cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Russian wheat aphid infestation on barley plant response to drought stress

The influence of Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko) infestation on the response of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ev Hazen) plants to drought stress was investigated. Fourteen-day-old plants were infested with eight apterous adult aphids, which were removed 7 days later with systemic insecticide. Leaves previously infested with aphids had lower relative water content, reduced stomatal conductance, more negative water potential, lower levels of chlorophyll and higher levels of amino-N, proline and glycinebetaine than corresponding leaves from uninfested plants. When water was withheld for a period of 7 days after aphids were removed, the relative water content of previously infested plants dropped steadily from 0.89 to 0.60, while the relative water content of uninfested plants remained at about 0.94 for the first 4 days of the drought stress period followed by a steady drop to about 0.77 by the end of the drought stress period. Leaf water potentials dropped steadily during the drought stress period in both previously infested (-1.14 to -1.91 MPa) and unin-fested (-0.54 to -1.52 MPa) plants. Analysis of glycinebetaine and proline levels at the end of the drought stress period indicated that leaves of previously infested plants accumulated lower levels of these solutes than leaves from uninfested plants. Upon alleviation of drought stress, plants previously infested with aphids showed little increase in dry weight while younger leaves and tillers from uninfested plants showed large increases. It is concluded that Russian wheat aphids cause drought-stress symptoms in leaves of infested plants even in the presence of ample root moisture. The observations of low levels of glycinebetaine and proline present in leaves after water was withheld from roots and lack of leaf growth upon alleviation of drought stress in previously-infested plants, suggest that aphid infestation limits the capacity of barley plants to adjust successfully to drought stress.
Partitioning the Mortality Risk Associated with Inadequate Passive Transfer of Colostral Immunoglobulins in Dairy Calves

This study developed a method to partition the risk of mortality in dairy calves in the 1st 16 weeks of life. Observed population mortality and the relative risk of mortality in each serum protein concentration stratum were used to determine the population baseline mortality rate and the mortality rate due to inadequate passive transfer of colostral immunoglobulin. A total of 3,479 calves were studied, 8.2% of which died before 16 weeks of age. The population baseline mortality rate was 5.0% and the mortality rate due to inadequate passive transfer was 3.2%. Thirty-nine percent of the observed mortality was attributed to inadequate passive transfer. This partitioning of risk between passive transfer-related and unrelated sources should prove useful in conducting investigations of calf mortality problems in dairy herds.
Endotoxin Enhances Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase by Action through Upstream Stimulatory Factor but Not by Nuclear Factor-κB

Liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is increased by physiological stress and by chronic administration of growth hormone (GH). Endotoxin plays a role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. The effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the endotoxin component of Gram-negative bacteria, was determined on liver ADH. LPS given daily to rats for 3 days increased ADH mRNA, ADH protein, and ADH activity. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the liver nuclear extracts bound to an oligonucleotide specifying region -226 to -194 of the ADH promoter, whereas upstream stimulatory factor (USF) was shown previously to bind to a more proximal site. LPS increased NF-kappaB and USF binding to the ADH promoter. The NF-kappaB (p65) and NF-kappaB (p50) expression vectors inhibited the transfected ADH promoter activity, which contrasts with the previously demonstrated stimulation by an USF expression vector. The binding activities of STAT5b and of C/EBPbeta, which mediate the effect of GH on ADH, were not changed or decreased, respectively, by LPS, indicating that GH plays no intermediary role in the effect of LPS. This study shows that LPS increases ADH and that this effect is mediated by increased binding of USF to the ADH promoter and not by NF-kappaB, which has an inhibitory action.
Expression of relB is required for the development of thymic medulla and dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DC) derived from bone marrow are critical in the function of the immune system, for they are the primary antigen-presenting cells in the activation of T-lymphocyte response. Their differentiation from precursor cells has not been defined at a molecular level, but recent studies have shown an association between expression of the relB subunit of the NF-kappa B complex and the presence of DC in specific regions of normal unstimulated lymphoid tissues. Here we show that relB expression also correlates with differentiation of DC in autoimmune infiltrates in situ, and that a mutation disrupting the relB gene results in mice with impaired antigen-presenting cell function, and a syndrome of excess production of granulocytes and macrophages. Thymic UEA-1+ medullary epithelial cells from normal mice show striking similarities to DC and, interestingly, these cells are also absent in relB mutant mice. Taken together, these results suggest that relB is critical in the coordinated activation of genes necessary for the differentiation of two unrelated but phenotypically similar cells (DC and thymic UEA-1+ medullary epithelial cells) and is therefore a candidate for a gene determining lineage commitment in the immune system.
A Dynamic Model of Reaction Time in a Short-Term Memory Task

