cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Universal criteria and the autonomy of religious belief

Much of the recent discussion of the justification of religious belief has been enriched by philosophy of science and social-science perspectives on issues like the contextdependence of concepts and the possibility of commensurability (hence mutual understanding and evaluation) between contexts or practices. The best of the discussion has self-consciously attempted to walk the fine line of guaranteeing both the autonomy and the objectivity of religious belief sufficient autonomy to satisfy the demands of devotion and sufficient objectivity or commensurability to satisfy the demands of reason. My purpose in this paper is to clarify the character and limits of a strategy used by a number of authors as a way of attempting to insure autonomy without incurring the liabilities to which certain other attempts to insure autonomy are subject. More precisely, the strategy consists in an appeal to both 'universal' standards (or, at least, standards which transcend a variety of contexts) and their context-dependent application; the double appeal is meant to avoid the incommensurability between contexts to which attempts to secure autonomy might lead, without foregoing due sensitivity to differences between contexts. I want to bring into sharper focus the ambiguity of the effect of this strategy, and to argue that, as it stands, it fails to be effective in making an advance over those positions on the autonomy of religious belief which it is intended to correct. In "The Christian Language-Game," William Alston provides a very recent and detailed consideration of questions of contextdependence and commensurability, as they apply to Christian belief.1 He explicitly contrasts his method of insuring autonomy with the method of D.Z. Phillips, Peter Winch and others. I will therefore begin my discussion by analyzing the way in which Alston's account illustrates the particular strategy in question; after indicating how this strategy comes into play in other accounts, I will argue that it fails, as it stands, to achieve its stated aim.
TRAVEL DEMAND AND THE EVALUATION OF TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CHANGE: A RECONSIDERATION OF THE RANDOM UTILITY APPROACH

Williams formulated a consistent analytic representation of the trip decision process and developed compatible measures of user benefit arising from the transportation system change within the framework of random utility theory. Here, the random utility approach is reconsidered and reformulated with the aim of describing individual behavior more precisely and more realistically. The model introduces explicityly the income-time constraint imposed on an individual and permits an individual to choose multiple destinations and determine the number of trips freely. Special attention is also paid to the form of utility function which allows the consumer's surplus to be rigorously defined and to be exactly measured by the area under the demand curve.
The role of thyroid hormone in zebrafish and axolotl development

Exogenous thyroid hormone (TH) induces premature differentiation of the zebrafish pectoral fins, which are analogous to the forelimbs of tetrapods. It accelerates the growth of the pelvic fins but not precociously. Goitrogens, which are chemical inhibitors of TH synthesis by the thyroid gland, inhibit the transition from larva to juvenile fish including the formation of scales, and pigment pattern; they stunt the growth of both pectoral and pelvic paired fins. Inhibition by goitrogens is rescued by the simultaneous addition of thyroxine. The effect of adding TH to the rearing water of the postembryonic Mexican axolotl was reinvestigated under conditions that permit continued growth and development. In addition to morphological changes that have been described, TH greatly stimulates axolotl limb growth causing the resulting larva to be proportioned as an adult in about two months. This study extends the known evolutionary relatedness of tetrapod limbs and fish fins to include the TH stimulation of salamander limb and zebrafish fin growth, and suggests that TH is required to complete the life cycle of a typical bony fish and a salamander at the same developmental stage that it controls anuran and flounder metamorphosis.
RESPONSES OF HOLSTEIN CALVES RAISED ON LIMITED MILK TO SIMULATED LOUISIANA SUMMER CLIMATIC CONDITIONS.

Abstract One group of five female and one group of four male newborn Holstein calves were subjected to air temperatures cycling diurnally between 75 and 95 F and constant vapor pressure of 20 mm Hg in a psychrometric chamber and two similar groups were subjected to ambient winter climatic conditions in an open-air calf barn until ages ranging from 60 to 90 days. During the post-experimental period from 91 to 150 days of age, all calves were placed together in a cool environment and group fed. Conditions imposed on the experimental calves were stressful and resulted in greatly depressed growth rate, which continued during the post-experimental period. Limited water allowances made the thermal stress more acute. Consumption of concentrates and hay was reduced in the experimental calves and the digestibilities of dry matter, energy, crude protein, and total digestible nutrients were not significantly lower than in the control calves. Faster respiration rates and higher rectal temperatures and lower hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were found in the experimental calves as compared to those of the control calves. No direct effects of heat exposure on plasma carotenoid or vitamin A levels nor on serum protein concentration were evident. There was some indication that heat stress decreased serum α-globulin.
A Model Of Blood Volume Change During Dialysis

A mathematical model of blood volume change during dialysis is described. The purpose of the model is to allow quantitative analysis of the effects of dialysis and ultrafiltration on blood volume change and its relationship to hypotensive episodes. Preliminary validation of the model was performed by comparison of model prediction to measured data from four dialysis patients.
Computation of electric dipole matrix elements for hydrogen fluoride

