cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nurturing Our Satellite Space Workforce at the United States Air Force Academy

Abstract : The Space Systems Research Center at the United States Air Force Academy is building a cadre of satellite space professionals "one cadet at a time." Its motto and aim is for cadets to "Learn Space by Doing Space." Approximately one half of the cadets majoring in astronautical engineering perform a one year long capstone program covering the design, fabrication, test, launch and operation of a satellite into space (the FalconSAT program). FalconSAT-2 is a 19.5-kg satellite scheduled to launch on the SpaceX Falcon I launch vehicle in October of 2005 from Kwajalien Island in the South Pacific. The cadets are currently working on FalconSAT-3, a 50-kg satellite expected to launch in 2006 on an Atlas V. Both missions have payloads approved by the Department of Defense Space Experiments Review Board to conduct space-weather experiments and Air Force Research Laboratory avionics and propulsion experiments. This program works just like any Air Force program, with the cadets being the contractor and the faculty and Air Force funding agencies being the Air Force Manager. The program has approximately 25 students, with six to eight faculty mentors. FalconSAT is a multi-disciplinary program, including cadets majoring in physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and management. All of the normal milestones, reviews, presentations, and reports required in an Air Force program are required of the cadets in this program. The cadets do all of the briefing. The cadets also do all of the hands-on work including clean room manufacturing and assembly, and bake out and vibration testing. It is a true cadet run program with faculty mentors to keep things on track. The current goal is to launch a new satellite every 2 - 3 years. This paper presents the development, challenges, and advantages of conducting an undergraduate space program performing world class research, and details the cadet construction, testing, and preparations for an October 2005 launc7
Antifungal Defenses of Seagrasses from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Abstract We investigated the antifungal chemical defenses and physiological responses of five seagrasses collected from nearshore seagrass beds from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, against a panel of co-occurring marine fungi isolated from nearby coastal communities. Whole plant tissues from Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme prevented overgrowth by three of the seven fungi used in this study. Organic extracts from four of the five seagrasses inhibited the growth of at least one fungal strain. The extract from Ruppia maritima exhibited the highest antifungal activity, inhibiting the growth of three fungi including the pathogen Lindra thalassiae. Among the fungal panel, Fusarium sp. 2 was the most susceptible to seagrass extracts, whereas none of the extracts disrupted the growth of Dendryphiella salina and Fusarium sp. 3. Under laboratory conditions fungal inoculation elicited hydrogen peroxide production in all specimens within 25 min post-inoculation as measured with a redox sensitive dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay. The concentration of H2O2 released into the immediate vicinity of infected seagrasses varied between 0.10 and 0.85 μmol g−1 FW min−1 depending on seagrass species and pathogen combination. Longer term incubation (days) of T. testudinum with homogenates of D. salina or L. thallasiae resulted in the induction of caspase activity, a known proteolytic activator of apoptotic and inflammatory activities. The application of micromolar concentrations of H2O2 to blades of T. testudinum induced caspase activity suggesting that fungal detection, H2O2 production, and caspase activation occur in a consecutive order. The seagrasses examined in this study appear to use a combined strategy to combat fungal infection, including microbial chemical defenses and signaling pathways observed in terrestrial plants.
Attenuation of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury with selectin inhibition in a rabbit model.

Background: The selectin glycoproteins are involved in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. We investigated the ability of glycyrrhizin, a known selectin inhibitor, to attenuate renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods: Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits underwent midline laparotomy with renal artery cross-clamping. After 30 minutes of reperfusion, group 1 (control, n = 10) animals received a saline infusion, while group 2 (GLY, n = 8) animals received a glycyrrhizin infusion. Renal function was compared between the two groups after 72 hours of reperfusion. A t test was utilized, with α set at P <0.05. Results: Group 1 and group 2 animals had similar baseline renal function. However, after 72 hours of reperfusion, group 1 animals had a significantly higher mean blood urea nitrogen creatinine ratio than group 2 animals (P <0.01), indicating preserved renal function in rabbits treated with glycyrrhizin. Conclusions: Selectin blockade using glycyrrhizin attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury when given 30 minutes after the onset of reperfusion in a rabbit model.
Cooperative radiative decay in the nonlinear optical response of excitonic nanostructures.

The nonlinear susceptibility ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}}^{(3)}$ and the four-wave mixing signal from assemblies of molecules with nonoverlapping charge distributions and an arbitrary geometry are calculated using Green's-function techniques. At low molecular density and under off-resonant excitation we recover the local-field approximation. The role of retarded interactions and cooperative spontaneous emission in the electrodynamics of confined excitons in molecular quantum wells is discussed.
Is Barrett's esophagus in veterans associated with colonic neoplasia? A retrospective analysis *

Is Barrett's esophagus in veterans associated with colonic neoplasia? A retrospective analysis *
Magnetite-free, yellow lizardite serpentinization of olivine websterite, Canyon Mountain complex, N.E. Oregon

