cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a portal imager and of tools for radiation treatment verification

A prototype electrostaticimager has been developed for megavoltage protal imaging in radiation therapy. The imager utilizes amorphous selenium (a-Se) with a front metal plate as the image receptor and a high resolution voltmeter probe for imager readout. Imaging characteristics of a-Se have been investigated theoretically through Monte Carlo simultions, and experimentally by measuring radiation discharging curves and phantom tests. The results of this study have shown that the prototype imager has high sensitivity, good spatial resolution, and low noise level. Our study also reveals the potential of electrostaticimaging with metal/ a- Se in megavoltage imaging. Two computer algorithms have also been developed for automatic segmentation and contrast enhancement of digital portal images, and for radiation field shape verification. Based on a priori knowledge of the properties of portal images, the segmentation and contrast-enhancement algorithm employs multiple criteria and dynamic reasoning to achieve optimal segmentation of individual images, and has been proved to be accurate, robust, and fast. The algorithm for radiation field shape verification is an adapatation of the chamfer matching technique to a specific application: matching closed contours. By incorporating geometric features of the radiation field and using a simple minimization method which is more specific to this task, the algorithm appears to be able to improve the matching results of the standard method.
Global-scale sea surface variability from combined altimetric and tide gauge measurements

By correcting Geosat altimetric data for a set of line frequencies, and then doing a heavy average in space and time, a set of global maps of sea surface variability is produced over time intervals ranging from three months to two years. These maps are demonstrated to be consistent with the global network of tide gauges and sets of maps incorporating those data into the altimetric estimates are also produced. Tide gauge records too fragmentary for computation of a two-year mean are employed by time-differencing them. An estimate of the global difference of sea level change over one year, on very large space scales, shows the effects of the 1987 El Nino. The spherical harmonic coefficients employed in the computations are then used to estimate the full three-dimensional frequency/wavenumber spectrum of surface circulation variability.
Yesterday's Flashpoint, Today's Accepted Wisdom [Editorial]

The U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NEA) recently held a workshop in Washington D.C. on the topic "Engineering, Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development." The event was convened by the NEA's Center for Engineering, Ethics, and Society, and brought together practicing engineers, academics, and government officials to discuss ongoing projects, educational issues, and plans to implement new initiatives. The meeting was lively and informative, and most of the discussions centered around the kinds of ideas typically found in the pages of IEEE Technology & Society Magazine. We discovered that the invitees included at least four past and present T&S editors, and one board member of our sponsoring society, IEEE SSIT.
Abscisic acid concentrations are correlated with leaf area reductions in two salt-stressed rapid-cycling Brassica species

The greater sensitivity of B. carinata to salinity in comparison to B. napus has been linked to a greater reduction in net assimilation rate. Apparently this is not due to ion toxicity; the cause is unknown. In this report, we test the hypothesis that increases in abscisic acid (ABA) are involved in the reduction of growth by salinity. Salinity (8 dS m−1) caused an increase of ABA concentrations in the shoot, root and callus of both species. ABA concentrations were lower in the salt-tolerant species, B. napus, than the salt-sensitive species, B. carinata, both in the whole plant and callus. Leaf expansion for both species was equally sensitive to ABA; salt stress did not significantly alter sensitivity to applied ABA. The growth inhibition increased in a hyperbolic manner with an increase in endogenous ABA concentration. These results indicate that ABA in salt-stressed plants may play a role in the inhibition of growth. The photosynthesis of salt-sensitive species, B. carinata, was also decreased by salinity, corresponding to the reduction in growth. The decreased photosynthesis does not appear to be the cause of the growth reduction, because photosynthesis was not inhibited by short-term exposure to salinity and photosynthesis was poorly correlated with endogenous ABA concentrations.
X-ray and optical characterization of three growth morphologies of CVD diamond films

Abstract Using X-ray texture measurements and optical goniometry, we have determined the texture and facet orientation of diamond films grown by CVD with three distinct morphologies. The first morphology has { 111} and {100} facets and a texture which is attributed to preferential growth as the result of rapid nucleation of atomic layers at {111} twin boundaries. The second morphology has {100} facets and a texture which may be due to the influence of surface diffusion on growth competition. The third morphology has {111} facets and a texture which is attributed to competition of uniformly growing grains.
On the relationship of H+ transport to photophosphorylation in spinach chloroplasts.

