cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immune aging and autoimmunity

Age is an important risk for autoimmunity, and many autoimmune diseases preferentially occur in the second half of adulthood when immune competence has declined and thymic T cell generation has ceased. Many tolerance checkpoints have to fail for an autoimmune disease to develop, and several of those are susceptible to the immune aging process. Homeostatic T cell proliferation which is mainly responsible for T cell replenishment during adulthood can lead to the selection of T cells with increased affinity to self- or neoantigens and enhanced growth and survival properties. These cells can acquire a memory-like phenotype, in particular under lymphopenic conditions. Accumulation of end-differentiated effector T cells, either specific for self-antigen or for latent viruses, have a low activation threshold due to the expression of signaling and regulatory molecules and generate an inflammatory environment with their ability to be cytotoxic and to produce excessive amounts of cytokines and thereby inducing or amplifying autoimmune responses.
Generalized model for multispecies ion-exchange kinetics including fast reversible reactions

Abstract The Nernst-Planck model for intraparticle-diffusion controlled ion exchange, describing ion exchange as interdiffusion of ions subject to electric coupling in a quasi-homogeneous phase, has been extended to multispecies systems with fast, reversible reactions at local equilibrium. A computer model has been set up, based on a reformulation of the Nernst-Planck equations and a “reaction matrix” composed of stoichiometric coefficients and reaction-coupling factors. The computer model is applicable to spherical beads and planar membranes.
Cation and oxygen disorder in the structures TlSr2CuO5 and (Pb0.63Cu0.37)Sr2CoO5

Abstract TlSr2CuO5: Mr = 523.15, tetragonal, P4/mmm, a = 3.7344(5) A , c = 9.007(1) A , V = 125.61(5) A 3 , Z = 1, D x = 6.92 g cm −3 , λ = 0.71069 A , μ = 569 cm −1 , F(000) = 226 , room temperature, R = 0.033 for 143 unique reflections greater than 5σ(F). (Pb0.63Cu0.37)Sr2CoO5: Mr = 468.21, tetragonal, P4/mmm, a = 3.7591(4) A , c = 8.962(5) A , V = 126.6(1) A 3 , Z = 1, D x = 6.14 g cm −3 , λ = 0.71069 A , μ = 460.6 cm −1 , F(000) = 205.4 , room temperature, R = 0.064 for 130 unique reflections greater than 5σ(F). The compounds are isostructural. The oxygen ion at the idealized position built1 2 built1 2 0 is displaced along [110] by about 0.5 A. The thallium and lead ions at the origin have r.m.s. vibrational amplitudes in the basal plane that are twice as large as those perpendicular to the plane. Static displacements of the cation and oxygen in the basal plane can result in an octahedral environment with reasonable metal-oxygen bond lengths, i.e. 2.3 A or less. The copper and cobalt ions are in a distorted octahedral coordination. The two apical distances for CuO are 2.489(16) A and for CoO = 2.38(4) A. The four equatorial bond lengths are CuO = 1.8672(2) A and CoO = 1.880(2) A. The strontium ion is in nine-fold coordination to the oxygens that are at the corners of a monocapped square antiprism; the capping ion is the disordered oxygen. In the thallium compound four SrO = 2.718(4) A, four SrO = 2.626(1) A and the capping SrO = 2.687(3) A. In the lead phase four SrO = 2.716(8) A four SrO = 2.616(2) A and the capping SrO = 2.700(8) A. The partial replacement lead by copper does not occur at the same site but is displaced along [100] by 0.6 A. The copper exists in a tetrahedral environment.
ABCG2 (BCRP) expression in normal and malignant hematopoietic cells.

ABCG2 (BCRP) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of cell surface transport proteins. ABCG2 expression occurs in a variety of normal tissues, and is relatively limited to primitive stem cells. ABCG2 expression is associated with the side population (SP) phenotype of Hoechst 33342 efflux. The substrate profile of ABCG2 includes the antineoplastic drugs primarily targeting topoisomerases, including anthracyclines and camptothecins. More recently, pheophorbide, a chlorophyll-breakdown product, and protoporhyrin IX have been described as ABCG2 substrates, perhaps indicating a physiologic role of cytoprotection of primitive cells. Also, mice lacking ABCG2 expression have no intrinsic stem cell defects, although there is a remarkable increase in toxicity with antineoplastic drugs that are ABCG2 substrates, and also a photosensitivity resembling protoporphyria. Like other members of the ABC family, such as MDR1 and MRP1, ABCG2 is expressed in a variety of malignancies. Despite numerous reports of ABCG2 expression in AML, there is little evidence that ABCG2 expression is correlated with an adverse clinical outcome. This review will focus on the potential usefulness of ABCG2 as a marker primitive stem cells and possible physiologic roles of ABCG2 in protection of primitive stem cell populations, and potential methods of overcoming ABCG2-associated drug resistance in anticancer therapy.
Some microbial contaminants and control agents in a diet and larvae of Heliothis spp

