cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Parahippocampal Cortex and its Functional Connection with the Hippocampus are Critical for Nonnavigational Spatial Memory in Macaques

The Hamilton Search Task (HST) is a test of nonnavigational spatial memory that is dependent on the hippocampus. The parahippocampal cortex (PHC) is a major route for spatial information to reach the hippocampus, but the extent to which the PHC and hippocampus function independently of one another in the context of nonnavigational spatial memory is unclear. Here, we tested the hypotheses that (1) bilateral pharmacological inactivation of the PHC would impair HST performance, and (2) that functional disconnection of the PHC and hippocampus by contralateral (crossed) inactivation would likewise impair performance. Transient inactivation of the PHC impaired HST performance most robustly with 30 s intertrial delays, but not when color cues were introduced. Functional disconnection of the PHC and hippocampus, but not separate unilateral inactivation of either region, also selectively impaired long-term spatial memory. These findings indicate a critical role for the PHC and its interactions with the hippocampus in nonnavigational spatial memory.
AXLE: Computationally-efficient trajectory smoothing using factor graph chains

Factor graph chains– the special case of a factor graph in which there are no potentials connecting non-adjacent nodes– arise naturally in many robotics problems. Importantly, they are often part of an inner loop in trajectory optimization and estimation problems, and so applications can be very sensitive to the performance of a solver.Of course, it is well-known that factor graph chains have an O(N) solution, but an actual solution is often left as "an exercise to the reader"… with the inevitable consequence that few (if any) efficient solutions are readily available.In this paper, we carefully derive the solution while keeping track of the specific block structure that arises, we work through a number of practical implementation challenges, and we highlight additional optimizations that are not at first apparent. An easy-to-use and self-contained solver is provided in C, which outperforms the AprilSAM general-purpose sparse matrix factorization library by a factor of 7.3x even without specialized block operations.The name AXLE reflects the names of the key matrices involved (the approach here solves the linear problem AX = E by factoring A as LLT), while also reflecting its key application in kino-dynamic trajectory estimation of vehicles with axles.
Advanced fetal MRI

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used during the fetal period when fetal abnormalities are identified, or diagnostic doubts remain after prenatal ultrasonography. In vivo fetal MRI can improve the diagnostic accuracy for fetal brain abnormalities, leading to better prenatal counseling and clinical management. MRI of the fetus in utero is extremely challenging due to nonpredictable fetal motion, small brain size, and low tissue contrast. Especially, fetal motion disrupts the spatial encoding needed for 3D image acquisition. Therefore, fast structural fetal MRI is typically performed using single-shot fast spin echo T2-weighted sequences and inter-slice motion correction methods have been developed. In vivo diffusion-weighted and functional MRI are also used after fetal motion correction for quantitative microstructural evaluation and examination of structural and functional connectivity development in the fetal brain. Recently, advanced fetal MRI analysis techniques have been proposed, enabling the quantitative assessment of brain volumetric growth; cortical surface areal growth and folding; global sulcal folding pattern; tissue microstructure; white matter structural connectivity; and functional connectivity and networks in healthy fetuses and fetuses with developmental brain disorders. Prior in vivo fetal MRI studies show great potential to not only help us better understand normal and abnormal brain development but also improve the management of high-risk pregnancies and the diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies. For future work, it is necessary to improve both spatial resolution and contrast of fetal MRI, to decrease its sensitivity to motion, reduce the total acquisition time, and to develop more advanced image processing and analysis technologies.
Dedicated Breast CT: Feasibility for Monitoring Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Treatment.

Objectives: In this prospective pilot study, the feasibility of non-contrast dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) to determine primary tumor volume and monitor its changes during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) treatment was investigated. Materials and Methods: Eleven women who underwent NAC were imaged with a clinical prototype dedicated bCT system at three time points - pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. The study radiologist marked the boundary of the primary tumor from which the tumor volume was quantified. An automated algorithm was developed to quantify the primary tumor volume for comparison with radiologist's segmentation. The correlation between pre-treatment tumor volumes from bCT and MRI, and the correlation and concordance in tumor size between post-treatment bCT and pathology were determined. Results: Tumor volumes from automated and radiologist's segmentations were correlated (Pearson's r = 0.935, P P = 0.808, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)]. Pre-treatment tumor volumes from MRI and bCT were correlated ( r = 0.905, P r = 0.987, P = 0.002) for invasive ductal carcinoma larger than 5 mm and the maximum difference in tumor size was 0.57 cm. The presence of biopsy clip (3 mm) limited the ability to accurately measure tumors smaller than 5 mm. All study participants were pathologically assessed to be responders, with three subjects experiencing complete pathologic response for invasive cancer and the reminder experiencing partial response. Compared to pre-treatment tumor volume, there was a statistically significant ( P = 0.0003, paired t -test) reduction in tumor volume at mid-treatment observed with bCT, with an average tumor volume reduction of 47%. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that dedicated non-contrast bCT has the potential to serve as an expedient imaging tool for monitoring tumor volume changes during NAC. Larger studies are needed in future.
Threatening an Irrational Breach of Contract

