cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suckling : determinants, changes, mechanisms, and lasting impressions

Quatre facettes de l'allaitement sont explorees: ses origines phylogenetiques, le controle comportemental et physiologique de l'attachement au mammelon et de la prise de lait, les opportunites, a travers l'allaitement, d'effectuer des apprentissages relatifs a la mere, a la nourriture, au statut social, aux membres de la fratrie, ainsi que les mecanismes sous-tendant les changements de l'enfant pouvant determiner a long terme l'evolution comportementale et emotionnelle.
Magnetic Effects in Poly(phenylenevinylene)-Pendant Phenoxy Radical Sites Generated Photochemically from a Phosphine Azide Precursor

UV−vis photolysis of the film of a bisaryloxyphosphineazide derivative of poly(4-oxyphenyl-1,2-phenylenevinylene) generates the phenoxy radicals attached to the π-conjugated linear backbone. The product polyradical is in a high-spin ground state with the averaged exchange coupling constant (2J) of ca. 50 cm-1.
Influences of chromium and hafnium additions on the microstructures of β-nial coatings on superalloy substrates

Abstract In this study, Hf-doped and Cr/Hf-modified NiAl coatings were deposited onto Rene N5® substrates via direct current magnetron sputtering. Microstructural analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) showed the as-deposited coatings to be single phase with B2 crystal structures. Post-deposition annealing at 1000 °C in an Ar + 5%H2 atmosphere resulted in the formation of nanometer-sized precipitates along grain boundaries and within grain interiors. TEM analyses showed most of the precipitates to be β′-Ni2AlHf. Three-dimensional atom probe tomography (3D-APT) also revealed the presence of α-Cr precipitates within the NiAlCrHf coatings after annealing. The results have been analyzed and discussed relative to previous research on sputter deposited NiAl–Hf coatings.
Trial by Fire: Lessons Learned in Developing and Delivering A Distance Learning Course

The purpose of the article is to present first-hand experience of developing distance delivery courses, including technical and course development considerations. The article provides practical considerations into the use of distance delivery tools for combining the live classroom experience and includes challenges and lessons learned.
Effect of exercise and physical fitness on serum lipids and lipoproteins.

Abstract The effect of physical exercise on serum lipids and lipoproteins was studied in 13 young medical students participating in a exercising program of four daily 30 min sessions of intense physical exercise per week. After seven weeks of exercise a signific ant decrease was observed in serum triglycerides (from 110 to 80 mg/ 100 ml) and pre-β-lipoproteins (from 93 to 54 mg/100 ml) with more moderate effect on serum cholesterol, β- plus pre-β-lipoprotein cholesterol and β-lipoprotein. A concomitant increase in α-lipoprotein values was also observed (from 286 mg/100 ml to 332 mg/100 ml). A weak negative correlation was observed in 100 young individuals participating in a Nutrition Survey between the degree of physical fitness as measured by the Harvard Step Test and serum cholesterol levels. The contradictory reports on the effect of exercise upon serum lipids, mainly cholesterol, might be explained by the effect of exercise on lipoprotein metabolism.
The protein-nanomaterial interface.

Developments in the past few years have illustrated the potentially revolutionizing impact of nanomaterials, especially in biomedical imaging, drug delivery, biosensing and the design of functional nanocomposites. Methods to effectively interface proteins with nanomaterials for realizing these applications continue to evolve. Proteins are being used to control both the synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials. There has also been an increasing interest in understanding the influence of nanomaterials on the structure and function of proteins. Understanding and controlling the protein–nanomaterial interface will be crucial for designing functional protein–nanomaterial conjugates and assemblies.
The role of grammaticality in the imitation of word strings by children and adults

The ability of Ss to imitate sentences differs significantly from their ability to imitate nonsentential word strings of equal length. This study asks about the importance of suprasegmental features and the approximation to sentencehood of the stimulus word-string for the sentential and nonsentential imitation strategies of children and adults. Citation form word strings of various types were presented to adult and child Ss, and errors in the imitations were noted and analyzed. For adults, the absence of suprasegmentals had no effect on the Ss' ability to differentially handle sentential and nonsentential sequences. For very young children (3 yr), all string types are treated similarly. Within a very short time, however, the child acquires the adult's ability to use grammatical cues for sentencehood.
The Influence of Polarity on High-Voltage Discharges

An experimental investigation of the influence of polarity on high-voltage discharges is reported in this paper. Particular attention is given to those discharges used in high-voltage measurements. A theory of the formation of Lichtenberg figures is given together with experimental evidence upon which it is based. A polarity indicator utilizing visual Lichtenberg figures is described. Results of 60-cycle and impulse tests on various types of gaps are given. It is shown that polarity has a distinct effect upon the sparking voltages of all types of gaps. Impulse measurements with grounded sphere-gaps are shown to be subject to serious error unless the polarity effects are taken into consideration. An explanation of the influence of polarity on spark-over is proposed.
Home, community, and the gift that gives in Isak Dinesen's babette's feast

