cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rab5-activating protein 6, a novel endosomal protein with a role in endocytosis

Rab GTPases are regulators of membrane trafficking that cycle between active (GTP-bound) and inactive (GDP-bound) states. In this study, we report the identification of a new human Rab5 guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), which we have named RAP6 (Rab5-activating protein 6). RAP6 contains a Rab5 GEF and a Ras GAP domain. We show that the Vps9 domain is sufficient for the interaction of RAP6 with GDP-bound Rab5 and that RAP6 stimulates Rab5 guanine nucleotide exchange. We also find that the Ras GAP domain of RAP6 shows GAP activity for Ras. Immunofluorescence experiments reveal that RAP6 is associated with plasma membrane and small intracellular vesicles that also contain Rab5. Additionally, the overexpression of RAP6 affects both fluid phase and receptor-mediated endocytosis. This study is the first to show that RAP6 is a novel regulator of endocytosis that exhibits GEF activity specific for Rab5 and GAP activity specific for Ras.
The stress process in neighborhood context.

Abstract The positive relation between socio-economic status (SES) and health, both mental and physical, is examined within a stress-process framework. Telephone survey data of adults age 45–74 are analyzed to test the roles of stressors and resources as mediators of the SES–health relation. Next, the stress process is tested in neighborhood context by splitting the sample in half according to residence in lower- or higher-SES neighborhoods. The relative impact of stressors on mental and physical health, and effectiveness of resources in protecting mental and physical health, are tested separately for both types of neighborhoods. The results indicate that social support is only protective of mental and physical health among residents of higher-SES neighborhoods. The implications of the results for future research are discussed.
Stable expression of the extracellular domains of rabbit recombinant CD5: development and characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies

Previous studies in our laboratory suggested that there was positive selection of B cells during early development in the appendix of normal and V(H) mutant (ali/ali) rabbits. Preferential expansion and survival of B lymphocytes was affected by the Ig V(H) frameworks 1 and 3 sequences expressed on the cell surface. We demonstrated a specific interaction between rabbit CD5 and the V region of rabbit heavy chains and suggested that CD5 is a potential selecting ligand for B-cell surface immunoglobulin framework region sequences. To further investigate the role of CD5 in rabbit B-cell selection and survival we prepared recombinant constructs and obtained stable expression of the three scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) extracellular domains of rabbit CD5. Here we describe the production and purification of this expressed recombinant CD5 protein, polyclonal antibody obtained by immunization of a goat and initial production and characterization of specific mAbs against peptides selected from each sequenced SRCR domain.
Sequence, genomic organization and functional expression of the murine tRNA-specific adenosine deaminase ADAT1

We have recently identified the first mammalian tRNA-specific adenosine deaminase human ADAT1, a member of the ADAR family of RNA editing enzymes. This protein is responsible for the first step of the unique A(37) to m(1)I(37) modification in eukaryotic tRNA(Ala). Here, we present the genomic structure of murine ADAT1 and the functional expression of mADAT1 cDNA. In mouse, as well as in human, ADAT1 is expressed from a single copy gene. The coding region of the mADAT1 gene is spread over nine exons, covering approximately 30kb of genomic DNA and encodes a protein of 499 amino acids. Overall, mADAT1 shares 81% nucleotide homology and 87.5% protein homology with the human ortholog. The recombinant mouse protein is active specifically and with a high efficiency on human tRNA(Ala) in vitro. Its genomic organization is compared to the structures of the sequence-related, pre-mRNA specific adenosine deaminases ADAR1 and ADAR2.
Sediment transport by dry ravel

[1] Dry ravel is a general term that describes the rolling, bouncing, and sliding of individual particles down a slope and is a dominant hillslope sediment transport process in steep arid and semiarid landscapes. During fires, particles can be mobilized by the collapse of sediment wedges that have accumulated behind vegetation. On a daily basis, particles may be mobilized by bioturbation and by small landslides. Experiments on a dry ravel flume indicate that a basic expression of the momentum equation predicts the distance traveled by particles propelled down a rough surface. This equation is further elaborated to produce a nonlinear slope-dependent transport equation for dry ravel that represents the rate at which sediment crosses a contour width of slope. Sediment traps installed on two hillslope transects near Santa Barbara, California, measured the flux from dry ravel initiated by bioturbation, and the data support the form of the equation. Additionally, a physical model, based on the infinite slope stability analysis, is proposed for the initiation of dry ravel by landsliding. The analytical result from this model is supported by experiments and field data reported by others.
Likelihood ratio tests for and against ordering of the cumulative incidence functions in multiple competing risks and discrete mark variable models

