cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of a larval antipredator response and larval diet on adult phenotype in an aposematic ladybird beetle

Many ladybird beetles respond to a potential predation event by `reflex bleeding' or secreting a noxious defensive chemical that is similar to hemolymph. Both adults and larvae show this response. Reflex bleeding is known to reduce predator attack rates and increase prey survival after an attack, especially when reflex bleeding is employed in combination with other cues such as odor and warning coloration. In this experiment, we examined how variability in the number of reflex bleeding events and food quality in the larval stage of the aposematic ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis affected elytral color, development time, and terminal size in adults. Effects of reflex bleeding were subtle and may have been influenced by diet treatments. Adult color did not differ between bleed treatment groups but beetles that reflex bled tended to take longer to develop and grow to smaller sizes than control group beetles. There were clear and strong effects of larval diet on adult phenotype: an ad libitum pollen diet resulted in paler adult coloration, shorter development time, and larger adult size relative to a limited-availability aphid diet. Our results suggest that the best environment for producing bright-red coloration may not be the best environment for favorable expression of life history characters, especially under stressful conditions. Interactions between different life history stages of H. axyridis are also discussed.
Shared clonality in distinctive lesions of lymphomatoid papulosis and mycosis fungoides occurring in the same patients suggests a common origin

Summary Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) lies within the spectrum of primary cutaneous CD30-positive lymphoproliferative disorders. Approximately 10% to 15% of patients with LyP develop other lymphomas, most commonly mycosis fungoides (MF), suggesting a biological relationship between these distinctive diseases. Here, we describe the clinical and histopathologic features of 11 patients who had both LyP and MF, including a total of 30 biopsy specimens (14 LyP and 16 MF). Clinically, LyP lesions were characterized by clustered papules undergoing spontaneous regression and were classified as type A (n = 11), type C (n = 2), or type D (n = 1). All cases of MF were characterized clinically by patch/plaque disease, were stage I or II at the time of diagnosis, and consisted of a CD4-predominant epidermotropic T-cell infiltrate. We used polymerase chain reaction–based methods to assess the TCR-β chain ( TCRB ) and TCR-γ chain ( TCRG ) in both LyP and MF lesions of all patients. Monoclonal TCR gene rearrangements were detected in 13 LyP lesions from 10 of 11 patients and in 14 MF lesions from 10 of 11 patients. All 10 patients in whom their skin lesions carried monoclonal TCR gene rearrangements exhibited overlapping clones in both their LyP and MF lesions; additional non-overlapping clones were identified in 3 LyP lesions from 2 patients and 1 MF lesion from another patient. The demonstration of shared monoclonal T-cell receptor gene rearrangements in LyP and MF lesions in almost all patients suggests a common origin between these distinctive clinicopathological diseases.
Drug localisation and growth inhibition studies of vindesine-monoclonal anti-CEA conjugates in a human tumour xenograft.

The distribution of tritiated vindesine (3H-VDS) was studied in the tissues and tumours of athymic mice bearing a human colorectal tumour xenograft. Selective tumour localisation was obtained when 3H-VDS was injected as a conjugate with a monoclonal anti-CEA antibody (11.285.14) but not as a conjugate with a non-binding monoclonal IgG1 (Ag8) or as free succinoyl-VDS. The amounts of VDS that localised in the tumour following injections of 3H-VDS-11.285.14 increased in proportion to the amount injected, over a wide dose range. Conjugates prepared using the Fab fragments of 11.285.14 showed no evidence of selective tumour uptake in comparison with normal tissues.
Recent Africana on Malnutrition and Behaviour: A Special Review

Eastern, Southern and Western African studies on the effects of malnutrition on behaviour are reviewed. The studies are briefly described in terms of the behavioural assessment procedures employed, the nature of the malnutrition involved, the age-groups studies and conclusions drawn on the basis of the results of the research. Comment on the studies is also made. From the review it becomes clear that studies on chronic and acute malnutrition may yield considerably different results in terms of behavioural sequelae.
8-13 μm spectroscopy and IR photometry of comet P/Brorsen-Metcalf (1989o) near perihelion

Thermal IR spectrophotometry of Comet P/Brorsen-Metcalf near perihelion was obtained during August 28-September 6, 1989, by the NASA IRTF; these data are presently compared with results for Comet P/Halley. The spectra, which lacked silicate emission, are consistent with 400-430 K grey body emission. The grains are on these bases inferred to have been larger than typical for either new comets or P/Halley. Attention is given to the composition, mass, temperature, and character of the cometary dust in view of Comet P/Halley study results.
Transmission of Leucocytozoon smithi (Sporozoa: Leucocytozoidae) by black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in New York, USA.

