cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of understory invasive exotic plants with remote sensing in urban forests

Abstract Invasive exotic plants (IEP) pose a significant threat to many ecosystems. To effectively manage IEP, it is important to efficiently detect their presences and determine their distribution patterns. Remote sensing has been a useful tool to map IEP but its application is limited in urban forests, which are often the sources and sinks for IEP. In this study, we examined the feasibility and tradeoffs of species level IEP mapping using multiple remote sensing techniques in a highly complex urban forest setting. Bush honeysuckle ( Lonicera maackii ), a pervasive IEP in eastern North America, was used as our modeling species. Both medium spatial resolution (MSR) and high spatial resolution (HSR) imagery were employed in bush honeysuckle mapping. The importance of spatial scale was also examined using an up-scaling simulation from the HSR object based classification. Analysis using both MSR and HSR imagery provided viable results for IEP distribution mapping in urban forests. Overall mapping accuracy ranged from 89.8% to 94.9% for HSR techniques and from 74.6% to 79.7% for MSR techniques. As anticipated, classification accuracy reduces as pixel size increases. HSR based techniques produced the most desirable results, therefore is preferred for precise management of IEP in heterogeneous environment. However, the use of MSR techniques should not be ruled out given their wide availability and moderate accuracy.
Nutrition and length of gestation

Abstract This paper examines whether a food supplementation program carried out in Guatemala affected the length of gestation (n=830 singleton births). Women who consumed more of a protein-energy or an energy supplement had significantly longer lengths of gestation. Regression slopes of energy on length of gestation were statistically significant and similar for both types of supplements, suggesting a role for energy but not for protein. The earlier calories were provided in pregnancy the greater their effect on gestation length. Women in the upper tercile of the distribution of energy intakes in the first trimester of pregnancy had a mean length of gestation 1.42 weeks longer than women in the lower tercile of the distribution. The percent of preterm deliveries (
The Minimalist Organization as a Postbureaucratic Form: The Example of Alcoholics Anonymous

This article explores the concept of the minimalist organization as the antithesis of the bureaucratic form. We argue that one inherent shortcoming of bureaucracy is the cost of hierarchical control; as a structure of control, it employs resources to support its compliance machinery, resources that could be used to create value. By contrast, we advance the concept of the minimalist organization as a form that economizes on compliance structures. We define the minimalist form in terms of its structural slightness and, through the example of Alcoholics Anonymous, identify its key dimensions: porous membership boundaries, lean administrative structure, nonhierarchical authority, and federalist governance. We use the example of Alcoholics Anonymous to explore the boundary conditions of the minimalist form. We conclude by considering its implications for our understanding of organizations in general.
A methodology to incorporate product mix variations in cellular manufacturing

The identification of part families and machine groups that form the cells is a major step in the development of a cellular manufacturing system and, consequently, a large number of concepts, theories and algorithms have been proposed. One common assumption for most of these cell formation algorithms is that the product mix remains stable over a period of time. In today’s world, the market demand is being shaped by consumers resulting in a highly volatile market. This has given rise to a new class of products characterized by low volume and high variety. To incorporate product mix changes into an existing cellular manufacturing system many important issues have to be tackled. In this paper, a methodology to incorporate new parts and machines into an existing cellular manufacturing system has been presented. The objective is to fit the new parts and machines into an existing cellular manufacturing system thereby increasing machine utilization and reducing investment in new equipment.
Potentiation of 1,3-Bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea cytotoxicity in 9L rat brain tumor cells by methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone), an inhibitor of S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase

Abstract Methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), a potent inhibitor of the spermidine and spermine biosynthetic enzyme S -adenosyl- l -methionine decarboxylase, enhanced the cytotoxicity of 1,3-bis-(2-chlorethyl)-1-nitrosourea in 9L rat brain tumor cells in vitro , as measured by a colony-forming efficiency assay, by an amount that was approximately the same as the potentiation caused by the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor α-difluoromethylornithine. Dose enhancement ratios at 10, 1 and 0.1% survival levels were approximately 1.3 for both inhibitors. 9L cells that were treated for 48 hr with 40 μ M MGBG had putrescine, spermidine and spermine levels that were 112, 41 and 21% respectively, of polyamine levels in control cells. MGBG treatment does not increase intracellular levels of decarboxylated S -adenosyl- l -methionine (AdoMet) as α-difluoromethylornithine treatment does. Elevated levels of decarboxylated AdoMet could modify intracellular methylation reactions and could affect the cytotoxicity of a chloroethylnitrosourea. Despite the fact that MGBG treatment caused a slight increase in intracellular levels of AdoMet, it is unlikely that this elevation will increase the amount of intracellular methylation. Thus it appears that effects caused by the decrease in polyamine levels are responsible for the potentiation of chloroethylnitrosourea cytotoxicity against 9L cells.
Adenylate cyclase in adults and cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni.

