cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reversible lability by in situ reaction of self-assembled monolayers.

We describe a new methodology for the fabrication of controllably displaceable monolayers using a carboxyl-functionalized self-assembled monolayer and in situ Fischer esterification, a simple and reversible chemical reaction. Using an 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid monolayer as a model system, we show that in situ esterification results in the creation of subtle chemical and structural defects. These defects promote molecular exchange reactions with n-dodecanethiol molecules, leading to the complete and rapid displacement of the exposed areas. Displacement results in well-ordered crystalline n-dodecanethiolate monolayer films. We also show that the complementary hydrolysis reaction can be employed to quench the reacted monolayer, significantly hindering further displacement. The generality of reversible lability was tested by applying the in situ esterification reaction to the structurally distinct carboxyl-functionalized molecule 3-mercapto-1-adamantanecarboxylic acid. Beyond its applicability to create mixe...
Analysis of Fundamental Reaction Rates in the Methanol-to-Olefins Process on ZSM-5 as a Basis for Reactor Design and Operation

The paper reports on work aiming at collecting more insight into the methanol-to-olefins process and its product distribution and, more generally, into the behavior of carbenium ion elementary steps of methylation, olgomerization, and β scission on zeolite catalysts. The single-event concept for the rate coefficient, derived from transition-state theory and statistical thermodynamics, and the Evans−Polanyi relationship for the activation energy drastically reduced the number of parameters to be derived from the experimental data from 726 to 33. The number of single events and the heats of formation required for this approach were calculated from the reacting structures and ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The kinetic parameters were inserted into a reactor model to generate sets of rate and yield profiles in an isothermal fixed-bed reactor in the range of 380−480 °C. Finally, for commercial applications, a multibed adiabatic reactor concept was explored.
Learning opportunities in synchronous computer-mediated communication and face-to-face interaction

This study investigated how synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and face-to-face (F2F) oral interaction influence the way in which learners collaborate in language learning and how they solve their communicative problems. The findings suggest that output modality may affect how learners produce language, attend to linguistic forms, and solve communicative problems. In particular, the use of collaborative processes to construct utterances was more prevalent in F2F interaction than in SCMC. Moreover, learners engaged in activities and produced language differently depending on output modalities, which differed in terms of the physical, social, and interactional contexts that they created and the way in which they influenced learners' communication strategies. The findings indicate that SCMC should be used selectively according to the pedagogical purpose.
Controlling the self-assembly of InAs/InP quantum dots

Abstract We examine, both experimentally and theoretically, the feasibility of positioning and sizing self-assembled InAs quantum dots on a variety of patterned InP templates. Such templates are fabricated using either chemically assisted ion beam etching or selective oxide patterning, and subsequent chemical beam epitaxial overgrowth. For templates of trapezoidal cross-section, we demonstrate experimentally how quantum dot formation can be localised on the top (0 0 1) surface of the structure. For templates of triangular cross-section, in which the (0 0 1) top surface has been eliminated and strained quantum wells have been embedded, we use finite element modeling of the stress distribution and elastic strain energy to examine the positioning and sizing of self-assembled InAs quantum dots on the sidewalls. We show that dots can be located near the intersection of the quantum well stressors with the template sidewalls, whilst the lateral dot dimension is influenced by the extent of the local strain distribution.
'Toll2008' outgrows its name

On 24–27 September 2008, members of the scientific community gathered to discuss advances in innate immunity at the 'Toll meeting' in Cascais, Portugal. Before long, attendees noticed that 'Toll2008' might be a misnomer.
Meson exchange and the theory of finite fermi systems

Abstract The spin-dependent parameters g0 and g'0 in Migdal's theory of finite Fermi systems are studied. Assuming their values to be such as to reproduce the M1 states in 208Pb at 7 and 8 MeV, the origin of these (large) values in meson-exchange contributions to the nucleon-nucleon force is studied. Pion exchange contributes little, because of cancellation between matrix elements from the spin-spin and tensor components. The largest, nearly equal, contributions to g0 and g'0 come from p-meson exchange. In order to explain the large values needed for g0 and g'0, the tensor coupling of the ρ-meson must be substantially larger than the effective ones found in current phenomenological potentials, such as the Reid soft-core and Hamada-Johnston ones. The large value of the coupling needed follows from work analyzing nucleon form factors.
Relationship between binocular disparity and motion parallax in surface detection

The ability to detect surfaces was studied in a multiple-cue condition in which binocular disparity and motion parallax could specify independent depth configurations. On trials on which binocular disparity and motion parallax were presented together, either binocular disparity or motion parallax could indicate a surface in one of two intervals; in the other interval, both sources indicated a volume of random points. Surface detection when the two sources of information were present and compatible was not better than detection in baseline conditions, in which only one source of information was present. When binocular disparity and motion specified incompatible depths, observers’ ability to detect a surface was severely impaired if motion indicated a surface but binocular disparity did not. Performance was not as severely degraded when binocular disparity indicated a surface and motion did not. This dominance of binocular disparity persisted in the presence of foreknowledge about which source of information would be relevant.
Spontaneous rupture of the stomach.