Abstract In Spinacea oleracea chloroplasts, rapid ATP formation decreased the rate and extent of the dark decay of the H + gradient, relative to that measured when photophosphorylation was limited or inhibited. Photophosphorylation rates were controlled by using arsenate in place of phosphate, inhibition with poly- l -lysine (a compound which inhibits ATP formation at concentrations not inhibitory to the H + pump), and by mild heat treatment. These techniques clearly showed that significant differences occur in the rate and extent of the dark H + efflux (decay) with very little difference in the initial rate of H + uptake. These data were interpreted as evidence that ATP formation occurs within a compartment in contact with that into which H + is deposited by the light-driven H + uptake (pump). The reaction H + + ADP 3− + HPO 4 2− → ATP 4− taking place within this compartment with subsequent release of ATP into the outer phase would reduce the steady-state H + gradient and thereby reduce the H + efflux observable in the dark. This interpretation implicates the H + pump as an obligatory part of the ATP-forming mechanism in spinach chloroplasts, and would rule out H + transport as an energy utilization alternative to (or competitive with) photophosphorylation.
Emissions from ships in the northwestern United States.

Recent inventory efforts have focused on developing nonroad inventories for emissions modeling and policy insights. Characterizing these inventories geographically and explicitly treating the uncertainties that result from limited emissions testing, incomplete activity and usage data, and other important input parameters currently pose the largest methodological challenges. This paper presents a commercial marine vessel (CMV) emissions inventory for Washington and Oregon using detailed statistics regarding fuel consumption, vessel movements, and cargo volumes for the Columbia and Snake River systems. The inventory estimates emissions for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and oxides of sulfur (SOx). This analysis estimates that annual NOx emissions from marine transportation in the Columbia and Snake River systems in Washington and Oregon equal 6900 t of NOx (as NO2) per year, 2.6 times greater than previous NOx inventories for this region. Statewide CMV NOx emissions are estimated to be 9...
Recycling intentions among youth baseball spectators.

In drawing from the theory of planned behaviour, the purpose of this research project was to examine factors that influence sport spectators’ intentions to recycle plastic bottles. In Study 1 ( n = 144 students), the authors developed and provided validity evidence for a questionnaire measuring recycling behaviour. In Study 2, data were collected from adult spectators ( n = 129) who were attending a weekend-long youth baseball tournament. Results point to the importance of subjective norms and other spectators’ recycling expectations. In all, the model explained 30% of the variance in recycling intentions. Implications for theory and policy development are discussed.
Response of a cylindrical shell to an inclined, moving pressure discontinuity (shock wave)

Abstract An exact solution, in series form, is presented for the dynamic response of a thin-walled cylindrical shell of circular cross-section. The shell is subjected to a moving shock (pressure discontinuity). The shock moves with constant speed in a direction which is normal with respect to the shock front. The angle between the shell axis and the shock front (plane) is arbitrary. The solution is obtained within the framework of the Fliigge equations and is characterized in terms of the eigenfunctions associated with the free vibrations of the shell. Detailed numerical computations are carried out, in dimensionless form, for the case of a freely supported shell. Time histories of deflections, membrane forces and bending moments are presented in graphical form, and the effect of shock speed on shell response is investigated.
Bcl2L12-mediated inhibition of effector caspase-3 and caspase-7 via distinct mechanisms in glioblastoma.

Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain cancer that is characterized by the paradoxical features of intense apoptosis resistance yet a marked propensity to undergo necrosis. Bcl2L12 (for Bcl2-Like12) is a nuclear and cytoplasmic oncoprotein that is universally overexpressed in primary GBM and functions to block postmitochondrial apoptosis signaling by neutralizing effector caspase-3 and caspase-7 maturation. This postmitochondrial block in apoptosis engenders the alternate cell fate of cellular necrosis, thus providing a molecular explanation for GBM's classical features. Whereas Bcl2L12-mediated neutralization of caspase-7 maturation involves physical interaction, the mechanism governing Bcl2L12-mediated inhibition of caspase-3 activity is not known. The nuclear localization of Bcl2L12 prompted expression profile studies of primary astrocytes engineered to overexpress Bcl2L12. The Bcl2L12 transcriptome revealed a striking induction of the small heat shock protein α-basic-crystallin (αB-crystallin/HspB5), a link reinforced by robust αB-crystallin expression in Bcl2L12-expressing orthotopic glioma and strong coexpression of αB-crystallin and Bcl2L12 proteins in human primary GBMs. On the functional level, enforced αB-crystallin or Bcl2L12 expression enhances orthotopic tumor growth. Conversely, RNAi-mediated knockdown of αB-crystallin in Bcl2L12-expressing astrocytes and glioma cell lines with high endogenous αB-crystallin showed enhanced apoptosis, yet decreased necrotic cell death with associated increased caspase-3 but not caspase-7 activation. Mirroring this specific effect on effector caspase-3 activation, αB-crystallin selectively binds pro-caspase-3 and its cleavage intermediates in vitro and in vivo. Thus, αB-crystallin is a Bcl2L12-induced oncoprotein that enables Bcl2L12 to block the activation of both effector caspases via distinct mechanisms, thereby contributing to GBM pathogenesis and its hallmark biological properties. heat shock protein apoptosis/necrosis balance glial cells
Phytobezoar as a Cause of Intestinal Obstruction

