cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactions between air pollution and solar radiation

Abstract The interaction between air pollutants and solar radiation is discussed in terms of three examples: measurements of the direct solar beam to determine atmospheric turbidity; the role of solar radiation in initiating photochemical smog processes; and urban-rural differences of incident solar energy. Turbidity measurements from several non-urban stations, particularly in the south-central and south-eastern U.S., show a slight increase during the past 10–15 yr, with most of the change occurring during summer. Measurements at certain urban stations indicate a decreasing turbidity trend. Coincident measurements of incident solar radiation at urban and rural sites are presented for St. Louis and Los Angeles. The urban-rural differences of incident total and ultraviolet (UV) solar energy ranged from near zero to more than 50 per cent. The solar depletion was much larger over Los Angeles than St. Louis. The impact of solar radiation on photochemical smog over Los Angeles is shown be discussing the sensitivity of ozone concentrations to variations of UV radiation. The results of a numerical photochemical diffusion model indicate that the seasonal decrease of UV energy from July to November has a substantial effect on ozone levels, especially over the western part of the Los Angeles Basin.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy for the treatment of presacral recurrences from rectal cancers

Purpose: Management of recurrent presacral rectal cancer is often not amenable to curative surgery. The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cyberknife stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in the management of presacral recurrences. Materials and Methods: Between April 2003 and October 2008, 14 patients with presacral tumors from rectal adenocarcinoma were SBRT treated. Eleven patients were treated with 36 Gy in 3 fractions and 3 patients were treated with single fraction of 12, 16 or 18 Gy. Tumor response was assessed using response evaluation and criteria in solid tumor (RECIST) criteria. Toxicities were assessed with common terminology criteria adverse events v 3.0. Pain control was assessed. Results: One patient (6.7%) received SBRT as boost therapy. All patients had prior radiotherapy [median 50.4 Gy (20 - 81 Gy)]. Median tumor volume was 52.5 cc (19 - 110 cc). At initial follow-up of a median 4.9 months (1 - 16.3 months), treatment responses were complete response (n=3) and stable disease (n=8). With a median follow-up of 16.5 months (6 - 69 months), the one- and two-year LC rates were 90.9 and 68.2%, respectively, and the one- and two-year OS rates were 90 and 78.8%, respectively. No factors were significantly predictive of LC and OS. There were no grade 3 or 4 toxicities. Fifty percent (n=7) of our patients experienced pain with recurrence before treatment and 4 (57.1%) of them reported no pain after completion of their SBRT. Conclusions: Stereotactic body radiotherapy for presacral recurrence of rectal adenocarcinoma is an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment modality which allows for palliation of pain.
Energy consumption and the human condition

Abstract The availability of energy and man's capability over the millennia to find and use it, did free him from physical toil. But this freedom and comfort did not make him happier. On the contrary, as the energy consumption per capita has increased, to the point reached in the so-called industrial world, he became lonely, insecure, more alienated with himself and his neighbors. It seems that energy consumption gave him a false feeling of independence from his fellow man. The paper will discuss the following hypothesis: “In view of an apparent degradation of the quality of life as the standard of living increases, even if we had all the energy per capita we wished, free of any monetary cost, and free from any damage to the environment, an upper limit seems to exist to this consumption, dictated purely by sociological and psychological considerations beyond which more energy consumption becomes detrimental to our inner well-being.”
Spectral synthesis of Jordan operators

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to extend results of J. Wermer (1952, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 3 , 270–277), L. Brown et al. (1960, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 96 , 162–183), and D. Sarason (1972, J. Reine Agnew. Math. 252 , 1–15; 1966, Pacific J. Math. 17 , 511–517) on spectral subspaces of diagonalizable operators on separable complex Hilbert space to the class of so-called Jordan operators or infinite direct sums of Jordan cells.
13: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: The Use of Plasma Exchange for Treatment of Acute Renal Failure in Multiple Myeloma

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS: THE USE OF PLASMA EXCHANGE FOR TREATMENT OF ACUTE RENAL FAILURE IN MULTIPLE MYELOMA Ashok Ammula, Jonathan Sosnov, Adam Segal, Joline Chen 1. Renal Section, Department of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA; 2. Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL Acute renal failure due to light chain nephropathy causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The use of plasma exchange to reduce light chain burden remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prior observational and experimental studies to evaluate the role of plasma exchange. Using the keywords MM and plasma exchange, two reviewers searched the Medline and Cochrane databases from inception to November 2007 as well as annual nephrology meetings for all human studies in Englishlanguage. Studies with original research data on renal function change, dialysis rates, and short-term mortality were included. The exclusion criteria included studies with fewer than ten patients, duplicated research, or those studying other than acute renal failure. Only the randomized controlled trials were analyzed in the meta-analysis and pooled odds ratios using random effects models were calculated. The initial search identified 217 human studies in English, of which 153 were designed to discuss the use of plasma exchange in myeloma. Only 45 non-review/editorial papers studied renal complications of myeloma. Among these studies, only five satisfied all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only three of these studies were randomized control trials; the remainder were retrospective case-series. Most of the studies had poor methodologic quality and significant heterogeneity. While weaker evidences suggested potential renal and survival benefit of plasma exchange, the meta-analysis showed that plasma exchange did not improve renal survival (odds ratio 0.19; 95% CI: 0.02-1.55) or patient survival (odds ratio: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.17-4.30). Most literature on plasma exchange in myelomatous renal failure were case reports and series with weaker methodological quality. While the benefit of plasma exchange in MM-associated acute renal failure remains questionable, the small number of studies, their significant heterogeneity, and the weaker quality were important limitations to draw robust conclusions.
Studies of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate chemoreceptor of Paramecium.