(1994). Home, community, and the gift that gives in Isak Dinesen's babette's feast. Women's Studies: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 217-228.
Investigation of fusion yield from exploding deuterium-cluster plasmas produced by 100-TW laser pulses

When clusters of deuterium are irradiated with an intense, ultrafast laser pulse, the clusters explode, generating ions with kinetic energies high enough to produce nuclear-fusion events. Here we present experimental measurements of the dependence of the fusion yield of an exploding deuterium-cluster plasma on pulse energy up to the 10-J level for incident pulse durations of 100 fs and 1 ps. These energies correspond to peak vacuum intensities of 2×1020 and 2×1019 W/cm2, respectively. We also present measurements of the resulting plasma ion spectra that possess features indicative of a Coulomb explosion and discuss the yield scaling and its relation to previous findings based on the differences in laser focal geometry and pulse duration.
Maternal belief systems: linchpin in the home reading process

Abstract A hypothetical model of the determinants and outcomes of reading aloud was tested using two samples of families of preschool-aged children and their parents. Study 1 involved 60 low-income families. Study 2 involved 56 predominantly working-class families. The majority of subjects in both samples were African American. Measures were taken of SES, maternal literacy, maternal beliefs about reading aloud, the frequency and quality of reading interactions with the child, children's interest in reading, and children's oral language skills. Demographic characteristics and maternal literacy were positively related to maternal reading beliefs. Beliefs were highly predictive of both the degree to which mothers exposed their children to joint book-reading and the quality of mothers' book-reading interactions. Maternal beliefs were also positively related to children's interest in books. An unexpected finding was that reading practices were not substantially associated with oral language skills. Results are discussed in terms of the need to better understand the role of belief systems in parent—child socialization processes.
Characterization of polyaniline–polypyrrole composite coatings on low carbon steel: a XPS and infrared spectroscopy study

Abstract Polyaniline–polypyrrole composite coatings were electrochemically synthesized on low carbon steel under aqueous conditions. The coatings were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy. The structure of the coatings was analyzed as a function of electrochemical deposition parameters (molar feed ratio of monomers and reaction time). The infrared spectroscopic analysis showed that a passive layer of iron(II) oxalate is formed at short reaction times. This inorganic layer undergoes dissolution thereby allowing the polymeric coatings to be formed on steel substrates. The infrared spectroscopy also showed significant changes in the chemical structure of the composite coatings when compared with the homopolymeric coatings. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the chemical composition of the coatings and also the amount of dopants (oxalate ions) incorporated into the polymeric coatings.
Static and dynamic factors in the perception of rotary motion

Direction of rotation and static slant judgments were collected for a series of outline plane forms in four experiments with 106 subjects. Direction was judged more accurately for forms displaying the same perspective gradients as trapezoids, but with right-angled contours, than for trapezoids. There were no consistent differences among these forms in judged slant. Direction of rotation judgments were affected by a static false interposition cue, with interposition increasing the proportion of veridical judgments when placed in conflict with a relative size gradient and decreasing this proportion when a size gradient was absent. Both a dynamic factor (contour angle change) and a static factor (misperceived relative distance of the vertical sides) were found to affect perceived direction of rotation, with direction judgments based primarily on the dynamic factor.
A robotic fish caudal fin: effects of stiffness and motor program on locomotor performance

We designed a robotic fish caudal fin with six individually moveable fin rays based on the tail of the bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus. Previous fish robotic tail designs have loosely resembled the caudal fin of fishes, but have not incorporated key biomechanical components such as fin rays that can be controlled to generate complex tail conformations and motion programs similar to those seen in the locomotor repertoire of live fishes. We used this robotic caudal fin to test for the effects of fin ray stiffness, frequency and motion program on the generation of thrust and lift forces. Five different sets of fin rays were constructed to be from 150 to 2000 times the stiffness of biological fin rays, appropriately scaled for the robotic caudal fin, which had linear dimensions approximately four times larger than those of adult bluegill sunfish. Five caudal fin motion programs were identified as kinematic features of swimming behaviors in live bluegill sunfish, and were used to program the kinematic repertoire: flat movement of the entire fin, cupping of the fin, W-shaped fin motion, fin undulation and rolling movements. The robotic fin was flapped at frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 2.4 Hz. All fin motions produced force in the thrust direction, and the cupping motion produced the most thrust in almost all cases. Only the undulatory motion produced lift force of similar magnitude to the thrust force. More compliant fin rays produced lower peak magnitude forces than the stiffer fin rays at the same frequency. Thrust and lift forces increased with increasing flapping frequency; thrust was maximized by the 500× stiffness fin rays and lift was maximized by the 1000× stiffness fin rays.
Welcome to my Village: Hosting Tourists in the Peruvian Amazon