Summary A case of spontaneous rupture of the stomach in a small child is reported. The etiology of spontaneous rupture of the stomach is briefly discussed.
Nondiffractive ψ photoproduction mechanisms

We calculate the contributions to nondiffractive psi photoproduction due to the mechanisms of gluon-gluon (gg), light-quark--antiquark (qq-bar), and charmed-quark--antiquark (cc-bar) fusion. The qq-bar and cc-bar fusion lead to measurable cross sections at moderate x/sub psi/. This presents an opportunity to measure quark distributions in the photon as well as the charm sea of the proton.
Nitric oxide modulates Ca2+ channel currents in rat sympathetic neurons

Abstract The effects of nitric oxide on the Ca2+ channel currents of adult rat superior cervical ganglion neurons were investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Nitric oxide-containing compounds sodium nitroprusside and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine increased the amplitude of Ca2+ currents by intracellular application. In addition, both sodium nitroprusside and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine reduced norepinephrine-induced inhibition of Ca2+ currents. The results suggest that nitric oxide might be involved in the modulation of Ca2+-dependent neurotransmission in sympathetic neurons.
MMPI-2 validity scales versus domain specific measures in detection of factitious traumatic brain injury

Abstract A known group methodology was used to compare the predictive accuracies of MMPI-2 validity scales and malingered amnesia measures in the detection of real versus feigned traumatic brain-injury. The domain specific compliance measures were consistently more accurate in the separation of factitious brain-injury patients (n = 68) from severe brain-injury patients (N = 56). Among MMPI-2 measures, only scale Sc improved on base-rate predictions of probable malingering. Anti-social traits, as measured by Pd, had no relationship to malingered amnesia. Factor analysis suggested independent psychiatric and neurological malingering factors. The implications for DSM-IV malingering criteria and models of feigned illness are discussed.
Studies on the relationship between dimethylnitrosamine-demethylase activity and dimethylnitrosamine-dependent mutagenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Summary The relationship between dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) demethylase activity and DMN-induccd mutagenesis was investigated in Drosophila metanogaster . The activity of DMN-demethylase was at least 10-fold greater in the Hikone-R strain than in three other Drosophila strains. However, the sex-linked recessive lethal (SLRL) mutations induced by DMN in the four strains differed by less than 2-fold. Several possibilities to explain the lack of correlation between DMN-demethylase activity and DMN-induced mutations were tested and eliminated. They include: (i) the presence of inhibitors of DMN-demethylase in extracts of low-activity strains, (ii) a sex bias in the Hikone-R strain in which the enzyme activity is confined to the females, (iii) the possibility that DMN treatment induces DMN-demethylase activity in the low-activity strains and (iv) the possibility that Hikone-R has a much more efficient DNA repair system than the other strains. The results are discussed in terms of what is known about the role of DMN-demethylase in the metabolic activation of DMN in other systems.
Anoneorectal evaluation after colectomy and endorectal ileoanal anastomosis in children and young adults

Recent improvements in the technique of colectomy, rectal mucosectomy, and endorectal ileoanal anastomosis allow a satisfactory result in most patients. However, the clinical outcome is not entirely satisfactory in about 5% to 10% of patients because of excessive stool frequency or episodic fecal incontinence or both. We evaluated anoneorectal function postoperatively to help explain the mechanisms of the difficulties. Six patients with imperfect functional results (group 1) and 6 with good functional results (group 2) after ileoanal anastomosis and closure of the loop ileostomy were compared with 12 healthy volunteers who had not had operation, through a series of tests designed to evaluate anal sphincter and neorectal function. All patients were instructed in balloon dilation of the neorectum to develop a reservoir while awaiting closure of the ileostomy. Anal sphincter manometric measurements of resting and squeeze pressures were obtained with a 4-channel probe attached to a noncompliant pneumohydraulic perfusion system. Incremental inflation of an intraluminal bag while pressures were simultaneously recorded allowed determinations of neorectal capacity and distensibility. The efficiency of neorectal evacuation was assessed by instilling a labeled synthetic viscous load into the distal bowel. Patients in group 1 had lower resting anal pressures ( P P P =0.13), and less neorectal distensibility ( P =0.27) than patients in group 2. Furthermore, the values for patients in group 2 closely approximated those found in healthy volunteers. Patients in group 1 also failed to complete the program of balloon dilations more frequently than those in group 2 (one of six versus six of six, P
Abstract 3234: Covalent capture of protein binding partners using an azide-tagged, photo-reactive stapled alpha helical p53 peptide

