cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evolution in Littorina: ecology matters

Organisms of marine rocky shores are exposed to physical stress from abiotic factors, such as temperature, salinity and wave action. These factors vary over compressed temporal and spatial scales, producing an exceedingly heterogeneous habitat with steep gradients of selection, and it seems likely that this has a strong influence on the evolution of populations of rocky shore organisms. With the periwinkles (genus Littorina) as a model group, I review strategies for coping with small-scale heterogeneous environments and what implications these strategies have on the evolution of these species. Some species of Littorina have long-lived pelagic larvae and sites of various habitats are thus recruited from a common gene pool. This largely prevents local adaptation but minor adjustments are possible through a plastic phenotype. Other species of the genus are directly developing with no larval dispersal and among these there is evidence of strong local adaptation forming distinct ecotypes in contrasting habitats by parallel evolution. In at least one of the directly developing species (L. saxatilis) divergent selection among ecotypes has resulted in partial reproductive barriers that further impede gene flow among ecotypes. Furthermore, convergent evolution among species has produced superficially similar morphs in different habitats. Ecotype formation, ecological reproductive barriers and convergence among species all indicate that ecological processes are critical for evolution of Littorina species. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Redesign of robust controllers for rigid-link flexible-joint robotic manipulators actuated with harmonic drive gearing

The authors have redesigned a previously developed robust tracking controller for rigid-link flexible-joint (RLFJ) robot manipulators to handle flexibilities specifically induced by harmonic drive gearing. A more realistic, and consequently more complex model for the torque transmission dynamics which includes frictional losses, kinematic error and nonlinear compliance is utilised. The stability result achieved for the authors' proposed controller ensures that the link tracking error is 'globally uniformly ultimately bounded' (GUUB), in spite of additive bounded disturbances, parametric uncertainty, and the presence of complex nonnegligible actuator dynamics.
Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies: Implications for US Pharmacists

The need to maximise benefits while minimising risks of pharmaceuticals is not unique to any one country's drug development approval process. Since inception, this has been one of the major objectives of the US Food and Drug Administration. Several landmark regulatory acts and amendments have established the need to require pharmaceuticals be proven safe and effective prior to large scale human consumption. However, the risks associated with some drugs emerge only after approval and marketing, such as the thiazolidinediones and rofecoxib. These experiences have created a realisation that a drug must be released with a plan that identifies and manages risks and monitors the effectiveness of the strategies intended to reduce these risks.
Flowsheet decomposition heuristic for scheduling: a relax-and-fix method

Abstract Decomposing large problems into several smaller subproblems is well known in any problem solving endeavor and forms the basis for our flowsheet decomposition heuristic (FDH) described in this short note. It can be used as an effective strategy to decrease the time necessary to find good integer-feasible solutions when solving closed-shop scheduling problems found in the process industries. The technique is to appropriately assign each piece of equipment (i.e., process-units and storage-vessels) into groups and then to sequence these groups according to the material-flow-path of the production network following the engineering structure of the problem. As many mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problems are solved as there are groups, solved in a pre-specified order, fixing the binary variables after each MILP and proceeding to the next. In each MILP, only the binary variables associated with the current group are explicit search variables. The others associated with the unsearched on binary variables (or the next in-line equipment) are relaxed. Three examples are detailed which establishes the effectiveness of this relax-and-fix type heuristic.
Migrant farm workers: social conditions, adaptive belief systems, and psychiatric care.

Two migrant farm labor camps were observed during two summer harvesting seasons. A part of the observations consisted of interviews with 104 farm laborers, with 16 of them being interviewed intensively. Migrant farm workers were exploited by the crew boss and the farm owner, and they in turn exploited each other. Consequently, many workers left farm work. Those who remained in the camps adapted their attitudes and their views to the conditions. Though they had a begrudging respect for the crew boss, they showed an overriding concern with exploitation. They conveyed a numbness about life, themselves, and their place in society; this numbness was combined with self-criticism and an attempt to maintain some self-respect. They expressed distrust for and suspicion of others, and though they could not articulate it very well, they felt great fear and anxiety. In order to diagnose and treat disorder in migrant farm workers, psychiatrists must understand the exploitive social setting of migrant farm work and the adaptations of workers to that setting.
The effect of intrasulcular brushing on sulcular epithelial permeability.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of intrasulcular toothbrushing on permeability of the sulcular epithelium. Twenty-four dental students were divided into two groups of 12 each. On day 0, subjects in Group I began having the buccal aspects of the maxillary right first and second molars brushed for 30 seconds daily for 49 days by an examiner using an intrasulcular technique while subjects in Group II had the same teeth brushed with an extrasulcular technique. On day 49, clinical evaluation of inflammation was performed and biopsies were taken to evaluate gingival inflammation, sulcular epithelial keratinization and permeability of the sulcular epithelium in vitro using a microperfusion technique. Results indicate that subjects in both groups had attained equally high levels of gingival health. The intrasulcular group demonstrated a significantly higher degree of sulcular epithelial keratinization. However, no relationship was found between the degree of sulcular epithelial kerati...
Investigation of Crawfish (Procambrus Clarkii) Shells for Uptake and Removal of Lead in Water

The use of ground crawfish (Procambrus clarkii) shells for the uptake and removal of Pb ions in water was investigated. Using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, the samples w...
Increased follicle-stimulating activity in the plasma of ovariectomized rats.