Some indigenous villages in the Amazon now host tourists who visit their villages on a regular basis. For these visits, villagers dress up in traditional costumes and perform traditional dances. They also sell handicrafts. This host-guest interaction provides much needed income in a region that offers few permanent jobs. By showcasing their culture for tourists, villagers are preserving some elements of their traditional culture by continuing to make clothing similar to what their ancestors wore, performing dances based on dances that have been handed down from their ancestors, and continuing to make traditional handicrafts. This article is a case study of three villages in the Peruvian Amazon. The villagers in this study actively seek to participate in tourism for the income it brings in, and for the implications for cultural preservation. Indirectly, tourism in this area is also helping to preserve forested areas. Villages who can derive some of their income from tourism may be able to delay excessive clearance of land for the production of market crops, or the logging of pristine forests for timber.
1-(3,4,5-Trimethoxyphenyl)naphthalene

The title compound, C19H18O3, is composed of a naphthalene ring, and a benzene ring with three substituents. The two H atoms on the benzene ring are enantiotopic; thus, one of them can be replaced with a bulky group to give an enantiomer of the resulting compound. The mean planes through the two ring systems are inclined to one another by 68.19 (10)°, with a central bridging bond of length 1.488 (3) A.
Implementation of distributed time exchange based cooperative forwarding

In this paper, we design and implement time exchange (TE) based cooperative forwarding where nodes use transmission time slots as incentives for relaying. We focus on distributed joint time slot exchange and relay selection in the sum goodput maximization of the overall network. We formulate the design objective as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem and provide a polynomial time distributed solution of the MINLP. We implement the designed algorithm in the software defined radio enabled USRP nodes of the ORBIT indoor wireless testbed. The ORBIT grid is used as a global control plane for exchange of control information between the USRP nodes. Experimental results suggest that TE can significantly increase the sum goodput of the network. We also demonstrate the performance of a goodput optimization algorithm that is proportionally fair.
Weak and electromagnetic properties of hyperons in a semiclassical approximation

We discuss hyperon decays and hyperon magnetic moments using a chiral lagrangian where the baryons appear as solitons. Some relations are derived using the semiclassical approximation.
Is Combustion the Major Source of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans to the Environment? A Mass Balance Investigation

We have summarized some of the significant work characterizing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) sources and sinks to and from the atmosphere. Much of this effort has focused on estimating emissions from combustion sources and comparing those estimates to atmospheric deposition measurements. Despite significant growth in the available data for emissions and for deposition, it still appears that total PCDD/F deposition exceeds emissions by well over a factor of 2. We have further investigated this phenomenon by first developing a method to estimate PCDD/F emissions for countries where these data are lacking. Second, we have investigated the global mass balance of PCDD/F on a homologue-specific basis, taking into account degradation by reactions with the OH radical. We have found that most of the mass balance discrepancy is due to the octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) congener. We suggest that the photochemical synthesis of OCDD from pentachlorophenol (PCP) in atmospheric cond...
Effects of CO2 and nutrient enrichment on tissue quality of two California annuals

The effects of CO2 enrichment and soil nutrient status on tissue quality were investigated and related to the potential effect on growth and decomposition. Two California annuals, Avena fatua and Plantago erecta, were grown at ambient and ambient plus 35 Pa atmospheric CO2 in nutrient unamended and amended serpentine soil. Elevated CO2 led to significantly increased Avena shoot nitrogen concentrations in the nutrient amended treatment. It also led to decreased lignin concentrations in Avena roots in both nutrient treatments, and in Plantago shoots and roots with nutrient addition. Concentrations of total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) and carbon did not change with elevated CO2 in either species. As a consequence of increased biomass accumulation, increased CO2 led to larger total pools of TNC, lignin, total carbon, and total nitrogen in Avena with nutrient additions. Doubling CO2 had no significant effect on Plantago. Given the limited changes in the compounds related to decomposibility and plant growth, effects of increased atmospheric CO2 mediated through tissue composition on Avena and Plantago are likely to be minor and depend on site fertility. This study suggests that other factors such as litter moisture, whether or not litter is on the ground, and biomass allocation among roots and shoots, are likely to be more important in this California grassland ecosystem. CO2 could influence those directly as well as indirectly.
Collisional Forcing of Raindrop Oscillations

Abstract An energy model is formulated to compare collisional kinetic energy with viscous dissipation for oscillating raindrops as a function of size, raindrop distribution and rainfall rate. A potential energy model is used to calculate oscillation energies, and is coupled with results from a potential flow model to determine the time-average axis ratios for fundamental mode oscillations. The model findings are found to be consistent with observations of mean and extreme axis ratios. It is concluded that there is sufficient collisional energy to produce large-amplitude oscillations in moderate-to-heavy rainfall, and that time-average axis ratios should depart significantly from equilibrium, thereby altering the radar polarization characteristics of rain.
Abstract A5: Psychometric evaluation of cervical cancer literacy assessments with Black, Latina, and Arab women