When circumstances surrounding the contract change, a party might consider breach a more attractive option than performance. Threatening breach, this party may induce the other party to modify the original agreement. The contract law doctrine of modification determines whether and when these modifications are enforceable. To promote social welfare as well as the interests of the threatened party, the law should enforce modifications if and only if the modification demand is backed by a credible threat to breach. This paper argues that credibility is not a function of pecuniary interests alone. A decision to breach can be motivated also by sentiments towards the fairness of the division of the surplus between the parties. A party whose share in the surplus is reduced in an unexpected fashion might have a credible threat to breach, even if his absolute payoff from performance is still positive and greater than his payoff from breach. The paper explores the patterns by which such fairness concerns arise. Recognizing the prevalence of these concerns suggests that modifications should be enforced in a larger set of circumstances than previously perceived. Lastly, the paper offers a fresh perspective on some of the landmark cases in the law of modification and duress.
Microbiologically catalyzed enantio- and diastereoselective oxidation of chrysanthemol stereoisomers to chrysanthemic acids.

The diastereo- and enantioselective microbial oxidation of a mixture of racemic cis/trans-chrysanthemols to the corresponding stereoisomeric chrysanthemic acids by Aspergillus species is described. Of the three microorganisms which were found capable of oxidizing racemic cis/trans-chrysanthemols, A. ochraceus ATCC 18500 showed complete enantioselectivity for (+)-stereoisomers [(+)-trans-chrysanthemol and (+)-cis-chrysanthemol), whereas A. flavipes ATCC 1030 and ATCC 11013 showed complete enantioselectivity for the (+)-cis-chrysanthemol but a time-dependent enantioselectivity during oxidation of trans-chrysanthemol [oxidation of (+)-trans-chrysanthemol prior to (−)-trans-chrysanthemol]. The diastereoselectivity of all three microorganisms was time dependent, in that the trans-stereoisomers were oxidized prior to the cis-isomers.
Multilayer thermoelectric refrigeration in Hg1−xCdxTe superlattices

The thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of Hg1−xCdxTe superlattices (SLs) having currents along the growth axis is computed using a realistic SL band structure and the multisubband Boltzmann equation. For a narrow well and wide barrier, a heavy C1 and higher-lying light C2 subband combine to form a (nonoptimal) carrier-energy filter, enhancing the thermopower. The multilayer thermionic emission model accounts for this effect qualitatively but not quantitatively. However, for a narrow well and narrow-barrier system, ZT is 20% larger than that in the wide-barrier structure, indicating that devices based on carrier-energy filter/thermionic processes are not necessarily advantageous. ZT is almost three times larger than that in Bi2Te3 and is four times larger than that in an alloy with the average composition of the SL. This effect is associated with reduced lattice thermal conductivity in the SL rather than improved electronic transport.
Viscosity and Strain Gradient Effects on the Kinetics of Propagating Phase Boundaries in Solids.

The theory of thermoelastic materials undergoing solid-solid phase transformations requires constitutive information that governs the evolution of a phase boundary. This is known as a kinetic relation which relates a driving traction to the speed of propagation of a phase boundary. The kinetic relation is prescribed in the theory from the onset. Here, though, a special kinetic relation is derived from an augmented theory that includes viscous, strain gradient and heat conduction effects. Based on a special class of solutions, namely travelling waves, the kinetic relation is inherited from the augmented theory as the viscosity, strain gradient and heat conductivity are removed by a suitable limit process.
Tax Shelters and Statutory Interpretation: A Much Needed Purposive Approach

Few are unaware that the Tax Code and Regulations provide a detailed, complex (and lengthy) set of rules. It is hardly surprising (or new) that taxpayers attempt to avoid these rules to lower their taxes. Courts and lawmakers have long grappled to identify abusive transactions and strip taxpayers of the associated tax savings. The transactions have, however, changed dramatically over the last decade making the task much more challenging. The rapid proliferation of aggressive and diverse tax shelters has created what many refer to as a tax shelter war. In general, tax shelters refer to transactions carefully designed to fit within the letter of the law to derive benefits unintended by those sections. Courts, however, do not inquire directly into purpose when analyzing tax shelters but instead rely on traditional anti-abuse tests. These tests are outdated and insufficient to curb current tax shelters. Even those that defend these tests admit that they supply neither a necessary nor sufficient basis for denying tax benefits. Scholars defend the usage of these tests believing a viable alternative to be lacking. This Article attempts to fill this gap and develops an alternative test, which inquires directly into the purposes of the tax laws to address abuse directly. After developing this test along with an extensive set of guidelines for analyzing tax provisions, the test is applied to three recent tax shelters to illustrate its advantages. Such a test is an essential weapon to compete in current and future tax shelter wars.
On providing anonymity in wireless sensor networks