Abstract Adenylate cyclase of adult Schistosoma mansoni is activated by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). Serotonin activation is markedly enhanced by GTP. The poorly hydrolyzed analogs of GTP, guanylyl imidophosphate (Gpp(NH)p) and guanosine 5′-(3-O-thio)triphosphate activate the schistosome cyclase in the absence of serotonin. The activating effect of these nucleotides is increased in the presence of serotonin. Female adult schistosomes have only 40% as much NaF-stimulated activity as do the male parasites. In addition, the serotonin stimulation of adenylate cyclase in the females is only 20% as much as the males. Maximal activation of adenylate cyclase with NaF reveals that the adult parasites have tenfold higher activity than the cercariae. Cercarial adenylate cyclase shows very poor response to serotonin in the presence of GTP. Serotonin caused more significant activation of cercarial adenylate cyclase in the presence of guanylyl imidophosphate.
Effect of Media on Growth of Papaya Callus Cultures

Summary Callus of Carica papaya L. which had been maintained on a modified White's medium with coconut water was transferred to various defined media. Removal of coconut water initially resulted in a reduction in growth. However, best growth on a defined medium was achieved on a modified Murashige and Skoog medium. After many transfers, growth on this defined medium was comparable to that on modified White's medium with coconut water. Ammonium nitrogen proved to be essential for callus growth. Of the growth regulators tested, only 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid promoted growth whereas benzyl-aminopurine and gibberellic acid were inhibitory. Various amino acid supplements failed to improve growth. None of the callus on the various media produced shoots or roots.
Infectious mononucleosis: ensuring a safe return to sport.

IN BRIEF: Among the unique clinical properties of infectious mononucleosis are prolonged and often debilitating fatigue, a high incidence of spleen enlargement and fragility, and a resultant risk for spleen rupture. Sports medicine practitioners are charged both with the recognition and management of such clinical features as well as the safe and timely return of the athlete to participation. Safeguarding against splenic injury and attempting to minimize the duration of symptomatic illness are the major factors that guide decisions about disqualification from sport and the eventual resumption of training and competition.
Nucléaire du XXIe siècle : réacteurs et cycles du combustible de quatrième génération

Les evolutions du cycle du combustible seront importantes avec l'arrivee des reacteurs de 4 eme generation. L'aval, en particulier, jouera un role primordial dans la mesure ou le recours au traitement des combustibles uses est tres generalement prevu dans les concepts de reacteurs futurs. Ce choix provient largement des atouts du traitement en regard des criteres de developpement durable. Cet article resume les enjeux techniques associes. Enfin, il esquisse comment les progres recents et futurs permettront de fournir d'importantes marges de manoeuvre dans les sequences de decisions qui determineront les grandes etapes du systeme nucleaire du futur.
Haynesville Shale Well Performance and Development Potential

Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale is one of several unconventional gas plays that have been discovered in the U.S. in recent years and promise to dramatically change the course of future domestic energy development. The Haynesville Shale is the deepest, hottest, and highest pressured shale among the big four plays in the U.S. with drilling and completion cost ranging between $7 and $10 million per well. The average Haynesville well has an initial production rate of 10 MMcfd and declines rapidly, producing 80% of its expected recovery during the first 2 years of production. The purpose of this article is to describe the productivity characteristics of Haynesville wells, project future production from the inventory of active wells, and assess production potential based on drilling scenarios. We offer statistical analysis of the wells drilled to date and construct type profiles to characterize the play. We estimate that the current inventory of Haynesville wells will produce 3 Tcf over their lifecycles, and within the next 3 years, cumulative build-out in the region will range between 3 and 9 Tcf. To maintain current gas production levels in the state, we estimate that about 550 shale gas wells per year will need to be brought online over the next 3 years.
The onset of immunoglobulin synthesis during the development of Xenopus laevis.

Abstract We have developed a sensitive radioimmune assay for the light chains of immunoglobulin from Xenopus laevis . With this technique, material with light-chain determinants is first detected at stage 35 of embryonic development or at approximately the time of emergence of the embryo from the jelly coat.
Black-capped chickadee call dialects along a continuous habitat corridor.