Abstract Sixteen tests were conducted with four antimicrobial agents that are routinely incorporated into lepidopterous larval diets for bacterial and fungal inhibition. The agents tested in all possible combinations were benomyl, chlortetracycline, sorbic acid, and methyl P -hydroxybenzoate. Those combinations that contained benomyl and sorbic acid in the formula were effective in complete microbial suppression during the larval portion of the 35-day testing period. Insect development in plastic cups of test diets with benomyl and sorbic acid averaged 97 and 93% pupation and adult emergence, respectively. The 12 tests that did not contain benomyl and sorbic acid were contaminated with some of the following fungi: Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Rhizopus nigricans, Cladosporium, Fusarium , yeasts, or the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis . Microorganisms in Heliothis spp. larvae from mass-rearing diets were tested, examined, and identified. Bacteria recovered from laboratory-reared Heliothis larvae included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. maltophilia, Micrococcus luteus , α-hemolytic Streptococcus, Serratia marcescens , and S. rubidaea . Tests were conducted with sensi-discs for the selection of antimicrobials to arrest contamination in the larval digestive systems.
Dismantling the Face: Toward a Phenomenology of Boxing:

This article provides a critical study of violence in the intersubjective encounter through the sport of boxing. Employing a hauntological method first developed by Jacques Derrida, it uses the phenomenological work of Emmanuel Levinas and the poetically philosophical work of Guilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari to focus on the facial dimension of pugilism. Written as a series of aphorisms, alternating between theoretical reflection and personal recollection, this article examines the face of boxing as it uncovers an ethical understanding of the sport and how that understanding affects the larger culture.
Impact of physics education research on the teaching of introductory quantitative physics in the United States

During the Fall of 2008 we designed and administered a web survey to collect information about pedagogical knowledge and practices of physics faculty. The survey was completed by a representative sample of 722 physics faculty across the United States (a 50.3% response rate). This paper presents results of one part of the survey where faculty were asked to rate their level of knowledge and use of 24 Research-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) that are applicable to an introductory quantitative physics course. Almost all faculty (87.1%) indicated familiarity with one or more RBIS and approximately half of faculty (48.1%) said that they currently use at least one RBIS. Results also indicate that faculty rarely use RBIS as recommended by the developer, but instead commonly make significant modifications.
"The Land of Opportunity Doesn't Apply to Everyone": The Immigrant Experience, Race, and Asian American Career Choices

Despite their popular portrayal as high achieving and structurally incorporated, race continues to shape the career choices of Asian American college students. As second-generation Americans, Asian Americans negotiate a constellation of factors when deciding their career choices, most notably, pressures from immigrant parents, awareness of labor market discrimination, fear of being tokenized in particular occupational fields, and influences from peer networks. These findings help elucidate how race and the social context of immigrant adaptation can affect the occupational trajectories of Asian Americans and other children of immigrants in the United States, regardless of their educational achievement and socioeconomic status.
Revised content and format of associate-level computing curricular guidelines

The ACM Two-Year College Education Committee (TYCEC) has created a Web 2.0 based information space called CAP-Space for the Committee's revised curricular guidelines. The name CAP-Space was chosen since it integrates the three fundamental pillars of Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy. We are adopting a frame of reference that not only acknowledges these three critical elements but also sees them as equally important, inter-locking components in associate-degree computing programs. The IT curriculum guidelines are now being written and revised. The guidelines will be incorporated into the CAP-Space when finalized and approved by ACM.
Numerical simulation and analysis for metal cutting processes based on FEM and SPH

By using the coupling method of FEM and SPH, constitutive behavior of material in the metal cutting process was simulated and cutting mechanisms were analyzed. The simulation results show that the cutting process is a plastic deformation process in which cutting layer material produces shearing slip due to the extrusion of cutting tool; the extrusion and friction from cutting edge result in cold plastic deformation of material in formed surface layer, and form residual stress; the cutting force increases rapidly and then decreases, eventually varies in a certain range; the maximal effective stress varies at a certain distance to the cutting edge in stable cutting stage.
Effect of sterile service on estrus duration, fertility and prolificacy in artificially inseminated dairy goats.

Abstract The effect of sterile service on estrus duration, fertility and prolificacy in artificially inseminated dairy goats during breeding season was studied. Nubian does (n = 126) were divided into 2 equal groups: service and control. Estrus was synchronized with intravaginal sponges containing either fluorgestone acetate (FGA; 40 mg) or medroxiprogesterone acetate (MAP; 60 mg) for 12 or 14 d, respectively. Two vasectomized teaser bucks were used to detect estrus at 6-h intervals for 5 d after sponge removal (0600, 1200, 1800 and 2400 h). The teasers were fitted with aprons and permitted to mount all does in both groups, but to penetrate only the service does within the first 12 h of estrus. Does in both groups were inseminated twice at 12 and 24 h after estrus was first detected, using 1 straw per insemination containing 200 million of cooled spermatozoa from 1 buck. The semen was placed in mid-cervix. Estrus duration for the service and control does was (mean ± SD) 29.4 ± 6.5 and 41.8 ± 9.6 h, respectively. Fertility for the service does was 73.7% (46/63); for control does it was 58.7% (37/63). Prolificacy was 2.1 (96/46) and 2.0 (74/37) for service and control does, respectively. Estrus duration (P 0.05). It is concluded that sterile service reduces the duration of estrus and increases fertility in artificially inseminated dairy goats.
Identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of intermediates in the aromatization of modified C19 steroids by human placental microsomes.