We document an example of serpentinization of olivine and orthopyroxene that produced virtually no magnetite, but instead relatively Fe-rich yellow-colored lizardite (X Fe = 0.08 to 0.17), and the native Fe-Ni-Co metals, awaruite and wairauite. Lizardite’s identity was confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy, although peaks are broad. Electron microprobe analyses of the lizardite yield a continuous compositional trend of formula contents suggestive of the progressive uptake of Fe 3+ exclusively on M sites, where it is charge balanced by vacancies. Although these observations are unusual, this secondary mineral assemblage can be explained in terms of the likely intensive variables T , f H 2 O , f H 2 , and a SiO 2 attending the alteration. The absence of magnetite in serpentinization does not signify a lack of oxidation. By forming the hydrated phase-component ferri-lizardite instead of magnetite from the fayalite and ferrosilite components, the yield of hydrogen is reduced by two-thirds. The usual inverse correlation of rock density with magnetic susceptibility is unlikely to be the case in this kind of serpentinization.
Neural correlates of novelty and face–age effects in young and elderly adults

The human amygdala preferentially responds to objects of potential value, such as hedonically valenced and novel stimuli. Many studies have documented age-related differences in amygdala responses to valenced stimuli, but relatively little is known about age-related changes in the amygdala's response to novelty. This study examines whether there are differences in amygdala novelty responses in two different age groups. Healthy young and elderly adults viewed both young and elderly faces that were seen many times (familiar faces) or only once (novel faces) in the context of an fMRI study. We observed that amygdala responses to novel (versus familiar) faces were preserved with aging, suggesting that novelty processing in the amygdala remains stable across the lifespan. In addition, participants demonstrated larger amygdala responses to target faces of the same age group than to age out-group target faces (i.e., an age in-group effect). Differences in anatomic localization and behavioral results suggest that novelty and age in-group effects were differentially processed in the amygdala.
Expression of five frizzleds during zebrafish craniofacial development

Abstract Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signaling is critical for proper animal development. While initially identified in Drosophila, this pathway is also essential for the proper development of vertebrates. Zebrafish mutants, defective in the Wnt/PCP pathway, frequently display defects in convergence and extension gastrulation movements and additional later abnormalities including problems with craniofacial cartilage morphogenesis. Although multiple Frizzled (Fzd) homologues, Wnt receptors, were identified in zebrafish, it is unknown which Fzd plays a role in shaping the early larvae head skeleton. In an effort to determine which Frizzleds are involved in this process, we analyzed the expression of five zebrafish frizzled homologues fzd2, 6, 7a, 7b, and 8a from 2–4 days post-fertilization (dpf). During the analyzed developmental time points fzd2 and fzd6 are broadly expressed throughout the head, while the expression of fzd7a, 7b and 8a is much more restricted. Closer examination revealed that fzd7b is expressed in the neural crest and the mesodermal core of the pharyngeal arches and in the chondrocytes of newly stacked craniofacial cartilage elements. However, fzd7a is only expressed in the neural crest of the pharyngeal arches and fzd8a is expressed in the pharyngeal endoderm.
Lunar Terrain Surface Modeling for the ALHAT Program

The NASA Autonomous Precision Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) program is developing an autonomous precision landing system capable of landing a spacecraft on the moon. To achieve the desired 90 m (3sigma) landing accuracy some version of a Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) is necessary. One such algorithm is described in a companion paper. These algorithms require an accurate representation of the lunar terrain for both the on-board TRN algorithms and the ground-based software test bed (truth model) to verify the performance of the algorithms. In its terminal landing phase, the spacecraft will touchdown in a safe location using two algorithms: Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA) and the Hazard-Reference Navigation (HRN). To verify the performance of the HDA and HRN algorithms, ALHAT needs lunar surface models incorporating rock shape and size distribution statistics. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has been tasked by ALHAT to supply lunar terrain data for ALHAT. This includes both terrain data (elevation and surface reflectivity properties) for TRN and rock statistics for HDA and HRN. At the present time, detailed terrain data from satellite measurements is not available for all the lunar regions. In particular, data for the polar regions, which have been identified as regions of high importance, are sparse. Several missions are underway to map the lunar surface. Until data from the laser altimeters and cameras on these spacecraft are available, APL will provide representative lunar terrain data to test the ALHAT algorithms. This paper discusses APL's different approaches to generating lunar digital elevation maps for TRN. It does not discuss the generation of rock statistics for HDA and HRN.
Experimental Heat Transfer Coefficients from Ice-Roughened Surfaces for Aircraft Deicing Design

Experimental Stanton numbers are presented for seven aluminum model castings of ice-roughened surfaces in parallel air e ow for Rex ranging from 5 :3 £ 10 4 to 1:3 £ 10 6 . The Stanton numbers were generally higher than those for previous studies with hemispherical and truncated cone roughness elements, and the majority of the data were in the fully turbulent regime. In general, the rime feather ice roughness produced the highest rate of heat transfer, followed by the rough glaze roughness, the smooth rime roughness, and the smooth glaze roughness, respectively.In thefully developed turbulentregimethelocalStantonnumbercould bedescribed by apowerlawof theformStx = aRem Pr i 0:4 where a andm correlated well with the newly dee ned Index of Random Roughness and the roughness height, respectively. This work provides a set of measured values of the Stanton number, specie c to thecaseofstochasticallyaccretediceonaircraftsurfaces,neededfortheeffectivedesignofin-e ightdeicingsystems.
Naturally occurring neuron death in the optic layers of superior colliculus of the postnatal rat.