SummaryFollicle-stimulating activity was detected in blood plasma of adult female castrate rats as early as 7 days post-operative by injection of plasma into immature hypophysectomized female rats for a 4-day period. Follicle-stimulating activity continued to increase slowly but progressively as the postoperative interval increased to a 4 months' period. With this bioassay method no direct evidence for circulating interstitial cell-stimulating activity was found at the highest dosage level tested.
Synthesis of Dendron Functionalized Core Cross-linked Star Polymers

The preparation of dendron functional initiators capable of initiating polymerization by atom transfer radical polymerization is described. Polyester dendrons up to the fifth generation were synthesized by the divergent route using acetonide-protected 2,2-bis(methoxy)propionic acid. These dendrons were functionalized, at the focal point, with a single α-bromoisobutyrate group, thus forming a dendron functional macroinitiator. A library of highly branched, 3-dimensional, dendron functional core cross-linked star (CCS) polymers were prepared from these macroinitiators by varying generation number and polystyrene chain length, followed by reaction with divinyl benzene, utilizing the “arm first” approach. The number of arms of the star polymer was shown to decrease with increasing dendron size; a generation 1 functional polymer prepared CCS polymers with 27 arms, and a generation 5 functional polymer prepared CCS polymers with 19 arms. The length of the polystyrene linear segment had a drastic effect on the f...
Why is the Milky Way X-factor constant?

The CO-H2 conversion factor (Xco; otherwise known as the X-factor) is observed to be remarkably constant in the Milky Way and in the Local Group (aside from the SMC). To date, our understanding of why Xco should be so constant remains poor. Using a combination of extremely high resolution (~ 1 pc) galaxy evolution simulations and molecular line radiative transfer calculations, we suggest that Xco displays a narrow range of values in the Galaxy due to the fact that molecular clouds share very similar physical properties. In our models, this is itself a consequence of stellar feedback competing against gravitational collapse. GMCs whose lifetimes are regulated by radiative feedback show a narrow range of surface densities, temperatures and velocity dispersions with values comparable to those seen in the Milky Way. As a result, the X-factors from these clouds show reasonable correspondence with observed data from the Local Group, and a relatively narrow range. On the other hand, feedback-free clouds collapse to surface densities that are larger than those seen in the Galaxy, and hence result in X-factors that are systematically too large compared to the Milky Way's. We conclude that radiative feedback within GMCs can generate cloud properties similar to those observed in the Galaxy, and hence a roughly constant Milky Way X-factor in normal, quiescent clouds.
Association of a mutation in the ryanodine receptor 1 gene with equine malignant hyperthermia.

Equine malignant hyperthermia (MH) has been suspected but never genetically confirmed. In this study, we investigated whether mutations in a candidate gene, RyR1, were associated with MH in two clinically affected horses. RyR1 gene sequences revealed polymorphisms in exons 15, 17, and 46 in WTRyR1 and MHRyR1 horses with one derived amino acid change in MHRyR1 exon 46, R2454G. The MHRyR1 horses were genetically heterozygous for this mutation, but presented an MH phenotype with halothane challenge. Skeletal sarcoplasmic reticulum from a R2454G heterozygote collected during a fulminant MH episode showed significantly higher affinity and density of [3H]ryanodine-binding sites compared to WTRyR1, but no differences in Ca2+, Mg2+, and caffeine modulation. In conclusion, an autosomal missense mutation in RyR1 is associated with MH in the horse, providing a screening test for susceptible individuals. [3H]ryanodine-binding analysis suggests that long-lasting changes in RyR1 conformation persists in vitro after the triggering event. Muscle Nerve 30: 356–365, 2004
Should we ration health care by age

Age-rationing of health care is beginning to be widely debated. Two recent proposals are examined. It is argued that age-rationing proposals must be viewed in the light of current rationing practices, and that all such proposals must be placed in the context of a more just overall health care system.
Partial amino acid sequence of human placental lactogen precursor and its mature hormone form produced by membrane-associated enzyme activity.