Abstract Analogs of 4-androstene-3,17-dione and testosterone were tested as substrates for the aromatizing enzyme complex of human placenta. Compounds modified in rings B, C and D were found to be aromatized via a pathway similar to that postulated for 4-androstene-3,17-dione and testosterone, in which oxidation to the 19-hydroxy and 19-oxo (or corresponding gem-diol) intermediates occurs. No evidence of additional intermediates was obtained.
Self-assembled photonic crystal waveguides

Self-assembled opal-clad waveguides with pseudophotonic bandgap (pseudo-PBG) at the fiber communication wavelength have been fabricated. For the opal cladding, high-quality colloidal silica spheres were coated on a rib-type waveguide. Theoretical and experimental results show that a pseudo-PBG exists near 1532-nm wavelength, where 10-/spl mu/m-wide waveguides have a propagation loss of 36.1 dB/cm.
MicroRNA-93 regulates NRF2 expression and is associated with breast carcinogenesis

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of approximately 60% of all human genes and play important roles in disease processes. Recent studies have demonstrated a link between dysregulated expression of miRNAs and breast carcinogenesis. Long-term estrogen exposure is implicated in development of human breast cancers, yet underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We have recently demonstrated that antioxidant vitamin C (vit C) prevents estrogen-induced breast tumor development. In this study, we investigated the role of vit C in the regulation of microRNA-93 (miR-93) and its target gene(s) in a rat model of mammary carcinogenesis. Female August Copenhagen Irish (ACI) rats were treated with vit C in the presence or absence of 17β-estradiol (E2) for 8 months. We demonstrate an increased expression of the miR-93 in E2-treated mammary tissues and in human breast cell lines and vit C treatment reverted E2-mediated increase in miR-93 levels. MiRNA target prediction programs suggest one of the target genes of miR-93 to be nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). In contrast with miR-93 expression, NRF2 protein expression was significantly decreased in E2-treated mammary tissues, mammary tumors, and in breast cancer cell lines, and its expression was significantly increased after vit C treatment. Ectopic expression of miR-93 decreased protein expression of NRF2 and NRF2-regulated genes. Furthermore, miR-93 decreased apoptosis, increased colony formation, mammosphere formation, cell migration and DNA damage in breast epithelial cells, whereas silencing of miR-93 in these cells inhibited these carcinogenic processes. Taken together, our findings suggest an oncogenic potential of miR-93 during E2-induced breast carcinogenesis.
On the Maximum Drawdown of a Brownian Motion

If X(t) is a random process on [0,T], the maximum drawdown at time T, ¯ D(T), is defined by
Force-Time Entropy of Isometric Impulse

The relation between force and temporal variability in discrete impulse production has been viewed as independent (R. A. Schmidt, H. Zelaznik, B. Hawkins, J. S. Frank, & J. T. Quinn, 1979 ) or dependent on the rate of force (L. G. Carlton & K. M. Newell, 1993 ). Two experiments in an isometric single finger force task investigated the joint force-time entropy with (a) fixed time to peak force and different percentages of force level and (b) fixed percentage of force level and different times to peak force. The results showed that the peak force variability increased either with the increment of force level or through a shorter time to peak force that also reduced timing error variability. The peak force entropy and entropy of time to peak force increased on the respective dimension as the parameter conditions approached either maximum force or a minimum rate of force production. The findings show that force error and timing error are dependent but complementary when considered in the same framework with the joint force-time entropy at a minimum in the middle parameter range of discrete impulse.
Enhanced retroviral transduction of 293 cells cultured on liquid–liquid interfaces

In clinical research, retrovirus-mediated gene therapy is one of the most commonly used methods to deliver and express the gene of interest due its ability to allow for stable gene integration into the chromosomes of target cells. To elevate the efficiency of viral transduction, several restrictions, such as low virus-cell encounters and the necessity for cell division, must be improved. In this study, we focused on the possibility of accelerating cell division and the ensuing increment of viral transduction on flexible substrata. Perfluorocarbon FC-40 was harnessed to form a liquid-liquid interface with culture medium. Enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) was employed as the marker gene to quickly illustrate the percentage of viral infection. The results indicate that the gene transfer efficiency to 293 cells cultured on protein-precoated liquid-liquid interfaces was higher than in cells cultured on rigid polystyrene surfaces. This increased transduction rate on the liquid-liquid interface is consistent with the acceleration of division of 293 cells on a flexible interface, which exhibited less adhesiveness. The effect of cell-cell contact inhibition on the rate of gene transduction is also addressed in this study.
Interpretation Of Synthetic Three-dimensional Magnetoelluric Data