A doublet of proteins (∼48,000M r) from theParamecium cell body membrane fits several criteria for the external cAMP chemoreceptor. These criteria include: (i) selective elution from a cAMP affinity column, matching a specificity that could be predicted from the behavioral response and whole-cell binding; (ii) binding to wheat germ agglutinin indicating the presence of carbohydrate moieties indicating surface exposure; and (iii) selective inhibition of the intact cells' chemoresponse to cAMP by antibodies against the doublet. Additional evidence for the existence of a receptor, in general, comes from selective elimination of the cAMP chemoresponse by photoaffinity labeling of whole cells with 8-N3-cAMP. The doublet proteins are not identical to the regulatory subunit of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase fromParamecium, theDictyostelium cAMP chemoreceptor, or the 42–45 kDa range proteins related to the large surface glycoprotein inParamecium. The doublet proteins are not readily separable and, as inDictyostelium, may represent two different covalent modification states of the same protein. Amino acid analysis indicates that the proteins are similar, but does not distinguish between the possibilities of proteolysis and covalent modification. Once cloned, this doublet may prove to be only the fifth external, eukaryotic chemoreceptor to be identified.
Microarray and Molecular Analyses of the Azole Resistance Mechanism in Candida glabrata Oropharyngeal Isolates

DNA microarrays were used to analyze Candida glabrata oropharyngeal isolates from seven hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients whose isolates developed azole resistance while the recipients received fluconazole prophylaxis. Transcriptional profiling of the paired isolates revealed 19 genes upregulated in the majority of resistant isolates compared to their paired susceptible isolates. All seven resistant isolates had greater than 2-fold upregulation of C. glabrata PDR1 (CgPDR1), a master transcriptional regulator of the pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) network, and all seven resistant isolates showed upregulation of known CgPDR1 target genes. The altered transcriptome can be explained in part by the observation that all seven resistant isolates had acquired a single nonsynonymous mutation in their CgPDR1 open reading frame. Four mutations occurred in the regulatory domain (L280P, L344S, G348A, and S391L) and one in the activation domain (G943S), while two mutations (N764I and R772I) occurred in an undefined region. Association of azole resistance and the CgPDR1 mutations was investigated in the same genetic background by introducing the CgPDR1 sequences from one sensitive isolate and five resistant isolates into a laboratory azole-hypersusceptible strain (Cgpdr1 strain) via integrative transformation. The Cgpdr1 strain was restored to wild-type fluconazole susceptibility when transformed with CgPDR1 from the susceptible isolate but became resistant when transformed with CgPDR1 from the resistant isolates. However, despite the identical genetic backgrounds, upregulation of CgPDR1 and CgPDR1 target genes varied between the five transformants, independent of the domain locations in which the mutations occurred. In summary, gain-of-function mutations in CgPDR1 contributed to the clinical azole resistance, but different mutations had various degrees of impact on the CgPDR1 target genes.
Ophthalmologic Aspects of Lipid Storage Diseases

A cherry-red spot in the macular region of the fundus is the hallmark of the metabolic disorder known as Tay-Sachs disease. Ocular involvement is also a frequent concomitant of generalized gangliosidosis Niemann-Pick disease, and Fabry's disease. Ophthalmologists who are aware of these manifestations are often the first to derive the correct diagnosis in patients with these heritable conditions.
Penetration with instrumented rods

Abstract The response of long rods during penetration is being examined by strain measurements performed with foil resistance gages. Early experiments in this investigation employed the reverse ballistic approach in which stationary rods were impacted by armor targets launched from a light-gas gun. Although satisfactory results were obtained for both normal and oblique impacts, the reverse ballistic approach strictly limited the target diameter, and the target mass limited the impact velocity to values below the range of current ballistic interest. In order to overcome the major limitations imposed by reverse ballistics a technique for launcing instrumented rods has been developed. With this technique strain gages on the rod are connected to thin metal contacts located on the front surface of the plastic sabot. Prior to impact, the contacts are pierced by stationary probes and a low-resistance electrical path is provided during approximately 100 mm of travel by the sabot. A series of impact tests has been performed at normal incidence with steel rods impacting steel targets at a velocity of 1000 m/s. Strain-time signals from these tests were amenable to a simple wave analysis which provided relationships between stress and strain, and particle velocity and strain, to strain of 15%. Results of the analysis are discussed in the context of their relationship to the experimental technique. Details of the experimental technique and its refinement are presented and problem areas are considered.
Adjustment of Reflex Bradycardia to Elevated Arterial Pressure in Conscious Rabbits