Abstract The precursor form of human placental lactogen, synthesized by a wheat germ extract cell-free system, has been partially sequenced and found to contain a high percentage of leucine residues within its first 20 amino acids. The partial NH 2 -terminal structure appears to be: The precursor form of hPL, produced by an ascites extract cell-free system, was cleaved by a membrane-associated enzyme into a form which exhibits the methionine and valine residues in NH 2 -terminal positions identical to those of native human placental lactogen.
Some superposition theorems for second-order fluids

Theorems are derived, within the framework of the second-order Rivlin—Ericksen theory, relating to the superposition of longitudinal flows on plane flows in an incompressible isotropic viscoelastic fluid. Also, some theorems are obtained concerning the effects of inertia on the solution of plane flow problems in such viscoelastic fluids.
Parental Death and the Adjustment of School-Age Children:

Findings on the emotional impact of parental death for dependent children have not been consistent due to serious methodological limitations. The Child Bereavement Study investigated a community-ba...
Attachment style and sexual permissiveness: The moderating role of gender

Abstract An individual difference variable that has been found to predict variation in young adults’ sexual attitudes and behaviors is attachment orientation. Although it has been argued that the association between attachment orientation and sexuality may differ for males and females, only a few studies have explored this possibility, and the results have been inconsistent. With data collected from a large sample (N = 4246) of college students at a U.S. Midwestern University, it was examined how men and women with different attachment styles may vary in sociosexuality and attitudes toward casual sex. This study found evidence that among men, and as hypothesized, a dismissive-avoidant attachment orientation was associated with higher scores on Simpson and Gangestad’s (1991) Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (sociosexuality) and on a measure of approval of sex in casual dating relationships. Among women, however, there was no support found for the hypothesis that an anxious-preoccupied attachment style was associated with greater sexual permissiveness or with approval of casual sex. As hypothesized, however, securely attached women had a lower score on sociosexuality than did women with other attachment styles.
Three-dimensional MHD Model of Wave Activity in a Coronal Active Region

MHD wave activity associated with a flare was observed in coronal active region AR 8270 in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) satellite on 1998 July 14. In this study, a three-dimensional MHD model of the active region field was initialized using a National Solar Observatory (NSO) Kitt Peak magnetogram and potential extrapolation of the magnetic field, together with gravitationally stratified density. To model the observed wave activity following the flare, a velocity pulse was launched into a model active region from below. It was found that the global oscillations in the model active region are in good qualitative agreement with observations. The main difference between the observations and the model is in the oscillation of several individual loops that damp on longer timescales compared to the corresponding magnetic field line oscillation damping in the model.
Chemical evolution of mid-ocean ridge hot springs☆

Abstract Chemical analyses yielding elemental concentrations of major and minor elements of four hot springs on the East Pacific Rise at 21°N and 10 hot springs from the southern trough of the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California provide a basis for thermodynamic modeling of conductive cooling of the hydrothermal endmembers, mixing of the hydrothermal endmember with seawater, and reaction of an EPR-type fluid with sediment of bulk chemical composition corresponding to unaltered sediment from DSDP hole 477 in the Guaymas Basin. Results of the calculations indicate that conductive cooling of endmember fluids within closed chimneys and conduits accounts for the solution composition of one vent on the East Pacific Rise and several vents in Guaymas Basin. Mixing of the hydrothermal fluids with seawater yields a prediction of mineral assemblages closely approximating those observed in samples of chimneys from the East Pacific Rise and drill cores in Guaymas Basin. The hypothesis that Guaymas Basin hydrothermal fluids result from interaction of an EPR-type fluid with sediment cover in Guaymas Basin is supported by calculations which predict an increase in pH to a value similar to Guaymas Basin fluids, an order-of-magnitude decrease in metal concentrations, and an excellent agreement between predicted mineral assemblages as a function of extent of interaction with sediment, and observed mineral assemblage distribution with depth.
Role of superoxide and angiotensin II suppression in salt-induced changes in endothelial Ca2+ signaling and NO production in rat aorta.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on a low-salt (LS) diet (0.4% NaCl) or changed to a high-salt (HS) diet (4% NaCl) for 3 days. Increases in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in response to metha...
Stochastic frontier estimation of efficient learning in video games

Stochastic Frontier Regression Analysis was used to investigate strategies and skills that are associated with the minimization of time required to achieve proficiency in video games among students in grades four and five. Students self-reported their video game play habits, including strategies and skills used to become good at the video games they play. Results indicated an association between game play time spent during vacation weeks and proficiency at the game, but no such association existed with game play time during typical weeks when school is in session. Several strategies and skills were associated with the minimization of time spent to achieve proficiency at the game, while a few strategies and skills held a negative association with efficient learning in games. Some of the findings paralleled those of prior research on formal education. Gender differences, as well as implications for games and learning are discussed.
Molecular diagnostics: A historical perspective

