cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proteomics-based methods for discovery, quantification, and validation of protein-protein interactions.

Proteins play a fundamental role in establishing the diversity of cellular processes in health or disease systems. This diversity is accomplished by a vast array of protein functions. In fact, a protein rarely has a single function. The majority of proteins are involved in numerous cellular processes, and these multiple functions are made possible by interactions with other molecules. The complexity of interactions is substantially increased by the spatial and temporal diversity of proteins. For example, proteins can be part of distinct complexes within different subcellular compartments or at different stages of the cell cycle. Posttranslational modifications can regulate and further expand the ability of proteins to establish localization- or temporal-dependent interactions. This complexity and functional divergence of interactions is further increased by the simultaneous presence of stable, transient, direct, and indirect protein interactions. Thus, an understanding of protein functions cannot be fully accomplished without knowledge of its interactions. Characterizing these interactions is therefore critical to understanding the biology of health and disease systems.
A Multilevel Analysis of Agricultural Trade and Socioeconomic Inequality in Rural Mozambique

This study uses a mixed methodology to investigate the relationship between agricultural trade and socioeconomic inequality in Mozambique at multiple geographical scales. The quantitative analysis examines all rural regions of the country and a nationally representative sample of rural households, whereas the qualitative analysis focuses primarily on two case study villages. Research findings suggest that social and geographical context greatly influence the relationships between agricultural trade and regional inequality. Trade-related effects on economic inequality—and the social status of traders—vary across Mozambican regions. Results suggest that trade increases inequality in regions where traders have low social status, but reduces inequality in areas where they have high social status. These findings suggest that social and economic factors work together to shape landscapes of inequality.
Interacting with Single and Multiple Automated Aids

The purpose of this symposium is to provide an in-depth discussion of some of the key constructs that influence interaction with automation, particularly alarming systems. Emphasis is placed on the issue of trust, and the determinants of compliance and reliance on single versus ‘teams’ of multiple automated systems. The symposium is comprised of five papers presented by well-known scientists in the field. The range of topics discussed in this symposium include: temporal precedence in trust formation, a system-wide theory of trust in multiple automated aids, design of multimodal systems, and new alarm standards. The symposium concludes with a theoretical discussion of the concepts of ‘trust’ versus ‘faith’ in automation.
Proteomic patterns for cancer diagnosis—promise and challenges

Proteomic patterns have been discovered for a variety of cancers and cancer related diseases. The platforms used have been both mass spectrometry and microarrays and the incorporation of computer informatics has resulted in innovative possibilities for novel diagnostics.
Experiments of bilateral teleoperation of nonholonomic mobile robots in formation, through constant delay communications

In our previous work [14], we applied partial feedback linearization to the unicycle model to stabilize part of the state at a desired position on the plane and extend it to design formation control for teleoperation. Further, using output synchronization results we derive a Single Master Multiple Slave bilateral teleoperation system robust to constant unknown, possible different time delays between master and formation and among mobile robots and formation. Here, we show hardware in the loop simulation and experimental results to validate the theoretical findings.
Elimination, correction and Popper's evolutionary epistemology

Abstract Evolutionary epistemologists from Popper to Campbell have appropriated the Darwinian principle to explain the apparent fit between the world and our knowledge of it. I argue that this strategy suffers from the lack of any principled distinction among various types of elimination. I offer such a distinction and show that there is a species of elimination that is really corrective, that is, which violates the Darwinian principle as Popper understands it.
Clay mineralogy and sedimentation in the eastern Indian Ocean

Abstract The distributions of clay minerals in the surface sediments based on about 100 new samples from the eastern Indian Ocean reveal several distinctive sediment sources which differ from those reported previously by other workers. We observe the following: (1) large zones around the periphery of the study area are characterized by abundant smectite. These largely volcanogenic sediments are derived from the Indonesian Archipelago in the northeast, from submarine volcanics of the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and nearby areas in the southwest, and from the Deccan Traps of India along the western side of the Bay of Bengal. The effect of Indonesian volcanism is also observed in the Cocos-Roo Rise area and on the Ninety East Ridge between 05°N and 15°S. The chief agents of transport in the case of Deccan smectite are turbidity currents and counter-clockwise surface water circulation, and, in the case of Indonesian volcanics, wind. (2) The Ganges Cone and the Java Trench are characterized by relatively more abundant illite and chlorite dispersed primarily by turbidity currents from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. The influence of this sediment source extends well south of the equator on both sides of the Ninety East Ridge. The southwestern part of the Ganges Cone, is, however, characterized by smectite-rich sediments derived from the Deccan Traps. (3) A zone extending west of Australia to the Ninety East Ridge, contains relatively abundant kaolinite which is probably wind-borne from that continent. Comparison of clay mineralogy in several of these regions between Quaternary and pre-Quaternary sediments indicates changes in sediment sources and/or transport mechanisms in the geological past. For example, west of Australia, abundant volcanogenic smectite was deposited during the Cretaceous-Eocene and the relatively high kaolinite characteristics of the Quaternary sediments has been supplied only since the Miocene.
Bogalusa Heart Study: A Long-Term Community Study of a Rural Biracial (Black/White) Population