Application of light and electron microscopic techniques to the superior colliculus of the normal rat shows that a number of neurons die within the first week after birth. Cells in the earliest recognizable stages of degeneration are characterized by an overall increase in electron density and dilation of the intracellular cisternae, although there are only minimal changes in the chromatin pattern of the nucleus. Synapses are found on these cells. A second type of degenerating cell, with more striking changes in the nucleus, also appears in the tissue but very infrequently. In later stages of degeneration, cells are reduced to a condensed chromatin mass surrounded by disrupted fragments of the rest of the cell. This ‘cellular debris’ is found within glial cytoplasm. The majority of these debris profiles appear in the first postnatal week and are usually most abundant in the caudal third compared to either the rostral or middle thirds of the colliculus. The results suggest that the mechanisms controlling neuron number in the superior colliculus are operative in the postnatal rat but argue against a simple relationship between the survival of a particular neuron and the total number of optic connections that neuron has received.
Stress rates in the central Cascadia subduction zone inferred from an elastic plate model

GPS vectors and surface tilt and uplift rates from northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington are inverted to estimate rates of stress changes along the Cascadia thrust fault and base of the overriding plate using a finite thickness elastic plate model. The data are fit by elevated shear stress and Coulomb Failure Function (CFF) rates within 80 km of the trench. By contrast, an elastic half-space dislocation model does not fit as well and predicts significant amounts of locking and elevated CFF rates near the coast.
Nonadiabatic effects on rotating-frame dipolar relaxation time (T1Dϱ) measurements

Abstract Application of the T 1D ϱ pulse sequence often leads to a two-component relaxation decay due to nonadiabatic effects near the magic angle ≡m which creates a serious danger of T 1D ϱ , misinterpretation. These effects were studied in detail for various fluorides and it was discovered that three different sources of nonadiabaticity may occur during T 1D ϱ measurements.
Influence of temperature on in-situ guided wave inspection and health monitoring of a rectangular bar specimen

In-situ measurements of specimens in research reactors and the health monitoring of commercial nuclear power plants are difficult because of high operating temperatures and the presence of radiation. One possible solution is to transmit ultrasonic guided waves into the harsh environment from a remote transducer. However, it is well known that large changes in temperature can significantly alter guided-wave propagation. The work presented in this paper examines how temperature, up to 700 K, influences guided-waves in a bar specimen of rectangular cross-section. The measurement setup consists of a bar specimen connected to a magnetostrictive transducer via a long wire waveguide. This allows the transducer to be located outside of the high temperature environment. Theoretical dispersion curve calculations as well as time-domain finite element models have been used to predict the behavior of group velocity. Preliminary results indicate that each wave mode has a unique response to temperature at a given frequency. Although higher order modes are generally more sensitive to temperature, the results also suggest the possibility of selecting wave mode and frequency to minimize the change in group velocity due to temperature.
Mlc Is a Transcriptional Activator with a Key Role in Integrating Cyclic AMP Receptor Protein and Integration Host Factor Regulation of Leukotoxin RNA Synthesis in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a periodontal pathogen, synthesizes leukotoxin (LtxA), a protein that helps the bacterium evade the host immune response. Transcription of the ltxA operon is induced during anaerobic growth. The cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CRP) indirectly increases ltxA expression, but the intermediary regulator is unknown. Integration host factor (IHF) binds to and represses the leukotoxin promoter, but neither CRP nor IHF is responsible for the anaerobic induction of ltxA RNA synthesis. Thus, we have undertaken studies to identify other regulators of leukotoxin transcription and to demonstrate how these proteins work together to modulate leukotoxin synthesis. First, analyses of ltxA RNA expression from defined leukotoxin promoter mutations in the chromosome identify positions -69 to -35 as the key control region and indicate that an activator protein modulates leukotoxin transcription. We show that Mlc, which is a repressor in Escherichia coli, functions as a direct transcriptional activator in A. actinomycetemcomitans; an mlc deletion mutant reduces leukotoxin RNA synthesis, and recombinant Mlc protein binds specifically at the -68 to -40 region of the leukotoxin promoter. Furthermore, we show that CRP activates ltxA expression indirectly by increasing the levels of Mlc. Analyses of Δmlc, Δihf, and Δihf Δmlc strains demonstrate that Mlc can increase RNA polymerase (RNAP) activity directly and that IHF represses ltxA RNA synthesis mainly by blocking Mlc binding. Finally, a Δihf Δmlc mutant still induces ltxA during anaerobic growth, indicating that there are additional factors involved in leukotoxin transcriptional regulation. A model for the coordinated regulation of leukotoxin transcription is presented.
Developmental Exposure to the Pesticides Paraquat and Maneb and the Parkinson’s Disease Phenotype