Background: This research examined the psychometric properties of the newly revised Cervical Cancer Literacy Assessment Tool (C-CLAT) in a diverse sample (N = 543) of Black, Latina and Arab women in the United States. This study was in response to the Institute of Medicine9s report Health Literacy A Prescription to End Confusion (2004) that indicated a gap in health literacy measurements. Methods: Data to validate the C-CLAT were collected in the context of a community based research intervention, Kin KeeperSM Cancer Prevention Intervention. Twentyone community health workers (CHWs) who reflected the ethnicity of the research participants, recruited women from their respective public health programs. The CHWs administered the C-CLAT in the homes of their clients. The C-CLAT is a multidimensional scale consisting or 21 items in three health literacy domains, Awareness, Knowledge & Screening, Prevention & Control. Modern psychometric methods were used including multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and analysis of differential item function. Practical aspects include interpretation of scores from a criterion-referenced framework. Results: The overall scale difficulty was .33 or 67.24% (SD = 18.78) correct. This score represents the percent of cervical cancer literacy knowledge attained at the time of testing. This score was sufficiently low so that knowledge improvements can be monitored without ceiling effects. Individual scales, were similar in difficulty level, with 63.12%, 62.15%, and 65.23% correct, for Awareness, Knowledge & Screening, Prevention & Control, respectively. The overall scale reliability was .65 in the total sample and .68, .67, and .55 for Black/African American, Latina/Hispanic, and Arab American, respectively. The subscales were moderately correlated (r9s =, .26, .38, .49), each contributed significantly to the overall functional literacy score, and factor to scale relations did not differ across ethnic groups. In addition, the rank order correlations of item difficulties across ethnic groups were high (r9s = .97, .98, .98). One subscale, Awareness, appeared to be easier for Hispanics. The C-CLAT total score did not differ by age, education, income, self-rated health, or insurance coverage. Divorced or separated women had higher scores (p Conclusions: The psychometrics analysis supports the use of the revised C-CLAT for use in Black/African American, Latina/Hispanic, and Arab American populations. Additionally this study demonstrated that psychometric evaluation can be conducted within the context of community based methods. This study was supported by the NIH/NINR 1R21NR010366. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):A5.
Influence of Copper Loading and Surface Coverage on the Reactivity of Granular Iron toward 1,1,1-Trichloroethane

Although iron-based bimetallic reductants offer promise in treating organohalides, the influence of additive mass loading and two-dimensional surface coverage on reductant reactivity has not been fully elucidated. In this study we examine 1,1,1-trichloroethane reduction by Cu/Fe bimetals as a function of Cu loading and surface coverage. Information from a suite of complementary techniques (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and cross-sectional energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) indicates that displacement plating produces a heterogeneous metallic copper overlayer on iron. The dependence of pseudo-first-order rate constants (kobs values) for 1,1,1-trichloroethane reduction on Cu loading exhibits two distinct regimes. At Cu loadings less than 1 monolayer equivalent (∼10 μmol Cu/g Fe), a pronounced increase in kobs is associated with a corresponding increase in the two-dimensional surface coverage of Cu. A weaker dependence of kobs on Cu mass is exhibited at loadings in excess ...
Autoantibody profile in African-American patients with lupus nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the major risk factors for morbidity and overall mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, and a number of risk factors, in...
Mapping and structure of inverse diffusion flames of methane

Six different flame types have been identified in a mapping of inverse methane diffusion flames. Only Types I to III were stable. Types II and III were similar and most “representative” of the IDFs; they also covered more than 50% of the total flame map. All but Type IV were underventilated but, yet, were essentially non-luminous with no carbon formation. Only the Types II and III showed any luminous region, as an orange-yellow cap on top of a blue cone. For a single Type III flame, radial and axial temperature and species concentration profiles were measured and found to agree well with prediction, except at the top of the flame where a pool of high CO and H2 was found and in the central air jet with 1/2% H2 that diffused in. The Burke-Schumann flame surface with instantaneous reaction was used as the physical basis for the model. The mathematical model is an extension of the Gosman et al13 analysis, covering continuity, momentum, energy, and 5 species (CH4, O2, N2, CO2, H2O). The solution methods developed by Gosman were used. The predicted flame profile was also in reasonable agreement with the experimental profile determined by the peak temperature profile and direct observation. All experimental data for species and temperature from all points in the flame were reduced to common curves by plotting against the local equivalence ratio. With corrections for analysis base, the curves for inverse diffusion data are almost identical quantitatively to the Mitchell data. This provides direct confirmation of the reasonable assumption that there is no distinction mathematically between the normal and inverse diffusion flames.
Humor comprehension: Lessons learned from cross-cultural communication