The gargle call, a vocalization used in agonistic encounters by black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus , was examined for evidence of geographical variation along a corridor of continuous riparian habitat in northern Colorado. We captured birds from three different sites during the nonbreeding season and brought them into the laboratory, where their gargle calls were recorded. We sorted sonagrams produced from these vocalizations visually into distinct gargle types having similar compositions of individual units, or syllables. This allowed us to characterize both individual and population repertoires. The majority (88.7%) of gargle types analysed were found to be unique to individual populations rather than shared among or between populations. Examination of individual repertoires showed that chickadees shared a higher proportion of gargle types with birds from their own sites compared with birds from either of the two other sites. Thus, gargle dialects occurred among these chickadee populations despite the absence of geographical barriers to blending of vocal traditions. As the birds studied were obtained from sites along an uninterrupted dispersal corridor, the results of this study suggest that behavioural mechanisms are responsible for maintenance of dialects in this aggressive call.
Rotating Neutron Target System

A D-T neutron target system with a 30- to 40-hour half-life has been developed that yields 1 to 2 × 1012 neutrons per sec. This system uses a target that is rotating at 1100 rpm. The good success of this system indicates that this type of target system may be capable of being used at much higher beam power levels. Calculations indicate that a beam power of 100 kW and a beam density of 10 kW/cm2 can be handled with a front target temperature of less than 250°C.
Evolutionary optimization of fluorescent proteins for intracellular FRET

Fluorescent proteins that exhibit Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) have made a strong impact as they enable measurement of molecular-scale distances through changes in fluorescence. FRET-based approaches have enabled otherwise intractable measurements of molecular concentrations, binding interactions and catalytic activity, but are limited by the dynamic range and sensitivity of the donor-acceptor pair. To address this problem, we applied a quantitative evolutionary strategy using fluorescence-activated cell sorting to optimize a cyan-yellow fluorescent protein pair for FRET. The resulting pair, CyPet-YPet, exhibited a 20-fold ratiometric FRET signal change, as compared to threefold for the parental pair. The optimized FRET pair enabled high-throughput flow cytometric screening of cells undergoing caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. The CyPet-YPet energy transfer pair provides substantially improved sensitivity and dynamic range for a broad range of molecular imaging and screening applications.
The geography of market failure: Edge-effect externalities and the location and production patterns of organic farming

Abstract Perceptions of increasing land scarcity and negative impacts of chemical-based agriculture have led to increasing concern regarding the sustainability of food systems. Incompatible production processes among farming systems may lead to spatial conflicts and production losses between neighboring farms, and the magnitude of such losses may depend not only on the scale of each activity, but also on patterns of land use. Such conflicts can be classified as “edge-effect externalities”—spatial externalities whose marginal impacts decrease as distance from the border generating the negative impact increases. This paper tests the hypothesis that edge-effect externalities have influenced the location and production patterns of certified organic farms, using data from California Central Valley certified organic farmers. Using concepts from landscape ecology and spatial statistics, we investigate difference in parcel geometry and surrounding land uses between organic and non-organic parcels. Using a generalized method of moments (GMM) spatially autoregressive econometric model, we demonstrate that both parcel geometry and surrounding land uses influence the probability of a given parcel being certified organic. We conclude with suggestions for policies to encourage development of organic farming regions.
Characteristic Curves for Deep Circular Tunnels in Poroplastic Rock

A complete analytical solution for an axisymmetric deep tunnel excavated in a saturated poroplastic rock is presented. Results are found for short- and long-term analyses and for different drainage conditions at the rock–liner interface. In the derivation, the following assumptions are made: (1) circular cross-section, (2) deep tunnel, (3) plane strain conditions on a cross-section perpendicular to the tunnel axis, (4) axisymmetric loading, (5) the rock is saturated, homogeneous and isotropic, and (6) the rock is elastic-perfectly plastic with brittle failure and non-associated flow rule. The results obtained indicate that, if the rock remains elastic during construction, the stresses of the liner and the tunnel deformations are the same for short- and long-term conditions and are independent of the drainage conditions at the rock–liner interface and on the magnitude of Biot’s parameter α. If the rock yields, the stresses in the liner and the tunnel deformations strongly depend on the type of analysis. Effective radial and tangential stresses inside the rock decrease with Biot’s parameter α, while radial displacements increase. The response of the liner in terms of stresses and deformations strongly depends on its stiffness relative to the rock, yielding of the rock, groundwater and drainage conditions, and construction operations, while it is somewhat less sensitive to the rock’s poroplastic properties. Stresses and deformations inside the rock, however, show a much stronger dependency.
Spatial Interpolation Methods for Integrating Newton's Equation

Numerical integration of Newton's equation in multiple dimensions plays an important role in many fields such as biochemistry and astrophysics. Currently, some of the most important practical questions in these areas cannot be addressed because the large dimensionality of the variable space and complexity of the required force evaluations precludes integration over sufficiently large time intervals. Improving the efficiency of algorithms for this purpose is therefore of great importance. Standard numerical integration schemes (e.g., leap-frog and Runge?Kutta) ignore the special structure of Newton's equation that, for conservative systems, constrains the force to be the gradient of a scalar potential. We propose a new class of “spatial interpolation” (SI) integrators that exploit this property by interpolating the force in space rather than (as with standard methods) in time. Since the force is usually a smoother function of space than of time, this can improve algorithmic efficiency and accuracy. In particular, an SI integrator solves the one- and two-dimensional harmonic oscillators exactly with one force evaluation per step. A simple type of time-reversible SI algorithm is described and tested. Significantly improved performance is achieved on one- and multi-dimensional benchmark problems.
Sulfide-Arrested Growth of Gold Nanorods.