Abstract The electric dipole matrix elements of hydrogen fluoride have been calculated by numerical integration for transitions involving large quantum numbers υ, J. Overtones have been included through Δυ = 5. Molecular wave functions obtained by numerical integration of the Schrodinger equation were used. The influence of the mechanical motion on the matrix elements has been determined for Morse and Rydberg-Klein-Rees (RKR) potential functions. The influence of the electric dipole-moment function approximations has been investigated by a comparison of matrix elements obtained with approximations having the form of a truncated polynomial and a wave-function expansion. The inaccuracies in the matrix elements caused by uncertainties in the dipole-moment coefficients have been investigated.
Long-term changes in current psychiatric diagnoses of treated opiate addicts.

Abstract This report examines changes in rates of current psychiatric disorders in opiate addicts reevaluated 2.5 years after seeking treatment. Using Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), rates of any current disorder dropped from 86.1% at treatment intake to 57.9% at follow-up. The specific disorder which accounted for most of this reduction was current major depression, for which rates dropped from 25.9% to 12.7%. For alcoholism, current rates dropped slightly from 12.8% to 11.6%. Antisocial personality disorder rates dropped from 27.0% to 22.4%. For all diagnostic categories, those who were in a current episode at follow-up consisted of around half recurrent cases, who had been in an episode at treatment onset and half new cases. Correspondingly, among those diagnosed at intake, more than half improved during the follow-up period, so that they were no longer in a current episode at reevaluation. An attempt was made to define factors associated with recurrence or recovery from psychiatric disorders in this sample. While social functioning, initial severity of illness, and longitudinal course of drug abuse were unrelated to the course of psychiatric disorders, having a concurrent personality diagnosis was associated with recurrence or development of disorders.
Selective Guest−Host Association on Self-Assembled Monolayers of Calix[4]resorcinarene

Selective molecular interactions at an interface formed by self-assembly of a macrocyclic synthetic host, calix[4]resorcinarene with four thiol groups (tetrathiol-CALIX), are investigated. The reco...
Dietary toxicity of selenium-contaminated red shiners to striped bass

Abstract Red shiners Notropis lutrensis (weight, about 1 g each) from the selenium-affected areas of Belews Lake, North Carolina, a cooling reservoir for an electric power plant, were fed to striped bass Morone saxatilis (about 250 g each) in a laboratory experiment. Consumption of red shiners (whole-body selenium concentration, 9.6 μg Se/g wet weight) by striped bass was followed by modified behavior, little increase in weight, a reduced condition factor (105·weight/length3), an elevated selenium concentration in muscle (3.8 ug Se/g wet weight), histological damage to the liver and trunk kidney, and the death of all fish within 78 d. Striped bass fed a comparable, uncontaminated diet of golden shiners Notemigonus crysoleucas (about 1 g each) gained weight, increased their condition factor, had muscle selenium concentrations averaging 1.1 μg Se/g wet weight, and exhibited no histological abnormalities or reduced survival during the 80-d experiment. Toxicity and death induced by selenium-contaminated prey ...
Parenting Multiple Infants

Abstract The number of multiple-birth families has increased dramatically in the last several decades. Raising more than one infant of the same age presents unique challenges to parents, many of whom have endured a period of infertility to conceive and take home fragile premature infants who require vigilant care. Stress, depression, and exhaustion are increased for these parents; recent evidence links these conditions to infant developmental outcomes. This paper reviews the parenting experience for families with multiple infants and presents strategies for assisting their adjustment to parenting.
Effect of pesticides on testicular function.

Abstract Marked impairment of spermatogenesis was found in a group of men exposed to the pesticide l,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), demonstrated by semen analyses, testicular biopsies, and hormone studies. The ramifications of the use of this pesticide are discussed.
Daptomycin for the treatment of surgical site infections

Background The increasing frequency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a cause of surgical site infections, and decreased susceptibility to vancomycin, highlight the need for alternative therapies. Methods All patients with a surgical site infection enrolled in the Cubicin® Outcomes Registry and Experience (CORE®) 2007 retrospective multicenter registry were studied. Outcome was assessed at the end of daptomycin therapy using protocol-defined criteria. Success was defined as cured or improved. Non-evaluable patients were excluded from the efficacy analysis but were included in the safety analysis. Results Of 962 patients in the CORE® registry in 2007, 104 (11%) had a surgical infection and met the criteria for the efficacy analysis. The overall success rate was 91% (95/104). The distribution of surgical site infections by depth was 36% (38/104) superficial incisional, 36% (38/104) deep incisional, and 27% (28/104) organ/space. Success rates by infection depth were 92% for superficial incisional, 92% deep incisional, and 89% organ/space (P = .9). Success in patients with and without surgery was 89% (49/55) and 94% (46/49) (P = .5). The median final daptomycin dose was 5.5 mg/kg. The median duration of daptomycin therapy was 14 days. Prior antibiotic therapy was given to 79% of patients; 35% failed. Prior vancomycin was used in 45% of patients; 24% failed. Among vancomycin failures, the daptomycin success rate was 91% (10/11). Of those with a positive culture, common pathogens were S. aureus (68%; MRSA 61%) and enterococci (26%; vancomycin-resistant 36%). There were 9 possible treatment-related adverse events (AEs) in 8 of 118 (7%) patients; 2 serious AEs were reported in 1 patient. Conclusion Success rates for patients with a surgical site infection treated with daptomycin were high and did not differ based on the need for surgical intervention. High success rates were achieved in patients with infection caused by MRSA as well as in patients who had failed to respond to previous antibiotic therapies, including vancomycin, regardless of the depth of the infection.
Using advanced search tools on PubMed for citation retrieval