The rapid growth in molecular diagnostic testing, which has averaged between 10% and 20% per year for the past 5 years, is largely attributable to both breakthroughs in our basic understanding (i.e., the Human Genome Project) and in applied technology. In the past decade, molecular applications have moved from labor-intensive and manual to rapid and automated due to improvements in sample extraction, target amplification, and sensitive and specific detection schema. This review describes some of the more significant technological milestones of the past 10 years and, when tied to basic and applied research, how these have led to important clinical applications. The next decade promises even more exciting technologies and applications for the field of molecular laboratory medicine.
Learning and Intending to Teach Evolution: Concerns of Pre-service Biology Teachers

The scientific community has accepted that evolution is a unifying theme in biology, just as Dobzhansky (1973) stated in his oft-cited article, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”Yet this scientific theory has provoked much public discord around the world despite eight professional scientific organizations convening to issue a joint statement detailing their acceptance of evolution (Futuyma 1999), in addition to at least two science teacher organizations that have proclaimed their support for the teaching of evolution in public schools (NAS 1998). Scientists continue to teach that evolution is a central concept in natural sciences, yet many teachers do not understand or accept evolution as an explanation for the diversity of life on Earth (Alberts and Labov 2004; Brem et al. 2003; Miller et al. 2006; Verhey 2005). Despite scientists’ acceptance of evolution as a central concept in biology, Moore (2000) found that only 57 % of teachers across the USA regard evolution as a unifying theme in the science. Trani (2004) found that 16 % of Oregon public high school biology teachers do not present evolution at all and concluded that teachers who do not personally accept evolutionary explanations for diversity of life or who do not understand it do not present it in their classrooms. In other words, teachers’ attitudes about evolution and learning it affect their willingness to teach it. To meet the objective of improving Americans’ understanding of evolution, it is imperative that teachers not only understand and accept evolution but intend to teach it as well. Hence, exploratory studies of how pre-service teachers learn evolution are valuable. This study sought to identify how six pre-service biology teachers, enrolled in a college evolution course, made meaning of evolution and how this contributed to their intentions to teach evolution as teachers. Res Sci Educ (2014) 44:27–52 DOI 10.1007/s11165-013-9371-0
A note on randomized polynomial time

We show that if A and B are independent random sets, then ${\bf P}^A \cap {\bf P}^B = {\bf {BPP}}$ with probability one.
Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon and Dopant Activation using Xenon Flash-Lamp Annealing (FLA)

Flash-lamp annealing (FLA) has been investigated for the crystallization of a 60 nm amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer deposited by PECVD on display glass. Input factors to the FLA system included lamp intensity and pulse duration. Conditions required for crystallization included use of a 100 nm SiO2 capping layer, and substrate heating resulting in a surface temperature ∼ 460 °C. An irradiance threshold of ∼ 20 kW/cm2 was established, with successful crystallization achieved at a radiant exposure of 5 J/cm2, as verified using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) and Raman spectroscopy. Nickel-enhanced crystallization (NEC) using FLA was also investigated, with results suggesting an increase in crystalline volume. Different combinations of furnace annealing and FLA were studied for crystallization and activation of samples implanted with boron and phosphorus. Boron activation demonstrated a favorable response to FLA, achieving a resistivity ρ < 0.01 Ω•cm. Phosphorus activation by FLA resulted in a resistivity ρ ∼ 0.03 Ω•cm.
Effects of centrally administered endogenous opioid peptides on drinking behavior increased plasma vasopressin concentration and pressor response to hypertonic sodium chloride

Abstract Intracerebroventricular (i.v.t.) administration of β-endorphin or leucine 5 -enkephalin inhibited drinking behavior, the pressor response and increased plasma vasopressin concentration stimulated by an acute elevation in CSF sodium chloride concentration (10 μl, 1 M NaCl i.v.t.). These effects of endogenous opioid peptides were prevented by naloxone, indicating opiate receptors were required for the biologic response. Drinking behavior associated with regulatory stimuli operant during dehydration was also inhibited by opioid peptides. β-Endorphin (i.v.t.) delayed the onset and/or reduced the volume of water consumed in response to hypertonic sodium chloride (relative cellular dehydration), polyethylene glycol (hypovolemia) and food-associated drinking behavior. Inhibition of drinking did not appear related to sensory-motor dysfunction as another motivated behavior, eating (onset, amount consumed) was unaffected by β-endorphin. It is concluded from these results that centrally administered endogenous opioid peptides inhibit sodium chloride-stimulated cerebral mechanisms affecting blood pressure and hydration.
Outcomes and patterns of failure in bronchial carcinoid tumors.

