cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Terrace aggradation during the 1978 flood on Powder River, Montana, USA

Abstract Flood processes no longer actively increase the planform area of terraces. Instead, lateral erosion decreases the area. However, infrequent extreme floods continue episodic aggradation of terraces surfaces. We quantify this type of evolution of terraces by an extreme flood in May 1978 on Powder River in southeastern Montana. Within an 89-km study reach of the river, we (1) determine a sediment budget for each geomorphic feature, (2) interpret the stratigraphy of the newly deposited sediment, and (3) discuss the essential role of vegetation in the depositional processes. Peak flood discharge was about 930 m 3 s − 1 , which lasted about eight days. During this time, the flood transported 8.2 million tons of sediment into and 4.5 million tons out of the study reach. The masses of sediment transferred between features or eroded from one feature and redeposited on the same feature exceeded the mass transported out of the reach. The flood inundated the floodplain and some of the remnants of two terraces along the river. Lateral erosion decreased the planform area of the lower of the two terraces (~ 2.7 m above the riverbed) by 3.2% and that of the higher terrace (~ 3.5 m above the riverbed) by 4.1%. However, overbank aggradation, on average, raised the lower terrace by 0.16 m and the higher terrace by 0.063 m. Vegetation controlled the type, thickness, and stratigraphy of the aggradation on terrace surfaces. Two characteristic overbank deposits were common: coarsening-upward sequences and lee dunes. Grass caused the deposition of the coarsening-upward sequences, which had 0.02 to 0.07 m of mud at the base, and in some cases, the deposits coarsened upwards to coarse sand on the top. Lee dunes, composed of fine and very fine sand, were deposited in the wake zone downstream from the trees. The characteristic morphology of the dunes can be used to estimate some flood variables such as suspended-sediment particle size, minimum depth, and critical shear velocity. Information about depositional processes during extreme floods is rare, and therefore, the results from this study aid in interpreting the record of terrace stratigraphy along other rivers.
A multi-objective niching co-evolutionary algorithm (MNCA) for identifying diverse sets of non-dominated solutions

Many engineering design problems must optimize multiple objectives. While many objectives are explicit and can be mathematically modeled, some goals are subjective and cannot be included in a mathematical model of the optimization problem. A set of alternative Pareto fronts that represent multiple optima for problem solution can be identified to provide insight about the decision space and to provide options and alternatives for decision-making. This paper presents the Multi-objective Niching Co-evolutionary Algorithm (MNCA) that identifies a set of Pareto-optimal solutions which are maximally different in their decision vectors and are located in the same non-inferior regions of the Pareto front. MNCA is demonstrated for a set of multi-modal multi-objective test problems to identify a set of Pareto fronts with maximum difference in decision vectors.
The role of flight progress strips in en route air traffic control: a time-series analysis

Paper flight progress strips (FPSs) are currently used in the United States en route air traffic control system to document flight information. Impending automation will replace these paper strips with electronic flight data entries. In this observational study, control actions, communication events, and computer interactions were recorded and analysed using time-series regression models. Regression models were developed to predict FPS activities (writing, manipulating, looking) at different levels of traffic complexity, for individuals and teams of air traffic controllers. Results indicated that writing was well predicted by a common, simple time-series equation. The ability to predict FPS manipulations was modest, but prediction of looking at FPSs was poor. Overall, these data indicate that (1) flight strip activities were similar for individuals and for the data-side controllers in the team (whose primary responsibility is the strips), and (2) flight strip activity for teams was predictable from the radar-side controller's actions but not the data-side controller's actions.
Materials for thermal conduction

Materials for thermal conduction are reviewed. They include materials exhibiting high thermal conductivity (such as metals, carbons, ceramics and composites), and thermal interface materials (such as polymer-based and silicate-based pastes and solder).
Molluscan Gastrin: Concentration and Molecular Forms

Blood and gastrointestinal tissues of the sea hare Aplysia californica and the land snail Otala lactea contain immunoreactive gastrin in heterogeneous forms similar to those of mammals. The observation that blood concentrations in terms of porcine gastrin standard are comparable to those of pig, man, and dog suggests significant homology between the structures of molluscan and mammalian gastrins.
The Anick resolution

Abstract The Anick resolution for associative algebras is given an explicit, combinatorial description.
Experimental study of surface pressure in three-dimensional turbulent jet/boundary interaction

Etude de jets turbulents tridimensionnels desaxes se dechargeant de canaux rectangulaires parallelement a une surface plane
A general, open-loop formulation for reach-avoid games

A reach-avoid game is one in which an agent attempts to reach a predefined goal, while avoiding some adversarial circumstance induced by an opposing agent or disturbance. Their analysis plays an important role in problems such as safe motion planning and obstacle avoidance, yet computing solutions is often computationally expensive due to the need to consider adversarial inputs. In this work, we present an open-loop formulation of a two-player reach-avoid game whereby the players define their control inputs prior to the start of the game. We define two open-loop games, each of which is conservative towards one player, show how the solutions to these games are related to the optimal feedback strategy for the closed-loop game, and demonstrate a modified Fast Marching Method to efficiently compute those solutions.
Observations of a Stratified Flow by Means of Holographic Interferometry