Securing wireless sensor networks against denial of service attacks that disrupt communications or target nodes serving key roles in the network, e.g. sinks or routers, is instrumental to network availability and performance. Particularly vulnerable to these attacks are the components of any communications or operation infrastructure in the network. In this paper, we address a class of wireless sensor networks where network protocols leverage a dynamic general-purpose virtual infrastructure; the core components of that infrastructure are a coordinate system, a cluster structure, and a routing structure. Since knowledge of this virtual infrastructure enables 'smart' cost-effective DOS attacks on the network, maintaining the anonymity of the virtual infrastructure is a primary security concern. The main contribution of this work is to propose an energy-efficient protocol for maintaining the anonymity of the network virtual infrastructure. Specifically, our solution defines schemes for randomizing communications such that the coordinate system, cluster structure, and routing structure remain invisible to an external observer of network traffic during the setup phase of the network.
Additive-Induced Urticaria: Experience with Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

In patients with chronic urticaria, the incidence of reactions to any additives, including monosodium glutamate (MSG), is unknown. Although many studies have investigated the association of additives and urticaria, most have been poorly designed. This study sought to determine the prevalence of reactions to additives, including MSG, in patients with chronic urticaria using a rigorous protocol. We studied 65 subjects (44 women, 21 men; ages 14-67). All had urticaria for >6 wk without discernible etiology. Subjects with active urticaria were studied while they were taking the lowest effective dose of antihistamine. Screening challenges to the 11 additives most commonly associated with exacerbations of chronic idiopathic urticaria were performed in a single-blind fashion. The dose of MSG given was 2500 mg. Skin scores were obtained to determine a positive reaction in an objective manner. Subjects with a positive screening challenge were rechallenged (at least 2 wk later) with a double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol as in-patients in our General Clinical Research Center. Two subjects had positive single-blind, placebo-controlled challenges, but neither had a positive double-blind, placebo-controlled challenge. We conclude, with 95% confidence, that MSG is an unusual (<3% at most) exacerbant of chronic idiopathic urticaria.
Reported alcohol consumption and cognitive decline: The northern Manhattan study.

Background: Moderate alcohol intake may slow cognitive decline, and both vascular and neurodegenerative mechanisms have been implicated. Methods: We examined repo
Genetic Association Studies of Copy-Number Variation: Should Assignment of Copy Number States Precede Testing?

Recently, structural variation in the genome has been implicated in many complex diseases. Using genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, researchers are able to investigate the impact not only of SNP variation, but also of copy-number variants (CNVs) on the phenotype. The most common analytic approach involves estimating, at the level of the individual genome, the underlying number of copies present at each location. Once this is completed, tests are performed to determine the association between copy number state and phenotype. An alternative approach is to carry out association testing first, between phenotype and raw intensities from the SNP array at the level of the individual marker, and then aggregate neighboring test results to identify CNVs associated with the phenotype. Here, we explore the strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches using both simulations and real data from a pharmacogenomic study of the chemotherapeutic agent gemcitabine. Our results indicate that pooled marker-level testing is capable of offering a dramatic increase in power (-fold) over CNV-level testing, particularly for small CNVs. However, CNV-level testing is superior when CNVs are large and rare; understanding these tradeoffs is an important consideration in conducting association studies of structural variation.
Adaptation of the IBM 7535 robot for use as a slave in a hierarchical master/slave relationship

A new programming environment for the IBM 7535 robot is introduced. AML/E is replaced by a hierarchical control scheme involving a host and a subservient robot. Application programs are developed on the host, an IBM-PC XT, in an extended version of the “C” programming language. These extensions allow an application program to be composed of several concurrent processes, one of which is responsible for commanding the robot. To configure the robot as a slave in this relationship, a new operating system was developed for its controller. Written in the same language employed at the host level, it is structured as four concurrent processes managing the robot's resources. An interprocess message-passing scheme provides a path for master/slave communication. The resultant environment is believed to be superior to the original language AML/E for the following reasons: Concurrency, along with the data and control structures of “C,” is made available to the application programmer. Communication is well structured. The robot's operating system is documented, written in a high-level language, and open to the user for modification. Due to the significance of integrating the robot into more complex applications involving sensors, these characteristics are felt to be essential in future robots.
A comparison of lectin-binding activity in two strains of Rhizobium japonicum☆

The possibility was investigated that the dominance of native Rhizobium japonicum serogroup 123 in the nodules of soybean may be correlated with a superior ability to bind soybean lectin. A hemagglutination inhibition assay was used to quantify the lectin-binding activity of strains 110 and 123. Addition of root extract to defined medium considerably enhanced lectin-binding per cell in both strains. Lectin-binding activity per cell (higher at 20°C than at 25°C or 30°C) was also growth-dependent. Inactivation of lectin-binding polysaccharide, accumulated in the medium, occurred with aging of the culture. No evidence was found for superior lectin-binding ability in strain 123.
Staff Perceptions of the Work Environment in Juvenile Group Home Settings: A Study of Social Climate