PubMed (www.pubmed.gov) provides health care professionals with free access to one of the largest searchable biomedical databases available. However, attempting to find relevant literature in PubMed without an understanding of basic search strategies and tools may be daunting and frustrating. In a previous issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, we presented an overview of searching in PubMed and introduced its basic features. In this article, we build on this foundation and present advanced search tools designed to assist clinicians in performing efficient and focused literature searches.
Nano to micro - : Fluorescence measurements of electric fields in molecules and genetically specified neurons

Our central nervous system is based on the generation and propagation of electrical signals along the neuronal pathways. These variations of the membrane potential are arranged by the concerted action of ion channels in the neuronal membrane. Therefore, the exact measurement of the electric field in the central nervous system is the focus of intensive investigation. While electrophysiological methods provide exact measurements on the single-cell or single-molecule level with high temporal resolution, they are limited in their spatial resolution ranging from a few single cells to a single molecule. To thoroughly understand how the voltage-dependent ion channels sense the membrane potential and are precisely gated by it, the electric field within the protein has to be investigated. Likewise, the propagation of electrical impulses in a network of neurons involves a large number of cells, which have to be monitored simultaneously. For these endeavors, optical methods have proven to be useful due to their scalability, temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we will summarize the properties of the optical probes that we used to determine the electrical field strength within voltage-sensitive ion channels and discuss the hybrid approach to detect membrane potential changes in genetically specified neurons in terms of design, limitations and future developments.
Beyond ‘baby fat’: adipose-derived stem cells are coming of age

Two articles in this issue of Cytotherapy highlight recent advances concerning adipose-derived stem cells (ASC). Fraser et al. at Cytori Therapeutics Inc. and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Center report that not all subcutaneous adipose depots are created equal [1]. Biopsies from donors’ hips yielded a 2.3-fold greater number of ASC than similar biopsies obtained from their abdomens [1]. Likewise, Kim et al. at Anterogen Co. Ltd and SungKyunkwan University have disproved long-held assumptions by demonstrating the feasibility of cryopreserving mature adipocyte-differentiated human ASC [2]. Surprisingly, these cells retain their biochemical and morphological properties postthawing and are comparable to freshly cultured ASC adipocytes upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice [2]. These studies, coming from respected biotechnology companies focusing on the clinical utility of ASC, have significant implications regarding how we can capitalize on adipose tissue as an abundant autologous or allogeneic source of stem cells. Furthermore, they reflect the growing international attention adipose tissue has received as a stem cell source. During the past 5 years, the number of publications concerning ASC has increased from fewer than five to more than 50 per year. As the current studies attest, this increase in number has not occurred at the expense of the quality and rigor of the work. While further GLP and cGMP level studies will be required before clinical studies begin, the ASC field has begun to lose its ‘baby fat’ as it matures and begins to flex its ‘muscles’.
Vehicle emissions: progress and challenges

Understanding exposures to vehicular emissions is fundamental to characterizing health risks and developing regulatory approaches that effectively reduce that risk.
Finding the smallest triangles containing a given convex polygon

For a given convex n-gon P an O(n log2 n) algorithm finds all local minima (with respect to area) among the triangles containing P. No areas are computed, for the algorithm is based on a simple geometric characterization of the local minima.
Large muon- and electron-number nonconservation in supergravity theories

We discuss muon and electron lepton-number nonconservation due to renormalization effects of the scalar-lepton mass matrix in spontaneously broken $N=1$ supergravity theories. Differently from the case of massless or Dirac neutrinos, we find that if neutrinos are Majorana particles in a "seesaw" scheme the couplings photino-lepton-scalar-lepton lead to sizable rates for the processes $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\mu}+\mathrm{nucleus}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e+\mathrm{nucleus}$. We discuss the constraints derived from the present experimental bounds.
SH2 domain–mediated targeting, but not localization, of Syk in the plasma membrane is critical for FcεRI signaling