The applicability of holographic interferometry to the study of two-dimensional motions of stratified fluids is demonstrated in tests that spanned several decades of Reynolds number. The feasibility of the technique was assessed by using it to demonstrate isopycnic contours in flows generated by towing horizontal cylinders in stably stratified salt water. Streamline patterns, deduced from their coincidence with the isopycnic contours, are compared with those predicted by theoretical models that neglect inertia effects.
Coercive Diplomacy and an “Irrational” Regime: Understanding the American Confrontation with the Taliban

All conditions for the successful application of coercive threat clearly favoured the US to get its demands regarding the handover of the al Qaeda leadership and closure of the terrorist camps in Afghanistan accepted by the Taliban. However, American coercive diplomacy failed because of a potent combination of factors, namely, an extreme brand of Islam which the Taliban practised, the basic symbiotic relationship between al Qaeda and the Taliban, the special religious role of Mullah Omar and the Pushtunwali code so profound to the Taliban’s sense of identity. The Taliban held an irrational and fatalistic view that was simply impervious to superior American military power or fear of regime change and even fear of loss of life. The implications for American foreign policy and the war on terrorism are worrisome: when dealing with terrorist groups or failed states in which the leadership has a radically different and highly destructive messianic religious and cultural referent, as was the case with the Taliba...
Screening for and treatment of suicide risk relevant to primary care: A systematic review for the U.S. Preventive services task force

This systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found little direct evidence about the benefits and harms of screening for suicide risk in primary care populations. Screening too...
Prevention of salt-induced epinasty by α-aminooxyacetic acid and cobalt

Ethylene production in leaf petiole and laminae tissues was stimulated in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. UCT5) plants exposed to salinity-stress. At the highest salinity level (250 mM NaCl), rates of ethylene production more than doubled over those observed in non-stressed plants. Correspondingly, petiolar epinasty increased with increasing levels of stress impositions. Both responses were suppressed when either 1 mM α-aminooxyacetic acid (AOA), or 100 μM Co2+ was simultaneously applied. Co2+, but not AOA, had a pronounced effect on ethylene production resulting from the application of a saturating dose (2 mM) of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), the immediate precursor of ethylene. This result suggests that ethylene production is dependent upon the activity of ethylene forming enzyme (EFE). The magnitude of ethylene stimulation in leaf petioles was related to the salinity level imposed and to the induction of petiole epinasty. In the absence of stress impositions, epinastic responsiveness to ethylene or its precursor, ACC, might provide a simple, indirect criteria to adjudge salt-sensitivity among plants.
How Do Ring Currents Affect 1H NMR Chemical Shifts

Conventional explanations of proton NMR chemical shifts need fundamental revisions. Ab initio (IGLO) analyses reveal that the downfield δ 1H of benzene is not due to deshielding ring current effects; the shielding is less than the π contribution to vinyl δ 1Hs. Enhanced deshielding σ CC influences are responsible for the more downfield δ 1Hs of the inner protons of naphthalene and anthracene. Double π effects shield ethynyl Hs; there is no evidence for a special “ring current influence.”
The International Commission on Snow and Ice (ICSI) and its precursors, 1894-1994

(1997). The International Commission on Snow and Ice (ICSI) and its precursors, 1894–1994. Hydrological Sciences Journal: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 131-140.
Pseudoureterocele: A uroradiologic entity

An analysis of 5 patients with an acquired dilatation of the distal ureter, simulating a simple ureterocele, is herein reported. Radiologically, pseudoureteroceles are more likely to be associated with ipsilateral upper tract obstruction and have asymmetric intravesical dilatation. The urologist should be aware of this urographic deformity, for the majority of pseudoureteroceles are related to malignancy involving or invading the bladder.
The Most Activist Supreme Court in History: The Road to Modern Judicial Conservatism

The Most Activist Supreme Court in History: The Road to Modern Judicial Conservatism. By Thomas M. Keck. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. 370p. $65.00 cloth, $24.00 paper. The title of this work presents its thesis at the macrolevel, but it is with limited support that the author claims that the current Supreme Court is the “most activist.” The core argument of the book is actually presented in the last chapter in clear fashion. There, the author explicitly refers to the Court as the O'Connor Court since he determines that it is largely the blend of political conservatism and judicial moderation, long displayed by Sandra Day O'Connor, that encapsulates the modern Court. So the thesis is no more than stated as something of a straw man at the outset. Thomas Keck “reveals” that the political ideology (liberal/conservative) dimension of justices is not identical to the judicial activism/restraint dimension of their judicial perspectives. These are and always have been two separate dimensions, even if they may not be orthogonal. It is not clear why this is the first major point of the discussion.
The Changing Shape of the Culture Industry; or, How Did Electronica Music Get into Television Commercials?