Field and laboratory studies were conducted during 1981 and 1982 to analyze seasonal patterns of Leucocytozoon smithi transmission to sentinel turkeys in New York, USA, and to identify the black-fly vectors of this parasite. Elevated and nonelevated domestic sentinel turkeys were posted every 2 wk in the summer of 1981, and infections were monitored via Giemsa-stained smears of peripheral blood. Black-fly catches were made near the sentinels using modified CDC traps and sweep-netting. Experimental infections of black flies were obtained by direct feeding on infected turkeys or by feeding flies on infected blood through natural and artificial membranes. Infections were transferred to turkeys via intraperitoneal inoculation of black-fly suspensions. Transmission of L. smithi began in late June 1981 and persisted until late September. Eight species of black flies were collected at the field site, but over 95% of those collected from CDC traps near the sentinels were Simulium aureum . A total of 12 of 232 S. aureum females dissected in 1981 and 25 of 199 in 1982 had Leucocytozoon spp. sporozoites in their salivary glands. Leucocytozoon smithi sporozoites were produced experimentally in S. aureum, S. jenningsi, S. vittatum , and S. pictipes . Two complete transmission cycles of L. smithi were accomplished in the laboratory using colonized S. vittatum females as experimental vectors.
Upwind finite-difference calculation of traveltimes

Seismic traveltimes can be computed efficiently on a regular grid by an upwind finite‐difference method. The method solves a conservation law that describes changes in the gradient components of the traveltime field. The traveltime field itself is easily obtained from the solution of the conservation law by numerical integration. The conservation law derives from the eikonal equation, and its solution depicts the first‐arrival‐time field. The upwind finite‐difference scheme can be implemented in fully vectorized form, in contrast to a similar scheme proposed recently by Vidale. The resulting traveltime field is useful both in Kirchhoff migration and modeling and in seismic tomography. Many reliable methods exist for the numerical solution of conservation laws, which appear in fluid mechanics as statements of the conservation of mass, momentum, etc. A first‐order upwind finite‐difference scheme proves accurate enough for seismic applications. Upwind schemes are stable because they mimic the behavior of flu...
A method for recovering strand-specific probes from nick-translated DNA fragments

Abstract A method of preparing strand-specific probes for DNA·DNA or DNA·RNA hybridizations is described. Double-stranded DNA fragments are first isolated from any recombinant DNA clone containing the desired sequence, and then labeled in vitro by nick-translation ( T. Maniatis, A. Jeffrey, and D. G. Kleid (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA72, 1184–1188; P. W. J. Rigby, M. Dieckmann, C. Rhodes, and P. Berg (1977) J. Mol. Biol.113, 237–251). Sequences homologous to the desired strand are captured by annealing the denatured nick-translate to viral strands of an appropriate M13 clone, and recovered by elution of the resulting hybrids from a column of agarose A50M (Bio-Rad). By this method, separate probes with specificity to either strand, as well as the double-stranded probe, may conveniently be prepared from a single nick-translation reaction. Probes may be obtained which are homologous either to the full length of the cloned region or to selected portions thereof by selecting appropriate M13 clones for annealing. The probe is recovered as a population of fragments several hundred bases or less in length, which have been found ideal for saturating liquid hybridizations, and should be similarly well suited for in situ hybridizations to cytological preparations.
Effects of alcohol on short term memory as measured by a guessing technique.

Thirty male volunteers were given 10 trials of the “guessing technique” test of short term memory. Subjects were divided into two groups equated for performance on the guessing task and WAIS digit span and vocabulary tests and retested on the guessing task one week latter under 1.2 ml per kilogram of commercial ethyl alcohol or placebo. Alcohol treated subjects displayed significantly poorer short term memory during the treatment session when compared with controls. This inferior performance was due to a combination of improved short-term memory on the part of controls and inferior performance by the alcohol treated subjects from the first to second session. It was suggested that alcohol may have interfered with the effects of practice and has non-specific actions on human short term memory.
Experimental Restoration of an Indigenous Hawaiian Grassland after Invasion by Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)

Introduced grasses have displaced Hawaiian Pili grass (Heteropogon contortus) in most dry, leeward habitats of the Hawaiian Islands. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of restoring an indigenous Heteropogon grassland at the Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, where introduced Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) is now dominant. Heteropogon seeds (50 seedlings/m2) were added to replicate plots within a Cenchrus grassland. Some plots were subjected to one-time herbicide or hand-pulling treatments to remove established Cenchrus. Because Hawaiians historically used fire to promote Heteropogon grasslands, the plots were burned biennially. Plots were also subjected to two levels of water supplementation. Heteropogon establishment was monitored over 2 and 4 years in the higher- and lower-water plots, respectively. In treatments containing established Cenchrus, Heteropogon establishment was consistently poor (<10% cover). But in the burned plots where established Cenchrus had been removed, as many as 31 Heteropogon seedlings per square meter were recorded, and Heteropogon became the dominant cover, averaging 34% absolute cover (81% relative cover) after 4 years in the lower-water plot and 34% absolute cover (60% relative cover) after 2 years in the higher-water plot. Few Cenchrus grass seedlings survived, possibly due to insufficient water. Water supplementation promoted growth of other alien grasses from the seed bank (Digitaria insularis and Eragrostis spp.); however, these grasses quickly declined after supplemental watering was terminated. Although initial suppression of Cenchrus was required, Heteropogon expanded quickly when seeds and fire were reintroduced, demonstrating that a Heteropogon-dominated grassland can be reestablished in 2–4 years.
The Accountability Effects of Political Institutions and Capitalism on Interstate Conflict