Aggregation of the high-affinity IgE receptor induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of subunits of the receptor and the subsequent association with the receptor of the cytosolic protein tyrosine kinase Syk. The current experiments examined the functional importance of membrane association of Syk and the role of the SH2 domain in receptor-mediated signal transduction. Wild-type Syk and chimeric Syk molecules with the c-Src myristylation sequence at the amino-terminus were expressed in a Syk-negative mast cell line. Chimeric Syk with the myristylation sequence was membrane associated, and a small fraction was constitutively colocalized with FceRI, Lyn, and LAT (linker for T-cell activation) in the glycolipid-enriched microdomains or rafts. However, even under these conditions, the tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk and the downstream propagation of signals required FceRI aggregation. This chimeric Syk was less active than wild-type Syk in FceRI-mediated signal transduction. In contrast, a truncated membrane-associated form of Syk that lacked the SH2 domains was not tyrosine phosphorylated by receptor aggregation and failed to transduce intracellular signals. These findings suggest that SH2 domain–mediated membrane translocation of Syk is essential for the FceRI-mediated activation of Syk for downstream signaling events leading to histamine release. Furthermore, the localization of Syk in glycolipid-enriched microdomains by itself is not enough to generate or enhance signaling events.
An endogenous ligand of the brain σ/PCP receptor antagonizes NMDA-induced neurotransmitter release

The present study provides evidence for the presence of an endogenous ligand for the phencyclidine (PCP) receptor of mammalian brain. Partially purified bovine hippocampal extracts potently and dose dependently inhibit binding to PCP receptors of [3HN-(1[2-thienyl]-cyclohexyl)piperidine] (TCP), a highly potent and specific ligand of PCP receptors. In addition to demonstrating PCP-like binding properties, the partially purified extract mimics biological actions of PCP upon neurotransmitter release. HPLC fractions active in the [3]TCP binding assay, by contrast to fractions inactive in the binding assay, potently elicited stimulation of spontaneous acetycholine and dopamine efflux and inhibited NMDA-stimulated release of acetylcholine and dopamine. The transmitter release assay provides validation of a PCP-like physiological activity exerted by bovine hippocampal extracts purified by HPLC.
YUS, FRANCISCO. Cyberpragmatics: Internet‐Mediated Communication in Context. Philadelphia: Benjamins, 2011. Pp. xiv, 353. $143.00, cloth. ISBN 978–90–272–5619–5.

A review of the book "Cyberpragmatics: Internet-Mediated Communication in Context," part of the Benjamins Pragmatics and Beyond New Series, by Francisco Yus, is presented.
Resistivity minimum from electron scattering by coupled magnetic impurities

Abstract An electron scattering from interacting magnetic impurities is found to exhibit a T − divergence in the resistance at low temperatures. Together with the normal T 5 phonon contribution, a concentration x of magnetic impurities with a ferromagnetic RKKY interaction yields a resistivity minimum with a characteristic temperature T min σx 1 3 . The theory provides a good description of data on Fe x TaSe 2 and similar compounds, in distinct contrast to the Kondo effect.
Some practical considerations for ion microtomography

Abstract Spatial broadening and energy straggling of the analysis beam can dictate the choice of ion species and required fluence for given spatial and density resolution in ion microtomography (IMT). For extended objects, fine spatial resolution also implies huge data sets. Data acquisition, reduction, and reconstruction rates must be maximized to achieve optimal materials analysis times. In this paper, we discuss these topics and current efforts in this field, present examples of IMT, and consider future directions.
HOW WELL DO COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS REPRODUCE INDIVIDUAL HALO PROPERTIES

Cosmological simulations of galaxy formation often rely on prescriptions for star formation and feedback that depend on halo properties such as halo mass, central overdensity, and virial temperature. In this paper, we address the convergence of individual halo properties, based on their number of particles N, focusing, in particular, on the mass of halos near the resolution limit of a simulation. While it has been established that the halo mass function is sampled on average down to N ~ 20-30 particles, we show that individual halo properties exhibit significant scatter, and some systematic biases, as one approaches the resolution limit. We carry out a series of cosmological simulations using the Gadget2 and Enzo codes with Np = 643 to Np = 10243 total particles, keeping the same large-scale structure in the simulation box. We consider boxes of small (l box = 8 Mpc h –1), medium (l box = 64 Mpc h –1), and large (l box = 512 Mpc h –1) size to probe different halo masses and formation redshifts. We cross-identify dark matter halos in boxes at different resolutions and measure the scatter in their properties. The uncertainty in the mass of single halos depends on the number of particles (scaling approximately as N –1/3), but the rarer the density peak, the more robust its identification. The virial radius of halos is very stable and can be measured without bias for halos with N 30. In contrast, the average density within a sphere containing 25% of the total halo mass is severely underestimated (by more than a factor 2) and the halo spin is moderately overestimated for N 100. If sub-grid physics is implemented upon a cosmological simulation, we recommend that rare halos (~3σ peaks) be resolved with N 100 particles and common halos (~1σ peaks) with N 400 particles to avoid excessive numerical noise and possible systematic biases in the results.
Improving the accuracy and resolution of particle image or laser speckle velocimetry