This article examines the recent changes in the culture industry and demographics that permitted a formerly underground music to enter the mainstream. The demographic shift concerns the group that Pierre Bourdieu calls the “new petite bourgeoisie,” which in the 1980s began to use the music of their youth in commercials, signaling the beginning of the end of the commercial jingle, as well as the stigma that once attached to musicians who permitted their music be in advertising. But the yuppie baby boom generation that inhabited the new petite bourgeoisie has been succeeded by a younger group in the advertising industry, whose representatives are helping to bring underground electronic popular musics to mass audiences in television commercials. Automobile manufacturers in particular have gravitated toward this music.
Elucidation of the molecular envenomation strategy of the cone snail Conus geographus through transcriptome sequencing of its venom duct

The fish-hunting cone snail, Conus geographus, is the deadliest snail on earth. In the absence of medical intervention, 70% of human stinging cases are fatal. Although, its venom is known to consist of a cocktail of small peptides targeting different ion-channels and receptors, the bulk of its venom constituents, their sites of manufacture, relative abundances and how they function collectively in envenomation has remained unknown. We have used transcriptome sequencing to systematically elucidate the contents the C. geographus venom duct, dividing it into four segments in order to investigate each segment’s mRNA contents. Three different types of calcium channel (each targeted by unrelated, entirely distinct venom peptides) and at least two different nicotinic receptors appear to be targeted by the venom. Moreover, the most highly expressed venom component is not paralytic, but causes sensory disorientation and is expressed in a different segment of the venom duct from venoms believed to cause sensory disruption. We have also identified several new toxins of interest for pharmaceutical and neuroscience research. Conus geographus is believed to prey on fish hiding in reef crevices at night. Our data suggest that disorientation of prey is central to its envenomation strategy. Furthermore, venom expression profiles also suggest a sophisticated layering of venom-expression patterns within the venom duct, with disorientating and paralytic venoms expressed in different regions. Thus, our transcriptome analysis provides a new physiological framework for understanding the molecular envenomation strategy of this deadly snail.
An Automated Approach to Site Selection for Ecological Restoration in Fragmented Landscapes

Abstract Reducing fragmentation and increasing interior area of habitat patches are major goals of restoration programs. Most strategies to correct these issues are qualitative based on visual interpretation, rather than quantitative based on the spatial characteristics of patches. To circumvent this, we developed an approach that integrates domain knowledge into an objective and geometric analysis of the spatial characteristics of patches. A prioritization grid is then generated from this approach and used to evaluate prospective ecological restoration sites based on their capability to decrease fragmentation and increase interior area. An application of the method indicated a 25% improvement of the compactness ratio and overall saving of investment in restoration efforts.
Predicting Preferences for Dating Partners From Past Experiences of Psychological Abuse: Identifying the Psychological Ingredients of Situations

Are women who have been the victim of psychological abuse in the past more likely to prefer an abusive dating partner in the future? Are men who have been the perpetrator of abuse more likely to prefer a dating partner with high attachment anxiety, a characteristic associated with victims of abuse? The present research used a highly repeated, within-subject, multilevel approach to identify the characteristics of potential dating partners that constitute salient psychological ingredients of situations influencing partner preference. Study 1 found that college-age women who reported more instances of receiving psychological abuse, compared to women who did not, showed a stronger preference for male dating partners who possessed characteristics associated with an abusive personality (e.g., possessiveness). Study 2 found that college-age men who reported more instances of inflicting psychological abuse, compared to men who did not, showed a stronger preference for female dating partners characterized by high attachment anxiety.
An Analysis of In-Home Parent Tutoring Procedures: Effects on Children's Academic Behavior at Home and in School and on Parents' Tutoring Behaviors:

How to involve parents in the education of their children-both in school and in the borne-is a current issue in education. This paper describes successful tutoring procedures that parents used to tutor academic behaviors in the borne. The procedures were evaluated in three studies. Study 1 assessed the results of tutoring training on parents' tutoring behavior in oral reading. Study 2 analyzed the effects of parent tutoring using similar procedures with math facts and tested the effects on academic behavior in the home and in the school. Study 3 looked at spelling tutoring and analyzed effects in home and in school. Single subject research designs were utilized Study I demonstrated that parents could utilize the procedures successfully after training. Studies 2 and 3 showed that home tutoring improved math and spelling performance during the tutoring sessions and that the success carried over to school. Children, parents, and teachers reported satisfaction with the procedures.
Increased Host Resistance against Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia in γδ T-Cell-Deficient Mice: Protective Role of Gamma Interferon and CD8+ T Cells