In this article we hypothesized that the trial to trial variability in speed of access to recently presented information is deterministic in nature and that it reflects important properties of immediate memory. Application of analytic techniques emerging from the science of nonlinear dynamical systems to data obtained from the Sternberg (1966, 1970) short-term memory task corroborates the view. A simple nonlinear difference equation, consistent with fuzzy-trace theory (Brainerd & Reyna, 1992), was then proposed to describe the dynamics underlying reaction time (RT) on the Sternberg task. The model posits that RT is a function of the interaction of two control parameters: susceptibility to interference (SI) and episodic activation (EA). Evaluation of the model indicated an exceptionally good fit with the raw empirical observations. Age comparisons of the model parameters revealed that adults exhibited higher levels of SI and EA. Although the finding that adults exhibited higher levels of SI than children runs counter to theory and other empirical results, further analysis revealed that adults exhibited lower levels of SI relative to EA than children. Thus, children may exhibit slower disintegration of verbatim memory traces than adults due to interference; however, adults may be more efficient at redintegrating verbatim memory traces than children.
"Cocktail Party in the Cloud": Blind Source Separation for Co-Operative Cellular Communication in Cloud RAN

Due to the rapid growing popularity of mobile Internet, broadband cellular wireless systems are expected to offer higher and higher data rates even in high-mobility environments. Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is a new centralized paradigm for broadband wireless access that addresses efficiently the fluctuation in capacity demand through real-time inter-Base Station (BS) cooperation. An innovative Blind Source Separation (BSS)-based cellular communication solution for CRANs, Cloud-BSS, which leverages the inter-BS cooperation, is proposed. Cloud-BSS groups contiguous cells into clusters -- sets of neighboring cells inside which mobile stations do not need to perform handovers -- and allows them to use all of the frequency channels. The proposed solution is studied under different network topologies, and a novel strategy, called Channel-Select, to improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is introduced. Cloud-BSS enhances the cluster spectral efficiency, decreases handovers, eliminates the need for bandwidth-consuming channel estimation techniques, and mitigates interference. Simulation results, which are discussed along with concepts, confirm these expectations.
Adaptive Hybrid Control Algorithm With Iterative Learning for Robotic In Vitro Biomechanical Testing of Spine

In spine testing, methods have been developed to apply pure moments to a single axis of the spine to elucidate the mechanical properties of the spine. The application of those concepts continues to be applied with custom loading frames, custom robotics systems, and adaptation of commercial robotic technology. With these systems and pure moment testing, spinal biomechanics variables such as the neutral zone and range of motion can be determined. As more complex testing systems with higher degrees of freedom (DOF) capabilities are developed, dynamic testing becomes a possibility. However, these more complex testing systems require more complex control schemes.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Mono- and divalent competitive adsorption to a charged membrane in a closed system: A comparative study

Abstract Competitive adsorption to a negative surface between monovalent and divalent cations is studied in a closed system. A self-consistent theory is presented for the cases when the divalent cation binds to two negative sites (1:2 binding) and to one negative site (1:1 binding). It is demonstrated that these two cases are distinguishable when the relative difference in total divalent concentrations determined at fixed bulk divalent concentrations is plotted as a function of the bulk monovalent concentration. The 1:2 binding case yields a sigmoidal curve while the 1:1 binding curve is hyperbolic. The comparison between the 1:2 and 1:1 binding cases of the divalent cation is extended to include; (1) the existence of a surface charge to which no binding occurs, and (2) the case when an additional non-binding monovalent cation is present.
Mexico and the Borderlands in Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses

Abstract Cormac McCarthy's novels have always centered around the figure of the isolato—the man alone in a naturalistically indifferent and shockingly violent world, trying to keep flesh and soul together in the face of existential doubt and terrible tribulation and suffering. That world in which McCarthy sets his lonely characters is thoroughly postlapsarian and thoroughly undifferentiated; the same unpleasantness is everywhere, and whether in Kentucky or New Mexico is largely a matter of detail.
Design and analysis of stablizer of one-kilometer directional drilling rig for gas drainage

One-kilometer directional drilling rig is a head-type hydraulic rig, which can drill horizontal deep holes in coalseam with down-hole motor for gas drainage. To avoid the hole axis floating and the rig overturning, a stabilizer is designed for high stable ability in this paper. Stabilizer is subsequently modeled and simulated in four typical conditions where the drilling rod rotates. The result shows that the new stabilizer has larger rigidity and is safe.
Polarographic Reduction of Aromatic Arsonic and Arsinic Acids

Abstract The polarographic reduction of the aromatic arsonic acids; phenyl-, benzyl-, and 2-phenylethylarsonic acid; and the aromatic arsinic acids; diphenyl-, dibenzyl-, and di-2-phenylethylarsinic acid by differential pulse polarography is described.
19F-NMR spectral evidence that 3-octylthio-1,1,1-trifluoropropan-2-one, a potent inhibitor of insect juvenile hormone esterase, functions as a transition state analog inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase

Abstract Fluoroketones have been developed as highly potent, specific inhibitors of insect juvenile hormone esterase. These compounds are believed to function as transition state analog inhibitors of the enzyme. Of the fluoroketones prepared, 3-octylthio-1,1,1-trifluoropropan-2-one has been extensively studied, yet no analysis of the actual mode of enzyme inhibition has been reported. A 19 F-NMR analysis of the inhibition of a hydrolytic enzyme, acetylcholinesterase, by 3-octylthio-1,1,1-trifluoropropan-2-one was carried out. Experiments with phosphorylated acetyl-cholinesterase determined that interaction of the fluoroketone with the enzyme is specific for the esteratic active site serine residue. The carbonyl moiety of the fluoroketone is required for binding and inhibition. The fluoroketone binds to the enzyme active site in a tetrahedral form, indicating that 3-octylthio-1,1,1-trifluoropropan-2-one does function as a transition state analog inhibitor of a hydrolytic enzyme.
Bone Conduction Thresholds for Normal Listeners in Force and Acceleration Units

In a previous article we reported on the standardization of normal hearing for bone conduction. All of our findings were reported in force units. Because many international users of this informatio...
Statistical evaluation for peak center in the presence of background

Abstract A method to estimate the statistical uncertainty of the peak center in the presence of significant background is applied to cases of Gaussian, Breit-Wigner and Voight line shapes.
Primary production of phytoplankton in Lake Valencia (Venezuela)

Lake Valencia is heavily polluted by waste water of domestic, agricultural and industrial origin. The high organic load may have produced important changes in the limnological properties. Cyanobacteria dominated in numbers and biomass (over 90% throughout the year). Chlorophyll-a content averaged 37.7 ± 15 μg. l -1 . Maximum concentrations of 50-80 μg. l -1 were found near the inflows affected by organically polluted affluents. There has been a 50% reduction in the euphotic zone in only 13 years. The maximum rate of gross photosynthesis per hour at light saturation was determined within the uppermost 1-meter layer. The highest value was 16,290 mg O 2 . m -3 . h -1 Lake Valencia is among the most productive lakes in the world, with areal net photosynthesis averaging 7.5 g C. m -2 . d - 1.
Six Workforce Development Initiatives That are Laying the Pathway to Success

Workforce development interventions have historically been heavily driven by federal funding, much of which was designated towards short-term training programs (less than six months) and rarely involved interaction or collaboration among colleges. The resulting efforts by the colleges to improve, update, or expand their workforce development programs typically focused on short-term localized improvement, resulting in competition over limited resources and notable variation in the quality of these programs. This article explores the recent changes in how community colleges and funding bodies are approaching workforce development. This is done by exploring the following six recent workforce development initiatives: Bridges to Opportunity (2002–2008), Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST, 2004–present), Breaking Through (2006–present), Shifting Gears (2007–2011), Accelerating Opportunity (2011–present), and Completion by Design (2011–present). Each of these initiatives has made, and continu...
Atmospheric Neutrino Results from Super-Kamiokande

This talk presents recent atmospheric neutrino results from an 1100 day exposure of the Super–Kamiokande detector.
Confocal photoacoustic microscopy using a single multifunctional lens

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has remained one of the fastest developing biomedical imaging modalities in the past decade. The confocal strategy of optical illumination and acoustic detection is a way to boost the sensitivity of PAM. To achieve confocal PAM, current PAM systems utilize separate acoustic and optical converging devices, making the systems bulky and complicated. In this Letter, we demonstrate the use of a single-liquid lens to successfully achieve acoustic and optical confocal configuration for optical-resolution PAM (ORPAM). Using the lens with a numerical aperture of 0.43, we show that the resolution of the ORPAM system is 4.8 μm with a significantly improved sensitivity of acoustic detection. We also apply this compact ORPAM system to in vivo imaging of the vasculature of a rat ear.
Towards a Poetics of Philosophical Discourse

The history of Western philosophy is predominantly a history of written texts, but philosophers have lived in that history and looked back at it as if a dependence on such unusual and complex artifacts had nothing to do with the work of philosophy itself. The assumption behind this notion of a literary "museum without walls" is that philosophical meaning is self-generating and transparent?that both the medium and form of philosophical texts as they appear to the reader (and before that, of course, to the writer) are accidental causes, with no significant consequences for philosophical meaning itself. It would be dogmatic to rule out a priori such appeals to a recurrent miracle of immaculate conception, but there is no need to: it is perhaps the one case where philosophical writing does speak for itself? bulkily testifying to its own body, artlessly revealing its own historical shape. Insofar as we acknowledge any distance at all between philosophy and nature, in fact, we unavoidably confront philosophical writing as a form of making or produc tion; and in arguing here, first, for the possibility and then for the necessity of a poetics of philosophical discourse, I propose to discuss one form?the literary form?of this making. If my thesis that the literary appearances of philosophy have an intrinsic relation to the substantive work of philosophy seems obvious, I remind the reader that it has as often been taken to be ob viously false as it has been held to be true. Certainly the claim has not yet been argued in a sustained view of philosophy as an historical object: philosophers, acutely tuned to the metaphysical categories of space and time, have been notably reticent about their own locations in space and time. Thus, the argument that philosophical writing is shaped by its historical and formal character as written discourse as well as by a specifically philosophical im pulse (for clarity or explanation or even for wisdom), and still more, that those two determinations are related to each other, has in effect to begin at the beginning. There is little in either philosophy or the historiography of philosophy for it to build on.1
Gauge Theories of Vector Particles