Research on humor has tended to focus on its production. The understanding of humor, perhaps because it is more di‰cult to document, has received somewhat less attention, especially from a sociolinguistic perspective. The present paper addresses this gap by using examples of humor in crosscultural interaction to propose ways in which two earlier models suggesting how humor is perceived (Carrell 1997) and supported (Hay 2001) may be further developed. These examples show that joke competence is a somewhat dynamic construct, that understanding can be partial and that lack of full understanding need not preclude appreciation. In addition, I suggest that interlocutors’ understanding of the wide variety of functions of humor must also be taken into consideration in any broader theory of how humor is perceived and understood. As understanding, like language use, is interactively constructed, I call for a view of humor comprehension that is social, as well as cognitive.
Sufficient conditions for Nash bargaining in differential games

Sufficient conditions for Nash bargaining in differential games are given. These conditions are compared with the sufficient conditions given by Liu (Ref. 1).
Parental Expectations and Academic Success in the Context of School Climate Effects

The authors apply ecological theory and models of risk and resilience in examining the associations among parental expectations, school climate, and academic performance. More specifically, this cross-sectional study conducted in a small urban school district examines how students’ perceptions of school climate and parental expectations are related to grades. We also investigate whether school climate influences the relationship between parental expectations and academic outcomes. The findings indicate that parental expectations are strongly associated with grades after accounting for the effect of school climate. In addition, school climate moderates the association between parental expectations and grades. Parental expectations have the strongest association with grades among students who perceive a positive school climate. Implications for practice and school improvement planning are discussed.
Primate abundance along five transect lines at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Using the line transect methods, I studied the primate density at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda for 18 months. Comparisons with other studies show that the population of red colobus monkeys (Procolobus rufomitratus) and blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) is declining, whereas the populations of black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena), baboons (Papio anubis), and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) remain constant or slightly increase. In this paper, I compare data on density from this study to data from previous and recent censuses at Ngogo and with data from other sites in the Kibale forest to examine the stability of primate populations. Furthermore, I test the hypothesis that the changes in red colobus and blue monkey density are due to changes in the forest structure and abundance of their most selected feeding trees, and show that changes in forest composition cannot account for changes in their red colobus abundance, but that hunting by chimpanzees provides a reasonable explanation. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1030–1044, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On modeling software defect repair time

The ability to predict the time required to repair software defects is important for both software quality management and maintenance. Estimated repair times can be used to improve the reliability and time-to-market of software under development. This paper presents an empirical approach to predicting defect repair times by constructing models that use well-established machine learning algorithms and defect data from past software defect reports. We describe, as a case study, the analysis of defect reports collected during the development of a large medical software system. Our predictive models give accuracies as high as 93.44%, despite the limitations of the available data. We present the proposed methodology along with detailed experimental results, which include comparisons with other analytical modeling approaches.
Study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films as a potential sensor for He Ne laser light detection

Abstract Studies of the photoelectrical and optical properties were done on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films in order to examine the possibility for construction of an efficient sensor for He–Ne (632 nm) laser light detection. Films with various thicknesses were prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on substrates of glass, molybdenum (Mo)-coated glass, and silicon (Si) wafer. Relationships between the a-Si:H film thickness and the optical properties, i.e. visible (VIS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, were given. The film’s absorption coefficient at 632 nm was deduced from its visible light transmission spectra. The quantum size effect, i.e. an increase of the light absorption efficiency with the decrease of the film thickness, was observed. The optical absorption could be related to the Tauc mechanism rather than the Cubic mechanism. The band gap ( E g ) and photoconductivity of the film were dependent on the thickness. The latter was also influenced by the substrate material. The a-Si:H/substrate interface is an important factor for the variation of photoelectrical properties. The He–Ne laser illumination appeared to induce more damages than the white light illumination based on the same amount of input energy. The optimal a-Si:H film thickness for the application was calculated. In summary, the photoelectric and optical properties of the PECVD a-Si:H film are adequate for the fabrication of the photosensor for the He–Ne laser light detection.
A Dislocation Green’s Function for the Analysis of Multiple Coplanar Cracks or Cracks With Nonuniform Crack Fronts

This analysis considers the interaction between a penny-shaped crack or a circular external crack and a mode I «opening» point dislocation. The dislocation is taken to lie on the plane of the crack. Symmetry considerations allow the reduction to a mixed boundary value problem for a half space which is solved by well-known methods from potential theory
Differential Regulation of P53 and Bcl-2 Expression by Ultraviolet A and B