The magnetotelluric (MT) method is an electromagnetic sounding technique used in geophysical exploration that is based on the measurement of surface electric and magnetic fields. The presence of three-dimensional (3-0) conducting heterogeneities near the surface of the Earth obscures conducting regions buried deeper in the Earth and leads to interpretational errors. In this paper, a procedure referred to as "wavenumber filtering" is developed that dramatically reduces the undesirable effects of 3-D heterogeneities on some elements of the MT impedance The wavenumber filtering process is evaluated by comparing the filtered and the unfiltered apparent resistivities derived from the MT impedance for a particular 3-D model consisting of a heterogeneous region on the surface of an otherwise homogeneous earth.
Interactive Graph Summarization

Graphs are widely used to model real-world objects and their relationships, and large graph data sets are common in many application domains. To understand the underlying characteristics of large graphs, graph summarization techniques are critical. Existing graph summarization methods are mostly statistical (studying statistics such as degree distributions, hop-plots, and clustering coefficients). These statistical methods are very useful, but the resolutions of the summaries are hard to control. In this chapter, we introduce database-style operations to summarize graphs. Like the OLAP-style aggregation methods that allow users to interactively drill-down or roll-up to control the resolution of summarization, the methods described in this chapter provide an analogous functionality for large graph data sets.
Stent-Versus-Stent Equivalency Trials Are Some Stents More Equal Than Others?

New endovascular stent designs are displacing tried-and-true devices for use in an ever-broader array of lesions. Yet disagreement remains as to which device is most advantageous and whether design determines outcome. Preclinical research says that this should be the case, but clinical trials have failed to validate design dependence. Is this yet another demonstration of the dichotomy between preclinical and clinical experience, or can divergent data be reconciled? More than 50 different stent configurations are available, with 12 having received regulatory approval in the United States and a larger number in Europe. The very processes of industrial development and federal regulatory evaluation support the importance of design. Stents are made from a spectrum of materials with a range of manufacturing techniques, providing variable surfaces, dimensions, surface coverage, and strut configurations. Classifications have been proposed, but the number of parameters involved may doom the number of subsets to approach the number of designs. Moreover, each device seems to have a unique optimal mode of placement. It is not surprising, then, that differences have been reported in flexibility, tracking ability, expansion, radiovisibility, side-branch access, and resistance to compression and recoil for different devices. Regulatory approval includes safety standards for toxicity, biocompatibility, structural and material analysis, and fatigue testing, and it has been suggested that hoop strength, surface cracking, uniformity of expansion, and other features become standardized as well. The evolution of stent design, which has produced increasingly safer and easier-to-use devices, indicates that there is not a single safety threshold but rather a continuous spectrum of performance. Every device that has been introduced into the clinic has undergone revision. In every case, designs that met regulatory guidelines were changed to make devices easier and perhaps safer to use. From what we know of the vascular response to injury, we anticipate that differences …
An Efficiency-Based Multicriteria Strategic Planning Model for Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) provide a low-cost alternative to traditional inpatient care. In addition, with health care reform imminent, it is likely that many currently uninsured people will soon acquire health care coverage, significantly increasing the demand for health services. ASCs are among the providers that can expect to see a substantial amount of this new pent-up demand and, therefore, ASCs are likely to continue their current growth into the foreseeable future. Those ASCs that plan accordingly by optimizing procedure mix and volume will benefit most from the increased demand. We propose a two-stage efficiency-based multicriteria decision model to guide an ASC in identifying its optimal procedure mix. The first stage uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to calculate the efficiency of each procedure based on the resources required to perform the procedure, the revenue it generates, and its risk of complications. The second stage uses the DEA factor efficiency scores in a bottleneck program to optimize the mix of procedures while satisfying the ASC's resource and operational constraints. The criteria are to (1) maximize reimbursement while (2) minimizing the total number of complications. We demonstrate the approach using a data set based in part on data from an actual ASC.
Automated 4D analysis of dendritic spine morphology: applications to stimulus-induced spine remodeling and pharmacological rescue in a disease model

Uncovering the mechanisms that regulate dendritic spine morphology has been limited, in part, by the lack of efficient and unbiased methods for analyzing spines. Here, we describe an automated 3D spine morphometry method and its application to spine remodeling in live neurons and spine abnormalities in a disease model. We anticipate that this approach will advance studies of synapse structure and function in brain development, plasticity, and disease.
An improved compact finite difference scheme for solving an N-carrier system with Neumann boundary conditions

