cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biology of the Soybean Aphid, Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the United States

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a significant insect pest of soybean in the north-central region of the United States and southern Canada, and if left untreated can reduce yield value by $2.4 billion annually. The soybean aphid is native to eastern Asia, where soybean was first domesticated, and was first detected in the United States in 2000. It quickly spread within 4 years of its discovery across 22 states and three provinces of Canada. Heavy infestations can result in a covering of sooty mold, yellow and wrinkled leaves, stunted plants, and aborted pods leading to significant yield loss of 40% or more. It can also transmit plant viruses such as Soybean mosaic virus and Alfalfa mosaic virus. The soybean aphid has a complex life cycle that involves different physical forms, sexual stages, and two host plant species-soybean and buckthorn (the overwintering host). Plant nutrition, natural enemies, climate, and weather all affect population growth rate, but the typical population doubling time is ≈6-7 days. Though at present management is primarily through broad-spectrum insecticides, biological control has a significant impact on soybean aphid population growth, and aphid-resistant soybean varieties are becoming increasingly available.
Food-motivated behavior in the odd-carbon enriched rat: relationship to maintenance of carbohydrate stores during food deprivation.

Abstract Rats with depot fat enriched with odd-carbon fatty acids by feeding a diet containing triundecanoin (C11:0) as the major fat source maintain significantly higher concentrations of liver glycogen and serum glucose during starvation than do rats fed a conventional fat. Following food deprivation the odd-carbon enriched (OCE) rats exhibit significantly lower response rates than their nonenriched controls when tested on high density variable interval reinforcement schedules (CRF, VI 15, VI 30) but perform as well as controls under a low density variable interval reinforcement schedule (VI 60) or during extinction. Differences in performance between OCE and control animals can be obtained following fasts of up to 96 hr; deprivation intervals over which significant differences in plasma glucose levels can be observed. These findings suggest that the OCE rat is as motivated for food as the control but satiates at a faster rate. In view of the special ability of the OCE animal to resist carbohydrate depletion during a fast, these experiments indicate a specific and important role for carbohydrate status in determining performance of deprived animals on food motivated tasks.
Sediment accumulation at a fringe marsh during transgression, Oyster, Virginia

A variety of processes and sources account for the total accumulation of sediment on a fringe marsh. The rates of accretion across Brockenberry fringe marsh at the south end of the Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, were determined by Pb-210 radiogeochronology. Rates are governed by the surface elevation with respect to midtide elevation, the rate of sea-level rise, and outwash from the mainland. Only some portions of the fringe marsh are able to keep pace with sea-level rise and thus migrate up the mainland slope during transgression.
Proof of permutationally convexity of MCSF games

Granot and Huberman (1982) showed that minimum cost spanning tree (MCST) games are permutationally convex (PC). Recently, Rosenthal (1987) gave an extension of MCST games to minimum cost spanning forest (MCSF) games and showed these games have nonempty cores. In this note we show any MCSF game is a PC game.
Molecular cloning of platelet factor XI, an alternative splicing product of the plasma factor XI gene.

Platelet factor XI is associated with the platelet plasma membrane and has an apparent M r(220,000 nonreduced, 55,000 reduced) different from that of plasma factor XI. However, the site of synthesis and the nature of platelet factor XI are not known. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, 12 out of 13 exons (all except exon V) coding for mature plasma factor XI were amplified from human platelet mRNA. The sequence of each of these exons was identical to that of plasma factor XI. In situ amplification and hybridization of factor XI mRNA was positive for exon III and negative for exon V in platelets and negative for both exons in other blood cells. By Northern hybridization, a factor XI mRNA transcript of ~1.9 kilobases was detected in megakaryocytic cells, and one of ~2.1 kilobases was detected in liver cells. Factor XI cDNA was cloned from a megakaryocyte library and sequenced. Exon V was absent, and the splicing of exon IV to exon VI maintained the open reading frame without alteration of the amino acid sequence except for the deletion of amino acids Ala91–Arg144 within the amino-terminal portion of the Apple 2 domain. Thus, platelet factor XI is an alternative splicing product of the factor XI gene, localized to platelets and megakaryocytes but absent from other blood cells.
Selective Etching of Silicon Dioxide Using Reactive Ion Etching with CF 4 ‐ H 2

Highly selective etching of silicon dioxide relative to both silicon and resist has been obtained by reactive ion etching substrates which are loaded onto an rf cathode and exposed to a low pressure discharge of a etching gas mixture. Silicon dioxide‐to‐silicon etch rate ratios as high as 35 to 1 have been measured and silicon dioxide‐to‐resist etch rate ratios have been found to exceed 10 to 1. The use of reactive ion etching is important in achieving these high etch ratios; the low operating pressure of between 2.7 and 5.3 Pa and the exposure of substrates to bombardment by energetic ions tend to inhibit polymerization on the substrates. As a result, it is possible to use the greater concentrations which are required for high etch rate ratios.
Simultaneous acquisition of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data and positron emission tomography (PET) images with a prototype MR-compatible, small animal PET imager