The induction of apoptosis by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and other DNA damaging agents plays a critical role in monitoring the accumulation of genetic damage and the suppression of tumor development. We hypothesize that UVA and UVB induce apoptosis by modulating balances between p53 and/or bcl-2 genes. Using MCF-7 cells that express both wild-type P53 and Bcl-2 proteins, we demonstrated that UVA and UVB induced apoptosis through regulating expression of apoptosis promoting or inhibiting genes. UVA induced immediate apoptosis and downregulated bcl-2 expression. Bcl-2 expression was reduced by ≈40% at 4 h post-150 kJ UVA irradiation per m 2 with a maximum downregulation (over 70%) at 24 h. The dose–response studies revealed that significant reduction of bcl-2 expression was observed at UVA doses ranging from 50 to 200 kJ per m 2 ; however, p53 levels were not affected by UVA. In contrast, UVB exhibited a entirely different action than UVA in that UVB substantially induced p53 expression, but had no effect on bcl-2 expression. The induction of P53 by UVB was dose and time dependent with the maximum expression at 24 h post-2 and post-4 kJ UVB irradiation per m 2 . Downregulation of bcl-2 and fragmentation of DNA induced by UVA occurred earlier (approximately at 4 h) than upregulation of p53 and DNA fragmentation by UVB (12–24 h). These results suggest that UVA and UVB cause cell damage through different mechanisms and that the balances between the expression of p53 and bcl-2 may play an important role in regulating the apoptosis induced by UV irradiation.
Age-related variation in limb bone diaphyseal structure among Inuit foragers from Point Hope, northern Alaska

Summary Age-related deterioration of limb bone diaphyseal structure is documented among precontact Inuit foragers from northern Alaska. These findings challenge the concept that bone loss and fracture susceptibility among modern Inuit stem from their transition away from a physically demanding traditional lifestyle toward a more sedentary Western lifestyle.
Management of heart failure: crossing boundary over to the surgical country

Although overall mortality has declined substantially for cardiovascular disease during the past two decades, heart failure mortality has increased dramatically (Fig. 1). Population-based studies indicate that heart failure directly accounts for 40,000 to 45,000 deaths a year and contributes to another 200,000 deaths [1]. Mortality is directly related to the severity of left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure functional classification. Patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction experience a mortality rate below 5% a year whereas those with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IV symptoms have a 30% to 50% 1-year mortality. Fig. 2 provides a breakdown of the US population by heart failure classification. Poor prognostic features include older age, male gender, advanced symptoms, a third heart sound, renal dysfunction, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and depression of ejection fraction or peak oxygen uptake. Box 1 lists predictors of prognosis in chronic heart failure. Progressive heart failure and sudden cardiac death remain the two most common causes for heart failure mortality. Heart failure hospitalizations are an important marker of disease morbidity and the major determinant of the economic impact of this condition. Hospitalizations have dramatically risen by 70% during the past decade [2]. Heart failure is the leading cause for hospitalization in patients over 65 years of age [2]. Treatment strategies that lower hospitalization rates are urgently needed.
Analysis of a general circulation model simulation of the atmospheric response to the observed sea surface temperature anomalies of January and February 1983

A new version of the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres GCM is utilized to simulate the influence of an observed sea surface temperature anomaly on rainfall and atmospheric circulation. The model can reproduce many essential features of the observed tropical rainfall and circulation anomalies during January-February 1983. Particularly, the model simulates realistic patterns of tropical anomalies of sea level pressure, 200 mb geopotential heights, and horizontal winds at the 200 and 850 mb levels. The model-simulated tropical precipitation anomaly patterns appear realistic, although the precipitation is rather excessive and the atmosphere is too energetic.
Spatial–Intensity Variations in Extreme Precipitation in the Contiguous United States and the Madden–Julian Oscillation

AbstractThe spatial–intensity variability of extreme precipitation over the contiguous United States (CONUS) during boreal winter and relationships with the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) are investigated. Daily gridded precipitation is used to define two types of contiguous regions of extreme precipitation (CREPs): the intensity and spatial extent exceeding the 75th and 90th percentiles of frequency distributions. Extreme precipitation occurs twice as frequently when the MJO is active than inactive. Joint probabilities of the fractional area of CONUS sectors when the MJO is active are 2.0–2.5 higher than probabilities during inactive days for both 75th and 90th percentile CREPs (similar for the intensity of CREPs). Probabilities of the fractional area of 75th percentile CREPs when the MJO is active in neutral ENSO are higher than during warm or cold ENSO. Joint probabilities of the fractional area during MJO and warm ENSO are higher than MJO and cold ENSO and statistically significant over southern sect...
Auditory cortex processes variation in our own speech.

