cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective Use of V&V20 Solution Verification Methodology

Methods for the quantification of numerical uncertainty have been a subject of interest to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the mechanical engineering community as a whole for over a decade. During this time period, ASME has promulgated three statements of standards for the reporting of numerical uncertainty in archival publications (Journal of Fluids Engineering). This paper summarizes the work that has gone into the specification of these standards and the continuing effort in formulation of methods and procedures for quantifying numerical uncertainty. Specifically, this paper discusses the efforts of the ASME V&V 20 Committee (Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer) to lay a foundation and structure to verification and validation for fluid flow and heat transfer simulations. Issues and methods related to code verification and in particular solution verification are presented and discussed in the context of the recently released V&V20 Standard.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Cyclosporine A modulation of Ca++ activated K+ channels in cardiac sensory afferent neurons

Whole-cell and single channel recordings were used to characterize the effects of the immunosuppressant cyclosporine A (CsA) on cardiac sensory neurons (CSN) of the nodose ganglia. Application of 10 nM CsA resulted in a 29.1% decrease in CSN input resistance and an average −8±3 mV hyperpolarization of membrane potential. Application of 10 nM CsA had no effect on evoked Ca++ currents but increased evoked K+ currents by 158.9±24%. Application of 10 nM CsA significantly increased the open probability of KCa channels by 183±9%. These results suggest that application of CsA results in the activation of KCa channels in cardiac sensory neurons and this effect may contribute to the cellular mechanisms underlying CsA modulation of vagal afferent neurons.
The Nutrition of the Newborn Dairy Calf. I. Changes in the Tryptophan Content of the Blood Plasma Following Birth and the Ingestion of Colostrum

Summary A study of the tryptophan content of the blood plasma of calves showed average values of 0.46, 0.94, 0.96, 0.86, and 0.81mg. per g. wet basis for the newborn calf and at 3, 7, 14 and 21 days of age, respectively. The amount of tryptophan in first-milking colostrum was found to be about five times as high and that of the second milking about three times as high as that of normal milk. These results are discussed in the light of tryptophan being the possible precursor for the in vivo synthesis of nicotinic acid.
China's Anti-encirclement Struggle

Abstract Confronted during the first decade of the twenty-first century with the rapidly burgeoning US-Indian security partnership and then by the emergence of the India-Japan security relationship, Beijing struggled to respond. After initially attempting to court India away from a too-close partnership with the United States in the first half of the decade, Beijing shifted to a more coercive approach around the end of 2005. One key mechanism used to pressure India was psychological war waged via the Internet raising the possibility of another Sino-Indian war. As China shifted from a soft to a hard-line approach toward India, policy toward Japan was moving in the opposite direction. After keeping relations with Japan in the freezer during the early part of the decade, around 2006, Beijing shifted gear and adopted a much more conciliatory approach. The authors hypothesize that these simultaneous shifts in Sino-Indian and Sino-Japanese relations were not coincidence but predicated instead on an understandin...
XXVIII. On the incident and emergent velocities of photo-electrons emitted from thin platinum films

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 1923. Major: Physics. Advisor: Professor W. F. G. Swann. 1 computer file (PDF); 17 pages.
On the past and future of European constitutional scholarship

This comment takes issue with three claims made by Armin von Bogdandy about the role of “doctrinal constructivism” as it relates to the European public law tradition. First, the rise of constitutional law as a subdiscipline of law is not plausibly explained by the adoption of a conceptually focused positivist method. Its successful institutionalization within the law faculties has depended, first and foremost, on the establishment of a relatively stable constitutional settlement. The nature of that settlement, rather than the virtues intrinsic to any particular methodology, is the most influential factor in determining what kind of methodology becomes dominant. Second, it is probably misleading to characterize mainstream contemporary European legal scholarship as doctrinal constructivism. If the varieties of legal scholarship that count as mainstream in Europe today have a common core, it consists of a rejection of the reductivism that has classified law and legal scholarship as either formal/conceptual, moral, or empirical/factual. European legal scholarship seeks, for the most part, to integrate the formal, empirical, and moral dimensions of the law into a distinctively legal point of view. In that sense, it has always been-even in Germany-far more open to interdisciplinary and theoretical work than von Bogdandy's account suggests. Third, while he correctly describes an interesting and deep difference between contemporary European and American cultures of legal scholarship and teaching-a difference that is apparent to anyone who has experienced both-von Bogdandy has overlooked the salutary effect of American elite law school culture on European scholarship. It has encouraged European scholars to overcome the residual habits of a conceptually focused positivist complacency and more widely reembrace the study of law as a theoretically ambitious, internally multidisciplinary exercise.
Modelling the leaching of calcium hydroxide from cement paste: effects on pore space percolation and diffusivity