Selectorate theory posits that leader accountability increases with the size of the winning coalition. Recent research contends that capitalism also increases leader accountability because leaders are more dependent on the public for revenue in more capitalist economies. The authors argue that extant tests of accountability arguments of interstate conflict initiation and targeting are flawed. Accountability theories of foreign policy expect leaders to selectively initiate disputes based on their probability of winning. Accountability arguments, then, expect a conditional relationship between the accountability mechanism and the balance of power. For example, if capitalism produces peace through accountability, then more capitalist states should be less likely to initiate militarized disputes as their power advantage decreases. The authors find that this is not the case. At the same time, the authors find robust support for selectorate theory’s contention that larger winning coalitions are more selective about using military force. Political institutions induce accountability; capitalism does not.
Articular and diaphyseal remodeling of the proximal femur with changes in body mass in adults.

Proximal femoral dimensions were measured from radiographs of 80 living subjects whose current body weight and body weight at initial skeletal maturity (18 years) could be ascertained. Results generally support the hypothesis that articular size does not change in response to changes in mechanical loading (body weight) in adults, while diaphyseal cross-sectional size does. This can be explained by considering the different bone remodeling constraints characteristic of largely trabecular bone regions (articulations) and largely compact cortical bone regions (diaphyses). The femoral neck shows a pattern apparently intermediate between the two, consistent with its structure. When the additional statistical "noise" created by an essentially static femoral head size is accounted for, the present study supports other studies that have demonstrated rather marked positive allometry in femoral articular and shaft cross-sectional dimensions to body mass among adult humans. Body weight prediction equations developed from these data give reasonable results for modern U.S. samples, with average percent prediction errors of about 10%-16% for individual weights and about 2% for sample mean weights using the shaft dimension equations. When predicting body weight from femoral head size in earlier human samples, a downward correction factor of about 10% is suggested to account for the increased adiposity of very recent U.S. adults.
Controlled atmosphere electron microscopy study of the gasification of graphite by water, hydrogen, and oxygen catalyzed by a nickel/potassium mixture

The gasification of graphite by H2O vapor, wet H2, and wet O2, catalyzed by a NiK mixture is studied using controlled atmosphere electron microscopy (CAEM). In H2O vapor the carbon consumption, between 550 and 1100 °C, is catalyzed by an edge recession mode of attack in the [1120] direction, with no sign of deactivation. An activation energy of 30.8 ± 0.9 kcal/mol is obtained in this case. This value is similar to those obtained in kinetic studies of the steam gasification of both graphite and char, using this catalyst. In wet H2 both channeling and edge recession occur simultaneously. The activation energy obtained is equal to 30 ± 2 kcal/mol. The catalyst deactivates above 1000 °C, but can be regenerated by treating the sample in H2O vapor at 600 °C. In wet O2, graphite is also gasified by edge recession, but no preferred direction is observed. The catalyst maintains its activity up to 1000 °C, and an activation energy of 25 ± 2 kcal/mol is obtained. These results show that the catalytic properties of the NiK mixture are superior to those of Ni and K alone due to a cooperative effect between the components.
Molecular Genetics of the ABO Histo‐Blood Group System

Molecular genetic study of the histo-blood group ABO system has elucidated the allelic basis of this genetic locus. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence has identified in the coding region differences which change amino acid sequences of the glycosyltransferases coded by these genes. Effects of the differences (mutations) on the specificity and activity of the glycosyltransferases have been examined.
Elastic incompatibility stresses across planar and nonplanar grain boundaries applied to ductile fracture criteria under high triaxial stress

Grain boundary interfaces in a polycrystal under load can develop elastic incompatibilities that, in turn, can lead to stress states in the vicinity of the interface that are different from the macroscopic or applied stresses because the single crystal elastic properties are anisotropic. The focus of the present study is the unstable growth of cavities as a result of high local triaxial stress. This work is an important supplement to the authors` earlier work on ductile fracture of metals under high triaxial stress that was published in a companion journal. Naturally, their analysis will provide more general insight into the magnitude (and relevance) of elastic incompatibility stresses in materials. Aluminum, which has a relatively low anisotropy ratio, was also analyzed to contrast the behavior of silver.
World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers

World Checklist and Bibliography of Conifers is the definitive reference for botanists, horticulturists, foresters and conservationists. It provides the most authoritative list of conifer names compiled with extensive information on distribution, conservation status and a bibliography of the most relevant scientific literature.
Changes in basal and cocaine-evoked extracellular dopamine uptake and release in the rat nucleus accumbens during early abstinence from cocaine: quantitative determination under transient conditions.