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with advanced age, but it is still unclear whether dopaminergic neuronal death results from events initiated during development, adulthood, or represents a cumulative effect across the span of life. This study hypothesized that paraquat (PQ) and maneb (MB) exposure during critical periods of development could permanently change the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system and enhance its vulnerability to subsequent neurotoxicant challenges. C57BL/6 mice were treated daily with saline, 0.3 mg/kg PQ, 1 mg/kg MB or PQ + MB from post-natal (PN) days 5 to 19. At 6 weeks, a 20% decrease in activity was evident only in the PQ + MB group, with a further decline (40%) observed at 6 months. A subset of mice were re-challenged as adults with saline, 10 mg/kg PQ, 30 mg/kg MB, or PQ + MB 2 x a week for 3 weeks. Mice exposed developmentally to PQ + MB and rechallenged as adults were the most affected, showing a 70% reduction in motor activity 2 weeks following the last rechallenge dose. Striatal DA levels were reduced by 37% following developmental exposure to PQ + MB only, butfollowing adult re-challenge levels were reduced by 62%. A similar pattern of nigral dopaminergic cell loss was observed, with the PQ + MB treated group exhibiting the greatest reduction, with this loss being amplified by adult re-challenge. Developmental exposure to PQ or MB alone produced minimal changes. However, following adult re-challenge, significant decreases in DA and nigral cell counts were observed, suggesting that exposure to either neurotoxicant alone produced a state of silent toxicity that was unmasked following adult re-exposure. Taken together, these findings indicate that exposure to pesticides during the PN period can produce permanent and progressive lesions of the nigrostriatal DA system, and enhanced adult susceptibility to these pesticides, suggesting that developmental exposure to neurotoxicants may be involved in the induction of neurodegenerative disorders and/or alter the normal aging process.
C2cd3 is critical for centriolar distal appendage assembly and ciliary vesicle docking in mammals

The primary cilium plays critical roles in vertebrate development and physiology, but the mechanisms underlying its biogenesis remain poorly understood. We investigated the molecular function of C2 calcium-dependent domain containing 3 (C2cd3), an essential regulator of primary cilium biogenesis. We show that C2cd3 is localized to the centriolar satellites in a microtubule- and Pcm1-dependent manner; however, C2cd3 is dispensable for centriolar satellite integrity. C2cd3 is also localized to the distal ends of both mother and daughter centrioles and is required for the recruitment of five centriolar distal appendage proteins: Sclt1, Ccdc41, Cep89, Fbf1, and Cep164. Furthermore, loss of C2cd3 results in failure in the recruitment of Ttbk2 to the ciliary basal body as well as the removal of Cp110 from the ciliary basal body, two critical steps in initiating ciliogenesis. C2cd3 is also required for recruiting the intraflagellar transport proteins Ift88 and Ift52 to the mother centriole. Consistent with a role in distal appendage assembly, C2cd3 is essential for ciliary vesicle docking to the mother centriole. Our results suggest that C2cd3 regulates cilium biogenesis by promoting the assembly of centriolar distal appendages critical for docking ciliary vesicles and recruiting other essential ciliogenic proteins.
Communication, Communicative Proceis20 Meaning: Toward A Unified Theory

This paper attempts to dispel some of the prevailing ambiguity regarding related concepts of communication by suggesting: (1) a perspective for approaching the study of communicative process, and (2) a behavioral focus for the examination and classification of the process elements. The term “communication” is defined as the sharing of experience, observable as the extent to which the responses of a generator and perceiver are systematically correlated to a referent stimulus. “Communicative process” is described in relatively discreet terms as a unique class of intentful stimulus-response behavior, represented by the model GS+PR. “Meaning” is defined as a discriminative response to a stimulus, and provides the criterion for determining whether or not communication occurs in a given situation. The implication of the proposed system of inquiry is that any observably definable communicative event, regardless of its context or complexity, is potentially subject to systematic, verifiable analysis for purposes of critical investigation, empirical explanation, and useful prediction of behavior.
A vertically integrated treatment of ice stream and ice shelf thermodynamics

The extremely small vertical shear in ice stream and ice shelf flow simplifies the equations, which govern their thermodynamic evolution. Complemented by the widely used shallow shelf approximation used to simplify the ice flow momentum balance, a vertically integrated formulation of heat transfer presented here reduces the dimensionality of the thermodynamic problem from three to two (plan view) dimensions and thus significantly reduces the computational cost of treating ice stream and ice shelf thermodynamics in models. For realistic conditions, errors in ice stiffness parameter, ice thickness, and speed caused by the vertically integrated treatment of heat transfer are less than 5% of magnitudes of these values compared to the standard three-dimensional thermomechanical computations. In addition, for the specific case of ice shelves with strong bottom melting, the governing equation describing evolution of the vertically integrated ice stiffness parameter is derived, which further reduces computational cost. The presented error analysis and formulations of ice stream and ice shelf thermodynamics in terms of the vertically integrated temperature allow the thermodynamic effects on ice deformation to be easily incorporated into studies that traditionally disregard them.
A general Hobby-Rice Theorem and cake cutting

