cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RCM meets LFM: initial results of one-way coupling

Abstract While single fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is generally held to be the simplest complete first-order representation of the large-scale structure and dynamics of Earth's magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind, it fails to provide an adequate representation of conditions in the inner magnetosphere where energy-dependent gradient and curvature drifts become important. As part of the space environment modeling activities of the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM), we are working to integrate the computational machinery of the inner-magnetosphere Rice Convection Model (RCM) in the Lyon–Fedder–Mobarry (LFM) global MHD model of the magnetosphere. We describe our approach to coupling these two computational units and report on our initial application of the coupled code, a test of one-way coupling using LFM-computed magnetic and electric fields, ionospheric conductance, and plasma distribution to drive the RCM. We examine the inner magnetosphere effects of this coupling, including the formation of both the ring current and the region-2 field-aligned current system. We compare the resulting inner magnetosphere plasma distribution with LFM results obtained without RCM coupling.
Nucleation and Adhesion of Electrodeposited Copper on Anodized Thin-Film Aluminum for LIGA Microfabrication

The nucleation and electrodeposition of copper from a pyrophosphate electrolyte onto anodized thin-film aluminum was used to provide well-adhering electroforms in high aspect-ratio resist molds made by X-ray lithography. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods were employed to characterize the impact of process variables on initiating copper deposition onto an anodized aluminum film. Adhesion of the electroplated films was evaluated using a 90° peel test. Several aluminum films were studied to elucidate the influence that specific alloying elements have on the electrodeposition after anodization. The alloy content of the aluminum, specifically, small amounts of copper (1-4%), was found to significantly enhance nucleation. Under certain anodization conditions, small amounts of copper in the original aluminum film provided facile nucleation while aluminum alloys without copper could not be electroplated. The addition of copper to the aluminum alloys anodized at room temperature reduced the nucleation overpotential by more than 300 mV and increased the nuclei densities by two orders of magnitude. With sufficient adhesion of the electrodeposited metal to withstand both plated-metal stresses and planarization, through-mold electrodeposits were fabricated within resist molds ranging in height from 250 to 2800 μm, possessing features having lateral dimensions down to 10 μm.
Theory of Polymer–Nanopore Interactions Refined Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to refine a theoretical model that describes the interaction of single polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecules with α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopores. The simulations support the underlying assumptions of the model, that PEG decreases the pore conductance by binding cations (which reduces the number of mobile ions in the pore) and by volume exclusion, and provide bounds for fits to new experimental data. Estimation of cation binding indicates that four monomers coordinate a single K+ in a crown-ether-like structure, with, on average, 1.5 cations bound to a PEG 29-mer at a bulk electrolyte concentration of 4 M KCl. Additionally, PEG is more cylindrical and has a larger cross-section area in the pore than in solution, although its volume is similar. Two key experimental quantities of PEG are described by the model: the ratio of single channel current in the presence of PEG to that in the polymer’s absence (blockade depth) and the mean residence time of PEG in the pore. The ref...
Social Anxiety and Specificity of Positive Alcohol Expectancies: Preliminary Findings

This preliminary study examined the relationship between social anxiety and specificity of positive alcohol outcome expectancies (AOE) in a community sample of 62 drinking adults. The sample was divided into subsets of socially anxious (n = 17) and nonsocially anxious (n = 45) men and women. The Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire (DEQ) and Alcohol Expectancies in Social Evaluative Situations Scale (AESES) were used to determine if groups differed in the general positive AOE they hold, or only in AOE specific to social situations. ANOVAs revealed that socially anxious individuals had greater positive AOE specific to social situations (DEQ—Assertion scale and AESES) than nonsocially anxious individuals, with no differences in other positive AOE. Partial correlations controlling for social anxiety revealed that AOE specific to social situations correlated with greater drinking and alcohol dependency levels. Findings indicate that identification of AOE specific to social situations may be useful in classifying socially anxious individuals at risk for alcoholism and as a focus of expectancy challenge strategies for individuals with co-occurring social anxiety and drinking problems.
In situ ATR-IR spectroscopic and reaction kinetics studies of water-gas shift and methanol reforming on Pt/Al2O3 catalysts in vapor and liquid phases.