Particle Image Displacement Velocimetry (PIDV) or Laser Speckle Velocimetry (LSV) is a non-intrusive 2-D method of obtaining instantaneous fluid velocities over an extended region. This method involves lighting a particle seeded flow with a sheet of light (usually from a laser) and photographing the particles at two instants of time on the same film. This film is then analyzed to determine the displacement of the particle over the known time interval. Applications of PIDV and LSV have been diverse, including flow past cylinders and airfoils by Lourenco et al. (1986) and Smith et al. (1986), transient Benard convection by Simpkins and Dudderar (1978), vortex pairing in jets by Meynart (1983) and internal gravity waves by Gartner et al. (1986). These studies however, have all been two dimensional. The velocities along the lighted plane were measured, from which the two dimensional vorticity fields and streamlines were calculated using finite differencing (Lourenco et al. 1986, and Smith et al. 1986).
Factors affecting the sorption of model environmental pollutants onto silver polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite Raman substrates.

The presence of aromatic compounds in water is an important topic in environmental sciences. Silver-polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites (Ag-PDMS) have recently been demonstrated as promising substrates for the detection of model environmental pollutants via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This work discusses how different variables such as pH and matrix composition can affect the sorption and SERS activity of these chemicals. The results show that the conjugate base of weak acids can interact more efficiently with the substrate, leading to an increased signal at higher pH, while amino-aromatic compounds interact more efficiently at a lower pH. The sorption of these chemicals is an essential step in the process and has been attributed to the absorption of the analyte into the PDMS followed by its adsorption to the metallic surface. In addition, the presence of moderate concentrations (1 × 10–4 M) of a supporting electrolyte such as nitrate or fluoride can improve the sorption of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid to the Ag-PDMS nanoparticles. Other ions such as phosphate and chloride cause rapid oxidation of the substrates even at concentrations as low as 1 × 10–5 M. The effect of these variables in the analysis of real samples is presented. The potential use of liquid chromatography for isolating the model pollutants from detrimental matrix components in nat- ural waters is also shown.
Approaches to the Critical Days in Late Medieval and Renaissance Thinkers

Galen’s astrological doctrine of the critical days, as found in his De diebus decretoriis (Critical Days), Book III, was at the center of a long discussion in the Latin West about the relationship between astrology and medicine. The main problem was that Galen’s views could not be made to square with the prevailing cosmology, which derived both from Aristotle and Abū Maʿshar. The views of selected Latin thinkers concerning the critical days, from Pietro d’Abano, down through Girolamo Cardano, are considered in the context of a fourfold scheme that aims to classify the main approaches to the critical days. The criticisms of Pico della Mirandola are discussed, as well as two kinds of responses to him: the progressive views of Giovanni Mainardi and Girolamo Fracastoro, as well as the conservative views of Thomas Bodier and Girolamo Cardano.
Why John Married Mary: Understanding Stories Involving Recurring Goals

A story understander needs a great deal of knowledge about people's goals. This knowledge is needed to infer explanations for the behavior of the characters in a story. Sometimes a character's behavior cannot be explained in terms of a particular goal, but only in relation to a set of recurring goals that a character anticipates having. The concept of goal subsumption is introduced to deal with these situations. Goal subsumption is a way of planning for many goals at the same time. It occurs in three different types of story situations, each of which has its own rules for recognition and understanding.
Pay-for-Performance and the Senior Executive Service: Attitudes about the Success of Civil Service Reform

The Senior Executive Service, created by the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, envisioned a more dynamic, entrepreneurial federal government. The federal government implemented recognition and pay-for...
Factors in Mortality by Drug Dependence among Puerto Ricans in New York City

This paper presents data on mortality by drug dependence among Puerto Rican residents aged 15-44 of New York City. While men show death rates for drug dependence several times those of women, when deaths by drug dependence are calculated as a proportion of all deaths, the ratios are nearly the same for both sexes. Factors relevant to analyzing mortality statistics on drug dependence in this population are an undercount of Puerto Rican males and competing causes of death, particularly homicide among men. Factors influencing deaths by drugs are gender roles as they influence patterns of drug use and types of chronic use: regular and intermittent.
A light-scattering photometer for kinetic studies of flowing aerosols

Abstract A new light-scattering photometer is described which can be raised or lowered along a glass column in order to determine the particle size distribution at various levels in a system flowing through the column.
Cardiac necrobiotic (rheumatoid?) granulomas without arthritis. Report of two cases.