As concrete is exposed to the elements, its underlying microstructure can be attacked by a variety of aggressive agents. For example, rainwater and groundwater can degrade the concrete by dissolving soluble constituents such as calcium hydroxide. Using computer simulation, this paper examines the effects of calcium hydroxide dissolution on two material properties: the percolation properties or connectivity of the capillary pore space, and the relative ionic diffusivity. A microstructural model for cement paste is used to produce a hydrated specimen which is subsequently subjected to the leaching process. Pore space percolation characteristics and relative ionic diffusivity are computed throughout the leaching process as a function of total capillary porosity. Material variables examined are water: solids ratio and silica fume content. Percolation theory is used to develop the concept of a critical volume fraction of calcium hydroxide plus capillary pore space. It is shown that this critical combined volume fraction determines the magnitude of the effect of leaching on relative ionic diffusivity.
A Finite Dimensional Model Problem in Ferromagnetism

In this article we calculate magnetic equilibria of a finite dimensional model of a polycrystalline ferromagnetic body. Our model incorporates recent advances on frustration and microstructure in ferromagnetism. In particular, we will use minimizing sequences or Young- measures to model equilibrium states, and we make use of nonlocal exchange energies. We show that our model problem has a rich class of relative equilibria. Furthermore, this set of solutions can be interpreted as representing a quasistatic hysteresis diagram that exhibits hysteresis subloops and the Barkhausen effect.
Psychoeducational Interventions for Stress Management and Well-Being

The importance of educating students about stress and stress management is emphasized, because students will confront stressors throughout their life span. In this article the author summarizes major stress theories and shows how stress theory and stress management strategies can be integrated into existing school curricula.
Surgeons outperform normative controls on neuropsychologic tests, but age-related decay of skills persists.

Abstract Background The present study was undertaken to determine if psychomotor and visual-spatial abilities improve as a result of surgical training or are enhanced at baseline in those individuals choosing a surgical career. Methods Medical students entering a surgical field and practicing surgeons performed a series of neuropsychologic tests. Performance was compared between surgeon groups, as well as with normative aged-matched controls. Results An age-related decline was noted in the performance of all exercises, with the medical student group outperforming the midcareer surgeons, who in turn outperformed the senior surgeons. Interestingly, however, all 3 groups significantly outperformed their normative control groups on some or all tasks. Conclusions Improved visual memory and psychomotor performance compared with normative controls appears to be present at baseline rather than resulting from surgical training. Decline in performance with age is observed, however, and this should be considered when an older surgeon is learning new visually complex procedures.
Hereditary properties of some special spaces

Recently, M. Hv, NRIr:SEN asked whether every dense subspace of a basically disconnected space is also basically disconnected 2). We consider this type of question for basically disconnected spaces and ten other classes of spaces discussed in [1], and for three kinds of subspaees, namely, dense, open and closed subspaces. Of the thirty-three questions thus raised, the answers to twelve are trivial or already known. The results presented here provide answers to the others, as well as more striking counterexamples in some of the known cases. In the last section, we discuss briefly some other questions related to two of these
Texture transfer during shape transformation

Mappings between surfaces have a variety of uses, including texture transfer, multi-way morphing, and surface analysis. Given a 4D implicit function that defines a morph between two implicit surfaces, this article presents a method of calculating a mapping between the two surfaces. We create such a mapping by solving two PDEs over a tetrahedralized hypersurface that connects the two surfaces in 4D. Solving the first PDE yields a vector field that indicates how points on one surface flow to the other. Solving the second PDE propagates position labels along this vector field so that the second surface is tagged with a unique position on the first surface. One strength of this method is that it produces correspondences between surfaces even when they have different topologies. Even if the surfaces split apart or holes appear, the method still produces a mapping entirely automatically. We demonstrate the use of this approach to transfer texture between two surfaces that may have differing topologies.
Developmental Antecedents to Adolescents' Occupational Knowledge: A 17-Year Prospective Study

Abstract Thirty-two variables across the age span of birth to 16 years were examined to investigate the developmental sequence antecedent to adolescents' knowledge of occupations at age 17 years. The criterion for knowledge of occupations was the Career Maturity Inventory-Competence Test (Crites, 1978), and the predictors were variables collected prospectively from a birth cohort, the St. Louis Baby Study (Jordan, 1976, 1994, 1998). In Phase I, predictor variables in four sets based on the developmental psychology constructs Family, Dynamic, Cognitive, and Somatic were reduced by multiple linear regression. In Phase II, a fifth, model, Generic, evolved empirically from the previous four models. Also, a sixth model, Developmental, conceptually generated, provided a parsimonious explanation of the predictor variables and criteria across the years birth to 17 years. Within the variables available for analysis we see that adolescents' grasp of occupational information is formed in a developmental process whose antecedents are highlighted at birth by the family's circumstances, at the end of the preschool era by cognitive-conceptual attainment, and in early adolescence by a second cognitive measure, vocabulary.
Putting tumours in context