The Bogalusa Heart Study, a long-term population study with a continued relationship with a community, addresses the problem of capacity building in minority health research. The study was originally funded as a Specialized Center of Research—Arteriosclerosis (SCOR-A) by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). These centers were to conduct research on atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and complications of cardiovascular-renal disease as the major causes of deaths in the United States. From earlier research on atherosclerosis, we became interested in the underlying characteristics in early life that would eventually lead to clinical morbidity and mortality from heart disease.1–3 An observation at autopsy showed the degree of atherosclerotic involvement in human aortas, from young to older individuals (Figure 1). For example, at age 40 years, marked individual variability occurred in the severity and involvement with atherosclerotic disease. Some individuals showed very little disease, while almost 70% of the surface was diseased in others. Further studies on arterial wall matrix showed aortas from young individuals varied with the extent of disease and its chemical composition. This background stimulated an interest in studying children for early clinical evidence of major adult heart diseases. The Bogalusa Heart Study was begun in 1972 as an epidemiology study of cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents; it eventually evolved into observations of young adults. Bogalusa, LA, is a biracial (black/white) rural community 70 miles north of New Orleans, comparable to many other communities in southeastern United States.
Reduction in matrix-related signal suppression effects in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography

The effect of liquid chromatographic separation on matrix-related signal suppression in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) was investigated. A method incorporating on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC/LC-MS) was developed to compensate for matrix effects and signal suppression in qualitative and quantitative analysis. The LC/LC-MS(MS) approach was successfully applied for single-component and multicomponent analysis in a variety of complex matrixes. It was demonstrated that matrix-related signal suppression could be induced solely by (i) column overload, (ii) matrix component-analyte coelution, or a combination of each. Application of on-line orthogonal LC/LC separations can be effective in reducing both causes of matrix-related signal suppression effects i.e., column overload and matrix-analyte coelution for a variety of LCn/MSn applications.
Extended abstract: efficient image processing for continuous mobile vision

Vision algorithms have enabled our camera-equipped devices to perform powerful tasks, including barcode scanning, object detection, text recognition, and face identification. Unfortunately, current systems require significant energy to capture, process, and analyze an image through the image sensor (imager), image signal processor (ISP), and application processor, limiting the longevity of such applications to short-term, on-demand use. We propose the investigation of an image processing paradigm that uses vision task information to optimize the energy cost of the image capture pipeline.
Toxicity effects of γ-irradiated wastewater effluents

Abstract Conventional wastewater disinfection is typically accomplished via chlorination, ozonation or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. For each of these disinfectants, changes in the composition of the disinfected waters are known to occur and have been linked to changes in the toxicity responses of the disinfected effluent. The toxicity responses of wastewater effluent samples exposed to an alternative disinfectant, gamma (γ) radiation, have been studied and compared with the responses to chlorinated (with dechlorination) and undisinfected municipal wastewater effluent samples. Predisinfection samples were taken from six wastewater treatment plants. Multiple samples from each facility were split and subsamples were exposed to γ-irradiation, as well as chlorination/dechlorination in batch reactors. The disinfected and undisinfected subsamples were then assayed for toxicity using the Ceriodaphnia dubia chronic toxicity test. Wastewater disinfectant doses were sufficient to meet coliform limitations for effluent quality in all cases; furthermore, the batch disinfectant exposure protocols accomplished extents of coliform inactivation that were comparable to those observed in the disinfection unit operations at the full-scale facilities from which the samples were collected. Analysis of data from these assays showed that γ-irradiation induced significantly less toxicity in terms of C. dubia survival and reproduction than chlorination/dechlorination. Toxicity in the γ-irradiated effluent either decreased or was unchanged as compared to an undisinfected sample; effluent samples subjected to chlorination/dechlorination often showed a statistically significant increase in toxicity as compared to the undisinfected samples and the γ-irradiated samples.
Hydrogen peroxide-assisted endoscopic necrosectomy for walled-off pancreatic necrosis: a dual center pilot experience.

Pancreatic necrosis (PNec) is a serious local complication occurring in 10–15 % of patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). Necrotizing pancreatitis can organize into necrotic collections, termed walled-off necrosis (WON) [1, 2]. Symptomatic WON has traditionally been treated operatively [3]. In several recent trials, successful resolution of WON was achieved using endoscopic therapy, termed direct endoscopic necrosectomy (DEN) [4, 5]. A challenge to DEN is removal of all necrotic material from within the collection [6, 7]. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is acknowledged as an effective means to achieve mechanical debridement of wounds [8–11]. In this case series, we describe a dual center experience with the use of H2O2 to facilitate removal of necrotic debris in patients undergoing DEN as the preliminary measure for management of WON.
Cultivator for NMR studies of suspended cell cultures.

When nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is employed for physiological experiments with suspended cells, providing for adequate nutrient and oxygen delivery is particularly important, because the inherent insensitivity of NMR requires that concentrated cell suspensions be used. In addition, it is desirable to be able to manipulate the growth rate of cells during a NMR experiment. To address these concerns, a continuous cell cultivator that provides convective oxygen and nutrient transport has been constructed for NMR experiments. The NMR detector coil is located within the cultivator volume. The location is advantageous because the rapid exchange of cells in and out of the coil leads to a small apparent spin lattice relaxation time, thus allowing for rapid pulsing and fast signal averaging. In this article we present the physical principles on which the cultivator's design is based. 31P spectra showing the response of continuously cultivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures to a phosphate bolus and growth rate shift are then given. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Fatigue of 7075-T651 aluminum alloy

Abstract Extensive fatigue experiments were conducted using 7075-T651 aluminum alloy under uniaxial, torsion, and axial-torsion loading. Detailed fatigue results were reported. Different mean stresses were applied in the experiments and the mean stress was found to have a significant influence on the fatigue strength of the material. A tensile mean stress decreased the fatigue strength dramatically. Fatigue damage was found to occur under compression–compression loading. In addition, axial-torsion experiments using tubular specimens were conducted under different loading paths to study the multiaxial fatigue behavior. Fatigue cracking behavior was found to be dependent on the loading path as well as the loading magnitude. When the loading magnitude was high, the material displayed shear cracking. When the loading stress was below a certain level, the material exhibited tensile cracking. For most loading cases under investigation, the material displayed a mixed cracking behavior. A kink was found in the shear strain versus fatigue life curve from the pure torsion experiments, and it was associated with a distinctive transition of cracking behavior. The Smith–Watson–Topper (SWT) parameter with a critical plane interpretation was found to correlate well with most of the experiments conducted in terms of fatigue lives. However, the SWT parameter cannot deal with the uniaxial fatigue conditions where the maximum stress is low or negative. More importantly, the model fails to correctly predict the cracking behavior observed experimentally on the material. A critical plane criterion based on a combination of the normal and shear components of the stresses and strains on material planes was found to better correlate the fatigue experiments in terms of both fatigue life and cracking behavior. The characteristics of the multiaxial fatigue criterion were discussed based on the experimental observations on 7075-T651 aluminum alloy.
Peregrinación de Luz del Día:La desilusión de Juan Bautista Alberdi

En Peregrinacion de Luz del Dia (1871), Juan Bautista Alberdi (1810-1884) cuestiona la dicotomia civilizacion-barbarie planteada por Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1811-1888) e ironiza, por medio del viaje alegorico de su personaje hermafrodita Luz del Dia, el concepto civilizador que propone James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) en Notions of the Americans (1848). La "mitologia de exclusion" en la Argentina manejada por el critico literario Nicolas Shumway en The Invention of Argentina (1991) para exponer las ficciones fundacionales de la nacion, la importancia de las contribuciones literarias de Alberdi y la contrastante estetica politica de Cooper y Sarmiento se senalaran en este ensayo por desarrollar el juego dialectico de Alberdi entre realidad politica e imaginacion utopica
What are we hiding and whom are we hiding from

105 Mary Dluhy is Director of Group Initiatives at Georgetown University and in private practice in Washington, D.C. This article was the Institute Plenary Address at the American Group Psychotherapy Association’s annual Institute and Conference in February 2013, “Overcoming Obstacles: The Power of the Group,” in New Orleans. The Institute’s two-day groups, led by experienced instructors, were devoted to small group teaching, both experiential and didactic. DLUHY WHAT ARE WE HIDING?
English sentence structure and entity-relationship diagrams

Abstract In many information system projects, information requirements are initially documented in English, and then database designers convert these English descriptions into database schemas in terms of entity-relationship (ER) diagrams (or other similar representations). This paper studies the correspondence between English sentence structure and ER diagrams, and proposes eleven rules for translation. The basic constructs of English, such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, gerund, and clause, are found to have counterparts in the ER diagrammatic technique. Finally, an example is used to demonstrate the applicability of these rules in database design.
Upper Midwestern U.S. consumers and ethanol: Knowledge, beliefs and consumption