Abstract Purpose: To clarify the natural history, prognosis, and treatment failure patterns for bronchial carcinoid tumors according to their clinical and histopathologic features. Methods: The charts of 241 patients from our institution with bronchial carcinoid tumors were reviewed. Thirty-four patients had no follow-up, yielding a study population of 206. Of the 206 patients, 62 had atypical carcinoid (AC) and 144 had typical carcinoid (TC) tumors. Results: The 5-, 10-, and 20-year disease-specific survival rates were lower in patients with AC (60.1%, 36.8%, and 28.1%, respectively) than in those with TC (79.0%, 62.9%, and 38.8%, respectively; p = 0.0002). Predictors of poor outcome included more advanced stage ( p p = 0.019), symptoms at presentation ( p = 0.013), and age ≥60 years ( p = 0.02). Stage I AC was associated with a median disease-free survival of 96 months compared with 222 months for Stage I TC ( p = 0.0002) and had an actuarial 22% locoregional failure rate 5 years after surgery compared with 6% for Stage I TC ( p = 0.022). The disease-free survival for Stage II and III AC was worse than that for Stage II or III TC, but the difference did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.15). Locoregional failure was also prominent in Stage II and III AC. Second malignancies were common in patients with bronchial carcinoids (56 of 206 patients). Conclusion: Stage-for-stage, the outcome is worse for patients with AC than for those with TC. Locoregional failure is common after curative resection, even for early-stage AC. Second cancers are common in patients with carcinoid tumors.
Linear polymers in nonhomogeneous flow fields. I. Translational diffusion coefficient

The translational diffusion coefficient D, needed in treatments of flow-induced polymer migration phenomena, is studied. Explicit results are reported for bead–spring model macromolecules with two, three, and four beads, respectively. If the number of beads is large, an integral formulation is used. The results obtained show that D depends upon the hydrodynamic interaction parameters h* and h*N1/2. Nondraining behavior of D is predicted irrespective of h if h* is close to 0.2357. Approximations for D are obtained and the error involved is estimated.
Design of single-feed reflectarrays with asymmetric multi-beams

This paper investigates the feasibility of designing reflectarray antennas with asymmetric multiple beams. The conventional design methods for multi-beam reflectarrays are reviewed and the limitations of these approaches are discussed. In the next stage, the particle swarm optimization method is implemented for multi-beam reflectarray antenna designs and various reflectarrays with asymmetric beam directions and gain levels are studied. It is demonstrated that the particle swarm optimization is a suitable approach for designing complicated multi-beam reflectarray antennas where conventional design approaches fail to achieve a good performance.
Issues in the Implementation of Human Service Programs: Examples from a Parent Training Project for High-Risk Families.

Abstract A team of community psychologists became involved in a program whose mandate was to provide parent education in the form of groups to families of children who were “at risk” for abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance and developmental delay. This paper addresses three general problems of implementation which were formulated as a result of this experience: (1) discrepancies between professional and client perception of needs; (2) “selling” the program, and (3) communication and intra-agency relationships.
MUSCLE TONUS IN HUMAN SUBJECTS DURING SLEEP AND DREAMING.

Abstract It has been shown that dreams occur during EEG sleep stage I-rapid eye movement periods, and that simultaneously the tonus of some neck muscles decreases. To determine the activity of other somatic muscle groups, the tonic electrical activity of twenty-nine muscle areas was recorded from cutaneous bipolar electrodes on sleeping human subjects. The electroencephalogram and the eye movements were recorded simultaneously. Indeed, tonus of most head and neck muscles studied decreased with the onset of EEG stage I-rapid eye movement sleep. Yet, trunk and limb muscles exhibited stable levels of tonic activity throughout the night with no change of level associated with rapid eye movement periods.
Targeting BRAF in Multiple Myeloma

In multiple myeloma, it is believed that multiple mutations in different pathways deregulate the intrinsic biology of the plasma cell, resulting in a genetically complex heterogeneous disease. Mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway have been identified and represent potential targets for therapy in this disease. BRAF, a serine/threonine kinase, has received considerable attention given the success of targeted therapy in malignant melanoma. Andrulis and colleagues report, for the first time, successful treatment of multiple myeloma with vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor, in a patient with a BRAF mutation.
Linear Models with Exchangeably Distributed Errors

Abstract A generalization of the general linear model is considered. Let Y i = α + T i y + e i, i = 1, …, n, where the Y i are 1 × p observed random variables, the T i are 1 × (r − 1) constant vectors, and α and γ are unobserved constants. The exchangeable linear model (EGLM) occurs when we assume that the e i are unobserved and exchangeably, jointly normally distributed. The classical general linear model (CGLM) occurs when the e i are independent and identically distributed (iid). Optimal procedures for testing hypotheses about γ for the CGLM are also optimal for the EGLM. Optimal methods for testing hypotheses about α for the CGLM have size 1 for the EGLM. There is no sensible test that the errors are iid in the EGLM. Estimation is considered.
Ultrastructural morphometric analysis of papillary neoplasms: biological and diagnostic relevance.