The interactions between cancer cells and their micro- and macroenvironment create a context that promotes tumour growth and protects it from immune attack. The functional association of cancer cells with their surrounding tissues forms a new 'organ' that changes as malignancy progresses. Investigation of this process might provide new insights into the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and could also lead to new therapeutic targets.
Infrared spectra of phthalic acid, the hydrogen phthalate ion, and the phthalate ion in aqueous solution

The infrared spectra of a series of aqueous solutions containing phthalic acid (1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid) and varying pH were examined using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and potentiometry. The basis spectra of phthalic acid, the hydrogen phthalate ion, and the phthalate ion were isolated using a factor analysis in which the absorbance of these species varies with pH and total phthalate concentration according to equilibrium and mass balance relations. Assignments of these basis spectra were made by comparison with spectra calculated ab initio. The conditional formation constants of phthalic acid and the hydrogen phthalate ion were determined at 25.0+/-0.1 degrees C in 0.6 M NaCl ionic media using infrared spectroscopy and in 1.5 M NaCl ionic media using both infrared spectroscopy and potentiometry.
Improving the accuracy of airport emissions inventories using disparate datasets

Environmental regulations require airports to report air quality emissions inventories (i.e., tons emitted) for aircraft emissions such as carbon oxides (COx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Traditional methods for emission inventory calculations yield over-estimated inventories due an assumption of the use of maximum takeoff thrust settings for all departures. To reduce costs, airlines use “reduced” thrust settings (such as derated or flex temperature thrust settings) that can be up to 25% lower than the maximum takeoff thrust setting. Thrust data for each flight operation are not readily available to those responsible for the emission inventory. This article describes an approach to estimate the actual takeoff thrust for each flight operation using algorithms that combine radar surveillance track data, weather data, and standardized aircraft performance models. A case study for flights from Chicago's O’Hare airport exhibited an average takeoff thrust of 86% of maximum takeoff thrust (within 4% of the average...
Integrating Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches in the Study of Developmental Courses and Transitions in Alcohol Use: Introduction to the Special Section

This special section consists of research from the symposium "Integrating Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches to the Study of Developmental Courses and Transitions in Alcohol Use," presented at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. The section focuses on ways to integrate variable-centered and person-centered approaches to better understand longitudinal trajectories of alcohol use and associated problems. Our aim is to increase awareness and discussion of alternative conceptual and quantitative approaches that involve both a person-centered and a variable-centered component, and to make these methods more accessible to alcohol and other drug researchers. The first paper provides a general latent variable modeling framework within which to conceptualize developmental questions that involve the combination of continuous latent variables and categorical variables that represent classifications of individuals into meaningful subgroups. This is followed by three empirical papers that use integrative methods to examine early adult outcomes of adolescent binge drinking; potential mediators of familial alcoholism effects on alcohol and tobacco use disorder comorbidity; and the ability of psychopathology, substance use, and parental history of alcohol problems to predict individual differences in the likelihood of transitions in drinking behavior during adolescence. The section concludes with a discussion of the statistical basis for integrating person-centered and variable-centered methods, a comparison of study findings, and directions for future research.
Do incentives build robustness in bit torrent

A fundamental problem with many peer-to-peer systems is the tendency for users to "free ride"--to consume resources without contributing to the system. The popular file distribution tool BitTorrent was explicitly designed to address this problem, using a tit-for-tat reciprocity strategy to provide positive incentives for nodes to contribute resources to the swarm. While BitTorrent has been extremely successful, we show that its incentive mechanism is not robust to strategic clients. Through performance modeling parameterized by real world traces, we demonstrate that all peers contribute resources that do not directly improve their performance. We use these results to drive the design and implementation of BitTyrant, a strategic BitTorrent client that provides a median 70% performance gain for a 1 Mbit client on live Internet swarms. We further show that when applied universally, strategic clients can hurt average per-swarm performance compared to today's BitTorrent client implementations.
Mapping neural networks onto message-passing multicomputers

Abstract This paper investigates the architectural requirements for simulating neural networks using massively parallel multiprocessors. First, we model the connectivity patterns in large neural networks. A distributed processor/memory organization is developed for efficiently simulating asynchronous, value-passing connectionist models. On the basis of the network connectivity and mapping policy, we estimate the volume of messages that need to be exchanged among physical processors for simulating the weighted connections of a neural network. This helps determine the interprocessor communication bandwidth required, and the optimal number and granularity of processors needed to meet a particular cost/performance goal. The suitability of existing computers is assessed in the light of estimated architectural demands. The structural model offers an efficient methodology for mapping virtual neural networks onto a real parallel computer. It makes possible the execution of large-scale neural networks on a moderately sized multiprocessor. These mapping techniques are useful to both architects of new-generation computers and researchers on neural networks and their applications. Until the technology for direct hardware implementation of large neural networks is available, simulation remains the most viable alternative for the connectionist community.
A Secure Identification and Key agreement protocol with user Anonymity (SIKA)