LetX be a Borel subset of a separable Banach spaceE. Letμ be a non-atomic,σ-finite, Borel measure onX. LetG ⊆L 1 (X, Σ,μ) bem-dimensional. Theorem:There is an l ∈ E* and real numbers −∞=x 0<x 1<x 2<…<x n<x n+1=∞with n≤m, such that for all g ∈ G, $$\sum\limits_{i = 0}^n {\left( { - 1} \right)^i } \int {_{X \cap l^{ - 1} \left[ {x_i ,x_i + 1} \right]} ^{g d\mu = 0} } $$
A conceptual framework for Group-Centric secure information sharing

In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework for developing a family of models for Group-Centric information sharing. The traditional approach to information sharing, characterized as Dissemination-Centric in this paper, focuses on attaching attributes and policies to an object (sometimes called "sticky policies") as it is disseminated from producers to consumers in a system. In contrast, Group-Centric sharing envisions bringing the subjects and objects together in a group to facilitate sharing. The metaphor is that of a secure meeting room where participants and information come together to "share" information for some common purpose. Another metaphor is that of the subscription model where, depending on policy, joining users may or may not be authorized to access past content. We argue that in such contexts, and in accordance with different application use cases, authorizations are influenced by the temporal ordering of subject and object group membership and by the precise nature of membership operations. For instance some subjects may only get future information added to the group while others may also be able to access previously added information. We develop a lattice of models based on variations of these basic membership operations, and discuss usage scenarios to illustrate practical applications of this lattice. Two principles guide Group-Centric models. First, "share but differentiate" which promotes sharing while differentiating user authorizations depending on temporal aspect of membership. Next, "groups within groups" which advocates relationships (such as a hierarchy) between multiple groups. In this paper, we confine our attention to read accesses in a single group.
Persistence of Cryptococcomas on Neuroimaging

Three previously normal patients with cryptococcal meningitis had intracranial lesions on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging that persisted for >5 years after successful cure with antifungal drugs. Persistence of lesions on neuroimaging should not be misinterpreted as evidence of active cryptococcosis.
The changing of the gods : Abused christian wives and their hermeneutic revision of gender, power, and spousal conduct

In this manuscript, I use interpretive theory to explain how two formerly abused Christian wives exposed a more contextual and liberatory interpretation of gender, power, and conduct within the Christian marriage. Through narrative, I illustrate how meanings from the Bible and alternate ideological contexts helped them revise and subvert once oppressive hierarchal teachings on conduct and authority within marital submission. I also explore their discursive cultures and convictions to examine how text and interpretation hindered initial trajectories toward removing victimization. Future research on domestic violence and women should consider the religious contours of the experience and the processes that facilitate their meaning making. Qualitative inquiry can help expose the messages and strategies that compose abused religious women's oppression and agency.
Orphanin FQ/nociceptin and naloxone benzoylhydrazone activate distinct receptors in BE(2)-C human neuroblastoma cells

kappa(3) opioid receptors have a unique binding and analgesic profile, as originally defined by naloxone benzoylhydrazone (NalBzoH). Although antisense studies demonstrated the close relationship between kappa(3) opioid and Orphan opioid receptor-like receptor (ORL1) and implied they were generated from the same gene, these studies also revealed differences in the sensitivity profiles of NalBzoH and orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N), indicating that they were not identical. To help define the relationship between kappa(3) and ORL1 receptors, we utilized BE(2)-C human neuroblastoma cells that natively express functional ORL1 and kappa(3) opioid receptors. (125)I-[Tyr(14)]OFQ/N binds to a single population of receptors in BE(2)-C cells. Competition binding and adenylyl cyclase studies clearly illustrated marked selectivity differences between the ORL1 and the kappa(3) sites. Furthermore, antisense DNA targeting ORL1 blocked the inhibition of cAMP by OFQ/N, but not by NalBzoH. Thus, the receptor mechanisms mediating the activity of OFQ/N and NalBzoH in BE(2)-C cells are distinct.
FINANCIAL FUTURES AND IMMUNIZATION

This paper investigates the ability of any portfolio that contains both bonds and financial futures contracts to immunize a lump sum liability having the same initial duration and value as the portfolio itself. An analysis of second order conditions shows that immunization against a local change in interest rates is possible only if the number of futures contracts lies within a critical interval; the endpoints depend on cash flow characteristics of the specific bonds and contract being combined. Immunization against any large change in rates is impossible if the portfolio contains any long position in futures but is achieved by some portfolios that contain short positions in futures.
Simulation analysis of passive solar heated buildings—Preliminary results