Angiotensin was infused into intact, conscious rabbits to produce a continuous, moderate elevation of arterial pressure. The reflex cardiac rate response was studied. Within two hours of initial drop in heart rate, average time 37 minutes for 13 rabbits, the heart rate began to rise. The rates of rise were between 1.2 and 6.0 per cent of the initial drop per minute. Thus, in the presence of elevated arterial pressure, the cardiac reflex mechanism can adjust so that heart rate reaches control values within an average time of one hour in most animals. One additional animal showed no tendency for adjustment in over seven hours of infusion. The time between start of heart rate rise and restoration of 50 per cent of the initial drop was directly related to the sensitivity of the initial reflex response, i.e., heart rate drop per mm. Hg increase in diastolic pressure. Most of the animals developed a postinfusion tachycardia which was directly related to the amount of increase in heart rate attained by the end of the infusion. We conclude that in the presence of continuously elevated arterial pressure, the reflex cardiac slowing mechanism can adjust within a relatively short time, and the evidence that this represents a resetting of the mechanism within the central nervous system is discussed.
Performance of the CareStart glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) rapid diagnostic test in Gressier, Haiti

Administering primaquine (PQ) to treat malaria patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency can pose a serious risk of drug-induced hemolysis (DIH). New easy to use point-of-care rapid diagnostic tests are being developed as an alternative to labor-intensive spectrophotometric methods, but they require field testing before they can be used at scale. This study screened 456 participants in Gressier, Haiti using the Access Bio CareStart qualitative G6PD rapid detection test compared with the laboratory-based Trinity Biotech quantitative spectrophotometric assay. Findings suggest that the CareStart test was 90% sensitive for detecting individuals with severe deficiency and 84.8% sensitive for detecting individuals with moderate and severe deficiency compared with the Trinity Biotech assay. A high negative predictive value of 98.2% indicates excellent performance in determining those patients able to take PQ safely. The CareStart G6PD test holds much value for screening malaria patients to determine eligibility for PQ therapy.
The Surprising Arithmetic of Imperfectly Competitive Trade Theory

Recent developments on tariffs on imported oil and government subsidies to a home firm in competition with a foreign Cournot duopolist are summarized for use in classroom discussions.
Alterations in spontaneous miniature potential activity during habituation of a vertebrate monosynaptic pathway

Intracellular recordings of spontaneous miniature synaptic potentials were made from motoneurons of the isolated spinal cord of the frog, as a function of habituation of the monosynaptic pathway originating with lateral column fibers. The frequency and amplitude of spontaneous miniature potentials were used to assess the possibility of several proposed mechanisms underlying habituation in this system. These studies provide clear evidence in eliminating the role of transmitter depletion, incomplete vesicle filling and receptor desensitization in the habituation process occurring within this vertebrate central nervous system.
Cellular and Gene Therapy for Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Deficiency

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II deficiency is a primary immunodeficiency. Lentiviral vectors are used for gene therapy in a mouse model of this disease. In addition, by a direct genetic correction approach, a diagnostic test to determine which of the four MHC II genes is defective in new MHC II-deficiency patients has been optimized.
Plastic flow stability of nanotwinned Cu foils

Abstract The plastic flow stability of nanotwinned Cu foils was investigated via room temperature rolling. Nanotwinned Cu, with an average twin thickness of 5 nm, exhibited stable plastic flow without shear localization or fracture, even at thickness reduction of over 50%. The retention of {1 1 1} fiber texture after rolling indicates insignificant out-of-plane rotation of the columnar grains and is interpreted in terms of a symmetric slip model. No significant change in the average twin lamellae thickness was seen even at thickness reduction of over 50%, suggesting that some twin boundaries were annihilated during deformation. The annihilation of very thin twins is a consequence of migration of twin boundaries due to the glide of twinning dislocations (disconnections) in the twin plane. The work hardening after rolling is correlated with the dislocation storage at twin boundaries.
Ensuring Chinese Engineering Graduate Students' Academic Success: A Study at the University of Oklahoma

International students may experience cultural, linguistic, and educational barriers when using US university libraries, thereby disadvantaging their academic success. University libraries may compound the disadvantage if they are not attuned to international students' information behavior. This study explores the influences of Chinese engineering graduate students' English proficiency and previous library experiences on their understanding and use of American academic libraries. It is suggested that American university libraries can promote the academic success of Chinese engineering graduate students by providing customized library services to match their unique information behaviors.
Maximum cell productivity by repeated fed-batch culture for constant yield case