Abstract This study used the Prison Social Climate Survey to measure perceptions of the work environment among staff employed in all group homes administered by a state department of juvenile justice. Work environment perceptions were favorable along six dimensions and in the moderate range on a seventh. The variables that most consistently predicted staff perceptions were facility location (rural, urban, mid-size city) and whether staff had previously worked at privately operated facilities. Combined with previous research, the findings suggest that variables that are predictive of staff viewpoints in more closed settings, such as prisons and juvenile institutions, are not necessarily predictive in open, community correctional settings.
Equine Motor Neuron Disease: A Review of Clinical and Experimental Studies

Epidemiological, pathological, laboratory, and experimental studies all support the hypothesis that equine motor neuron disease is an oxidative disorder associated with prolonged vitamin E deficiency. The role that pro-oxidants play in the disease has not been determined. All horses without access to green forage and/or with low plasma vitamin E levels should be supplemented with vitamin E.
Chrysophyceae from freshwater localities near Nijmegen, the Netherlands II

Scale-bearing Chrysophytes from nine freshwater bodies in the surroundings of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, have been studied using both scanning and transmission electron microscope.
Can tissue-based immune markers be used for studying the natural history of cancer?

Increasing evidence suggests that altered immunity and chronic inflammation play a key role in the etiology of many malignancies, but the underlying biological mechanisms involved remain unclear. Systemic markers of immunity may not represent the clinically relevant, site-specific immune response, whereas tissue-based markers may more accurately reflect the local immunologic mechanisms by which precursor lesions develop into cancer. Tissues are often only available in individuals with disease. Previous studies have measured tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to predict prognosis and survival, but it can be challenging to use tissue-based markers to study the natural history of cancer due to limitations with regard to temporality, the availability of appropriate comparison groups, and other epidemiologic issues. In this commentary, we discuss several epidemiologic study design and study population considerations to address these issues, including the strengths and limitations of using tissue-based markers to study immune response and cancer development. We also discuss how the use of tissue-based immune markers fits into the greater context of molecular epidemiology, which encompasses multiple technologies and techniques, and how implementation of tissue-based immune markers will provide an increased understanding of site-specific biological mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis.
Exploring Metacognitive Strategy Use during Note-Taking for Students with Learning Disabilities.

This mixed-methods study analysed over 200 interviews from 20 seventh-grade students with learning disabilities (LD). Students were instructed how to use a note-taking intervention during science lectures. The interview analyses were supported by pre- and post-intervention quantitative data. Data suggest that the intervention helped students identify important information; systematised the process of listening to, interpreting and using that information; and offered students a means by which to organise the information they were hearing. A discussion about metacognition and attention explores how these processes altered students’ awareness of their own learning, as well as how they equipped students with a new strategy for holding onto and translating information from their science lectures into a useful set of notes. These findings have implications for how theorists conceptualise the relationship between metacognition and attention and how teachers use scaffolding to support the learning of students wit...
Computationally inexpensive guidance algorithm for fuel-efficient terminal descent

This communication reports on the design of a computationally inexpensive algorithm for the synthesis of control functions for fuel-efficient powered terminal descent of a vehicle. Instead of solving a minimum fuel optimal control problem, the proposed algorithm is based on solving a related optimal control problem for which the solution can be expressed in analytic closed form. This property leads to an algorithm, which, for any initial condition (i.e., in any instance of the problem), will always require a low number of operations to compute the control functions, and no iterations are involved. The fuel performance achieved by the control inputs synthesized by the algorithm is evaluated by numerical simulations of the powered descent phase of a Mars landing and shown to be close to the minimum fuel performance.
Prenatal Genetic Screening in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population: A Pilot Program of Multiple Option Testing for Five Disorders † 712

Prenatal Genetic Screening in the Ashkenazi Jewish Population: A Pilot Program of Multiple Option Testing for Five Disorders † 712
Isotropy Subgroups of Transformation Groups

In this paper we consider transitive actions of Lie groups on analytic manifolds. We study three cases of analytic manifolds and their corresponding transformation groups. Given a free action on the left, we define left orbit spaces and consider actions on the right by maximal compact subgroups. We show that these actions are transitive and find the corresponding isotropy subgroups. Further, we show that the left orbit spaces are reductive homogeneous spaces. This article thus forms the basis of a forthcoming paper on invariant differential operators on homogeneous manifolds.
Linkage and pyranosyl ring twisting in cyclodextrins