Abstract Despite an abundance of studies on mechanisms of behavioral sensitization, considerable uncertainty exists as to whether alterations in dopamine neurotransmission underlie the exacerbated behavioral effects of cocaine observed during the early stages of abstinence. One of the factors contributing to the uncertainty and controversy may be the limitations in utilized measurement techniques (mostly conventional microdialysis). The techniques of quantitative microdialysis under transient conditions and rotating disk electrode voltammetry were used to characterize basal dopamine dynamics as well as time-related changes in extracellular dopamine concentrations and dopamine uptake that occur in response to an acute drug challenge in control animals and animals with previous history of cocaine. Basal extracellular dopamine concentrations were unaltered on abstinence day 3 from repeated cocaine administration (5 days, 20 mg/kg, i.p.). The extraction fraction of dopamine, an indirect measure of dopamine uptake, was significantly lower in cocaine-sensitized animals relative to controls. These two facts, taken together, suggest that basal dopamine release is depressed in cocaine-sensitized animals on abstinence day 3. At the same time, a cocaine challenge decreased the extraction fraction and increased the extracellular dopamine concentration in both experimental groups. The magnitude of the increase in extracellular dopamine concentration was greater in cocaine-sensitized animals, while the ability of cocaine to decrease the extraction fraction was unaltered, suggesting that the increase in extracellular dopamine concentration reflects an increase in drug-evoked dopamine release. Moreover, cocaine-pretreated rats demonstrated greater depolarization-induced dopamine release and the ability of dopamine D 2 receptor agonist, quinpirole, to inhibit release was decreased in these animals. These data demonstrate that a cocaine treatment regimen resulting in behavioral sensitization is associated with a reduction in basal dopamine release, an enhancement in both cocaine and K + -evoked dopamine release, and a subsensitivity of dopamine D 2 autoreceptors that regulate dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.
Curcumin-free turmeric exhibits anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities: Identification of novel components of turmeric

Turmeric, a dried powder derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has been used for centuries in certain parts of the world and has been linked to numerous biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antigrowth, anti-arthritic, anti-atherosclerotic, antidepressant, anti-aging, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, wound healing, and memory-enhancing activities. One component of turmeric is curcumin, which has been extensively studied, as indicated by more than 5600 citations, most of which have appeared within the past decade. Recent research has identified numerous chemical entities from turmeric other than curcumin. It is unclear whether all of the activities ascribed to turmeric are due to curcumin or whether other compounds in turmeric can manifest these activities uniquely, additively, or synergistically with curcumin. However, studies have indicated that turmeric oil, present in turmeric, can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin. Studies over the past decade have indicated that curcumin-free turmeric (CFT) components possess numerous biological activities including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. Elemene derived from turmeric is approved in China for the treatment of cancer. The current review focuses on the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by CFT and by some individual components of turmeric, including turmerin, turmerone, elemene, furanodiene, curdione, bisacurone, cyclocurcumin, calebin A, and germacrone.
Constraints on radial migration in spiral galaxies – I. Analytic criterion for capture at corotation

Near the corotation resonance of a transient spiral arm, stellar orbital angular momenta may be changed without inducing significant kinematic heating, resulting in what has come to be known as radial migration. When radial migration is very efficient, a large fraction of disk stars experiences significant, permanent changes to their individual orbital angular momenta over the lifetime of the disk, having strong implications for the evolution of disk galaxies. The first step for a star in a spiral disk to migrate radially is to be captured in a "trapped" orbit, associated with the corotation resonance of the spiral pattern. An analytic criterion for determining whether or not a star is in a trapped orbit has previously been derived only for stars with zero random orbital energy in the presence of a spiral with fixed properties. In this first paper in a series, we derive an analytic criterion appropriate for a star that is on an orbit of finite random orbital energy. Our new criterion demonstrates that whether or not a star is in a "trapped" orbit primarily depends on the star's orbital angular momentum. This criterion could be a powerful tool in the interpretation of the results of N-body simulations. In future papers of this series, we apply our criterion to explore the physical parameters important to determining the efficiency of radial migration and its potential importance to disk evolution.
Alpha-transfer reactions in light nuclei. I. An exact-finite-range coupled-channels analysis

The importance of including multistep inelastic processes in ..cap alpha..-particle-transfer reactions in light nuclei is discussed, and the necessity of using an exact-finite-range analysis of such reactions is emphasized. A formalism for the treatment of such reactions in an exact-finite-range Born approximation which includes inelastic effects to all orders is presented. An example from the /sup 24/Mg(/sup 3/He, /sup 7/Be)/sup 20/Ne reaction in which it is necessary to use this analysis in order to understand the experimental data is discussed. (AIP)
Optimal Predator Risk Assessment by the Sonar-Jamming Arctiine Moth Bertholdia trigona