Abstract This study uses multivariate statistical methods to explore the beliefs of upper Midwestern U.S. residents about global climate change, and possible consumer responses to determine their willingness to pay more for cellulosic ethanol from multiple feedstocks. A mail survey was sent to residents of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to determine baseline knowledge, attitudes and beliefs on several aspects of these issues, with a focus on the emerging market for cellulosic ethanol. First, survey responses were compiled and principal components analysis was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data. This resulted in seven factors and a theoretical framework to help understand consumers’ beliefs about climate change and possible energy policy responses. Second, these results were combined with insights from previous studies that were used as input for further research hypotheses and multivariate analyses. The factor scores from principal components analysis along with the some of the key control variables (i.e., gender, income, and rural/urban) served as independent variables in three revised multiple regression models of consumer’s willingness to pay (WTP) their fair share of any additional cost of cellulosic ethanol, as reported in an earlier study. Four explanatory variables were found to be significant determinants of WTP in every model: environment, energy consumption, and climate change; concerns about climate change impacts; inability to stop climate change; and gasoline prices and consumption. These results suggest strong public support and consumer WTP for cellulosic ethanol production in the region.
A study of Propfan propagation noise

A study of Propfan far-field noise is carried out based on geometrical acoustics theory. The analysis traces the acoustic rays and ray tube areas carrying the acoustic disturbances to the far-field. Sound attenuation due to nonlinear steepening, atmospheric absorption and turbulence scattering are also investigated. A comparison of our prediction methodology with experimental acoustics measurement shows good agreement. Geometrical decay and atmospheric absorption are identified as the primary noise attenuating mechanisms. Nonlinear effects are negligible. It is determined that the acoustic footprints of advanced propellers are dominated by caustics. Details of the formation of these caustics may provide a basis for future noise minimization efforts.
The first epidermal growth factor-like domains of factor Xa and factor IXa are important for the activation of the factor VII–tissue factor complex

During tissue factor (TF)-induced coagulation, the factor (F)VIIa-TF complex activates factor (F)X and factor (F)IX. Through positive feedback, the generated FXa and FIXa activate FVII-TF. The first epidermal growth factor-like (EGF1) domains of FX and FIX serve as important TF-recognition motifs when FVIIa-TF activates FX or FIX. Here, we investigated the role of EGF1 domains of FXa and FIXa during the activation of FVII-TF and inhibition by tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). FXaPCEGF1 (EGF1 domain of FXa replaced with that of protein C), and FXaQ49P (EGF1 domain mutant with impaired calcium-binding), and the corresponding FIXa mutants were generated, and their abilities to activate FVII-TF were compared with the wild-type (WT) enzymes. In the absence of TF, the rates of FVII activation were similar between WT enzymes and mutant FXa and FIXa proteases. In the presence of either soluble TF (sTF) or relipidated TF, each mutant of FXa or FIXa activated FVII-TF at a slower rate than the corresponding WT enzyme. Kinetics of inhibition of the amidolytic activity of WT and the mutant FXa proteases by either two-domain or full-length TFPI were similar. However, compared with the complex of TFPI-FXaWT, the abilities of the complexes of TFPI-FXa mutants to inhibit FVIIa-TF were impaired. We conclude that the EGF1 domains of FXa and FIXa are important for the activation of FVII-TF and for the formation of FVIIa-TF-FXa-TFPI complex.
Scalene node excision biopsy in advanced prostate carcinoma

In 12 patients with disseminated prostate carcinoma, supraclavicular lymph node biopsy was performed. In 3 patients with palpable supraclavicular node, tumor cells were found in the lymph nodes. In the remaining 9 in whom there were no palpable nodes, unilateral left scalene lymph node excision biopsy revealed no evidence of tumor cells in the nodes in spite of diffuse bone metastasis. These findings suggest that unilateral scalene node biopsy did not provide additional information and has no advantage over the known parameters in staging of prostatic cancer.
Levels of social organization and male–female bonding in the genus Papio

Pair-bonding in the genus Papio seems to be the result of fusion of troops as well as fission. When troop segments regularly split and join again, males who permanently maintain exclusive access to a few females may have an advantage over males who compete for all females who are in estrus. When two or more troops regularly fuse, this advantage may be greatly increased.
Diffusion of information about neurofibromatosis type 1 DNA testing

There is little information available as to how individuals with genetic disorders receive information about the availability of DNA tests and what effect this has on their utilization. The purpose of this study was to survey centers where some individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF 1) are cared for, to establish how this type of information was disseminated. In 1990 announcement of the availability of testing for familial NF 1 was published in a newsletter of the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNFF) and sent to individuals with NF 1 or NF 2 and their families, professionals, and NF centers in North America. Two years later these centers were surveyed to determine whether they had notified their patients of test availability. Of the 46 responding centers, 65% indicated they had attempted to notify their patients. The majority (80%) notified patients on an individual basis in clinic. The rest did so either on an individual basis in the clinic or by telephone or by letter or by a combination of these. Based on a survey response rate of 56% and approximately 1,000 enquiries received by the NNFF from families and physicians, it is concluded that 1) factors other than knowledge of test availability determined whether DNA testing for NF 1 was utilized; 2) some centers used testing more frequently than others; 100% of the referrals came from 40% of the centers, with 15% of referrals coming from a single center; 3) a significant percentage (35%) of NF centers did not inform their patients that DNA testing was available. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Learned Helplessness and Victimization