Abstract Acylated β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) were studied to gain perspective on maltose octapropanoate, the crystal structure of which was reported in the preceding paper in this issue. Acylated β-CDs are distorted so we looked at other CDs and gained increased understanding of distortion in CDs and possibly, shapes in starch. Classic CDs have six to eight glucose residues in a doughnut shape that is stabilized by a ring of inter-residue O3⋯O2′ hydrogen bonds. On a ϕ,ψ energy map for a maltose analog that does not form hydrogen bonds, classic CD linkages have higher energies than structures that are stabilized by the exo-anomeric effect. In distorted β-CDs, which lack hydrogen bonding, some linkages attain low-energies from the exo-anomeric effect and acyl stacking. Those linkages result in left-handed helical geometry so other linkages are forced by the CD macrocycle to have counter-balancing right-handed character. Permethylated γ-CDs have two ‘flipping’ linkages as do some larger native CDs. Flipping linkages allow two left-handed segments to join into a macrocycle, thus avoiding the higher-energy, right-handed forms. Some glucose rings in derivatized β-CDs have substantial positive twists of the pseudo torsion angle O1–C1⋯C4–O4, adding right-handed character to balance the left-handed linkages. In substituted γ-CD, all residues have negative twists, giving extra left-handed character to the short, pseudo-helical segments. In non-macrocyclic molecules the twists ranged from −14° to +2°, averaging −6.1°. In these β- and γ-CDs, the twists ranged from −22° to +16° for 4C1 rings, and the OS2 ring in acetylated β-CD has a twist of +34°. Glucose residues in other CDs were less twisted.
Atrophy of the Corpus Callosum in Alzheimer's Disease Versus Healthy Aging

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the specificity of atrophic changes in the corpus callosum (CC) compared with the cerebellum and pons in patients with Alzheimer Disease (AD), healthy elderly subjects (HE), and a sample of prospectively studied subjects who have developed cognitive decline or “incipient dementia” (ID). DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison by age using quantitative MRI. SETTING: Ambulatory research unit. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty HE subjects (mean age 78.2 years; range 66–95), 20 ID subjects (mean age 88.1 years; range 78–98) and 39 AD subjects (mean age 72.2 years; range 52–91) were enrolled in longitudinal studies of healthy aging or AD. The population was selected for optimal health; all were examined to exclude medical, neurological and psychiatric illnesses. MEASUREMENTS: Brain atrophy by quantitative MRI. RESULTS: AD subjects had smaller CC than HE or ID subjects, who did not differ from each other. All three sectors of the CC were smaller in AD than in HE or ID subjects. The cross sectional area of the cerebellum and pons did not differ between groups. HE and ID subjects showed a significant decline in CC size with age. No age-related decline was found for AD subjects. The regional atrophy of the CC in AD subjects was significantly related to cognitive function but not to disease duration. CONCLUSIONS: Atrophy of the CC differentiates HE and ID from AD subjects and tracks the cognitive decline of this disease. In addition, optimally healthy subjects show an age-related decline in callosum size. The atrophy is specific to the CC, a cortical projection system, and does not occur in cerebellum or pons.
Enhancement of radiative electron rearrangement in Si by He+ bombardment

Abstract The first multiple ionization peak in the radiative electron rearrangement (RER) satellite sequence shows an order of magnitude enhancement relative to Kα 1,2 radiation in He + induced spectra compared to H + or e − induced X-ray spectra of Si. This enhancement supports the RER model which requires that the rearrangement decay increases proportionally with the first Kα 1,2 satellite decay.
Soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration as affected by long-term tillage, cropping systems, and nitrogen fertilizer sources

Abstract Disposal of poultry litter, a widely available organic manure in the southeastern USA because of a large-scale poultry industry, is a major concern because of its contamination in surface- and groundwater through N leaching and P runoff. Application of poultry litter in no-tilled intensive cropping system could increase soil C and N sequestration compared with the conventional-tilled system with inorganic N fertilization and reduce environmental contamination. We evaluated the 10-year effects of tillage, cropping systems, and N fertilizer sources on crop residue (stems + leaves) production and soil bulk density, organic C (SOC), and total N (STN) at the 0–20 cm depth in Decatur silt loam (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, and Typic Paleudults) in northern AL, USA. Treatments were incomplete factorial combinations of three tillage practices [no-till (NT), mulch till (MT), and conventional till (CT)], two cropping systems [cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)–cotton–corn (Zea mays L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.)/cotton–rye/cotton–corn], and two N fertilization sources and rates (0 and 100 kg N ha−1 from NH4NO3, and 100 and 200 kg N ha−1 from poultry litter) in randomized complete block with three replications. Rye was grown as winter cover crop and corn as residual crop without tillage and fertilization. Mean crop residue returned to the soil from 1997 to 2005 was greater in rye/cotton–rye/cotton–corn than in cotton–cotton–corn and greater with NH4NO3 than with poultry litter at 100 kg N ha−1. While SOC and STN concentrations at 10–20 cm after 10 years were not influenced by treatments, SOC and STN contents at 0–20 cm were greater with poultry litter than with NH4NO3 in NT and CT. These resulted in a C sequestration rate of 510 kg C ha−1 year−1 and N sequestration rates of 41–49 kg N ha−1 year−1 with poultry litter compared with −120 to 147 kg C ha−1 year−1 and −23 to −3 kg N ha−1 year−1, respectively, with NH4NO3. Cropping and fertilization sequestered C at 730 kg C ha−1 year−1 and N at 67 kg N ha−1 year−1 compared with fallow and no-fertilization in NT. Tillage and cropping system did not influence SOC and STN. Long-term poultry litter application or continuous cropping can sequester C and N in the soil compared with inorganic N fertilization or fallow, thereby increasing soil quality and productivity and reducing the potentials for N leaching and greenhouse gas emission.
Binding of large liposomes to plant protoplasts and delivery of encapsulated DNA