Although a clear relationship between alphabeta T-cell receptor-positive (alphabeta-TCR(+)) CD4(+) T cells and susceptibility to Pneumocystis carinii infection exists, the role of other T-cell subsets is less clearly defined. Previous studies have shown that gammadelta-TCR(+) T cells infiltrate into the lung during P. carinii pneumonia. Therefore, the present study examined the role of gammadelta-TCR(+) T cells in host defense against P. carinii pneumonia. C57BL/6 (control) and B6.129P2-Tcrd(tm1Mom) (gammadelta-TCR(+) T-cell-deficient) mice were inoculated intratracheally with P. carinii. At specific time points, mice were sacrificed and analyzed for P. carinii burden, T-cell subsets, and cytokine levels in lung tissue. Analysis of P. carinii burden showed a more rapid and complete resolution of infection in gammadelta-TCR(+) T-cell-deficient mice than in C57BL/6 controls. This augmented resolution was associated with elevated gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid predominantly produced by CD8(+) T cells, as well as an increased recruitment of CD8(+) T cells in general. In separate experiments, neutralization of IFN-gamma or depletion of CD8(+) T cells early during infection abolished the augmented resolution previously observed in gammadelta-TCR(+) T-cell-deficient mice. These results show that the presence of gammadelta-TCR(+) T cells modulates host susceptibility to P. carinii pneumonia through interactions with pulmonary CD8(+) T cells and tissue production of IFN-gamma.
Effect of sugar beet–pulp concentration during grain adaptation and in finishing diets with different corn processing methods on performance and carcass characteristics1

ABSTRACT Two experiments evaluated the use of wet beet pulp (BP) in feedlot diets. In Exp. 1, feeding 0, 10, or 20% wet BP (DM basis) in either dry-rolled corn or steam-flaked corn finishing diets was evaluated using 432 steers (BW = 314 ± 25 kg) in a randomized block design with a 2 × 3 factorial treatment structure (n = 6 replications per treatment). No corn processing × BP interaction was detected (P > 0.05) for finishing performance and carcass data. Final BW, DMI, and ADG decreased linearly (P 0.19) among treatments during grain adaptation. However, steers adapted using the high-BP and low-BP treatments tended (P = 0.07) to have greater ADG compared with the control throughout the entire finishing period. In summary, there was no BP × corn processing interaction. Replacing up to 50% of alfalfa with BP during grain adaptation is a suitable alternative.
The Cdc20 (Fzy)/Cdh1-related protein, Cort, cooperates with Fzy in cyclin destruction and anaphase progression in meiosis I and II in Drosophila.

Meiosis is a highly specialized cell division that requires significant reorganization of the canonical cell-cycle machinery and the use of meiosis-specific cell-cycle regulators. The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) and a conserved APC adaptor, Cdc20 (also known as Fzy), are required for anaphase progression in mitotic cells. The APC has also been implicated in meiosis, although it is not yet understood how it mediates these non-canonical divisions. Cortex (Cort) is a diverged Fzy homologue that is expressed in the female germline of Drosophila, where it functions with the Cdk1-interacting protein Cks30A to drive anaphase in meiosis II. Here, we show that Cort functions together with the canonical mitotic APC adaptor Fzy to target the three mitotic cyclins (A, B and B3) for destruction in the egg and drive anaphase progression in both meiotic divisions. In addition to controlling cyclin destruction globally in the egg, Cort and Fzy appear to both be required for the local destruction of cyclin B on spindles. We find that cyclin B associates with spindle microtubules throughout meiosis I and meiosis II, and dissociates from the meiotic spindle in anaphase II. Fzy and Cort are required for this loss of cyclin B from the meiotic spindle. Our results lead to a model in which the germline-specific APCCort cooperates with the more general APCFzy, both locally on the meiotic spindle and globally in the egg cytoplasm, to target cyclins for destruction and drive progression through the two meiotic divisions.
Climate and woody plant diversity in southern Africa: Relationships at species, genus and family levels

Woody plant richness across southern Africa was analysed and related to climate–based water–energy dynamics. The analyses, which were based on an equal–area grid system, were undertaken at the genus and family levels and compared with results previously obtained at the species level. In all cases– climate accounts for most of the variation in richness (74–79%,). with richness being a linear function of liquid water and a parabolic function of energy. There is some variation in the particulars of climate's relationship to richness between the three taxonomic levels considered. But, the overall similarity of the outcomes at all three taxonomic levels supports the view that independent and predictable geographic variation in water-energy dynamics exerts a first-order control on the realised distributional ranges, and thus richness, of surviving and evolving taxa.
Sources and Patterns of Wolverine Mortality in Western Montana

Abstract We instrumented 36 wolverines (Gulo gulo) on 2 study areas in western Montana and one study area on the Idaho–Montana (USA) border: 14 (9 M, 5 F) on the Pioneer study area, 19 (11 M, 8 F) on the Glacier study area, and 3 (2 M, 1 F) on the Clearwater study area. During 2002–2005, harvest from licensed trapping accounted for 9 (6 M, 3 F) of 14 mortalities, including individuals from all 3 study areas. Based on Akaike's Information Criterion adjusted for small sample sizes (AICc) rankings of 8 a priori models, a trapping model and a trapping-by-sex interaction model were equally supported (ΔAICc < 2) in explaining wolverine survival. Estimated annual survival was 0.80 when we did not consider harvest, whereas additive mortality from harvest reduced annual survival to 0.57. Glacier National Park in the Glacier study area provided some refuge as evidenced by an annual survival rate of 0.77 compared to 0.51 for the Pioneer Mountain study area. We incorporated these survival rates into a simple Lefkovit...
Coliform Organisms in Waters of Channel Catfish Ponds