Reaction kinetics measurements of the water−gas shift reaction were carried out at 373 K on Pt/Al2O3 in vapor phase to investigate the effects of CO, H2, and H2O partial pressures. Results of in situ ATR-IR studies conducted in vapor phase under similar conditions suggest that the Pt surface coverage by adsorbed CO is high (∼90% of the saturation coverage), leading to a negligible effect of the CO pressures on the rate of reaction. The negative reaction order with respect to the H2 pressure is caused by the increased coverage of adsorbed H atoms, and the fractional positive order with respect to the water pressure is consistent with non-equilibrated H2O dissociation on Pt. Results of in situ ATR-IR studies carried out at 373 K show that the presence of liquid water leads to a slight decrease in the Pt surface coverage by adsorbed CO (∼80% of the saturation coverage) when the CO partial pressure is the same as in the vapor-phase studies. The rate of the WGS reaction in the presence of liquid water is compa...
A method to select locations for indoor air quality sampling

Abstract A rational method is presented to determine the locations within a building where the highest average concentrations of contaminants may occur. Using this procedure, the number of sampling points necessary for indoor air quality (IAQ) evaluation of a building is reduced to a minimum. Thus the time and cost necessary for building evaluation and analysis can be decreased. Experimental measurements made in a research house are presented to validate the method.
Using video to analyze one's own teaching

Recently, interest in using video to facilitate teacher reflection has increased. Despite this increase, the frameworks employed to help teachers use video to reflect on their teaching are not based on the results of prior video analysis research. There is a need to better understand how and in what ways video has been used to reflect on one's own teaching. The purpose of this paper is to review past studies in order to help educators make more informed decisions as they establish their own video analysis processes. This review includes 63 studies where participants recorded their own teaching, examined their performance on video and reflected on the performance. Several dimensions of video analysis that varied across past studies are discussed: type of tasks, manner of facilitation, extent to which teachers reflect individually or collaboratively, length of video used, number of reflections and measurement. This paper summarizes reported findings regarding each of these dimensions and raises several questions that need further investigation. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Video is a powerful tool for teacher reflection., Video enables teachers to more effectively 'see' their practice., Teachers who engage in video reflection report recalling prior videos of their teaching during future teaching, enabling them to more effectively, 'reflect in practice.', What this paper adds A unified synthesis of the literature on video used for teacher self-relfection., A review of the tools used for facilitating teacher reflection via video and their effect on the reflective process., Six different dimensions among which video-aided teacher reflection research varies., Implications for practice and/or policy Teachers prefer to engage in video analysis for reflection in collaboration with colleagues over reflecting alone and feel that the most important recommended changes come from these collaborative groups., In support of past research, teachers report that the use of a guiding framework (eg., rubric, checklist, teaching principles) helps to focus their reflection. However, most teachers actually prefer to choose their own focus. Thus, administrators should find a balance between the use of a predetermined reflection framework and teachers' choice of focus within that framework., Video-aided teacher reflection has demonstrated posited change through varied measures (self-report, JOUR studies, lesson plans, pre-/posttest scores). However, we do not know which combination of these leads to the greatest or most impactful change. Future research needs to examine the ways in which video-aided teacher reflection can differentially impact teacher practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Using a low-order model to detect and characterize tornadoes in multiple-Doppler radar data

A new multiple-Doppler radar analysis technique is presented for the objective detection and characterization of tornado-like vortices. The technique consists of fitting radial wind data from two or more radars to a simple analytical model of a vortex and its near-environment. The model combines a uniform flow, linear shear flow, linear divergence flow (all of which compose a broadscale flow), and a modified combined Rankine vortex (representing the tornado). The vortex and its environment are allowed to translate. The parameters in the low-order model are determined by minimizing a cost function that accounts for the discrepancy between the model and observed radial winds. Since vortex translation is taken into account, the cost function can be evaluated over time as well as space, and thus the observations can be used at the actual times and locations where they were acquired. The technique is first tested using analytically simulated observations whose wind field and error characteristics are systematically varied. An Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) high-resolution numerical simulation of a supercell and associated tornado is then used to emulate an observation dataset. The method is tested with two virtual radars for several radarsampling strategies. Finally, the technique is applied to a dataset of real dual-Doppler observations of a tornado that struck central Oklahoma on 8 May 2003. The method shows skill in retrieving the tornado path and radar-grid-scale features of the horizontal wind field in the vicinity of the tornado. The best results are obtained using a two-step procedure in which the broadscale flow is retrieved first.
Factors influencing the partitioning and toxicity of nanotubes in the aquatic environment

Carbon nanotubes (NTs) may be among the most useful engineered nanomaterials for structural applications but could be difficult to study in ecotoxicological evaluations using existing tools relative to nanomaterials with a lower aspect ratio. Whereas the hydrophobicity and van der Waals interactions of NTs may suggest aggregation and sedimentation in aquatic systems, consideration regarding how engineered surface modifications influence their environmental fate and toxicology is needed. Surface modifications (e.g., functional groups and coatings) are intended to create conditions to make NTs dispersible in aqueous suspension, as required for some applications. In the present study, column stability and settling experiments indicated that raw, multiwalled NTs (MWNTs) settled more rapidly than carbon black and activated carbon particles, suggesting sediment as the ultimate repository. The presence of functional groups, however, slowed the settling of MWNTs (increasing order of stability: hydroxyl > carboxyl > raw), especially in combination with natural organic matter (NOM). Stabilized MWNTs in high concentrations of NOM provided relevance for water transport and toxicity studies. Aqueous exposures to raw MWNTs decreased Ceriodaphnia dubia viability, but such effects were not observed during exposure to functionalized MWNTs (> 80 mg/L). Sediment exposures of the amphipods Leptocheirus plumulosus and Hyalella azteca to different sizes of sediment-borne carbon particles at high concentration indicated mortality increased as particle size decreased, although raw MWNTs induced lower mortality (median lethal concentration [LC50], 50 to >264 g/kg) than carbon black (LC50, 18-40 g/kg) and activated carbon (LC50, 12-29 g/kg). Our findings stress that it may be inappropriate to classify all NTs into one category in terms of their environmental regulation.
Limnology of Zuni Salt Lake, New Mexico