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Mutations in the DNA binding region of tumor suppressor p53 render it transcriptionally inactive (dominant negative) but can also manifest in transcriptionally-independent gain-of-function (GOF) effects, possibly due to mutp53 interacting with other, as yet, unknown targets. Identification of these targets would help to elucidate the pathways and vulnerabilities involved in mutp53 GOF. Covalently linking a known handle to these unknown proteins is one method to aid in their isolation and identification. A hydrocarbon-stapled alpha helical peptide of the p53 transactivation domain (residues 14-29), SAH-p53-8, has been shown to strongly interact with known p53 targets that utilize this domain for binding (HDM2, Kd = 55 nM, HDMX, Kd = 2.3 nM). Substitution of a key interacting residue for the unnatural amino acid benzoylphenylalanine (Bpa) results in a stapled peptide that retains the biochemical properties of SAH-p53-8 (affinities of 38.1 nM and 58.3 nM, respectively) and can covalently capture known targets via photochemical reaction. The introduction of an azido group - a versatile, biochemically-inert capping group - to the N-terminus of this photo-reactive peptide allows for the attachment of various tags to the covalently bound protein(s) via a copper-catazlyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition. Tags include both fluorophores for visualization and affinity tags for protein isolation. This poster will cover the biochemical proof-of-principle of this protein isolation method and exploration into more complex cell lysate environments. Citation Format: Amanda L. Whiting, Joe J. Mitala, Kathryn M. Headley, Joe Reilly, Bethanie L. Morrison, Kevin A. Murray, Federico Bernal. Covalent capture of protein binding partners using an azide-tagged, photo-reactive stapled alpha helical p53 peptide. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3234. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3234
Research note: Rand's research on terrorism

Repeatedly, during the last few years, small groups of extremists have demonstrated that by using terrorist tactics they can achieve disproportionate effects. They attract worldwide attention to themselves and their causes; they arouse worldwide alarm, and can create international incidents that national governments are compelled to deal with, often before a worldwide audience. To protect against their attacks or to respond to crisis situations they create, they force governments to expend resources—manpower, money, the attention of senior officials—vastly out of scale with the magnitude of the actual threat they pose.1
Forgotten Merits of the Analytic Viewpoint

The early twentieth-century German scientist Ludwig Prandtl solved a problem that at first sight seems impossible to solve without a computer: What are the shear forces exerted on the wing of an airplane during flight? The governing equations for this problem are the Navier-Stokes equations, nonlinear partial differential equations for which it is not possible to obtain a general analytic solution. Prandtl solved the problem through strong physical insight, by realizing that frictional effects of the air on the wing are localized within a thin boundary layer, with airflow far from the wing behaving as if it were an ideal fluid, that is, one of zero viscosity. By separating the solution domain into a boundary layer and a far field, he was able to simplify the equations that describe the global domain enough to solve them for the case he needed. Even today, many difficult problems can be usefully approached this way, such as problems of buoyant convection adjacent to vertical walls. For a good review of these and other successes of boundary layer theory, see Bejan [2004].
Therapy for Nb rat tumor transplanted in athymic mice

Two Nb rat prostatic adenocarcinomas, 13 Pr-12, an autonomous tumor, and 2 Pr-128, an androgen-dependent tumor, were transplanted into groups of congenitally athymic nude mice. The agents used for treatment of these tumors are agents characteristically not used in treatment of prostatic adenocarcinoma in humans. However, these have been efficacious in treating other solid malignancies. Both agents, BCNU and Actinomycin-D, were efficacious in producing tumor regression and in causing at least a temporary decrease in tumor growth. The combination of the Nb rat prostatic adenocarcinoma model and nude mouse is presented as an appropriate system to screen therapeutic agents that have proved efficacious in treatment of other solid malignancies but have not been used in treating prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Estimation of the squared modulus of the mutual intensity from high-light-level intensity measurements

The problem of estimating the squared modulus of the mutual intensity (or the complex coherence factor) from high-light-level intensity measurements is addressed for the situation in which the fluctuations of the complex-valued amplitude are governed by circular-Gaussian statistics and the light level is high enough that all nonclassical fluctuations of the measurements can be ignored. A lower bound on the variance of any unbiased estimator is presented, and this bound is compared with the variance of Ebstein’s polynomial estimators [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. A8, 1450 ( 1991)] along with the variance of the maximum-likelihood estimator.
Use of moral discussion as an intervention with delinquents.

Delinquents participated in 7 weekly small group discussions of their judgments in response to Kohlberg-type moral dilemmas. 13 boys' and 6 girls' stages of moral reasoning were assessed before and...
On discrete event diagnosis methods for continuous systems

Fault detection and isolation is a key component of any safety-critical system. Although diagnosis methods based on discrete event systems have been recognized as a promising framework, they cannot be easily applied to systems with complex continuous dynamics. This paper presents a novel approach for discrete event system diagnosis of continuous systems based on a qualitative abstraction of the measurement deviations from the nominal behavior. We systematically derive a diagnosis model, provide diagnosability analysis, and design a diagnoser. Our results show that the proposed approach is easily applicable and can be used for online diagnosis of abrupt faults in continuous systems.
Theories for the flow of dilute solutions of polymers and of nondiluted liquid polymers