Abstract Multi-modality imaging (such as PET–CT) is rapidly becoming a valuable tool in the diagnosis of disease and in the development of new drugs. Functional images produced with PET, fused with anatomical images created by MRI, allow the correlation of form with function. Perhaps more exciting than the combination of anatomical MRI with PET, is the melding of PET with MR spectroscopy (MRS). Thus, two aspects of physiology could be combined in novel ways to produce new insights into the physiology of normal and pathological processes. Our team is developing a system to acquire MRI images and MRS spectra, and PET images contemporaneously. The prototype MR-compatible PET system consists of two opposed detector heads (appropriate in size for small animal imaging), operating in coincidence mode with an active field-of-view of ∼14 cm in diameter. Each detector consists of an array of LSO detector elements coupled through a 2-m long fiber optic light guide to a single position-sensitive photomultiplier tube. The use of light guides allows these magnetic field-sensitive elements of the PET imager to be positioned outside the strong magnetic field of our 3T MRI scanner. The PET scanner imager was integrated with a 12-cm diameter, 12-leg custom, birdcage coil. Simultaneous MRS spectra and PET images were successfully acquired from a multi-modality phantom consisting of a sphere filled with 17 brain relevant substances and a positron-emitting radionuclide. There were no significant changes in MRI or PET scanner performance when both were present in the MRI magnet bore. This successful initial test demonstrates the potential for using such a multi-modality to obtain complementary MRS and PET data.
Antibody to rhinovirus in human sera. I. Standardization of a neutralization test.

SummaryThe reproducibility of rhinovirus neutralization tests employing small doses of virus was tested by performing, in blind fashion, neutralization tests on duplicate serum samples from 10 individuals against 5 rhinovirus serotypes and from another 10 individuals against 3 different rhinovirus serotypes. The most reproducible results were obtained on the second day in which 3.2 TCID50 or more were present in the simultaneous virus titration, and the test was made technically easier by classifying as positive only those cultures with diffuse involvement of the cell sheet with CPE. The neutralizing antibody differences between duplicate serum samples appeared to follow a normal distribution. The frequency of 4-fold or greater differences between duplicate samples was 15.6%; 8-fold or greater differences, 5.2%; and 6-fold differences, 2.6%. Variability between duplicate serum samples was found to be related to the level of antibody present.
Assessment of Building Energy-Saving Policies and Programs in China During the 11th Five Year Plan

China’s 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP) sets an ambitious target to reduce the energy intensity per unit of gross domestic product by 20% from 2005 to 2010 (NDRC 2006). In the building sector, the primary energy-saving target allocated during the 11 FYP period is 100 Mtce. Savings are expected to be achieved through the strengthening of enforcement of building energy efficiency codes, existing building retrofits and heat supply system reform, followed by energy management of government office buildings and large-scale public buildings, adoption of renewable energy sources. To date, China has reported that it achieved the half of the 20% intensity reduction target by the end of 2008; however, little has been made clear on the status and the impact of the building programs. There has also been lack of description on methodology for calculating the savings and baseline definition, and no total savings that have been officially reported to date. This paper intends to provide both quantitative and qualitative assessment of the key policies and programs in building sector that China has instituted in its quest to fulfill the national goal. Overall, this paper concludes that the largest improvement for building energy efficiency were achieved in new buildings; the program to improve the energy management in government and large scale public buildings are in line with the target; however, the progress in the area of existing building retrofits, particularly heating supply system reform lags behind the stated goal by a large amount.
Intracellular transport of secretory and membrane proteins in hepatoma cells infected by vesicular stomatitis virus

Abstract Rat hepatoma cells which secrete several serum proteins have been infected with a temperature sensitive mutant of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, which is defective in RNA replication and transcription. These infected cells, grown at 39.5°C, continue normal secretion of albumin and transferrin, so that synthesis and maturation of secretory and membrane proteins, including the VSV G protein, can be studied in the same cells. Serum proteins are not secreted from the cells at the same rate; half of the newly synthesized albumin appears in the medium after 23 minutes, while half of the glycoprotein transferrin is secreted only after about 40 minutes. By contrast, two membrane proteins—the VSV G glycoprotein and a high molecular weight hepatoma surface protein—are detected at the cell surface approximately 23 minutes after their synthesis. The differences in the rate of externalization among the secretory and membrane glycoproteins are due to differences in the rate of transport from the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into or through the Golgi region, as judged by the time required for maturation of the asn-linked oligosaccharides. Unglycosylated VSV G does not reach the cell surface, while unglycosylated transferrin is secreted at the same rate as the glycosylated species. Thus neither the synthesis nor the presence of the asn-linked oligosaccharide chain are determinants in the rate of transferrin secretion. The monovalent ionophore monensin inhibits both secretion of serum proteins and migration of membrane proteins to the cell surface. However, the intracellular transport of transferrin is blocked in a stage where the molecule is still sensitive to endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, while VSV G reaches a stage in which it is resistant to the enzyme. These results indicate that at least part of the intracellular pathway may be different for membrane and secretory proteins and glycoproteins.
The effects of continuous passive motion on the temporomandibular joint after surgery. Part II. Appliance improvement, normal subject evaluation, pilot clinical trial.