Zuni Salt Lake is a shallow saline lake in a maar in west-central New Mexico. The basin was formed during the late Pleistocene when volcanic and phreatic explosions punctured Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata. The lake is supported by runoff and saline springs (specific gravity 1.010 to 1.130), which rise along fractures in the volcanic conduits underlying the maar and apparently dissolve salt from the Permian Supai Formation. Two cinder cones occupy the center of the maar. The larger has a crater containing a pool of saline water (specific gravity 1.080) that is sometimes meromictic. Dominant organisms of Zuni Salt Lake and the Cinder Cone Pool are Artemia salina and Hydropyrus hians. The bottom of the pool is covered with a blue-green algal mat of Anacystis sp. Sediments in Zuni Salt Lake consist of salt crusts (halite, calcite, and gypsum) inter-bedded with layers of clay and organic matter. The sediments of the pool are watery sapropel, algal material, calcite, and gypsum. Fluctuations of the chemistry, physics, and biology of these aquatic environments are extreme because of sporadic but torrential rainfall entering the shallow lakes in late summer and early fall.
STABILITY OF NON-COHESIVE SEDIMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF PORE WATER FLUX

Typical approaches to the determination of sediment stability generally only consider the influence of applied shear stresses due to advective flow over the sediment bed. However, in the case of fine-grained sediments, it is possible that the pressure gradients created by groundwater discharging to the stream bottom may result in a significant additional de-stabilizing effect. Several previous experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the role of injection or suction through a porous stream bed on the resistance to bed erosion. The results of these studies yield contradictory findings with injection, for example, contributing to bed stability in some studies while stabilizing it in others. A consideration of the fundamental forces acting on a bed particle is presented, providing a framework in which these conflicting results can be understood. The results of a preliminary study with a noncohesive fine sand, d50 = 500 ∝m is presented. A constant head water supply is provided at the bottom of the sand bed to provide different rates of vertical water movement through the sediment bed including a few cases with suction through the sediment bed. The influence of the critical shear stress for initiation of motion will be compared to the zero recharge condition to determine the magnitude of vertical hydraulic gradient required to produce a significant change in the critical shear stress.
Detection of Genetic Variants of Transthyretin by Liquid Chromatography–Dual Electrospray Ionization Fourier-Transform Ion-Cyclotron-Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Background: One of the numerous proteins causing amyloidosis is transthyretin (TTR), a protein usually responsible for the transport of thyroxine and retinol-binding protein. Variants within TTR cause it to aggregate and form insoluble fibers that accumulate in tissue, leading to organ dysfunction. Methods: TTR was immunoprecipitated from serum by use of a polyclonal antibody and subsequently reduced with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine. The purified TTR was then analyzed by fast-gradient liquid chromatography–dual-electrospray ionization Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry. DNA sequencing was performed on all samples used in this study. Results: Because of the inherent limitations in achieving high mass measurement accuracy based on the most abundant isotopic mass, we applied a fitting procedure that allowed determination of monoisotopic mass. Wild-type TTR (mean molecular mass, 13 761 Da) and its associated variant forms could be distinguished because of the high molecular mass accuracy afforded by FT-ICR (≤3 ppm) except for instances involving isobaric species or when isotopic distributions overlapped significantly. The [M + 11 H+]11+ charge state for all samples was used to determine the mass accuracies for both wild-type and variant forms of the protein. We correctly assigned seven of seven TTR variants. Moreover, using a combination of proteomic and genomic technologies, we discovered and characterized a previously unreported cis double mutation with a mass only 2 Da different from wild-type TTR. Furthermore, DNA sequencing of the TTR gene for all individuals in this study completely agreed with the intact protein measurements. Conclusions: FT-ICR mass spectrometry has sufficient mass accuracy to identify genetic variants of immunoaffinity-purified TTR. We believe that 91% of known TTR variants could be detected by this technique.
Preliminary Results for the Inhibition of Pancreatic Cancer Cells by Organotin Polymers

Pancreatic cancer kills nearly all patients within 3–6 months after detection. There is no effective chemotherapy for it. We have found a number of organotin polymers that are effective at inhibiting pancreatic cancer cell lines with Chemotherapeutic Index values greater than two with some to values of 50.
ClaNC: point-and-click software for classifying microarrays to nearest centroids