Cardiac necrobiotic lesions resembling rheumatoid granulomas were discovered in 2 patients without evidence of arthritis. Evidence from the literature indicates that pulmonary and subcutaneous nodules may occur before arthritis or before the appearance of the rheumatoid factor, and that cardiac lesions may occur early in the course of rheumatoid disease. Even in the absence of obvious arthritis and the rheumatoid factor, rheumatoid disease should be considered part of the differential diagnosis of acquired valvular heart lesions.
Antipredator defense as a limited resource: unequal predation risk in broods of an insect with maternal care

The allocation of parental investment is a potential source of conflict within broods whenever offspring are able obtain differential access to the parental resource. Unlike the provisioning of food, parental antipredator behavior is usually considered a resource that benefits all offspring simultaneously. In the thornbug treehopper (Umbonia crassicornis), offspring form aggregations in exposed positions on host-plant stems. They are subject to intense predation, and maternal defense is their primary means of protection. I examined the distribution of risk within these offspring groups, using natural variation in the outcome of more than 500 predation attempts (324 recorded on videotape) by vespid wasps (Pseudopolybia compressa )o n 18U. crassicornis aggregations. I found three influences on an individual offspring’s risk of predation. The first was the presence of a defending female: as expected, offspring were much more likely to survive contact with a wasp if the female was present than if the female had disappeared. The second influence was position relative to other offspring: when wasps were successful in removing an individual, they almost always removed it from the edge of the group. The third influence was distance from the female: the closer an offspring was to the female at the time it was contacted by a wasp, the higher its likelihood of survival. The distribution of risk is determined largely by the behavior of defending females and the prey-searching behavior of wasps. The nature of risk within these aggregations sets the stage for two forms of sibling rivalry: selfish herd behavior and competition for access to maternal defense. It also raises the question of how a parent should allocate defense among offspring when it is unable to defend them all simultaneously. Key words: parental care, predation, Pseudopolybia compressa, sibling rivalry, Umbonia crassicornis. [Behav Ecol 13:125–133 (2002)]
Adoption of e-mail, text messaging, and online medical information among patients with hypertension

The use of web-based resources involving e-mail, text messaging, or medically-directed websites could potentially help optimize the management and monitoring of blood pressure, and aid therapy compliance in patients with hypertension (HTN). They could potentially prevent unnecessary emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions. Methods: We surveyed patients with HTN in cardiology and primary care clinics regarding their use of these technologies. Results: 148 patients were included (79 female; age 16-64: 47%, >65: 53%, 70 male; 18-64:41%, >65: 59%). Associated diagnosis were coronary artery disease (21%), myocardial infarction (13%), arrhythmias (36%), heart failure (6%), or other forms of heart disease (3%). 79% of patients own a personal computer (66%), Laptop (31%), iPod Touch (8%) or Tablet (54%). 70% of patients report sending or receiving e-mail, with 63% sending or receiving daily, 22% weekly, and 15% monthly. 48% of people send or receive text messaging, with 54% sending or receiving daily, 18% weekly, and 28% monthly. Only 8% of patients reported receiving text updates or alerts about their health or medical issues. 64% report looking up medical information online on a computer, 53% look up information more than once per month. Conclusions: A majority of HTN patients surveyed had access to all of the proper technology for interventions to work effectively. With the connectedness of most patients in this survey, there are many opportunities to develop HTN-specific programs that can address common areas of need. Limiting factors may include lack of medically focused platforms available, lack of outcomesbased research, and possible lack of familiarity in select patients. A comprehensive strategy to develop, market, and demonstrate benefits of these rapidly growing and popular technology platforms is urgently needed.
Deaberration of incoherent wavefront distortion: An approach toward inverse filtering

Techniques for the correction of ultrasonic wavefront distortion are compared using measured pulse transmission through human breast specimens. The measured data were obtained by recording the pulse signals on each element of a linear array that was moved in elevation to synthesize a two-dimensional aperture. The one-way point spread functions were reconstructed using matched filtering technique, phase conjugation, time-delay compensation, and backpropagation followed by phase conjugation, each with and without amplitude compression. Two measures of performance were compared, the mainlobe diffraction shape and the ratio of the energy outside the mainlobe to the energy inside the mainlobe. Matched filtering, which compensates the phase distortion but also increases the variation in the modulus, performs more poorly than other techniques with respect to both measures. Phase conjugation and time-delay compensation, which leave the magnitude of the wavefront unchanged, have similar beamwidths but phase conjugation is consistently superior with respect to energy ratio. The backpropagation method, which models wavefront distortion using a phase screen at a computed position between the source and aperture, is shown to perform better. The use of a novel amplitude compression that approaches inverse filtering improves the performance of the compensation techniques significantly. This is because inverse filtering optimizes image fidelity, in contrast, for example, to matched filtering, which optimizes SNR. With the amplitude compression method, the results of the one-way experiments show that the mainlobe shape can be recovered down to -30 dB.
A Knowledge-Based Intervention for Promoting Carpooling:

The use of interesting text, particularly stories, has been shown to be an effective way of transferring information. This is due, in part, to the compatibility of narrative forms of information with human information processing biases. This study tested the impact of a story-based intervention on employees' knowledge and attitudes about, and stated willingness to adopt, carpooling. The story-based intervention was compared to a fact sheet-based intervention and to a control. A total of 645 employees at five sites participated in the study. Results indicate that individuals who received information, whether in story or factual format, felt more comfortable with their carpool knowledge and felt that they had adequate knowledge to guide them in discussions and problem solving regarding carpooling. Furthermore, regardless of the type of intervention, the more interesting text was associated with greater perceived knowledge, greater confidence and comfort with knowledge, and increased willingness to try carpo...
Constraints on core formation from Pt partitioning in mafic silicate liquids at high temperatures

A new high temperature piston cylinder design has enabled the measurement of platinum solubility in mafic melts at temperatures up to 2500 °C, 2.2 GPa pressure, and under reducing conditions for 1–10 h. These high temperature and low fO2fO2 conditions may mimic a magma ocean during planetary core formation. Under these conditions, we measured tens to hundreds of ppm Pt in the quenched silicate glass corresponding to DPtmet/sil≈103–4, 4–12 orders of magnitude lower than extrapolations from high fO2fO2 experiments at 1 bar and at temperatures no higher than 1550 °C. Moreover, the new experiments provide coupled textural and compositional evidence that noble metal micro-nuggets, ubiquitous in experimental studies of the highly siderophile elements, can be produced on quench: we measure equally high Pt concentrations in the rapidly quenched nugget-free peripheral margin of the silicate as we do in the more slowly quenched nugget-bearing interior region. We find that both temperature and melt composition exercise strong control on DPtmet/sil and that Pt0 and Pt1+ may contribute significantly to the total dissolved Pt such that low fO2fO2 does not imply low Pt solubility. Equilibration of metal alloy with liquid silicate in a hot primitive magma might not have depleted platinum to the extent previously believed.
The Impact of Market Size and Composition on Health Insurance Premiums: Evidence from the First Year of the Affordable Care Act.

Approximately eight million US residents currently obtain private health insurance cover age through one of the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Recent research has documented considerable variation across geographic areas in the number of insurers par ticipating in each market, the number of plans offered, and in the distribution of health insur ance premiums. This variation may be partially driven by characteristics such as the population, income distribution, and fraction uninsured in each market prior to the Affordable Care Act. Government regulations are also likely to affect market outcomes in the ACA health insur ance exchanges. While the ACA was passed at the federal level, state governments have been given considerable latitude to vary certain policies that regulate these marketplaces. For example, each state is allowed to decide the number of coverage regions within its marketplace and the geographic areas contained in each region. Within each region, an insurer is required to make each offered plan available to any eligible individual or family. The private marketplaces for public health insurance that existed before the ACA have
Eine stationäre Darstellung für das Fernfeld bei der Beugung einer ebenen Welle am Kreiszylinder

Die vorausgehenden Ergebnisse setzen uns in die Lage, auch unmittelbar eine stationare Darstellung fur die Feldverteilung des Streufeldes um den Zylinder in der Fernzone zu erhalten. Wir betrachten den Fall, das das elektrische Feld parallel zum Zylinder polarisiert ist. Das Streufeld entnehmen wir aus Gl. (3.11):
Instructional Strategy Use of Faculty in Career and Technical Education

Students in institutes of higher education widely vary by age, cultural background, disability, gender, ideology, linguistic difference, origin, racial and ethnic identity, religion, sexuality, and social class, which lead to culturally diverse classrooms across the nation. Given the demographic diversity of the 21st century classroom, it is critically important that faculty have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to meet the learning needs of all students regardless of background. Moreover, teacher educators have added responsibilities of modeling effective teaching practices to their prospective teachers. In regard to the roles and responsibilities of teacher educators,Hite, Fletcher, Bruening, Durr, Yontz, Zatezalo et al. (2009)pointed out:
Occulting focal plane masks for Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph: design, fabrication, simulations and test results

Occulting focal plane masks for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) could be designed with continuous gray scale profile of the occulting pattern such as 1-sinc2 on a suitable material or with micron-scale binary transparent and opaque structures of metallic pattern on glass. We have designed, fabricated and tested both kinds of masks. The fundamental characteristics of such masks and initial test results from the High Contrast Imaging Test bed (HCIT) at JPL are presented.
Analysis of leukotrienes by high-pressure liquid chromatography

Abstract A reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed to separate and quantitate leukotrienes. This procedure is based on the ultraviolet absorption of the conjugated triene moiety of these compounds and is sensitive to the nanogram level. Several leukotrienes (B4, C4, D4) can be quantitated in a single analysis using prostaglandin B2 as an internal standard. Leukotriene production by murine mastocytoma cells following stimulation with a calcium ionophore has been examined by this method.
Size and physical map of the chromosome of Haemophilus influenzae.