Solar gains through windows, walls, modified walls, skylights, clerestory windows, and roof sections provide an opportunity to dramatically reduce the total heating energy requirements of a building. Many such passive solar heating elements are currently available to a designer presenting a large number of possible system designs. A computer simulation analysis has been employed to aid in the selection of components. The results indicate that a performance comparable to that of a conventional active solar heating system should be achievable in an optimized design passive solar heating system. The placement and type of thermal storage is crucial to good performance. Movable insulation of the window increases the performance. When used in conjunction with a conventional heating system, temperature variations in the building can be reduced to those normally experienced.
Expression of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) messenger ribonucleic acid and the presence of biologically active GHRH in human breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers

GHRH is produced in a variety of extrahypothalamic tissues, including some neoplasms. We have previously reported that GHRH antagonists can inhibit the growth of various human cancers xenografted into nude mice. These observations suggest that locally produced GHRH might directly affect tumor cell proliferation. To investigate this possibility, we have examined the local production of GHRH in human endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancers obtained after surgery or grown in nude mice as xenografts. We have also examined whether the GHRH produced in these tumors is biologically active. RT-PCR and Southern blotting showed expression of messenger ribonucleic acid for GHRH in 17 of 22 endometrial and 17 of 22 ovarian cancer specimens and in all of the human endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancer xenografts studied. Acid extracts of endometrial cancer specimens and breast cancer xenografts that expressed the GHRH gene contained immunoreactive GHRH peptide, as assessed by RIA for GHRH. The level of immunoreactive GHRH detected was equivalent to 2.7-6.4 ng GHRH-(1-29)/g tissue. Purified extract from one of these tumor samples induced a powerful stimulation of GH release from rat pituitary cells. The presence of biologically and immunologically active GHRH and messenger ribonucleic acid for GHRH in human breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers supports the hypothesis that locally produced GHRH may play a role in the proliferation of these tumors.
Tests for Linkage and Association in Nuclear Families

Summary The transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) originally was introduced to test for linkage between a genetic marker and a disease-susceptibility locus, in the presence of association. Recently, the TDT has been used to test for association in the presence of linkage. The motivation for this is that linkage analysis typically identifies large candidate regions, and further refinement is necessary before a search for the disease gene is begun, on the molecular level. Evidence of association and linkage may indicate which markers in the region are closest to a disease locus. As a test of linkage, transmissions from heterozygous parents to all of their affected children can be included in the TDT; however, the TDT is a valid x 2 test of association only if transmissions to unrelated affected children are used in the analysis. If the sample contains independent nuclear families with multiple affected children, then one procedure that has been used to test for association is to select randomly a single affected child from each sibship and to apply the TDT to those data. As an alternative, we propose two statistics that use data from all of the affected children. The statistics give valid x 2 tests of the null hypothesis of no association or no linkage and generally are more powerful than the TDT with a single, randomly chosen, affected child from each family.
Investing in nutrition at the national level: an African perspective.

Investing in nutrition requires conducive political economic technological and social environments all which are determined by economic moral and ethical considerations. Investing in nutrition not only yields economic returns but should be considered as a human right. The author presents an African perspective at the national level using Tanzania as an example of ways in which the impact and quality of various interventions can be maximized through increasing investments in nutrition. Africas fluid development emerging hopes Tanzanias experience in investing in nutrition a framework for investing in nutrition financial investments in nutrition human resource investments in nutrition organizational investments in nutrition and the programmatic context and costs of maximizing quality and impact are discussed. It may be learned from the Tanzanian experience in investing in nutrition that investing in community-based interventions is a most cost-beneficial approach and that investing in a social-action package including advocacy and communication community-based information systems targeted and gender-sensitive education and training and service delivery can cost-effectively achieve quality impact and sustainability. Other insight is discussed.
Spectral Editing with Adiabatic Pulses

Amplitude- and frequency-modulated pulses, known as adiabatic pulses, can induce uniform flip angles in the presence of extremeB1inhomogeneity, which makes them advantageous forin vivosurface-coil studies. This paper describes the conversion of conventional (square pulse-based) spectral-editing sequences into their adiabatic counterparts. Eight adiabatic homo- and heteronuclear sequences are experimentally evaluated for lactate editing. For homonuclear lactate editing, gradient-enhanced multiple-quantum-coherence filtering provides the best overall performance (100% signal recovery with excellent water and lipid suppression in a single acquisition). For heteronuclear [3-13C]lactate editing, gradient-enhanced heteronuclear multiple-quantum-coherence filtering provides the best suppression of unwanted signals in a single acquisition, whereas J-modulated spin-echo sequences yield maximum sensitivity.
Electrochemical Detection of Surface Hybridization of Oligodeoxynucleotides Bearing Anthraquinone Tags at Gold Electrodes