Anonymity is a desirable security feature in addition to providing user identification and key agreement during a user's login process. Recently, Yang et al., proposed an efficient user identification and key distribution protocol while preserving user anonymity. Their protocol addresses a weakness in the protocol proposed by Wu and Hsu. Unfortunately, Yang's protocol poses a vulnerability that can be exploited to launch a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack. In this paper, we cryptanalyze Yang's protocol and present the DoS attack. We further secure their protocol by proposing a Secure Identification and Key agreement protocol with user Anonymity (SIKA) that overcomes the above limitation while achieving security features like identification, authentication, key agreement and user anonymity.
Ground-based spectral reflectance measurements for evaluating the efficacy of aerially- applied glyphosate treatments

Aerial application of herbicides is a common tool in agricultural field management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of glyphosate herbicide applied using aircraft fitted with both conventional and emerging aerial nozzle technologies. A weedy field was set up in a randomised complete block experimental design using three replicates. Four aerial spray technology treatments, electrostatic nozzles with charging off, electrostatic nozzles with charging on, conventional flat-fan hydraulic nozzles and rotary atomisers, were tested. To evaluate the glyphosate efficacy and performance of aerial spray technologies, spectral reflectance measurements were acquired using a ground-based sensing system for all treatment plots. Three measurements were taken at 1, 8, and 17 days after treatment (DAT). The statistical analyses indicated that glyphosate applied with different methods killed the weeds effectively compared to untreated areas at 17 DAT. Conventional flat-fan nozzles and rotary atomisers performed better than the electrostatic nozzles with charging off. There was no evidence to show that the electrostatic nozzle performed better with charging on or charging off. The results could provide applicators with guidance equipment configurations that can result in herbicide savings and optimised applications in other crops.
On the feasibility of electron transfer to singlet oxygen from mitochondrial components.

Abstract It has been demonstrated that O 2 ★ ( 1 Δ g ) is capable of causing oxidation of mitochondrial components via a one electron process. Kinetic data have been obtained for O 2 ★ ( 1 Δ g ) quenching by NADH, NAD+, and reduced cytochrome-c. Preliminary mechanistic investigations have been undertaken.
A radioactive source of exponentially distributed interevent intervals with electronically controlled rate and origin parameters

The equipment described utilizes the fact that time intervals between successive disintegrations in an appropriately chosen radioactive source are exponentially distributed. A source and detector drive a probability unit that reduces the input distribution-rate parameter by as much as two decades. The origin parameter is then introduced by a gating circuit that eliminates pulses that follow their predecessors by less than a specified number of seconds. The system is reliable, and easily calibrated and adjusted.
Designing optimal data structures

This paper is concerned with developing a methodology for designing optimal network data base structures. The model uses as an input the logical description of the files and existing network structures which are to compose the new network structure, along with a list of the functional dependencies of each file. From this input, a canonical plex structure is generated which contains all the known data and its relationships in a non-redundant form. This canonical form can be modified by adding additional sets and indexing schemes which can improve the retrieval efficiencies at the cost of additional storage. Given the set of queries or data requests and their relative importance, an operations research model can develop an optimal data structure which minimizes a multiple objective cost function. A methodology is then proposed for loading this optimal structure as well as for detecting when a reorganization or new network structure is necessary.
The MPO API: A tool for recording scientific workflows

Abstract Data from large-scale experiments and extreme-scale computing is expensive to produce and may be used for high-consequence applications. The Metadata, Provenance and Ontology (MPO) project builds on previous work [M. Greenwald, Fusion Eng. Des. 87 (2012) 2205–2208] and is focused on providing documentation of workflows, data provenance and the ability to data-mine large sets of results. While there are important design and development aspects to the data structures and user interfaces, we concern ourselves in this paper with the application programming interface (API) – the set of functions that interface with the data server. Our approach for the data server is to follow the Representational State Transfer (RESTful) software architecture style for client–server communication. At its core, the API uses the POST and GET methods of the HTTP protocol to transfer workflow information in message bodies to targets specified in the URL to and from the database via a web server. Higher level API calls are built upon this core API. This design facilitates implementation on different platforms and in different languages and is robust to changes in the underlying technologies used. The command line client implementation can communicate with the data server from any machine with HTTP access.
Describing protein conformational ensembles: beyond static snapshots.