In this study, we develop a fourth-order compact finite difference scheme for solving a model of energy exchanges in a generalized N-carrier system with heat sources and Neumann boundary conditions, which extends the concept of the well-known parabolic two-step model for microheat transfer. By using the matrix analysis, the compact finite difference numerical scheme is shown to be unconditionally stable. The accuracy of the solution obtained by the scheme is tested by a numerical example. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2010
On the perturbation of molecular eigenfunctions by a magnetic field

Abstract We derive the first- and second-order perturbation to the eigenfunctions belonging to a degenerate eigenvalue for the situation that corresponds to a molecule in a homogeneous magnetic field. These perturbations give rise to contributions to magneto-optical activity which have so far been neglected. We show that the contributions to the Faraday effect due to the first-order perturbation of the eigenfunctions cancel but that the contributions to the Cotton-Mouton effect due to these perturbation terms invalidate previous theoretical results.
The local approximation of variograms in by covariance functions

Abstract We construct stationary local approximations to intrinsically stationary random processes in R 2 . For any variogram, disc in R 2 and e , a second-order stationary process can be found that is independent at large lags, but has a variogram that comes within e of the original variogram within the disc.
Shocks and Business Cycles

A popular theory of business cycles is that they are driven by animal spirits: shifts in expectations brought on by sunspots. A prominent example is Howitt and McAfee (AER, 1992). We show that this model has a unique equilibrium if there are payoff shocks of any size. This equilibrium still has the desirable property that recessions and expansions can occur without any large exogenous shocks. We give an algorithm for computing the equilibrium and study its comparative statics properties. This work generalizes Burdzy, Frankel, and Pauzner (2000) to the case of endogenous frictions and seasonal and mean-reverting shocks.
What students ‘know’ about statics: Specific difficulties common among students entering statics

To gain insight into the specific difficulties exhibited by students as they enter Statics, we analyzed studentspsila explanations to concept questions students completed as Warm Up exercises at the beginning of Statics. Students completed four questions as part of three Warm Up exercises on free body diagrams, equilibrium, and equivalence. Students did exhibit some common specific difficulties, and those difficulties are influenced by context. For free body diagrams the most common specific difficulty is the inclusion of an internal force, especially for problems involving ropes. For equilibrium problems students are likely to not consistently apply both force and moment equilibrium. Finally, for equivalence problems students are most likely to try to maintain a specific point of rotation for the body.
Novel neuromorphic CMOS device array for biochemical charge sensing

Novel neuromorphic CMOS device is proposed as a biochemical charge sensor. The basic architecture of an extended floating-gate field-effect transistor (FET) is modified to be suited for large-array applications. The FET has a floating-gate that is umbrella-shaped (UGFET), maximizing its charge sensing area in a much reduced transistor area. Compared to previous chemoreceptive FET-based charge sensors, the UGFET shows improved scalability and sensitivity. 3-D device simulations validate the UGFET model. The design is fabricated in a standard CMOS process and characterized. Experimental results on biochemical charge sensing are presented employing the transconductance and subthreshold measurement schemes.
The cortical reaction and development of activation competence in mammalian oocytes

Blocks to polyspermic fertilization are necessary to prevent the incorporation of two sperm nuclei into a zygote's genome, which would result in abnormal development. Many mammalian eggs utilize both an extracellular zona pellucida block to polyspermy and a plasma membrane block. Although little is known about the plasma membrane block in mammals, fertilization results in zona glycoprotein modifications caused by enzymes released by the egg and its cortical granules (CG). This article reviews other recent investigations demonstrating that the oocyte's ability to cause CG release and the block to polyspermy develops near the time of ovulation. The development of normal "activation competence' is likely to involve preovulatory changes in the oocyte's ability to signal the release of intracellular calcium as well as to respond to this calcium increase, resulting in CG exocytosis. Because normal activation competence appears to have a brief temporal window after oocyte meiotic maturation is resumed and since the oocytes are collected at various stages in assisted reproductive procedures, these studies are relevant to optimizing clinical success.
Coupling aerosol-cloud-radiative processes in the WRF-Chem model: Investigating the radiative impact of elevated point sources