. Water from 48 channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus ponds at Auburn and Greensboro, Alabama, USA, usually contained less than 1,000 total coliform and 200 fecal coliform bacteria per 100 mL. There were no sources of human fecal matter to ponds. Also, the fecal coliform: fecal streptococci ratio was less than 1.0 and typical of fecal contamination by warm-blooded animals other than humans. The abundance of coliforms was greater in spring and summer than in fall and winter in catfish ponds and sportfish ponds at Auburn, Alabama. In spite of high organic matter inputs in feed, catfish ponds had no greater abundance of coliforms than sportfish ponds.
Influence of adjunct use and cheese microenvironment on nonstarter bacteria in reduced-fat cheddar-type cheese.

Abstract This study investigated population dynamics of starter, adjunct, and nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) in reduced-fat Cheddar and Colby cheese made with or without a Lactobacillus casei adjunct. Duplicate vats of cheese were manufactured and ripened at 7°C. Bacterial populations were monitored periodically by plate counts and by DNA fingerprinting of cheese isolates with the random amplified polymorphic DNA technique. Isolates that displayed a unique DNA fingerprint were identified to the species level by partial nucleotide sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Nonstarter biota in both cheese types changed over time, but populations in the Colby cheese showed a greater degree of species heterogeneity. The addition of the L. casei adjunct to cheese milk at 10 4 cfu/ml did not completely suppress "wild" NSLAB populations, but it did appear to reduce nonstarter species and strain diversity in Colby and young Cheddar cheese. Nonetheless, nonstarter populations in all 6-mo-old cheeses were dominated by wild L. casei . Interestingly, the dominant strains of L. casei in each 6-mo-old cheese appeared to be affected more by adjunct treatment and not cheese variety.
Nonlinear aerodynamic damping of sharp-edged flexible beams oscillating at low Keulegan-Carpenter numbers

Slender sharp-edged flexible beams such as flapping wings of micro air vehicles (MAVs), piezoelectric fans and insect wings typically oscillate at moderate-to-high values of non-dimensional frequency parameter β with amplitudes as large as their widths resulting in Keulegan–Carpenter (KC) numbers of order one. Their oscillations give rise to aerodynamic damping forces which vary nonlinearly with the oscillation amplitude and frequency; in contrast, at infinitesimal KC numbers the fluid damping coefficient is independent of the oscillation amplitude. In this article, we present experimental results to demonstrate the phenomenon of nonlinear aerodynamic damping in slender sharp-edged beams oscillating in surrounding fluid with amplitudes comparable to their widths. Furthermore, we develop a general theory to predict the amplitude and frequency dependence of aerodynamic damping of these beams by coupling the structural motions to an inviscid incompressible fluid. The fluid–structure interaction model developed here accounts for separation of flow and vortex shedding at sharp edges of the beam, and studies vortex-shedding-induced aerodynamic damping in slender sharp-edged beams for different values of the KC number and the frequency parameter β. The predictions of the theoretical model agree well with the experimental results obtained after performing experiments with piezoelectric fans under vacuum and ambient conditions.
A generalized theory of viscous and inviscid flutter

￻￻ ￻ We present a unified theory of flutter in inviscid and viscous flows interacting with flexible structures based on the phenomenon of 1 : 1 resonance. We show this by treating four extreme cases corresponding to viscous and inviscid flows in confined and unconfined flows. To see the common mechanism clearly, we consider the limit when the frequencies of the first few elastic modes are closely clustered and small relative to the convective fluid time scale. This separation of time scales slaves the hydrodynamic force to the instantaneous elastic displacement and allows us to calculate explicitly the dependence of the critical flow speed for flutter on the various problem parameters. We show that the origin of the instability lies in the coincidence of the real frequencies of the first two modes at a critical flow speed beyond which the frequencies become complex, thus making the system unstable to oscillations. This critical flow speed depends on the difference between the frequencies of the first few modes and the nature of the hydrodynamic coupling between them. Our generalized framework applies to a range of elastohydrodynamic systems and further extends the Benjamin–Landahl classification of fluid–elastic instabilities.
A NEW REPRESENTATION FOR QUARTIC CURVES AND COMPLETE SETS OF GEOMETRIC INVARIANTS