Optimal operation of repeatedly fed-batch fermentation was determined by the continuous maximum principle for the constant yield case. The objective of maximum cell productivity for a fixed final cell concentration was achieved by finding the substrate feeding policy that minimized the processing time. Analytical criteria for the optimal filling policy show that an exponential policy is optimum when the specific growth rate has a maximum, and also that operation in the simple repeated batch model is optimum when the specific growth rate is optimum when the specific growth rate is monotonic increasing. Comparisons between optimal repeated fed-batch culture and other modes of operation were made for the case of substrate-inhibited growth. Cell productivity by repeated fed-batch exceeds both repeated batch and continuous operation for the case of low residual substrate concentration.
Gender Differences in Illusion Response: The Influence of Spatial Strategy and Sex Ratio

Two experiments explored factors related to gender differences in Ponzo illusion susceptibility. In Experiment 1, 54 male and 54 female (predominantly white, middle class) undergraduates were administered Witkin's Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and, on 2 separate occasions, a form of the Ponzo illusion. Results showed the Ponzo to be quite reliable over several days. Females were significantly more field dependent (as shown by slower responses to the EFT), and significantly more susceptible to the Ponzo illusion, than males. Furthermore, EFT performance correlated significantly with Ponzo susceptibility for females, but not for males, suggesting that the difference between males and females in Ponzo response may be due not to differences in field independence per se, but rather to differences in the strategies used to solve the illusion task. In Experiment 2, 111 male and 148 female (predominantly white, middle class) undergraduates were administered the Ponzo illusion twice, the 2 administrations separated by about 90 min. Again, the illusion task showed good reliability, and females were significantly more susceptible to the illusion. Furthermore, the magnitude of the difference between males and females was systematically related to the sex ratio (the ratio of the number of males to the number of females) of the particular session in which each subject happened to be participating. It is suggested that social factors such as sex ratio might affect the strategies participants use when doing illusion tasks, and perhaps other spatial skills tasks as well.
Mortality burden and socioeconomic status in India.

Background The dimensions along which mortality is patterned in India remains unclear. We examined the specific contribution of social castes, household income, assets, and monthly per capita consumption to mortality differentials in India. Methods and Findings Cross-sectional data on 217 363 individuals from 41 554 households from the 2004–2005 India Human Development Survey was analyzed using multiple logistic regressions. Mortality differentials across social castes were attenuated after adjusting for household economic factors such as income and assets. Individuals living in the lowest income and assets quintiles had an increased risk of mortality with odds ratio (OR) of 1.66 (95% CI = 1.23–2.24) in the bottom income quintile and OR of 2.94 (95% CI = 1.66–5.22) in the bottom asset quintile. Counter-intuitively, individuals living in households with lowest monthly consumption per capita had significantly lower probability of death (OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.20–0.38). Conclusions Mortality burden in India is largely patterned on economic dimensions as opposed to caste dimensions, though caste may play an important role in predicting economic opportunities.
Twenty-six moves suffice for Rubik's cube

The number of moves required to solve any state of Rubik's cube has been a matter of long-standing conjecture for over 25 years -- since Rubik's cube appeared. This number is sometimes called "God's number". An upper bound of 29 (in the face-turn metric) was produced in the early 1990's, followed by an upper bound of 27 in 2006.An improved upper bound of 26 is produced using 8000 CPU hours. One key to this result is a new, fast multiplication in the mathematical group of Rubik's cube. Another key is efficient out-of-core (disk-based) parallel computation using terabytes of disk storage. One can use the precomputed data structures to produce such solutions for a specific Rubik's cube position in a fraction of a second. Work in progress will use the new "brute-forcing" technique to further reduce the bound.
Nationally representative trends and geographic variation in treatment of localized prostate cancer: the Urologic Diseases in America project.

Several treatment options for clinically localized prostate cancer currently exist under the established guidelines. We aim to assess nationally representative trends in treatment over time and determine potential geographic variation using two large national claims registries. Men with prostate cancer insured by Medicare (1998–2006) or a private insurer (Ingenix database, 2002–2006) were identified using International Classification of Diseases-9 and Current Procedural Terminology-4 codes. Geographic variation and trends in the type of treatment utilized over time were assessed. Geographic data were mapped using the GeoCommons online mapping platform. Predictors of any treatment were determined using a hierarchical generalized linear mixed model using the logit link function. The use of radical prostatectomy increased, 33–48%, in the privately insured i3 database while remaining stable at 12% in the Medicare population. There was a rapid uptake in the use of newer technologies over time in both the Medicare and i3 cohorts. The use of laparoscopic-assisted prostatectomy increased from 1% in 2002 to 41% in 2006 in i3 patients, whereas the incidence increased from 3% in 2002 to 35% in 2006 for Medicare patients. The use of neoadjuvant/adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy was lower in the i3 cohort and has decreased over time in both i3 and Medicare. Physician density had an impact on the type of primary treatment received in the New England region; however, this trend was not seen in the western or southern regions of the United States. Using two large national claims registries, we have demonstrated trends over time and substantial geographic variation in the type of primary treatment used for localized prostate cancer. Specifically, there has been a large increase in the use of newer technologies (that is, laparoscopic-assisted prostatectomy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy). These results elucidate the need for improved data collection on prostate cancer treatment outcomes to reduce unwarranted variation in care.
On the Causality of Great Personalities and Great Events Exemplified by Lenin and the October Revolution