Abstract In this paper we consider the problem of testing the equality of r ( r ⩾ 2 ) cumulative incidence functions against an ordered alternative, using the likelihood ratio approach. We assume a discrete time framework and obtain maximum likelihood estimators of the r cumulative incidence functions under the restriction that they are uniformly ordered. The asymptotic null distribution of the derived likelihood ratio test statistic for testing the equality of the cumulative incidence functions against the alternative they are uniformly ordered is of the chi-bar square ( χ ¯ 2 ) type. In addition to applications within the competing risks setting our methods are also applicable to investigating the association between failure time and a discretized or ordinal mark variable that is observed only at time of failure. We give examples in both the competing risks and mark variable settings and discuss details concerning the implementation of our methods.
Changes in Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Levels During Cardiac Bypass in the Fetal Goat

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of fetal cardiac bypass on the production and secretion of fetal atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in the goat. Eighteen pregnant goats, at days 120 to 140 of gestation, were randomly divided into control (n = 8) and bypass (n = 10) groups. The control group underwent a sham procedure involving fetal sternotomy and cannulation. The bypass group underwent fetal cardiac bypass using a centrifugal pump for 30 min. Fetuses in the bypass group exhibited hypoxia, hypercapnia, and acidosis during and after cardiac bypass. The pulse index (PI) of the umbilical artery in the bypass group increased significantly after cardiac bypass compared with the control group. Tei indices of the left and right ventricles in the bypass group increased remarkably after cardiac bypass. Plasma troponin I levels in the bypass group increased significantly compared with that of the control group. Plasma ANP levels increased markedly in the bypass group after cardiac bypass, and the difference between two groups was significant. Transcriptional levels of ANP mRNA in the fetal heart elevated remarkably in the bypass group compared with the control group at 2 h after the bypass. A significant positive correlation between plasma ANP levels and Tei indices of the ventricles, plasma troponin I was observed (left ventricular Tei index, r = 0.606, P < 0.01; right ventricular Tei index, r = 0.581, P < 0.01; plasma troponin I, r = 0.275, P < 0.05). In conclusion, fetal cardiac bypass promoted the production and secretion of ANP and was associated with fetal cardiac dysfunction.
Electronic effects in borazines: an NMR study

Abstract The proton NMR spectra of hexamethylborazine, B-monoethylpentamethylborazine, B,B′-decamethylbiborazine, B-pentamethylphenylpentamethylborazine and decamethylbiphenyl were studied in an attempt to elucide the electronic effects in the borazine ring systems. A discussion of the possible sources of the anisotropy of the borazine ring is presented.
Climate change and global justice

In this article, I examine matters concerning justice and climate change in light of current work in global justice. I briefly discuss some of the most important contemporary work by political philosophers and theorist on global justice and relate it to various considerations regarding justice and climate change. After briefly surveying the international treaty context, I critically discuss several issues, including climate change and human rights, responsibility for historical emissions and the polluter-pays principle, the ability to pay principle, grandfathering entitlements to emit greenhouse gasses, equal per capita emissions entitlements, the right to sustainable development, and responsibility for financing adaptation to climate change. This set of issues does not exhaust the list of considerations of global justice and climate change, but it includes some of the most important of those considerations. WIREs Clim Change 2012, 3:131–143. doi: 10.1002/wcc.158 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Rocking the Youth Vote : How Television Covered Young Voters and Issues in a 2004 Target State

To gauge what role the media played in targeting young voters, this study examines the content of the early evening newscasts on Iowa's three major television stations in the month leading up to the 2004 presidential election. Content analysis of 285 campaign news stories shows limited (3.2%) focus on youth, little explicit mention of youth (6%), and rare use of youth as sources in the news (6.3%). However, these findings are much higher than previous content analysis of youth in the 2000 campaign. Results show that television appears not to target young voters and that young voters use Internet and interpersonal channels for political information.
Optimizing Monitoring Designs under Alternative Objectives

This paper describes an approach to identify monitoring designs that optimize detection of CO2 leakage from a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) reservoir and compares the results generated under two alternative objective functions. The first objective function minimizes the expected time to first detection of CO2 leakage, the second more conservative objective function minimizes the maximum time to leakage detection across the set of realizations. The approach applies a simulated annealing algorithm that searches the solution space by iteratively mutating the incumbent monitoring design. The approach takes into account uncertainty by evaluating the performance of potential monitoring designs across a set of simulated leakage realizations. The approach relies on a flexible two-tiered signature to infer that CO2 leakage has occurred. This research is part of the National Risk Assessment Partnership, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project tasked with conducting risk and uncertainty analysis in the areas of reservoir performance, natural leakage pathways, wellbore integrity, groundwater protection, monitoring, and systems level modeling.
Effects of the Urban Environment on Heavy Rainfall Distribution

