cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of host fruit morphology on parasitization rates in the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa

Among the host fruits of the Caribbean fruit fly there are a variety of sizes and shapes. These morphological differences may influence the vulnerability of the larvae to parasites. In the laboratory, Caribbean fruit fly larvae placed in the smaller of 2 different sizes of artificial ‘fruit’ (cloth spheres filled with a diet material) were parasitized at a higher rate by the braconid,Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) when spheres were presented separately. However, when parasites were simultaneously presented with 6 different sizes of ‘fruit’ there was no significant relationship between size and parasitization rate. This may be due to the parasites preference to search for larvae in larger ‘fruit’. In field collections of different species of host fruit, a significant inverse correlation exists between fruit radius and rate of parasitization. However, host fruit size accounts for only about 5% of the variance in yearly parasitization rates.
Academic Library Collection Support for Supply Chain Management

ABSTRACT Many business schools now offer degrees in supply chain management (SCM); yet a review of the library literature shows no articles devoted to the topic of academic library support of SCM programs. This article provides practical information for academic librarians on developing collections to support SCM degrees. The article describes basic SCM concepts and identifies relevant Library of Congress subject headings for analyzing book collections. Because the largest collection costs in supporting SCM programs are for maintaining serial subscriptions, the author uses a number of techniques to compile lists of recommended scholarly journals and trade periodicals.
Optimal design of ring stiffened cylindrical shells using multiple stiffener sizes

Abstract : This report describes the solution to the singly reinforced discrete stiffener problem by direct use of an optimization scheme employing mathematical programming. The optimization formulation and procedure used here admit a large number of simultaneous buckling modes thus allowing optimization under conditions of mode coalescence, which are usual in this type of problem. This is a preliminary study, the purposes of which are; to develop and evaluate methodology for the treatment of this problem, to develop preliminary insights into how multiple frame sizes may efficiently be employed in submersible structures, to examine the nature of design improvement resulting from use of multiple size frames, and to investigate the nature of such optimal designs. (Author)
Dynamic burning rate measurements of metalized composite propellants using the laser-recoil technique

Abstract The combustion mechanisms of metalized AP/HTPB/Al composite propellants have been investigated using a newly developed pulsed laser-recoil technique to measure dynamic propellant burning rate. The results demonstrate that aluminum has a stronger influence on the combustion of AP/HTPB propellants than is indicated by the small changes observed in the macroscopically steady burning rate or the mean burning rate during macroscopically unsteady burning. The addition of 18% Al in AP/HTPB propellant causes only a 10% increase in the mean burning rate at 1 atm pressure but a 300% increase in the amplitude of the laser-perturbed fluctuating component of the burning rate at 40Hz. The prominent resonance observed at 40 Hz does not correspond to the classical thermal conduction-relaxation mechanism but appears to be related to the processes of unsteady accumulation, agglomeration, ignition, and departure of aluminum at the burning surface of the propellant. It was also found that a small quantity (1%) of chopped Kevlar fibers effectively damped the 40 Hz resonance and increased the steady burning rate at pressure below 5.4 MPa (800 psia). These observations are attributed to a flame-holding effect of the Kevlar fibers which protrude through the surface of the propellant and anchor the partially premixed, leading edge flame near the propellant surface.
Hyperfine structure and lifetime measurement in the 52P32 state of 107Ag

Abstract We have measured the hyperfine structure and the radiative lifetime of the 5 2 P 3 2 state of 107Ag by level-crossing spectroscopy. We measure the magnetic dipole coupling constant A to be -31.0(1.3) MHz and the radiative lifetime τ to be 6.35(17) ns.
Neostriatal modulation of motor cortex excitability.

Abstract The influence of the basal ganglia motor loop on motor cortex function was examined by pharmacologically altering neostriatal activity while monitoring the electrical stimulation thresholds for eliciting movements of the ipsilateral and contralateral motor cortex in ketamine anesthetized rats. Repeated unilateral intraneostriatal infusions (1–3) of the glutamate agonist, kainic acid (0.1 μl, 75 ng), or glutamate (0.3 μl, 1.65 μg) reliably increased ipsilateral but not contralateral cortical thresholds. Single infusions of kainic acid (0.3 μl, 150 or 225 ng) elevated ipsilateral cortical thresholds for 30–45 min; with glutamate (0.3 μl, 1.65 μg), the change lasted less than 10 min. Antidromically identified striatonigral projection neurons (n = 8) located approximately 500 μM from the infusion cannula, showed either increased firing (n = 4) for less than 10 min following glutamate infusion or no change from their non-firing state (n = 4). Non-antidromically activated neurons (n = 3) were all excited by the infusion, although an interval of inhibition preceded or followed the excitation in two cases. Infusions (0.3 μl) of inhibitory agents (GABA, 31 and 310 ng; muscimol 34.2 ng; and DNQX 34.2 ng) did not alter cortical threshold, nor did saline vehicle. Lesion of the ventrolateral but not ventromedial thalamic nucleus prevented the modulation of cortical thresholds following intraneostriatal infusion of 225 ng kainic acid. Thus the neostriatal alteration of cortical thresholds indicates a modulation of cortical excitability via thalamic projections and not the outcome of competing descending cortical and neostriatal influences converging on motorneurons. These results suggest that tonic feedforward modulation of the motor cortex and the pyramidal tract by the basal ganglia can be inhibitory.
A survey of ground operations tools developed to plan and validate the pointing of space telescopes and the design for WISE