Many free-form object boundaries can be modeled by quartics with bounded zero sets. The fact that any nondegenerate closed-bounded algebraic curve of even degree n=2p can be expressed as the product of p conics, which are real ellipses, plus a remaining polynomial of degree n-2,12 can be utilized to express a nondegenerate quartic as the product of two leading ellipses plus a third conic which might be either a closed curve (an ellipse) or an open curve (a hyperbola). However, it can be shown that the leading ellipses can be modified with appropriate constants by constraining the third conic to be a circle, thus implying a 2-ellipse and 1-circle; i.e. an elliptical-circular(E2C)representation of the quartic. The use of such representations is to simplify the analysis of quartics by exploiting the well-known properties of conics and to develop a set of functionally independent geometric invariants for recognition purposes. Also, it is shown that the underlying Euclidean transformation between two configurations of the same quartic can be determined using the centers of the three conics.
Hormonal regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene expression is mediated through modulation of an already disrupted chromatin structure.

Abstract We used indirect end labeling to identify a series of five hypersensitive (HS) sites in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. These sites were found at -4800 base pairs (bp) (site A), at -1300 bp (site B), over a broad domain between -400 and -30 bp (site C), at +4650 bp (site D), and at +6200 bp (site E). Sites A to D were detected only in cells capable of expressing the PEPCK gene, whereas site E was present in all of the cells examined thus far. The HS sites were present in H4IIE cells even when transcriptional activity was reduced to a minimum by treatment with insulin. Stimulation of transcription by a cyclic AMP analog to a 40-fold increase over the insulin-repressed level did not affect the main features of the HS sites. Furthermore, increased transcription did not disrupt the nucleosomal arrangement of the coding region of the gene, nor did it affect the immediate 5' region (site C), which is always nucleosome-free. In HTC cells, a rat hepatoma line that is hormonally responsive but unable to synthesize PEPCK mRNA, the four expression-specific HS sites were totally absent. Our experimental results also showed that, although there is a general correlation between lack of DNA methylation and transcriptional competence of the PEPCK gene, the role, if any, of methylation in the regulation of PEPCK gene activity is likely to be exerted at very specific sites.
Extratropical Influence on ITCZ Shifts in Slab Ocean Simulations of Global Warming

AbstractRecent studies with climate models have demonstrated the power of extratropical forcing in causing the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) to shift northward or southward, and paleoclimate data support the notion that there have been large shifts in the ITCZ over time. It is shown that similar notions apply to slab ocean simulations of global warming. Nine slab ocean model simulations from different modeling centers show a wide range of ITCZ shifts in response to doubling carbon dioxide concentrations, which are experienced in a rather zonally symmetric way in the tropics. Using an attribution strategy based on fundamental energetic constraints, it is shown that responses of clouds and ice in the extratropics explain much of the range of ITCZ responses. There are also some positive feedbacks within the tropics due to increasing water vapor content and high clouds in the new ITCZ location, which amplify the changes driven from the extratropics. This study shows the clear importance of simulating ...
Chromatographic comparisons of heterotic rat liver histones

Chromatographic comparisons of histones isolated by acid extraction of liver chromatin preparations from F344 inbred rats and their paternal heterotic F344 X H hybrid progeny reveal the presence of a number of age-and line-specific nonhistones also extractable in acid. The patterns of the core histones (H2A, H2B, H3, and H4) remain relatively constant during development, while histone H1 shows unusual chromatographic properties in the 30- and 35-day hybrid preparations. In general, the complexity of the nonhistone fraction decreases as the animal ages. Such variations may be a reflection of a prelude to altered genetic activity in organisms undergoing growth and development at different rates, and may have significant implications for transcriptional processes.
BAYESIAN ASPECTS OF TREATMENT CHOICE

This paper considers an individual making a treatment choice. The individual has access to data on other individuals, with values for a list of characteristics, treatment assignments, and outcomes. The individual knows his value for the list of characteristics. The goal is to use this data set to guide his treatment choice. The role of treatment assignment is developed, and how it affects the specification of prior distributions. The likelihood function is the same for random assignment and for selection on observables, but the prior distributions differ. A question here is whether there is a value in knowing the propensity score. The propensity score does not appear in the likelihood, but it does appear in the prior distribution. So there is a value to knowing the propensity score if the prior is not dominated by the data. In particular, the list of measured characteristics may be of high dimension, and the paper considers prior distributions that may be effective in this case. The paper also considers selection on unobservables and the use of instrumental variables. The prior distribution is not dominated by the data. We make a particular suggestion, in which the undominated part of the prior shows up in the choice of a functional form, which is then combined with a maximum-likelihood approximation to obtain a decision rule. We discuss the role of extrapolation in this decision rule by making a connection with compliers, always-takers, and never-takers in the local average treatment effect developed by Imbens and Angrist (1994).
Statins Are Underutilized in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Dyslipidemia.

