The failure to dcvclop the characteristic severe lymphocytic choriomeningitis pathology has been considered to reflect 'dilution' by the recruitment of the CD8 ÷ effectors to a variety of tissue sites of virus growth outside the central nervous systemZ, 7. The fate of LCMV-immune effectors in the HDIP model has now been analysed further by Moskophidis and colleagues s. Following high-dose infection with isolates of LCMV (DOCILE, Clone 13 and WE), which are known to cause persistent infections and grow in a small proportion of CD4" T cells 9, an l.CMV-specific CD8" CTL
O021 A GRIM picture of cytokine-induced tumor suppression

Introduction IFNs potently suppress tumor growth which is synergistically enhanced using cell differentiating agents such as retinoic acid (RA). Using a genome-wide knockdown screen, we have identified several novel tumor suppressive gene products regulated IFN/RA called, the Gene(s)-associated with Retinoid-Interferon induced Mortality. Here, we will discuss the tumor suppressive properties of GRIM-19, a novel gene discovered in this screen. Methods Genome-wide knock down screening for tumor suppressors, Protein: protein interactions, Oncogene-induced cytoskeletal protein modification, tumor growth and metastases in vivo. Results One of the novel genes isolated in the screen, GRIM-19, binds to STAT3 and inhibits growth-promoting gene transcription. It also promotes cell cycle arrest by interacting with the CDK inhibitor p16 Ink4a, a tumor suppressor. GRIM-19 also blocks oncogene induced cell motility, cytoskeletal remodeling, and tumor formation. We show that expression of GRIM-19 is lost and its gene is mutated in several human cancers. Tumor derived mutant GRIM-19 proteins lost their ability suppress constitutively active STAT3 and v-src oncogene induced cellular transformation and tumor growth and metastasis. In addition, GRIM-19 collaborates with other tumor suppressors like p53 for enforcing growth suppression. For example, disrupting HPV-E6 oncogene andE6AP (an ubiquitin ligase, which promotes the degradation of p53), GRIM-19 promotes the stability of p53 tumor suppressor. These observations show that GRIM-19 regulates multiple transcriptional and non-transcriptional processes for inhibiting tumor growth and collaborate with other tumor suppressor pathways. The biological effects of GRIM-19 gene disruption and relevance to tumor suppression and tumor pathology will be discussed. Conclusion GRIM-19 is a novel tumor suppressor induced by IFNs. It exerts both transcriptional and non-transcriptional effects to control cell growth. Mutations/loss of GRIM-19 expression promotes tumor growth.
MODEL IDENTIFICATION OF A SERVO-TRACKING SYSTEM USING FUZZY CLUSTERING

This paper investigates the use of Fuzzy Clustering as a means for model identification of a complex and highly non-linear servo-tracking system when only observational data is available. The use of Fuzzy Clustering facilities automatic generation of rules and its antecedent parameters. The consequent of the model is then formulated in the form of Takagi, Sugeno and Kang (TSK), and its parameters determined by the Least Squares Method (LSM).
Exposing a hidden functional site of C-reactive protein by site-directed mutagenesis.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a cyclic pentameric protein whose major binding specificity, at physiological pH, is for substances bearing exposed phosphocholine moieties. Another pentameric form of CRP, which exists at acidic pH, displays binding activity for oxidized LDL (ox-LDL). The ox-LDL-binding site in CRP, which is hidden at physiological pH, is exposed by acidic pH-induced structural changes in pentameric CRP. The aim of this study was to expose the hidden ox-LDL-binding site of CRP by site-directed mutagenesis and to generate a CRP mutant that can bind to ox-LDL without the requirement of acidic pH. Mutation of Glu42, an amino acid that participates in intersubunit interactions in the CRP pentamer and is buried, to Gln resulted in a CRP mutant (E42Q) that showed significant binding activity for ox-LDL at physiological pH. For maximal binding to ox-LDL, E42Q CRP required a pH much less acidic than that required by wild-type CRP. At any given pH, E42Q CRP was more efficient than wild-type CRP in binding to ox-LDL. Like wild-type CRP, E42Q CRP remained pentameric at acidic pH. Also, E42Q CRP was more efficient than wild-type CRP in binding to several other deposited, conformationally altered proteins. The E42Q CRP mutant provides a tool to investigate the functions of CRP in defined animal models of inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis because wild-type CRP requires acidic pH to bind to deposited, conformationally altered proteins, including ox-LDL, and available animal models may not have sufficient acidosis or other possible modifiers of the pentameric structure of CRP at the sites of inflammation.
Stroke: TOAST to CASCADE--a childhood stroke classification system.