Abstract An earlier publication (Part I) described the development of an appliance for delivering continuous passive motion (CPM) to the temporomandibular joints after surgery. In this article, we describe further design changes in the CPM appliance and evaluate its acceptability and safety in normal subjects. The therapeutic effectiveness is described in a pilot study of patients' responses to CPM after temporomandibular joint surgery. The study will be continued in a formal prospective clinical atrial comparing the efficacy of postsurgical CPM with that obtained from ultrasonic and other forms of physiotherapy.
Vertebrate host relationships and distribution of ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Connecticut, USA.

Fifteen tick species of Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus were identified from 8917 specimens collected in Connecticut. Vertebrate host records and seasonal geographical distributions are given for each species. A. americanum, D. variabilis, I. cookei, I. dammini and R. sanguineus were removed from man. A. maculatum, D. albipictus, D. variabilis, I. cookei, I. dammini and R. sanguineus were recorded from domestic mammals. D. variabilis occurs throughout Connecticut and is the most frequently encountered tick on humans and dogs. I. dammini , also common on man and dogs, is restricted to southeastern Connecticut. Field studies suggest that some D. variabilis and I. dammini may have 2-year life cycles.
Gas chromatographic studies of twenty metabolically important acylglycines

Abstract Methylene unit values of methyl esters of twenty acylglycines of biomedical importance on three gas Chromatographic columns are described. Sixteen of them were synthesized. These methylene unit values are not only of value in diagnosis of patients of known organic acidemias, but also in detecting and characterizing those of possible “new” organic acidemias.
VIEWING AZIMUTH AND MAP CLARITY

ABSTRACT In a realistic oblique view of a three-dimensional surface, viewing azimuth is more important than vertical scale or elevation angle as a determinant of surface blocking. Because coordinate axes cannot easily be rotated before interpolation, some mapping software packages, in particular the SYMAP-SYMVU combination, discourage the selection of a viewing azimuth that might provide greater clarity than a traditional diagonal view. A simple direct search method for sampling and evaluating visibility over a wide range of azimuths is a useful and inexpensive approach to optimizing the orientation of oblique views. Complementary views from two orthogonal azimuths might be needed to enhance overall clarity for rough, irregular surfaces. Because trend slope correlates with surface visibility for smooth, regular surfaces, an azimuth in the direction of steepest ascent on the linear trend surface approximates the azimuth with maximum visibility and promotes the cartographic communication of the salient spat...
The veridicality of subjective estimates of relative risk

The veridicality of subjective estimates of relative risk was examined on two Choice Dilemma Questionnaire items. The results indicated that although, on the average, individuals view themselves as riskier than their peers, the Ss could be divided into three groups-those who saw themselves as riskier (R), the same as (S), or more cautious (C) than their peers. Comparisons of the mean levels of risk advocated by Ss in each group indicated that the perceptions of relative riskiness of Ss in the R and C groups were veridical. Ss in the S group were significantly more cautious than they realized. This pattern of results suggests that the risky shift may be accounted for through conformity or attitude changes related to a social comparison process rather than the mechanisms postulated by the social value hypothesis.
Local and regional dynamics of a specialist herbivore: overexploitation of a patchily distributed host plant

This study reports a rare example where a native herbivorous insect frequently overexploits local populations of its perennial host. Local dynamics of a flightless weevil (Hadramphus spinipennis, Curculionidae) and its host plant (Aciphylla dieffenbachii, Apiaceae) were assessed for one discrete patch. In this main study site local weevil population structure, dynamics and movement were investigated using a capture-recapture study. Local plant dynamics were studied by mapping plant location, size, sex and the phenological stage of each plant. Regional weevil and plant dynamics were studied for six plant patches using line-transect counts to estimate local weevil numbers and repeated counts of the number of flowering adult plants to assess plant numbers. Dispersal was assessed by regularly searching all plant patches for marked weevils that emigrated from the main study site. Prior to extinction, local weevil abundance, survival and recruitment rates increased continuously. At the same time the feeding damage on the plants increased and the area covered by A. dieffenbachii decreased until no plants were left. An increase in weevil abundance was clearly associated with the extinction of the local host plant population. Weevils stayed in their local host plant patch whilst food was available and dispersed only after local extinction of the plant. Over a 4-year period four local population extinctions were observed. This study was too short to allow explicit conclusions to be drawn about the ratio of extinction to colonisation rates for both the weevil and the host plant populations. However, persistence of this locally unstable system appears possible only in a fragmented habitat where asynchrony in local dynamics is maintained.
Feedback write scheme for memristive switching devices