: A network of 225 recording raingages was operated over an area of 5200 km2 in the St. Louis region during 1971-1975, in conjunction with an extensive investigation of urban effects on precipitation. Study of urban-induced effects on the frequency of heavy rainstorms has revealed a pronounced increase in the occurrence of storms producing 25 mm (1 inch) or more of rain. The increase is greatest in an area that is frequently in the path of storms passing across two urban-industrial regions. Analyses of raincells (rain intensity centers) within heavy convective storms shows a pronounced increase in water yield from cells exposed to potential urban effects, compared with those exposed only to the surrounding rural environment. Naturally-occurring heavy cells tend to undergo the greatest enhancement from urban exposure. Other analyses indicate an above-average frequency of excessive rain rates for periods of five minutes to two hours downwind of the urban-industrial complex. It is concluded that urban-induced intensification of short-duration rainstorms is sufficient to merit inclusion in the design and operation of urban-area hydrologic systems that control the flow of surplus storm water.
The turnover of norepinephrine in thyrotoxic and nonthyrotoxic mice

Abstract The turnover of administered tritiated norepinephrine (H 3 NE) was studied in the hearts of normal mice and mice after daily administration of triiodothyronine. The data show that although the concentration of endogenous norepinephrine (NE) is decreased after triiodothyronine treatment, the total NE content of the heart remains unaltered. These results show that the lowered level of NE results from hypertrophy of the heart muscle. The rate of disappearance of H 3 NE is similar in hearts of normal and hyperthyroid animals, indicating that the rate of synthesis of endogenous NE is not affected by triiodothyronine administration. It is concluded that the symptoms of hyperthyroidism cannot be explained on the basis of more rapid formation of NE.
Effect of inertia on thermoelastic flow instability

Thermal effects induced by viscous heating cause thermoelastic flow instabilities in curvilinear shear flows of viscoelastic polymer solutions. These instabilities could be tracked experimentally by changing the fluid temperature T0 to span the parameter space. In this work, the influence of T0 on the stability boundary of the Taylor–Couette flow of an Oldroyd-B fluid is studied. The upper bound of the stability boundary in the Weissenberg number (We)–Nahme number (Na) space is given by the critical conditions corresponding to the extension of the time-dependent isothermal eigensolution. Initially, as T0 is increased, the critical Weissenberg number, Wec, associated with this upper branch increases. Increasing T0 beyond a certain value T∗ causes the thermoelastic mode of instability to manifest. This occurs in the limit as We/Pe → 0, where Pe denotes the Peclet number. In this limit, the fluid relaxation time is much smaller than the time scale of thermal diffusion. T0 = T∗ represents a turning point in the Wec–Nac curve. Consequently, the stability boundary is multi-valued for a wide range of Na values. Since the relaxation time and viscosity of the fluid decrease with increasing T0, the elasticity number, defined as the ratio of the fluid relaxation time to the time scale of viscous diffusion, also decreases. Hence, O(10) values of the Reynolds number could be realized at the onset of instability if T0 is sufficiently large. This sets limits for the temperature range that can be used in experiments if inertial effects are to be minimized.
MEASURED RESTING ENERGY EXPENDITURE: RELATIONSHIP TO APACHE II SCORE AND OBESITY

Abstract Objective: To determine if Apache II Trauma Score or obesity correlate with measured resting energy expenditure (REE) and influence the validity of calculated REE. Design: Descriptive case series. Setting: Hospitalized care at an urban medical center. Patients: Consecutive sample of sixty-six patients having indirect calorimetry measurements. Analysis: Patients were assigned Apache II Scores and classified by body weight (15 obese, 25 normal weight and 11 underweight patients). Estimates of REE were calculated using Harris-Benedict and Mifflin equations. Main Outcomes: Measured REE did not correlate significantly with Apache II scores. Correlation of Harris-Benedict calculated REE with measured REE was moderate (r=0.54, p
Crossing the Great Divide: Predicting Productive Engagement for Young Women with Disabilities.

Recent research suggests that young women with disabilities are less likely then young men to be engaged productively in postschool employment and education activities. This study explored factors associated with better employment and education outcomes for both young women and young men with disabilities, and factors associated uniquely with better outcomes for young women. Findings indicated that three factors predicted better outcomes for both young women and young men with disabilities: student self-esteem at time of exit from school, continuing instructional needs in personal-social skills, and continuing instructional needs in vocational skills. Three variables predicted productive engagement for the young women with disabilities in our study. Young women who experienced early parenting responsibilities or who came from a family with a low annual household income were less likely to be engaged in productive work and education activities. Young women with disabilities were more likely to be productiv...
Intelligence and the processing of stimulus structure

Abstract It has been demonstrated in a number of experiments that the difficulty level of several performance type intelligence test tasks is determined directly by stimulus and task variables that vary the information to be processed. The variables are quantifiable. The implications of these findings for intelligence and the problems of an experimental approach to the measurement of intelligence are discussed.
Hippocampal electrical correlates of free behavior and behavior induced by stimulation of two hypothalamic-hippocampal systems in the cat