Abstract Ten papillary adenocarcinomas of thyroid origin (P-Thy), ten papillary adenocarcinomas of ovarian origin (P-Ov), and eight papillary neoplasms of non-thyroid/non-ovarian origin (P-Other) were morphometrically compared using 19 distinct quantitative nuclear and nucleolar parameters as a database for diagnosis. The selected cases consisted of 16 primary and 12 metastatic neoplasms. It was determined that the P-Thy group had a significantly smaller nucleolar area (NuA) and nucleolar perimeter (NuP), and smaller SDs of nuclear area (NA), NuA, and NuP compared with the P-Ov and P-Other groups ( P P r = −.82; P r = +.77; P r = +.75; P
Selective reduction of blood flow to white matter during hypotension in newborn dogs: A possbile mechanism of periventricular leukomalacia

The cerebrovascular response of newborn animals to hypotension has not been defined on a regional basis. Using an autoradiographic technique employing 14C-iodoantipyrine as indicator, we studied the cerebral physiological responses of newborn dogs to hypotension induced by exsanguination or by administration of Escherichia coli endotoxin. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) to all gray matter structures was preserved, even at mean arterial pressures as low as 20 mm Hg. In contrast, rCBF to periventricular and occipital white matter decreased significantly during severe hypotension. The selective hypoperfusion of cerebral white matter during severe hypotension may provide a mechanistic explanation for the pathogenesis of periventricular leukomalacia.
Multiple discoveries: Distribution of roots of determinantal equations

Five statisticians including S.N. Roy found the distribution of the characteristic roots of one sample matrix in the matrix of another almost simultaneously. This paper summarizes and contrasts their different methods of deriving the basic theorem.
Modeling phase equilibria in CO2 + polymer systems

Abstract This work reviews thermodynamic models for the correlation and prediction of the phase behavior of CO2 + polymer systems. Advantages and shortcomings of cubic equation of state, the SAFT equation, and Lattice fluid models are discussed. Perspectives and future directions in the development of thermodynamic models for CO2 + polymer systems are presented.
Why Chinese people play western classical music: Transcultural roots of music philosophy

This paper addresses the complex relationship between Confucian values and music education in East Asia, particularly its history in China. How does one account for the present ‘cultural fever’ of ...
On the physical origin of the homochirality of life

It seems to be well known that life cannot arise in a racemic mixture of molecules (L D). The various physical mechanisms that could influence the homochirality of the molecules responsible for life are reviewed together with a model where these molecules might be produced in the galaxy prior to the formation of the earth. The focus is on the influence of a powerful supernovae explosion to affect the homochirality of these molecules. Possible tests of this concept with meteorites and future space missions are described. Chiral symmetry breaking and the origin of life
Evaluating the economic efficiency of utility computing auction using a simulation model

Utility computing was a pilot program started by IBM two years ago. It uses computer network to link service providers and customers allowing customers to conduct their computer applications online. The technology aims to provide customer a cost efficient way of conducting their computer application without the need to purchase computer software. Customers conduct their computer application using vendors' platform paying for whatever they consume. With its implementation. IBM discovered that they have to deal with the problem of insufficient buffer space when customer traffic is high and under utilized buffer space when customer traffic is low. The irregularity of customer traffic makes it impossible for vendors to price their resources cheaply and therefore less desirable to the customers. The proposed solution is to sell utility computing through an auctioneer where vendors come together to bid for the customers. The auctioneer allocates customers to the vendor with the lowest bid. Using an auctioneer to conduct transactions, it was hypothesized that resources will be efficiently utilized and prices will be significantly lower. To test the hypothesis, two simulation models were created to depict two systems, one in the presence of an auctioneer another without. Using specified indicators to measure the quality of the system, the project discovers that an auctioneer improves efficiency through better resource management. The results obtained showed that consumer and producer surplus increase insignificantly in an auction. Further analysis showed utility computing auction is also capable of serving a larger population.
Negative hydrogen ion production by low energy hydrogen atom bombardment of surfaces

Abstract A hydrogen furnace was used to irradiate a molybdenum surface with a flux of low energy hydrogen atoms. A small fraction of the hydrogen atoms were observed to be backscattered as negative ions when Cs was evaporated onto the surface.
The Book Award Reward

I spent the spring and summer of 2007 reading 185 books in the field of international relations, as I chaired two major book awards in the field.
Strong Barrier Coverage with Directional Sensors