The possibility of generalizing the Yang-Mills trick is examined. Thus we seek theories of vector bosons invariant under continuous groups of coordinate-dependent linear transformations. All such theories may be expressed as superpositions of certain "simple" theories; we show that each "simple" theory is associated with a simple Lie algebra. We may introduce mass terms for the vector bosons at the price of destroying the gauge-invariance for coordinate-dependent gauge functions. The theories corresponding to three particular simple Lie algebras — those which admit precisely two commuting quantum num- bers — are examined in some detail as examples. One of them might play a role in the physics of the strong interactions if there is an underlying super-symmetry, transcending charge independence, that is badly broken. The intermediate vector boson theory of weak interactions is discussed also. The so-called "schizon" model cannot be made to conform to the requirements of partial gauge-invariance. It is possible, however, to find a formal theory of four intermediate bosons that are partially gauge-invariant and gives an approximate |ΔI| = 1/2 rule.
Thiophosphorylation prevents catecholamine secretion by chemically skinned chromaffin cells

Abstract Skinned cells treated with the adenosine triphosphate analog, adenosine-5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) showed calcium-dependent thiophosphorylation of cellular constituents. Catecholamine secretion was inhibited when the analog was used as the substrate to promote secretion. The attenuation of secretion was proportional to the percentage of the analog in mixtures with adenosine triphosphate. Moreover, cells treated with the analog were subsequently unable to secrete when presented with MgATP, their normal substrate, indicating that the secretory system was locked in the thiophosphorylated state. We hypothesize that phosphorylation is the calcium-dependent step required to prime the secretory system for secretion while dephosphorylation is the event required for exocytosis.
The nucleotide sequence of the trimethoprim-resistant dihydrofolate reductase gene harbored by Tn7

Abstract The complete nucleotide sequence of the type I dihydrofolate reductase gene from Tn7 was determined. The structural gene coded for a polypeptide of 157 amino acid residues. The polypeptide deduced from the DNA sequence had a molecular weight of 17,577 which was in good agreement with that estimated by mobility in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Sequences were identified proximal to the coding region which were similar to those found in the consensus E. coli promoter region and for the initiation of protein synthesis. Features consistent with the termination of RNA transcription were present distal to the structural gene. No homology was apparent when the DNA sequence of the type I gene was compared to the sequence of the type II plasmid DHFR genes, but sequence homology was evident when the type I and E. coli chromosomal enzymes were compared. Homology was greatest in the regions coding for amino acids which in the E. coli chromosomal enzyme are associated with substrate, cofactor and inhibitor binding.
Face Recognition: Vision and Emotions beyond the Bubble

A new study of how neurons in the human amygdala represent faces and their component features argues for a holistic representation.
Automotive powertrain control problems involving time delay: An adaptive control approach

This paper describes applications of the Adaptive Posicast Controller (APC) to Idle Speed Control (ISC) and Fuel-to-Air Ratio (FAR) control problems in automotive engines. The APC is an adaptive controller with explicit delay compensation built upon the ideas of the classical Smith Predictor, finite spectrum assignment and adaptive control. Experimental results are reported, which demonstrate improved performance compared to existing baseline controllers and effective handling of time delays and uncertainties in these applications. Aspects important to implementation and to reduction in calibration time and effort, including the selection of initial parameter values and their adaptation rates, preventing parameter drift and accounting for time-varying delay, are addressed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Optical system for real-time web-process defect inspection

The results of a program to develop a low-cost, real-time approach for 100 percent inspection of fast-moving process lines for textures, paper, and steel are reported. Initial results will be described of a laser based scanning system that uses a neural network for training and the implementation of a neural network with an optical processor for real-time defect inspection.
Simultaneous equation production functions (cobb‐douglas type) for decisions pertaining to sea‐based tactical air resources

This paper proposes the use of a set of simultaneous, modified Cobb-Douglas production functions to determine the “best” mix of aircraft inputs (men, spare parts, support equipment, etc.) to achieve certain levels of output. The simultaneous equations are “solved” by the use of proxy values in an iterative search process. Tests of this production function model indicate that real world data fits quite well (R2 ranges from 0.884 to 0.951) and the residuals do not appear to have any significant bias. The aircraft production functions for several types of aircraft (F-4, A-7, A-6, A-4) have been maximized for a fixed budget and specific constraints. A potential increase in output of up to 10 percent appears possible. In general the marginal value of spare parts surpasses the other inputs.
Mathematical Model for Surface‐Initiated Photopolymerization of Poly(ethylene glycol) Diacrylate