Nearly all animals face a tradeoff between seeking food and mates and avoiding predation. Optimal escape theory holds that an animal confronted with a predator should only flee when benefits of flight (increased survival) outweigh the costs (energetic costs, lost foraging time, etc.). We propose a model for prey risk assessment based on the predator's stage of attack. Risk level should increase rapidly from when the predator detects the prey to when it commits to the attack. We tested this hypothesis using a predator – the echolocating bat – whose active biosonar reveals its stage of attack. We used a prey defense – clicking used for sonar jamming by the tiger moth Bertholdia trigona– that can be readily studied in the field and laboratory and is enacted simultaneously with evasive flight. We predicted that prey employ defenses soon after being detected and targeted, and that prey defensive thresholds discriminate between legitimate predatory threats and false threats where a nearby prey is attacked. Laboratory and field experiments using playbacks of ultrasound signals and naturally behaving bats, respectively, confirmed our predictions. Moths clicked soon after bats detected and targeted them. Also, B. trigona clicking thresholds closely matched predicted optimal thresholds for discriminating legitimate and false predator threats for bats using search and approach phase echolocation – the period when bats are searching for and assessing prey. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study to correlate the sensory stimuli that trigger defensive behaviors with measurements of signals provided by predators during natural attacks in the field. We propose theoretical models for explaining prey risk assessment depending on the availability of cues that reveal a predator's stage of attack.
Preference or fat? Revisiting opioid effects on food intake

It is well established that opioid signaling in the central nervous system constitutes a powerful stimulus for food intake. The role of opioids in determining food preference, however, is less well defined. Opioids have been proposed to promote intake of preferred foods, or, alternatively, to preferentially increase consumption of fat. In the present manuscript, I comprehensively review results from previous studies investigating this issue. Data from these studies suggests a mechanism for opioid action that may reconcile the previously proposed hypotheses: opioid effects on food intake do appear to be largely specific for fat consumption, but individual animals' sensitivity to this effect may be dependent on baseline food preferences. In addition, I highlight the possibility that the selectivity of endogenous opioid effects may importantly differ from that of exogenous agonists in the degree to which baseline preferences, rather than macronutrient intake, are altered. The paper represents an invited review by a symposium, award winner or keynote speaker at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior [SSIB] Annual Meeting in Portland, July 2009.
Erste Ergebnisse des mit PRECLUDE® IMA Sleeve ummantelten linken A.-mammaria-interna-Bypasses

Zur Vermeidung einer Verletzung bei einer Reoperation wurde der linke A.-mammaria-interna-Bypass (LIMAB) zum R. interventricularis anterior (RIVA) mit Hilfe des PRECLUDE® IMA Sleeve (PIMAS) ummantelt. Ziel der prospektiv durchgefuhrten Untersuchung war die Evaluierung der fruh- und mittelfristigen klinischen Ergebnisse sowie die Aussagekraft der spiral-computertomographischen Angiographie (SCTA) zur Bestimmung der Lokalisation des PIMAS und der Durchgangigkeit des LIMAB. Innerhalb eines Zeitraumes von 18 Monaten wurde im Rahmen der chirurgischen Myokardrevaskularisation bei 75 Patienten (69 Manner und 6 Frauen) mit einem durchschnittlichen Alter von 55 Jahren der LIMAB zum RIVA mit einem PIMAS ummantelt. Die Fruhletalitat lag bei 2,6% und war nicht durch die PIMAS-Verwendung bedingt. Ein perioperativer Myokardinfarkt trat in 2 Fallen (2,6%) auf und war auserhalb des LIMAB-Versorgungsgebietes lokalisiert. Es wurden keine Wundinfektionen beobachtet. Eine ambulante Nachuntersuchung konnte 6 Monate postoperativ bei allen Patienten stattfinden. Zur Evaluierung des mit PIMAS ummantelten LIMAB wurde eine SCTA angewandt. Die Lokalisation und Detailbeschreibung des PIMAS war in allen Fallen problemlos moglich. Bei 4 Patienten (5,3%) bestand der Verdacht auf einen Verschlus des LIMAB, der in 2 Fallen durch eine selektive Angiographie bestatigt wurde. Somit lag der positive pradiktive Wert der SCTA bei 50% (2 verschlossene LIMAB als verschlossen diagnostiziert; 2 offene LIMAB als veschlossen diagnostiziert). Der negative pradiktive Wert betrug 100% (70 offene LIMAB als offen diagnostiziert). Die Ummantelung des LIMAB mittels PIMAS zur Prophylaxe der Bypassverletzung bei einer Reoperation erhoht nicht die Letalitat und Morbiditat nach Myokardrevaskularisation. Die Darstellung des ummantelten LIMAB mit Hilfe der SCTA ermoglicht eine zuverlassige Beurteilung seiner Durchgangigkeit sowie seine Lokalisation und liefert somit wichtige Hinweise zur Vorbereitung der Strategie bei einer Reoperation.
Information gathering control via exploratory path planning

We tackle the problem of exploring an unknown environment using a range sensor, where most of the uncertainty is due to the presence of opaque objects of unknown and arbitrary geometry, topology and configuration. Information-gathering control aims to minimize the residual uncertainty, resulting in an optimal control problem that is essentially intractable. We propose a surrogate measure of uncertainty that is efficient to compute and results in guaranteed performance bounds. The resulting algorithm is proven to complete exploration within a prescribed accuracy in a finite number of steps, depending in the complexity of the environment.
The Doomsday Argument without Knowledge of Birth Rank