The formulation of two theories for the flow of polymeric systems and some of the principal results are presented in this paper. The theory for the flow properties of dilute solutions of polymers is related to the work of Kirkwood and Riseman, and Rouse, Bueche, and Zimm. The combined effects of long-range excluded volume, hydrodynamic shielding and branching are considered in computations for intrinsic viscosity. The dependencies of solution viscosity on velocity gradient and frequency of oscillation are derived. The continuum theory is adequate for describing the combined effects of finite deformation and viscoelastic flow of molten polymers.
Serotonin Regulates Rhythmic Whisking

Many rodents explore their environment by rhythmically palpating objects with their mystacial whiskers. These rhythmic whisker movements ("whisking"; 5-9 Hz) are thought to be regulated by an unknown brainstem central pattern generator (CPG). We tested the hypothesis that serotonin (5-HT) inputs to whisking facial motoneurons (wFMNs) are part of this CPG. In response to exogenous serotonin, wFMNs recorded in vitro fire rhythmically at whisking frequencies, and selective 5-HT2 or 5-HT3 receptor antagonists suppress this rhythmic firing. In vivo, stimulation of brainstem serotonergic raphe nuclei evokes whisker movements. Unilateral infusion of selective 5-HT2 or 5-HT3 receptor antagonists suppresses ipsilateral whisking and substantially alters the frequencies and symmetry of whisker movements. These findings suggest that serotonin is both necessary and sufficient to generate rhythmic whisker movements and that serotonergic premotoneurons are part of a whisking CPG.
Crack-crack and crack-pore interactions in stressed granite

Abstract Scanning electron microscope observations of stress-induced crack growth, causing crack-crack and crack-pore interactions within individual grains of Barre granite, show that photoelastic models of cracks are essentially correct and applicable to rock. The stress placed externally on a sample of rock is not the same stress, in magnitude or direction, experienced by cracks within individual grains. Observations of crack-crack and crack-pore interactions can be used to infer the local and regional stress directions, with some ambiguity. Two basic types of microcrack linking, termed en echelon and en passant are delineated. The former is often a result of relatively large shear stress concentrations between the crack tips in the array. The latter is a combined result of the interaction of the stress fields around two approaching crack tips and the regionally applied stress. Except for some en echelon linking, almost all crack growth within grains is an extensional phenomenon.
Initiation of Ethanol Self‐Administration by the Sucrose‐Substitution Method with HAS and LAS Rats

This study was performed to examine ethanol self-administration in rats bred for different sensitivities to the sedative effects of alcohol [the Colorado High Alcohol Sensitive (HAS) and Low Alcohol Sensitive (LAS) rats]. Four rats from each replicate line of the HAS and LAS rats (n = 16) were obtained from the University of Colorado, and initiation to self-administer ethanol by the sucrose-substitution procedure was attempted. Before the initiation procedure was conducted, home-cage ethanol intake and preference ratio did not differ between LAS and HAS rats. During the initiation procedure, the LAS rats came to self-administer 10% ethanol (v/v) at similar levels as outbred Wistar rats initiated with the same procedure (approximately 0.4 g/kg/session). The HAS rats, however, failed to initiate (approximately 0.08 g/kg/ session after completing the sucrose-substitution procedure) and lever pressing was reduced even more in the HAS rats when the ethanol concentration presented was > 10% (v/v). Three of the eight HAS rats stopped lever pressing completely when the ethanol concentration was raised to 15%. After initiation, home-cage preference ratio differed significantly between the LAS and HAS rats (LAS > HAS, p < 0.03). That the LAS rats did not consume greater amounts of ethanol compared with outbred Long-Evans or Wistar rats is contrary to our hypothesis, based on recent human data suggesting that a lower sensitivity to ethanol could result in increased alcohol intake. The finding that the HAS rats could not be initiated, while selectively bred ethanol nonpreferring rats can, is also contrary to our hypothesis. Further studies related to ethanol self-administration with the HAS line could provide important information related to the genetics of alcohol nonacceptance.
Relationship of the trans-Challis fault system in central Idaho to Eocene and Basin and Range extensions

The trans-Challis fault system (TCFS) is a new structural province in central Idaho mapped during the Challis CUSMAP program conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. The TCFS contains numerous northeast-trending faults, several eruptive centers for the Challis Volcanics, and many precious metal deposits. Major movement occurred in the fault system during Eocene extension that affected the area from the Snake River Plain north into British Columbia. The eastern Snake River Plain is the southern boundary of Eocene extension, and in Idaho the Lewis and Clark line is the northern boundary. The eastern Snake River Plain was “welded” together by passage of the plain over the Yellowstone hotspot. Younger Basin and Range faults were then able to extend across the plain and now terminate at the next major Eocene crustal break north of the plain, the TCFS. The TCFS is an extensional feature equal in importance to the Lewis and Clark zone and the eastern Snake River Plain and should be considered in Tertiary reconstructions for the Pacific Northwest.
Cyanobacterial Genes for the Cytochrome B6-F Complex: Sequence Homology with Plastid and Bacterial Genes but Divergence of Operon Structure