The barrier coverage model was proposed for applications in which sensors are deployed for intrusion detection. In this paper, we study a strong barrier coverage problem in wireless sensor networks with directional sensors. First, we introduce the directional coverage graph to model barrier coverage with directional sensors. Based on this graph model, we present an integer linear programming formulation for the barrier coverage problem, which can be used to provide optimal solutions. Moreover, we present efficient centralized algorithms and a distributed algorithm to solve the problem. It has been shown by simulation results that the proposed algorithms provide close-to-optimal solutions and consistently outperform a simple greedy algorithm.
Glial progenitor cell recruitment drives aggressive glioma growth: mathematical and experimental modelling

Currently available glioma treatments remain unsuccessful at prolonging disease-free remission. Recent evidence suggests that tumour recruitment of glial progenitor cells by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) may play a role in the development and progression of these tumours. Building upon our recent experimental results and previous proliferation–invasion (PI) reaction–diffusion model, in this study, we created a proliferation–invasion–recruitment (PIR) model that includes a mechanism for progenitor cell recruitment, wherein paracrine PDGF signalling stimulates migration and proliferation of progenitors derived from the local brain environment. Parametrizing this mathematical model with data obtained from the PDGF-driven rat glioma model, we explored the consequences of recruitment, using the PIR model to compare the effects of high versus low PDGF secretion rates on tumour growth and invasion dynamics. The mathematical model predicts correlation between high levels of recruitment and both increased radial velocity of expansion on magnetic resonance imaging and less diffusely invasive edges. Thus, the PIR model predicts that PDGF levels correlate with tumour aggressiveness, and results are consistent with both human and experimental data, demonstrating that the effects of progenitor cell recruitment provide a novel mechanism to explain the variability in the rates of proliferation and dispersion observed in human gliomas.
Utility of health belief model as a guide for explaining or predicting breast cancer screening behaviours

Utility of health belief model as a guide for explaining or predicting breast cancer screening behaviours Aim. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of HBM as a theoretical guide for predicting breast cancer screening and therefore for guiding intervention studies. Background. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for middle age women (35–50) and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in all women in the United States (US). Early detection of breast cancer through screening is the only option available to women. However, less than half of all women in the US participate in screening. The health belief model (HBM), which specifies interactions of values and beliefs about health and their influence on choices, has been widely used to explain screening behaviour. Methods. An integrative research review analysed 16 published descriptive studies employing HBM. Literature was located through a search of research based studies listed in Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Medline, and cancer literature databases and studies cited in other references between 1990 and 1999. Findings. Application of HBM was inconsistent. No study tested nonlinear relationships between variables as specified in the model. At best, the model explained 47% of the variance in screening behaviour when socioeconomic status was included. Otherwise predictive power was low, ranging from 15 to 27%. Conclusions. While the model provides some description of the values, beliefs and behaviours of middle-aged women primarily, HBM does not appear to have the power to consistently predict behaviours. Further research is needed to provide more thorough depiction of the social, nonhealth care meaning of breast cancer.
Mass extinction causes debated

A highly charged atmosphere and a tacit agreement to disagree marked the first Union session at the 1985 AGU Fall Meeting,“Where Are We Now on Iridium, Anomalies, Extinctions, Impacts, Volcanism, and Periodicity?” The session brought together a remarkably large and varied group of participants who are studying topics related to mass extinctions. “The important thing is bringing all these people together, sharing … how they think,” said J. John Sepkoski, Jr., of the University of Chicago, who presented one of the session's invited papers. The controversies under discussion included the nature of the catastrophic events that may have occurred 65 million years ago to precipitate mass extinctions between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods and whether mass extinctions have occurred at regular intervals (and if so, what those intervals are). Both the group advocating extraterrestrial impacts and that advocating episodes of unusual terrestrial volcanism seemed to agree that both kinds of catastrophes would have brought on highly acidic precipitation that could have threatened many life forms. In fact, one paleontologist called for closer examination of patterns of survival during periods of mass extinctions in order to gain clues about the nature of the events that may have brought on the extinctions. “The survivors … set limits on what could have occurred,” said William A. Clemens of the University of California, Berkeley.
Secure message delivery in publish/subscribe networks

This paper examines an approach to guarantee service integrity in insecure publish/subscribe systems using overlay multicast. The proposed mechanism constructs a delivery tree laid over both the underlying network and the predicate (subscription) graph. It uses message replication and voting to simulate a secure delivery tree in an insecure environment. We provide an algorithm to construct a minimum-cost delivery tree, analyse its performance, develop a formal model to estimate the cost of delivery of a single message, and propose heuristics to lower the computational complexity of our basic algorithm.
Allele-specific analysis of transcription factors binding to promoter regions