Was the October Revolution inevitable? If yes, what was its real character? If not, could it have been avoided or taken a different course? What was the role played in it by Lenin? Using the dialectical method of analysis, an attempt is made to provide answers to these questions. The following points are stressed: (1) Given the general and particular conditions of Russian life created by the First World War and the February Revolution, the break with the old democratic mixed capitalist form and the establishment of the new totalitarian state capitalist form of the social development were inevitable. (2) The fact that this process was headed by Lenin was accidental and, hence, avoidable. (3) But Lenin individualised the general and particular features of the October Revolution in terms of the names of the events associated with the revolution, of the time of its occurrence, of its participants and of their positions during and after the revolution.
Multiple cellular consequences of isocitrate dehydrogenase isozyme dysfunction

To probe the functions of multiple forms of isocitrate dehydrogenase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mutants lacking three of the isozymes were constructed and analyzed. Results show that, while the mitochondrial NAD+-dependent enzyme, IDH (composed of Idh1p and Idh2p subunits) is not the major contributor to total isocitrate dehydrogenase activity under any growth condition, loss of IDH produces the most dramatic growth phenotypes. These include reduced growth in the absence of glutamate, as well as an increase in expression of Idp2p (the cytosolic NADP+-dependent enzyme) under some growth conditions. In this study, we have focused on another phenotype associated with loss of IDH, an elevated frequency of petite mutations indicating loss of functional mtDNA. Using mutant forms of IDH with altered active site residues, a correlation was observed between the high frequency of petite mutations and the loss of catalytic activity. Loss of Idp1p (the mitochondrial NADP+-dependent enzyme) and Idp2p contributes to the loss of functional mtDNA, but only in an IDH dysfunctional background. Surprisingly, overexpression of Idp1p, but not of Idp2p, was found to result in an elevated petite frequency independent of the functional state of IDH. This is the first phenotype associated with altered Idp1p. Finally, throughout this study we examined effects of loss of mitochondrial citrate synthase (Cit1p) on isocitrate dehydrogenase mutants, since defects in the CIT1 gene were previously shown to enhance growth of IDH dysfunctional strains on nonfermentable carbon sources. Loss of Cit1p was found to suppress the petite phenotype of strains lacking IDH, suggesting that these phenotypes may be linked.
New Class of Algicidal Compounds and Fungicidal Activities Derived from a Chromene Amide of Amyris texana

A chromene amide, N-[2-(2,2-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-6-yl)ethyl]-N,3-dimethylbutanamide, was isolated from the EtOAc extract of the leaves of Amyris texana and found to have moderate antifungal activity against Colletotrichum spp. and selective algicidal activity against Planktothrix perornata, a cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) that causes musty off-flavor in farm-raised channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). To improve the selective algicidal activity and provide water solubility, a series of chromene analogues were synthesized and evaluated for algicidal activity using a 96-well microplate rapid bioassay. In addition, the chromene analogues were evaluated for antifungal and phytotoxic activities. Hydrochloride salts of a chromene amine analogue showed improved water solubility and selectivity toward P. perornata with activity comparable to that of the naturally occurring chromene amide.
An immune response profile model for immunogenicity quantitation

We propose an analytical model, which can simultaneously depict many fundamental characteristics of the imunogenicity of various vaccines. This model, the Immune Response (IR) profile, conveniently expresses the mathematical relation between pre- and post-vaccination titers. A vaccine's IR profile is antigen-specific, dose-dependent and post-vaccination interval-dependent. The maximal capability for serological response to a vaccine can be determined using this model irrespective of the dose administered, the post-vaccination assay interval, or the live or killed state of the vaccine. The IR profile obtained from analysis of booster vaccine responses in a limited number of seropositive study subjects can be used to predict maximal antibody titers which are expected after vaccination and can predict the geometric mean post-vaccination antibody titer of a cohort of subjects undergoing primary immunization. Using this model, it is anticipated that the immunoregulation implied by the IR profile may also prove to be correlated with cellular subpopulations and idiotypic antibody functions. Although derived from influenza vaccines analyses, the model successfully describes immune response characteristics following natural infection with malaria and following diphtheria and rubella vaccine administration.
Direct Male Care and Hominin Evolution: Why Male–Child Interaction Is More Than a Nice Social Idea