The proton-translocating cytochrome b6-f complex of chloroplast and cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes catalyzes electron transfer from plastoquinone to plastocyanin and is thus required for noncyclic electron flow between the two photosystems (PS) as well as for cyclic flow around PS I. The complex consists of four essential polypeptides: cytochromes f and b6, the Rieske FeS protein, and a subunit IV of unknown function. In the cyanobacterium Anabaena these have apparent molecular weights of 31, 22.5, 22, and 16kd, respectively (1). The b6-f polypeptides occur in equal stoichiometric amounts and share considerable structural homology with components of the mitochondrial-type cytochrome b-cl complex (2). In photosynthetic eukaryotes the genes encoding three of these polypeptides reside in the chloroplast whereas the one for the Rieske FeS protein is located in the nucleus (3). In a purple photosynthetic bacterium the three genes for the essential polypeptides of the b-cl complex are clustered and cotranscribed (4).
Officer Firearms Assaults at Domestic Violence Calls: A Descriptive Analysis:

Domestic violence calls pose great dangers for the safety of police officers in the US as thousands of police officers are assaulted annually while handling domestic violence and domestic disturbance calls. Each year many officers are injured or killed in these assaults, the majority of fatal assaults involving firearms. The present study is a descriptive analysis of 143 incidents of a firearm assault against 225 victim police officers who were handling domestic calls at the time of their victimisation. The characteristics of these cases are described at the incident, assailant, and officer levels. Comparisons are made with the characteristics of fatal police officer assaults in the US in general, and policy recommendations are offered.
A Reconsideration of Wangara/Palolus, Island of Gold*

There is a general consensus among West African historians that the Island of Gold, known to Arab geographers as Wangara and to European cartographers as Palolus, refers to the Bambuk/Bure goldfields. This article examines the evidence for an alternative identification of the Island of Gold with the Inland Niger Delta, where the place name Wangara would be derived from Soninke long-distance traders (Wangara). Many of the details on the Island of Gold provided in the original sources can be shown to apply more convincingly to the Inland Niger Delta than to Bambuk/Bure. Until now, this hypothesis has not received serious consideration, partly because of the belief that the Inland Delta and its most important entrepot, Jenne, did not play a significant role in long-distance trade networks until the fourteenth century. This is contradicted by archaeological evidence for a major urban centre at Jenne-jeno by 900 a.d.The existence in the later first millennium a.d. of the Soninke town of Jenne-jeno, and the oral traditions which maintain that the western Inland Delta was the heartland of the Soninke trade diaspora, combine to indicate that commerce along the Middle Niger was substantial by the early second millennium. Indirect confirmation of this trading activity is found both in al-Bakri's discussion of riverine trade routes along the upper Niger Bend and in al-Idrisi's account of the Wangara along the Middle Niger. The continuing identification of the Inland Niger Delta region as the Island of Gold from the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries implies that part of this trade involved gold. A possible early gold source in Lobi is suggested.
Teaching the Great Recession

This article presents an overview of major factors contributing to the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Descriptions of teaching resources and ideas for lesson plans are provided.
Homing in on bile acid physiology.

Fibroblast growth factor 15 (Fgf15), a hormone made by the terminal ileum in response to bile acids, represses hepatic bile acid biosynthesis. Choi and coworkers (2006) demonstrate that Fgf15 is also required for gallbladder filling.
Disability, Social Insurance, and Labor Force Attachment †

This research tackles an important economic and social policy issue that developed, and many developing economies, face and will be facing in the next decades, and which is how to manage and reform disability programs such that they can provide the necessary insurance to those who are not able to fully participate in the labor force, but without reducing the incentives to maintain the maximum attachment to the labor force of those who choose to. All of this while trying to manage the large costs of these kinds of programs in societies that demand a new focus on the abilities of individuals, not their disabilities. The discussion will focus on the case of the United States, but the conclusions and lessons we are going to extract could be applicable to any country that offers disability benefits and hopes to give disabled individuals the largest possible role among the labor force participants in the society.
Models for the near-surface oceanic vorticity and divergence

Model-based scatterometer wind retrieval algorithms are based on parametric models for the near-surface wind field. Crucial to these models are the representation of the wind vorticity and divergence fields. As part of an effort to improve the modeling accuracy of these fields, the spectra of the vorticity and divergence fields has been computed using ERS-1 scatterometer winds. Over scales of 100 km to 1000 km the vorticity and divergence fields exhibit a power-law dependence on wavenumber k of approximately k/sup -2.6/ and k/sup -1.5/, respectively. This suggests that low-order numerical models can be used to model these fields with the level of accuracy required for model-based wind retrieval. The authors apply the Karhunen-Loeve (KL) transform to develop data-derived statistical models for the vorticity and divergence fields and compare the resulting wind field model to a previous model based on a polynomial expansion. The KL-based model provides some improvement in the model accuracy. >
Polygyny as a risk factor for child mortality among the Dogon