Abstract Bilateral dorsal and ventral hippocampal and anterior and posterior neocortical electrical activity was recorded in 11 cats during free behavior situations and during stimulation of medial and lateral hypothalamic systems which influence hippocampal electrical activity and behavior in distinct and contrasting ways. Behavioral states characterized by alertness, attentiveness, scanning, or investigatory activity were accompanied by hippocampal theta rhythm and by desynchronization of neocortical electrical activity. Behavioral states characterized by relaxed wakefulness, inattentiveness, or drowsiness were accompanied by high voltage irregular patterns of electrical activity in the hippocampus with no organized theta rhythms. Specific behaviors (alerting, orienting, scanning, or investigatory) emerging from relaxed behavioral states occurred concomitantly with hippocampal theta rhythm. Electrical stimulation of the medial hypothalamic system at 100 Hz elicited hippocampal theta rhythm and specific behaviors of alerting, orienting, scanning, and investigatory activity. In contrast, lateral hypothalamic stimulation at 100 Hz caused low voltage desynchronization of hippocampal electrical activity accompanied by postural stability and fixation of gaze. The relation of hippocampal theta rhythm to behavior is discussed in terms of brain stem-hypothalamic-hippocampal systems.
A systematic review of special events to promote breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening in the United States

Background Special events are common community-based strategies for health promotion. This paper presents findings from a systematic literature review on the impact of special events to promote breast, cervical or colorectal cancer education and screening.
Special Issue on Swarming in Natural and Engineered Systems [Scanning the Issue]

Provides an overview of the technical articles and features presented in this issue on swarming in natural and engineered systems.
Sialylation of Lipooligosaccharides Is Dispensable for the Virulence of Haemophilus ducreyi in Humans

Sialylated glycoconjugates on the surfaces of mammalian cells play important roles in intercellular communication and self-recognition. The sialic acid preferentially expressed in human tissues is N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). In a process called molecular mimicry, many bacterial pathogens decorate their cell surface glycolipids with Neu5Ac. Incorporation of Neu5Ac into bacterial glycolipids promotes bacterial interactions with host cell receptors called Siglecs. These interactions affect bacterial adherence, resistance to serum killing and phagocytosis, and innate immune responses. Haemophilus ducreyi, the etiologic agent of chancroid, expresses lipooligosaccharides (LOS) that are highly sialylated. However, an H. ducreyi sialyltransferase (lst) mutant, whose LOS contain reduced levels of Neu5Ac, is fully virulent in human volunteers. Recently, a second sialyltransferase gene (Hd0053) was discovered in H. ducreyi, raising the possibility that Hd0053 compensated for the loss of lst during human infection. CMP-Neu5Ac is the obligate nucleotide sugar donor for all bacterial sialyltransferases; LOS derived from an H. ducreyi CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase (neuA) mutant has no detectable Neu5Ac. Here, we compared an H. ducreyi neuA mutant to its wild-type parent in several models of pathogenesis. In human inoculation experiments, the neuA mutant formed papules and pustules at rates that were no different than those of its parent. When grown in media with and without Neu5Ac supplementation, the neuA mutant and its parent had similar phenotypes in bactericidal, macrophage uptake, and dendritic cell activation assays. Although we cannot preclude a contribution of LOS sialylation to ulcerative disease, these data strongly suggest that sialylation of LOS is dispensable for H. ducreyi pathogenesis in humans.
Optical coherence tomography scanning with a handheld vitreoretinal micromanipulator

An active handheld micromanipulator has been developed that is capable of automated intraocular acquisition of B-mode and C-mode optical coherence tomography scans that are up to 4 mm wide. The manipulator is a handheld Gough-Stewart platform actuated by ultrasonic linear motors. The manipulator has been equipped with a Fourier-domain common-path intraocular OCT probe that fits within a 25-gauge needle. The paper describes the systems and techniques involved, and presents preliminary results of B-mode and C-mode scans.
O++C60· C60O+ production and decomposition, charge transfer, and formation of C59O+. Dopeyball or [CO@C58+

Abstract The reaction of O+ with C60 has been studied over a collision energy range from 2 to 77 eV. At collision energies below 10 eV, we observe formation of the metastable C60O+ adduct, as well as charge transfer and chemically driven fragmentation processes. As energy increases, the adduct decomposes to form C+60, C+59 and C+58. At higher collision energies, in addition to the expected series of C+60−2n fragments, we observe odd-sized fullerene oxides, C69−2nO+, n=0−4. These could be either O-substituted fullerenes (dopeyballs) or endohedral CO complexes of the form [CO@C58−2n]+. Our evidence is most consistent with the endohedral CO structure, which would be the first example of a molecule collisionally trapped inside a fullerene. We also examined collisions of CO+ with C60, however only C+60−2n fragment ion production is observed.
Senescence and cytokines modulate the NK cell expression