WISE, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer, is scheduled for launch in June 2009. The mission operations system for WISE requires a software modeling tool to help plan, integrate and simulate all spacecraft pointing and verify that no attitude constraints are violated. In the course of developing the requirements for this tool, an investigation was conducted into the design of similar tools for other space-based telescopes. This paper summarizes the ground software and processes used to plan and validate pointing for a selection of space telescopes; with this information as background, the design for WISE is presented.
Determination of the energy of tablet formation during compression of selected pharmaceutical powders

Abstract A thermodynamic evaluation of bonding in compressed tablets has been achieved providing a quantitative measure of solid paniculate interaction shown to correlate with tablet strength. The evaluation was accomplished through the design and implementation of a unique compression calorimeter capable of accurate and precise determination of the heat released during powder compaction. Concomitant measurement of the work of compaction permitted an energy balance for the tableting process such that the energy difference between powder and tablet could be accurately assessed. The experimentally determined energy differences at maximum compression force (30,000 N) for 4 pure directly compressible materials (Avicel, DiTab, Fast Flo lactose, Starch 1500) indicate that the formation of a tablet is associated with a decrease in energy of the system. This decrease in energy, termed the energy of formation, is related to the dissipation of surface energy associated with bonding. The compression of a particulate system which did not form a strong tablet presented a much smaller energy of formation at maximum compression force (10.6 J for Avicel versus 0.52 J for granular acetaminophen) and thus demonstrates the potential of the compression calorimeter as a device capable of quantitatively determining energetic differences resulting from the compaction process. The tensile strength measurements for each compressible material are also shown to correlate with the energy of formation.
Multifocus dichromated gelatin hololens

A method of making dichromated gelatin holographic lenses (hololens) with many equal intensity foci and some applications of the lens are described. The method employs a specially designed contact screen in a coherent optical spatial filtering system with the resulting holographic lens recorded in a dichromated gelatin film. The principle of the design and a detailed discussion of the various space–bandwidth products of the optical system are discussed. For demonstration, a 25-focus holographic lens has been made. As examples of the application of the multifocus hololens, the experimental results of its usages in the reproduction of 25 replicas of an image and in a real-time Vander Lugt matched filter pattern recognition system are presented.
Methylation of chloroplatinate by methylcobalamin.

Abstract Incubation of μM levels of K2PtCl6 and methylcobalamin (MeB-12) results in the complete conversion of MeB-12 to aquoB-12. Demethylation is optimal at pH 2.0 and is accelerated by the addition of K2PtCl4. The reaction is stoichiometric between MeB-12 and K2PtCl6 (1:1). Incubation of 40 μM K2PtCl6 with either 40 μM [Me-14C] MeB-12 or [Me-3H] MeB-12 followed by lyophilization converts 70% of the label to a stable form which is associated with Pt upon subsequent paper chromatography and electrophoresis. There is no preferential loss of 3H relative to 14C in the reaction product. When 50 μmoles each of [Me-14C] MeB-12 and K2PtCl6 were reacted and subjected to column chromatography, a labeled UV-absorbing product was separated with a 14C/Pt ratio of 0.9-1.2. The 14C-Pt product has absorption maxima at 260 nm and 208 nm with a minimum at 240 nm (A240 nm/A260 nm = 0.5). Proton NMR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of an H-C-Pt covalent bonding pattern (J for 1H, 195Pt = 78.2 Hz; τ for 194Pt-Me + 196Pt-Me = 6.956).
Cutting a Polygon into Triangles of Equal Areas

This column is a place for those bits of contagious mathematics that travel from person to person in the community, because they are so elegant, suprising, or appealing that one has an urge to pass them on. Contributions are most welcome.
Basal divergences in birds and the phylogenetic utility of the nuclear RAG-1 gene.