The Dogon village of Sangui in the Malian Sahel had a human population of 460 in January 1988. 54% of the married men in the village had 1 wife 35% had 2 wives and 11% had 3 wives. Polygyny among the Dogon is strictly nonsororal and wives are either arranged or taken from another man. Ideally women do not live with their arranged husband until the birth of 2 children who will be raised by the maternal grandparents. The Dogon are an appropriate population in which to test for an adverse effect of polygyny upon female fitness because the interests of men are accorded higher priority than those of women in several important respects. Child mortality is the greatest burden upon Dogon women with 20% of children in the study village dying in their first year of life and 46% dying before reaching age 5 years. Findings are presented from a study of all 205 children aged 10 years and younger who resided in the village between 1986 and 1988. A re-census of the village in 1994 found that 20 children had left the village and were lost to follow-up and 9 children lived with widowed grandmothers. The effect of polygyny was subsequently tested upon the remaining final sample of 176 children. Analysis of the data found lower survivorship among children whose mothers were polygynously married especially if the mothers were first wives. The odds of death for Dogon children in polygynous work-eat groups were 7-11 times higher than for children in monogamous groups.
GPS measurements across the Northern Caribbean Plate Boundary Zone: Impact of postseismic relaxation following historic earthquakes

GPS measurements in the northern Caribbean suggest that the rate of Caribbean plate motion relative to North America is about 10 mm/yr faster than predicted by global plate motion model NUVEL-1A. Several of the key sites used in the GPS study are located in the Dominican Republic, near the rupture zones of large earthquakes in 1946 and in the previous two centuries. Postseismic relaxation of the crust and upper mantle is a possible explanation for the plate velocity discrepancy. We explore a range of fault mechanisms and crustal and mantle theology to place an upper bound on postseismic relaxation effects. The upper bound velocity contribution in the southern Dominican Republic is 5-6 mm/yr, and the most plausible contribution is 1-2 mm/yr, suggesting that postseismic effects cannot account for the discrepan- cy. This implies that the NUVEL-1A model underesti- mates the rate of motion of the Caribbean plate.
The Competitive Implications of Certifications: The Effects of Scientific and Regulatory Certifications on Entries into New Technical Fields

Extant literature highlights the benefits accruing to a firm that obtains third-party certifications. Certifications provide reputational benefits that increase stakeholders' confidence in a firm's...
Does Origins of Life Research Rest on a Mistake

This is not to say that all scientists think that life’s existence was inevitable. The common view is that given a fuller understanding of the physical and biological conditions and processes involved, the emergence of life should be seen to be quite likely, or at least not very surprising. The view which is almost universally rejected by researchers in the field is that the numerous and prima facie improbable physical and biological requirements for life all fell together just by a fluke, like so many dice tumbling out of a bag and landing all sixes. Most importantly, for the purposes of the following discussion,
Root deployment and shoot growth for two desert species in response to soil rockiness

Soil texture, as well as the presence of rocks, can determine the water status, growth, and distribution of plants in arid environments. The effects of soil rockiness and soil particle size distribution on shoot and root growth, root system size, rooting depth, and water relations were therefore investigated for the Crassulacean acid metabolism leaf succulent Agave deserti and the C(4) bunchgrass Pleuraphis rigida after precipitation events during the summer and winter/spring rainfall periods in the northwestern Sonoran Desert. The soils at the field site varied from sandy (<3% rocks by volume) to rocky (up to 35% rocks), with greater water availability at higher water potentials for sandy than for rocky soils. Although A. deserti was absent from the sandiest sites, its shoot and root growth during both rainfall periods were greatest in comparatively sandier sites and decreased as the soil rock content increased. Furthermore, A. deserti had twofold greater root surface area, root : leaf area ratio, and mean rooting depth at sandier than at rocky sites. As for A. deserti, shoot growth was greater for P. rigida at the sandier sites than at the rockier sites, even though its root surface area and mean rooting depth did not vary significantly. After early spring rainfall events, the leaf water potential for A. deserti did not differ between rocky and sandy sites, but transpiration rates were almost twofold greater at rocky than at sandy sites. During the same period, P. rigida had lower leaf water potentials and 25% lower transpiration rates at rocky than at sandy sites. The greater variability in the deployment of the root systems of A. deserti in response to soil rockiness may reflect its evergreen habit and slower growth, which allow it to endure periods of lower water availability than does P. rigida, whose leaves die during drought.
An Improved Topology for Adaptive Agile Impedance Tuners