An accepted classification system exists for ischaemic stroke in adults; however, this system is of limited use for categorizing strokes in children, as the aetiology of paediatric stroke is often different from that in adults. A new anatomically based classification system provides standardized criteria specifically for paediatric stroke.
Converting Helicopter Rotor Blades From D-Spar to C-Spar: Allowing for Aeromorphing Structures

Modern helicopter blades are designed as thin-walled hollow structures in form of either C-spar or D-spar cross-sections. With the advent of new materials hollow designs have been implemented to reduce the overall weight of the structure. A D-spar is a rotor blade cross-section that is hollow in nature with a single vertical spar used to carry a large portion of the stresses otherwise carried by the skin [1]. The vertical spar is normally located between the leading edge and half of the chord length. The remaining volume aft of the vertical spar can either be hollow or filled with a honeycomb structure. The honeycomb structure increases the cross-sectional stiffness. Figure 1. shows an example of a common D-spar with a honeycomb structure aft of the vertical spar [2]. Due to new manufacturing methods the D-spar has now become common place in helicopter design [3]. A C-spar cross-section is very similar to the D-spar cross-section in design and construction. The C-spar cross-section does not have the honeycomb structure and the spar. The structural load is offset by more lamina layers towards the leading edge of the cross-section [4,5]. The thin-walled structure is comprised of many layers of composite materials such as fiberglass or carbon fibers. There has been extensive research into D-spar cross-section while there is a lack of studies for C-spar cross-sections [1,3,4].Copyright © 2014 by ASME
New use of dimensional continuation illustrated by dE/dx in a plasma and the Lamb shift

Physical processes ranging from the Lamb shift to the energy loss $dE/dx$ of a charged particle traversing a plasma entail processes that occur over a wide range of energy or length scales. Different physical mechanisms dominate at one or the other end of this range. For example, in the energy loss problem, soft collisions that are screened by collective effects are important at large distances, while at short distances hard collisions are important where the exact details of the single-particle interactions must be taken into account. We introduce a novel application of dimensional continuation. The soft processes dominate at all scales when the spatial dimension $\ensuremath{\nu}$ is less than $3,$ and we use them to compute the result to leading order for $\ensuremath{\nu}l3.$ On the other hand, the hard processes dominate at all scales for $\ensuremath{\nu}g3,$ and we use them to compute the result to leading order for these spatial dimensions. We then explain why the sum of the analytic continuation of these disparate mechanisms yields the correct leading-order result for the physical limit at $\ensuremath{\nu}=3$ dimensions. After applying this new method to the energy loss problem in some detail, we then show how it also provides a very short and easy way to compute the Lamb shift.
Technology and the Information Age: A Cautionary Tale for Higher Education

Technology is a popular issue in higher education. Many institutions are devoting time and resources to its development with a view toward enhanced educational effectiveness. Applications include electronically packaged distance learning, retrieval of information across networks, innovative presentations of classroom materials, independently guided instructional experiences, and sophisticated data collection and analysis tools. Proponents point to an information superhighway that will revolutionize learning and provide a communal network for a knowledge-building society. Adversaries decry technology as replicating the worst features of the television age: superficiality, sound bites, and mindless web surfing. This paper provides a cautionary tale on the use of technology in the context of the authors' professional history in physical education in higher education. Lessons for and against using technology to advance the disciplines are presented to facilitate discussion and reflection among scholars as to ...
Fourier transform IR spectroscopic determination of the equilibrium constant for H 2 O + Cl 2 O = 2HOCl

Abstract Using the Fourier transform infrared method, the equilibrium constant K eq for H 2 O + Cl 2 O = 2HOCl has been determined to be (6.8 ± 1.0) × 10 −2 at 295 = 3 K under relatively dry conditions [ P (H 2 O) 2 O — HOCl + Cl 2 , the integrated band intensities for ν 2 (≈ 1240 cm −1 ) and ν 3 (≈ 740 cm −1 ) of HOCl are 265 and 45 cm −2 atm −1 ± 5%, respectively. The present value of K eq gives estimates of Δ H 0 f and Δ G 0 t of −17.9 and −14.9 kcal mole −1 for HOCl. At P (H 2 O) > 10 Torr, additional absorption bands centered at 785 and 3450 cm −1 were observed due presumably to the formation of an HOCl - H 2 O adduct.
A quantum cure for the Ostrogradski instability