A small bowel phytobezoar is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction, whose most common cause is adhesion. This is a case report in which the etiology of small bowel obstruction was identified due to intussusception via computed tomography scan, and upon exploration, was found to be due to a small bowel phytobezoar.
Probabilistic approach to rock physics modeling

ABSTRACTRock physics modeling aims to provide a link between rock properties, such as porosity, lithology, and fluid saturation, and elastic attributes, such as velocities or impedances. These models are then used in quantitative seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization. However, most of the geophysical measurements are uncertain; therefore, rock physics equations must be combined with mathematical tools to account for the uncertainty in the data. We combined probability theory with rock physics modeling to make predictions of elastic properties using probability distributions rather than definite values. The method provided analytical solutions of rock physics models in which the input is a random variable whose exact value is unknown but whose probability distribution is known. The probability distribution derived with this approach can be used to quantify the uncertainty in rock physics model predictions and in rock property estimation from seismic attributes. Examples of fluid substitutio...
On palladium catalyzed cyclizations to medium sized carbocycles

Abstract With proper choice of Pd(O) catalyst, especially by employment of a novel bidentate phosphite ligand, and substitution pattern of substrate, eight and nine membered carbocyclic ring formation dominates the normally much more favorable six and seven membered ring formation.
Respirable silica dust suppression during artificial stone countertop cutting.

Purpose: To assess the relative efficacy of three types of controls in reducing respirable silica exposure during artificial stone countertop cutting with a handheld circular saw.
From micro to nano: MEMS as an interface to the nano world

Leveraging conventional microsystems technology, MEMS has become the technology of choice for a wide range of applications including inertial sensors for automotive, games, and consumer applications, projection displays or inkjet print heads. In support of recent efforts to shrink dimensions to the nanoscale, MEMS has established itself as a perfect technology for interaction with the nanoworld. We will describe initial results using MEMS to manipulate single molecules for medical diagnostics. This technology has the potential to turn complex laboratory procedures into procedures that are as simple as taking the temperature.
Managing manufacturing and engineering in VLSI fabs

An intensive study of over 20 high-volume VLSI fabrication facilities located in Japan and the United States is described. The purpose of the study is to learn what managers can do to make the facilities perform better in terms of productivity, process advance, and the introduction and production of products with advanced performance. The author describes the methodology of the study as well as a conceptual model of manufacturing and engineering management which structures some of the empirical work. >
Sharing end-user negative symptoms for improving overlay network dependability

The dependability of overlay services rely on the overlay network's capabilities to effectively diagnose and recover faults (e.g., link failures, overlay node outages). However, overlay applications bring to overlay fault diagnosis new challenges, which include large-scale deployment, inaccessible underlying network information, dynamic symptom-fault causality relationship, and multi-layer complexity. In this paper, we develop an evidential overlay fault diagnosis framework (called DigOver) to tackle these challenges. Firstly, the DigOver identifies a set of potential faulty components based on shared end-user observed negative symptoms. Then, each potential faulty component is evaluated to quantify its fault likelihood and the corresponding evaluation uncertainty. Finally, the DigOver dynamically constructs a plausible fault graph to locate the root causes of end-user observed negative symptoms.
A region matching motion estimation algorithm

Abstract The problem of motion estimation is reviewed and a region matching 2-D motion estimation algorithm is presented. The central projection of a 3-D object moving in 3-D space is a nonrigid 2-D object which moves on the image plane. The motion of the central projection is called 2-D motion and is modeled by an affine linear transformation. If the 2-D motion is not linear or the segmentation is imperfect, this model will give a good approximation. An objective function is defined in terms of the motion parameters. The algorithm searches for that set of motion parameters which describe best the 2-D motion of the central projection. The algorithm is robust in the presence of noise and, it does not require small motion or smooth intensity profiles. It assumes that the images have been segmented. Its computation time can be significantly reduced by an appropriate choice of the initial values of the motion parameters. The performance of the algorithm is examined for different kinds of motion and various SNRs using computer generated and real images.
Veganism as a Cultural Movement: A Relational Approach

Social movement scholars have long studied actors' mobilization into and continued involvement in social movement organizations. A more recent trend in social movement literature concerns cultural activism that takes place primarily outside of social movement organizations. Here I use the vegan movement to explore modes of participation in such diffuse cultural movements. As with many cultural movements, there are more practicing vegans than there are members of vegan movement organizations. Using data from ethnographic interviews with vegans, this article focuses on vegans who are unaffiliated with a vegan movement organization. The sample contains two distinctive groups of vegans - those in the punk subculture and those who were not - and investigates how they defined and practiced veganism differently. Taking a relational approach to the data, I analyze the social networks of these punk and non-punk vegans. Focusing on discourse, support, and network embeddedness, I argue that maintaining participation in the vegan movement depends more upon having supportive social networks than having willpower, motivation, or a collective vegan identity. This study demonstrates how culture and social networks function to provide support for cultural movement participation.
B. F. Skinner's other positivistic book : Walden two