Mobile devices are used in unpredictable dynamic environments making favorable antenna performance a challenge. There is great interest in antennas that can operate over a wide range of frequencies in a multitude of environments. To accommodate the range of possible antenna impedances for tuning, it is required to use reconfigurable agile matching circuits. Many existing tuning topologies seek to minimize $\vert S_{11}\vert$ of the matching network. While this is suitable for less demanding tuning systems, such a network can potentially maximize circuit losses in aggressively agile systems. In this letter, we present an understanding of circuit-loss mechanisms along with tuning topologies that maximize a circuit's efficiency for agile systems. It is demonstrated that proper sensing with directional couplers is necessary to maximize power delivered to the load. Validations are provided through fabrication and measurement of an agile tuning network operating at UHF.
Molecular nitrogen LBH band system far-UV emissions of sprite streamers

[1] The time dependent optical emission model developed by Liu and Pasko (2004) is applied to studies of far-UV emissions of sprite streamers due to N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH) band system. Modeling results indicate that the LBH emissions of sprite streamers at 70 km are generally stronger by up to a factor of 10 than those from the first negative band system of N2+, and experimental measurements of the ratio of these two emissions at sprite altitudes can be used to determine poorly known quenching altitude of the N2 (a1Πg) state.
The Concept of Progressive Brain Change in Schizophrenia: Implications for Understanding Schizophrenia

Kraepelin originally defined dementia praecox as a progressive brain disease, although this concept has received various degrees of acceptance and rejection over the years since his famous published textbooks appeared. This article places an historical perspective on the current renewal of Kraepelin's concept in brain imaging literature that supports progressive brain change in schizophrenia from its earliest stages through its chronic course. It is concluded that a great deal of future research is needed focusing on the longitudinal course of change, the extent to the regions of change within each individual and the underlying mechanism and implications of brain change through functional and neurochemical imaging, combined with structural studies in the same individuals.
High Density Approaches of AC to DC Converter of Distributed Power Systems (DPS) for Telecom and Computers

Remarkable progresses have been made over the past decade In power conversion technologies, including advanced power semiconductor devices, power management ICs, innovative circuit topologies, and packaging and integrated system solutions. These technological advancements have been manifested in a wide range of products and applications with ever increasing performances, efficiency, and power density. This paper highlights some of the challenges and opportunities of power conversion technologies in the Distributed Power System (DPS) for computer, telecommunication and network products. Topics discussed in this paper include improved EMI filter design techniques to mitigate the detrimental effects of filter/converter parasitics; impacts of the operating frequency of PFC to the size and weight of EMI filter; power conversion architecture and potential simplification; high-frequency high-density AC/DC.
Encapsidated Adenovirus Minichromosomes Allow Delivery and Expression of a 14 kb Dystrophin cDNA to Muscle Cells

Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to muscle is a promising technology for gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, currently available recombinant adenovirus vectors have several limitations, including a limited cloning capacity of ~8.5 kb, and the induction of a host immune response that leads to transient gene expression of 3‐4 weeks in immunocompetent animals. Gene therapy for DMD could benefit from the development of adenoviral vectors with an increased cloning capacity to accommodate a full-length (~14 kb) dystrophin cDNA. This increased capacity should also accommodate gene regulatory elements to achieve expression of transduced genes in a tissue-specific manner. Additional vector modifications that eliminate adenoviral genes, expression of which is associated with development of a host immune response, might greatly increase long-term expression of virally delivered genes in vivo. We have constructed encapsidated adenovirus minichromosomes theoretically capable of delivering up to 35 kb of non-viral exogenous DNA. These minichromosomes are derived from bacterial plasmids containing two fused inverted adenovirus origins of replication embedded in a circular genome, the adenovirus packaging signals, a β-galactosidase reporter gene and a full-length dystrophin cDNA regulated by a muscle-specific enhancer/promoter. The encapsidated minichromosomes are propagated in vitro by trans-complementation with a replication-defective (E1+E3 deleted) helper virus. We show that the minichromosomes can be propagated to high titer (>10 8 /ml) and purified on CsCl gradients due to their buoyancy difference relative to helper virus. These vectors are able to transduce myogenic cell cultures and express dystrophin in myotubes. These results suggest that encapsidated adenovirus minichromosomes may be useful for gene transfer to muscle and other tissues.
Effect of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Rates on Severity of Xanthomonas Leaf Spot of Schefflera

Abstract Brassaia actinophylla plants were grown with various N-P-K regimes prior to inoculation with Xanthomonas campestris pv. hederae. Increased rates of N, P, and K reduced the number of lesions. The number of leaves, height, and shoot quality decreased as the nitrogen rate increased, but were not consistently affected by phosphorus or potassium rates. Severity of Xanthomonas leaf spot on Brassaia actinaphylla can be minimized with slight to moderate increased N, P, or K rates with N rate having the greatest impact on disease severity.
Larvicidal Activity of Mosquito Sterol Carrier Protein-2 Inhibitors to the Insecticide-Resistant Mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