Gold electrodes modified with a DNA 20-mer via a thiol linkage were shown to efficiently capture the complementary 20-mer that was tagged with anthraquinone (AQ) reporter groups. Treatment of the electrodes with 2-mercaptoethanol was required for both efficient surface hybridization and for reversible electron transfer between the gold electrode and the tethered anthraquinone tag. In addition, slow thermal annealing through the melting temperature of the duplex increased the efficiency of the process. Electrodes that had been modified with a ds-DNA bearing AQ tags gave slightly greater voltammetric signals, but after dissociation of the duplex were not as effective as the ss-DNA in capturing the complementary 20-mer from the buffer solutions.
CONVOLUTIONS, TRANSFORMS, AND CONVEX BODIES

The paper studies convex bodies and star bodies in -cosine transforms. They are also used to prove characterizations of geometric functionals, such as surface area and dual quermassintegrals.
Curved boundary layer meshing for adaptive viscous flow simulations

This paper presents an adaptive mesh control procedure suitable for use with high-order finite element methods to solve viscous flow problems. The procedure presented is an appropriate combination of anisotropic and boundary layer mesh adaptation that accounts for the need to use curved mesh edges and faces to maintain the required geometric approximation and mesh gradation within the boundary layers. The paper first discusses the mesh adaptation tools needed to create effective adapted meshes for higher-order viscous flow simulations. Consideration is then given to an overview of the individual mesh adaptation components that are combined to create such meshes. Finally, example results are given to demonstrate the importance of the techniques in accurate computation of physical quantities of interest and to also show the effectiveness of the developed procedures in dealing with domains of arbitrary geometric complexity.
Recovery and detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts from water samples using continuous flow centrifugation.

Continuous flow centrifugation (CFC) was used in conjunction with immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and immunofluorescence microscopy (IFA) and nested PCR to recover and detect oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum and cysts of Giardia intestinalis from 10 L volumes of source water samples. Using a spiking dose of 100 oocysts, nine of 10 runs were positive by IFA, with a mean recovery of 4.4±2.27 oocysts; when another 10 runs were analyzed using nested PCR to the TRAP C-1 and Cp41 genes, nine of 10 were positive with both PCR assays. When the spiking dose was reduced to 10 oocysts in 10 L, 10 of 12 runs were positive by IFA, with a mean oocyst recovery of 3.25±3.25 oocysts. When 10 cysts of Giardia intestinalis were co-spiked with oocysts into 10 L of source water, five of seven runs were positive, with a mean cyst recovery of x=0.85±0.7. When 10 oocysts (enumerated using a fluorescence activated cell sorter) were spiked into 10 L volumes of tap water, one of 10 runs was positive, with one oocyst detected. For the majority of the source water samples, turbidities of the source water samples ranged from 1.1 to 22 NTU, but exceeded 100 NTU for some samples collected when sediment was disturbed. The turbidities of pellets recovered using CFC and resuspended in 10 mL of water were very high (exceeding 500 NTU for the source water-derived pellets and 100 NTU for the tap water-derived pellets). While not as efficient as existing capsule-filtration based methods (i.e., US EPA methods 1622/1623), CFC and IMS may provide a more rapid and economical alternative for isolation of C. parvum oocysts from highly turbid water samples containing small quantities of oocysts.
Stop-Flow Lithography for the Production of Shape-Evolving Degradable Microgel Particles

Microgel particles capable of bulk degradation have been synthesized from a solution of diacrylated triblock copolymer composed of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(lactic acid) in a microfluidic device using stop-flow lithography (SFL). It has been previously demonstrated that SFL can be used to fabricate particles with precise control over particle size and shape. Here, we have fabricated hydrogel particles of varying size and shape and examined their mass-loss and swelling behavior histologically and mechanically. We report that these features, as well as degradation behavior of the hydrogel particles may be tailored with SFL. By reducing the applied UV dose during fabrication, hydrogel particles can be made to exhibit a distinct deviation from the classical erosion profiles of bulk-degrading hydrogels. At higher UV doses, a saturation in cross-linking density occurs and bulk-degrading behavior is observed. Finally, we synthesized multifunctional composite particles, providing unique features not found in homogeneous hydrogels.
Epidemiologic differences between women with colorectal cancer and women with ovarian cancer

Background and Objectives The difference between the epidemiologic features of women with colorectal cancer and those with ovarian cancer has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study is to review the epidemiologic features of women with colorectal cancer and compare them with those of women with ovarian cancer. Methods The epidemiologic features of 705 women with colorectal cancer were compared with those of 503 women with primary epithelial ovarian cancer. Both groups included all women with the confirmed respective histologic diagnoses admitted to Roswell Park Cancer Institute between 1982 and 1996 who returned a voluntary self-administered epidemiologic questionnaire. Results Women with ovarian cancer were significantly younger, had higher education and income, had fewer children, and were more likely to have never been married and nulligravid than those with colorectal cancer. There was a significant difference in the contraceptive history between both groups among women ≥45 years of age. More women with ovarian cancer had a family history of ovarian cancer and more women with colorectal cancer had a family history of colorectal cancer. Conclusions The epidemiologic features of women with colorectal cancer are different from those with ovarian cancer. The difference between both groups might indicate difference in the environmental or genetic etiology of both cancers. J. Surg. Oncol. 2001;76:283–288. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Linear Elastic Behavior of Dry Soap Foams