ABSTRACT Early members of the genus Homo experienced heightened absolute metabolic costs, partially owing to increases in body size. However, as is characteristic of modern humans, they also likely began reproducing with shortened interbirth intervals. Male investment in offspring may help explain how this life history shift occurred. Evolutionary models of hominin male investment in offspring have traditionally focused on provisioning of females and young, yet the extent to which direct male care of offspring was evolutionarily important, from an energetic perspective, is largely unaddressed. I propose an evolutionary model of direct male care, demonstrating that males could have helped reduce the energetic burden of caregiving placed on mothers by carrying young. In doing so, males would have assisted females in achieving and maintaining an energetic condition sufficient for reproduction, thereby hastening the advent of shortened interbirth intervals that played a formative role in the success of our genus.
Stability analysis for three-plane wedges

Abstract Stability analysis for rock wedges bounded by three planar discontinuities is a time-consuming procedure usually carried out by stereographic projection. An algorithm is presented which identifies the behavior mode for wedges and calculates the factor of safety more accurately than is possible by graphical methods. The upper and lower hemisphere stereographic projections also are plotted. This is the standard presentation format and it allows a visual check of the influence of assumed geometries and friction angles.
ShakeTime!: a deceptive robot referee

We explore deception in the context of a multi-player robotic game. The robot does not participate as a competitor, but is in charge of declaring who wins or loses every round. The robot was designed to deceive game players by imperceptibly balancing how much they won, with the hope this behavior would make them play longer and with more interest. Inducing false belief about who wins the game was accomplished by leveraging paradigms about robot behavior and their better perceptual abilities. Results include the finding that participants were more accepting of lying by our robot than for robots in general. Some participants found the balancing strategy favorable after being debriefed, while others showed less interest due to a perceived level of unfairness.
Diffusional detachment of colloidal particles from solid/solution interfaces

Etudes theorique et experimentale du detachement des particules a partir d'une interface liquide-solide sous l'effet de la diffusion. L'etude tient compte de la superposition des forces de repulsion electrostatique, de van der Waals et de repulsion a courte distance. Exemple de detachement de particules colloidales, d'oxyde metallique a partir de surfaces metalliques et de verre
Effect of melatonin on body coloration and spontaneous swimming activity in rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri

Abstract 1. 1. Melatonin causes body blanching in rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) and the response is dose-dependent. A significant change in coloration was evoked by doses as low as 0·007 μg/g (intraperitoneal) and 2 μg/ml (in ambient water). Evidence is presented that melatonin given in ambient water affects coloration both through uptake in the blood as well as via possible diffusion through the skin. In spite of the apparently pharmacological nature of dose levels, the feasibility of a biological role of melatonin is evaluated. 2. 2. Melatonin induced a dose-dependent impairment of body movements and equilibrium indicating that it has neural effects. The relative time course of impairment and blanching responses supports the view that the regulation of coloration may be mediated by action of melatonin primarily on peripheral sites. 3. 3. Observations on blinded trout (with or without pineal) and the results of background reversal experiments indicate possible involvement of a melanophore-stimulating hormone. The possibility of an interaction of melatonin with this hormone and/or direct effect at the sympathetic terminal-melanophore level is considered. 4. 4. Pinealectomy in trout with eyes intact had no effect either on responses to melatonin or on swimming activity. However, melatonin led to a significant inhibition of the latter. It was not possible to differentiate between the toxic effect and possibly specific effect of melatonin on swimming activity. 5. 5. The significance of the present observations in relation to pineal function is also discussed.
Abstract B22: Demographic and psychosocial predictors of low-income mothers’ decision to vaccinate their daughters against HPV

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, which disproportionately affects women of low-income. The availability of a safe and efficacious vaccine against HPV offers a novel approach to cancer prevention and control, as well as an important opportunity to eliminate income-based disparities in cervical cancer. Realization of this potential, however, will depend in part on low-income mothers’ decisions to either vaccinate or not vaccinate their daughters against HPV. In the present study, N=68 low-income mothers participated in a pediatric waiting-room assessment of theory-driven factors associated with medical decision-making. Daughters’ vaccination status was assessed 8-months post-baseline via medical chart review. At eight months, 63% of mothers had not initiated the vaccine series for their daughter. Older age of daughter was the strongest predictor of initiating the vaccine series (p Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B22.
Comparison of total lung diffusion capacity and the membrane component of diffusion capacity as determined by physiologic and morphometric techniques.