The learned helplessness phenomenon is proposed as a model for the emotional numbing and maladaptive passivity sometimes following victimization. Victims may learn during the victimization episode that responding is futile. This learning is represented as an expectation of future response-outcome independence (helplessness). Causal interpretations of the episode affect the chronicity and generality of deficits resulting from this expectation, as well as the involvement of self-esteem loss. We discuss several problems in applying the helplessness model to victimization, but we conclude that the theory may be useful in explaining why some victims become numb and passive.
Assessment of Intergenerational Communication and Relationships.

The revolution in communication technology has resulted in more age-segregated conversation among adolescents. In a similar way, older adults have increased online conversations with their peers. This article explores some obstacles that prevent the intergenerational connections needed for mutual understanding and care. Several research emphases are described that together define the complexity of intergenerational dialogue. The concerns provided for consideration include (a) age-segregated communication practices of adolescents and older adults, (b) willingness of older people to disclose personal opinions and feelings to younger people, (c) need for general adoption of the reciprocal learning concept to support harmony, (d) amount of time spent with adolescents as a predictor of parent and grandparent success, (e) learning expectations for later life that contribute to productive aging, and (f) recognition of the leadership role that adolescents should assume to reconnect the generations. Attitude and b...
Rationalizing police operations: Some explanatory factors

Abstract This study attempts to explain different degrees of bureaucratization or rationalization in a sample of 949 municipal police departments in the United States. The dependent variable operationalizes rationalization interms of officer education and training. Factors expected to explain variations among departments are the backgrounds and expectations of department chiefs, the manner in which chiefs are chosen, and departmental sizes and workloads. Two major patterns of explanation resulted after analyzing a number of independent variables: the educational achievements and administrative training of chiefs; and department size. These findings underline the key role played by chiefs who appear to appreciate both the benefits and the costs of rationalization.
Using asynchronous discussions to enhance student participation in CS courses

As Computer Science (CS) educators, we are involved in teaching a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses such as database management systems, networking, software development and web development courses. In addition to the traditional classroom environment, we use online and blended teaching methods to enhance student participation and improve the achievement of learning objectives. Typical online supplements to classroom instruction include posting homework, links to external resources, lecture notes and exams online. Asynchronous discussions and synchronous chat sessions provide additional forums outside the classroom for strengthening interaction and enriching the learning experience for students. This paper focuses on how asynchronous discussions can be used to enhance student participation in CS courses; increased participation leads to learning effectiveness, rich involvement with the course content, and student satisfaction.
Adaptive Demand Limiting Control Using Load Shedding

This paper presents a new algorithm for controlling the peak electrical demand in buildings below a target level through load shedding. The algorithm uses statistical methods to determine the load shedding requirements, without unnecessarily shedding loads. Specifically, a random walk model is used to forecast the uncontrolled electrical demand, and a statistical parameter is used to characterize the forecast errors. The statistical parameter is adjusted in an adaptive manner. Thus, the algorithm is easy to use because it automatically adjusts to a specific building's characteristics. Electrical demand data from a fast food restaurant were used to develop and test the algorithm. The algorithm has successfully been used to limit peak electric demand in a number of buildings.
Effects on offspring behavior of parental early drug experience and cross-fostering

Albino rats received a daily subcutaneous injection of trifluoperazine (0.33 mg/kg) from days 5 to 30. This group was undisturbed until breeding. Some of the offspring of male and female drug animals were cross-fostered at birth to mothers of the same group as the biological mother; others were cross-fostered to mothers of the group other than the biological mother; others stayed with the biological mother. Offspring received no experimental treatments nor drug administrations before being trained on avoidance conditioning beginning at 75 days of age. The major effects analyzed were Drug, Mothering and the Drug × Mothering interaction. This study reconfirmed the finding that a chronic drug experience in the infancy of albino rats detrimentally affects the learning ability of subsequent undrugged offspring. No support was obtained for the possibility that cross-fostering significantly affected offspring learning ability. There were small differences within the water and drug groups regardless of the rearing mother, but major differences were obtained between groups attributable to the drug, non-drug dimension. Additional research is required to uncover the mechanism underlying the cross-generational effect replicated in this study.
Leadership in Hard Times: Are Nonprofits Well-Served?