Protein molecules are not static but are in varying degrees of motion. Of course, the breadth of structural arrangements in an ensemble will vary tremendously. Some proteins are like ‘rocks’ and are very tightly constrained in terms of deviations of their coordinates from their averages. Others are ‘writhing snakes’, with little recognized persistent structure, and then there is everything in between. Through the work of many, there is an increasing awareness of the role of dynamics in the biological function of proteins, and new computational and experimental methods are allowing us to make these connections. A personal perspective on the state of affairs is offered with examples primarily from the author's own work.
Thermal conductivity of lower-mantle minerals

Abstract Geodynamic models of heat transport and the thermal evolution of Earth's interior require knowledge of thermal conductivity for high-pressure phases at relevant temperatures and pressures. Here we present new data on radiative and lattice heat transfer in mantle materials determined from optical spectroscopy and time-resolved optical radiometry. The pressure dependence of optical absorption in ferropericlase (Mg,Fe)O, and silicate perovskite (Mg,Fe)SiO3, has been determined in the IR through UV regions up to 133 GPa. Whereas (Mg,Fe)O exhibits a strong pressure dependence of absorption and spectral changes associated with the high-spin (HS) to low-spin (LS) transition of Fe2+ [Goncharov, A.F., Struzhkin, V.V., Jacobsen, S.D. 2006. Reduced radiative conductivity of low-spin (Mg,Fe)O in the lower mantle. Science 312, 1205–1208], the pressure dependence of optical absorption in (Mg,Fe)SiO3 is relatively weak. We observe a moderate increase in absorption with pressure for (Mg,Fe)SiO3 in the visible and infrared spectral range due to a red-shift of absorption in ultraviolet, however the crystal-field transitions of Fe2+ become weaker with pressure and disappear above 50 GPa as a result of the HS–LS transition in (Mg,Fe)SiO3. Intervalence charge-transfer transitions in silicate perovskite shift to higher energies with pressure. The temperature dependence of the optical absorption of (Mg,Fe)O measured up to 65 GPa and 800 K is moderate below 30 GPa and weak above 30 GPa. Thus, the temperature correction of the radiative conductivity is insignificant. The estimated total pressure-dependent radiative conductivity (in approximation of a large grain size) is lower than expected from the pressure extrapolation of the ambient and low-pressure data [Hofmeister, A.M., 1999. Mantle values of thermal conductivity and the geotherm from phonon lifetimes. Science 283, 1699–1706; Hofmeister, A.M., 2005. Dependence of diffusive radiative transfer on grain-size, temperature, and Fe-content: implications for mantle processes. J. Geodyn. 40, 51–72]. A new method has been developed to measure thermal diffusivity of mantle materials at high P–T using time-resolved radiometry combined with a pulsed-IR source. Here, the technique is tested on MgO to 32 GPa and used to obtain a functional pressure dependence of thermal diffusivity and calculated thermal conductivity of the lower mantle.
Spectroscopy without a spectrometer

A neutron spectrometer is a device that measures the spectrum of the kinetic energy of neutrons. There are numerous applications that can profitably use a compact neutron spectrometer. For instance, fast neutron resonance radiography requires sufficiently high resolution (several percent) to identify the absorption spectra of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen nuclei for incident neutrons in the thermal to 5 MeV range. In the nuclear arms-control arena, a device that can collect neutron spectral information without revealing design information would have considerable value for treaty verification. Conventional neutron spectrometers operate on a time-of-flight (TOF) basis. Neutrons of interest range in energy from thermal energy (0.025 eV) to a few MeV for special nuclear material and from ca. 100 KeV to 5 MeV for identification of explosives. A thermal neutron has a speed of ca. 2,000 mis; a 1 MeV neutron has a speed of ca. 13,000 km/sec. A TOF spectrometer has a series of choppers, each turning at different speeds, that pass only those neutrons in a given energy (velocity) range; the velocity cohort that is allowed to pass through the spectrometer and be counted is selected by varying the relative speeds ofrotation. Thus, the TOF spectrometer is, by necessity, large (meters to tens of meters). In addition, only a small fraction of all the incident neutrons are measured during any given time interval. That is, the TOF spectrometer makes very inefficient use of the neutron flux. We will describe a spectrometer that has been made practical by the development of neutron-sensitive scintillating fibers. 1-s This concept is "work-in-progress" but the results of a simple theoretical test are reported here.
Future Options for Jerusalem

This study examines the future of Jerusalem in the context of perceived facts and the availability of the alternatives and political options. It is suggested that the status quo may be prolonged and that formal discussions and negotiations may never take place.
A C-C bonded phenoxyl radical dimer with a zero bond dissociation free energy.