We have been investigating senescence-related changes in human peripheral blood natural killer (NK2) cells. Data accumulated so far consistently and clearly show that both basal and cytokine (IL-2 and interferon α and γ) induced antitumor MHC-unrestricted cytotoxic activity of NK cells are well-preserved in the healthy elderly. To investigate if the non-cytotoxic functions of NK cells are also spared from the influence of senescence, recombinant IL-2-inducible secretion of IFN-γ, which serves as a first line of defense, was examined. The amount of IFN-γ secreted by purified, 18 h activated NK cells from the elderly was only 25 percent of that released by the cells from the young. Thus, the type 1 cytokine-inducible cytotoxic and cytokine secretory functions appear to be dissociable properties of NK cells, at least in the elderly. However, this aging-related early phase secretory deficit could be overcome by chronic stimulation with IL-2 (7 day culture). Since different subsets could perform different functions, we analyzed the NK subsets by flow cytometry. A minor CD56bright subset and a major CD56dim subset could be distinguished based on the density of expression of the cell surface CD56 molecule (N-CAM). We inquired if immunosenescence is likely to impact the steady-state level of circulating NK subsets. A significant decrease (P<0.01) in percent CD56bright among CD56+ cells was observed in the elderly with a relative sparing of the CD56dim subset. The CD56bright/CD56dim ratio, perhaps representing NK cell maturity status, declined with age. This maturation-related subset redistribution and partial loss during aging of high affinity IL-2αβγ receptor bearing `immature' CD56bright NK cells has not been reported before. It could be a consequence of the decline in the level of IL-2 during aging. It is concluded that post-adolescent age-associated modulations in human NK cells are not expressed uniformly; they are pronounced in some, subtle in others but negligible in yet other biological parameters.
Experimental data for the crossover process in a model supercritical system

This paper presents the experimental technique and data acquired in the evaluation of a separation process in the crossover region of a model supercritical fluid system consisting of benzoic acid, 1–10 decanediol, and carbon dioxide. The results show that by exploiting the crossover effect it is possible to obtain essentially pure benzoic acid (>99.5% purity) with a single temperature cycle. A number of other issues are also discussed including the tradeoff between yield and purity and the manner in which the process variables are specified, which involves the interplay of experiment and model calculations.
Mechanisms for the Retardation of Uranium (VI) Migration

This report covers the investigation of mechanisms for the retardation of U(VI) migration. It describes (1) the measurement of the solubility of UO22+as afunction of pH and equilibration time, (2) the calculation of solubility using solution thermochemical data, (3) the measurement of the sorption of UO22+by silica as a function of pH and supporting electrolyte concentration, and (4) attempts to simulate the uranium sorption isotherms in terms of the U solution thermochemical data, measured properties of the silica and proposed sorption reaction mechanisms.
Extracting user preferences by GTM for aiGA weight tuning in unit selection text-to-speech synthesis

Unit-selection based Text-to-Speech synthesis systems aim to obtain high quality synthetic speech by optimally selecting previously recorded units. To that effect these units are selected by a dynamic programming algorithm guided through a weighted cost function. Thus, in this context, weights should be tuned perceptually so as to be in agreement with perception from listening users. In previous works we have proposed to subjectively tune these weights through an interactive evolutionary process, also known as Active Interactive Genetic Algorithm (aiGA). The problem comes out when different users, although being consistent, evolve to different weight configurations. In this proof-of-principle work, Generative Topographic Mapping (GTM) is introduced as a method to extract knowledge from user specific preferences. The experiments show that GTM is able to capture user preferences, thus, avoiding selecting the best evolved weight configuration by means of a second preference test.
Implicit Active Contours Driven by Local Binary Fitting Energy

Local image information is crucial for accurate segmentation of images with intensity inhomogeneity. However, image information in local region is not embedded in popular region-based active contour models, such as the piecewise constant models. In this paper, we propose a region-based active contour model that is able to utilize image information in local regions. The major contribution of this paper is the introduction of a local binary fitting energy with a kernel function, which enables the extraction of accurate local image information. Therefore, our model can be used to segment images with intensity inhomogeneity, which overcomes the limitation of piecewise constant models. Comparisons with other major region-based models, such as the piece-wise smooth model, show the advantages of our method in terms of computational efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the proposed method has promising application to image denoising.
The statistical data fork: a class of broad-band multichannel switches

The circuit switching concept of trunk grouping has been introduced into the broadband packet switch. This trunk grouping concept exploits the very high bandwidth offered by lightwave technology with electronic switching technology operating at substantially slower speeds. A key component of this concept is the multichannel switch, which is a device capable of supporting routing requirements at the trunk group level. The statistical data fork (SDF), which is a multichannel switch enjoying an extremely simple control structure, is introduced here. It is based on the concepts of deflection routing and error correcting codes. It is shown that by properly designing the SDF, an extremely reliable and fault tolerant broadband switch can be obtained. >
Spinel-bearing Al-rich chondrules in two chondrite finds from Roosevelt County, New Mexico: Indicators of nebular and parent body processes