Abstract. The local and regional influence of elevated point sources on summertime aerosol forcing and cloud-aerosol interactions in northeastern North America was investigated using the WRF-Chem community model. The direct effects of aerosols on incoming solar radiation were simulated using existing modules to relate aerosol sizes and chemical composition to aerosol optical properties. Indirect effects were simulated by adding a prognostic treatment of cloud droplet number and adding modules that activate aerosol particles to form cloud droplets, simulate aqueous-phase chemistry, and tie a two-moment treatment of cloud water (cloud water mass and cloud droplet number) to precipitation and an existing radiation scheme. Fully interactive feedbacks thus were created within the modified model, with aerosols affecting cloud droplet number and cloud radiative properties, and clouds altering aerosol size and composition via aqueous processes, wet scavenging, and gas-phase-related photolytic processes. Comparisons of a baseline simulation with observations show that the model captured the general temporal cycle of aerosol optical depths (AODs) and produced clouds of comparable thickness to observations at approximately the proper times and places. The model overpredicted SO2 mixing ratios and PM2.5 mass, but reproduced the range of observed SO2 to sulfate aerosol ratios, suggesting that atmospheric oxidation processes leading to aerosol sulfate formation are captured in the model. The baseline simulation was compared to a sensitivity simulation in which all emissions at model levels above the surface layer were set to zero, thus removing stack emissions. Instantaneous, site-specific differences for aerosol and cloud related properties between the two simulations could be quite large, as removing above-surface emission sources influenced when and where clouds formed within the modeling domain. When summed spatially over the finest resolution model domain (the extent of which corresponds to the typical size of a single global climate model grid cell) and temporally over a three day analysis period, total rainfall in the sensitivity simulation increased by 31% over that in the baseline simulation. Fewer optically thin clouds, arbitrarily defined as a cloud exhibiting an optical depth less than 1, formed in the sensitivity simulation. Domain-averaged AODs dropped from 0.46 in the baseline simulation to 0.38 in the sensitivity simulation. The overall net effect of additional aerosols attributable to primary particulates and aerosol precursors from point source emissions above the surface was a domain-averaged reduction of 5 W m−2 in mean daytime downwelling shortwave radiation.
The First Cretaceous Spider Wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Abstract The first Mesozoic and currently oldest fossil of the wasp family Pompilidae (Aculeata: Euaculeata: Vespoidea) is described and figured from a female preserved in mid-Cretaceous (Albian) amber from Myanmar (Burma). Bryopompilus interfector, new genus and species, is distinguished from other fossil and living spider wasps and placed in the new tribe Bryopompilini. The sparse geological record of spider wasps is briefly reviewed and the current classification of the family outlined, with the spelling of three family-group names corrected—Cordyloscelidini, Eidopompilini, and Deuterageniini.
New Phenomena in Coherent Optical Transients

It is often stated, and with justification, that the concepts underlying coherent optical transient phenomena can be found in the literature of spin transients. For example, the Bloch vector [1] description of spin echoes [2] and free precession [3] applies equally well to photon echoes [4] and optical free induction decay [5]. While this conclusion remains largely true, it is not equally valid to say that the techniques are the same or to prophesy that the applications of optical and rf transients are identical also. In fact, the decay channels of optically excited atoms, molecules and solids usually involve a variety of interactions which contrast with the magnetic interactions encountered in spin resonance. This is a major distinction, one which has permitted new studies at optical frequencies. Moreover, it is also true that some of the practioners of magnetic resonance are beginning to learn a few lessons from quantum optics as well. In this paper, we have selected some of the new developments which are representative of the field of coherent optical transients.
Vocational indecisiveness and decisiveness and level of grade expectation as related to perception of university environmental press.

A test measuring a person's perception of college environmental characteristics was administered to 170 randomly selected students from a freshman college population of over 900. The sample yielded four groups: 19 students who were undecided about a vocation, 35 students who had made a vocational decision, 30 students who expected to graduate with B or better, and 30 students who expected to graduate with a C average. The differences in perception of environmental characteristics were examined and described for these subsamples.
A Bibliographical Study of the Icones Pictae Specierum Rariorum Fungorum of Christiaan Hendrik Persoon

Adoption of the Synopsis Methodica Fungorum, by the International Botanical Congress, as the starting point for nomenclature of the Ustilaginales, Uredinales and Gasteromycetes has caused that book to be more widely used in recent years than any other of Persoon's publications. The companion volume of hand colored plates prepared by him to illustrate some of the less common species described in the Synopsis is, in comparison, little known. This book bears the double title Icones Pictae Specierum Rariorum Fungorum in Synopsi Methodica Descriptarum a C. H. Persoon.-Figures Coloriees des Especes Rares des Champignons Decrits dans l'Ouvrage Intitule: Synopsis Methodica Fungorum par C. H. Persoon. It was published in four fascicles, each consisting of six plates with accompanying descriptive matter printed largely in duplicate in Latin and French. The entire work was published by Amand Koenig at Paris and Strasbourg. For several reasons, this book has unusual bibliographical interest. It is one of Persoon's rarer works; to a surprising degree, copies of it have been preserved in an incomplete condition; and, quite generally, the date of publication of the last fascicle has been recorded incorrectly. We are concerned in this paper only with such bibliographical matters. Our statements are based on a critical study of the known copies of the work in North American libraries. It has been our privilege to examine several of them, and detailed knowledge of the others has been gained through correspondence. In the endeavor to locate as many specimens of the book as possible, and obtain information as to their state of completeness, a brief questionnaire was sent to a carefully selected list of mycologists and institutional libra177
High throughput method for creating and screening recombinant adenoviruses.