The Carter-Leslie Doomsday argument, as standardly presented, relies on the assumption that you have knowledge of your approximate birth rank. I demonstrate that the Doomsday argument can still be given in a situation where you have no knowledge of your birth rank. This allows one to reply to Bostrom's defense of the Doomsday argument against the refutation based on the idea that your existence makes it more likely that many observers exist.
Colorize magnetic nanoparticles using a search coil based testing method

Abstract Different magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) possess unique spectral responses to AC magnetic field and we can use this specific magnetic property of MNPs as “colors” in the detection. In this paper, a detection scheme for magnetic nanoparticle size distribution is demonstrated by using an MNPs and search-coils integrated detection system. A low frequency (50 Hz) sinusoidal magnetic field is applied to drive MNPs into saturated region. Then a high frequency sinusoidal field sweeping from 5 kHz to 35 kHz is applied in order to generate mixing frequency signals, which are collected by a pair of balanced search coils. These harmonics are highly specific to the nonlinearity of magnetization curve of the MNPs. Previous work focused on using the amplitude and phase of the 3rd harmonic or the amplitude ratio of the 5th harmonic over 3rd harmonic. Here we demonstrate to use the amplitude and phase information of both 3rd and 5th harmonics as magnetic “colors” of MNPs. It is found that this method effectively reduces the magnetic colorization error.
EPIDURAL ANESTHESIA IN LABOR: Benefits Versus Risks

Epidural anesthesia is used for relief of labor pain by 29% of women having hospital deliveries in the United States, a number that has doubled within the past 10 years. Although epidurals provide objective pain relief that is exponentially better than the other pain relief methods, there are many purported complications and side effects. This article reviews how epidurals work, summarizes the literature regarding complications, and presents some of the ethical dilemmas inherent in the use of this technology for labor.
Analysis and optimization of a natural draft heat sink system

An analytical solution for a system consisting of a vertical, parallel-plate, isothermal heat sink, and a chimney is presented. The result is applied to problems in which the size of the overall system is constrained. A ridge of maximum total heat transfer is observed with respect to the plate spacing and heat-sink height. The ridge suggests that heat-sink height may be reduced without diminishing the thermal performance for natural draft cooling. The flow characteristics of optimal systems reveal that systems with and without chimneys dissipate maximum heat when the velocity profiles within the heat sink are fully developed and developing, respectively.
The Dynamics of Cognition: An ACT-R Model of Cognitive Arithmetic.

Cognitive arithmetic studies the mental representation of numbers and arithmetic facts and the processes that create, access, and manipulate them. The contradiction between the apparent straightforwardness of its exact formal structure and the difficulties that every child faces in mastering it provides an important window into human cognition. An ACT-R model is proposed which accounts for the central results of the field through a single simulation of a lifetime of arithmetic learning. The use of the architecture’s Bayesian learning mechanisms explains how these effects arise from the statistics of the task. Because of the precise predictions of the simulation, a number of lessons are derived concerning the teaching of arithmetic and the ACT-R architecture itself. A formal analysis establishes that the simulation can be viewed as a dynamical system whose ultimate learning outcome is fundamentally dependent upon some architectural parameters. Finally, an empirical study of the sensitivity of the simulation to its parameters determines that the values that yield the best fit to the data also provide optimal performance. The implications of these findings for the fundamental adaptivity of human cognition are discussed.
Superelastic behavior in tension–torsion of an initially-textured Ti–Ni shape-memory alloy

A recently-developed crystal-mechanics-based constitutive model for polycrystalline shape-memory alloys [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 49 (2001) 909] is shown to quantitatively predict the superelastic response of an initially-textured Ti–Ni alloy in (i) a proportional-loading, combined tension–torsion experiment, as well as (ii) a path-change, tension–torsion experiment.
Community in a diverse society Using three Western approaches to understand community organization in post-socialist urban China

EnglishIn this article three different perspectives on community organization in a Western context – structural, cultural, and critical cultural approaches – are described in order to shed light on the discussion of community development in post-socialist urban China, where the decline of socialist communities has caused increasing concerns about rediscovering community attachment. FrenchCette etude passe en revue trois differentes perspectives sur l'organisation communautaire dans un contexte occidental – approches structurelle, culturelle et culturelle critique – et les applique pour jeter de la lumiere sur la question du developpement communautaire de la Chine urbaine post-socialiste ou le declin des communautes suscite des preoccupations croissantes sur la facon de redecouvrir l'attachement communautaire.SpanishEn este trabajo se investigan tres perspectivas diferentes de organizacion comunitaria en el contexto estructural occidental, cultural y los acercamientos culturales criticos y se utilizan para...
Effect of Mu Opioid Receptor Blockade on Alcohol Intake in Rats Bred for High Alcohol Drinking