The single-copy RAG-1 gene is found throughout higher vertebrates and consists of a single 3.1-kb exon without intervening introns. A 2.9-kb region of the RAG-1 locus was sequenced for 14 basal taxa of birds plus the crocodylian outgroups Alligator and Gavialis. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences supported the hypothesis that the deepest evolutionary split in extant birds separates paleognaths from neognaths. A deep division among neognaths separates the chicken- and duck-like birds (“galloanserines”) from a clade consisting of all other birds (“plethornithines”). The relationships of these three basal clades in Aves were supported by high bootstrap (98 to 100%) and large decay index values (above 14). Additionally, the plethornithine clade is characterized by a 15-bp (five-codon) synapomorphic deletion relative to all other birds. RAG-1 evolves slowly, with a number of properties favoring its phylogenetic utility, including rarity of indels, minimal saturation of transition changes at 3rd positions of codons, nearly constant base composition across taxa, and no asymmetry in directional patterns of reconstructed change. However, RAG-1 does not evolve in a clocklike manner, suggesting that this gene cannot easily be used for estimating ages of ancient lineages.
The Assortment Problem with Probabilistic Demands

The early work done on the assortment problem assumed known demands and additive and proportional substitution cost functions for single period problems. The extension of this problem to consider probabilistic demands and multiple periods complicates the problem considerably. By making some assumptions about the pattern of demands and the form of a reasonable solution, the problem can be approached by using dynamic programming thus finding the shortest route through a network.
Special considerations in allergy and asthma Pregnancy and geriatrics

Abstract The optimal approach to the diagnosis and management of asthma and rhinitis in pregnant and elderly patients requires knowledge of some special considerations. Asthma course may worsen or improve during pregnancy. Conversely, uncontrolled asthma may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Step therapy for gestational asthma so as to maximize maternal and fetal health is described. The most common causes of rhinitis during pregnancy are allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, rhinitis medicamentsosa and vasomotor rhinitis. Asthma appears to be underdiagnosed in the elderly. Management must take into account concomitant conditions, especially fixed airway obstruction and cardiovascular disease. The most common causes of nasal symptoms in senior citizens appear to be rhinorrhea secondary to cholinergic hyper-reactivity, congestion associated with anti-hypertensive therapy and sinusitis.
Special track on Multimedia and Visualization track: editorial message

The MultiMedia and Visualization (MMV) track has been a popular track because of its appeal for the current trends in daily life applications. Visualization is the key to comprehending the continuously changing complex phenomena around us. Multimedia combines information from local and remote sources. The users may view this information on on-demand basis. There are many issues associated with this: data manipulation, display, motion, security etc. This track attracts investigators from pure research to applications in wide variety of areas. Some of the papers included were: Consistency checking and temporal relations, Digital Watermarking, Digital Ink, Multimedia Information Representation, Rule based visualization techniques, Scientific Visualization with genetic algorithms, Security, Video indexing, Video on Demand, Volume Visualization, Visualization techniques for Data mining and surface modeling.
Performance limits of M-FSK with Reed-Solomon coding and diversity combining

This paper examines the asymptotic (M/spl rarr//spl infin/) performance of M-ary frequency-shift keying (M-FSK) in multi-channels, or multiple frequency-nonselective, slowly fading channels, with coding, side information, and diversity reception. In particular, Reed-Solomon (RS) coding is considered in conjunction with the ratio-threshold test (RTT), which generates side information regarding the reliability of received symbols. The asymptotic performance of orthogonal signaling in multichannels with maximal ratio combining (MRC), postdetection equal gain combining (EGC), hybrid selection combining (H-SC), and selection combining (SC) is derived for an arbitrary statistical fading model and diversity order. The derivations reveal that coherent and noncoherent implementations of diversity combining schemes yield the same performance asymptotically. In addition, the asymptotic results are evaluated assuming a Nakagami-m fading model, and the effect of fading severity, diversity order, code rate, and side information upon the performance of the various diversity combiners is investigated. The minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required to achieve arbitrarily reliable or error-free communication, as well as the associated optimal RS code rate, are determined for various cases.
Sexually dimorphic activation of the accessory, but not the main, olfactory bulb in mice by urinary volatiles

Previous research suggests that volatile body odourants detected by the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) are processed mainly by the main olfactory bulb (MOB) whereas nonvolatile body odourants detected by the vomeronasal organ (VNO) are processed via the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). We asked whether urinary volatiles from males and females differentially activate the AOB in addition to the MOB in gonadectomized mice of either sex. Exposure to urinary volatiles from opposite-sex but not same-sex conspecifics augmented the number of Fos-immunoreactive mitral and granule cells in the AOB. Volatile urinary odours from male as well as female mice also stimulated Fos expression in distinct clusters of MOB glomeruli in both sexes. Intranasal administration of ZnSO4, intended to disrupt MOE function, eliminated the ability of volatile urinary odours to stimulate Fos in both the MOB and AOB. In ovariectomized, ZnSO4-treated females a significant, though attenuated, AOB Fos response occurred after direct nasal exposure to male urine plus soiled bedding, suggesting that VNO signaling remained partially functional in these mice. Future studies will determine whether MOE or VNO signaling, or both types of input, drive the sexually dimorphic response of the AOB to volatile opposite-sex odours and whether this AOB response contributes to reproductive success.
Dense, Near Net-Shaped, Carbide/Refractory Metal Composites at Modest Temperatures by the Displacive Compensation of Porosity (DCP) Method