Two rare spinel-bearing Al-rich chondrules are identified in chondrite finds from Roosevelt County, New Mexico-RC 071 (L4) and RC 072 (L5). These chondrules have unusual mineralogies dominated by highly and asymmetrically zoned Al-Cr-rich spinels. Two alternatives exist to explain the origin of this zoning-fractional crystallization or metamorphism. Fractional crystallization formed the zoning of the trivalent cations and caused a localized depletion in chromites around the large Al-Cr-rich spinels. Diffusive exchange and partitioning of Fe and Mg between olivine and spinel during parent-body metamorphism can explain the asymmetric zoning of these elements. The bulk compositions of the chondrules suggest affinities with the Na-Al-Cr-rich chondrules, as would be expected from the abundance of Al-Cr-rich spinels. The most important factors are the temperature to which the molten chondrule was heated and the cooling rate during crystallization. These two chondrules cooled rapidly from near the liquidus, as indicated by the zoning, occurrence and sizes of spinels, radiating chondrule textures and localized chromite depletions.
Geospatial information: Are economic measures convincing?

○ Not too promising in short-run for useful socio-economic metrics ○ Need for coordination among disparate studies ○ Need to focus on the most important uses of the output of the studies ○ We have the models, we don't have the information to make them work for us
Dangerous Spaces of Citizenship: Gang Talk, Rights Talk and Rule of Law in Brazil

This article considers an apparently perplexing aspect of democratization in Brazil: the use by notorious criminal gangs (comandos) from the poor urban peripheries and prisons of the discourses of democratic citizenship, justice, and rule of law to represent their own organizations and intentions. I situate this use within an unsettling development in Latin America generally during the last thirty years: the coincidence nearly everywhere of increasing political democracy and increasing everyday violence and injustice against citizens. My discussion considers these new territorializations of power and violence and their consequences for citizenship, democracy, and urbanization. To bring them to light, I focus on public pronouncements by Brazilian criminal gang that typically combine rationalities of crime with those of democracy, citizen rights, rule of law, and revolution. I also compare them with public declarations made by the police. I analyze both in relation to the historically dominant paradigm of Brazilian citizenship that democratization destabilizes. I then evaluate this destabilization with regard to the new kinds of violence and paradigms of insurgent citizenship that have emerged as characteristics of urbanization and democratization worldwide.
A 220 km2 recently erupted lava field on the East Pacific Rise near lat 8°S

SeaMARC II records show a 220 km2 area of unusually high reflectivity on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) near lat 8°S which we interpret to be a recently erupted lava field. This is the only segment of the EPR exhibiting high reflectivity over such a large area in our continuous SeaMARC II coverage from lat 8°N to 18°N and 3°S to 23°S. The lavas appear to issue from the axial neovolcanic zone between lat 8°15′ and 8°17′S. The lava field extends up to 18km off-axis and inundates scarps up to 100 m high. On the basis of measurements of scarp heights just outside areas where they are buried, we estimate the average thickness of the field to be 70 ±20 m. Thus, the volume of the lava field is 15 ±4 km3. In comparison, the average annual volcanic budget for the Earth is approximately 4-5 km3, and the largest historic basaltic eruption (from the Icelandic Laki fissure in 1783) was approximately 12.3 km3. When did the eruption occur? Comparative studies of acoustic reflectivity and photographed bottom characteristics elsewhere along the EPR suggest that the lava field has little or no sediment cover and is very young. This is also one of the only areas on the EPR where earthquakes occur that do not appear to be caused by transform faulting. If the earthquakes are related to the lava field, then major eruptions may have occurred in 1964, 1965, and 1969. A large helium plume near lat 13°S may be caused in part by eruptions of the lat 8°S lava field. This is consistent with estimates of currents at 2-3 km depth, which are such that a plume generated at lat 8°S would eventually appear off-axis at lat 13°S. Our observations suggest that this spreading segment, which is bounded by small ridge-axis discontinuities at lat 8°05′S and 8°47′S, may have been the most volcanically active segment along the EPR during the past 25 yr.
Coarsening in Solidification Processing

Coarsening manifests itself in solidification of metal alloys as 1) growth of larger particles or dendrite arms with simultaneous dissolution of smaller particles or arms (“ripening”), 2) filling in of spaces between particles or dendrite arms (“coalescence”) and 3) breakup of dendrites (“dendrite multiplication”). Ripening of dendrites during solidification results in the well known dependency of dendrite arm spacing on cooling rate or local solidification time. If initial dendritic grain size is sufficiently small, the grains may spheroidize and then grow non-dendritically during isothermal holding in the liquid-solid zone. Dendrite multiplication results from convection combined with rapid cooling during initial stages of dendritic solidification. If the new grains thus formed are sufficiently high in number density, subsequent growth of these grains is non-dendritic. There is engineering interest today in finding the most reliable and economic ways of achieving such a high initial grain density, either by thermo-mechanical means or by grain refinement.
Use of Crustacean Shells for Uptake and Removal of Metal Ions in Solution