In nanoscale memristive switching devices, the statistical distribution of resistance values and other relevant parameters for device operation often exhibits a lognormal distribution, causing large fluctuations of memristive analog state variables after each switching event, which may be problematic for digital nonvolatile memory applications. The state variable w in such devices has been proposed to be the length of an undoped semiconductor region along the thickness of the thin film that acts as a tunnel barrier for electronic transport across it. The dynamical behavior of w is governed by the drift diffusion of ionized dopants such as oxygen vacancies. Making an analogy to scanning tunneling microscopes (STM), a closed-loop write scheme using current feedback is proposed to switch the memristive devices in a controlled manner. An integrated closed-loop current driver circuit for switching a bipolar memristive device is designed and simulated. The estimated upper limit of the feedback loop bandwidth is in the order of 100 MHz. We applied a SPICE model built upon the TiO2 memristive switching dynamics to simulate the single-device write operation and found the closed-loop write scheme caused a narrowing of the statistical distribution of the state variable w.
Rural income and poverty in a time of radical change in Malawi

Abstract Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa. There is widespread, though not universal, agreement about the shape of poverty in the country and the policy challenge this sets. Agriculture continues to be the most obvious means to stimulate broad-based rural growth and to provide levels of food security and income needed for the majority rural population. A longitudinal study over a decade during which radical policy and political changes occurred provides the data and basis for discussing the appropriate policy directions for reducing poverty.
Lithium erosion experiments and modelling under quiescent plasma conditions in DIII-D

Lithium-sputtering erosion and transport has been measured in the outer divertor of the DIII-D tokamak. The Divertor Materials Evaluation System (DiMES) mechanism places a 2.5 cm lithium spot as a plasma-facing surface in the divertor. Plasma diagnostics and atomic lithium visible spectroscopy are used to measure the lithium erosion yield near the outer strikepoint (OSP) with swept-plasma parameters of electron temperature 5–25 eV and electron density (0.03–1.80) × 1019 m−3. Solid-phase lithium physical sputtering is measured to be less than 10% (Li/D+). The yield increases with incident energy. Physical sputtering models confirm measurements of sputtered energy and spatial distributions showing skewed angular distributions when the sample is exposed near the OSP and isotropic angular distributions when the sample is exposed to the private flux region. REDEP/WBC modelling of near-surface impurity transport agrees well with experimental measurements showing sputtered lithium neutral atoms effectively ionized about a centimetre away from the Li–DiMES probe surface. A reduction in lithium physical sputtering by a factor of 4–5 is measured when the lithium surface forms an oxide, consistent with the physical sputtering behaviour of most metal-oxides. Although of less significance than lithium atom transport, there is a modelling/data discrepancy regarding lithium ion transport with, e.g. the data showing more asymmetric ion transport than predicted.
The role of fungi in waste treatment

(1970). The role of fungi in waste treatment. C R C Critical Reviews in Environmental Control: Vol. 1, No. 1-4, pp. 581-619.
The development of an infiltrated lead/iron composite material for use as a non-toxic bird shot

Abstract The infiltration of sintered, porous iron powder masses by lead does not occur very readily; it has been shown in this work that the process is highly temperature dependent. Calculations show that only a marginal decrease in the contact angle below 90° is required to allow complete wetting to take place. The calculated contact angles between lead and iron are significantly higher than values reported in the literature, probably due to oxide contamination of the powder surface. The addition of zinc to the lead rich phase allows infiltration by lead or lead alloys to occur more readily; very little zinc remains in the pellet after infiltration. The zinc appears to act as a reducing agent to clean the iron surface of residual oxide and allow wetting to occur. Infiltrated lead iron composites, in the form of spherical pellets, have been shown elsewhere to be an acceptable alternative shot material for waterfowl hunting.
So you want to work in China

During my sabbatical I had the opportunity to meet an interesting variety of people: city professionals, eager students, rural peasants. We were warmly entertained in a number of Chinese homes. We had the opportunity to travel to many of the provinces of China, sometimes as part of a tour group, sometimes on our own. Everywhere we experienced friendship and a strong desire to build bridges between the people of our two nations. If you decide to accept a foreign assignment, do it with your eyes and mind open. It will not be all glamour and excitement. It will include hard work, disappointments, and misunderstandings. Go with the right attitude and it can be a rich and rewarding experience.
A Survey on Human Activity Recognition using Wearable Sensors