Abstract Morphometric estimates of diffusion capacity have traditionally been calculated for oxygen (D L O2) while physiologic techniques have been used to determine diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D L CO). Morphometric estimates of D L CO and Dm were determined for carbon monoxide so that the results can be directly compared to those obtained using physiologic techniques. Multiple gas rebreathing techniques were used to measure total lung diffusion capacity (D L CO), membrane component of diffusion capacity (Dm) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) in five anesthetized dogs. After the rebreathing measurements were made, the lungs were inflation fixed with glutaraldehyde and subjected to morphometric analysis. The morphometric estimate of diffusion capacity was three times higher than the physiologic estimate. The major components of diffusion capacity, Dm and θVc were found to be of approximately equal size when measured physiologically (Dm = 34 and θVc = 27 ml·min−1·mm Hg−1). In contrast, the morphometric estimate of Dm was about six times higher than the morphometric estimate of θVc. The widely different ratios of the two major subcomponents of the total lung diffusion capacity as measured by these two different techniques suggest that the same lung function is not being accurately measured by at least one of these two techniques. Differences in results for D L CO cannot be explained by differences in the physiologic state of the animal at the time the measurement was made. Morphometric analysis predicts that Vc is the major term affecting the value of D L CO whereas the physiologic techniques predict that both Dm and Vc contribute substantially to the value of D L CO.
Finite element modeling of large capacity stiffened steel tee-hanger connections

Abstract This paper presents the development of a mathematical model describing the behavior of a stiffened steel tee-hanger connection. The particular tee-hanger connection has two rows of pretensioned high-strength bolts on either side of the tee-stem (eight bolts total). This geometric configuration results in a highly indeterminate problem as the bolt forces cannot be determined directly. Thus, an analytical study with modeling of the connection as an assemblage of finite elements was conducted. Only one-quarter of a symmetric section of the tee-hanger was analysed with eight-noded isoparametric brick elements used for the tee-flange plate elements. Bi-linear stress-strain behavior is considered for both the bolt and plate material. To consider the inelastic steel behavior in each cycle, the elastic moduli of the yielded elements are reset to their secant values. Analytical results are compared with results from tee-hanger connection tests. Based on comparison of experimental and analytical results, it is concluded that the model developed adequately explains the connection behavior. The study is restricted to A36 steel and A325 bolts with maximum diameter of 1 1 2 inches.
INTERLAYER EXCHANGE COUPLING IN (Co/Pt) MULTILAYER FILMS BY FERROMAGNETIC RESONANCE

A model assuming exchange coupled layers is used to evaluate the interlayer exchange coupling strength, A12(tPt), and the effective uniaxial anisotropy field, Heff(tPt), within each Co layers as a function of the Pt thickness, tPt, from the perpendicular ferromagnetic resonance spectra for a series of Co/Pt multilayer films. It was found that A12(tPt) decreases exponentially with tPt having a characteristic length, t0 ∼ 7 A, indicating the importance of the polarization of Pt to mediate the interlayer exchange coupling between the Co layers. The decrease of Heff(tPt) with the increase of tPt also follows an exponential function of tPt with a decay length, τ ∼ 13 A, suggesting that the surface interaction on each Co/Pt interface is not fully developed unless the Pt layer thickness is greater than τ.
Psychological Reactance: Factor Structure and Internal Consistency of the Questionnaire for the Measurement of Psychological Reactance

Psychological reactance, the theory that people resist attempts to constrain either their thoughts or their behaviors (J. W. Brehm, 1966), has been an influential concept in social psychology. In an attempt to measure reactance, J. Merz (1983) developed the Questionnaire for the Measurement of Psychological Reactance (QMPR). Subsequent researchers (S.-M. Hong & R. Ostini, 1989; R. K. Tucker & P. Y. Byers, 1987) have debated both the exact factor structure and the psychometric stability of the QMPR. In the present study, 898 undergraduates completed the QMPR. Factor analysis suggested that psychological reactance is multidimensional. The authors found 3 factors underlying the QMPR, but the QMPR provided unreliable estimates for each of those factors. According to the results, the QMPR as currently written is psychometrically unsatisfactory.
Fuzzy system reliability computation of the convoy of unmanned intelligent vehicles

Unmanned intelligent ground vehicles play significant role in wide range of applications. They are of great significance in military applications as well as other commercial applications. In order to assure the performance of unmanned intelligent vehicles, it is important to predict the reliability of the system. Reliability can be calculated using different approaches as seen in the literature, but we propose a Graph theoretic approach supported by Fuzzy and Neuro-Fuzzy approaches for predicting the node and branch reliability of the system. We portray the convoy of unmanned vehicles as a communication network where the nodes represent the station of the convoy of unmanned intelligent vehicles and the branches would represent the path between two stations. The node and branch reliability is calculated using the Fuzzy and Neuro Fuzzy approaches. The terminal and system reliability would be calculated using Boolean algebra. Thus the overall system reliability of a convoy of vehicles is the result of Fuzzy, Neuro-Fuzzy and Boolean approaches. A spanning tree based algorithm is proposed for computation of the system reliability of a convoy of vehicles. We also propose to simulate the overall system reliability with some existing data of factors that contribute in computation of node and branch reliability.
Characterization and partial purification of the reversible hydrogenase of Anabaena cylindrica