Dense, near-net-shaped, carbide-rich, carbide/tungsten composites have been produced at modest temperatures by the displacive compensation of porosity (DCP) method. Porous, freestanding WC preforms were infiltrated and reacted with a Zr2Cu liquid at 1300°C and ambient pressure. The carbon in the WC was displaced by zirconium in the melt to yield ZrCxand tungsten. The increase in solid volume associated with this displacement reaction was compensated by the prior pore volume of the preform. Dense ZrCx/WC/W composites that possessed <5 vol% residual copper-bearing phase, and retained the shape and dimensions of the preform, were produced.
Linking Knowledge and Action: Political Science and Campaign Finance Reform

The 2002 enactment of the first major reform of U.S. federal campaign-finance law in a quarter century featured a more substantial engagement of political scientists—through research, public advocacy, and expert testimony—than had been the case in the past. This essay reviews the evolution of research on campaign finance from the early twentieth century to the present, the intellectual tensions between the scholarly and reform communities, the conditions in the 1990s that promoted collaborationamong these groups, and the continuing disagreements over how best to manage the problems associated with money and politics—in the United States and in democracies around the world.He gratefully acknowledges the research assistance of Emily Bailard, a Brookings summer intern from Yale University, and Larissa Davis. Bruce Cain, Anthony Corrado, and Trevor Potter provided valuable commentary as discussants when a version of this paper was presented at the 2002 meeting of the American Political Science Association in Boston. Special thanks to Sarah Binder, Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Charles O. Jones, Sheilah Mann, Norman Ornstein, this journal's editors, and two anonymous referees for their helpful comments. The author would like to note that he alone is responsible for whatever errors of fact and judgment remain.
The advent of AAV9 expands applications for brain and spinal cord gene delivery.

Introduction: Straightforward studies compared adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes to determine the most appropriate one for robust expression in the CNS. AAV9 was efficient when directly injected into the brain, but more surprisingly, AAV9 produced global expression in the brain and spinal cord after a peripheral, systemic route of administration to neonatal mice. Areas covered: Topics include AAV9 gene delivery from intraparenchymal, intravenous, intrathecal and intrauterine routes of administration, and related preclinical studies and disease models. Systemic AAV9 gene transfer yields remarkably consistent neuronal expression, though only in early development. AAV9 is versatile to study neuropathological proteins: microtubule-associated protein tau and transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43). Expert opinion: AAV9 will be more widely used based on current data, although other natural serotypes and recombineered vectors may also support or improve upon wide-scale expression. A periphe...
Enhanced infarct border zone function and altered mechanical activation predict inducibility of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Purpose: To prospectively determine whether mechanical behavior of left ventricular wall segments that contain different degrees of scar tissue and are located at different distances from the interface between infarcted and noninfarcted myocardial tissue can help predict inducibility of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Materials and Methods: This HIPAA-compliant study was institutional review board approved; written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Forty-six patients (36 men, 10 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 61.6 years ± 11.9) with prior myocardial infarction (MI) and left ventricular dysfunction were referred for defibrillator implantation and underwent an electrophysiologic examination and tagged contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Peak circumferential shortening strain (Ecc) and time to peak Ecc were measured in 12 segments from short-axis sections. Remote, adjacent, and border zones were defined according to incre...
King John of England: An Illustration of the Medieval Practice of Charity

King John of England has one of the most unsavory reputations of any medieval English king, but it is some vindication of the principle "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones" to find that he made charitable contributions amounting to substantial sums. Moreover, in spite of the harsh criticism that has sometimes been directed toward the medieval practice of charity, there is something stimulating about a system which caused even such a man as John to pay regular alms from his revenues throughout England.
Impact of genetic architecture on the relative rates of X versus autosomal adaptive substitution