B. F. Skinner's The Behavior of Organisms (1938/1966) and Walden Two (1948) are both positivistic. Skinner explicitly stated his approach was positivistic in The Behavior of Organisms although he did not make an explicit statement about Walden Two. Three features of positivism are elaborated—its concern with indisputable certitude, unified reality, and ever-onward progress, each of which entailed overly simplifying assumptions. These features are brought out in the positivistic sources for Walden Two and in the changes from the positivistic views of Frazier, the protagonist in Walden Two, to Skinner's later pragmatic-selectionist views. Both of B. F. Skinner's first two books show a positivistic orientation. Skinner (1938/1966, p. 44) explicitly stated in The Behavior of Organisms that his "method" was "positivistic" (p. 44), and Skinner's (1948) Walden Two, written in 1945 (Skinner, 1983/1984, p. 77), was also positivistic. Positivism was a view of knowledge that was mainly influential in France, England, and Germany (Simon, 1963) and reached into Russia and South America (Manuel & Manuel, 1979, p. 724). In addition,
Standstill frequency-response methods and salient-pole synchronous machines

Standstill frequency-response (SSFR) literature to date has primarily focused on turbo-alternators, which have a double-cylindrical topology. Synchronous machines driven by hydraulic turbines or internal combustion engines are salient-pole machines whose electrical constants are somewhat different due to construction differences: (1) the salient-pole topology produces a ratio of L/sub q//L/sub d/ of approximately 0.5 as opposed to unity for cylindrical-rotor machines; (2) the salient poles are constructed of steel-sheet stampings rather than forged steel; (3) salient-pole field windings are concentric whereas those of cylindrical rotor machines are distributed; (4) salient-pole generators often have amortisseur windings embedded in the pole faces; and (5) fractional slot/pole/phase (SPPP) stator windings are commonly employed in salient-pole machines whereas turbo-alternators are more apt to be limited to integral SPPP windings. These differences alter time constants, inductances, and transfer functions. This paper provides needed information for the modeling of salient-pole machines for use in simulation studies using a theoretical approach.
XE (eXtreme editor) - bridging the aspect-oriented programming usability gap

In spite of the modularization benefits supported by the Aspect-Oriented programming paradigm, different usability issues have hindered its adoption. The decoupling between aspect definitions and base code, and the compile-time weaving mechanism adopted by different AOP languages, require developers to manage the consistency between base code and aspect code themselves. These mechanisms create opportunities for errors related to aspect weaving invisibility and non-local control characteristics of AOP languages. This paper describes XE (Extreme Editor), an IDE that supports developers in managing these issues in the functional aspect-oriented programming domain.
Prevent, Protect, and Prosecute Human Trafficking in Mexico: Policy and Practical Recommendations

This article presents original research findings on the state of anti-trafficking efforts in Mexico. Based on quantitative and qualitative interviews with stakeholders from government, civil society, and United Nations organizations, this article provides data on the challenges these actors face, especially regarding corruption and violence. It argues for eight actions to improve prevention, protection, and prosecution: 1. Collect more and better data; 2. Retain officials; 3. Support shelters; 4. Employ better evaluation measures and use multipliers; 5. Provide technical help to NGOs; 6. Design a coordination platform; 7. Increase the rule of law, and 8. Promote high-level interest to push the topic of human trafficking on the political agenda in Mexico. In sum, these eight actions address the deficiencies this research found, and outlines concrete steps each actor can take to improve the current anti-trafficking regime in Mexico. Language: en
What Should Students Understand After Taking Introduction to Sociology

Sociologists have long reflected on what should be taught in sociology. In recent years, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has produced several important publications on key principles and learning goals for the introductory course. However, little current work has systematically examined what peer-recognized leaders in the field deem important for introductory sociology. This paper is an effort to fill this research gap. Our research questions include: What do leaders think students should understand after an introduction to sociology course? Do the goals of Teaching Award winners differ from those of other leaders? How do the leaders' goals compare with those expressed in leading SoTL publications? To address these questions, we interviewed a sample of 44 leaders in 2005-2006. Using qualitative content analysis, we systematically coded, analyzed, and compared their goals.
Photographical History, Everyday Life, and Memory: Wang Anyi as a Storyteller

Postmodernists view all reality as representation and visual spectacle. This essay challenges this claim through film analysis of third world cinema and by tracing the tension between photography and history to the earlier debate of modernity in Siegfried Kracauer's work. The essay goes on to show the possibility of historically grounded visual images. By looking at the Chinese novelist Wang Anyi's photo narratives, the essay argues for a photographical image capable of fostering a sense of history deeply rooted in everyday life, communal practice, and social reality. Instead of being the inauthentic mirror of consumer culture, the photographical image is integral to historical imagination, narratives of everyday practice, and cultural memory.
Preliminary interpretation of tracer experiments conducted in a discrete rock fracture under conditions of natural flow