A general mathematical model has been developed to describe the surface initiated photopolymerization of PEG-DA forming crosslinked hydrogel membranes upon the surface of a substrate. Such membranes are formed by photopolymerizing a PEG-DA prepolymer solution by initiation with eosin-Y-functionalized surfaces and TEA using VP as accelerator. Experimental measurements of the thickness of hydrogel membranes compare well with the model. The model is developed by using the pseudo-kinetic approach and the method of moments, and is capable of predicting the crosslink density and thickness of the hydrogel membrane. Parametric sensitivity of the effects of PEG-DA, VP and coinitiator TEA concentration towards the crosslink density and the thickness of the hydrogel is also investigated. The results obtained for different PEG-DA and VP concentrations suggest that the concentration ratio of these two monomers is a key parameter in controlling the gel thickness and permeability. This model can also be applied to systems where drugs, proteins or cells are encapsulated through surface initiated photopolymerization to predict the growth and crosslink density profiles of the encapsulating membrane. In a previous study we have experimentally demonstrated that these membranes could be made to attach covalently to the surface of the underlying substrate.
MICRO- ELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY FOR PARTICLE DETECTION

Microfludic devices with integrated electrical detection will enable fast, low-cost or portable sensing and processing of biological and chemical samples. As an inherent property of microfabrication, micro-electrical impedance spectroscopy detectors can take advantage of AC electrokinetics for particle manipulation, leading to enhanced sensitivity. Preliminary experiments on particle detection were carried out using microelectrode pairs, and impedance spectra are compared with respect to opposite effects of dielectrophoresis and electrode polarization. The values of cell equivalent circuit are extracted for electrode optimization.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Proliferation, growth, and migration of nuclei the yolk syncytium of Salmo and Catostomus

Nuclei of the yolk syncytial layer (YSL) were counted, measured, and mapped at several stages of morphogenesis selected representatives of the Clupeiformes and Cypriformes. The data show coordated motion of nuclei before and durg morphogenetic movements of the cellular blastodisc. This motion may be used to trace cytoplasmic flow the syncytium at early stages. The data show that YSL nuclei proliferate mitotically at first. Further proliferation, after mitosis ceases, happens by an unknown mechanism. Growth of YSL nuclei Salmo gairdneri does not occur by fusion of smaller nuclei as others have suggested for teleosts. The matter is still unsetted for Catostomus commersoni.
Spawning Success of the Black Crappie, Pomoxis nigromaculatus, at Reduced Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations

Abstract Mature black crappies (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) were exposed to constant dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations near or at 2.5, 3.5, 5.0, or 6.5 mg/liter, and near air saturation (control) to determine the effects of reduced DO on spawning success. The fish spawned successfully 39 times in laboratory tanks under a simulated natural temperature and light regime at all DO concentrations tested. Fish at 2.5 mg/liter DO started and finished spawning at earlier dates than those at the higher oxygen concentrations; fish at saturation started and finished spawning at later dates than those at the reduced concentrations. The number of embryos from a single spawning ranged from 14,600 to 155,300. Number of spawnings, viability of embryos, hatching success, and survival through swim-up were similar between control fish and those exposed to reduced oxygen concentrations.
Menstrual Cycle and Detectable Human Papillomavirus in Reproductive-age Women: A Time Series Study

Background. Current evidence on the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection andmenstrual cycle has been inconsistent.Methods. We included 21 nonoral contraceptive pill (non-OCP) users who self-collected vaginal samples twiceper week for 16 weeks. We explored whether variable detection of HPV DNA exhibited cyclic or other structuredtemporal patterns. We also evaluated relationships between serial HPV prevalence, sexual behavior, and suspectedbacterial vaginosis (BV) as deﬁned by Nugent Gram stain score ≥7.Results. During follow-up, any-type HPV prevalence varied between 61.1% and 85.0%. Although not statisti-cally signiﬁcant, we observed a maximum autocorrelation in serial HPV prevalence lagging 14 days (correlationcoefﬁcient [ρ], −0.24). Any-type HPV detection had a periodic behavior, generally repeating every 28.0 days (boot-strapped interquartile range, 22.4–28.0) and peaking around the ovulation time (adjusted odds ratio, 1.96; 95% con-ﬁdence interval [CI], 1.06–3.62) as compared to menstruation. We also showed that an increase in any-type HPVprevalence preceded the beginning of a menstrual cycle by 9–12 days. There was no evidence of relationshipsbetween HPV prevalence and sexual activityor Nugent score.Conclusions. Serially detected any-type HPV DNA showed a periodic behavior and was likely to peak in theperiovulatory phase among non-OCP users.Keywords. Auto-correlation; Bacterial Vaginosis; Human Papillomavirus; Menstrual Cycle; Nugent Score; Peri-odicity; Spectral Analysis; Time Series Analysis.Accumulating evidence has suggested a menstrual cycleeffect onthe detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)DNA, although current evidence is inconsistent andcircumstantial. Studies that compared HPV prevalencein pregnant versus nonpregnant women showed thatHPV detection could be affected by a woman’s hor-monal status [1,2].For example, while HPV prevalencewas generally lower among women in the postpartumthan in the prepartum period, the temporal pattern wasnot consistent across the 3 gestational terms [1,2].Reeves etal [3]and deVilliers etal [4]also noticed sub-stantial intraperson variability in HPV detection incohorts of nonpregnant women, and suggested thatthis could be due to temporal variation.To date, reported effects of hormonal ﬂuctuationwithin a menstrual cycle on the performance of HPVDNA testing in nonpregnant women have been incon-sistent (Table 1)[5–12].Van Ham et al [9]followed 20women of regular menstrual cycles who visited afertili-ty clinic in the Netherlands for 4 weeks and obtainedweekly cervical swabs for HPV DNA testing. The inves-tigators found short-term ﬂuctuations in HPV preva-lence within a menstrual cycle, with the follicular phasebeing associated with a peak in HPV detection. Later,some studies [12,13] presented similar ﬁndings, while
Design and batch fabrication of probes for sub-100 nm scanning thermal microscopy