Abstract Interacting fourth order quantum mechanics is in the Ostrogradski formalism afflicted by an instability involving the decay of the vacuum. When treating such systems as 1 + 0 -dimensional Euclidean field theories in the transfer operator formalism the ‘instability problem’ and the ‘unitarity problem’ are distinct and decoupled. The instability problem is shown to be absent: a stable ground state always exists and is typically normalizable and strictly positive. The generator H of the transfer operator replaces the Ostrogradski Hamiltonian and is non-Hermitian but selfadjoint with respect to a Krein structure, which also ensures consistency with the Lagrangian functional integral. The case of a scalar quartic derivative interaction is treated in detail. Variational perturbation theory, a strong coupling expansion, and direct diagonalization of matrix truncations are used to compute the spectrum of H in this case.
Using Landsat images to detect oak decline in the Mark Twain National Forest, Ozark Highlands

Abstract Following the severe drought in 1999–2000 there was a widespread outbreak of oak decline in the Ozark Highlands. Over 400,000 ha of dead and dying oak trees were observed by the USDA Forest Service in this region. Although oak forests that are dead can be easily interpreted from air photos or classified from satellite images, it is difficult to detect dying trees that are still green but will die back or recover in the following years. In this study, we applied a normalized difference water index (NDWI) to map the continuous forest dynamics related to oak decline. The Landsat TM image in 1992 and the ETM+ image in 2000 were processed to calculate the differential NDWI which revealed moisture variation primarily caused by the drought and the associated red oak borers. A simple thresholding method was used to map oak dying back, recovery and non-change areas in the study area. The died-back areas were extracted from the modified land use/land cover maps created by the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP). The forest dynamics map was compared with the online FIA database in which tree species at randomly selected sites were recorded in 1989 and 2003. The overall accuracy of forest dynamics mapping with remote sensing imagery was 75.95%. The user's accuracy of dying/recovery area mapping was also high although the producer's accuracy is questionable because of the limitation in ground data collection. The continuous dying/recovery map in this study could provide valuable information on the prediction of oak decline and evaluation of damage when another period of environmental stresses occurs.
Ultra-Low Background Operation of Near-Infrared Detectors Using Reference Pixels for NGST

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Project is developing a new generation of near-infrared (NIR; λ=0.6-5 μm) array detectors optimized for ultra-low space-based backgrounds. NASA has selected the Independent Detector Testing Laboratory (IDTL) at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and the Johns Hopkins University to assist in testing and characterizing NGST's near-infrared detectors. In the IDTL, we have begun to explore how reference pixels might be used to calibrate infrared array data. Here we report some early results from these studies. Results to date are very encouraging, particularly with regard to techniques using temporal or spatial averaging to compute low-noise reference levels before making row-by-row reference pixel corrections. We explored the effectiveness of four potential calibration strategies using a shorting resistor installed where the detector would normally mount and are currently validating the techniques presented here using candidate NGST detectors.
The Journal: Teaching Reflexive Methodology on an Introductory Level

This article describes an approach to teaching undergraduate anthropology focused on anthropological modes of thought rather than accumulation of exotic data. The guiding paradigm is that of reflexivity as derived from recent theoretical work; the central technique is use of a journal focused on relating classroom material to the students' daily lives. The ultimate aim is to teach the students to be participant-observers in their own cultures. REFLEXIVE METHODS, TEACHING ANTHROPOLOGY, PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION
The process of asking questions

This paper discusses the area of the question—its generation, its relation to the retrieval system, and its effect on the inquirer. Four levels of question formation may be isolated and analysed: the actual, but unexpressed, need for information; the conscious within-brain description of the need; the formal statement of the question; and the question as presented to the information system. Input and output characteristics of systems are examined for their effect on the inquirer's decision to ask a question and on the form the query takes. Investigation of six parameters governing question type and ambiguity argues that we may be placing too much emphasis on syntactic matching of inquiry and store of answers. The inquirer's state of readiness is defined as the “state of mind” which allows a selection to be made from a series of messages. A question is seen as an indication of inadequacy on the part of the inquirer who hopes to remedy that inadequacy by calling on the information system. A major objective of information systems is to make commonplace the point of maximum usefulness where three coordinates cross: level of question, state of readiness, and available answer.
Expression pattern of a butterfly achaete-scute homolog reveals the homology of butterfly wing scales and insect sensory bristles