Providing accurate and opportune information on people's activities and behaviors is one of the most important tasks in pervasive computing. Innumerable applications can be visualized, for instance, in medical, security, entertainment, and tactical scenarios. Despite human activity recognition (HAR) being an active field for more than a decade, there are still key aspects that, if addressed, would constitute a significant turn in the way people interact with mobile devices. This paper surveys the state of the art in HAR based on wearable sensors. A general architecture is first presented along with a description of the main components of any HAR system. We also propose a two-level taxonomy in accordance to the learning approach (either supervised or semi-supervised) and the response time (either offline or online). Then, the principal issues and challenges are discussed, as well as the main solutions to each one of them. Twenty eight systems are qualitatively evaluated in terms of recognition performance, energy consumption, obtrusiveness, and flexibility, among others. Finally, we present some open problems and ideas that, due to their high relevance, should be addressed in future research.
Integrating monaural and binaural analysis for localizing multiple reverberant sound sources

Localization of simultaneous sound sources in natural environments with only two microphones is a challenging problem. Reverberation degrades performance of localization based exclusively on directional cues. We present an approach that integrates monaural and binaural analysis to improve localization of multiple speech sources in noisy and reverberant environments. Our approach incorporates pitch-based monaural processing to perform simultaneous organization of voiced speech. We propose a probabilistic framework to jointly perform localization and sequential organization using binaural cues. We evaluate our system on multi-source speech mixtures in the presence of reverberation and diffuse noise and compare it to two localization approaches that do not incorporate monaural cues. Results indicate that our system can accurately localize multiple sources in very challenging conditions.
YjhS (NanS) Is Required for Escherichia coli To Grow on 9-O-Acetylated N-Acetylneuraminic Acid

The nanATEK-yhcH, yjhATS, and yjhBC operons in Escherichia coli are coregulated by environmental N-acetylneuraminic acid, the most prevalent sialic acid in nature. Here we show that YjhS (NanS) is a probable 9-O-acetyl N-acetylneuraminic acid esterase required for E. coli to grow on this alternative sialic acid, which is commonly found in mammalian host mucosal sites.
The kinetics of pit growth on alloy 600 in chloride solutions at high temperatures

Abstract Alloy 600 tube specimens were subjected to corrosion in de-aerated 0.1 M NaCl solution at 100–250°C at applied potentials more positive than the respective pit nucleation potentials, and in de-aerated 200 ppm CuCl 2 solution at 150 and 280°C under open circuit conditions. In NaCl, the pits grew in depth proportionally to t 0.3 , t 0.5 and t 0.7 ( t = time) at 100, 150 and 250°C, respectively. In CuCl 2 at both 150 and 280°C, the pit deepening rate was proportional to t 0.4 . In both the solutions studied, the density of pits observed on the surface of specimens after the same time of corrosion at 100°C was less than at higher temperatures, whereas the pit depth was greater at 100°C than at higher temperatures. The morphology of pits was temperature dependent. The corrosion products accumulated on pit bottoms were enriched in Cr, Ti and S, and impoverished in Fe and Ni.
Rare earth element redistribution and its effects on the neodymium isotope system in the austin Glen Member of the Normanskill Formation, New York, USA

Abstract Three groups of REE patterns are observed for the sandstones and shales of the Middle Ordovician Austin Glen Member of the Normanskill Formation. One sandstone sample is enriched in middle and light rare earth elements. The majority of samples are light rare earth element (LREE) enriched with negative Eu-anomalies and flat heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), whereas a third group appears to have lost LREEs and middle rare earth element (MREEs). Homogeneous neodymium isotopic compositions for all samples at about the time of deposition, ϵNd (470 Ma) = −8.2 ± 1.1(2SD), indicate that the source of the Austin Glen Member was well mixed and that the neodymium had a long-term enriched history. The differences in the shape and abundances of the REE patterns combined with the neodymium isotope characteristics of the samples lead us to the conclusion that samarium and neodymium were fractionated and that the neodymium isotopic system might have been disturbed at about the time of deposition (470 Ma). Most samples appear to have been affected by this process. The two most altered shales lost about half of their neodymium and their Sm Nd ratios are higher than the Sm Nd ratios of average shales. These two shales give clearly erroneous mantle-extraction ages, but the average TDM of the provenance can still be deduced (1700–1800 Ma) from the least disturbed sandstones with normal upper crustal Sm Nd ratios. Accordingly, this study demonstrates that the REEs may be transported and neodymium isotopes may be reequilibrated under certain sedimentary conditions (e.g., diagenesis). However, in spite of evidence for REE redistribution, provenance information (TDM, original REE patterns) may still be inferred.
Ant colonization and coarse woody debris decomposition in temperate forests