A batch fabrication process has been developed for making cantilever probes for scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) with spatial resolution in the sub-100 nm range. A heat transfer model was developed to optimize the thermal design of the probes. Low thermal conductivity silicon dioxide and silicon nitride were chosen for fabricating the probe tips and cantilevers, respectively, in order to minimize heat loss from the sample to the probe and to improve temperature measurement accuracy and spatial resolution. An etch process was developed for making silicon dioxide tips with tip radius as small as 20 nm. A thin film thermocouple junction was fabricated at the tip end with a junction height that could be controlled in the range of 100-600 nm. These thermal probes have been used extensively for thermal imaging of micro- and nano-electronic devices with a spatial resolution of 50 nm. This paper presents measurement results of the steady state and dynamic temperature responses of the thermal probes and examines the wear characteristics of the probes.
Adolescent physical activity and sedentary behavior patterning and long-term maintenance

Background Little is known about physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior patterning or its impact on long-term PA sustainability, particularly during the critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. Methods Nationally representative self-reported data were collected (National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health: Wave I, 1994–1995; Wave II, 1996; Wave III, 2001–2002). Cluster analyses identified homogeneous groups of adolescents with similar PA and sedentary behaviors. Logistic regression predicted odds of meeting national activity recommendations in adolescence and young adulthood. Results Seven clusters were characterized as follows: C1, high television (TV)/video, video gaming; C2, high skating, video gaming; C3, high sports participation with parents, high overall sports participation; C4, use of neighborhood recreation centers, high sports participation; C5, TV viewing limited by parents, moderate participation in school physical education (PE); C6, low parental TV control, reporting few activities overall; C7, active in school (team/individual sports, academic clubs, and PE). Odds of adolescents meeting PA recommendations were highest in C2 (odds ratio=13.1), C3 (5.8), C4 (4.2), and C7 (4.3) compared to C1. Independent of adolescent PA, absolute odds of meeting recommendations as young adults declined but were still relatively high in these clusters, indicating greater long-term PA sustainability. By young adulthood, however, overall PA declined dramatically in skaters/gamers (C2) and was notably low among those with TV viewing limited by parents (C5). Conclusions While odds of meeting PA guidelines in adulthood declined in all clusters, the magnitude of this decline varied by cluster (declining most dramatically in skaters/gamers), providing insights into where to target effective intervention strategies that promote sustainable PA behaviors.
Demonstration and system analysis of the HORNET architecture

The HORNET architecture is a packet-over-wavelength-division-multiplexing ring network that utilizes fast-tunable packet transmitters and wavelength routing to enable it to scale cost-effectively to ultrahigh capacities. In this paper, we present the HORNET architecture and a novel control-channel-based media access control protocol. The survivability of the architecture is demonstrated with an experimental laboratory testbed. Mathematical analysis of the architecture shows that the wavelength routed network can scale to relatively large sizes ranging between 30 and 50 nodes, depending on the component performance. This is true even for arrangements that do not contain high-power optical amplifiers in every node.
Behavioral circadian regularity at age 1 month predicts anxiety levels during school-age years

Daily lifestyle regularity is measured using the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM). We developed a Baby SRM, with 59 babies followed for ~13 years. Baby SRM score at age 1-month significantly predicted the child's school (K-9, 5 timepoints) anxiety level (more regular = less anxious), and may be mediated through sociability and directed-attention pathways.
Architectural alternatives for community care networks

Patient centered healthcare delivery is an inherently collaborative and information-intensive process. It involves a wide range of individuals and organizations with different roles. The key to cost reduction and quality improvement in healthcare is effective management of this collaborative process. We investigate various alternatives and their ramifications in implementing a community care network. We leverage the existing technology and software developed earlier at our center as well as from the ongoing project on an Advanced Research Testbed for Medical Information System (ARTEMIS). >
Technical Note: Technique for Dissection and Analysis of the Rumen in Young Calves