Abstract Background: Lepidopteran wing scales are the individual units of wing color patterns and were a key innovation during Lepidopteran evolution. On the basis of developmental and morphological evidence, it has been proposed that the sensory bristles of the insect peripheral nervous system and the wing scales of Lepidoptera are homologous structures. In oder to determine if the developmental pathways leading to Drosophila sensory bristle and butterfly scale formation use similar genetic circuitry, we cloned, from the butterfly Precis coenia , a homolog of the Drosophila achaete-scute (AS-C) genes – which encode transcription factors that promote neural precursor formation – and examined its expression pattern during development. Results: During embryonic and larval development, the expression pattern of the AS-C homolog, ASH1 , forecasted neural precursor formation. ASH1 was expressed both in embryonic proneural clusters – within which an individual cell retained ASH1 expression, enlarged, segregated, and became a neural precursor–and in larval wing discs in putative sensory mother cells. ASH1 was also expressed in pupal wings, however, in evenly spaced rows of enlarged cells that had segregated from the underlying epidermis but, rather than give rise to neural structures, each cell contributed to an individual scale. Conclusions: ASH1 appears to perform multiple functions throughout butterfly development, apparently promoting the initial events of selection and formation of both neural and scale precursor cells. The similarity in the cellular and molecular processes of scale and neural precursor formation suggests that the spatial regulation of an AS-C gene was modified during Lepidopteran evolution to promote scale cell formation.
Consistency in a partitioned network: a survey

Recently, several strategies have been proposed for transaction processing in partitioned distributed database systems with replicated data. These strategies are surveyed in light of the competing goals of maintaining correctness and achieving high availability. Extensions and combinations are then discussed, and guidelines are presented for selecting strategies for particular applications.
Invariant surface characteristics for 3D object recognition in range images

Abstract In recent years there has been a tremendous increase in computer vision research using range images (or depth maps) as sensor input data. The most attractive feature of range images is the explicitness of the surface information. Many industrial and navigational robotic tasks will be more easily accomplished if such explicit depth information can be efficiently obtained and interpreted. Intensity image understanding research has shown that the early processing of sensor data should be data-driven. The goal of early processing is to generate a rich description for later processing. Classical differential geometry provides a complete local description of smooth surfaces. The first and second fundamental forms of surfaces provide a set of differential-geometric shape descriptors that capture domain-independent surface information. Mean curvature and Gaussian curvature are the fundamental second-order surface characteristics that possess desirable invariance properties and represent extrinsic and intrinsic surface geometry respectively. The signs of these surface curvatures are used to classify range image regions into one of eight basic viewpoint-independent surface types. Experimental results for real and synthetic range images show the properties, usefulness, and importance of differential-geometric surface characteristics.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition and ventricular remodeling in heart failure

The prevention or attenuation of the development of heart failure by the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril was examined in two animal models, spontaneously hypertensive rats and rats with myocardial infarction produced by coronary artery ligation. In 24-month-old female spontaneously hypertensive rats with marked left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiac output was reduced despite an increase in ventricular volume, resulting in a greatly reduced ejection fraction. Treatment with captopril from 14 to 24 months of age maintained forward output and prevented ventricular dilatation so that ejection fraction remained normal; left ventricular hypertrophy regressed to levels observed in six-month-old spontaneously hypertensive rats. In rats with moderate and large infarcts three months after ligation, left ventricular filling pressures were elevated, forward output was reduced, and ventricular volumes were greatly increased. Long-term therapy with captopril maintained filling pressures within normal limits and maintained forward output from a lesser dilated left ventricle to yield an ejection fraction that was elevated compared with that in untreated rats. Thus, the potentially deleterious remodeling of the left ventricle in heart failure, an extensive increase in mass and chamber volume, can be favorably altered by long-term angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (captopril) with salutary effects on hemodynamics.
Shared Feed as a Means of Deer-to-Deer Transmission of Mycobacterium bovis