The growth of gold nanorods can be arrested at intermediate stages by treatment with Na(2)S, providing greater control over their optical resonances. Nanorods prepared by the seeded reduction of AuCl(4) in aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium bromide solutions in the presence of AgNO(3) typically exhibit a gradual blueshift in longitudinal plasmon resonance, over a period of hours to days. This "optical drift" can be greatly reduced by adding millimolar concentrations of Na(2)S to quench nanorod growth, with an optimized sulfur:metal ratio of 4:1. The sulfide-treated nanorods also experience a marked redshift as a function of Na(2)S concentration to produce stable plasmon resonances well into the near-infrared. Sulfide treatment permitted a time-resolved analysis of nanorod growth by transmission electron microscopy, revealing two distinct periods: an initial growth burst (t 30 min) favoring growth around the midsection, leading to nanorods with the more familiar oblate geometry. The blueshift in plasmon resonance that accompanies the dumbbell-to-oblate shape transition correlates more strongly with changes in the length-to-midsection (L/D(1)) ratio rather than the length-to-end width (L/D(2)) ratio, based on the empirical relationship introduced by El-Sayed and co-workers.
No effect of statins on biochemical outcomes after radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.

Objectives To examine the effect of concurrent statin use during definitive radiotherapy (RT) on the biochemical outcomes for localized prostate cancer. Methods A total of 968 patients treated with RT had information about medication use available. Of these, 23% had been taking using statins during RT. Progression-free survival (PFS) was determined by a biochemical failure definition of prostate-specific antigen nadir plus 2 ng/mL, clinical failure, start of androgen deprivation therapy, or death. Results The mean patient age was 68 years. The median radiation dose was 76 Gy. Of the patients, 29% underwent androgen deprivation therapy. The 5-year overall survival rate was 83%. The median PFS time was 7.8 years versus 6.4 years, and the 5-year PFS rate was 70% versus 59% in favor of the statin users ( P = 0.03). The analysis by risk group demonstrated no significant statin effect in any of the three risk strata. Stratification by hydrophilic versus hydrophobic statin agents revealed similar results. Multivariate analysis revealed that T stage ( P P P = 0.0026) were significant predictors of PFS; however, statin use ( P = 0.48), androgen deprivation therapy ( P = 0.95), pelvic RT ( P = 0.96), radiation dose ( P = 0.13), age ( P = 0.19), and year of treatment ( P = 0.07) were not. Conclusions Statin use did not affect PFS after adjusting for differences in treatment year and multiple prognostic factors. However, T stage, baseline prostate-specific antigen level, and Gleason score were critical determinants of prostate-specific antigen failure. These results did not differ when hydrophilic pravastatin was excluded.
Maternal exposure to trichloroethylene in drinking water and birth-weight outcomes.

An ecological epidemiological study was conducted with data obtained from an environmental dose-reconstruction study and the Arizona Birth Information Tapes. Before 1981, a portion of the city of Tucson water-distribution system was contaminated with trichloroethylene (i.e., 35 wk and < 46 wk).
Taurine requirement for juvenile white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) fed soy-based diets

Abstract Two growth trials were designed to evaluate varying levels of taurine in diets for white seabass (WSB), Atractoscion nobilis . All diets were formulated to contain 40% protein and 10% lipid with a fixed level of fish meal (FM) and soybean meal (SBM). Trial A tested a series of six practical diets with 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5% taurine supplementation at the expense of glutamic acid, and a seventh diet with 0.5% cystine supplementation instead of taurine. Trial B was designed to test higher inclusion levels (0.2–1.6%) of taurine over six diets, while a seventh diet contained 1.6% taurine but no methionine supplement. In Trial A, the increased inclusion of taurine resulted in significantly improved final weight ranging from 14.6 to 26.6 g, TGC ranging from 0.074 to 0.120, and feed efficiency from 68.2 to 111.9%. The supplementation of cystine to the diet did not result in an improvement in growth, indicating the synthesis of taurine from cysteine decarboxylation is inadequate in WSB. Similarly, in Trial B significant improvements in performance were observed with increasing taurine supplements, albeit variation in the data was higher. Final weight ranged from 23.6 to 29.7 g, TGC ranging from 0.111 to 0.130 and feed efficiency from 75.6 to 81.4%. The diet with taurine supplement but without methionine showed a decrease in growth, suggesting that methionine was then limiting. Datasets from both trials were combined, and a saturation kinetics model was used to determine a dietary requirement of 0.99% of the diet (R 2 = 0.8770). Based on these results, white seabass have a dietary requirement for taurine presumably due to a limited ability to synthesize it.
Improved modified-moment-singularity method.