Summary: ClaNC (classification to nearest centroids) is a simple and an accurate method for classifying microarrays. This document introduces a point-and-click interface to the ClaNC methodology. The software is available as an R package. Availability: ClaNC is freely available from http://students.washington.edu/adabney/clanc Contact: adabney@u.washington.edu Supplementary information: http://students.washington.edu/adabney/clanc/figure2.pdf
Implementation of efficient algorithms for globally optimal trajectories

We consider a continuous space shortest path problem in a two-dimensional plane. This is the problem of finding a trajectory that starts at a given point, ends at the boundary of a compact set of /spl Rfr//sup 2/, and minimizes a cost function of the form /spl int//sub O//sup T/ r(x(t)) dt+q(x(T)). For a discretized version of this problem, a Dijkstra-like method that requires one iteration per discretization point has been developed by Tsitsiklis (1995). Here we develop some new label correcting-like methods based on the small label first methods of Bertsekas (1993) and Bertsekas et al. (1996). We prove the finite termination of these methods, and present computational results showing that they are competitive and often superior to the Dijkstra-like method and are also much faster than the traditional Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel methods.
Effects of retinoid β-glucuronides and N-retinoyl amines on the differentiation of HL-60 cells in vitro

Retinoyl 0-glucuronide and retinyl P-glucuronide, which are naturally occurring water-soluble metabolites of vitamin A, induce the granulocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells in vitro, as evidenced by an increased reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium. The relative effectiveness of various retinoids in differentiation is retinoic acid > retinoyl P-glucuronide > retinyl P-gluc- uronide. Under the selected assay conditions, retinol, hydroxyphenyl-retinamide, retinarnide, and N-retinoyl-phenylalanine are essentially inactive in differentiation. At concentrations of retinoids from lop9 to M, cell viability was best with the retinoid 6-glucuronides and retinamide, less with retinoic acid and retinol, and poorest with the N-retinoyl aromatic amines. Cellular growth was depressed only slightly by retinyl 0-glucuronide and retinamide, but to a greater degree by the other derivatives. Retinoyl P-glucuronide was hydrolyzed in part to retinoic acid, whereas retinyl (3-glucuronide was cleaved to retinol, if at all, at a very slow rate. Under the selected assay conditions, retinoic acid and the retinoid P-glucuronides primarily induce the differentiation of HL-60 cells, whereas the N-retinoyl aromatic amines show cyto- toxicity. 0 1987 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. In the presence of A4 or lower con- centrations of all-trans retinoic acid, the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 differentiates into a granulocytic-type cell (l), which is associated with the reduc- tion of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT), with the expression of NAD-glycohydrolase (2), tissue transglutaminase (3, 4), cyclic AMP-depen- dent and calcium- and phospholipid-depen- dent phosphokinases (5, 6), as well as with other biochemical and morphological changes. While 13-cis retinoic acid was equally effective in inducing the differentia- tion of HL-60 cells, retinol, retinal, and re- tinyl acetate were much less active (1). Two other types of retinoids are of interest in this regard, the naturally occurring retin- oyl and retinyl p-glucuronides (7, 8) and a series of synthetic N-retinoyl amines that show chemopreventive properties against some forms of cancer (9). Retinoyl and re- tinyl p-glucuronides are formed in the liver, intestine, and other tissues, are secreted in the bile, are endogenous components of human plasma, are involved in an enterohe- patic circulation, and show high activity in rat growth assays (7, 8, 10-13). Retinoyl p- glucuronide also stimulates the differentia- tion of the vaginal epithelium (14). Of the N-retinoyl amines, hydroxyphenyl-retina-
Response of yellow perch in Les Cheneaux Islands, Lake Huron to declining numbers of double-crested cormorants stemming from control activities

Abstract The yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) fishery of the Les Cheneaux Islands region of Lake Huron experienced an unprecedented collapse in 2000. Immediately prior to the collapse was the proliferation of double-crested cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) in the area. Subsequent investigations established that double-crested cormorant predation was chief among the forces shaping the local yellow perch population and contributing to the collapse of the fishery. A double-crested cormorant control program was implemented in 2004 with the objective of benefiting the yellow perch population and fishery. This study used creel survey and gillnet fish community assessment data to evaluate the response of the yellow perch population and fishery. In all, seven key yellow perch metrics were analyzed using regression analysis with double-crested cormorant abundance as the independent variable. As double-crested cormorant abundance declined, yellow perch abundance increased, total mortality rate decreased, the angler catch rate and harvest in the recreational fishery improved, yellow perch growth rate declined and mean age increased. Increased yellow perch recruitment was documented since 2003 but it was the longevity of these year classes, (improved survival) as much or more than their magnitude of the year class, that allowed for the progress towards recovery. Questions facing managers are the sustainable level of double-crested cormorants in the region and the long term prognosis for the yellow perch fishery to fully recover to pre-double-crested cormorant levels.
Missions and Vehicle Concepts for Modern, Propelled, Lighter-than-Air Vehicles