Abstract The use of crustacean shells, in particular crab shells, for the removal of metal ions in solution is described. Research studies found in the literature on the ability of the shells, effect of particle size, pH, competitive studies in mixtures of metals, application to real samples such as acid mine drainage, and use of the shells in a column are presented. The major component of the shells that allows uptake to occur is chitin. Several mechanisms are proposed for uptake. There are conflicting accounts in the literature on such areas as the effect of pH, flow rate, and particle size.
A UNIFIED FRAMEWORK FOR SITE SELECTION AND BUSINESS FORECASTING USING ANP

This paper reports an on-going application of the Analytic Network Process (ANP) in the context of a non-profit organization: The Latin American Studies Association (LASA). This institution organizes a large international conference every eighteen months and needs to estimate conference attendance in advance (for logistic purposes) as well as selecting a host city where the combination of hotel infrastructure, conference costs, and so on, makes it a sound financial choice. In this paper, ANP will be used to: first, create a model to predict the relative number of attendees to the forthcoming 2009 LASA conference; and second, to create a Benefit-Cost-Risk (BCR) model to select the most suitable Latin American city as the conference site. This paper shows how the combination of these two ANP models, one for prediction and one for selection, can be used together for effective decision-making.
Modified optical cavity transmission by an intracavity dispersive medium

By balancing the sharp linear and nonlinear dispersions of an intracavity electromagnetically induced transparency medium, the cavity transmission linewidth can be significantly modified and controlled. Cavity linewidth narrowing, broadening, and white-light cavity are experimentally demonstrated.
Systematic Mapping of Fracture Morphology

Detailed examination of fracture surfaces reveals characteristic forms which have been incorporated in a system of mapping symbols. The symbols apply equally well for all nonshear fracture surfaces in a variety of materials and scales examined so far. It is believed that all such fractures can be described graphically in this manner regardless of material type and loading condition in a scale range of seven or more orders of magnitude. This fact needs to be clearly established and widely recognized in order that observations made at the submicroscopic, microscopic, megascopic, and perhaps larger scales can be interrelated for the benefit of investigators in different fields of physical science.
ChIP-on-chip significance analysis reveals ubiquitous transcription factor binding

Background ChIP-on-chip technology provides a genome-scale view of transcription factor (TF)/target interactions and a systemslevel window into transcriptional regulatory networks. However, while many studies have used ChIP-on-chip data to effectively discover new TF targets, statistical methods have fallen short of developing an accurate model to disassociate signals caused by experimental noise from those caused by true biological variation, thus leveraging the technology to provide high confidence predictions of the full range of interactions.
Adder-accumulator cells in RSFQ logic

We are in the process of designing a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter for use in a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) system based entirely on Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) logic. One aspect of this project involves the development of the arithmetic unit of the filter, in this case an adder-accumulator multiplier. This article describes two cells can perform the function of accumulated addition in the adder-accumulator multiplier. We have fabricated both cells and tested them at low speed. >
Cytosystematic Value of Chromosomal Inversion Data in the Genus Peromyscus (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

G-band chromosomal data are presented for seven species of subtropical and tropical deer mice: Peromyscus banderanus, P. guatemalensis, P. gymnotis, P. mexicanus, P. yucatanicus, P. zarhynchus , and P. lepturus. P. banderanus retains the primitive karyotype for the genus with only chromosomes 1, 22, and 23 biarmed. Species examined from the mexicanus group ( P. guatemalensis, P. gymnotis, P. mexicanus, P. yucatanicus , and P. zarhynchus ) are characterized by a single karyotype with chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 9, 22, and 23 biarmed. P. lepturus has chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 22, and 23 biarmed. Autosomal heterochromatin (C-band positive material) was restricted to the centromeric regions in each of the seven species examined. A most parsimonious cladogram was constructed from the chromosome banding data of these and 19 other species. Due to the high frequency of apparently convergent inversions of chromosome 6, this chromosome was eliminated as a character in the cladistic analysis. Additionally, a synthetic phylogenetic analysis incorporating chromosomal and subgeneric taxonomic inferences for the 26 species is presented. Within the genus Peromyscus , chromosome banding data are viewed as most reliable at the species group level (in certain cases) and as indicators of potential areas of discrepancy in intrageneric taxonomy.
Sexuality Education Policy Implementation in Two Rural Midwestern School Districts