Abstract KRISHNAN-SARIN, S., G. S. WAND, X.-W. LI, T.-K. LI, P. S. PORTOGHESE AND J. C. FROEHLICH. Effect of mu opioid receptor blockade on alcohol intake in rats bred for high alcohol drinking. PHARMACOL BIOCHEM BEHAV 59(3) 627–635, 1998.—Beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA), a selective mu opioid receptor antagonist, when administered in doses of 10.0, 15.0, and 20.0 mg/kg b.wt., decreased alcohol but not water intake in a dose-dependent manner in rats selectively bred for high alcohol intake (HAD line). Beta-FNA also suppressed the intake of a saccharin solution containing alcohol without altering the intake of a similar solution without alcohol. The results suggest that beta-FNA may prove useful as a pharmacotherapeutic agent for the treatment of alcohol dependence. In a second study, pituitary beta-endorphin gene expression (proopiomelanocortin or POMC messinger ribonucleic acid—mRNA) was compared in another pair of rat lines selectively bred for high or low alcohol intake (alcohol-preferring or P and alcohol-nonpreferring or NP lines). A repeated alcohol challenge (1.0 g/kg b.wt./day, IP for 4 days) produced a greater increase in POMC mRNA in the anterior and neurointermediate lobes of the pituitary of P rats compared with NP rats. The results suggest that a genetic predisposition toward high alcohol drinking may be associated with increased responsiveness of the opioid system to alcohol.
A unified interference-collision analysis for power-aware adhoc networks

In this paper we address the issue of controlling transmission power in power-aware ad hoc networks. Previous work that minimizes the transmission power does not consider both the energy consumed in collision resolution and the energy disbursed to overcome the interference resulting from neighboring nodes. We investigate the basic transmission power control for the 802.11 MAC protocols in which the control frames and the data frames can be transmitted at different power levels. A collision model together with an interference model of a uniformly distributed network is constructed. Based on these models, the end-to-end network throughput and the total energy consumption of the network are examined. For a network with a given node density, our results show the optimal transmission power for control messages and for data messages that will yield maximum throughput and minimum energy consumption per message.
A Comparison of Signal Deconvolution Algorithms Based on Small-Footprint LiDAR Waveform Simulation

A raw incoming (received) Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) waveform typically exhibits a stretched and relatively featureless character, e.g., the LiDAR signal is smeared and the effective spatial resolution decreases. This is attributed to a fixed time span allocated for detection, the sensor's variable outgoing pulse signal, receiver impulse response, and system noise. Theoretically, such a loss of resolution can be recovered by deconvolving the system response from the measured signal. In this paper, we present a comparative controlled study of three deconvolution techniques, namely, Richardson-Lucy, Wiener filter, and nonnegative least squares, in order to verify which method is quantitatively superior to others. These deconvolution methods were compared in terms of two use cases: 1) ability to recover the true cross-sectional profile of an illuminated object based on the waveform simulation of a virtual 3-D tree model and 2) ability to differentiate herbaceous biomass based on the waveform simulation of virtual grass patches. All the simulated waveform data for this study were derived via the “Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation” radiative transfer modeling environment. Results show the superior performance for the Richardson-Lucy algorithm in terms of small root mean square error for recovering the true cross section, low false discovery rate for detecting the unobservable local peaks in the stretched raw waveforms, and high classification accuracy for differentiating herbaceous biomass levels.
A combinatorial Chern-Weil theorem for 2-plane bundles with even euler characteristic

A combinatorial Chern-Weil theorem for arbitrary oriented 2-plane bundles with even Euler class over surfaces is proved. Along the way a simple method is developed to use exterior angles to calculate the curvature at the vertices of a large class of non-convex, non-immersed surfaces in R 3.
Critic, compatriot, or chump?: responses to robot blame attribution

As their abilities improve, robots will be placed in roles of greater responsibility and specialization. In these contexts, robots may attribute blame to humans in order to identify problems and help humans make sense of complex information. In a between-participants experiment with a single factor (blame target) and three levels (human blame vs. team blame vs. self blame) participants interacted with a robot in a learning context, teaching it their personal preferences. The robot performed poorly, then attributed blame to either the human, the team, or itself. Participants demonstrated a powerful and consistent negative response to the human-blaming robot. Participants preferred the self-blaming robot over both the human and team blame robots. Implications for theory and design are discussed.
Metabolic characteristics of 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin) and anti-tumour activity of the 13-cis-retinoic acid metabolite 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid in neuroblastoma

Background and Purpose Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid; 13-cRA) is a differentiation inducer used to treat minimal residual disease after myeloablative therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. However, more than 40% of children develop recurrent disease during or after 13-cRA treatment. The plasma concentrations of 13-cRA in earlier studies were considered subtherapeutic while 4-oxo-13-cis-RA (4-oxo-13-cRA), a metabolite of 13-cRA considered by some investigators as inactive, were greater than threefold higher than 13-cRA. We sought to define the metabolic pathways of 13-cRA and investigated the anti-tumour activity of its major metabolite, 4-oxo-13-cRA.
Efficient inductance extraction via windowing