Improvements are made in the moment-singularity method for the calculation of densities of state in the vicinity of van Hove singularities using modified moments by simplifying the functional form of the singular behavior that is used to fit the densities. Because the asymptotic behavior of the modified moments determines and is determined by the singular behavior of the density, information about the locations and functional forms of the singularities can be determined directly from the moments themselves and incorporated into the calculation of the density. The use of simplified functional forms to fit the singular behavior facilitates the use of the higher-order (less singular) corrections to the dominant singular behavior. These higher-order corrections to the singular behavior improve the precision to which the locations of the singularities can be determined and the precision to which the exact densities can be fit. The use of simplified functional forms also facilitates the treatment of singularities at the ends of the interval and within band gaps. This is advantageous in the reconstruction of densities whose behavior at the ends of the interval is not fit well by the Chebyshev weight function. The moment-singularity method is illustrated with applications to three different densities of states: (1) the density of a linear diatomic chain with m/M=1/2, (2) the average of the densities of two diatomic chains, one word with m/M=1/2 and the other with m/M=(1/5), and (3) the density of the two-dimensional triangular lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions. The precision of the moment-singularity method is also compared to that of the method of Corcoran and Langhoff for the reconstruction of densities.
Securing the download of radio configuration files for software defined radio devices

Radio configuration (R-CFG) files for software defined radio (SDR) devices can be downloaded over the air, allowing these devices to support multi-mode functionality using a single transceiver. SDR device manufacturers are likely to provide the R-CFGs, which may contain proprietary information. In such cases, it is necessary to secure the server/SDR device connection during the R-CFG download. Therefore, a protocol to securely connect manufacturer's server and SDR devices, called LSSL, is proposed. The LSSL is a lightweight protocol based on the SSL protocol, but it takes up less bandwidth, thus, it is more suitable for SDR handheld devices operating under low-capabilities, low-bandwidth and error-prone wireless links. However, securing the R-CFG download connection does not guarantee that a valid R-CFG, that is, an R-CFG that has been approved by the regulatory agency, has been downloaded. In order to install only valid R-CFGs, a secure download protocol is presented. The secure protocol includes, besides the LSSL, steps of mutual authentication, public/private key mechanisms for data encryption and decryption, and fingerprint calculations to check data integrity. Finally, the secure protocol is analyzed and shown to be deadlock and livelock-free, and to properly terminate. Experiments using Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) are performed to compare the LSSL and the SSL, and to demonstrate the feasibility of the secure protocol.
Lipopolysaccharide-induced phosphorylation of c-Met tyrosine residue 1003 regulates c-Met intracellular trafficking and lung epithelial barrier function

c-Met, the receptor tyrosine kinase whose natural ligand is hepatocyte growth factor, is known to have a key role in cell motility. We have previously shown that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) induced a decrease in c-Met activation via serine phosphorylation of c-Met at cell-cell contacts. Here, we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of human bronchial epithelial cells induced internalization of c-Met via phosphorylation at its tyrosine residue 1003. In addition, it induced epithelial barrier dysfunction as evidenced by a decrease in transepithelial resistance (TER) in a time-dependent manner. Pretreatment with a c-Met inhibitor (PHA-665752) or inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC)-α attenuated the LPS-mediated phosphorylation of c-Met and its internalization. LPS-induced c-Met tyrosine 1003 phosphorylation, activation of PKCα, and c-Met internalization were, however, reversed by pretreatment of cells with LPA, which increased c-Met accumulation at cell-cell contacts. Inhibition of LPS-mediated c-Met tyrosine (Y1003) phosphorylation and internalization by prior treatment with PHA-665752, inhibition of PKCα, or overexpression of c-MetY1003A mutant attenuated LPS-induced reduction of TER. Furthermore, we found that c-Met accumulation at cell-cell contacts contributed to LPA-enhanced epithelial barrier integrity, since downregulation of c-Met by specific small-interfering RNA attenuated LPA-increased TER. The data reveal a novel biological function of c-Met in the regulation of lung epithelial barrier integrity.
Human Cholesterol Dynamics