The results of studies conducted over the last 15 years to assess missions and vehicle concepts for modern, propelled, lighter-than-air vehicles (airships) were surveyed. Rigid and non-rigid airship concepts are considered. The use of airships for ocean patrol and surveillance is discussed along with vertical heavy lift airships. Military and civilian needs for high altitude platforms are addressed. Around 1970 a resurgence of interest about lighter-than-air vehicles (airships) occurred in both the public at large and in certain isolated elements of the aerospace industry. Such renewals of airship enthusiasm are not new and have, in fact, occurred regularly since the days of the Hindenburg and other large rigid airships. However, the interest that developed in the early 1970's has been particularly strong and self-sustaining for a number of good reasons. The first is the rapid increase in fuel prices over the last decade and the common belief (usually true) that airships are the most fuel efficient means of air transportation. Second, a number of new mission needs have arisen, particularly in surveillance and patrol and in vertical heavy-lift, which would seem to be well-suited to airship capabilities. The third reason is the recent proposal of many new and innovative airship concepts. Finally, there is the prospect of adapting to airships the tremendous amount of new aeronautical technology which has been developed in the past few decades thereby obtaining dramatic new airship capabilities. The primary purpose of this volume is to survey the results of studies, conducted over the last 15 years, to assess missions and vehicle concepts for modern propelled lighter-than-air vehicles.
Simulation of the Industrial Packed Bed Catalytic Reactor for the Partial Oxidation of Methanol to Formaldehyde

A detailed diffusion-reaction kinetic model was developed in this study for an industrial methanol partial oxidation reactor. Unlike, most of the kinetic models in the literature that either neglected or approximated the intra-particle diffusion, the details of the mass transfer limitations were taken into consideration for this reaction system. The catalyst pellet was modeled using the rigorous dusty gas model based on Stefan-Maxwell equations. Four reactions are considered and an efficient minimization routine was used to extract the kinetic rate coefficients for these reactions using industrial reactor data.
Degradation of aromatic compounds bound to humic acid by the combined action of sunlight and microorganisms

A study was conducted of the degradation of aniline-humic acid and phenol-humic acid complexes by sunlight and the subsequent mineralization by microorganisms. Irradiation of anilinehumic acid and phenol-humic acid complexes in sunlight resulted in a loss of UV light absorbance and the formation of low-molecular-weight products. Sunlight irradiation of the aniline-humic acid complexes had no effect on their subsequent mineralization. The rate and extent of mineralization of the phenol-humic acid complexes were enhanced by sunlight irradiation. The mineralization of phenol-humic acid complexes increased with integrated solar flux and was proportional to the percentage of the original complex that was converted to low-molecular-weight photoproducts. The effects of solar irradiation on molecular-weight distribution of the complexes appear to be independent of the organic compound used to form the complex. The effects of irradiation on microbial mineralization of the complexes are different for different organic compounds.
AIDS information needs: conceptual and content analyses of questions asked of AIDS information hotlines

Introduction Dissemination of accurate information about HIV is an essential element of national AIDS prevention strategies and AIDS telephone hotlines serve a vital function in providing such information. In this study, questions asked of two AIDS information hotlines were collected and examined to determine the AIDS information needs of the general public. Questions asked of local AIDS lines in Houston and Milwaukee (A7 = 1611) were independently classified into 30 content areas, with two independent raters achieving 94% agreement. The content areas were organized for analysis into 11 broader information domains. Questions about HIV antibody testing were the most frequently asked (27%), followed by questions about sexual transmission of HTV (16%), HIV-related symptoms (16%) and situations that do not confer risk for HIV infection (14%). Content analyses suggested that individuals were motivated to call hotlines by fears of contracting HIV from actual risk behaviors or to dismiss concerns about contracting HIV through casual modes. Many individuals had information needs related to their own personal experiences that could not be addressed through media campaigns or other means of mass public health education. Results suggest that HIV information dissemination to the public through hotlines and other means of direct health education serves both preventive and destigmatizing functions.
Scanning electron microscope observations on some life history stages of Carchesium polypinum (Ciliata, Peritrichia).