Ants are ubiquitous, abundant and have widespread impacts on ecological communities and ecosystem processes. However, ant effects on coarse woody debris decomposition are unexplored. Several ant species colonize coarse woody debris for nesting, and this puts them in contact with fauna and microbes that utilize coarse woody debris as habitat and food, potentially influencing nutrient cycling and, ultimately, forest productivity. We report results from a field experiment employing 138 artificial ant nests (routed pine blocks) across five locations in southeastern US deciduous forests. We examine the correspondence between ant, termite and wood-eating fungi colonization and variation in coarse woody debris decomposition. After 1 year, nests colonized by ants had 5% more mass than those not colonized. Ant colonization corresponded with significantly less termite- and fungal-mediated decomposition of the nests. Without ants, termites removed 11.5% and fungi removed 4% more wood biomass. Ants, termites and wood-eating fungi all colonized pine nests where temperatures were highest, and ants also preferred higher soil moisture whereas termites and fungi responded negatively to high soil moisture when temperatures were higher. Ants reduce termite colonies through predation, and may inhibit fungi through the secretion of antimicrobial compounds. Our results indicate that interactions between forest understory ants, termites and fungi may influence the rate of coarse woody debris decomposition—biotic interactions that potentially influence forest structure and function.
An unparalleled engine for discovery and clinical introduction: the clinical and translational science awards and gene therapy.

Gene therapy has taken longer than any of us had hoped to come to clinical utility. Its promise is only now beginning to be fulfilled. Improvements in vectors and sufficient duration of follow-up now indicate that for some indications, such as severe combined immune deficiency, Leber congenital amaurosis, and hemophilia B, gene therapy is effective (Thrasher et al., 2006; Silver and Flotte, 2008; Kohn, 2010; Kaiser, 2011; Nathwani et al., 2011; Ponder, 2011; Jacobson et al., 2012). Other diseases, both single gene and multigene, may also yield to this therapeutic approach. But gene therapy is now at the preclinical stage for most indications, or just coming to phase I and phase IIa studies in humans. At this stage, the field will need studies of biomarkers, preclinical animal testing, ethical considerations, and first-in-human studies of the gene therapy reagents compliant with federal regulations, with careful follow-up studies for life. The intensity and lifelong duration of the follow-up studies required, if not the number of subjects necessary for these studies, will require informatics, data capture, and data storage. Development of novel therapeutic approaches and their testing in appropriate patient populations will require the resources now assigned to the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. But is the program ready for this challenge?
Psychological assessment and dyslexia: parents’ perspectives

The purpose of this paper is to explore parents’ perceptions of the process of having their child assessed for dyslexia by an independent Educational Psychologist and the affective impact on the child or young person. The research was carried out as part of an evaluation of the services offered by the Northern Ireland Dyslexia Centre (NIDC). The methodology involved the use of a postal survey questionnaire with both qualitative and quantitative outcomes. Findings are discussed in the context of strategies for promoting partnerships with parents and affective-academic pathways for learners with dyslexia.
Shaping the absorption and fluorescence bands of a class of efficient, photoactive chromophores: synthesis and properties of some new 3H-xanthen-3-

Abstract An approach to the systematic design of absorption and fluorescence band shapes is developed from considerations of the solvatochromism and electronic perturbation of unsymmetrical chromophores. The predicted spectral shifting and line broadening has been demonstrated within a series of newly synthesized substituted 6-amino-3H-xanlhen-3-ones 1 . A new method of presenting bandwidth data is developed which utilizes dipole strength-weighted moments of absorption bands.
Egyptian Crime and Crime Control

In the last forty years Egypt has experienced mandated dependency to England, an oppressive “foreign” monarchy, a popular nationalistic military coup, and a quasi socialistic revolution. With the exception of two crimes, bribery and malversation, crime steadily decreased in that period, according to the Public Security Reports. There are weaknesses in those reports but violent crime, at least, has declined. This paper attempts to analize these developments through the socio-political changes of the last forty years. Crime, and the police establishments of the country are described. Crime has been lowered by the shared Moslem ethics and by pride in the modern-day pharoahs, Nasser and Sadat.
Five Years of Residential Photovoltaic System Experience at Tucson Electric Power

ABSTRACT Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP) is a U.S. utility leader in the early adoption of photovoltaic power generation with over 6.0 MWdc of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in its service territory since 2000. A significant element of the TEP photovoltaic effort is the SunShare PV hardware buy-down program that has been offered to TEP customers since 2001. During the past five years, 282 residentialsize systems totaling 655 kWdc of crystalline silicon collectors have been installed in the Tucson area through SunShare. Much has been learned regarding performance, cost, maintenance, installation, and design of these systems. This article presents an assessment of these topics and a perspective associated with a family of systems within this PV program.
Noise as a Design Constraint in Broadband Wavefront Coded Optical Systems

Simulated results demonstrate the impact of detector noise on the design of a broadband wavefront coded optical system. We conclude that noise must be included as a first-order design constraint in cubic phase-encoded systems.
A metaanalysis of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with cirrhosis.