The authors present a preliminary analysis of tracer experiments conducted on a natural horizontal fracture system in shale and limestone at a depth of roughly 10 m. An array of 27 boreholes on 5 m spacings was placed into this fracture system, and apertures of the fractures were determined hydraulically at each hole. A conservative tracer was injected into one borehole, and monitored in the array. The tracer transport process was modeled by a one dimensional model, and indicates that transverse dispersion, and diffusion in the matrix are the predominant processes which inhibit tracer migration, and result in spreading.
Typing patterns: a key to user identification

As the deficiencies of traditional password-based access systems become increasingly acute, researchers have turned their focus to keystroke biometrics, which seeks to identify individuals by their typing characteristics. However, this field still faces many challenges before it can see full acceptance.
Testing whether genetic variation explains correlation of quantitative measures of gene expression, and application to genetic network analysis

Genetic networks for gene expression data are often built by graphical models, which in turn are built from pair-wise correlations of gene expression levels. A key feature of building graphical models is the evaluation of conditional independence of two traits, given other traits. When conditional independence can be assumed, the traits that are conditioned on are considered to 'explain' the correlation of a pair of traits, allowing efficient building and interpretation of a network. Overlaying genetic polymorphisms, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), on quantitative measures of gene expression provides a much richer set of data to build a genetic network, because it is possible to evaluate whether sets of SNPs 'explain' the correlation of gene expression levels. However, there is strong evidence that gene expression levels are controlled by multiple interacting genes, suggesting that it will be difficult to reduce the partial correlation completely to zero. Ignoring the fact that some sets of SNPs can explain at least part of the correlation between gene expression levels, if not all, might result in missing important clues on the genetic control of gene expression. To enrich the assessment of the causes of correlation between gene expression levels, we develop methods to evaluate whether a set of covariates (e.g. SNPs, or even a set of quantitative expression transcripts) explains at least some of the correlation of gene expression levels. These methods can be used to assist the interpretation of regulation of gene expression and the construction of gene regulatory networks.
Strain rate dependence of deformation mechanisms in a Ni–Ti–Cr shape-memory alloy

The compressive response of a Ni–Ti–Cr shape-memory alloy is investigated at various initial temperatures, over a wide range of strain rates, using an Instron hydraulic testing machine and one of the CEAM/UCSDs modified split Hopkinson bar systems. The alloy is superelastic over a range of initial temperatures and strain rates, for strains less than about 5%. The transition stress for the stress-induced martensite formation, the yield stress of the resulting martensites, and the yield stress of the parent austenite show strain-rate sensitivity, all increasing monotonically with the increasing strain rate. The transition stress is less than the yield stress of the parent austenite (which is less than the yield stress of the resulting martensite) over a wide range of strain rates, but it eventually exceeds this yield stress once a critical strain rate is exceeded. Inelastic deformation at strain rates below the critical level begins by stress-induced martensite formation and continues by subsequent plastic yielding of the martensites, whereas at strain rates above the critical, inelasticity directly stems from the dislocation-induced plastic deformation of the parent austenite with minimal (if any) austenite-to-martensite phase transformation. The strain rate significantly affects the superelastic and yielding behavior of this shape-memory alloy within the superelastic temperature range.
PMA-induced pulmonary edema: mechanisms of the vasoactive response

We investigated the effect of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) in isolated guinea pig lungs perfused with phosphate-buffered Ringer solution. Pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa), pulmonary capillary pressure (Ppc), and change in lung weight were recorded at 0, 10, 25, 40, and 70 min. The capillary filtration coefficient (Kf), an index of vascular permeability, was measured at 10 and 70 min. The perfusion of PMA (0.5 x 10(-7) M) increased Ppa, Ppc, and lung weight at 70 min. The ratio of arterial-to-venous vascular resistance (Ra/Rv) decreased and the Kf did not change with PMA. The perfusion of the lung with 4 alpha-phorbol didecanoate (inactive toward the protein kinase C analogue of PMA) did not affect the lung. The inhibition of TxA2 synthase with dazoxiben inhibited the response to PMA. The inhibition of the 5-lipoxygenase with U-60257 and the SRS-A receptor antagonist FPL 55712 also prevented the response to PMA. The addition of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, or SOD plus catalase (the enzymes that remove O.2 H2O2, and OH., respectively) did not prevent the PMA effect or the release of TxA2; however, dimethylthiourea (DMTU), a scavenger of OH., did prevent the response to PMA. The data indicate that PMA causes a neutrophil-independent increase in lung weight due to increases in Ppc mediated by TxA2 and SRS-A. The protective effect of DMTU may be due to the inhibition of TxA2 generation.
Modulation of immunity to rabies virus induced by anti-idiotypic antibodies.