Molecular evolutionary theory predicts that the ratio of autosomal to X-linked adaptive substitution (KA/Kx) is primarily determined by the average dominance coefficient of beneficial mutations. Although this theory has profoundly influenced analysis and interpretation of comparative genomic data, its predictions are based upon two unverified assumptions about the genetic basis of adaptation. The theory assumes that 1) the rate of adaptively driven molecular evolution is limited by the availability of beneficial mutations, and 2) the scaling of evolutionary parameters between the X and the autosomes (e.g., the beneficial mutation rate, and the fitness effect distribution of beneficial alleles, per X-linked versus autosomal locus) is constant across molecular evolutionary timescales. Here, we show that the genetic architecture underlying bouts of adaptive substitution can influence both assumptions, and consequently, the theoretical relationship between KA/Kx and mean dominance. Quantitative predictions of prior theory apply when 1) many genomically dispersed genes potentially contribute beneficial substitutions during individual steps of adaptive walks, and 2) the population beneficial mutation rate, summed across the set of potentially contributing genes, is sufficiently small to ensure that adaptive substitutions are drawn from new mutations rather than standing genetic variation. Current research into the genetic basis of adaptation suggests that both assumptions are plausibly violated. We find that the qualitative positive relationship between mean dominance and KA/Kx is relatively robust to the specific conditions underlying adaptive substitution, yet the quantitative relationship between dominance and KA/Kx is quite flexible and context dependent. This flexibility may partially account for the puzzlingly variable X versus autosome substitution patterns reported in the empirical evolutionary genomics literature. The new theory unites the previously separate analysis of adaptation using new mutations versus standing genetic variation and makes several useful predictions about the interaction between genetic architecture, evolutionary genetic constraints, and effective population size in determining the ratio of adaptive substitution between autosomal and X-linked genes.
Classification of BPSK and QPSK signals in fading environment using the ICA technique

Automatic modulation classification through signal processing has found many applications in wireless communication systems, including interference identification, spectrum management and electronic warfare. In practical wireless communication, due to the multipath, the level of the received signal is always time-varying and not known. This paper studies the use of independent component analysis (ICA) technique in identification of BPSK signal and QPSK signal without a priori knowledge of the received signal level. The receiver first estimates the unknown signal level using the ICA technique. The estimated signal level is then being used in the likelihood ratio test for classification. Simulations show that the proposed classifier has a high accuracy with small number of observation symbols. The performance is close to the best classifier that assumes the received signal level is known to the receiver.
'Aid-in-dying' and the taking of human life.

In several US states, the legalisation of euthanasia has become a question for voters to decide in public referenda. This democratic approach in politics is consistent with notions of personal autonomy in medicine, but the right of choice does not mean all choices are morally equal. A presumption against the taking of human life is embedded in the formative moral traditions of society; human life does not have absolute value, but we do and should impose a strict burden of justification for exceptions to the presumption, as exemplified by the moral criteria invoked to justify self-defence, capital punishment, or just war. These criteria can illuminate whether another exception should be carved out for doctor-assisted suicide or active euthanasia. It does not seem, in the United States at any rate, that all possible alternatives to affirm the control and dignity of the dying patient and to relieve pain and suffering, short of taking life, have been exhausted. Moreover, the procedural safeguards built into many proposals for legalised euthanasia would likely be undone by the sorry state of the US health care system, with its lack of universal access to care, chronic cost-containment ills, a litigious climate, and socioeconomic barriers to care. There remains, however, common ground in the quest for humane care of the dying.
CSF leak: A complication from vomiting after magnetic vestibular stimulation

Sensations of self-motion and vertigo are common among patients and technologists near MRI scanners and especially near stronger magnetic fields.1,2 It was recently discovered that all humans with intact vestibular function have nystagmus the entire time they are in a 7T MRI. This nystagmus is due to a Lorentz force arising from the interaction between the MRI magnetic field and normal ionic currents in the inner ear, which induces labyrinthine stimulation by pushing the endolymph onto the semicircular canal cupula.3–5 The force scales with magnetic field strength, but nystagmus can be seen in magnetic fields of strengths as low as 1.5T.3 Acknowledgment: The authors thank Dale Roberts for help with data collection and Krysta Bearish, PA, and Yemissi Sanni for assistance in coordinating the patient's care.
Sugar-cane weed community interactions with arthropods and pathogens.

Polyculture can help stabilize agroecosystems against frequent and severe pest outbreaks. An overview of the published data highlights ecological relationships among weeds, nematodes, arthropods, sugar-cane mosaic virus (SCMV), and the sugar-cane crop itself. Whereas individual studies commonly depict weeds as being either “good” or “bad”, this review is a synthesis of the variable roles and interactions of weeds in sugar-cane in order to provide a realistic perspective on the possibilities of weed interactions in sugar-cane agroecosystems. Conservation of weeds in Louisiana sugar-cane has resulted in more diversified arthropod fauna, higher natural enemy populations, and reduced damage by the sugar-cane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.). Weed competition and SCMV infection have each been associated with altered sugar-cane free amino acid accumulations that appeared to play a role in reducing populations of selected phytophagous nematodes. The combination of both weed and SCMV stress factors, however, have been shown to favour higher sugar-cane nematode populations. Although some weeds are alternate hosts for SCMV and its aphid vectors, and ratoon stunting disease (RSD), weed growth has not been linked with higher phytophagous nematode infestations or incidence of RSD. Weeds, if kept below economically competitive densities, may be ecologically and financially sound assets to sugar-cane pest management tactics.
Antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella from organic and conventional dairy farms.