Linear elastic constants are computed for three dry foams that have crystal symmetry, bubbles with equal volume V, and films with uniform surface tension T. The Kelvin, Williams, and Weaire-Phelan foams contain one, two, and eight bubbles in the unit cell, respectively. All three foams have 14-sided bubbles, but these tetrakaidecahedra have different topology; the Weaire-Phelan foam also contains pentagonal dodecahedra. In addition to the bulk modulus for volume compression, the authors calculate two shear moduli for the Kelvin and Weaire-Phelan foams, which have cubic symmetry, and four shear moduli for the Williams foam, which has tetragonal symmetry. The Williams foam has five elastic constants, not six, because the stress remains isotropic for uniform expansion; this is not guaranteed by symmetry alone. The two shear moduli for the Weaire-Phelan foam differ by less than 5%. The other two foams exhibit much greater elastic anisotropy; their shear moduli differ by a factor of 2. An effective isotropic shear modulus {bar G}, which represents the response averaged over all orientations, is evaluated for each foam. Scaled by T/V{sup 1/3}, {bar G} is 0.8070, 0.7955, and 0.8684 for the Kelvin, Williams, and Weaire-Phelan foams, respectively. When extrapolated to the dry limit, the shearmore » modulus data of Princen and Kiss (for concentrated oil-in-water emulsions with polydisperse drop-size distributions) fall within the range of the calculations. The Surface Evolver program, developed by Brakke, was used to compute minimal surfaces for the dry foams. Also reported for each undeformed foam are various geometric constants relating to interfacial energy density, cell edge length, and bubble pressure.« less
Enhanced MJO-like Variability at High SST

The authors report a significant increase in Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO)‐like variability in a superparameterized version of the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model run with high sea surface temperatures (SSTs). A series of aquaplanet simulations exhibit a tripling of intraseasonal outgoing longwave radiation variance as equatorial SST is increased from 268 to 358C. The simulated intraseasonal variability also transitions from an episodic phenomenon to one with a semiregular period of 25 days. Moist static energy (MSE) budgets of composite MJO events are used to diagnose the physical processes responsible for the relationship with SST. This analysis points to an increasingly positive contribution from vertical advection, associated in part with a steepening of the mean vertical MSE profile in the lower troposphere. The change in MSE profile is a natural consequence of increasing SST while maintaining a moist adiabat with a fixed profile of relative humidity. This work has implications for tropical variability in past warm climates as well as anthropogenic global warming scenarios.
Identification of Amino Acids in the Hormone Binding Domain of the Human Estrogen Receptor Important in Estrogen Binding

The initial step in the regulation of the transcriptional activity of the estrogen receptor (ER) is the binding of hormone. Previous studies have suggested that the region between amino acids 515 and 535 near the C terminus of the human ER is likely to be important in ligand binding. In order to explicitly define which amino acids in this region are critical for ligand recognition and binding, we have utilized alanine-scanning mutagenesis over the complete 515-535 region. The ability of these 21 mutants to activate transcription in response to the natural estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), was evaluated in cell co-transfection assays with estrogen-responsive reporter genes. In addition, their ability to bind E2 was also tested. Mutations at four sites in the 521-528 region had the greatest effects on E2-induced transcription, with L525A reducing responsiveness 250-fold, G521A and H524A 35-fold, and M528A 11-fold. Mutations at other sites had either no effect or a 4-fold or lesser reduction in sensitivity to E2 (M517A, Y526A, N532A, and P535A). Three of the mutants most affected in their transcriptional response, G521A, H524A, and M528A, showed a coordinate reduction in E2 binding affinity. E2 binding by the most affected mutant, L525A, could not be detected. Thus, the altered transcriptional response of these ER mutants appears to derive solely from an alteration in their affinity for the ligand E2. The four sites most affected by alanine substitution, 521, 524, 525, and 528, follow an α-helical periodicity, such that they would be positioned on one face of an α-helix. Furthermore, they correspond precisely to residues in an α-helix shown to be in contact with ligand in the recently described x-ray crystal structures of two other members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, namely the retinoic acid receptor- and thyroid hormone receptor-ligand complexes. Our findings, which broaden observations to the steroid receptor family within the superfamily of nuclear receptors, suggest that this region of the estrogen receptor is in contact with its cognate ligand in a similar fashion.
Improving Position Accuracy of Robot Manipulators Using Neural Networks

In this paper, a neural network based method was presented to estimate the position errors in a robot manipulator calibration process. We use a set of measurement within a window to form the input and output pairs of training data. The utilization of a window of data helps to exploit the local feature of the underline mapping function and also reduce the complexity of the neural network model. After training is completed, the neural network model could be used to approximate the mapping between the location on the board and the position errors of manipulator within the calibration space. The proposed algorithm improves the accuracy of the error estimation in comparison with traditional analytical methods. The experiment result demonstrates the effective of the proposed method