This study sought to further interrogate the sexuality education debate from the perspective of the educational policy being implemented to achieve established curricular requirements and goals in rural midwestern communities. To this point, very little research has examined the way in which sexuality education curricula are implemented in these communities. The overall purpose of this study was to analyze sexuality education policy implementation in two rural midwestern communities in the state of Iowa. The researcher was interested in learning how administrators and educators in rural midwestern communities implemented sexuality education policy, and understanding that process from a social cognitive theoretical framework. A qualitative case study was conducted. Seven local administrators and educators from two rural school districts in the state of Iowa were interviewed. Analysis revealed four interactive themes that shed light on how sexuality education policy is implemented in rural midwestern communities: (a) values and beliefs of implementing agents, (b) community context, (c) implementing agent interaction, and (d) organization and administration of sexuality education. Ultimately, the impact of situated social cognition on implementing agents’ decisions with regard to sexuality education was evident and significant. Prior knowledge (Cohen and Weiss 1993), social situations and community history (Lin 2000), professional discourses (Hill 1999), and informal networks all impacted the implementing agents’ cognitive frameworks.
Telecommunications Deregulation and Motives for Mergers

This paper is an event study analysis of alternative theories on the motives behind the cluster of merger following the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The evidence that mergers after telecommunications deregulation generate positive announcement abnormal returns to the stockholders of the merging firms is consistent with both collusion and efficiency theories. The negative announcement abnormal returns to bidders suggest hubris as a possible motive. I examine these alternative theories by studying the announcement abnormal returns to rivals of merging firms, including the Nynex/Bell Atlantic merger challenged by the FCC on collusion concerns. I find strong support for anticipation and signaling of potential synergies between rivals and subsequent bidders through telecom bidding activity. The markets’ response to the announcement of the Nynex/Bell Atlantic merger shows little evidence that the merger would have had collusive or anticompetitive effects.
Global shape mediates the perception of the parts of a picture, not vice versa: comments on "Ellipses on the surface of a picture" by Hammad et al (2008).

Hammad et al (2008, Perception37 504–510) argue that the apparent shape of a drawn ellipse in the context of a drawn cylinder is mediated by the presence of local ‘depth cues’. I attempt to show that such features are incapable of constraining the shape of the whole pattern—and thus of its parts—in the manner claimed by the authors, and offer alternative explanations for their experimental outcome.
An Overview of Enhanced Sintering Treatments for Iron

The fundamental sintering behavior of iron is examined to determine possible success in enhancing the rate or improving the properties. Within this scope, both liquid phase and activated sintering treatments are considered. Various additions are discussed in terms of diffusivity and phase diagram data. Small concentrations of additions like B, C, N and P are identified as candidate additives for enhanced sintering when combined with various refractory or transition metals.
Oscillatory barrier-assisted Langmuir–Blodgett deposition of large-scale quantum dot monolayers

Abstract Depositing continuous, large-scale quantum dot films with low pinhole density is an inevitable but nontrivial step for studying their properties for applications in catalysis, electronic devices, and optoelectronics. This rising interest in high-quality quantum dot films has provided research impetus to improve the deposition technique. We show that by incorporating oscillatory barriers in the commonly used Langmuir–Blodgett method, large-scale monolayers of quantum dots with full coverage up to several millimeters have been achieved. With assistance of perturbation provided by the oscillatory barriers, the film has been shown to relax towards thermal equilibrium, and this physical process has been supported by molecular dynamics simulation. In addition, time evolution of dilatational moduli has been shown to give a clear indication of the film morphology and its stability.
Mutual Visibility with an Optimal Number of Colors

We consider the following fundamental Mutual Visibility problem: Given a set of n identical autonomous point robots in arbitrary distinct positions in the Euclidean plane, find a schedule to move them such that within finite time they reach, without collisions, a configuration in which they all see each other. The robots operate following Look-Compute-Move cycles and a robot $$r_i$$ can not see other robot $$r_j$$ if there lies a third robot $$r_l$$ in the line segment connecting the positions of $$r_i$$ and $$r_j$$. Moreover, n is not assumed to be known to the robots. We study this problem in the robots with lights model, where each robot has an externally visible persistent light which can assume colors from a fixed set of colors and the color set is identical to all the robots. This model corresponds to the classical model of oblivious robots when the number of colors $$c=1$$ in the color set. Therefore, we focus here on the objective of minimizing the number of colors required to successfully solve Mutual Visibility. Di Luna et al. [16] presented two algorithms and showed that Mutual Visibility can always be solved without collisions with $$c=3$$ colors for both semi-synchronous and asynchronous robots under both rigid and non-rigid moves. In this paper, we present and analyze an improved algorithm which requires only $$c=2$$ colors and works for both semi-synchronous and asynchronous robots under both rigid and non-rigid moves; this is optimal since any algorithm for Mutual Visibility needs at least 2 colors in the robots with lights model, when n is not known. We employ a non-trivial technique which moves all the interior robots first to the boundary of the initial convex hull and then the robots in the boundary of the hull except the corners to outside of the hull until all the robots eventually become corners, without the need of any third color. Our result is interesting in the sense that asynchronicity and non-rigidity of robot movements have no effect on Mutual Visibility with respect to the number of colors needed to successfully solve it. We also provide an improved solution to the Circle Formation problem.