To determine the ability of experimentally inoculated white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to transmit Mycobacterium bovis to naive deer through the sharing of feed, four deer were intratonsillarly inoculated with 4×105 colony-forming units of M. bovis. On a daily basis, feed not consumed by inoculated deer after approximately 8 hr was offered to four naive deer maintained in a separate pen, where direct contact, aerosol transmission, or transmission through personnel were prevented. After 150 days, nai¨ve deer were euthanized and examined. All naive deer had lesions consistent with tuberculosis and M. bovis was isolated from various tissues. The most commonly affected tissues were lung, tracheobronchial lymph nodes, and mediastinal lymph nodes. This study demonstrates the potential for indirect transmission of M. bovis through the sharing of feed. Intentional or unintentional feeding of deer by wildlife or agricultural interests in regions where M. bovis infection is endemic should be avoided becau...
Improvement in peak stress estimates through post-processing

Abstract Three alternatives for calculating the peak stress in the vicinity of a stress raiser have been proposed in previous research: an iterative method, a stiffness derivative method, and a table look-up method. The goal of each is to improve the estimate of the peak stress through post-processing rather than multiple analyses utilizing mesh refinement. In the present paper, the relative effectiveness of the methods is studied by means of test cases. An improved stiffness derivative method is suggested for use in fracture mechanics applications.
Bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis of eukaryotic fusion products

Background information. Cell fusion is known to underlie key developmental processes in humans and is postulated to contribute to tissue maintenance and even carcinogenesis. The mechanistic details of cell fusion, especially between different cell types, have been difficult to characterize because of the dynamic nature of the process and inadequate means to track fusion products over time. Here we introduce an inducible system for detecting and tracking live cell fusion products in vitro and potentially in vivo. This system is based on BiFC (bimolecular fluorescence complementation) analysis. In this approach, two proteins that can interact with each other are joined to fragments of a fluorescent protein and are expressed in separate cells. The interaction of said proteins after cell fusion produces a fluorescent signal, enabling the identification and tracking of fusion products over time. Results. Long-term tracking of fused p53-deficient cells revealed that hybrid cells were capable of proliferation. In some cases, proliferation was preceded by nuclear fusion and division was asymmetric (69%±2% of proliferating hybrids), suggesting chromosomal instability. In addition, asymmetric division following proliferation could give rise to progeny indistinguishable from unfused counterparts. Conclusions. These results support the possibility that the chromosomal instability characteristic of tumour cells may be incurred as a consequence of cell fusion and suggest that the role of cell fusion in carcinogenesis may have been masked to this point for lack of an inducible method to track cell fusion. In sum, the BiFC-based approach described here allows for comprehensive studies of the mechanism and biological impact of cell fusion in nature.
Passage times in colored stochastic petri nets

Passage times in colored stochastic Petri nets correspond to delays in discrete-event stochastic systems. Formal definition of a sequence of passage times in a colored stochastic Petri net is in terms of the underlying general state space Markov chain of the marking process. Using symmetry of the net with respect to color, we provide conditions under which a sequence of passage times is a regenerative process in discrete time with finite cycle-length moments. The regenerative property implies time-average convergence, convergence in distribution, and a central limit theorem for sequences of passage times. It follows that strongly consistent point estimates and asymptotic confidence intervals for general characteristics of passage times can be obtained by simulating a finite portion of a single sample path of the underlying general state space Markov chain. Using regenerative structure of the marking process and a version of Little's Law given by Glynn and Whitt, we also obtain conditions under which a seq...
Letter to the Editor-The Distribution of Busy Time for a Simple Queue

In a single channel queue with Poisson arrivals and exponential service, an arbitrary interval of length I can be decomposed into busy time, t, and idle time, t0 = I-t. The frequency function for t is derived for the stationary process.
The Portales Valley meteorite breccia: evidence for impact-induced melting and metamorphism of an ordinary chondrite

Abstract The Portales Valley H-chondrite fall is an annealed impact-melt breccia with coarse metal interstitial to angular and subrounded silicate clasts. The large metal-rich regions exhibit a Widmanstatten structure and contain very little troilite. We were able to examine a 16.5 kg metal-rich specimen of Portales Valley. Silicates contain numerous flecks of metallic Cu and curvilinear trails of tiny metallic Fe–Ni blebs, characteristic of shocked and annealed chondrites. One silicate clast appears to have experienced little (
Vasodilator effect of insulin on the microcirculation of the rat cremaster muscle