In the absence of effective postexposure therapies, viral diseases must be prevented by immunization with specific live-attenuated or killed vaccines. Nevertheless, complications from conventional vaccines, such as allergic responses to contaminating proteins, reversion of attenuated strains to virulence, or incomplete inactivation, must be recognized and the risks of vaccination must be balanced against the benefits. Vaccine design is now evolving to include only the minimal essential component of an infectious organism necessary to induce protective immunity. In recent years intense research has concentrated on recombinant DNA techniques and the chemical synthesis of short peptides of specific amino acid sequences as the ultimate in safe (genome-free) vaccines. However, their success will depend upon reproducing the immunogenicity and antigenicity of the original antigen. So far, synthetic peptides have not found general success in stimulating immunity to other than continuous antigenic determinants (which frequently are not the most biologically relevant) and are weakly immunogenic in the absence of adjuvants. Similarly, if the native conformation of an antigenic determinant epitope is formed by the interaction of more than one protein, recombinant technologies will also have difficulty. For these reasons, combined with the lack of detailed molecular information for many infectious organisms, there is incentive to explore alternative vaccination methods.
Revision of the Pachycondyla wasmannii-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Malagasy region.

Defining species limits and describing species of ants are important to identify taxa and habitats with elevated diversity in areas of high conservation priority such as the Malagasy region. The Pachycondyla wasmannii-group is revised in the Malagasy region where eight species are recognized, four of which are new: P. masoala sp. n., P. planicornis sp. n., P. tavaratra sp. n., and P. vazimba sp. n. Four species have been previously described: P. cambouei Forel, P. comorensis (Andre), P. perroti Forel, and P. wasmannii Forel. Pachycondyla perroti admista Forel is newly synonymized under P. perroti. Pachycondyla cambouei is widespread in eastern Madagascar, morphologically variable, and divided into seven morphotypes. An identification key to species and distribution maps are provided for the genus in the Malagasy region. All species are known only from Madagascar except P. wasmannii, which occurs also on Anjouan of the Comoros Islands.
Effect of fluoride on human osteoporotic bone mineral. A chemical and crystallographic study.

Twenty-six bone biopsy specimens, including twenty-four iliac-crest biopsy specimens from twenty-one patients with osteoporosis, were examined for crystallinity by means of x-ray diffraction and for carbon dioxide, citrate, ash, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and fluorine by chemical analysis. Nine specimens were obtained prior to fluoride therapy and fifteen specimens after therapy. The findings show that untreated osteoporotic bone has the same crystallinity and chemical composition as normal bone with a low fluoride content. After fluoride therapy there is a significant increase in fluoride concentration from 0.09 to 0.36 per cent, associated with improved crystallinity with β changing from 0.94 to 0.77 and a decrease in citrate from 2.59 to 1.89 per cent. A slight increase in magnesium content was also observed (from 0.40 to 0.48 per cent). Ash, calcium, phosphorus, and carbon dioxide content remained unchanged. The results suggest that exposures to high levels of fluoride for periods of one year or less may produce crystallographic and chemical changes in the bone apatite similar to those caused by prolonged use of drinking water containing two to four parts per million of fluoride.
The Parallel Implementation of OPS5 on DADO

This chapter discusses the parallel implementation of OPS5 on DADO. To effectively introduce parallelism into the execution of OPS5, it is necessary to provide parallelism while matching an individual rule. In DADO, this is accomplished by matching the alpha-memories in parallel. The speedup available is then proportional to the size of the alpha-memories. During the partial match phase, even in conjunction with hashing, there is massive parallelism available in OPS5 programs. This type of parallelism is proportional to the size of the rule system. Once the changes to working memory have passed through this initial filter, the match operation is concerned with finding consistent sets of variable bindings satisfying rules. However, the number of active rules in a system that are affected during an OPS5 cycle is quite limited.
Circumstances surrounding deaths from the perspective of bereaved Honduran families

Purpose: This qualitative study examined how bereaved individuals from Honduras responded to deaths of loved ones, particularly through exploring circumstances surrounding deaths and various coping strategies. Methods: With the help of a translator, bereaved family members in Honduras were interviewed using a semi-structured format. The interactions were audio-recorded and later translated and transcribed. Results: Some 60% of individuals spent time with other family members during their loved one's end of life and 22.5% of grieving individuals took solace in spirituality or religious practices and connecting with God. Some 40% wanted to speak with others through support groups. When individuals spoke about remembering the deceased, both comforting and discomforting effects were expressed. Conclusions: Further research is needed to learn more about coping strategies in various cultures and support mechanisms that health professionals can use or suggest when working with bereaved individuals.
How to Manage the Serials Budget in Today's Climate

Serials inflation is not a new problem. The situation is now so serious that research and college libraries are reporting materials budgets with serials purchases consuming seventy to eighty percent of the funds, while monographic purchases have been reducd by an estimated twenty percent since 1985.
Effect of caloric restriction on cholesterol atherogenesis in the rabbit.