Cardiovascular disease provides the greatest mortality risk in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Clinical practice guidelines recommend statins to treat dyslipidemia in patients with NAFLD; however, the extent to which such patients receive statins has not been studied. We conducted a structured medical record review to assess for appropriate statin use in patients in a Veterans Administration facility with dyslipidemia and NAFLD as well as a parallel cohort without NAFLD. Appropriate statin use was defined as receipt of statins without a clinically significant, unjustified dose change during the study period. Of 255 patients with NAFLD and dyslipidemia, 152 (59.6 %) patients received appropriate statin care. Primary care providers (PCPs) recognized the presence of NAFLD in 106 patients (41.6 %). Among the 63 of 106 (59.4 %) patients who were on a statin at the time of detection, 24 (38.1 %) received a clinically significant dose reduction or discontinuation. Patients whose PCPs recognized the presence of NAFLD (adjusted OR = 0.34, 95 % CI = 0.18–0.64) were less likely to receive appropriate statin care than patients with undetected NAFLD. Also, patients with detected NAFLD were less likely than dyslipidemic patients without NAFLD to receive appropriate statin care (OR = 0.45, 95 % CI = 0.25–0.79). Statins are underused in patients with NAFLD and dyslipidemia. The most important determinant for inappropriate statin use was PCP recognition of NAFLD. While these results need to be confirmed in non-VA healthcare systems, they highlight the need for efforts to enhance PCP knowledge of existing guidelines regarding statin use in NAFLD.
Semantic understanding and commonsense reasoning in an adaptive photo agent

In a story telling authoring task, an author often wants to set up meaningful connections between different media, such as between a text and photographs. To facilitate this task, it is helpful to have a software agent dynamically adapt the presentation of a media database to the user's authoring activities, and look for opportunities for annotation and retrieval. Expecting the user to manually annotate photos with keywords greatly burdens the user. Furthermore, even when photos are properly annotated, their retrieval is often very brittle because semantic connections between annotations and the story text that are "obvious" to people (e.g. between “bride” and “wedding”) may easily be missed by the computer. ARIA (Annotation and Retrieval Integration Agent) is a software agent that acts as an assistant to a user writing e-mail or Web pages. As the user types a story, it does continuous retrieval and ranking on a photo database. It can use descriptions in the story text to semi-automatically annotate pictures based on how they are used. The focus of this thesis is threefold: Improving ARIA’s automated annotation capabilities through world-aware semantic understanding of the text; making photo retrieval more robust by using a commonsense knowledge base, Open Mind Commonsense, to make semantic connections between the story text and annotations (e.g. connect "bride" and "wedding"); and learning personal commonsense through the text (e.g. “My sister’s name is Mary.”) that can then be used to improve photo retrieval by enabling personalized semantic connections. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Henry Lieberman Title: Research Scientist, MIT Media Laboratory
GENETIC ALGORITHM FOR TASK ALLOCATION IN UAV COOPERATIVE CONTROL

Task allocation is one of the cor e steps to effectively exploit the capabilities of cooperative control of multiple Uninhabited Aerospace Vehicle (UAV) teams. Task allocation is an NP -complete problem. In this paper, we present a new task allocation algorithm that is based on the principl es of genetic algorithm (GA). GA is a class of adaptive search algorithms derived from biological population genetics. We discuss the adaptation and implementation of the GA search strategy to the task allocation problem in the cooperative control of multi ple UAVs. Simulation results indicate that the GA strategy is a feasible approach for the task allocation problem .
Serum Constituent Profiles of Beef Heifers Infested with Horn Flies (Diptera: Muscidae)

Nine yearling crossbred beef heifers, Bos taurus L., were used to examine physiological responses to horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), infestation. Heifers were stanchioned indoors in individual environmentally controlled rooms. On day 0, each animal received 0, 500, or 1,000 horn flies. Fly numbers were adjusted daily to maintain an appropriate infestation for each heifer. Feed intake, respiration rate, and rectal temperature was recorded daily. In addition, blood samples were collected from each animal on days 0, 12, and 33 for serum constituent analysis. To monitor metabolic hormone status, intensive blood samples were also collected hourly for 6 h on days 0, 12, and 33. Throughout the period of treatment, feed intake values were similar among treatments resulting in comparable body weight at the end of the trial. Respiration rates on each day were similar among groups. Rectal temperature was also unaffected by horn fly infestations. Serum electrolyte analysis revealed that neither Na, K, CI, Ca, P, nor Fe differed among treatments. Likewise, HCO3/CO2 ratio, anion gap, and serum osmolality did not differ among treatment groups. Major indicators of nutrient status (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, urea N, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, globulin) and insulin, growth hormone, and prolactin were also unaffected. Serum bilirubin and enzyme (alkaline phosphatase, creatine phosphokinase, y-glutamyl transpeptidase, lactic dehydrogenase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase) concentrations were similar in control heifers and those infested with horn flies. Results of this trial indicate that horn fly infestations up to 1,000 flies per animal had little adverse physiological influence on the physiology of beef heifers housed under laboratory conditions in which they were well fed and not exposed to external environmental conditions. Data suggest that adverse effects on production traits of cattle due to horn flies are not likely to result in alteration of constituents measured in chemistry or hormone profiles.
Are Australian and United States Farmers Using Soil Information for Soil Health Management