Abstract Lipid vesicles (liposomes) of different lipid composition loaded with bacterial plasmid DNA or eukaryotic linear DNA were shown to transfer their contents to the intracellular compartments of higher plant protoplasts. Results obtained by scanning electron microscopy suggested that transfer occurred via fusion between liposomes and the plasma membrane. Autoradiographic studies indicated that positively charged multilamellar liposomes and reverse phase evaporation negatively charged unilamellar vesicles were able to promote DNA transfer into the cytoplasm and nuclei of structurally intact protoplasts.
Review of Interventions to Improve Family Engagement and Retention in Parent and Child Mental Health Programs

Engaging and retaining families in mental health prevention and intervention programs is critically important to insure maximum public health impact. We evaluated randomized-controlled trials testing methods to improve family engagement and retention in child mental health programs published since 1980 (N = 17). Brief, intensive engagement interventions in which providers explicitly addressed families’ practical (e.g. schedules, transportation) and psychological (e.g. family members’ resistance, beliefs about the treatment process) barriers as they entered treatment were effective in improving engagement in early sessions. The few interventions found to produce long-term impact on engagement and retention integrated motivational interviewing, family systems, and enhanced family stress and coping support strategies at multiple points throughout treatment. Few interventions have been tested in the context of prevention programs. There are promising approaches to increasing engagement and retention; they should be replicated and used as a foundation for future research in this area.
Les missions diplomatiques entre deux chaises : immunité diplomatique ou immunité d'Etat

Salmon Jean, Sucharitkul Sompong. Les missions diplomatiques entre deux chaises : immunite diplomatique ou immunite d'Etat. In: Annuaire francais de droit international, volume 33, 1987. pp. 163-194.
New Technologies and Directions for the Optical Control Plane

Distributed control plane technology has been incorporated in many carrier optical networks to improve automation, robustness, and efficiency. Going forward, carriers' interest is shifting from internal domain protocols to interdomain interfaces. Also, new transport technologies being deployed such as optical transport network, packet, and photonic transport need control plane support, while new technologies are being added to the control plane itself, especially path computation elements and multilayer integration tools.
THE INFLUENCE of SOLID SURFACE ENERGETICS ON MACROMOLECULAR ADSORPTION FROM MILK 1

Four materials characterized by their differing values of solid surface tension were implanted into different locations within the tube wall of a shell and tube heat exchanger. the implants were subjected to milk flowing at temperatures from the ambient to the ultra-high temperature (UHT) range (150°C) for contact times varying from 1 to 30 min. After contact the implanted materials were removed for surface film analysis by ellipsometry and internal reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Deposition rates of the molecular subfractions first adsorbed appear to be strongly dependent upon physical properties of the bare surface. Macromolecular deposition rates were described with Arrhenius kinetic expressions in which Ea, the apparent activiation energy required for the transformation, is dependent on the surface temperature and the deviation of the solid surface tension from some value evoking minimal biological adhesion.
The effect of sewage sludge on salt-marsh denitrifying bacteria

Sewage sludge was applied biweekly to the soil surface of a shortSpartina alterniflora marsh in order to evaluate the marsh’s ability to assimilate the sludge nitrogen. After nine months there was a significant decrease of the denitrification potential in the first 15cm of the soil profile. In laboratory experiments the sludge was shown to have an immediate inhibitory effect on potential soil denitrification rates indicating that the decreasedin situ potential was probably a result of direct toxicity of the sludge on this bacterial respiratory process.
Studies on the biochemical pharmacology of 5-iodo-2'-deoxycytidine in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract Some of the biological and biochemical effects of 5-iodo-2'-deoxycytidine (ICDR ∗ ) and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IUDR) have been compared. ICDR is less effective in inhibiting the growth and decreasing the viability of P815Y mastocytoma cells grown in culture. In these cells ICDR is incorporated into DNA as IUDR 5'-phosphate, in place of equivalent amounts of thymidine 5-phosphate; this correlates with the finding that ICDR increases markedly the sensitivity of P815Y cells to injury by X-irradiation. The utilization of 14C-formate and 3H-thymidine for the biosynthesis of DNA-thymine of L5178Y and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro is inhibited markedly by IUDR and to a lesser extent by ICDR. Whereas IUDR inhibits the growth of Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 89043) in media supplemented with pteroylglutamic acid, thymine, or thymidine, ICDR in similar molar concentrations exerts little or no effect. The toxicity produced by ICDR in mice is significantly less than that observed with IUDR. After injection of mice with 3H-ICDR, chromatography of the urine showed that the drug is extensively metabolized. There is no marked difference between ICDR and IUDR in their ability to inhibit the growth of L1210 and L5178Y neoplasms in mice.
Prospective studies of group B streptococcal infections in infants