We propose a new, efficient and accurate localized inductance modeling technique via windowing in a manner that is analogous to localized capacitance extraction. The stability and accuracy of this process is made possible by twice inverting the localized inductance models, and in the process exploiting properties of the magnetostatic interactions as modeled via the susceptance (inverse inductance). Application of these localized double-inverse inductance models to actual IC bus examples demonstrates the significant improvement in simulation efficiency and overall accuracy as compared to alternative methods of approximation and simplification.
Improving genetic algorithm convergence using problem structure and domain knowledge in multidimensional knapsack problems

We develop and test a new approach for generating initial populations for the application of genetic algorithms (GA) to problems in combinatorial optimisation, specifically the multidimensional knapsack problem. We focus the empirical study of our approach on a set of two dimensional knapsack problems (2KP) used in a past study of 2KP algorithm performance. Our proposed approach for initial population generation focuses on generating populations that are stronger in terms of solution quality, solution diversity and in terms of solutions hovering near the border of feasible and infeasible solutions within the problem solution space. We report the results of a Monte Carlo experiment comparing our approach with the traditional initial population generation approach and report the results of computational tests involving 1120 2KP instances that cover a range of problem constraint characteristics. The collective of these computational results show that our proposed approach provides an initial population of sufficient quality and diversity to produce improved convergence to near optimal solutions which can equate to reduced computational burden in applications involving complex computations.
Youth and Cultural Practice

▪ Abstract The study of youth played a central role in anthropology in the first half of the twentieth century, giving rise to a still-thriving cross-cultural approach to adolescence as a life stage. Yet the emphasis on adolescence as a staging ground for integration into the adult community often obscures young people's own cultural agency or frames it solely in relation to adult concerns. By contrast, sociology has long considered youth cultures as central objects of study, whether as deviant subcultures or as class-based sites of resistance. More recently, a third approach—an anthropology of youth—has begun to take shape, sparked by the stimuli of modernity and globalization and the ambivalent engagement of youth in local contexts. This broad and interdisciplinary approach revisits questions first raised in earlier sociological and anthropological frameworks, while introducing new issues that arise under current economic, political, and cultural conditions. The anthropology of youth is characterized by...
Function of the zinc finger in Escherichia coli Fpg protein.

Fpg protein of Escherichia coli cleaves duplex DNA containing the oxidatively damaged base 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (Tchou, J., Kasai, H., Shibutani, S., Chung, M.-H., Laval, J., Grollman, A. P., and Nishimura, S. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 4690-4694). This DNA repair enzyme contains one zinc atom/protein molecule (Boiteux, S., O'Connor, T. R., Lederer, F., Gougette, A., and Laval, J. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 3916-3922); its N-glycosylase and apurinic/apyrimidinic lyase activities are physically associated. Amino acid sequence analysis reveals a putative single zinc finger motif of the CC/CC type located near the carboxyl terminus. A gel mobility shift assay was used to assay binding of Fpg protein to a noncleavable substrate analog, namely an oligodeoxynucleotide duplex containing a single tetrahydrofuran residue. High resolution hydroxyl radical DNA footprinting showed protection centered around the tetrahydrofuran residue. No footprint was observed on the complementary strand. To establish the role of COOH-terminal zinc finger in DNA binding and/or DNA cleavage, amino acid substitutions and an amber mutation were introduced at Cys-244 (C244S, C244H, C244A, and C244amber). In addition, a double amino acid substitution was generated at Cys-244 and Cys-247 (C244S/C247S). These mutant Fpg proteins lack DNA binding or cleavage activity, as tested in crude lysates of Escherichia coli. Wild type Fpg protein contains one zinc/protein molecule, whereas the mutant Fpg protein (C244S/C247S) lacks zinc, as measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. This mutation did not significantly alter secondary structure, as assessed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Our results suggest that Fpg protein utilizes its single COOH-terminal zinc finger motif in DNA binding.
Three-dimensional seismic inversion of velocity- and density-dependent reflectivity

Summary Assuming a model of the subsurface characterized by weak fluctuations in both velocity and density, an integral equation is derived for the case of zero-offset reflection data which relates the surface measurements to a scalar reflectivity function given by f(r) = 1 c2/c(r)2+ 2 In [ρ(r)/ρ0]. In this relation, c(r) and ρ(r) are, respectively, the variable velocity and density of the 3-D medium, and c0 and ρ0 are corresponding reference values. Under the assumptions of the Born approximation, a non-dissipative and non-dispersive medium, and full bandwidth data, the derived integral equation can be solved in closed form for the reflectivity f(r). Using a WKBJ approximation for the Green's function in the depth direction only, a closed-form solution is also derived for f(r) assuming a (known) variable depth-dependent reference velocity. Finally, for the case of a constant background velocity, a band-limited version of f(r) is shown to be recoverable from reflection data limited to a finite (temporal) frequency cutoff. Our ability to reconstruct a reflectivity function containing a variable density term results from the use of zero-offset data, since, under these conditions, the directional dependence of the dipole-like density term in the wave equation is removed, and the density variation manifests itself as a scalar contribution to the reflectivity.