In subjects as varied as pilot training and and principles of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, simulation is used to provide information and experience to students prior to their attempts to fly an airplane or resuscitate a person whose heart has stopped beating. How effective is dynamic modeling in enhancing the analytical and predictive skills of students? The question may still be open. Nonetheless, it is a form of active learning that provides a novel way of thinking and learning (Dunkhase and Penick, 1991; Modell and Michael, 1993). Ideally, techniques used to promote active learning should engage students in building conceptual models that can be validated with real data and used to test hypotheses (Richmond and Peterson, 1993). The resulting feedback improves retention of information and enhances the ability to use new information in other contexts (Felder, 1993; Michael, 1993). The purpose of this chapter is to adapt dynamic models of cholesterol metabolism in humans to an educational setting.
The Impact of Stochastic Tool Life on Shop Performance: A Simulation Study

Much of the research in tool management has ignored the potential impact of tool life on shop performance. Tool management research has typically assumed that tool life is deterministic and can be predicted accurately. Since tool life is a function of its quality, cutting speed, depth and other environmental factors, no two identi cal tools exhibit the exact same tool life. An as sumption of stochastic tool life is more realistic on the actual shop floor. In this paper, we have developed a simulation model to examine the effects of stochastic tool life, dispatching rules and tool failure penalties on shop performance.
Physical Activity Assessment in Children and Adolescents

Chronic disease risk factors, including a sedentary lifestyle, may be present even in young children, suggesting that early prevention programmes may be critical to reducing the rates of chronic disease. Accurate assessment of physical activity in children is necessary to identify current levels of activity and to assess the effectiveness of intervention programmes designed to increase physical activity. This article summarises the strengths and limitations of the methods used to evaluate physical activity in children and adolescents. MEDLINE searches and journal article citations were used to locate 59 articles that validated physical activity measurement methods in children and adolescents. Only those methods that were validated against a more stringent measure were included in the review. Based on the definition of physical activity as any bodily movement resulting in energy expenditure (EE), direct observation of the individual's movement should be used as the gold standard for physical activity research. The doubly labelled water technique and indirect calorimetry can also be considered criterion measures for physical activity research, because they measure EE, a physiologic consequence closely associated with physical activity. Devices such as heart rate monitors, pedometers and accelerometers have become increasingly popular as measurement tools for physical activity. These devices reduce the subjectivity inherent in survey methods and can be used with large groups of individuals. Heart rate monitoring is sufficiently valid to use in creating broad physical activity categories (e.g. highly active, somewhat active, sedentary) but lacks the specificity needed to estimate physical activity in individuals. Laboratory and field validations of pedometers and accelerometers yield relatively high correlations using oxygen consumption (r = 0.62 to 0.93) or direct observation (r = 0.80 to 0.97) as criterion measures, although, they may not be able to capture all physical activity. Physical activity has traditionally been measured with surveys and recall instruments. These techniques must be used cautiously in a paediatric population that has difficulty recalling such information. Still, some studies have reported 73.4% to 86.3% agreement between these instruments and direct observation. Future investigations of physical activity instruments should validate the novel instrument against a higher standard. Additional studies are needed to investigate the possibility of improving the accuracy of measurement by combining 2 or more techniques. The accurate measurement of physical activity is critical for determining current levels of physical activity, monitoring compliance with physical activity guidelines, understanding the dose-response relationship between physical activity and health and determining the effectiveness of intervention programmes designed to improve physical activity.
Aramid Fibers and Composites

Aramid fiber is the generic name for aromatic polyamide fibers. As defined by the U. S. Federal Trade Commission, an aramid fiber is “a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polyamide in which at least 85% of the amide linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings.”
WHEY BASED NONFAT DRIED MILK SUBSTITUTES FOR BREADMAKING1

A number of commercial whey products were evaluated at the 4% (flour basis) level, using a straight dough pup loaf baking procedure. The loaf volume and crumb texture of the breads were compared to controls maak with and without nonfat dried milk (NFDM). Untreated sweet whey produced poor quality bread, but demineralized whey, whey protein concentrates, and a blend of whey plus NFDM plus soy flour gave loaf volumes and crumb grains equal to the NFDM controls. Potassium bromate requirements increased as the protein content of the whey product increased. Lactose is more concentrated in whey than in NFDM, but lactose concentration does not appear to cause the loaf depression. Contrary to literature reports with an acid whey, use of 0.2% diammonium phosphate (flour basis) alone does not totally replace NFDM in terms of both loaf volume and crumb struclure. However; diammoniumphosphate can correct for most of the suppressant activity of sweet whey. A correlation was found between the ash to protein ratio and baking performance of products.
Random Projections of Signal Manifolds