Resource shortages have stimulated a change in focus among leaders of social service agencies, moving them away from a mission and toward a professional orientation more concerned with self-preserv...
Liberalism's limits: Carlyle and Mill on “the negro question”

(2000). Liberalism's limits: Carlyle and Mill on “the negro question”. Nineteenth-Century Contexts: Vol. 22, Race and social theory, pp. 203-216.
Commentary on Byerly and Michod

A sustained increase in the frequency of one of the possible genotypes at a genetic locus is an indication that selection favoring organisms with that genotype may be operating. Population geneticists, used to working with models in which undetermined selection pressures are represented by numerical values based on actual or expected changes in such frequencies, have a bad habit of defining the 'fitness' of a genotype as either its actual or expected contribution to subsequent generations. This usually does not reflect a philosophical predisposition toward instrumentalism on their part usually, it reflects carelessness. Nonetheless, it is a bad habit because the word fitness has a well-defined meaning both in ordinary English and in evolutionary biology which refers to how well adapted a certain type of organism is to its typical environment, i.e. how well-suited it is to a certain sort of life. In addition, its ordinary relation to the concepts of natural selection and adaptation leads to an expectation that 'fitness' is an explanatory concept, referring to a property which is causally relevant to reproductive success. This expectation cannot be met by the population geneticist's account of fitness. On this account, what appears like a causal/explanatory generalization is simply a trivial statement of the obvious: 'The fitter genotype increases in frequency over time' is equivalent to 'The genotype which increases in frequency over time does so'. Even changing this to 'The genotype expected to increase in frequency over time actually does so', while avoiding strict circularity, doesn't avoid triviality unless a causal basis for the expectation is provided the expectation might just be based on actual frequency increases in the past. And since such increases in frequency are not always due to selection, even a causal basis for such expectations may have nothing to do with selection and adaptation. B/M refer to this misuse of the concept as r-fitness. They share the now common philosophical misgivings about r-fitness (is it too late to just drop the English 'fitness' here and replace it with 'reproductive capacity' or, if a single word is preferred, 'reproductivity'?). They also express misgivings about what they term 'overall adaptedness'. They focus attention on providing an explanatorily efficacious single trait notion of fitness F-fitness which is more causally robust than the 'propensity' interpretation argued for by Beatty, Mills and Brandon in recent years, but avoids the pitfalls they perceive in the notion of 'overall adaptedness' or A-fitness. I wish to raise questions about their worries over A-fitness, about their formulation of the concept of F-fitness, and about their closing analysis of adaptational explanations in terms of F-fitness.
Effects of aging on silica solubility: A laboratory study

Abstract In three separate experiments, one using a bicarbonate buffered aqueous NaCl solution and two using natural seawater. the solubility of chemically pure X-ray amorphous precipitated silica decreased by approximately 20‰ after aging in contact with solution for several months. The specific surface area of the silica decreased by approximately half during the same experimental time periods. The solubility decrease in buffered NaCl solution occurred at both 2 and 22°C and over the pressure range from 1.01 × 105 to 7.45 × 107 Pa (1–740 atm). The aging process which causes the solubility and surface area decreases may be caused by the formation of a smooth surface silica layer that is more dense than the original surface. No change in the bulk chemistry of the silica could be defined after aging. This short term aging process contributes to the scatter in published solubilities for amorphous silica in seawater.
The Relationship of Bluegill Growth, Lake Morphometry, and Water Quality in Minnesota

Abstract We evaluated the relationships between the growth rate of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and lake morphometry and water quality at 1,146 Minnesota lakes to determine the potential strength of the latter two variables in a model of bluegill growth. Secchi depth and maximum depth were negatively correlated with bluegill length at ages 1–6, whereas total alkalinity, percent of littoral area, and mean maximum July air temperature were positively correlated with bluegill length at those ages. Secchi depth, maximum depth, and total alkalinity explained 16–33% of the variation in the growth of bluegill through their first 5 years. The lake morphometry and water quality variables did not explain more of the variation in bluegill growth among lakes because other variables, such as food resources, species interactions, and exploitation also affect bluegill growth. However, these two variables can be used to preliminarily sort candidate lakes for regulation of recreational angling for bluegill and should be c...
First‐Principles Prediction of Insertion Potentials in Li‐Mn Oxides for Secondary Li Batteries

First-principles methods have started to be widely used in materials science for the prediction of properties of metals, alloys, and compounds. In this study, we demonstrate how first-principles methods can be used to predict the average open-circuit voltage that can be obtained from a lithium battery with spinel or layered manganese oxides used as the cathode. For this purpose we combine a basic thermodynamical model with the ab initio pseudopotential method. The good agreement between the computed and experimental average output potentials suggests that first-principles methods can be an important tool to design novel battery materials.
A new device for the simultaneous measurement of locomotor and stereotypic frequency in mice.