AeSCP-2 inhibitors (SCPIs) compete with cholesterol for binding to a mosquito sterol carrier protein-2 (AeSCP-2) known to aid in the uptake of cholesterol in mosquito cells. The larvicidal activities of AeSCP-2 inhibitor-1 (SCPI-1) and inhibitor-2 (SCPI-2) against Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae) were therefore examined in insecticide-resistant Culex mosquitoes HAmCqG9, MAmCqG2, and BAmCqG0. All of the resistant Culex mosquito strains exhibited similar sensitivity to SCPI-1 and SCPI-2 inhibitors compared with a susceptible S-Lab strain. When an AeSCP-2 inhibitor was applied simultaneously with permethrin, the toxicity of permethrin to the second-instar larvae of all four strains of Culex mosquitoes increased, suggesting a synergistic effect of AeSCP-2 inhibitors on the toxicity of permethrin against Culex mosquitoes. Both SCPI-1 and SCPI-2 inhibitors caused a 2.4-to 3-fold reduction in the level of permethrin resistance in the highly resistant strain HAmCqG9. This result suggests that the mode of action of the AeSCP-2 inhibitors, which reduces the uptake of cholesterol by inhibiting the function of AeSCP-2 in mosquito cells, may interfere with the mechanisms or ability that govern permethrin resistance in the HAmCqG9 mosquito strain.
Exploring the relationship between attitude towards collaborative learning and sense of community among college students in online learning environments: A correlational study

As online courses become increasingly common, we must ensure that the students in the virtual classroom experience a nurturing sense of community. Feelings of community increase information flow, cooperation, available support, and a sense of commitment towards group goals. Many studies have explored the significance of sense of community and collaborative learning activities in an online learning environment. The aim of this study, however, was to find a relationship between student attitude toward online collaborative learning and their sense of community in an online environment. Using a correlational study, the relationship between students’ sense of community and their attitude toward online collaborative learning was determined. Collaboration and sense of community were moderately correlated, whereas, Pearson’s product-moment correlational coefficient was, r(198)=0.672, p<0.01. As collaboration increased, students’ sense of community increased proportionally. Moreover, it was also noticed that the degree of correlation between sense of community and collaborative learning was higher among graduate students when compared to that of undergraduate students. Furthermore, a higher degree of correlation also existed between a positive attitude towards collaborative learning and the dimensions of sense of community when compared to that between a negative attitude towards collaborative learning and sense of community. The findings in this study will aid educators and instructional designers to rethink the design of their online courses to incorporate elements of collaborative learning and
An a priori DNS study of the shadow-position mixing model

Abstract The modeling of mixing by molecular diffusion is a central aspect for transported probability density function (tPDF) methods. In this paper, the newly-proposed shadow position mixing model (SPMM) is examined, using a DNS database for a temporally evolving di-methyl ether slot jet flame. Two methods that invoke different levels of approximation are proposed to extract the shadow displacement (equivalent to shadow position) from the DNS database. An approach for a priori analysis of the mixing-model performance is developed. The shadow displacement is highly correlated with both mixture fraction and velocity, and the peak correlation coefficient of the shadow displacement and mixture fraction is higher than that of the shadow displacement and velocity. This suggests that the composition-space localness is reasonably well enforced by the model, with appropriate choices of model constants. The conditional diffusion of mixture fraction and major species from DNS and from SPMM are then compared, using mixing rates that are derived by matching the mixture fraction scalar dissipation rates. Good qualitative agreement is found, for the prediction of the locations of zero and maximum/minimum conditional diffusion locations for mixture fraction and individual species. Similar comparisons are performed for DNS and the IECM (interaction by exchange with the conditional mean) model. The agreement between SPMM and DNS is better than that between IECM and DNS, in terms of conditional diffusion iso-contour similarities and global normalized residual levels. It is found that a suitable value for the model constant c that controls the mixing frequency can be derived using the local normalized scalar variance, and that the model constant a controls the localness of the model. A higher-Reynolds-number test case is anticipated to be more appropriate to evaluate the mixing models, and stand-alone transported PDF simulations are required to more fully enforce localness and to assess model performance.
Conclusion: Modeling Human Social Interaction

A virtue-based trust model provides an efficient and flexible approach to trust without identity that models human social interaction in open and dynamic environments such as the mobile Internet. In contrast to other trust models, a virtue-based trust model reflects both the instinctual rational conduct and reflective rational conduct of humans. The trust model defines practical rationality in terms of a general theory of rationality anchored in the notion of epistemic rationality or normativity that allows us to relate trust and reason in a non-circular fashion. Trust and reason can be interpreted as complementary cognitive mechanisms or competences that guide our rational conduct at two different epistemic levels which interact at the level of reflective knowledge in the presence of risk or vulnerability. The trust model provides norms for evaluating the success of behavioral and cognitive performances in achieving cooperation and collaboration and avoiding selfishness and conflict through mutually adapting actions and the reflective moderation of basic trust dispositions operative at the level of animal knowledge. The trust model can be adapted to the intercultural context of the mobile Internet, given its emphasis on virtue and character as universal traits of trustworthiness and its moderating notion of achieving balance or harmony in the trust relation.