SYNOPSIS. Sessile zooids, and mobile telotrochs and microgamonts of Carchesium polypinum (Protozoa, Ciliata, Peritrichia), were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The results were compared to earlier light and electron microscope studies in order to investigate structural changes concerned with adaptation and differentiation. Telotrochs and microgamonts always had a contracted peristome and usually had a long phalange of cilia. Striae around the contracted buccal apparatus in all 3 stages were convoluted and often had thickened margins; those in telotrochs and microgamonts had oral-aboral ectoplasmic cross-connections. Nonbuccal striae of telotrochs and microgamonts varied in structure and height differences between epiplasmic peaks and alveoli surface membranes. The number of striae were constant in all 3 stages. Pellicular pore structure did not vary in any of the stages examined and resembled parasomal sacs located near buccal structures. Fully relaxed sessile zooids had ectoplasmic ridges coursing from polykinety kinetosomes and cilia to an area in front of the ciliated portion of the haplokinety; these ridges were interpreted to be the interkinetal fibers. Telotroch bands of sessile zooids consisted of 2 or 3 parallel ectoplasmic ridges which circled the aboral region and contained structures resembling pores. Telotroch bands in telotrochs and microgamonts had 2 enlarged, parallel ectoplasmic ridges circling the aboral region; telotroch band cilia were found between these ridges. In addition, a fold-like, ectoplasmic structure extended beyond the 2 ridges and was located between the telotroch band cilia and the aboral ridge. The epiplasmic shelf surrounding the stalk in sessile zooids was enlarged in telotrochs, and cilia were seen in the scopula depression. No scopula organelle was seen in any microgamont.
The role of artificial intelligence in understanding the strategic decision-making process

A survey is given which focuses on research issues involving strategic planning and artificial intelligence (AI), including the nature of the formulation task, cognitive studies of strategic planners and computer-based support for strategic planning. The author reviews the research to date, and argues that, like traditional decision support systems (DSS) research, much of the potential for future research in this area lies in modeling the ill-structured, early stages of the strategic decision making process namely, the strategic intelligence analysis and the issue diagnosis. Therefore, he discusses a specific model-based approach to the study of these early stages. Research in artificial intelligence-including investigations into diagnosis and situation assessment, analogical reasoning, plan recognition, nonmonotonic reasoning and distributed intelligence, among others-can be used to build models of strategic decision making that help researchers in better understanding this traditionally unstructured activity. >
Crosstalk between cancer cells and blood endothelial and lymphatic endothelial cells in tumour and organ microenvironment

Tumour and organ microenvironments are crucial for cancer progression and metastasis. Crosstalk between multiple non-malignant cell types in the microenvironments and cancer cells promotes tumour growth and metastasis. Blood and lymphatic endothelial cells (BEC and LEC) are two of the components in the microenvironments. Tumour blood vessels (BV), comprising BEC, serve as conduits for blood supply into the tumour, and are important for tumour growth as well as haematogenous tumour dissemination. Lymphatic vessels (LV), comprising LEC, which are relatively leaky compared with BV, are essential for lymphogenous tumour dissemination. In addition to describing the conventional roles of the BV and LV, we also discuss newly emerging roles of these endothelial cells: their crosstalk with cancer cells via molecules secreted by the BEC and LEC (also called angiocrine and lymphangiocrine factors). This review suggests that BEC and LEC in various microenvironments can be orchestrators of tumour progression and proposes new mechanism-based strategies to discover new therapies to supplement conventional anti-angiogenic and anti-lymphangiogenic therapies.
Characterizing Cancer-Specific Networks by Integrating TCGA Data

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) generates comprehensive genomic data for thousands of patients over more than 20 cancer types. TCGA data are typically whole-genome measurements of multiple genomic features, such as DNA copy numbers, DNA methylation, and gene expression, providing unique opportunities for investigating cancer mechanism from multiple molecular and regulatory layers. We propose a Bayesian graphical model to systemically integrate multi-platform TCGA data for inference of the interactions between different genomic features either within a gene or between multiple genes. The presence or absence of edges in the graph indicates the presence or absence of conditional dependence between genomic features. The inference is restricted to genes within a known biological network, but can be extended to any sets of genes. Applying the model to the same genes using patient samples in two different cancer types, we identify network components that are common as well as different between cancer types. The examples and codes are available at https://www.ma.utexas.edu/users/yxu/software.html.
Non-linear Mapping for Improved Identification of 1300+ Languages

Non-linear mappings of the form P (ngram)γ and log(1+τP (ngram)) log(1+τ) are applied to the n-gram probabilities in five trainable open-source language identifiers. The first mapping reduces classification errors by 4.0% to 83.9% over a test set of more than one million 65-character strings in 1366 languages, and by 2.6% to 76.7% over a subset of 781 languages. The second mapping improves four of the five identifiers by 10.6% to 83.8% on the larger corpus and 14.4% to 76.7% on the smaller corpus. The subset corpus and the modified programs are made freely available for download at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/∼ralf/langid.html.
Do Leaders Persuade? Field Experiment Evidence of Direct Persuasion by Members of Congress on Their Constituents