This paper discusses a technique used to evaluate rumen development in young calves, including removal, dissection, and analysis of tissue. The method allowed for examination of the different sacs of the rumen (dorsal, ventral, cranial, and caudal) using scanning electron microscopy to measure papillae denseness and histology slides to measure papillae length and width. Computer software was used to produce accurate measurements of papillae. The rumens of young calves were dissected, and samples were taken from the cranial, caudal, ventral, and dorsal sections. Calves were part of a nutrition research study, and dietary treatments did have an effect on development measurements such as length, width, and papillae denseness.
Relations of Composition to Structure of Dioctahedral 2:1 Clay Minerals

A ternary plot of the tetrahedral R3+ and octahedral R3+ populations for the dioctahedral 2:1 clay minerals shows a broad range of compositional variation within each of the major clay minerals. The clay minerals can be subdivided on the basis of total charge, location of the charge, and the relative amounts of Al and Fe3+ in the octahedral sheet. The division is natural and is controlled by the misfit between the tetrahedral and octahedral sheets and the need for tetrahedral rotation. The compositions of the tetrahedral and octahedral sheets are interdependent. Whereas muscovite has a lower limit of 1·7 Al octahedral occupancy, illite and montmorillonite have a lower limit of 1·3 Al; lower Al values result in the formation of a chain structure.
Closing the gaps: Plaintiffs in pivotal sexual harassment cases

When he wrote Debtors in Court almost 30 years ago, Herbert Jacob laid the foundation for the legal mobilization research that has flourished in recent years. In arguing that litigants were political actors, Jacob showed that their social identities and communications networks influenced their decisions to use the power of the law to vindicate their interests. This paper builds on Jacob's original insights to analyze the origins of the claim for sexual harassment as a Title VII violation. By focusing on the women who filed those claims, the paper examines the interaction of class, gender, and race that created social distance between the women and their harassers and employers. This distance made informal resolution of their disputes impossible, requiring the intervention of third parties. In addition, their communications networks led them to attorneys able to generate and expand the new claim for sexual harassment. This analysis of a particular moment in legal history reveals the potential political significance of private litigation.
Snell's law for viscoelastic materials

Summary The purpose of this note is to discuss a solution to the generalized Snell's law of viscoelasticity for a plane wave incident on a welded boundary, to present necessary and sufficient conditions for determining critical angles of incidence, and to present sufficient conditions for when a critical angle can exist given two media and the complex wave vector of the incident wave. These conditions affect how viscoelastic effects are included in existing elastic wavefield calculation methods.
Century‐scale variability in global annual runoff examined using a water balance model

A monthly water balance model (WB model) is used with CRUTS2.1 monthly temperature and precipitation data to generate time series of monthly runoff for all land areas of the globe for the period 1905 through 2002. Even though annual precipitation accounts for most of the temporal and spatial variability in annual runoff, increases in temperature have had an increasingly negative effect on annual runoff after 1980. Although the effects of increasing temperature on runoff became more apparent after 1980, the relative magnitude of these effects are small compared to the effects of precipitation on global runoff. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Notes on the brain case of a therocephalian

This study is based on serial sections of the occipital and otic regions of a therocephalian from the Tapinocephalus zone. The occipital region as preserved consists of the basioccipitals and exoccipitals. The basioccipital is long and slender and is separated from the more anterior basisphenoid by an unossified zone. The exoccipitals are large and contain a part of the jugular foramen and two foramina for cranial nerve XII. The otic bones are fused together to form a periotic. The most striking feature of the inner ear is the medioventral position of the vestibule. Passing back into the periotic from the vestibule is a deep recessus scala tympani. This recess opens anteriorly into a ventral fenestra in the vestibule, the fenestra rotunda. These structures are similar to those of Dimetrodon and the gorgonopsian. The anterior part of the periotic is projected ventrally to form a basicranial process. This probably arose by intramembranous ossification. The unossified zone between the basioccipital and basisphenoid may represent a persistent basicranial fenestra.
Effect of Allopurinol on Clinical Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nonresponders to Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine

Background & Aims: Many IBD patients not responding to azathioprine (AZA) or 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) preferentially metabolize 6-MP to 6-methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). We describe the use of allopurinol in AZA/6-MP nonresponders to deliberately shunt metabolism of 6-MP toward 6-thioguanine (6-TGN) and improve clinical responses. Methods: Twenty outpatients who were AZA/6-MP nonresponders and had high 6-MMP metabolite levels were included. Subjects were commenced on allopurinol 100 mg daily, and the dose of 6-MP/AZA was reduced to 25%–50% of the original dose. Results: After allopurinol was started, mean 6-TGN levels increased from 191.3 (± standard error of the mean) ± 17.1 to 400.3 ± 36.9 pmol/8 × 10 8 red blood cells ( P 8 red blood cells ( P P = .001), and in ulcerative colitis patients mean Mayo Scores decreased from 4.1 ± 0.7 to 2.9 ± 0.7 points ( P = .13). The addition of allopurinol enabled a reduction in mean daily prednisone dosage from 17.6 ± 3.9 to 1.8 ± 0.7 mg ( P P = .12) and mean ALT levels reducing from 101.6 ± 26.9 to 33.9 ± 5.2 IU ( P = .01). Conclusions: The addition of allopurinol to thiopurine nonresponders with high 6-MMP metabolite levels is an effective and safe means of optimizing 6-TGN production, leading to improved disease activity scores, reduced corticosteroid requirements, and normalization of liver enzymes.
Respiratory effects of particulate air pollution episodes in former smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a panel study

Air pollution is associated with adverse health effects in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is uncertain if and how individuals with COPD differ from former smokers without airflow obstruction in their response to naturally occurring episodes of particulate air pollution. We hypothesized that episodic temperature inversions with high particulate matter (PM) air pollution during the winter would be associated with increased pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress, increased respiratory symptoms, and decreased lung function in individuals with COPD compared to controls. We conducted a panel study of former smokers, 16 with moderate-to-severe COPD and 12 without airflow obstruction as controls. We measured biomarkers (nitrite/nitrate (NOx), 8-isoprostane) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), spirometry, and respiratory symptoms during periods of low and high PM2.5 (PM < 2.5 microns in diameter). We compared differences between pollution and clean air days within the COPD and control groups using linear mixed effect models. High PM2.5 levels were associated with increased EBC NOx in participants with COPD (mean ratio 3.16, p = 0.007), but not in controls (mean ratio 0.49, p = 0.23, difference between groups p = 0.01). Respiratory symptoms significantly increased on pollution days in COPD participants but not in controls. We did not detect a difference in pulmonary function or EBC 8-isoprostane. Former smokers with COPD have a distinctive response to particulate air pollution episodes compared to former smokers without airflow obstruction, with increased airway inflammation and respiratory symptoms.
A Low Affinity TCR Ligand Restores Positive Selection of CD8+ T Cells In Vivo

The T cell repertoire is shaped by the processes of positive and negative selection. During development, the TCR binds self peptide-MHC complexes in the thymus, and the kinetics of this interaction are thought to determine the thymocyte's fate. For development of CD8(+) T cells, the data supporting such a model have been obtained using fetal thymic organ culture. To confirm the fidelity of this model in vivo, we studied development of OT-I TCR-transgenic mice that expressed different individual K(b) binding peptides in thymic epithelial cells under the control of the human keratin 14 promoter. We used a system that allowed TAP-independent expression of the peptide-MHC complex, such that the ability of given peptides to restore positive selection in TAP(o) mice could be assessed. We found that transgenic expression of a TCR antagonist peptide (E1) in vivo efficiently restored positive selection of OT-I T cells in TAP(o) mice. An unrelated transgenic peptide (SIY) did not restore selection of OT-I T cells, nor did the E1-transgenic peptide restore selection of an unrelated receptor (2C), showing that positive selection is peptide specific in vivo, as observed in organ cultures. Neither E1 nor SIY transgenes increased the polyclonal CD8 T cell repertoire size in non-TCR-transgenic animals, arguing that single class I binding peptides do not detectably affect the size of the CD8 T cell repertoire when expressed at low levels. We also observed that OT-I T cells selected in TAP(o)-E1 mice were functional in their response to Ag; however, there was a lag in this response, suggesting that the affinity of the TCR interaction with MHC-self peptide can result in fine-tuning of the T cell response.
Reliability-Driven Sensor Selection via Observability Indices

This document addresses the problem of selecting a sensor set to be installed in a given system, such that the estimation ability provided by the sensor set is minimally impacted by the loss (detected failure) of any one of those sensors. The metrics utilized to quantify the estimation ability are defined based on the Kalman-filter covariance matrix and provide an assessment of the degree of observability during transient response.
mTORC1 signaling controls mammalian skeletal growth through stimulation of protein synthesis

Much of the mammalian skeleton is derived from a cartilage template that undergoes rapid growth during embryogenesis, but the molecular mechanism of growth regulation is not well understood. Signaling by mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that controls cellular growth. Here we report that mTORC1 signaling is activated during limb cartilage development in the mouse embryo. Disruption of mTORC1 signaling through deletion of either mTOR or the associated protein Raptor greatly diminishes embryonic skeletal growth associated with severe delays in chondrocyte hypertrophy and bone formation. The growth reduction of cartilage is not due to changes in chondrocyte proliferation or survival, but is caused by a reduction in cell size and in the amount of cartilage matrix. Metabolic labeling reveals a notable deficit in the rate of protein synthesis in Raptor-deficient chondrocytes. Thus, mTORC1 signaling controls limb skeletal growth through stimulation of protein synthesis in chondrocytes.