Replication defective adenoviruses are being considered as vectors in therapeutic applications of gene therapy, as well as research tools in studying gene function. Important to their successful utilization is the development of techniques to isolate new recombinants quickly, which are not contaminated with wild-type virus. We describe a modification of the traditional technique to create recombinant adenoviruses in which a 5′ plasmid containing vector sequence is cotransfected into 293 cells with viral DNA. In our protocol, the viral DNA is derived from the 3’ portion of an E1-deleted recombinant that expresses the green fluorescent protein. Visualization of the cotransfection by fluorescent microscopy distinguishes recombinant plaques (nonfluorescent or ‘white plaque’) from background plaques (green fluorescent or ‘green plaque’). Using this approach we have been able to increase substantially the success and throughput for creating new recombinants while minimizing contamination. This has been used to isolate adenoviral vectors deleted in a number of essential genes.
Search for Security: The United States and Central America in the Twentieth Century

The fall of Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza in July 1979 contributed to the publication of an abundance of literature on United States-Central American relations and, like the literature before it, focused largely upon the crisis at hand. Two historical surveys appeared. Walter LaFeber's Inevitable Revolutions: The United States and Central America represented a revisionist approach, charging that United States economic imperialism is responsible for the present crisis. John Finding's Close Neighbors, Distant Friends: United States-Central American Relations is a straightforward account describing Washington's response to various crisis. Still an analysis of the literature is absent. In an effort to address that issue, this article examines the literature on United States-Central American relations in the twentieth century and concludes that the United States acted on behalf of its own security interests, whether or not the threat of foreign intervention had been real or imagined. In effect, the United States maintained the status quo and failed to deal with the structural problems responsible for the contemporary crisis.
Search for Double Beta Decay in Ca 48 and Zr 96

A new search for double beta decay in ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{48}$ and ${\mathrm{Zr}}^{96}$, using two scintillation detectors in a $4\ensuremath{\pi}$ solid angle geometry, was performed far underground, in order to reduce the background counting rates to small values in the spectral regions of interest. The results of this experiment showed no evidence for double beta decay in either ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{48}$ or ${\mathrm{Zr}}^{96}$. Lower limits for the half-lives of these isotopes were estimated as follows: ${\mathrm{Ca}}^{48}$, ${T}_{\frac{1}{2}}g2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{18}$ yr; ${\mathrm{Zr}}^{96}$, ${T}_{\frac{1}{2}}g0.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{18}$ yr.
Injury thresholds and production loss functions for the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae), on pastured, preweaner beef cattle, Bos taurus.

Production loss (decreased average daily gain [ADG]) in preweaner beef cattle, Bos taurus (L.), is a logarithmic function of the number of feeding female lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (In X ). In 1982, Ŷ, the estimated change in ADG (kg) in tick-infested calves was Ŷ = 0.1342 − 0.0582(ln X ). In 1983, Ŷ = 0.5107 − 0.1671(In X ). Threshold values for production loss were 10 and 21 female A. americanum in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Slopes of the regression functions fitted to data in both years were not significantly different. The fitted production loss function for data from both years combined, Ŷ = 0.2810 − 0.103(In X ), estimated an injury threshold of 15 feeding female A. americanum per calf.
DIVERGENCE IN THE ENCHENOPA BINOTATA SAY COMPLEX (HOMOPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE) EFFECTED BY HOST PLANT ADAPTATION.

Intraspecific divergence is considered to be brought about by partial or complete geographic isolation in most animal groups which may lead to reproductive isolation (Mayr, 1963). However, evidence from a number of insect groups suggests intraspecific divergence and reproductive isolation may, under some conditions, occur in sympatric populations. Maynard Smith (1966) showed that disruptive selection acting on genotypes which influence habitat or host selection could lead to the formation of sympatric host races or species. Mechanisms such as allochronic shifts in the life history in crickets (Alexander and Bigelow, 1960; Alexander, 1968) or the adoption of new host plants by phytophagous insects may be involved in the formation of sympatric races or species. Host specificity of phytophagous or parasitic insects may establish initial conditions for sympatric speciation (Bush, 1975), but is not essential (Tauber and Tauber, 1977a, 1977b). Selection on insects restricted to deciduous hosts in geographic regions with drastic seasonal variation should produce insect life histories compatible with the host plant. Feeny (1970) demonstrated that the coordination of winter moth life history is geared to the availability of nutrients and defense system of the host plant. Many sap feeding homopterous insects such as aphids and scales are host plant specific showing adaptations to specific plants. For example, Edmunds and Alstad (1978) showed that differentiation in scale insects in response to the defense
Approach to characterization of the higher order structure of disulfide-containing proteins using hydrogen/deuterium exchange and top-down mass spectrometry.

Top-down hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) with mass spectrometric (MS) detection has recently matured to become a potent biophysical tool capable of providing valuable information on higher order structure and conformational dynamics of proteins at an unprecedented level of structural detail. However, the scope of the proteins amenable to the analysis by top-down HDX MS still remains limited, with the protein size and the presence of disulfide bonds being the two most important limiting factors. While the limitations imposed by the physical size of the proteins gradually become more relaxed as the sensitivity, resolution and dynamic range of modern MS instrumentation continue to improve at an ever accelerating pace, the presence of the disulfide linkages remains a much less forgiving limitation even for the proteins of relatively modest size. To circumvent this problem, we introduce an online chemical reduction step following completion and quenching of the HDX reactions and prior to the top-down MS meas...
Use and abuse of hypotensive drugs in the elderly.