The ability of a new apparatus to measure simultaneously and objectively both locomotor activity and stereotypy induced in individual mice by d-amphetamine, morphine, cocaine, and methylphenidate was compared with commonly used visual observational scoring procedures. The basis for the differential quantifying capacity of the apparatus resides in two capacitative sensors which respond to animal-induced changes of a tuned resonating capacitive field. The responses of the capacitive sensors produce voltage pulses proportional to the amplitude of animal movement. These pulses are then counted. High sensitivity measurement (total counts) recorded such movements as licking and grooming as well as movements of greater body mass (locomotion). Respiration was not recorded. Low sensitivity measurement (locomotor counts) recorded only movements of relatively greater body mass such as locomotion and rearing onto hind legs. Stereotypic activity was defined as total counts less locomotor counts. Changes induced by cocaine, methylphenidate, and morphine in locomotor and stereotyped behaviors measured electronically agreed closely with the results of the observational scoring procedures. When measured by machine the d-amphetamine dose-response data also compared well with the observational results, except at the highest dose (32 mg/kg). This dose of d-amphetamine induced extreme stereotypy of sufficient amplitude to be recorded as locomotor activity by the apparatus. The results indicate that the expanded behavioral measurement capabilities of this apparatus offer several advantages over previous related measurement techniques.
Towards a worldclass education system: accountability and responsibility

The last 20 years have seen substantial changes in schools, with a much greater focus on accountability. This has been driven largely by the use of international comparisons of educational performance through programmes such at Trends in International Mathematics and Science Scores (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Achievement (PISA). The need for accountability leads to the need to develop the skill of data-driven decision-making as a mechanism for making schools and classrooms more effective. Classrooms and student learning can be made more effective by focusing on three specific areas: curriculum and classroom management, the development of thinking skills and the relationships established between those involved in the education process.
Cross-linking of polystyrene by Friedel–Crafts chemistry to improve thermal stability

Abstract Copolymers which contain either alcohol or chloride functionalized polystyrene units have been prepared and they participate in Friedel–Crafts chemistry to give cross-linked polymers by the evolution of either hydrogen chloride or water. Proof of cross-linking comes from the identification of the evolved gas, the insolubility of the product, and the thermal resistance of the newly formed polymer. The onset temperature for the degradation is raised by about 100°C relative to that of polystyrene and the fraction which is not volatile at 800°C ranges from 10% for the alcohol copolymers to 20% for the chloride copolymers.
Cosubstrate independent mineralization of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by a Desulfovibrio species under anaerobic conditions

Past handling practices associated with the manufacturing and processing of the high explosive hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) has resulted in extensive environmental contamination. In-situ biodegradation is a promising technology for remediating RDX contaminated sites but often relies on the addition of a cosubstrate. A sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from an RDX-degrading enrichment culture was studied for its ability to grow on RDX as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen and for its ability to mineralize RDX in the absence of a cosubstrate. The results showed the isolate degraded 140 μM RDX in 63 days when grown on RDX as a carbon source. Biomass within the carbon limited culture increased 9-fold compared to the RDX unamended controls. When the isolate was incubated with RDX as sole source of nitrogen it degraded 160 μM RDX in 41 days and exhibited a 4-fold increase in biomass compared to RDX unamended controls. Radiolabeled studies under carbon limiting conditions with 14C-hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine confirmed mineralization of the cyclic nitramine. After 60 days incubation 26% of the radiolabel was recovered as 14CO2, while in the control bottles less than 1% of the radiolabel was recovered as 14CO2. Additionally, ~2% of the radiolabeled carbon was found to be associated with the biomass. The 16S rDNA gene was sequenced and identified the isolate as a novel species of Desulfovibrio, having a 95.1% sequence similarity to Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. This is the first known anaerobic bacterium capable of mineralizing RDX when using it as a carbon and energy source for growth.
Nonlinear dynamics inside femtosecond enhancement cavities.

We have investigated the effect of intracavity nonlinear dynamics arising from enhanced peak powers of femtosecond pulses inside broad-bandwidth, dispersion-controlled, high-finesse optical cavities. We find that for χ(3) nonlinearities, when a train of femtosecond pulses are maximally coupled into a cavity by active stabilization of its frequency comb to the corresponding linear resonances of a cavity, enhancement ceases when the peak nonlinear phase shift is sufficient to shift the cavity resonance frequencies by more than a cavity linewidth. In addition, we study and account for the complex spectral dynamics that result from chirping the input pulse and show excellent qualitative agreement with experimental results.
Distribution of iodine among various parts of iodinated normal and monoclonal human IgG molecules.