Summary1. Rabbits on severe caloric restriction were fed cholesterol and showed significantly increased blood cholesterol, fatty acids, lipoproteins and phospholipids. The degree of these biochemical changes and of the atherosclerosis was greater than that of a control group fed similar amounts of cholesterol in addition to a normal diet. 2. Therefore, severe caloric restriction does not protect, but enhances cholesterol induced atherosclerosis in rabbits. This effect of weight loss should be taken into consideration in experiments on atherosclerosis.
Bound-preserving discontinuous Galerkin methods for relativistic hydrodynamics

In this paper, we develop a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to solve the ideal special relativistic hydrodynamics (RHD) and design a bound-preserving (BP) limiter for this scheme by extending the idea in X. Zhang and C.-W. Shu, (2010) 56. For RHD, the density and pressure are positive and the velocity is bounded by the speed of light. One difficulty in numerically solving the RHD in its conservative form is that the failure of preserving these physical bounds will result in ill-posedness of the problem and blowup of the code, especially in extreme relativistic cases. The standard way in dealing with this difficulty is to add extra numerical dissipation, while in doing so there is no guarantee of maintaining the high order of accuracy. Our BP limiter has the following features. It can theoretically guarantee to preserve the physical bounds for the numerical solution and maintain its designed high order accuracy. The limiter is local to the cell and hence is very easy to implement. Moreover, it renders L 1 -stability to the numerical scheme. Numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate the good performance of this bound-preserving DG scheme. Even though we only discuss the BP limiter for DG schemes, it can be applied to high order finite volume schemes, such as weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) finite volume schemes as well.
Effect of Nano-inclusions on Probabilistic Design of Components Made of Hybrid Composite Materials

The buckling response and crush energy absorption efficiency of thin-walled circular tubes made of hybrid composite materials are investigated. The presence of inhomogeneous three-dimensional interphase region surrounding the carbon nanofiber inside the polymer matrix, as well as the effect of fiber waviness are considered both in material properties and structural performance of the composite tubes. The uncertainties associated with the influential parameters (fiber, matrix, as well as the geometric and material properties of the interphase) are modeled and their effects on the overall stiffness properties of the composite tube and failure responses are examined. Separate non-deterministic design optimization problems are defined for the buckling and crush with the results presented and discussed.
A Documentary History of the Indiana Decade of the Harmony Society, 1814–1824. Vol. 1: 1814–1819. Comp. and ed. by Karl J. R. Arndt. (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1975. xxiii + 837 pp. Map, illustrations, tables, notes, and index. Cloth, $17.50; paper, $8.00.)

Of the many religious utopian experiments that flowered in the United States before the Civil War, none became as materially prosperous as the Harmony Society. Emerging out of Lutheran Pietism, this group of Wiirttemberg Separatists had their origins in the late eighteenth century. They were led by Father George Rapp (1758-1847), a mystic millennialist who fully expected the return of Christ within his lifetime. Rapp immigrated to the United States in 1803, members of his "church of the brethren" followed, and in 1805 they organized the Harmony Society in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on a communal (community of goods) basis. After ten years in western Pennsylvania Rapp felt that the Society needed more suitable agricultural land in which to expand. He moved the Harmonists to a new location in the west "New" Harmony, just above the mouth of the Wabash River in the Indiana Territory. The first volume of the Documentary History begins in 1814 with a letter by Rapp reporting on the exploratory trip down the Ohio. Volume two concludes ten years later with the sale of the New Harmony properties to its more famous (and secular) owner Robert Owen, and the journey of the Society to their third and final home at Economy, Pennsylvania. These two volumes contain virtually all of the letters of George Rapp, his adopted son and the Society's business leader Frederick Rapp, and other important documents for the Indiana decade all masterfully edited by Karl Arndt of Clark University. Historians will find this collection valuable because it supplements and enhances Professor Arndt's earlier study, George Rapp's Harmony Society, 1785-1847 (1965). More importantly, it makes readily available a wealth of material on the economic and political development of the Ohio Valley. Indeed, the focus of these volumes is on New Harmony's relationships with the outside world. Interested researchers will find documents on many aspects of frontier economic development land prices, problems of credit, debt collection, and currency exchange. Society holdings were conservatively valued at $150,000 in 1819. Interesting also is the
Oita International Electrocardiology Symposium 2000 “Electrophysiology and Management of Lethal Arrhythmias in the New Millennium: From Genes to Bedside”