Random projections have recently found a surprising niche in signal processing. The key revelation is that the relevant structure in a signal can be preserved when that signal is projected onto a small number of random basis functions. Recent work has exploited this fact under the rubric of compressed sensing (CS): signals that are sparse in some basis can be recovered from small numbers of random linear projections. In many cases, however, we may have a more specific low-dimensional model for signals in which the signal class forms a nonlinear manifold in RN. This paper provides preliminary theoretical and experimental evidence that manifold-based signal structure can be preserved using small numbers of random projections. The key theoretical motivation comes from Whitney's embedding theorem, which states that a K-dimensional manifold can be embedded in Ropf2K+1. We examine the potential applications of this fact. In particular, we consider the task of recovering a manifold-modeled signal from a small number of random projections. Thanks to our more specific model, we can recover certain signals using far fewer measurements than would be required using sparsity-driven CS techniques
The Impacts of Nonnative Japanese Eelgrass (Zostera japonica) on Commercial Shellfish Production in Willapa Bay, WA

Eelgrass species worldwide are valued for the ecosystem service they provide to estuarine and marine habitats. One species, Zostera japonica, however, has some negative impacts outside its native range and is considered invasive. In Willapa Bay WA, USA, the nonnative eelgrass has expanded to the level where the shellfish industry is concerned about its potential impacts on its livelihood. Studies were conducted using paired plots, Z. japonica controlled with the herbicide imazamox vs. untreated controls, to assess the effects of Z. japonica on Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). Recruitment of new Manila clams was not affected by Z. japonica. The growth of young clams, total commercial clam harvests, clam quality and clam harvest efficiency, however, were greater on plots where Z. japonica was chemically controlled than where it was not treated. The response of oysters to Z. japonica control varied by site; there was no effect at one site, while the other sites had a 15% increase in shucked meat with Z. japonica control. The potential economic impact of a Z. japonica infestation of a shellfish bed was ~$47,000 ha-1 for Manila clams and $4000 ha-1 for oysters for each crop harvest cycle.
Geographic differences for delay of sexual maturation in Peromyscus leucopus: effects of photoperiod, pinealectomy, and melatonin.

Effects of short-day photoperiod, pinealectomy, and melatonin on sexual maturation were tested in Peromyscus leucopus from either Connecticut (CT) or Georgia (GA). Laboratory reared-stocks from CT and GA were exposed to short daylength (photoperiod) from birth or 25 days of age. At 12 wk of age, delay in sexual maturation was indicated in most CT mice by decreased testis length, combined testes weight, and seminal vesicle weight. Conversely, GA animals did not delay sexual maturation when exposed to short-day photoperiod from either birth or 25 days of age. These results indicate that responses to short daylengths differ for juvenile CT and GA populations. In a second experiment, pinealectomized or sham-operated CT males were exposed to short-day (9L:15D) or long-day (16L:8D) photoperiod from birth. Pinealectomy blocked the effect of short daylength on reproduction. Therefore, the pineal must be involved in the delay of sexual maturation observed for short-day CT mice. The effects of melatonin, a pineal gland hormone, were tested with chronic s.c. implants or daily injections. In CT mice given either melatonin implants or afternoon injections, sexual maturation was delayed. GA mice were insensitive to all melatonin treatments. Further, no differences in circadian organization (phase angle, duration of activity, period under constant dark) between GA and CT animals were apparent. Collectively, these studies indicate that melatonin is involved in the mechanism responsible for delay of sexual maturation in CT mice. Short-day insensitivity of GA Peromyscus leucopus probably results from a deficiency in the melatonin effector pathway and is not due to a disruption of circadian organization.
Black raspberries inhibit N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced angiogenesis in rat esophagus parallel to the suppression of COX-2 and iNOS

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is critical to tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an important angiogenic activator, is essential for angiogenesis. Our laboratory has used a rodent model of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to identify putative chemopreventive agents for this disease and determine their mechanisms of action. We reported that dietary black raspberry powder (BRB) inhibits N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced tumor development in the rat esophagus by inhibiting the formation of DNA adducts and reducing the proliferation rate of preneoplastic cells. On a molecular level, BRB downregulates the expression of c-Jun, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In this study we analyzed the effect of BRB on angiogenesis. VEGF expression was determined by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis of microvessel density (MVD). BRB significantly suppressed VEGF-C expression from a 2.38 (+/- 0.34)-fold increase in animals treated with NMBA alone to a 1.08 (+/- 0.22)-fold increase in animals treated with NMBA plus BRB (P < 0.005). The MVD of esophagus was decreased from 53.7 +/- 5.6 vessels/cm in animals treated with NMBA alone to 22.6 +/- 2.6 vessels/cm in animals treated with NMBA plus BRB (P < 0.0001). Our data also suggest that downregulation of VEGF is correlated with suppression of COX-2 (r2 = 0.86, P < 0.001) and iNOS (r2 = 0.81, P < 0.005). As high vascularity is a risk factor for metastasis and tumor recurrence, BRB may have cancer therapeutic effects in human esophageal cancer.
Large-Scale Academic Achievement Testing of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students: Past, Present, and Future