As we talk, we unconsciously adjust our speech to ensure it sounds the way we intend it to sound. However, because speech production involves complex motor planning and execution, no two utterances of the same sound will be exactly the same. Here, we show that auditory cortex is sensitive to natural variations in self-produced speech from utterance to utterance. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) from ninety-nine subjects while they uttered “ah” and while they listened to those speech sounds played back. Subjects' utterances were sorted based on their formant deviations from the previous utterance. Typically, the N1 ERP component is suppressed during talking compared to listening. By comparing ERPs to the least and most variable utterances, we found that N1 was less suppressed to utterances that differed greatly from their preceding neighbors. In contrast, an utterance's difference from the median formant values did not affect N1. Trial-to-trial pitch (f0) deviation and pitch difference from the median similarly did not affect N1. We discuss mechanisms that may underlie the change in N1 suppression resulting from trial-to-trial formant change. Deviant utterances require additional auditory cortical processing, suggesting that speaking-induced suppression mechanisms are optimally tuned for a specific production.
An application of vector space theory in data transmission

This work illustrates an application of vector spaces to data transmission theory. We show how Hamming code error detection and error correction are done through the tool of various theories in vector space. It is hoped that this article will explain the importance of abstract mathematics, such as vector space and basis, in the application of data transmission, which enlightens mathematics and computer science majors.
Preliminary review of active control technology applied to the fairing acoustic problem

Future launch vehicle payload fairings will be manufactured from advanced lightweight composite materials. The loss of distributed mass causes a significant increase in the internal acoustic environment, causing a severe threat to the payload. A description of the source and the characteristics of the disturbance are presented along with the present solutions used to combat the problem. Active control technology is currently being investigated as a potential solution. Several active control actuator types are investigated for the fairing problem, including: acoustical control sources, point forces, magnetostrictive materials, smart materials, electrostrictive materials, and piezoelectric materials. The main advantages and drawbacks of each of these actuator types for the payload fairing acoustical problem is presented. (Author)
The hominin fossil record: taxa, grades and clades

This paper begins by reviewing the fossil evidence for human evolution. It presents summaries of each of the taxa recognized in a relatively speciose hominin taxonomy. These taxa are grouped in grades, namely possible and probable hominins, archaic hominins, megadont archaic hominins, transitional hominins, pre-modern Homo and anatomically modern Homo. The second part of this contribution considers some of the controversies that surround hominin taxonomy and systematics. The first is the vexed question of how you tell an early hominin from an early panin, or from taxa belonging to an extinct clade closely related to the Pan-Homo clade. Secondly, we consider how many species should be recognized within the hominin fossil record, and review the philosophies and methods used to identify taxa within the hominin fossil record. Thirdly, we examine how relationships within the hominin clade are investigated, including descriptions of the methods used to break down an integrated structure into tractable analytical units, and then how cladograms are generated and compared. We then review the internal structure of the hominin clade, including the problem of how many subclades should be recognized within the hominin clade, and we examine the reliability of hominin cladistic hypotheses. The last part of the paper reviews the concepts of a genus, including the criteria that should be used for recognizing genera within the hominin clade.
PET Imaging of α4β2* Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Quantitative Analysis of 18F-Nifene Kinetics in the Nonhuman Primate

The PET radioligand 2-fluoro-3-[2-((S)-3-pyrrolinyl)methoxy]pyridine (18F-nifene) is an a4b2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist developed to provide accelerated in vivo equilibrium compared with existing a4b2* radioligands. The goal of this work was to analyze the in vivo kinetic properties of 18 Fnifene with both kinetic modeling and graphical analysis techniques. Methods: Dynamic PET experiments were performed on 4 rhesus monkeys (female; age range, 9–13 y) using a smallanimal PET scanner. Studies began with a high-specific-activity 18 F-nifene injection, followed by a coinjection of 18 F-nifene and unlabeled nifene at 60 min. Sampling of arterial blood with metabolite analysis was performed throughout the experiment to provide a parent radioligand input function. In vivo kinetics were characterized with both a 1-tissue-compartment model (1TCM) and a 2-tissue-compartment model, Logan graphical methods (both with and without blood sampling), and the multilinear reference tissue model. Total distribution volumes and nondisplaceable binding potentials (BPND) were used to compare regional binding of 18 F-nifene. Regions examined include the anteroventral thalamus, lateral geniculate body, frontal cortex, subiculum, and cerebellum. Results: The rapid uptake and binding of 18F-nifene in nAChR-rich regions of the brain was appropriately modeled using the 1TCM. No evidence for specific binding of 18F-nifene in the cerebellum was detected on the basis of the coinjection studies, suggesting the suitability of the cerebellum as a reference region. Total distribution volumes in the cerebellum were 6.91 6 0.61 mL/cm 3 .B PND values calculated with the 1TCM were 1.60 6 0.17, 1.35 6 0.16, 0.26 6 0.08, and 0.30 6 0.07 in the anteroventral thalamus, lateral geniculate body, frontal cortex, and subiculum, respectively. For all brain regions, there was a less than 0.04 absolute difference in the average BPND values calculated with each of the 1TCM, multilinear reference tissue model, and Logan methods. Conclusion: The fast kinetic properties and specific regional binding of 18F-nifene promote extension of the radioligand into
Elevated CO2 and herbivory influence trait integration in Arabidopsis thaliana