Repolarization of the cardiac ventricles is a complex process involving the decay of inward currents and the resurgence of outward currents, most of which are carried by potassium channels. At least ten different genes contribute subunits to cardiac K channels, but the relative roles of the various gene products in repolarization remains uncertain. To investigate this question, my laboratory has overexpressed defined ion channel genes within the ventricle. Wild-type genes are expressed to gauge the electrophysiological effects of enhancing a given K channel subunit, whereas mutant dominant-negative constructs enable assessment of the functional consequences of gene suppression. The lecture upon which this extended abstract is based covers a variety of gene products; the present publication summarizes work in the public domain, focusing on the Ca2+-independent transient outward current (Itol) and the underlying Kv4 gene family. This current is markedly decreased in heart failure, possibly contributing to unstable repolarization in that disease state. We injected adenovirus vectors in vivo to overexpress or to suppress Ito1 in guineapigs and rats, respectively. Overexpression of wild-type Kv4.3 accelerated repolarization in guinea pigs, which lack this current; conversely, a dominant-negative Kv4.3 construct suppressed Ito1, while prolonging action potentials and QT intervals in rats. Thus, Itol plays a crucial role in setting the plateau potential and overall APD, supporting a causative role for suppression of this current in the electrophysiological alterations of heart failure. The electrocardiographic findings indicate that somatic gene transfer can be used to create gene-specific animal models of the long QT syndrome.
Development of endothermy and concomitant increases in cardiac and skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in the precocial Pekin duck (Anas platyrhynchos domestica).

ABSTRACT Attaining endothermic homeothermy occurs at different times post-hatching in birds and is associated with maturation of metabolic and aerobic capacity. Simultaneous measurements at the organism, organ and cellular levels during the transition to endothermy reveal means by which this change in phenotype occurs. We examined development of endothermy in precocial Pekin ducks ( Anas platyrhynchos domestica ) by measuring whole-animal O 2 consumption ( V O 2 ) as animals cooled from 35 to 15°C. We measured heart ventricle mass, an indicator of O 2 delivery capacity, and mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized skeletal and cardiac muscle to elucidate associated changes in mitochondrial capacities at the cellular level. We examined animals on day 24 of incubation through 7 days post-hatching. V O 2 of embryos decreased when cooling from 35 to 15°C; V O 2 of hatchlings, beginning on day 0 post-hatching, increased during cooling with a lower critical temperature of 32°C. Yolk-free body mass did not change between internal pipping and hatching, but the heart and thigh skeletal muscle grew at faster rates than the rest of the body as the animals transitioned from an externally pipped paranate to a hatchling. Large changes in oxidative phosphorylation capacity occurred during ontogeny in both thigh muscles, the primary site of shivering, and cardiac ventricles. Thus, increased metabolic capacity necessary to attain endothermy was associated with augmented metabolic capacity of the tissue and augmented increasing O 2 delivery capacity, both of which were attained rapidly at hatching.
Keratoprosthesis: A Review of Recent Advances in the Field

Since its discovery in the years of the French Revolution, the field of keratoprostheses has evolved significantly. However, the path towards its present state has not always been an easy one. Initially discarded for its devastating complications, the introduction of new materials and the discovery of antibiotics in the last century gave new life to the field. Since then, the use of keratoprostheses for severe ocular surface disorders and corneal opacities has increased significantly, to the point that it has become a standard procedure for corneal specialists worldwide. Although the rate of complications has significantly been reduced, these can impede the long-term success, since some of them can be visually devastating. In an attempt to overcome these complications, researchers in the field have been recently working on improving the design of the currently available devices, by introducing the use of new materials that are more biocompatible with the eye. Here we present an update on the most recent research in the field.
Improving photometric redshifts with Lyα tomography

Author(s): Schmittfull, M; White, M | Abstract: Forming a 3D view of the Universe is a long-standing goal of astronomical observations, and one that becomes increasingly difficult at high redshift. In this paper, we discuss how tomography of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at z ∞ 2.5 can be used to estimate the redshifts of massive galaxies in a large volume of the Universe based on spectra of galaxies in their background. Our method is based on the fact that hierarchical structure formation leads to a strong dependence of the halo density on large-scale environment. A map of the latter can thus be used to refine our knowledge of the redshifts of haloes and the galaxies and active galactic nuclei which they host. We show that tomographic maps of the IGM at a resolution of 2.5 h-1 Mpc can determine the redshifts of more than 90 per cent of massive galaxies with redshift uncertainty Δz/(1 + z) = 0.01. Higher resolution maps allow such redshift estimation for lower mass galaxies and haloes.
Developing future professionals: Influences of literacy coursework and field experiences

Abstract The study was designed to describe changes in preservice teachers’ images and perceptions of teaching and literacy as they engaged in collaborative learning experiences within the college classrooms as peers and in the elementary classrooms working with cooperating teachers and young children. Data were collected from students’ semantic maps of themselves as literacy teachers and accompanying narratives collected at three intervals throughout the course. Descriptive statistics used to analyze the data showed the preservice teachers’ initial images of literacy and literacy teachers and the transformations which took place throughout the semester. Among the findings were changes in their language from general to specific terminology, perceptions of children's influences on literacy teaching, and redefinition of the literacy teacher's role and knowledge base.