Abstract The relative availability of groups subject to iodination in the H chain, the L chain and the Fd and Fc fragments of human normal IgG and several human monoclonal IgG proteins has been investigated by employing lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination. Normal IgG and four monoclonal IgG proteins, three IgGκ and one IgGλ, were iodinated to two or more levels of substitution. One of the IgGκ proteins was of the IgG2 subclass and the other three monoclonal proteins were of the IgGl subclass. The iodinated proteins were reduced and the resulting heavy and light chains were separated by acrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The ratio of the extent of iodination of the heavy chain to that of the light chain (the H/L ratio) was different for each protein, even when total iodination was to the same extent. In general, the H/L ratio exceeded two even though the ratio of the number of tyrosines in the two chains is approx two in all cases. One monoclonal IgG with γ2 chain, IgGκ Lin, showed a ratio of one at a low iodination level. Another IgG, IgGκ Col, was iodinated exclusively on the heavy chain at all the iodination levels examined (0.3–12 iodine atoms per IgG molecule). Nonenzymatic iodination of this protein was also carried out with hypoiodite to iodine levels of 20, 32.5 and 50 iodine atoms per IgG molecule. Again, iodination occurred almost exclusively on the heavy chain. A more detailed study of the differences between IgG Col and normal IgG was carried out by determining the distribution of iodine on the Fd and the Fc fragments, as well as on the light and heavy chains, after these proteins were iodinated enzymatically to 0.34 and 0.39 iodine atoms per molecule, respectively. The relative amounts of iodine in the Fc, and Fd and the light-chain portions were found to be 1.0, 0.48 and 0.0 for the IgG Col and 1.0, 1.3 and 0.70 for normal IgG.
Cell surface control of differentiation in acanthamoeba

Acanthamoeba castellanii (Neff) is a free-living soil amoeba with close relatives that are opportunistic pathogens. Trophozoites differentiate into cysts when deprived of nutrients; cysts convert into trophozoites, leaving the wall behind, in the presence of nutrients. The data presented here, which includes immunoaffinity purification of the receptor, indicate that cell surface molecular signals also control Acanthamoeba differentiation in both directions. Monoclonal antibodies that bind specifically to a 40 kD trophozoite protein initiate the encystment of trophozoites. When bound to cysts the same monoclonal antibodies prevent excystment. Washing away the antibody allows both trophozoites and cysts to resume normal activity. One of these monoclonal antibodies inhibits pinocytosis, while another has no effect on pinocytosis.
Harvest Site and Loading Direction as Determinants of the Flexural Rigidity of Human Fibular Bone Grafts

Segments of fibula commonly used as cortical bone grafts need to support functional loading at their host site. Since many such constructs require the fibula to carry appreciable bending loads, we undertook a series of flexural tests to determine how flexural rigidity of the fibula varies with longitudinal (or harvest) site and loading direction. Ten fresh-frozen human fibulas were tested in a 4-point bending fixture. The fibulas were tested at three longitudinal sites (centered at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 lengths) and in each of four anatomic directions (anterior, posterior, medial and lateral). There were consistent longitudinal and directional variations in flexural rigidity. The central site was about twice as stiff as the proximal and distal sites, for both the A-P and M-L directions (p < 0.05), indicating that the center of the fibula is the optimal site for harvesting grafts that will be subjected to severe bending. The A-P direction was stiffer in bending than the M-L direction, by 43%, 52%, and 86% for the proximal, central, and distal sites (p < 0.05 for the central and distal sites only), indicating that the choice of circumferential orientation of a fibular graft at the host site could have an appreciable influence on construct rigidity.
Inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation and activation : a mechanism used by equine invasive trophoblast to escape the maternal immune response

At days 36-38 of gestation, the equine invasive trophoblast cells migrate into the endometrium of the pregnant mare to form the endometrial cups. During their migration, they become surrounded by maternal CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, and stimulate a cytotoxic antibody response to the paternal major histocompatibility complex class I antigens that they express. Nevertheless, endometrial cup cells remain viable at the site of uterine invasion up to days 80-100 of gestation, suggesting the participation of immunomodulatory mechanisms to the maternal cellular immune response. To determine the effects of the invasive trophoblast cells on lymphocyte proliferation, an in vitro co-culture system was developed using isolated equine invasive trophoblast cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes. Fetal fibroblast cells from the same conceptuses were used as controls. The presence of invasive trophoblast cells or their pre-conditioned medium inhibited 50% or more of lymphocyte proliferation, while fetal fibroblasts had no effect. The invasive trophoblast cell inhibitory factor needed to be present constantly to affect lymphocyte proliferation, and it was ineffective if lymphocytes had been previously stimulated to proliferate. The lymphoproliferative inhibitory mechanism affected lymphocyte subpopulations similarly. In addition, lymphocyte expression of cytokine mRNA including IFNgamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 was affected compared to controls. The implication of these observations in vivo may explain, in part, the apparent equine maternal immune acceptance of the presence and development of endometrial cup cells.