Soil health is an essential requirement of a sustainable, functioning agroecosystem. Tracking soil health to determine sustainability at the local level largely falls to farmers, even though they often lack access to critical information. We examine farmers’ participation in gathering soil information at the farm and paddock scale over the last two decades in Australia and the United States, by reviewing national-level reporting of farmer use of soil testing and farm planning as well as qualitative research on farmer perspectives. The level of participation in soil testing and farm planning has remained stable in the last two decades, with only 25% and 30% of landholders, respectively, participating nationally, in either country. The review revealed national-level reporting has a number of limitations in understanding farmers’ use of soil information and, in particular, fails to indicate the frequency and intensity of soil testing as well as farmer motivation to test soil or what they did with the soil information. The main use of soil testing is often stated as “determining fertilizer requirements”, yet data show soil testing is used less commonly than is customary practice. In Australia and in the United States, customary practice is three and half times more likely for decisions on fertilizer application levels. The rhetoric is heavy on the use of soil testing as a decision tool, and that it guides best practices. However, given that only a quarter of farmers are soil testing, and doing so infrequently and in low densities, the level of information on soil health is poor. While farmers report consistent monitoring of soil conditions, few have consistent records of such. In contrast to the information on the poor state of soil health, there is strong farmer interest in procuring soil health benefits through changes in farm practices such as conservation tillage or cover crops, even if they are unable to demonstrate these soil health benefits through soil testing. Many farmers report the use of observation in lieu of laboratory testing. Finally, we point to the need for soil information to include observational indicators to best allow a blend of traditional extension strategies with digital technology to create communities of interest in soil management. This would transcend the boundaries between those with expertise and those with experience in soil health management.
Reproductive outcomes in oocyte donation cycles are associated with donor BMI

Study question When adjusting for recipient BMI, is donor body mass index (BMI) associated with IVF outcomes in donor oocyte IVF cycles? Summary answer Increasing oocyte donor BMI is associated with a reduction in clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. What is known already Increased BMI has been associated with suboptimal reproductive outcomes, particularly in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. However, it remains unclear if this association implies an effect of BMI on oocyte quality and/or endometrial receptivity. Study design, size, duration A retrospective cohort study of two hundred and thirty five consecutive fresh donor oocyte IVF cycles from 1 January 2007 through 31 December 2013 at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Fertility Center. Participants/materials, setting, methods Analyses included a total of 202 oocyte donors and 235 total cycles. Following adjustments for recipient BMI, the relationship between donor BMI (categorized into quartiles) and IVF outcomes was assessed. Main results and the role of chance In the entire (anonymous and known) donor population, a reduced odds of clinical pregnancy (P-trend = 0.046) and live birth (P-trend = 0.06) was observed with increasing BMI quartile. Compared with quartile 1 (BMI 17.8-21.1), odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of clinical pregnancy was 0.9 (0.4-2.0), 0.5 (0.2-1.1) and 0.5 (0.2-1.1), and OR of live birth was 1.1 (0.5-2.6), 0.6 (0.3-1.2) and 0.6 (0.3-1.2) for quartiles 2 through 4 respectively. In anonymous donors only, the odds of clinical pregnancy (P-trend = 0.02) and live birth (P-trend = 0.03) also declined as BMI quartile increased. Compared with quartile 1 (BMI 17.8-21.1), odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of clinical pregnancy was 0.7 (0.3-1.7), 0.5 (0.2-1.1) and 0.4 (0.1-0.9), and OR of live birth was 0.9 (0.4-2.2), 0.5 (0.3-1.2) and 0.4 (0.2-1.1) for quartiles 2 through 4 respectively. Limitations, reasons for caution Limitations include the retrospective design, sample size and data from a single institution. Clinical application may not be limited to oocyte donors, though caution should be used prior to applying these principles to the general population. Data should not be interpreted to mean that all oocyte donors should be restricted to a BMI of less than 21.2 kg/m(2). Wider implications of the findings Following adjustments for the respective BMI of the oocyte donor and recipient, this study demonstrates an association of preconception BMI with subsequent IVF outcomes. The observations of this study are consistent with prior animal studies, suggest a possible effect of BMI at the oocyte level prior to fertilization and implantation, and warrant further investigation. Study funding/competing interests None.
Conclusion: Constructing Transnational Spaces

Proponents of traditional nation-centered history are right when they remind us that we need the dimensions of space and time to produce a meaningful account of past events. They are, of course, wrong in assuming that only the national space or the urban or rural space within a national space could be the appropriate space for meaningful history. Transnational historians need to construct their transnational space in as much as national historians have constructed their national spaces. But while transnational historians seem to be much more willing to acknowledge that their transnational space is a construction of historical actors and scholarly observers alike, too many national historians still cling to the illusion that their national space is somehow naturally given.1