In prescribing cardiovascular drugs for the elderly, one must consider not only their reduced body mass and renal and hepatic function, but also their reduced cardiac output, increased vascular resistance, and blood pressure. In general, diuretics should be used for mild hypertension; however, if diastolic pressure persistently exceeds 105 mm Hg, methyldopa can be used.
Exploring Pre‐K Age 4 Learning Standards and Their Role in Early Childhood Education: Research and Policy Implications

Currently in the United States, 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia have established prekindergarten (pre-K) age 4 learning standards that are intended to outline skills and knowledge that set children on a path to success in kindergarten and upcoming grades. These standards are emphasized as a centralizing force in early childhood education, providing a bridge strengthening ties between preschool and elementary grades. This report presents a national study of pre-K age 4 learning standards based on an online survey completed by early childhood state and territory directors and administrators, geographically diverse focus groups representing a subsample of survey respondents, and one-on-one interviews composed of a sample of both focus group and survey participants. Data were collected from these sources and by direct examination of pre-K age 4 learning standards documents. Responses to survey, focus group, and interview questions advanced current knowledge regarding the purpose, history, and development of pre-K age 4 learning standards, comprehensiveness of standards documents, standards-related supports for teachers, and pre-K to kindergarten alignment. Systematic analysis of pre-K age 4 learning standards documents revealed extensive variation across titles, organization, terminology, and enriching materials, such as teacher strategies and child examples that assist teachers in implementing standards. A surprising finding is the positive view among early childhood leaders in focus groups and interviews toward establishing national pre-K age 4 learning standards. The report concludes with a brief discussion of implications of this study followed by recommendations to inform state and federal early childhood leaders, education-focused philanthropic foundations, and others in the field of early childhood education.
Combining Passive Thermography and Acoustic Emission for Large Area Fatigue Damage Growth Assessment of a Composite Structure

Passive thermography and acoustic emission data were obtained for improved real time damage detection during fatigue loading. A strong positive correlation was demonstrated between acoustic energy event location and thermal heating, especially if the structure under load was nearing ultimate failure. An image processing routine was developed to map the acoustic emission data onto the thermal imagery. This required removing optical barrel distortion and angular rotation from the thermal data. The acoustic emission data were then mapped onto thermal data, revealing the cluster of acoustic emission event locations around the thermal signatures of interest. By combining both techniques, progression of damage growth is confirmed and areas of failure are identified. This technology provides improved real time inspections of advanced composite structures during fatigue testing.Keywords: Thermal nondestructive evaluation, fatigue damage detection, aerospace composite inspection, acoustic emission, passive thermography
Differential diagnosis in intersex conditions.

If the X-chromatin is positive and the genitalia are truly ambiguous, the child should be reared as a girl. If the X-chromatin is negative, the sex of rearing should be determined entirely by the surgical potential of the external genitalia. In practice, most such patients are more satisfactorily raised as girls.
CHEAP SHOOTING METHODS FOR SELF-ADJOINT PROBLEMS USING INITIAL VALUE METHODS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents new numerical shooting methods for boundary value problems for self-adjoint differential equations. The methods solve initial value problems; however, the coefficient functions are not recomputed when the initial values are changed. Thus, these methods are cheap when used with computers that perform millions of additions and multiplications in seconds. The methods are based on an elegant theory of approximation that allows guaranteeing strong (derivative) convergence and monotonicity results. This theory provides immediate application to many important problems for self-adjoint differential equations such as oscillation or conjugate points, the (multidimensional) eigenvalue problem, and stationary solutions of quadratic integrals occurring in the calculus of variations/optimal control theory. Often, as seen in the case of eigenvalues, a new definition or outlook of the problems is encountered, leading to simpler, more efficient, more accurate algorithms than conventional methods. These methods, which are similar to finite element methods, involve symmetric banded matrices and, hence, should provide new methods of dealing with these problems.
Triggers and outcomes of customer-to-customer aisle rage

Abstract Incidents of customer-to-customer aisle rage are on the rise, which raises questions about their triggers and outcomes, including customer responses that may affect the firm where the incidents take place. The results of 329 Critical Incident Technique interviews categorize triggers as interpersonal or situational, and suggest situational triggers that are under the firm's control (e.g., hunger, crowdedness, long waits for service) frequently co-occur with behaviors that negatively impact the firm (e.g., physical expressions of rage, exit, and revenge). Another important contribution is the identification of new responses to rage, including: commiserating with other customers, responding with humor/sarcasm, and boycotting the service provider because of shame or regret about personal reactions to the rage-inducing incidents. The results build on Affective Events Theory (AET) and contribute to our understanding of customer coping in customer-to-customer interactions.