We lack information on how elevated CO2, and its interaction with other factors like herbivory, affect levels and patterns of trait integration in plants. We experimentally tested the hypothesis that elevated CO2 disrupts and restructures functional associations among plant traits, in the selfing annual, Arabidopsis thaliana. We tested for these effects both in the presence and absence of herbivory by larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Elevated CO2, both alone and combined with moth herbivory, modified integrated trait responses. In addition, integration under different environments was genotype-specific. These results imply that global changes in CO2 are likely to cause divergent evolutionary outcomes among populations of plants that differ in the initial structure of their quantitative genetic variation.
Photonically generated 10 GHz microwaves with close-to-carrier phase noise < −100 dBc/Hz

We demonstrate a 10 GHz photonic oscillator based on optical frequency division of a high-stability optical reference with a modelocked fs laser. Characterization with a second independent photonic oscillator reveals a close-to-carrier phase noise that is < 100 dBc/Hz, reducing to a shot noise floor of −156 dBc/Hz at a 1MHz offset.
Difficult treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis

Treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis are complicated by the diversity of its clinical presentations, uncertainties about its natural history, evolving opinions regarding treatment end points, varied nature of refractory disease, and plethora of alternative immunosuppressive agents. The goals of this article are to review the difficult treatment decisions and to provide the bases for making sound therapeutic judgments. The English literature on the treatment problems in autoimmune hepatitis were identified by Medline search up to October 2009 and 32 years of personal experience. Autoimmune hepatitis may have an acute severe presentation, mild inflammatory activity, lack autoantibodies, exhibit atypical histological changes (centrilobular zone 3 necrosis or bile duct injury), or have variant features reminiscent of another disease (overlap syndrome). Corticosteroid therapy must be instituted early, applied despite the absence of symptoms, or modified in an individualized fashion. Pursuit of normal liver tests and tissue is the ideal treatment end point, but this objective must be tempered against the risk of side effects. Relapse after treatment withdrawal requires long-term maintenance therapy, preferably with azathioprine. Treatment failure or an incomplete response warrants salvage therapy that can include conventional medications in modified dose or empirical therapies with calcineurin inhibitors or mycophenolate mofetil. Liver transplantation supersedes empirical drug therapy in decompensated patients. Elderly and pregnant patients warrant treatment modifications. Difficult treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis can be simplified by recognizing its diverse manifestations and individualizing treatment, pursuing realistic goals, applying appropriate salvage regimens, and identifying problematic patients early.
Coordinated Leading and Lagging Strand DNA Synthesis by Using the Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Replication Complex and Minicircle DNA Templates

The origin-specific replication of the herpes simplex virus 1 genome requires seven proteins: the helicase-primase (UL5-UL8-UL52), the DNA polymerase (UL30-UL42), the single-strand DNA binding protein (ICP8), and the origin-binding protein (UL9). We reconstituted these proteins, excluding UL9, on synthetic minicircular DNA templates and monitored leading and lagging strand DNA synthesis using the strand-specific incorporation of dTMP and dAMP. Critical features of the assays that led to efficient leading and lagging stand synthesis included high helicase-primase concentrations and a lagging strand template whose sequence resembled that of the viral DNA. Depending on the nature of the minicircle template, the replication complex synthesized leading and lagging strand products at molar ratios varying between 1:1 and 3:1. Lagging strand products (∼0.2 to 0.6 kb) were significantly shorter than leading strand products (∼2 to 10 kb), and conditions that stimulated primer synthesis led to shorter lagging strand products. ICP8 was not essential; however, its presence stimulated DNA synthesis and increased the length of both leading and lagging strand products. Curiously, human DNA polymerase α (p70-p180 or p49-p58-p70-p180), which improves the utilization of RNA primers synthesized by herpesvirus primase on linear DNA templates, had no effect on the replication of the minicircles. The lack of stimulation by polymerase α suggests the existence of a macromolecular assembly that enhances the utilization of RNA primers and may functionally couple leading and lagging strand synthesis. Evidence for functional coupling is further provided by our observations that (i) leading and lagging strand synthesis produce equal amounts of DNA, (ii) leading strand synthesis proceeds faster under conditions that disable primer synthesis on the lagging strand, and (iii) conditions that accelerate helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding stimulate decoupled leading strand synthesis but not coordinated leading and lagging strand synthesis.
A family of facets for the uncapacitated p-median polytope

We present a nontrivial family of facet-defining inequalities for the uncapacitated p-median polytope. We incorporate the inequalities in a branch-and-cut scheme, and we report computational results that demonstrate their effectiveness.