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella isolated from conventional and organic dairy farms in the Midwest and Northeast United States. Environmental and fecal samples were collected from organic (n = 26) and conventional (n = 69) farms in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin every 2 mo from August 2000 to October 2001. Salmonella isolates (n = 1,243) were tested using a broth microdilution method for susceptibility to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ampicillin, ceftiofur, ceftriaxone, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Herd-level logistic regression and logistic proportional hazards multivariable models were used to examine the association between farm management type and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. For most antimicrobial agents tested, susceptibility of Salmonella isolates was similar on organic and conventional herds when controlling for herd size and state. Conventional farms were more likely to have at least one Salmonella isolate resistant to streptomycin using logistic regression (odds ratio=7.5; 95% confidence interval=1.7–5.4). Conventional farms were more likely to have Salmonella isolates with greater resistance to streptomycin (odds ratio=5.4; 95% confidence interval=1.5–19.0) and sulfamethoxazole (odds ratio=4.2; 95% confidence interval=1.2–14.1) using logistic proportional hazards models. Although not statistically significant, conventional farms tended to be more likely to have at least one Salmonella isolate resistant to 5 or more antimicrobial agents when compared with organic farms.
Review Essay on Moral Animals: Ideals and Constraints in Moral Theory

We inhabit a society marked by gross and increasing economic inequality and by a variety of other unjust inequalities, here in the United States, in China, and elsewhere. So we badly need to focus upon inequality and its effects in our moral enquiries. If Catherine Wilson's ambitious and always interesting book* is widely read, as I hope it will be, its effect on those enquiries should be salutary, not because her own particular defence of egalitarianism is entirely compelling, but because it reopens a debate of urgent importance. Those of us who do not accept Wilson's conclusions are under an obligation to do better. Wilson's starting-point is a descriptive account of moral phenomena whose prologue is a contrast between human morality and how chimpanzees and baboons order their lives. She recognizes the capacity of some nonhuman primates for cooperation, reciprocity, loyalty, and retaliation for aggression. But the varying impulses that issue in such behavior give us "little reason to ascribe moral beliefs or moral agency" to such animals, because "There is a certain kind of thought that the animals" she means nonhuman animals "do not have, the thought that social interactions require the inhibition of spontaneous impulses, whether these impulses involve aggression or assistance" (p. 3). Human beings by contrast lead a form of life governed by a wide variety of norms expressible as rules, among them the rules of morality, and morality is "an imposition that is not only an outgrowth and an expression of our natural dispositions but exists as a corrective to them" (p. 5). All rules are expressible as imperatives and moral rules are distinguished from rules of other types in that they are "restrictive and prohibitory rules whose social function is to counteract the shortor long-
MANAGERIAL OWNERSHIP CHANGE AND FIRM VALUE: EVIDENCE FROM DUAL-CLASS RECAPITALIZATIONS AND INSIDER TRADING

We explore the relation between managerial ownership and firm value by examining a sample of firms that announce dual-class recapitalizations and the insider trading activity that precedes these announcements. Insider trading activity, unlike recapitalization, requires managers to commit their personal wealth and therefore serves as an indicator of the motivation behind the recapitalization. The recapitalization, in effect, allows managers to magnify the increase in vote ownership that results from insider buying and offsets the decrease in vote ownership that results from insider selling. This study adds to our understanding of dual-class recapitalizations by linking the wealth effects and changes in ownership concentration with ***manager-shareholder agency issues that follow from recapitalization and insider trading activity. Results show a positive relation between the change in firm value and ownership for recapitalizations before the 1984 New York Stock Exchange moratorium on delisting dual-class firms when ownership was high and control was firmly established. Results show a negative relation for recapitalizations since 1984 when ownership levels were lower and voting control was not assured. These results support the notion that more recent recapitalizations entrench managers.
Pulmonary lymphatic mapping in dogs: use of technetium sulfur colloid and isosulfan blue for pulmonary sentinel lymph node mapping in dogs.

Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer death in the United States. The pattern of regional lymph node involvement is a major prognostic factor in a patient with nonsmall cell lung cancer. The accuracy of information obtained about the lymph node status of lung cancer patients can be potentially increased by sentinel node lymphatic mapping. This technique has been well studied in melanoma and breast cancer. It may be useful in increasing the detection of micrometastases and in decreasing the morbidity from complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy.We report an animal pilot study of pulmonary lymphatic mapping. The aim of our study was to gain experience in the surgical techniques for pulmonary sentinel node lymphatic mapping in an animal model prior to its application in humans. Technetium sulfur colloid and isosulfan blue dye were injected into different lobes of the lung followed by attempts to identify the sentinel node draining that specific portion of the lung. Technetium sulfur colloid identifie...
Adaptive Sensor Activity Scheduling in Distributed Sensor Networks: A Statistical Mechanics Approach

This article presents an algorithm for adaptive sensor activity scheduling (A-SAS) in distributed sensor networks to enable detection and dynamic footprint tracking of spatial-temporal events. The sensor network is modeled as a Markov random field on a graph, where concepts of Statistical Mechanics are employed to stochastically activate the sensor nodes. Using an Ising-like formulation, the sleep and wake modes of a sensor node are modeled as spins with ferromagnetic neighborhood interactions; and clique potentials are defined to characterize the node behavior. Individual sensor nodes are designed to make local probabilistic decisions based on the most recently sensed parameters and the expected behavior of their neighbors. These local decisions evolve to globally meaningful ensemble behaviors of the sensor network to adaptively organize for event detection and tracking. The proposed algorithm naturally leads to a distributed implementation without the need for a centralized control. The A-SAS algorithm has been validated for resource-aware target tracking on a simulated sensor field of 600 nodes.
Factors in the Selection and Management of Chest Tubes After Pulmonary Lobectomy: Results of a National Survey of Thoracic Surgeons

Background This study determined patterns of chest tube (CT) selection and management after open lobectomy and minimally invasive lobectomy by thoracic surgeons. Methods Surveys were sent electronically to 5,175 thoracic surgeons, and 475 were completed. Responses, blinded so individuals could not be identified, were analyzed and compared according to surgeon characteristics (academic/private practice, years in practice, lobectomy volume, and geographic region). All indicated differences were statistically significant (p Results CT selection: Most surgeons prefer rigid tubes, and the size most commonly used was 28F. Most place 2 CTs after open lobectomy and 1 CT after minimally invasive lobectomy. Academic surgeons are more likely than private surgeons to use 1 tube after open lobectomy, but both prefer 1 tube after minimally invasive lobectomy. Younger surgeons and high-volume surgeons are more likely to use 1 CT than senior surgeons and low-volume surgeons after both open lobectomy and minimally invasive lobectomy. CT management: Academic and younger surgeons remove the CT sooner after open lobectomy. Younger and high-volume surgeons remove the CT with greater drainage amounts. All groups remove CTs sooner after minimally invasive lobectomy than after open lobectomy. Approximately half of surgeons get a daily chest roentgenogram. Younger and low-volume surgeons are most likely to discharge patients with Heimlich valves, although overall use was in less than 5% (49 of 475) of respondents. Most surgeons believe clinical experience rather than training or the literature determined their CT strategy. Conclusions This survey determined the difference in CT management among various groups of surgeons. Clinical experience was the most important factor in determining their CT strategy.
An Epidemiologic Study of Breast Cancer

A case-control study was conducted in an attempt to discover epidemiological evidence that might support a milk-transmitted virus in the etiology of breast cancer in young women. The Department of Pathology at the University of Southern California has maintained a Cancer Surveillance Program for Los Angeles County since 1971. Physicians who reported current breast cancer cases with onset below age 65 were asked for permission to interview their patients. Approximately 70% of the sequentially reported breast cancer patients of suitable age were reached and interviewed. A patient without a prior history of malignancy was selected as an individually matched control for each case from the outpatient population of the index cases referring physician. Regardless of the patients age at diagnosis of breast cancer no evidence of an increased risk associated with breast feeding was found. Increased familial risk of breast cancer occurred in both paternal and maternal lines. The familial aggregation of the disease appeared to be related to an altered state of estrogen excretion or metabolism. The mothers of breast cancer patients had the delayed age at 1st delivery and at menopause characteristics of the patients. Hormone administration at natural menopause was found to be associated with decreased risk of breast cancer.
Computer Security Training Recommender for Developers

Vulnerable code may cause security breaches in software systems resulting in loss of confidential data and financial losses for the organizations. Software developers must be given proper training to write secure code. Conventional training methods do not take the code written by the developers over time into account, which makes these training sessions less effective. We propose a Computer Security Training Recommender to help identify focused and narrow areas in which developers need training. The proposed recommender system leverages the power of static analysis techniques to suggest the most appropriate training topics for different software developers; moreover it utilizes public vulnerability repositories to suggest community accepted solutions to different security problems. This paper presents an architecture of the proposed recommender system and a proof-of-concept case study. We found that vulnerabilities, flagged in source code by static analysis tools, can be mapped to relevant articles in a vulnerability repository. Hence, the mitigation strategies given in such articles may be used as a resource to train individual software developers. Preliminary empirical evaluation shows that the proposed system is promising.
Discovery of a novel binding pocket for CYP 2C9 inhibitors: crystallography, pharmacophore modelling and inhibitor SAR