Do leaders persuade? A large body of research explores the connection between mass opinion and elite behavior, and on how elected officials interact with their constituents. Yet there is surprisingly little evidence regarding direct interpersonal persuasion by leaders. Here we show that political leaders can persuade their constituents directly on three dimensions: substantive attitudes regarding issues, attributions regarding the leaders’ qualities, and subsequent voting behavior. We ran two field experiments consisting in 21 online town hall meetings with sitting Members of Congress. Study 1 examined 20 small town halls with Representatives (average 22 participants per town hall). Study 2 examined a large (175 person) town hall with a Senator. In both experiments we find that participating has significant and substantively important causal effects on all three dimensions of persuasion, yet no such effects on issues that were not discussed extensively in the sessions.
Simulation of subgrid orographic precipitation with an embedded 2‐D cloud‐resolving model

By explicitly resolving cloud-scale processes with embedded two-dimensional (2-D) cloud-resolving models (CRMs), superparameterized global atmospheric models have successfully simulated various atmospheric events over a wide range of time scales. Up to now, however, such models have not included the effects of topography on the CRM grid scale. We have used both 3-D and 2-D CRMs to simulate the effects of topography with prescribed “large-scale” winds. The 3-D CRM is used as a benchmark. The results show that the mean precipitation can be simulated reasonably well by using a 2-D representation of topography as long as the statistics of the topography such as the mean and standard deviation are closely represented. It is also shown that the use of a set of two perpendicular 2-D grids can significantly reduce the error due to a 2-D representation of topography.
Una visita a la lealtad hacia los partidos políticos en América Latina

This paper explores the impact of enduring psychological attitudes, such as party identi?caton on the political ystems and the votng behavior of four Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela. Using available data this paper examines three issues. Firstly, it compares partisanship stability in these four coun- tries. Secondly, it analyses the way party identi?caton mirrors past political struggles in terms of social and ideological cleavages. Thirdly, this work assesses the political impact of party identi?caton in terms of both voting behavior and the way in which the mind processes political information. Someofthemajor?ndingsofthisanalysisarethefollowing. Whereas party loyalties seem to be stable in Chile and Argentina, Mexican and Venezuelan citizens appear to be immersed in a process of partisan dealignment-realignment. With the exception of Chile, where ideological struggle have been intensa in the past, party iden- ti?ers in the other three countries re?ect the lack of ideological polarization and the inclusive nature of their largest parties. ln general, most vote for their respective candidate which accounts for about half of the vote for these candidatas. Partisan identi?caton clearly biases how voters process political information. This is a shelf-reinforcing mechanism that party explains the endurance of partisanship.
Research progress in screening and identification of rice germplasm for resistance to the rice leaf roller(Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and related areas

In his paper,research progress in screening and identification of rice germplasm for resistance to the rice leaf roller and related areas was summarized,including rice germplasm,techniques for identification,mechanism and resistant varieties breeding.Two material with the moderately resistant to the rice leaf roller were screened out of 1 000 rice germplasm,some medium material were obtained by way of cross and backcross,which could be used in rice insect-resistant breeding.
Change features of serum enzymes in patients with pediatric epidemic parotitis

Objective To explore the change features of serum creatine kinase isozyme(CK-MB),amylase(AMY),lipase(LPS),alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in patients with pediatric epidemic parotitis and to investigate the diagnostic value of CK-MB/CK for the cases complicated with myocardial damage.Methods A total of 296 patients with epidemic parotitis hospitalized in our hospital were enrolled in this study,including 21 cases complicated with pancreatitis(pancreatitis group),27 cases complicated with myocardial damage(myocardial damage group),54 cases complicated with hepatic damage(hepatic damage group)and 194 cases without complication(common group).Change features of serum enzymes of the four groups were compared.ResultsCompared with the common group,the level of LPS in the pancreatitis group increased remarkably(215.5±42.3)U/L vs(402.1±77.2)U/L(P 0.01),the level of CK-MB in the myocardial damage group elevated significantly(10.6±5.1)mmol/L vs(13.0±4.3)mmol/L(P 0.05)and the levels of ALT and AST in the hepatic damage group also rose sharply(19.5±4.3)U/L vs(61.8±9.4)U/L and(21.1±6.1)U/L vs(70.0±10.1)U/L(both P 0.01).As compared with the pancreatitis group,the level of LPS in the other three groups decreased obviously(P 0.01each).The level of ALT and AST in the hepatic damage group(17.9±4.8)U/L and(22.0±5.1)U/L were markedly higher than those in the pancreatitis group and myocardial damage group,respectively(P0.01each).The ROC analysis showed that the area under curve of CK-MB/CK for the predication of myocardial damage was 0.666.Conclusion Serum CK-MB,AMY,LPS,ALT and AST show certain changing characteristics during the clinical course of epidemic parotitis.Thus,monitoring the changing regularity of serum enzymes dynamically is helpful for the standard diagnosis and treatment of the complications of parotitis.The diagnostic value of CK-MB/CK for the predication of myocardial damage is limited.
A practical identification for single-phase ground fault of microgrid