The 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenoxyl radical is shown to dimerize in solution and in the solid state. The X-ray crystal structure of the dimer, the first for a para-coupled phenoxyl radical, revealed a bond length of 1.6055(23) A for the C4–C4a bond. This is significantly longer than typical C–C bonds. Solution equilibrium studies using both optical and IR spectroscopies showed that the Keq for dissociation is 1.3 ± 0.2 M at 20 °C, indicating a C–C bond dissociation free energy of −0.15 ± 0.1 kcal mol–1. Van’t Hoff analysis gave an exceptionally small bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) of 6.1 ± 0.5 kcal mol–1. To our knowledge, this is the smallest BDE measured for a C–C bond. This very weak bond shows a large deviation from the correlation of C–C bond lengths and strengths, but the computed force constant follows Badger’s rule.
A nuclear medicine patient/instrument scheduling model

Abstract The problem of scheduling patients and clinical instruments for each physician-requested Nuclear Medicine study, in a clinical environment, is resolved through the development of a computerized heuristic model. The study schedule was determined by minimizing such factors as elapsed instrument time, instrument idle time, and maximizing instrument utilization. The heuristic scheduling procedure was developed and evaluated for scheduling thirteen different Nuclear Medicine study types on a daily basis. The analysis showed that this heuristic can be utilized to provide a good basic schedule for use in Clinical Nuclear Medicine.
Altered synaptic plasticity in Drosophila memory mutants with a defective cyclic AMP cascade

Synaptic transmission was examined in Drosophila mutants deficient in memory function. These mutants, dunce and rutabaga, are defective in different steps of the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) cascade. In both dunce and rutabaga larvae, voltage-clamp analysis of neuromuscular transmission revealed impaired synaptic facilitation and post-tetanic potentiation as well as abnormal responses to direct application of dibutyryl cAMP. In addition, the calcium dependence of transmitter release was shifted in dunce. The results suggest that the cAMP cascade plays a role in synaptic facilitation and potentiation and indicate that synaptic plasticity is altered in Drosophila memory mutants.
Equilibrium price-output dynamics and the (non) insulating properties of fixed exchange rates

Abstract This paper develops an open-economy fixed-exchange-rate equilibrium model of the business cycle which demonstrates a new channel for output persistence. The persistence, or serial correlation of output, arises because of persistent changes in relative prices. Additionally the model shows that fixed exchange rates do not insulate a small open economy from domestic monetary shocks.
The evolution of floral homeotic gene function.

Plant MADS-box genes encode transcriptional regulators that are critical for a number of developmental processes. In the angiosperms (the flowering plants), these include the specification of floral organ identities, flowering time and fruit development. It appears that the MADS box gene family has undergone considerable gene duplication and sequence divergence within the angiosperms. Here I discuss the possibility that these events have allowed the recruitment of these genes to new developmental pathways in particular angiosperm lineages. Recent analyses of sequence changes, expression patterns and, in a few cases, gene function are beginning to provide tantalizing evidence for deciphering when and how such genetic diversification has led to particular morphological innovations. In the future, comparative studies of large numbers of species will be required to assess the extent of such variation as well as to fully understand the mechanisms by which evolution of these developmental regulators has played a role in shaping new morphologies.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Functionalized Double-Chain Surfactant and Its Cleavage of O-Methyl S-Benzyl Phenylphosphonothioate†

Functionalized double-chain surfactant 1 (2-hydrazino-N-methyl-N,N-didodecyl-2-oxoethanaminium bromide) was synthesized, and its small unilamellar vesicles were characterized by dynamic laser light...
“Gay? Prove it”: The politics of queer anti-deportation activism

This article examines how gender, sexuality, race and class intersect in queer asylum claims to influence the perceived credibility of gay and lesbian asylum applicants. Building on recent scholarship in queer migration studies that considers the role of gender and sexuality in the social construction of migrant illegality, this article explores how practices of credibility assessment in the political asylum process produce women and sexual minorities as deportable subjects. As I argue, the tactics utilized by gay male asylum applicants to resist deportation show how practices of credibility assessment in the political asylum process are linked to the state’s reproduction of sexual citizenship narratives, narratives that have a disproportionately negative impact upon queer female migrants of color. Accounting for the intersections among gender, sexuality, race and class in influencing the perceived credibility of gay and lesbian asylum applicants is thus crucial for conceptualizing alternative forms of qu...
Integration of Element Inspection Data in Model Updating and Performance Evaluation of In-Service Bridge Superstructures