Abstract We recently showed that, in conscious rats, acute infusions of insulin (10–15 fold increase in plasma insulin) produced decreases in hindquarter vascular resistance, but only if, changes in sympathetic outflow were prevented with a ganglionic blocker. The aim of the present investigation was to determine if similar effects of insulin could be observed in a preparation that allowed direct visualization of striated muscle (cremaster) microvessels. Initial studies with topical application of insulin showed that third-order arterioles (A3), but not first- or second-order arterioles vasodilated in response to 800 μU/ml and 8 mU/ml of insulin. Systemic (euglycemic) infusion of insulin (6 mU/ml, but not 2 mU/ml) also increased A3 arteriole diameter in animals treated with a ganglionic blocker, but not in control rats. These data show that insulin can have a direct vasodilator effect on striated muscle microvessels if concomitant increases in sympathetic outflow are absent. However, the response was only present with supraphysiological doses of the hormone.
Damage detection via parameter correction using measured static flexibility matrices

Numerical simulation results are presented for a novel damage detection algorithm for detecting damage in smart structures. The method finds damage using a dynamically measured static flexibility matrix. Damage is found through a parametric correction of a large order static finite element model using a much smaller order measurement set. This is accomplished without any model reduction or eigenvector expansion step. The parametric correction is formulated to minimize a residual which is formed using the pseudoinverse relationship between structural flexibility and stiffness matrices. By posing the update problem in terms of measured flexibility matrices instead of experimentally determined modal data, the problems of modal correspondence, mode selection, and modal truncation are avoided. In this paper, numerical simulation results demonstrate that the technique is capable of locating and quantifying damage manifested as a change in local stiffness in the full order finite element model using a measured flexibility matrix obtained for a much smaller measurement degree- of-freedom set. This is accomplished using a non-iterative linear solution and is possible even when the damage is contained entirely in an element not touching the measurement degree-of- freedom set.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Population III Star Formation in a ΛCDM Universe. II. Effects of a Photodissociating Background

We examine aspects of primordial star formation in the presence of a molecular hydrogen-dissociating ultraviolet background. We compare a set of AMR hydrodynamic cosmological simulations using a single cosmological realization, but with a range of ultraviolet background strengths in the Lyman-Werner band. This allows us to study the effects of Lyman-Werner radiation on suppressing H2 cooling at low densities, as well as the high-density evolution of the collapsing cloud core in a self-consistent cosmological framework. We find that the addition of a photodissociating background results in a delay of the collapse of high-density gas at the center of the most massive halo in the simulation and, as a result, an increase in the virial mass of this halo at the onset of baryon collapse. We find that, contrary to previous results, Population III star formation is not suppressed for J21 ≥ 0.1, but occurs even with backgrounds as high as J21 = 1. We find that H2 cooling leads to collapse despite the depressed core molecular hydrogen fractions due to the elevated H2 cooling rates at T = 2–5 × 103 K. We observe a relationship between the strength of the photodissociating background and the rate of accretion onto the evolving protostellar cloud core, with higher LW background fluxes resulting in higher accretion rates. Finally, we find that the collapsing cloud cores in our simulations do not fragment at densities below n ~ 1010 cm−3, regardless of the strength of the LW background, suggesting that Population III stars forming in halos with Tvir ~ 104 K may still form in isolation.
EVALUATION AS SOCIAL POLICY

Policy research has become an integral part of the policymaking process but is changing as the goals and emphases o f policies change. The paper explores the shift in emphasis in evaluation research away from predominantly programmatic concerns and toward accountability issues in personnel and job evaluation. It depicts an inward turning in domestic policies from the provision of services to evaluation of government itself, and an acceleration in conflict over how the work of government should be structured and performed, and by whom. Using examples from three levels o f government, it describes what makes policies controversial, their evaluations political, and how the search for legitimacy and legitimizing technologies raises the stakes for all actors in the policy process–elected officials, administrators, consumers, and evaluators. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effect on research o f these changes in policy.
Beta dose attenuation and calculations of effective grainsize in brick samples