The incidence of GBS colonization at birth was determined prospectively among 96% of 2,407 infants born over a 12-month period in an urban community hospital. GBS were recovered from one or more of the four sites cultured in 290 (12.5%) of these newborn infants, 91 of whom were heavily colonized (3 to 4 sites positive). Sepsis or meningitis occurred in 13 infants, an attack rate of 5.4/1,000 live births. Attack rates for early and late onset disease, respectively, were 3.7 and 1.7 per 1,000 live births. All serotypes were found to cause disease. The incidence of early sepsis was strikingly high (8%) in heavily colonized infants. Those colonized at 1 to 2 sites were at no greater risk than noncolonized infants. The maternal vaginal colonization rate at delivery was 19%, with acquisition from the mother documented as the primary source of the organism in early onset infections. Perinatal events, including maternal complications and signs of illness at or immediately after birth, suggested ascending infection with exposure in utero to be likely in six infants. Passive acquisition of GBS (intrapartum exposure) probably occurred in the three remaining early onset cases. This mechanism was also likely responsible for five nonbacteremic infections. The four infants with late onset sepsis or meningitis were not colonized at birth or when discharged from the nursery (day 3); a possible maternal source for infection was found in only one of these infants.
Anthraquinone Photonucleases: A Surprising Role for Chloride in the Sequence-Neutral Cleavage of DNA and the Footprinting of Minor Groove-Bound Ligands

Irradiation of water-soluble anthraquinone (AQ) reagents in the presence of chloride ions results in the spontaneous, sequence-neutral cleavage of DNA. Mechanistic studies indicate that cleavage is initiated by chlorine atoms, produced by charge transfer interaction between chloride anion and AQ triplet states. High-resolution gel electrophoresis suggests that cleavage arises from abstraction of a hydrogen atom from C-4' of deoxyribose units. The targeting of this hydrogen, which is located in the minor groove of duplex DNA, can be effectively blocked by netropsin and, to a lesser degree, berenil, leading to photofootprinting of these minor groove-binding drugs.
Formability of Porous Tantalum Sheet-Metal

Over the past ten years, a novel cellular solid, Trabecular Metal TM , has been developed for use in the orthopaedics industry as an ingrowth scaffold. Manufactured using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on top of a graphite foam substrate, this material has a regular matrix of interconnecting pores, high strength, and high porosity. Manufacturing difficulties encourage the application of bending, stamping and forming technologies to increase CVD reactor throughput and reduce material wastes. In this study, the bending and forming behaviour of Trabecular Metal TM was evaluated using a novel camera-based system for measuring surface strains, since the conventional approach of printing or etching gridded patterns was not feasible. A forming limit diagram was obtained using specially fabricated 1.65 mm thick sheets. A springback coefficient was measured and modeled using effective hexagonal cell arrangements.
A MIMO protocol for camera communications (CamCom) using undersampled frequency shift ON-OFF keying (UFSOOK)

Camera communications is the use of an image sensor to receive LED modulated data. The undersampling properties of UFSOOK allows the encoding of bits at frequency shift ON-OFF keying frequencies that avoid flicker while at the same time being successfully decoded by a low frame rate camera. PWM dimming is supported via data modulation of the PWM frequency, but requires that FEC be added in the form of multi-phase sampling due to asynchronous clocking. Multiple LEDs can be modulated to send parallel data streams to the receiver enabling MIMO. This paper introduces a simple protocol that will allow the transmitter to inform the receiver how the MIMO data streams should be processed to realize the FEC and reconstruct the transmitted message.
Interactions of O2 with slow electrons

Abstract Recent knowledge on the initial interactions of slow (0 to ∽ 20 eV) electrons with O2 is presented and discussed with emphasis on elastic and inelastic electron scattering, negative ion resonances, electron attachment, and autodetachment of O2−∗.
State of polarisation bias in aerial fibres

The state of polarisation was measured for 7 days in an aerial fibre during the wintertime. A biased probability density was found. This is contrary to the generally accepted uniform probability density. A Maxwellian probability density function for differential group delay at a fixed wavelength will thus not occur when measured on this fibre for a median time period.
Band Selection of Hyperspectral Images for detecting Blueberry Fruit with Different Growth Stages