Abstract A variation of pulse-field electrophoresis, field-inversion gel electrophoresis, was used to determine the size and physical map of the chromosome of Haemophilus influenzae. The DNA of H. influenzae had a low G + C content (39%) and no restriction sites for the enzymes NotI or SfiI. However, a number of restriction enzymes (SmaI, ApaI, NaeI, and SacII) that recognized 6-base-pair sequences containing only G and C nucleotides were found to generate a reasonable number of DNA fragments that were separable in agarose gels by field-inversion gel electrophoresis. The sizes of the DNA fragments were calibrated with a lambda DNA ladder and lambda DNA restriction fragments. The sum of fragment sizes obtained with restriction digests yielded a value for the chromosome of 1,980 kilobase pairs. Hybridization of a labeled fragment with two or more fragments from a digest with a different restriction enzyme provided the information needed to construct a circular map of the H. influenzae chromosome.
Radio interferometric Quasi Doppler bearing estimation

The paper introduces a novel technique for the bearing estimation of radio sources that can be used for the precise localization and/or tracking of RF tags such as wireless sensor nodes. It is well known that the bearing to a radio source can be estimated by an array of antennas typically arranged in a circular manner. The method is often referred to as Quasi-Doppler measurement. The disadvantage of the existing method is that the receiver is relatively large because of the multiple antennas (typically 8 or 16) and it is computationally intensive to process the high frequency radio signals. Thus, it cannot be done on small, inexpensive radio tags. Instead, we propose to use the array on the transmitter side utilizing as few as three antennas. We use a radio interferometric technique to transform the useful phase information from the high frequency radio signal to a low frequency signal (≪ 1 kHz) that can be processed on low-cost hardware. Utilizing three anchors nodes with small antenna arrays, any number of low cost wireless nodes with single antennas can be accurately localized.
High-performance hmm adaptation with joint compensation of additive and convolutive distortions via Vector Taylor Series

In this paper, we present our recent development of a model-domain environment-robust adaptation algorithm, which demonstrates high performance in the standard Aurora 2 speech recognition task. The algorithm consists of two main steps. First, the noise and channel parameters are estimated using a nonlinear environment distortion model in the cepstral domain, the speech recognizer's "feedback" information, and the vector-Taylor-series (VTS) linearization technique collectively. Second, the estimated noise and channel parameters are used to adapt the static and dynamic portions of the HMM means and variances. This two-step algorithm enables joint compensation of both additive and convolutive distortions (JAC). In the experimental evaluation using the standard Aurora 2 task, the proposed JAC/VTS algorithm achieves 91.11% accuracy using the clean-trained simple HMM backend as the baseline system for the model adaptation. This represents high recognition performance on this task without discriminative training of the HMM system. Detailed analysis on the experimental results shows that adaptation of the dynamic portion of the HMM mean and variance parameters is critical to the success of our algorithm.
Interleukin-4: a prototypic immunoregulatory lymphokine.

THE IMMUNE RESPONSE involves the participation of a large number of distinct cell types whose functions must be coordinated to insure a response that is appropriate in quality and in magnitude to the eliciting antigenic stimulus. This coordination of function is generally believed to be regulated by the action of T lymphocytes, whose receptors are specific for peptides derived from the eliciting antigen, bound to a groove in a class I or a class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule. Much of the regulatory function of such T cells is mediated by the secretion of a set of potent polypeptides often designated as lymphokines or interleukins (ILs). 1 Those that appear to be principally secreted by immunocompetent cells in response to the interaction of antigen with a specific receptor are listed in Table 1. I will refer to these molecules as “immune recognition-induced lymphokines.”
Validation-study conclusions from dietary reports by fourth-grade children observed eating school meals are generalisable to dietary reports by comparable children not observed.

Objective—To investigate the effect of observing school meals on children’s dietary reports. Subjects and setting—120 children randomly selected, but with half girls, from usual schoolmeal eaters among 312 volunteers (from all 443 fourth-grade children in six schools in one district). Design—Children were assigned randomly to one of 12 conditions yielded by crossing observation status (observed; not observed), target period (previous day; prior 24 hours), and interview time (morning; afternoon; evening). Results—Response variables included interview length, number of meals and snacks reported for the target period, and, for two school meals, number of meal components reported, importanceweighted number of items reported, and kilocalories reported. These variables were transformed to principal components; two were retained (1: the school meal variables; 2: interview length and number of meals and snacks). Analyses of variance on principal component scores tested effects of observation status, target period, interview time, and all interactions. Observation status did not affect scores on either retained principal component. Component 2 scores showed that more intake was reported in prior-24-hours interviews than in previous-day interviews. Conclusions—The effect of target period on reported intake indicates that the response variables were sufficiently reliable to detect manipulations. This, together with finding that response variables did not depend on observation status, suggests that observation of school meals does not affect fourth