Herein, we describe the discovery of a novel binding pocket for CYP 2C9 inhibitors. Trifluoromethanesulfonamide compounds 1 and 2, identified within a Pfizer progesterone receptor antagonist program, were found to strongly inhibit the drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP 2C9. Homology modelling and subsequent X-ray co-crystal data have elucidated the binding orientation of compounds 1 and 2 in CYP 2C9. Compound 2 adopts a previously unreported binding mode. Less acidic sulfonamide analogues within these series have reduced CYP 2C9 activity, and we postulate this is due to a reduced hydrogen bonding potential with key interacting residues within CYP 2C9. This work shows that CYP 2C9 has a more flexible active site than previously reported; therefore multiple binding modes and alternative pharmacophore models must be considered when predicting CYP 2C9 affinity.
Abstract 974: Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST): Innovative postdoctoral training for aspiring academic scientists

Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) is a successful, three-year postdoctoral program at Emory University that combines traditional postdoctoral research training with mentored teaching instruction. Supported by the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA, K12) in the Division of Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE), FIRST encourages teaching experiences at minority serving institutions (MSIs) in the Atlanta University Center (Clark-Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College). Fellows receive formalized instruction in pedagogy through a course entitled A Class within a Class, which provides training in innovative teaching techniques, use of technology in the classroom, course development and assessment, as well as peer-evaluation of lecture styles. Participation in the FIRST program creates a unique training experience that prepares fellows to become successful biomedical researchers as well as effective instructors. Despite having dual responsibilities during postdoctoral training, a study comparing 114 FIRST fellows to 500 traditional postdocs showed that FIRST fellows continue to publish in peer-reviewed journals at the same rate or above traditional postdoctoral fellows. In addition, FIRST fellows continue to pursue academic research careers and receive NIH grant funding. Along with the goals of the IRACDA programs, FIRST fellows have established research affiliations with Emory University and MSIs thus creating a collaborative network between research-intensive intuitions and under-represented minority liberal arts colleges. NIH/NIGMS IRACDA Grant 5K12GM000680 Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 974.
What's wrong with the back of the envelope? A call for simple (and timely) benefit–cost analysis

Observers across the ideological spectrum have criticized benefit–cost analysis for as long as it has been part of the rulemaking process. Still, proponents and detractors agree that analysis has morphed into a mechanism often used by agencies to justify regulatory decisions already made. We argue that a simpler analysis of more alternatives conducted earlier in the regulatory process can resuscitate it as a tool to inform policy. Recognizing that requiring a procedure does not ensure that regulators will follow it, we offer possible remedies, including strengthening or relaxing subsequent review of proposed rules, which raise the cost of circumventing the reform or lower the cost of following it.
The β-Adrenergic Receptor-Coupled Adenylate Cyclase: Reconstitution of the Functional Interactions of the Various Purified Components

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the progress that has been made in the purification of various components of the adenylate cyclase system. In addition, it presents various types of reconstitution approaches that have been used to monitor the interactions of the β -adrenergic receptor with the other components of the adenylate cyclase system. The development of these approaches has proceeded in a systematic fashion from the rather simple two-component systems—containing the pure receptor and pure nucleotide regulatory protein—to the more complex systems containing both stimulatory and inhibitory components. These systems, for the first time, have provided a way to assess the biological activities of various components of the adenylate cyclase system. Regarding the β -adrenergic receptor, researchers have been able to ascertain that the peptide isolated by affinity chromatography carries both ligand-binding site and activating function of the receptor.
Optimal adaptive control for quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians.

Quantum metrology has been studied for a wide range of systems with time-independent Hamiltonians. For systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians, however, due to the complexity of dynamics, little has been known about quantum metrology. Here we investigate quantum metrology with time-dependent Hamiltonians to bridge this gap. We obtain the optimal quantum Fisher information for parameters in time-dependent Hamiltonians, and show proper Hamiltonian control is generally necessary to optimize the Fisher information. We derive the optimal Hamiltonian control, which is generally adaptive, and the measurement scheme to attain the optimal Fisher information. In a minimal example of a qubit in a rotating magnetic field, we find a surprising result that the fundamental limit of T2 time scaling of quantum Fisher information can be broken with time-dependent Hamiltonians, which reaches T4 in estimating the rotation frequency of the field. We conclude by considering level crossings in the derivatives of the Hamiltonians, and point out additional control is necessary for that case. Quantum metrology investigates the improvement given to precision measurements by exploiting quantum mechanics, but it has been mostly limited to systems with static Hamiltonians. Here the authors study it in the general case of time-varying Hamiltonians, showing that optimizing the quantum Fisher information via quantum control provides an advantage.