Abstract Background Few articles address the issue of LC in patients with cirrhosis. Existing articles are retrospective and with small sample sizes, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about indications and complications with LC in this setting. Study design An extensive search of the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases using the terms "laparoscopic cholecystectomy" and "cirrhosis" or "cirrhotic" was conducted. The data from each study were extracted, combined with those of similar studies, and analyzed. Results Twenty-five publications (400 patients with cirrhosis undergoing LC) from 1993 to 2001 were identified. Four articles compared LC with open cholecystectomy in patients with cirrhosis, and six compared patients with cirrhosis to patients without cirrhosis. Patients were primarily in Child-Pugh class A or B, with only six patients in Child-Pugh class C. Compared with patients without cirrhosis, patients with cirrhosis had higher conversion rates (7.06% versus 3.64%, p = 0.024), operative times (98.2 minutes versus 70 minutes, p = 0.005), bleeding complications (26.4% versus 3.1%, p Conclusions Patients with cirrhosis undergo cholecystectomies for more emergent reasons and have higher morbidity. The laparoscopic approach offers advantages of less blood loss, shorter operative time, and shorter length of hospitalization in patients with cirrhosis. Prospective studies will establish which factors affect outcomes and determine the appropriateness of LC in Child's-Pugh class C cirrhosis.
Enhanced thermoelectric power and electronic correlations in RuSe2

We report the electronic structure, electric and thermal transport properties of Ru1−xIrxSe2 (x ≤ 0.2). RuSe2 is a semiconductor that crystallizes in a cubic pyrite unit cell. The Seebeck coefficient of RuSe2 exceeds −200 μV/K around 730 K. Ir substitution results in the suppression of the resistivity and the Seebeck coefficient, suggesting the removal of the peaks in density of states near the Fermi level. Ru0.8Ir0.2Se2 shows a semiconductor-metal crossover at about 30 K. The magnetic field restores the semiconducting behavior. Our results indicate the importance of the electronic correlations in enhanced thermoelectricity of RuSb2.
Promote Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words (Chard & Dickson, 1999). Research has shown that phonemic awareness is a strong indicator of a child's future reading success. If a child lacks phonemic awareness, he or she may be at risk for future reading failure. The explicit teaching of phonemic awareness in the early grades can increase the ease with which students acquire the important skill of reading. It is not difficult to incorporate activities emphasizing oral language into the classroom each day through formal and informal experiences. The following activities help promote phonemic awareness in students.
POLITICS WITH AND WITHOUT POLICY

When strategic complementarities lead to the existence of multiple equilibria, a change in control of government may lead to changes in economic behavior by consumers or firms even if the different parties pursue the same policies. The existence of multiple equilibria, however, is not necessary to predict partisan effects. Furthermore, electoral uncertainty is not necessary to generate partisan effects; indeed, such uncertainty can dampen the cycle.
Simultaneous EPR electrochemical measurements on polypyrrole in ambient temperature ionic liquids

Abstract EPR, current and charge measurements have been made simultaneously (a) vs. potential during linear scan experiments and (b) vs. time during chronoamperometric experiments on a polypyrrole film in an ambient temperature molten salt consisting of 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride + aluminium chloride. The linear scan experiments show an EPR absorption over a very narrow potential region, about 200 mV, and a strong correlation between the maximum EPR absorption and the peak current. Chronoamperometric experiments show that equilibrium is achieved after 10-15 s, and that the paramagnetic species (radical cation) is necessarily an intermediate in the process of switching the film from its neutral to fully oxidized state, or the reverse. The characteristics of the EPR signal are reported.
Use of the human calvaria and skull as alms bowls and drinking vessels by Aghori ascetics in present-day India

The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of the human calvaria and skull as alms bowls and drinking vessels by a sect of Hindu ascetics in present-day India known as the Aghoris. The authors attempt to explain the rationale behind the Aghoris' use of the human calvaria and skull in this manner. A review of the literature using standard search engines was conducted to obtain information about the history and philosophy of the Aghori ascetics. Multiple academic references confirm the persistence of the practice of using the human calvaria and skull as alms bowls and drinking vessels among Aghori ascetics in present-day India. This practice is inspired by the Aghoris' monistic philosophy, a principle of which is that observance of social convention deters the individual soul in its journey towards liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. Certain anatomical features of the human body have had religious significance in the past. Multiple academic references concerning the Aghoris argue that religious significance continues to be ascribed to certain components of human anatomy. In the case of the Aghoris, these components are the calvaria and skull.
Alterations in membrane surface properties of reticulocytes during maturation as determined by partition in two-polymer aqueous phase systems.