Abstract An assumption commonly made in estimating the beta-ray contribution to individual quartz grains in bricks and tiles is that prior to extraction all grains used for TL analysis existed as discrete grains embedded in a clay matrix. We have found in many Utah brick samples that this assumption does not hold, and that the grains used for analysis were largely derived from clumps or agglomerations of quartz grains of up to 3 mm in diameter. If we apply beta-ray attenuation factors appropriate for the grain sizes actually analyzed (150–250 μm) rather than those appropriate for the agglomerations from which the analyzed samples were derived, errors in measurement of β-ray contribution in excess of 50% can result. We present details of a computer model for determining effective grain size in bricks and tiles based upon microscopic examination of sample sections.
A “City at War”: Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This study uses fantasy theme analysis to examine public discourse that emerged from a Midwestern town's attempt to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The essay examines “Letters to the Editor” to (a) reveal the fantasy themes that represent the writers' consciousness and possibly that of the larger community and (b) to discuss the themes' rhetorical implications for public memory and the act of commemoration. This essay argues that the themes evident in these letters constitute a form of racialized discourse that articulates “new racism” (Goldberg, 1993).
What is the relevance of attachment and life history to political values

Conservatives and liberals have markedly different ideologies. Conservatives, in comparison to liberals, are risk averse and prefer social inequality, traditionally established and familiar in-group values, and familial allegiance. Liberals are risk prone, are open to new views and ways, value equality and out-group relations, and exhibit high independence and self-reliance. We hypothesize that this variation was functional and socially strategic in human evolutionary history. Conservatives, we propose, are familial and in-group specialists, while liberals are out-group specialists. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the different values are caused proximately by attachment style and associated childhood stresses. Accordingly, low avoidant and high secure attachment and associated low childhood stresses ontogenetically generate conservatives, whereas high avoidant and low secure attachment and associated high childhood stresses give rise to liberals. Results from our study of 123 young adults support the hypotheses. We focus on the psychometric scale of conservatism–liberalism but also examine participants' scores on two additional political scales: social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism. We also analyze participants' scores on time preference scales and life expectancy to test whether political values are related to future-versus-present life history tradeoffs or participants' perceptions of the past. We found no support for conservatism–liberalism's relationship to a future-versus-present tradeoff. Conservatism–liberalism, however, is related to how one understands the past in ways that support the notion that the degree of childhood stress affects political values.
Control of Compressible Dynamics Stall Using Microjets

Control of the dynamic stall process of an NACA 0015 airfoil undergoing periodic pitching motion is investigated experimentally in a high-speed wind tunnel facility. Multiple microjet nozzles distributed uniformly in the first 15% chord from the airfoil’s leading edge are used for the control. Point Diffraction Interferometry (PDI) technique is used to characterize the control effectiveness, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The microjet control has been found to be very effective in suppressing both the emergence of the dynamic stall vortex and the associated massive flow separation at the entire operating range of angles of attack. At the high Mach number case (M = 0.4), the use of microjets appears to eliminate the shock structures that are responsible for triggering the shock-induced separation, establishing the fact that the use of microjets is effective even in controlling dynamic stall with a strong compressibility effect. In general, microjet jet control has an overall positive effect in terms of maintaining leading edge suction pressure and preventing flow separation.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A generic effective Nullstellensatz

Kollar’s sharp effective Nullstellensatz, which is independent of the number of polynomials, is shown to be a generically pessimistic bound. A generic effective Nullstellensatz is proven. The generic bound is approximately inversely proportional to the number of polynomials; further, the bound is linear, rather than exponential, in the degrees of the polynomials. The generic effective Nullstellensatz provides for minimum required equalization filter orders in signal and image processing.
Charles Darwin's biological species concept and theory of geographic speciation: the transmutation notebooks

Summary The common view has been that Darwin regarded species as artificial and arbitrary constructions of taxonomists, not as distinct natural units. However, in his transmutation notebooks he clearly subscribed to the reality of species, on the basis of the criterion of non-interbreeding. A consequence of this biological species concept was his identification of the acquisition of reproductive isolation as the mark of the completion of speciation. He developed in the notebooks a theory of geographic speciation on the grounds of (a) an empirical correlation between barriers and the geographical distributions of allied species, (b) the analogy of artificial isolation in the formation of new domesticated varieties, and (c) the logical consequence of blending inheritance. A brief discussion of Darwin's species concept in later writings concludes the paper.