Abstract. Hyperspectral imagery deals with large volumes of data due to hundreds of spectral bands used in the images. Although hyperspectral images with higher spectral resolution usually carry more information, the processing of the images requires a significant amount of memory and is usually very slow. In addition, hyperspectral images contain considerable amount of redundant information, which does not help or even hinder the algorithm in making the correct decision. Band selection is an approach to both reduce the dimensionality of hyperspectral images and save calculation time for further applications, such as detection of blueberry fruit with different maturity stages. Hyperspectral images of blueberry fruit were taken in a commercial blueberry field. Mature fruit, intermediate fruit, young fruit and background were the four classes to be studied. A supervised band selection method was proposed using Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD). Wider bands were made by combining 20 hyperspectral bands so that the selected bands could be used in a blueberry yield mapping system using a lower-cost multispectral camera. Based on the analysis, six combined bands were selected: 543.1 â€“ 572.6 nm, 627.4 â€“ 658.8 nm, 663.6 â€“ 695.2 nm, 725.4 â€“ 757.4 nm, 773.5 â€“ 805.6 nm and 838 â€“ 870.5 nm. The test result showed that the proposed band selection method worked well for the task of blueberry growth stages detection.
Density and Lek Displays in Drosophila grimshawi (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Frequencies of stereotyped lek displays of male Drosophila grimshawi were measured in groups of different sizes (2, 4, 8, or 16 ♂♂ per container). In one experiment ♀♀ were absent, and in a second experiment two ♀♀ were present in each male group. In both experiments the frequency of courtship displays was linearly dependent upon density. Two agonistic displays and a communal display were density-dependent only when ♀♀ were present. The strategy ♂♂ adopted only in the presence of ♀♀ was: (1) to balance the relative frequencies of communal and aggressive behavior, and (2) to increase the ratio of contact to noncontact aggression with increasing density.
Evidence against a late Wisconsinan ice shelf in the Gulf of Maine

Abstract Proposals for the formation of a late Wisconsinan ice shelf in the Gulf of Maine during the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet are considered to be inappropriate. An Antarctic-type ice shelf does not fit the field data that indicate temperate glacial, terrestrial, and marine climates for the region between 18 ka and 12 ka. A temperate ice shelf has no modern analogues and may be physically impossible. The preponderance of stratified drift in the Gulf of Maine region supports temperate climates during late Wisconsinan time. It also indicates that glacial meltwater, rather than ice in either an ice sheet or ice shelf, was the primary transport mechanism of glacial sediment and the source for the glaciomarine mud. For these reasons we have proposed glacial analogues for the deglaciation of the Gulf of Maine that consist of temperate or subpolar marine-based glaciers, characterized by depositional environments dominated by meltwater discharge directly to the sea or the sea by way of subaerial meltwater streams. These analogues include Alaskan fjord glaciers, glaciers on the Alaskan continental shelf that discharged meltwater directly into the sea in the not too distant past, and Austfonna (Nordaustandet, Svalbard, Norway) that is presently discharging meltwater in the sea along a grounded ice wall. This last example is the best modern-day analogue for the depositional environment for most of the glaciomarine mud in the Gulf of Maine and deglaciation of the Gulf.
π-Method: a model-driven formal method for architecture-centric software engineering

Software systems have become increasingly complex and are often used in highly dynamic, distributed and mobile environments. Formal development of such software systems in order to guarantee their completeness and correctness is a large research challenge. This article presents the π-Method, a novel formal method that has been designed in the ArchWare European Project to address model-driven development of safe software systems. It is a well-founded theoretically method relying on formal foundations: its formal language for architecture description is based on the π-calculus, for architecture analysis on the μ-calculus, and for architecture transformation and refinement on the rewriting logic. The π-Method, like formal methods such as B, FOCUS, VDM, and Z, aims to provide full support for formal development of software systems. However, unlike these methods that do not provide any architectural support, the π-Method has been built from scratch to formally support architecture-centric component-based model-driven development. Furthermore, a major impetus behind defining formal languages and method is that their formality renders them suitable to be manipulated by software tools. Indeed, a comprehensive toolset supporting formal model-driven engineering has been developed.
Risks to the long-term stability of the euro

There are grounds for immediate and long-term concerns with respect to the prospects for the stability of the euro's purchasing power. The immediate concerns arise from the pressures on the ECB to be more accommodative and the drive to weaken the Stability and Growth Pact. The long-term concerns arise from the spending obligations the member governments have assumed to provide pensions and health care to their aging populations for the next half-century, and the imminent enlargement of the EU to include ten states that are less economically and institutionally advanced than the present group of member states. The outlook is for greater spending by governments than their projected resources unless forces not now visible will strengthen the resolve of political leaders to serve the cause of a sound euro.