The first large-scale, nationwide academic achievement testing program using Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford) for deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the United States started in 1969. Over the past three decades, the Stanford has served as a benchmark in the field of deaf education for assessing student academic achievement. However, the validity and reliability of using the Stanford for this special student population still require extensive scrutiny. Recent shifts in educational policy environment, which require that schools enable all children to achieve proficiency through accountability testing, warrants a close examination of the adequacy and relevance of the current large-scale testing of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. This study has three objectives: (a) it will summarize the historical data over the last three decades to indicate trends in academic achievement for this special population, (b) it will analyze the current federal laws and regulations related to educational testing and special education, thereby identifying gaps between policy and practice in the field, especially identifying the limitations of current testing programs in assessing what deaf and hard-of-hearing students know, and (c) it will offer some insights and suggestions for future testing programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Modeling water ice lifetimes at recent Martian gully locations

[1] Mars Global Surveyor identified two instances of recent changes in gully morphology. Images suggest that two gullies had recent discharges of some liquid, leaving a residue behind. The residue might be water ice mixed with dust. We applied a thermodynamic model to these two locations to determine the lifetime of the hypothetical water ice. We find that a very dusty 2m-thick icepack of moderate density would completely disappear within 1–2 Mars years by sublimation. If the bright deposits are actually ice then we would expect to see them absent in images taken several Mars years from now, unless they are being replenished.
Archaeology and Anthropology: A Personal Overview of the Past Half-Century

Having begun graduate work in anthropology and prehistoric archaeology at a time (early 1950s) and place (University of Chicago) where the two were closely linked, I subsequently participated in work devoted to early agricultural economies in Western Asia and Eastern North America; to the relations among archaeology, history, and science; and to the place of anthropological archaeology in the contemporary world. In this article I discuss my personal experiences within each of these areas of endeavor.
THEORY AND COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF COMPOSITE AND SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY STIFFENERS ON STABILITY OF COMPOSITE SHELLS AND PLATES

The effects of composite and shape memory alloy stiffeners on stability of composite cylindrical shells and rectangular plates subjected to a compressive load are compared. The governing equations for reinforced cylindrical shells are developed based on the Love first approximation theory and smeared stiffeners technique. It is shown that composite stiffeners are more efficient in cylindrical shells, while shape memory alloy stiffeners may be preferable in plates or in long shallow shells. It is also proven that shape memory alloy stiffeners increase the upper and lower buckling loads, i.e. the linear buckling load and the minimum postbuckling load-carrying capacity of cylindrical shells modeled as single-degree-of-freedom systems by the same amount.
Benchmarking of dimeric threading and structure refinement.

The understanding of protein- protein interactions is a major goal in the post- genomic era. The prediction of interaction from sequence and the subsequent generation of full- length dimeric models is therefore of great interest especially because the number of structurally char- acterized protein-protein complexes is sparse. A quality assessment of a benchmark comprised of 170 weakly homologous dimeric target-template pairs is presented. They are predicted in a two-step method, similar to the previously described MULTI- PROSPECTOR algorithm: each target sequence is assigned to a monomeric template structure by threading; then, those templates that belong to the same physically interacting dimer template are se- lected. Additionally we use structural alignments as the "gold standard" to assess the percentage of correctly assigned monomer and dimer templates and to evaluate the threading results with a focus on the quality of the alignments in the interfacial region. This work aims to give a quantitative pic- ture of the quality of dimeric threading. Except for one, all monomer templates are identified correctly, but approximately 40% of the dimer templates are still problematic or incorrect. Preliminary results for three full-length dimeric models generated with the TASSER method show on average a significant improvement of the final model over the initial template. Proteins 2006;63:457- 465.
Coordinating production quantities and demand forecasts through penalty schemes

In this paper, we study coordination mechanisms through penalty schemes between manufacturing and marketing departments which enable organizations to match demand forecasts with production quantities. This research was motivated by our interactions with a leading electronics and computer manufacturer. We consider two possible organizational structures – centralized and decentralized. In the decentralized case we model a single period problem where demand is uncertain and the marketing department provides a forecast to manufacturing which in turn produces a quantity based on the forecast and the demand distribution. In the centralized case, marketing and manufacturing jointly decide on the production quantity. Among other results we show that by setting suitable penalties one can generate the same result in a decentralized system as that obtained from a centralized system. We also show that setting the correct penalty for marketing is essential for coordination. Subsequently, we analyze models where the marketing department has the ability to change the distribution of demand based on efforts (through promotion, advertising and personal relationship with customers). An interesting result indicates that it is possible to set penalties so that a coordinated decentralized system outperforms a centralized system when there are no tangible costs to the firm for the efforts expended by the marketing department.
Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Norm Cohen Year: 1981 Pages: lii + 710 Publisher: University of Illinois Press Prices: $32.95