With the volume of aging bridges approaching the end of their service lives nationwide, maintenance of these deteriorated structures is a growing challenge for transportation agencies. To manage this infrastructure, inspectors are tasked with providing an average rating based on element-level condition measurements. According to the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), many of the proposed inspection methods are visual and as a result, the evaluated condition states are generally qualitative and in most cases based on engineering judgments. To combat this issue, agencies have begun to utilize a variety of technologies to monitor the behavior and detect different sources of damage in the bridges and generate higher fidelity condition metrics. These condition metrics are used in the load rating process, which mainly focuses on the behavior of degraded elements to assess the remaining capacity of the bridge system. However in these practices, less attention is attributed to the overall system-level response under the reported condition states. An appropriate understanding of in-service performance requires knowledge of characterizing the influence of damage and deterioration on the overall system behavior. Today’s computational capabilities provide a tool to assess these characteristics using numerical and theoretical models representing the bridge structural system. Moreover, recent advances in monitoring and inspection techniques provide a mechanism to efficiently capture the damage data necessary for model updating. Using nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis, this paper presents a case study on evaluating the behavior of representative in-service bridges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, under the effect of deteriorating conditions. The geometrical characteristics of the selected structures represent common features of steel-concrete composite bridges serving within the state. The range of the corresponding damage characteristics was also selected through a questionnaire which collected inspection data from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) engineers in nine different districts across the state.
Promoter switches specific for abscisic acid (ABA)‐induced gene expression in cereals

Abscisic acid (ABA) has been shown to regulate many physiological and developmental processes which arc often mediated by the induction and suppression of gene expression. Herein. we review the progress made in the understanding of gene expression regulated by ABA. with the emphasis on cis- and trans-acting elements controlling gene expression. Promoter sequences containing an ACGT-core have been shown hy several groups to be necessary for the ABA-induced gene expression. However, similar ACGT-core-containing sequences are also necessary for responses to a variety of environmental and physiological cues. To address the question what determines the response specificity, we have studied two barley ABA inducible genes and defined the modular nature of ABA response complex (ABRC), the promoter unit necessary and sufficient for ABA induction of gene expression. ABRCs of these genes consist of a 10-bp element with an ACGT-core (ACGT-box) and a coupling element (CEI or CE3). These ABRCs function in both seed and vegetative tissues. Genetic analysis has led to the cloning of genes, such as maize Viviparous I (VPI), involved in the regulation of sensitivity of plants to ABA. In seeds, ABA induction of the ABRC containing CE3. but not the ABRC with CE1, is enhanced in the presence of the transcription regulator, encoded by the VP1 gene, indicating these two ABRCs are mediated by different ABA signal transduction pathways. Other potential signal transduction components media ing ABA signal transduction pathways are also discussed.
Early stages of reduction of nickel oxide single crystals: An investigation by transmission electron microscope

Because of the practical importance of the reaction, a great deal of work has been done on the reduction of metallic oxides to metals. In this laboratory all stages of the reduction of nickel oxide to nickel are being studied using a transmission electron microscope. Small, pre-thinned single crystals of nickel oxide have been reduced outside the microscope in a hydrogen atmosphere and the reduction temperatures and times were varied. The resulting foils were then examined in a Phillips 301 100 kV electron microscope and the relationships between the nickel metal particles and the nickel oxide single crystal matrix were established. During the early stages of the reduction both epitaxial and non-epitaxial nuclei were observed, the latter becoming predominant as reduction time progressed. The nuclei were frequently separated from the nickel oxide matrix by a fissure and as they impinged and coalesced, a large scale structure resulted with internal porosity as often seen by optical microscopy.
Vasoconstriction induced by ouabain in the canine coronary artery: contribution of adrenergic and nonadrenergic responses.

Ouabain, when applied to rings of the left ciroumfiex coronary artery of the dog (which contains both alpha1-adrenoceptors leading to contraction and beta1-adrenoceptors leading to relaxation) caused an initial contraction which peaked within 15 minutes and a later secondary increase in tension which peaked within 60 minutes. These contractions were prevented by Ca2+ removal or by verapamil. Adrenergic denervation with 6-hydroxydopamine did not affect the initial contraction. Thus it is due to a nonadrenergic effect of the glycoside. Since the secondary increase in tension was prevented by adrenergic denervation and prazosin, it is likely to be due to norepinephrine released from adrenergic nerves acting on alpha-adrenoceptors. This interpretation was confirmed by the finding that ouabain, after a latent period of about 35 minutes, augmented the output of 3H-norepinephrine from helical strips of the artery previously incubated with tritiated transmitter. In rings contracted with prostaglandin F2α, ouabain reduced beta-adrenergic relaxations caused by isoproterenol or exogenous norepinephrine, but not those caused by sodium nitroprusside. Thus, in this artery, ouabain depresses the response of the beta-adrenoceptors to the norepinephrine which it releases, thereby permitting the neurotransmitter to cause contraction by activating postjunctional alpha1-adrenoceptors.
Uranium isotopes in sea-floor phosphorites☆