In vivo footprinting techniques are useful for the identification of regulatory elements mediating transcriptional control of a gene. However, regulation of a gene can differ between the two alleles, and further steps must be taken to distinguish between the regulatory elements occupied on one allele and those used on the second allele. Many hematologic malignancies result from chromosomal translocations, which, in some cases, relocate a gene to a transcriptionally active region leading to the deregulated expression of that gene. This situation provides an example of differential expression between two alleles. In studying the t(14; 18) and t(8; 14) translocations, which involve the bcl-2 and c-myc proto-oncogenes, respectively, we have been able to identify regulatory elements important in mediating the activation of the translocated alleles and the silencing of the normal alleles. Following in vivo methylation and isolation of genomic DNA, we were able to separate the translocated and normal alleles by electrophoresis. Using the ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LMPCR) technique, we could then assess protein interactions on the two different alleles. A detailed description of this methodology with examples from our studies are provided with a discussion of how these techniques may be applied to the study of other genes.
An in situ test of the effects of food quality on Daphnia population growth

In years of low planktivory by fish, midsummer declines and low population abundances of Daphnia pulicaria in Lake Mendota, WI, USA have been attributed to poor food quality and low food abundance. This hypothesis has been proposed because of midsummer blooms of blue-green algae in this eutrophic urban lake. We tested the hypothesis by performing in situ food manipulations during the midsummer decline of the D. pulicaria population, and during the early autumn low population period. In July, animals held in clear plastic vials containing GF/F filtered lake water exhibited poor survivorship, ceased producing offspring after three days, and had low lipid reserves. Daphnids fed whole-lake water or filtered water enriched with Chlamydomonas survived at a significantly higher rate and produced abundant offspring. In September, there were no significant differences in survivorship among treatments, but animals fed water enriched with Chlamydomonas produced significantly more offspring than animals in the other treatments. The hypothesis of poor food quality causing the midsummer decline of the Daphnia population is not supported by our experiments. Because predation by juvenile fish does not appear to be important in regulating the midsummer Daphnia population during these years, alternate hypotheses for the midsummer decline are suggested. These include increased predation by invertebrate predators such as Leptodora kindtii, a life history shift by daphnids during midsummer to production of resting eggs, and a combination of low levels of planktivory and deteriorating feeding conditions acting together to cause the population decline.
Josiah Royce, a Source of New Insight for Religion Today

Josiah Royce wrote three major works dealing with religion, The Religious Aspects of Philosophy, The Sources of Religious Insight and The Problem of Christianity . In these are insights which I believe need to be recalled today in order to achieve a fresher vision of the nature of religion and more particularly of the nature of Christianity. Moreover, Royce treats various aspects of individual and communal development which I believe are of some philosophic importance.
Hardware-Assisted Point-Based Volume Rendering of Tetrahedral Meshes

Unstructured volume grids are ubiquitous in scientific computing, and have received substantial interest from the scientific visualization community. In this paper, we take a point-based approach to rendering unstructured grids. In particular, we present a novel method of approximating these irregular elements with point-based primitives amenable to existing hardware acceleration techniques. To improve interactivity to large datasets, we have adapted a level-of-detail strategy. We use a well-known quantitative metric to analyze the image quality achieved by the final rendering.
A Survey of Campus Coordinators of Undergraduate Research Programs

Interest in supporting undergraduate research programs continues to grow within academic librarianship. This article presents how undergraduate research program coordinators perceive and value library support of their programs. Undergraduate research coordinators from a variety of institutions were surveyed on which elements of libraries and library services they valued, and where libraries could improve and develop services for undergraduate researchers and their faculty mentors. This article seeks to present a critical perspective on library support for undergraduate research programs from an important external constituent group of faculty and administrators. The data and recommendations can further conversations and aid collaboration between librarians and their campus colleagues.
Experience and Sentence Processing: Statistical Learning and Relative Clause Comprehension.

Many explanations of the difficulties associated with interpreting object relative clauses appeal to the demands that object relatives make on working memory. MacDonald and Christiansen [MacDonald, M. C., & Christiansen, M. H. (2002). Reassessing working memory: Comment on Just and Carpenter (1992) and Waters and Caplan (1996). Psychological Review, 109, 35–54] pointed to variations in reading experience as a source of differences, arguing that the unique word order of object relatives makes their processing more difficult and more sensitive to the effects of previous experience than the processing of subject relatives. This hypothesis was tested in a large-scale study manipulating reading experiences of adults over several weeks. The group receiving relative clause experience increased reading speeds for object relatives more than for subject relatives, whereas a control experience group did not. The reading time data were compared to performance of a computational model given different amounts of experience. The results support claims for experience-based individual differences and an important role for statistical learning in sentence comprehension processes.