Three types of hydrogenases are recognized in the literature; a reversible hydrogenase which has been highly purified and characterized from saccharolytic bacteria [ 11, an uptake hydrogenase which is seemingly incapable of evolving hydrogen and differs from the reversible hydrogenase in being saturated at low pH2 [2], and the ATP-driven hydrogen evolution catalyzed by nitrogenase in the absence of other reducible substrates [3]. Species of cyanobacteria such as Anabaena cylindrica contain all three types of hydrogenase under some conditions [4]. Hydrogen evolution by nitrogenase in this organism has been studied in some detail [5-71. The presence of an uptake hydrogenase, similar to the Azofobacter hydrogenase, has been demonstrated [&lo]. The presence of reversible hydrogenase activity can be directly shown with cultures of A. cylindrica that lack nitrogenase activity either through growth in the presence of tungsten instead of molybdenum, or through ammonium repression [ 11 ,12 1. Hydrogen is produced by isolated heterocysts or vegetative cell fragments supplied with artificial electron donors [ 131. In [ 14,151 crude extracts with hydrogenase activity were prepared from nitrate-grown cultures of A. cylindrica incubated anaerobically in the dark under an atmosphere of hydrogen. It was found that phenazine methosulphate, methylene blue, dichlorophenol-indophenol and toluidine blue were effective as electron acceptors, but the results suggested that redox coupling between the hydrogenase and ferredoxin had a very low efficiency. When crude extracts
Self-Assembly of Fiber-Forming Collagen Mimetic Peptides Controlled by Triple-Helical Nucleation

Mimicking the multistep self-assembly of the fibrillar protein collagen is an important design challenge in biomimetic supramolecular chemistry. Utilizing the complementarity of oppositely charged domains in short collagen-like peptides, we have devised a strategy for the self-assembly of these peptides into fibers. The strategy depends on the formation of a staggered triple helical species facilitated by interchain charged pairs, and is inspired by similar sticky-ended fibrillation designs applied in DNA and coiled coil fibers. We compare two classes of collagen mimetic peptides with the same composition but different domain arrangements, and show that differences in their proposed nucleation events differentiates their fibrillation capabilities. Larger nucleation domains result in rapid fiber formation and eventual precipitation or gelation while short nucleation domains leave the peptide soluble for long periods of time. For one of the fiber-forming peptides, we elucidate the packing parameters by X-ray diffraction.
Rational basis for Trk inhibition therapy for prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND Prostatic cancer cells are lethal because they acquire the ability to activate survival pathways that do not require androgenic stimulation. As a rational approach to developing effective therapy for these devastating cells, specific signal transduction pathways uniquely required for the survival of these nonandrogen-dependent prostate cancer cells must be identified. Previous studies suggested that the neurotrophin/trk signal transduction axis may regulate such unique survival pathways. In the present study, the changes in expression of the neurotrophins (NGF, BDNF, and NT-3) and their cognate receptors (i.e., trk and p75NTR) during the progression of normal prostatic epithelial cells to malignancy were documented. Additionally, the consequences of inhibiting these trk signaling pathways on the in vitro survival of prostate cancer cells was tested. METHODS Immmunocytochemistry, RT-PCR, and ELISA assays were used to characterize the changes in the neurotrophin ligands (i.e., NGF, BDNF, and NT-3) and their cognate high-affinity (i.e., trk A, B, and C) and low-affinity neurotrophin (i.e., p75 NTR) receptors in normal vs. malignant human prostatic tissues. CEP-751 is an indolocarbazole compound specifically designed to inhibit the initiation of these neurotrophin/trk signal transductions. The consequence of CEP-751 inhibition of trk signaling for in vitro clonogenic survival of a series of human prostatic cancer lines was also tested. RESULTS These studies demonstrated that normal prostatic tissue from patients without prostate cancer contains substantial levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), which is produced in a paracrine manner by stromal cells. These stromal cells lack both trk and p75NTR receptors. In contrast, normal prostatic epithelial cells from patients without prostate cancer do not secrete detectable levels of neurotrophins, but do express trk A and p75 NTR. While the NGF/trkA/p75 NTR axis is present in the normal prostate, normal prostatic epithelial cells do not depend on this axis for their survival. In contrast, malignant prostate epithelial cells directly secrete a series of neurotrophins (i.e., NGF, BDNF, and/or NT-3) and express at least one if not more of the trk receptor proteins (i.e., trk A, B, and/or C), while no longer expressing the p75NTR receptors. In addition, inhibition of autocrine trk signaling via CEP-751 treatment induces the apoptotic death of these malignant cells. CONCLUSIONS Prostate carcinogenesis involves molecular changes leading to the paracrine and/or autocrine production of a series of neurotrophins. This is coupled to the ectopic expression of trk B and trk C, as well as to the continued expression of trk A, and the loss of expression of p75NTR receptors. These changes result in the acquisition by malignant prostate cells of a unique requirement for trk signaling pathways for survival. Based on these findings, trk inhibition is a novel, rational approach for prostate cancer therapy. Prostate 45:140–148, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.