Abstract Changes were studied in the partition in aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol two-phase systems of normal rat reticulocytes as a function of maturation. Diminution of partition of erythrocytes with increasing age has previously been described [10, 11, 17]. Together these data provide a complete picture of changes, as measured by partition, in membrane surface properties of red cells in the circulation during maturation and aging. 1. 1. Young rat reticulocytes have the lowest partition in two-polymer aqueous phases of any red cells in the peripheral circulation. These cells were radioactively labeled in vivo, isolated by countercurrent distribution and transfused to normal rats. The recipients were bled periodically and their blood, in turn, was subjected to countercurrent distribution. It was found that the partition of reticulocytes increases as they age until it becomes the highest partition of any red cells in the circulation. This process, in the rat, takes about 24 h. 2. 2. On aging, the partition of erythrocytes gradually diminishes [17] until the oldest erythrocytes have a partition close to that of the youngest reticulocytes. This process takes the entire life-span of the red cell (about 55 days in the rat). Surface charge has been implicated as being a major determinant of erythrocyte partition [7,18,19] and it is not unlikely that the increase in partition that accompanies reticulocyte aging reflects an increase in its surface charge. 3. 3. There is a correlation between the partition of young reticulocytes and those cells which incorporate 14C-valine into hemoglobin in vitro. 4. 4. The changes in the cell membrane that result in altered partitions during reticulocyte and erythrocyte aging could not be duplicated in in vitro incubation of labeled rat red cells. 5. 5. It is shown, by comparison with untreated rat red cells, that the contact with the polymers in the aqueous phase systems used as well as the mechanical aspects involved in countercurrent distribution have no apparent effect on the survival of the red cells when transfused to normal rats. The protective effects of the phases on cells have previously been discussed [16].
The effects of insulin on lipolysis evoked by cyclic AMP and its dibutyryl analog.

SummaryGlycerol production by segments of epididymal fat from normal rats was used as a measure of lipolysis. Theophyl-line (0.3 mg/ml) produced a striking increase in lipolysis. Further addition of cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′-monophosphate (CAMP) at a concentration of 10-2M caused an even greater increase in glycerol production. Insulin (1 mU/ml) slightly reduced the lipolytic effects of theophylline and completely abolished lipolysis in response to CAMP. The dibutyryl analog of CAMP (10-3M) also increased lipolysis and its effects were also potentiated by theophylline. Insulin failed to reduce and in some experiments even enhanced the lipolytic action of dibutyryl CAMP. Imidazole reduced lipolysis in response to both nucleotides. The findings indicate that CAMP and its dibutyryl analog may behave quite differently under some circumstances and underscore the need for caution in drawing physiological conclusions based on findings with DBCAMP alone.
Q-, C-, and G-banding patterns in the germ-line and somatic chromosomes of Miastor sp. (Diptera: cecidomyidae)

Q-, C-, and G-banding patterns are described for the germ-line and somatic chromosomes of Miastor sp. The chromosome number in the germ line is 36, which is 3 less than that previously reported for the same cultured line 18 years ago. There are 8 chromosome groups: 8 large acrocentrics, 11 large and medium submetacentrics, 4 medium metacentrics, 4 medium subtelocentrics, 6 medium telocentrics, one medium acrocentric, one small submetacentric, and one small telocentric. All 8 large acrocentrics have a Q-band and an interstitial C-band in the short arm, suggesting that these chromosomes are at least partially homologous (or homeologous) and that the germ line originally was polyploid. Only one other germ-line chromosome, the small submetacentric, has a Q-band and an interstitial C-band. In somatic cells there are 8 chromosomes, 28 chromosomes having been eliminated during early cleavage. Three of the four pairs of somatic chromosomes are heteromorphic, despite the indications of a polyploid origin of the germ-line chromosomes and despite the presence of somatic pairing. Furthermore, there is a great deal of restriction on which chromosomes are retained in somatic cells, and it may be that the same 8 chromosomes are retained by all embryos. The G-banding pattern is not as clear as the other two banding patterns. The findings are discussed in relation to observations in other cecidomyids, and a model for the evolution of the chromosome system of Miastor is presented.
Controlling data disclosure in computational PIR protocols

Private Information Retrieval (PIR) protocols allow users to learn data items stored at a server which is not fully trusted, without disclosing to the server the particular data element retrieved. Several PIR protocols have been proposed, which provide strong guarantees on user privacy. Nevertheless, in many application scenarios it is important to protect the database as well. In this paper, we investigate the amount of data disclosed by the the most prominent PIR protocols during a single run. We show that a malicious user can stage attacks that allow an excessive amount of data to be retrieved from the server. Furthermore, this vulnerability can be exploited even if the client follows the legitimate steps of the PIR protocol, hence the malicious request can not be detected and rejected by the server. We devise mechanisms that limit the PIR disclosure to a single data item.