Abstract Analyses of uranium concentration and U 234 U 238 activity ratios were performed on 40 samples of marine phosphorites, almost all of them dredged from the present sea floor. In each sample, the concentration and isotopic composition of total uranium and U(IV) were analyzed. Uranium concentrations in the analyzed nodules vary between 6 and 524 ppm, tetravalent uranium constituting 38–84 per cent of the total. Whereas the mean activity ratio for total uranium is 0.97, the ratio in the U(IV) uranium is 0.71 and the calculated activity ratio for U(IV) uranium is 1.57. The interpretation of these results has two consequences: 1. (a) All the analyzed nodules are old (probably older than 8 × 105 yr), and are at the present being eroded rather than deposited; hence, the deposition of phosphorite in the present day ocean is rather doubtful. 2. (b) The difference in isotopic ratios between the two oxidation states of uranium generally confirms previously proposed mechanisms of uranium isotope fractionation. Differential oxidation of U234 is largely responsible for the measured U 234 U 238 disequilibrium ratios. A model for evolution of uranium isotope activity ratios in different oxidation states is presented.
Rehabilitation following osteochondral injury to the knee

Articular cartilage injuries of the knee can be debilitating if not treated properly. Once an articular cartilage injury is sustained there are a variety of surgical interventions depending on the severity of the injury. The most common of these procedures are: osteochondral autograft transplantation (OATS), autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and microfracture. The rehabilitation outlined in this article is specific to the exact surgical procedure performed and the location in the knee. The outcomes of these procedures are also discussed.
Source articles as scaffolds in reading to write: The case of a Chinese student writing in English

This article discusses a case study examining a Chinese graduate student’s experience with reading-to-write tasks in business, particularly the student’s use of source articles in performing the tasks. Data on six library research papers were collected from several sources in three semesters, including (1) course syllabi, (2) the source articles and the student’s reading notes, (3) the student’s outlines, drafts, and final versions of the six papers, and (4) interviews with the student. Analysis of the data indicated that the source articles scaffolded the student’s representations of the tasks and that the student’s task representation was influenced by several factors such as the student’s goals, the perceived purpose of the assignments, and the student’s beliefs and experience. Implications of the study for second language writing instruction and research are discussed.
Cytokine-mediated gene therapy for cancer

Background: Significant interest has been generated in the gene therapy of cancer. One strategy involves tumor-directed cytokine gene transfer and its effects on tumor immunobiology. Methods: The authors review the current literature pertaining to cytokine gene therapy of cancer and provide a description of gene transfer methods currently being evaluated. Results: Several cytokine gene transfer models have been described involving at least 12 different cytokines. The introduction of cytokine genes into experimental animal tumors improves their ability to be recognized and destroyed by the host immune system. Certain cytokines will regulate phenotypic properties such as major histocompatibility complex antigens, immunosuppressive peptides, protooncogenes or endogenous cytokine production. Cytokine-transduced tumors attract an inflammatory exudate in vivo that generally results in tumor destruction. The nature of the infiltrate (lymphocytic, mononuclear, granulocytic) cannot always be predicted from the known biological properties of each cytokine. Untransduced bystander tumor cells are usually also destroyed. Some, but not all, cytokine transductions result in the generation of systemic major histocompatibility complex-restricted, tumor immunity. It has been hypothesized that the local continuous production of cytokines by tumor cells provides an optimal microenvironment for antigen recognition and the generation of T-cell immunity. Conclusions: These experimental observations hold promise for the clinical application of genetically engineered tumor vaccines.
Direct three-dimensional analysis of electron micrograph pictures

Abstract A direct real space method is given for reconstructing three-dimensional objects from a rotation series of electron micrographs. The method consists of presenting a unique relation between the projection pictures and the original densities. This method is based on the solution of the coupled integral equations which relate the picture densities and the original object. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the theory.
The Influence of Diethylstilbestrol on Fat Deposition in Turkeys

Abstract The fattening action on cockerels of subcutaneously implanted diethylstilbestrol pellets has been described previously (Lorenz, 1943 and in press). Due to the importance in commercial grading of fat deposits in dressed carcasses, the influence of the same treatment on turkeys would be of interest. Sixty-six turkeys of both sexes, 110 to 166 days of age, were paired according to age, sex, and weight; one member of each pair received 3 diethylstilbestrol pellets subcutaneously. Pairs were killed and dressed for autopsy 30 to 90 days later. The weight of abdominal adipose tissue (Lorenz, 1943 and in press) was used as an indicator of the fattening effect. The results (table 1) show a distinct increase in abdominal fatty tissue at the end of all treatment periods. The amount of abdominal fat in the treated birds increased with increasing duration of treatment, but since a similar trend was also found in the control . . .