When a microgrid composed of distributed generators is controlled in grid-connected operation mode, its rapid reaction to the single-phase ground fault in the distributed network as well as the effective protection of PCC (Point of Common Coupling) should be required. A method for identifying single-phase ground fault by using fault components and dq transformation is presented. Fault component voltage of fault phase can be calculated to identify the unsymmetrical short circuit fault according to the three-phase voltages of PCC, and then the three sequence fault components can be obtained by using symmetrical component law. Zero sequence current compensation is conducted in case of fault component voltage in dq frames. Fault characteristics are constructed to identify single-phase ground fault. Fault phase selection is decided by phase angle of positive and negative fault component. Simulation test is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Single phase ground fault identification and fault phase selection are realized. All aspects are proposed for improving microgrid in better operating mode.
Microbial ecology: Algae feed a shift on coral reefs

Human pressures on coral reefs are giving macroalgae a competitive advantage over reef-building corals. These algae support larger, and potentially pathogenic, microbial populations that are metabolically primed for less-efficient, yet faster, carbohydrate remineralization, perpetuating a vicious cycle of reef degradation.
Nonsurgical removal of foreign body from right heart. A new percutaneous approach.

A new method is described for the nonsurgical removal of foreign bodies from the right heart. By means of the percutaneous Seldinger technique, endoscopic forceps were passed through the internal jugular vein to remove a fragment of polyvinyl catheter from the right atrium of a patient who had had heart surgery. The procedure is atraumatic and can be performed on patients who are critically ill and those who recently have had surgery.
Centralization and delegation practices in family versus non-family SMEs: a Rasch analysis

In this paper, we examine differences in centralization and delegation practices of family and non-family firms. Using Aston studies measures, we examine specific types of decisions and the level of authority involved in decision making by owner-managers. We use Rasch analysis to examine the concentration of authority in a sample of 124 small- and medium-sized firms. We find that family firms maintain more centralized decision making and delegate differently than their non-family counterparts. Whereas family firms prioritize centralizing operational issues, non-family firms centralize employment issues more. Our findings have implications for understanding the distinctiveness and professionalization of family firms.
Greenhouse Gases, Global Warming, and Insects

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the effects of greenhouse gases on insects. To study the effects of elevated CO2 on the interactions of insect herbivores with their natural enemies, such as predators and parasites, whole communities containing insect herbivores and their predators, parasites, and diseases are exposed to elevated CO2. The net result of increased plant consumption and slower growth by herbivorous insects in elevated CO2 is likely to result in increased exposure to natural enemies. For example, consumption of additional foliage increases the probability of ingestion of viruses or pathogenic bacteria, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, which can cause death. That is why leafmining insects are a valuable study organism with which to examine the effects of elevated CO2 on attack rate by natural enemies. This is because the leafmines themselves leave a permanent record of the fate of the insect inside. It also predicts that greenhouse gases can change insect distribution patterns both directly, via increases in temperature and rainfall, and indirectly, via changes in the distribution of host plants. Research on a sample of 35 nonmigratory European butterflies showed that 63% had ranges that shifted to the north by 35–240 km during the 20th century, while only 3% shifted to the south. Thus for many insects, global warming has already changed range boundaries.
A new method for group decision making and its application in medical trainee selection.

Context The problems associated with generating a collaborative ranked preference list represent a common source of dilemma in academic medicine and medical education. Such issues present during the process of choosing among applicants to medical schools, during the selection of postgraduate trainees, and in the course of performance assessments and the prioritising of financial expenditures. Currently, most institutions use pseudo-quantitative methods, such as the averaging of scores awarded on an arbitrary scale. These methods are mathematically problematic and may not accurately reflect group opinion. Methods The present authors developed a novel algorithm for creating a collaborative preference list that generates and sorts a matrix of pairwise comparisons between applicants or choices without placing any reliance on arbitrary Likert scale-type scores. This method achieves equality in influence across individual assessors, as well as transparency and reproducibility. The authors report a case study of their experience using this new algorithm in the 2013 neonatal-perinatal fellowship match. Results When used by this group in the selection of fellowship trainees, the method proposed here allowed for greater efficiency and created a rank-order list that did not require reshuffling or significant debate. A survey of faculty staff and fellows showed much higher levels of satisfaction with the new algorithm and a unanimous desire to use the new algorithm in the future, in preference to a score-based system. Conclusions The algorithm developed and described here may reduce arbitrariness in processes that require the collaborative creation of a preference list. This method may have wide applicability in medical education and training, and beyond. The present authors’ experience of using this algorithm during the National Resident Matching Program match showed improved perceptions of fairness, ease of use and efficiency.
Study of Methyletransferase RumB in E. coli

In this experiment methyltransferases RumA and RumB were studied. These proteins are part of a group of enzymes that conduct post transcriptional modifications on RNA. RumB specifically methylates ...